Well it is the last day of July and with August just around the corner the garden still has lots of promise. There are plenty of blossoms on the row of flowers that I planted to attract pollinators and for cut flowers.
Sunflowers, zinnia, marigolds and dill. Just a row of every color blossom you can imagine.
The okra continue to put on those pale yellow blooms that remind me so much of hibiscus.
And plenty of goodies yet to pick. Cantaloupe ripening in the sun.
Pumpkins for that Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.
Lots of field peas for the animals and the farmer alike. These will become seed for next year and the plants will become enrichment for the soil.
Butternut squash make great winter pies
Sweet potatoes for winter storage. Sweet potato pie is one of our holiday favorites.
And melons of every size, color and shape. Maybe some watermelon rind preserves!!
So even though summer is winding down the garden continues to produce. And we continue to struggle too with the daily flow of food from it. With potatoes still in the ground and grapes hanging from the vines still. Looks like I may even have some apples that will make on our tree despite the drought and hot weather.
Right now we are enjoying our cucumbers and tomatoes daily along with okra, squash and
zucchini. The pantry and freezers are filling fast. The first of the young turkeys are not far from butchering for the freezer. We hope to make breast cutlets and grind some as ground turkey to use in place of beef. We like ground turkey in our spaghetti and also chili. The remainder will go into jars as broth or meat and broth for soups and gumbos. Several will be allowed to get larger for a holiday bird for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We also have 15 pound of Boston butt roast curing in the refrigerator preparing to go into the smoker for buckboard bacon. We caught a sale on Boston Butt for $1.38 a pound. Bacon starts at about $3 a pound on a good day. So we will cure and smoke the Boston butt as buckboard bacon for the freezer. The pigs are growing quickly and we should also have those holiday hams taken care of.
Although not as plentiful as fall harvests of the past we are still thankful for our many blessings. Unfortunately we are struggling getting up seeds for any other fall crops and it is getting really late in the season but with a little luck and a little rain it might still happen.
How is your fall garden shaping up?
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
I love your updates. And I just made watermelon rind pickles yesterday. God bless - Holly
ReplyDeleteI would love for you to post how you do the bacon. Never heard of it before.
ReplyDeleteAnd your harvest looks to still be great!
Have a blessed day. ♥
Ill make a point to take pictures and do a post for you : )
DeleteThank you, CQ! I would love to know how to make my own bacon. :o)
DeleteMrs.CQ , do yall feed your pigs zipper pea hulls ?? I have more than plenty and been sharing with the rabbits and goats but didn't know if our piglets could eat them.Ty. so amazed by your gardens, what a blessing.still trying to talk hubby into getting turkeys soon. We just have never defeathered anything ,so much to learn.what a teacher your are to younger women thank you so much. Your sharing of info is such a wonderful farm manual. Blessings to your farm family.
ReplyDeleteIf the hulls are good and green pigs will eat them if they are dry pigs tend not to eat them very well. If you feed the dried peas to chickens or other poultry they must be ground or cracked first. If not they swell in the craw. Just a hand grinder works great. And thank you for your kind words. Blessings from Hickery Holler..
DeleteWhat beautiful photos..reminds me of our years farming in southeast Texas. MY guess is you are in one of the best parts of the country for doing what you do,right? During those years in Texas I fell in love with growing sunflowers, gourds and loofas..still love them but always have a hard time getting the seeds in the ground in a timely fashion [early enough-'after danger of frost'] I did manage a small harvest [in my yard] of gourds 3 yrs ago..they've cured quite nicely-plan to share some w a grandson who has expressed an interest. Thanks for your sharing what you do..."a time and a season for everything" & we are on the far side of that season in our lives so I just enjoy what you are doing!
ReplyDeleteJonell