Soon we’ll head to Arkansas to visit my mom, who was not able to attend commencement.  I’m looking forward to spending time with her in the garden.  She says they have over 100 hills of potatoes.  Guess I know what we’ll be having for dinner

The garden is changing as the days are very hot and getting more humid.  Out went the broccoli, kale, and lettuce.  The onions have been harvested and are waiting to be chopped and frozen.  I have watermelon, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers seedlings in the ground and the tomatoes are really growing and starting to produce ripe fruit.  The yellow pear tomatoes are delicious!  When I get home, I plan to get some seedlings started, and try getting bush beans to grow.  It may be a bit late, but I’m willing to take my chances.  I’m really working at increasing our food production this year and figuring out how to keep stuff growing and feeding us year-round.

I recently had someone notice a simple little coaster I crocheted for my desk.  Seemed only natural to whip one up with some left over yarn rather than throwing away that last bit.  Plus, now I don’t reach for a paper towel to serve as a coaster.  What I realized in my conversation with my friend is how much I am changing in my attitude toward consumption.  What once was a challenge, or something I had to really think about when it came to living more simply, is starting to become more natural.  Yea!  Of course, reading other blogs reminds me of just how far I have to go, but it is still good to realize that we really ARE creating a life that is slower, simpler, and more satisfying for our family.

I have a stack of books on my table and I’ve re-started a notebook that I’ve let languish on the shelf for far too long.  I know that if I don’t get everything in one place, I’ll end up wasting lots of time looking for information, or end up making purchases of items I already have.  I was planning to write about another “Key to Simplicity” — organization — so now is just as good a time as any to put some more effort into that area.  I’ll be sharing how things go, and how my notebooks are set up over the next couple of weeks.

On top of everything else going on, my sons and I will be traveling to Peru in less than 2 weeks for a mission trip!  I have never been out of the country (except for a port of call on a cruise), so this will be interesting.  We’ll be in Iquitos, in the Amazon rainforest.  In addition to the work we will be doing with missionaries there, I’m hoping to pick up some handwoven textiles made by the people who live in the region.

Wow!  So much to do, and so many things on my mind!  I find it helps to put things down on paper, so this morning it’s time to start my lists.

For many of you, gardening season is just beginning!  I’d love to know how you keep all your homestead projects organized.  I really dislike spinning my wheels, don’t you?  Hopefully we can all learn some helpful tips from one another.  My lettuce has done GREAT, and I cheated and bought some tomato seedlings to replace the ones lost in the freeze.  They are already producing and I can’t wait to eat fresh tomatoes everyday.  Oh, and my broccoli is really growing (mental note – take some pictures!).   So, I’m off to get some things done around the suburban homestead!  Leave a comment about what’s growing, or just what you’re doing around your homestead these days.

I’m sure you’d like to see photos of the Florida frost, but it’s too cold to go outside for this wimpy Floridian  Those who live up north are used to dealing with frosts and freezes.  We’ve been in the midst of a real cold snap down here – the longest in decades.  My tomatoes were already struggling – the broccoli seedlings WERE doing well, as was the lettuce.  When it warms up a bit, I’ll go out and see how they faired.  Honestly, winter gardens are usually pretty lush down here, so our food production and that of those who bring items to the farmer’s markets is going to be severely impacted.

Such is life when we a striving to grow our own food!  Next week after the next forecasted freeze, we’ll get back to work.

Urban Garden Harvest

These are not the first veggies I have harvested, but they’re the first I’ve photographed.  So far I’ve harvested about 4 pounds (mostly tomatos) from my little patch.  I’m hoping to have some Sugar Baby watermelons, but I’m afraid I don’t have enough bees or other pollinators to do the trick.  We’ll see!

While I was out of town a good friend came daily to check on the chickens.  I knew the first eggs should be layed anytime.  Of course, two of the girls decided to lay while I was gone.  On Sunday afternoon, my dear friend called me excitedly to share the news, and even took photos in a rain storm with her cell phone to put on Facebook so I could see them while on the road.   I was hoping to come home Monday afternoon to more eggs, but the nest box was empty.  When hens first begin to lay they are a bit sporadic, and the eggs are smaller.  This morning, one of the girls made another deposit, so it’s just a matter of time before we have two or three eggs a day.

My husband’s job is slated to end on 1/31 – we are watching and praying to see what the Father has in store for us in this area.  One thing is for sure, we will be cutting back even more and I’m so glad we have at least started on the road toward self-sufficiency!

I now have two raised beds, and we’ve enjoyed some small harvests of green beans and peas.  I’m realizing that we need to have LOTS of plants in the ground in order to harvest enough for meals and preserving.  The second raised bed has a few herbs and tomato plants.  We have the wood for framing two more beds that I hope to have built, filled and planted next week.  I have not done well about starting my own plants, so we’ll have to use plants from the nursery.  I need to lay out a schedule for succession planting.

The door has opened for me to sell soap at our local Farmer’s Market on Thursday mornings!  In some ways I feel a bit inadequate, but my soap has received rave reviews from friends that I’ve shared with, so I press on!  Last night I made some wonderfully scented Citrus soap with a bit of oatmeal as an exfolliant.  Smells good enough to eat!  Selling at the market will be a great experience for my youngest son (age 14), since he will be helping and earn some money to put toward his upcoming mission trip.

The weather is beautiful down here in SW Florida and I’m looking forward to eating more and more homegrown or local grown food all winter long.  As a family we’ve talked about the belt-tightening that will be taking place, and the boys have promised to be open to trying more veggie and bean dishes   Even as we face uncertainty, we are so blessed to have so much and to be together as a family!  Earlier today I was meditating on a wonderful promise from the Word.  I pray that it is a blessing to you as well:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”
Isaiah 43:1.

Tomorrow I plan to add more soil to the languishing tomato plant in a container.  I can’t seem to get my tomato seedlings going, so I may break down and just buy some at Home Depot.  Ordering strawberries is still on my list too.

The peas have sprouted, and the new bush beans I planted are coming up too.  Hopefully, I staggered the beans far enough apart not to be overwhelmed when picking time comes.

For several weeks I’ve had a visitor in my container where basil and mint is growing.  It’s a good-size toad and he appears almost everyday.  Nothing bothers him – I can water, clip basil (where he spends most of his time), and he barely flinches.  I think I’m going to let my sons name him

A toad in my garden.

I got the fabric cut to make a couple handkerchief style headcoverings out of linen.  I love how linen feels (keeps me cool) and it tends to stay put on my head better than other fabrics, which is something I’m appreciating more and more as I’m outside working.

I’m back to looking for a rabbit and cage.  It will be a pet, but we will use the manure in the gardens.  Hopefully I’ll be able to pick one up for free. I also did some more research on composting with worms.

I got another washcloth crocheted – this one will be a gift, along with some homemade soap.  I’ll probably stitch up another one tonight during the Presidential debate.

As I watch the economic situation worsening around me, I find myself wishing I had moved forward on many things sooner.  I’m not in a panic though – I know the One Who owns a cattle on a thousand hills and He is my loving Abba, so I have nothing to fear.

In some areas we’ve made some real progress on our journey – but then there are those inevitable set backs.  My “brown thumb” is definitely showing, but I’m determined to overcome

The Everglades Tomato seedlings died – I let them get too dry.  I’ll start another set next week.  I learned that you need to put a cage around a tomato seedling BEFORE it grows – I didn’t and, although I did use a stake, it ended up getting bent and the base snapped during and afternoon thunderstorm.  So, another seedling AND cage went in the pot, and they are doing well.

Those cucumber seedlings took off!  I transplanted one of them in a large pot that also contained a pepper plant.  It is vining up the “trellis” that helps to hold up our porch.  The other seedlings stayed in their starter pots for a long time, but I finally got them transplanted last week.  I used a window box I found on clearance and put one at each end.  I need to come up with something for them to climb, as they are not in a good spot to sprawl.  I also put a few bush bean seeds (heirloom) inbetween the cucumbers.  My herbs are growing well and I was excited to use my home-grown basil in a couple dishes this weekend.

Oh, I killed the pepper plant that was in with the cucumber – I over fertilized with the organic stuff I’m using.  So, I pulled it up and replaced it with some lemon balm – I love the smell of this herb!  I’m looking forward to using it in my next batch of soap.

Speaking of soap – I made my first batch two weeks ago and it turned out great!  I can’t wait to make more!  It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and I have just started using it (it needed to “cure” for a couple weeks).  It is scented with lavender and lemon, colored with BarleyMax powder (the stuff I drink everyday).  Everyone who has seen/smelled it has commented on how nice it turned out.

I have been trying to shop for more in-season fruits and veggies, trying to lower the amount of “food miles” we consume.  Peaches are in season now.  They are not grown locally, but even though they are from Georgia, I take comfort in knowing they are not coming from across the sea/border or across the country.  Since prices on peaches are great right now (I get 3lbs for $2 at the farmer’s market), I’ve decided to try “putting up” some peach preserves, so we can enjoy peaches when they’re not in season.

It has been a bit disheartening to see that even the stuff at the farmer’s market is usually from somewhere outside of Florida.  The produce is traveling from TN, GA, NC and SC mostly.  I guess there just isn’t enough growing down here this time of year.  I can’t wait to be able to eat and preserve our own food so next summer we can be living off of our own efforts.  (She says with a prayer and a bit of trepidation!)

Oh, I’ve been crocheting again too!  I love my crocheted washcloth and want to make some more.  I think two or three cloths and some homemade soap will make nice gifts.

TODAY – we have a hurricane headed our way.  Since we have been putting things aside to be more self-sufficient and prepared for tougher times, I didn’t have to do much last minute shopping.  We have been busy securing the house and my hubby still has to put up the hurricane shutters when he gets home from work.  I want to get my Aladdin lamp working; something I’ve been wanting to do, but never have gotten around to it, since my dad blessed me with 3 of them back in June.  I guess there’s no time like the present!

I’m so thrilled – my Wild Florida Everglades tomato seeds have sprouted!  The cucumber seeds sprouted too, and are several inches tall.  Now, I just have to wait a while and let them grow.  Of course, THEN I have to transplant them to something.  I guess I need to get moving on my first raised bed.

We’ve had rain all day for 3 days straight – kind of weird for us down in SW Florida.  I’m used to sunshine most of the day with an afternoon rainstorm.  The sun is back out today, finally!  I had purchased a few seedlings that I need to move to bigger containers.  I picked up a couple pepper, and a squash seedling.  The peppers are doing great, even after days of rain.  I hope they transplant okay.  The squash – well, I think it may have gotten too wet in it’s little pot.  We’ll see if some sunshine and drier air revives it.

A friend gave me a rosemary “branch” that I stuck in the pot with the tomato.  I didn’t think it was going to make it, but it looks like it might.  I also picked up a rosemary seedling on clearance the other day.  Now, to find a recipe for whole wheat rosemary bread!

So, now I have 6 cucumber seeds purchased from ECHO in improvised seed pots. I am holding off on the others until I’m sure what I want to put in my first bed.  ECHO is a neat organization and we are blessed to live about 10 miles from their farm.

A month ago I read about Wild Florida Everglades tomatoes.  The time to plant the seeds is now, so they can be planted in their permantent location (container or garden) in August.  They are a type of cherry tomato and apparently give a very high yield – we’ll see.

Next gardening step will be to build my first raised bed.  I’m putting it in the front of the house to shelter it from the baking, afternoon sun.  I started reading Mini Farming for Self Sufficiency and I’m already getting inspired!

The one culinary skill I seem to be good at is making homemade bread from fresh ground wheat berries.  The past couple months I’ve been pretty faithful to keep us from purchasing bread at the store.  Today I made a regular loaf and a cinnamon-raisin loaf.  I love the way the house smells when there’s bread in the oven!

I’m used to being my most productive on the computer; however, I have noticed a different type of satisfaction from working with both my mind and my body the past few days.  Tonight will be our third night in a row to eat a home-cooked meal.  WOW!

Speaking of dinner…I need to check the chicken!