Wild Beauty On The Farm

We think this might be a hibiscus of some sort. It is growing right on the edge of the pond, almost in the marsh. Any ideas?

I just loved this texture.

This is a shaded glade up by Nana and Pawpaw's hill. Bordered by black raspberries.

Yes. I've been playing with the new lens. ;)

Fresh 10 minute Salsa

My life has been made simple just by knowing that food is made from ingredients. Knowing that, I can put those ingredients together to make things my family loves and consumes at an alarming rate: like salsa.

Last night I brought in our first harvest of tomatoes and peppers. Throw in some garlic, onion, a squirt of lemon juice and a sprinkle of spices...ta da! Salsa! So good, I ate half a pint right there. A small bowl full of garden bounty yielded 10 minutes of work and 3.5 pints. If I'd wanted to, I could have hot water canned these, but they won't last the week in our house. I swear my five year old drinks salsa right out of the jar when I am not looking. Salsa, the good kind that doesn't use HFCS, can cost us 3-4$ for a pint at the store. Plus it seems like I am always out of it. It's a good healthy food and I want to have it on hand whenever they want it!

Recipe:
an 8 cup bowl full of fresh picked tomatoes, wash, cut off flaws if there are any, and leave skins on
4-5 medium peppers (also medium hot)
4 cloves of garlic (harvested in June)
squirt of lemon juice
1 medium onion (about 3/4 a cup worth....do not add too much onion....)
Season to taste. (I used 2 teaspoons of paprika and 1.5 tablespoons of a chili mix that had cayenne, cilantro, cumin, and oregano.....)

I used my food processor and chopped one ingredient at a time to the right size, mixed in a bowl, and added seasoning slowly. Yum. 

So join us for simple lives Thursday!

Sunshine Canned

This and this came from this....

And this.....

Came from this:

I think canned peaches and apricot jam are my new favourite foods EVER. Also I am pretty sure that our chicken eggs will taste like peaches this week. The pigs got a fair share too.

Lil'Bug's First County Fair as a Clover Sprout (Jr. 4-H)" Featuring Crayon the Chicken

"Crayon is an Americana chicken. She lays brown eggs and is a good chicken." "Oh, and I'm 5."

A good day. Lil'Bug said, "I'm just so proud of myself, I just keep thinking about when I carried Crayon around the room.....I did such a good job!"

We're proud of you too Lil'Bug! Not just for showing your chicken, but for being proud of yourself!

Blueberry girl had a good time too, but it was too hot for her so she went home with Grandma and took a nap at the camper. She's been under the weather all week and the heat doesn't help. Just a summer cold. Poor kid. I think she'll have more fun at the State Fair, we are all so excited!