Kohlrabi

Sunday I picked about a third of the kohlrabi. Our two largest are 3 pounds and 5 pounds.   

I trimmed the peeling off first.

The larger ones I had to cut in half before processing.

Then I chopped the kohlrabi into chunks tghat would fit into the food processor. 

I set up the food processor to shred/grate similar to hashbrown potatoes.

It looks the same. And I will be able to use it the same. 

But for now, I'm freezing it. Kohlrabi is very moist which caused problems.

I had to place it in ziplock bags upside down in the sealer bags with just a small opening in the zipper bag.

It was a hassle but it worked okay. I kept a serving out and cooked up like hash browns.

Note to self: Don't add garlic and herb salt. It is too salty for Kohlrabi.

Garden update

I think the last of my lilies have started to bloom.

The tiger lilies are beginning to bloom. I've always thought that it was unusual that the blooms face towards the ground.

The Russian Sage has been blooming for awhile but I didn't get a photo of it.

The picture below makes me want to sing "one of these things is not like the other".

If this would have bloomed with the other plants similar to it, the color would have blended.  Maybe because it is the first time that it is blooming?

Also blooming for a while is the clematis. We planted 2 more on the North fence line when we moved onto the farm. They are still alive but not growing very fast.

Dale and his ducks

Dale enjoys raising ducks. I don't get it but I don't need to get it. For a year now, Dale has been trying to figure out what to do for a dick pond. 

This spring the steers broke their drinking trough. We have still been using it. But it now has a new use.

Dale dug a hole and put it in the ground for a small duck pond. They are enjoying it.

Earlier our chicken hatched 3 duck eggs.  Dale was given a shed and a dog kennel. He combined them together for a temporary duck pen.

Then there is the mama duck with her ducklings. They get the dog pen with the mesh on the top.

They enjoy it but, it is almost time for them to move.  I saw a hawk sitting on our  bird feeders and watching the ducklings across the driveway.

The ducks don't get along well together.  That means there is a separate water tub for the outcasts.

Frozen Banana treats

I purchased ripe bananas on sale for baking. But I haven't had the time to bake. 

So I mashed 4 of the ripe bananas. 

Then l randomly chose a pan. It was a Bakers Square pie tin. I lined it with wax paper for easy removal.

Then I melted a handful of dark chocolate chips in the microwave. (Oops I just deleted that picture.) I gently stirred the chocolate into the bananas.

Then I put the mixture into the pan and scored pie shaped pieces. 

I froze it overnight.

It broke easily into pieces as I had scored it.

They tasted delicious. Simple and relatively healthy.

Update from the North garden

I was excited to see there is a variety of day lily colors in the North garden.  I am considering this fall taking slips of the different colors and place them around the ither gardens.

From West to East you can see two different varieties or colors of day lilies.

They are in perfect balance on both the East and West sides of the gardens. As you can tell, there will be plenty of roots for transplanting.

I wonder if I will have time to create a garden album for myself? These gardens change so much every couple of weeks!

Dog kennel??

We have had this kennel for many years. It was bought when we were raising Dobermans. It was nice because we could configure it into many shapes.

Now it is being used as a Duck kennel. The exception is that it needs a cover to keep the cats and other wild animals out.

Mama duck isn't sure what to think about this. But for the most part she is doing well.

Anyone want some ducks?

Field funny farm

These are the 3 ducklings that were hatched by a chicken instead of a duck. Dale is building a temporary duck pen.

It is connected to shed that Dale was given. He was talking about making it into the house for guinea hens.

 

This morning more ducklings hatched. The ducks make nests all over the farm. When they start sitting on the nests, Dale needs to figure out how to build a pen around them.

About a week ago, the cats started hoovering around the nest. This morning I heard the chirping of baby ducklings and I dropped the open wall.

A bird planted the sunflower in the rocks.  The wind blew it over and it tangled in the fence. Today it is starting to bloom.

Safe haven

These pictures are from a week ago. I haven't named this cat yet. It has light wiskers and long grey hairs in the ears.

The other 3 kittens were with mama.

Until mama moved. This kennel is a safe haven for them. They have figured out how to get in and out.

Yup, through the hole.

The kid in me ...

I've been working on weeding the carrots. I'm almost done. The thing with carrots is that you have no idea how close to ready they are because the entire vegetable is under ground.

I thought to myself, "I need to pull one so that I can tell." The tiny one came up in a bumdle of roots. The middle one came from a group that needed weeding. The longest one was my sample. Good length but needs to fill out.

YUM!

Saturday's Sanctuary

I was given this ornament shortly after moving in here.  WOW! I can't believe that it has been almost 2 years ago. I purchased the coral bell flower earlier this year. I guess when I bought it that I must have been thinking about this ornament.I think for next year, I need to find the blue to go in the arrangement. I was thinking a tiny bird house on a miniature shepherd's hook (for the bird in the beard) and I'm not sure what flower belongs in the arrangement.