As the cooler months edge closer, the gathering of the harvest for our animals and family brings a sense of peace and thankfulness for the bounty we have received so far, and still anticipate this fall. It has been a whirlwind of hot, humid days and rewarding work, and our pantry and barn are starting to reflect all the love and labor we as a family have poured into it.

We’ve spent the last two weeks preserving the summer bounty, ensuring nothing goes to waste when the frost eventually sets in. Jars of pickles are being neatly lined up on the shelves and peaches are being washed, sliced and preserved by both freezing and drying them. The peaches have been more labor intensive this year because of all the moths that attacked them, but I have hopes that next years harvest will be less damaged with all the hard work we are putting in to killing 20 to 60 moths daily with our new net and mostly Annika’s help.

The green beans are being frozen to enjoy in cozy soups when the snow flies, and we’re bringing in bowlfuls of fresh potatoes to enjoy today, while we get ready to dig up the rest of our harvest for safe keeping in the basement. We have been enjoying a fresh harvest of lettuce, kohlrabi, celery, and carrots. We’ve also been making my favorite sourdough granola—I hope to share the recipe soon! We add our freeze-dried mulberries and soaked pecans to it.

Putting up square bales always seems to coincide with the most sweltering, humid days of the year. Cory cut the hay days before and waited for it to dry before using our square baler to pack it into 50 to 75-pound bales. Doing this with no air conditioning in the tractor makes the work harder, but we are so thankful for his dedication to keeping the milk cows and chickens fed with better quality hay in the winter. We’ve spent considerable time troubleshooting the air conditioning system in our tractor, but we haven’t been able to resolve the issue yet.

Instead of our usual full-family effort, Caleb and Aiden took on the heavy task of retrieving the bales from the field while Cory baled and Annika drove the van and trailer to pick them up. We then drove them to our farm very slowly (so we don’t lose the bales and have to stack them again). This has happened a few times in the past. When we get back to our place, we unload the trailer one bale at a time and get them into our hay loft of our old barn with the help of a hay elevator. They will be protected from rain and snow, ensuring the hay stays greener and of better quality.

Asher, Annika, and I unloaded the bales off the trailer and took turns putting them on the hay elevator. This machine carried the bales up to the hay loft where Caleb and Aiden stacked them in our barn (or furnace as the boys called it). Annika and I made the mistake of not wearing jeans and long sleeves, but a little of our calendula salve quickly eased the pain from the scratches on our arms and legs from the hay.

There is almost always something cooking in my home throughout the day. I love keeping my home filled with the delicious aromas of food—it’s how I show love to my family and hospitality to my friends. During the hot summer, my screened-in “summer kitchen” has been a lifesaver for keeping the heat out of our non-airconditioned house. Aiden recently installed a countertop on the porch from our kitchen remodel that we are all enjoying. As the seasons change, I’m already looking forward to once again filling my home with the cozy fall scents. I’ve just whipped up a new essential oil soap that perfectly captures autumn, and it will be ready in a month. Be sure to watch for it!