Like the seasons of the year, life changes frequently and drastically. You enjoy it and endure it as it comes and goes, ebbs and flows. ~Burgess Meredith
Isn’t it still summer?
For the record, I am NOT ok with fall decorations in stores, the talk of pumpkin spice nor posts about fall fashion. Now don’t get me wrong, I love each season as it comes and enjoy a cozy fire, football games and spicy chili as much as the next guy, but please don’t rush my summer. In the northeast we have about 3 months of this beautiful season where the sun is strong enough to kiss your face red (and if you have a nose like mine, wear sunscreen please!) So, as beautiful as autumn is in our neck of the woods, I am going to enjoy my tank tops and flip flops as long as possible while I enjoy each and every day of this wonderful season. Oh, and so is this guy:
What’s Growing in the Garden?
As you may know we started our garden late. And yes, I still owe you a “lessons from the garden” post, but I’m still adding to that so stay tuned. Click here to see how we got our garden up and running in 10 days from seed to sprouts in the ground. We were able to harvest radishes early on and have been enjoying a steady (but manageable) flow of zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes and green beans. Check out these beauties! There is just something so awesome about eating the food you grow!
What’s up?
OK, so as much as I don’t want to rush the summer, there are somethings we need to think about as we get ready for the upcoming fall and winter season including stocking up on wood and creating our “zombie apocalypse emergency kit” (we lose power a lot ’round here). I was reminded that we aren’t the only ones that have to prepare for the winter when I pulled out of my driveway and a bunch of grass seed poured from somewhere up under the passenger side dashboard. Lesson: Don’t store grass seed in the garage unless it’s in a varmint proof container! I felt like I was taking a walk on the wild side as I headed to the local Family Dollar praying that a little (or big) animal didn’t jump out at me. All’s well that ends well. Nothing was found but a bunch more grass seed which hubs and my son cleaned out for me.
What’s New?
So, back to growing your own food, we have been getting an egg a day from our coop. We have 8 chickens and only one that is laying. Day by day the eggs seem to get a tiny bit bigger. I’m not sure how long it will take for them to get “full size” but 10 days after we found our first egg, here’s what it looks like in comparison to a store bought large egg.
We decided to use our first egg in a chicken parmigiana dish that we cooked up last Sunday while my parents were visiting for the day. You can find the recipe I loosely followed from addapinch.com – Click Here for the recipe. I like to pound my chicken out to 1/2 inch for a more tender chicken, I also used fresh mozzarella.
What’s the conclusion?
I’m discovering and following a lot of really interesting people lately. People that have similar likes and interests. People that are finding their happy place homesteading, gardening, and raising chickens! One of my favorites is Kate from Drinking with Chickens. Check her out if you want to smile and/or grab an awesome cocktail recipe. I haven’t been able to look quite as pretty, cute or witty in any of my attempts to capture me enjoying a glass of wine with my girls, but here is the best I could come up with. Practice makes perfect, right? Cheers to all of you!
Love,
The Cohns
My love