Tag: harvest

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Plum-A-Palooza!

freshly picked plums in bowls  All of the sudden it seems every plum on the tree directly in front of the house was ripe at once.  Pounds and pounds of plump fruit needing attention immediately!

 

 

 

 

I started Monday with plum muffins which I luckily got to share with some friends passing through town.  I used fresh duck eggs in this yummy recipe.

plum muffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday is made a delicious plum clafoutis, which is a crustless tart. I used this recipe with almond milk instead of cream/milk and it turned out perfect!

plum crustless tart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I spent a few hours in the hot kitchen canning plum jam.  I made two batches from two recipes, this was a new one for me.

plum jam

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Pears

pears on railing

We have these wonderful pears growing on a tree in our front yard.  Not only are they very sweet raw but I plan to dry some of them to preserve the harvest.

I cut them in slices and lay them on wax paper.  I then put them in a deep pan and place a net over them.  Then they sit in the sun and dry naturally.  Depending on how thick you slice them and the temperature of the weather it can take a few days to get thoroughly dry.

They are delicious and chewy and you can then enjoy them all year round!  Yum!

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Hay in the Barn feels like $ in the Bank- Except it’s Actually the Opposite!

hay and straw on pallets

Yay! All the hay that will feed my flock until next June has arrived safely at the farm.  It is such a relief to have it delivered and stacked high.  My barn is filled to the ceiling with beautiful bales of oat and orchard/alfalfa hays.  There is very little room for the storage of anything else or much movement in the hallway but it doesn’t matter.  There comes a feeling of security with all that feed there.  It feels safe.

black dog in hay barnbarn hallway and dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In fact I got so many bales this year ( 170) because of the new sheep that not all of it fit inside the barn even with the 12′ high stacks.  Some bales are left outside for now to be feed out first.  Hopefully before any rain shows up.  I feel confident that I can do this since it will only be the end of August by the time the outside stack is eaten.

 

 

 

 

hay and straw on pallets

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Plum Season

plums in wood bowl
fruit trees
Plums are ready but we will have to wait for Asian Pears.

It is plum season here on the farm.  Our wild cherry plum trees are just dripping with fruit along side our domestic fruit trees.  Dealing with this much bounty can be overwhelming so I try to just do a little bit each day.  Today I plan to make a plum custard and plum muffins.  Tomorrow I will have to come up with some more creative ideas on how to work through all this fruit.  One simple way- eating one fresh, ripe, juicy plum at a time.

plums in wood bowl
Plums picked and ready to be prepared.