Garden update, a potluck recipe, and skeet shoot fun

Garden update... cantaloupe is growing fast.  There are well over 20 of them . 

Corn

Tomatoes. 

Peppers and carrots. 

Tomatoes and zucchini. 

Lettuces and spinach .

Radishes

Peppers waiting to be canned.

Basil. 

The cantaloupe area... one whole side of the outside of greenhouse. 

Spaghetti squash. 

There are pumpkins ready too. 

From the livestock -

Half of the chicken was left over from the week. 

Chopped it up in 2 cup portions and froze. 

Fun with friends -

I had to bring something to a skeet shoot potluck. Found a good recipe here  . It just happened to be Weight Watchers.  A lot of folks around here have gluten problems so it's great this is corn/rice and nut based.  Someone just told me - Just FYI, cripix is not gluten free. It contains barley which can contain gluten. and .... Acccording to Kellogs "Depending on gluten sensitivity Crispix® might be suitable for persons on a gluten restricted diet. Crispix have a small amount of malt flavoring, made from barley." But you need to know! thx Cleo!

Home skills -

I cut out my pants and had help.  They will get sewn in the morning. 

Our friends throw an awesome potluck and skeet shoot. Sooo much food and all so good. (smile, that's one of my sons)

We stopped to take pictures of sunflowers and the incoming rain on the way home. 

The mountains always look great no matter what time of day. 

Hope you had a Super Saturday. 

peace

Sunday Funday - Canning -Thai dipping sauce, baking bread, garden and more.

My friend Mundie came over to learn and help on the homestead. He was going to help Dude butcher roosters but Dude was under the weather so we got to work on other stuff. 

Bread was put in the machine  - Parmesan, olives and sun-dried tomatoes.  

One of our hens was in the oven. 

The bread turned out perfect. 

Mundie wanted to learn how to make a year's worth of laundry soap. He learn to make that quickly. 

Then we were on to canning one of my favorites... Thai Dipping sauce. I have made it for the last four years and it goes quickly.  It is great over rice, chicken, for dipping spring rolls, over sauted cabbage and so much more.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup chopped garlic

1 TBSP pickling salt

6 cups of apple cider vinegar

6 cups sugar

1/2 cup hot pepper flakes

9- 8oz   1/2 pint jars

Prep your jars. lids and rings.  Combine salt and garlic.  

Heat vinegar to a boil.  Add sugar to dissolve. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper flakes.  Ladle into jars with a 1/2 inch head-space.  Process in a water-bath 15 minutes, 25 for high altitude. 

Then we made jalapeno goat cheese - queso blanco with a twist. 

Mundie helped in the kitchen while Dude was bundled in the big chair.  The chicken turned out perfect. 

Our Thai dipping sauce sealed well. The lids popped all afternoon. I love that sound. 

We cleaned out the collards from the garden.  Looking to plant mustard greens or herbs. 

Squashing doing great. 

We picked our first baby pumpkins. 

Thanks Mundie for coming over. It was great fun and glad to share what I know. 

Later I went out to see where I wanted to plant more of the fall garden when I found this little girl somehow trapped in our chicken coop area... well, really the other animals told on her. 

I looked out to see the horses, goats and lamb out in the pasture, scared, with Angelo in front telling me to look at the coop.  Gotta love Angelo.

Dude heard me yelling and came out to help. 

The owner showed up right when I was going to go looking for her home. 

Thanks Mundie for coming over. 

There is still time for nap and the skies have clouded over. 

peace.

Our morning.

Our mornings start early...well for us, at 630 to 7 am. Remember I work evenings and don't usually get home until after 10 pm.  Coffee is poured and showers are taken to wake up. The night before the milk buckets and machine are clean and ready to go. They are all neatly tucked in a large canvas bag for easy carry. Dude heads out first to feed and milk while I start laundry and get the milk jars ready for straining. 

The way we feed is to separate everyone so there is no fighting or stealing other's food.  The milk goat is fed during the milking to keep her calm. She kicks every once a while, something our other goats did not do. But we get through it and for the most part she is gentle. 

After she is milked I take the bag of the milking machine and jar of milk to the kitchen to strain and clean everything. Dude stays behind to let everyone lose and make sure everyone has fresh water. Once let out they immediately go to each other's feeding dishes to see if anyone left something behind. Then the 

good morning greetings begin. 

The babies snuggle down into someone else's hay bowl. 

Wilbur, the lamb ram says good morning but says don't touch me!

Angelo comes in for his morning kisses.

Followed by the horses who have already rolled in the mud. 

The geese and turkeys are actually getting along today. 

The guineas ignore everyone and head to the chicken's feed. 

This is Peppy the milk goat and very proud. She is half Nubian (high butter fat) and half Alpine (high milk yield).

This is Felonious who is in love with Peppy but too shy to tell her... so he just sprays his face and hopes she notices. He is a big happy lug. 

Summer wants to say hello first. Then everyone heads to the fields.

I did get some boxes spray painted. They will be decorated later. Thank goodness it didn't rain because I forgot about them when I finished the laundry and they were outside all day. 

A fun salt and pepper find at the thrift store. 

I had hoped to make cheese since we were out. I found out Dude had given it (the goat milk) away.  So, I will wait a couple of days when we have multiple jars of milk. (sharing is caring - smile)

It was another early day at work so it was time to hit the road. 

peace