The Adventure Learning Company

The Quiet Season

2011-11-08T18:58:00.000-06:00

Lately, I haven’t been online much. With a 7-month old who doesn’t like the computer and is constantly in motion, my hands are very busy! We’ve also taken some intentional time to experiment with being more unplugged than usual. It’s been good. We’ve been soaking up every last bit of the beautiful fall weather with long walks. We’ve cast footprints, planted garlic, climbed trees, shot arrows, read books. There’s been knitting, spinning, sewing, tinkering, letter writing, visiting, and a new resident quail who ended up in a cage in the kids’ room, rather than on my dinner plate. Reflecting on this past year, it’s been something of a blur, so I welcome the transition as we drift gently into the quiet season. In all of this, blogging has been at the back of my mind. I’ve blogged here for quite a long time, so it’s hard now to write what I know will be my last post here. I’ve come to the inevitable conclusion that it’s time, for now, to make some space, for the fullness of life, and for other reasons that I’m finding difficult to articulate. I’d hoped to make some clearer decisions about where to go with blogging before posting this farewell. I thought maybe this one would morph naturally into something new, and there are things I’ve been wanting to write about, but it hasn’t happened like that yet, and so it’s time to take a step back.

It’s interesting what happens, blogging. For me, it started out as a homeschool journal that I just put out there. It was a scrap book, and a creative outlet, and I enjoyed writing each and every post. The blog changed a lot over the years, and that funny thing that is now part of our digital world began to take place- I made connections with you, my readers. We visited each other’s blogs, and left comments to greet, encourage, relate... I’ve always kept my blog relatively anonymous, and so felt both connected and disconnected- the odd paradox that is our virtual lives. Given the choice, I would rather write you a personal letter; send you some photos of my beautiful children (they really are beautiful!); make you a cup of coffee and share a visit at my kitchen table. Sometimes I think I am too much a Luddite, and will be left in the dust by my children’s generation. The funny thing is, I’m more and more okay with that all the time.

As I was writing this last post, the season’s first snow began to fall. I held the baby at the window in the kitchen, and he looked out intently with his big blue eyes. Seeing the wonder in his sweet little face, as his brothers burst out the door to meet the change of seasons head-on, I felt reassured and grateful for nature’s gentle nudge towards this quiet season.

Love and blessings. Thanks for spending this time with me.

Clean up in the Greenhouse

2011-10-04T18:43:00.001-06:00

I really needed to get out of the kitchen today- I'm still canning tomatoes, and was getting that tired feeling that comes with being indoors too much. But it was so windy for having the baby outside with me, so we headed into the greenhouse and did a big clean-up job. I cut all of the plant vines back, and pulled out cages and stakes. It sure looks different in there now.

We seem to be doing pretty well with the back-carry in the Ergo. When the little man's not sleeping, he's peeking over the side at what I'm working at. As long as he's fed and dry, we're good to go for an hour or two. He's such a good little farmer!

The greenhouse yielded it's last small harvest as I pulled out the remaining plants.

Then we hauled a wheelbarrow load of compost in, and transplanted a few greens from the kitchen garden, next to the little greens-mix I'd planted some weeks ago-

above: Romaine lettuces, Swiss chard, and micro greens. If the transplants are doing okay within the next couple of days, I may add a few more.

Unfortunately the carrot seed that was planted between the rows of peppers didn't do very well, and the cabbage moths took all but the very last of the brassica plants sown.

One nice surprise though- the dead vines coughed up this little muskmelon. Not exactly matured to perfection, but it was still a treat.

I find it invigorating working outside at this time of year. The temperature is just right, and the scenery is beautiful. Now that everything has died back, the pace is more relaxed and there's no need to feel rushed. Anyone else doing some fall gardening?

A Local Vest for Baby

2011-10-03T19:00:00.000-06:00

I put the last stitches on the vest a few days ago while the baby was napping and I was waiting for the canner to boil. There were some new skills I learned in making this vest, like working in stockinette stitch, and making buttonholes. I didn't follow a pattern, as I haven't quite reached that stage of mastery yet, but I was inspired by a little vest I found here, and loved how they called it 'manly', though mine ended up being quite different in the end. As I was nearing the end of this project, I was thinking how the fibre and much of the processing were local, which got me thinking how rare a thing it was to have a local piece of clothing in one's house! Long before I ever imagined I'd be knitting things for my own babies, I had a friend who's grandmother kept sheep. Each grandchild was 'given' a sheep, which stayed on her farm, and whose fleece would find it's way to her spinning wheel and knitting needles, before being wrapped up in a box at Christmas and gifted to the 'owner' in the form of socks, sweaters, toques, mittens, etc. I remember thinking how special it would be to know the story of where your woolens came from, and am delighted to be a step closer to that reality now.

The alpaca for the baby's vest came from a farm in my parents' neck of the woods. The alpaca farmer is a neighbour and friend of theirs, who I met during the unfortunate aftermath of a tornado that took out a number of trees on my parents' farm. J showed up with his chainsaw to help clear the road and the fences. Our kids played together in the yard, and later we all sat down and ate dinner together. That Christmas, my parents gave me several packages of roving from his farm.

I had no idea as I was spinning it last winter, that it would make the perfect 'manly' vest for the little man growing steadily in my belly, but the soft silky fibres seemed just right.

The vest would require buttons and I considered ordering some of the beautiful rustic wooden buttons I've seen online. But as I was knitting the last stitches I thought, my husband's handy....I wonder if he could make some buttons?

Apparently this wasn't a complicated project. The old apple tree at the back of the garden provided the wood (a branch that had been removed in trimming last spring) and in a very short time he and the boys had a number of buttons under production in the shop.

They sawed, drilled, and then rubbed them with pure linseed oil which brought out the natural beauty of the wood.

The hard part was choosing which ones to use.

Their hand-made buttons added character to the little vest. In the end it turned out to be a special project not only because the raw materials came from familiar places, but also because we all had a hand in it as a family.

The tiny vest now seems infused with love. I hope our little one can feel it too.

Little Knights on the Prairie: Celebrating Michaelmas

2011-09-30T12:29:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was Michaelmas, which we've come to celebrate over the years as an excuse to have some seasonal fun. An obscure holiday to most Canadians, Michaelmas traditions come to us from England. They are old and varied, but sometimes include the imagery of harvest, as well as knights and dragons, particularly the story of St. George and the dragon. Here's how we tied it together this year-

After afternoon tea of scones and homemade preserves, the boys took big, overgrown zucchini and carved them into dragons. The results were some of the most menacing courgettes I've ever seen!

When their dad got home from work, it was time to slay the dragons, knight-style.

There was a loud whoop! when he came walking out with a new archery set. (And I'm sure he was as excited as the kids, since he didn't have to play the role of the dragon being slain with a wooden sword this year!) After a short safety lesson (of course) they took turns taking aim at the 'dragons'.

It required more strength and precision than they suspected; a skill to practice over time. Or until the sun went down, for starters.

Dragons slain, we ate our supper in peace, knowing we were safe for another year!

I love the imagery of Michaelmas, especially with this house full of boys. It gives a great launching point to think about things like being brave and courageous; about facing challenges; about defending those weaker than ourselves; and about being responsible and respectful with the power that we have. I'm finding that the theme of 'heroes' seems to be floating about in our home this season, and Michaelmas was a fun way to explore it from a different angle.

*************

On another note, I just wanted to pick up the thread of my last post and mention that the glass lids worked very well! I only had a few rubber rings on hand, but those that went into the canner came out sealed just fine.

Once the jars had cooled a bit, I tested each one by taking off the screw band and lifting it off the counter by the lid. (Thanks for the tip Shanon!) They held on tight!

With all the canning going on it's hard not to be tethered to the kitchen most of the day, yet every time I step out for some fresh air I am struck by how beautiful our little farm is in it's autumn glory.

Take it in while it lasts!

Fall Swimming, Vest, and Canning Rant Part 2

2011-09-26T14:36:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful fall weekend we've had! On Saturday I had a few errands to run in town, so along the way, the boys and I hit the thrift store to hunt for treasure. Since learning about the issue of BPA in snap lids, I've decided to begin the switch over to the old fashioned glass lids, which aren't being made anymore, but can sometimes be found second-hand or by asking around. It was one of those moments where the universe answers with a gift more generous than hoped for. I found a whole box of them sitting there on the thrift store floor. I carried it up to the the front and asked how much for the lot. "How about four dollars?" said the cashier. Who can argue with a price like that?

I share the concerns of many home canners who, over the last couple of years, have learned about BPA in snap lids. So far as I can understand, Environment Canada has listed BPA as a toxic substance, but our government has moved only so far as to restrict it's use in baby bottles and formula containers. There are a couple of alternatives for home canners, like the beautiful Weck jars, and Tattler lids. Golden Harvest also has what I believe is a BPA-free lid, but as yet I haven't seen the lids for sale without the jars. The old glass lids went out of fashion when the snap lids with their little 'pop tops' came about, which assured a safe seal, a safer product. Well, we learn, except for possible contamination from BPA. The cynicist in me says, it's everywhere. It can't be avoided, even if I switch out my lids. But then there's the little voice that keeps me going when it comes to so many things, urging me to make just one more small change. I put up this homegrown food for a variety of reasons, but most of all, for the health of my children. Plus, snap lids are just one more thing to buy every year, since they don't always re-use well, unlike the glass lids, which will afford me just a tiny bit more independence from the big ol' hamster wheel of consumerism.

While I'm ranting on about it (I believe this is my second canning rant on this blog), wouldn't it be great to see glass lids back on the market? The old ones, like I found at the thrift store, are the same size, I can't help but notice, that fit the old mid- or 'gem' size jars that were popular for years, but have apparently gone out of production as well, though the gem snap-lids are still available. I suppose, from a business stand point, the reusable lids weren't as profitable, and perhaps if you can sell something that requires the consumer to come back each year, rather than as a one-time purchase, well...that's just good business, isn't it? But again, perhaps the definition of good business is slowly changing, as more of us seek out better, safer, greener alternatives. There was some controversy over the availability of gem lids a few years back, and I remember seeing hundreds of these otherwise perfectly good canning jars dumped into the bins when we took our recycling in. They are still widely available in thrift stores and from little old ladies having garage sales, so now is the time to take advantage of what remains of the supply. Once I've cracked, broken, and otherwise worked my way through my supply of out-dated canning jars and lids, hopefully better alternatives to these single-use lids with BPA will be widely available. Yes, of course they will. Because gardening is catching on like wildfire, and that's a tip that companies can cash in on.

Who'd have thought canning could be such an issue?

And there will be lots of canning this week, after the heat of the weekend ripened loads of tomatoes in the kitchen! It was unbelievably warm here, for late September. We had temps up in the 30's, and celebrated the beginning of fall with a trip to the beach.

The water is turning colder now, but it was so refreshing to jump in and cool off from the heat of the day.

Finally over the weekend, the little vest made it onto my needles. I'm knitting up some alpaca that I spun last winter. It's a satisfying feeling of to be knitting my own hand spun yarn for the baby. The alpaca is quite silky and soft, and should make a nice insulating layer between the babe and the floor,

that is, if I can figure out how to finish it.

Happy Autumn!

Last of the Season

2011-09-22T17:00:00.000-06:00

Just a few last photos on the eve of the equinox. We're having such beautiful, warm weather here; slowly working at bringing more veg in from the garden. The shorter days are full with all there is to do, strategically planning the filling of hot jars around baby naps, keeping a steady pace with homeschool stuff, never quite keeping pace with the appetites of my growing boys, chasing (and never quite catching) fall's dirt and clutter, and trying to enjoy the sunshine in the spaces in between!

Happy Equinox

Hat & Sheep

2011-09-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

With the chill in the air, the needles come out.

It's been a long time since I've done a crochet project. I'd like to learn some new stitches this year. Crochet is quick, and the single hook, as opposed to multiple needles, is appealing now that there are little hands reaching for everything in view. I thought I'd warm up with a quick baby hat project.

I did a few rounds here and there through the day, and had a little hat finished by evening. I'd meant to put some cute little antennae at the top, but they ended up looking like horns! And while many of my favourite animals have horns, I think the association is something more sinister.

After some contemplation, I snipped the horns and went instead with tassels.

They seemed to give the hat a gentler edge.

I have plans for some fall knitting too; to start a vest for the babe next- something to keep him warm as he turns to exploring at floor level. Then I will be one step closer to a sweater!

Along the same line, there's this:

I'm thinking about sheep these days, and The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook is helping me sort through various breeds. It's such an amazing book- the pictures and information are wonderful. I've ordered some samples of fiber from etsy shops, from those breeds I'm most interested in, to start playing with over the winter and get a better feel for different fibers. Our little farm has felt quieter, and less farmy without the menagerie we had last summer, and the kids are excited at the idea of having more animals once again. I always enjoy the process of planning through winter for the spring to come.

The Good News

2011-09-16T20:57:00.000-06:00

Thanks to those who left thoughtful and kind comments after the greenhouse disaster! I've been working the last couple of days to salvage what I could, and thought I'd share the good news.

The closest-to-mature melon, a sweet Siberian (Baker Creek seeds) commanded display on the table for a day before we cut into it. I was afraid of being disappointed, and just wanted to enjoy it a little longer! When when we finally cut into it...

we were a bit surprised by the pale fruit. It looked like it might not be ready. I have no doubt that it could have ripened a little longer, but it was surprisingly mild, sweet, very crisp, and tasty. We enjoyed every bit of that little melon.

The same couldn't be said for the other melons, but considering that this is our first melon crop *ever*, it's all a victory.

It probably wouldn't have hurt to start these plants earlier, but I have to remind myself that I was busy having a baby during seed-starting season. ;) Already I am thinking about next year's garden though; what I will do differently.

As for the peppers...

I first harvested anything that looked like it had been touched by frost. I took these and roasted them in the oven, then tossed them in a pot with some freshly sauced tomatoes, loads of garlic and onion, and a few other things.

The sauce is waiting to be bottled. It tastes amazing, if I do say so myself. ;)

There were a few peppers that seemed to have escaped the frost- I think it's because they were on lower plants, probably protected by the canopy above them.

There were these little Thai chili peppers. I bit into one, and had to make a mad dash for the milk jug in the fridge! The boys thought it was hilarious. Silly mama. But they are hot and crisp, and just may ripen up nicely yet.

There were also some sweet Marconi peppers that looked pretty good, apart from being nowhere near ripe.

I've strung these and the chilies up in the kitchen for the time being.

I salvaged a handful of little fingers eggplants.

You can see where they get their name! The very first of this year's crop, and the very last. But better than none at all.

Along with some early tomatoes from the greenhouse that I'd dried and stuffed with garlic, those eggplants, the sauce, and a few other garden goodies, pizza Friday was looking pretty good.

After that first look at the frost-ravaged greenhouse on Wednesday, I have to say things turned out better than I expected, and for now, that's good enough for me.

Babies Growing Up, Killing Frosts, and Old Farmers

2011-09-15T12:28:00.000-06:00

The day started with little mystery boxes at the foot of a certain birthday boy's bed. It started with unwrapping gummy tarantulas, ten dollars in change, and a handful of Lego mini figures, amongst other things. He asked if he could have a cup of coffee on his birthday morning, so we had coffee together like grown-ups, and looked at the first frost on the lawn.

Grandparents came to visit, bringing food, and presents. The boys built Lego, and showed off their pumpkins, and introduced Grandma to Angry Birds. By the time I wandered out to the garden it was early afternoon. There had been, as the radio told me that morning, severe frost. It had left it's mark on the garden. What I didn't expect was that the greenhouse would be affected too. It's always abrupt, seeing the change after a frost.

The cucumber leaves were crisp. The tomatoes drooping sadly. The peppers hadn't fared much better. There were obviously too many gaps in the walls that we'd never covered properly. I'd left all these wonderful veggies growing in there, thinking they would be fine. I cut the one mature melon, then turned and closed the door on it, too disappointed to think about it for the time being.

Feeling kind of sad and miserable about this difficult lesson, I started poking around the garden to see what else the frost had taken care of, and what it hadn't. I decided that the Mandan Bride corn wasn't going to fill in any longer, so I pulled a cob to husk and see how far along it had come. That first cob was full of kernels in beautiful purples, pinks, and yellow. It brightened my mood immediately. I pulled another; it was in vibrant yellow and rusty orange.

I laid my sweater on the ground and started filling it with bright coloured corn cobs, each one a treat to open, like beautiful husk-wrapped presents. Most of the party had made their way to the patio, but my dad was in the corn patch with me, and he seemed to delight in those pretty cobs as much as I did. It wasn't long before he was unwrapping corn along with me; telling me how they used to grow corn like it on the farm when he was growing up. He said it was earlier than the sweet corn, and smaller, so they'd eat it fresh as an early crop.

The day had ceased to be cold, and we worked our way through the little patch of corn in the sunshine, taking our time and admiring how beautiful and different each cob of corn was from the others. I felt grateful for having him there to share the work; the farmer in his element; an aura about him of both wisdom, and childlike discovery. Not many people will take the time to unwrap a cob of corn with such reverence.

I tied up the husks to hang in the gazebo for everyone else to admire too. We ate chocolate birthday cake, and I thought about babies growing up, and killing frosts, and old farmers.

Teachers, all of them.

A Big Harvest Day

2011-09-13T10:49:00.001-06:00

Summer has come to an end. The mornings suddenly feel cold. Frost is looming. It was time to harvest the tender crops from the garden. We tried to leave the squash as long as possible, which could've done with another week of heat, but regrettably, frost won't hold off just because we want it too.

The boys piled squash onto the lawn, the step, and into containers. They were pleased with the harvests from their pumpkin plants, small and large. I pulled up tomato plants. Since the sling baby doesn't much like the work of bending over in the garden, I set up a little work station next to the greenhouse where we stripped the fruit off the vine and separated the green tomatoes from the ripe ones.

We worked through the afternoon in the warm sunshine, when all the tomatoes, squash, and onions were harvested. Dh was away for an excessively long workday, so I was very grateful for my little helpers.

Those boys of mine were so focused, I couldn't have got it all done without them!

I see them getting stronger and more efficient each year. I was impressed with how they hauled those heavy squash out of the garden! As they participate more each year in planting and raising their own vegetables, harvest time becomes that much more meaningful. They asked if we could have a harvest celebration soon.

I am pleased with this year's tomato crop. There was only one section with a few plants where some pumpkin vines had grown over and created a moist shady spot which didn't do as well. A number of those fruits had little holes or bite marks in them.

When it comes to tomatoes, I've learned not to take chances. I tossed anything that looked like it might go bad before ripening. It's not worth the risk of the crop to save a few extra tomatoes.

The real winner of this year's crop was a plant called Anna Russian. It's a big, indeterminate tomato from Heritage Harvest Seed (see sidebar). The tomatoes are pink, slightly heart-shaped, with many the size of big apples. The plants were loaded with fruit.

Inside, they are dense and sweet, with a smooth texture. Perfect for tomato sandwiches, but also with lots of meat for making sauce.

Another plant that deserves an honorable mention is Old Brook, from Prairie Seeds. This is a quiet work horse of the garden. Healthy, relatively early, loaded with tomatoes that have that a more acidic, old fashioned tomato flavour.

Old Brook doesn't have any real defining characteristics- but it's reliability and tasty tomato-y personality keep me growing it every year. It's just a darn good tomato.

Not to be upstaged, Monomakh's Hat (Heritage Harvest Seed) has produced another 2 lb wonder this year,.

In total, from the garden we harvested about 35 gallons of tomatoes.

There are still those left in the greenhouse, and a few that we left on the vine to store. I'm looking forward to trying the Martino's Roma tomatoes, whose plants were heavy with fruit.

I'm trying a new-to-me storage technique with some of these, which I read about in Terre Vivant's Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning (sidebar), that is, hanging the plants, roots and all, upside-down in the cellar and picking the fruit as it ripens. I stripped most of the leaves before hanging the plants on nails from the ceiling in the cold room. It will be interesting to see how these come along.

So it seems now that every surface in the kitchen is cluttered with veg! There will be lots of canning in the days ahead, as we process the tomatoes and slowly bring in the rest of the harvest.

"Won't dad be surprised when he comes in the door tonight to see all of this squash?"

That got the boys thinking it might be funny to leave a pumpkin on his computer desk chair, and tuck an overgrown zucchini into his side of the bed.

I have no idea what time it was when he finally got home from work, but I heard him laughing quietly in the dark.

The Camp Tradition

2011-09-11T12:44:00.000-06:00

Almost every year, we have started the 'school' year by going camping. It's a tradition that reminds me how lucky we are to be living life without schooling, and how important the natural world is in our lives and in our homeschool philosophy.

But it's also a great way to kick back and relax on the same week that the rest of the world seems to be kicking into high gear.

Here on the prairies we had a late burst of summer with temps up in the 30's. Perfect beach weather.

The kids got to hang out with their buddies and spent hours playing in the lake. They had the very exciting experience of seeing a turtle pop up in the water, before it dove under and swam off. Some turtles are native to the prairies, but it's a rare treat to see one in the wild!

Another cool discovery was watching a squirrel storing up for winter inside this hollowed out tree:

Just like we are storing up for winter!

Each year I think back to our first not-back-to-school camping trip. It was just myself and my two boys that year, and it had significant meaning to me; a ritual to symbolize my commitment to our new homeschool journey. Six years later, we find ourselves at the same place, in the company of a new baby brother, and friends who share in the homeschool love. How my boys have grown and changed! How grateful am I to have spent the vast majority of those days in their company!

The kids always seem to end up doing some kind of spontaneous nature-art while we are there. The Coyote was carving shapes out of blocks of hardened sand with a stick, then releasing them into the water and watching them melt away before his eyes. The Cub was making his own art on the ground with found bits of leaf, twig, and seed.

I mentioned mandalas, and how the monks who create them appreciate their beauty for the moment, before the sands are blown away and the picture fades into a memory. It was only later that I realized how this was a perfect metaphor for each year of this special journey.

Around the Farm

2011-09-01T10:18:00.002-06:00

It's been some time since I've done a garden update, and now on the first of September, it feels like the season is beginning to turn. Yesterday it rained here for the first time in a few weeks. That rain brought with it a coolness that we haven't felt until now, and darkness that ushered in early evening.

The peas have died back. The lettuce has bolted. The garden is on a steady but gentle downward curve. I am keeping an eye on our squash patches, hoping that a couple more weeks will be enough for them to mature.

The boys planted a number of squash plants (some ornamental) in the planter at the south side of the house. These are spilling out onto the patio- Jack-be-littles, jack-o-lantern pumpkins, gourds.... They have a bit more frost protection here.

The potatoes plants are dying back too. I hope to harvest them before the dead vines get lost in the weeds back there!

Every day or two, the Cub and I take baskets out and search for vine-ripe tomatoes in the kitchen garden...

and in the greenhouse.

Some of those tomatoes that I've trellissed and clipped have reached the ceiling! It's been something of a jungle in there, so I pulled out the moth ravaged brassicas, and took the pruning shears to the tomatoes and cucumbers, which were spilling out everywhere.

The sweet peppers are coming on nicely...

Albino bullnose was a bit thin-walled on first try. Perhaps if I let them grow out a while longer, they'll get thicker and sweeter? I really don't know, since this is the first decent crop of sweet peppers I've had yet.

These patio marconi peppers will turn red when they're ripe, so that will take some of the guess work out of it for me.

Little cucs are coming on too. If I'm diligent about picking them at the right size I m hoping to make some little 'cornichons' one of these days.

And there are more little melons showing up, at last!

Some of them have wound their way into the tomato vines, making trellises for themselves.

With the brassicas plants cleared out, there was room to plant some seeds for fall greens. Some of these seeds came directly from the plants in the cold frame, like arugula, which I can't get enough of this year.

From seed to seed, it's nice to be able to harvest from one garden and sow directly into another.

Corn Moon Blessings

2011-08-27T20:32:00.000-06:00

harvest sunsets

too much zucchini (lock your car doors)

apples

honey

sweet corn

sweet sweet corn

and a few warm evenings yet!

Long Overdue Homeschool Post (& the Outside Room)

2011-08-23T16:17:00.001-06:00

It was almost unbearably hot when the boys and I came home from the beach yesterday to find a box on the table containing this year's Math U See programs. They were excited to break into them and have a look. I'm feeling positive and energized about another year of homeschooling. I have to say again, in spite of the apprehensions I had about getting it all done with a baby in tow, things are coming together smoothly as August winds to a close. We always hope for a long, warm fall season here, as I'm sure lots of other people do, but as homeschoolers, we have ulterior motives. We are spoiled in that while the lovely weather of summer usually hangs around for a week or three once the regular school/work season resumes, we get to have places like the beach more or less to ourselves. After this week, it all becomes a different kind of place...quiet and intimate. Yesterday as I watched all the busy-ness at the beach, I thought about a quiet paddle on the lake, and a swim in the -hopefully- still warm water of September.

I'm also excited about taking the 'schooly' part of our lessons outdoors as long as the weather permits. We've recently set up an outdoor-room, with a gazebo (a gift from dh's parents) and some outdoor furniture (part gift certificate from other generous relatives). Having dreamed of a covered porch for as long as I can remember, this is the closest thing we can get without hammer and nails! We've spent many an hour already lounging, reading, playing games, working on projects.

Of course I had to add a bit of a handmade touch with some covers that I stitched up for the furniture.

Half the work was done for me though, as our local thrift store sells unfinished quilts that some dear soul stitches up from bits of worn out clothes.

I had fun with this project, and take so much joy in the little ways that I can make our home more comfortable and inviting.

Anyways, getting on with it here, I've been meaning to write a homeschool post for ages, without much success. I hesitate to write anything that comes off as directive, but would like to share a little picture of what we've got going on here. We started out as unschoolers, but going on our 6th year now, I can't say we are either this or that; only whatever we need to be at any given time. If there were something I could share with new homeschoolers, it might be just that.  Be conscious about labels or philosophy. It's great to share stories and ideas, but you know your kids better than anyone. Trust your heart and your instincts.

Our personal philosophy is what I refer to as family-centered. To me, this means finding the delicate balance between the individual's and the family's needs.  When we all want the best for each other, and act in consideration of those we share our home with, the result is a life that usually hums along peacefully and harmoniously.

I have found that our homeschool experience is very quiet, compared with that of most urban homeschoolers. We're not involved in many organized activities (we like it that way!) so it's important for us to have things and spaces that engage us where we live. Most of our days, if you've read this blog for any length of time, you'll know are spent interacting with our natural environment. But today I want to note a few other resources -what I've been referring to as more schooly type stuff. Just a few favourites:

~This year, we're loving CBC podcasts! Quirks and Quarks (on science and the universe); The Age of Persuasion (on advertising and marketing); The Bottom Line (with David Suzuki on our relationship with our home planet.)
~After being excited by stories from their grandparents about old-fashioned radio programs, we've unearthed some of these fantastic bits of history at Retro Radio Podcast, starting with Buck Rogers...up next, Dragnet or Gunsmoke?
~Kids' science magazines Yes and Know
~Comic books
~Homeschool blogging is something both the older boys enjoy now, via blogger. I've helped with setting up, design, and posting. They like having a place to publish their favourite projects, where friends and family can check in; plus it gives me another source to look to for year-end reporting.
~I mentioned Math U See, which I chose for the kids after looking into a number of math programs. It follows closely with the sensory approach to math we've always taken, and uses base-ten manipulative blocks.
~Speaking of math manipulatives, we like to keep a bunch of different kinds on hand; fraction circles, fraction tiles, different kinds of counters (like beads, beans, gems, acorns,..rubber insects...), a balance scale, clocks with movable hands, a felt place-value board with felt numbers.  There are so many different ways that the kids use the manipulatives- from their 'intended' purpose, to building, to creative play- they are like open-ended toys.
~I'd like to suggest local newspaper offices or print shops for great deals on over sized paper (which often gets thrown away if it's not donated).
~Netflix has some documentary series that we'll be checking out more over the winter months.
~Snap Circuits has made for hours of fun over the years, and is a safe way to play with electricity!
~Geocaching
~I always enjoy checking in at Rhythm of the Home for new seasonal ideas.

Well, those are some of the things that come to mind, though I'm sure I'll think of more as soon as I walk away from the computer! Please leave a comment if you have any favourite ideas/resources to pass along! What have you got planned for the year to come?

August When

2011-08-18T15:54:00.001-06:00

...tomatoes and eggs are in abundance,

...and I learn to make Hollandaise, and eat it on everything.

...Little round Parisienne carrots make unique pickles, and Atomic carrots do too.

...We rediscover the regional park with a beach and picnic day, and concession that time has forgotten where ice cream cones cost a buck.

...there is the most beautiful honey on the counter that I can't keep my fingers out of, from our friend the beekeeper.

...the shorter days, though still hot, welcome cooler evenings and earlier bedtimes; a sense of the rhythm that fall will soon bring.

...my hands are busy but always blessed with an armload of abundance in one form or another!

Raspberries

2011-08-13T15:09:00.001-06:00

I'm noticing in the raspberry patch this year a lot of 'twins'. I can't recall having seen this before, where I'm constantly finding berries that have grown fused together, on one stem.

Some are mostly separate like the berry (berries?) in the photo above, and others are growing more closely fused, like the one(s) below. I can't help but wonder if an old-timer would have something to say about it. It seems like one of those things where nature might be telling, say, about the winter ahead...and I love a bit of folk-wisdom any time I can come by it.

Even as I'm harvesting raspberries, I think about the leaf tea I picked last year while I was pregnant. Raspberry is of course a woman's herb, specially indicated for pregnant and nursing mothers. This season, I am looking down at the sleeping baby in the sling, and I think, isn't it a funny coincidence that we have become a reflection of these raspberries, and they of us! Individuals, but fused. The early months are so much a symbiotic relationship.

Coming out of my little reverie, let's head to the kitchen and make raspberry cordial.

raspberries, sugar...

brandy

shake to dissolve sugar, and let it sit for a week or more. Shake occasionally.

Strain and bottle. Have a little nip on a cold winter's night to bring back the warmth of August.

For a fantastic hot toddy when cold/flu bugs are getting you down, put the following into a mug & drink before bedtime:

1 shot raspberry brandy

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp. honey

Fill to top of mug with boiling water.

Pictures with Thread

2011-08-05T22:11:00.000-06:00

Around the Farm

2011-08-04T10:38:00.001-06:00

Happy August! It's that month where the plants are finally taller than the weeds (such a gift of grace!) This week there have been peas to shell, raspberries to put up, beans to pick.

The snap peas are perfect for snacking,

the corn is making the cobs

the pumpkins are making fruit too;

the sweet Siberian watermelon is the size of a softball (hopefully more will start to come soon),

the tomatoes are loading up with fruit . (I ate the first ripe one in the garden),

and the eggplants are flowering.

The farm and garden store did not have floating row covers, and the moths have effectively wiped out my brassica crop yet again- even those in the greenhouse. I still have some little starts that I will try growing this fall though, fingers crossed.

I've cleared the cold frame but for the arugula and Tokyo bekana, whose seeds I plan to harvest.

Arugula has been an acquired taste for me but I'm lovin it this summer!

There's so much to do this month but I'm not sweating it because this little guy's keeping my hands busy most of the time, and I'd rather just relax and enjoy it...

There will be more gardens and always the weeds, but he will only be a baby once.

A Good Cup of Coffee

2011-08-03T15:09:00.000-06:00

Of the many things we left behind when we moved from the city, I missed some of my favourite restaraunts, and a good, robust cup of barrista-slung coffee. It took a little while for me to figure out how to make something that was as satisfying a treat, but (if you'll pardon me for my unabashed pride) my farmhouse kitchen coffee has become a hit, and something that is looked forward to by visitors. I happen to love it too; it's what coaxes me out of bed in the morning, and one cup is quite satistying enough... so I thought I'd share how it's done.

The details are important, but it's oh so simple once you have what you need.

Start with whole, dark roasted, fair-trade coffee beans. (I store mine in the cold room or freezer to keep them fresh.) Grind just what you need for a day or two at a time. (Again, I store any unused ground coffee in the freezer.) You can use a java press if you have one, but since I recently broke mine, I've found out that a jar works just as well! The following is for coffee for one, but the recipe can be doubled-

Put 1 1/2 Tbsp of ground coffee into a pint jar.

Add a tiny pinch of salt if you like.

Pour boiling water over the coffee grounds to the top of the jar (that's 2 cups)....

...Let it sit for just a minute or two...

...then strain the coffee into your mug.

Now, a word on fixing it-

Please please if you take cream, then use real cream. Milk won't do. Neither will half-and-half. If you can't find some nice fresh off-the-farm cream, then buy a little carton of whipping cream. It is so worth the difference! I use honey to sweeten my coffee, which is a bit unconventional, but it's very good -though not as essential as using real cream!!

Try it once and see if you don't love it too!

Around the Farm

2011-07-28T10:58:00.000-06:00

Another week of summer slips past. Keeping up with these Around the Farm posts will give me something to look back on and compare from year to year. Even from week to week, things can change so dramatically in the summer garden.

My husband's family was out for a visit yesterday. They are gardeners. Their yard in the city is full of trees, flowers, and little vegetable boxes. Despite my protests, they went right to work pulling weeds in the garden here. (Okay, I didn't actually protest too vehemently.) It's true that many hands make light work, and their help made such a difference. I was happy to be able to put lots of fresh garden fare on the table for our lunch together.

In the greenhouse, the boxes are spilling over with lush green things growing in all directions.

I'm particularly excited about this:

It's a tiny watermelon called 'sweet Siberian'. This is the farthest I've come yet in growing melons, so everything is a victory from here on in!

Had to toss in a couple pictures of the hollyhocks-

The height of summer is such a pretty time of year. It's one of my four favourite seasons.

Around the Farm

2011-07-21T11:37:00.000-06:00

There's been so much happening in the garden. The produce is starting to come in abundance, and we're eating some wonderful homegrown meals. Baby potatoes are in season! (Banana fingerlings, above.)

Zucchini

Baker Creek sent some free Parisienne carrot seed with my order, and it's grown into these sweet little early season carrots. They're easy for the kids to pull without breaking the tops off. We'll definitely plant them again!

There have been a few flops, as always. The big disappointment is that my grains/feed plot did poorly. I'm not sure if it was that the weeds were rampant in there before it even had a chance to get going, or if the seed just didn't germinate. It's the second (or third?) time I've tried growing mangels, with no luck. The grain seed was viable...maybe the birds got to it.

Also, I can't seem to grow a parsnip to save my life, though I love them and would appreciate any advice on growing them. A surprising disappointment was that the celery and celeriac both failed. Last year it came in so thick that I didn't know what to do with it all, and this year it didn't even come up.

I've noticed that the moths have found my cabbages, as usual, and since I haven't yet got a floating row cover, it's really my own darn fault. If it's not too late, I will have to pick one up in town ASAP.

With the greenhouse up and running, I'm finding some great advice in revisiting The Gardener's Kalendar 1777.

Those old estate kitchen gardens in England were expected to provide produce year round, so they advise on using cloches, cold frames, and greenhouses, and when to sow things like carrots and lettuce for fall and winter crops.

So I've seeded rows of carrots between the peppers inside the greenhouse,

and started some brassica plants for a late harvest. I'm curious about whether they'll fare better against the moths. As the hot weather crops come out, cold crops will be sown in their place.

The trees that we started our first year on the farm are taking off. These little fruit bushes (nanking cherry and saskatoons) were just little sticks when we planted them, and now the cherries are a couple feet taller than me.

We may even have a few apples this year off one of the trees we planted that first year,

though I'm concerned about the yellowing of some of the leaves. That's next on my list of things to learn about. Again, if anyone has any advice...?

How's your garden season been so far?

A Boy and His Peas

2011-07-20T14:07:00.000-06:00

"It was so worth all the work I put into growing these." That was the Coyote's comment on his first harvest of grown-all-by-himself peas, followed by comments like "you can't buy peas like this- I've tasted store peas, and they're not the same." Then he asked me how to save the seed. "The hardest part," he decided "will be to not eat all of them."

Round about this time of year we begin to sit down to little feasts of almost exclusively homegrown food. It always feels like a bit of a celebration, and the Coyote was beaming with pride at having something to contribute all on his own. Lessons like this just don't come from classrooms.

Skunk, Fledgling, etc.

2011-07-19T10:16:00.002-06:00

We've been away here and there, and recently returned to find a skunk had made itself quite comfortable in the chicken coop. What with fresh water, a cool place to rest from the heat, and a ready supply of eggs (and chickens), one could hardly blame it. The clover had recently grown up so thick in the chicken yard, it must have made it impossible for the farm dog to follow the skunk through the fence and chase it out. So there it was, looking quite relaxed in the light of the window, and there I was thinking how I really have to take that firearms course and get licenced to buy a .22 for times like these. Thank goodness it hadn't decided to take down any chickens before we found it there. The dog was immediately put to work, the weed whipper engaged, and the skunk was shooed off without going off. It hasn't been back, so we are hopeful that the problem has been dealt with.

On a more pleasant note, July brings the Cub's birthday, and this year he turned 7. There's something to my mind about the difference between 6 and 7, and now as a big brother, and having grown a full inch since May, he does seem very big indeed. He's been gently drawing us into his world of bird observation, and yesterday he came into the house with this,

rescued from the dog. We figured it was a fledgling who's first flight didn't go so well, and the kids thought that it's wing might be injured. Once you pick up a bird it seems you're involved, and you can't just leave the thing to die. So I suggested that it's best chance was to drop it in the robin's nest that we'd been watching.

When we'd checked the nest on Saturday evening, we were astounded to see the babies looking like this:

What a crowded nest! How fast they grow!

When we brought the fledgling in yesterday, there were only two birds there, and they looked just like he (she?) did, which made us suspect that this one had come from the same nest. A scary thing, it must be, to take that first leap out of a nest up in a tree or in the rafters. I wondered if the others had survived their first flight. It was nice to watch those babies grow into birdies, after all the broken eggs and windfall nests one finds over the course of a season.

In other news, we've had oppressive heat here- it was 30 degrees Celsius yesterday, with 'feels like' humidity up at about +40. It's something to acclimatize from -40 on one side of the calendar, to +40 on the other...but if sweating is good for us, we'll be in fine form soon. We have no a/c, only a series of strategically placed fans in the house, and a little something my ingenious husband rigged up, which a friend thought was well worth a blog post...

In the cupboard in the bathroom is a laundry shoot that we never use.

Our house is a bungalow, and the laundry shoot drops directly into the cool basement.

Dh opened the shoot, and stuck a fan at the bottom of it...

which blows the cold air up from the basement and into the bathroom, and actually helps to keep that end of the house a bit cooler. It's the simplest thing, but I never would have thought to do it myself.

And with the heat, the farm dog is fast losing her undercoat. It seems to take too long really, poor thing, but we've been trying to help with the brush. I've actually saved some of the soft undercoat to try spinning.

Great Pyrenees fibre is very soft and feels like it will be delightful to work with. While I'm still dreaming of a couple fiber animals to grace the farm, for now the big white dog is my stand-in sheep. I'm just happy that she didn't get sprayed by that skunk, or I'd have a real job getting this fibre prepped for the wheel!

Babies Sleeping in Nests

2011-07-11T15:27:00.000-06:00

Around the Farm (a day late, but what the heck)

2011-07-08T12:59:00.000-06:00

What a good and busy week we've had! My mom, and youngest brother came to stay with us for a few days. I'd asked my mom if she'd mind leaving her own farm to come out and hold the baby while I got caught up with my weeds, and like any loving nana, she was delighted. So I rolled up my sleeves and got down to business. My brother, recently back from Atlantic Canada, spent hours playing with the Cub and Coyote, building campfires, throwing water balloons at eachother, and generally sleuthing about the farm, .

We've had some great moments of discovery this week:

Of course I did catch nana in the garden pulling weeds a few times, when she wasn't holding the baby, doing my dishes, helping with the laundry, or playing with the boys. How I appreciated her help! We have some great conversations about homemaking and life on the farm. It's nice to feel encouraged in my life's work by my mom.

With the garden tidied up, I feel like the pressure is off and I can enjoy it that much more, just in time to see the poppies bloom and the plants really start to take off.

The potatoes are blooming, which means I might be able to start 'stealing' a few baby spuds if I dig around carefully underneath.

While the Norland and banana fingerlings are blooming in pink,

it's interesting that the Russian blue potato flowers and vines have a blueish-purple hue.

I recently wrote about scorzonera- well, there is another biennial blooming in the garden now- some carrots which overwintered, so I'm hoping to collect seed from these too.

The indeterminate tomatoes have been caged. Indeterminate tomatoes will grow long, sprawling vines, so it's good to keep them caged in order to support them. Some pruning is good for them too.

In the greenhouse, I've staked the indeterminate tomatoes and strung twine up to the ceiling. I'm going to try training them upright and see how that goes.

Also in the greenhouse, all of the melons have flowers! This probably means that I should head off and learn about pollinating them next.

The greenhouse is taking shape as a peaceful little haven. I've always wanted to create quiet spaces of rest and contemplation around the farm, for us and the people who visit.

I find myself wandering out here early in the morning with the baby and a cup of coffee. We look at the plants, and I scribble a few notes in the garden journal. Mom seemed to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere too. It's amazing what a couple old pieces of furniture and a pot of pansies can do.

Now I'm off to learn about those melons...

Around the Farm: Rhubarb Flower Fairies and Unexpected Visitors

2011-06-30T10:25:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy week, but a good week. I was able to put in some serious weeding time over the weekend while dh spent time with the babe. I've noticed that when I'm in the garden, the big boys often take the opportunity to hang out with me and chat about all kinds of things. I've been thinking a lot about the why's of putting in the effort every year to grow this garden, and that right there- the time with the boys to be available in such a casual way- is enough to make it worth it. It was cool and drizzly on Saturday, but they came up with the solution of rhubarb leaf hats. I was reminded of Cicely Mary Barker's flower fairies, but I daren't tell them that!

We've had the first ripe strawberries this week, which they have managed to clean out.

They occasionally bring one or two over to me while I'm working. (I can't help but notice that these tend to be the ones that are under ripe or have little bite marks in them. Still, it's the thought that counts.)

I managed to get the potato crop cleaned up, so it will have room to breathe now.

In amongst the potato plants there's lots of volunteer dill and cilantro,

which I can never get enough of in the summertime.

The Coyote's Atlantic Giant pumpkin plant has a nice big flower on it, well ahead of all the other pumpkins.

He tells me that if I talked to my plants more, like he does, I might be a better gardener.

The Cub meanwhile wanders around and calls to me as he finds the newest things in bloom.

I'd miss so much if it weren't for that boy of mine.

In the greenhouse the plants are taking off, along with a whole lotta lamb's quarters.

eggplants

watermelon -I've always loved the look of watermelon's leaves.

tomatoes in buckets

I finally put some pots of pansies around the farm.

They welcome me on the step every time I come in and go out.

The kids love snacking on them. They make a beautiful addition to salads.

And lastly, some unexpected visitors to the farm this week:

I was doing the dishes, looking out the window onto the yard when these two deer wandered in through the trees. I called my family over right away, and we "ooo-ed" and "ahh-ed", until those deer headed for my fruit trees!! Then it was time to wake up the lazy farm dog and have her send them on their merry way.

Hot Summer Days Projects

2011-06-29T12:33:00.000-06:00

Hot summer days have arrived, and we've been making use of the sun's rays with our solar box cooker.

Yesterday the boys made cookies.

Today we've got some potatoes and a pot of seasoned brown rice out in the sunshine.

We've wrapped some of the potatoes with foil to see if they'll cook faster or slower than the others. It makes so much sense in our climate to have a solar cooker in the summertime. It helps to keep the heat out of the house, especially if, like us, you don't have air conditioning.

Plus it's a clean, free source of cooking energy, which must add up some over time. I'm hoping to make using ours more of a habit this year. The Coyote is anxious to try building a more robust cooker with more sophisticated reflectors. Always so many projects in queue around here!

The boys have also squeezed a bunch of lemons by hand for some fantastic homemade lemonade. -I made a simple syrup by boiling the juice with sugar, which makes a concentrate, about 2 Tbsp per large glass of ice water.

With the weather affecting how and when I spend my time outside, I've found a little time during the hot afternoons to pull together some pants for the Cub. The last time I went to the fabric store, he asked for some camouflage print fabric.

These are a fairly light weight knit, for summer wear or pyjamas.

Then there was enough left over for a tiny project, so I free-handed a baby sized pattern.

I can hardly believe how little fabric is needed for infant-sized pants!

It wasn't ten o'clock today before we had to head in out of the sunshine. Looks like we'll be spending more time in the shade for now.

Scorzonera

2011-06-27T16:52:00.000-06:00

On my quest for cellar-friendly garden veggies, I've come across an obscure root called scorzonera. I've kept this root over winter in both the root cellar and the refrigerator. I recently cooked up the last of last year's refrigerated roots.

Scorzonera (left) is a relative of it's somewhat better known, if still obscure cousin salsify (right). The roots of scorzonera are black on the outside, and creamy-white on the inside. I had excellent luck with germination with seeds ordered from Baker Creek (see sidebar for link). Apparently, if you can get roots thicker than a pencil, you're in good form. Mine had grown a good deal thicker than that by the time I dug them up in early November. The problem I found was digging them up without snapping off the tips. Although, they seemed to 'self heal' in storage, and kept well in spite of this.

Scorzonera is one of the vegetables listed in Lee Valley's reprint of The Gardener's Kalendar, originally published in England in 1777. That's the kind of history that gets me excited about growing something like this. (We all have to get our kicks, don't we?) It made sense that this root with it's keep-ability would be an asset to the cellar in times before refrigeration.

As far as cooking with scorzonera, I just treated it like any other root or tuber. When the skins were tender, I left them on. Later, after they'd been in storage awhile, I peeled them.

Scorzonera steamed, boiled, mashed, fried- in spite of it's blandness, it lends itself well to things like pot roasts and blended soups. I found it took on the flavour of whatever I put it in/with. It's really not the kind of thing one raves about, but I think our modern diet needs all the variety it can get.

scorzonera pan-fried in butter with parsnip and spring onions

And now, a year after it was planted, a forgotten root is putting out it's bright yellow biennial flower.

Hoping this fall I'll be able to harvest some seed for next year's planting.

Around the Farm: a Weedy Week

2011-06-23T11:43:00.000-06:00

I was reluctant to post the Around the Farm tour this week. We've had several days of rain, so I've hardly been in the garden at all, and some heat to go with it, so things have really taken a leap in growth here- including, and maybe especially, the weeds!!

Well what the heck. Let's be honest here- weeds are part of gardening. Probably the most time-consuming part. On top of that, there's only a narrow window of time to spend in the garden with my 2-month old. First thing in the morning is perfect. By 10 or 11 o'clock, the sun is high and it's just too hot to be working with a baby in the wrap. In the evening, the mosquitoes have come out in hordes. There's not much in the way of 'a happy medium' when it comes to our climate! This probably sounds like a host of excuses, but I did anticipate a weedy season.

So anyways it's a green jungle this week, and perhaps by next time I'll have it a little tidier. See if you can spot the veggies. ;)

The boys' squash plants are coming along nicely...

and I did get the greenhouse boxes mostly planted...

cucs, eggplants, sweet peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, melons...

The cucs were seeded less than a week ago, but they're up already.

And finally today, a little bit of colour.

It's hard to look at these beds without wishing that I could be giving everything more attention, but I'm grateful that the plants will soldier on with or without me.

Around the Farm

2011-06-16T09:41:00.000-06:00

Around the Farm this week....

All week, the sky's been clouding up, and just when you think it's going to rain, the clouds blow over and it's blue again. Such a difference from last year when the rain just wouldn't quit. This means I'll probably start dragging the hose around the garden real soon. At least, there's no shortage of ground water this year!!

Dh built the planting boxes in the greenhouse, so I've been hauling compost to get them ready to plant.

This week, I'll be planting lots of different things in here. Some things will go in the boxes, others in pots down the center- peppers, eggplants, melons, cucumbers, and a few tomatoes. Although, most of the tomatoes have been planted out in the garden, at last.

This is the latest that I've ever planted the tomatoes out. I was having a bit of trouble managing with the baby boo in his sling, who is getting more particular about all the bending over, so I called my helper elves into the garden. Those boys had the tomatoes planted and staked in no time!

I picked up a couple big bundles of cedar stakes at the building store, and have been marking each tomato with it's name, so hopefully I can keep better track of them all.

The squash are also getting name tags. Marking them with their group helps me to remember and keep track of what can be planted together for seed saving purposes.

This way, I can plant 3 varieties of squash together (c. pepo, c.maxima, and c. moschata) knowing they won't cross-pollinate.

Worcester is a very rare heirloom pumpkin that we're excited to try this year, and blue ballet is a beautiful greyish-blue hubbard squash with orange flesh. It's a great keeper with a hard shell, and one of my favorites.

The Mandan bride corn is coming up. This is a gorgeous heirloom multi-coloured corn that we'll be attempting to shell and grind this year.

The beans have all come up this week. Above is Big Red kidney, with it's seed shell still clinging to the leaves.

and lots of cold frame greens reaching maturity, just as the garden greens are coming into season.

And finally, we'll add a little more colour to the farm this week. I hit on an end-of season sale at the greenhouse- a full tray of pansies for $5. We love pansies for their colour, and for eating. But I'm sure looking forward to having the space to start lots and lots of our own flowers next year.

Good Little Bits

2011-06-11T08:33:00.001-06:00

a photo that needs no words

Finding a clutch of hidden hen's eggs

Seasonal colour changes in our local milk

Fougasse with dates and fennel seed

Stumbling upon a little love message, courtesy of the Cub

watching tadpoles and frogs with friends

Hand-knit little soaker shorts, just a few stitches here and there, then it's done.

Sitting under a tree, picking fleece, while the big boys play in old maple, and the little one sleeps in the sling.

Young scientific minds enquiring...

about solutions and temperatures for keeping flowers fresh.

And this farm boy's planting out what he hopes will be...

a prize-winning pumpkin!

And, when pigs fly and the kids run out of things to do, Jane Brocket's got us covered.

Finally got my hands on a copy of her book Ripping Things To Do. A woman after my own heart, this book's not only full of great ideas and children's book recommendations, but quotes like this too:

"Parents and children all have great expectations. It's just that they are often not the same.....It may come as quite a shock, but often children would be perfectly happy doing nothing- or what looks like nothing to grown-ups."

"I am a great fan of Boredom. I think children should be left to get bored at home quite often, actually. Because it's only then that they begin to use their imagination and the resources available to amuse themselves. If they are never bored, they are never going to be able to solve the problem of boredom creatively..."

Have a lovely weekend, won't you?

Around the Farm

2011-06-09T10:16:00.002-06:00

Joining in again with Thursday's Around the Farm....

I've been weeding for what seems like ages now, on my knees with a baby slung to my chest. He tells me when to work, and for how long, and when he's had enough. But it's been good...quiet...relaxing. I've seeded each bed as it was prepped, but the dandelions finally got ahead of me and started going to seed. Now the chicken coop was overdue for a cleaning, so I bought myself a bit more time by dumping all of that litter onto the weediest patches.

It will decompose over the summer season, and in the fall I can rake some of it onto the beds.

I've also been using some newpaper mulch to help get the weeds under control. Anything to buy myself a bit more time, because now that the seedlings are starting to come up, it will be time to go and start the weeding all over again.

The thing the kids love about coop-cleaning day is spreading fresh straw, then sitting in the sunshine of the coop to quietly hang out with the chickens as they scratch and cluck around.

The cold frame greens (and reds, purples, etc.) are maturing now.

The peas are poking up. I've planted 3 varieties this year- a snap pea, a shelling pea, and a soup pea.

The sweet corn shoots are just out of the ground.

The first squash just popped up too. I must get these collared right away, because there are still a lot of cutworms in the soil due to this late spring we've had, and they'll make short work of these plants!

Carrots are up. A dear friend came for a visit earlier this week and weeded my carrots. A friend who weeds is a friend indeed!

potatoes putting on some good growth

Chard's up. It's one of my favorites for adding to green smoothies.

And a couple different kinds of beets....

I wonder if I'll actually get around to thinning this year?

The main goal for this week will be to start moving the tomatoes into the garden.

Finally, in the farmhouse kitchen, that rhubarb jam was put up this week. It's a taste from my childhood,

and there's something wonderful about nostalgia on toasted homemade bread.

Taking Flight

2011-06-07T17:32:00.000-06:00

Around the Farm

2011-06-02T18:15:00.000-06:00

Joining in with Thursday's Around the Farm from over at Farmama's beautiful blog...

The Chicken herder: helping mama with the chores

Dh cleared the quack grass and found the Haskaps I planted last summer. It's always a relief to find our perennials or trees survived their first winter.

Potatoes are up & looking healthy

the first shoots of asparagus are poking up too. I really have to move it this year, which will mean an earlier crop next year.

Strawberries are flowering

The Coyote's heirloom Costata di Romanesca zucchini plants are up, and since these will be contenders in his veggie contest, he's taken pains to protect them from digging dogs and cutworms!

The flowering crab apples are shockingly beautiful this time of year.

Tomato transplants have made their way to the greenhouse

The boys have cut the first of this season's rhubarb. With rain in the forecast for the next few days, I'll do some catching up in the kitchen and hopefully put up a few pints of rhubarb jam.

Finally, not an actual photo, but an audio reference- we've had a mourning dove return to our farm every season since we moved here. It's such a sad, otherworldly call, well suited to it's name. The Cub does an amazing imitation by blowing air through his curled tongue. He and the dove were calling back and forth this evening! (If you'd like to hear the mourning dove's call, we've just come across this site:: BirdJam)

Weekend Gardening- How Tough is Garlic?

2011-05-30T11:08:00.000-06:00

I might have mistaken this garlic for quack grass, but a quick sniff instantly said different. Last summer, I tried to save some of the bulbs by transplanting them into the kitchen garden, and it looks like those fellows that I'd given up for lost have come back after all.

Each little clump is a series of single cloves, all set to be separated and transplanted into trenches. So that's what we've done with them. I am so impressed with the hardiness of garlic. It's like the James Bond of the allium family...it' just doesn't die no matter how it gets roughed up.

Tomatoes have been transplanted into larger pots.

They are late, which makes me all the more thankful for favouring the early varieties this year. These guys were so skinny and spindly, but now that they've been moved to the shed with the south-facing window, they're greening up nicely and getting fuller leaves. I repotted most of them with only the tops sticking out. This will help them grow a thicker,stronger stem.

And soon they'll get even more light because they'll be transferred to....(da da da da)...

the new greenhouse! The structure is complete. Now it just needs some grow boxes and a few shelves. I am sooo excited about the possibilities for earlier, and later crops, and maybe even things like sweet peppers and melons. (Swoon.)

Redeeming

2011-05-27T20:54:00.000-06:00

It was good to round off the end of the week with a productive day at home, since the rest of the week was anything but. It started off cold, wet, and windy. With our furnace on the blink (there's always something, isn't there?) our house was chilly, and I felt like my body wanted to go into hibernation, and like my brain had gone on vacation. I was moving at about a snail's pace, my only concern to keep the babe toasty warm, tucked into the sling under my sweater, since I couldn't seem to get much else done in spite of my efforts. We also spent a day in the city running from appointments to errands, which always means a full day of getting back in order here at home. The one thing I was excited about accomplishing -knitting a soaker for the babe while travelling- ended up being too small, and needs to be pulled apart. I don't exactly know how these things happen. I imagine it's the work of naughty sprites. It's also a mystery to me how one day (like today) can be more productive than all the rest put together, but it happens, and thank goodness for that.

Today there were fresh bread and muffins, and baking time with the Coyote, who turned out the most amazing cookies ever (he's taken up baking lately.) Today I went to the garden to weed one bed, and managed to weed three, plus get some more seeding done. Today there were three square meals, order and fresh cut flowers in the house, and long moments of the sort when me and my baby stare at each other. Today has been redeeming.

The garden map: highlighted parts are planted

And the Coyote's amazing cookies

New Apple Trees & Weekend Gardening

2011-05-23T17:43:00.001-06:00

We had a couple of outings to local greenhouses and a nursery this weekend.

Some of the sweet people in my life gave me some birthday money, which I decided to spend on some apple trees. We lost a few of our fruit trees a couple years ago. Being new to growing fruit trees, I had no idea what we were doing wrong, but after a long chat with the local nursery owner, I've learned that 2009/10 was one of the hardest years on trees in many years. He told us that they replaced more trees that year than all other years combined. I felt better after learning this, to know that it wasn't something we were doing wrong. But this still doesn't bring us any closer to homegrown fruit, so I decided to purchase a couple of more mature trees, rather than the cheaper whips that I'd begun with a few years ago. Birthday money should be a bit frivolous anyways. So we came away with a Harcourt apple, and a new cultivar called Dexter Jackson. These are hardy varieties, bred for our prairie climate. With any luck, we'll have a few of our own apples as early as next year.

We also picked up a couple more sour cherries (another Romeo and Juliet pair)...

and some domestic variety blueberry bushes,

which have such pretty little flowers. I figure, the more flowering plants, the better. It will be great if we eventually get some bees here, but even if we don't, it's good for all the other pollinators too.

In one of the greenhouses, we came across some Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkin starts. These are the plants which have grown record-breaking pumpkins, so the Coyote had to have one for his vegetable growing contest! It's now in the shed alongside some of our own seedlings, catching some southern exposure and awaiting transplant.

In the garden this weekend, we planted plots with corn, squash, and peas.

These were both good sized plots, but were covered in a carpet of dandelions that had to be dug out by hand, so I felt good about getting them done. I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I think having a baby to work with has made me more efficient. I'm so aware of the limited time frames that I have to work with that I'm hyper-conscious of making the most of them. It's overwhelming when I look at the big picture, so I just put my head down and get to it, surprised when I look up and see how far I've got. There's lots to do yet,

but we're getting there.

In the little rock garden, the tulips are now in bloom.

I am so negligent when it comes to the flowers around here, but that doesn't mean that I don't love them! I'm just glad that they're good at taking care of themselves. They could certainly do with a bit more care, but that will come at a different season in my life!

While we were working in the yard this weekend, the Cub made an interesting discovery-

This little robin's nest has been built in the trees, literally right on the ground at the base of a maple tree. While we are marveling at the beautiful blue of the eggs, we're quite worried that these little birdies won't stand a chance against the barn cats when they start making noise. We'll be keeping a close eye on them and hoping for the best.

Seed and Feed Crop, etc.

2011-05-18T14:32:00.001-06:00

A couple of plus-20's days here have brought the leaves out on the trees. There's something quietly calming about seeing the world turn green again.

In the garden, we're working away yet. The Coyote's interest in horticulture has spiked since he's started planning a fall vegetable growing contest amongst family members.

He's been starting seeds, hauling compost, tending, and talking to his veggies. Each day he comes up with new ideas and strategies, and has had lots of gardening questions.

There's plenty to keep us all busy these days, though I'm still trying not to overdo it, which can be both good and frustrating. The garden will be full of weeds this year, and I've accepted this. I can still get lots of food from a weedy garden.

The boys have a good sense of rhythm, and as the day goes by, they regulate their own work, play,

and breaks

Yesterday we sowed a small seed and feed plot, which includes mangel beets and grains, and will be mainly for the purpose of collecting the seed this year, to build up a better supply, and replant it next year.

If this goes well, I'm hoping to plant a larger area next year, and start harvesting a little of our own feed. It's difficult to source organic feed here, even though we live in a province where agriculture is a huge industry. It seems strange that you can't just walk into a local feed store and order organic feed, but that's how it is.

Along with feed I've sown some hulless oats from Prairie Seeds , which I plan to cut and thresh out for household use.

It will be interesting to go through the steps of processing our own grains. I think the kids will have fun with it too, since it's quite a physically involved job.

We've had the first taste of spring greens! I harvested almost everything available from the cold frame for this salad, but experience has taught me that there's no point in holding back, because soon there will be more than we know what to do with!

Gosh it tasted good!

And here's something else wonderful- a little greenhouse, in progress at last!

It's not the hoophouse we've been planning, but will certainly be enough to keep me busy this year. It's probably the best Mothers Day gift ever! Dh and the boys have been working on it a little at a time since then. I'm hoping it will be ready to use by the end of this weekend.

Out of Necessity, a New Hat

2011-05-15T17:37:00.000-06:00

The babe needs a sun hat. like now. It will be days before we go to town again, and the thought of adding one more thing to the 'errands' list in the city always puts me off. I could order one, but then there's the cost of shipping, and the waiting...and what if the size is wrong?

That was my train of thought yesterday before I concluded that it would just be easier to make him one myself. But I've never made a hat.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Except maybe nowadays we're not inventing so much as doing a Google search and 'virtually' consulting with a whole bunch of ideas already out there.

I found mine here. It was a super quick project, and scrap-box friendly. I cut and sewed it while the babe slept in the sling. It's made from the legs of well-worn old pants, so it is soft on his wee melon. Now, that was cheaper (practically free) and easier than shopping for one, even online.

Springtime

2011-05-07T10:45:00.000-06:00

This old country song makes the perfect lullabye for a springtime prairie baby.

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all of my mama readers, with love,
L.

Spitting, but Seeding

2011-05-06T16:46:00.000-06:00

I've spent the last couple days in the garden. I've managed to prep a few more beds, and now seed carrots, beets, chard, celeriac, and celery, plus dig a good number of dandelion roots, which we'll roast and store for 'coffee'. There's a long way to go yet, but I am pleasantly surprised at the good start, because in spite of my intent, I was worried about how or even if I'd get into the garden this season. It's a bit more slow going because I'm not quite so mobile when I'm wearing a baby, but what I'm lacking in mobility, I like to think that I'll make up for in self-discipline! I know that I have to use every day wisely, so that's what I'm trying to do.

This morning, it was hard to determine what the weather would do. There was the bucket of dandelions soaking on the patio, so I trimmed these up while listening to many different birds singing in the yard!

It was overcast, but the birds really did seem to like that.

I got into the garden later. It was spitting a bit. (Is that a colloquialism? Should I say, raining very lightly?) Not enough to keep me from getting a few seeds in at any rate, and the Hawk was well bundled and wrapped inside my sweater.

In the garden, the garlic which I was uncertain about when planting last fall is coming up through the remains of last season's leaf mulch. Good to see.

A nice surprise is that the few leeks left in the garden have overwintered without any help at all! How nice to have a few spring leeks!

Also coming up, all on it's own, are a few celeriac plants that were missed last fall.

This is zone 2B, so when anything survives the winter, I take note! There's always something new to learn in the garden.

Speaking of which, one new technique I'm trying is adding a bit of wood ash to the beds this year. I've heard that this can be good for the soil, in moderation, and has been used in numerous farming cultures, and in various ways, for centuries.

So when the boys cleaned out the fire pit, it went into the garden. It's good to use things from around the farm to cycle back into the farm!

Playing with Fibre

2011-05-04T17:09:00.000-06:00

Today was rainy. I've had a few fibre projects and ideas on hold, so here was my opportunity to play with them.

First up: get an answer to this important question: Can I spin with a new baby?

The answer: apparently, yes!

He seems as much soothed by the wheel as I am. The trick is to have roving at the ready so that, much like driving with a baby, there are no long pauses in the wheel's steady rhythm. I want to bring the boys into my projects, rather than find time away from them for such things!

Next up, to do some kool-aid dying with the Cub. We used the stove method in Kids Knitting.

We decided to experiment with both some cotton and wool, to see the difference in how the dye would take.

The Cub picked blue and orange kool-aid.

Very cool indeed to see how that wool soaked up the dye in the pot!

What a difference between the wool and cotton yarns!

And finally on today's fibre play-list: to get the loose ends finished up on the boys socks, while going over some math with the Coyote.

Done and done!

May Day

2011-05-02T14:09:00.000-06:00

May Day was sunny and windy here, but sheltered enough in the garden to get those potato beds prepped and planted. At least, there will be homegrown potatoes this year...fingerlings, Norland, and Russian blue.

Just a few more photos from our May Day outside:

It's a Start

2011-04-28T12:17:00.000-06:00

Finally got out into the garden yesterday!

The snow in the main patch is gone, but you can see some there yet, behind the raspberry canes. I started digging a few dandelions out of one of the beds where I'll plant potatoes this year.

The baby Hawk was in a makeshift wrap, and to my delight, in that quiet-alert state, looking around, feeling the breeze, listening (I like to think) to the sound of the birds. -There are northern flickers, and robins in the yard now. I quickly discovered that it was easier to work on my knees with hand tools than to be constantly bending over.

We're learning as we go. Got one bed almost finished, out of 20. Ah, well, it's a start!

Meanwhile, the bigger farm boys were excited to have their first campfire of the year, so they shoveled out the fire pit, and determined that I should let them do everything entirely on their own. And they did, complete with fire hose at the ready.

And smores.

I delight in watching them develop their outdoor skill set.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the gardening and campfire were rained out.

So we redeemed the afternoon with some good things indoors- knitting and a sleeping baby in my lap; a mystery to watch; a garden plan to work out; and the first post-baby loaf of homemade bread from the oven (yay!) The Coyote was pretty excited about eating homemade bread again. That sure made me feel good, even with the grey skies!

Syrup, Cold Frame, Seed Starting

2011-04-25T16:59:00.000-06:00

This is what I'm mostly wearing now- the wee Hawk. He's a pretty darn cute accessory, and I'm not sure how else I'd get anything done. This morning while he slept in the sling we did the usual house work, and then boiled down the first batch of Manitoba maple syrup.

It's always exciting getting that first batch bottled up. Unfortunately, it may also be our last batch. The daytime temperature is rising significantly now. It's hard to believe, with the patches of snow still in the yard, that it's almost May. Looks like we will have to settle for less syrup this year.

This pretty moon-and-sun bottle was a gift from a friend, specially intended for serving our maple syrup.

With the warmer temps, I couldn't hold off any longer starting a few greens in the cold frame. There were

already a few volunteer lettuces and mustards poking up. Some good edible weeds too.

This project has also been started later than usual, but I'm glad it's going now, and looking forward to those first salad greens.

Also started are some eggplant and pepper plants. My husband, who loves spicy food, got looking through the Baker Creek seed catalogue's impressive pepper selection and added a number of hot peppers to this year's seed list!

We've had some luck with growing hot peppers. It's the sweet ones that don't seem to like our climate. (Maybe once that greenhouse is built! Ahem.) Now I'll need some good recipes for hot sauces. Anyone?

The Cub was already digging dandelions! Here's a kid who's certainly not afraid of a little hard work.

Next up will be to get started on the garden beds. Still not quite sure how that will go, with a baby who's only a couple weeks old. One step at a time I guess...and with willing helpers like the one in this photo!

Early Tomatoes

2011-04-22T16:16:00.000-06:00

Due to certain circumstances, I was a bit slow getting the tomato seeds started this year! But there's lots of sunlight now, and these will catch up quickly.

Between mom and I, we've collected and shared a number of early heirloom tomato seed varieties (50-75 days). I've decided to focus mostly on these for this year's crop, not only due to what looks like it may be another short, cool, rainy year, but also because it's more likely we'll get a crop off should any late blight be lurking about the countryside yet. For anyone interested, here's a list of those early guys:

Polar Baby

Sasha's Altai

Latah

Druzba

Martha Homestead

Stupice

Early Annie

Anna Russian

Martino's Roma

Monomakh's Hat

Old Brook

Zarnitsa

Most of these are available from Heritage Harvest Seed, MB.

And just a couple other phtos, as the snow recedes-

(When you follow others' gardening blogs from where I live, it's nice to finally see a few of your own signs of spring, while others have been out digging and planting for weeks!) The chickens are happy to be out running around in the fresh air again.

The bed of tulips and grape hyacinths we planted last fall is coming up.

(The Cub, checking for new shoots.)

Today the boys are outside with their dad, rigging up a new water pump...just incase. There's been lots of flooding on the prairies again this spring, including some of our roads in and out of town- though, with the grids there's usually at least one alternative route, but it's been a good reminder to keep those groceries stocked up anyways! Luckily we've been spared so far (and the basement is still dry!)...but we're not leaving anything to chance where we can help it.

These Days

2011-04-18T17:12:00.000-06:00

Things are going well. Food, love, and well wishes have poured in and we're so grateful to everyone who's been a part of that. It's been a treat to spend this precious down-time with the babe, while things like fresh fruit and tea appear bedside (thanks sweet husband! I appreciate every bit of it, more than words can say.)

I am slowly regaining momentum. I can see how my own long-established daily rhythm is going to be my saving grace when it comes to finding that necessary balance over the next days and months. I am approaching those basic tasks mechanically, aiming as I always have, to get the day's essential work mostly tackled before noon, but now I am wearing a baby as I go. He's a pretty content little guy so far, and seems to enjoy being up and about with mama. If I had any worries about not being able to keep up, they have at least temporarily been stayed, with the help of my family.

The farm boys have been industrious little men, eager both to help out, and earn a few extra dollars each week!

They've been the ones handling the daily barn chores, and helping with a number of other tasks too. All of their work is voluntary- that is, we don't make them do these jobs- so it's great to see them rise to the challenge.

Yesterday, we decided to put the taps into the maples. Those boys hardly needed me there at all! The Coyote used the power drill to bore the holes for the spiles, then the Cub tapped them in gently with his hammer and hung the buckets.

How is it that having this new wee one in our lives has accentuated the 'bigness' of those big brothers?

It has been quite a long winter this year, and the boys were so excited to see that sap running, to put their heads under the taps and taste the earthy taste of spring again! They've been out regularly to check their buckets, and we're boiling down the first of this year's harvest as I write.

And, after these last couple weeks, we are gradually easing back into some slightly more formal homeschool stuff (which I've been meaning to post about...one of these days). We recently ordered some replacement parts for our long-out-of-commission snap circuits kit. It's been like new again, after all this time. I mention it because I had a birthday recently, and as a gift, the Cub put together this circuit board:

It plays Happy Birthday. Loudly. (He added an amplifier.) I was so touched!

And so it looks like it's gradually back to business as usual. Life's a little bit changed, but wonderfully so, with many wonderful everydays to come.

Sap Moon Baby

2011-04-12T17:22:00.000-06:00

Our new little one is here. He arrived on April 7th, and we've been blissfully hanging out, enjoying his company. He seems to have indeed arrived with spring, or the 'sap moon', as I told the Cub months ago, when he asked when the baby would be born. A change of seasons, in more ways than one.

And three sons! When I was a little girl, I would always pretend that my baby dolls were boys. Was that just coincidence? Whatever the case, this mama couldn't be more proud.

Spinning Full Circle

2011-04-02T22:38:00.001-06:00

In the first weeks of this pregnancy, I found that both working in the garden, and sitting at the spinning wheel helped to soothe my nausea. Now, within sight of my due date, I find myself at the wheel again; comforted by it's gentle sounds and motions.

I've slowed down a lot over the last few days; and yet in other ways, the scattered feeling that's been with me over the months has disappeared, and I am suddenly so much more centered, finding quiet spaces in every day. Our days are falling together effortlessly. It's strange, but it's good.

The house is clean; walls washed, closets and cupboards decluttered. There's plenty of good food stocked up. The homeschool planning is paying off in big ways, and the boys are off and running in new and exciting directions. Baby's clothes are washed and folded, ready and waiting. And so I am now waiting too.

I'm cherishing night time stories, engaged moments, and the love and affection from the three wonderful men I live with, who are taking such good care of me. We have all grown from this experience! I couldn't feel more proud of the little men that my boys are growing up to be, and their dad who they are learning it all from. I've slowed down, and they've stepped up. We are a team. :)

And now, I am back at the wheel, thinking of those first weeks; soothed again by it's quiet sounds, shushing me to relax, be patient; trust in nature, and everything will happen in good time.

A Day With The Cub (And a Laugh from Coyote)

2011-03-28T11:19:00.000-06:00

In the early morning hours of Sunday, I was tossing and turning with loads on my mind. Sometimes it amazes me how we in this house are all affected by each other's energy. Soon my husband was awake, and we were talking in hushed voices; and not long after that, the Cub appeared, half asleep, and started chatting with us too. We all fell asleep again at some point, and when I woke up it was light out. The guys were gone, but they'd left me to sleep, switching the fan on, on their way out.

I wasn't awake ten minutes when the Cub reappeared with a Where's Waldo book in hand, and crawled in beside me. "He senses your energy," my husband had said the night before, "and the transition coming." This is not typically the kind of thing dh will take notice of (or at least, say out loud), but he's right. I can see it too. In spite of being a pretty tough, logical-thinking, independent little guy, the Cub also has a sensitive, intuitive side.

We read together for awhile, and when I told him I felt like getting up to eat some fruit, he made his way to the kitchen and started chopping up a fruit salad for me...

He did such an amazing job!

With loads of raspberry whipped cream and garnished with fresh mint leaves, it was just about the best thing ever.

A little later, he caught up with me in the sewing room, looking to 'work' with me. I pulled out the spool knitter, and got him started, for the first time, on that. He took to it like a fish to water, and we spent a couple of lovely hours knitting and drinking tea together in the sunshine.

We talked about all kinds of things, and he impressed us both by knitting up a storm.

I told him to pick out some fabric from the scrap-case, so that I could make him his own knitting bag, to fit inside of mine.

He chose the cut-off pant leg of an old pair of army cargoes, which turned out to be the easiest five-minute project. I just sewed the raw ends closed, and added a little trim.

He later helped me make some muffins for the freezer, and spent the day more or less tied to my apron strings. By the time the boys were tucked in for the evening to read a chapter of The Sisters Grimm, we were all quite settled, and everyone slept peacefully. It's so nice to spend some individual time now and then. Their presence is really a gift, and looking back on the day, I can see how our caring for each other has evolved into a reciprocal relationship.

**********************

Can't leave this post without sharing this laugh from our day- a bit of our lunchtime conversation:

Cub: Mom, what's a arsicist?

Me: Do you mean an arsonist?

Cub: Uh, yeah.

Me: That's someone who likes to start fires, usually when they shouldn't. Or, maybe did you mean a narcissist?

Cub: yeah, maybe.

Dad: That's someone who's in love with themselves.

(pause, both boys thinking)

Coyote: And an arsicist is someone who studies bums!

Herbal Salve

2011-03-21T11:27:00.002-06:00

Last summer when the calendula was in bloom, I was thinking ahead. I harvested some of it specifically to make a gentle diaper salve, knowing that when the wee one arrived, there would be very little (if anything) available from the frozen, or just-thawing earth. It's so nice to look back on photos of last summer's garden and flowers at this time of year, when the ground is still a blanket of white! But soon enough, there will be fresh chickweed and balsam poplar buds. The sap in the black spruce will thaw. The plantain leaves will pop up in the lawn. All of these plants, local to me, make wonderful, gentle medicine for the skin, be it for burns, bites, rashes, minor irritations, blisters, infections, or environmental conditions. Some are better suited to some needs than others. I like to keep a couple of different ones around the house, and always keep a little container of homemade salve in my purse too.

When I collected the calendula last August, I let it wilt, then put it into a jar, covered the blossoms with oil, and let it sit at room temp. for about a week. Then I strained out the plant matter, and stored the oil in a jar at the back of the fridge until just a few days ago.

To make the salve from the oil, one simply heats it double-boiler style (I use a glass bowl over a slowly simmering pot of water), and adds beeswax. About an ounce of beeswax per cup of oil will make a fairly firm salve. Adjust beeswax accordingly.

When the beeswax has all melted, the liquid salve is poured into jars to cool and set.

Three simple ingredients is all it takes, and is more reassuring when we use these homemade salves on our bodies, compared to those with long lists of difficult-to-pronounce ingredients. I have a friend who says of skin-care," if you wouldn't put it in your mouth, you shouldn't put it on your skin". Probably not bad advice, and this simple recipe certainly measures up!

Knitting Springtime

2011-03-19T09:19:00.000-06:00

We're at the mercy of March's whimsy here. I'm not going to post any photos of all of the snow outside still, or mention the blizzard that covered our road. ;) But I'm lovin' these spring colours! A few moments here and there; a few stitches of the blue sky, the green grass, yellow sunshine and dandelions; the deeper blue of open water. A promise of the season to come. Ah, delight, in a ball of yarn. -And hopefully a couple pair of warm socks to fit inside the wellies of two little boys once the snow does start to go!

For beautiful colour play and inspiration, check out Jane Brocket's The Gentle Art of Domesticity.

Braided Rag Rug (a tale and tutorial)

2011-03-13T07:32:00.001-06:00

We stopped at the thrift store on Friday, and while I was poking through the remnant fabric bin, as I often do, I came across a bag of Fortrel scraps. The wonder fabric of my mother's generation- colourful, incredibly durable, and years out of style! Was it the heaviness, or the non-breathe-ability of it? Seems the only place to find it now (and find it in abundance!) is thrift shops.

It's funny how life sometimes runs in spirals, and got me thinking of how I learned about making braided rugs. It was the last time I was pregnant. On my due date, in fact; it was mid-July, hot, and I was looking for a distraction. There was a pioneer-era festival at the local Western Development museum, so we went out to watch some threshing, horseshoeing, blacksmithing, etc. The museum's Ladies Auxiliary was there too, working on various historical domestic crafts, and I asked if I could step into their shop to learn about the braided rugs, while the wee Coyote went with his dad to look at model trains. They invited me right in.

It was an elderly lady making the rugs, sitting at a chair, with numerous colourful Fortrel fabric scraps on the table in front of her. As she patiently showed me how to piece it together, I began to realize to my discomfort that my body was feeling very heavy, and my head was swimming a bit. There was no extra chair for me to sit down, and I didn't want to interrupt this gracious woman, or leave before I had all of the details! A little longer into the demo, I found myself getting down on my knees in front of her craft table, for fear that the heat might get the best of me. I was feeling very strange, but she didn't seem to notice this, or even the fact that I was pregnant, and simply went on in her patient, steady manner, explaining to me about rug making. I almost laugh as I recall it. I was both so engaged and wanting to just get out of there! As we walked to the parking lot shortly afterwards, I was in the early stages of labour.

This was the story that replayed itself in my head as I fingered those colourful scraps on Friday. The bag cost me fifty cents, and I left the thrift store smiling.

As far as I can remember, here's what I learned that hot summer day in the pioneer village:

Start by cutting the fabric scraps into strips about 1"-2" wide. The heaviest stuff should be most narrow; the lighter fabric cut the widest, but don't get too hung up on being exact- this is after all a rag rug!

Snip a button-hole sized slit at both ends of each piece. Then, to start assembly, tie or stitch 3 strips together at one end. Anchor that stitched end by pinning it down to something, or putting it under something heavy.

Weave fabric strips together by inserting one end of a new strip into the bottom hole of the last one (above). Then, pull the top end of the new strip through the bottom hole of itself, like this:

and gently pull to tighten it up.

(Alternatively, fabric strips could be stitched neatly end-to-end. This might be preferable with scraps that fray or tear easily, but not nearly as quick!)

Continue on this way, adding strips to all three branches until each is 2 or 3 feet long.

Then it's time to start braiding.

Strips can be folded while braiding to expose the nicest side of the fabric:

When you get to the end of the braid, pin together the loose ends. Then proceed with adding more strips, then braiding; adding strips, then braiding, until the braid is long enough to make whatever size rug you want, doll-house, or area!

The braid is shaped into a circle or oval and stitched together. (I haven't started stitching yet, but I've wound the first part here, to give an idea of how it begins to take shape:)

Loose bits and little ends can be tucked in with a crochet hook and stitched down during the final stages.

As I recall, the woman who showed me the rug-making demo had her braid pinned down to a board as she stitched it, to help keep the braid laying flat. She was also stitching the rug as she worked on the braid, but I think I'd prefer to finish the braid first, then stitch it all at once.

As with a patch-work quilt, a braided rug uses up some of the smallest pieces of scrap, and is another example of the thrift of our foremothers. By saving those little bits instead of throwing them away, they would eventually end up with something warm and durable, colourful and cozy.

No stitch-counting, measuring, or thinking too hard with this project. Just enjoying the colours and the process. A good one for little hands to help with. It will be a work-in-progress as I excavate more Fortrel from the past!

Handmade Baby Projects

2011-03-08T20:24:00.000-06:00

Since January, I've been slowly working away at stitching up a few things for the new babe.

My priority was to get started on a diaper stash. There are so many good reasons to go with cloth, not the least of which is the money saved. By the time our second baby was born, I figured I'd saved more than enough to put some of that money towards a decent sewing machine and a snap press. ;)

I've been really impressed with Wazoodle's collection of Canadian-milled and ethically produced fabrics, as well as their pre-cut cloth diaper kits. The ones above are made of bamboo fleece, and they're so soft! Down in front are some of Wazoodle's precut wipes.

I've also done up a dozen pocket diapers with PUL (waterproof) outers and the same soft fleece on the inside.

Since my goal was to have the diapers finished by mid-March, and I've actually finished up early, I've got time to make a few wee newborn sized all-in-ones (above). I know that these won't last long before they're outgrown, but they will be nice to have for starters. And anyways, I enjoy this kind of work. It is soothing and therapeutic to be sewing for this little person in anticipation of their arrival.

I've finished a couple of knitting projects. At some point in months past, I made a commitment to myself to pick up some kind of handiwork every day, even if just for 10 or 20 minutes, because I so enjoy it, but it can be hard to find the time. Those few minutes do add up eventually, and inevitably something will come of it! -Lately, I've also taken to bringing my knitting along in the truck when we have to drive to the city. It's over an hour each way, so those trips add up to some good project time!

These little newborn-sized cocoons were knitted with Lion's Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton yarn, in Macadamia and Dusty Sage. (No itchy homespun this time!) My boys were wearing them on their heads as they were finished. I asked them to think good thoughts, thereby filling the cocoons with good vibes for their new brother or sister! It was really sweet- they looked like cute gnomes with these on their heads!

It's been over 6 years and two moves since our last baby was born, so we didn't have much stuff left to begin with this time around. But experience has taught us that you really don't need much, and less stuff can encourage a closer kind of parenting. I always thought it was a bit absurd that a tiny infant should require a wagon-load of gear (and the carbon footprint to go with it). Investing a little more of my time and love into a few handmade projects is so much more satisfying.

In Like a Lion

2011-03-01T18:13:00.001-06:00

That's what the weather people are saying this first of March. A blizzard came through yesterday, and with the wind chill factor in the -40's, I'm inclined to agree. The woman who goes out to do chores in this weather looks a rather androgynous creature, dressed in snow pants (which I can hardly button up these days), insulated boots, a thick 2-layered parka with hood, mitts that come up almost to my elbows, a toque that comes down over my eyebrows, and a scarf that comes up to the top of my nose. (And sometimes shades to keep the wind out of my eyes.) The snow is deep. Dh has cut trails with the snowblower around the barn, to the compost pile, and to the necessary out-buildings. The chicken hatch and yard are snowed in, but they'd never go out in this weather anyways.

But I was thinking today, as I was pumping water at the well for the barn creatures, how good it feels to be out even in this weather. Though one can't stay out for long, it's refreshing and makes me forget about the little aches that have inevitably crept in with the growing babe. I am hoping for a few good, active outdoor weeks before my due date, because I know it will make me feel stronger and more energized. -It's interesting to think that last year, we planted our cold frame and tapped the maple trees on St. Patrick's day, which is only a couple of short weeks away. So, in spite of this weather, and all the snow out there, there is the promise of spring trying to make an appearance before the month is out.

Anyways, the point of this post was just to highlight just a few of the little 'indoor' things that we've been up to in the company of these last cold winter days...

The boys put together a make-shift barometer, after learning about them in an episode of The Edwardian Farm.

On the one warm-ish day that we've had recently, it actually worked! (See the water rising in the bottle neck?)

They've also been exploring the very cool new manipulatives from Math-U-See.

This seems to be the program that most closely matched what we've been doing on our own in regards to math. I'll be writing a longer post about it and homeschooling one of these days.

They spent most of the weekend in the shop with dad; keeping the stove going while getting things in order for spring projects. They're looking forward to doing more building type projects, and love the time this gives them with dad.

When I poked my head in on them, I was welcomed with a chair in front of the stove. "You'll love it here in front of the fire mom." (They are so sweet, and I love that they all smelled a little bit like woodsmoke at the end of the weekend.)

Inside, I've been forcing things. Grape hyacinths and tulips from Veseys.

The grape hyacinths are adorable miniature versions of regular hyacinths, with a similar scent, but more subtle.

And then there's tulips, in several colours so far-

I planted the same bulbs in an outdoor bed in the fall, so this is just a little preview of what we'll be seeing come spring!

Then I've been watching my herb pots, which were brought in last fall. They have survived the winter.

It's been nice having fresh mint through the winter. The thyme and sage appear dead, but for a little bit of green. They seem to go into hibernation, but will perk up once they're moved outdoors again. (The pot of grass is for the house cats. I recently planted some wheatgrass for them, to see if they'd stop eating the houseplants, and it seems to be working! Plus, it's so lush and green. I really do love seeing things growing in the house at this time of year!)

Then there's the rosemary, which is flowering.

I didn't even know rosemary flowered. What a sweet surprise!

Such tiny, delicate blooms.

When my thoughts turn to growing things, I can tell the season is turning!

We are gaining about 4 minutes of daylight per day right now, so that makes nearly half an hour by the end of a week. There are still enough other projects in progress to keep me busy for what remains of winter though, so we'll just relax and enjoy what's left of the season. It may not feel like spring is approaching with this deep cold, but the longer afternoons tell a different story.

Cravings: Dandelion Latte, Kimchi

2011-02-26T09:54:00.000-06:00

Another food post? What can I say? I am in my third trimester and a little somebody keeps telling me to put things in my mouth.

This dandelion latte is just the thing for a cold winter morning- somewhere between a cup of coffee and chai tea. The Cub loves it too, and this recipe serves 2 generously:

1 Tbsp. roasted dandelion roots

2 cardamom pods

2 cloves

1 small cinnamon stick

pinch of salt

2 c. water

2 c. milk

honey, to taste

Gently bruise the roots and spices. Simmer them with the salt and water in a saucepan for about 10-15 minutes. (I do this while I'm making breakfast or doing dishes.) Add the milk, and heat until steaming, but don't boil it.

Pour into mugs (through a tea strainer if you prefer) and add honey to taste.

I'm almost at the bottom of the dandelion root stash we gathered last year. Thankfully, it's one of the first things that can be wildcrafted when the ground thaws in spring.

*************

Kimchi

There seems to be some truth about pregnant women craving pickles, at least among some women I know. The 'pickles' that I've been craving are in the form of the traditional Korean condiment, kimchi. It's one of my favourite fermented foods, and like other traditional 'pickles', it's loaded with lactobacilli, which may explain those maternal cravings.

A dear friend who I've traditionally made kimchi with over the years was just here visiting with her beautiful boys. Together we've chopped, shredded, salted, and packed many quarts of the stuff. There was a batch of kimchi fermenting on the kitchen counter, and a jar full in her bag, when they left our farm (and four little boys, very much looking forward to their next visit with each other.) I'm glad to be finally adding this recipe to my blog. It uses things that might still be found in the root cellar or at a farmer's market at this time of the year:

-all measures approximate-

1 head of cabbage (regular, savoy, or any Asian variety) chopped or shredded

1-2 onions, finely chopped

a few carrots, shredded

a few cloves of garlic, minced

generous piece of ginger, minced

optional: dried chilies/chili flakes

salt- 1 Tbsp +

In a large bowl, mix all of the above, including the 1 Tbsp salt. Taste the vegetables. They should be pleasantly salty, but not overly so. Add extra salt as necessary. Pack kimchi into jars, pressing down until the liquid rises to the top of the jar. (The salt helps to extract the juices.) Cover the jars with cloth, and secure with elastic bands, then let them ferment at room temperature for about 2-5 days. Taste it regularly- it will become more complex and 'sour' the longer it ferments. Pack down the kimchi daily to keep the veggies under the liquid. Add a little water and a generous pinch of salt on the top as necessary, if the liquid evaporates. When the flavour is to your liking, cover with lids and transfer to the fridge or cold storage. Properly fermented and stored, it should keep for months.

Easy Cheesy (Making Cheese Curds)

2011-02-22T16:39:00.001-06:00

Have you heard the expression "jack of all trades, master of none"? That's a description that I kind of identify with. I like to try my hand at a variety of skills, but I'm more of a dabbler than a specialist. Cheese making is one such area that is taken to delicious and masterful heights, but which requires just a little basic knowledge to make the simplest of cheeses like yogurt cheese, mozarella, cream cheese, and simple farmer cheeses, like the recipe found in Wild Fermentation, or the one described by Laura Ingalls Wilder in Litte House in the Big Woods. This post isn't meant to be a tutorial; just a bit of an idea about how simple the basic process is. As I've mentioned before, learning a little bit about the process gives one a new appreciation for the craft. I'd encourage anyone to buy a gallon of milk and play around with it. Then, the next time you visit the counter of your favorite cheesemonger (I love that word), you'll look at those artisan cheeses with a new perspective!

So I was thinking about poutine. (Food's on my mind a lot lately.) Cheese curd is an essential ingredient in poutine, and while our local grocery stores don't carry it, it is easy to make. (The truth is, I accidentally discovered this one day when I changed a mozzarella recipe a little bit- so there are probably other ways to make cheese curds, but this is how I do it!) Curds come simply from curdling milk, which just means separating the milk solids from the liquids. I'm using some lemon juice and liquid rennet here, but citric acid and vinegar can also do the job.

Today's cheese making ingredients (minus the milk).

I start by warming a gallon of milk very slowly. As it begins to warm, I add 4 tsp. of lemon juice, and then when it comes up to 88 degress F, I add 1/4 tsp. of liquid rennet dissolved in a bit of water. I stir it well, and then leave it alone while it warms very slowly to about 100 degrees F. At this point, I check to see if the curd is setting. The curd will look like a semi-solid mass, and begin to pull away from the side of the pot.

testing the curd

It's ready to cut when the liquid has lost it's opaque quality and become semi-transparent. Then I take a long knife, and cut a checker board pattern through the curd.

Cutting the curd

I let the curds sit for a few more minutes in the warm whey (the liquid), and then I ladle them out with a slotted spoon.

They are quite soft at this point.

I strain them through a cloth-lined colander, and voila! Curds, and strained whey.

At this point, the curds can be salted and eaten. They are delicious fresh and warm like this, but they really do need salt, or they will be quite bland. Or, they can be put into a cheese press to make a firmer cheese. Artisan cheese makers may add special starter cultures in the process. The smallest changes in heat, additives, and process can result in a totally different cheese.

I want a slightly firmer curd, so I heat the whey until it's steaming. Then I gather up the corners of the cloth and dip the cheese bag into the whey for a couple of minutes before setting it back in the colander, stirring in some salt, squeezing it, and breaking it up a bit with my hands. The salt will help to draw more moisture out of the cheese if I leave it to drain awhile.

finished curds

and...

at last! My homemade poutine. Mmmm.