Harvest Monday 11.4.2013

It's November already. I can't believe it. The last month has been so incredibly busy that the time just *WOOSHED* right by me.

This weeks harvest is a few lemons and a pound of peanuts. This first harvest of peanuts is 1/3 of the peanut plants.

I have harvested a few times from this patch. A single plant here or there in order to keep a close eye on their development. The excessive rains had some fungal issues going on in the plants for a few weeks, but we got that corrected quickly enough. And though I got a pound of peanuts there is potential for so much more.

This picture shows just how much more. See, each of those things sticking up is a peg and that is what a peanut develops on. And every single plant I pulled up was covered with them.

So the only issue is... do I leave the peanuts to continue to do there thing and harvest the second crop and just hope the first crop hold on, or do I harvest the first crop and take what I can get?

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

This past weekend brought us the twins 7th birthday party. We went old school and had it at a skating rink. The girls had a blast, and even had a friend book their birthday party while we were there. Guess we'll be going back soon! :-)

I've discovered that I can still skate pretty well, and the girls got skates for their birthday so it looks like it's a new obsession 'round here.

 

Well, that was our big week this week. Last week included some Alabama time, and we are looking forward to go back in a few weeks to start restocking our freezer.

 

See you soon!

 

Barbie~

Harvest Monday 9.17.12

This week brought a rather large amount of disappointment for me. I continued to pull the peanut patch. It was all for naught. The peanuts are riddled with nematode damage. Pounds of them - ruined. The chickens are enjoying the heck out of helping, but they are the only ones. :-( I'm nearly done clearing the patch. Too bad I chose the wrong area to plant them. Seems they WOULD have been a good, productive variety after all. *pout*

What I did bring to the table isn't much. But, I'll brag that my 'pet' hen Dusty is finally laying again. I got eggs from her this week! It brought my normal dozen eggs for the week up to 17!

Hers are the lightest colored eggs there. They are also the smallest as she has laid the fewest eggs of all. I'm just so happy that all three hens are finally laying at the same time for once. YIPPEE!

Unfortunately I also had 2 visitors to the coop this week. A feral cat and an opossum.  >:-( I'm not happy. I don't know what, if anything I can do to keep them out. I took away the ladder from the coop. That should keep the opossum out of the coop. I think it only comes after the food. I do know that if it is truly starving it will eat a chicken, but I'm reinforcing the wires under the gate (where it came in at) as well to try to keep it out. The d*mn cat came in from over the fence. Most cats won't actually attack a chicken, but I don't trust that. Not for a nanosecond. This is the THIRD time I've seen this cat come in and that tells me it's only a matter of time until it is brazen enough to try. I just hope it tries during the day when they can defend themselves. If it does that it won't try again if it gets torn up by chicken claws. :-D

 I guess I'll be looking for some sort of way to turn the coop around and then another way to open and close the coop from inside the house in the morning. If anyone has ideas - I'm all ears.

Also harvested 2 more handfuls each of black beans, zipper peas and pink eye purple hulls. A few black eyes thrown in just for fun and a mess of chocolate mint (after drying I still need to take the leaves off here)

The picture is horrible, but my cell will have to do. Once again my memory card was where my camera wasn't. Sorry.

Linking in to Daphne's Dandelions for Harvest Monday! Thanks Daphne for being such a great hostess.

Till next time.

Barbie~

Harvest Monday 8.27.12 & Isaac

It's Harvest Monday - I'm linking into Daphne's Dandelions once again to give my update on what's going on in my garden and what has been harvested! Thanks Daphne for always being such a wonderful hostess.

But, first the update on Isaac. For me he's just been a bit of a nuisance. Isaac took out my poor bean patch. My black beans are now none existent. Anyone who knows me knows this breaks my heart. I think it is too late in the season to restart them. (Daphne's seed for one  - I'd have to order this go 'round) and for 2 I need to repair the trellis the stupid storm took out last night. But for the most part this is what Isaac is:

It looks like the dead of night in broad daylight. It's raining, and windy. That's it. I'm glad. But, I think considering the timing I would have rather had it come here than where it is heading instead. :-( Hold on Louisiana!

As for my garden, I got 5 pods of black beans before the dagnabbed trellis came down, I also got a half pound of pink eye purple hulls, a pound of zipper creams (yummmm we had those last night) a few black eyed peas

a half pound of peanuts

AND... 2 small sweet potatoes. I totally forgot to weigh, in all my excitement I just cut those suckers up for sweet potato fries and snarfled! OMG.... I need to let the others grow more these were on the small side - but HOW - how do you leave behind the potatoes that taste like this?!?!?

Nom.Nom.Nom.

Also 'harveseted' 9 eggs.

Check out that range of colors from just my 3 hens. Can't wait till things settle down and I can figure out who is laying what eggs! Someone is laying a speckled egg that is absolutely beautiful. It makes it hard for me to break it. I want to keep them until the next one comes along just to make sure I'll get another that is just as pretty. LOL.

'Till next time!

Barbie~

  



Harvest Monday. 7.30.2012

This July has been the worst yet for me on record. Of course, my record is fairly short. But this week things are finally picking up again.

There have been long beans, rice peas, mulberries, a strawberry here or there (for the chickens as they are seedy and kind of tart now) a pomegranate, some peanuts that ended up getting pulled when I pulled the marigolds last week, and a few other assorted things here and there... I didn't get a lot of pictures, but I did get a few. :-)

Peanuts, pomegranate, mulberries, an overgrown cucumber (was still good, btw)

a load of peppermint, rice peas,

 

and lady peas as well - these were delicious!

My gals. the little fluff butts. We got the first eggs this weekend. My what a raucous! You'd have thought the world was coming to an end. Sheesh. I'm afraid the chicken sharing with the neighbor will be coming to an abrupt end very soon. There is no way the HOA will put up with this. :-( It makes me sad.

This proud young lady is definitely the owner of one of the little eggs. Can't you tell? That  waddle looks like it's on fire! LOL

My son is showing off his bounty and contribution to the harvest this week. He and my husband went out with some friends... and my, oh my, did they contribute...

Nomnomnom....

So, while i"m busy eating, Y'all have fun.

Linking in with Daphne's Dandelions. Don't forget to stop by her place and see all the wonderful things that everyone is harvesting from all over the world!

'Till next time!

Barbie~

Harvest Monday 11.14.11

Guess what time it is!? Time to join in to Daphne's Dandelions for this weeks edition of HARVEST MONDAY! So don't forget to stop by her place and see what everyone is harvesting - or how they are using their harvests!

This weeks harvest brought three first for our garden.

Our first (and only apple) Dorset. Please do not ask the size. It's embarrassingly small and not even enough for a snack. :-(

Our first pomegranate - There is still one more on the tree. Ah - well not bad for it's first year considering it was one of my 50% off bin recoveries. So far I've had a 75% success rate with those I have chosen. :-) I understand that next year I should have a bucketful. That would be nice!

Another first - a pound and a half of peanuts! YUMYUMYUYMYUMYUM.

There were loads of baby peanuts that didn't quite make it back to the ground. The space was restricted a little more than I wanted it to be but better a crop than no crop at all! I still have another small set of peanuts to harvest in the upcoming weeks, but I like to sow and harvest them in small sections so no nuts are wasted. Next year, though I may plant enough for some butter! The kids really enjoy fresh nut butters and I can't say as I mind making it or eating it myself. :-) But I may still be a little too restricted space wise to dedicate enough for that many plants. Time will tell!

We also had just over a pound of tomatillos, 6 ounces of green beans, 5oz of hot peppers and chilies, some key limes, basil, and a chocolate cherry tomato.

Soon to come pictures of my babies in the new garden patch. The radishes are at the party and some of the other seedlings are beginning to emerge as well. So come on back later this week to check out the progress. Now that i have my camera again I can actually show you the pretty little things!

'Till next time!

Barbie~