Homesteading: Gearing up for the Winter

Fall is coming! Here on the farm, the last traces of summer are disappearing:

Ron is mowing the hay for what
he hopes is the last time this summer.

The last crop of the season (figs)
has been preserved. Here are fig preserves.

The last visitor of the summer, my friend Ann, has just

completed a lovely visit and gone back to Michigan. By the way, Ann took everyone of the photos here except for this one of her. She's a great photographer as well as a great friend and guest! Come back soon, Ann!

The last blooms on the

Pampas Grass are fading.

Bingo has received his last
"summer buzz" cut.

The baby goats are weaned.

The Poke Berries are ripening. Poke Salat is a southern thing. The plant grows wild
along the side of the road. Although the whole plant is poisonous, the young leaves can be eaten after cooking them using two changes of water. In late summer, the beautiful magenta poke berries ripen. birds love the berries. The juice of the berries leaves a permanent stain. Back when people hung their clothes out on the line, birds decorated the laundry with magenta droppings.

The hens have stopped molting and are

getting their new winter feathers.

And the ever-watchful Trudy,
our beautiful tortoise shell cat, is
amassing a lovely, thick winter coat.

Here on the homestead, I think we are ready for winter. We'll see. Homesteading means never leaving anything to chance. We are prepared.

More later.....