Goals (September 2013) (by Mary)
For the first time, we were privileged to spend almost two months at the farm. It went a little differently than we expected, but it was good. After Todd and Nancy moved out, we did a lot of cleaning in the house; things not done very often such as moving out appliances, cleaning windows, blinds, curtains, and walls. Also, Larry cleaned up after Erin's animals, using some straw for mulch and the rest added to the manure pile. Todd felt bad as circumstances caused some things to be left undone outside, but we assured him that the cleanup was our part in helping them move. We also had gotten behind in our regular weeding and mowing of the beds and orchards. We always say we won't let that happen, but it did, and It all took time.
Goals: We had two main goals this summer. One was to finish painting the buildings. Hopefully we'll still be able to accomplish that on fall weekends. My personal goal was to grow a year's supply of nearly all our produce. What a blessing to have all that wonderful food grown organically and stored away for the entire year. Many thanks to Perry for caring for our garden and home in the city.
The harvesting, eating, and preserving started with:
Spring Lettuces, Radishes, and Beets - These are from our city garden. We love to pick them just before mealtime when they are full of nutrients.
Strawberries - 66 or so pounds off that little bed! Nancy did most of the picking, freezing, and making strawberry jam.
Rhubarb - We freeze it for use on vanilla ice cream. Maybe a pie! Nancy also cans a drink that Todd thinks we should sell!
Gooseberries - 28 various sized jars of gooseberry syrup for french toast, pancakes, or waffles. Larry loves it on vanilla ice cream.
Blackberries - The thornless bushes produced large berries which I froze for banana/berry/yogurt smoothies.
Sweet Corn - We had enough to eat and freeze for the year, and share with the racoons!
Potatoes - Yukon Gold potatoes. Um! They only store for so long, so I baked several, ran them through the food processor, and froze for hash browns. Canned potatoes are also good for soup and hash browns, but there were some left over from last year so I skipped this.
Green beans - I froze some, but canned most of them. We were smart enough to plant all pole beans next to our garden fences. We learned last year that our backs can't take all that bending over picking beans.
Carrots - I planted them in our city garden and Perry kept then watered. They were a huge success. I froze enough for the year and have plenty raw in the crisper drawer. I'll make carrot juice out of the extra large ones.
Cabbage - I raised both green and purple cabbage in our city garden. We use it in roast beef stews, and Amy helped me make sauerkraut.
Acorn Squash - Some of them were the biggest I've ever seen.
Butternut Squash - I bake both butternut and acorn squash and freeze in meal-sized containers.
Zucchini Squash - I freeze it and use in nut breads and pancakes.
Spaghetti Squash - I freeze it and use in a casserole and in place of zucchini in recipes.
Pumpkins - I bake and then freeze for pie, bread, and a hot, spicy pumpkin drink.
Onions - I always start them in January from seed, and plant them in our city garden.
Tomatoes - A great year for tomatoes, and I'm freezing tomato sauce now as they ripen.
Apples & Pears - We'll soon be making applesauce for the year and we have a few pears.
Herbs - Chives, mint, and horseradish. I still need to do the horseradish. I'll prepare it, freeze it in ice cube trays and fill a bag ready for use. I'm not so good at herbs, and a friend gives me some to dry each fall. It will be a goal for next year. (It always is!)
Peaches - We purchased two lugs of Colorado peaches, and I froze 1 1/2 lugs. Hopefully, if we don't have late freezes again next year, we'll have our own.
