LUFFA, LOOFAH, LUFA, LOFA, LUFA

Is there really a right way to spell luffa? 😂

Several years ago I tried growing luffas so I could use them in my soaps. I'd been buying and using luffas for a while but figured it would be even better if I grew them myself. Well... it didn't work out so well because Minnesota has such a short growing season. This year I saw a luffa at the Farmer's Market and decided to buy it so I could dry it myself and use it with an upcoming batch of soap. Since it was green I knew the skin would be next to impossible to peel off without ruining the luffa so I followed the advice of a YouTuber on drying it in the oven. It worked out well, the skin came right off, but half of the luffa deflated. I'm also not sure it is suppose to be so green after washing it. I washed it as well as I could but it still looks a little funky. I decided this luffa is best saved for the trial run I just put it through. I'll return to the Farmer's market for another one and see if I can make it come out even better. This January I'll start seeds inside so that I give the luffa enough time to grow so I can let it dry on the vine by end of summer. 

Exceptionally long luffa 🤣👀

I cut it up as instructed by YouTuber

 The two luffas on the left are no good. Completely deflated and mushy. The ones on the right look pretty good. I'll update once they are dry. 

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APPLE PICKING TIME

Every year at this time our family heads out for some apple picking because the girls love picking and I love making applesauce. My favorite apples to use are sweet tango. They have the perfect balance of sweet and sour so they can be used in applesauce recipes that contain sugar or no sugar. For myself I always make it without sugar and for the girls I make it with brown sugar. 

Here are two of my favorite recipes:

With Sugar

Without Sugar

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ONE MAGICAL MOMENT TURNED INTO MULTIPLE

 My husband has been after me for a while now to feed the hummingbirds but I refused. We use to feed them in years past but I'd often forget to clean and change out their sugar water every 3 days which can be unhealthy for them so I just gave up. A few days ago I was sitting on the deck watching a single hummingbird investigate the flowers and not finding what they wanted. Suddenly the hummingbird came to within 2 inches of my head and stood there for what felt like a couple minutes just fluttering to keep itself stationary while he looked at me and then he flew off. It was such a magical moment to be that close. I took it at a sign I needed to put feeders out again. I rushed inside and made some sugar water and put out two feeders, one on the deck and one in the garden, and within seconds half a dozen hummingbirds appeared. We've never had so many at once. It's difficult to capture them in motion without the photo being blurry but I was able to snap a couple shots of two birds.

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SOAPY CUPCAKES FOR THE KIDS ARE ON THE WAY

 In June I brought mini soapy cupcakes to sell at the Riverwalk Market in Northfield and they were a huge hit. Little kids love little soaps, especially when they are in the shape of yummy foods like cupcakes and donuts. For me they are really fun to make, though I do need some work on my piping skills. 🤣 

Here are the soapy cupcakes I made for September. They are scented with Berry Bliss fragrance oil. So delicious! Not really... don't eat them 😜

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NEW SOAPS FOR THE AUTUMN SEASON

Fall is just around the corner. In our home we follow meteorological fall which is September 1st so everything orange, yellow, red and pumpkin starts on that date. Halloween decorations go up, bonfires get lit, pumpkin scented candles start to burn... and Fall soaps go on the website to be sold. 

Here are a few I've made for the upcoming season. I'll have these on the website and for sale at the Northfield Riverwalk Market on September 2nd, September 16th, and October 14th. If you are in town please come out to visit our booth and take a whiff of the lovely new scents we have. 🍁

Autumn Fig

Rosehip Jasmine

Apple Sage

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PUMPKINS DO GROW IN POTS

For the last couple years without success I've been trying to grow pumpkins on my deck. I first attempted to grow them in the garden but some wild critter always got to the plants before they'd fruit so I started experimenting with pots and although the plants would flower they'd never fruit until this year. I did some research and found I was using too small of a pot so I went bigger and lo and behold I got two pumpkins. I sadly planted them way too early so now I have to figure out how to make them last until Halloween because the whole point was to grow carving pumpkins. Next year I'll go bigger. I'll use a 10 gallon pot and see if I get bigger or more pumpkins. 

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BIRDS! BIRDS! BIRDS! I LOVE BIRDS

When I first got sick in 2018 one of the things that helped me get through the mental challenge of my illness were the birds. I've always enjoyed birds but there was a point where I couldn't even walk so I would sit out on the deck and just listen and watch them flitter around the yard. I was content in those moments. They got me through some very difficult times. The following are some photos I took of my wild bird neighbors visiting recently. 

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