Devonviolet Acres

[Baymule]

OOOhhhh @Baymule you are one dangerous friend
EDIT --- not at my TSC -- they just have the $$$ ones. But I can look around for that other one
EDIT #2 ---- TSC may say that's a freeze dryer - but it's ...... a compact clothes dryer.
(spending averted)

I was looking up FOOD FREEZE DRYER!! How did that get in there! I assumed it was what I was looking for! My grandfather told me to never assume anything, it makes an ass of u and me. Duh.

 

[Devonviolet]

We have five freeze dryer trays in the freezer. As always, it was a pain to level the trays and pour the liquid into them. NOTHING in this house is level! So we have to put wedges under the trays and use a builder’s level to make sure the trays are level. We used about 1-1/2 gallons so far and have about the same amount in jars in the refrigerator. So, we actually got more like three gallons of juice. But HEY, that‘s nothing to sneeze at! Right?

Tomorrow morning, the elderberry juice will be frozen and we can put them in the freeze dryer.

 

[SageHill]

I was looking up FOOD FREEZE DRYER!! How did that get in there! I assumed it was what I was looking for! My grandfather told me to never assume anything, it makes an ass of u and me. Duh.

That happens to me all the time. Look for one thing and the search results throw in other unrelated things

 

[Ridgetop]

Maybe you could dry them in the clothes dryer and then freeze . . . ?

 

[Devonviolet]

The elderberry juice finished in the freeze dryer yesterday afternoon. So we scraped it off the trays and put it in a half gallon canning jar. We put an oxygen absorber in the jar and vacuum sealed it with our food saver attachment. We ended up with about 3 cups of dried elderberry juice. We started with about 12 cups. Not bad!

We are heading to town to go shopping right now, but this afternoon we will put the remainder of the juice in trays to be started in the freeze dryer tomorrow morning.

 

[Devonviolet]

Yesterday morning we got outside early to work in the garden. It was actually not too bad out that early in the morning - 71° with about 65% humidity. The humidity is what kills me every time.

DH used the battery lawnmower to cut the weeds, while I dug up Bahaia grass I HATE BAHAIA!! Those roots are so tough, the Bahaia would come up right through the deep mulch. So it has to be removed before I can put the deep mulch down. I also had to dig up a patch of what I call monkey grass. It has underground runners that would continue growing under the mulch. So those have to be dug up as well. We also have a lot of spurge. I think that will be OK to leave under the mulch. It really reproduces by seed, so shouldn’t be a problem.

After about an hour and a half, of working we were in the sun, and the heat was really gertting to us. That makes it hard to work so we took a water break and decided to get the mowers out so each of us could mow part of the property. It was getting kind of rough looking. interesting thing… The county mows along the sides of the gravel roads - maybe twice a year. But they never mow the ditch in front of our house. So it was looking pretty bad with the weeds, Chinese privet, and the tall grass. Chinese privet is another one of those things that can get out of hand if you don’t keep it mowed down. So I mowed that too. It looks a LOT better now!!!

Anyway, the yard is looking really good now. We were exhausted when we were finished, but happy with the outcome. We even went back behind the goat pasture and mowed some of that. The rest will have to wait though — there are a lot of dead branches that need to be picked up and put in the burn pile. There is also a dead tree that came down last year. That needs to be cut up and added to the burn pile before we can mow directly behind the goat pasture.

So last night, DH went to close the front gate before coming in after feeding the animals late. I was on the phone with goatgirl and he came in and told me to call the neighbor, because we had cows in our front yard! Now that something you don’t see you every day! So I went out on the front porch and counted them. We had TWENTY cows in our front yard! DH started walking towards them, and they all just turned around and left. While I was on the phone with our neighbor, who just happens to be in California right now, DH said the cows were walking down the road. About 20 minutes later, we had farm hands herding the cows down the road towards the pasture gate. I haven’t looked today, but I suspect the fence was down somewhere.


This is a photo that our security camera took.

 

[Ridgetop]

Too bad they didn't come in before all that mowing - they could have helped with the grass!

 

[SageHill]

Too bad they didn't come in before all that mowing - they could have helped with the grass!

Exactly what I was thinking!

 

[Devonviolet]

We have been working in the garden every morning this week. I am bound and determined to get at least some vegetables planted this year. We are working towards having a Ruth Stout style deep mulch garden. Next spring should be a lot easier, because everything will be laid out, and we will have deep mulch spread in the whole garden by then.

Yesterday we were out until almost noon! This heat makes it brutal out! This morning, I was out until 11:30. But, I am finally starting to see at least a dim light at the end of the tunnel. Today we spread compost along the three rows where I want to plant my sweet potato slips, (of which I have about 40). So I am really hoping for some nice, sweet potatoes this winter! I dug a little trench along the row and sprayed water in it, so I’m not planting in dry dirt. Then I went around and sprayed several rows where I want to plant seeds next week, so the new seeds have a chance at a good start.

After the sweet potato slips are planted, I have an area ready to plant two 25’ rows of burgundy okra! We planted that last year, and save seeds. It was the best okra we have ever eaten, so I am really looking forward to having more of it this year. I’m also planning to freeze dry a big batch so we can eat it this winter.

For those of you who leave your farm shoes on the back porch, I wanted to give you a heads up . . . Many moons ago when I lived in Lake Worth, Texas, my neighbor told me two different times that she was surprised by scorpions. One time she pulled her blouse out of the closet, and when she put it on, there was a scorpion in her sleeve. Another time she took a pair of shoes out of her closet, and when she put one of the shoes on, there was a scorpion in her shoe.

Well, yesterday morning when I was putting my gardening shoes on, on the front porch, I flashed back to that. Just to be safe, I turned my shoes upside down and tap them on the floor. To my surprise, a big old spider fell out of my left shoe!!! I thought I would share that with you, so you don’t end up with the same surprise my neighbor had!!! Better safe than sorry!

 

[Baymule]

It’s HOT! Y’all be careful and don’t stay outside too long!