Ramblings, Heirloom asparagus & more Apron Love

Things have really burst into life here. Making me far busier {and happily so} with this early onset of warmth. The Weeping Cherry tree's bloomed especially vibrant this year. Over the last few days it has become the norm in seeing at least 2 cars stopping in front of our home to snap pictures of them in bloom. I can not blame them. They are such an amazing sight so early in the year.

I have let the chickens out to free roam everyday being there is not much they could destroy this early. Except maybe {hopefully} put a huge dent on the bug population.

I am picking up our second hive next month. Without a colony. As you can see below the pollen count is very high this early which having Carinilian Bee's as we do means they will produce even more then normal amount of workers. Which in turn means restricting their hive space with growth and in hand possiby cause a swarming. I need the second hive for splitting just in case. I have still not received a Honey extractor. The enduring of Flaky people for second hand extractors plus the use /borrowing of one, not too mention the email & phone encounter of a scarey movie waiting to happen has me empty handed. {one of those where a woman emails to tell me she has one I can borrow so I send her the number for contact. Then a man calls here from an out of state number upon which I am told he is her "boyfriend" {she wrote to tell me her "boyfriend" will be calling me since it is his equipment only AFTER I sent her the number}.. Somehow the conversation became even more red flag with him saying I need to bring my frames to his place and all his extracting equipment is in the basement plus it is going to take a few hours to get all the frames done... dun dun dun......}

Back to the bee's, the weeping Cherry blooms have been the hot spot of our yard making much in ease for their close inspection.

We {I } have been spending all my time cleaning up any weeds that continue to show face in the garden. I have been using a 2x4 to make a line mark as I make my way from one end to the other. It may seem silly but with the grass clippings & leaves mulched on top, it takes the wood color to make the weed greens pop out. Think of it as though it were a graph line. It makes for a great marker of where I leave off everyday as well.

. I am just now seeing life in the cool weather garden. The Fava's are just now poking through. I planted the Tall Telephone Garden peas in a zig zag along the bentwood trellis plus Sugar snaps along the side back of the fence. Frog & I have been busy whipping up & watering what green there is with our Comfrey composted tea. Thats her favorite part. The watering.

I am now adamant, concerning aprons, one has no realization how they really are one of the most useful pieces of one's { my } wardrobe. We all know most of my wardrobe consists of thrift store finds.Personally I rather enjoy paying less for almost new looking clothes then the availability of overpriced and far too dressy for my lifestyle. Just like that white sundress above. $4 and looked just as good as it had when new.

    I worked in the garden all day wearing that white dress. Not a bit of dirt was on it...I wore my apron which was just an inch past my hem, all day. Sold! Now when it comes to getting dirty, I am just as bad if not worse then my little country kids. From playing with chickens, climbing trees like monkeys, letting their imagination soar with play outdoors with the occasional imitating of a hen taking a dust bath... I kid not. I had asked what they were doing and that was the answer.... taking a dust bath... sigh. Just as bad as pulling in the driveway last night to discover Frog had hog tied her big brother with a jump rope... Now, I understood why the car which had slowed down in front of me was not about the weeping Cherry blooms as I have become accustomed. It was the odd sight of seeing a small child Hog Tied in the front yard with an even smaller child dancing around him as though she were doing a tribal victory dance...

But lets move on to the most amazing gift I received last evening. Mr. J had stopped in to inquire if I would like "some" asparagus plants he has thinned out from his patch. How.. nay WHY ,would I say no? So the Captain long after calls out "Hey, Mr. J is coming up the drive with a big box in a wheel barrow". I thought nothing of it. I mean, it could have been the only box he had & maybe he did not want to drop it coming across the road.... Turned out neither were the reason. That "some" turned into over 3 dozen crowns of the rare heirloom "Conover Colossal"  asparagus crowns!! My mind was reeling and I would not be surprised if that man has not come to the conclusion I am a complete airhead the way I fumble on my words. I could not believe they were all for me. Be still my heart.. Be still.

I was amazed he had grown these 2 year old crowns from seed. An impressive feat. After some research, I found out more on my Darlin' Octopus root gems. They became well known in the late 1800's. Touted as the best compared to all other varieties available. An old article pertaining to the beginning of it's popularity is at this link* which describes not only it's abundance per crown of averaging 35 stalks but that it is not from the soil which gives it such superiority. It is indeed the variety created in his {Conover's} asparagus farming.

I am overjoyed to finally have these green spears in the garden. I have had attempts in the past to grow asparagus from the nursery store stock, resulting in just the loss of time & money. I am ever so full of gratitude for a most wonderful gift an asparagus loving gardener can receive.

A few more picture highlights of the last few days. Less talking. More showing....

 The lady bugs are out & this lil one fell onto my apron as the willow greens swayed around me.

Ming has discovered my burdock Hypertuffa is the best place to lay & cool down while watching me work in the garden.

 Esmeralda is the low hen of the group and an incident of her exclusion from the communal dust bath had the children pampering her with worms fresh from the garden. Ming, of course, wanted inclusion. Liking the worm she was offered? not so much...

I think I may do some back road driving for some camera play. I have been inspired by some photography that was shown in the recent MaryJanes Farmgirls magazine, using old pieces of timber & hardware. Enhancing the presentation/feeling of the photograph. Not that it is a new concept but brought back the inspiration I needed due to being side tracked by the garden.

Sweetest Dreams,

~Tammie

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The Table that took 6 months to build...

No, that is not an exaggeration. It truly took 6 months from start to finish. Not because the table actually required that much work. No, it's more like I refused to brave the cold & work on it during the winter. Yes, I dislike being cold that much.

I first mentioned this Project last September, showing a beautiful upcycled barn wood table. It had a rather alluring bottom shelf for the Farm House table. LOVED IT! So begun the construction which did not end looking like the one in the picture. None the less, it is unique and huge! 8 ft long and 3 ft wide.

I did not like square edges on the end, so I cut a slight crescent into the frame corners and round the top corners. Then applied a light layer of white paint just to the base.

 I'm not Bob Villa but I am very happy with how it came out. I made it so the top sits at 34 inches high, perfect to prevent slumping over the top in normal dining chairs. Once my new dining chairs are finished with their new cushions, our old table chairs will be transformed into wood bottom {removing the cushions} for using with this table outside, under the future Arbor.

I also managed to finish tilling under the winter rye cover crop in the garden. To feel the cold soil freshly turned under my feet, was exhilarating. BUT it came with a consequence. Within 1/2 an hour I soon broke out in a massive case of itchy red skin & hives all over my body.It felt as though my skin was really crawling. I could feel a swelling in my throat & saw my limbs begin to get puffy.I grabbed the benedryl, which was followed with the antihistamine induced nap. I woke up as though I had partied the night away.Headache, sensitive stomach. Ack! Lesson learned. Do not till winter rye while barefoot.

The chickens are loving this recent turn of Mother Nature. Their coop is still awaiting it's final home INSIDE the chicken pen, but they stay with a 10 ft range of the coop despite not having barriers. Dust bathing, playing "who's got the worm now football" and of course flying in circles testing out their wings.

Moving the coop is a matter of awaiting for the person whom is doing the job to get the time to come over. Supposedly that will tomorrow. I truly hope so. I would like to finish the painting & decor soon.

I got the call today.Our Bee's will be ready for pick up on Thursday, which I will not be able to drive the hour there & then back until Friday Morning. Being my first time doing this alone, I decided to take you along for the ride. I did not realize there is not much at all in the books I have about bringing them home & what to do that day/night. They concentrate on once you have them settled in..

Hopefully I can get enough good footage of all that will be happening as to make a video for sharing. Gas has been keeping me close to home and of course plenty of none returned emails/phone calls to destinations. lol.

Sweet Dreams,

~Tammie 

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Put some magic back in the garden!

Try some unusual ways to grow your garden this year. Think about what you have seed for and what you may need for interesting views for the visits in the garden.

How about adding some different colored lettuce in a wide open tub or kiddie pool. Make designs such as a peace symbol (That was Panda's request) or like this "aww" inspiring spiral:
Now think about what climbing veggies or fruits you are going to grow. climbing beans? Cucumbers? Squash? or maybe even some small melons?
I have drooled after the Bean arch I have seen over at Pile o' Melay's for some time now, as many others have. I am using some of the extra fencing we have left from the old animal pen to do just.
Grow some climbing garden food plants over arches. Here is a great pic showing cucumbers at an early stage to give you a better view on how to make one yourself(a pic off the net- not mine):
It does not have to stop there. You could do tepee designs or border a few sides of the large garden with walls of climbing plants.
do not stick to the ordinary straight rows and poles for your garden this year. Get creative and add some interest that wow your friends and family. gardening is an art form in itself. Why not add more interesting forms to it?
My baby brother Army and his Fiance Ms. marine are moving into their first house together down in Texas. So excited to hear she is into gardening and they are interested in my kind of lifestyle. I am putting together some seeds out of my stash to send down to them for their first garden. Along with some printouts of pictures/how to's on some of the things I write about here on my blog such as this one to inspire their creativity. Of course...what is a package from his big sister without some homebaked goodies... I miss that big goober and wish so much he was closer. Maybe Ms. Marine would nudge him north? But of course she has family down there so I would understand if not.
The zipline is up and has enteratined almost every child in our 'hood. The solar pit has still not been dug but I did get all the lumber and such for it's top portion. The tobacco has been seeded. The spanish peanuts and collard seeds are on their way and will be started indoors as soon as they arrive. The 4 lemon and 1 lime dwarf tree will not be shipped out till mid April.
Lil Man's birthday is the 4th so I making him the see saw I posted a few back. Almost done with it. The tiller is acting up and Tractor boy has been so kind trying to figure out what is going on with it.
we are planting more ginger in window box's and i picked up some ale yeast for making ginger ale from scratch.
Rain keeps coming so I guess I best catch up on the indoor chores and activities.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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Lily of the valley fills the air....

My lily of the valley blooms around mothers day almost every year. I rarely see it. I only know when I walk close by. The scent makes you stop in your tracks and smile. You smile not only because of the wonderful smell but because it is the sure sign nicer weather is here to stay.

~Pink lily of the valley on the left- white variety on the right plus bouquet w/ white in middle~
I have lots of the Pink variety. I had read the pink variety is not as well known as the white but is considered rare among home gardens. I do have some of the white, but on an opposite hill from the sister. I pick a nice hand bunch to place in every room as soon as the bloom. So sweet smelling. Now I am waiting for ( Tractor boy's father) my neighbor's lilac tree's to bloom. He always lets me clip a bunch for the house.
Today we traveled over to a stocked pond fishing place. The Captain's Dad use to take him there when he was a child.
Panda & Lil' man had a blast and by the end, both kids were baiting their own hooks. Now the casting is a whole 'nother subject....
Frog & I tended to the picnic set-up instead of fishing. I really do not enjoy it like they do. It was a beautiful place. Wonderful fields of lush green grass, black birds with the red shoulders were flying and chirping, the wind was blowing, and the children... were not fighting....
It was nice.
I made sandwich's, deviled eggs, romaine & spinach salads, plus this wonderful yummy Berry crumble pie. I have a few bags left in the deep freezer of Blackberries, Raspberries, & blueberries, I have been dying to bake with. So I baked us a pie to take along on the fishing picnic trip. I found the recipe here*, but of course I never do anything by the book. I added cinnamon to the filling & hand crumbled walnuts to the topping. I may perk around with again next time. Maybe add some sweet apple to balance out the overtone of tart berries- Nothing a little Vanilla bean ice cream wouldn't fix. But ice cream on picnic would involve an ice cream maker and we all know when you need an electric outlet, there is never one around. I would love to have a hand crank ice cream maker for that very reason and hope to have one within the next 2 years.
Other things I am working on include a HOMEMADE Cider Press! I would LOVE to have one to make all the apples around here into cider (maybe some "apple jack") and vinegar. I have been on the search for how to's, but everything seems to cost within the same range of just buying one from Lehman's. The wood is pricey since you need it to withstand the pressure from pressing and the spiral ratchet is not inexpensive. I put a request on freecycle, but that is a long shot. I thought maybe, just maybe, someone may have one in their garage they have not used in years or just have no use for. Maybe it is old and needs repaired(-I can bring it back to life). Someone is bound to have one that is just collecting dust and taking up space.
I could go for one of those shop presses and make a cider press, but we'll see what I can find.That is just one of the projects I am looking at. Tell ya more later.
Sweet dreams,
Tammie

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Signs of spring

During the morning feed time, I stumbled upon these:
This week will be staying over 60 for the most part. YIPPEE! Goat cabin needs painted in the most desperate way. So that gets checked off the list this week.

24 pictures later and I still could not get these to come out very clear. Thats it! I strongly dislike this camera and highly recommend you DO NOT purchase one! Olympus FE-170 is just crap. I had $60 digitals give me better pictures. I really liked the one we had before but it could only take so much abuse from sneaky children before it is no longer working great. At the end, it gave grey cloudy & grainy pictures. This one has lots of features, but you have to take alot at different angles before you can even get a clear shot in the center. This one was a winter holiday gift but looking it up online this would go for over $100 at minimum. I wish they would have just given us the store gift card to choose what we would have liked. They usually give gift cards for stuff like this for The Captain & I so surprised was I when we received the gift. I have to suffer through it's use untill next year when I can purchase another digital. ARGHH! Too bad we could not take it back. But being a gift, that would just be rude. I mean, how can you tell someone the camera they bought is junk? You just cant do that. So I smile graciously and keep wasting battery power to get just one good shot. O.k- rant over.

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