I'm near the end of my flower harvest for selling at a tiny stand in front of my house. Tomatoes are still ripening, and I must get some canning done before they are all sold! Need to get ready for broilers that I'll get next week. Must till up some of the garden space for October planting of garlic. Clean up areas that are finished producing in the garden, and figure out how much expansion is needed in garden space. Collect seven boxes of twigs for kindling for the wood stove, and stack two cords of wood that have been piled on the lawn for a year. Continue to water the perennial plants so they will be in good shape through the winter, especially the food plants (fruit trees and berry bushes). Dig potatoes for winter storage. Freeze fall broccoli IF it matures before killed by hard frosts. Recover the greenhouse before really cold so it will be ready for spring. Make extensive notes about what I should change next year for selling flowers and produce. Transplant things still in pots (grapes, currants, blueberries) and dig and divide peonies. And on, and on, and on.....

I was thrilled to find this new forum! I like the idea of sharing what we have been doing with others on the forum.

There is always something that needs to be done around here. This place keeps us hopping! We've still trying to clear the back field. We have Japanese Knotwood (a bamboo-type plant) & its very invasive. The tricky part is keeping it from coming back! We also have a lot of sumac, poplars, and stuff that we need to rid of. When we get discouraged we look at photos of how it looked when we moved in, and realize that we have made a lot of progress.

We have a veggie garden, and this spring we planted some blueberry bushes, strawberries, and a self-pollinating cherry tree. We plan to plant more blueberries, and fruit trees next spring. I have alot of herb beds, and flowers that help keep me busy.

The dry weather this summer was hard on the garden, and required a lot of watering. Some things didn't do as well as usual. We have raised beds which dry out faster. Our soil isn't good, but we have been adding compost and mature, and its improving.

We used to have geese, but right now we don't have any poultry. I'm thinking about some chickens, but I'll wait til spring.

I'd love to hear about what everyone else is doing, and about your gardens, and animals!

Herself

Ok well what september is for us,,
canning,smoking,drying
,earlier gathered choke cherries and did syrup before the bears got them,, been picking apples from the older tree since our orchard is just beginning to produce,,, canning into apple pie fillings and apple butters,, canning end of the year rhubarb,,drying herbs , tomatoes , peppers, etc for winter storage, just processed several bottles of smoked fish as well,will do grouse tomorrow, made deer jerky for hunting camp,

vege and flower Gardens,woods, and greenhouse
chasing deer and bear out frequently,,
cabbages still growing but will need to be made into salted and packed into crocks soon,,
tomatoes still being harvested for fresh and dryed,
gathering herbs to be dryed for winter use and mixed for teas,
root crops still being aloud to grow before being pulled and processed for winter
watching beans for dryness
picking zukes and cukes
gotta grind horseradish, hope husband does it,, yuck,,
gathering fresh fruits from cantalopes and watermelons for fresh eating,
gathering vegetable seeds from plants allowed to grow second season specifically for seeds,
gathering seeds from flowers planting directly to greenhouse flats for perennials for garden and sales in spring,
cutting back perennials adding to drying materials that need to be shredded in for compost,
flipping old compost pile into done pile and setting up new piles both in vege garden area and compost area,
preparing compost for mixing to mulch in garden beds
hauling in several loads of manure for vege garden
repotting seedlings from flats to seperate containers
setting up new flower beds for greenhouse display beds using lasagna type beds,
Pre mixing potting soils for upcoming greenhouse plantings,
harvesting and drying tobacco leaves for season
harvesting and drying sweetgrass for season
gathering rose hips and other wildplants for medicinal herbs through winter
monitering elder berries for ripeness for jelly and syrups
,gathering drying flowers and grasses for crafting through winter
gathering cuttings to root
one load of firewood brought in and stacked waiting on last load needed for winter heating this year, will come after hunting season

other stuff ,, and I better not get any flames over this either,

One elk cut up and in freezer, waiting for another elk or moose for years meat
waiting on several deer to be processed into jerky, sausage and dry meat for elders, however have prepared the drying area last week
also cut bones into usable pieces for etching, painting and carving for winter crafts,
prepared hide for gift for a friend to make a drum,
went through and checked my stretching frame for tanning deer hides , sharpened all tools so they are ready
making baby moccasins for family gifts,
doing beadwork to help defray cost of gas for hunting and wood gathering
baking, as usual is something I do not like much ,, but over the last three days baked 6 loaves zuke bread, brownies, 4 batches cookies,baked potatoe casserole,slow cooked roast, chili, , made homeade noodles, sent all this with husband to hunting camp for the weekend when he came to refill water containers

thats alot of the basics I have been running about taking care of the last couple weeks and on into october,,We do not have chickens, goats or any other animals other then our pets because of bears,, our children would not eat chickens grown or butchered at home so we tend to trade for them already wrapped and frozen
ok so I guess I shared what goes on in my life through september for the most part,, but for us this is the norm,,

Jwj - just wanted to say how cool I think it is that you tan your hides, make moccasins, & do beadwork. I am so envious! BUT - I don't care for most deer meat (depends on who's doing the cooking) & we don't have elk here, & my husband doesn't hunt so I don't have all that to worry about. Him & my son decided to try tanning a rabbit skin - don't know whatever happened to it or the deer pelt(?) they wanted to tan either. My husband tried to kill the rabbit with the only thing he had handy - a BB gun with pellets. He tried 2 or 3 times & couldn't hit it. The rabbit must not have felt very threatened because my husband said he just kept eating up our garden with the two of them standing there. My then 11 year old son begged to try so my hubs handed the BB gun to him, & he got the rabbit in the head the first shot (WITH A BB GUN!)

Thanks Cathy,
old family traditions, I have gotten to the point I explain the basics when I right about the hunting months simply so I do not get flamed,
But over here in this group I hope I am understood a bit more since others grow lifestock for food,,
I brain tan hides from the larger animals, rabbit is one of the simplest animals to tan they can be done using household items,, like alum and salts once stretched out,,You can send those deer hides off to get them tanned chemically if you don't want to do it the old fashioned way,,,
LOL,, I do alot of mocs and beadwork but I also can make every other stitch of clothes that one wears with them from dresses to leggings and pants to hats,,
Deer meat, and tastes, don't feel bad I know alot of people who are not fond of it,,, Alot of people do not realize that their are alot of factors that cause it to taste 'gamier',time of the year taken, what it is eating, even the area they are harvested from makes a differnce,,,personally I am not fond of mule deer or blacktails, they just taste differnt but they make excellant sausage and jerky and dry meats
jwj

I love this forum! I don't know often I will get to visit here, but I'll try often. We are busy bringing in the garden, digging potatoes, canning carrots, picking beets, making much soup, bedding everything down for the winter that will (hopefully) be around next year. Making sure we have enough wood for the winter. Kind of boring compared to jwj (i'm soooo envious, you sound like you lead a wonderfully fulfilling life. Good for you!)

Woodlady-AB

My garden id winding up also. We're having exceptionally warm weather and I think we might get a few more weeks of temperate temps. It will, of course, make up for the super chilly spring we had. So I am puttng off picking chinese artichokes, beets, carrots, garlic chives, grapes, peppers, leeks, some basil, cukes are almost over but what a feast we had, tomatoes are winding down and just hope for the best. I appreciate and thoroughly enjoy this site. Got some thinking to do this coming winter about raising chckens . I would enjoy hearing about your rhubarb recipes as I have 3 kinds and some stalks are too beautiful and big to put in the compost pile. I've already baked a cake. I'm one of those who enjoys just seeing plants grow but if I am to become a homesteader, self sufficiency is a must. Thank you for your help. Lise

Lise,

Send me your email and I will be please to forward all the rhubarb recipes you want, jams, chutneys, cakes, pies, punch, sauce, breads.

I have started to keep a journal in a little notebook for the month and love it so much I am going to continue. Thank you kathyjo for starting this thread. I think we should do one for each month as the year goes by.

Did the bulk of the canning during the last week of August/first week of Sept. To date I have done:

96 quarts of tomatoes
12 quaarts spagetti sause
12 quarts dill pickles
6 quarts bread and butters
6 quarts dilled carrots
24 quarts peaches
12 quarts pears
6 pints rhurarb jam
6 pints peach jam
6 pints grapefruit
12 pints salsa
6 pints chutney
6 pints corn cranberry relish
5 1/2 pints rum sause
7 pints fruit chili sauce

Frozen more corn than I care to remember. Same with beans.
Rhubarb, bags of it. 10 lbs cauliflower, 10 lbs zuchini
24 dozen perogies, 20 lbs french fries, and 5 trays of cabbage rolls.

Have 2 crocks of sauerkraut "brewing" right now.

Still waiting for the rest of the tomatoes to do something and the pumpkins.

Started cutting out quilt squares yesterday, because it is getting so cold outside.

Have gotten the attic reinsulated and the furnace ducts cleaned and furnace checked out for the winter. Don't know if that counts toward homesteading, but it will definitely bring the cost of heating the house down, so that counts towards self-suffieciency.

Next week, if the weather warms up just a little, plan to take all the windows down, clean them and get them back up. Then it will be time to close the patio in for the winter. I have been doing this for a few years, and with the plywood we put up around the outside of the deck cutting down on the north wind hitting the patio doors, the kitchen stays much warmer and the heating bill has come down.

Today I spent a lot of time baking for the kids lunches for the week, cookies, carrot cake, and bread, so that chore is done for another week.

That just about wraps up this month already. Where does the time go? Tommorow, I'm taking my mom out and we are going to finish up the last of the Christmas shopping. Yes I am one of those who are done by the middle of October.
October is spent Christmas baking. lol

Rose

jwj, can you suggest a book on tanning. I would really like to try some, my DH is all ways bringing home rabbit, squirrel and deer. I would love to try my hand at the small ones first.

Hey garden Mama,
sorry about missing this, been offline helping family ,,I just posted a few good links for doing brain tanning and one with chemicals,, the smaller critters like rabbit and squirrel are easily done, a book that explains alot of tanning from the little guys on up to fish and such that I tend to refer to if I am not brain tanning, the traditional way , is the complete book of tanning skins and furs,, by James Churchill,
this book explains how to skin, stretch and tan with hair on or off,, on many animals,,from squirrels to horse, to bear to fish and birds,,
the deer hide I prefer to brain tan myself the traditional ways,, the links to learn the basics for that are in the moccasin post,,
Jwj