Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Summer is here and the garden is growing lots of goodies




This is our first pepper nice green and shiny from my daughters hydroponic project.




Our biggest green bean.  The majority are 1/2 to 1 inch long.




These are also banana peppers that have started.  Can anyone say salsa?




These are a nice size and I am just waiting for them to turn red.




Our sugar snap type peas are going gang busters.  Tonight I picked a gallon and my daughter will pick another gallon before the night is out.  They are good in salads, as a snack or in stir fry.




This is not the best picture of the first grapes but it is a nice picture of the mowed grass border inside the garden.  My FIRST grapes ever.  Now if I can figure out if they are for wine, jelly or snacking...
Stay tuned for more information about harvesting and how we use the produce as summer goes on.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival is over for another year.  This year it was held at the new location in Colfax, Iowa at the Jasper County fairgrounds.  It took place June 14 and 15th over a weekend.  The activities included sheep shearing and sheep herding demonstrations, hall of sheep breeds and a goat show.  There were several classes to enroll in as well  as a nice vendor market.  The classes offered quite a variety from needle felting, drop spindling, weaving, basketry and dying fiber and yarn.  A fleece show and silent fleece auction are also part of the fun.
This year I met several new knitters,  met up with fellow podcasters and shopped at vendors that I have been stalking.   I returned home with rolags from http://yarngeekfibers.com/  and I scored a fleece at the silent auction!  I was hoping to drop off a fleece with a processor  to be made into yarn but we didn't make the connection. 
I anticipate next year I will find myself shopping, talking with friends and bidding at the auction.