Updates from the Homestead

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Another pause in blogging.. this time it has been spaghetti sauce and homeschooling. Life just seems busy right now. My tomatoes are coming on in force (not as great as last year, but I’m thankful for what I have gotten). I canned 10 quarts of spaghetti sauce on Saturday and hope to get enough to can up another batch in the next day or two.

We finished our first week of homeschooling and it went well. Started week 2 and it is off to a great start.

We had a rainy cool weekend. I even started a fire to take the chill off the house. First one in a few months. I thought for sure the summer was over. But today the sun came out again and the forecast is for the high 70’s and low 80’s this week.. Yea! Summer is not over yet. I’m still waiting for my corn to ripen so the more sunny warm days the better.

I also harvested my beets this last week. Made 15 pints of pickled beets! My canning shelves are filling up and that is a great feeling. When my kids and I were at the garden picking beets I took a few pics.

My beet harvest (filled a wheel barrow.. I kept some of the greens and froze them for making veggie stock later on, the rest went to the goats.. )


More pics…






That is all for now from the homestead.. more to come, including another blog giveaway.. so stay tuned.. :D
 

Comments

  1. ~JoAnn~September 19, 2011 at 10:52 PM

    Your garden is just beautiful Crystal.
    Blessings,Joann

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2011 at 1:53 AM

    Your garden is beautiful! We have had a really cold week for September in Missouri! Fall is here and we are getting ready for winter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cathie BSeptember 20, 2011 at 4:57 AM

    sunflowers just make me smile :o)

    love your garden Crystal - so so so beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. the canned quilterSeptember 20, 2011 at 5:21 AM

    Love the Zinnias, Cosmos and Sunflowers mixed in !

    ReplyDelete
  5. GinaSeptember 20, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    I agree! Your garden is JUST BEAUTIFUL! The beets are so nice! I make a delicious beet jelly (made from the beet juice and raspberry jello). So yummy! Then, I pickle the beets. But, this year Missouri went from cold to hot, to super hot,and my beets with ka-poot! Ah well... you win some; you lose some LOL.

    Love seeing the pics. Also, I made your Nachos for a Crowd last night and it was a keeper for sure! My pickiest daughter (age 23) LOVED it! Hurray! Also, canned the zucchini pineapple last week. Thanks for inspiring me all the time!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    Crystal,
    Oh my, your garden is beautiful my friend.
    It should be in a magazine.

    Love ya,
    Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  7. aimeeSeptember 20, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    Crystal,
    The photos of your garden makes me smile--it is just so peaceful and beautiful! I am glad you are getting some harvest this summer with all of the wierd weather we have had this growing season.
    Be blessed,
    Aimee

    ReplyDelete
  8. janaSeptember 20, 2011 at 3:29 PM

    you did'nt put the recipes for the pickled beets and speghetti sauce in with the pictures of your beautiful garden.love the flowers. we sometimes also put them in with the veggies because it brings the bees, which we need to help our veggies and fruit tree's.jana

    ReplyDelete
  9. JessicaSeptember 20, 2011 at 3:47 PM

    Gorgeous photos! I can only dream of a sweet garden like that. :)

    Blessings, Jessica

    ReplyDelete

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