A Super Food in My Book

 Few things are better than being able to eat what you grow.  Not only do you know how it was grown, but there is a sense of accomplishment that comes from being able to simply go outside and pick your dinner.  I would say the only thing better is when what you eat are lush greens that overwintered in the cold frame and are in their full abundance now.  The sheer act of surviving frigid temperatures makes them a super food in my book.

Dinner last night was comprised of some sliced chicken on top of spicy arugula, butter lettuces, cannellini beans, avocado, tomato, and to top it off, some homemade toasted cornbread croutons.  That with a chilled glass of white wine, is what I call a perfect homestead dinner.

Sunshine, Play & Love

A little sunshine

A little bunny play

A little sibling love

Around the Homestead

The last eight weeks or so we have low keyed our farm work for obvious reasons.  Thankfully, it has been rather cold and dreary for most of that time.  This weekend the weather was beautiful, and we started playing a little catch up.

We have been eating freely from the salad greens that we planted last fall, and are thrilled to see some of our early crops begin to thrive.  We re-purposed this little piece of old landscape fencing to be a pea trellis.  It is the perfect size and decorative to boot!  I only hope that our transition from wintry weather to summer like weather in the last several days does not render these cool weather babies yield-less.



One of my most hated cherished tasks is cleaning out the chicken coop.  Nevertheless, the girls are sporting a clean coop with a little different layout, and the compost pile is most happy with its infusion of rich nitrogen.



After pulling out the bushes around the porch last fall, the rest of the work needs to be finished.  We completed the relatively easy task of laying out the landscape fabric and pushing staples into the soft ground.  The next step will be to have bark delivered to fill in.  The jury is still out on whether we will attempt this task, or need to have someone come in and do it.  I think calling on some prices will be on my to do list this week.



What better way to enjoy the weather, after a weekend of accomplishment?  A few apps on the porch.  This is Ina's tuscan chickpea spread, like a kicked up hummus, with toasted pita points.  So tasty!

B's fractures have healed so his restrictions have been reduced as far as challenging his hand.  The soft tissue/ligament damage will take about a year to complete its recovery, so now we have begun to try to get some things done.  Since B can't put much pressure on that hand... holding a chefs knife and trying to chop an onion is impossible, he has been learning to shift his weight and do stuff with his left hand.  As he begins to get more active, he also begins to notice new aches and pains that were not there before the accident, so it is an ever evolving process.  I am so proud of him, no matter how frustrated that he is, he is diligent, and focused on healing and moving forward.  What better place to heal than around the homestead.

Our Latest Dusting

To get a true sense that Spring in Wisconsin has finally arrived, all you need to do is take a look around.  The windshield of the car...

 The tops of the newly leafed out plants

The top of the BBQ

Or even, just the tracks made during the evening stroll around the homestead.

Ladies, and gentlemen....the pollen has arrived!  As you sit in awe of its beauty and how happy the bees must be, remember....take your zyrtec!

Intoxicating

It is officially one of my very favorite times of year, that two week window when my lilac bush below the kitchen window is in full bloom.  I find myself longing to simply stand in the kitchen and be intoxicated by its scent. 

In the North we have a small window between spring and summer, sometimes the two do not look wholly different.  What are some of the things that you wait the long cold months for??