Cool and damp summer in Missouri

Here is some snapshots of what we are looking like here on the Spinning C in the middle of July of 2009. I plant sweet corn every 2 weeks so that it does not all come ready at the same time. We plant a very large garden and freeze and can most of our fruits and vegetables for winter. The cabinets are looking pretty bare due to the slow growing season we are having.

I am so far behind blogging...so many things have to be done in the summer here on the farm. As you can see our large gardens demand lots of my time.

Washing wool is one of my top priorities....I have a new stainless steel sink that has not been put in the building yet so I set it up out by the old clothesline and I soak my bags of wool in cool water to remove lots of the dirt before taking it inside to wash. I then hang the bags on the line to drain out most of the water. Hopefully the new sink will be installed and this yard adorment will not be sitting in the yard in just a short month or so...even though it has been nice being out in the nice weather while working with my wool.

I also drain the dirty water from the sinks into buckets that later gets put on the garden. (Almost a compost tea.)

Look at the wool on the new lambs. So many of the lambs are white this year and look lots like the old man, White Knight. Their wool is getting long and it has a silky feel. At times I wold like to have coats on them protecting the wool but I just don't think I can justify the time and expense of the coat thing... The brown ewe is Isabelle with her daughter, Dotty.

Here are a few of this Spring's lambs, we have 3 brown lambs this year and rest (36 lambs) are white.

Our garden is so very far behind due to the cool and wet Spring. We did not get the plants and seeds in the ground as early as we usually have in the past. I planted a heirloom climbing bean on the trellis and it is a beautiful red and putting on beans now.

Tomatoes are usually ripe and corn is usually ready by this time but we are just starting to get ripe tomatoes and I have picked a couple batches of green beans.

We have heirloom tomatoes here and there, I save the seeds so I put the different varieties in diffierent locations so they won't cross pollinate. We really like the Mortage Lifter and Brandi Wine Tomatoes and we are trying some

new ones out this year. In the picture is a new one we are trying, it is the Elberta Peach.

The sweet corn is just starting to tassel and making ears.