Figs

So every day, I've been gathering the figs that are just about ripe, before the ants and gnats get them, and cut them up to put in the freezer. Last week, I had 2 gallons and a qt baggie full. So I made fig preserves. I just added organic sugar and simmered for several hours. I got 14 little jelly jars.

My 3 pear trees are full of pears right now too. I think sometime in the next week or so, I need to get the pears and get them canned. I want to make a syrup using honey, cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. I love pears like this.

I am still milking Freya and olga twice a day. I tried to go to once a day Monday. I skipped 2 nights. But they were both so full I decided to wait a little longer. I bought some alfalfa hay today. Maybe that will keep them going a bit longer. I just hate to not have fresh good goat milk. I want them to go as long as they can.

This is my view in the morning while I milk. It's so beautiful here. And so peaceful. I can imagine all the crazy chaos going on in the world, but not here in my little world. I'm still milking outside. It's in the low 90's here still. Can hardly believe it'll be Sept. 1st tomorrow. And fall is right around the corner. So much needs to be done. We still need more fire wood. And I want to plant a fall garden. Maybe. Still thinking about that. I really want to plant buckwheat for the bees. I'll see how it goes.

And here's another one...

This morning, after I let the chickens out, one of the hens ran as fast as she could over to the little rock garden in the yard. I followed her. Do you see what I see?

Yes, 16 eggs. I got this bowl and started reaching under the hen and pulled out 16 eggs. She never even moved.

So looks like some egg hunts in my future!

Found 'em!

I was mowing in the chicken yard this afternoon and found a nest of eggs in the 10' tall pig weed that's over taken their yard. Cracked 1 when I ran over them with the mower but the rest are good. I haven't been getting eggs lately from the nest boxes. This is why.

SO fun!

Ok, the colors are not good in these pictures like they are in person.

On the left is Merino dyed with cosmos flowers. On the right is dried hibiscus flowers. These are the first in the dye pots.

                                     This is the 2nd dye with hibiscus. a little lighter, but still pretty.

 

                                                      And the 2nd dye with the cosmos.

I was a little disappointed in the hibiscus. When I was simmering the dried flowers, the color was a beautiful deep red color. I was hoping to get red yarn. Or at least pink. But they turned out a light lavender color. Which is fine. But pink or red would have been nice.

I am having so much fun doing this! Wish I had started sooner. Next I will be using rosemary.

More dying going on here today...

Went out this morning and picked another bucket of cosmos for dying some Merino ( probably not spelled right)  today.

Just look at all the color on my fingers! Can't wait to get the wool in the pot now! I'm simmering in mordant right now, then into the dye pot. More beautiful bright orangey-yellow coming up!

Almond Joy

Ok, so I had this idea to make a soap like an Almond Joy candy bar, one of my favorites. But I can't eat them anymore.  I had a few bars of some coconut soap and some Almond Biscotti soap that I cut up. I also ground some almonds and grated a few squares of organic baking cocoa. And this is what I got. Isn't it yummy looking? I will for sure have to watch the guys now! Men usually think my soap is fudge.

It smells amazing! I used some already last night, just to see how it lathers. I can still smell it on me this morning. I used a white washcloth too. It had some light brown on the cloth, but it washed out. Lots of bubbles too! So I am pleased with how this turned out. And I have enough to make another batch later if this sells well.

I asked my husband to smell it before I told him what it was. He smelled coconut first, then chocolate. I had to tell him it had almonds too. But he liked it.

So here ya go, a soap that smells like Almond Joy! I wish you could smell it through the internet!

dying wool

Yesterday, I decided to try to dye some of my hand spun yarn. I went out and gathered all the cosmos flowers I had, plus some marigolds. Simmered them for a little while.

While the flowers were simmering, I got the yarn ready in the mordant bath. It had to simmer an hour.

Strained the flowers and got a beautiful orange color. Added the yarn and simmered another hour.

                                                            And this is what I got. I just love it!

Then today, I put 2 more skeins in that same dye pot. They are so much lighter, but still really pretty. I think I might really like doing this. I can see how it can be quite addictive.

I found some gentian violet the other day at Walmart. I saw someone's post on FB where they dyed some wool using this stuff. It's what people use for thrush. It is a beautiful purple-violet color. I want to dye some alpaca next. I'm washing more white alpaca so should have enough to dye soon.