This summer has been exceptionally cool here in SW Michigan, which has meant pleasant sleeping nights, but almost no tomatoes, which need plenty of sunshine and heat to fully ripen. We've been hearing from many friends and neighbors that they just don't have any red tomatoes yet. Ironically, last summer was bad for tomatoes, too- but because it was so rainy. Farmers just never know. They're battling forces well beyond their control!
Our pigs are getting huge! We've started feeding them table scraps and greens from the garden. They love certain weeds, but not others. They will eat any leaves from the brassica family- cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage. They love fruit and most veggies. Not too crazy about pineapple. COrn is a big hit, as is bread. We have stayed away from giving them much meat- apparently there are some health concerns, and it's just easier to stick to veggies. But they get leftover bread crusts, veggie dishes, and just about anything that is still fairly fresh. The whole "pig as a garbage can" idea does not appeal to me, because we will be eating them. We stick to fresh, healthy foods, and follow the rule that if I wouldn't eat it because it's too rotten, then it goes in the compost, not to the pigs.
Our garden is over-run with weeds! It's a battle, and I seem to be losing this year. Organic gardening often ends up that way- without using any toxic herbicides, it's just you against the weeds. And if you are very diligent, you just might win. I resign myself each summer to accepting a certain level of weed invasion. We try not to let weeds go to seed- that is the worst thing you can do. You've then let hundreds, if not hundreds of thousands, of tiny new weeds take hold in the ground, dooming yourself to years of future labor. So our rule is to pick all weeds that are on the verge of seeding, even if everything else remains...
We've started our canning this summer. In one afternoon, I was able to can eight quarts of green beans. It's a little discouraging to think that I want to have a solid 50 quarts of beans and 50 quarts of tomatoes by end of summer- that means many more hours of canning to go. But deep in the heart of winter, I will be thankful for all of our efforts. I just have to keep reminding myself of that!
I am anxiously awaiting our cherry tomato crop so we can make "sun-dried" tomatoes! We cut them in half, throw them in the dehydrator overnight, and then store the dried tomatoes in jars. When we are ready to use them, we rehydrate the tomatoes with boiling water, and then mix them with olive oil, basil, and garlic. It is absolutely my favorite food in the whole world!
For now, the much-needed rain has finally come... the ground is getting soaked in moisture and my plants are happy. It means a slow day indoors, perhaps to catch up on some paperwork and to cook a pot of steaming, hearty soup on the stove....
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