my spider plant infants!
September 19-25, 2022
Completely satisfied fall pals!
Final week was a mixture of cooler temps and excessive humidity sprinkled with rain, sunshine, and overcast days. In different phrases, we had all of it! However Thursday, THURSDAY, the day of the autumnal equinox, it was good. It began out wet and humid. The rain broke within the late morning, so we had been in a position to go for a pleasant stroll. The solar was shining however the air nonetheless smelled of rain and humidity. We noticed squirrels and chipmunks gathering meals for winter, fields of flowers drying on their stems, leaves starting to vary coloration, and large quantities of goldenrod in bloom. Simply as our stroll was coming to an finish, we noticed rain clouds making one more look. Positive sufficient, proper after we returned residence, the sky offered one other fairly good rain. Though the temps had been nonetheless within the higher 60’s it was heat from the excessive humidity.
Effectively, that each one modified inside 2 hours. I used to be making lotion and had the home windows open. Abruptly the air that was coming in modified from heat to chill and crisp. I ended and simply loved the second – the second I might been ready for. Our official change to fall climate. The change introduced with it a stunning breeze which pushed the crisp air into our residence. Leaves fell from the timber, the coop women ran round trying to find worms (a favourite submit rain exercise), and I took a break to take Ollie for a brief stroll across the homestead, to higher benefit from the arrival of fall.
that is what the chipmunks go away me as they devour the tomatoes. they don’t just like the skins apparently.
With the arrival of fall comes a backyard that’s producing much less and fewer with each passing day. That is not essentially a nasty factor. We have been making ready for this by placing produce up – canning, freezing and dehydrating. Our fridge is not bursting on the seams with veggies, and the overflowing bowls which have adorned my desk and counters for the previous 2 months, ready to be processed or eaten, are nearly non-existent. Virtually. The freezers, nevertheless, are past full.
The greens rising within the backyard can be a lot happier, the tomatoes are nonetheless ripening on their vine, and I’m long gone being irritated on the chipmunks for consuming so lots of them. I’m now encouraging them. The pie pumpkins are nearly able to be roasted and put up within the freezer, the inexperienced beans have made a comeback, and my one cucumber vine that’s nonetheless alive and properly has flowers and seven tiny cucumbers rising! The pepper vegetation proceed to attempt to produce, though I am uncertain we have now sufficient time left earlier than the primary frost for a lot to come back from them, and there are 2 zucchini vegetation and 1 yellow summer season squash plant nonetheless offering us with deliciousness. I plan to dig up the candy potatoes within the subsequent 2 weeks and to tug the honeynut squash from their vines.
Jackson did his finest to scare off Felix (the stray cat) final week. He postured and hissed and danced and carried on within the window. It was fairly a present! Poor Felix did not know what to do with himself. He ended up leaving and never consuming the meals I might left for him. I do not blame him. We moved his meals dish in order that when he returned, he might eat in peace and tried to maintain Jack out of the window, however he insisted on pushing his massive previous head by way of the blinds and searching into the pitch-black night time. As if he might truly see something. Felix did return and has since loved consuming in his new spot – out of view from the psychotic dancing cat.
Oh, poor Oliver. Let’s begin with the nice, lets? He is been going to sleep between 10 and 10:30! Not in his mattress, that might be AMAZING, however sleeping, nonetheless. It has been a full week of this wonderfulness. So, though we should sleep with him in the lounge, at the very least we’re getting some sleep!
And the not so good…..he had his annual check-up which uncovered one more new illness. Anaplasma illness (from a deer tick chunk). My poor man. Up to now, he has no signs. Fingers crossed that this continues.
a few of our purchases at complete meals and dealer joes
Final Tuesday we wanted to run right down to Albany, so we made stops at Entire Meals and Dealer Joe’s. At Entire Meals I noticed a pumpkin spice non-dairy creamer. Whereas I by no means ever purchase these – partly as a result of they’re processed and with that comes lower than fascinating components, and likewise as a result of they’re often method too candy, for some motive I made a decision to get it. It is scrumptious! I bought the Califia model and what I like most is that it isn’t overly candy.
We truly did not buy a lot at Entire Meals. We picked up among the fruit that was on sale, a pair packs of microgreens, candy potatoes for Ollie, marshmallows (Dandies – my husband loves them nearly as a lot as selfmade) for warm cocoa season, and the pumpkin spice creamer.
The candy potatoes have been roasted (they’re saved within the fridge for Oliver), and we tried each the nectarines and the peaches we bought. The nectarines are scrumptious – we’ll eat them as a snack. The peaches, nevertheless, are bland and mealy. It might be an entire bummer besides we have now a repair for that. They are going to be halved, grilled till scorching and juicy, after which drizzled with a little bit of native uncooked honey. They would be the good lunchtime deal with!
One other loopy buy I made was at Dealer Joe’s – Pumpkin Spice Hummus. So, let me begin by saying that I’m a HUGE pumpkin spice fan. Let me additionally say that I’ve considerably lower down my sugar consumption, so this was fairly an odd buy for me as a result of, no shock, it is filled with sugar. That being stated, it is superb. Actually! There isn’t a method you’d know it is made with chickpeas (due to the sugar, I am positive) – it is clean, candy, and pumpkin spice deliciousness!
We like Dealer Joe’s for his or her produce part, dried pasta, uncooked nuts, coconut milk, flower bouquets, and some frozen comfort meals for my husband. We picked up these in addition to vanilla bean paste which was again in inventory, vanilla extract (I’m at present ready for my selfmade to be prepared to make use of), avocado oil, apple cider jelly (I will use in thumbprint cookies), fall restricted version kombucha (it is form of apple cidery and sooooo good), pumpkin bagels, kalamata olives, watermelon jerky, and a pair of candles – Honey Apple and Vanilla Pumpkin (the apple smells unbelievable when burning – such as you’re baking an apple pie!).
We do not advocate the watermelon jerky. Shockingly, the flavour is nice. The issue is that it contains seeds. A LOT of seeds and they’re caught to the flesh so you possibly can’t take away them. When attempting to eat them they’re extremely laborious. Like, break your tooth laborious. Oh properly, it was price a attempt.
The Coop Ladies are formally molting. There are feathers all over the place! We’re getting 0 to three eggs per day, a stark distinction from the 6-11 eggs per day we would been receiving. Quickly we’ll obtain no eggs till the brand new women start laying the top of December. As you realize, Jay is properly stocked up on eggs, so we should always have the ability to make it by way of till we obtain them once more. Surprisingly, we solely misplaced one Coop Lady this yr (along with the one chick who handed shortly after bringing them residence). I am unsure why this flock resides so lengthy (and nonetheless laying eggs!) however we’ll get pleasure from it whereas it lasts.
I processed numerous onions from the backyard. I cook dinner them within the slow-cooker to make caramelized onions (you do not add something – simply onions!) and freeze them to be used later in french onion soup, or as toppings for pizza or focaccia. I additionally began up my sourdough once more (I freeze it for summer season) and can be baking bread and all issues sourdough very quickly.
cleaning soap ready to be lower
For the enterprise, we spent 2 full days making cleaning soap. After all, while you make that a lot cleaning soap which means you will have much more to chop every week AND to wrap. Evidently, a lot of my week was spent doing these duties. All the freshly lower cleaning soap is transferred to racks the place it cures for a number of weeks. The cleaning soap that’s absolutely cured is then wrapped.
We lastly obtained the lotion containers we would ordered weeks in the past, so lotion was made in addition to deodorant and facial serum. We launched all of our fall soaps and the two pumpkin scents bought out in hours. Normally, they final a few weeks however for some motive, this yr, they didn’t final lengthy in any respect!
Jay was in a position to spend a while out in his woodshop. He turned razors and honey dippers (one other merchandise we won’t maintain in inventory). Are you able to imagine that he handturns them? His expertise all the time amazes me. How he will get the spacing so good with out something guiding him baffles me.
I didn’t learn any books final week, though I’ve 2 sitting on my finish desk. Perhaps subsequent week.
That was this previous week on our homestead! Hoping you had a beautiful week as properly!
