We had a honey harvest at Barefoot Farm yesterday. We were so much more efficient this year than last and far more productive too. It was not a large harvest but we’ll have two runs this year rather than just one. I was also able harvest absolutely beautiful wax. I have not use the wax I have to make anything yet. Learning to use this valuable resource is certainly on my “to do” list. I have vision of putting in some bayberry bushes so I can use the wax the berries generate to make bayberry, beeswax candles. In the meantime, I am just thrilled to have honey for my tea again.
It was my birthday yesterday. My younger girls gave me 4 books. Three were Storey books; Making and Using Dried Foods (Hobson), Recipes From The Root Cellar (Chesman), Put ‘em Up (Vinton) and The Conscious Kitchen (Zissu-Potter). I had picked these out as must-have’s for my bookshelf. I will presenting at the Mother Earth News Sustainable Living Fair in September with both Andrea Chessman and Sherri Brooks Vinton. I am so excited at the prospect of three days spent with like-minded people. There will be so much to learn and absorb. I’m missing my 40th high school reunion for this fair. It was a tough decision for me but ultimately, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and high school reunions often disappoint. The few people I really wanted to connect with were not going so I feel better about than I otherwise might.
We are expecting a much cooler week. I’m so pleased that weather will be better as my son and his wife will be home for a visit. We haven’t seen Ben and Maggie in over a year. They are young, married students and live on a shoestring. I really want to show them a good time while they’re here. We have planned some hikes,a couple of concerts, lots of visits with family and friends and a good deal of non-scheduled family time. We’ll also be looking at the space here as the plan is for the kids to move here after graduation in april. I’m so grateful for our big house.
The cooler temps will be good for the garden but we could sure use some rain. The critter damage has been considerable this year. We are thinking about the reality of needing to fence the whole garden next summer. At least the copper sulfate seems to have nipped the blight before it took hold. I hated to spray but I really didn’t see as we had a choice, other than losing the whole crop again.
July 30, 2010 at 8:41 am
Where did you find the copper sulfate???
We’re having a visit with our son (the future bee keeper) this weekend as well. It was a surprise visit, so we’ll just be catching up.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Sounds like some great books for the library! I went on a big shopping trip to get some prep items. I found pricing to be up 25%. Sad that I waited so long.
July 30, 2010 at 8:47 am
Happy late Birthday! Love the list of books your girls got for you, I ordered making and using dried food last week, due to arrive by Fed Ex today, can’t wait to get my hands on it. I will be adding the others to my Christmas list, my girls think I am hard to buy for. I have been dehydrating my heart out this spring and summer, I have hopes that we will have enough stored to get us through till next year but if not at least I saved the family some money and will kown more for next spring. Thanks for your posts they keep me in line
July 30, 2010 at 10:13 am
I found the copper sulfate at Whitneys in Cheshire. Thanks for the birthday wishes. Books are the best!
July 30, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Happy belated birthday Kathy!!! And I agree books are the absolute best gifts.
I can’t wait to hear about your candle-making endeavors.
July 30, 2010 at 3:07 pm
I’m having critter problems too – our miniature pinscher is just big enough to make his way through the raised beds and eat any tomato hanging down close to him.
We just lost a few more before we figured out that the big was the size of his teeny tiny snout. This weekend it’s to the garden center for some sort of wiring to put around the tomatoes.
I can’t wire up the whole garden – my winter squash have spilled out of the raised bed and taken over everything around them. Although I don’t think he’d walk through them to get to the tomatoes anyhow. I hope.
July 31, 2010 at 10:54 am
Happy Birthday, Kathy! May the coming year bring you health, prosperity and peace.
Thanks for mentioning the Storey titles. I’ve just been reading two by Eliot Coleman and am ready for more good info. Donna
August 1, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Happy Birthday, I got books for mine too. I got Four season gardening and Seed to Seed, and my girlfriend sent me Make a Mix. I adore books. The library and I go steady and if I don’t have a book on the go, I go into withdrawal.
August 1, 2010 at 1:35 pm
I have all those books. I have a good time with the Make-A-Mix.
August 4, 2010 at 11:38 am
Kathy, a good use for the bees wax is to make salves. And the way you do that is if you have say oil rubs and want them thicker then that is how you do it. If you had say mixed oil of oregano and olive oil and wanted to make a rub on instead then just add melted bees wax to it. Works great.
August 10, 2010 at 2:29 am
Kathy, I very highly recommend yet another book on food preservation, if you have room for one more: “Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation” – I have been putting up more and more veggies this year without canning – especially using lactic fermentation (salt brine) since it imparts very beneficial enzymes for the digestion. So far the results have been fantastic.
August 10, 2010 at 6:45 am
I’ll put that on my list. Thank you.