Final summer days

I have the worst cold ever. I could write an entire post detailing every part of my body that hurts, but instead I'll attempt to rechannel my self pity and share some of the goings on here, before the events are too outdated. D has been working about sixty hours a week, which doesn't leave much time for extra projects. But he got a couple extra days off last week and rented an auger, put in twenty-eight post holes, and planted ten foot posts around the garden. The fence has yet to go in yet. I'm beginning to worry more about an early frost than a moose attack. We've already had a frost advisory for low lying areas and I heard Delta had a hard freeze already. Usually our garden goes until mid to late September, as our hill location is buffered from the early frosts that put an end to low lying gardens. The last few years we have had beautiful August and Septembers, the nights are cool, but the days are sunny and warm, giving us an extended time to get the harvest in. This year something tells me winter is going to come early.

The trees are still green. I have to really scan the woods to find any yellow. The fireweed are in full bloom. The garden has finally reached peak season, with nothing but strawberries being on the down hill side of production. Usually once we get to this point, we have another six weeks of fresh eating. I'm thinking I've got at least a couple more weeks of enjoying peas, beans and zucchini. Maybe it is just that I feel so helpless, tired and low energy right now, but I am starting to panic. I haven't put much away yet. Once I'm feeling better, it is time to start mass harvesting, blanching and freezing. So far I've made and canned several batches of jam, and the salmon from earlier this summer. I finally got out for a blueberry picking trip this weekend, and froze about two and a half gallons of blueberries, and made a beautiful pie. I need at least one more successful blueberry run.

The Cornish are ready for the freezer. As soon as D has a day off, and I pick up two gallon freezer bags and sharpen some knives. The meat birds are looking great this year. We just recently lost our first one. We butchered two a couple weeks ago for some fresh chicken meals, which leaves twenty-two for butchering day. They are pretty uniform in size this year, I'm guessing most of them will be in the five to six pound range if we do them soon. I'm ready for the geese and ducks to move into their new home, once the Cornish are out.

And now for some more summer pictures:

We made rhubarb strawberry jam with half our own strawberries, rhubarb ginger jam, rhubarb blueberry jam, rhubarb preserves and then we froze a couple gallons of chopped rhubarb. Thanks Nancy for the rhubarb!!

Summer is winding up. The mornings and nights are chilly, and even some afternoons. There is so much to do it is overwhelming. Today is a good day for making lists, and just enjoying the sun and the green.

Mid Summer Days

 Summer is flying by at an alarming rate. We have high hopes and expectations for this fleeting time of year. We demand that every day be perfect; blue skies, sunny, seventies/eighties, with rain at night to water the garden. If we get anything less, we complain about the sub-par summer, and reminisce about those perfect summers of the past. Ah, we fickle humans.

The kids and I have been making the most of our days. If it is sunny, we are outside; in the garden, playing in the pool, picking strawberries, pulling vegetables, mushroom hunting, walking goats and playing on the playground. When it is late afternoon we venture down to the house and the kids play on the porch while I pop in and out trying to plan and make dinner. If it is cloudy or rainy I am a more focused cook and house cleaner. If it is sunny I can hardly bring myself to stand in the kitchen for more than ten minutes.

We are finally at my very favorite time of year; the time when every dinner starts with a basket of produce pulled and picked fresh from the garden. We are harvesting salad greens, chard, spinach, bok choy, carrots, beets, scallions, onions, zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli. The shelling peas are filling out, the beans are  flowering, the tomatoes are green and the cucumbers are beginning to produce fruit.

Soon enough I'll be overwhelmed with trying to use things before they get too big. Shredding zucchini, pickling cucumbers and canning beans. I envisioned myself shelling peas at Noah's soccer games. But next week is the last week of soccer and I've yet to pick any peas. The garden is late this year, and of all things, it is because it was too hot in May - and the wee plants survived but were stressed. They finally took off mid June when the weather cooled and the rain begin.

 We have Birch Boletes and Orange Birch Boletes, which are considered edible, to good eating. They are related to the King Bolete, also known as Porcini, which is the best eating of all, but alas I have yet to spot it here. I bought a pound of fresh morels for $16 at the Farmer's market, it was a splurge for us, and we enjoyed them thoroughly. The kids had fun helping me find and pick (cut) boletes. The first night we just floured the mushrooms, fried them in butter and sprinkled them with sea salt. The next night we made a mushroom thyme cream sauce and served it with grilled salmon. The last night I sauteed the last morels with zucchini and served them atop flatbreads with goat cheese and parmesan.

Here is to making the most of summer, wherever you are and whatever your aspirations may be.

In the kitchen this week

 We've been busy in the kitchen this week. We make a batch of fruit leather almost weekly with whatever fruit is around and needs used up. I often sneak in some vegetables, usually kale, carrots or beets. The fruit leather always has yogurt in it, and sometimes I toss in some fresh ground flax seed. Noah likes to spread the wet concoction on the drying sheets. This batch was mango kale with coconut milk yogurt. The kids love the fruit leather. As long as it isn't just fruit, I don't feel bad about them munching on it throughout the day.

 We made one batch of sugar cookies, just for the kids. They had come home with some sugar tubes from a kid's craft day. They have been wanting to make cookies with the colored sugars ever since. So, thankfully we used up all the tubes, and now we have Christmas cookies with artificially colored and flavored sugar topping.Lovely.  Can you feel my enthusiasm? I use to go into full cookie baking mode for gift giving, before the kids came around. I'm sure we will get back to mass production cookie baking some day. For now, I baked a batch of russian tea cookies to have on hand for myself. The kids have their sugar cookies. I'm looking forward to getting cookies from two individuals who make to die for cookies- you know who you are. Other than that, I don't see the need to have bags and bags of cookies around for the next couple months.

I did make a batch of Feta this week. I usually age it for a while before giving it away or using it. Finding myself low on fridge room, I thought I'd just give it with the recommendation of keeping it around for a few weeks before eating it.

 Cutting the curds

Draining the curds

 Big ball of cheese

 Salted chunks of Feta ready to cure

After a few days of curing, I made a salt brine and packed the chunks into jars. Voila; Feta.

 With the kids playing indoors so much, we've been changing it up a bit. I've been bringing in and cleaning up outside toys that the kids haven't played with since fall. Jumping on the couch cushion usually provides a couple hours of entertainment.

Avery and her babies.

First Pictures of Summer Kids

Noah and Avery snacking on one of our very favorites, steamed Edamame with soy sauce. I was hoping to grow some this summer, but I lost the seeds, dangit!

Noah has been known to take off up the trail wearing nothing, underwear and boots or just a t-shirt. As long as the mosquitos aren't out I don't mind. Usually I try to push the shoes and shorts. We've got wild roses and raspberries everywhere. This picture is from a couple weeks ago. Now the banks are lush with growth. Noah's legs are black and blue with scrapes, scratches and bug bites.

Oh my, did mom really just set the ice cream maker down for us to scrape out right before dinner time? Kids in heaven. Goat milk ice-cream - infused with vanilla beans and wild blueberry jam stirred in.

Ducks. Saxony front left, Peking front middle, Welsh Harlequin Right, black runner in center back. Duck post coming soon.

                                                                        In the garden.

March Days

I was feeling kinda blue this past week. Dustin has been working more and as we are a one car family in the winter, I've been home with the kids more than usual. Avery's molars have been pushing through so she has been a bit cranky. Noah hasn't been socializing as much as he'd like so he is wanting more attention. Needless to say I haven't had much time to myself and have found myself practically pleading to be left alone to sit and look at a book or whatever for just a few minutes, which in turn has the opposite effect I'm going for. I end up with two kids climbing on me, tackling, tickling me, bringing me books to read, wanting me to play with them, I know, poor me. I can see how silly it seems, "poor me, I don't want to play that I'm an Ankylasaurus getting eaten by a Tyrannasaurus Rex anymore!  I want to make lunch and sweep the floor!"


On a brighter note, we've been getting outside to play when it is warmest (teens and twenties) in the late afternoon. Noah is into digging and hoeing snow ditches. He has been placing old pvc pipes on the hillside and then burying them with snow. He wants me to bring water out for him to play with, so far I've avoided this adventure, the prospect of going back and forth through the house, taking boots off, putting them back on, hauling water  from the kitchen sink hauling to get dumped onto the ground is not appealing. One or two pitchers would never be enough. Avery is pretty entertained by just walking back and forth on the driveway. She likes to visit the chickens and the goats. We've been brushing Chana, who is shedding. I got Noah to take some pictures of Avery and I yesterday, with much guidance as to where to point the camera, (down, towards Avery, back up, towards me, up a bit) he managed to get us in the frame a couple times.

 

 Avery has been having fun putting her brother's hat, gloves and boots on and pretending to go to town. Although after we say "bye bye", she gets frustrated when I don't open the door, so I guess she isn't really pretending.

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 D has tomorrow off so we are thinking of taking the kids to town for a visit to the ice park.  There are slides made out of ice in addition to other toys made out of ice and lots of cool ice carvings. The weather has been clear and sunny, getting down to zero at night and up near twenty during the day. The difference between standing in the sun and the shade is huge. Indoors we've been basking in the sun. Our living area is filled with sun from mid morning until sunset and we love it. On overcast days I find myself looking at the sky periodically hoping for a break in the clouds, a glimpse of the sun. I forget how much I love this time of year. This is one reason we live in Fairbanks Alaska as opposed to other areas in the state, we get lots of clear weather year round. Yes it is dark for a few months, and cold, but at least the majority of our spring, summer and fall days are clear and sunny. I'd rather the weather be cold and sunny than warm and overcast...I guess I'm a Fairbanks girl.


We have three does looking rather pregnant, they are due in five to seven weeks. Xoe's udder is filling so we are sure she will be kidding. The other two, we won't know for sure until their udders fill, or they kid. I'm relieved that at least one doe will be kidding shortly, for we are just finishing the last of the frozen milk and chevre, and I am already panicking. Next year we will be milking a doe through the winter and not breeding her so that we will not be out of milk, ever!

More of the kids and sick chicken

Here are a few more pictures from the last couple days. Here Noah and Avery are eating homemade fruit leather (their favorite snack, sugar sugar). They just finished drinking some carrot juice, but Avery dumped most of hers on her lap and got cleaned up. Noah's mustache is hiding behind his snack, but you can see it in the picture below. Dustin recently brought home a couple pop up tents, the kids love them. They stay up better than blankets draped over chairs. 

 

We had dinner out at my folks this past weekend. Here are the kids with their new and first cousin Aidan, three months old. I took a ton of pictures and someone was always a moving blur. But here they are, the first of many cousin pictures to come.

We got outside to play today. It was pretty chilly, about zero, but the sun was shining. We checked on the chickens, gathered eggs, sled down the hill and cleared snow off the back porch before heading inside to pull bread out of the oven and eat some warm cinnamon rolls.

Healthy and happy chickens in the sun. They were in most of the day. I waited till the afternoon sun was full strength before letting them outdoors for some sprouts and kombucha tea.

And here is sick chicken. She has been more active over the last twenty four hours than all week, and yet it feels kinda like her last hurrah and not like she is truly better. She hasn't been touching any food for days so I've got wheat grass sprouts and molasses in her water. I've been feeding her with a dropper to get nutrients in her. After talking to a friend last night, we moved the chicken to behind the wood-stove so she would be warmer. She got real active and wanted out of her box so she has been hanging out around the wood-stove all day, making noises when the kids get too rowdy or close.