I’m having a wonderful time this summer so far! Last night I put several quarts of pickles, relish & pickled slaw into the storage closet and I couldn’t be more proud! I’m currently picking twice per week, once for us and once for the market. I can see that very quickly I’ll have to step that up to 3 times per week minimum as more produce comes into season. Lemon cucumbers are doing so well and I picked my first one of those as well as a lovely banana pepper. I have no idea how either will taste, so I’ll try and remember to report back on that! 🙂 Bell peppers are weighing the plants so much they are falling over, so I actually had to stake them as well. I have a GEORGEOUS Spaghetti squash in the back and it has several fruits on it for me to pick soon I suspect. I have seriously underestimated some of the growing potential of certain plants and overestimated on others. Next years garden will be so much neater, I can hardly wait!
I have 2 incubators whirring with mixed Australorp eggs and a few potential Olive Eggers as well and I can’t wait for their arrival in a couple weeks. A week later I’ll be expecting another dozen or so that are currently under a hen. It was her decision, really, I just went along with it.
The egg laying in general has slowed down a bit in the heavier Orpingtons, it is a bit hot. The last week has provided us all with suffocating humidity and seemingly lethal heat indexes. Our smaller grow outs, the splash & GLO chicks have moved up to the main bank of coops. I’ve been thinning out the flocks because in my early excitement as a chicken owner, I frankly got too many of the wrong kind of chickens for us. There was no way to know this though until I really got into it, had enough of the different breeds & types to know what it is we really wanted. I’m happy to report though that all of our chickens are getting wonderful forever homes where they will continue their lives as breeders of fine quality chicks.
Today is Friday and that means HARVESTING day! I get everything ready best I can the day before so it is easier to get out the door on market morning. This week I have very little to take to market as I put up a bunch of the cucumbers for our own purpose. But others have started bringing great amounts of summer type yellow squashes, cabbages & zucchini! When I don’t have much to sell, I can socialize or go with a basic setup and leave early or spend my time helping out. Its nice to have the flexibility to decide.
Well, on that note, I have to go! The cukes are awaiting me!!