It was REALLY hot!

This mama Mangalitsa pig was enjoying her mud bog yesterday.  Since it was 101, I can't blame her.

Recycling at its best

This cute mailbox is made from an antique outboard boat motor.  Why not use some of that old "stuff" to make others smile?

Purple Potatoes

We grew these wonderful purple potatoes this year (also red and yellow and white potatoes). 

Marvin harvested a few of the purple variety yesterday and I made mashed potatoes. 

Not only are they yummy, they're festive!

Bears on the loose!

Last Sunday, I had to drive down to Malibu to pick up some plants.  This quick trip turned into a 14 hour day and by the time I headed home I was TIRED. 

I was driving on the stretch between Ventura and Santa Barbara and going no faster than 35 MPH thanks to the holiday traffic (4th of July).  I had to take picture of these giant bears in the road just to make sure that they were real and not a figment of my imagination.

I suppose they were headed for a fair or something, but it was pretty fun to see them tooling down the road behind a van.

Preschool Visit

This beautiful group is the Paso Robles Head Start program and they came to visit HZ Harvest Farm on Friday June 15th!

we had 35 children - mostly 4 years old, a couple 3 and a couple 5 years old.  Many have never been to a farm or seen all the animals.

We had clay pots for them to paint and take home and little "prizes" of slinkys and bubbles and jump ropes.

They brought their own lunch and even shared with us a brown sack with a half of bolgna and cheese, a package of baby carrots and a bag of orange slices.  After a few hours with them, the lunch tasted mighty good.

Fortunately, it was fairly cool on Friday, but heated up to 110 on Saturday and 107 on Sunday.  Ugh!  We spent the week end from "you know where" trying to keep everything watered and all the animals alive in the heat.

Remember, try to be as good today as your dog thinks you are!

Home Sweet Home

It's been a while since we connected and I apologize.

Our friends, Tanner and James, just left.  We really miss them.  They were really no problem and helped so much with the farm.   They are 21 and I called them our "puppies" because they had so much energy.  Their attitude was always cheerful and helpful.  Best of all, they put our chickens to bed every night.  This little chore has to happen after the sun goes down.  This time of year, I want to be getting ready for bed at the same time!

We just replanted sod in our yard - what a difference it makes!  I thought you'd enjoy a picture of our little bungalow.  It was built in the early 1900's and has been updated along the way. 

The warm weather is ripening everything soooo quickly.  We have hundreds of ripe tomatoes.  We have celery root and fennel, herbs of every type, beets, radishes, garlic, onions, potatoes, hot peppers of various varieties, bell peppers, red cabbage, green cabbage, zucchini, summer crookneck squash, patty pan squash (the round scalloped ones), cantaloupe, sugar baby watermelons and blackberries.  I may have skipped some, but you get the picture.

We would love to have you come visit and do a little u-pick, but you need to make it early in the morning as the weather is running in the 100's.

Stay cool!

My sister Judy's tips

Hi.  My name is Judy.  I’m one of Kathy’s sisters.  I’m the one who doesn’t live on a farm or ranch.  I don’t ride horses, help mama pigs or sheep with their deliveries, or even know how to collect chicken eggs properly. 

Now that you know what I don’t do, let me tell you what I am good at.  I can make killer jelly and jam, I know a secret for easy juicing of pomegranates, and I freeze tomatoes and zucchini during the summer for winter use.  I also knit, crochet, embroider and sew.  Yep, that’s me – Mrs. Homemaker.

I want to pass on a few of my tips that I have learned over the years.

What to do with all that zucchini?:  Well, don’t let it go to waste or give it all away.  Wash it, grate it and seal it in freezer bags.  Then freeze it.  I know what you’re thinking . . . I’m going to tell you to use it for zucchini bread.  Yes, you can do that, but I also put it in my spaghetti sauce, meat loaf and soups.  It adds some thickening and gets more veggies into the family, stretches the food dollars and adds 2.5g fiber per cup.  It is also a great source of vitamins A, C and potassium.

What to do with tomatoes?:  I put my tomatoes whole into boiling water until the skin starts to split but no more than 30 seconds.  Then put them into ice water to quickly cool them down so they don’t continue to cook.  Once cool, take the core out and the skin just peels off.  Put them on a cookie sheet, not touching, and freeze them.  Once they are frozen you can put them into freezer bags and they won’t stick together in one big messy lump.  Put them back into the freezer.  When I’m ready to make something with tomatoes, I can take out only as many as I need.  These fresh frozen tomatoes and the shredded zucchini become a base for my homemade spaghetti sauce during the winter.  The other bonus is that I didn’t have to can them during the summer when the last thing I want to do is stand over a hot stove all day. 

Another tomato tip:  Buy a dehydrator.  It’s a great investment.  Wash you cherry tomatoes, cut them in half and dehydrate them.  My grandchildren and husband eat them like candy.  The large tomatoes can be sliced and dehydrated.  Experiment on the thickness you prefer but remember that they are much smaller when dehydrated.  To keep them longer, I store them in freezer bags and after they are dehydrated and put these in my freezer.  Yum!

It’s berry season: Wash the berries, put them on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Once frozen I put them in freezer bags.  When I have time during the winter I take them out and make jelly or jam just in time for Holiday giving.   I also dehydrate strawberries got a great winter snack – or anytime snack.

Now, for those of you who don’t have enough zucchini, tomatoes or berries from you own garden, see Kathy at HZ Harvest.  Her garden is abundant and wonderful.