Out and About the Homestead

It's been a massive effort to keep everything alive until September when this heat generally subsides. I won't be happy seeing my water bill this month because we've even been watering some of our big trees. We have a massive pine at the front of our property whose needles have started to yellow. That's one tree we don't want to lose so we've been deep watering it every third day. 

I've been more ruthless with little plants. If I don't think they'll bear fruit before the first frost, I ripped them out and threw them in the compost. There's no point in coddling vegetable plants that won't produce.

I also trashed two citrus trees. This is the second year they didn't produce. I don't want to waste water on unproductive plants. 

On the other hand I've been gently nurturing small pepper and tomato plants I want to overwinter. If I hand pollinate, I'll probably see fruit in January.  

The only plants that seem to like this heat are the peppers and okra. They thrive in bake mode.

A Discovery

Since my potted squash plants don't seem to succeed and planting them in the ground is risky due to squash bugs, I did some research and learned that chayote is similar to summer squash in taste. More importantly, it seems squash bugs tend to leave them alone. 

Despite my Mexican ancestry, I have never knowingly eaten a chayote, so I decided to buy one to see if I liked it. 

I loved it! Raw, it tastes like a cross between jicama and cucumber. It's crisp and fresh. I could easily see myself eating this in salads.

Cooked, it was tender yet kept it's shape. It was delicious in stir frys and Mexican stews. I was hooked.

There was only one problem. I couldn't figure out how to grow it. I'd never seen seeds for it. It turned out, it has only one seed. Think of a mango but with a smaller, more tender center.

If I want to grow it next year, I need to plant the whole vegetable. It's a vine that takes up to 150 days to mature. (That's almost my entire "warm" growing season!) It's supposed to be a very prolific producer, but I still plan to plant at least four fruits to see how it goes.

I'm very excited about this prospect--especially if it means I don't have to fight squash bugs. We shall see. 

Homestead Livestock 

I get wistful when I see ducks, geese, and rabbits. I'd like very much to raise them again. The trouble is, we don't eat like we used to. I also don't want to put Greg back into the henchman role since he's more adept than me at making a clean kill. Quail, I can do myself, but Greg doesn't like quail as much as I do.

I still think rabbits are a good option. We both like the meat, and it's good for the dogs too. But when I think of this heat, I know those rabbits will have to live in the house. Either that or we'll have to figure out how to raise them in a an outdoor pen with adequate cooling, but inaccessible to snakes and raccoons. 

A snake once ate several of my baby bunnies, and I've been cautious ever since. And yes, I made quick work of the snake. I am vindictive.

Ducks and geese are more work, more messy, and more noisy than rabbits. We'd gladly eat duck and geese more often, but I think in lieu of the extra work, we'll just spend the money on commercially raised ducks. 

If I could have anything, I would want a real fish pond, but that's a dream for a bigger homestead and a younger person. I'll have to buy my fish like everyone else.

Speaking of fish, if you like salmon, try steelhead trout instead. I think the taste is better and cooks up more tender. The grocery stores are beginning to notice and are starting to raise the price on steelhead, but it's still cheaper than salmon.

On the home front

Everyone is doing well, but Nana is now profoundly deaf. It hurts my heart because she always had such keen hearing. We speak to her in sign language and gentle hugs. 

From puppyhood, I've always taught my dogs basic hand signals because I don't like speaking if I can help it. I think it makes for a calmer relationship if we can keep the noise level down. 

How's life at your end? Did you garden this year? What was your biggest success? 

Have you ever eaten chayote?

 

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