No Time for Slacking!

Well, one farmers' market will soon be over...one more market day until late next spring.  There will be a market "finale" next week.  I'm taking along my spinning wheel and will demonstrate spinning wool into yarn.  There will be face painting and pumpkin decorating for the kids, an apple pie contest, and strolling musicians.  Should be fun.  My other two markets will continue for another month or until the produce is gone.  

But, that doesn't mean I can slack off.  No way!  Christmas is only months away and I have craft shows/events still to come after the markets close for the winter.   I joined a once-a-month winter farmer's last year and it will be starting soon.   My family and I are looking forward to attending again.   My soaps continue to sell, which means my inventory is quite low right now and I have to keep at it...making and wrapping soaps.

I washed sheep wool yesterday.  The fall brings along several events where I spin wool into yarn.  I haven't bought commercially prepared roving in quite a while since I was given 4 HUGE  bags of wool.  But I have to make time to pick it out and wash it so it's ready when I need/want to spin.  Sometimes I'll card the wool with my drum carder, but lately I've been using my hand cards.  People like to see that, as well as the spinning.

And I need to somehow find time to work in the garden, plant some fall veggies I bought, pick peppers and make pepper jelly.  Not enough hours in the day!  Maybe I should give up sleeping.  LOL!

It's been a mostly dreary, humid, sometimes rainy week.  I washed laundry this morning, but had to use the electric clothes dryer instead of my "solar dryer".  It rained this morning and it's so humid the clothes wouldn't dry anyway.   The humidity hasn't allowed me to wrap any soaps this week either.  It doesn't affect the soaps that are already wrapped, but the ones that not wrapped yet are damp.  That's a good thing in that it tells me my soaps are doing what they're supposed to do....be moisturizing.   Once the humidity level goes down, I'll be able to package the soaps.  Or I could wipe them off with a paper towel and wrap them anyway.  I did that earlier this summer and it seemed to work okay.

This coming weekend I have two events to attend.  Saturday is Marquand's Pioneer Days and Saturday & Sunday is the Cat Ranch Art Guild's Art Show.  I'll be there on Sunday.   At both events, I'll bring along my spinning wheel and sheep wool to demonstrate spinning and my family will sell my soaps.  I hope someone has funnel cakes for sale.  They are one of my favorite treats!

Better go for now.  Have to fix supper early as the kids have their 4-H meeting this evening.

Canning, Soap Making, Baking Bread, and Knitting

Had a busy week last week.  I've started baking bread to sell at the farmers' markets along with my goat milk soaps.  So I spent last Tuesday baking until it was time to leave for the market.  Wednesday morning was another market.  Afterwards I drove to my parents' farm and picked up 3 boxes full of green beans that Daddy had picked earlier in the day.  I put in them in the freezer and finished that job around midnight.  

I spent 5 hours Thursday at the shop where repairs were made on my Durango.  To pass the time, I finished a pair of hand knit socks for #2 daughter and started on another pair.  I have lots of wool socks now, so I thought I'd knit a pair to sell at one of my craft shows this fall.  While at the Saturday morning farmers' market I was telling an acquaintance of mine about this pair of socks and she wants to buy them.  She doesn't care what color or pattern I make them; she just wants a pair of socks that I knitted.

I canned a double batch of spaghetti sauce, as well as a double batch of salsa last Friday.  I didn't have enough spaghetti sauce to fill the last jar, so I made spaghetti and meatballs for supper tonight, along with 2 baguette shaped loaves of artisan herb bread.  The French chevre goat cheese, seasoned with Ranch seasoning, that I made was delicious on this bread.    I ate some on my sandwich at lunchtime, too.  

We're getting lots of goat milk right now, and I have another batch of French chevre sitting until the morning, when I'll drain it and put it in the freezer.  Hubby is patiently waiting for me to make feta cheese.  He really likes the marinated feta.  Timewise, I won't be able to make that particular cheese until later in the week.  I think we need to seriously consider buying an ice cream maker to make home-made ice cream with all the milk we're getting now.  The goatie girls are really producing!!!  Hubby is milking three right now, and we're still waiting for one of the does to give birth anytime.

Tomorrow is Market Day.  I have a batch of artisan herb bread dough in the fridge and will bake it tomorrow.  I have an order for 2 loaves of that bread.  I mixed up another batch of sourdough refrigerator rolls and they are in the fridge until tomorrow morning.  I plan to bake a double-batch of the garlic dinner rolls since they sell out quickly, just ahead of the sourdough rolls....which are wonderful with another vendor's honey spread on top!

I was finally able to make soap today!  Yeah!  I made Smokey Patchouli goat milk soap...not my favorite; and a new scented soap....Magnolia Magnifique.  I wasn't sure what to expect other than it was a floral, but it smells really nice so far.   Have more soap making to go as I'm out of Lavender, Frankincense & Myrrh, plain lye soap, and low on other scents.

Well, it's my bedtime, so I'd better get off of this computer.  I have a busy day tomorrow baking breads and rolls. 

Lots Going on at Patchwork Acres

Gee, I'm not blogging very often, am I?  What's happened since I last wrote.....well, our big news is that we have twin baby goats, a buck and a doe, born the day before we left for Chicago.  I thought they might wait to arrive while we were gone.  They are beautiful and look very much like their sire...black and white with a little brown.  My son's goat is due next.  The poor thing grunts and groans as she moves around and even while laying down.  Anyway, it's great to again have goat milk to drink and to save for my soap making.  In fact, after I finish blogging, I will make yogurt and buttermilk.  Have to have buttermilk to make cheese and my family and I love fresh yogurt with fruit and granola cereal.  

Hubby and I drove to Chicago for our oldest daughter's college graduation.  That is the most memorable graduation I have ever attended.  It was cold and it rained and the graduation ceremony was held outdoors, rain or shine.  I didn't bring a jacket, though we had Hubby's umbrella with us.  University staff handed out emergency rain ponchos for the graduates and their guests.  I bought a colorful, Mexican blanket at a gas station on our way into Chicago that I used as a shawl.   The rain eventually stopped before the end of the ceremony; but we were sitting under a tree and it dripped on us for a while.  We were surprised by how many people were standing up during the graduation ceremony, thus blocking our view.  I was thinking that we drove all that way to see our daughter graduate, then I'd better be able to see her walk across the stage.  Hubby finally asked one woman who was standing up if she'd mind moving because we couldn't see.  She did move, but I don't think she was too happy.  We could hear a few people behind us talking..."yeah, that guy asked her to move.   We can see now."  Hubby and I aren't fond of  big cities and we were glad to see Chicago in our rear view mirror.  We're happy to be back home in rural MO.  And a big thanks to my in-laws, who stayed with the kids while Hubby and I were in Chicago.  The kids don't get to see this set of grandparents as often as they'd like and they all enjoyed spending time together.  The kids will get to spend a week with Grandma and Gramps later in the summer before school starts again.

Last week was very uncomfortable with high temperatures and high humidity.  Heat advisories were out for much of the area for several days.  (I'm not looking forward to seeing our electric bill.)  The first hour of the last Tuesday's farmers' market was miserable until the sun started setting and a few clouds came in.  The breeze would blow a little and that helped a lot.  

Yesterday was nice, though warm, with low humidity.  Hubby, son, and I worked on cleaning up the spot for our new portable garage which will serve as our new hay shed.  It's nice again today.  My son worked down at the barn.  He was supposed to finish cleaning so we can start putting up the new hay shed.  I spent some much needed time this morning out in my garden weeding tomatoes until it was too hot.   I have jalapeno peppers ready, so it's time to get out the pepper jelly recipe!  Yum, yum!

Younger daughter isn't home this week.  She's on a servant event trip with the youth group from our church.  They went to North Carolina this year.  When she called she said the area/mountains were beautiful!

And of course, I'm still making soaps to fill my customer order.  The soaps for the B&B will be ready by next week.   I think I will next make goat milk soap with Dead Sea clay in it.  That is one of my favorite soaps and it's one needed for my customer order.  Plus, my supply for the markets is low. 

My son loves fruit pies and I made a delicious strawberry pie this week.  He and I finished it for dessert after lunch today.  Hmmm, what to make next.....maybe a blackberry, blueberry, and strawberry pie?  Sounds good to me!

So with that said, I should go for now!

May is almost over!

Well, I've been so busy that I've not posted in a while again.  Since my last blog, we spent the weekend of May 16 & 17  at Ironton, MO's Arcadia Valley Mountain Music Festival.  We always enjoy spending time there.  Arcadia Valley is very beautiful and full of history, such as nearby  Fort Davidson, a Civil War site with a museum and the original groundworks.  Anyway, the music festival was great!  There were numerous bands on 2 stages, several food vendors (with funnel cakes!!!!!), and various other vendors, which included me and my goat milk soaps.  Saturday was much colder than I remembered the weatherman predicting.  I didn't bring my spinning wheel on Saturday, but I did bring it on Sunday.  Met a teacher from a school in the area who asked if I did spinning demonstrations at schools.  I told her I did if I was invited.  So we gave her my business card and she will be in touch when it's closer to the time her school has their Fall Festival.  One thing we always enjoy about visiting Ironton is that we eat supper at Bailey Joe's BBQ.  They have the most delicious BBQ pork and their Cherry BBQ sauce is so good we have to buy a few bottles to take home with us!

The next weekend we spent in Cape Girardeau at the Southeast MO Meat Goat Association's Goat Show in Arena Park.  Even though we raise diary goats, we enjoyed watching the goat show and learned a lot.  We sold some goat milk soaps and we got to enjoy goat burgers, goat brats, and smoked goat meat.  Yum! Yum!

Because of the rain we keep receiving, I haven't finished putting out my garden yet.  I have all my tomato plants, but 7 out.  I still need to plant corn, different squashes, pumpkin, okra, cucumbers, sweet peppers, watermelon, Oriental eggplants, more lettuce, and some herbs. 

Tomorrow I will make another batch of  yogurt and then will pick some spinach and an onion from the garden to make fresh spinach dip.  More yummy stuff!  I'm looking forward to our goats having their babies so we have goat milk to make yogurt, buttermilk, and cheese.  I've been using store-bought cow's milk to make my yogurt for now; and while it's good, we enjoy the goat milk so much more.

All of my farmers' markets are open for business now.  And after 5 weeks of attending other events, I was finally back at the Bollinger County Farmers' Market this last Saturday.  It rained, even though the weatherman said it wouldn't until the afternoon.  Attendance was down a bit and most of the vendors left early because of the rain.  

The kids will start Summer School tomorrow.  I will make soap, wrap soap, work in the garden and run to town to buy feed and deliver Avon.  So I'd better get off the computer and bag up the Avon and get supper ready.

Market Day, etc.

Yesterday was Market Day and we had a good crowd of customers, even with the rain and the cool temperature.  It helps that we can set up under a pavilion.  Makes it easier for both the vendors and the customers.  There are geese and ducks in the park and they are entertaining to watch when they wander over closer to where the market is set up.  On nice days some people bring bread to feed them.  I used to bring #1 daughter to this park when she was a toddler, years ago, so she could feed the ducks.  The rain finally stopped shortly before market closing time.  

I bought some wonderful, hydroponic lettuce at the market.  It keeps well, but it doesn't usually last long at my house.  My lettuce isn't quite ready yet and I need to plant more to keep a steady supply ready to eat.  I also bought a pound of rhubarb.  Haven't decided for sure what I'm going to make with it.  I'm looking at a recipe for Rhubarb Dream Bars and one for Rhubarb Custard Pie.  I'm leaning towards the pie since it takes 4 eggs and I have LOTS of eggs.

After the market I took care of a few errands then stopped by my sister's house to drop off several dozen eggs.  My sister, her daughter, and grandbaby had just got back home when I arrived.  My little great-niece was excited to see me.  Made Auntie Barbie's day!  She's the cutest, sweetest, little doll!  She gave me lots of  hugs, showed me some of her toys, and brought me two books to read to her.

Well, the sun is shining today!  Yipee!  So I'd better hang out a load of laundry, and get busy making another batch of soap...probably peach. The Wild Honeysuckle & Green Fig goat milk soap is ready to be wrapped.  After the grass dries I'll be back out in the garden.  I have a little asparagus to pick, weeds to pull, grass to weed-eat, and dirt to turn over.  As soon as the rain is over and the garden dries out more, we'll be planting everything!  The tomato and jalapeno pepper plants I planted on Tuesday seem to be doing okay. If the jalapenos do well this year, I will be making pepper jelly for my family......great with cream cheese on crackers!  And if there's enough, I will sell some at the farmers' markets this year.

So off with me.  I have lots to do today! 

Soap Making Today

It's been several days since I last posted.  It's been raining every day, so the garden is soggy and the only thing I've done in it is to pick some asparagus and pull a feed weeds from the asparagus bed.  More rain is to come today and tomorrow.  When the rain stops and the garden dries out, it will be time to plant EVERYTHING I haven't planted yet.

Wednesday morning was the opening day for my second farmers' market and what a nice morning!  The sun was shining and the rain held off until later in the day.  We had 2 new vendors and some prospective vendors chatted with our market manager.  I strongly encourage everyone to shop at their local farmers' markets.  Doing so helps your local economy and helps the local farmers/vendors.  Plus you have the opportunity to visit with the vendors to learn about their gardening practices and you know where the food came from.

I made the Bug Off Blend soap a few days ago and it is now curing.  I had a lot of requests for this one over the last weekend.  I just finished making a batch of Madagascar Vanilla and after lunch will make another batch of soap.  Not decided yet on what scent it will be.

I have to share a goat story.  Our goats don't like being out in the rain.  So if it's raining, they can be found inside the barn.  Last night after supper I heard the goats bleating.  I thought that was odd and looked outside.  Fawn, our newest doe, was standing outside the barn in the rain just a hollering.  So I grabbed my windbreaker and a hat, slipped on my rubber boots and ran down to the barn with #2 daughter.  The barn door was shut and poor Fawn couldn't get in.  Apparently another of the does, Marshmellow, had closed the barn door.  She is known for doing that, as well as rubbing, pushing on the stable doors and closing them as well.  We let Fawn back in the barn and she ran in and promptly shook herself.  I told her that now she was beautiful after having a rain shower.  Ha, ha!   Marshmellow's grandmother, Happy, was famous for turning the barn lights off and on.