August 2024 On The Homestead
It may already be middle of September, but I always say better late than never. It’s been a little hectic on the homestead the past month; with the odd weather, summer break ending, and back-to-school time. Below you’ll find August 2024 on the homestead!
FYI these homestead recaps tend to be photo heavy, and may contain affiliate links.
CLEAN UP & PROJECTS
Our summer was cut short with the kids starting school in August, we were able to squeeze in a few fun things and enjoy seeing the garden thrive. However, we weren’t able to work on any projects around the property.
It’s beginning to be fire season; either burning yard debris, or enjoying smores!
End of summer, beginning of fall always presents itself with the most beautiful sunsets!
IN THE GARDEN
I’m so proud of my garden spaces, each year they grow bigger, and continue to produce more food for us. Or teach me something! This year was my biggest growing season yet. The weather was great for most plants, and the fence kept pests out, mostly.
We’ve really enjoyed harvesting so many things this past August; beets, kohlrabi, kale, herbs, couple zucchini, blackberries, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, garlic and seeds.
I harvested lots of calendula, and chamomile flowers for tea. And made some sage smudge sticks.
Of course there were plenty of plants that didn’t do well either; melons, cucamelon, elderberry, blueberries did produce, and the corn, squash, green beans, pumpkins are struggling. All lessons!
One lesson I’ve learned is not putting the tomatillos, & tomatoes so close to the solar panels for how tall they got and blocked the sunlight. And I need to invest in a better fence system, these would work better with more posts and if I didn’t need to get in the garden more often.
Strangely with the cooler temps, and rain this August my strawberry plants started producing again. Usually they’re done beginning of July. Let me tell you, they were the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted.
I also had my first plum tree produce fruit, there was about a dozen plums. They were tasty!
Remember last year I noticed a wild mullein growing in the backyard, and then harvested the seeds. I tried starting some of the seeds this spring but none survived. Well, I noticed they self-seeded themselves and have about a dozen mullein growing in the backyard. I transplanted a couple into pots(below), and a couple into the food forest. Hoping they’ll continue self-seeding, and I’ll be able to use them medicinally next year, and the years to come.
Sunflowers all did great this year; I made some bouquets with them, the bees loved them and can’t wait to get the seeds. I also loved making flower bouquets with all the flowers around the property. I found this little vase thing at the thrift store for $2!
ANIMALS ON THE HOMESTEAD
Animals enjoyed the month of August; free-ranging chickens, the door was open all day long so the cat, and dogs got to go in and out as they pleased. They all loved the mild August weather!
Sunbathing chickens!
IN THE KITCHEN
It was a good month in the kitchen, we ate out less, and prepared things at home more. We had some days that felt like the beginning of Fall, so that made me have the urge to start making comfort foods.
We ate lots of cheese, tomatoes, and basil from the garden. So delicious, it was one of our go-to foods this summer.
We make my Sourdough Focaccia Bread frequently! It’s a favorite!
Made my first ever batch of Apple Butter, it was so easy in the crockpot, and tasted amazing. I also preserved lots of herbs, and fruits. Made spaghetti sauce with our homegrown tomatoes, granola, and first chicken pot pie of the season.
I also started a new batch of Fire Cider for the cold/flu season, it really helps. I’ll be sharing that recipe soon.
LIFE & WHAT I’M LOVING
We packed a few things into our last days of summer break, and honestly were sad that it was ending. We love summer! The freedom of our schedule, the sunshine, and garden.
If you’re in the Kitsap(Port Orchard) area, try BrickHouse 714’s loaded pulled pork fries. You won’t be disappointed!
We also had a great time at the Kitsap County Farm Tour. It was their 2nd year having it, but it was so much fun. It wasn’t as hot as last year, so we were able to check out more farms this year. They had 11 farms participating this year, we were able to visit a lot; The Smithshyre, Beaver Bend Farm / Bushel and Barrel Ciderhouse, Petal & Pitchfork Farm, Courter Country Farm, Red Roof Ranch, and EB Daniel Farm & Garden. I love finding inspiration, and Piper LOVES spending time with the animals!
Did you know radio Delilah Rene lives in Kitsap County? Authors Gregg Olsen & Debbie Macomber live in my town too!
We also went bowling, had weekly visits to the dog park, and hiked. We sadly also had both our washer, and dryer finally go out. It really wasn’t an expense we wanted to make right now. Just when I was researching them at the store, we were blessed with a stackable unit someone was getting rid of. We just had to pick up, and my husband had to attach the cord to the dryer. Thankfully he knew what to do. They’ve been working great ever since.
We’ve found painted rocks a few times at the dog park, and this pig troll trinket was hidden inside a tree to be found. My daughter was so excited to find it!
We love hiking down to Anderson Point beach, it’s a short hike but steep. The beach is perfect; secluded, and has sand.
The last two weeks of August were spent doing school stuff. Getting things ready, helping the PTA with the kindergarten jump start, doing the open house/ice cream social, and first day of school.
We also did our traditional ice cream for dinner, which has been a hit for over 10 years.
Although my Grandmother passed away back in 2021, we just had her memorial in August. She had a happy, and fulfilled life. I made “her” rolls for everyone, it was close to 70 rolls! They’re always a hit, when I make them for the holidays.
Hope your August went well! I’ll be seeing you with a September recap real soon. In the meantime, let me know in the comments below with what you’ve been up to.
