Independence Day Challenge

     Ahhh... August.  A bittersweet time on the ole' homestead.  Hubby is a music teacher. He went back to school this past week.  So now our weekends will be filled with finishing all the projects on the neverending list. Among those items we still need to do:  put up more firewood, put up hay for the ovine, frame windows and put up side of barn. 

 But it is hard not to feel rushed.  Leaves are already turning.  Apple season is nearly upon us.  We have had some chilly nights and will have to pay attention to night time temperatures.  We had an early frost last August.

Now to pay attention to what has been done:

Planted:  More Spinach

Harvested: beets, onions, tomatoes, herbs, potatoes, blackberries, dry beans, pole beans

Preserved: Tomatoes, beets, blackberries syrup, applesauce

Managed Reserves:  weeded big garden, went on an anniversary date with hubby.

Reduced waste: took recycling to depot, gave new ducks dried out weeds from the garden as bedding .

prepped:  hit a yard sale and found some pants for the little guy.  I had passed on his 18month old pants this past spring.  Then he decided to learn to use the potty and his 24 month pants are too big with out the diaper butt to fill them out.  Still on the look out for snow pants but he has plenty of jackets for the next several winters and a pair of boots for this winter.  Purchased a pressure canner.  Hubby has been harvesting firewood from a neighbors lot once a week.  A few more weeks and we will have enough wood for winter with a little in reserve.  We still have a cord left over from last winter while we wait for this years cut to season.

learned something new:  I have moved beyond pickles and jams.  I am pressure canning  ( I feel so grown up :))

cooked something new:  does canning beets count?