Another Busy Week On the Homestead!

 Don't think for a hot minute that I am complaining about being busy.  No sireeee.  I would rather have loads to do than sit around twiddling my thumbs.....do people still say that?  So last week we had our monthly bee meeting on Monday night.  We have had quite the struggle with bees this year.  We purchased a nuc and set it up and within three days it was gone.  I called a fellow bee meeting member that we bought them from and asked what I did wrong.  He made it right and gave me another nuc at no charge.

Now if you don't know much about bees, a nuc, short for nucleus, is a set of five frames, complete with bees, honey, brood (bee eggs), and the almighty queen.  We ended up with three different nucs of bees and they all absconded.  We had two of the experts from our club come out to identify any problems, but no one could find any.  We assume that the equipment had somehow been in contact with some chemical that the bees did not like.  We purchased a hive from someone else and it is doing well.  

The garden has been growing crazy!  I had so many squash that I had to donate thirty of them to a local food bank.  

I am up to 20 bags of squash in my freezer, have canned 15 pints of bread and butter pickles and some tomato soup.  I also froze some squash for frying.  I found a recipe online but to tell you the truth, it was a mess, took a lot of time, and seemed to stick together.  If it works this winter, I will be amazed.  I have 15 bags of servings for two frozen.  

Off to make deviled eggs!  More later!

Canning Season

 I started canning veggies back when we lived in Colorado.  We always had a small garden and never really enough to can but I enjoy it so much!  Each August, I would drive about 80 miles to the East side of the Denver metro area where there were farm stands selling fresh produce.  I bought tomatoes and peppers, and cucumbers and sometimes zucchini.  When we moved to the Ozarks, our garden started producing more. But the first year I bought tomatoes for salsa and chili sauce.  Last year, my neighbor gave me some tomatoes, so I didn't purchase any, but our cukes and squash were only enough for small batches or daily use.  Each year we have added to the soil.  Horse manure, compost, and mulch were added.  This year we could add additional goat poo from our unending supply and some chick manure.  Finally, we have a garden.  But as the old adage goes-Be careful what you wish for.  

I think we have like 33 tomato plants.  And I didn't just get one kind of tomato.  We have cherry tomatoes, Roma sauce tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, and a few heritage tomatoes thrown in.

Last year, our garden struggled.  Some of the squash that didn't do well last year, came up this year without us planting it.  Most of the plants I started from seeds, except for the tomatoes.  I think I only have four that I started from seeds.

I am now picking twice a day usually.  The white scallop tomatoes are taking over the garden and I had to trim them back.  

I swear the zucchini grow overnight.  

I have enough cucumbers for once to actually can some without buying additional from the farmer's market.

So far, I have canned salsa, dill slices, corn, sweet relish, and tomato juice and corn relish. (not pictured).  I have frozen five pints of freezer slaw, four bags of four cups of blackberries, and 10, yes, 10-gallon bags containing 3 cups each. 

And I still have much more to do.  I will try to include some recipes in my next post but for now, I need to go cook dinner and phew! put my feet up!