August 29, 2019

Photo Wrap-Up for August

A random collection of photos I took this month.

A picking of tomatoes.

Potted bee balm starting to bloom.

Pears and figs ready for the dehydrator.

Pears and figs with kefir ready for breakfast.

Canned pear sauce ready for the pantry.

Ozark Razorback cowpeas.

Marigolds with the peppers plants.

Volunteer cushaw

Fresh feta, sliced and ready to be brined.

Graceful rice heads ripening for harvest.

Garden spider at work.

Grazing beds for the chicken yard.

Ricotta gnocchi ready to be frozen.

Lone lemon. Last year I gave up on my Meyers lemon and
left it out all winter. It survived! And produced one lemon.

My first  at poutine! Thanks Rain, for the recipe !

Some of the girls grazing: River, Nova, Ellie, and Daisy.

My five bucklings wishing they were with the girls.
Three of them need new homes!

Colby and Mama Muscovy

Sam on Dan's new kitchen bench.

And that wraps up my August. How about you? Ready for September?

Photo Wrap-Up for August © August 2019

24 comments:

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...


Beautiful collection of pictures, it was a good month! I used to have a goat many moons ago. She was really more like a beloved dog, they have such personalities!

Jeff Anthony said...

Hi! What brand/model of dehydrator do you use? Do you recommend it? I'm about to have a flood of hibiscus calyxes that I want to dry for tea.

Mama Pea said...

Great pictures! Ready for September? You bet, as it's the start of the best time of year! Have all our "summer" projects done? Let's not go into that. Gotta remember it's the journey rather than the ending that counts, right? Right! ;o}

Ed said...

The figs have been exceptionally good this year. I've had quite a number of them already on salads and just eating them by the handful.

Renee Nefe said...

Looks like a great August. Mine went, Winnie the Pooh dress rehearsal, 3 days of Monty shows (5 total), Winnie the Pooh measure, Winnie the Pooh fitting, Meet with Pastor & Servant Coordinator, Operation Christmas Child Prayer meeting, Saw Anastasia musical, Winnie the Pooh dress rehearsal, Move items from school to church building, Winnie the Pooh show, First Church service in our building! OCC team meeting, OCC open House, Move the rest of our stuff into Church, 2nd service and celebration, OCC put away all items we dumped into my boss' office from the open house, returned Winnie the Pooh costumes, OCC wild goose hunt for corrected bad addresses on invitations for the open house & start on making a travel bag, and yesterday I transported some costumes & had lunch with a friend. I also figured out what dishes I am going to make with the massive amount of left-over cheese from the open house...the gal coordinating food needs to borrow my how to cook for a large crowd cookbook. Today is laundry and altering old curtain to hang in our church storage room (no idea why we needed a very large picture window in the storage room!)

Sam I Am...... said...

What a productive month! I wish I could be that productive. It's a great feeling to be self-sufficient but my gardening efforts were fruitless this year. Most died off without water last month when I was up North and the others got eaten by critters. Your cheese looks fabulous and the pear sauce and your figs! I have not tried Rain's Poutine yet but maybe this Fall....it looks like good comfort food.
I also love the bench that Dan made? Gorgeous! Looks like it's been around for years which is what I love! Looks like you have a wonderful month!
Oh, what are "grazing screens" for the chickens?

Woolly Bits said...

not really, I could do with another august:) I am behind with the garden jobs, which serves me right aber being gone for 2 weeks in the middle of summer:) and we've had several days so rainy that outdoor work was a no-go... but on the bright side I've managed to collect some fruits, made jam and started on collecting seeds, can't win them all! and I've had my lemon out all summer for the second year, works much better in setting fruitlets! the plant isn't huge, but has 12 medium sized lemons on it - and starts flowering again soon. won't complain - irish grown lemons are special:)

Leigh said...

Karen Ann, thanks! Yes, goats make great pets, except they can't be house trained. :)

Jeff, I have an Excalibur dehydrator and have loved it. Absolutely no complaints and would highly recommend. They come in 5 or 9 tray models, and now I wish I'd gotten the 9 tray. 5 trays sometimes isn't enough.

Mama Pea, so true! We always leftovers when it comes to projects, but I'm happy with our progress. I'm just ready for cooler weather!

Ed, I hadn't thought about using figs in salads. Good idea! I'll have to try that next year.

Renee, you've been busy! Did you have a chance to come up for a breather? Another show for Christmas? Not sure I could keep your pace!

Sam, I had several garden disappointments as well. But then, there's no way to predict it! Yes, Dan made the bench. He's wanted one ever since we first remodeled the kitchen! He finally had a stretch of days to make one, so he's a happy camper.

We plant wheat and oats in the grazing beds. Once the grass grows above the screen the chickens can graze it, but can't scratch it to death!

Bettina, 12 lemons! Lucky you. I usually only get three per year, which is the exact amount I need for my great-grandmother's lemon cream pie. Maybe your September will be August-like. There are always things to adapt to. I agree about looking on the brighter side.

Sandi said...

This all looks so good!

Do you ever share you gnocchi recipe?

Leigh said...

Sandi, yes! The name under the photo is linked to the recipe, or click here.

Stephanie said...

I've been wondering what the goats have been up to. I am definitely ready to September. My husband & I decided it's time to take the plunge and sell our house in Florida and "retire" to Tennessee. We are waiting on the closing and then we'll be on our way to the homestead we've been prepping for the last few years while on vacation from our jobs. First step will be to actually build our house but pretty soon I'll be able to put into practice all I have learned from you. Now hopefully this lovely hurricane that has its sights on Florida turns right into the ocean and leave us ALL (every state on the coast line) alone.

Leigh said...

Stephanie, what an exciting time for you! And how wonderful that you will be able to build your home. Honestly, it's been hard to retrofit our old house for our lifestyle. Many a time we've wished we could have built it ourselves, but it just didn't work out that way. I'm not complaining though! I'm just thankful to be here!

Renee Nefe said...

I'm having a small breather now. Making my daughter a travel bag. While the children's theater does shows during the winter, they don't do as many and use the costumers that live closer to their theaters. I have been called to do the spring shows in the past, but last spring they didn't get the enrollment to do a second spring show. So we will see how that goes.
The local theaters (there is now a second production company) might hire me as a wardrobe assistant if needed. I just have to wait & see.
I've taken a volunteer job with Operation Christmas Child, so from October to January I will be busy with them. But the exciting part of that is I might get to go on a mission trip to deliver shoeboxes. I'm looking forward to that. :D Maybe I should make myself a travel bag. ;)

Leigh said...

Renee, what an opportunity that would be. Do make yourself that travel bag! Nice if you could get a job as wardrobe assistant. You're perfectly qualified for the job.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Looks great as always, Leigh.

My lime tree gave up the ghost after winter last year, but my two lime trees have come back splendidly. I am down to okra and sweet potatoes, but both seem to be doing well.

The Okra razorbacks are amazing! I need to find these. Beans and blackeyed peas are always something I can seem to grow.

Leigh said...

TB, I really like the Ozark razorbacks. I've tried others but always go back to this one. Very productive. I bought my original seed at Baker Creek. My okra though, was a fail this year. Two plantings yielded zero. :( I reckon I need new seed!

Nancy In Boise said...

Great photos! And for your chicken grazing beds, do you grow grassses in there or? And would love to see more of the inside of your home!!!

Leigh said...

Nancy, we plant mostly grasses in the grazing beds. Wheat and oats do well and the chickens love it. For the inside of my home, I'll have to refer you to my remodeling blog Our Old House. Otherwise I'd have to clean it and August isn't the time of year for housecleaning! lol

Cockeyed Jo said...

Wowzers! I did good by canning two bushels of tomatoes (diced, whole, and sauce) and making beef and feta ravioli for the freezer...enough for 12 meals for the month of August. But then I've taken on the animal care now too. It was the best I could do.

Leigh said...

Jo, considering how much time you've spent traveling to doctors, in the hospital, and recovering, I'd say you did good!

Chris said...

Wow, you guys have been super busy. Putting all that fresh, delicious food up. I finally purchased a Presto canner, after mulling over it for way too many years. Just have to figure out a heat source, as I'm not sure my glass top hotplate, can take it. Anyway, I'm sure to find a solution, eventually. Buying fresh food and canning, is way better than buying tinned food - because at least you know what's in it.

Leigh said...

Chris, you can do so much with a pressure canner. I love having my own soups and baked beans at the ready! I've never had a glasstop stove but have heard people discuss canning with them. A canner can really be heavy when it's loaded. I agree it would be worth finding a solution!

Sharon said...

I am amazed at how much you do, Your garden has really produced well. I never post anything but I do read your blog and keep up with everything.
I have a question about your Razorback peas, do they taste like the
Purple Hulls we grow in TX or more like a blackeye pea. Just wondering
if its something I would like to try?

Thanks for sharing your life with us.
Sharon

Leigh said...

Sharon, my garden has had its ups and downs this year! But I'm thankful for the successes. :)

I've never had purple hull peas! So I can't compare the Razorbacks to those, but I can tell you that they are similar to black eyed peas (which I've never grow either). I got my seed from Baker Creek and it has produced well every year. I like the small size so the chickens and goats can eat it too.