Just another Day on the Farm

Camping Trip, Mine Hike an more

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

This was a early father’s day gift to my hubby, it took a good deal of planning and the awesome help of a farm sitter to pull it off!

We headed out after morning chores for a 24 hours off the farm get away, we had a farm sitter for evening and morning chores and checks and so forth, and we are back today in time for us to do evening chores..

While to most folks a 24 hours off does not seem like much when you farm, that time can seem like a long time 🙂

So we headed to Murphy’s Point Park.. where I had booked us into a walk in, no power, no water tent site..

It came with a table, and fire pit and we set up camp. it was something we have done many times, this tent was bought back in 1999 in Yellowknife NWT and we have camped many times in it over the years, in NWT, Nunavut, Quebec and Ontario.

It took next to no time to set up the camp and we were off to the mine hike.. The reason this site had been picked was that is has one of Ontario’s largest mica mines, a short drive in the park took us to the start of the trail.

We got the map book for a dollar and we were off, its a easy hike for the most part and even the off-road parts are what I would call basic with a few up and downs.. our main friends were dragon flies, but o my the wild blackberries where in bloom everywhere..

As we rounded the curve, I caught a glimpse of a team and wagon, and I was so very excited.. I was like YES! someone does rides out here..LOL

Nope. but cool none the less

There was a table here if anyone needed a rest.. but we took our photos and moved on!

We cut into the bush and our next site was this amazing side spur to the mine itself, it was so GREEN! I know that the colors are different depending on which setting the camera was in.. sorry about that..

Here is the full view. It was amazingly cool standing in front of the mine, like having air conditioning..

This of course was what it was all about, Mica!

Great Site to spot a number of minerals in the rocks!

Over the hill we went and into the next valley, were the start of the mine is!

I of course got a awesome rock by the door with Mica, (but don’t worry I put it right back after the photo was taken, even fluffed the leaves etc

and then we moved to the top where there is a fenced off open pit with a steam engine that was very modern back in the day 🙂

And then on we went to the bunk house and the pit-basket lifts and in the back where a number of junk piles of rock.

after that we headed back doing the rest of the loop and then back to the campsites and on to the lake.. beautiful

The water was so clear , you could see the fish swimming with you and there was some good size ones, nice foot and half long and six to eight inches thick but it was the turtles that I loved.. I counted myself swimming at one time with 8 of their little heads all out and around me.. loved it!

As you can see the weather was perfect, it was warm at 28 but not really to hot, and it was sunny with some cloud cover, the water was so perfectly reflective..

but at some point, one needed to get out of the water (but not until at least an hour plus swimming was done) and back for a late supper..

While it was a no burn ban on in the area, the park allowed smaller burns for heating, cooking and evening time. two logs max.. works for us

In no way were we glamping.. this was tent, one backpack etc, buy the fire wood, and being a few cans to be heated up with spoons to eat them with.. o and two chairs.. which I did not need but I didn’t know we have the picnic table..

Our plans for sunday got changed when it became a rain day and so we could not get our canoe rental, and so we came home early, and worked on the farm..

Weather rules all! be it farm, be it camping.. lol

Hope you enjoyed coming along with us.. back to plants, gardens and recipes later in the week..

Posted in Life moves on daily | Tagged camping, Farm Sitters, hiking, hiking into old mine sites, Murphy's point park, Nature photos, parks, Silver Queen Mine, Swimming in lakes | 8 Comments

Carrot Ginger Rhubarb Flower Soup

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

If you have never eaten rhubarb flowers or to prepare them properly, check out this basic post 🙂

So the day, I served a side dish at a meal of rhubarb flower and we got talking about that they have built in lemon and that I thought they would be great in a version of sweet and sour soup.. my friend said or carrot ginger..

Carrot Ginger rhubarb Flower Soup

one small onion- peeled and chopped
one clove garlic- peeled and chopped
one small piece fresh ginger- peeled and chopped or replace with dried
4 cups of veggie or chicken stock
half cup of rhubarb flowers
3 cups of peeled, diced carrots
1 large peeled an diced potato
salt, pepper, dill seed

ok, in a heavy bottom steel pot, add a touch of oil, and then add the onion, garlic an ginger, cook till onion is clear, then add broth, and all veggies, cook at a simmer approx. 20 to 30 min till the veggies are tender and cooked though, cool briefly and hit it with the stick blender or carefully transfer to blender and blend together till smooth. Serves 4

if you want a richer version add 1 tsp of heavy cream per bowl or small pat of butter placed in the center bowl, the cream or butter added fat which gives the soup a much richer taste.. its good both ways

Posted in Life moves on daily, Recipes from the Root Cellar | Tagged Carrot Ginger rhubarb flowers Soup, eating rhubarb flowers, preparing rhubarb flowers for eating | 3 Comments

Lilac Jelly and Drying

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

I have three colors of lilac on the farm, I find the deepest color makes the most outstanding color jelly. The normal lilac while be softer in color and the white one is almost cream in color.

I have a number of posts over the years making lilac jelly, its just amazing! Friends love getting it as gift, hubby calls it drool-worthy and I love to use it to make a light winter tea

But this year I wanted to expand my dried flowers for different uses.. so I did up a total of 18 trays, or dried three quart jars worth.

These will be used in a number of creative ways, in gifts like milk baths or sprinkled on top of cold processed soaps, or in herbal tea blends, a mix of cold process lilac massage oil and I am sure I can find a few more ways to use them though this coming year 🙂

Posted in Garden harvest | Tagged drying lilac flowers, lilac jelly, use lilac | 5 Comments

Top Ten Reason’s to Grow Radish in your Garden!

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

Farmgal’s Tip of the Day.. When your hubby brings you in fresh garden Radish’s and they are so hot, I mean WOW heat hot.. to eat fresh.. what to do.. the answer is easy, cook them.. you can toss them with some good olive oil and sea salt and roast them, or you can slice them up and stir-fry them with other veggies. you can grate them into soups, stews or salads to make the heat meld with everything.

I wrote this post last year.. but its so worth sharing again..

Today we are going to talk about radish.. O yes, it seems so lowly.. but its not.. its a plant that just keeps on giving and we are in major expanding mode on it to boot.. I think it will be easier to break it down into parts..

1) One of the earliest things to be planted in the gardens, right along side the first spring peas but will be certain to get a harvest sooner.. Planted though out the whole growing season, they will do well, can be used as a marker system for slow to sprout seeds, by the time the slower are up an needing the space, the radish are out.

2) Do not forget that there are short growing radishes (what we are use to in the store but that there are many long season radish that are more like a carrot or turnip in shape and that there is even winter keeping radish.. yes you read that right.. big, long slow growing keep radishs that can be held over in the root cellar for winter use

3) Greens, o boy the greens.. yummy tender greens for salads, bigger and spicy greens for mixing in anything you want, veggies, meat with greens, soups, or stews.. Or how about a yummy radish green mayo for a burger or Radish Green Pesto for a pasta dish.. So Good!

4) The seeds, If you have never collected seeds or if you are still paying though the nose for winter Sprouting seeds, you need to give Radish a try.. they grow out a nice clear pod that is easy to find, filled with lots and lots of tiny black seeds, those seeds will give you fab sprouts or micro greens at a tiny fraction of the price at the store sprouting prices.

5) the pods, fresh baby pods can be added to stirfries, or pickled, Pickled Radish pods are delightful indeed. I must do a post on just that with a recipe or two on how to use them..

6) Trap crops.. Radish even if you are buying the seed are cheap to buy, active and easy to grow and they make excellent trap crops in the garden.. O yes, please think of your cabbage, carrots and other things that the bugs tend to love and throw some radish around them as a trap crop. Those radish that were trap cropped, where also allowed to go to flower and then seed.. acting as a triple threat and reward, only in one place did I pull the plants, burn them, they were covered in eggs and replant it right back out in radish..

7) Green cover crops, Radish is a excellent green cover crop, basic wide scatter on a cleaned bed now in april, let it grow about two or three inches high keeping the weeds down, chop and turn under and replant the bed in a warm weather crop.

8) Do not limit yourself to eating radish fresh, it is excellent roasted, its lovely in soups and stews and it cans up into a delightful crisp winter treat as a side dish..

9) Fodder, Radish greens and are excellent for pretty much any critter you want to feed them to.. be it your chickens, rabbits, pigs or sheep, even my horses get in on the action, its adorable watching them eating up that radish greens and then the look as they get to the radish itself, but they never turn it down.. even the super hot ones are eaten with gusto

10) They are FAST, I mean really, what other plant do you know that can go from seed to table in 30 days and in ideal conditions.. 28 days.. Rock on Radish.. Rock on!

Now, What do you say. I saw, run to the store and pick up five or six more packages of basic radish for green crops, for seed use or for trapping rows in your garden, but also hit the Asian area of the seeds and be brave, pick up a winter radish as well! Give it a try, they can very different flavours, some are more mild, some are so funky in color.. how about a lovely green and white radish, or a white skin with a pink middle or a lovely purple radish in color or pure white..

Posted in Life moves on daily | Tagged Growing Radish, radish, Top ten reasons to grow Radish, ways to use radish | 6 Comments

Shearing Whiskey

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

This is a short and sweet post.. I did my stretches and made a strong coffee (which would be about the average for most) and went.. All right then.. Lets do this..

I need to shear Ice, her wool did not come off nicely, it was a battle but she is much cooler and I have her in lock down and I will give her a finishing trim before she joins the flock again..

I had to do Junor.. he was my practise run.. not bad.. not bad..

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But then came Whiskey, the fleece that I have the biggest plans for, it was the best job I have done to date with my new shears (which by the way, will get their own post in the fall as they are a improvement on the farm item)..

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He is fine condition under that o so huge coat of his.. and I got it off in one full piece! YES…

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Its good practise as I am looking forward to doing the lambs this fall.. For sure this young ram lamb, loving his black wool.

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Posted in Life moves on daily | 4 Comments

BBQ an Fairy Garden Building

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

The day was a hot one but had been planned for a while and it was a ton of fun..

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The Adults had as much fun as the children did..

the kids also thought my little farm was just filled with fun, Patrick was a total suck and a fluffy armful but faith hide and marble stayed out but took limited petting.. all raised the same but temperament will always win when its a break in routine

this one was made by a under six little girl and she did a great job and more is more 😛

mine was a little frog set up and with a glow in the dark pond, below a better view

My friends did a awesome job on theirs.. so creative

and hubby did a great job on his.. he got some help, maybe another this or that..

Folks loved my rhubarb-mint juice, smacked lips on the spruce tip mayo and adored the strawberry rhubarb compote on custard with whipped cream.. served with loved hot sausages from the grill. One friend brought the most yummy salad and another brought fresh scones that were a delight.

The last friend arrived with chicks and left with a truckful lol and we bartered out a surprise, more on that later

Posted in Life moves on daily | 1 Comment

Green Healing Salve #4 Recipe

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

5 average leaves of lovage (do not use if person using has liver issues)

5 small (around four inches-young) comfrey Leaves

10 Large leaves and flowers of Wild Voilet

8 young Plantain leaves with stem included (4 inches long at min)

5 tops of Nettle (going to the third set of leaves from the top)

6 tops (same reach as the Nettle) of Spearment

3 6 inch stem and tops of Jewelweed

6 dandelion Flowers

Ideally pick when dry early morning, if they are clean, no need to wash them, if you must wash.. gently pat them dry, cut them into stripes and then bruise them This is a hot process salve..

Into a pot and cover them well with.. equal parts Olive Oil and Coconut Oil on the lowest setting for your burner, I let it “simmer” for a full 60 min, I strain out all plant material, and then I measure the end amount an for a softer salve, use about 5 percent of beeswax to firm it up and for a firm salve, up to ten percent of beeswax.

the scent is a mix of wild voilet and jewelweed when it goes on. .if you want to you can add a single drop of Pepperment oil to the blend just before filling your jars to give it a more common scent, I personally don’t mind the green-lightly floralish scent.

If you use it in a small canning jars, it should self-seal, and I have kept the salves for 9 to 12 months, ( I have never had them get older then that because we use them) however having said that, I normally say, once its open and being used.. six to ten weeks give or take, but if you put it in the fridge between uses, it will hold even better

Posted in Life moves on daily | 16 Comments

Dandelion Flower Stems

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

So this is a overview, you see on facebook and in a few books I have seen the idea of using Dandelion stems as a form of noodles..

Now I love Dandelion, I like eating the young spring greens in many ways.. here is a lovely pasta dish made with pigweed, Dandelion and fresh Walking Onion Greens.. I made it for a company an it was much loved..

Of course the flowers are amazing, Dandelion Jelly is just FAB!

and I made batter dipped and deep fried Flowers for a dessert that was snapped up with moans of.. So good.. Yummy and so forth.

and the roots are so good in so many ways, So when I say a way to use the stems and the dishes didn’t look to bad.. I thought ok..

Found a great plant that had lots of nice big ones, and washed, trimmed them top and bottom and into pieces they went

So I tried it boiled with noodles and butter and seasonings as they had posted, It was SPIT out worth.. Heck no.. bitter beyond bitter, it was just plain bad!

So I looked at it and went hmmmm

I took a onion and finely diced it, added a clove of garlic and finely diced it, I then did a mix of butter and olive oil in a pan and cooked them till the onion was clear with hints of golden brown on edges and on the side, I mixed brown sugar, soy sauce, seasoning salt and vinager as a dressing.. I then poured that over and let it simmer away till it got thicker and just a bit sticky..

My first nibble had the expected bitterness but far less and by my third bite of it, I could see that I liked the green ok when I made sure to get some onion-garlic in with it as well as a bit of sauce..

While I give this part of the plant a 2 out of 5 as a edible, I am pretty sure if I added in some pea pods, some sweet greens, and lots of carrot curls and stirfried it and served it over rice, that that hints of bitterness would be a nice flavour to the overall dish..

So, anyone got a recipe using these that they want to share with me? because the noodle one did not suit my palate at all.. but I am comfortable that I could work on making a stirfry with them that would be good..

Posted in Life moves on daily | Tagged Easting Dandelion flowers, Eating Dandelion, Eating Dandelion Flower Stems | 3 Comments

Garden Updates..

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

So front garden area,straw garden rows

Row one-planted two kinds winter sqaush
Row two- planted- pumpkin
Row Three- Sqaush

Teepee- Back seeded the hot, beans, and the pea’s broud beans an greens are all up Back filling with cabbage plants..

Hay Bale Garden- the cold planted greens are up and doing well, the trailing started melon plants are transplanted in it now

The mini hay bale garden- planted out pumpkins

The big hugalbed garden (year six) the comebacks are doing well, the bed is planted into melons top half and pumpkins bottom half

The box garden is planted into sea kale and Giant Broud Leaf Plantain

The gate garden had peas, broud beans, rddish and spring greens, its been finished out, four green pepper plants 12 tomato plants another full row of beans planted

The tower garden has foot plus high peas and walking onions and now thirty broccoli plants in

Side Garden Raised Bed Rows
Row One- planted cucumbers
Row two- Small pumpkins
Row Three- Seeded out pickling cucumbers
Row four – cabbage Seedlings

Grape Vine Garden
Front row- rows of Giant Sunflowers
Main Row-planted winter sqaush
Back row- rows of Giant Sunflowers

Sqaure Front Garden

75 corn planted in a block
two rows kale starts
one row peppers plants
one row cherry tomaoes
already planted and growing
beets
turnips
raddish

The apple Tree’s are in full Bloom now.. Lots of Bee’s on the farm this year..

Main garden
Four more rows on climbers of bean seed,
skirrit rows in

All the cold planted are up but the carrot, the early plant pototo patch is doing great, but lots left to plant in main garden, only the top of main garden planted and back planted

Back garden

-25 pounds of seed potato planted
rasberry rows
strawberry rows
aspargus rows all doing well
jewelweed patch up an growing

the rest- unplanted yet

How did your planting go?

Posted in gardens | Tagged Garden 2016, spring planting | 3 Comments

May long Weekend

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Just another day on the farm

Today is officially a holiday in Canada, but its also our typical last frost date for the gardening zone we live in, so its a great mix of gardening, friends and good times. Lots more gardening to go today..

That closest box is filled with skirrit plants, and there is Giant Turkish plantain and seas kale and 3rd generation cabbage crosses that overwinter in out area and a zone breed cabbage-kale cross and so much more

We boated up the river for some fishin, time with friends, a hot dog roast and don’t forget the marshmellows

The calf is learning come out of his pen and nibble the fresh pasture

Faith is so very pretty and Patrick is huge and such a purring boy..

marble is not just younger and short hair but he is so much smaller in build-bone an so forth, but he is so cuddly

While the two big fluffy fat belly kittens ran and played and leaped around the yard under our watchful eye, marble went and asked.. up please and then watched everything from high up

Te wee buckling are not so wee anymore and they are a month old and we will be moving into full time milk sharing at this point, they are also nibble grazing, crème above looking at you They follow their mother who is lead out daily to be tied out to graze the main yard