I purchased more tomatoes last week. I also got a basket of peaches. The peaches were so wormy; plus I had to wait a week for them to ripen. They tasted good so I made a couple of cobblers. (No worms in my cobblers, however!) The tomatoes took that long to ripen as well so I made sauce this week. I'm really getting the hang of using the Vitamix to make the sauce and cooking it in the Nesco. So easy! Then I just waterbath can them. Using the Vitamix, there is no waste of the tomatoes. The whole tomato, sans the bad spots, is used. I like not having all the waste with the peels. The sauce cooks up nice and thick. The sauce I made this time separated. The sauce I made before didn't separate. I wonder why?
I tried to milk the girls. FAIL!!! They did not want to be touched! I'm going to keep trying but I don't know how to be successful without a milkstand. Have ya'll got any advice to share about milking? I sure would appreciate it!
After going some time without laying, the hens are laying again. I love gathering eggs from their nest! I don't love opening the door and seeing a snake devouring the eggs! I caught one in the action again yesterday! I get so mad when that happens! One day, I'm going to learn to shoot that gun!
I'm anxiously awaiting the time when I can sow fall seeds! I'm giving the fall garden a shot this year. I think I'll use the raised beds for some of the planting. I will utilize the greenhouse for later plantings. I'm going to grow all kinds of greens and beets. I'll keep ya'll updated when I get started.
I hope ya'll are staying cool! School has started here already, what about where you live? Poor little kids! Riding the bus in this heat! Oh yea, school started the first day of the longest yard sale! They said there were major traffic jams because of the school traffic, buses, and yard-sale goers! I'm so glad I didn't get in that mess! We may go to the sales Sunday since most of the traffic will be cleared out by then. Then again, maybe not. I've found that those sales are much higher priced than regular yard sales. So unfair, taking advantage of people that way! Oh well, if you like that kind of thing, go see what it's all about. It will be hot, so be prepared! Thanks for reading the blog! Leave a comment and let me know you were here! Blessings from Bama!
 |
| These tomatoes are from our garden. |
 |
| I only made three jars of sauce this time cause there weren't enough tomatoes ripe enough to make more. |
 |
| I love making pickles, and this bag of lime has the recipe on the back that I use. They turn out great every time! You can add hot peppers to make a sweet-hot pickle. I did that, and man are they good! |
 |
| The guys went deep-sea fishing while we were at the beach. These are some of the red snapper they caught. Randy cooked them on the grill after he put way too much Duck Commander seasoning on them. They were spicy! |
 |
| Homemade buttermilk in the making. One cup buttermilk to three cups regular milk; let sit on counter for 24 hours. Done! |
 |
| Thirteen more pints of these delicious pickles! Made from our cucumbers! |
 |
| Marinara sauce in the making! It gets better with each batch! |
 |
| I always hate to open the door on this! I watched in amazement as it wrapped its head around the egg before running in to get the camera! |
 |
| This was a much larger snake than before. Unless it just grew since then. |
 |
| The rest of its body trailing down inside the hen house. |
 |
| Peach cobblers: one for me and one for Randy! |
 |
| My sauce separated this time. |
 |
| Sir Henry sure has grown! |
 |
| Sir Malcolm has grown too! |
 |
| I'm still picking these rattlesnake beans, about a bag a week! Yummy! |
We milked our Nubian goats, but they were bigger and very docile. All we did was tie them up and they let us - no milking stands needed. Your peach cobblers look so good! I've never canned sauce. Just whole tomatoes and juice. Yes, that snake is big! School usually starts after Labor day up here. We want the tourist season to last as long as it can. Have a fun birthday party and a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi Jacky! Nubians are a good breed that I've considered raising. I may eventually switch to a larger breed. The cobblers are so delicious! You need to give canning sauce a try, it's so easy! Your Nesco would serve you well in doing so! Oh, I wished the board had voted to keep our schools starting after Labor Day! We did when I was in school, so many years ago! Thanks, we will! Blessings!
DeleteHi Bama Girl ~ I only read the very first part of your post and stopped when I came to the part of you asking help for goat milking. I quickly went over to this post http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/04/building-a-goat-milking-stand.html where Jill and her husband built this one. I think Randy and Skylar could build one for you. As I recall, Jill had a video on using it, too! Hope this helps! Now, to read the rest of your post! Glad the girls are back safe and sound! Hugs, Cheeryshirley
ReplyDeleteHi Cheeryshirley! Thank you so much for the link! I wished they had time to build me one, but they are so busy with their jobs, they barely have time to do much more than yard work. Lately, Skylar is working so much, I only get to see him for a few minutes! So different than when he was in school! A video would be nice! I wonder if I could build one? Na, I'm not good with wood working. The girls are still here, having a blast! Blessings!
DeleteHi Felecia, Happy Birthday to Lulu. I don't have raspberries anymore either but have some little ones so hoping we will get another crop this year. Wormy peaches!! Did you buy them? My friend just bought a half bushel and paid like $35 for them. Yikes! Sir Henry and Sir Malcolm are sure lookers!!!! Nancy
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy! Thanks for the birthday wishes! If the rain wasn't too late, we are starting to get more raspberries and hopefully they won' shrivel up! Yes I paid $15 for a basket of those wormy things! Thank you! Blessings!
DeleteIt looks like you have a bountiful garden this year! That's GREAT! I like the way you think when making cobblers. :) This was the first year my Sumter Cucumbers didn't produce.... and this was my first year we are (almost!) out of homegrown pickles. Thanks for sharing the way you make tomato sauce. I keep saying one day I'd like to do that too. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! Thank you, we have been so blessed this year! I just wished our tomatoes had produced! Those Sumter's are the best! Thank you Lisa, the sauce is so easy and delicious, it would be worth it for you to make for your family! Blessings!
DeleteOh my those red snapper's look delicious as does just about everything else you've posted here (with the exception of the snake - that just gave me the heebie geebies). I would have been shouting my head off with that snake there - the Mr. would have had to come deal with it. I know they are an important part of God's creation but I DO NOT enjoy snakes! Greetings to y'all in Bama, I hope you cool down a bit soon.
ReplyDeleteHello and thank you for stopping by! Those were the best red snappers we've ever had at home! Thank you! I can't stand to open the door and find one of those things swallowing my eggs! If I were braver, I'd kill that thing! It's always gone by the time the hubs gets home. Thanks but the hot weather is here to stay, for a few weeks that is. Blessings!
Delete