Spring Farm Weekend

As the weather begins to cooperate more and more, we are beginning to feel the soreness in our core muscles that comes from the hard work that is spring on the farm.   We completed last weekends hoop house adventure by finishing the planting and installation of the second one.  We filled it with three varieties of garbanzo beans, and giant Salanova lettuce heads that should be farm bag pleasers.  We also seeded Summer Crisp lettuce, kale and spinach to the cold frame by the house.  The garlic has just poked its green shoots above the straw and seems to be coming up abundantly.

We also laid down some landscape fabric over a grassy strip adjacent to the berry beds where our newly grafted baby apple trees will go in about a month or so.  We segmented out about 40 feet and plan to espalier them in that row.  I can not wait to see how many of them we can get to take!

We are really beginning to feel the absence of the other house in that we are more freely and actively dreaming of what we can do here now.  We have plotted out all of the areas that need clearing and begun to make a plan for getting it all done.  A couple of years ago we pulled out a number of large overbearing green hedges from the South and East sides of the house.  Last summer we barked it all in and planted the area with hostas.  Yesterday, with the help of a big chain and the tractor, we pulled out all of the leggy hedges that were encroaching on the North side of the house.  Now all of our irises and hostas on that side will have a space to shine without being choked out.

We also managed to retrofit the chicken tractor in preparation for a small flock of meat chickens and ducks that will free range the summer away.

I love spring farm weekends because we relish in being outside and are kept company by the abundance of birds and sounds of people out and about.   While it is still bare, buds just verging on greenness, we have the opportunity to visualize what will come next.  To top it off, we have a mass of energy bottled up from an exceptionally cold winter indoors to make those visions come to fruition.

A perfect example of how each child approaches a sunny 54 degree day differently! How was your weekend?

Summer or Fall?

Our summers are far too short in a regular season.  After the tremendous heat 10 days ago and perfect weather for fair week, the last two days have plunged us into brisk fall temperatures that make me wonder if it really is just the end of July.


As we set about work around the farm today, I realized, this sneak peak has left me both excited and longing for my favorite season to come.  The time when golden light and the crispness in the air make everything hold such promise.

We were energized to get the tough outdoor work done.  Our little homestead is going to be the venue for a wedding at the end of September and operation primp the farm is underway.   We installed  a new well head cover to replace the one that was blown over and shattered during a storm last winter.  We also transplanted a number of hostas and mulched the entire front below the wrap around porch that we cleared late last fall.

I am more motivated than ever to stay on top of the canning.  We made another nine pints of jelly today; a red currant raspberry mix.  Huge thanks to julochka who turned me on to this book.  It is now one of my preservation bibles as we finally are consistently getting all of our jams and jellies to set perfectly as a result of its wisdom.

As to fair, the kids came home with a stack of ribbons.  They did great in archery, photography and vegetables.  The bunnies had a bit of a tough time this week and did not place as well as hoped, but showing this year was a great learning experience for the kids.  All in all a great week!

Morning Farm Work, Before Heading To Work

We are early risers, we like to have our coffee, read and listen to the news and just have some quiet time to ourselves.  There is another motive.  Once lunches are packed and just prior to waking the kids up, there are a few little items to be taken care of on any given day.  The animals need to be tended to, the garden (when it's warm and dry as we have been) needs to be watered, and something is always in need of harvesting, even this early in the season.

This morning, I harvested a fraction of our blooming chive flowers.  It is going to be very warm today and I was concerned that by the time we got home, they would be past their peak.

Once picked, rinsed and spun, I load them into quart canning jars 2/3 of the way to the top.

Then, I pour white wine vinegar over the top of them, turn them upside down once and let them sit in a dark cool place for two weeks.

When they're done the vinegar will be a beautiful pink and perfect for dressing salads or marinading any number of things.  A little taste of early summer to keep!

When I went to buy the vinegar last night, I was struck by this mislabeling of the bottles.  In fact, I needed to stare at the bottles for a second to figure out what was going on, was I seeing  the color properly?   This made me marvel at our brains and how they work as they register things that aren't as they should be.  It put a little smile on my face.

Oh yes, and then I try to get a blog post in before the kids come down to breakfast!  Good Morning!