Productive Sunday,

 Fruits of our labor.  It was a beautiful weekend to get things done around the farm.  The much needed rail, while put off things that needed to be done outside, helped with the things needing done inside. 
I spent Saturday cleaning the house and the breezeway.  Gone is the brooder which stank to high heavens.  ( Turkeys poop alot).  The floor is vacuumed and the breezeway orginized.  Sunday was a day spent canning. 

First I had to cut up the beans and then boil them. I think that is the longest part of the canning process. 

I ended up with 14 pint containers of greenbeans.  Last week I bought some cherries on sale.  This week they turned into Cherry Jam. 

This is the book the kids bought me last Christmas when we moved into the house.  This is where I read the recipe for both, canning the beans and making the jam. 

Next week we're going to turn these bad boys into bread and butter pickles.  It's alot of work but then again, it's fun.  The garden is doing great.  We get 3-4 summer squash and zuccini a day.  We have pumpkin growing along with a slew of tomatoes.  They all look like they're going to go red on the same day.   God help me if that happens. 

Well I hope you all enjoy your week.  Remember to support your local farmers market.  You can usually find some great fruits and veggies there.. along with great deals. 

First Fruits.

All of the work is starting to pay off.  I have picked the first fruits of the season.  Green beans are in along with summer squash and zuccini.  Soon there should be tomatoes.  The weeding the watching and the hoping have all paid off.  This weekend I should have enough green beans to start canning.  The winter squashes and the pumpkins are doing fantastic. 
I love tending a garden watching things grow, taking care of things and the harvest.  It's all good.  I can't wait for the corn to come in.  Fresh corn on the cob.  It tastes so much better when you know what went into the growing.  I try to stay as organic as possible, last week I had to spray with organic bug spray to keep the potatoe beetles under control and not lose my crop.  The pesticide was made out of other flowers and such.  It worked really well too.  Soon the cuckumbers should come in, then we can put up some pickles.  I have a ton of tomatoes when they get ripe.  That means jars of speghetti sauce. I love this farm stuff!! Here's hoping you all enjoy the nice weather we're getting. 

I love a small town. Happy 4th.

I love a small town.  With the passing of Andy Griffith, it kind of brings your memories back to the 60s and 70s when he was on TV with The Andy Griffith show and Mayberry RFD.  We live in a small town also, it is so nice to see the community come togther for the common good.  The Library hosted this years 4th of July Parade.  Their goal was to raise monies for the small park that is attached to the library.  It was a small pararde, not more than 10 - 15 minutes long.  But it was the spirit of the parade that made it special. 
At Halloween I was overwhelmed with the amount of trick or treaters that came around.  Now I know why.  The community of this little village is amazing.  There is genuine concern for the community.  Here are some of the pics from he fourth. 

From goats in a boat to the people who respond to our emergencies.  Everyone turned out.  After the parade we had a little BBQ with some of the family and extedned family.  Amy's parents along with my sister and her husband.  Steve and his mother, his sister and her family also joined us. 

All in all it was a good day!  Grilled food, good company along with fairly good weather.  As the day wore on the boys started the fire pit and we annoyed or delighted ( insert either) the neighborhood with some fireworks. 
It was amazing to see a little community come together to celebrate the 4th and support the Library.   It's not Mayberry, that would be a little naive in this day and age, but I think it's about as close as we'll get.