The apples seem to be reluctant to ripen this year. I'm quite sure it has something to do with all the strange weather we've had this year. This is the week we've opened the last couple of years, but it's going to be at least another week. Frank brought in a couple varieties for taste tests and they are getting an apple taste, but it's still a very green apple taste.

Meanwhile, we are keeping busy here. Cedi spent most of the day with Gramma and Grampa. I told her our first job was seeing what needed to be picked today and we were off. We started with summer squash. I picked and she put them in the bucket GENTLY....with only a few reminders. Grampa has been practicing sorting apples with her and she understands the word gently, but needs to be reminded now and then. Hey, she won't be 2 until the end of November, so I think that's pretty good.

Anyhow, the summer squash looks really good and is starting to produce lots. It could have been planted a couple of weeks later, but Cedi and I will deal with it until you all come in. The peppers also look fantastic and we picked some of them, too. Then we went for the tomatoes. They are starting to turn in larger numbers and we had an excess at the end of the day for the first time this year. Maybe some fresh salsa tomorrow.

As we walked down to unload, Frank asked if we wanted to make sauerkraut. So the 3 of us set up on the picnic table. I cut heads and removed cores and Frank did the shredding. Then Cedi helped me weigh the cabbage.....little girls are very good at moving things from one container to another. We measured out salt and took the "kraut bat" and tamped the mixture until the juice came out. Cedi also tried her hand at tamping and did a great job until she decided it was nap time. After all, she's still recovering from the big weekend she had. We filled 2 five gallon buckets and hauled them to the basement. Then I put a plastic bag on top of each and added water to weigh the cabbage down and keep it in the juice. We usually figure about 6 weeks fermenting time, but I'm sure these will be down there until late October when we start to get some breathing time after the apples are mostly picked.

Cedi and I went to Subway with a friend and returned home to find the power was out. Not sure what that was all about, but it put a damper on my plans to get some computer work done this afternoon. I'm still working on the email list problem and we needed labels printed and I need to get my desk clean before we go into high gear with the apples. But I went outside when the rain quit and transplanted some more of those great giant kohlrabi, some cabbage plants and a few yellow doll watermelon. Then I decided to clean out the greenhouse since it was very overcast this afternoon and it's impossible to work in there on a sunny day. I organized all my stuff, got rid of the weeds and pulled the temporary bench out of one side. I'm going to put some tomatoes in there to (hopefully) extend the season. I'd like to try some other things, too. We'll have to see.

So, anyhow, it was a pretty good day and I got alot done, but my computer work is still here, so I guess I'd better get at it. Hope to see you all at the orchard soon.