Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Mid week update

Things have settled into a strange routine here around the farm. Normally this time of year, I would be in a mad rush to preserve and can pretty much every day. Not so this year.

Garden still hasn't produced much to actually put up. Pulled up the potato plants Sunday. Got probably 50 lbs of potatoes. Fried some up on Monday night after taking Bear swimming. If you have never grown your own potato, the taste is so much different from your store bought variety. This is gonna sound strange but it actually tastes like a potato.

Something has been into the melon patch and at my prize cantalopes. Eating perfect cup sized holes in them and sucking the insides out.

Have been hard at work inside the M109 working on cut work right now. Hopefully we will get the framing done inside of it this weekend.

Dried some partridge berry this weekend.

A mom to be best friend. Will make a dried tincture with it when needed.

Trying to work out a deal with the local Army/Navy store (who are prep minded). They teach a Israeli Combat class and I am trying to barter teaching a herb medicine chest class in exchange for training. While there this weekend, was able to pick up a sweet suturing kit. Check one thing off my medicine chest kit list!

Sign of the times hits close to home as well. Family across the street from us moved out this weekend to beat the foreclosure. Didn't even know they were in trouble. Didn't socialize with these folks much as they were more into your typical drinking/bbq parties on the weekends. Of course they left their yard a foot high. Neighbors are already pitching in to keep it mowed.

Well, I'm gonna try to beat the heat and storms today. Definitely an inside day for us with temperatures reaching 105 without the heat index. Forcasted to get some more rocking storms this evening. Area is just recovering from Monday mornings derecho.


8 comments:

  1. my garden produce is slow-going this year....but that's because after last year i was chicken and didn't want to put anything out too early...so i kinda put it out too late. still waiting for our first zucchini but we are getting 6-8 peas a day and some radish and lettuce. oh well. you are dead right - home-grown potatoes are the best. our potatoe plants have already flowered - all 24 tires - so i will be digging around in for some soon. i hope i can get some to go to seed - gonna try planting some from seed!

    i hope it all works out with the bartering for training - i would love to take your herb medicine chest class!

    try and stay cool, eh? your friend,
    kymber

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    1. with 24 tires going you should get loads! Do you stack the tires to promote more growth?

      Trying to stay cool, it's hard with this heat.

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    2. hey Beth - based on our previous years' experiences, we think we will get about 200lbs for eating and about 15lbs for seed potatoes. and yes, we stack the tires...once the plant is 6-8 inches we put another tire on and then fill with dirt. rinse, repeat. we usually do 4 tires high.

      i don't know how you can handle that heat girl. but please don't overdo it and make sure to keep you and the Bear man hydrated...promise?

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    3. Yeah these 50 lbs I will dehydrate as slices for au gratin potatoes, german fried potatoes and such..

      Bear has eaten about a 2 lb bag of ice today. Thank heavens we have an ice maker, he loves to eat ice. When it gets hot like this, he plain refuses to go outside. I have to drag him out to do his thing. We have ac in 2 rooms now the office and the bedroom so I am hiberating in the office while the slow cooker makes pulled pork for dinner tonight.

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  2. The barter deal sounds great. I hope it works out too. I am with kymber, I would love to take your class!

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    1. I hope so too. The class cost 100 bucks a month and you have to sign up for a 6 month contract. So 600 bucks. If I can even get a month or two out of some of my classes I will be lucky!

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    2. hey Beth - what if you did internet classes for your herbal medicine chest class? i have no idea how to do that but other people do it. i would definitely be game for it!

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    3. I will look into class thing. More than likely I will just do a Herb of the week post here with all the info I would do in a class segment.

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