Ok, I have avoided posting for a while, because there wasn't much to say. The dry summer caused an almost complete failure of the garden. We were able to get more turnips than we could eat, enough tomatoes to keep us in fresh tomatoes and make pasta sauce twice, and the cabbage was successful. Out of the 40 planted, we harvested 38. We ate several, gave away some, and attempted to make sauerkraut. A fly got into the crock and ruined the kraut. When I went to can it, there were maggots crawling all over. Next year I will make the kraut in individual canning jars.
So, this year was a bust. And even if the garden had produced, it wasn't large enough to provide for a year of food. We will be expanding for next year.
The plan: increase the size. Roto-till the area, rake smooth. Layer newspapers over entire area, then cover with thick layer of straw. Come spring, we will put in soaker hoses.
In the meantime, we are working on a way to keep the greenhouse above freezing, and will be planting more in there to grow through the winter.
The fruit trees we planted are doing well. I also discovered a crabapple tree at the back of our property.
I purchased 12 pounds of raw honey today. Most of it will be stored for future use.
With the help of family and friends we made and canned 74 pints of apple butter.
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