It is that time of year. The air has all of summer’s heat but none of summer’s warmth. Even at 80 degrees there is a subtle nip. It is downright cold right now. I am wrapped in a fleece robe and drinking a tonic of vinegar and honey instead of tea. We have reached that busy stage of harvest and preparation. We pulled another row of potatoes last night ans set them to cure. I pulled a pile of big beets and left others to mature a bit longer. That means beets grees for dinner. I love greens fried in a bit of bacon and sprinkle with some vinegar and feta. I am making more kraut today too.
Bruce got the herb garden staked out. We are going to cover it today with a layer of wet newspaper and black plastic. He situated it to sit right outside the fantasy exterior kitchen. The Stark Brothers catalog came in so it is order time for new trees for the orchard. We are hoping for a small fruit harvest next year. The raspberries are fabulous. We are still eating a cup or two a day. The fox grapes are pitiful this year. I will have to purchase (sniff, sniff) grape juice.
We also got two large trees chopped down. That leaves a big pile of wood to get split and stacked. We have some big sons for the work. Another tree is going as well. It’s on the town berm so they are doing the cutting but the wood will be ours if we want it. We do.
I have to drop off the money and pick up the arch I got for Bruce. I am really excited about sugaring in the spring. We are also getting ready for honey harvest. I have the jars but need to get the labels printed.
I am thinking ahead to the holidays. I have such fun ideas for gifts. I am getting Bruce a sign for the shed with Barefoot Farm logo on it. I think he will really like it. Phoebe is getting the American Girls dolls that belonged to y older girls re-headed. As my foster daughter is approaching adulthood, I am looking for a beautiful wooden box or trunk for her. I want to fill it with little things like dish towels and baking supplies. Remember hope chests? I don’t think people do that anymore but we should revive the practice. We can be egalitarian and include tools.
We have a neighbor coming over to show Bruce how to properly measure our windows so we can begin the process of replacing them all. Until then, we will continue to put up plastic on the interior. It worked well last year. The furnace needs to have the filter replaced and we have to finish the ventilation in the root cellar. The car needs new tires. That has to happen pretty quickly.
I also have people asking me to do a bread baking workshop. I think I will offer one in my kitchen. It would be a lot easier that hauling all of my stuff over to the Community House and I could charge very little as I would have nearly no overhead. I am thinking that I could manage 5 participants at $20.00 a piece. I am harboring this fantasy of a side business of delivering bread to maybe five families a week. I could easily make ten loaves of bread in an afternoon. I suppose I would run into all sorts of commercial kitchen problems though and by the time I paid for the ingredients I would be making about $.15 cents and hour. Maybe it doesn’t sound like such a good idea after all.
Are you all hunkering down? What do you do to prepared for the cold season?
September 25, 2009 at 6:52 am
We’re putting in some extra insulation under the floors of the new kitchen ahed and the sun porch. We’re also pulling in a few more downed trees this weekend to top off the woodpile. We’re dropping some of the trees closest to the house to head off any falling on the new shed. That hasn’t been a real issue, but we decided to expand the back yard by getting rid of a light fringe of trees that are within falling distance.
We are also doing the yard clean up, putting away the porch furniture and strategically placing the snow blower after servicing. I love fall!
September 25, 2009 at 8:00 am
Yes! I remember hope chests! I had one! I started it when I was about 15 or so and when I moved away at 20, all I needed was a sweeper and a couple of chairs. Wow does that bring back memories. I can still hear my grandma talking to me about her hope chest…all she saved was pretty, dainty plates LOL.
September 25, 2009 at 8:05 am
I forgot to mention what we’re doing for winter…too early…no caffeine!
We’re going to be insulating the crawlspace under the master bedroom as it’s very poorly insulated. Plus we have some vinyl siding to replace. The garden needs cleared, the chicken coop moved, and the rest of the fall clothes brought up from storage. My husband has worked the past 30 or so days with only one day off, so we’re dreadfully behind on our winter preps.
September 25, 2009 at 8:23 am
I’m so jealous, Kathy! A summer/canning kitchen is desperately wanted here, but so many other necessities must be taken care of first.
Hope chests. My sister and I didn’t get them, but I’m already mentally filling them for my girls (5 & 2). A tradition that DEFINITELY needs to be revived!
September 25, 2009 at 9:26 am
A hope chest is a wonderful idea for a Christmas gift. Several years ago, my husband built oak chests lined with cedar (from reclaimed lumber) for our two daughters and engraved each lid with their given names. Many “treasures” went into the chests over the years, but when our oldest daughter left home for college and got her own apartment, the chest went with her filled with linens… sheets, towels, tea towels, etc. Our middle daughter chose to live in residence when she went off to college and since graduating her apartment has been too small… but eventually when she has a bigger apartment, she’ll take her chest too.
As for getting ready for winter. We’re working on a redesign of our raised garden beds. And today we’re going to be planting out the strawberry plants that I’ve been growing from cuttings I’ve been taking from the four plants that our son gave me for Mother’s Day. The man who owns our CSA mentioned that he is planting strawberries this week, so I figured I’d follow his lead.
Yesterday, Dave put up more shelves in the spare bedroom closet to store all the canning that we’ve been doing. I had boxes and boxes of food in jars sitting on dressers and on the floor in that room covered with sheets to keep them in the dark. We thought, even after moving the jars to the shelves that we’d have lots of shelf space left for more canning but those shelves are now filled to capacity. So I’m going to have to make more room in another closet.
And since tomorrow and next Wednesday will be the last days for our farmers’ market, I’ll be getting up extra early both days to see what’s might be available to can or freeze. There wasn’t alot there last Saturday, but I’m hoping that since it’s the last two days that everyone will be cleaning out their gardens. I’m also hoping for some more squash and potatoes to store.
September 25, 2009 at 9:44 am
My mother bought me a beautiful wooden chest. It sat in her house for years, being called the “hopeless chest.” If I’m not mistaken, in years past it was the young woman herself who filled the chest during her teen years, with sheets, curtains, and all sort of other needful textiles that she made herself. The chest is now finally in my home and does hold our (purchased) bed linens.
September 25, 2009 at 9:55 am
We’re very lucky to be hooked up with a tree pruner in a nearby city who calls us when he takes a tree down and the client doesn’t want the wood. We’ve lots of wood although we’re still playing catch up on the splitting.
My brother and husband built a hope chest for my daughter a couple of years ago for Christmas. She’s filled it with treasures. I agree – the tradition should be brought back.
September 25, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Our “to do” list is longer than hours in the day. Some things will be winter projects. I’ve been cleaning out the garden and herb garden areas; canning green beans, tomatoes, apples, pears; dehydrating potatoes, green peppers, green beans, onions, bananas (only the bananas have been purchased). Our shelf making, etc. is going to be a winter project. We’re tearing down a couple of old buildings and using the lumber for a new milk goat shed and a chicken house. Plus my husband has started working 60-80 hours per week for harvest.
Anyway, the one major thing I’ve learned by trying to be more self-sufficient, is that your “to do” list will NEVER, NEVER be completed. Your mindset changes, if someone has extra anything — you take it to do something with; a neighbor of tearing down a barn — you help and salvage the lumber; etc. etc. etc.
Hope everyone has a great (SAFE) fall. This is a very busy time of year and we all need to remember to do things safely.
God bless:)
September 25, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I am so envious of those who have houses! My 200 sf trailer doesn’t hold much, lol. After spending all week cleaning a friends’ house, I’m cleaning mine. I’m also pulling out all the dead container garden plants and sending most of the old soil to a friends compost pile and stacking up the empties neatly. I’m also dehydrating more onions, celery, garlic and tomatoes. I hope to get all the sorting of summer-winter clothing done, too, before I have to pick up the kiddo at school and he discovers he’s lost his Legos for the day for rebelliously playing with them this morning instead of getting ready for school like I’d asked. On second thought, I need a SOUNDPROOF house/apartment!
September 25, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I’m scared of losing electricity this winter; without it, living in an RV is like living in a hard-sided tent.
I do have a Lil Buddy LP indoor heater for back up heat.
Anyone have any other ideas???
September 25, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Oh I loved my hope chest. I’ve been married for 12 years, which makes some of it’s contents over 25 years old (Oh Lord!), and I am still using them.
I say it is an excellent present!
We’ve already started one for our daughter (who is 5, lol).
September 26, 2009 at 7:16 am
I love the idea of a hope chest but think it’s time to come up with a new name . . . ‘hope’ chest seems to imply that a woman needs a man to make her life complete. Could we call it a nest box . . . as in leaving home to make a nest of one’s own? Any other ideas?
September 26, 2009 at 10:59 am
I love nesting box. The “hope” for me is that I can launch all of my little chicks into independent living. I can see some of them returning.
September 27, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I still have my hope chest. I was getting ready to throw it in the garage sale, but my daughter (17) stopped me and said she wanted it. Guess that means it’s time to start filling it. I filled my own when I lived at home but I’m looking forward to preparing her chest for her future.
As far as for winter, it’s time to prep the windows for plastic, till and manure garden. I’ve been buying warm undergarments for the kids as well as slippers. I’ve scheduled our fireplace to be cleaned. We’re going to buy 25 lbs of apples and peaches from a local farm (I know that is not much, but this will be our first time canning that much). I have plans to make a couple fleece blankets. Hubby needs to have the blade on the snowblower sharpened. We’re buying a chest freezer this week to house the cow we purchased as well as the deer hubby and daughter plan on snagging.
I talked with a friend from church about obtaining some food grade tubs for flour, sugar and oat groats, he works for the local school system and said he’d see what he could do. I also picked up more honey as well as natural cough and cold medicines. Time to make sure all the mittens and hats are in one place and bring out the winter coats. Son needs winter boots. Don’t you just hate it when their little feet won’t stop growing. LOL
February 4, 2012 at 7:44 am
Makes Sense Now…
So when I read that article it finally clicked…