skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Today I was thinking of the Robert Frost poem Out, Out that has the lines, "The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it."
This cooler than average weather has been great for putting up wood Ken had brought into the yard. Yesterday we split some wood and today Ken started the buzz saw and I stacked.
When I had done enough for one day we had gotten most off the trailer - still some larger pieces for the wood stove - and
we are most of the way on the third rick in the first section. This wood will dry nicely before we use it next winter
Even with some really cool nights, spring is progressing. Today I saw trillium almost open - about a week later than usual.
Near the garden the Nanking cherries are just starting to bloom
and the violets are blooming.
Spring is here! And now we have several greens on the Wild Side to harvest. The lowly dandelion is great when harvested before the flowers appear. I have been separating and drying the roots for Ken's blend of dried root tea. And I found a good recipe for the greens. I cook pasta and add toss with the rinsed, chopped dandelion greens, add some chopped preserved red peppers and grated cheese or a cream or cream cheese sauce or cooked diced bacon. The heat mellows the dandelion greens but the lack of cooking seems to preserve the nutritional value.
Lambs quarters are an indicator of good soil and rich in vitamins and minerals. I add them to salads, pasta salads, soups and braising mixes. It is a mild greens and so versatile.
Nettles are high in protein and vitamins. They are also called stinging nettles because some people get an itchy sensation after handing them. An alternative practitioner once told Ken exposure to nettles would reduce gout and arthritis. Once cooked they lose their itch. I add them to soups and braising mixes. Ken dries them and we add them to tea and soup in winter for some green energy!
Lemon or Melissa balm is a lemony member of the mint family. I add lemon balm where I would like some lemon flavor - salad dressing for example. I dry most of our lemon balm for a relaxing tea blend. Unlike chamomile which produces an allergic reaction in some people, lemon balm seems pretty benign. You can order these spring treats from us at http://kepperspottery.com/?110040#VegetableForm
Greetings from the Garden! This box has lettuce, salad and braising greens, spinach, green onions, and carrots, potatoes and beets from storage, spring dug parsnips, sun chokes and gobo.
Field Notes. Spring has arrived and the push is on! Ken has been transplanting and planting. The peas are in, the full season onion crops: Walla Walla sweet, red, storage and potato onions are transplanted. Only leeks are left, and it was too wet to work the soil to dig a deep trench for those.
Ken has also gotten the irrigation pump and all the hoses, fittings, and water storage tanks in place. He irrigated the high tunnel and the field tunnel. He irrigates, then fills a storage tank for the next time he needs to irrigate, and then moves the pump to the second location. This means he only needs one pump and he does not have to move it as often.
On the animal front, we have picked up our pigs. Small piglets are very cute. These three were a bit overwhelmed and shy for a few days - it is a big change to leave their familiar barn and experience sunshine, sod, and other animals like the dog, chickens and geese. they are doing fine - digging eating and romping around. Ken moves them frequently so they can get new ground to dig. He incorporates a pig project each year - they have been things like clearing a fence line, expanding the garden and renovating a growing area
From the Kitchen. We had a lovely beet salad today. I cooked a couple beets until the skins slipped off easily, and set them aside. I then toasted some pecans in a skillet. Then I chopped some rinsed arugula. I sliced the beets and chopped nuts in some olive oil and plated them up with some sour cream and the arugula. For people who do eat dairy, I think a homemade mayonnaise would also be great.
We have been eating lots of salad. All you need to make great salad dressing is to balance the following: a sour like vinegar or lemon juice, an oil or dairy like olive oil or sour cream, a small bit of sweet like honey or maple syrup, salt and pepper. There are infinite varieties. For a mild green spring salad maybe raspberry vinegar and olive oil with some chopped chervil.
With robust greens, how about chopped green onions, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, and salt and pepper?
Whatever you choose, enjoy the great spring greens! "Til next week, Judith
Growing in hoopettes and greenhouses has many advantages - early heat, protection from cold and hail and wind- controlled moisture. But one of the disadvantages is for moisture one needs to set up and use irrigation.
Ken spent a chunk of today getting the irrigation pump working and getting all the hoses, pipes, fittings and tanks in place.
He turns on the pump and irrigates one greenhouse and then fills up a tank for the next time he needs to irrigate. His system works with gravity
The plants really perked up once irrigated
Then he moves the pump to the other greenhouse about a quarter mile away, and does the same thing. this means he owns one pump and moves it less often.
People request photos of the pigs - at every size.
They are getting a bit more used to us, and less shy
Oscar still feels compelled to watch over them
And finally one I just could not pass up
The combination of rain and some warm weather has started the flowers. Usually we have all these flowers for our spring opener the first weekend in May, but they are a bit later this year.
Most years the trillium are blooming for Mother's Day, but this year they are just starting to bud.
As I walked to the mobile high tunnel through the woods, I saw first some small lavender flowers that are bell shaped on cloudy days and open like daisies when it is sunny.
In the low wet areas the cowslips or marsh marigolds are just starting to bloom
And the ferns are starting to open
In the yard are spring bulbs I have planted. The scilla or Siberian squill have naturalized and expanded over the years
There are many varieties of daffodils and narcissus tucked here and there.
The ones that are in sunny areas or near rocks that warm in the sun bloom first
I used to send my mother daffodil bulbs. We both like them, and they are hardy; animals don't eat them. When I see them I think of my mother.
I always pick a few as Ken also enjoys them.
I can't think of a more fitting way to celebrate - Happy Mother's Day
