Goodbye TWENTY13. Hello TWENTY14.

2014 is here. Are you like me, wondering "where did 2013 go so quickly?" It's a good thing I have this blog to help me answer that question or might I not remember all that transpired in the last 12 months. Although, this blog is only 10 months old, so February and January are blurred memories. Except at the end of February, I do remember the very hard landing I took after taking an unscheduled dismount off my Arab gelding's back. Ouch! Somewhere during my recovery I started thinking about this blog...and how much I looked forward to walking again and being out of pain.

My first post went live on March 16, 2013. I chickened out with a short post and a photo.

I enjoyed reading back over the year's post to see all we accomplished as a family. Please be my guest to look back over the year at Stable Road Homestead.

March

We showed you how to make codling moth traps for your fruit trees

April

The Fix-It Month poem brought a few laughs
You met, Yeller, our Strawberry-loving Labrador Retriever

May

Celebrated Mother's Day and remembered on Serviceman and women in the US Armed Forces.

June 

We celebrated Father's Day and our son graduated high school.

July

The harvest began for apricots, grapes, and lettuces.
During the BIG HEAT WAVE, we took off to the lake to do some fly fishing.

August

Deer hunting season...There was nothing to "write home about", if you know what I mean...

September

We tracked a bear and harvested an abundance of apples, thanks to the codling moth traps we set out at bud-break in March.
Stable Road Homestead joined in The Homestead Barn Hop, hosted by The Prairie Homestead and New Life on a Homestead.
 

October

October was a busy month:
I wrote a review (non-paid) about Twisted X All-Around boots, which I like a lot.
We harvested Icicle Radishes and planted garlic--for the first time.
We began our experiment with growing in SmartPots.
Our Yellow Labrador, Bodie, turned four.
We joined other family members for a week on the North Coast.
We introduced you to one way to remove the "pickle smell" from a great big pickle jar so it can be reused to store whatever you like.
I closed out the month with a week of jury duty service.

November

We assessed our To Do List and felt pretty happy (and a little tired) with what we accomplished in 2013.
We helped neighbors move and adopted their 4 Barred Rock hens, who graciously give us two eggs a day.
We gave thanks for His grace and provision.

December

Winter came in hard in December. The Big Snow Storm sent a tree through the top of the horse shelter. The horses were not hurt, thank God.

Your Top 3 Favorite Posts

1. What I Like About Line Drying Clothing
2. Homestead barn Hop 134
3. Grateful the Horses Weren't Hurt

Your Least Favorite Posts

 ...Did I Say the Freezer is Full?
This post is a follow-on to a post about filling the chest freezer with meals, home-raised/home butchered meat. The point was...the freezer didn't stay full long enough and I need to improve the plan for next time.

Winter to Spring
A photo-only post that contrasts a cold, gloomy snowy winter day with the cold-but-sunny brilliance of spring buds on the Crepe Myrtle.

7 Projects to Complete Before Summer Strikes
I'm happy to report we made progress on this project list. The old pond is now filled with gravel and decomposed granite. The next step is to add the quartzite stones, seating and fire pit.

The carpets were cleaned in time for Thanksgiving. One day we hope to have wooden flooring again.

What Would You Like to Learn About in 2014?

Now it's time to hear from you. What is it you would like to know more about in 2014? Please let me know!

Thanks for joining us at this week's Homestead Barn Hop. Don't forget to stop in to say "hi" to Prairie Homestead and New Life on a Homestead, both of whom graciously hostess this blog hop.

White Icicle Radishes

Also known as Lady Finger, these White Icicle Radishes are fresh out of the garden.

White Icicle Radishes grow a slim 4"-6" root taper to a point and have a very slender taproot. The flesh is "crisp", mild (in case you don't like the "sharp" taste of some varieties) and, yep, you guessed it--white. The green "tops" are good to eat, so don't toss them to your chickens just yet. Add them to your salad, saute them, or toss them in a soup or stew.

Give Growing Radishes A Try

Radishes prefer well-drained soil with plenty of added organic matter. They have low nutrient requirements (one of the attributes that makes them easy to grow). But, they don't like a lot of nitrogen.

Cool weather is their favorite kind of weather. Start by sowing seeds directly wherever there is extra space in the garden. Some gardeners like to use radishes as row markers for slower germinating crops like carrots. I like this idea!

You can harvest the White Icicle Radish whenever it's large enough to use. Store them in cool, moist conditions. Ours usually go straight into the salad.

Radishes of all kinds are quick, reliable growers; a rewarding crop to grow for new  gardeners!

The Codling Moth Traps Worked!

Our homemade Codling Moth traps worked like a charm! This season we harvested of beautiful crop of pest-free, blemish- free apples. No pesticides of any kind were used. And no extra money was spent due to being able to use materials we had on-hand already. Look at these apples! Aren't they gorgeous!

In case you missed what we did, here's a quick recap: http://stableroadhomestead.blogspot.com/2013/03/making-codling-moth-traps.html

If you're growing apples or other fruit or nuts which Codling Moths like to infest, try using these traps next season. Be sure to set them out right at bud-break in the spring.

Question for you:

Why is the apple harvest early this year?  Our Granny Smith apples are ripe now and ready for picking.  Usually we harvest "Granny" in September/October. If you have the answer, please post a comment to share what you know.

Apples

Pick

Peel

Cook

Can

Slice

Freeze

Pies

Summer Harvest

Apricots in Abundance

 Last year, due to winter's longevity, we had ZERO fruit on the one apricot tree. Late spring freezes and snowfall knocked the blossoms off the tree. Such a disappointment. This season, however, the apricots are coming in very well. In a few short weeks, we'll be harvesting the fruit and making, you guessed it, apricot jam. Right now, we are busy thinning the fruit so that the apricots that are left on the tree will grow larger in size. It seems like such a waste. But, in the long run it's a good a thing.

After thinning, we'll net the tree to keep the birds off. Those feathered fiends can clear out a crop in no time at all. Netting is a real pain to put on--and take off. It takes at least two of us. We store the netting on a long pole. With one person holding an end of the pole, we unroll the netting over the top of the tree and then cinch-tie it around the trunk. (We'll try to remember to capture this on film.) This is the best method we come up with so far.

We didn't plant this tree, so I don't know which variety of apricot it is. But, it's a good one. The fruit is excellent for eating fresh and canning. I experimented with drying some of the fruit the season before last, but it didn't turn out so well. If you have tips for drying apricots, I'd love to hear from you.