Update

We are getting some things in our CSA shares this summer that are different than we have ever gotten before. I'm really liking the adventure of trying new things. There are more options with heirloom vegetables, like the lemon cucumbers from last week and the heirloom tomatoes this week.

I tried the new cucumbers. They were really good. Very cucumbery. I had them in a salad with my SIL.

Oh, wait, that doesn't sound right at all! I had them in a salad that I shared with my SIL. It was a good salad and great company.

Our CSA this week:
Green apples (if I can fend off the kids I will make Morning Glory muffins with them), Fennel (again I love, love it with the chicken), lettuce (salad all the way!), pluots (the kids eat them raw and they are great for after school), I picked basil and cherry tomatoes ( the basil will go into bruschetta and I'm going to dehydrate the tomatoes for this winter), a head of cabbage (we have found that we really love this recipe), a beet (I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this yet - maybe juice it), an onion, 2 different tomatoes - 1 persimmon tomato and 1 cherokee green (they are both new to us. Usually we totally go over board this time of year with bruschetta. So, chances are that that is where these two are headed), and 2 ears of corn.

What is happening with the goats? I'm so glad you asked.

All I can say is that I hope when my daughter is a teenager she reject the advances of boys half as well as my goat is currently. We invited the buck over Sunday for a little get-to-know-you. Penny wanted nothing to do with getting-to-know him. *sigh

Our next option is to try a shot that will bring her into heat. It's an easy enough solution. We will see if it pans out. The plan is to give her a shot and then in 65-75 hours she will be ready to be bred. It sure would be nice for the scheduling aspect of this process. I have read that while it brings on a heat cycle it does not cause ovulation. But, you never know with internet info. I have a call into my vet to double check this, but his office assistant seems to think that all will be well and we have a good chance at a successful breeding. It just goes to show that the internet is not always right. Dang it, here I thought everything I read on the interweb was always totally true.

Right now we are looking at the possibility of a Valentine's Day baby. *fingers crossed!

We are seriously considering getting another goat so that we have 3 and it wouldn't be such a big deal to ship one goat off to be bred. We can't do that now because that would leave Felicity home alone. And as they say, "a single goat is a naughty goat". They cry and cry and cry. I want to keep my neighbors happy, so no single goats here.

But, we do feel a little like the frog in the kettle. My husband originally said, "Sure, let's try one goat". Poor guy, didn't know what he was getting into. Well, except that he does have 16 years of experience being married to me and that gives him a heads up that this is probably going to get a little hairy (I call it adventure and being spontaneous, he calls it lack of planning). So, I'm thinking no more than 4 goats. Or thereabouts. Probably.

I've been super busy here. I had a death in the family on one side, then a little family reunion with the other side a week later. Plus, canning season is here. I have done a little canning in the past, but I want to do quite a bit this year. I started today with a pear relish that was my grandmother's recipe. It is super good on beans and cornbread. It's also good with turkey sandwiches. Next I want to can some tomatoes. If I still have energy after that I will see what I will tackle.

CSA

This is the time of year that our CSA makes up for the shares in the Spring that are not only small, but also mostly leafy greens.

This week we got:
Top left: green beans, lettuce, heirloom tomato (oh, this is so going to be bruschetta with my homemade bread from this book - LOVE the book!), summer squash (we got a mix of pattypan, scallopini, and globe squash - at least I'm pretty sure that's what I have),  broccoli, carrots, pluots, green onions, lemon cucumber (not sure what I'm going to use these for, but supposedly I can use them for anything I would normally use a regular green cucumber), fennel (which I make this recipe. I originally got the recipe from my SIL, but was able to find a link to it on the internet - Yeah for the web having everything!), and from the U-pick area I got basil (will be going with the heirloom tomato to make bruschetta - I have adjusted this recipe a bit, but really The Pioneer Woman has never let me down, I often cook from recipes on her site) and some cherry tomatoes (which will go in with the fennel recipe).

The rest of the farmlette is doing well. The chickens are happy and we are letting them start to free range a bit more with only the random egg being laid outside of the nesting boxes. 

We are still working on getting Penny bred. She is not cooperating by going into heat in a manner that works with the schedules of those involved. Goats only go into heat for about 24 hours every 21 days. This makes it a bit challenging. But, I'm learning a lot and hopefully will be better able to get this done when Felicity's turn comes up in the Spring.