61 this morning, so pretty and clear, but still humid.
A bouquet picked because I broke off a bit of blue Salvia, which is barely visible in the photo. Geranium, basil, coleus, calendula and a plant with spikes of tiny white flowers whose name I can't recall.
Remember I said we cut the celery the other day? Well, look at what is already happening-- new growth. I hope we have the same luck we had last year with this second growth.
Today I processed the kraut, so that job is finished. We pulled the carrots and got a nice large bucket full after removing the greens. The rabbits and chickens were ecstatic to have those!
I will clean the carrots and cut them up for the freezer tomorrow. This will be enough for us for the coming year for soups, stews, and stirfries. I picked more broccoli too--those 3 plants just keep producing, which makes me happy. We found some monster squash and zucchini that eluded us earlier. How does that happen? We check daily and still some hide from us.
Larry took a big bag of cucumbers to my young neighbor T a couple miles away. Her dogs dug her plants up. I gave her some new plants a couple weeks ago, and she has those protected with wire. I am done making pickles for this year, I think. I have made 25 or 30 quarts, half dill and half bread and butter. With what we had left over from last year, we are pickle rich.
Another young neighbor, G, has been selling us eggs while we wait for our new flock to start producing. She delivers the eggs, and we enjoy her visits so much. She is in school to be a veterinarian technician, and knows a lot about dogs and cats already. She is working this summer and will go back to school soon. It is so pleasant to sit and chat with her. What is it about the energy of youth that is so enjoyable? We are fortunate to have many young neighbors , all good hardworking people. While I miss the days when our closest neighbor was a mile away, we are still pretty secluded and the neighbors are spread out so no one is jam up on anyone else. We count everyone on Joe's Run and this ridge as neighbors, an area of probably 5 square miles. I wonder, in a city, how many people would live in the same area? Here, I count less than 100.
My brother Tom and his wife Carla stopped by for a visit this afternoon. They have been hiking in the Hocking Hills of Ohio, a surprisingly beautiful and rugged area. One never thinks of Ohio having such places, but we have discovered quite a few in the hills of southeast Ohio. It was so nice to see Tom-- I am sure it has been 5 years, certainly it was before Covid. I made cheese biscuits, potato salad, sweet tea, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, something light as they had already had lunch. But hey, they might have been feeling peckish...and they certainly enjoyed the snack. We took a tour of the gardens, as Tom is just as avid a gardener as I am, and also took them up to see the progress on Sarah's cabin. It was a nice visit, over too soon as they needed to get on the road. And did I think to take pictures? Sadly, no. We were too busy catching up. Ah well.
Yesterday we worked in our booths. I am trying to get things set for when I won't be able to go in for a week or two. We will have to go again tomorrow to change out our display window in Ravenswood, and then I think we're good. Here's a few photos of what we did in our Ripley booth:
The wagon sold today, so I have some rearranging to do whenever I get back there.
I had this crystal compote listed on Ebay but decided to try it in the booth.
In a city, many people do not even know the neighbors right next door. In the country, you know your neighbors 5 miles away. The way it should be.
ReplyDeleteI remember one "City Person" that came to visit us, noticing that everyone waved when passing us on the road. "Do you know all these people, why are they waving?".
That's so funny, Jim. But true! Waving is the polite thing to do in the country. When I moved here there were less than half the number of people, but 48 years brings a lot of change.
DeleteI know what you mean, I found two giant zucchini yesterday. I can't believe the size of the celery you already harvested. You must have very good soil! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI saw your monsters! Our soil has improved greatly since we began mulching regularly. And last winter this garden got a nice layer of chicken manure. We didn't mulch this year for various reasons, but I hop we can get back to it next year.
DeleteYour booths do look interesting, but those of us who live in smaller houses that are already full would probably avoid them. 😊
ReplyDeleteAC, we get many many browsers. They don't really come to buy, but just to look and maybe take a trip down memory lane. My small house, with no attic or basement and very few closets, is full too. I have a one in--one out rule, and that includes clothes. So not much of a buyer either, but I enjoy having the booths and selling. And listening to people reminisce.
DeleteBetween wonderful garden, visit from brother, and talk about the friendship between neighbors, this post made me smile. I always enjoy seeing your booths, and am glad I'm not close enough to visit or my car would be jam full of new to me goodies.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barb. Appreciating the small things is what gives us joy, isn't it?
DeleteWe grow our celery in the window and it always produces enough to have in a salad. Your booths look nice and stocked. I like visiting places like that just to see and admire the old things, things we had years ago. Nice to see a family member stop by for a visit. Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDelete