Currants, Cucumbers, and 1700 Pounds of Honey—July Gave Us Everything
Wow, July. You came in loud and left wilder still.
Between the beeyard and the garden, we’ve been buzzing—literally and figuratively. The rain has been generous, the heat relentless, and as a result, everything from the trees to the squash vines has burst with foliage. And now? The flowers and fruits are doing their best to keep up.
One of the brightest surprises this season came from two scrappy red currant bushes we planted during the COVID years. We found them at a local nursery, crossed our fingers, and honestly didn’t expect much. But this year, they delivered. We’ve got a true bounty of red currants, and you better believe they’re being turned into my mom’s all-time favorite: red currant jelly. It’s the kind of preserve that tastes like holidays, and this year, we’ll have plenty for gifting too.
In the veggie patch, cucumbers, zucchinis, and yellow squash are putting on a show. We’re eating as much as we can fresh (our current obsession is tzatziki on everything), and we’re also preserving what we can for those cooler months when fresh feels far away. A family favorite around here is zucchini casserole—think zucchini lasagna without the noodles. It freezes like a dream and is perfect for quick dinners in fall.
Cucumbers have been absolutely prolific. We’ve been slicing them into melon salads, dunking them in homemade ranch, and serving them up every which way. But hey—if you’ve got a favorite cucumber recipe, drop it in the comments! We’re always on the hunt for new ways to use every last one.
The garlic—160 bulbs strong—is harvested, trimmed, and now curing. This year, we ran five varieties, and the results are beautiful. We still have some left from last year, so in the spirit of tradition, we’re stepping into garlic sales. My Ukrainian grandfather used to sell garlic in front of his home. This year, it’s our turn to carry that torch.
And then, there’s the honey. Oh, the honey.
We just wrapped up our spring honey harvest and brought in a total of 1700 pounds. That’s not a typo. Near our yards, we usually get black locust, basswood, and sumac flows. The black locust and basswood are our heavy hitters—so unique and so worth separating when the season allows. But this year, heavy thunderstorms cut the black locust bloom short. So our spring wildflower honey? It’s a gorgeous, complex mix—and we’re not mad about it.
The garden’s wild. The bees are thriving. The pantry’s filling up.
Life on the farm in July? A little chaotic, a lot abundant, and absolutely full of promise.
Weather Whiplash and the Glory of Garlic
The weather is wild—there’s just no other way to say it. We’ve ping-ponged from 95-degree scorchers to inches of rain, to wind gusts that knock over garden fencing and flip buckets across the yard. It’s been dramatic out there, and honestly, the garden is just as confused as we are.
But even in the chaos, something good is always growing.
Our first harvest of the season is in: garlic ramps. And oh, they did not disappoint. There’s something magical about their bold, green tops and that unmistakable garlic aroma. We’ve been putting them to work already—whipping up vibrant green ramp pesto, flash stir-frying them with a drizzle of sesame oil, and drying a batch to make ramp garlic powder. The house smells like a garlic dream.
This year we’re going big. We planted five different garlic varieties—because when you find something that grows well in your microclimate, you lean in. If all goes as planned (fingers crossed the wild weather settles down), we’ll harvest close to 200 garlic heads. That’s enough to get us through winter and still have plenty to share or gift.
In true Fetch Dig Thrive fashion, we’re staying flexible, observing, adjusting—and always celebrating the small wins. No matter what the weather throws at us, we’ve got garlic on our side.
Bunnies, Beet Greens & Hydroponic Dreams
At Fetch Dig Thrive, we know homesteading comes with its fair share of trial and error—and sometimes that means outsmarting a very persistent bunny. Despite our best efforts with the electric fence, one clever visitor snacked its way through our beet greens. But like any good homesteader, we regrouped and reinforced. A second fence line later, and—knock on wood—we’re officially bunny-free (for now)
A big shift for us came a few years back when we decided to take our leafy greens indoors. Lettuce, arugula, cilantro, romaine—you name it, we love it fresh and easy to harvest. Inspired by our daughter’s setup and a well-timed Amazon Prime sale, we dipped our toes into hydroponics. Fast forward to now, and we’ve got two systems humming along all year round.
It’s our favorite kind of “gardening” in the off-season: no weeding, no pests, and plenty of crisp, flavorful greens at our fingertips—even when there’s snow on the ground outside.
Homesteading isn’t always picture-perfect, but with a little creativity (and a few extra fence posts), we keep growing—indoors and out.
Here are the two hydroponic gardens we are using. Reasonably priced and easy upkeep!
Fetch, Dig, & Thrive 