And now it’s September. First: YAY! I love fall. 😀
But wow, September? Whoosh. Here we are.
I hope you had time to read August Life, Sliced and Diced (lots of photos) because this post below is sort of the wrap up to all things August.
We knew when we were building the coop that we wanted to make sure we had gutters to help keep the run ground dry, as well as the area around the run. We picked the highest and driest spot for the coop’s location, but we also knew that it would be wise to add gutters as soon as we could.
You might remember that this past spring was NOT our friend when it came to weather. Here we are building the coop in the snow. In May.
Always something, eh? Since we would not be able to complete everything for the coop before the chickens moved in, the gutters would be a later add-on item. So, here we are, putting ’em up at the end of August. The weather was much better. 🙂
Actually, the gutter installation was pretty much a one-person-project. Thanks, Mr. Gordon!
Now we will see how they handle the rain. We had some pretty heavy rainstorms this summer. Admittedly, the run only got wet from the blowing rain. Still, this will help – especially any splashing into the coop through a window from runoff from the roof. We will keep you posted.
Oh, and by the way, we have decided that these are the most expensive eggs ever.
Would you like to buy a dozen for about $75? 😉
Next coop project: preparing windows for winter. I have ideas. I think Mr. Gordon dreads when I have coop ideas. 😀
Gold Rush Yellow Wax Beans
Now isn’t this a pretty picture?
Oh, these are wonderful! Great bush bean variety. Five of the nine plants we put into the garden came up. They are producing quite a bit.
What we haven’t eaten gets a quick one-minute blanch in boiling water, then dropped into a bowl of ice, then bagged and frozen in 8 oz. amounts. These will be lovely over the winter.
Squashing Around
Yay for squash!
While the Blue Hubbard Squash plants died out after they started to fruit (so disappointing), we are going to have a pleasant little harvest of Butternut Squash and Honeynut Squash (smaller versions).
We especially love Butternut Squash peeled, cubed, tossed in salt and pepper, Rosemary, and olive oil – then baked on a sheet. Peeling tip: Cube the Butternut Squash first, then peel. Easier and safer.
So that’s the “topping off” of August! Remember to stop on by August Life, Sliced and Diced for a bunch of photos with updates.
Fall plans?
In the garden? In the kitchen? In the coop?
Give us the scoop! 😀
Share in a comment below – always nice to have you pop on by!
It looks like your summer is going quite well! How is it that chickens cost so much money to keep? We have run into similar issues. The chickens themselves…super cheap. Their feed…relatively cheap. In our case, their coop was less than $10 (friends had an old coop we dismantled and resized for our girls and only needed to buy some hardware). But their run was pricey! Over $200. The additional rolls of fencing and chicken wire to protect them all adds up as well. And our girls do not have a permanent roof still. Currently we have a frame built out of PVC pipe and two layers of heavy duty tarps. We would love to add a real roof (both for sturdiness and for aesthetics), but I can’t justify the cost. But in the end, it always feels worth it. They give you yummy eggs. They eat up your scraps. They provide a bit of entertainment. They provide a great backyard soundtrack. So, maybe you can’t put a price on that 🙂
What’s up with us? We have pulled in quite the haul of tomatoes this year. I think it is the best year we have had in ages! I’m quite excited about that. We still have zucchini going like crazy. Yes, I have anonymously dropped some on friends’ porches 😉 Note to self, four zucchini plants is too many!
But in even bigger news…we found a house on some property that we are buying! I still can’t believe it. We were looking a bit, not thinking that we would find something so soon. But there it was! Our boys are excited about it as well, and thankfully it’s close enough to their schools that they won’t have to change schools for their last years of high school (thank goodness they drive now!). I’ll share more as we move and are settled. I know this winter will be spent dreaming and planning about our garden, orchard, etc that we want to create over time!!!
Bekah – how exciting! Congrats on finding your new home! I am so happy for you. You will definitely need to keep us posted and share photos on your blogsite, too. And yes, just imagine what you will be able to do with more space for gardens and an orchard. If you start your orchard next year, and we start ours, we’ll have to “buddy up” and share experiences and advice. That would be awesome.
I’m so glad to learn your gardens went well. We’re worried that the tomatoes that came in will not turn red before the growing season is over. Mr. Gordon just told me we are getting a frost tonight. UGH. Thank goodness we aren’t totally dependent on the garden (even though we are looking to make it our primary source of produce). If we were this year, we’d go hungry. 🙁
But, we’re learning and carrying on. I haven’t put up the post yet, but I took pictures of a greenhouse (inexpensive) that we installed on the back porch. We’re hoping to overwinter greens and get a jump on spring planting in 2021.
Okay, must run to work. Please keep up posted on the new home you are moving to – again, I’m so excited for you and your family. Congratulations! 😀
Amazing! You did well and having a fresh veggies and meat+eggs can be very helpful. Self sufficiency is a must now since Covid is still around.
Thanks, Gutter Wiz! 😉