New Garden and a Game!

What's a farm without a garden? Well I'd argue every farm could happily include a garden. During the 24 hours in total I spent digging, weeding, aerating and arranging of the top soil in order to recreate this garden patch I wondered what the garden looked like a hundred years ago, and more recently. How big was it? How much time did it take? What did they grow? How did they water it? 

Well someone, more recently likely, planted asparagus. 

That was very thoughtful, and we certainly appreciate it! 

Look what just popped up out of the ground and onto our plates! 

Although I've got feelings of trepidation toward my green thumb, I've started some seeds indoors, and even a few outside already (even though our frost free weekend hasn't yet passed) and I'm waiting for May Long Weekend to plant the remainder of the direct-sow seeds and transplant my sweet peas, calendula, pansies, lavender and herbs. The onions, green onions, bachelor's buttons, radishes and beets have all said hello to our early sunshine: 

Since our amazing snap of warm weather we've got other interesting and new-to-me plants materializing before our eyes. Perhaps any and all the plant enthusiasts out there could help me identify a few species? This is what I mean about a game! Here are the specimens and descriptions. Leave me a comment if you know what any of these plants are. 

Please, helllllp me! 

Tree. We've got one large one in our yard and other smaller ones line either side of our driveway as a wind break. 

Perennial, in a garden bed. 

This is a compact bush. They may have dark coloured berries and lose all their leaves before winter. They're often used in hedges or rows.

Hollyhock, right? Are there still some heritage plants that actually bloom year after year, or is it just a two year blooming ability? 

Again a smaller garden bed perennial, but this one has a wet sort of sheen to its leaves.

Almost succulent-like (or maybe that's exactly what it is) with what looks like stalks from last summer.

We had this creeping ground cover when I was a kid, but I don't recall its name... Periwinkle? 

A bush with a more vertical tendancy, which has a few clusters of orange berries left over from the fall. 

A flowering bush, first showing the blooms/buds up close, then at a distance.

So far this bush only has leaves...

This is a flowering bush. 

I hope to become further acquainted with these plants soon!

First (Chicken) Hippie in Mountain View

Okay, so I don't know that for a fact (that I am the first or the only) so perhaps I shouldn't make the claim that so quickly. Nor am I really a true-blue example (not even nearly). However I do know what a hippie is (thank you childhood of the 90s on Salt Spring Island), and though some people have a rather skewed idea of what a hippie actually is - and we can have that conversation later (the 60's were like half a century ago... Which has been a while in the average person's memory. I wasn't [even] alive then, but yeah, so resurgence anyone?) - I am a hippie as far as Alberta is concerned. 

Can you tell?

And what can one, single person, or hippie do that matters? I don't know the width of change that could occur, simply talking about ideas, even if just tiny. Nevertheless, one can change themselves, or make certain choices, or practice what they preach, and those with integrity can occasionally be influential. Weren't hippies movers and shakers after all? Don't trends and history repeat themselves? Or (oh no!!!! Are you really suggesting this???) are there actually many Albertans who already possess so-called 'hippie tendencies'? 

I identify some earthy/bohemian/nature friendly/organic ideals in myself when it comes to our brood of chickens, for example. (Don't worry I've not started any patchouli obsession!) And my neice's friend was listing off things hippies do the other day, of which I believe I do or have done each and everyone of them, but the items on the list were more frugal, than hippie per se. Like washing out ziplock bags! She may have actually cackled about that one! Lol. 

(Can you believe all 26 came in this box?) 

When it comes to a home, farm and gardens I simply appreciate what can basically be summed up by one of today's 'buzzwords': permaculture. Obviously such a system is ideal, and in the past was a way of life and survival, even though it seems the term wasn't officially in dictionary usage until 1978... I'm a tad surprised it wasn't around at least ten years earlier...

I'm reading The Small Scale Poultry Flock, by Harvey Ussery and gaining many ideas about ways to keep and use my chickens. I believe I'll end up with more nutritional eggs and better meat, (when I get organized to try raising meat birds - I'm having regrets I didn't try this initially!) happier and healthier birds, a mainly neutral scented coop, and great compost sooner, without much work on my part. And it's free. At least the deep bedding is. That will be very welcome in my garden! I may in fact need to spend some on fencing resources, but the whole project will no doubt use up some of the 'junk' we have laying about.

Speaking of Junk, we made this interior wall to section off our coop from the 'rustic sitting room', almost entirely from 'junk' laying around. We couldn't get rid of our little wood stove, or just give it to the chickens. Set up like this, the stove is between the coop and the Rabbitry, so not only do we get to keep the central room, it can heat the other two in the coldest winter weather, or be a home to any struggling wee animals. 

per·ma·cul·ture

\ˈpər-mə-ˌkəl-chər\ 

noun: an agricultural system or method that seeks to integrate humanactivity with natural surroundings so as to create highly efficient self-sustaining ecosystems. Origin: ¹permanent + agriculture.

Easter in Review

It was a three day weekend together! And we were productive, though never nearly as much of our to do list gets done as we'd like. Manual labour is intensive! Lol. What did you think? Homesteading is a breeze? No, it was not. We were considering the work and the tools available to the brothers who tamed our piece of land. They can basically be summed up as heroes. Yep, heroes, and that goes for all the persevering, ingenious survivors who built our country. We have become rather soft now that standard life comes with so many automatic features... 

I can't really explain the natural lighting phenomenon we enjoy here on the farm... It's surreal at times in a daylight nocturnal lilac aurora borealis kind of way. That probably doesn't look the same to you in your mind's eye right now, but I promise it is interesting. And it occurred the first day we looked at the property together. It was weird moment of knowing here was right. 

Outside we probably did the most. Our sights are set on berries. Raspberries in particular, but I'm sure we'll also plant strawberries and elderberries since all three should do well in our zone and we love them! So, we cleared an area which must have been where the Burns brother's garden once stood, the one which grew all the produce (potatoes we hear) they ate. This involved mowing and clearing grass above ground and aerating as well to let the heat in. The ground is still very cold and hard despite the warm temperatures we enjoyed. The next step will be to kill the grass. It was a dilemma how to go about that, but we can't just remove it by scooping it away because we will loose too much of the precious top soil, so it'll be pesticide. It's not my first choice in general but it will be clean by the second year of fruit production (according to organic rules - three years free), and free of effectivity in two weeks according to Round-Up's label. (I'd wait a good triple that before licking the ground, but eh, as you wish) Also we have neighbouring crops receiving all kinds of help - if need be - on all four sides, so we'd never qualify as organic even if we wanted to have such a farm. (Even if they don't waste such expensive dust on areas they don't own... But rules are rules.) Now we just need to decide if we want to clear the whole acre or so of space at once, or expand at a later date.  

We have an existing section of about 600 square feet of tilled garden. It may have been used last summer, and maybe not... Anyway we decided we should weed it and then we'd have the choice to plant it up should we want to. And planting will be the easy part - even watering will be nearly effortless - compared to the labourous overturning. So far I've gotten through about a tenth and that took all afternoon. But I enjoyed being in the sun in next to nothing. Jordan liked that, too. The weather Sunday was perfect! 

We've moved a tree in order to have a proper vehicle entrance, resurfaced the driveway, turned the compost and have been working at cutting and fastening poo trays for the rabbit cages. 

On a food note, we had just about everything I was hoping to taste. We also went to a diner we'd been looking forward to for a few years, and it sadly did not live up to any standards, though it's a fun diner-car-alien idea. I actually couldn't believe how many times afterward Jordan remarked upon us having eaten bad food. I'll take that as a compliment ;) as well as the fact that he liked my baked artichokes! Can you believe it? 

I can't. 

I still think I may have been dreaming, although I am now dreaming of giant artichoke because on re-reading the recipe I loosely followed, I see they had artichokes weighing a pound each!!! They're called Lyon Artichokes, so perhaps that's the norm in France. 

We will see. 

Well, I will see. 

If you've not had anything other than caned artichoke hearts I encourage you to try the fresh version. So pretty and tasty! 

I felt crosses were not necessary. But butter, oh yesssss. Hot (cross) buns....

Quail eggs are so wee and beautiful, I thought I should blow them out in order keep them for years to come, though after blowing 23 of them (I got help with one, and sadly I broke one) I was quite light headed, which may have made them look extra pretty. The quail decorate them for us to enjoy in such attractive blotchy-splotchy browns and creams. I have been enjoying them just the way nature delivers, as it goes nicely with the farm-house theme, but I imagine they'd also look spectacular with a dye-job in pastel hues, or with speckles of metallic paint. I made a quiche from them, plus some chicken eggs since they are pretty darn small, even if you have 23! 

Easter is a time for beautiful arrangements derived from nature 

and here is a lovely example made by a dear creative friend of mine:

Lastly, but not least, we were delighted with our little Georgi, 

who brought us his very first mouse. 

The Easter mouse. How appropriate! 

Happy Easter!

It's an astonishingly early Easter and it has taken me almost by surprise. 

My preparations mostly involve food.

Eggs are predominant, but I have chosen artichokes as my something special. 

Our babies are a big focus of course, 

which may be why I have been neglecting Easter and spring. 

However, since the weather is so balmy we've been enjoying outside...

Wishing everyone a lovely Easter weekend - now scamper to the hamper, 

or wherever your clues tell you to hunt! 

******

Another two cakes for another two birthdays! 

I haven't heard about the results of this one above, 

an ode to the peanut butter-chocolate cake from last summer, 

but chocolate chip cookie-chocolate instead just in case of allergies,

but the one below was confirmed to be tasty since I did have the chance to 

eat a couple slices myself. ;)

I love the old-fashioned elements in this cake. 

The inside is raspberry whipped cream between three layers of white cake.

We enjoyed it with fresh raspberries on the side. 

There was actually a third as well, 

but since it was an ice cream cake, 

and the melting factor was a critical element of it's intact arrival, 

I had to leave it wrapped up. So no photo. 

Which also reminds me of my general lament of not taking 

a 'slice missing' or 'on a plate' photo, 

but it is just plain rude to open a cake before the recipient does so themselves! 

Meow

Chick Show

Here are two growing poults, posing prettily. 

They're now just shy of three weeks old.

No two birds are exactly alike in their growth process. 

Some are larger than others, too. 

The top photo shows one of our lighter girls still sporting some chick fluff.

While the bottom photo is of one of the larger, more developed birds. 

Her wings are growing faster than her body so these days she's enjoying a bit of flight. 

That won't last for long, I suspect, but no doubt she was one of the escapees 

Jordan discovered the other morning.

They'd made a jail break from their baby house, causing much ado. 

Once all caught they graduated to a larger, cooler box where they are now 

pecking, chatting, eating substantially more and therefore, also pooping away. 

Strudel Doodle

If you can't decide what type of strudel to make, just make two. 

One sweet and one savoury, and don't forget the bacon! 

And try to import some Topfen. Or make your own ricotta. 

Or do whatever insipires your creative heart. 

While we took a break from adamantly trying our best sales pitches on Miss Marts, 

(we want her to stay forever and Canada is great!), she made us some strudel.  

The dough surprised me similarly to how the tortilla dough did. 

Super stretchy, quite forgiving. 

My favourite part, though, is the roll up technique with the cotton towel. 

Reminiscent of sushi? 

Delicious! (Lekker!)

Thank you Miss Marts! 

Very toothsome, indeed. 

I'd better make my own before I forget the instructions! 

Barn Door

I'm getting behind with posting again, but it's been busy around home. 

Most extra time is spent doing useful tasks, like replacing this old door:

It was one of our barn doors. Not too likely to keep anyone in, or anyone out. 

Safety for all our animals will be important, 

no matter how cute a fox is or how beautiful a coyote may be. 

And a pack of howling coyotes in your yard is not pleasant, ever.

So we built a new door.

We used all the old hardware which still works well. 

While we were at it, we also rebuilt the wee escape gate with some salvaged wood. 

Not exactly complicated but I did make it myself, and I think it looks good as well as functions well.

Yes, the barn is self widening... 

So your eyes are fine, even if they feel a little crossed trying to look at the angles, 

it just made us have to think a little to get a nice flush close on our new door. 

Sometimes we really sigh at how much work (and money) needs to go into our barn, 

but it's in pretty good shape when we look around the countryside, 

not to mention how many years of real work it's done. 

Hope we put it to use again soon!