Picking Time

 My kids and I picked apples and plums this weekend.

We picked three big boxes like this one and one really big box of apples for the chickens. This is all off of one tree and there are still a lot more apples left.

I used one box to make 2 quarts, 8 pints, and 8 (4oz) single servings of brown sugar and cinnamon apple sauce.

I am going to make plum jam and cut the plums in half, then can them. But that may have to what until next weekend when I have more time.

Linked to:

The Country Homemaker Hop #39

Fall is Definitely in the Air

It seems the animals are putting themselves to bed earlier and earlier each night. I can't walk anywhere now without going through at least one or two spider webs. Good thing I'm not afraid of spiders and we only have one poisonous spiders here. They are rare and hide in wood piles.

In the garden the sunflowers a looking beautiful. Some of them are over nine feet tall. I planted several varieties. I love the many different shades of yellow they produced.

My pumpkins are finally growing. I hope by the end of October they will be ready to be made into jack-o-lanterns.

I harvested the rest of my potatoes. They are mostly red potatoes. One is big enough to feed the four of us. I dug up small, medium, large and extra large potatoes.

It feels like my canner is going nonstop. I'm canning tomato sauce and pasta sauces with roasted vegetables.

Although my first clue fall was in the air was school started and I had to go back to work. No more playtime with the garden and animals. It's work from sunup to sundown until winter comes.

                                

Garden update

My first big harvest.

 

I have zucchini, peppers, swiss chard, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, basil, a carrot and green beans.
I will be use most for dinner the next few nights; salads, soup, and zucchini boats. I love eating a meal that almost nothing comes from a store.

Goodnight Chickens, Goodnight Ducks

One of my favorite things to do after dinner is to go outside and say goodnight to the chickens.

These ladies are in our chicken tractor. I usually stand outside and look up at them and say goodnight lady.  They answer back "brooock".

This is Bugs she will wait to roost until I catch and give her a couple of flying termites. (hence the name bugs)

 

Then I go down to the other chicken coop and tell these three goodnight. Meet Curly, Larry, and Mo.

 

Next I collecting slugs. Yes I said slugs and I find this activity fun. Yes, again I did say fun.

Why do I collect slugs, you may ask?  I collect them to give to the ducklings.

 They get very excited when I say want some slugies. They start quack/ peeping (it is a strange sound) and tripping on their own feet and each others trying to get to the slugs.

 

Goodnight Duckies 

What I did over the Labor Day Weekend.

I learned to make bread. Who knew making homemade bread could be so easy? I made three loaves of bread.

 

 I also experimented with pickling peppers. That is green bell, yellow bell, purple bell and jalapeno pepper. In two weeks I will try the peppers and if I like them I will post the recipe.

 Peppers, peppers and more peppers become....                               pickled peppers.

 

My son, nephew, and I picked blackberries. (big kid son, little one nephew)

 







These two buckets of blackberries became 10 1/2 cups of juice. I made 10 half-pints of blackberry jelly and froze 5 1/2 cups of juice for later use.

 



 

What did you do for the Labor Day weekend?

 

 

                                 

 



Ducklings' New Home Is Done YAH!

My husband finally helped me build the new duck area. The ducklings were very happy, they couldn't stop peeping and quacking. I didn't have my camera when they were playing a game of torpedo duck in the pool. That was quite funny to watch.

 

 

They seem to love their new home.

 



A Great Day For....

Picking Blackberries

 

 

Baking Cookies

 

 

and Making Bread

 

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