Blessed and Frugal all in one.

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

We have been a single vehicle family and farm for many years..  Its a interesting work around as it leaves me on the farm for days at a time with only foot or horse power to get me around.. but I am very blessed with good folks that live within walking distance of help if needed. I have a standing offer for a vehicle and I have rarely used that offer but a few times I have done so.

A dear friend of ours had a older but in very good shape car available for rehoming and we were lucky enough to be offered it, and we know a good thing when we see it.. it was snapped up.

Hubby took the train down to Toronto area for the meet, greet and paperwork and pickup..   He really enjoyed his time on the train and seeing the country from a different view point.

We were very surprised but thrilled that a few extra gifts were given, all second hand as the person is moving, including a splitting ax, a gas chain saw and the car has its winter tires on and a full set of all-season to switch them to and for me.. a box of wonderful saved herbs from the garden.. I have some plants on my farm that come from this wonderful family garden shared with me many years ago.

I have not looked though it, but I am hoping that perhaps a few seeds will be tucked into the box for me..

This car will allow great gas savings for hubby for the commute to where he picks up the bus to work, leaving me with the SUV on the farm and we will switch in winter so that he is driving the 4 by 4 in our snow and so forth. I will also use the car for when I am doing of the farm jobs to keep the travel costs down for everyone.

 

Posted in At the kitchen table | Tagged | 4 Comments

Hatch 1 -Last check before lock down.

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Well, I will admit to be being a tough day to have lost a number of the eggs in between the checks but most of the loss’s where in the bought eggs, (bought hatching eggs have a poor hatch rate typically and these are right on par for it)

In total we are heading into lock down tomorrow with 32 eggs. As you can see there is a just a touch of space left on the point end down and there is a lovely air pocket on the round egg and between.. that solid color.. well I am sure you know this but its the chick.

So far I have been having a touch more trouble then normal keeping the temp and the humid correct as the outside temps have been up and down and the house temp has been up and down accordingly to a point. Thankfully its been quite minor per the temp gages results.

I have a auto turner, I love that freedom and I like that I do not need to open the top twice a day to turn the eggs but tomorrow, I will take out the turner, I will fill to the top the water in the trays and the eggs will go into lock down on their sides. If all goes well, we will have peeping and fluffy wee chicks by this weekend.

 

Posted in Chickens | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Mock Lobster and Veggie Pizza

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

I made a big batch of lovely oatmeal bread and buns today and grabbed a small ball and made it into a fresh pizza. I rarely have this one but I do like it.. When I was teen I loved shimp and mushroom pizza. It was my favorite, the local pizza place offered it as a special way back in the late 80’s,  no one else in my family would eat it and it was off the menu within a matter of a month, but they would make it for me as a custom order for years to come till I moved away.

I rarely buy these but about twice a year the mock seafood goes on sale and I buy three to six of the packages of the mock lobster either in the rolls of the clump form. I use these to my homemade sushi (yum)

Today however I made Mock lobster and Veggie pizza, A huge fresh mushroom, tons of red pepper, pasta sauce and herbs, no cheese and lots of little mock lobster pieces.. Delightful and a great flavour combo.

Seafood and mushrooms go together for me..  If you want to try something different.. give it a whirl! Its a

Posted in Bread | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles -Food in Jar’s Challange April

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

The Food in Jar’ Challenge for April was quick Pickles, I made Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles.  As you know you can pretty much quick Pickle almost anything.. but the issue is that its April on the farm. Lets just say that things growing for pickling in april in Zone 5 in Ontario is few and far between.

As the snow melted, I went for one of my very first Spring foods available for foraging on the farm, we dug into one of our Sunchoke Patches.. Ah Jerusalem Artichoke’s one of the very first spring foods that are harvestable as soon as the soil can be worked.

The jar on the left is Pickled Jerusalem chips in a sweet bread and butter brine and the jar on the right is a lovely Dill Brine with Fresh Ginger, Orange Pepper Slices and Jerusalem Chips. I saw online that many folks left the skin on, and I just could not do it, I washed, trimmed  and peeled mine.. all the leftover bits went into a pot and was cook up and used as fodder for the piglet an the chickens.

What is your favorite way to eat Jerusalem artichoke’s? Do you grow them in your garden? What is one of your first spring foods that you can harvest?

Posted in gardens | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Buttermilk, Ginger, Lilac Flower Cake

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Buttermilk Ginger Lilac Flower Cake

  • 1/4th cup butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup dried lilac flowers
  • 2 tsps. of fresh grated ginger (or 1 tsp fried powdered ginger)
  • 2 cups flower
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp. of baking powder

Cream butter an sugar together, them cream in eggs, add buttermilk and dried lilac flowers, mix together, grate the fresh ginger in. add flour, salt and baking powder, mix gentle till done, into a 8 by 8 cake pan, bake approx. 45 min at 350

Serve as is or make a glaze topping if you want a touch more sweet, if serving fancy with tea, consider a dollop of whip cream with just a touch of sugared candied lilac flowers as a dressing

Posted in Baking | Tagged | Leave a comment

Early Spring Garden-Farm Gate Garden and Front Garden G

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Well, the rain came and melted, the flood waters are here but in my own area not doing badly, I have a number of flooded fields around me but not on my own land. Granted my land is soaked at the moment. At least I can see the pretty start of a few of my rhubarb plants, many are still under snow cover.

The temps are all climbing over the weekend and next week, into the double digits, they say, we are going to be 21 on Monday..

The Farm gate garden got a clean up, a rake out, and a turning with a few things needing to be pulled out and then the hardest spring sugar pea’s went into the wet cold soil..  Tomorrow or Monday, a row of early sow (as soon as grown worked) Rutabaga will go in and then a second row on the outside of Early White Vienna Kohlrabi will go in

The Kohlrabi will be harvested and used by the time the Rutabaga’s need more room and on the edges I will be planting Margolds, that I have started inside.

This garden bed in 2015 had melon’s and pea’s in it two years, Last year it grew spring greens, green onions Salad Greens and Broad Beans, In the summer it grew Peppers, tomato’s and dry beans.

This year it will grow Sugar Pea’s, Turnips, Kohlarbi, Spring green onions, marigolds and Cucumbers (I will be starting the cucumbers and transplanting them out and growing them as climbers that will slowly replace the pea’s as they are taken out.

Garden G the covered area is my expanded and with much hope my Skirrt overwinter program, the plastic covered area is pre-warming the soil up and helping it dry out for lots of early spring green plantings and the back bell are covering Early Golden acre cabbage spring seeded out.

Its worth noting that my last frost date is not until May long weekend and for sweet potato’s and such, the soil will not be warm enough normally till first week of June..

Which is why there are raised beds (which melt and heat faster), Straw Covers, Plastic covers to increase heating and the bells to create mico zones.

Now to show what it really looks like yet.. here is my front house bed.. before I start cleaning it up 🙂 Grey, drying and yes that is bit of snow still on back end of the photo.

Mud o the mud.. I swear I did groom them.. sheesh! Mud pigs!  Roll, Roll, and become grey horses..

Posted in Garden | Tagged | 1 Comment

Cranberry Coconut Cake Recipe

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Moist cake with bits of tart cranberry an hints of coconut blend perfectly together on this one. Dear Hubby said, winner, make again an blog this one 🙂

Cranberry Coconut Cake

  • 1/4th cup butter
  • half cup sugar
  • 8 0z of chunky cranberry jam (or chunky canned cranberry from the can)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup long sweetened coconut shredded
  • 1 an half cups of flour
  • 1 tbsp. of baking powder
  • 1/2 a tsp of salt

8 by 8 cake pan baked at 350 approx. 40 min till knife comes out clean.

Mix butter with sugar till well creamed, then mix in eggs, then add jam, coconut and water, mix together, then put flour, salt and baking powder, dry on the wet, mix though and into your pan.

Posted in Baking | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Overflowing the banks an rain on the way

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

They say we have a whole lotta rain coming our way in the next few days.. hmm These photo were all taken within walking distance of the farm.. but we still have a field or two that is not flooded out yet

Considering the fields are flooded now

The Creek is over flowing into the fields

And the big River is running very high already..

it could get interesting..

Posted in homestead | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

New Plant Starting Shelves in my new sunroom porch

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

This section is two full 72 cell trays wide and deep, there is room for shoes and smaller boots under the bottom shelf and then two shelf’s are for early starting, two are for middle growing and one is for taller growing.. each shelf is rated at least a hundred pounds per.The top wrap around shelf is above our head height so to not take up room for when we are loading and unloading things onto the porch in or out. Three full trays could fit on the longer side but I expect that it will be single larger pots in a custom tray that will end up there.

Such a great project that got done today and wow when the sun shined does it get warm in there already.. This will be a very good thing as I move things from the house out into here.

 

 

 

Posted in Garden | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Give away plants for a coming Speaking Event..

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Its exciting to be working on a number of projects for the coming spring for different groups and people.  While I do have limited dates available at this time, if you want to consider working with me, check out my “for hire” page

In this case we are starting Good King Henry. Seeds came from Aster Lane Edibles

Three full trays of these little guys are prepared and started for a Permaculture Speaking Event on Mother’s Day Weekend, gifts for the public that will be attending the event.

http://tcpermaculture.blogspot.ca/2012/02/permaculture-plants-good-king-henry.html

USING THIS PLANT
Primary Uses:

  • Raw Leaves – Raw leaves are bitter and contain oxalic acid, so they should only be eaten in moderation. Best in Spring and early Summer and used in a mixed green salad to vary the salad’s flavor.
  • Cooked Leaves – Cooking destroys the oxalic acid. Makes a good spinach substitute. Often used with a mixed cooked green meal (kale, spinach, chard, sorrel, dandelion, etc.). Older leaves become tough and bitter, so cooking is needed; however, after flowering the leaves become larger and more succulent. Younger leaves just need to be steamed for a few minutes. 
  • Shoots – Very popular, harvested and prepared just like asparagus (cut when about 5 inches (12 cm)).
  • Flower Buds – Prepared and cooked like broccoli, but much smaller and a little tedious to harvest.
  • Seed – A decent supplementary grain source. Needs to be soaked overnight and rinsed to remove the saponins (soap-like chemicals) much like its relative, quinoa. Ground and usually mixed with other flours.
    Secondary Uses:
  • Decent groundcover plant – clumping, plant at 1 foot (30 cm) spacing for groundcover
  • Green/gold dye obtained from the whole plant
  • Reportedly considered a gentle laxative that can be used with children
  • Reportedly used to weaken parasitic worms (vermifuge) in the human body
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