Morning on the Homestead

Morning on the Homestead: The First Tomato of the Season 🍅

By Marcia – The Oklahoma Homestead Woman

Good morning, friends!

It's Saturday morning here in Oklahoma, and even though it's still early, the summer heat is already settling in. Around here, the mornings always seem to get away from me because there are plenty of chores waiting before I can sit down for a minute.

Before the sun climbed too high, I'd already rotated the eggs in the incubator, fed and watered the baby chicks and ducklings, and taken our two little dogs outside. We have a sweet little Shih Tzu-Chihuahua mix and a miniature Australian Shepherd. I'm sure they'll have their own stories to tell as this homestead continues to grow.

After the morning chores, I grabbed my Dr. Pepper, climbed into one of the tumblers I made that says, "Sometimes You Just Gotta Cluck It and Walk Away," and headed out to the garden.

This morning brought a little celebration.

I picked my very first tomato of the season.

It may not seem like a big deal to everyone, but if you've ever planted a garden, you know exactly how exciting that first tomato can be. It's proof that all the watering, fertilizing, and waiting is finally paying off.

One thing people always ask is why I pick my tomatoes before they're fully ripe.

The answer is simple...

I have free-range chickens!

If I leave my tomatoes on the vine until they're perfectly red, my hens usually decide they're ready before I do. So I pick them as soon as they begin to blush. They'll finish ripening right on my kitchen counter, and everyone stays happy—especially me!

While I was checking the garden, I noticed my green beans have started blooming. Those tiny blossoms mean fresh green beans are just around the corner. My cucumbers are covered in blooms too, so it won't be long before we're enjoying fresh cucumbers sliced up for salads or simply eaten with a little salt.

The banana peppers are almost ready, and Chris has already been keeping an eye on one that's nearly big enough to pick. He loves fresh banana peppers, so I know he'll be excited when it's finally ready.

The bell peppers are growing nicely too. One of my favorite ways to preserve them is to dice them into small pieces and freeze them in meal-sized bags. Later in the year, when I'm making meatloaf, scrambled eggs, soups, or fried potatoes, all I have to do is pull a bag from the freezer. It's one of those little conveniences that makes homemade meals even easier.

Today's big project is moving our growing chicks and ducklings outside into a new brooder. We found some long pens, took them apart, and we're converting one into a roomy outdoor brooder where they can enjoy fresh air while still staying safe. They're growing so fast, and I think they're just about ready for this next step.

This little garden wasn't even in the plans this year. I had planned to wait until this fall to build our 30-by-40-foot raised-bed garden. But if you know gardeners, you know waiting isn't always easy.

So I gathered some old totes, mixed together garden soil, Black Kow manure, and potting soil, and planted anyway.

Sometimes you bloom with what you have instead of waiting for perfect conditions.

And honestly, I think that's one of the greatest lessons homesteading teaches us.

As I finished my walk through the garden, I looked around and smiled. The tomatoes are growing, the peppers are coming on, the green beans are blooming, the chicks are getting bigger, and another day on this little Oklahoma homestead is underway.

It isn't perfect.

It isn't fancy.

But it's home.

Thank you for stopping by my front porch today. I hope you'll come back soon as we continue bringing this old homestead back to life, one project, one harvest, and one story at a time.

Until next time...

Bloom Where You're Planted... and if life moves you, bloom there too ❤️🌿🍅