Puttin' Up Herbs ~ Sugar Snap Peas

The last batch of oregano I dried, filled two pint jars.  I am hoping the catnip grows quickly, so I can dry more of that for my catnip tincture (for homemade bug spray).

The catnip pot was the only pot that survived the raccoon party on the porch.  The comfrey survived somewhat, and that is very much needed.  A vital herb to healing.

I picked our first sugar snap peas.  Hubby and I love to snack on them, fresh off the vine.

Short post today.  Recovering from a sinus infection.  Or what I believe to be as one. 

Meet Pearl

We picked the most humid day for this project, but one 16 year-old was willing to help.  Pearl is not fancy, but we didn't dress her for a contest.  Just some thrift store clothing, one of our old aprons (full body, but had to fold it over for a waist apron), an old hat of ours, some scrap material for the head, straw to stuff her, and a few sharpies to give her a face.

Serviceberry Jam ~ Big Purge

Most people I have talked to, do not know what a serviceberry is.  It's almost like a mini-blueberry, but starts out looking like a mini-cherry.  It has the flavor of a blueberry, and is, what I call, seedy.

All the recipes for serviceberry jam, that I could find on the internet, used a large portion of these berries.  If you've picked them, you know it takes a lot of picking to get even a few cups.

It's In!

I planted the very last vegetable on Sunday. 

Saturday, I thought we had everything in, until Hubby picked up a bag and said, what about this?  Ha ha ha ha!  Oh, I was so excited it was all in and wanted to throw that bag at him.   

We reached a high of 95 degrees on Saturday, but Sunday it was in the 70's. On Saturday I chipped ice for my chickens.  We had to put fans in the barn too.  The animals were not going outside in the heat, and were looking for relief.

The Garden and Random Tidbits

The current tea of my choice - freshly grated ginger and freshly squeezed lemon.  Hot tea on a hot day sounds odd, but it was good.  Today, I'm delegating iced tea making to a daughter.

My ladies got a recent treat - mushy banana and over-ripe apples. They love the bananas!  Today, I'm most likely crushing ice for them.  The heat will be high today.

Folate or just plain luck?

I thought I had taken photos of my fingernails when they were peeling and short and always breaking off.  If I find it, I will post it.   Today's post is a bit different to homesteading, but somewhat related (as to the food I've been eating).

First I tried the nettle/oat straw nutritional tea infusion.  Nothing really changed on my nails.  However, in a year's time, my dentist visits have been nothing but good as far as build up.  They would say over and over, "I can't believe how well your teeth look" etc etc.  Could that be the herbal tea drinking?  Most of them have antiseptic and anti-bacterial qualities.

About 12 weeks (or more) ago, I started adding more greens into our diet.  I read that folate is important to skin, nail and hair growth and health.  Well, I now get greens twice a day, and at least 3-4 times a week, not including green vegetables at dinner.  I increased the amount of broccoli, brussel sprouts and leafy greens in our diet. 

Late Planting ~ Tidbits Updated

I'm still planting and it's June 8th.  It has been oddly cooler here the last few days as well.  I just got the collards and kale in yesterday, along with the peanuts.  I am not finished either.  It just feels weird to be planting this late.  With Hubby working such long hours, big jobs lurk.  Patience, patience, patience.

Last year's parsley re-seeded on it's own, but not enough.  I had to plant more, along with basil.  I see the chard seeds are sprouting, but not my new lavender seeds (yet).

While out planting, I noticed a few bell peppers are on!  I'm pretty happy to have gotten the popcorn in before the rain.  The popcorn is up!  Most of the pinto beans also.  I am so praying for a good year.  My romaine plants are not growing real fast, and I am hankering for summer salads. And all of the shell peas are up.  

I'm almost done planting.  Almost.