Making Jelly... again!

I made some more jelly... like I haven't canned enough this fall already right?!  Well, to my shock, this month alone, in 2 weeks I have been featured on Etsy's front page for my jams!

How great is that?!

Great enough I had to make more jelly since I sold so much of what I thought I was done with for the season. So I added a new Jelly to the mix as well, Southern Style Scuppernong Muscadine Grape Jelly! Fresh, sweet and light, you will love this on everything from Toast to your next grilled chicken fillet!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32595676

I would also like to thank all my new followers. I noticed the new people sneaking in... don't think I didn't notice! ;0)

Canna Contest Over...Winner Drawn!

Contest over and Congrats to Iowa Roo Mom! She's been contacted by email about her prize!

If you enjoyed that, keep watching as I collect cuttings, seeds and saplings through the months and give them away here on my blog to all you garden lovers! :)

Moving Honey Suckle

So this past week has been insane. When the rain finally passed it was WAY too hot and humid again, you would have thought it to be August again. Then we had a lot of company passing through until Friday, this is when we had to get ourselves together and get to a Wedding rehersal and dinner which ended in a late night with the wedding and reception happening the follow day. We were in the wedding party so had to get their early, and stay to help break everything down. (with a 2 year old in tow).

Finally our day to get stuff done came Sunday... again not much got done, we ended up at my mom's house. I decide to save and transplant a Honey Suckle vine from their yard and move it to our house. So when we got home we put up a trellis and hung it on the front porch for the vine to climb. So soon I will have shade on my front porch to enjoy our sunday afternoon's from here on out!

Pictures to follow.

Wish I could get back to the garden, but since I can't... CONTEST!!!

The rain has made it nearly impossible to do much the last few days. I was hoping to get more lettuce and spinach in the ground... I also wanted to plant onions and garlic. Instead I am going to give away some seeds I collected this week!

So, go ahead and post a response to this topic to win! I will be giving away some Canna Seeds in a deep red color to the winner. Remember to leave a way for me to contact you! I will draw the winner next Tuesday, October 13th!

*Suggestion: They do prefer tropical climates, warmth and humidity... if your temps get into freezing and you have an average snowfall over 2-3". I would dig the bulbs up these will later produce and store them inside to replant in spring!*

Been Busy Sewing & Baking

I've had a lot of orders as of recently, which shocks me because things are usually slow this time of year with an explosion of orders to come at the beginning of November so people can try to cover Thankgiving and get the early Christmas orders in as well for parties. I do become booked for Christmas in early December and eventually have to close up shop so everything gets out on time!

For now though I've also been sewing constantly, all this while trying to maintain my garden and hope to get a fall harvest out of it. Still crossing fingers for carrots and cabbage soon. I got them in so late. So far they are growing, just kind of slow. Next week, I really hope I have time to get some onions and garlic in the ground. Thank goodness Mother Earth News had an article this month about Garlic, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do.

As for my sewing, what can I say... its been a peaceful thing for me to do. I get mad at this quilt I'm working on, but I still enjoy it! I've made some fun stuff for my daughter for Halloween so she's benefiting from mommy's sewing too! I made her a spider web dress and matching stretching headband. She loves them!

 

I made myself one too to wear for Halloween when we go trick or treating! Got the fabric on clearance for $3. Not bad!

I've also been sewing lots of eco friendly snack and sandwich bags to post in my new Etsy store. (Which is really an old etsy store I haven't used in YEARS because my cookie business got so busy I had no time to sew) I've created some reusable washable produce bags to take grocery shopping with you as well!

 

Those are all available here:  http://ShannonG.Etsy.com

Anyways, its been a great weekend, but I need to get to bed because tomorrow is Monday whether I like it or not! ;0)

Total Garden Transformation!

Because its Autumn!!!!

Yesterday I removed the last of my tomatoes... there were still 100's of green ones on there... however, I highly doubt with the cooler days and night they were going to ripen. So I collected all the ripe, and starting to turn one's and brought them in. I grabbed the few large tomatoes that were green for fried green tomatoes and put them aside.

Then I cleared out the plants with bush sheers... it took about 2 hours to get them down enough to get the cages off! It took 2 wheel barrow runs to the burn pile and compost pile to get it all out. THEN I sectioned off my beds with my fall greens growing in them and let the chickens lose in the garden bed where the tomatoes were. There were a few small weeds coming in, and 100's of rotten cherry tomatoes on the ground (ewwww!) for them. They did a good job actually!

Today little daughter and I finished hand picking the squished and green tomatoes out of the bed and out of the walking path. Put them in buckets, and dumped them in the coop's run. The chickens are going to be fat and happy after this week.

We turned in approximately 20 lbs of compost from my pile into the bed. When I turned my compost today, it was the most beautiful black... I'm so proud of my first season of composting. After we turned the soil we came in for a snack and I needed a fresh cup of coffee.

It is 72 and perfect today to get this garden stuff done.

We'll have lunch shortly, and then we'll go get the very last of the pole beans because those vines are done for too.

Did I mention I looked today and my carrots have FINALLY come up!!!??? HOORAY!!!!!!!!

Eco Challenge Sign Up Extended ~ Prizes Announced~

Come join the eco challenge where you get to create an art piece out of found items and win prizes while helping the planet and showing off your creative juices. How fun the is going to be!

First place is this:

A set of 4 reusuable sandwich/snack bags made by me. 100% cotton completely machine washable.

+ a 1 year magazine subscription to "Somerset Studios" Magazine that follows multimedia and paper art!

Second place:

 

1 Jar of my homemade all natural Jam, Salsa or Sauces. Whatever I have available for you to chose from at the end of the challenge!

So please, come over to EBSQart.com where I set the challenge up in their forums and join. I put it there since they have an art challenge section, and its a good place to get to know each other and ask questions. You do have to goto the front page of the site and sign up with a free patron account to post in the listed challenge thread. Don't worry, its free to sign up and do this!

http://www.ebsqart.com/forum/The_Eco_%27Friendly_Love_My_World_Upcycled%27_Challenge_~Prizes~/m_254150/tm.htm

 

So please, follow the rules, get signed up by October 2nd at midnight, and get to work creating your piece for your chance to win. Know you can ask questions here, or email me!