Woke up to a cloudy dreary day but eventually turned off nice. The shell beans are in the spare room on a sheet with a fan running on them to help dry them so that they can be shelled. I was afraid if I left them in the field to dry the daily rain would rot them. In the dehydrator today I have blackberries and plum tomatoes and I also chopped onions for the dehydrator tomorrow. It has been running almost daily for several weeks now to keep up with the flow of vegetables from the garden. When I don't have enough for a full load I will fill in with purchased frozen mixed vegetables that I buy in 5 pound bags. I just hate not to run a full load.
O Wise One and I worked together most of the afternoon cleaning the old bedding and straw from the chicken run and the duck run and both houses. The old straw went to the compost pile and was replaced with a thick layer of fresh pine shavings and then wheat straw. So all the houses, runs and nesting boxes are clean and ready for another few months of the deep litter method. Hung up a whole pack of fly strips to help with that problem also.
We finished picking the last picking for the season of paste tomatoes. With so much rain for the last month or so fungal diseases were running rampant. The small plum tomatoes are doing fine though and continue to make huge amounts of little tomatoes for our salads and the dehydrator.
So the next couple days will be spent making tomato sauce and dehydrating onions and hoping those two jobs will be finished for the season. O Wise One will work on completing our firewood supply and cleaning up the garden. He will be pulling tomato stakes and storing and also pulling and burning the tomato stalks. We do not compost tomato stalks.
It looks like the butter beans beans are filling out finally and the bell peppers are still blooming and making. The figs are getting bigger every day and it is a toss up if they will have time to mature and ripen before that first frost.
See ya over the back fence.
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Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
What type of dehydrator do you use, CQ?
ReplyDeleteI have a Harvest Maid that is 40 years old and still going strong. Looks exactly like an Excalibur. Been a good one!
ReplyDeleteWow. It must be. Thank you!
DeleteI believe you are the Helen and Scott Nearing of your time. BIG compliment in my book.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try to read your whole blog, like a book, it is so informative and down to earth.
You guys could make money if you had someone print it up in book form for folks to buy.
I know you aren't in it for that , but would love for you to share your knowledge with the world. It defintely needs it right now. Back to basics is the way to go.
I really admire you guys. :) Hugs and take care. Beth
Oh My Beth what a compliment and a comparison. Thank you! Helen and Scott Nearing were such an inspiration and also their student Elliott Coleman.
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