Have I mentioned that summer is my favorite season? Especially here in SW Colorado. I just can’t say enough about the absolutely gorgeous weather, and with all the rain we’ve been getting (though still only 70% of ‘normal’), we have at least 1,000 shades of green to admire. Some days it is almost cool and other days it may get downright warm, but not for too long.
I don’t have anything too exciting to report as we’re up to our same old routine: working in our gardens, taking care of our chickens, and making local day trips for hiking and farmers markets. Now that school has started up again, it seems like we hear a lot of “what did you do with your summer?” and I am happy to say that all we did was stick around here and enjoy this little piece of paradise.
We’re spending more time letting Mia do things at her own pace, instead of always hurrying her along on our schedule. You can see a few pics from a long morning at the park with no agenda at all. We spent a lot of time by the river that morning but I couldn’t take pics then because I had to be on high alert for being so close to the river; we climbed up and down one particular set of rocks at least 20 times that morning. We wandered around the big grassy fields and examined puddles, rocks, grass, flowers and birds and butterflies.
You can see from the pictures above that our garden is growing rapidly, and hopefully all (or at least most) of our tomatoes will ripen before the weather cools off. We’ve been really into fermenting all the peppers we can find (from our garden and from nearby, lower elevation farms). Did you know that fermented foods are good for you in the way that real yogurt is good for you? I am talking about all the good bacteria and other things (probiotics) that you want to have in your stomach, plus more easily digestible nutrients. Delicious and nutritious, and lovely to look at, too!
Check out these links on fermented foods if you’re interested:
- http://nourishedkitchen.com/ferments-cultured-food/
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/grace-suh-coscia-lac-diplom/fermented-foods_b_1220756.html
- http://wellnessmama.com/2245/health-benefits-of-fermented-foods/
Wait, did I say “nothing exciting here”? What was I thinking? Our chickens started laying eggs! Penelope, our Barred Rock, laid her first egg on August 13. The hens were about 4.5 months old on August 13th. Next, our DeKalb Amberlinks (Izzie and Lizzie) started laying. And so far, we’re pretty sure that our Ameraucana (Cholula, the spicy one) is not laying…rather she is still trying to fly. Now the girls are laying 3 eggs per day, total.
Mia is climbing everything now, still really into dresses, loves her books and our books, and is cutting her 11th tooth. She sings part of the ‘ABC’ song again and again and also likes the ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’. She wants to be a part of everything we do and see everything we’re doing. She is really into play by play of cooking and observing the process (that is still one thing she is not allowed to do, is get close to the oven/stove…too hot…but we do explain the process and involve her in some tasks). She likes to do things on her own. “I no need hand, Mama/Papa.” “I get down and walk around!” And, so we oblige when we can. And we are trying to make more time to grant her wish of self exploration at her own pace. Thus, it is possible to “hike” with Mia at an elevation of 10,500 feet while wearing flip flops. Not only is it possible, it is rather enjoyable to let her set the pace and to watch her enjoy it.
One Moore In The Oven 