What We're Studying This Year & A Quiz

We're starting school tomorrow, so I thought I'd go ahead and share what we will be studying this year. Later this week, I'll post pictures of our school room.

Sadie is three and a half and wants to "do cool, too". I didn't do any preschool with Sam, but this year it makes sense to do it with Sadie. I bought a few preschool workbooks for her which focus on the basics- learning the alphabet (she only knows a couple letters), colors (she knows these), shapes (she's got circle down pat), etc. Then, I totally lucked out and won a giveaway over at BOOKS and BAIRNS. Thank you, Mary Grace! The giveaway was for three months of Itty Bitty Bookworm, a sweet, sweet literature-based curriculum for preschoolers. When it came in the mail, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was an entire year's worth! I know Sadie will love it.

Sam is six and a half years old and is doing second grade this year. He's a little young for second because we started kindergarten early- he was already reading chapter books at four and a half (Don't look at me. He was ready and The Ordinary Teacher's Guide to Teaching Reading was a perfect match for him). We are continuing with My Father's World. This year is called Adventures in My Father's World and focuses on early American history and geography. We will also be doing the Bible and handwriting portions of MFW, too.

For Sam's math, we are continuing with Saxon Math, 2nd grade. For spelling, Spelling Workout B. For language/grammar, First Language Lessons. For science, we are starting the series Exploring Creation with Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. I printed out the notebook pages from their website, too. It looks really good and we are all excited about science.


For art, we are doing artist studies from the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series. I had them ordered when I read Kate's post about them over at Small Scribbles.

We're aiming for a four-day school week and I am going to try to start school by 9 am (That is, if we have Miriam's blessing). Two out of the four days a week, we will have some afternoon studies, the other two days, I am hoping to be done by lunch.

Off we go!

In the spirit of back-to-school, here is a little quiz. Who can tell me what kind of flower this is? No prize, just some brain exercise for your Monday morning:-).

The ANSWER: Those of you who guessed Morning Glory were on the right track, as it's a relative of this flower- a sweet potato blossom! They both belong to the Convolvulaceae family.


No matter what form school takes on at your house, I hope you and your family have a wonderful, wonderful school year. Pin It

What We've Been Doing & A Request for Advice

We've had a busy few weeks since my little melt-down and hiatus from blogging. All the things that I mentioned needed getting done did indeed get done. The jam for my sister's wedding (177 little jars) are finished. Sam, Sadie and I all are in possession of our proper attire for the wedding and those of us who needed hair cuts have had them.

Tomatoes have been rolling in at a steady but manageable pace. As I write this, my canning of tomatoes is complete. I am still roasting them and will keep it up until I have plenty packed away. There is a chance that I will can some Curried Green Tomato Sauce, but that's only if I really feel like it and that would be several weeks out from now.

My sister and her one-year-old spent four days with us. We had a wonderful time. We made a batch of tomato sauce for her, browsed a discount book store, spent an afternoon at a nearby lake (until hurricane Bill dumped on us- even that was fun), made food, watched our children play and talked about how we look forward to the day we live closer (hopefully within a year).

The chicks are growing and still oh-so cute. Even though the yellow-brown meat birds are only 4 days older than our laying chicks (Silver-Laced Wyandottes), they tower above them. They are still enjoying sharing the chicken tractor, although we really must figure out (ahead of time) where their next move will be. Before long, they will be too big for the tractor, but still small enough to be chased out of the main chicken yard by the older hens who are bossy (and that's a nice way of saying it).


My brother and his wife came over and made dinner for us the other night as part of my birthday present- chicken pasta with tomatoes and spinach, lettuce and egg salad, bruschetta (I'll tell you more about that next week), chocolate cream pie and chocolate chip cookies. It was delicious and such a treat.

Jamey has started back to school. This begins his third (out of four or five, if he chooses to specialize) year of pharmacy school. Having him home this summer was wonderful. His help with Miriam, Sam, Sadie, the garden, canning and everything else made this summer so enjoyable for me. There were times when it was hard for him, not being used to kid exposure all day everyday and lacking almost all types of personal time, but he pulled through and the kids and I will always be grateful for the gift of him being at home with us this summer.

The red raspberries are in full swing and we are enjoying them. I am picking almost 2 quarts every other day. We are eating them fresh and freezing the rest. Also, on our raspberry agenda is to make Raspberry Frozen Yogurt. We have made this recipe many times this summer- with blueberries, frozen crushed strawberries, and peaches. All have been amazing and we're excited to try the red raspberry version.






My freezers are full. The upright freezer is packed (almost to the gills) with frozen produce, zucchini pumpkin bread and our remaining few quarts of applesauce. The chest freezer is holding frozen strawberries, pesto and enough meals to get us through the month of September. You heard me. There are about 20 meals in there, but do not think for a second that that has been one of the things I've been doing the past few weeks. Oh no.

These meals are meals that I squirreled away before Miriam was born and that family and friends brought us after she was born. You know, for us to eat while we were enjoying our newborn. Well, once our church meals were delivered, I was feeling pretty good and with Jamey (unexpectedly) home to help, we decided we'd save the meals for once he and the kids went back to school. Well, that's now. And if we don't go ahead and start thawing and eating this month, there won't be room in that chest freezer for applesauce and meat birds that will need space come October. I won't have to cook for a month. Who knows what I'll blog about. I sure don't. But, I'm not complaining. No sirree Bob.

Preparing lessons and our school room is coming along and I will show you pictures of our the room and tell you what we'll be studying next week. Next week will we do a light, transition week and then jump-in with both feet the following. The kids are actually begging to start school as they see me getting things ready. They do so well with structure and are craving a change just as I am. Let's just hope our enthusiasm lasts. At least for a little while.

Back to applesauce. Here is where I need some advice. There is a chance we may not be able to get Red Cortland apples this year (booohooohooo). In the event that we have to choose another variety, would you lovely people please tell me what kind of apples you use for saucing and why? The why? is very important to me.

Thank you ever so much. For the advice and for listening to (ok, reading) my rambles. Pin It

August Garden

We've been busy lately and haven't kept up with the weeds all that well. We're letting the straw do most of the work regarding the weeds, but some still poke through.

Sweet potato vines, swiss chard in need of water, carrots, onions, more carrots, tomatoes.

Sweet potato vines, parsley, broccoli, strawberry plants, tin can man made by Sam.

Red raspberries.

That chard in need of water again, red raspberries to the left, watermelon behind the chard, tomatoes in the back.

A watermelon snuggled up beside a bell pepper plant.

Our only surviving zucchini plant (It's died since I drafted this).

A tomato.

Chickens and one side of the back garden- corn that's already been harvested, but the stalks are still up supporting the dry beans.

Close-up of sweet potato vines- aren't they pretty?

Sunflowers we didn't plant in the garden. Apparently the chickens did.

Chickens and the red raspberry bushes.

There you have it. Our garden in August. Can you tell the novelty is wearing off a bit?

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Cloth Diapers, Cloth Wipes and The Two Month Old

Okay. Well, I couldn't show you pictures of her diapers and wipes without showing you some pictures of her. Here is two-month old Miriam. She is SUCH a good baby. I can hardly stand it. At around 5 days old she started sleeping though the night. No joke. The other two did not do that. She's been doing that ever since. I'm talking 7 hour stretches here, folks. Without even waking up to nurse. I wake her up to nurse about half the time (because I'm leaking). She has a very sweet disposition, puts up with two older siblings well, doesn't spit up or ever have gas (that she lets on). She's making up for the trouble she gave me in utero, that's for sure.



Diapers. Right. That's what I wanted to talk about. About a month ago, we started Miriam in cloth diapers. I so sooo soooo wish I had used them on Sam and Sadie when they were little now that I know how easy they are. There have been no leaks. The diapers don't smell (she's not eating solids yet). They are cute as can be. No diaper rashes. They are just great.


We have had to make one adjustment. We are using gdiaper covers and plastic liners and bumgenius inserts. The inserts are too big for her little bottom, even when folded in half. When I folded them in half, they went on her okay (inside the gdiaper cover), but they made her bow-legged because it made the diaper too thick. So, a good friend lent me her tri-fold regular cloth diapers. Folded in thirds and then in half, they fit perfectly and are not nearly as bulky. So, this is what we are doing until her little bum becomes a bigger bum. Then we'll use the Bumgenius inserts. They (the inserts) worked great on Sadie.

In terms of washing the tri-fold diapers, we are using the dry bucket method with sprinkles of baking soda now and again. Then, they get dumped into the washer and are washed with cold water and a little detergent. Sometimes, I wash them twice, sometimes once. I'm drying them on the line or in the dryer depending on which time of day I realize we've run out. No bad smell. This is easy.

If the plastic liners become soiled, I rinse them out and let them drip dry over the tub- I do not put them in the pail because I've read they can get smelly quickly. The cloth covers rarely get dirty, but if they do, I lay them aside, not in the pail. If I have plastic liners and covers that need washing, I throw them in with the cloth diapers on the second cycle, so they are never in with the poop and pee- this keeps them fresh. Always make sure to fold the cover's velcro tabs in on themselves so they don't catch and pull the cloth diapers.

We are using cloth wipes as well. This is a first for us. I asked our moms if either of them had any extra flannel material on hand and Jamey's mom not only offered us an old set of flannel sheets, but she...are you ready??...are you sure???...cut the wipes out for us and stitched the edges to keep them from fraying!!! Thank you, Mom.

So, here is what we do (sorry I have no pictures of these)...I take a stack of about 50 single-layer flannel wipes (cut rectangle size to fit in a disposable wipes container) and put them in the wipes container. Then, I mix water and a few drops of Miriam's baby wash. Next, I pour the solution generously over the wipes, saturating them completely and letting them stand in water a bit. Then, I lift out the whole, sopping stack and gently wring them out over the sink. Next, I dump the excess water out of the container and return the wipes to the container.

As we use them (they work great), I throw them into the diaper pail and wash and dry them right along with the diapers. When the wipes container is empty, I have a nice, clean, dry stack waiting. Very, very easy they are. Pin It

Bonus! Preserving Tomatoes: Part 4

I guess I have more to share about tomatoes than I realized!
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #7: Make a Pie

You heard me. There are many versions out there, but one we tried this year and love was this one from over at Simply Recipes.


A few little things to mention. First off, when I read the recipe at first I was a little unsure about the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise? In a pie? Trust me. It's okay. And I even used light mayo and it was amazing. Secondly, there is no pre-sauteing or anything like that. You just chop, mix and throw it all together.


Lastly, a fun little game to play at dinner is "Name the Ingredients". Jamey and I have been playing this game for years and years. Jamey tries to guess the ingredients in whatever new dish I make. I know, we are kind of like nerds. Who am I kidding? We are nerds. This dish had him stumped. It was the mayo he couldn't get. Your turn. Go stump someone.


Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #8: Curried Green Tomato Sauce

Click here for the recipe. This is a wonderful way to use up green tomatoes at the end of the season. Preparing the sauce is easy since there is no need to peel the tomatoes. Just chop them up with some onions, add spices and coconut milk, let simmer a bit and can. It is wonderful served over rice or chicken. If you like curry, you should give this a try.

It's a really nice way to wrap-up tomato season. I usually wait to make this until the days are a bit cooler and the craze of putting up is over. It makes the house smell amazing and is so nice to have waiting on the pantry shelves for evenings when there is not a lot of time to prepare dinner- just heat it up while cooking your rice and you're done.

Update: I've recently come across this site which gives more ideas of what to do with green tomatoes.  Enjoy! Pin It

A Mental Changing of the Guards

Growing up, we vacationed with family on a lake in Canada. Often, we would choose the least sunny day of the week and venture into the city of Ottawa. Who wants to be stuck inside a small cabin with 7 children? One of the attractions we made a point to see was the changing of the guards at Parliament Hill. The changing of the guards.


That's what I am finding myself needing about now. A mental changing of the guards. For the past month or so, the guards in my head (okay, let's be clear, I know they are not really in there) have been marching. Telling me to can, can, freeze, freeze, dry, dry, hurry, hurry before this spoils, before that rots, busy, busy, don't stop, don't stop, focus, focus, food, food, don't sit down, don't sit down, go, go, go!

Yeah. I need those guys to leave.

In about a week, I need to sit. I need to sit beside my children. I need to sit. I need to read to them. I need to sit beside them and teach them. I need to be patient with them. I need to sit. I need to let the laundry pile up. I need to fight my urge to mess about in the kitchen. I need to sit with them. I need to be with them. I need to ignore the dust. And sit.

This is a tough transition for me each year even though it's one I look forward to. I actually miss my children. You wouldn't think that possible when they are with me all the time, but it's true. I miss the one on one time. Watching eyes light up. Watching them get excited as I read to them, as I praise them for good effort and attitude. Watching them hold pencils, color, paint. Snuggling with them to read history, hanging up their work and seeing accomplishment in their faces. I miss that.

In an effort to keep the current guards at bay, I've decided to do a four day school week this year. Tuesday through Friday, we will have school. Mondays, I will do laundry, scrub toilets, bake and sweep the floor. My hope is that this will act as reinforcements for the new guys. If my house is in some form of order and we all have clean clothes to wear, I should be able to sit, right?

And so, I look forward to this changing of the little men in my head.

I just hope the new crew arrives on time. Pin It

Preserving Tomatoes: Part 3

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 4
Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #5: Stewed Tomatoes

Stewed tomatoes are so easy to can. We use them in place of store-bought canned chopped and whole tomatoes. They are wonderful to have on hand.

Stewed Tomatoes (My mom's way)

clean pint jars, rims and lids
tomatoes of any variety (except real small ones)
large cooking pot

Plunge tomatoes into boiling water (in your cooking pot). Leave them there for about 10 minutes or until you can see the skins splitting. Carefully, transfer them to your sink which you have filled with cold water (and maybe even some ice cubes). This stops the cooking and cools them down so they are easier to handle. Dump your hot cooking pot water outside (it will kill weeds for you- and grass, so be careful- or down the tub drain). Peel the tomatoes, chopping them into quarters, and return them to the cooking pot.

Bring tomatoes to a boil. Ladle boiling tomatoes (and the juice) into clean jars to within one half inch of the top. Put lids and rims on immediately. My mom calls this method "open kettle". Because the tomatoes are boiling and there is nothing but tomatoes in the jars, many people don't feel the need to hot water bath them. Simply let them stand and as they cool, they will seal.

If you are uncomfortable with this or would like added assurance, you can hot water bath them for 10 minutes. In the past, I regularly used the open kettle method with stewed tomatoes.  More recently, I choose to hot water bath them for added assurance although both ways work well.

Stewed Tomatoes

Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #6: Tomato Peanut Butter Mayonnaise Sandwiches

Yes, I can. Ouch! I can feel you pelting me with tomatoes. That is not one my recommended uses for them, but I'll go ahead and stop pushing the sandwich... and mop up the floor.

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The Nectarine Newbie

Yep. I'm the newbie. Ever since last year when my friend, Mama JJ, mentioned in her blog how nectarines were her new favorite thing, I had that little fun fact tucked away. She's usually right about things, you know. So, this year when I placed my order for peaches, I went ahead and ordered a bushel of nectarines, too. What was I going to do with them? I didn't know.

So, we spread them out on a table and tasted one. It was okay. To be honest, I was a little scared of them. I've never bought nectarines from an orchard before. Actually, I don't think I had ever bought a nectarine in my life. I needed to get educated. So, I got out my handy Food Lover's Companion and read this...

"The nectarine's flesh is sweet, succulent and firmer than of it's relative, the peach. When ripe, it's smooth skin is a brilliant golden yellow with generous blushes of red. Nectarines are available from midspring to late September with a peak during July and August. Look for fragrant, brightly colored fruit that gives slightly to the touch. Avoid those with bruises or other blemishes as well as those that are hard or overly green. Slightly underripe nectarines can be left to ripen at room temperature for a couple days. Ripe fruit should be refrigerated and used within 5 days. They are wonderful eaten out of hand and can be used in salads, a variety of fresh and cooked desserts and as a garnish for many hot and cold dishes. Nectarines contain a fair amount of vitamins A and C."

Then, I re-read Mama JJ's post and did some other looking around online. I decided we would mostly dry these fruits. I still wasn't all that excited about them. But, then a day passed and Jamey announced that it was time to do something with them- some were getting too soft and attracting fruit flies (my arch enemies, if you'd like to know). So even though I had errands to run, 8 loaves of zucchini bread to bake, laundry and diapers to wash, lawn to mow and meals to make, I squeezed in slicing nectarines for the food dryer. It really didn't take that long. You don't have to peel them and the pits just pop out.


I am in love with nectarines. They weren't that good the other day because they weren't ripe the other day- I didn't know any better. But, then, oh my, they are amazing. Fresh, dried, fabulous. It took about 7 hours at 140 degrees in the dryer for them to become gold. We like our dried fruit still a little chewy, so we fill up jars and stick them in the freezer. The kids love them and I cannot tell you how many I ate today. Really, I can't. I'm waiting for the repercussions. Just waiting....

Eleven good-sized nectarines sliced (no need to peel) on 7 food dryer trays = 1 quart dried nectarines. Talk about efficient use of space.

Note: If you buy nectarines, check them daily. Ours didn't turn very yellow-they stayed mostly red even though they had ripened. Pin It

Preserving Tomatoes: Part 2

Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #4: Basic Tomato Sauce

This sauce is our go-to sauce for everything. In the past I have made a couple different kinds of sauce each year, but when it comes down to only being able to choose one to make (like I'm having to do this year)- it's got to be this one.

The reasons we love it are many. Our top few are that it's a chunkier sauce (I've always preferred chunky over smooth) and that it's full of other veggies (carrots, peppers, onions) that the kids don't even realize they are eating. Also, there is no need to peel your tomatoes for this chunky sauce. Just chop them up and you're ready to go. The skins get lost in the sauce and you can't even tell you are eating them.

We use it for spaghetti, pizza, lasagna, you name it. Click here to see some pictures from last year.

Basic Tomato Sauce (Recipe from Simply In Season)
This should have a different name. Like, "Fabulous Chunky Garden Tomato Sauce".
This recipe yields about 3 pints. You'll want to make more. Italicized comments are mine.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
1 tbsp. fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
6 cups plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped (NOTE: I use Roma tomatoes and don't peel them)
6 ounces tomato paste
1 tbsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice or vinegar (see below)

Saute onion and garlic in 2 tbsp. oil until tender. Add carrots through herbs and stir well. Add tomatoes, paste, honey and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve or freeze. To can, ladle into hot, sterilized pint jars (or quarts if you are canning a larger amount) to within 1/2 inch of top, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per pint to assure acidity, seal with sterilized lids and process full jars in boiling water bath for 35 minutes.

Basic Tomato Sauce

Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #5: Canned Salsa

Click here for last year's photos. This salsa is our favorite. We eat about half of what we make with tortilla chips and the other half when making Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos.

Canned Salsa (Recipe from Lee Good)
Yields about 6 pints. Italicized comments are mine.

1/4 cup olive oil
8 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced fine, without seeds (this adds a little heat, you can use less or more)
4 green bell peppers, diced
16 cloves garlic, minced
4 onions, chopped
3 tbsp. ground cumin
8 cups chopped and peeled tomatoes
4 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. salt
1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
6 tbsp. white vinegar

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

(Keep the whole process moving- if the salsa cooks too long, it will get mushy) Saute the peppers, garlic and onions in oil until almost tender. Add cumin through salt and bring to a simmer. Add tomato paste, vinegar and cilantro and heat through. Bring back to a simmer and ladle into hot, sterilized jars to within a half inch of top, seal with sterilized lids and process full jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Canned Salsa

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Sisterhood Award

Well, I'm just about speechless.

I've been following Mary Grace's blog, BOOKS and BAIRNS for a good while now. I am always inspired by her family (brought together by God as intentionally as families brought about by genetics) and her commitment to follow God's lead. I also appreciate her ability to talk about homeschool resources and her family's personal experiences with homeschooling- all of which spur me on and encourage me on our family's homeschool journey. Hmm. And I thought I didn't have much to say.

Mary Grace honored me with my first blog-world award. Thank you, Mary Grace. Coming from you, it certainly is an honor.


The Rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog or post.
2) Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude/and or gratitude!
3) Be sure to link your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link the person from whom you received your award.

My Nominees are...

Small Scribbles...this is another blog that inspires me in both my faith and homeschool journeys.

Give A Girl A Fig...Michelle documents her adventures in learning to garden, preserve and chicken all the while staying centered in her faith.

Jumping Off the Processed Food Chain one Box at a Time...A fellow gardener, canner, freezer,
preserver junkie-of-sorts and blog-world friend, Mavis.

Mama's Minutia...Mama JJ continuously wows me with her productivity in the kitchen and the mind as she documents her life honestly and fearlessly.

Holy Experience...Where do I begin? Ann floors me with her candid look at herself and her walk with God. She steers me in the right direction with her amazing gift of words.

I appreciate each of you so much- your writings keep this stay-at-home mom in realtionship with grown-ups and my creator. Thank you dearly. Pin It

The Peach Post

Two adults, Jamey and I. Nine in the morning until five in the evening. With a half hour break for lunch. And a few nursing breaks for Miriam (and me). All of our 3 and 1/2 bushels of Red Haven peaches were ripe at the same time. It was a very long day.

We realized they were all ripe at the same time the day after we picked them up from a local orchard. The following day we dove in. Thankfully, it was raining outside, so Jamey couldn't work on painting the sheds. If you remember, last year he did them all himself. Instead of being mean and making me do them all myself this year, he helped. Side by side we worked all day. It was a long day, but a very good one. Thanks, dear, for coming to my rescue again and again.




We started out by canning 71 (yes, se-ven-ty-one) 4-ounce jars of peach jam to complete my sister's wedding favors. I also made grape and strawberry earlier this year.


About two weeks ago, I decided I didn't want to mess with canning any peaches this year. I was just going to slice and freeze them. But, then we noticed how easy many of them were peeling and Jamey (I tell you, it was him!) suggested we can some. So, we started canning them, chopping up the not so nice ones for the freezer (for baked oatmeal, muffins, etc.).

Tip: Putting an old kitchen towel under your cutting board is great for catching and sopping up the juices when you are chopping things like peaches and tomatoes.

22 quarts canned and 27 2-cup bags chopped and frozen

Then, Jamey asked for a pie.

Peach Pie (my mom's recipe)
This pie is best if it's made ahead of time and allowed to cool. If served right out of the oven, it will taste amazing, but will be extremely juicy and the slices won't come out intact. Be patient- it's worth it if you're serving it to guests. If you're like us, you can't wait and will eat it anyway.

1 pie crust
enough ripe, peeled and sliced peaches to fill the pie crust heaping full
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. softened butter

Fill the pie crust with peeled and sliced peaches. They will bake down, so pile them high. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and butter using a fork to make crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the peaches- be generous. (If you can fit fit them all on, store them in a container in your fridge and use them next time.) Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes or until the crumbs are lightly browned and the peaches are soft.

Peaches. All in one day. Phew.

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Preserving Tomatoes: Part 1

This is the first post of three where I am going to make some recommendations as to what you should do with your tomatoes. Are you ready? We're doing two a day.

They're laughing at us, you know. Little do they know... the joke's on them.

Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #1: Roast them!

Last year was the first year I did roasted tomatoes and we could not get enough of them. Click here to read about my excitement and for directions. We used them all through the winter- in quiches, on pizza (with pesto and mozzarella), in pasta dishes, etc. If you like sun-dried tomatoes, you'll love these.

Last year, we roasted them in the oven overnight. This year, we have a food dehydrator and tried drying them in the same manner that we roasted them. As many of you could have probably told me, drying them is not the same as roasting them, even if you use the same temperature. They are certainly edible, they're just missing the sweet, tangy roasted flavor. Stick to the oven. That's how I will be doing the rest of mine. This year, I also got a little wiser and made up a large amount of the basil garlic topping to have on hand for the many upcoming roasting sessions.

Roasted tomatoes, ready for the freezer.

Preserving Tomatoes Recommendation #2: Make Tomato Soup!

I wrote about tomato soup and gave you the recipe here back in March while we were enjoying eating it. I told you I would remind you come summer. This is your reminder, folks, so get busy!

Classic Tomato Soup

Preserving Tomatoes Part 2, Part 3
Part 4

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Here a Chick. There a Chick. Everywhere a Chick Chick.

Prior to last week, we had 21 chickens roaming about. These 21 included two roosters, a pullet and cockerel (teenage chickens), two chicks and laying hens. Last week, two chick orders arrived. This meant two trips to the post office at the other end of town to pick them up. Two mornings of excitement and delight for the kids (and, yes, for us grown-ups, too). Two teaching-them-how-to-drink sessions. And, many trips out to the chicken tractor to see how they are fairing (just fine).

The first order (the yellow chicks) was an order we placed with our neighbors. In about 8 weeks, these chicks will no longer be sweet, little chicks. They'll be big, full-grown chickens and they'll be in our freezers. Sixteen of them are ours.


Here I am (first shot of me ever here, I think- I'm getting brave) teaching the chicks how to drink. Sadie is taking them out of the box and handing them to me. Then, I put them in the tractor. This way we know they've all had a drink. Jamey is making sure Sadie doesn't hold them too tightly. Sam is making sure none escape.



Since it's summer, we put them directly outside in the chicken tractor. We put the tractor close to Jamey's shop so he could run the cord out for the heat lamp. Even though it's warm out, chicks require very warm temps their first few weeks. Here they are under the lamp.

The second batch of chicks are Silver-Laced Wyandottes and will be laying hens in about 5 months. A dozen of these will move away to live with friends and the remaining dozen will stay here with us.

Here is Jamey teaching them to drink. This entails dipping their little beaks into water and then letting them tilt their heads back to 'swallow'. They haven't learned this prior to getting to us. As soon as they're born, they are shipped out and arrive at their destination in two days. These two days are a window when no food or drink is needed.

Somersault is checking them out. She has never bothered any of our chicks- and at times she's had plenty of access to them.

Sam and Sadie sticking their fingers in the holes to get pecked by little beaks. Can you tell it was early in the morning? Sam is still in his pajamas and Sadie's hair is all disheveled.

Babies, of all sorts, are simply amazing. Chicken tally? For the next 8 weeks, until 15 are harvested, we have 49.

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