It’s just Monday, but already the week is and will continue on as a busy one. As Conrad and Coop make last minute preparations for the auction this coming Saturday, Janet and I have been busy making sure we are ready to set up kitchen. Our neighbor Mike came by yesterday with one of his hay wagons for use during the auction. The workers will be here early Friday to sort and arrange items, so that will most definitely come in handy.

We have been getting a lot of drivers passing by since the signs are up and the ads have come out in the local news and farm papers. Despite today’s heat and predicted heat for the next few days, Saturday’s forecast is calling for mid seventies and sunny skies. I am glad for that! With any luck at all the auction should prove a success. Afterwards it will just be a matter of cleaning up and getting rid of the excess people leave behind. Even though I’ll be relieved when the week is done, I must admit I am looking forward to Saturday. Auctions are always fun, very social events.

No ducklings yet! I had predicted about summer solstice, but so far nothing. However, we have been battling raccoons regularly and we assume that is what got into our ducks pen last night. Poor Thelma was probably terrified and by the looks of things, meaning duck feathers, she put up a fight. We’ve yet to tell if any eggs are missing, as we don’t want to disturb her any further as she nests.

I have baby tomatoes! All the tomato plants are blossoming, but the Rutgers Heirloom are producing tomatoes now. We haven’t lost a plant at all. I am so proud of our garden. When we planted, we thought some of them might not make it as they were small plants and somewhat fragile. But to our surprise they all made it and are big, strong, healthy plants. We will have a bumper crop no doubt! The pepper plants are in bloom and again, never lost one! The only things that failed were the row of eggplant and the row of strawflowers. Nothing came up in either row so I must assume the seeds weren’t much good to begin with.

I have cut the last bunch of swiss chard to clean and freeze tonight or in the morning, depending on how ambitious I feel yet tonight. We still have loads of romaine lettuce at our disposal and so I have included another recipe that is a nice change of pace from a traditional tossed salad. The men went crazy for it when I served it the other day, so it’s a keeper.

We have been seeing deer daily, a few bucks but more often doe with their young spotted babes nearby. I just love seeing the babies! We got a wonderful surprise yesterday (and again today) when we saw one of the wild turkey cross the road and lead her seven babies into the field. That was a new sight for me!

So, to end this, here is that recipe I mentioned. Enjoy!

Romaine Strawberry Salad

2 bunches romaine lettuce (or enough to fill a large bowl
1 large sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings
½ lb. strawberries (or more if you prefer) washed and quartered or halved

Dressing:

¾ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sugar
¼ cup milk
2 T. vinegar (cider or white)
1 T. celery seed (poppy seed would be fine, also)

Mix ingredients for dressing well, then pour over salad. Toss and serve.

Busyness & Butterflies

What a busy day it's been, not to mention week! The garden is completely planted now, thank goodness! Blossoms are coming on to the tomatoes, the swiss chard is growing tall and the eggplant is coming up. Lots going on out there and the plants are doing well with the recent rains.

I've been busy around the house, catching up and trying to keep decent meals on the table while tending to things outdoors and helping friends accomplish their necessary tasks. I even managed to upload some eBay listings in the past day or three to create a little extra cash flow. If interested, check the items out using the link on the right hand side of my blog.

We've really been enjoying our fresh garden greens. Last night I made a large bowl of wilted greens as an accompaniment to dinner. They were delicious. I used a combination of spinach and romaine lettuce. I'm including the easy recipe below in case you've never tickled your taste buds with this nice change of pace from a regular salad.

Wilted Lettuce Salad

Large bunch of cleaned leaf lettuce or young spinach or a combination
6 slices bacon
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 c. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. water
2-4 hard cooked eggs, quartered or chopped (optional)
2 green onions, sliced (optional)

Tear lettuce into large bowl. Fry bacon until crisp, set aside and crumble when cool. Add vinegar, sugar and water to bacon drippings, heat to boiling point. Pour over lettuce. Toss until wilted. Garnish with onion, crumbled bacon and eggs.

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Monarch Butterflies

Somehow, as I was browsing the internet this morning I got fixated on Monarch Butterflies. It didn’t take long to learn that the loss of farmland and use of herbicides is a major threat to the lives and future of these beautiful creatures. It relieves me to know that these 80 acres surrounding me are no longer farmed and that the milkweed grows freely.

Here are two organizations I came across that offer ways to help attract and preserve the Monarch and keep our skies and yards filled with nature’s beauty.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/ explains how we can offset habitat loss by creating a Monarch waystation for the butterflies on their yearly migration route. Certified Monarch Waystations then become part of the International Monarch and Waystation Registry and can display the Waystation sign. However, submission for certification is voluntary.

http://www.livemonarch.com has as their goal to keep the skies filled with color by educating everyone about habitat loss and what each of us can do. They promote habitat reclamation projects across North America and sponsor a free seed program and free “adopt a butterfly” program. These programs are great for getting children involved in butterfly conservation!