Harvesting Seeds and Herbs

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Sunny 59/80

Jared let me sleep in this morning while he went and fed chickens. I finally rolled out of bed around 8:30!

Today we planted my extra cucumber seedlings that I grew in my window sill over by the chicken pen. And a few wild Morning Glories too.

Then I gathered a few hand fulls of herbs (oregano, thyme, sage, mint, and lemon balm) and a few juniper berries and added them to the apple cider vinegar I had made from the cores and peels from the apples Dad gave us at Christmas. This will make an aromatic thieves vinegar that can be used diluted for cleaning or full strength in a spray bottle as a chemical free insect repellent for when I go outside. I'll let it sit in the cupboard stirring daily for about a month. Then I'll strain out the herbs, throw them in the compost and it will be ready to use!

I currently have some vinegar that I had infused with orange peels and sage for spraying. I had to use it today so I could wade amongst the tall wildflowers to gather the seed pods of my Columbine.

You know they're ready when they rattle when you shake them and the seeds are dark black. They look like clusters of tiny little pea pods.

It's only a little after noon so there may be more chores that fill my day but I don't foresee many. Tomorrow is Monday. Jared will go back to work. We won't know until Wednesday if he'll be laid off again on Thursday and Friday. If so, I think we have plans for finishing the other raised bed, maybe some more mulch, I'm sure we'll think of more. 

Until next time,

Becky

Early Morning Chores

Saturday, May 30, 2020

Sunny and 72* at 10:30 a.m.

It's finally starting to warm up and quick! Garden chores are best done in the early morning and late afternoon. Herbs are said to taste best when harvested in the early morning. 

This morning started for me, like most mornings. I wake up with the sun, about 6 a.m. I head out to feed the chickens and let them out of the roost. I then fill my birdfeeder for the wildbirds and check the hummingbird feeder. Then it's time to feed the cats. 

Last night I started a loaf of sourdough in the bread machine. All that was left to do this morning was turn it on. By 8:45 we had fresh bread.

We ate breakfast. Jared replaced the igniter on our Frigidaire gas oven -- it went out when I was baking my last loaf of bread in the oven, last weekend.

Then we walked down to the mailbox to mail one of Laney's thank you cards -- she graduated this year and has received a lot of encouragement and support from friends and family.

Then we took kitchen scraps to the compost pile and made our way to the garden. I needed to plant some dill, do a little weeding and just do a daily inspection of my plants. 

Two of my tomato plants are setting blooms. My 'Big Boy' is nice and healthy but no blooms yet. 

When we planted the dill, I had a few seeds left in my original packet and then a whole stationary envelope full from plants I harvested from in the past. Jared suggested taking my remaining harvested seeds and placing them in the nice ziplock foil lined package the originals came in. That's a great idea! 

I'll confess, in years past I am terrible about timing my cilantro and dill for when I need them for canning. Hopefully, I waited long enough this time so that my dill will be mature and ready when the cucumbers are coming off the vine. 

I had plans to cut my herbs this morning but it was already super hot and late in the morning by the time we made it out there. I'll try and get that done tomorrow, as well as harvesting some spinach.

Until next time,

Becky

Raised Bed Gardens and Lumber Shortages

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Wednesday evening when Jared got off work, we drove up the road a ways and bought three food safe barrels for $15 each. We're planning on using them to build some raised bed gardens. We liked the below plans best:

Oklahoma Gardening by OSU

Thursday we went and bought mulch. 

Friday after we built our compost bin, Jared cut our barrels in half.

Saturday he went to buy lumber, screws and washers. He only got the screws and washers. Lowe's was out of 4x4's again. The effects of Covid-19 seem to be far reaching at times. His first lay-off week we finished the chicken pen and when he went to buy lumber they were out then too. He then went to Anderson's to buy our lumber. That didn't work this time though because he didn't get there until 12:30 and they as well as TH Rogers both close at noon on weekends. 

I decided to use the day making a little flower box from the few good planks left over from the unused quarter of privacy fence from our compost bin. 

A little paint really made it look much better. I added some dirt and a few seeds I had collected last year; Black-eyed Susan's and Zinnias. I can't wait for them to grow and bloom.

That brings us to today...

We woke up later than usual and it was HOT and HUMID. We did not want to work outside. Ashley and I made a batch of soap. And Jared did some organizing around his desk. Then it started to cloud over and cool off (barely). He headed out to straighten up the shed and I met him later to use what lumber we had to make a little progress on our project. 

We measured and cut three 2x4s per barrel. We clamped them in place, drilled pilot holes, and attached them using screws and washers. The video recommends three per side. We used five.

We were dripping wet and pretty tired so we called it quits after assembling two. We'll get the last one next weekend. 

Jared plans to try Anderson's lumber Tuesday after work to buy 4x4s and a few more pieces of lumber. 

Wish us luck.

Until next time,

Becky