In My Homestead Kitchen June, Looking Back on May 2026

Welcome June! We had a rainy May, but the water was nice, as most of the manmade lakes that are common around here as a backup water source for livestock, were still dry. It isn't until the Flooding warnings go out across the news and community social pages do you worry that your lake might now flood your house....welcome to life in Texas! We are joining Sherry for In My Kitchen, even thought my kitchen thoughts were quite humbug in nature for most of May. 

I do a lot of cooking, but more than half is preparation. 

When we grocery shop I usually purchase a pork loin and cut my own boneless chops. I make a lot of our panty staples that we use on a regular routine. As well as bake the Whole Wheat and Honey Bread, our grandson enjoys. Granola and snacks are also high on the list. But these recipes are repeats and have already been shared. I think the humbug mood settled in with the 25 chickens of varying maturity and care needs, looking to me for food and water. Yesterday we clipped the flight feathers on our second batch of hatchlings and set them free in the chicken yard. They were thrilled and so was I! That will free up some of my time, and while ongoing preparation will never end, I do hope to develop at least one new recipe each week. Or at least be able to bake something for dessert, LOL!

I will usually include the garden, because the garden fuels the kitchen. 

The garden is growing nicely, well except for the zucchini. I picked a second big colander of green beans to put into the freezer today. We have cucumbers coming out our ears, but still, I must confess. I cannot grow zucchini. I have 9 zucchini plants in the garden, and I have harvested two small squash. With only a couple more on the plants, for future harvests. My neighbor down the road shared a photo on our community page with a huge bowl of zucchini with the comment that she forgot to pick it yesterday!!! My not being able to grow zucchini is not new, however. I could not grow it in Yakima Washington, when I lived there. Not in Hamilton Montana when I lived there. And now not in Chester Texas. I might suggest a trade, maybe cucumbers for zucchini? 

So, what did I share? 

 

Beef and Carrot Stew with Barley. This just kept being made on the busy days, and pretty soon my husband mentioned I should probably share it as a recipe, so I did! It is another easy pressure cooker meal, that is quick to prep, so you can get dinner done, and maybe have a moment for yourself...

 

And I actually started developing this soup in May, but busy days being what they are, I did not push publish until today, which is really June....But I decided to include it, because well, two articles are better than one, right? Loaded Vegetable Lentil Soup. I have become quite fond of pureed soups! They take like maybe five minutes to prepare for cooking, and really add a lot of veggies to your day. They are perfect for those chicken filled days of May!

 

We also put together an outdoor dining area! At the end of the shop. 

It is shady from about 3 p.m. onward and provides a lovely place to enjoy dinner or just sit and visit. My husband built the table from scrap wood salvaged from an old hutch left on the property. The vines in the large pots are Loofah plants, our goal is that they will grow up the timbers and then across the wire lattice overhead. Which will offer even more shade. But I can tell you this, once these vines begin to flower they are stunning! Plus they really attract the bumble bees!

And that about brings May to a close! 

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