Abundance - Ripening Time 2022

 

Some of my garden flowers

Here we are, nearly in the middle of August! Abundance - Ripening Time is technically over tonight, but the abundance hasn't really come in yet.

Some early produce

We've gotten a few squash and cucumbers, but certainly not been over run by them yet. We've also had a couple of bell peppers and one Asian eggplant.

Picking green beans

Wax and green beans are coming along and I've gotten a few into the freezer.

First tomato!

Today we had our first ripe tomato. It was delicious!

Chopped cabbage for the freezer

The large cabbages have all been harvested and either eaten or frozen. I get smaller (tennis ball to softball) sized second crop heads after the main crop. I do this by cutting the main head off and leaving the stem in the ground. I then cut an "X" into the top of the stem. Soon new cabbage buds will grow around the "X". So, each stem will grow another 4-6 mini cabbage heads. They're just right for a single meal. We're just starting to use these now.

Preparing celery and parsley

I'm still putting celery and parsley leaves into the freezer.

Half of my blue potatoes

I've dug my blue potatoes. The reds mature a little later so they're still out there.

The garden is looking good right now. We just wish we were getting a little bit more out of it at the moment. Here's a sampling of garden shots from last week.

Corn and beans

Beans and potatoes

Sweet potatoes and beans

Beans, tomatoes and cucumbers

The flower section

Remember, I grow nine different kinds of beans. That's why they're in almost every shot!

The weather here has been hot and dry. Our area is under a drought warning again this year. If this weather continues, at least the drying beans should mature well.

Deck work continues

Bob's been working on the side porch deck. It's coming along well. I need to get the two posts on the connecting porch scraped and painted soon. Bob wants them done before he puts down the decking and installs the hand rails. I hope to start on that tomorrow.

Buttermilk Falls State Park

On Lammas Eve (July 31) we went for a walk at Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca. It's been so dry that the falls weren't much to look at, but the walk through the gorge was cool and nice.

Woodrow Chuck

We had to give the boot to an unwanted guest this month. For years we have had wood chucks living under our sheds. We peacefully coexisted (with the aid of an Airedale and an electric fence wire). This year, one determined stinker decided it would rather live on our side of the fence. It barged through the wire, apparently ignoring the "zing" and began digging a new den next to our house foundation. One entire day it spent its "off digging" time sitting on our deck and basking in the sunshine on "Lunette's slope" overlooking our garden. I tried to chase it out, but it "dug in its heals" and wouldn't move. Even when I threw things at it! That was it! This critter had to go.

A licensed DEC animal relocator came and set two live traps for it. 

Wrong place at the wrong time

 

The first and second night we got a racoon each time. Finally on the second afternoon we got the real culprit. All three were relocated. I presume to the nearby National Forest.

Yesterday I saw another wood chuck grazing outside of the fence. Hopefully this one will have better manners or will heed the shocks from the fence wire.

Well, that's most of the fun we've been having here this month. We hope that you're enjoying yourselves and are safe from fires and floods. (We know some of you are in those areas.)

Oh, just a reminder, if you want to see any of our back issues, just pick them up from the website menu list. 

Till the next full moon,

Kathleen and Bob

Our wild blackberries

Long Days Time/Fire Fly Time 2022

 

Purple Flowering Raspberries - native

It's hard to believe that Long Days/Fire Fly Time has passed. We've been busy here with garden chores.

Bob mulching bean bed

Bob's been kept busy mulching beds, watering new grass and clover seeds covering our excavation site, and repairing/replacing garden edging. All of that work is finally done.

I've been busy picking and processing garden produce.

A variety of lettuces

We're just finishing up our lettuce for the season. It was very good.

Fresh peas

The peas have all been harvested and most of them are in the freezer.

Garlic harvest

The garlic has been pulled and is curing in the attic.

Black currants

Last week I picked and froze both the black and red currants.

Red currants and cabbages

I'm currently in the process of harvesting cabbages. I usually parcel out a quarter of a head to eat fresh. The remaining portion is frozen.

Shiitake logs at work

Our shiitake logs have been giving us some nice mushrooms. Some of these we have eaten fresh, most we have sauted and frozen for future use.

New red and blue potatoes

I couldn't resist harvesting just a few new potatoes to enjoy!

Kale, chard, parsley and celery have also steadily been going into the freezer. This will continue until the killing frost in the autumn.

Both freezers have now been turned on. This is one of our season's annual milestones.

Of course, there's still much more to come: cucumbers, squash, green beans, dried beans, corn, beets, carrots, potatoes, peppers and eggplants. Not to mention tomatoes!

Three tomatoes hiding here

The beans are reaching and surpassing the tops of their 4' and 6' trellises.

Green beans a'climbing

Mid July garden

This picture was taken yesterday. You can see the garden is coming along nicely!

Beebe Pond - Ithaca, NY

We did take time away from chores to mark the Solstice. We went for a walk at Beebe Pond in Ithaca. It was a very nice day.

On the canal boat

Another weekend we went on a short cruise on the Seneca River and Cayuga-Seneca Canal. This was a free cruise which is being offered on Saturdays and Sundays through the month of August. We enjoyed lovely weather and saw many waterlilies in bloom and many Great Blue Herons fishing for dinner. After the cruise, we took a picnic lunch and ate by Seneca Lake. It was a relaxing day.

That's what we've been up to this month. Next month will be much the same, only the vegetables will be different.

We hope you're all enjoying your summer.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

At Beebe Pond on the Solstice

Bob enjoying our picnic

Sunflowers mean summer

Bright Time/Flowering Time 2022

 

Assorted salad greens

In case anyone noticed, yes, I am a couple of days late updating you on the happenings in Bright Time/Flowering Time. Lay the blame for my tardiness on the strawberries. I've been very busy picking and processing a large crop. More about that later.

Our weather has been fairly typical; a few hot and humid days followed by a couple of cooler and drier days. We've had perhaps a little less rain than usual.

The garden is growing well and everything has been planted. Here's a sample in pictures:

Dry beans around a trellis

More dry beans along a different trellis

Beets

Swiss Chard

Cabbage

Kale

Red and Blue potato plants

Tomato plant

Things are already going into the freezer:

Rhubarb Ginger sauce

Shiitake mushrooms

Garlic scapes which were made into pesto

Cilantro

Strawberries

Greens

The dehydrator has been busy, too:

Bob helps prep berries to dehydrate

One batch of dried berries

I've dried berry slices and leathers. A dehydrator is a very handy item to have, especially when you have an over abundance of something. Nearly anything can be dried for later use.

We've enjoyed quite a few salads and micro greens from thinning out our beet bed.

Beet microgreens thinned from bed

You can see what has been keeping me busy. Bob hasn't been idle, either.

Bob measures the concrete tube

Bob has poured the footers for both of the porches that we will build. That's where the work stands at the moment. More pressing issues have arisen.

This week the crew returned and did the finish work on the excavation site of our ground loop for the heat pump.

Leveled and seeded ground

No more furrows!

It's nice to see the ground all level again. Hopefully the grass and white clover will start sprouting soon. Now Bob is at work doing the necessary edge clean up work around the vegetable garden.

Last week was our green energy open house. Some people were interested in the ground source heat pump and the air source water heater heat pump. Several others were interested in the induction cook top and the garden. Bob discussed the "stuff" in the cellar. I handled the cook top and garden. Three hours of talking takes it out of you!

At the beginning of June, we also had a visit from extended family members that live on the west coast. It was a nice, but all too short visit. We wish them well on the rest of their travels.

Well, we anticipate just getting busier from this point on, between the garden work and the porch construction. We will try to keep in touch around the time of the full moon each month.

Till next time, enjoy your summer,

Kathleen and Bob

Greens heading for the freezer