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We've finally started to get bigger harvests from the garden! The beans are really producing now, I've got a large bowl of tomatoes ripening on the island, and I've been having fresh blackberries on my granola.💜 The past few meals I've been able to say that all the produce has come from the garden, everything for the pico de gallo, cumin slaw, and tomato feta salads. It's a good time of the year.😀 That said, the dratted deer mowed down the new growth my spring planted berry plants had just struggled to put out after the last eating spree. So we caved and bought a motion-activated sprinkler (we got this one) for that area and are crossing our fingers that the poor little plants will stand a chance now. Which brings me to some suggestions I got from email readers after my newsletter describing all the critter damage we've been battling this year. There are some good things that I thought I'd pass along in case you have animals eating your plants or destroying your ground. Deer & Critter Deterrents
We've got fences, have tried spraying things with the deer be gone type smelly sprays (only works for a week here), and now the motion waterer. Will probably be trying a few more in the future! An Easy Vacation MenuWe're spending a week at the coast and I wanted something easy to bring and make while there - I thought I'd share what I came up with! We'll eat out another night and friends are bringing food for one night. Oh! And I'm bringing chocolate chip cookies, too. 😀 From The BlogA Few More ThingsI confess I was ho-hum about the Olympics this year - that was until I started hearing about it and decided to watch it. What is it about the games that makes us instant champions of sports we usually care so little about? 😂 But goodness, aren't some of the stories amazing? So heartfelt and inspiring. And funny - we will be talking about the Pommel Horse Guy and The Turkish Shooter for months, I'm sure! Are you watching? I'm re-listening to the Red Rising series and am currently in the middle of the second, Golden Son. It's been probably 4-5 years and my sister-in-law tried it and wasn't a big fan like Brian and I, so I wanted to see if I still liked them. And wow, yes I do. It is violent and so I don't think I'd ever want to see a movie of it, but the story of what Darrow goes through to try and bring a new world order for his enslaved people is just so deep and moving. Told in the first person, you feel his love and his hatred - and the conflicts that arise when he becomes friends with those he's "supposed" to hate. The audiobooks are fantastic because the reader uses an Irish-type brogue for the lower caste Reds which brings them to life. (I've only read the first 3 - the original trilogy - I've heard the others are rather dark and I really liked where Darrow was at the end of the third book and I'd like to leave him there.😀) Have a great week! *You can read An Oregon Cottage's full disclosure policy here. Do you love these emails? To get an email whenever I post a new recipe or article, click here. |
Hi, I'm Jami and I love to share simple real food recipes, easy gardening tips, and the best, quickest ways to preserve seasonal food. In my emails you'll find behind the scenes news from the farmhouse and doable, delicious recipes for every stage of life straight to your inbox!
Some links in this email are affiliate links- if you click through and purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.* Hi Reader, I think this month may be my favorite month for cooking. So.many.things. are coming in from the garden or can be had at farm stands the cheapest you'll see them. Tomatoes, corn, green beans, zucchini, basil, peppers - lots of my favorite recipes taste best with these fresh right now (details in this month's menu!). I've even been grabbing a...
Some links in this email are affiliate links- if you click through and purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.* Hi Reader, It's unofficially the end of summer here in the PNW with the kids and teachers heading back to school after Labor Day - but gardens in our climate always grow really well all through September, so the summer harvests keep to the official calendar end of summer around the 20th. 😀 Since you've been hearing a lot about this year's "season of the...
Some links in this email are affiliate links- if you click through and purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.* Hi Reader, Well, well, well. As if the deer, gophers, moles, and ground squirrels weren't enough animals to eat/damage our produce the birds decided to join in! We've had pecks and holes on things in the past, but there was always enough left for us that it hasn't been an issue. Until now... Do you remember the photo of our grapevine loaded with large...