It was my birthday, shout hooray!

I apologize for not doing a post last week. On Wednesday September 1st I turned 18!!!! Wednesday is out harvest day to get ready for Market. Somehow we managed to finish all the harvesting by 9:00 am. (it usually takes us until 1:00 or 2:00 before we are done, and then we have to wash the vegetables.) How could my birthday possibly get any better? One of our share holders who comes and helps out on harvest day during the share seasons had come with a nectarine crisp for my birthday cake. She also brought this yummy mac 'n' cheese casserole. Jen and Amelia had filled my room with balloons, and made me a poster with lots of yummy candy-bars. Laura and Monte gave me this awesome book called The Backyard Homestead that tells you how to start your own farm with only 1/4 of an acre. I have been thinking a lot lately of starting my own small farm when I have a house of my own, this book makes me want to do this even more! I had 18 candles on my nectarine crisp and blew them all out in one breath. I shall not say what I wished for...for everyone who know about wishes knows they will not come true if you tell anyone. Jen and Amelia also gave me a 1/2 gallon water bottle, which is very nice to have when you are working outside in the heat for a long amount of time. All in all my birthday was great!

As far as adventures go for this week... On the mornings of Thursday September 2nd, and Saturday September 4th we found 17 dead chickens and 4 dead turkeys between the two days put together. We found a spot by the fence with a large hole dug underneath. Meaning we have a dog problem. Coyotes only kill one or two chickens and drag them off, dogs kill just for the fun of it and leave all the dead fowl. I believe all of our turkeys were already reserved for thanksgiving, each turkey costs $120.00, and since there were four dead turkeys thanks to the dogs that is a lot of money down the drain.

My family came down on Saturday evening and left early Monday morning. I loved every minute they were here! That was their birthday present to me (and a few other things). I think they were all slightly shocked at how I have changed. I used to be a girl who hated going to petting zoo's because they smelled so bad, I would NEVER have touched a living clucking chicken let alone a dead one, I didn't go outside often (in my little sister's words I never went outside unless forced by her.) anyways the list could go on a great deal longer if you asked them. Now I am definitely a farm girl. I still don't like the way the animals smell but I am used to it now. I feel like my confidence has increased by being here. I love the title of farm girl. I love how I have changed. My Mom says the true me has finally come out of hiding. Well I love this new Lark!

Jen and Amelia are no longer coming each week because they are now going to BYU-I. Two new interns are due to arrive sometime later this week.

I pickled 53 pints and 3 quarts of okra this week. I love seeing the bushel I harvested turned into these beautiful jars of pickled okra. Each jar has one jalapeño pepper, a couple sprigs of fresh dill, a clove of fresh garlic, and as much okra as will fit into the jar, then there is also the pickling brine. I enjoy canning! I like how pickled okra tastes too. ;)

The weather is getting so much nicer. It hasn't gone over 100 degrees for the last few days, and there has been wind or cloud cover. I am loving this weather! I hope it stays. My dear readers you would probably say that 100 degrees is still far too hot, but when the norm for the last few weeks has been 120, 100 feels so good.

If you are having summer squash coming on now... a really yummy way to have it is to stuff the squash with a sausage mixture, it is heavenly. And you can also eat the squash blossoms. (Our squash blossoms go so fast at market.) The most common way to eat squash blossoms is to stuff them with a soft cheese and herbs, dip them in a type of batter (Monte did an egg batter) and then to fry them. There is one word to describe the finished product.... YUMMY!
I hope this gives you some ideas to enjoy the season of squash produce.

This is all for this week. TTFN.