July round our homestead was full of a backyard bursting on the seams, a garden consistently in determined want of mowing, easy dinners, nice temps however excessive humidity, and an entire lot of rain (so grateful for it). We welcomed with open arms a couple of cooler mornings that are so appreciated within the coronary heart of summer time. Iced espresso and tea are all the time brewing, batch-cooking, air frying, and grilling are the primary methods we’re cooking as of late, and many chilly salads with components proper from the backyard are on the lunch and dinner tables every day.
Our residence has been full of freshly picked hydrangeas, sunflowers, peonies, poppies, daisies, carnations, cosmos, roses, and greenery in addition to the scent of contemporary veggies, fast pickled cucumbers, and scrumptious vegan pesto (made weekly). Within the backyard, the pepper crops are loaded with flowers and peppers, the tomato crops stand about 8 ft tall and are loaded with ripening fruit, the cucumber crops are flourishing, and the summer time squash crops, for my first time ever, are struggling. I’ve replanted inexperienced bean crops thrice as a result of they saved getting eaten. Come to seek out out I’m preventing towards wildlife but once more. This time a few very cute and hungry wild bunnies.
In The Backyard – keep in mind that our veggies take a bit longer to ripen, so though lots of you may have numerous produce the top of June/starting of July, our time of abundance is often towards the top of July. As a result of we’re in zone 5a and our homestead is usually shaded, it takes a bit longer however is sooooo definitely worth the wait!
We had LOTS of veg in July. Sugar snap peas, the final of the asparagus, lettuces, greens (mustard, kale, arugula, spinach, & chard), inexperienced beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, loads of herbs, potatoes, and some summer time squash all made their means from the backyard and into the kitchen. Okay, lots of the sugar snap peas did not really make it to the kitchen. They’re simply so good to snack on whereas working within the backyard! Our beets usually are not fairly prepared so we have been fortunate to get them weekly at our CSA. I prepare dinner up the greens after which roast the beet root.
Our potatoes had been in short-term locations this yr as we nonetheless have some extra work to do in our backyard area. They did fairly good although. A couple of of the crops died off early so I’ve acquired to analysis what might have brought about that, however we have had a pleasant harvest thus far. I did not use seed potatoes, as an alternative I planted some natural potatoes I get at our native well being meals retailer. That is the second yr I’ve achieved that and I’ve had actually good success with it. Now we have extra potato crops going robust so we must be harvesting into fall.
Our Asian Pear tree is LOADED with fruit! We have had actually good luck with this fruit. Initially we had 2 timber and the one which finally died of a fungus had been producing amazingly till the unlucky occurred. Ever since that timber demise the second tree has been completely prolific in fruit. They’re so crisp and candy….I am unable to wait!
I planted most of our fall veggies. I’m holding off on the bok choy and celtuce as a result of I’ve fall styles of each so warmth and humidity will make them bolt. I am going to plant them towards the top of August.
I’ve come to a conclusion that I’ll flip the entrance yard right into a backyard area. It is the sunniest spot on the property, so it would assist a couple of of the veggies that want extra solar then what our backyard area can present. Our entrance yard could be very small as a result of virtually all of our property is behind the home, so it would not appear too terribly overwhelming. We’ll begin to transition it subsequent yr, including a small barrier to maintain soil from falling onto the walkway, cardboard to the grass (to kill it) and mulch and soil on prime of the cardboard. Hopefully the next yr it will likely be all set to plant and we’ll proceed to construct up the soil over the subsequent few years. The one issues I can foresee is that we’ve a number of moles within the entrance yard so we’ll must sort out the grub drawback that retains them coming again, and we virtually all the time have woodchucks within the entrance. It would take some trial and error however, fingers crossed, we’ll get it found out.
I discussed within the spring that we joined a CSA this yr to attempt to present a bit extra veggies to our desk and to protect. It was most likely not the most effective thought. As a result of we develop a lot what I had hoped to get from the CSA was an extra of things to protect, and earlier variations of a few of what we develop. As a result of it’s a pick-your-own CSA we have discovered it is onerous to get the veggies we really need as a result of the crops are utterly stripped earlier than we will get there. Our backyard must be again to full manufacturing subsequent yr (we’ve 2 extra raised beds to construct and a few in-ground beds to set-up) so we must be all set with what we will develop. We’ll simply decide up the few issues we do not develop on the farmers market or native farms (corn, melons, strawberries, and extra winter squash and blueberries for freezing).
In The Coop – Egg manufacturing remains to be good, nonetheless, they’re slowing a bit. I am unsure if it is due to the modifications in climate (each humidity and temps) since they’re all older it could have an effect on them extra. We have by no means had them molt this early so I do not suppose it could possibly be that.
In The Kitchen – it has been all about preserving the harvest! Up to now I’ve put up 4 gallon sized luggage of broccoli (from our backyard and the CSA), 2 gallon sized luggage of strawberries (from the farmers market), 1 gallon sized bag of inexperienced beans, a half gallon bag of vegan pesto, 3 gallon sized luggage of shredded cabbage (from the CSA), 3 gallon sized luggage of shredded kale, 1 gallon sized bag of snow peas, 1 gallon sized bag of sugar snap peas, and a pair of gallon sized luggage of shredded combined greens within the freezer (from our backyard and the CSA). I do not plan to freeze any summer time squash this yr. We did not get pleasure from it a lot the previous 2 years. I do hope to have the ability to freeze extra broccoli, extra greens, some cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and winter squash.
I have been preserving eggs in addition to we put together for the annual molt. My husband eats simply over half a dozen eggs every week so it’s extremely doable. I have been freezing some (uncooked complete egg blended white and yolk after which frozen in ice dice trays and transferred to a freezer bag) and we’re additionally rotating by 5 dozen refrigerated eggs so we all the time have 5 dozen available. They’re unwashed so they need to final, theoretically, for months.
I have not been canning as of but however plan to water bathtub can some jams and tomato merchandise. I froze the strawberries to make jam as soon as the humidity dropped a bit so I could begin that up quickly. I do not plan to take up strain canning this yr however I’ll look ahead to one to buy used.
grilled pepperoni pizza
grilled vegan pizza
On a non-preservation word, we have been grilling our pizza and it is soooo scrumptious! A couple of years in the past I’d grill our pizza however struggled with the timing of placing the toppings on. Nicely this time round I’ve acquired it found out! I grill the primary facet for a couple of minutes till it is evenly charred and achieved, then I take away it to a pizza peel, non-cooked facet down. I add the toppings to the grilled facet and place it again on the grill, non-cooked facet down. By the point the second facet is cooked the toppings are heated!
Oliver
Jackson making an attempt to catch a glimpse of Felix
Oliver & Jackson – Jack is doing properly. He has found that I have been feeding a feral cat that has been hanging round within the woods between us and a neighbor so he is obsessive about making an attempt to get a peek at him. Are you able to say jealous??? Really I do not know if it is a her or him however we’re at the moment referring to “him” as Felix though we’ll change it to Felicia if wanted ought to we ever get shut sufficient to see.
Cobble Hill Farm Cleaning soap & Mercantile – we have added on the “and mercantile” as a result of my husband has returned to his LOVE of woodworking. He is beginning to make kitchen utensils and is having a good time. Though he nonetheless makes the cleaning soap, I’ve taken over making all the different merchandise and packaging them to free him as much as work in his woodshop.
That is what occurred round our homestead. I am hoping you had a beautiful July as properly!
