Every Color of the Rainbow

Every color of the rainbow is ripe in the garden right now! We are busy picking, chopping, slicing, brining, stewing, canning, preserving the harvest! What is happening your kitchen now?

Lavender Bundles

Here we are at the first few days of July and the lavender has come into full bloom. It is a haven for the variety of pollinators on the farm and swarming with innocent activity. The bees and butterflies simply want a drink of sweet nectar. There were about ten different bees and butterflies working this one lavender bush.

The swallowtail butterfly was among them searching out the juiciest nectar and flitting and fluttering from sprig to sprig and flower to flower with dainty feet landing and tongue lapping up what sustains this pretty butterfly.

After watching all of the activity and wishing them all well with their work, I joined the hustle and bustle, but gently, so I would not disturb the bees and the butterflies at work in the English Lavender.

Clipping, gathering, and banding 31 sprigs of lavender per bundle, until there were at least fifteen different bundles plus extra miniature stems with lavender flowers. The little cottage garden next to the old farmhouse smells so good. There is plenty of mint growing, sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, lemon balm, roses, hollyhock, snapdragons, day lilies, yarrow, and of course the lovely lavender plants.

Rubber bands that come wrapped around produce in the winter months worked perfectly to hold the lavender bundles together. The lavender can be used for making tea, jelly, lemonade, sauces, salads, 

sachets, or simply decorating in bouquets and freshening the farmhouse.

Then they were hung on the clothes line so that the blossoms pointed toward the ground and they will stay like this for the next few weeks.  The portable clothespin wheel will be moved to a darker place without a chance of a sprinkler shower. By the end of July they will be ready for a little lace and placement at the center of the wedding tables! ~

Strawberry Wedding Jam

Here is the bride, Jolene, preparing the first round of the wedding favor: strawberry jam! So that each guest can 'spread the love' after the wedding with a gift of homemade jam.  Five years ago, we made dozens and dozens of cookies with a monogram R for Karyn and Zac. Now, Jolene and Peter are preparing jam and we all got to share in the fun!

First batch is put into jars, taste tested and adjusted with a lot of help from Jojo in Tumwater and the perfect  size jamming potholders! Thank you Mom! xo

Round 2, not quite a double batch, but a nervous watch to keep berries from running over. Jolene watched and stirred and stirred and watched.

Round 3 had plenty of love stirred into it and many more good wishes.

Reinforcements arrived after work for Peter and for Jolene. Washing, trimming, slicing the berries.

Meanwhile, the farmhands packed away still hot jam to make room for another batch.

Snugged right back into the boxes that the jars were packed in, they will rest for 24 hours before labels and decorative tops go on to dress them up for the big day!

Steady progress is being made and it is still the same day! We are nearing the final batch of jam.

What a team! The bride and groom to be working together to make the wedding jam.

Oh, the sugar! We used nearly 35 pounds of sugar in all on this day!

Peter taking the challenge of keeping the jam in the pot without running over! It must come to a full rolling boil for 4 minutes with out spilling over the edges. A dab of butter makes the difference while stirring in good wishes!

Finally, 96 jars of Strawberry Wedding Jam ready to help spread the love!

Ingredients:

Strawberries

lemon juice

pectin

sugar

love

~x~

Daffodils

February weather is always unpredictable, but this year, it is beautifully unpredictable. Today it was 68 degrees and the sun was shining just warm enough to coax these pretty little daffodils into a full bloom. The hens were so happy with the warmth and the flowers they decided to lay four eggs today. Enjoy the end of winter as it disappears into spring! 

The Winter Blues

The best winter blue eggs we've seen! Our severe snow and ice storm in December was very hard on the hens. They had plenty of shelter and food and water, but the many days of cold really wore them down. Three days ago two of our hens finally started laying eggs again. The light blue and a soft green blue egg are the results of the hardiest hens.

Look who is standing watch! Yes, our friend Chicken Hawk is back and taking up residence so boldly on top of the barn. This particular photo was about 4 in the afternoon as the light is starting to get low enough to call the hens into rooster.  The water buckets that they drink from before roosting are directly below the hawk.

The chickens were locked in early to the coop so that our hawk had to find some thing else to eat for the night. She flew all over the farm, landing in walnut trees watching and waiting, but we were watching too!

The only think caught tonight was a few photos of this magnificent menace to chickens! So the winter blues have struck for the hawk. We can only hope that the hawk moves on soon.  The hens will remain under protection until the red tailed hawk develops an appetite for something els. We don't want to risk losing any chickens or beautiful blue eggs!

Stone Soup and Candy Cane Ice Cream Sandwiches

Gathering together is the best part of Christmas or anytime of year! After our Alaska Family made it to Southern Oregon, cousins and sisters and Aunties and Uncle gathered for an evening meal.

There was plenty of activity in every corner of the old farmhouse! Anna was showing her skills of jump roping with her handmade jump rope. She made it in her first grade class. Brother Tyler is trying to master and I.Q. peg game and Cousin Ada is busy with a book.

In the kitchen, Evelyn and Cousin Ryan were getting reacquainted with the help of beautiful Mama/Auntie Karyn. Evelyn Rose LOVES her cousins and delights with squeals of joy when she sees them.

A little one on one pal time! Only ten years apart and what fun to watch the cousins mingle.

Finally dinner is ready. We decided to eat in shifts as it would be easier on this night. Stone Soup, by request of Aiden was made for dinner.

Ada was very surprised to find a stone in her soup...she actually found an agate, even better! The soup is made with all of the garden goodies and any left overs that were found in the fridge. There was homegrown applesauce and some quinoa, corn, and vegie chip scoopers for fun.

Aiden loves the soup and always returns the stone so that we can make it again!

Evelyn enjoying dried pears in her Daddy's arms. Those dried pears are great teething rings! Her hair stands up at attention most of the time right now and it is so darling.

Cousins gathered together at the table for a simple meal.

And then the dessert!  Candy cane ice cream sandwiches! Homemade oatmeal cookies from Jojo's recipe filled with pink candy cane ice cream. Creamy, sweet fun!

Sweet Anna loves it all!

Then the grown ups got to eat and Nana and Papa played with the littlest one of all! So many special times gathering together on the farm ~

~ Evelyn Rose ~

Welcome, precious Evelyn Rose! She was born at 12:20 am on this first day of February! Our Littlest Valentine, born in Alaska to the loving arms of Mama, Daddy, and sister Ada, weighs 7 pounds 10 ounces and she will be called Evey! We can't wait to go to the Last Frontier to hold and love the newest little bundle of joy! We love you Karyn, Zac Ada, and Evey! ~

Ripe Plums in October

We have so many ripe plums, now! Ripe now! In the middle of October a tree that was nearly cut down because it has not produced a single plum in four years ripened with so many plums in one season, that it made up and then some for the plums that were gone for all those years. We were convinced for two years that it was a late frost that killed the blossoms and the potential for fruit. Then two more years of nothing and we planning to replace the tree. There must have been nearly 700 pounds of fruit on a single tree. The tree is bowing with the weight of these plums that sure took their time ripening this season. So we picked and washed and sliced and chopped and cooked and baked and dried and froze and ate these little beauties! There are plenty left for friends and family, so come on over to the farm!

Getting ready for the dehydrator. The plums dry up so nicely and can be used in oatmeal, as a quick snack or rehydrated for anything you like. They also add a very nice flavor to soups.

These plums are about midway through the drying process. It takes 12 - 14 hours for this fruit to dry completely. The dried fruit is stored in jars and ready to use or eat.

Plum jam! Our daughter and son-in-law make plum sauce and it starts with plum jam. We finally have some jam to offer and we are looking forward to the pot stickers that go with the sauce!

Plum Upside Down Cake and Walnuts! This cake is a melt in your mouth kind of cake. It is made in a cast iron skillet and comes out a little thinner than if it was baked in a springform pan, but we like it thin. The edges are crisp and there is nothing so sweet as baked plums.

What do you do with your plums?

Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Tri tip bison or buffalo meat simmered with onion and garlic all day until it fell apart in tender, juicy shreds of tasty meat! The whole roast is enough for several meals for us. Part of it was used in the enchiladas.

After the meat was finished cooking, it was set aside to rest (aka chemical reaction) and the sauce was made. Then green chiles, cilantro, and some salsa were added to the shredded buffalo.

The salsa, sometimes called pico de gallo when it is chunky, had green peppers, jalepeno peppers, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, cilantro, and salt and pepper. It is fresh which is exactly what helps makes the enchiladas!

The sauce starts with 2 Tablespoons of butter, 1 Tablespoon of flour sizzling on medium heat in a cast iron pan. Add to it medium green enchilada sauce by Frontera. This one has tomatillos, garlic, and other tasty spices! After that, add about three cups from the tri tip broth that has been simmering all day. Now it is time to put this all together: Put sauce in the bottom of the baking pan, dip each corn tortilla that has already been heated in medium hot oil, into the sauce and fill with shredded beef mixture and cheese. Continue until all of the tortillas are filled and tucked seem side down in the pan. Now cover all of the enchiladas with sauce and more cheese and salsa!

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling on top in an oven set at 350 degrees. You can add olives or other peppers if you want more or different flavors.

Top with more fresh cilantro and serve with fresh fruit or rice or beans or anything you like!


~ Mmmm, don't forget fresh avocado and sour cream on the side!

Acorn Squash!

Yum! Acorn squash is one of the garden treats that feels like and tastes like dessert! Don't let its decorative look fool you. Cut it open and start cooking!
Here is the acorn squash freshly sliced open. You do have to use a little muscle, just be patient.


Once it is open, scrape out the seeds and save them for drying for next year's garden or you can rinse, salt and roast just like a pumpkin seed! Back to the baking. Rub a little olive oil on the inside flesh to keep the squash from drying out.


Place it face side down in the pan and add some water to the bottom to keep it from scorching. Roast at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.


Remove from the oven and see the wonderful sweetness browning in the bottom of the pan? That is from the natural sugar in the squash.


The outer shell will become quite stiff from roasting. Scrape out the soft, yellow inside.


Once both shells are scraped out and the squash is placed in a bowl, add a dab of butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a handful of raisins. Mix well with a spoon and serve with dinner!