Tag: Garden

Spring things

Despite the lukewarm appearance,
we are insisting on the rituals of early Spring here at This Old House. 
I’ve dirted the pots for seeds…
(those are my clay pigs, FB friends thought they were real)
and rose-toned the roses around the greenhouse…
I use organic fertilizer, and make sure to only apply it around the dripline of the bush,
then mix it into the soil pretty good…
this eliminates burning the plant with the fertilizer.
I wore my new walking sneakers to do dirty work..
I always promise myself I will not crap up my new sneaks,
and I do it anyway.
I have nine hens, and usually get about five or six eggs a day…
Look at the diversity in size and color…
Who says you should only dye white easter eggs?
To get the thin stripe effect, wrap rubber bands around your eggs before you dip them in dye.
To get the big fat band, scotch tape!
To get really intense deep color, use two tablets of dye with vinegar
 in dye cup instead of recommended one.
Our favorite breakfast around here..
ask me how much I love my chickens  🙂
Happy Spring, and a joyous Easter weekend to all –

Buck

  The Mr. has a thing for old wagons.  We have one on the front lawn, you’ve seen it in my blogposts before I ‘m sure.

 We used Emmaline as a vegetable cart and now she is a lawn ornament.  She’s also a darker shade, as we have fortified her with linseed oil several times over since this photo was taken in 2011.

 M wanted something a little heavier to display vegetables out at the road… and had a friend of his keep an eye out for a buckboard wagon down in Amish Country. Emmaline hails from the same area. 

 Why am I naming these wagons?  I have no idea, it just seems appropriate.  They’ve  worked hard for many years and deserve the respect, don’t ya think?

Meet Buck… currently out in the mini orchard, but soon to call our roadside vegetable stand “home”. 
Note the metal rimmed wooden wheels, how well crafted they are.
The Amish know how to build a wagon…
they still use them for farming and transportation!


Weather Weary

   Do any of you live in a part of the world where you have the distinct impression that the weather is perfect just about all the time?  I’ve heard that San Deigo, CA  has perfect weather.  I have no idea if that’s true, but right now I’d like to give it a try. 

    It’s currently bitingly cold and windy here in CT, and all that snow we got a week ago has melted a little, and hardened into crusty slippery stuff.  I’ve been browsing the seeds catalogues and decided to place an order yesterday… this year I’m trying a few new varieties.  The Mr. has placed an order for his vegetables with an organic seed company out of Italy.. .click here http://www.growitalian.com/categories/Organic-Seeds/ 

  Burpee is my resource for these beauties below…

Purple Dragon Carrots

Italian Ice tomatoes

and for my flower beds…three varieties of Zinnia.
I have found that Zinnia is such an easy flower to grow,
great for cutting, prolific, and blooms all summer long
with very little effort from me.
Queen Red Lime
(My favorite)

Senora

State Fair mix

I’m going to make a Sunflower wall against the back of the garden this year too
These are Coconut Ice…
Hard to believe, but just four months from now,
it’ll be looking more like this around here…
Amen.

Maple Syrup

 But first, I have to talk about the weather.  WEIRD.  It’s so warm I had a T-shirt on standing outside with the dogs this morning.  AND… the wind howled all night long…gusts up to 60 miles per hour.  We’ve had a foggy mist hanging over everything.  The temps  changed in three days time from 7 degrees in the early morning hours to 60.  It’s about to get very cold again, so we’re told.

 This is the bottom of the hill where I normally show you sunsets.  You can’t even see the trees up on the hill or the firepit and adirondacks.

Anyway… the post title is Maple Syrup, because the sap from our Sugar Maples is being harvested for the first time.  A friend has decided to attempt the Maple Sugaring that is so popular in New England, and asked to tap the many maples we have around This Old House.  He also has buckets at four other residences up the road.

The sap runs for approximately six to ten weeks, starting around late January.  The consistency when you touch the sap is basically water, which surprised me.  I thought it would be thicker and sticky.

Some interesting facts about the making of Maple Syrup:
It takes 30-50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup
The sap is boiled in a large stainless steel pot or pan, preferably outdoors
so that the steam will not cause problems in the house.
 The faster the sap is boiled, the higher the quality of the syrup.
When the sap begins to thicken,  It is taken indoors to finish boiling on a stove
 where it is easier to control the heat.
The sugar content of maple syrup is so high
that it can be stored at room temperature without spoiling.
 A Gallon of maple syrup weighs 11 pounds
Tapping does no permanent damage and only 10 percent of the sap is collected each year.
Many maple trees have been tapped for 150 or more years
Usually a maple tree is at least 30 years old and 12 inches in diameter before it is tapped

*My husband loves pure maple syrup.
 Me?…I’ll take Aunt Jemima over the real stuff any day.
Go figure.

It’s a farm life

Although by a real farmers standards…
a Hobby Farm.
 That’s OK by me… even Hobby farms are a lot of work.  ï»¿
Walking around the farm with my camera this weekend..
I took note of a few things.
This is what Basil looks like when you’ve let it flower and go to seed.
The aroma is heavenly, but the remaining crop spent.
We’ve given up the garden for the year, harvesting the last of the peppers
…and tomatoes!  Even a barren waste land of tomato plants will still
produce a few gems if left to their own devices.
Ok, it’s not a gem. But look at the color!

Have the leaves begun to turn in your neck of the woods?
We have the occasional tree beginning to color and shed
The grass is still growing.. amazing consider the hot dustbowl this summer produced.
25 year old Max filled out nicely because of it.
I’m hoping to keep the weight on him through the winter.
The manchild still mows regularly, and still refuses to let me take a decent picture.
This was a hasty retreat as he spied the camera.

The original hens and new hens still  choose to stay separate
except for when I close them in the coop at night.
The old girls, taking a  dust bath before the rains yesterday
under their favorite pine tree, which we have trimmed,
much to their chagrin.
The new girls barely venture out into the coop yard.
Henrietta
Raven and Snow
Andie
I am now fully aware of how the terms
“Hen Pecked”
“Pecking Order”
and..
“Don’t be a Chicken”..
came to be. 
The garden still blooms… 
If you plant nothing else next year,
sow some Zinnia seeds.
They are the flower that just keeps giving and giving…
And don’t be afraid of roses..
there are many hardy varieties out there.

I hope you’re enjoying the weekend
in whatever way brings you happiness.
A lesson I think I’ve finally absorbed..
When someone’s giving you grief in one way or another
and it befuddles you because you know you don’t deserve
or understand  it … instead of letting it gnaw at you and fester..
do yourself a favor and realize ... that 99 percent of that kind of behavior..
has nothing whatsoever to do with you. 
And then let it go.  

Seasonal Decoration – bringing Autumn in

I’ve talked about it before on the blog…
it’s something I think I inherited from my grandmother Elsie.
Her specialty was Christmas… even family photo frames had red bows on them,
no kidding.
The mornings have been cool as I walk up the hill to feed horses.
Leaves are just starting their color change on tops of trees.
I do love summer, but fall is a beautiful thing here in New England.
So is the Pottery Barn catalog… oh, how I love their stuff. 
Their use of neutrals had me wanting to lighten up
here at this old house, and so I’ve slowly been
changing inexpensive things here and there
to do just that.
seagrass lampshade on sale at HomeDecorators right now!

I’ve got a thing for white crackled pitchers….

Look at these unusal artificial plants…



The main fireplace mantle is getting it’s fall makeover…
I love owls too…

Brought my garden owl in out of the weather.
Found these at Pier 1, $6.

Added these faded stripe (tick?) cushions to the kitchen barstools…

and some sunflowers and crackled vase…

M & M’s are a staple ’round here.

As far as store bought cookies… if you’ve never had DARE brand Maple cookies?
They are absolutely delicious. Betcha can’t have just one.
 
Visit your garden center for great deals on end of summer shrubs and perennials…
I picked up a few new cone flower species I have not seen before…
aren’t they beautiful?….
such vivid red..and dusty deep pink

 

Have a good day, all –
Smile at a stranger, for no good reason…
see how good that can make you feel
when the smile is returned.
It’s the little things, you know.

She who talks to insects

We got a whopper of a rain storm early in the evening…
Tornado watches in part of the state and more than a few lost power.

This morning the muggy grey sky humidity has returned.
Not even heavy rain dissuades it.

So I’ve been out among the perennials  this morning clipping dead-heads
and discussing politics with the bugs.
‘Round here, they’re the only ones who agree with me…
and the dogs ofcourse… but I feed them
and provide great bacon treats.  

  

I’ve never seen a spider like this one before…
the body as big as my thumbnail.
Looks poisonous to me, do ya think? 
Can you see the little angry alien on his body pattern?
*I googled – it’s a black and yellow garden spider, harmless.


 In any event, he’s not voting this year either.
Do I hear a collective gasp?
Nope, I’m not voting… because I don’t think we have an answer I can stand by
this time around.  No mud slinging here,
I just don’t see a clear answer.
And I’m really tired of the petty childish campaign behavior.
We’re looking foolish, folks.
No wonder our street cred is way down.
If we can’t respect each other, how is the rest of the world supposed to believe it.
Just sayin.

Part of my day job….

…is picking stuff. 
And getting dirty doing it.
A girl could have it worse.
 While we’ve lived on small horse farms for all of our married years..
The Man didn’t get into big time vegetable gardening until a few years ago.
I have to say, I’m grateful.  It’s alot of work,
but the rewards we reap are well worth it.
It’s a great feeling to know where your food’s coming from,
and that it’s not loaded with chemical crap. 

If all you’ve got is a deck off a condominium or apartment,
I recommend you atleast put a few pots out there
and grow just a wee bit of your own produce..
Tomatoes, herbs  and even cukes do well this way!
There are few things more gratifying
then sitting down to a  homegrown salad,  cobbler or jam.

Frasier couldn’t care less.
He’s got more important things on his mind…
Like –  don’t nobody mess with my angrybird

….and  Mamma won’t let me get that bunny!

I feed that baby bunny every day.. carrots, blackberries.
He no longer runs away when I open the door to toss the berries out to him.
Is this a bad thing?
I do love this old house.

Humidity so thick….

…you could write in it.
We’ve been waking up every morning with heavy condensation on the windows.
It takes a few hours for the sun to break through the heavy air…
I try to get my coop and barn chores done before 7am to beat the heat…
The horses are turned out early and they come and go from their stalls
into the pasture. Frequently they’ll run back in to get relief from the sun and bugs.
I have a fan blowing on them in the barn too.
Important that all critters have clean water during these hot summer days.
The gardens are looking ragged, although still producing.
We’ve had an odd combination of extreme heat, some drought,
then torrential downpours… lots of rain rot and mold.
You can see the humidity in the air.
The second cut hay crop  is wishy-washy.

Lots of branches and leaves removed from moldy tomato plants…

The zinnias and blackeyed susans never complain though,
always up to the task, no matter the weather.
It’s why I love them so.

I used to think I’d love to retire down South…
to live in the South somewhere full time would be wonderful..
bring on the heat! Show me the sun! DAILY!
Now, in my middle 40’s body..
I’m thinking…If we’re lucky enough… maybe just a few months in the winter.
I don’t know how you Southern folk do it…
weather the heat coupled with humidity.
It saps the energy right out of me.
*thank you to all who participated in yesterday’s conversation without
turning it bitter.  I was uplifted by the positive views and ideas we have here.
You’re pretty awesome.

Ramble along with me, won’t you?

 On the face of it, we had a great weekend… lots of summer activities, good food, great weather.  I am grateful for every single day that are able to enjoy the good things in our lives.  This weekend’s snapshots below…

The Mr. harvesting onions… 
and talking business with someone.

Did you know that the onion plant grows a beautiful globe flower?….

and this is what they look like at ground level… ready to harvest.
When the tall leaves fall over, they’re done.

We went to the Chester Sunday Market again…
the men in this house are in love with the belgian chocolate milk we get
from Smyth Dairy and the artisan bread from a local baker…
Look at these beautiful carrots…
And this really big dog!  There are dog water bowls here and there
throughout the market, I just think that’s awesome.
Such a community vibe, kudos to those who put this idea together.

This is my stash….

and it went into last night’s campfire bundles…
recipe here   http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Campfire-Bundles
You can use any variation on veggies…

There was another bonfire up on the hill….
These kids have all been friends since kindergarten..

I hope they’ll always remain good friends..
one of the jewels among the thorns in the crown of life.
They gathered again on Sunday at the Brownstone Quarry..
We did some of this…

..and there was some intense baby bunny watching…

..wonderful weekend, but I couldn’t get away from
something that’s been bothering me for some time now.
A small group of people in a particular political party
have turned debate on any big issues we have before us
here in this town, into a nasty spectacle.
They slander, they accuse, they use scare tactics
and personally attack those who are trying either through
elected office or through volunteer work  – to improve
conditions on many levels here in town.
It’s one thing to disagree and state your grievances and concerns..
quite another to personally attack, slander, spew out misinformation
and leave comments on news forums that are snyde and sarcastic.
Ironic that the ones who complain the most are not often
the ones who are actually trying to do something to fix the problems.
Sad that this is the climate in our little town…
 and the problem isn’t just here.
 
On a similar note…have you watched The Newsroom yet?
If you have the time and are so inclined, watch this video below…
..just a few minutes long.
It’s disturbing, yes… but profound as well.
tell me what you think.
But please, be kind in your response. 
http://youtu.be/lIffq85zMI4