So it begins

Food preservation season is upon us and we've been super busy in the kitchen and in the garden putting up the season's bounty. This past weekend we made and canned salsa verde, a few days ago we harvested our first drying beans (Jacob's cattle variety), and today we pulled up the last of our garlic bulbs. We've also been selling our excess produce at the farmers market each week.

Our squashes and pumpkins decided to help themselves to our trellises, so we started having to support their increasing size. Baby loofahs were spotted as well!

....And the bugs have discovered our garden is tasty as well. Leaf-footed bugs multiplying on the tomatillos and trying to smoosh all the squash bug eggs before they hatch!

The bee balm started bloom in the couple weeks. I've never grown it before and it has quite the funky blossom, but the bees, as the name implies, are LOVING it! Also have some pretty black-eyed susans, nasturtiums, and a dahlia about to bloom. In addition, my sister-in-law gave me a bouquet of gorgeous strawflowers. I can't wait for them to more fully open!

Our herb garden that thrived all spring is starting to slow down come summer's intense heat. We had one big harvest this past week though!

Daisy has been enjoying all the farm outings in the evenings, but still misses her daily visits. She sniffed around the tomato crate for her girlfriends that coddle and coo over her at the urban plot.

We've been having fun trying out different ice cream recipes and I made a chocolate fleck coffee ice cream for the Farmer's enjoyment. We also ventured out to Paris Mountain despite the heat and desert sand in the air. We didn't walk far, but enjoyed a picnic lunch in a spot off the trail (beggar dog not photographed).

The library is opening up to the public very soon, and the majority of preparations have been made. Mandatory masks, plexiglass, and policies changing by the hou

Well that about wraps up this week on the homestead. We're headed to visit some of the farmer's family tomorrow and there's a watermelon-eating contest in the works...to be continued!