Picked 3/4 of the Glenora grapes

Don't buy Chinese iron! Lodge Logic's cast iron griddle is best!

This is our replacement griddle. We bought our first cast iron griddle at Bi-Mart a few weeks ago. We went looking for a Carolina-made Lodge griddle after seeing their manufacturing process featured on the Food Network during our delivery at the hospital (the last time we were around TV). Bi-Mart had several Lodge cast iron skillets but no two-burner griddles. There was only a very inexpensive Chinese-made griddle. I prophetically said, "I don't want to buy some cheap Chinese made crap." Response: "It's a solid piece of iron; how could they mess it up."

Well, we learned firsthand what bridge builders and office builders have known for years: Chinese iron sucks. I mixing eggs and heating the griddle when I heard a loud "Crack!" The griddle broke! They cut corners. Heck, their iron was probably mixed with lead, which is great for a cooking surface! At least the lead can't make me any stupider than not buying American iron. Buyer beware.

The goats being processed at the Eugene Livestock Auction

The high school kids at the auction house glue numbers on the goats and mark breed and gender in their ledgers.

The way it works is you drop off the livestock and give them your address. Then they mail you a check next week. Pretty easy process.

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Goats gone & we're full of breakfast from the Stockman's Cafe

Racked the hard apple cider tonight

It started at 13.5 percent original sugars with the final at 5 percent . 8.5 percent alc. content. I use the refractometer to determine residual sugar to calculate alc. content.

We originally picked the apples on or about September 13, 2008.

Then we put the apples into the hopper to shred them and then pressed them:

And then the cider drips off the press:

Vine baby belly pumpkin

It's ripe and ready to pick.

A pumpkin among the corn rows

8-Ball Zukes stuffed

Picked this two zukes, hollowed them out and steamed for 20 minutes. I stuffed with fresh picked turnips, rice, prosciutto, chard, and French sorrell.

A home cooked home grown meal

Everthing from tonight's meal came from our farm except for the cottage cheese and ranch dressing.

We had a rib steak, collards (with a bit of honey), yellow tomato, and salad (mixed greens, hard boiled egg, cucumber) & plum mead.

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Greenhouse Tomatoes are Growing and Producing

The photo to the right is of several cherry tomato plants as well as some Greenhouse Hybrid plants. The cherries are producing and the GH hybrids are setting.

The plants are in old cattle lick tubs and are trained along bailing twine which is attached to the rafters.

The photo below is of one Oxheart plant hanging in the foreground and a Red Lightening hanging in the background. There's two other tubs full of tomatoes in the background as well. The Red Lightening are producing firm and flavorful fruit.

8 days to the due date!

Here's her beautiful belly!

Holy cuteness!

This year's first big tomato! Red lightening!

Raised bed #2

The structure is built with tiles that we salvaged from BRING 3 years ago. I shoveled a path along side, transferring the clay soil into the bed. I'll finish it with a yard of good potting soil.

picking raspberries for seedless jam or jelly

Jacy has been picking berries while I've been stacking tile and shoveling clay soil.

Raised bed #2 in progress

I've put down the tiles around the perimeter & now I'm scooping soil from the walkway into the bed. Next I will pick up rocks from the property to lay on the tiles. Then I'll add a yard of soil mix.

This morning's berry harvest

Raspberries and gooseberries for pie and strawberries for homemade ice cream

fresh picked Gooseberry pie

From the garden

raised bed: All done hauling rocks

Building a Slocumb inspired raised bed

The east/wet side of the garden. In mid-summer I'll plant carrots and other fall/winter veggies & greens.