Summertime Happenings

I started this post a month ago and then...  Construction on the Christmas Cabin began and the garden exploded, demanding all of my extra attention.  All that, along with embracing a nomadic life as we hop from place to place until our home finishes it's growth spurt has temporarily transformed me into a bit of an unintentional recluse.  An interim gypsy recluse am I; desperate to somehow keep the home fires burning (wherever "home" is at the moment), family togetherness, and the garden alive.  Several posts have been floating around in my head and I have really missed blogging.  At the same time, it felt good to lay it down for a while and allow for some realignment and focus.  It would do my heart good to be a consistent writer once again because most of these scribblings are used as a kind of family and personal journal.  It's the busiest summer we have ever experienced (and our summers are always busy!) but I don't want to forget what has transpired on these long, hot, glorious, strenuous days.

In the meantime, here is where I spend the mornings and evenings.  Here is where I meet with the Lord.  Here is where my ears and heart open and I receive wisdom, direction, and inspiration.  Oh, and I harvest all the produce we can possibly eat, too.

We started breaking ground in February, when it was still cool and damp.  The oaks were bare and our new batch of pullets were snug in the brooder, under the roof of the big, red barn.

The beds were put in, and underneath rested fine mesh to keep the digging, root-eating creatures out.

I learned the hard way to irrigate first, then plant the starts that grew on our kitchen table next.

But those nine trays of starts had outgrown their first little home, so they had to go in, and the drip lines followed.  From there they burst into plants so quickly.  It was like they were holding their breath until more room was given them.

French Breakfast Radishes and Tuscan Kale were the first to fill the harvest basket and it was thrilling.

Baby tomatoes were spotted shortly after and I couldn't stop thinking about eating them.  There is nothing like a garden-fresh tomato.  Nothing.

The radishes were lacto-fermented using this recipe and the kale was chipped with this one.  Each were enjoyed immensely.

The garden looks quite different now, and we are bringing in a good fifteen pounds of food each day.  I look forward to catching up with you very soon but for now, I need to prepare for canning some salsa tomorrow before the tomatoes take over the entire kitchen.  I hope this finds you all very well and enjoying this first of July.