Labor Day Is Upon Us

Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, celebrated with cookouts, parades and parties. Unfortunately, we are working on Labor Day. I have decided to take honey off the hive. It has been in the upper ninety's here in South Central KY. and way too hot(heat index of 101) to encounter those bees. To give you an example; David was mowing the grass Tuesday, and the bees followed him right into the barn. A roosters head has to come off too. I am tired of all this bickering in the chicken yard. Also, the garden will be stripped and tilled. As you can see, a lot of work is ahead of us.  At least we are getting a break, Saturday will be spent with family in Louisville. Micah is due any day now. This weekend is good,and I know Meagan is up for it!

Saving This Big Sunflower For Seeds Next Spring

These poor people are looking for food in the streets of West Africa since the Ebola outbreak.

Seed Saving 

Each fall I begin to anticipate the arrival of all the seed catalogs that fill my mailbox. I spend a lot of cold evenings looking through the catalogs, admiring all the new varieties, dreaming about the coming Spring, and planning next years garden. I also save seeds. Take seeds you want to save from the healthiest plants, and make sure the seeds have reached full maturity allowing the fruit and vegetables to become fully ripe before harvesting for seeds.    

Adventures In Beeland

Tomorrow, I am taking honey off hive 1. I hope I have a good experience. Two weeks ago I took honey off hive 2. It was pretty rough. I am hoping for a better day. Wish me luck! Did you know honey was found stored in the pyramids of Egypt? And perfectly good! They are an amazing insect.

Alex eating his favorite cinnamon butter on yeast rolls 

Landen at Texas Roadhouse 

Weekend  Adventures

This past weekend we made a trip to Indiana to visit David's sister. We stopped at Texas Roadhouse for dinner on the way to Sharon's house. It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend. We are planning another trip in the fall.
While we were gone, I received a shipment of Starbucks goodies. Their pumpkin spice latte is on line, but not in the stores as of yet. Of course I had to have it. I just love pumpkin spice latte's don't you?

Be prepared! Strange times are upon us, and those who are prepared stand a far better chance of making it through the challenges ahead...

Bring In The Bees

Orchard mason bees are terrific pollinators, and they rarely sting. I can handle that. No honey though. Boo! But unlike honeybees, these solitary bees don't make hives. You can make your garden more inviting for them by constructing a bee house. Bamboo reeds are used in this project.

Hive Mentality

Bee realistic, beekeeping can be hard work. It requires planning and a bit of investment. Not to mention the hot, sticky, heavy and sometimes frustrating nature of the work. Like getting stung!   Find a beekeeper to shadow for about a year. Good luck with that. If you are a female you may be shunned like I was. I joined a Bee Association and finally after 6 months left not knowing much more than when I started. I got back to the books, and read, and read, and read. Of course hands on is the only way you learn. Don't be discouraged. It will happen. Let it bee, I leave my hive to the experts. The bees! They know best. Worry doesn't help progress. EVER.

SUMMER-SPLIT

I tend to think of the summer being split into two portions. The first half is that everyone is excited to be out of school, and going on vacation. People are feeling eager to put on those flip-flops and shorts. The grass is green. The heat is gentle, and it is magical to be outside after a long Winter. Planting our crops and watching them grow. Flowers beginning to bloom and birds birding.
And then there is this sticky hot Summer. I'm not complaining mind you, but the grass is turning brown, and the bugs are in full force. Yes, I think its safe to say we hit the second stage. The children are back in school. The garden has just about ended. The honey is in, and I see fall around the corner. I do love Fall, but Winter not so much!   

Naps Are Good!

 I never nap! Number one, I never have time. And if I am not feeling well, I can't nap, because not feeling well is keeping me up. Okay, so it's the middle of the afternoon and you have a lot of work to still do. Did you know napping is a stress reliever? Just a 10 to 20 minute nap lifts your spirits, improves learning and retention, and creates alertness. I just may start this regimen today!  If I can find time.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes 

Normally, the thought of dried food does not bring to mind a gourmet meal. However, a relatively small amount of sun-dried tomatoes give a gourmet touch and a bust of flavor to any dish. Simply slice tomatoes in half. Put them in a baking dish, season with herbs, and bake at 225 degrees for 6 hours. Put in canning jars and store in fridge up to six months. Once opened use within 2 weeks.

Taking Honey Off The Hive

Today, as a matter of fact, this morning I ventured in hive 2. I was really dreading it. I know its worth it for the honey, but I didn't have enough frames to put back, so I knew without even looking, the bees would have a mess. It was! I wish I had my camera to show you, but I was in a frightful hurry to get the honey out. Where the three frames that I was missing in the hive were, the bees had made an oblong shape of honey about 6 inches long. I just scooped it out, bees and all. And boy were they mad. Number one, I was anxious to get the honey out early. Wait till at least noon. All the bees were in the hive, and they ventured to go after me. Mistake! My smoker kept them at bay, but what was I thinking? I just wanted to get it over with. Number two,I ran out of canning jars. This summer has taken all my jars. I will have to make a trip to my nearest Dollar Store and pick up another case. The first two jars are honey. Do you know one from the other? The first jar on the left was taken off the hive in June. It is a light, smooth honey. The second is a darker one and has a robust flavor. Just for your information; did you know that honey comes in seven colors? Water white, extra white, white, extra light amber, amber, and dark amber. Also dark honey has more illness-fighting agents than lighter honey.  

Weekend Work

Everyone who has a garden, knows that it is not just a 9 to 5 job. You have to pick the produce at just the right time. It doesn't matter what the day. Saturday was used to shell my dried beans. I now have them on the kitchen table waiting to be stored in a jar for next years planting. I found myself having 4 roosters which won't work in my chicken yard. So off with his head. I took one of the 6 month old roosters, and made soup stock out of the back, liver and heart. It turned out to be a nice rich broth that I am using today to make homemade vegetable soup. Yum!  

Finished product 

 Construction

Another Project

I love my screened in porch. It is like another room. We eat out there. Entertain out there. It is an extension of the kitchen and living room. It is a comfortable lounging area. So what is the problem? The bottom half of the porch where the bead board is, is starting to rot. David had to tear it out, and undue everything. He is tearing out all the bead board and placing the screens at the bottom. The water has gotten behind the boards and rotted them. As you can see by the first picture everything is open.  

Bedtime Yoga

I haven't talked about yoga in a while, mainly, because it has been so busy with picking and canning my summer veggies and fruits for the winter season. I forgot to let you know what is going on in yoga. First of all, our teacher of 15 years left. Which was sad, but I understand. Now we have a young lady who is 7 months pregnant, and starts a new form of yoga. I just don't feel like I am getting the same workout now. She is very nice, but since then, we have lost half the class. Enough about that! I wanted to bring up 4 poses that I use for relaxing that you can do right before you hit the sack. The first one is child's pose. It is very calming. Start seated on your heels, then fold your torso on top of your thighs, and try to bring your forehead toward the floor. The second is legs up the wall. This posture drains lactic acid from your legs and lets gravity gradually reverse the weight of your day. Happy baby pose in which you stretch your outer hips after a day of sitting. Last, but not least, being seated and bending your knees, open your knees out to the side, and place the soles of your feet together and recline your back. 

Bean Burn pile

 Prepared ground

Dried Beans

Help! Where are you?

As you can see by the pictures, I have been working hard to prepare the ground for next year. David usually tills the ground for me, and I plant, pick and prepare the food. This year is quite different. David has decided to home school the grand kids so I am on my own. It is 93 today and I am trying to get this task accomplished before noon. I dry the beans on the vine so that I can use them next year for planting. I do this with most of my crops and flowers. It saves money, and the strain of the seed becomes more adaptable to the ground.

Free Ranging

 

There are so many benefits for free ranging for your chickens, and for your feed bills. But the truth of the matter is that free ranging is not always possible for many flock owners. Whether one lives in a suburban setting or a rural setting with plentiful predators, there are many situations where flocks must be kept in limited spaces. Recent studies on chicken intelligence, yes money has been spent on this. Have determined that chickens are as clever as human toddlers. My husband wouldn't agree with you, but I have seen my chickens in action, and when the door slams to the screened in porch, they come running. They know in a flash I have something to eat for them.

Mason Jars

I have talked all summer about produce. Now let me talk about how you process the produce. We use mason jars for DIY projects, for sipping on a smoothie, or in place of a vase. The beloved mason jar has become widely popular. In it's original function, the mason jar is used for canning to preserve food. There's nothing like a fresh summer fruit that has been canned and can be savored in the fall and winter. Large mason jars are excellent containers to store nuts, grains, legumes, etc. in your cabinet. Last but not least, use mason jars as glasses to drink up your daily H20.