Missing Willow Farm

One of the awesome things I scored at the event last weekend (besides a new cowboy hat) was sourdough starter from the owner of La Farm Cary, my favorite bakery in the world.  I wrote ‘Connie’s Pet’ on the container and hid it so folks wouldn’t mistake it for trash and toss it.  Oh yeah… the front of the container says ‘Do not touch under penalty of death’.  🙂 I’ve been feeding it every day and am anxious to bake some sourdough bread!

This past weekend was the fifth annual Lambstock event on our friend Craig’s farm.  Three days and nights of the most amazing food prepared by the most amazing chefs who ever camped out in a sheep pasture.  It rained the entire event but there were tents to keep us dry and cowboy cauldrons (and wine) to keep us warm.

It’s such a good problem to have!  They are starting to wind down now but we’re not tired of them yet.  The cherry tomatoes get oven roasted and frozen, at least one pan a day.  We’ll have a taste of summer in the dog days of winter.

Brian has a spot for his tools now!  We ordered a shed to match our house and put it where we had the bradford pear trees removed from the top of our driveway.   He gets to decide where the workbench and shelves will go now, a fun problem to have.  He also gets to add steps and lattice.  Not so fun.  I think it needs windowboxes full of flowers, don’t you?  🙂

We have two of them.  This is our first year for trying watermelon, fingers crossed!

Geez, I thought I planted those pumpkin seeds at the right time.  I think this is the only one we’ll get this year.   At least it’s cute.  My annual gardening objective is to grow a pumpkin for Halloween.  Just one, I’m not greedy.  We normally don’t even get one so there’s that.  It’s in a dark corner of our spare refrigerator… hope it lasts!

Our peppers are loving it in the greenhouse, maybe because it’s so hot in there this time of year?  I think we’re going to get a bumper crop.  We only grow super hot ones and make a pepper flake blend that will blow your socks off.   It makes the best pimento cheese!

We can’t scoop dog food for Lizzie without goats getting all up into our business.

Lizzie is four months old now and totally in love with Jack.  When he goes into the pasture she covers him with so many puppy kisses he comes out all slobbery.  He’s faster than her (for now) so could run away if he wanted.  He must secretly like the attention.

We’re harvesting tomatoes from our outdoor raised beds now (yum!) and have a  few plants going gangbusters in the greenhouse.  Hot peppers, too.   When the outdoor plants are spent, we’ll have the indoor ones to look forward to.   The only downside to greenhouse gardening is no matter how much it rains you still have to water every day.