Granddaughters!

Enjoying a few hours with our three granddaughters at

Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Sequim, Washington.



Sisters sharing Lemon Lavender Ice Cream!





Baby Finnegan doing what she does best!





Safe in grandpa's arms!



"Grandchildren are the crown of old men"
Proverbs 17:6

Apples

It's apple season here at the Farm!

Check out the posts at The Garden, The Pantry and The Reading Room!

(Click tabs above)

~*~

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,"

Psalm 17:8

Experimenting with homemade herbal tea

Back in May, I planted a little Tea Garden.

(Click here to read that post in Lady Farmers Garden.)

The garden is lush and full, ready for harvesting.

I am using my nifty clothes drying rack, made by Gentleman Farmer,
to dry the abundance of Pineapple Sage and Anise Hyssop.

Close up of Anise Hyssop flower.

I gathered some herbs, boiled a pot of water, and began sampling the various flavors of some of the herbs. I am trying them individually, first, to taste the distinct flavor of each.

Chocolate Mint

Yumm! This was my favorite!

Lemon Verbena is a very close second.

Lemon Balm was good, too, but I prefer the Lemon Verbena.

Both are a wee bit lemony but still different from each other.

Anise Hyssop was also nice, if you like a tiny bit of licorice flavor.

I did not particularly care for the Pineapple Sage. It did not have a Pineapple flavor ~ more earthy than the others.

Bee Balm.

My book Beautiful Easy Herbs says,

"During the period of the Boston Tea Party, American colonists enjoyed tea made from bee balm leaves as an alternative to black tea."
Glad I wasn't a colonist back then. I did not enjoy tea made from bee balm!

Neither did I enjoy this Chocolate Mint Scented Geranium tea.

It was neither chocolate or minty in flavor!

I did try combining the teas. I added one favorite to another, progressively. They were okay, but I did prefer the single flavors over all.

I have more than enough fresh and dried herbs to last me through the winter.

I will continue to combine flavors in hopes to come up with just the right one to be called

Cove Cottage Blend!

Do you have a favorite herbal tea?

~*~

Joining Amy for Preparedness Challenge #21

and

Barn Hop #24

~*~

""He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth"

Psalm 104:14

The City Girl and the Country Girl

Once upon a time, there was a City Girl and a Country Girl. They met online, and although they live thousands of miles apart, they became friends. The City Girl and the Country Girl are very different in some ways, but are very much alike in other ways. They both love the Lord, they both love and are very proud of their families, they both love animals, they both love gardening and taking care of their homes. They both love living life in simple, ordinary splendor.

One day, the City Girl had a giveaway on her blog, and can you guess who won that giveaway? Yes! It was her friend, the Country Girl! The Country Girl was so excited to receive her prize in the mail today and she just had to show you the sweet little guest book she won!

A place for guests to write down their thoughts while staying at

Cove Cottage Farm!

Thank you, Gina, my City Girlfriend!


The End!



~*~

"A friend loves at all times"

Proverbs 17:17

A Chicken Party!

Some of the chickens in my home include ~

A Chicken Platter

A gift from the Gentleman Farmer many years ago.
An adorable clay chicken made by Farmer's Daughter #2 when she was a wee miss!
It sits on a vintage hand embroidered 'Chicken' tablecloth.

Vintage Hens and Roosters beneath a Robert Duncan print

My Grandmother's Royal Copley Hen and Rooster,

Gentleman Farmer's Grandmothers Glass Hen dish,

newer chick pair and a gifted 'Mother Carey's Chickens' book

(which has nothing to do with chickens!)

A large vintage glass chicken waterer with a Rooster Candle Lantern that was a gift from a precious Sunday School student.

A vintage egg carton in the back.

Antique store purchase of Hen and Rooster pair,

Ebay purchased Lefton Chick, a second of GF's Grandmother's glass hens

and a photo of my dear Grandfather with his chickens.

Collectible K. Finch Chicken Family,

Vintage chick in egg toy,

Rooster planter that once belonged to my sweet piano teacher, many, many years ago!

A beautiful hen and rooster gifted from a friend sits behind a smaller, vintage chick waterer.

The Black and White pair once belonged to GF's Auntie.

Antique White Rooster dish and a newer glass rooster.

Another gifted vintage chicken toy.

Rooster lamp sits on the 'Gossip Bench'.

I think he is quite handsome!

He was a gift from Farmer's Daughter #1.

Rooster plates on an iron rack.

Now for some of the 'real thing'!

Starts with these...

which become these...

which turn into these...

Which eventually become this!

(Not really! I don't have the heart to eat my own chickens!)

Joining Shelia at Note Songs for her Roosters & Chickens Party!

~*~

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."

Matthew 23:37

Just what have I been up to?

100 pounds of tuna

Divided by 19 pint jars

and 78 half pint jars =

_________________

A whole lota good eatin' this winter!

<((><

Captain of the F/V Evening
de-heading, skinning and
filleting our 100 pounds
of fresh albacore tuna caught
off the coast of Washington.









Tuna with skin
off one side.





Cutting the fish into loins.














Captain and his first mate
de-veining the loins.

This big sea lion was hanging around the docks
enjoying the morsels sent over the side of the
fishing boats on his behalf!
~~~
For more photos of my tuna canning process,
please visit me in The Pantry!

Joining Amy for Barn Hop #23

And

Susan for Outdoor Wednesday!

<((><~~~<((><~~~~~~~><))>

"And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish."
John 21:6