Cayenne Peppers Drying

Homemade Goatmilk Soap

The Happy Little Soap Maker

Today I made goatmilk lye soap. It is currently in a wooden box mold, and by tomorrow, or next day, it will be ready to cut. It is just a simple soap - olive oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, goatmilk, and lye. I didn't add a fragrance because the goatmilk seems to have its own special scent. To me, it smells kinda like peanut butter, LOL.

Check back in a couple of days for pics.

With a heat index of 100+ degrees here in the Ozarks, I have been trying to entertain myself indoors. A few weeks ago I picked up some supplies to make a leather belt (bottom Picture). Yesterday, I finally got it finished. Now if I could just get some other projects finished....sigh....

Garden Update

It's still growing, LOL. I have made some changes though. The morning glories that were growing on the back porch were not doing so well, thanks to japanese beetles. So, I transplanted them to another part of the yard (what was left of them), and replaced them with various herbs I found on sale the other day.

My corn is not doing so well, but then I never have any luck with corn. Despite my best efforts, ear worms have found a home. Everything else is is doing great. My tomato plants are taller than me, but then that is not saying a whole lot, lol. I am stocking my freezer with zuchinni, bell peppers, and green beans, and I have more cucumbers than I know what to do with (even after giving many of them to friends and neighbors). I am still waiting for my cayenne peppers to turn red, but the plants are loaded with green ones right now.

Clematis

Just planted last year, its now blooming and making its way up the porch rail. I planted various flower seeds in the little yellow pots, but looks like I started them too late as they are not doing much. The hanging stain glass desert scene is compliments of my brother-in-law, who lives in GA.

In the Kitchen

Fried up some zuchinni the other day. Made a batter using self-rising flour, ground flax seed (as an egg substitute), and 7-up. The 7-up seemed to add a touch of sweetness.

First Harvest

My little garden has definitely grown since the first pictures, don't you think?


Found a few surprises in the garden that kept me busy most of the morning.

Hanging basil to dry adds a nice scent to the kitchen

Fresh basil straight from the garden. I will dry some and freeze the rest.

Bell peppers ready for the freezer

Basil ready for the freezer

Zuchinni blooms ready for dipping in batter and frying.

Freshly picked bell peppers

Freshly picked green beans

Building a Flower Bed the Easy Way

Place some landscaping timber where you want your flower bed to be. Layer old newspapers directly on the grass. Eventually the grass beneath will die off and the paper will decompose. For now it will act as a weed barrier. You can also use cardboard or store bought weed barrier material. I then dumped in 1 bag of garden soil and 2 bags of top soil. I planted sunflower seeds, which should be popping up soon : ) After the flowers come up, I will add some kind of mulch.

My Flowers

Morning glorys in hanging pots and in planters attached to rail
Impatiens in wishing well

Impatiens and some kind of flowering vine (Verbana, maybe?)

Morning glorys on back porch

New flower bed I built a few weeks ago. Planted marigolds here. Clematis planted last year. Hasn't bloomed yet.

Impatiens. Perfect for my shady front yard.

First

Baby bell pepper

Corn

Thinking of the Birds

My Morning Walk

I have been jones'n for some honeysuckle in my backyard. Years ago, when I lived in Hot Springs AR, I had honeysuckle growing just a few feet from my kitchen window. I enjoying the sweet fragrance while doing the dishes, especially when a gentle breeze would blow. Well, this morning I went for a nice long early morning walk, and guess what greeted me along my path? Yeppers, honeysuckle! Tons of it. So, like a sneaky thief, I snatched me off a piece of the vine, brough it home and stuck it in a jar of water. Hopefully in a couple of weeks or so, I will see little roots growing on the stem. Then, I will plant the vine outside in the backyard. Of course I might just have to have more than one, LOL.

More Garden Stuff

My first Zuchinni. Be eatin' that baby soon, LOL. Notice all those blossoms? I hear they are tasty eatin' too. Use the male blossom because they do not produce fruit. Wash blossoms inside and out. Remove stamen/pistil. Gently pat dry with a paper towel. Make a batter using flour, beer, milk, salt, and egg. I use ground flax as an egg substitute. Dip blossoms in batter and fry in hot oil. Haven't tried it yet but looking forward to it.

This is what they will look like when done. Yummy, huh?

Corn:
Cucumbers:

Bush green beans
I really should have thinned them already. You can see the black weed barrier peeking through the straw. I have found that card board and newspapers make an even better weed barrier because it eventually decomposes, adding to the richness of the soil.

Peppers. See the tiny white blooms that will soon be replaced by peppers?

OK, this is an up close view of the small garden bed framed with wood that I mentioned earlier. It is made from bags of garden soil. The top side of the plastic bag is cut away and slits are cut in the bottom side. Seeds are planted directly into the bags of soil. The roots will find their way through the slits on the bottom and grow deeper into the earth, as the plastic prevents weeds from growing. Cover with mulch to hide the plastic. I have raked back the straw so you can see the plastic and get an idea what I am talking about.

It looks like I am going to have more tomatoes than I bargained for. I only planted two tomatoes this year because I did not know if I was going to be home or not. However, I recently noticed tomatoes coming up again that I had planted last year. Below is a last year's marigold and an unexpected tomato plant coming up next to a this year pepper plant.

Another unexpected tomato coming up outside the cage

Another unexpected tomato coming up outside the box. Not sure how that one got there.

Time to start tying this baby up. Strips of old panty hose work wonderfully for tying tomatoes

Below is the same tomato plant just a few weeks ago. My how it has grown!