Our Lady's Windy Acres

My farm runneth over!

An update on my veggie and fruit patch - the strawberries turned out to be June-bearing, and are finished (of course) but still sending out runners. Haven't decided what to do about those! My 6 blueberry bushes seem to have survived their first season, and have deep red leaves - hope that's normal.  My four elderberry bushes are growing like weeds (!) and I'm looking forward to making elderberry jam next year.  My potato crop failed (ok, only 3 rows but it was a crop to me ) due to what I think were flea beetles, but we did get a few spuds, so this Irish gal is happy!  The romaine has bolted and been strewn on the compost pile, while my cukes are threatening to take over the world!  Thanks to my neighbor Molly, I've canned some bread and butter pickles, and am facing my canning phobia one jar at a time!  If this sauna-type weather lets up, I'll harvest my Nelson and Hercules carrots, then blanch and freeze them as I've been doing with the green beans (well, my daughers have been doing the beans - what a blessing!).  I've got baby green bell peppers making an appearance.  We've got peas coming up, a veritable tomato forest...complete with its own wildlife aka tomato  hornworms...ICK!  Very hard to see those little buggers, but at least they're free chicken food!  The watermelons are sprouting up, and we have paper plates under them to protect against rot and worms, and the corn is higher than me - well, ok that's not saying much, considering I'm just over 5 feet!  I feel so blessed to be able to see nature and God in action.  Just growing some of our own food is SUCH A PRIVILEGE, and I think everyone should be required to do it at least one season, just to realize what our farmers go through, what the world goes through, and where our food comes from BEFORE the grocery store!

Off to help teach Algebra...ick! God bless your day and families!