It's Picking Time!

Thank you rain!  It's harvest time at the old Usher place.

Between fighting the squash bugs, deer, raccoon and skunks we actually have some veges!  Now you might wonder why we picked some green tomatoes.  They are heirlooms and the side you can't see is much more red.  We find if we leave them on the vine they ripen too quickly in parts or the critters get them.  They will mature inside and most likely be dehydrated into pretty little translucent wagon wheels.  

The basil is growing pretty tall, the more I pick the better it gets.  I've saved spice jars, dehydrate most of it and have fresh for whatever we might be making for dinner.  Sage, cilantro and stevia are in the Excalibur now, all dried out and ready for the jar. 

 We've got several squash despite the dreaded squash bugs.  Thank you On Just a Couple Acres for your Post on Duct Tape.  It works!!!!!   I pulled most of the eggs off, even near the veins, and stuck nymphs at various stages right to that tape, folded the tape and now they are gone!  Pretty cool.

Do you see the egg?  I told my husband I thought our new girls were producing but we weren't sure.  It's typical for us to get a few misshapen eggs at first but there have been none. I have several that are quite smaller than our normal eggs so I still thought I was right.   When I washed a particularly nasty one this evening, it squashed in my hand- softer shell.  Yep- I think it's our new girls.

A coyote tried to get the girls the other day.  My husband heard a terrible commotion and looked out the window to find it pawing at the cage we have for the chicken yard.  In the middle of the day. Fortunately we've got it locked up pretty tight so he couldn't get in.  My husband went down there and chased it off- next time it won't be so lucky!   

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