The way I am learning to meditate, is to be still and quiet, and allow my mind to settle onto something, whatever it wants to settle onto, and keep breathing. It is a very low-key, no stress kind of meditation. I don’t beat myself up for doing it wrong, because there is no wrong way to do it. I read somewhere that given the opportunity … Continue reading Gratitude, Grace and Green Beans
We say Organic-ish, because we do use Wasp Spray. Other than that, we don’t spray anything on our garden, no chemicals, no weed-killers, and it turns out, that’s a really good thing. Our animals love all those weeds. At first we were pulling weeds, now I’m out every morning Clipping Weeds. That’s right, I clip them because I need them to grow back. Our turkeys, … Continue reading Unexpected Up-Side of our Organic-ish Farming Venture
Weeds in the garden. You don’t water them, you don’t tend them or nurture them, you certainly don’t plant them. You basically work hard to starve them of any nutrients so they will go away, and they are just as hardy as the day is long, and pop up continually. Some of the weeds in my garden are lovely, actually. They have delicate purple flowers … Continue reading Those Star Thistles are Vicious, aren’t They?
Ben described the Jam as “Mushed Awesomeness.” This, I believe, is a compliment. I can say that this Strawberry Jam was the most delicious I have ever tasted in my life. Perhaps it is because the Strawberries came from our own garden, and have been tended since last season to get them to produce a harvest. There is a lot of work that goes into … Continue reading First Fruits from the Garden – Strawberries and JAM!
The Corn is in the ground and so are the Broccoli plants. Let’s see. Yesterday we got in the tomatoes, onions, carrots, kale, jalapeno, lemon cucumbers, and watermelons. Even with knee-pads and gloves for gardening, my knees are aching, and my hands are caked with dirt and soil amendments. Bean played in what will eventually be one of the duck ponds, and pretended to fish. We … Continue reading Here’s to Gardening Imperfections, and Joy in General Messiness!
It seems completely crazy to me that our friends back in Fresno are having Hot, Hot days, and their gardens have already been in the ground for months. I only have starts in my laundry room, and we are just now digging up the weeds that have been covering the garden all winter. Scott got the plow out on some of the rows – but … Continue reading Chance of Frost Tonight – But we are So Close to Planting!
Last year’s Super Garden was basically our first. Yes, we dove right in. We had done some raised boxes in California, but didn’t get the soil right, so everything bloomed and then died. Last year’s harvest was spectacular, and completely overwhelming, when we started getting everything canned. I was canning before work, and after work, and on weekends. By the time we had finished, we … Continue reading Garden~Palooza
Of all the garden books I have, this one has become my favorite. More than anything, it is a poetic journey into the soil and into the very heart of how things grow. Most of my other books have lots of pictures, and how-to elements. This one speaks to my soul, and my heart. I routinely finish reading with tears in my eyes, reminded again … Continue reading Dinosaurs and Dragons in the Garden
It’s gorgeous, I think, but too far gone to eat. We have so many lessons from our first year of large scale gardening. Continue reading The Beauty of Being Too Far Gone!
Saturday Night we watched a movie with the boys called Flyboys, about American pilots flying for the French in WWI. It mostly focused on the flying, but there were moments that showed the devastation of war, the displaced families, the star-crossed lovers and the heartbreak of it. The boys missed most of that, but it clung to me as I was picking tomatoes on Sunday … Continue reading Canning Tomatoes, while being Lost in Paris most of the Day
My mind is a complete blank and that is a good thing. Normally, I am filled to the brim with lists of things to do, goals to accomplish, needs to be met, laundry to be folded, or animals to be fed and watered. This morning feels peaceful, still, and dark. I know that later on today, we will be canning the last few batches of tomato … Continue reading Meditations on Relish, the Food, and the Lifestyle!
We’ve been so busy with everything, I haven’t posted any pictures. This will help to catch us up! Continue reading Partial Harvest
We tried a Chocolate Mint Leaf Infusion tea-ish drink today. I’d read about it in a Self-Sustaining book. It did not turn out tasting as good as it looks. Honey next time, or berries would help. Continue reading Mint Infusion
For History & Geography night, we read from American Kids in History – WWII. We read the section about Victory Gardens and Victory Salads. During that time in our history, people returned to Gardening in record numbers as a patriotic thing to do. We learned that in 1943 Americans planted almost 21 million gardens. And in 1944, the last full year of the war, victory … Continue reading Victory Gardens and Victory Salads
I don’t know what else to say. My children were gobbling up their vegetables because they were delicious, and we grew them ourselves. They’ve watched little seeds be planted, make tiny sprouts in the greenhouse, they’ve helped plant, and water and weed, and tonight we feasted! Glorious, really! Continue reading Yum from the Garden!
Peas from this Morning! Remember all those months ago – way back in January or February – when we first planted the seeds for these Peas? Well, that first batch didn’t make it. I had to try again, but here they are, this morning, tall and gorgeous and with Peas growing every which way, all flouncy and bubbly and growing every day more gangly, but … Continue reading Beloved Adolescence!
The big news is that my garden now has water. We have been painstakingly putting in water lines, and then little spaghetti tubing, and then little tiny sprinkler or dripper or dribbler heads for every single one of the baby seedling plants in the garden, so that while we are at work, they will not dry out. We still have no idea what we’re doing. … Continue reading Drink!
Could there be anything more glorious than the sight – nearly 6 weeks after that first seed was kissed tenderly and placed into the ground? I went out to check on my seedlings in the greenhouse – and those are all doing splendidly. Then went to bring over more chips to put in between our deep, wide rows. The only things that are planted outside right … Continue reading Sprouts
The first plants into the garden – Peas, glorious Peas! I kissed the first little pea seed that I placed in the dirt at the base of it’s stalk. Grow, little pea! Grow! It reminded me of the children’s book my husband recently bought for me as an early Valentine’s present. It is called Plant a Kiss and it is written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, … Continue reading Kissing Seeds & Planting Kisses
These were the first words in my head this morning as I sat up in bed. I knew it was time to write, and it is the last day of the month. The last day of the first month of the year. We are 1/12 of the way through 2012, one egg less than a dozen. How much closer are we to our dreams? New … Continue reading One Egg less than a Dozen
This is a Before Picture of where our Garden will be planted. A good imagination can be a good thing! Because before me I see neatly planted rows of beautiful produce. Every shade of green is there, along with rich purples, bright yellows and reds as far as the eye can see in our tomato patch. This is the before garden, strewn with tall, spiky … Continue reading Field of Big Dreams
Earlier today, I likened my naivete regarding our overblown gardening plans to The Big Rock Candy Mountain song from the movie “Oh Brother Where Art Thou.” Then I had to go look it up and share it. Harry ‘Haywire’ McClintock wrote his first song, the story of “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” around the turn of the last century which was based on fairy tales he … Continue reading The Big Rock Candy Mountain
