Peaches!

I bougth 5 boxes of peaches (seconds) from Wilson-Banner Ranch.

They brought them up to the farmer's market, which was really handy.

I paid $15/box.

51 quarts, 39 for us to keep

Our new neighbor, Aubrey H., came over to learn and to help.

For the first time we set up the hot water bath pot on the outside camp stove, along with a card table for jars. It worked out well: didn't make a huge mess on the stove, freed up stove and counter space, maybe kept the house a little cooler. I was impressed the propane lasted all day. Also, the water heated back up to boiling much quicker than it would have on the stove, so we could keep the jars going through a little quicker.

May need to borrow another hot water bath canner next time. I've decided that's about the only way to make it go faster, is to have 2 going, with maybe 3 people helping. Probably not worth buying a second canner at this point, unless I found one really cheap at a garage sale or something.

I guess a pressure cooker would also be quicker, but come with its own learning curve.

I think I would can homemade soups if I had a pressure cooker, though.

Also: a bunch of canning jars at the thrift store for $.50 each (so half price compared to new.) Tempted to buy them, but did not. You would still need to buy lids/rings for them. Although a random lady brought me hers, after she saw me coming out of Ace with a couple boxes worth. She also said I could have her sisters', who lives in Seattle and should be coming out in a month or two.

Still to can this year: salsa, maybe some blackberry jam

Garden Update

Tomatoes and herbs getting big and bushy.

The oregano is a bee magnet. It is always covered in bees every time I go over there.

Cucumbers are still really struggling. I pulled out another plant that was very sickly looking, and turned the remaining 2-3 so that they would grow into the empty side of the bed.

Not sure what the problem is this year.

Gotta love Jacob's bean-picking method.

Peas continue to surprise me with a few here and there, but are mostly done.

Dug up about 3 hills of potatoes, because the tops had all died off.

We've picked a few onions. I'm not sure when to harvest the rest, actually.

Corn is getting tall.

Jacob picked our one and only ear much before it was ready. {sigh}

Other ears are developing. We'll see if they make it before frost.

Green beans coming on, purple beans still going.

Nasturtiums looking lovely all along the top.

You can't see the sunflowers at all. I need to check on them again.

Side view.

Harvest

Our first cucumbers, a decent amount of purple beans, several Sungolds, and a few regular tomatoes.

Not too bad.

Cherries & Apricots

When the family was here, we went to U-Pick cherries and apricots at the university orchard.

We came home with 150 pounds of fruit!

Most of that cherries--primarily Bing, with some Rainier mixed in.

The apricots weren't very ripe, but we brought home a few buckets worth.

Plus one small bucket of pie cherries that was immediately made into a pie.

So we made a bunch of cherry jam and canned it--half is regular sugar and half is low sugar.

It was my first time making cooked jam. 

 Final tally:

42 jars of cherries

23 jars of apricots

We did light syrup for everything. I'm learning medium syrup does have its place. I think next time I would do medium for the apricot since they weren't as ripe.

They are still good with light, but a little on the tart side.



Canned fruit is so pretty.

Thistle

Spotted this interesting looking thistle on our walk.

Glad it's not growing in my yard.

I had hopes of identifying it when I got home with my trusty "Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest" book, but alas, the picture is not clear enough to be sure.

My best guess is a 'wavy thistle.'

I think it's funny how the flowers bloom right at the top. They look like bright purple hair on top of the bloom. Maybe these are the punk rockers of the thistle world.

Taking Down the Maple

Another tree bites the dust.

We're not going to take down every tree on the property, honest!

This one was just planted way too close to the house (about 3 feet away), and not surprisingly, kept growing into the house. To cut it back far enough to solve that problem would have made it severely lopsided and strange looking.

The last 2 branches of the maple on the left. 

It's gone and the steep slope behind it filled in to the wall.

We plan to extend the deck to the corner of the house and add a fence along the top of the wall.

This has been all cut up and hauled off now, thank goodness.

We only had one injury before that happened. 

Plans are afoot to extend the garden!

The bottom 2 terraces will be taken out another 3-4 feet.

I am not complaining!

Plus, all the big dirt piles are gone; used to backfill next to the wall.

Look at how much more lawn we will have, once we get some grass going!

Harvest

Carrots picked by Jacob and a few more tomatoes.

Don't those carrots look great?!