Garlic farm

we went on a field trip to Hugick Garlic Farm and got to see their curing process. we also each got a jar of this black garlic salt, which we all love!

That afternoon, we constructed our own wood frame for curing and the boys snipped chicken wire and stapled it along the edge.  

Now we are curing the garlic heads that grew from the cloves we planted last Oct.  It's pretty neat to think each clove will produce 7 more cloves underground, all winter and spring.  We will plant more this fall!

Last week we brought a basket of fruit to church to be blessed, as is the tradition in the Orthodox church on the feast of Transfiguration.  My belly is getting big!  We got some gifts in the mail, cloth diapers, wipes, onesies...and I ordered a one piece rubber pacifier + an amber necklace.  My cousin has a gently used carseat for us.  A friend gave us a used stroller and a diaper changing table.  I plan to give it a fresh coat of white paint.  All neutral, since we don't know if baby is a boy or girl.  I decided to make a wishlist, after my sister-in-law asked:  https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/C71D4EHSN5V2?ref_=wl_share

Just harvested more tomatoes yesterday.  We have all these little ones, yellow, sun gold orange and the cherry tomatoes!

Summer garden harvest

Tomato season!  Also, our garlic is ready to harvest.  It's hardneck, so we cut the flowering tops (scapes) to cook with (excellent in quinoa salad or a quiche) in June.  When the bulbs dry, that's curing them and they should last for months.  We have so many weeds in our garden currently.  I haven't made time to pull the weeds.  Below you'll see those Colorado potato bugs on our potato leaves...we've been using diatomaceous earth, but it's rained so much recently that we have to reapply.

Honestly, I haven't checked my blog in a few weeks.

Paul made beeswax candles in his summer class.

We've had quite a few visitors the past couple weeks.  My Goddaughter and her family, my cousin and then my aunt!

Mama American guinea hog gave birth to 4 piglets, then the other had 5 yesterday!

We went to the Otseaga for brunch this past Sat. It overlooks our fav lake.  You can see how big my belly is now.  33 wks along now.

Lots of time spent at the beach on this lake.  Three Mile Point is where we like to go, it's a place that was once owned by the author James Fenimore Cooper and his family.  And not too far away is Cooperstown.

Oops, that's pollen on his nose, from smelling the tiger lilies at church!