Sunday's Pickings - Lady Peas, Cucumbers, Squash, Zucchini & a few Tomatoes

Watermelon in the early stages

Corn


Spaghetti Squash not yet ripe - should turn gold

We finally received a nice day of rain at the farm on Sunday. We aren't doing much around the farm right now except picking vegies, picking caterpillars off the tomatoes and watering the plants. The tractor parts have not come in yet so we can't bush hog right now but most of the fields have been cut. Cris bought a scythe from a place in Perry, Maine ( http://www.scythesupply.com/ ) that custom makes them to your body measurements. It's quite a piece of equipment and works great on the areas we can't get the bush hog to. We plan to use it to cut down wheat when we start growing it next year. We want to grow and grind our own wheat.

Saturday we had dinner again with friends at the organic, raw milk dairy farm in Middleton, Tn. There is a group of us who get together once a month to share conversation and advice on sustainable living. We try to bring pot luck dishes made from items we have grown. We brought a stewed tomato (from the farmer's market) and okra (from our garden) dish, cucumber salad (our garden) and a pear tart. (pears we picked in MS. and the crust was made from organic, locally ground wheat). One family brought pickled okra that was really good so we made our own pickled okra Sunday to can.

It is the time of season to start canning and freezing. What we have not grown ourselves, we have bought from the local farmer's market to freeze and can. Our cupboard is getting full. Since our tomatoes were not a great crop this year, we will wait until next year to can tomatoes and spaghetti sauce.

In October we will plant fruit trees so they have the winter to take root. We will also turn under the 2nd field and plant a cover crop to help the soil get in shape for next year. We plan to use the 2nd field as the vegetable garden next year with the fruit bushes and trees on the 'homestead' tier.

We have decided to be completely moved out on the farm and then sell the house but we won't build a house until we sell the Memphis home. We are going to do some research and play with the numbers to see if we can build a small cabin to live in rather than buy a trailer. That way, the cabin can be used as a guest house or office/test kitchen when we do build the "homestead". I would rather build a cabin than have a trailer.