Hindsight Homestead 10/2023 Update

Things are busy as usual on the farm. Even though the days are shorter, there is still a lot of work left to be done. I thought it might be interesting to give an overview of some of what’s going on. Harvesting season is winding down and I anticipate that we will be finished with it for the season in the next week or so. Soon, we’ll have herbs drying and more eggplant than we know what to do with. I’m not sure why the eggplant did so well this year. It was right next to the okra, which the deer decimated mercilessly.

We planted a goji berry hedge row a year or so ago and the plants have done exceptionally well so far. While they have produced prolifically, they are a pain in the ass to harvest and it’s been hard to get anyone excited about picking them. They make an unusual and tasty tea. The dahlias have really taken off in the last few weeks. They got cut back yesterday. Maybe we’ll get another flush before it gets too cold. Hazelnuts should be ready to gather soon as well. The leaves haven’t really started dying back yet, but soon they will. They’re small, but delicious.

Our seed garlic arrived last week. We ordered late and the selections were limited, but we were able to get 75 pounds this time. We didn’t grow any last year, but the year before we did and made several variations of pickled garlic. We were impressed. It’s a great, clean way to prolong the shelf life of our garlic harvest. Another crowd pleaser at our house has been honey fermented garlic. We’re looking forward to making more of that as well. The beds that they will be going into have been tarped for several weeks now and they’ll get planted soon.

One of our fall traditions is attending the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) in Fletcher, NC at the WNC Agricultural Center. It’s a great place to meet new people and learn new skills. There are numerous vendors selling all things yarn and fiber. There are also animals and 4-H style showings and competitions. It’s a pretty neat experience and opportunity to network. We went last weekend. Our spoils this year? Rug punching supplies and a new two horned Jacob Spotted Ram named Hiro. He’s a good looking ram and has good size for a 9 month old. When we got him home and unloaded he immediately began proving that he’s up to the challenge. One of our daughters got a starter flock of Shetland sheep. Two ewes and one ram. It should be a fun spring lambing season.

Yesterday I bought several turkeys from a friend who is a local turkey breeder. He raises Bourbon Reds. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to be getting when I asked him if he still had any available, but was happy to find that they are nearly mature. We got the first batch of 20 birds loaded into dog kennels on a small trailer. I headed home, but as I was crossing an intersection, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a jailbreak in progress. Of course, it was lunch time rush hour. Anyhow, I found a “safe” place to pull over and check things out. Fortunately, several of the birds were so shocked that they were able to escape that they didn’t know what to do next. They were easy enough to be returned to safety. One, however, had managed to escape completely and was directing traffic like a drunken crosswalk guard. He was pretty freaked out by the whole experience. It was the first time that he had walked on asphalt and he wasn’t a big fan. I did the walk of shame, retrieved my shell shocked friend and before long was on my way again. When I got home and we unloaded the birds, there were only 19, so if you happen across a funny looking stray dog in the downtown Jonesborough area… If things go well, we’ll have turkey in the freezer in a few weeks. It’s way easier just to buy turkey from the store, but what fun is that?

Finally, Tea Party Barn has been officially launched. We’re looking forward to many years of building memories and making new friends. The barn is climate controlled and we plan on having year-round availability.

Now, you pretty much know as much as I do!

Does anyone have any killer eggplant recipes or preservation tips? They would be much appreciated.

Trivia:

Do you know what they call crossing guards in England, Ireland and Australia?

Lollipop Lady / Lollipop Man (because the signs that they hold look like lollipops)

What is what we in the United States call an eggplant called in most of the rest of the English-speaking world?

Aubergine (In parts of Asia and Africa, they are called brinjal.)