Summer Update!

I swear the summer is just flying by this year! So many things have happened that I want to tell everyone about, but I stay so busy that I barely have time to sit down for even a few minutes. Summer here on the Backwards homestead, especially July, is filled with winter preparations. Most of the garden comes in and has to be canned/frozen or dehydrated for yummy nutritious meals when it is cold and icky outside.
I thought I might make a post about a few of the things that have been going on around here, then when I have a second I will go into more detail about a few of them. Especially the special event that happened in July!
We first had a fireworks show and it was awesome! Some of the kiddos had went and picked up some fireworks and let me tell you, they were beautiful! We used to go to the different ones that are given around town, but these days it is a bit hard with all we have going on around here! But I personally enjoy these little moment much more than a crowded place where you have to deal with so many people, lol! I caught a few shots, but keep in mind that this is with a cell phone, so the quality is not so fabulous!

Kapow!

Pop!

Boom!

Josh with his circle of sparkler fire!

The biggest event, and my FAVORITE is that our youngest was married to his sweetie on July 5th. The wedding was amazing, and of course I cried like a girl!. The guys were just so handsome and the girls were just beautiful, it was one of those things that makes your heart swell with pride almost to the point of bursting. Weddings are always very special, but to watch one of your children give their heart to the one that love is especially heartwarming. Here are a few pictures of the happy event. Keep your eyes open because when more pictures get done I will be going into more detail about the wedding!

The happy couple

Smooches!

Unity sand, AWWW!

As you can see, it was quite the event and the kiddos are now settled into married life and doing quite well. I could not be any happier! Don't forget, keep checking and soon I will have a wedding post with more pictures!
The main think that is keeping me busy this summer is preparing for winter! Yea, who knew that it takes all summer to be ready for winter. Here on the backwards Homestead we preserve alot of the food we will be eating during the winter. So, that takes alot of time and let me tell you, it has been a bumper year for some crops. I have made so many pickles that I am beginning to perpetually smell like vinegar! We love homemade pickles of every type, so I have probably done close to a hundred jars of yummy crispy pickles. Add in relishes, blackberries, jellies, green beans and all the other stuff and I have more than 200 jars filled so far.

Yummy salty sour pickles!

This was a busy day!

Pretty boiling blackberry jelly

Future blackberry cobblers

Dill relish

We also put up 30 dozen ears of sweet corn that yielded 74 quart bags of cut off corn and 3 huge bags of corn on the cob for the freezer. This week we will be pulling out many of the things that are done producing and replanting the ones that have time to give us another go this summer. Yummy!
Then, add in the moment when my pud'nin tried to give me even more gray hair. He bought a storage building, which all in all is great! But, it was quite hard to get it up off the ground, and on a trailer. Yea, they just put stuff on trailers, and tear off down the highway no matter how large the item may be! That's just how they roll! These little projects are not for the faint of heart. The building is 12'6" wide, and the same long. Think of that in relation to the lanes on a highway!
So, I am standing outside and I hear a vehicle in the distance. I know that sound. It is the sound of a certain wrecker pulling a heavy load up a large hill. So  I wait. In a few minutes I see Mater pop over the hill and sitting on a trailer is a huge shed, tied on with a wide strap. Off the road pud'nin barrels, shed teetering, trailer creaking, my nerves fraying! Up the yard he comes, through the only opening to the driveway. The building is just swaying back and forth! At one point the truck is being pulled backwards by the weight of the building, heading straight for his trusty tractor, tires sliding in the gravel, no control whatsoever. Teetering, cracking, creaking, sliding!

Just a little to the left!

 Let me tell you, it was a mess! But, anytime you get these brothers together on anything, you can guarantee that you are going to need a nerve pill! They will attempt just about anything and no matter how precarious it gets, how many times something it hanging by a thread, they just plod along like it is totally normal. Sheesh!!

As you can see, it has been quite a busy summer so far! Yesterday we also welcomed some new piggies to the farm and I will update with a piggy post soon! They are the cutest little things! But for today, it is off to the barn, then to the garden to pick the last of the beans and pull up the lettuce. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the update, lol 

Summer Squash, My Favorite!

Another thing I like to put up for winter is squash. We love squash in the summer, and we love it in the winter! it is just that yummy. I canned some last week and I took a few pictures and I thought I would share for anyone who wants to see the process.
BUT, this is NOT recommended by the USDA, or anyone else I suppose. you can find information on what they do consider safe here at their site: USDA Home Canning Information .
I was brought up canning yellow squash and I just do it every summer. So, this is for informational purposes, just as a little slice of my summer. I hope you like the pictures!

Pick small squash

I slice in  1/4 to 1/2 inch slices

Cover with water and boil until just soft and pliable

Pack into jars fairly tightly, fill with water to 1/2" headspace

Add one tsp salt to each jar. Wipe jar edges, apply warmed lids and twist rings to fingertip tight.

I filled the canner and processed 30 minutes at 10 lbs pressure.

Of course, then you let the canner return to 0, open and take the jars out to cool. Basic PC 101!
So, there you go, that is how "I" become a rebel canner each and every summer. This is totally the cliff notes of summer squash canning. Like I said, it is NOT supposed to be canned, it is NOT deemed safe to can any summer squash! Although they do say you can can winter squash in cubes! Also, always remember to follow safety rules and instructions that come with your specific canner.
So I hope you enjoy the pictures and hopefully it was interesting. I personally think squash is beautiful. Squash was the first vegetable I preserved in a pressure canner so it does hold a soft spot for me. The process hold alot of memories as well.

My Wabbits Have Been Vewy Vewy Sneaky!

We have 3 rabbits, that all stay in separate cages. We have them in separate cages because, well, bunnies are known for their ability to turn themselves into more bunnies, very quickly! We were really not looking to have MORE bunnies, three was the perfect number!
First an introduction. We have Kera, Cayces bunny, who has turned into quite the diva! She growls every time you try to pet her, and will jump like a rabid dog to try and bite you..Not a nice bunny sometimes!

Cayce with Kera back when she was a snuggle bunny!

Kera today. She is giving me the eye!

Then we have Fred. We have had Fred for years, and I do mean YEARS! He was actually born here on the farm when we had lots of bunnies. We kept him and he was actually Paytons bunny for a while. He is old and slow, with long grandpa toenails. He is sweet though, and will let you rub his head gently. Just don't try to pick him up. He can use those scraggly geezer toe nails to fillet anyone who tries to lift his old booty off the wire..

Fred

Then we have Bun Bun. She is Trina and Joys bunny that actually stayed in the house a while until she became a RockBand killer and a serial cord chewer. She is quite huge! Her neck fat is so huge she can use it as a pillow. She is also not so sweet. A bit skittish and will retreat to her hut whenever you try to pet her.

Bun Bun

Ok, now you have met the players, and now to present the mystery!
When I went out to do the morning feeding I looked in each bunny cage to see if they needed feed, water ect. Also we check on each bunny to make sure they are not dead. Sounds like an odd thing, but I can assure you, dead bunnies look alot like living bunnies when they are sleeping in their hut, which has a small opening, and you can barely see them. At least to a person hurrying to get chores done! I am not saying how I know this little bit of information. Hmm. nope, not telling the story of the person who fed a dead bunny for a week...
Anywho. As I said,our bunnies each have their own cage. Bun Bun and Fred have a wooden house attached to the back of their cages and they each have their own apartment. SEPARATED by a wall...a wooden wall. Never ONCE have I seen anyrabbbit in any other cage/hut than their own.
But, as I go out to look at them I see a massive amount of hair literally filling Bun Buns hut. Hair everywhere! IN her hut, spilling out into her cage...Which if you know bunnies, they pull hair when they are about to give BIRTH! Birth, as in after pregnancy, which only happens after "two bunnies who love each other very much lay really close and share a very special hug". Which cannot happen from separate cages..can it?

What the HAIR!?

After standing there staring at the offending pile of hair, then at Bun Bun, then at Fred. Who I must say never even twitched a whisker. Even when I asked him if he knew ANYTHING about this pile of hair! Nothing, he was totally silent.

I know nothing!

Bun Bun just looked at me...looking much skinnier than before, and bald...

What hair? I don't see any hair?!

 I grab Cayce, and we stare at the fur together. Hmm. Since all the other animals are still waiting for breakfast, and we can't stand staring at the fur forever, we have to forge ahead. Cayce did bring up the fact that Bun Bun and Fred were separated by mere wood...but Fred is old for heavens sakes! He barely moves! I thought hmmm, we should look into that, But, the mystery was still unsolved since duty called!
When we finish with morning chores we get Trina and Joy up to check on their funny bunny. After all, if this has been some sort of immaculate rabbit conception, we are gona need witnesses! Plus, Bun Bun is a scratcher too, and she IS their bunny! We also bring a flashlight, to shine on stuff.
We shine the flashlight in the hut, just hair. We shine the flashlight on the rabbits..still rabbits. Then, as we are shining the light IN Freds hut, we see light in Bun Buns hut. Hmm, pesky rabbits!
It seems, that they have gnawed a hole in the wall that separated them, and managed to have that special moment. Great. Wonderful. *sigh*

See, back in the corner, in all that HAIR! It is a HOLE!

 So, Fred, who looks like a old bag of rabbit skin, like a pee stained bunny slipper, is a ladies man after all. Now I know why he looked so tired all the time! It was all that chewing! It was like the Shawshank Redemption of bunnydom! No telling how long he sat in there, nibble nibble nibble! Packing the shavings out in his mouth, so nobody was the wiser!
 As of today, we are still unsure of whether we have babies, or not. Bun Bun is not willing to let us into her boudoir. We have shined the light, peered with total intent, and even tried to sit under the cage to see if she looks like she has been nursing babies. So, one mystery solved, while the rest of the story is still waiting to unfold!

Ellie's Big Day!

Eleanor is getting to be such a big girl! It seems like yesterday that I was waiting for Flossie to go into labor and wondering if I would have a little bull or a little heifer. But then she was here, and we have been so thrilled with her and how she has grown.

Baby Eleanor and a proud Flossie

Now she is half as big as her mama and full of her own unique personality! She is stubborn, independent and she can drain a huge udder in no time flat. But she is also so smart, she can walk on a lead and stand to be groomed already. One of these days she will follow in her Moms hoof steps and be a great milker! But for now, she is still learning the ropes.

Ellie taking a break, lol Her halter is NEVER on!

Pud'nin walking Eleanor

As she grew, her pen began to be smaller and smaller. Not only that, a cows gotta have grass! We would let her out on a lead twice a day to munch the sweet clover, but she yearned to go with her Mama out into the big pasture. She wanted to meet the "others". She would moo to Porter and Clarabelle over her fence, and they would come lay with her by the back of her pen. The only real thing keeping her from the great big pasture was Twister. Yea, Twister the turd horse!

Twister!

Well, we waited, and soon it was summer and Lee and Cayce had plans to go to Wranglers for the weekend. We figured that since horses cant count, that we would use that time to let the little one out in the pasture to get to know her herd mates. That way she could get over her jitters, they could run and jostle without drawing attention to themselves and getting chased by Twister.
It worked like a charm! We let Ellie out with her Mama that first morning and she was so excited! She sniffed all the new things that were there for the sniffing. She ran and bucked, kicking her hooves way up in the air, softly making little happy Moos! Never before had Ellie been able to stretch her muscles and run full out as far and fast as she wanted. It was bliss, she was in heaven!
But, lets think of Flossie for a minute, this had been her sanctuary out in the pasture, the place where she could stay, head down, munching grass without a care in the world. Then we let her little wild child out into her peaceful place! She was not as happy as she could have been, she was trying her best to keep Ellie under control, all the while Ellie just went about her business, ignoring the plaintive moos of her Mama! Ellie would run in one direction, Flossie would follow, telling her to slow down, to look where she was going! Ellie charged ahead, oblivious to her moms warnings. Flossie shot us a look that clearly said 'Thanks, Thanks SO much!"

Mom and girlie!

Soon all her shenanigans got the attention of Porter and ClaraBelle. So over they came to see what was happening, and to see what could be running and jumping! Not to mention, why was Flossie mooing and running after that streak of kicking brown!?
With a few false starts, a little mounting action (cows, geez!), and lots of playing tag they were finally out grazing side by side. Our little herd of four.

Let The Canning Begin!

I just love summer! The sunny days, warm nights! It is all just too wonderful after freezing our butts off all winter long. I personally think about gardening ALL winter long. From the time I gather that last veggie out of the garden I am thinking toward the next spring. I am not sure what it is, but gardening, canning, dehydrating and freezing all the bounty of summer is just the best thing ever!
This week has been dill pickles, Clifty and Kosher. Clifty pickles are ones that I made by mistake one year and we loved them, lol They are pretty salty and quite sour. But yummy!

Cucumbers!

All sliced up and in the jars

Yummy seasonings!

Here they are fresh out of the Water Bath Canner

 The last picture is the finished pickles made by Cayce! It was her first time canning with me! She Loved it, I may have created a monster! She is practically hovering over the cucumber vines waiting for them to get big enough to make more, LOL! I love sharing the canning bug with others, as it is such fun and the rewards are so tasty. It really makes me happy to be able to go to the pantry and grab a jar of summery goodness.
During the summer garden time is a time to family togetherness too. We all troop out to the garden every afternoon to pick all the yummy goodness. It is like a treasure hunt for cucumbers though, those little boogers are nearly invisible hidden under all those big green leaves!
Joy has her eye on a couple of juicy watermelons that are coming right along in the garden!

Joys picture of one of the watermelon babies

Another thing that has been going on here at the Backwards Homestead is Haying. If you have animals, they have to have something to eat during the winter too. Since horses and cows won't eat pickles, we have to head out the the hayfields and toil away until we have sweet smelling rolls of hay for them when the snow blows!

One of Pud'nins trusty tractors!

Lee driving along

HAY!

With all this work, we still have to have fun! Especially when it is a billion degrees outside! Our pool is going through a renovation stage, so we aren't even sure at this point if we are gona manage to get it up at all..So we had to improvise when a couple of the grand kiddos were toasty!

Brr!

Water troughs are the best!

Today will be more canning, and if I am lucky I will pick enough blackberries to make seedless preserves. Last year I made 24 jars of preserves and it didn't even last until Christmas! That is like the Clifty pickles, I guess. I made 32 jars and thought I might be done. BUT, we have already eaten 5 jars, so I might ought to make at least one more batch, lol These things are addictive! Salty, sour and all crispy. Nothing like a homemade pickle on a sandwich! 

I am so blessed to have had so many people in my life to teach me the skills I would need to be able to live a self sufficient lifestyle. I remember sitting with my MeMaw at her kitchen sink on a stool "helping" her do peaches and tomatoes. We sliced the peaches and then she put them out to dry on a sheet of tin in the sun. Now days people would have a stroke if someone even suggested doing anything like that! One year the peaches were so wormy that it took forever to get anything substantial, but she persevered, and that stuck with me. She told me that " Any was better then none!" I sure miss my Memaw, she was one of a kind!

My mom continued the tradition, and when my kiddos were small I would go to her house and we would have all day canning marathons, lol We would start early in the morning, going out to the dewy garden to get things gathered before it got too hot outside. Then we all worked together getting it into a bag or jar, which made it go faster. It was always a time of talking, joking and sometimes tears if someone was having a hard time with something in their lives.  

My kiddos were always right in the middle of it all, learning the process as soon as they could, lol Of course, sometimes it was a bit harder with all their help, like the time Katrina sat her hiney in the middle of our dishpan of corn, and took a bite out of every ear! 

Canning days were more than just a day to put up for winter, it was time to spend with the ones that you love! Maybe that is why I love it so much! With that being said, I better get up and get busy! Here on the Backwards Homestead, there is no rest for the weary!