Sights from around Crooked Acres.
Every now and then, when a young hen starts laying, we get one of these teeny eggs (next to a regular-sized egg for reference). Also every now and then, sometimes I clean the counter before I take pictures of things sitting on it. Not this time, though! (Because I know you’re wondering, when the tiny egg is cracked open, it’s usually mostly egg white, with a tiny splotch of egg yolk in there.)
Why on earth would I grab a rag and wipe that counter down? I’ve got things to do, pictures to take! Someone wanted to see what a dehydrated cherry tomato looks like. That dehydrated tomato is only a half, though, so I probably should have cut that un-dehydrated cherry tomato in half for a better reference. Wouldn’t that have been organized of me?
This is one pound of cherry (mostly Sungold) tomatoes.
And this is one pound of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and put on the dehydrator tray.
One pound of cherry tomatoes, dehydrated!
These are one-gallon sized jars with (left to right) dehydrated, shredded zucchini, sliced yellow squash and zucchini, and the cherry tomatoes I’ve dehydrated thus far. I ended up with a total of 1 & 3/4 jars of the sliced yellow squash and zucchini, and what you see in the picture is what I have of the dehydrated zucchini and tomatoes, or what I had of the tomatoes when I snapped that picture. Below is an updated picture once I added the five pounds that were in the dehydrator to the jar.
Fifteen pounds of dehydrated cherry tomatoes. How much does 15 pounds of cherry tomatoes weigh when they’re dehydrated? 15 1/2 ounces!
The Rose of Sharon bush in the back yard is blooming. I think they have just about the prettiest flowers ever.
Look at all those Ghost peppers! They’re loving the heat this summer.
Tabasco peppers!
This year we’re growing Butternut and Acorn squash. That empty space to the left is where the corn was growing, until Fred harvested it all last week.
Gracie, staying cool under the coop (but keeping an eye on her flock!)
They are just unbearably cute at this gawky stage.
Little roosters, both with feathered legs.
Big Daddy.
“You can’t see me.”
Startled pig, skipping to safety.
This wallow is 100% pig-dug. There’s a perfectly good wallow on the other side of the yard, in shade, but the last set of pigs dug a small wallow here (I think because it’s where the water tends to run when we’re emptying waterers), and these girls have at least doubled the size of it in the last couple of weeks. The girls do love their mud.
Despite her grumpy looks, it turns out that Ciara is a snuggler.
Ciara and Clove.
Clove loves that catnip carrot like nothing else on earth.
Ciara, Clove, and Elwood, hanging out in the hall outside the guest bedroom door, wondering why they’re not allowed in the guest bedroom. Ever met a cat that DIDN’T want to be on the other side of a closed door? Me neither.
Ciara and Cilantro. Cilantro’s smile is cracking me UP.
Ciara and Cilantro, again.
Poor Ciara, so annoyed. (For the record, Spanky was there first!)
Stinkerbelle, on the stairs. Now that the Spice Girls and Ciara are out in the house for most of the day, Stinkerbelle likes to go up and hang out on the cat tree in the foster room. I imagine she thinks of that room as home base.
Previously
2010: But just in case they need to go soon, Elwood will make sure that Bolitar is shined up and ready to go.
2009: I deserve a Nobel peace prize or something.
2008: This is MY SITE.
2007: No entry.
2006: I reflected for a moment that I wasn’t hovering over him in the dead of night, so I didn’t know how I could have possibly scared him.
2005: See that? I made a thinly veiled joke about his age! I am SO FUNNY!
2004: As for where the odd socks go – the bad ones go to hell, don’t they?
2003: Oui, I am back! Let the rejoicing begin!
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: So we were at the beach this morning by 10.
So curiosity get me ( and obviously the kitties too). Why aren’t they allowed in the guest bedroom?
I wondered this too. And since I’ve been swamped this week and haven’t been checking in, I assumed that there’s a new batch of fosters. (I swear, every time I skip more than two days, there’s a new batch of fosters when I come back. If there aren’t any new bebbehs, this’ll be the first time in as long as I can remember that it didn’t work out that way, lol.)
I love those gallon jars. I need to get me some for candy and buttons and scrap fabric and yarn. If I had room on my (disgraceful) desk, I’d get one for Sharpies.
Little rooster is gonna look like Big Daddy someday. Such beautiful birds.
Poor Gracie’s cute face says “Enough of this heat already! Sigh.” What a trooper, still doing her job.
So many stripey kitties!
You may have already answered this, but I’m a tiny bit of a SKIMMAH. What do you use the dehydrated veggies for? I’m imagining you make sauce with the tomatoes, right? Can you use the squash for casserole or in other veggie dishes? Do you have to soak them first or anything?
Also, can you recommend a brand of dehydrator? I’d really like to dry my own fruit, but I’m not sure which dehydrator isn’t a colossal waste of money.
Also the second, are you having any trouble keeping up the garden(s) with watering restrictions? Here in Texas we’re in extreme drought conditions and have some pretty severe restrictions. I’m having a hard time keeping my landscaping plants alive at this point.
Doors offend a cat’s sensibilities. Such a pretty Stink!
Big daddy is one gorgeous looking rooster. Beautiful colors. Bet the ladies love him
Wow! the pigs are growing fast, how much longer before they meet the butcher 
Oh! I forgot to ask a question about cats..My daughter has a cat that is about 6 years old and just recently he’s been getting eye infections and has been on an antibodic drop but it doesn’t seem to work for long. Clears it up and within a month it comes back. Her hours at work have really been cut so she’s hoping to treat the problem without going to the vet. Last time it cost her $125.00 and money is super tight right now. Is there anything else she could try. I know tomorrow is question day so I thought I’d post this now in hopes of an answer tomorrow
You are my domestic goddess ; ) I wish I had half the gumption to do what you do around Crooked Acres…
I am truly, madly, deeply in love with Clove. She looks to be the sweetest little kitteh ever!
Robyn, isn’t the 6 mos anniversary of your lift surgeries next week? Do you think we could get an update on that? Especially pics of your arms? Pretty please?
I have a food dehydrator, but I’m afraid to use it. I’m worried that I won’t leave stuff in long enough and then it will mold when I store it. How do you know how long to leave stuff in and how do you know its dry enough when that time has come?
I know you love brown tabbies but I prefer markings like Stinkerbelle’s. She’s lovely!
Every time I see a pic of one of your roosters, I hear Foghorn Leghorn in my head. “I said, BOY!”