Snapshots and snippets of the beautiful, crazy world right out our front door.
If you’d like to share some of your own photos or a blog post, please leave a link in the comments!
One of the best parts of living in Missouri is that food just grows and grows! (Well, there are pest problems of course, but the hot days and warm nights contribute to abundant harvests). We are trying our best to take advantage of the local bounty by gleaning and buying in bulk, and preserving or storing for the winter.
We went to the local university farm last week and gleaned these gorgeous paste tomatoes. I believe the variety is “Striped Roman.” They are meaty, huge, and made amazing tomato sauce. This huge pile boiled down to 8 quart jars and one large pot of pasta sauce!
I’ve been enjoying the last days of swimming in this beautiful pond. We have yet to have a frost, so the pond remains warm enough for quick swims (and baths), even in October!
I’m kind of cheating, because this photo is technically “In” the front door, but I wanted to share a photo of the BEFORE, as we move everything out of the house in preparation for wiring, insulation, and installing our wood stove.
For the next three weeks, we will be house-sitting at a friend’s house and taking care of her gorgeous Belgian horse, Solomon. We’ll continue to go to the land each day to work and play, but staying elsewhere will enable us to really focus on the house for the coming weeks, as cold weather is coming!
What’s happening outside your front door?
I am following your adventures with rapt attention. If it was up to me, I would live in a yurt on 100 acres with no one around for miles and miles and miles.
Yet, I married a man who doesn’t want to leave the most populated county in Washington State. And I married him before I understood what kind of solitude I crave. So I remain, 20 miles from Seattle, in a neighborhood, harvesting paste tomatoes along side you from my little outdoor garden.
BTW – LOVE the fact that you let your kids use big knives to cut the tomatoes. I do the same thing and the uber-moms loose their cookies seeing me do it. I just feel like kids are a lot more capable than we think. I like to let mine figure out stuff (generally age appropriate) and come to me when/if she needs help.
Plus – we need all the help we can get with that many paste tomatoes!! All hands on deck!!
That is hilarious! I didn’t even notice that Ella was using that giant knife. She is pretty skilled, as I’ve been letting her cut food since she was two. Everett uses a peeler and a knife we made a bit more safe by grinding down the very tip.
As for you and your husband’s preference in living situations, I can relate. I love living in the country on a dead end road, but my true ideal would be to live about 15 minutes away from a vibrant small city. I love dance and theater performance – so hard to find here. We spent almost two years deciding whether or not to move here! It took A LOT of discussion and visioning.
I love the term backyard farming because it really supports following your dream where ever you happen to live!