A busy week of harvesting

Not that the fall isn't normally hectic and overly busy, adding in my week+ of travel isn't really making my schedule any more manageable. However, I'm lucky in that some of the things I most enjoy are some of the things that are most pressing to do right now - work in the garden! Or work in the kitchen preserving the bounty that comes from the garden & orchard this time of the year.

This week so far we've harvested, blanched, cut, and frozen 54 ears of corn, which turned into about 16 bags of family side servings of corn veggies. We've harvested enough dill for seed starting next spring, and there are still lots drying on the plants still down in the garden for use between now and next years harvest. We've brought in most of the apples from our early apple tree and made and canned applesauce to eat with our pork chops this winter. We've harvested what will likely be the last bunch of green beans, then blanched, chopped, and frozen them, adding these last 2 bags to the total tally which is now about 20. I picked & pickled my second batch ever of refridgerator pickles using produce from our cucumber & dill plants, which we've been enjoying nightly since. We've also picked a couple more smoothy-servings of strawberries, although they've already been frozen then added to our bellies!

The pig & chickens have been very happy with the amount of compost snacks they have been getting to munch on, that is for sure! All the preserving has given me a couple of very busy afternoon/evening combinations, but it is such a great feeling knowing that we've grown and preserved so much food from our garden so far this year, and I know there is still quite a bit more to come. Hopefully most of it will wait until later in the month when I get back from my friend's wedding - so keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't frost until after I get back! :)