It’s been an awfully hot and muggy weekend. Humidity is not something we Californians are used to. Is it just me, or is So Cal having more humid days?
Another monthly community gathering was hosted on Saturday night. Thanks for all those who turned up despite the muggy weather and brought such great food.
Sunday, after the typical urban homestead duties and work, we took the goats for a walk. We also did a bit of wild harvesting.
Dig in. Everyone enjoys the wonderful food and fellowship
Me with my friend and knitting mentor enjoying the homegrown music
Jordanne and Michelle jam together
Our favorite spot under the bridge. The goats love jumping on the big boulders
Wild harvesting elderberries. The goats also “pitch in.” They, too, enjoy nibbling on the purple berries
Snack time. The goats’ idea of “trail mix” – oak leaves! Crunch, crunch
Turning those berries into elderberry syrup – great for topping ice cream!
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Stacy says:
June 23, 2008 at 12:38 pmI agree – the muggy is becoming more common here in SoCal.
Michelle W. says:
June 23, 2008 at 1:49 pmI agree! We are down in San Diego and it was MISERABLE this weekend! : ) We persevered though and didn’t turn on the a/c.
I found your site recently and it has been a true inspiration. I hope to go back into the archives and read to current posts at some point. We have recently committed to becoming mindful residents of our planet and have made a few small steps in the right direction…baby steps, right? ; ) I got my clothesline last week and it brought me so much pride and happiness. A small act of kindness toward Mother Earth, and each act makes me want to do more and more! Thank you for your inspiration!
gina says:
June 23, 2008 at 5:25 pmI still get so tickled when I read about taking the goats for a walk.
2 questions: 1. are there any foods that are forbidden from your house? 2. if there are, do any of your guests ever bring forbidden food?
Anais says:
June 23, 2008 at 6:11 pmStacy – yeah, you noticed too.. what’s up with this?
Michelle – thanks for commenting and a warm welcome to you. Good for you! Small steps do indeed have big impact. Press on!
Anais says:
June 23, 2008 at 6:34 pmGina – glad you enjoy the photos of our goat walks. It’s really fun to take them walking. They offer hours of entertainment and enjoyment
As for “forbidden food” Even though we are vegetarian many of our friends aren’t so if they by chance bring a meat dish they are more than welcome eat it and share with fellow meat eaters. But that rarely happens and when it does we are pretty cool about it.
Laurie says:
June 24, 2008 at 9:15 amHello Anais,
I saw your photo of processing the elderberries for syrup. When I need to get lots of these tiny berries off the many tiny stems I use a neat trick. I put the stems (with berries still attached) into plastic bags and freeze them like that for awhile (overnight usually). When I take them out, a gentle shake is all that’s needed to release the berries from the stems. If you have a freezer, this works very well! Enjoy your elderberries, they are only just beginning to bloom here up north.
Anais says:
June 24, 2008 at 1:19 pmLaurie
Thanks for the tip. Very helpful indeed. 😉
Christine says:
June 24, 2008 at 8:55 pmAnais,
Thanks for writing back about my little goat story! Just love what you have written since then! And the pictures are so delightfru!…Tell me, how do you make your elderberry syrup, or sauce? What untinsils do you use to process? Thanks, C
Christine says:
June 24, 2008 at 8:58 pmAnais,
Do you ever enter any of your pictures? I have a friend who enters her flowers and outdoor pic. and wins cash! If you would like me to ask her about addresses, I will.C
Anais says:
June 25, 2008 at 5:02 amChristine
Thanks for the comment. Glad you like the photos that we feature here on LHITC. That’s what we like to call “the Dervaes eye for ya” – and we are certainly blessed to have inherited it.
No, we haven’t entered any of our photos. Would be something to look into to earn some extra cash that would help go towards making this site pay for itself.
Something to consider. Thanks.