~ * ~ Garlic , Garlic , and more Garlic ~ * ~

Are you tired of hearing about ~ * ~ Garlic ~ * ~ yet ? It seems like I've been waiting for this moment forever , so I'm excited about this harvest. I love cooking with garlic , I used my fresh garlic from the first harvest Monday night when I made a chicken & broccoli stir fry. It tasted so fresh and wonderful.

My Hubby , Mom ( pictured above ) and I finished digging it up late yesterday afternoon. My Mom and I tied it into bundles and hung it up in what is , going to be the chicken coop to dry out. It'll take about a month to dry , then we will take it down , cut the stems off , clean it and store it. I plan to save the largest cloves , to plant in the Fall.

The squash are starting to produce , should be eating some this weekend. It's getting dry here again , praying we get rain this week.

It's been to HOT to work on the chicken coop , so it's been a slow project. I may have to wait to next year for chickens unless the weather gets cooler and hubby gets in gear (LOL).

On a serious note , PLEASE PRAY for Judie , http://littleartroom.blogspot.com/ , she lost her daughter in an accident last month. You're in my thoughts and prayers each day Judie.

Peggy over at , http://hiddenhavenhomestead.blogspot.com/ is also suffering a loss . Please say a Prayer for her., you're in my thoughts and prayers too , Peggy.

~ Blessings and Love to Judie & Peggy ~ JoyceAnn

~ Harvesting the Garlic & A Visitor ~

I went to the garden early this morning to harvest the garlic. I was getting ready to take a picture of my spaghetti squash when I heard something coming out the woods , a buck came strolling out and just stood there while I took his pic ( click on pic to enlarge ). He had four points , so I guess that means he's four years old. I wonder if he thought I was a scarecrow , with my gardening hat on , I looked like one I'm sure. He stayed for a few minutes , until I started walking away , he then made a quick dash back the way he came .

We live in a rural area and our garden borders the woods. Last week while I was out weeding one evening , there were 2 wild bunnies grazing in the field , they stayed out there the whole time I was weeding. I looked up once and thought they were hopping away but they were chasing each other in a circle.

Yesterday , while I was gathering some leaf lettuce , I heard some kind of baby wildlife crying out. I'm not sure what it was , last year I saw some baby foxes in the area that the cries were coming from , maybe baby kits or could be bobcats.

Finding a balance with the animals can be challenging , so far they've stayed out of the garden. I enjoy seeing them , but don't want them in the garden. I'm going to make another garden chime to hang were I saw that buck , I hope it'll scare him away. While I was digging the garlic , the other chime started CLANGING , it made me jump (LOL).

I dug up two kinds of garlic this morning , the first kind was a hardneck variety called " Georgia Crystal ". They are kinda small , not sure if they get large. I 'm going to read up about them and find out.

The softneck variety has big bulbs , it's called " Early Italian Red ". I still have one section to dig , they're softnecks too. I hope to get them out this afternoon , it got to hot and I had to get out of the garden. I've still got to bundle them up and hang to dry.

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

* Garden Harvest *

Back in the fall when I planted my seed garlic , I also planted some garlic cloves that I had bought at the grocery store. I harvested my store bought garlic a few weeks ago , the stems turned completely brown , so I dug them up and let them dry out. I cleaned the garlic up Saturday morning , they're small but they look good. As you can see some have separated cloves , some have tight cloves and some are just 1 big clove.

The seed garlic is ready to dig now , the heatwave we've had has caused the stems to die back sooner than I thought they would . I couldn't resist digging some up , to see how well it did ~ they're big and sooo .. beautiful. I plan to harvest the ~ Garlic ~ tomorrow.

~ 100 Ft Diet Challenge ~

I starting a new blog of my weekly homegrown meals. So , if you're interested in the challenge , check it out.

I guess every garden has it disappointments. My youngest daughter bought the broccoli plants this year , she got an early harvest type and some regular plants. I am disappointed with the early producing type , they didn't head. These are the flowerettes I harvested from about eight plants , altogether it might make 1 nice head. Tonight I will make chicken & broccoli ~ Yum , everything will taste so fresh.

~ Hope You're Blessed with a Bountiful Harvest ~

JoyceAnn

* ~ Recycled Garden Art Chime ~ *

I've been saving everything since I'm trying to recycle more. We get take-out from our favorite Mexican or Chinese restaurant once a week. I've been saving the aluminum pans to hang around the garden.

I decided to get creative with them and turn them into some garden art , that is useful as well. This is what I came up with , simple but effective.

When the wind blows , they will make noise and reflect the sun as it shines on them , the noise and reflections help to keep critters away. It was easy to make , so I'll be making more to hang around.

~ Creative Blessings to Everyone ~ JoyceAnn

~ Blessings ~

We've been blessed , my oldest daughter is having another baby. She had the pregnancy confirmed yesterday , they said she would be due Jan. 6th.

She and her husband have said they want 5 kids , so they are well on their way. Little Missy just turned 6 months and is so independent , I told them awhile back she was moving out the way for another , guess it was true. She'll be walking in the next couple of months , she doesn't even try to crawl , wants to stand up and go .......My oldest daughter was an early walker too , she was making steps at seven months and all over the place at eight months.

It's amazing how time flies , the photo above was taken back in Nov. , Little Missy and Little Bob White were just a few days old , Little Betty (nickname for my niece ) was 4 months old. They've all grown so much and each has developed their own personality , it's a joyful experience to watch them grow.

I was joking with the girls a few years ago and told them I wanted at least 10 grandkids , I'll soon be halfway there.

~ Hope Your Weekend is Blessed ~ JoyceAnn

~ Gathering Red Clover ~

Yesterday , I gathered some red clover . I 'm going to dry these buds for making red clover tea.

I posted this pic on my Create Everyday 2008 blog , Thur the Pink Curtains ask about the red clover rice. So I'm posting the recipe again.

Red Clover Rice

2 cups rice ~ brown or wild

2 cups red clover ~ Just the pink flower , separated into petals

1/2 cup of butter

1 tsp sea salt

Cook rice in 6 cups of water until done. Add butter , red clover petals and salt while rice is hot ~ Ready to serve.

~ Delicious ~

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

~ Old Apple Trees ~

Back in early spring , DH and I had talked about cutting our ~ Old Apple Trees ~ down. I don't know how old they are , they were here when we bought our home. I've never got any apples off them , they've just been there and produced apples for the wildlife.Most of the time , a late frost kills most of the blooms and there aren't many apples anyway.

So we thought it might be a good idea to cut them down and plant some new ones. We never got around to cutting them and Well ...... it seems the ~ Old Apple Trees ~ didn't want to die , they're full of little green apples this year. I plan to can some apples , make applesauce and apple crisp ~ Yummy. Sometimes I guess it pays to procrastinate (LOL).

I also found a nice size volunteer peach tree blooming this Spring in the edge of the woods. It has a couple of peaches on it , but I don't think it will produce much in this area. I plan to move it in the Fall , it will be planted along the fence line of our property , with the blueberries and a pear tree I planted earlier this Spring.

I hope to produce most of our food within the next few years , seems Mother Earth is eager to help.

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

~ * ~ Blueberry Bushes ~ * ~

My uncle brought me two blueberry bushes Sunday. It's really late in the season to plant them , but I did Monday evening. I dug the holes , added compost and some rabbit manure and planted a 2 liter drink bottle with them , so I can water them at the roots. I mulched them with pine needles. The bushes are huge , they're at least 6 ft tall and actually had berries on them. I wonder if I should have cut them back before planting. The temps are suppose to be in the 90's this week , it's going to be a challenge to keep them living.

Late yesterday evening , I strolled out there to look at them. They hadn't wilted at all. I will keep them watered well ~~~~ maybe they will live.

~ Garden Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

* Garlic Scapes *

So , I've been talking about my garlic since last Fall , it should be ready to harvest by the end of this month or the 1st of July. This is the first time I've grown garlic and I've been really excited about it. Yesterday I cut the scapes from my hardneck garlic , they smelled wonderful. The scapes are edible too , tonight I plan to saute some in olive oil and add them to our rice for that yummy garlic flavor.

Then I will chop up the rest and freeze them to use for that garlic flavor , until I harvest and cure the garlic cloves.

Later tonight ...Update~~The Scapes were delicious with our rice ~~

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

~ Rainbow Garden ~

Yesterday while I was cooking breakfast , Curious J did a Painting. I walked over to look at it and he told me it was his garden. I told him it was beautiful and I loved the colors , he then said it was his ~ Rainbow Garden ~. I plan to frame it for him and let him hang it in his room.

* 100 Ft Diet Challenge *

06 ~ 01 ~ 08

Sausage ~ Local Homemade

Eggs ~ Store Bought

100 % WholeWheat Toast ~ Store Bought

Strawberry Jam ~ Homemade

Dh has got a start on the chicken coop , fresh eggs will be a blessing.

~ Taste Testers ~

Yesterday I made strawberry jam , my little helpers were taste testers. They got to lick the pot clean , so to speak. I put a dab on their spoons and let them lick'em clean , the jam has been kid approved.Curious J didn't like strawberries at this age , but he does now.

Curious J and Little Bob White (new nickname for baby brother) will be staying overnight with us tonight. It will be the first time I've kept the baby overnight , hope he sleeps (LOL). I gave him a new nickname last week , his coos sound just like a Bob White bird ~ it's sooo cute.

~ Have a Blessed weekend ~ JoyceAnn

~ Memorial Day around the Homestead ~

We had a very busy weekend , two birthday celebrations. One was Saturday afternoon for my nephews daughter and a cookout on Sunday for my SIL'S 40TH birthday.

So Monday we spent a quiet day at home , working. I did laundry and worked in the garden. Dh worked on the chicken coop , it's finally coming together. He's moved the building 3 times , has a bobcat and loves to use it (LOL).

I hung out the laundry on the clothesline , Dh made the clothesline last year , he attached it the pool deck , it serves two purposes. I can hang out clothes to dry and it's handy in the summer months for swimsuits and beach towel drying.

I planted more tomatoes yesterday and mulched the spaghetti squash.

How do you like Mr. Something to Crow About ~ I created him a couple of weeks ago , he has a bottle of Vitalis in his pocket. Each day I squirt some of that awful smelly stuff on him , it was given to my DH on his 50th birthday as a gag gift. I'm using it to hopefully keep the deer and crows away until the plants are large enough to add red pepper pods to them.

Seems to be working , haven't seen any deer tracks and all the seeds came up. Guess they don't like the scent of vitalis either.

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

~ Ms. Dogwood ~

Gemma inspired this post , I was reading her blog about trees. Thought I would share our favorite tree , this Dogwood grows very close to the house. We've discussed cutting it down , but our hearts won't let us. It's close to the house and we're afraid the roots could

cause damage , hopefully it won't get much larger .We moved here in "85" , my youngest daughter was 2 then , she loved swinging from that lower limb. Now Curious J enjoys swinging from that limb , a couple of weeks ago he broke one of small limbs. He played with that limb for at least an hour , and was telling us he wanted to be a TREE.

Friday evening I was walking Little Missy around the yard and I introduced her to Ms. Dogwood , although she's just 6 months old , she'll be swinging on that tree before we know it. I can see her and Sweet Baby J both hanging from that limb , such a sweet vision especially in the Spring when all the violets are blooming underneath it.

So Blessed are we to have this Special Tree ~ Ms. Dogwood

~ Hope you're Blessed with a Special Tree ~

JoyceAnn

~ Being Green ~

It isn't easy being green ....................................................................

I made this journal card last week and it reflected all the things I had been doing that week . I had been busy raking leaves up for mulch and getting some areas ready for planting.

I made my first batch of laundry soap last week . It seems to be working pretty well , but I think I will had some essential oil to the next batch. I've got to get use to ..... No Suds .


~~ Hope your weekend is wonderful and full of things you enjoy ~~

JoyceAnn

~ 100 Foot Diet Challenge ~ Weekly Meal

Leaf Lettuce ~ Homegrown

Chickweed * Dandelion Leaves * Violet Leaves ~ Wild Herbs/Backyard

Carrots ~ Local owned Grocery Store

Red Onion ~ LGS

Bell Pepper ~ LGS

Ranch Dressing ~ LGS

Feta Cheese ~ LGS



Brown Rice ~ LGS

2 cups Red Clover Blooms ~ Wild Herb/Backyard

Butter ~ LGS



Baked Chicken Legs ~ LGS



The meal was delicious , the red clover rice was really good. It was the first time I ever made it , but I'll definitely make it again. I got the recipe from this website http://prodigalgardens.info/june%20weblog.htm#Red%20Clover .

~ Blackberries are Blooming ~

Last night I was working in the garden , mulching the pepper plants , I noticed along the backside of the garden the wild blackberries are blooming , they're beautiful.
I have 3 jars of blackberry jam left from last year , we opened a jar Sunday and had it on our toast. I've found a recipe for Blackberry Coffee Cake and I'm looking forward to fresh berries to make it with.
I hope to go our local strawberry field and pick berries this weekend. We have eaten all the strawberry jam from last year , most of my family prefer it to blackberry. I like both and enjoy having different jams , depending on what I'm eating.

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

~ Harvest Time ~

Today I harvested some Red Clover ( Trifolium Pratense) blossoms. I plan to make a red clover infusion. Since these blossoms are fresh I will add a cup of the blossoms to a quart of water and let it come to a boil , turn off the heat and let them soak overnight. In the morning I will strain and refrigerate. Red Clover helps build strong bones and may prevent cancer. It reduces serum cholesterol , so its good for the heart. My family has a history of heart disease , so this is a herb I need to study and make use of everyday.

I also gathered some wild greens for a salad tonight , a few dandelion leaves , violet leaves and some chickweed. I will toss these with some leaf lettuce ( pictured below ) , harvested from my lettuce bed near the compost bin. I'll add some carrot , red onion, bell peppers and some of those red clover blossoms.

I plan to make the salad dressing from garlic , lemon juice and olive oil.

Yum ~ Yum , I'm getting hungry ~ time to head for the kitchen.

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

International Compost Awareness Week

This week is International Compost
Awareness Week. I started composting about this time last year. I used my first batch of compost when I planted my garlic back in the Fall. The smell of the first compost won me over , it was sweet smelling and looked so dark and rich. Composting takes care of my food waste , leaves , grass clippings and vacum cleaner bags , full of dirt . Composting can be intimidating , but it shouldn't be , nature does it naturally and will help you complete the task , even when you don't have the correct balance of greens and browns. It may take more time but eventually , you'll have beautiful sweet smelling compost too. I didn't add manure to my first batch of compost , but I've added a rabbit to my homestead now to provide manure for my compost . I hope to have chickens in the next couple of weeks , their manure will be added too.

I'm also trying vermicomposting with red wriggler worms. Why should we buy fertilizers , when nature provides it practically ~ Free ~.

* Salad Garden *

This year I want to grow as much food as I can to preserve and have plenty to eat fresh. My DH's garage was calling me to look at the space it provides , over the years , the leaves had built a natural compost bed beside the building. I raked the top leaves away and found some beautiful black dirt.

I've planted a * Salad Garden * in this area , cucumbers , cherry tomatoes ~ roma tomatoes , leaf lettuce and spinach. It's closer to the house and near the water hose , so I'll be able to water regularly and pick fresh as needed.

I'm planning to help me my daughter's start a * Salad Garden * at their homes also. It's such a wonderful feeling to gather everything needed for your salad right outside your door and you can't beat the taste.

Do you plant anything outside your backdoor , near the house for easy excess or special beds for certain needs ?

~~~ Green Blessings ~~~ JoyceAnn