Don't mind if I do, said the asshole deer.
I walked Mingus and Vespa around the garden perimeter, actually encouraging them to do their business on the nearby bushes to hopefully discourage future deer visits. The dogs thought it was a trick, but it's better than the other suggestions I saw on the web, one of which included having your husband (yes, it said "husband"!) pee around the perimeter. Perhaps that would be a viable suggestion if our garden was in the backyard, but I really don't feel like risking the boy's status as an upstanding citizen just to repel a deer or two.
Don't mind if I do, said the dogs.
What kind of dog mauls an eggplant? Could it be the same dog that ate about 10-pounds of tomatoes and then leaked tomato pee for the next 24 hours? Perhaps.
Fall (!!!) is almost here, and with fall comes a flurry of last minute food projects. Pickles? Check. Sauerkraut? Check. Sour beer started? Check, but it won't be ready until next year. 110-lbs of tomatoes turned into sauce? As of last night at 2 AM, check.
My canned tomato sauce results are as follows: 17 quart jars, 14 pint jars, and 25 half pint jars. This is a grand total of 121 cups of local, organic sauce! Last night, I did a tomato sauce marathon with the last 44-pounds because I was ready to be done and because some of the tomatoes were becoming soft. Plus, I didn't want to wash all the sauce pots and cutting boards only to use them again the next night. With all of this behind me, I cannot figure out if I canned too much or too little. I used up every last drop of the tomato sauce I canned last year, and I started out with 50-lbs. Still, instead of a warm feeling of a job well done, I see all the jars of tomato sauce lined up in the pantry and I think of the television show Hoarders.
You absolutely should congratulate yourself on a job well done. If 90% of those jars are still there next year, then you can turn yourself in to Hoarders Anonymous. However, I suspect you and the boy will eat most of it and give the rest away as gifts. All the while, the dogs will be sitting by giving you reproachful looks for not sharing with them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Solnichka. I'm not feeling as hoardery now.
ReplyDeleteGood job! You will be glad you did all the work come winter!
ReplyDeleteHoly Sh*#! You've been busy.
ReplyDeleteThe deer ransacked my entire garden while we were gone (with the dog). The dog makes all the difference unless your dog also like produce. My last dog could pick raspberries with his mouth. True story. And just the ripe ones.
PS. based on personal experience, deer and groundhogs don't like carrots.