The Market

I feel the end of the market looming. Mama and I went this AM at our usual ungodly hour. I ran into my neighbor V who introduced me to the LARD. Yes, people, real lard. For biscuits, pie crust and other delights. These of course can be made without lard, but why bother? We also ran into SHG for the first time in many weeks. She of course already knew about the lard. Sigh. In my mild panic about the market ending in a month and a half, I bought enough food for about 8 people. So, if you are around this week and hungry, come on by....

Today I am making tomatillo sauce with one of the few success stories from the garden. I still have lots of leeks and parsley, so last night I used many of my teeny potatoes to make potato leek soup with fresh milk. Deelish. I still have potatoes to dig, but I don't think the harvest will be great (very late and half assed job) and since they seem to still be happy out there and because I don't really have a good place to put them, I am leaving them in the garden bed. We will revisit them later. I am also making granola. I haven't made it in ages, but the rising costs at IY is encouraging me to branch out. The granola I bought for the SB before he took off cost $12. Um. That is too much for cereal people.

My bees are not eating. I went out yesterday to refill the feeder, thinking it would be dry, but it was almost full. Don't really know what is up with that, but my theory is that I must have burnt the sugar a bit when I made the syrup. I had a new batch whipped up so I made a new feeder from a Rubbermaid container with holes poked in the lid. I took it out this AM. I felt like I was going to a potluck with my little container. They seemed a little more interested in this, but I'll have to check tomorrow and see for sure.

I am hoping to get some more seeds planted over the weekend. And some general yard and garden work accomplished. Of course, it is supposed to be sweltering. I'll try to follow the shade around the yard. I have spinach coming up in one of the former tomato planters. I am cutting out the other tomato today and replanting there with lettuces or more spinach or chard or something. I also need to do some work on my garden pathways to keep the weed barrier in order. Yesterday I was out puttering and pulled a plant that was covered in bugs. I thought, wouldn't the chickens like this? I really need me some chickens. And some ducks. And since we no longer have the raw milk available (ending the last week in September), I REALLY need me a cow. And the truth is that I need to be a housewife. Actually, I really need to be an urban farmwife. All my work clothes will be black.