Friday, July 11, 2014

Dog days in the garden too!

We had house guests this week, Tara and Ralph.  Ralph is the perfect sized dog for this house, he's very sturdy and a low rider.  He's got a lab head on corgi body with a chow tail and tongue.  Curb feelers might be in order...... 

Ralph finds the chickens....... 


Ralph finds the bacon........ 


Ralph finds the cat....... 
cat wins...... 


Meanwhile the garden is on!  It is July.  
On two small rows of peas I have picked 4 gallons.  I am having a hard time wrapping my brain 
around going to the store and paying $3.98 for a giant bag of frozen peas or taking 4 hours to shell 2 gallons of peas, blanching and freezing.  The row is still producing and I will probably harvest one more two gallon bucket which equals 6 bags in the freezer for soup next winter.  Food is so easy to get here in the old USA...... my lesson in peas really has me scratching my head. 


Blueberries and currants have been producing nicely this year too.  


Grilled zucchini  ....... YUM! 


This is the first Monarch butterfly I have seen all year. 
They are few and far between this year. 


How pretty are the blossoms on purple beans? 


Peppers are loaded this year too.


This year I dug out the old borders of the perennial beds and replaced 
the old borders with lettuce.  Winner!  


Tomatoes are coming along but not yet ready for salad....... 


Yikes do we have cukes!!  This is a bumper crop due to all the rain.
I am picking 6-10 a day with no end in sight! 


The onions and shallots are drying in the studio and the aroma is something to behold!
They will get braided in a couple days and hung up to dry in the basement.
I've read that shallots keep longer than onions ......
hope so because boy do I have a pile! 

and yes, the ground hog is back!  Bought a new trap as my old one bit the dust when 
the tree fell on it.  Well did I win the lottery or what?  I got a bonus trap!  BOGO! 


On my way to the studio in the morning I head out on Japanese Beetle patrol.... 
The chickens are slacking off.


The dew has been heavy in the morning.  The strawberries have 
dewy necklace each morning.  


Love this time of the year...... 




5 comments:

  1. Wow can't wait to see that garden soon - it looks amazing! ! We'll definitely be in town for the Rachael homecoming - excited to see all you guys .

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  2. I just love the luscious bounty of summer!
    Happy Summer!

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  3. Cat versus dog, cat usually wins.
    You know food is cheap, but it never tastes as good as the food you grow and put away. Is it worth the time and labor? Yes and no. Just like a coffe cup is never worth the time and labor. Yet, we still make them,
    Just like we all strive for the perfect tomato.

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  4. Yep, food is cheap, but you get what you pay for. How was that food grown, what was put on it to get those big crops? At least you know where and how your food was grown and you get the added pleasure of a beautiful yard! We are getting three or four cukes a day and I don't know what to do with them, 6-10? yikes!

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  5. Love the garden Sandy and comparing. Our collard is doing so well and wondering when to plant Leeks??? and... your re-use of wood in the studio. So great to re use again he.

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