Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #66

Howdy Farm Friends!

www.vintage-apron-patterns.com

It's been another HOT and BUSY week around the homestead.  I've been making a little progress in spite of feeling lazy.

In the garden- The plants love the heat.  My corn is growing so fast, it's over 6 feet tall and full of tassel and silk. My bees really enjoy the tassels.  I hope I get some cross pollination.  I planted red and white sweet corn together.  I must admit it's been hard to get the gumption to get out into the heat and perform maintenance in the garden.  So, I have been slacking some lately.  It was grey today (we are expecting summer thunderstorms)  I did finally get off my tail and plant the last few straggler plants left in the greenhouse today and I started  tying up my tomato plants too .  I am a very bad gardener this year.  Some of my plants were more than four feet tall untethered until now. Shame on me.  They faired okay and are FULL of tomatoes.  I saw dozens of green tomatoes so I am getting excited.  It won't be long before I can start canning. Yippee!

I also noticed several armenian and russian cucumbers growing steadily.  A few are already more than a foot long.  I am looking forward to making some cuke and dill salads soon too.

In the kitchen- I harvested and dehydrated some home grown herbs for making rubs.  I made three batches of mozarella cheese including a batch using cultured yogurt as the culture and they all came out delicious.  Then, I learned how to make ricotta cheese from the leftover whey in the pot.  Yummo!

Our mutual blog friend Donna of Mississippi Mama & Grandma just shared her new found recipe for watermelon jelly HERE that I can hardly wait to try this weekend.  Thanks Donna!

Beehives- My bees appear to be recovering in the hive that was exposed to insecticide somewhere off my property last week.  I am no longer sweeping up cups of dead bees daily, just a few dozen a day.  I hope we dodged a bullet, but I have a good idea what happened now too.  A local pest control company was canvassing my neighborhood for 4 or 5 days last week.  They even came to my house to solicit immediate service for a reduced fee.  I saw their trucks at two neighbors homes and didn't realize until it was too late that they were getting the service right then, by the next morning I had lots of dead bees. Lesson learned.  I am going to try to remember and cover the hive entrances with wet burlap for 24 hours every 28th day or when I see them in the neighborhood again.

Around the house- My grandson had his 11th birthday party last weekend.  The whole family came up to celebrate.  The kids camped in the backyard in tents and made smores.  The kids all had a great time and my grandson really enjoyed himself too.  Grandpa and I are still recuperating from all the excitement and noise though.  Lol.

I am also working on some simple floursack needlecraft tea towels for the kitchen at my leisure and I just completed a lap quilt for the trailer.  I plan to start on some new curtains for the kitchen next.

Babysitting Dairy Goats-  I am in love with these three little girls.  I am going to miss them when they go back home.  One doe gives me almost a gallon every day while the other doe is still nursing with adorable baby in tow, she will eventually provide about the same amount of milk each day.  Now you know why I am learning how to make cheese. You can only drink so much milk. (Smile)  My Nigerian Dwarf does do not arrive until December or January and they'll only be a few months old so I will not be milking after my visitors go home for atleast a year and a half.  That just makes this experience even more special to me.

Well, that's what I've been up to this week.  Thanks for stopping by.  Please link up and share what YOU are working on this week.

Here are the rules for the Farmgirl/guy Blog Hop!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals, quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the Mr. Linky space to your Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

Have a great week everyone and thank you so much for all you share here every Friday! Also a big thank you to all who visit Dandelion House... It's always so nice to have you here!