Sweetcorn

We didn't plant any sweet corn in our garden. I am a little intimidated by sweet corn because so many critters love to eat it and corn grows so tall. I figured we would find people with an abundance who would share with us. 

I did some 4-H judging over the weekend and drove past a farm place that had sweet corn for sale. We have a loose church connection (not enough to get any for free 😜). Since we know them, I stopped on my way home to buy a couple dozen. $10 for a baker's dozen. 

Jaron had a blast husking the corn on the back deck so the goats could clean up our mess.

He would hand me the ears saying, "heavy, heavy!" And then shout with joy when I handed him the husk. He tossed them to the goats and Gerda quickly nibbled them up. Senka is a little more shy. 

I stored the husked ears in a box so the goats wouldn't try to eat them. 

Jaron did take a bite or two out of an ear. Whether raw or cooked, he loves it! 

New Layers

We have a new layer in our coop- one of the copper marans I believe. Isn't the color beautiful? 

The one on the left is a pullet egg. The one on the right was from later in the week. I thought the chicken had matured quickly (and was laying regular sized eggs). But I cracked it open for breakfast and it was a double yolker! 

With the trampoline chickens laying, our egg cartons have a whole new look! 

Eggy Oatmeal

Longer ago, my cooking friend recommended adding an egg to oatmeal as something to try. It boosts the protein and adds creaminess. 

I finally gave it a try! 

Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl. Then, in the last two minutes of cooking, whisk the eggs into the oatmeal as fast as you can. One video said to take the oatmeal off heat while whisking. I did a combo because I couldn't manage the egg dumping and pan holding at the same time. 😅 

Looks pretty creamy!

My favorite way to eat oatmeal is to cook a banana and some dried berries in the last few minutes (adds sweetness and plumps up the berries). I still did that this time, but did it after the eggs. Maybe next time I'll switch the order. 

 It tasted great! Jaron was definitely a fan. 

Hot and Watering

I've had to get creative in Jaron's footwear lately. His moccasins are great for walking around outside, but when they get wet, it takes forever for them to drive because they are made of leather. We have a pair of water boots for him, but when he is helping with the hose, the water goes directly into the boots, and then those take forever to dry. So we tried option number three - his flip flops.

He did not like them on his feet at first. I think the between the toes sensation was not his favorite. He ended up tolerating them though. And they dried out quickly after he helped water the goats!

We are about to leave for a week-long vacation up north, so we watered everything really well. It's supposed to be hot while we're gone and there isn't much rain in the forecast. Well Jaron and I were watering the raspberries, I spotted this cool slime mold. That's not something you see everyday around here!

I'll be taking the week off from posting, so I can disconnect from my phone, enjoy the peaceful lake environment, and connect with family. 

See you back on July 27th! 

Mulching Party

We finally have the majority of the garden covered. Weeds be gone! I think I'll be able to keep a handle on the remaining areas. 

Our garden is slowly growing. Jaron picked the two ripe peppers and sampled them. He thought they were apples and spit out his bites. 🤦‍♀️😆

Galen helped by being the wheelbarrow guy. Wow, that made things go quickly! I stayed in the garden and put down the cardboard and spread out the mulch after he dumped it.

Even with the help, it took hours. Jaron went over to his grandparents house after a while, so we kept working late into the night. We finally finished around 10:30pm. 

The shed is pretty empty of straw now! Just the back left corner has some. We'll probably leave that so the goats have a nice place to lay down.

 

Red Currants

I finally got around to harvesting the red currant bush. Jaron and I went out late one afternoon with a small plastic tub. 

He wanted to pick and eat, which was fine. Then he wanted to eat from the dish. Uh, no bud, that's not how this works. I told him the ones in the dish we had to save for Dad. He ended up picking some to share! I thought he was going for more eating but instead he put berries in! "For Dad!" he said. 😆😊 So sweet. 

Here's how many we ended up with! 

They remind me a little of elderberries, just the clusters on the bush and how the berries themselves look (besides being red vs a deep purple). The taste is vastly different though. 

Sandbox Gardening

Friends of ours had a portable sand table out when we visited their house. Jaron had so much fun playing with it, I made a comment about us needing to get something like that for him. Guess what... the table was out at their house because they're getting rid of it. It was a hand-me-down to them, so they were looking for another family to give it to. That's us! 

It came with a few bags of sand and a bunch of plastic toys. I had Galen set it up next to the garden. 

It keeps him occupied for 5-10 minutes, then he toddles into the garden to see what I'm doing. Then he meanders over to his pail of dirt. And then wanders back to the sand table. 

Definitely a good distraction. 

Things are still growing slowly in the garden. The watermelon on the trellis looks pretty good. I've woven it through a few times. No mildew on leaves yet! 

In weeding the potatoes, I came across another basil plant that survived! 

The best looking thing in the garden is a volunteer pumpkin. Who knows what kind of pumpkin it is... Hopefully a good kind!