NEW LIFE...

I'm going to keep it short and sweet...so much going on, as per usual around here.  Mainly, my husband has really had a time of it with his health..we just got back from the hospital again, today...but all looks like it should be on the mend...let's only hope so! 
Either way, we were able to have a moment to play before things went south...We had a great pre-4th party on the 3rd...tons of food and a lovely day with friends and family.

the patio has not been sealed yet so you
can't see how spectacular the color really
is...all blues and greens...soon!

We got a new kitty...!!  His name is Ziggy...Ziggy Stardust, for obvious reasons...he's a goofy looking little varmint...but loving his guts!  He's easy going and simply hangs on your lap for hours..plays with your face for a bit and snuggles like the dickens...A-dor-able!! 

Then there's the garden...since I'm working on changing things over to make for a more efficient home farm...planning on putting up a small barn down on the road to sell our goodies...I've been re-working the layout and importance of exactly what it is I am planting.  And right now that is mainly Tomatoes..and loads of them.  All amazing heirlooms and getting ready for canning, sauces and pickin right out the garden to eat!

                            

And let's not forget the orchard...first and foremost, the grapes!!  I have a major crop going of Champagne grapes that I can't wait to eat and dehydrate into pounds of currents..one of our favorites around here.  The apple trees, the peach trees...apricot, plum, pear, cherry, fig, orange, lemon...however, not retaining a major crop as expected with the new hell that has become farm life...squirrels!!@!!!  So far this little fuck has completely cleared my plum and apricot..literally not one piece of fruit spared...and now he's half way through my two peach trees...you'll notice the netting surrounding one...it didn't deter him in the least...it's beyond heartbreaking...there are no words...moving on.

champagne

concord! yay!

fugi

figs..ah!

white snow queen..what's left of them!!@@

looking back in from orchard..sweet brick
deck with fountain, potted plants and
drinking water spigot!

front gate from patio down into garden

nice view of back gate with trellised
grapes above.

strawberry patch

overview from backside, showing rose garden
on right and lawn above in back

heirloom, Rhode Island green..

staircase from front lawn down into orchard,
where theres a firepit, a soon to be deck, but for now
 a long bench and horseshoe pit set up...quite the
hang around here...soon to be planted in
"wedding"urns, peonys...concord grapes growing
along grape stake fence...awesome!

And chamomile flowers from the tea garden..yes, I am growing a tea garden...chamomile, lavender and lemon balm.  Will be including, ginger soon...big giant containers to go on the hillside in the back, next to the soon to be extended orchard, and...wait for it...the bee hive, and...still wait..the sheep pasture...don't ask!

The girls are having a fun summer thus far...and that's about it!

from top...Ruby, Penelope, and the old gal, Vida

Miss Monroe..need I say more!

Petunia...!!

The Ladies!

Much love to my besties...taking time to just "be" around here...been a very stressful year to say the least..as I'm learning, however, it seems it's been that way for all of us in one form or another...and I'm sorry to hear about your sadness' and set backs  too...hope all is moving forward for everyone...mucho love to you all..enjoy the rest of your summer....be happy! xox juner

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Yesterday  I went to a local feed/garden shoppe.  It's called Mountain Feed and is deep in the tiny  Redwood Forest community of Ben Lomonde.  It's like a little piece of the 70's stuck in time with it's rural setting and artistic hippie mindset.  This feed store is ah-maze-ing!   They have an old barn that is set up with anything you could need to garden, farm, raise chickens, including baby chicks…it's so sweet.  But the layout is the thing that I love the most, it's just set up perfectly with organic veggies and trees everywhere, awnings and flowers. It's simply beautiful.  The owner, a young guy, has antiques everywhere, but not just thrown about, really special pieces placed exactly where they should be…like the old jukebox set up in the main feed shoppe with the registers, that blast awesome music, usually old county songs.  His name is completely slipping my old brain at the moment, and I've known him for years…it's an unusual name, so cut me some slack…so his famous line is this.  Whenever anyone asks him, when is the best time to plant fruit trees he answers, "The best time is 20 years ago, or today!"

So Saturday was their preserving event and I went specifically to learn how to make Sauerkraut.  Now we're not talking about your grandma's kraut, or the stuff they put on wieners at a ball game…we're talking alive, filled with probiotics, raw sauerkraut.   I've been eating this stuff for years and let me tell you, it gets pretty expensive to buy it, even locally.  We eat it almost daily around here…and now I know what you're thinking…they eat sauerkraut with every meal..how freaking weird is that?  But like I said, it's not what you think of as sauerkraut, it's so much more.  

Sauerkraut is a fermented blend of veggies, with the main core ingredient of cabbage.  My favorite kraut is cabbage, beets, ginger and carrot.  Then there's another that has seaweed that is spectacular.  They have krauts with jalapeños, or red cabbage and dill, so you see, there are many choices in the world of kraut these days. And of course there's KimChee, which is a staple in Asian/Korean diets…it's usually a blend of cabbage, carrots, and a load of cayenne or peppers, gets very tangy to say the least. Adding a tiny side of kraut to your meals will not only spice up the meal, but will add all the enzymes and nutrients needed for healthy digestion…it kills candida, it's gluten free, it's sugar free, it's yummy, so get over it and try some!

I also learned how to pickle veggies, and can tomatoes…something I've wanted to do forEVER!  I brought home a jar of the most amazing home made horseradish/mustard, a jar of orange/meyer lemon/ginger jam…yuuummmy! and my new container to make up a batch of my own kraut…oh and a sweet, perfect giant round/plump deep red raspberry bush to plant along the fence in the orchard.  Made this attempt the summer before, but damn those gofers!!  So on to attempt number two…wish me luck.

My new buddy Shane who taught me everything I need
to know about Kraut making.  His mother and he started
a company, local of course, they use 90% local
ingredients, some of the more specialty items like
the paste used to make Kim Chee, fish oils and peppers
and such, are not seasonal around these parts, so they
 do ship out for that, however, everything is made here
in their facility at the Sash Mill.  And the big news is
they are now being carried in the local Costco if you
can believethat!  Farmhouse Kraut…awesome flavors.

Notice the perfectly placed vintage delivery truck
that sits out front of the Feed Store.

Carrie, Mountain Feed's all things veggies Guru…
she's ridiculously knowledgable  and talks like no ones business…ha ha..yes, even blew me out of the water,
I finally had to walk away after I got what I came for.
She's a hoot and you can learn all there is to learn
about canning, preserving and veggies.

My homemade batch of red/green cabbage, beets,
carrots, seaweed…this is a big two and a half size
mason jar….Wish me luck!

Here's a super quick video of the band playing…they were phenomenal!  And here's hoping you're springing in to Spring as well…happy days filled with sunshine and fresh alive veggies!
mucho hugs to my besties! xox juner