Home Work

Seems like we can't avoid the cold temperatures any longer... Even though our remaining veggies were still small, I cut them down so they wouldn't go to waste. 

The spindly veggies went to the goats. I froze the kale to go in soup. That left the red cabbage and the baby brussel sprouts. 

At first I was going to freeze the lot of them, but then I remembered the fermenting book. 

The cabbage is going to be sourkraut. Isn't the color pretty? 

The brussel sprouts are fermenting in a salt brine with a few cloves of garlic for flavor. 

Two to six weeks until they're ready! Our house is on the cold side these days, so my guess is it'll take longer to get them to the perfect level of fermentation. 

Laying Hens

Our chickens have started laying! Or, at least, one of them has. This breed is supposed to lay green eggs. Maybe it takes a while for their pigment work fully. 

G cooked one of them up for lunch. One is from our hens and the other is from the store. Can you guess which is which? 

Top is ours, bottom is store. Look how different the yolks are! #freerangehens

 

Garden Update

Even though the weather is leaning towards winter, we still have a little going on in our garden. 

Brussel sprouts! For the longest time, I wasn't sure what this veggie was because it had leaves all the way up the stalk. It looked more like broccoli or cabbage. But now that the stalk's leaves have come off, it's very clear what it is. Hopefully the little sprouts grow some more before a hard freeze.

Our cauliflower isn't doing a whole lot, but you can tell what it is! 

I had harvested celery months ago by cutting them off at the base of the bundle. Lo and behold, they're growing again! 

Root Vegetables

My father-in-law has been a huge help getting things done on the homestead while G and I are in Rochester with Jaron. It's been on our list to dig our potatoes and carrots... He got that done the other day! 

How many varieties can you see in the bucket? I think we planted four kinds. You can probably see three based on just their skin (red, yellow, gold).

The carrots have even more variety! I can't wait to taste them the next time we stop at home in Mankato!

Visit Home

G and I visited our house in Mankato for a half a day. We piled up all our appointments in the afternoon and made a list of all the things we wanted to bring back to Rochester with us. 

It was a quick visit. 

Chiropractor, voting, returning library books, and C-section checkup (my scar looks really good according to the doctor).

Even with the quickness, I was able to eat lunch with my sister, and G and I had supper with his parents before heading back to the hospital for night rounds. 

Remember the tomato bet G and I had going? Well, here's how many are still green...

Those two on the left look like they're turning. The ones on the right, eh, we'll see. I'm not ready to give up on them.

Lawns to Legumes- Part 2

The Monday before Jaron was born, G and I shopped for plants for my medicinal herb garden. I had made a shopping list months ago after listening to a podcast about good plants for treating people and animals. I also took notes from the Holistic Goat Facebook group on plants to put in goat pastures to let them self-treat their ailments. 

Outback Nursery was our shopping location. We found quite a bit! Some on my list, and some the workers suggested being good for herbalism. 

I really liked how each plant had a nametag with pertinent information on it. I took pictures of all the signs to make it easier to make my garden layout. 

And tried to get the plants themselves in the background so I'd remember what each plant looks like. I need to make sure they're labeled accurately so I'm able to use the herbs the most beneficial way.

Jaron's birth threw off our plan for planting them. We have neighbors making sure they are watered and stay alive. I need to come up with a layout map ASAP so the plants can get in the ground. G wanted to plop them in wherever there was space, but I think we should take the time to do it right the first time, even with our current situation and the Lawns to Legumes looming deadline... the end of November. 

Animals in Strange Poses

I caught one of the kittens doing yoga. Notice her feet propped up on the fire pit? Two seconds before I took the picture, her head was bent down to slurp up some fresh water.

 My father-in-law came over to do some yardwork for us and he moved Misty to the front yard to be part of the action. She enjoyed being the foreman. Maybe a little too much... 😅