Today was so productive, I thought I would brave the slow internet...
I had enough semi-ripe tomatoes and ripe cucumbers that I thought I would make some tomato and cucumber kim chee. I only made one quart jar, and I didn't can it, so it is just going to be in the fridge. It looks pretty and already tastes good, although it will taste better in a few days.
I put my younger son to work giving the Banana patch a "haircut". Banana leaves droop down and get brown so the patch looks shaggy. I had my son take a machete out there and chop off the leaves. I had to finish the job, but he got a lot done. I use the dried banana leaves as a mulch or as the brown matter in the compost - today it was destined to be mulch.
My husband and son pulled out the tractor and removed some grass from the area destined to be the potato patch. It is a bit rainy, off and on, so it got to be a slippery with our clay mud, but we were able to dig up, till and add compost, and then plant the potatoes. The whole thing is covered with a layer of straw, which seems a precious commodity, considering how far it has to travel to get here and how expensive it is per bale. I put about half the bale on the potatoes, and half of it in one side of the new sheep barn. Our new Dorper ewe is due next week, and I thought it would be nice to have some straw for her and the lamb(s) - cinder is good bedding up here, but straw seems nice for babies.
It's funny, because my son is a very computer oriented guy. He thinks it's "pointless" for us to grow our own food, because someday robots will be doing the farming, but he stayed out there all day helping, even driving the tractor, unlike the 13 year old who ducked out the first hard period of rain. I truly think the bottom is going to drop out of the economy and the food is necessary, but I also think, if I am wrong about the economy, it is still nice to have your own food. It tastes better and it leaves what income there is coming in available for things like those new running shoes and uniforms my kids will be needing come cross country season. At least he is out there learning and using those almost-17-year-old-muscles to help out.
Oh, I also washed and dried a virtual mountain of boys' clothing. I am not sure what they have been wearing, because it looks like they left me two months worth of laundry! This week's goal - organize and clean the kids' rooms - taking out clothes that don't fit for donation. They need help with this goal, so I will be working on that. I also am going to pull out my practically non-existent sewing skills to help my 11 year old make her gym bag with the pattern I bought last week. It should be an adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment