Discovering nature

Got up this morning and drove to the store with DH, and on the way back down our 1/4 mile driveway I spotted these big oval green thingys hanging from some bushes.

I grab one, cut it open and think loofah! But to make sure I bring it into the house with some leaves and research on the net to find out what it is. Turns out it is Passion Fruit!! The distinct leaves gave it away. So did the pretty purple flowers.

The vines are kinda wrapped around a bunch of bushes and other brush, and the vegetation is pretty thick, but when I really started looking the fruits hanging were more noticable. I can't wait to make something with them when are ripe!

Are discovering these gems I started really taking a look at the other bushes and trees. I ended up finding a few things that I can use for dying wool. Pokeberries were used during the Civil War by the soldiers for ink to write letters and diaries. These have also been used in the past and currently as dye for wool, and turns out a beautiful burgundy color. I want to come up with a way to preserve the juice of these berries in jars for dying year round. there has to be a way to can this stuff, or dry maybe. The other berry I came across was the beauty berry.

These berries will dye the wool a pink/red color. Neither the poke or beauty berries can be eaten by humans, but some animals and birds enjoy them. Deer especially are said to like the beauty berries.
The last one I found was red elderberries. I knew they gre in this area, but have not seen them on the property until today. Maybe I just wasn't looking for them very hard. The red elderberry can't be eaten in it raw state, but when cooked it can be used in wine, jams and jelly or pies even. I'm going to see if there are any canning recipes for this little berry so I can preserve them.

That was a pretty good morning, learning what was growing here and what I can use for making other things, especially canning and dying wool with just free things from nature.

I took some photos yesterday of my angora goats and one of the rabbits as I was out watering them.

In the last photo if you look at her mouth you'll see she is smiling! These goats are very gentle and people friendly. I should be shearing them in September or October. Here are a few more pictures I took around the yard.

Finally!

The potatoes are finished! I ended up with 23 quarts and 13 pints, plus a quart of dried and enough leftover to make dinner. that was alot of potatos.

The heat here is absolutely crazy, with heta indexes running over 100 and 100% humidity. Yesterday I had to braid the horses manes because they were sweating so bad under them. It helps to get air flow on their necks and they aren't as miserable. The rest of the critters all seem ok. We're suppose to get more rain today, and the garden sure needs it! I opened my gate to the garden so the ducks and chickens could get in there and eat some of those crickets that are chewing everything up. My bush bean plants are full of holes and the corn is getting chewed up. Hopefully they get in there and get the job done.

Today I will be spinning somemore yarn so I have more than a 100 yards of this alpaca/wool blend to make a beenie hat for one of the boys for Christmas.

I still have over half to go on Stormies latchhook horse rug, too, but I found her a bathroom set with horses on it and it has a shower curtain, trash container, tooth brush holder, soap dish, lotion container, and cup. I got it on Ebay for $23 plus shipping. Her bathroom should look pretty cute after these get put in.  I have so many project going at once all the time, if I don't write them down, I never finish them, LOL.

Well, back to canning, I picked up peaches, tomatoes, and stewing steak yesterday, so those are next into the jars!!

Still canning potatoes...

Got up at 7am and started canning potatoes again. Have 7 quarts of diced potatoes cooling in the canner right now. I went out to feed and water and the animals after getting the quarts going and spent some time scratching our hog Pinky's ears for him, he melts to the ground! For a 400 pound hog he's such a mellow guy. :)

Got about a dozen chilies and jalapeno peppers from the garden this morning as well as a few handfuls of boxwood basil. The basil is drying, and I think I have enough peppers to make a pint or two now. Not sure if I want to pickle them or can them plain yet.

Our darling teen boys went to the National Night Out last night and did not come home. Not sure where they are at this point. Me and Steve was at the event for about an hour, walking around, listening to the music and yapping with people but we never ran into either one of them. Hope they stayed out of trouble!

Yesterday I planted a bunch of herbs and my fall starter plants. Cabbage, broccoli, bunching onions, celery, califlower, dill, two types of basil, thyme, coriander, cilantro, and a few porch containers of peas. Hopefully I got them started in time, but I have a feeling we are going to get an early fall this year. The animals and bugs have spoken.

I think I'm gonna work on Stormies horse rug for a while today in between loading and unloading the canner. Don't really feel much like cleaning today, except the dishes, they have to be done.

Canning potatoes

I began at 8am this morning peeling, slicing and dicing 50 pounds of potatoes. It took almost 6 hours before I could even put any in the jars! It's 6pm right now, and I have 4 trays of slices in the dehydrater, and just pulled 8 pints from the canner and loaded another 5 pints and 2 quarts back into the canner. I still have well over a 5 gallon pail full of potato dices. And now the teenage sons want fried potatoes for dinner.....no chance!