Random June Photos

First harvest picture of the summer: these were the first of the radishes, pulled and eaten a couple weeks ago  Since then we've also pulled baby beets and turnips, radish to eggs in size, I was too excited to eat them to pause and find the camera. The first turnips to bulb up were a red turnip and white globe or oasis? I'll have to check. We grew at least five different types of turnips this year, and a few types of rutabagas. Neither are our favorite vegetable, but they do well here and store well, so we are determined to like them. I sliced the first red and white turnips thinly and sprinkled them with rice vinegar, sugar and fresh mint. We had them along with some grilled halibut and corn salad.

We've been behind on leaf lettuce, biggest mistake yet this gardening season. We have plenty of beet, turnip and radish greens. I've also been harvesting spinach, swiss chard, corn salad, arugula and mustard greens. The leaf lettuce should be able to keep up soon. In the next week we should be eating the first peas, zucchini, napa cabbage and do I dare say- hope, for broccoli?

Me and the girls...the girls and I...Avalon and Asia,
photos by Noah.

We have sold four bucklings as wethers. The last two are also going as pets this week. Roses son, above, along with his brother are the last to go.

Zanzibar, one of our bucks..I just love his markings. I need to get some nice photos of the boys before they go into rut in the next couple months.

Above, Xanadu's son on the right, seemed to be the most mature as far as acting bucky with the girls. He is now a wether and has gone to a great home, (some good friends of ours) along with one of Rose's sons.

More cream, raw goat milk cream, mmm.

Breakfast Popcake, one of our favorites, think popover-dutch baby, almost custardy and melt in your mouth in the middle, light, airy and crispy on the sides. Recipe is so simple, I've shared it before but here it is again. This is for one serving, make individuals or in the case above, I multiplied by three for the three of us. Heat pan in 425 degree oven with 2-4TB of butter per serving. Whisk 1 one egg, add 1/4 C. flour, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk. Then add 1/4 C milk Scrape mixture into hot pan, once butter is melted and lightly browned. Bake till puffy and golden brown allover, 13-20 minutes or so. Serve with homemade jam or fresh fruit and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Eat immediately.

Freshly ground Azure Standard Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat. Did I mention that we have not bought a loaf of bread at the store in over three months. I've also been making most of our own hamburger and hot dog buns, along with rolls, some crackers, pizza crust, pita, naan, and all the other usual baked goods using mostly fresh ground wheat flour.

Lavender Cattleya cross blooming. This orchid bloomed the same time last year. Here are the first two blooms, now there are three. They last for a few weeks. When it blooms I set it in my kitchen window so I can feast my eyes on it.

Late summer garden

This time of year I can not get enough of our garden. I could sit in the garden all day if my kids would let me. Nor can I take enough pictures in an attempt to capture the fleeting lush bounty of summer. Yesterday I walked down from morning chores with a pail of milk, and as much produce as I could carry; carrots, kale, swiss chard, Romanesco, thyme, parsley, oregano and basil. Onions and garlic are hanging in the house already. I had pulled out some local Italian beef sausage and cooked some red beans. Put everything together and I made a tasty pot of soup. We ate soup and cornbread for dinner, put six quarts in the freezer and still have enough for a few more meals this week. I've been drying and blanching herbs and picking veggies for each nights dinner. Other than that most of the garden is still in the ground. The green tomatoes are ever so slowly ripening. I've almost been thinking maybe they'd ripen up quicker in the house and then I could start amending and prepping some beds for next year.
When it comes to harvesting I tend to wait until the last minute. Last year we were hacking into the frozen ground trying to get all the carrots and potatoes out. I can't ever seem to tear out the flowers before the ground freezes solid as they just keep blooming until they are frozen and covered with snow. Luckily a lot of what is in the garden just keeps doing better in the cool weather like beets, broccoli, kale, cabbage and romanesco. The peas and beans are slowing down. Some low lying areas have already frosted. Usually their has to be a hard freeze in the twenties before I go out in a last minute dash to save everything.
And on another note; meet Zanzibar, our newest buck. He has a story to go with his introduction, but it is a story for another day. These pictures were taken the day I brought him home. He is already filling out and looking healthier. He handles well and is very sweet.