tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16850596903318281352024-03-13T10:29:04.085-05:00Mom's Hobby FarmThe happenings of a (mostly)one woman hobby farm with a lot of help from her parents, children and siblings.Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.comBlogger304125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-8832482366593320632021-08-18T10:20:00.000-05:002021-08-18T10:20:51.376-05:00More weather<p> So my last post, the first in a really long time, was about weather and it seems that weather is still having a big impact. My part of Minnesota is in a drought. Last week there was an inch and three tenths of rain at the farm. My sister 15 miles to the east had two and one-half inches and my mom, 15 miles to the west had an amazing four inches. That rain was my only measurable rainfall this summer. The field crops around the farm <br />are struggling. I haven't seen anyone plowing them under but it is unknown yet if there will be much of a crop. </p><p>My fruit trees were full of blossoms this spring but did not set fruit. My grape vines are the exception. They seem to be liking this heat. The purple grapes are done. I have been using a steam juicer to make grape juice. Right now the juice is sitting in my freezer. At some point I hope to make jelly or try to make wine from that juice. The white grapes are a little later but seem close. I ordered a refractometer which should arrive tomorrow. Then I will have a more accurate measure of when the grapes are ready to be picked. <br /></p><p>My lawn is dormant so the time that I am not spending mowing I am spending watering. We have had an unusually warm summer, second warmest on record for June. Between the heat and the drought It is hard keeping plants from getting crispy. Early this summer I purchased quite a few perennial and annual flowers which means even more watering. </p><p>I have been having a pretty good summer. I am not doing the farmers market this summer which is allowing me more time to do more things in my yard. Some of my family was home in May for Mother's Day and we worked on rehabbing my neglected potager garden. My big garden is idle this year. I will be working on making it smaller, tarping it to kill the abundant weeds and fixing the deer fencing. The snow has done a lot of damage to the end closest to the trees where the big drifts form. I am planning to take down that end of the fencing and let the area return to grass.</p><p>I have been adding some round raised beds made from grain bin rings. When done I will have seven of them. So far I have four assembled and three are partially filled and growing stuff, When the crops come out I will top them off, filling them to the top. They are quite tall so they hold a lot of fill. I have done some with a hugelkulture method putting branches and wood in the bottom then a wood chip layer and a layer of leaves. The top layer is a mix of composted manure, peat moss and perlite. I am doing some with a wire tube in the center and I am adding kitchen scraps to that for composting. I am hoping it will be broken down by worms in the bed adding nutrition through their castings over the years. The leaves and wood chips will break down over time so I expect a lot of settling.</p><p> I will have to get some pictures and post them. </p><p> Lorri <br /></p><p><br /></p>Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-63623955740567272392021-02-18T10:22:00.000-06:002021-02-18T10:22:53.315-06:00When All Else Fails Talk about the Weather<p> It has been just over a year since I last posted my thoughts on this blog but even before I was posting only intermittently. A lot went on in 2020 and it seems to be carrying over into 2021. It was not my plan to rehash that dumpster fire when I sat down to type. </p><p>So maybe I will talk about the weather. The weather throughout the country has been horrible. Here inn Minnesota the winter of 20-21 followed a cold spring and weird summer. The fall had a couple of bigger snowstorms which melted. Much of the year seemed to be more windy than normal. In rural areas the wind can be a significant factor. It contributes to wind chill dangers and it moves stuff around. This winter one of our snowstorms created snirt (snow + dirt) The wind picked up topsoil from the surrounding fields, mixed it with the blowing snow and packed it into hard drifts. The snow was so dirty it completely changed the texture of the snow causing it to be sand-like. Eventually we got another snow that covered it up with a new white layer but for awhile it was pretty ugly. </p><p>And then there has been the cold. I think it has been cold everywhere. Minnesota is one of the upper Midwestern states known for the cold winters and this year we made it through January with only an occasional night that got a little below zero. It seemed on a whole to be a pretty mild winter. That changed a few days ago. Yesterday after five days where the temperatures did not get above zero degrees and three nights in a row where it was -24 it was finally again above zero. Today it is already a balmy 9 degrees and may get as high as 15. Next week it may even get above freezing. I will finish up with some pictures of snirt.</p><p>This is what many windows in the house looked like. This was taken from the inside. I needed to open the door and look out in order to see what was happening during the blizzard.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCvnkUqsdYDzxv9L0tDhJdzCjFnOlzhkxclXZhRDfeskGmc7ccvakU3bafYwkjbskZ1yMziT4KcSd6omMWkUXB394fuItIedZJL5u0O3kEJxhkhLi52CqPoTKe1mRYKUbjrsQA2kcAMTs/s2048/20201224_075249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCvnkUqsdYDzxv9L0tDhJdzCjFnOlzhkxclXZhRDfeskGmc7ccvakU3bafYwkjbskZ1yMziT4KcSd6omMWkUXB394fuItIedZJL5u0O3kEJxhkhLi52CqPoTKe1mRYKUbjrsQA2kcAMTs/s320/20201224_075249.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>This is the side of a path. The snow here is about 15 inches deep and the bottom half is snirt. The entire yard was like this.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXa7qUh3DmfUe9MvxcezdsEdhpNQVqAjFkDlosqEfzraIETb3scWX_QOq7lULy6CucKsG8bfRXZpbJV6_CZY4CFTBym_yZI9maz7jx1u17-mWJWlSWtWfNfFpFMxd-R_po4WIYubmJrx_/s2048/20210104_144139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXa7qUh3DmfUe9MvxcezdsEdhpNQVqAjFkDlosqEfzraIETb3scWX_QOq7lULy6CucKsG8bfRXZpbJV6_CZY4CFTBym_yZI9maz7jx1u17-mWJWlSWtWfNfFpFMxd-R_po4WIYubmJrx_/s320/20210104_144139.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>Some of it was darker, dirtier. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZMc9yqo8hyphenhyphennOOdtndx91Ys2cNts52TuogHY_zWe0MVhSdXtJy2KJC8HoSuotg9Q5PKtKj9WZHlDnRndhyeyzxBgnc_l63-6gRCSdCMheGmsbHJyNz9NjWSevw98JmkJBx-LrBU_5olOm/s2048/20210104_144228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZMc9yqo8hyphenhyphennOOdtndx91Ys2cNts52TuogHY_zWe0MVhSdXtJy2KJC8HoSuotg9Q5PKtKj9WZHlDnRndhyeyzxBgnc_l63-6gRCSdCMheGmsbHJyNz9NjWSevw98JmkJBx-LrBU_5olOm/s320/20210104_144228.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>Another photo that I took while shoveling. There were places in the yard where the drifts were so hard the snowblower would ride over them rather than through them. This is the path I shoveled to the greenhouse.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf8uk-MnsWbDqpcTU-IGymKvWXjo5hXICk0aTkNPkx5upxA52p-LREz_RK8J8BUo72kg3wb8Mvsb6aQhqbznMz8Tzs-mNNxBT4OCgi12TCKHhvGEpA3Yov8OCx56EPk-bSBp2NXNIJv4O/s2048/20210104_144251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf8uk-MnsWbDqpcTU-IGymKvWXjo5hXICk0aTkNPkx5upxA52p-LREz_RK8J8BUo72kg3wb8Mvsb6aQhqbznMz8Tzs-mNNxBT4OCgi12TCKHhvGEpA3Yov8OCx56EPk-bSBp2NXNIJv4O/s320/20210104_144251.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>This photo is taken from the same path looking through the fence to the pasture. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDfvgr4IQdNGpGPFGay7E7WkCc3Bu8MEyjkvK2pLiKdtajOd4NSMtrEHnPfX12H-4X3mt0-iDRDQEm7_7jp0V7cqOz30iFWUAVadmyJfu3pcoAfMfS6kSP-j3A19U9q2r8Zt0dYhvF8Sr/s2048/20210104_144324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDfvgr4IQdNGpGPFGay7E7WkCc3Bu8MEyjkvK2pLiKdtajOd4NSMtrEHnPfX12H-4X3mt0-iDRDQEm7_7jp0V7cqOz30iFWUAVadmyJfu3pcoAfMfS6kSP-j3A19U9q2r8Zt0dYhvF8Sr/s320/20210104_144324.jpg" /></a></div><p>This was in January. We have had a few small snows since then so this has been covered with new pristine white snow. Keeping all who are struggling with the ice, snow and cold in my thoughts and prayers. </p><p>Stay safe,</p><p>Lorri<br /></p><p><br /></p>Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-40581233224740800562020-02-13T18:41:00.002-06:002020-02-14T18:20:22.127-06:00aebleskivers and madeleinesA couple posts ago I wrote about blue cornmeal and my quest to learn to use new pans, gadgets and ingredients that I have acquired but are sitting around. My plan is to use a menu planning journal to "schedule" these recipes and gear. I haven't gotten the journal going yet but I did make two recipes while I was snowed in during our most recent blizzard.<br />
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This summer I purchased a Madeleine pan and an aebleskiver pan. After a quick online search I printed a couple of recipes for each.<br />
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A Madeleine pan is a flat pan with shell shaped molds for baking small cake like treats. It is a classic French treat for tea or dessert. <br />
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An aebleskiver pan is a pan that is used on the stove. It has seven depressions used to cook a type of a pancake ball. The aebleskiver is Danish. Scandinavian baking always appeals to be. The aebleskiver batter is poured into each depression and when the bottom is cooked it is turned partway over. While it is partway turned a small amount of filling can be added. My batch of batter made five pans and I was planning to make them all plain and dust them with powdered sugar but when I got to the last pan I decided to try adding a bit of jelly and they were good too. <br />
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Both pans worked well. The treats were yummy. I have a couple more versions of each recipe that I might try again but I am happy with the ones that I used.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">aebleskivers after the first turn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finished aebleskivers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">madeleine pan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finished madeleines</td></tr>
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-44070815120142580562020-02-03T15:42:00.001-06:002020-02-03T15:42:51.202-06:00my garden planning progressI have been a fly by the seat of my pants gardener, winging it, going forward without a real plan. When my garden was small it wasn't as much of an issue, but when I decided to do a big garden, planning became much more important and my lack of planning more obvious and more consequential. <br />
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This time of year for many inspires resolutions, organization, reflecting on the past and planning for the future. I have not typically been one of those people but this year, disappointment in last year has led me to embrace the planning season and see if I can try to not repeat last year in 2020. Not all of last year can be blamed on things I could control. The weather was terrible for gardening and also for my farming neighbors. It was so wet. And that cold spring. But I did find that I always seemed to be playing catch up and that is something that is within my control. <br />
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This January I decided to try a bullet journal and set about putting one together. In the brainstorming I decided that an additional garden journal and a journal for meal planning might provide for a better to do list and a place for documentation. <br />
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So where am I at in my garden planning? Well, I am started. I start a lot of seeds indoors for transplanting out into my garden and sharing with other gardeners. Seed starting will be starting soon. I gathered together all of my extra seeds from previous year's gardens. I have ordered and received a storage container to hold my seeds. I have sorted those seeds into the separate boxes that fit into my storage container. Yet to be done is to label the boxes, inventory the seeds that I have. I need to make a list of crops that I want to grow and cross reference that to my seed inventory and prepare a seed order for the seeds that I do not already have. I want to order my seeds by end of the week.<br />
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Seed starting has a lot of moving parts. Some seeds are planted in the garden, some before the last spring frost and some after. Some seeds are started indoors under lights and transplanted into the garden, some before the last spring frost, some after the ground warms up, some in the summer for a fall crop. Some seeds are planted every couple of weeks for successive harvests. Lots of moving parts. It is not hard, just a lot to coordinate and keep track of. Other years I have scrambled to figure out what I needed to be doing when. I have lost count of how many times I have counted back on the calendar from that last frost date to figure out when to start a particular type of seed. <br />
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When I was working on my bullet journal I made three perpetual calendars. They are set up to be three months on a page so four pages for a year. Mine are arranged so the first half of the year are on two facing pages and the second half of the year on the following two pages. Each month is a column with the numbers down the left side of the column. The first calendar is for birthdays and anniversaries, things that are the same from year to year. The second calendar is where I track my dad's medical appointments and treatments. The third is my perpetual garden calendar where I have indicated the dates of the last frost in the spring and the first frost in the fall. I then counted backward and forward to get the weeks before and after.<br />
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Next I took the information from the perpetual calendar and started a spreadsheet. This will be a master calendar from which I can generate a To Do list. It is set up with a column for each week of the year. The dates of the week are at the top of the column. Below the dates row is a row counting the weeks before and after the last frost in the spring. And below that the next row counts the weeks before and after the first frost in the spring. The next section has a list of vegetables, listed alphabetically, one vegetable per row on the far left column. Across the columns of the spreadsheet I am entering codes for different activities involving that vegetable in the column when that activity should happen. I have a book that lists lots of vegetables and includes the information and I am using that as a starting point. I will add additional information as I glean it from seed packets, company websites and other resources. I am up to peas in my alphabetical list. Because I grow greens in my passive solar greenhouse in the winter I am going to list all of the greens together after the vegetables. I will do the same with herbs and flowers. My goal is to be able to look down the column for the week and know what needs to be done and add those tasks to my To Do list in my bullet journal. <br />
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I have chosen to use a smaller 3 ring binder for my garden journal. It has some dividers and loose leaf paper. I have several different growing areas, vegetable beds, a potager, perennial fruit, an herb garden and areas with flowers. I am not sure exactly how the journal will be arranged but I do know that I want to have maps of the different areas so that I can keep track of which perennial varieties are planted where. Right now I have scraps of paper that have my notes as to what is planted in some of the areas. My goal is to transfer all of the information on those scraps of paper to the journal, perhaps with a separate page for each area. I would like to have a list of vegetable varieties grown each year, where they were purchased and any notes about them. So far I have used it to make notes on pruning techniques, recipes for fruit tree sprays, trellising techniques and suggested varieties of English cucumbers. Having a ring binder instead of a bound book will allow me flexibility to take notes and then then organize them later. I imagine that I will rearrange it a few times until I find a method that works best for me. I have a 8.5x11 graph paper pad that I think I can punch holes across the top to fit my rings and if I turn it sideways I should be able to use that for maps. We will have to see. <br />
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-43137347689265749552020-01-19T17:48:00.001-06:002020-01-19T17:48:32.231-06:00Blue cornmealOne of my goals this year is to learn to use new ingredients, gadgets or tools that I have acquired but are still sitting around waiting for me to get to them. One of the ingredients is blue cornmeal. My sister first expressed an interest in finding blue cornmeal. We looked locally and close by but did not find any, so we ordered some online and shared it when it arrived. I hadn't used it yet but decided that it was time so I searched out recipes for cornbread. <br />
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I don't have a go-to recipe for cornbread. I haven't made it very often and when I have I have used the recipe on the cardboard container. Being snowed in and not expecting to be able to run to the grocery store for a couple of days I was looking for recipes that called for buttermilk since I had that and didn't want to use the last of my milk. I ended up combining ingredients from a couple of different recipes and the results were pretty good. I am in my second day of nibbling on the cornbread. I think I will make some of the cornbread into croutons for adding to salads, soups and chili. <br />
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I am not out of cornmeal yet so I think my next project will be learning to use the tortilla press that I bought this summer and make some homemade corn tortillas. Stay tuned.<br />
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If you are interested in the cornbread recipe it can be found <a href="https://mhfthebakeryatmomshobbyfarm.blogspot.com/2020/01/blue-cornmeal-cornbread.html" target="_blank">here. </a><br />
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LorriLorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-68583153231311278242020-01-17T22:23:00.000-06:002020-01-17T22:23:39.110-06:00Snowed inTypical Minnesota January. We have already had several significant snow events and our ground is pretty well covered. Some of the animals that live in our grove have been bolder in their search for food. A couple of days ago I had a bunny checking out the dogs' food bowl. Usually this time of year the Blue Jays are interested in any left over food in the dishes but I haven't had rabbits before, at least not that I know of. <br />
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And then the next day I had three pheasant hens up in the yard digging and scratching just out from my front door. I hear them in the grove and sometimes see them fly in there from the road but this was the closest I have seen them to the house. Of course as soon as I opened the side door they flew off. I walked over to where they had been and saw that there was an empty ear of field corn. All of the kernels has been removed. I imagine the dogs brought it up from the field across the road at some time. <br />
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I have decided to try to feed them, but trying to find a way to to do it so that they can eat without harassment from my two dogs. I put food out yesterday, but now I will wait until the current weather passes. We are in the middle of a three day weather pattern. The last couple of days have been cold with windchill warnings. It was -14 I think at the lowest. Today and tonight it is warmer but we are getting snow. One prediction is 4-7 inches and another is 8-12 inches. Schools were cancelled and people were encouraged to stay home. I don't know how much snow we actually got. It has been snowing for much of the day. It is still snowing and looks like it will snow much of the night. It is windy and so the snow is deep in some spots and absent in other spots. Tomorrow it is supposed to be even windier and a blizzard warning is next. By tomorrow night I am hoping that it is done. So far everything is working, no power outages or branches down. I have these nifty new heated hand grips for my snowblower, a Christmas gift from my kids that help keep my hands warmer when I am snowblowing--probably my Sunday project. <br />
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I haven't minded staying home. I have gotten started on some projects that I have needed to do. Today I sorted my garden seeds into a new container that arrived this week, a baby step in getting better organized for the garden. <br />
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Keep warm!<br />
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LorriLorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-27044091906052494582020-01-09T13:53:00.000-06:002020-01-09T13:53:41.541-06:00One week into the new yearWell, we are one week in. How am I doing? I am started.<br />
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Bullet Journal<br />
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My bullet journal is a blank book and I am customizing the pages hoping to meet my needs. Some of the journals are beautiful with artwork and fancy lettering. Mine is going to be more minimalist. If I can get the hang of this I can try and add fancy later but that is not one of my strengths. I started out with three year at a glance type calendar spreads. In each of the calendar spreads I have the name of the month and the numbers but not the days of the week, so they are not specific to one particular year. I am not going to necessarily start a new notebook next year so I can keep using this calendar ongoing. <br />
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On the first four page spread I am putting recurring things like birthdays and anniversaries. The second four page spread I will track my dad's medical tests and procedures. I go with him to all of his appointments and I am hoping this will be an easier way to stay on top of his tests and procedures. My third year at a glance calendar will be the garden calendar. I debated on placing that calendar in my garden journal but since I will be generating a to do list from the bullet journal I will start out with it here. I plan count back from our last frost date and label the weeks before our last frost, and going forward after the last frost date and the weeks leading up to our first frost date in the fall. I will also track the 'seasons' of the winter growing in the greenhouse. This will help with knowing when to start the different seeds so that they are ready to be transplanted at the right time. <br />
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My bullet journal next has a month at a glance. This will have appointments and other nonrecurring things that are specific to one particular month. I will also have a week at a glance which is where my to do list for each day will be.<br />
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I am going to give a habit tracker a try. My friend Kim is using a gratitude journal. I like that idea and so I am adding a gratitude page.<br />
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I have so many things that I want to accomplish this year and unfinished projects from last year. So starting in the back of my book and working forward I will make a brain dump page for each of the areas of the farm that needs some attention. (That would be all of them!) From those brainstorming pages I will pick and choose and prioritize projects and make a list of goals that will span the year. 24 goals would be two per month. So far I am getting titles on the brain dump pages, not much brainstorming has happened there yet.<br />
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LorriLorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-51579138879823413262020-01-04T16:55:00.000-06:002020-01-04T16:55:12.053-06:002019 regrets. I have a few. Happy New Year. This time of year always seems to be a time of reflection and review and thinking about the new year. Whether that is an intentional thing or an accidental thing, for me it just sort of happens. <br />
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2019 was both a challenge and a joy. I have a lot to be grateful for. But 2019 was a fight from beginning to end. Mother Nature did not cooperate. My garden was a disaster. The farm repairs seemed to be unending. Nursing as a profession is hard on the body and this old nurse's joints protested a lot. So many projects I wanted to get done didn't happen or are still only partially finished. Blogging was practically nonexistent. I wasn't even finding time to read my favorite bloggers. I have recipes I wanted to try, new or new to me kitchen tools that I bought or was gifted that I haven't used. Holiday decorating was minimal. Holiday baking consisted of a batch of rosettes and a batch of krumkake, one batch of Russian teacakes and one batch of peanut blossoms. All at the last minute. No fancy cookies which I love to make. <br />
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Now that the holidays are past and outside stuff is less, it is time to take a hard look at how to cope better in case 2020 turns out to be a repeat of 2019. No more limping from one problem to the next. It is time to make goals and plans that are reasonable, rethink some things to make them more manageable. If I can no longer do it all I want to make sure that stuff like blogging and trying new recipes makes it to my to do list. I have picked up some cute notebooks and I am starting a bullet journal, a garden journal, a holiday journal and a meal planner. <br />
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Wish me luck.<br />
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LorriLorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-57854921874856619452019-09-13T16:38:00.000-05:002019-09-13T16:38:21.269-05:00Summer is winding downThis summer has been a roller coaster and I am not too sad to see it winding down, but it is not quite ready to be done yet. We have had cloudy, rainy, cool weather lately but next week is threatening to be in the 80s again. Plus, there are increasing talk of an early frost and another challenging winter. We are in that schizophrenic time when it is fall one day and summer the next. <br />
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This has kind of been a year of 'the good, the bad and the ugly'. It has been pretty overwhelming and I am kind of tired of bad and ugly but I am excited to share the good. So here is my list:<br />
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I had a milestone birthday. That in itself is not a big deal, those happen all of the time but we did take a day this summer acknowledging that milestone by spending the day touring gardens. In July, my kids and friends and family took part in the Hennepin County Master Gardeners home garden tour. We were able to visit 10 of the 11 featured gardens. Most were flower gardens or landscaping but there was one community vegetable garden. It was educational so we saw rain gardens and pollinator gardens and one garden that was reclaiming land taken over by invasive species. So inspirational. <br />
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My dad is feeling better than he has in several years. I have older parents, both 81 this year on their birthdays and my dad's health is challenging and complex. In February we nearly lost him. He had a lengthy hospitalization that began with a near respiratory arrest and code followed by a couple of days in the ICU, a thoracentesis, 10 more days on the regular hospital unit, some medication changes and eventually discharge to home. He lost a lot of extra fluid and has continued to lose weight. His many medical conditions have not gone away but the symptoms are so much better and his quality of life is better. He actually felt good enough to dance at the weddings of two granddaughters.<br />
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The wedding season was great. My daughter, Caitlin, and niece, Ashley, were both married this late summer. My daughter at the end of August and my niece two weeks later at the beginning of September. Of course the shower season preceded the wedding season and that was fun too. <br />
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The shower for my daughter in June allowed me to bring out my vintage china and glassware. I have a fairly extensive collection and rarely have an excuse to use them so it was fun to haul them to the park and set them up in the log cabin shelterhouse. It was a fun look. We did not use the plain white or mostly white china. I have another niece, Kaylee, who is also planning a wedding and she is thinking that she would like white china for her reception so we have kept them in reserve for her. But the china with colored or patterned rims were used. I had purchased a bolt of gray/white ticking and there was enough to make tablecloths for all of the tables. Flowers and the bride's brass collection and her other vintage treasures served as centerpieces. We had a fun lunch. I didn't do any of the food, but it was beautiful and tasty. Caitlin spent a semester in Italy so a couple of Italian favorites, caprese skewers and prosciutto and melon were on the menu. There was also sandwiches and cheesecake in mason jars and other sweets for dessert. It was a group effort and so much fun.<br />
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A month later in July Ashley's shower was held. It was a brunch and the location was a church basement. Very traditional Minnesota event. Another group effort. Her maternal aunts did the decorating framed photos and lanterns on the table. Her fiance's aunts helped with food. We even played a bridal shower game. This menu was juice and coffee, assorted huge muffins, a fruit bowl and a yogurt parfait bar. Again, great food. <br />
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In August Caitlin and Robb were married. They had a ceremony in the church that Robb and his family attended. The wedding party wore navy, both ladies and the gentlemen. The ladies wore different styles of dresses made from the same fabric. The men, wore matching tuxes. The reception was held in a venue that was originally a vintage movie theater. It was the theater that my siblings and I attended movies at when we were children so it is old! It has the marquee on the outside and the buffet was set up in the lobby. The head table was set up on the stage in the front where the movie screen had been at one time and long tables were set up on the gently sloping floor. The back part of the theater where the projection booth was and the steeper sloped seating that was up the steps held narrow tables at a railing and chairs facing the front in rows like the old seating would have been. The meal was a served lettuce salad followed by a buffet pasta bar, with both Alfredo and Bolognase sauces and breadsticks. The cake was a centerpiece cake displayed on an antique mirror cake stand and featured a handcrafted version of Willow, their dog. The guests served themselves mini cupcakes, doughnuts made by my dad and Scandinavian almond cake slices from the dessert table. They had a bar set up and served two classic signature cocktails, the manhattan and the old fashioned, in addition to beer, wine and other cocktails. Delivery pizza was a late night snack. Three sizes of glass cylinders with floating candles decorated the tables. <br />
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Ashley and Jeff were married at a lake. The ceremony was outdoors with white chairs set up on grass just off of the beach. It was cloudy and unseasonably cold even for northern Minnesota with a cool breeze blowing in off of the lake but at least the rain held off. The ladies of the wedding party wore a steel blue dress, again, different styles of dresses made from the same fabric. The men wore white shirts and leather vests, blue jeans and boots. Between the ceremony and the reception the wedding party went for a pontoon ride, wrapped in coats and blankets. The ceremony was beautiful but bittersweet. Ashley's dad was my brother and he died in 2011 from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). His absence was very poignant. There was an empty chair where he would have sat after walking her down the aisle. It held a picture and his leather hat and a framed message in memorial. Her brother walked her down the aisle and both cried as did most of the guests on the 'bride's side'. At the dance in place of the traditional father daughter dance Ashley danced with her brother, both of her grandfathers and one uncle. She had asked these four special men in her life to participate and all were honored to do so. There were tears. And when her brand new father-in-law cut in to dance with her I doubt there were many dry eyes in the room. She had round tables with white tablecloths and white coverings for the chairs. There were three different centerpiece designs, more cylinders with candles, very tall vases with flowers and wood boxes with flowers and candles. There were lots of large wooden spools for displays and rustic boards held up by pairs of whole wine barrels to serve the cupcakes and collect the gifts. Their menu was a served lettuce salad and a two meat buffet with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. <br />
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Lots of good stuff this summer.<br />
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LorriLorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-86098314982851015302019-07-17T12:12:00.000-05:002019-07-17T12:12:50.997-05:00Good morning!Blogging has been on the back burner lately. To be honest it has been on the back burner for at least the past crazy, challenging year. Time to get a little caught up on what has been going on. <br />
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The farm<br />
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It was a snowy winter and one of the wettest springs I can recall. I know that some places set records and if we didn't here we must have come close. Everything went in late. Some farm fields in the area didn't get planted and I doubt that many of those that did will have good crop yields. My garden went in late and I still have a few things in pots yet that I might still try to get in the ground. I had a nice amount of asparagus that I was able to harvest this spring. I have had a few green peppers and am still waiting on tomatoes. Something ate my beans and edamame so I will try replanting them. It is raining today so that may be a Friday project. I am working on adding some flowers to attract pollinators. I have expanded the flower bed near the gate and added a few new things to the hitching post garden. Last fall I had some arborist wood chips delivered and I am in the process of mulching with them. My birthday hydrangeas from last year came back and are doing well. I am growing wedding flowers for my daughter's late August wedding. I am growing two varieties of eucalyptus and two red flowers, an amaranth and a celosa. It is a fun project. <br />
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The orchard<br />
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I planted two new peach trees last year and they did not survive the winter. The new apple tree is doing well and the older apple trees have some fruit coming. Something is eating the leaves. I have never done a spray program but may have to start. The pears and plums are not getting any fruit. They are young trees and the pears have not had a fruit crop previously. One of the plums had fruit last year but none this year. My elderberry bushes did not leaf out on the established parts but there is new growth surrounding the dead looking parts. They are currently flowering so I am hoping to get berries. Although not a part of the orchard the other tree that is struggling is my river birch. It barely got any leaves. In researching why this 25 year old tree would all of a sudden struggle it sounds like the wet spring might be the culprit. I am hoping that it will come back next year. <br />
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The vineyard<br />
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Last year I planted 12 grape vines. I have four grape vines on an arbor but they are hard to manage so I decided to add some more and grow them like a traditional vineyard. This year I need to install the posts and wires and start training them. The three rows flank my second driveway with two rows on one side and one on the other. They look a little silly right now, three very short rows but I am planning to add to them next year. I want to add a pollinator garden near the new grapes as well. I am thinking at the corner of the pasture where the corner fence bracing is falling down. <br />
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The herd<br />
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This year in late winter/early spring we lost two goats and our one sheep. The goats were pretty young and I am not sure what happened to them, they died only about a week apart. The sheep was very old so not a surprise. Our two Great Pyrenees, Elke and Libby remain. Libby is the new puppy that was added last spring. When she came to live at the farm we had Codie and Elke. Codie was an old dog and Elke was a young adult. We lost Codie in the summer and I think that she was a stabilizing influence as after her death the two young dogs started to leave the yard and run. Efforts to keep them home were not successful and although Elke always came home Libby did not and after the third (and scariest) episode she spent a few months with my daughter and son-in-law in the Twin Cities where they have a fenced yard. She is back at the farm where she is a house dog that is only outside when supervised. My daughter and son-in-law did a fantastic job training her but she cannot be trusted yet to stay home. She is all grown up, 97 pounds worth, but still has a lot of puppy in her. <br />
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The farmers market<br />
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Our small local farmers market is open on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Last year I went nearly every Thursday and every Saturday. It was a tremendous amount of work. I didn't have a lot of garden produce so I sold baked goods and jellies. Each market day required a good part of a day of baking in preparation and the market schedule meant that four days in a row each week my time was occupied with the market and other things like mowing and gardening and sleeping were tough to fit in. This year I am only doing the markets on Thursday afternoons. I am hoping that is a better fit. We will see. I will have to get a few pictures and post about how it is going. <br />
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The garden tour<br />
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This year I had a milestone birthday. Since I am not really the surprise birthday type my kids wanted to do something together as a group to celebrate so what we decided to do was a garden tour. The Hennepin County Extension/Master Gardeners do a garden tour every year and last weekend we did the tour. Nine of us toured 10 gardens. They were generally flower gardens although one was a community garden and a couple incorporated some vegetables. I came home inspired and hauling a few new plants. It was a good time. I didn't take as many photos as I should have and I have yet to sort them. Perhaps they will get their own blog post at some point. <br />
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The weddings<br />
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My daughter and a niece both have late summer weddings this year so we are in bridal shower mode. The end of June we had a shower for my daughter and the end of July we are having a shower for my niece. In both cases they are showers put on by a group so the work is shared by many. The showers will be different. The first one at a log cabin shelter house in a park. The second one in a church. To be totally honest, I didn't take a single picture at my daughter's shower but others in our group did and I will try to post some of their pictures in a later post. Caitlin's shower gave me a chance to use my vintage china, which was fun. And since I have the dinner plates for five different patterns out of the dish pantry it seems like a good time to dust the shelves before I put it back so I have stacks of clean dishes that I need to put away yet but I am going to empty off the rest of the dishes and clean and then put them back. We hauled a lot of stuff to the park but it was so nice. We didn't use any disposables. Cloth tablecloths and napkins, stainless silverware, glass punch cups. We used the bride's vintage decor to decorate the tables.<br />
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Hope all are having a good summer. It is Wednesday and tomorrow is the market. I better get to my baking. <br />
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-76398602168403124012019-04-10T13:52:00.000-05:002019-04-10T13:52:34.258-05:00Here we go againAfter a teaser of some springlike weather and most of our snow melting Mother Nature decides that she is not quite finished with winter after all. We are predicted to get a potentially historic blizzard with expected snowfalls of 16-24 inches and 50mph winds. We were predicted to start with rain today and turning to snow tonight and continuing tomorrow and tomorrow night, ending on Friday morning but we missed the rain and are already getting heavy snow with schools closed, plows out and the ground is again covered. So those hardy Minnesotans who were riding motorcycles and wearing shorts and flipflops on Monday when it was 50 will be back in their winter gear for a couple more days. <br />
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I thought I better water the plants in the greenhouse in case I can't get there for a couple of days so I took a couple of pictures of the tomatoes while I was there. We are still 5-6 weeks away from our last frost date for our zone 4 area so they have some time to grow yet. The top picture are brandywine tomatoes and the bottom picture are Siberian tomatoes. You can see the snow collecting on the plexiglass. <br />
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-29410015037620836702019-04-06T22:12:00.001-05:002019-04-06T22:12:09.410-05:00The sap season is winding downThe weather is warming up. The nights are not getting below freezing and the days are too warm also. My sap buckets have been empty since I took the last of the sap and filled the two electric roasters that I have been using to evaporate the sap outside. The sap cooked through the night and early this morning while it was still dark I combined the contents of the two roasters into one and it cooked some more. Late in the afternoon the sap was cooked down enough for its final boiling which is done in the house. I just put in jars the last of the finished syrup.<br />
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I have 17 pints of amber colored syrup. The season started for me on March 21 and lasted about two weeks. I will leave my taps and buckets for a little while yet in case the weather changes enough to move the sap. Next week there are some nights predicted to be 30 or high 20s with daytime 40s.<br />
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I am still a relative newbie at syrup making. My first year I hung two buckets on taps on one tree. The second year friends with way more experience than me brought me a little different system. The new system has tubing attached to the taps and the tubing from several taps can drain into the same bucket which sits on the ground. I went from two taps on one tree to twelve taps on two trees. I only have two maples but they are massive. There is a formula that uses the diameter of the tree to determine the number of taps that can be used. My trees are much bigger than the largest diameter in the formula and my experienced friends helped me determine the correct number.<br />
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In year two I struggled with inaccurate thermometers. Sap turns to syrup at 7 degrees above the boiling point of water. So 219-220 degrees is what I was shooting for. Too low and the syrup is thin and watery. If it is bottled at a temperature less than 180 then it could mold. I had three thermometers and none of them read the same. This year I upped my game and bought a new thermometer at the place where I buy maple syrup supplies. I also bought a hydrometer which measures the sugar concentration of the syrup. It is an interesting process. There is a metal cup, kind of a tube that is filled with syrup and the hydrometer, a glass instrument is placed in the cup and allowed to displace syrup until it floats, measuring the density of the fluid. <br />
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I am pleased with my 17 pints since the season was so short, only two weeks long. Until next year. Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-17880800050246855292019-03-21T18:07:00.000-05:002019-04-05T21:29:26.257-05:00maple syrup season is startedWednesday I started collecting sap for making syrup. I have two very large maple trees and I drilled the holes for the spikes and the sap was running. Sap is moving in the trees when the right weather conditions are present, usually when it is still below freezing at night but above freezing during the day. This morning I had a couple of inches of sap in my buckets and by early afternoon my buckets were nearly full so I am starting to boil my sap to evaporate the water out of it and concentrate the sugars.<br />
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People who make a lot of sap into syrup often use a large container and a wood fire to cook their sap. I don't have a wood fired evaporator so I am using my electric roaster. The initial cooking is done outside so that the humidity created is outside instead of in the house. Usually it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. The last little bit of cooking will be done in the house on the stove where it can be better monitored and bottled at exactly the right temperature.<br />
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Last year I had a lot of difficulty. My thermometers were not accurate. I had a couple of them and they did not read the same but I didn't know which one, if either, was accurate and some of my sap was under cooked and some was over cooked. This year I am better prepared. I will be testing my new thermometer bought at a place that sells maple sugaring supplies and made for making syrup as well as candy. I will measure the temperature that reads in boiling water. Maple syrup needs to be 7.5 degrees higher than the temperature at which water boils.<br />
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I also bought a hydrometer. A hydrometer is a device that measures the sugar content of a liquid by floating the device in a sample and the height that it floats at gives a Brix score. <br />
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Above is the maple tree closest to the house. There are two buckets each with three taps and tubing that carry the sap to the buckets. I have a second tree with the same set up. The first couple of years I used a bucket that hung on the tree on the tap and the sap dripped right into the bucket. That causes some issues with the heavy buckets pulling the taps out of the tree and the empty buckets blowing off the tree on windy days. This set up seems like it is going to work a lot better. <br />
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This little wood table holds my electric roaster and my new thermometer. I have the lid ajar so that the contents will heat faster but the steam can escape. The roaster holds one bucket of sap. So far mine has been cooking for a couple of hours and the level of the sap is down about an inch. Long way to go yet. <br />
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The two covered buckets are full of sap that is waiting to be cooked. My four buckets collected a total of three buckets of sap so far and are filling up again. I don't have a lot of room to refrigerate the sap so I am hoping that I can keep up. My plan is to try to cook it down until close and then refrigerate the almost syrup until I have enough to finish and bottle several bottles at a time. <br />
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-91396090085284464512019-03-18T00:08:00.000-05:002019-03-18T13:19:03.143-05:00Made it to the greenhouse.We have had a lot of snow where I live. It has been a crazy winter. Lots of weather stuff and lots of other stuff. One of the results of all of the 'stuff' is that I haven't been able to get to the greenhouse for several weeks. There has been a thick blanket of snow covering most of the farm, thicker in places where it drifted, a little less deep where the wind blew it away. Near the greenhouse it was quite a bit deeper than the snowblower could manage. I was able to get about halfway there and then no further. Now that the weather is a little warmer I have been shoveling my way over there and today I got the last of the path done. I had been dreading what I would find. The heater had been on when the greenhouse got snowed in but nothing had been watered. And on sunny days it has been hot in there. Yesterday, the remote thermometer that reads in the house said 130 degrees. This year I didn't get many greens started but I was trying to overwinter some pots of herbs and strawberries. I pretty much assumed that they would be dead. I also had some onions and pie pumpkins that I had put there after harvest. Soon I will be needing the space for my summer garden seedlings which I start in the house but when they get a little bigger and the weather moderates a bit they will go out to the greenhouse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUDiQ2gGrEMol0B-i5yiGJK5oI4qLYTHMX-eKPpRtiTxL1IGAEVS4PcAZket-NdvaQkima7sC3QiRBNkEwRD_3EiguucNze4ZBRW-_9QKKxssFE9Z_0D82EOMAWHxlaxwF1bkVyCRTiZ4/s1600/20190317_140049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUDiQ2gGrEMol0B-i5yiGJK5oI4qLYTHMX-eKPpRtiTxL1IGAEVS4PcAZket-NdvaQkima7sC3QiRBNkEwRD_3EiguucNze4ZBRW-_9QKKxssFE9Z_0D82EOMAWHxlaxwF1bkVyCRTiZ4/s320/20190317_140049.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the start of the path, from the driveway to the second maple tree.</td></tr>
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The path will come in handy as it will soon be maple syrup season and I will be making trips back and forth to that tree and the other nearer the house. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg0EktuVC4ztc_EkSy7fYgdUOD75aB4vCyFtp9qa0dVTy6W_PQwkSnzjcIVjphi01wUbQ5MpqHJCcOCRUDzjt2h0xjTSLJLXSj3CgMXwlhIdeFGczreg_gnBNRAGzAe6GJJQPLDBwcMjr/s1600/20190317_140311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg0EktuVC4ztc_EkSy7fYgdUOD75aB4vCyFtp9qa0dVTy6W_PQwkSnzjcIVjphi01wUbQ5MpqHJCcOCRUDzjt2h0xjTSLJLXSj3CgMXwlhIdeFGczreg_gnBNRAGzAe6GJJQPLDBwcMjr/s320/20190317_140311.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the second leg, where the path turns at the maple and heads toward the greenhouse.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjV553aa9rrAv4HAQnribhulaz1LD1OHm3WekTvHZN0AiV7IkAxkv8rfUnwnXhmsNV1TB9k-7ISvX8sC9nfqkP_j33QdEOjZTVDZa3TpdFy8bL5omccl52-QB7mt1h0v7RGMX7zKZtaI-K/s1600/20190317_140400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjV553aa9rrAv4HAQnribhulaz1LD1OHm3WekTvHZN0AiV7IkAxkv8rfUnwnXhmsNV1TB9k-7ISvX8sC9nfqkP_j33QdEOjZTVDZa3TpdFy8bL5omccl52-QB7mt1h0v7RGMX7zKZtaI-K/s320/20190317_140400.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the worst part where the snow was the deepest.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVtw6R6QmXbHDvXUqb8UVVtp2BKsf6-3aMAdk93Sq-mvy3kA1YleqwBW2L_l4HJ76ujqk_Bs0rXLzeSj-lK-4pIUutuxxagQPY9BiOBGCOI3eWVb1kdYIHQoZHuAgA4H3NSljVNaGKUEg/s1600/20190317_140435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVtw6R6QmXbHDvXUqb8UVVtp2BKsf6-3aMAdk93Sq-mvy3kA1YleqwBW2L_l4HJ76ujqk_Bs0rXLzeSj-lK-4pIUutuxxagQPY9BiOBGCOI3eWVb1kdYIHQoZHuAgA4H3NSljVNaGKUEg/s320/20190317_140435.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The greenhouse is in the upper right corner of this picture. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the snow in front of the greenhouse.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEyI_LQpAEJBGP3hnOyMfXa3ip9fkyvUORGV26X8ZLzBXjpnX5XmQRsYFFVYmz9sKxr0y94DvBENYgs7DYc_frK_OvAgAFnOaNr5P3QkYw-Cw2psjS8jJEbr9Ybjz0Mns0u-sEjdo2oV1/s1600/20190317_140449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEyI_LQpAEJBGP3hnOyMfXa3ip9fkyvUORGV26X8ZLzBXjpnX5XmQRsYFFVYmz9sKxr0y94DvBENYgs7DYc_frK_OvAgAFnOaNr5P3QkYw-Cw2psjS8jJEbr9Ybjz0Mns0u-sEjdo2oV1/s320/20190317_140449.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last little stretch left to shovel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5l_66z9SVTmXEBPDgl8VItwFR6OXro5lvZntaCFFsrv1f0SyFDbro6pN3Lmes4VHr_2aMYBcJaax8mE9whE-WYHxVz9_eKF2jnvG_zSrBNs6d-3uub-fJAZ6gkZkoFafjtyEPn0w9686q/s1600/20190317_141939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5l_66z9SVTmXEBPDgl8VItwFR6OXro5lvZntaCFFsrv1f0SyFDbro6pN3Lmes4VHr_2aMYBcJaax8mE9whE-WYHxVz9_eKF2jnvG_zSrBNs6d-3uub-fJAZ6gkZkoFafjtyEPn0w9686q/s320/20190317_141939.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back down the path from the greenhouse door.</td></tr>
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We have had some warmer weather and a little sun so some of our snow has melted. This picture was taken today of the waist high birdbath under the grape arbor.<br />
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Same birdbath a couple of days ago. The snow is probably six inches deeper and you can see the snow on the grape vines on top of the pergola. <br />
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In this picture the black horizontal line in front of the garage door is the top of the flatbed trailer that is parked there. A couple of days ago it was completely covered.<br />
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This is a picture of the front of my house with all of the snow and icicles.<br />
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All of that snow has now melted off of the roof and the icicles are gone. We would hear them crash to the ground. Amazing what a little sun can do. As I shoveled the path there was a couple inches of slush under the snow. All of our buildings have steeply pitched roofs so we didn't have any roofs that caved in due to the weight of the snow but it was a worry for some.<br />
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Sharing with Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/how-to-pack-a-hat-in-your-suitcase-for-travel-and-avoid-damaging-the-hat/" target="_blank">here. </a> <br />
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<span id="goog_1922649702"></span><span id="goog_1922649703"></span>Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-22179208968502223592019-03-14T14:02:00.001-05:002019-03-18T12:24:29.719-05:00Next up?Now that the peppers and tomatoes have been sown, next up is the pollinator friendly flowers. After reading a couple of articles and hearing what other people are using to attract pollinators to their garden I started a list and ordered seeds for some of the plants that were recommended.<br />
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To be honest, I had never given a lot of thought to flowers. I have a few herbs in pots and an ignored flower bed of perennials that is not anywhere close to my vegetable gardens. My time is limited and my focus has been on the vegetables and the mowing. But two summers ago I had a large patch of my garden that didn't get planted and it grew up in thistles and milkweed and some other weed with yellow flowers. It was amazing. It was like a little patch of meadow. I have never seen so many bees and butterflies. They were loving it. Actually thistles have a pretty purple flower and milkweed has a beautiful scent.<br />
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Over the last several years I have been adding more fruit to my yard. I have a small orchard started that now has three apple trees, two pears, two plums and two peaches. I have a little blueberry patch and a strawberry patch and some black raspberries. I have two elderberry bushes, a gooseberry bush some type of a bush cherry. I have an established grape arbor that is hard to harvest so I planted more grapes that will grow along wires, like a traditional vineyard. Not all are producing fruit yet but all of those fruits will benefit from a bigger pollinator presence.<br />
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So here is my plan.<br />
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Near the orchard is a cute gate that my daughter built as a 4H woodworking project. It ended up being too heavy for the potager so it is installed at an angle on one edge of the lawn near the orchard. I have often hung something on it, a wreath in the summer made from a garden hose or a snowflake made with lights in the winter. I have tried to get some flowers started around there. I will plan to expand that area using some in ground perennials and some potted annuals and/or herbs. This area is our pet burial ground. Last year I found a cute post that will serve as a reminder/memorial of our beloved pets and livestock that is buried there. I think I will incorporate a source for drinking water and maybe a native bee 'hotel' for the pollinators and some yard art for curb appeal. <br />
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The new vineyard is planted on each side of the second driveway. So far it is just the first few plants with plans to expand. Right now I have three short rows of four plants each. None of the posts or wires have been installed yet. Two rows flank the driveway on the east and one row is between the driveway and the pasture on the west. The fence along the pasture needs to be replaced and the corner posts are deteriorating. I am considering changing the fence line at that corner, perhaps cutting off the corner and putting in some plants there. I think it would be cute and bring some pollinator activity to the vineyard. <br />
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Here is what I am starting early although I will probably add more later. A lot of these have flowers in shades of purple. <br />
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Jacob's Ladder (Blue Pearl)<br />
Anise Hyssop (licorice Mint)<br />
Eryngium (Blue Glitter)<br />
Phocelia (Bee's Friend)<br />
Salvia (Transylvanian Sage)<br />
Cilantro (Pokey Joe)<br />
Marigold (Queen Sophia)<br />
Sweet Alyssium<br />
Nasturtium<br />
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Last year I tried a cutting garden but my plantings did really poorly along with the vegetables. Maybe this year will be better and I can try again. <br />
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The ignored perennial bed is only a few feet away from a massive maple tree and has been taken over by saplings that grew out of the helicopter seeds released every year. This year I will be trying to rescue the perennials and relocate them in order to work to remove the saplings.<br />
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In all likelihood I will be putting up some fencing in my front yard. I would like to put wood chips and plantings on the outside and wood chips for sure along it on the inside. Some of the perennials will be relocated there. My sister has an amazing flower border in her yard and I will have to try and get some suggestions from her.<br />
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Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-22468905289768453032019-03-08T22:21:00.000-06:002019-03-18T12:24:45.339-05:00Peppers are up, time for tomatoesLast weekend I started my pepper plants. They are starting to germinate so as they do so I am moving them under the lights which frees up space on the germination mat. This year we are growing some old favorites and some new varieties. Last year we grew a tomato called Siberian. It was a tomato found by my friend Bobbie. It is bred for growing in the north and it sets fruit at colder temperatures than many of the other tomato varieties, making it extra early. It worked out pretty well so I am trying it again along with a couple of other early tomatoes.<br />
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We usually grow a combination of slicers, pastes, and cherry types. Most of our choices are heirlooms or open pollinated. We do grow one or two hybrids. These are the varieties I am starting from seed this year:<br />
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Big Beef<br />
Brandywine<br />
Tigerella<br />
Siberian<br />
Moskvich<br />
Speckled Roman<br />
San Marzano II<br />
Sunrise Bumble Bee<br />
Costoluto Genovese<br />
White Cherry<br />
BHN 968<br />
Black Vernissage<br />
Matt's Wild Cherry<br />
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Next will be to start the flower plants to attract pollinators.<br />
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Spring seems so far away. Snow is predicted again this weekend. Supposed to start during the early morning. We are in the 7-12 inch range. At least the temperatures are mild. I think we might hit 40 one day next week.<br />
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<br /> Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-58499887987372468182019-03-02T12:23:00.001-06:002019-03-04T09:57:25.197-06:00March came in like a...So hoping that this is a lion so that we can have the lamb at the end of the month. So tired of winter. Had a bunch of snow yesterday. Light, fluffy, pretty snow. Lots of inches of pretty snow. <br />
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But spring must be right around the corner. So I am starting plants for the garden.<br />
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Last week I started some celosa and amaranth. The week before I started eucalyptus. Those, if they do well, will be for the wedding at summer's end. I also started some onions, kohlrabi and asparagus and filled out the trays with some marigolds, greens and basil. As they sprout I move them from the germination heat mats to under the lights. That frees up space on the mats for the next round. <br />
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So today I am starting peppers. For the last several years I have started bell peppers and jalapenos from seed. Last year I added another hot pepper called Lemon drop, a favorite of my kids. This year we are trying several new hot varieties, a couple of new bells and some for paprika. Most were ones that I purchased but we did get one as a free sample that looks fun too. Some were requests, my sister wanted to try a hot banana, My future son in law wanted to try habaneros and a Carolina Reaper. My son wanted to try a mini bell for snacking. There were a couple that were recommended by bloggers I follow and a couple that just looked interesting on the websites. We ordered from four companies. Should make for an interesting harvest. I do not eat really hot peppers but some of my bunch are 'the hotter the better' types. I am hoping that there will be interest in both the plants and the fruits at the farmers market. The fruits will different shapes and very colorful. Should make for a nice display. I will have to be on the lookout for fun baskets when thrifting. And jars for pepper jelly. <br />
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So here are my 21 peppers:<br />
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Tennessee Cheese<br />
Hungarian spice<br />
Mini Bell Mix<br />
Red Belgian Bell<br />
Olympus Bell<br />
Gourmet Bell<br />
Sweet Yellow Stuffing<br />
Ace Bell<br />
Horizon Bell<br />
Shishito Japanese Peppers <br />
El Jefe Jalapeno<br />
Peach Habanero<br />
Chocolate Habanero<br />
Fish<br />
Chinese Five Color<br />
Lemon Spice Jalapeno<br />
Mustard Habanero<br />
Carolina Reaper<br />
Lemon Drop<br />
Lipstick<br />
Hot Banana<br />
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Tomatoes are next and then some flowers for pollinators. Can't wait. So fun to be getting my hands in the dirt. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvNvpS62t78Y9yh0rrL_uhV_gQjGjiaVv5KXfTBPNYp6oPBL-Jljmos5wXRPZbPzF0Pb26GAg4GnqYbFt0qZ473ip3spPbs6ulYzEudDjHIItWrpNveppCdzJiKmV1Tejr6RqrV1HdsoY/s1600/20190302_150825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvNvpS62t78Y9yh0rrL_uhV_gQjGjiaVv5KXfTBPNYp6oPBL-Jljmos5wXRPZbPzF0Pb26GAg4GnqYbFt0qZ473ip3spPbs6ulYzEudDjHIItWrpNveppCdzJiKmV1Tejr6RqrV1HdsoY/s320/20190302_150825.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Each of these pots has a dozen or more pepper seeds planted. When they are germinated and have a little size on them they will be repotted into their own pots. It is a type of seed starting that saves space on the heat mat but also allows for a greater separation of similar seeds. When seeding different types of seeds into the same tray the potential is there for seeds to fall into the wrong row and then confusion as to the variety is possible. It is a method that I have not used before but I may continue to use when I start less than a whole flat of the same variety. These will be covered with a plastic dome until they germinate and then they will be moved under lights. When they have a couple of sets of true leaves they will each get their own pot. <br />
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Shared with BNOTP <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/a-narrow-console-table-with-drawer-for-storage/" target="_blank">here.</a> <br />
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-83594926283421412342019-02-04T13:24:00.000-06:002019-02-04T13:26:06.859-06:00Hello FebruaryIs it possible that February has me turning a corner? Is this the day that I start to move forward with renewed vigor? I certainly hope so. 2018 was a challenging year and there was a lot of disappointment. The garden was a disappointment. The market was disappointing. Oh, it was fun but the last minute chaos twice a week was so exhausting. The weather refused to cooperate. The unfinished projects glared at me as I walked past them all summer long with little progress. Sweet little Libby was a challenge. Each year I plan to accomplish so much during the winter when I have more time. I will plan to sew for the market and try new recipes and organize my supplies for my labels. Figure out my pricing strategy. Plan my summer garden.<br />
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January came and went. After finishing my Christmas gift sewing my sewing machine has been idle. I have watched a bunch of sewing videos on you tube but actual sewing, not so much. I started watching Netflix. I am new to Netflix but I binge watched a couple of seasons of a gardening show. And I played some solitaire on the computer. I think I needed to recharge. I am starting to feel a little motivated. Yesterday I got some good things done. Today promises some more. After I get groceries and check in on my folks. I have not been off of my yard for a week and now that my driveway is cleared, not by me but by my neighbor, and my car starts, it is time.<br />
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Just Getting Done</div>
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The polar vortex is done. I know that most of the country seemed to have a few days of colder than normal weather. In Minnesota where I live it was no different. I don't think that I heard that we set any new records. Our coldest night got to -30 as the air temperature and much colder wind chills. During the worst of it the wind was from the north so my yard was protected and it was sunny during the day. We didn't get above zero for several days in a row. The coldest two nights I was setting my alarm and getting up every couple of hours to run water. I did a couple loads of laundry in the middle of the night. Wash, rinse and extra rinse kept the water moving. Luckily the well kept working and the pipes didn't freeze. I did carry water in pails from the house to the barn for my little herd. All of the animals survived. The last day the air temperature was higher, above zero but not above freezing. Single digits maybe. It was cloudy and the wind was now blowing from the south so it felt worse than when it was much colder the day before. Saturday and Sunday it was +30 for highs. Yay! I did finally venture out to the greenhouse. This year I am not growing much for greens. Did I mention that 2018 was full of disappointments? Self inflicted seed failure was one of them. I am overwintering some herbs and strawberries in addition to a couple of tubs of greens. During the cold days I watched from the house as the temperature in the greenhouse dropped to 10 degrees during the night. I was running my two milk house heaters and usually it will keep it close to 30-32 degrees overnight even when below zero outside. Saturday I trudged through the thigh high drifts to check on the greenhouse for the first time. I expected to find everything dead but so far it looks like everything made it. I know that the fact that it was sunny and the temps would climb during the day must have helped. I am not sure if the wild temperature swings over a few hours will stress the plants. I suppose we will see. I withheld watering a bit before the cold hit so that the dry soil in the pots would be less likely to freeze.<br />
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Just Getting Started</div>
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Eucalyptus </div>
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I took my Christmas trees down this weekend. I live in a small house and my trees are all smallish and up on tables. It has been several years since I had a full sized tree. When my crew is all home for Christmas we have six, sometimes seven, mostly big dogs in the house. Any tree on the ground would be in danger of being tipped over. I needed the space for my seed germination mat. I have shelving with lights in the basement where I usually have my seed trays but this time I decided to do the germination on the main floor. So far I have only started a couple of trays of eucalyptus. I have not ever grown eucalyptus before. We have purchased seeds of two varieties. My daughter wants to use eucalyptus for her wedding at the end of the summer so we are going to see if we can grow our own.<br />
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First Seed Order</div>
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I finally got my garden seeds ordered. I am not done. I haven't ordered the seeds that will be directly sown into the ground yet and I am sure there will be some remembered ones but I got the tomato and pepper seeds ordered so I can get those germinating. It seems like each year we try a few new things. This year I ordered a couple more early tomatoes, ones that are touted to set fruit in cooler weather. There is a definite advantage to being the first one to the market with tomatoes. I am also trying some new peppers. I ordered two varieties for drying and making into paprika. We will see how that goes. This year I also ordered flower seeds that are good companion plants for an edible garden. They are plants that attract pollinators but also plants that discourage garden pests or attract beneficial insects that feed on garden pests. Some are perennials and some are annuals. I intend to plant some near the big garden and near the orchard and near the grapes.<br />
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This is Ellie sleeping on the seed mat. I had to put an empty cell liner on top of the clear covers to keep her from sleeping on top of the trays. <br />
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Seed Starting Equipment Sanitation </div>
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Part of the germination process is getting my seed trays sanitized. I wash them and then sanitize them in a bleach/water solution. Because it is cold when I need to do use them I always end up doing it in the kitchen. If I would think to sanitize them as I empty them so they are ready for the next round it could probably be done outside and save some clutter in the kitchen. When I got the first of the trays done I decided to do some of the pots that they will go into for their first round of potting up. My daughter's mother-in-law is now my good friend. She is a volunteer at an arboretum and last fall they did a big planting and she helped with that and rescued the pots and the matching trays that they were going to throw away. I guesstimate that there are 250 round 4 inch pots with matching trays and 150 slightly taller square 4 inch pots with matching trays. These will work so much nicer than my old system of red solo cups that tip over. So excited to get these and put them to use. Thanks Bobbie!!! Each of the pots is washed and then soaked in a container of bleach water for 20 minutes and then air dried. My container holds three trays at a time, and maybe 20-25 small pots, so I work in batches. They are then set individually to dry. Takes up a lot of room during the process. I have the round pots done and before I put away the mess I will do the square pots too. It will be nice having them ready to go.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lots of round and square pots!</td></tr>
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Not quite a before and after but sharing with Susan at BNOTP <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/this-was-not-how-i-wanted-to-kick-off-spring/" target="_blank">here. </a><br />
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-15969143656598751222019-01-01T18:47:00.000-06:002019-01-01T18:47:56.267-06:00Hello 2019Happy New Year. We are, here at the farm, in the middle of a cold snap. Today it is -12 with wind chills of -25 to -35. The high is expected to stay below zero today but warm overnight. Tomorrow should be better. It sounds like a good day to stay in and catch up on some blogging.<br />
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The beginning of a new year is often associated with new starts and resolutions. I have never been successful with resolutions but I am going to use today for some reflection and goal setting. <br />
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2018 was a very challenging and discouraging year. A lot of the challenges were out of my control but finding a better way to manage them is something that I need to learn to keep them from overwhelming me. Last year I found myself running like a chicken with it's head cut off (is that a regional saying?) from one unfinished project to the next and one near disaster (okay that might be a little dramatic) to the next. Though I felt busy I sure didn't get stuff crossed of my list. <br />
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So here are a few thoughts on 2019. I started following a blog a few years ago. I found them by accident. I saw a pin on Pinterest that was about dismantling a pallet. I followed the link and found this garden/lifestyle blog. The couple lived in town, but had a small acreage in the country and they were building, from scratch, a hobby farm. I started using some of their garden ideas. One of the things they have done every year since I started following them is to make a list of goals for the year. I think every year that is their first post of the new year. I tried one year to do the same and it was halfhearted at best--way too comprehensive and not realistic at all. It was more like a brainstorming session where you list every single thing that comes to mind. Here is a link to their <a href="https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/" target="_blank">blog</a><br />
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In the time that I have been following them they have built a house and moved to the farm, written two books, quit their day jobs and are about to embark on a year-long trip to visit each of the United States in a camper. Well, maybe not Hawaii or Alaska in the camper. I am going to create a list of goals for the year.<br />
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I tend to be a list maker but I don't always make good use of my lists. Often it is a way to organize my thoughts, but once finished, never to be referred to again. I recently read again about bullet journals. I am going to give it a try. All my stuff (goals and to-do lists) together in one place! The idea of a portable collection of all my lists is enticing but not very practical for me, who sees small print poorly. I am starting my journal on the computer. I can print individual pages if I should need portability. I am going to take a week to gather my ideas and needs and then prioritize those into a hopefully achievable list of 12 goals. One for each month. Maybe the blog needs a bullet journal of its own. <br />
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Thanks for visiting,<br />
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Lorri<br />
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<br />Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-81307124627806236232018-12-09T19:22:00.001-06:002018-12-10T10:24:17.977-06:00Mother Nature puts on a showFriday night it was foggy after dark. Because it was cold the next morning our trees looked absolutely amazing. This is not really unusual for Minnesota. It happens a couple of times each winter but today's was particularly stunning. I grabbed a few pictures but of course they do not do justice to the real thing. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">barn and pasture</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North yard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The River Birch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_-lrGB2HgLluo3UCGq0fQRsuQYSu5AGmpF0TmiCOwOOLFUpEqzfZJoshe2n6n0QgjlL4lY-GGV3edLturAmgj78sifN4dq1f1VP9cUau3VL43WBxSKwUhcOJh1Gpn_Zbk61604h-TXco/s1600/20181208_094510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_-lrGB2HgLluo3UCGq0fQRsuQYSu5AGmpF0TmiCOwOOLFUpEqzfZJoshe2n6n0QgjlL4lY-GGV3edLturAmgj78sifN4dq1f1VP9cUau3VL43WBxSKwUhcOJh1Gpn_Zbk61604h-TXco/s320/20181208_094510.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The house is behind the big evergreen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHL0VHHlMZrVRRhoW090J9eGysy-1WLAQsmeQb0smBXGvZv1qYL96BzzLBzbWrbX_cjkPh0qUXURm4NZB4iP3au55Mc3iOJL4wvCzi8UWW_N_f9uiWFQRAKTF3mTMhDLHKRD2u8wI3EcB/s1600/20181208_094516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHL0VHHlMZrVRRhoW090J9eGysy-1WLAQsmeQb0smBXGvZv1qYL96BzzLBzbWrbX_cjkPh0qUXURm4NZB4iP3au55Mc3iOJL4wvCzi8UWW_N_f9uiWFQRAKTF3mTMhDLHKRD2u8wI3EcB/s320/20181208_094516.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tree between the evergreen and driveway closeup below. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXh3YjAdE4FeRVoFfo5ohyPa8zmq3iI1RK_1pTx3z8TF2H372YxV6AGcO5cSsj66KDV_imxruD-g05GTABuYih9N_xPAzK59cuiBcxfliItYOxKfAX-PLojf-eYc_xxciB6TN3g_6ct4Z8/s1600/20181208_094549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXh3YjAdE4FeRVoFfo5ohyPa8zmq3iI1RK_1pTx3z8TF2H372YxV6AGcO5cSsj66KDV_imxruD-g05GTABuYih9N_xPAzK59cuiBcxfliItYOxKfAX-PLojf-eYc_xxciB6TN3g_6ct4Z8/s320/20181208_094549.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">different angle, the house roof and dormer is peeking out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpyiedmss9Vi8ge2lc086zzo_tT2PWX9edycEXX0DkgoGG-zGu8N0ONHXxfaOrdfMMxn0sLq7U__0WTYWZAg0xJg9iMNd_SLsaoudlblFgyvW6ax7XGoBdLj5L4EKWARTThims_LIlCBG/s1600/20181208_094557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpyiedmss9Vi8ge2lc086zzo_tT2PWX9edycEXX0DkgoGG-zGu8N0ONHXxfaOrdfMMxn0sLq7U__0WTYWZAg0xJg9iMNd_SLsaoudlblFgyvW6ax7XGoBdLj5L4EKWARTThims_LIlCBG/s320/20181208_094557.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East of the driveway and the orchard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02V-0mUGCIGHrq992Q8vfUAwx5ZHHCI8YIFQCxzCPoG6xzSlbjfuFvqItnekMcYKp3jG9awsThtw94rsObvbhYJy-vCBH09XYr6xPG8uF4qx4zQIdxixaWCtzRvgDJsMFwF3sVMDAmEbX/s1600/20181208_094647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02V-0mUGCIGHrq992Q8vfUAwx5ZHHCI8YIFQCxzCPoG6xzSlbjfuFvqItnekMcYKp3jG9awsThtw94rsObvbhYJy-vCBH09XYr6xPG8uF4qx4zQIdxixaWCtzRvgDJsMFwF3sVMDAmEbX/s320/20181208_094647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frost on each branch and trig of the tree west of the driveway</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJaYClEl-A-anU8zvYYygvDK_Tf2I-m7chqjc_d8kMhkezha9lcslyfeQuYV5U9zMa2EPGseURFasy1UT2vQK_J_pAOOHFotL3dtAYquI0glMoq0gQtqWGAp9calxUjGZRxytAyI10942/s1600/20181208_094653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJaYClEl-A-anU8zvYYygvDK_Tf2I-m7chqjc_d8kMhkezha9lcslyfeQuYV5U9zMa2EPGseURFasy1UT2vQK_J_pAOOHFotL3dtAYquI0glMoq0gQtqWGAp9calxUjGZRxytAyI10942/s320/20181208_094653.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look closely you can see each longer blade of grass is coated</td></tr>
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Of course, by the end of the day the frost was gone. Much of it fell out of the tree with the gentle breezes and the rest was melted by the little bit of sun that we had. Still it is fun to see.<br />
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Joining BNOTP <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/16-ideas-for-celebrating-the-christmas-or-holiday-season/" target="_blank">here.</a> Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-32877526553955508242018-11-30T14:06:00.000-06:002018-12-03T11:08:36.156-06:00beeswax food wrapsIn the summer I have a table at our local farmers market. It is a small group of vendors and at one of the neighboring tables is a couple who have beehives and they sell their honey and beeswax along with garden produce.<br />
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I buy their honey and have bought their beeswax. Besides cooking with the honey I put it in my honey and oatmeal soap. I have used their beeswax to make candles and am considering pouring it into chocolate molds to make tree ornaments.<br />
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My most recent beeswax project was to make food wraps. Food wraps are a reusable alternative to plastic wrap. They can be used to wrap food or cover containers. There are quite a few etsy sellers offering them for sale but I have not seen them locally in our often behind the times rural community. When I mentioned them to my much trendier metropolitan daughter she said that she was wanting some and thinking of putting them on her Christmas list as they were a little pricey. Prior to this they were barely on my radar but I did order the other ingredients and make some. The farmers market season had ended but I did offer them for sale at a craft fair that I participated in the weekend before Thanksgiving. Only one customer that stopped by had heard of them, having been given a set last year as a gift. She said that she was still learning to use them. There was some curiosity about them but, alas, no purchases. It seems my kids will be getting some in their stockings this year. :) I will be using mine this winter so that I can share personal experiences with the customers at the market next year.<br />
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I do understand how they can be pricey. The ingredients are kind of unusual and not available in stores around here. Perhaps they could be found in a bigger metro area but I needed to order mine. I also had to purchase a lot more of the ingredients than I would need for a couple of batches of wraps. The process is not hard but time consuming. The melting of the ingredients involves the pine gum being melted first and then the beeswax being added to it and allowed to melt. The jojoba oil goes in last and then when all are combined they are painted onto the fabric squares one at a time with a paintbrush and then since the mixture begins to harden as it cools the sheet is placed in a warm oven for a couple of minutes to soften the hardening beeswax mixture and brushed again. A second sheet is added as a blotter for the first, they are turned over so the blotter is on the bottom and warmed again. After another brushing to spread evenly the wax mix the first sheet is hung to dry and the process is repeated again with the blotter becoming the new first sheet and a second sheet becoming the new blotter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg24Xrp8VdanQ81BNHlL1Gw19ebj2Com1vyrHcZvbKoscT9coPwCCq2Oyki1wjDPDawPWMxwZm2HS1xJgXSMQjcjc13VvN7BDmN3XmYZbpNAJn82nubLMjJhVljDthuSp5x5NyOWL1okG/s1600/20181115_062231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg24Xrp8VdanQ81BNHlL1Gw19ebj2Com1vyrHcZvbKoscT9coPwCCq2Oyki1wjDPDawPWMxwZm2HS1xJgXSMQjcjc13VvN7BDmN3XmYZbpNAJn82nubLMjJhVljDthuSp5x5NyOWL1okG/s320/20181115_062231.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drying on my pasta rack</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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When making my food wraps I used the instructions found <a href="https://www.growforagecookferment.com/how-to-make-beeswax-food-wraps/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Shared with BNOTP <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/pottery-barn-inspired-christmas-garland-bigger-and-better-the-second-time-around/" target="_blank">here.</a> Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-69789582336652024742018-11-28T14:07:00.000-06:002018-12-03T11:09:02.320-06:00A repurposed thrift store findWhen I check out our local Goodwill or some of the other thrift stores I occasionally visit I tend to spend the majority of my time in the housewares section with a quick swing through the frames, the furniture and the fabric/linens. Less frequently I peruse the books but I really need to be in the right mood for books unless it is a cookbook.<br />
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One of the things that I have been finding is drapes. I have been grabbing them up to repurpose into reusable grocery or market bags. I have been picking them up for cheap but haven't had too much time for sewing them until now. So this week I did the first of the bags. The drapery used for this bag is a pretty gray and cream buffalo check. There were two narrow panels priced separately at $2.99 each. I don't recall what I actually paid since I often have a coupon or a senior discount which are 25% off so it was probably less. The fabric is a heavy home decor type fabric and the curtains are made with a blackout type lining that was attached on both of the side edges and the top edge and loose at the bottom hem. Cutting across the panel I was able to use the side edge of the curtain for the top edge of the bag. The second side edge was trimmed off and became the handles. A little bit of thread and a couple of french seams on the sides and bottom and a couple more seams to box off the base and the bag was done.<br />
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Completely lined, the bag is sturdy and should hold a lot of stuff. And the best part is that the each panel should make two and one-half bags. My mom loves buffalo check and hates plastic grocery bags so I am thinking that when I get the other four done I will see if she wants to use these when she does her shopping. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UiR6ortkrLyf3yGqGmuaFlJlLDsgq-86ySd03VAq5qQYkN41dAdJFgmknv65Z3qVBPYggowkFPFBWw7cPog7CjkPB98780ODRfrPlU0LlmI0nhp6gjdCJQkuedhWasi5hix5OuGDAWPJ/s1600/20181128_132001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UiR6ortkrLyf3yGqGmuaFlJlLDsgq-86ySd03VAq5qQYkN41dAdJFgmknv65Z3qVBPYggowkFPFBWw7cPog7CjkPB98780ODRfrPlU0LlmI0nhp6gjdCJQkuedhWasi5hix5OuGDAWPJ/s320/20181128_132001.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first finished bag</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5yYsIQh5Un81H7Kmw4Rn6u0jPlI4svuDYls0ADBmYCgNsITaZLN1psNVmg8ChL-iN7F62F22cHRdcS8aDFuJIirAGuY_8yxeE5OGHMOVzW65rzdbhAHDmpb2f6ommCKmVU3uS4XDblgO/s1600/20181128_132034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5yYsIQh5Un81H7Kmw4Rn6u0jPlI4svuDYls0ADBmYCgNsITaZLN1psNVmg8ChL-iN7F62F22cHRdcS8aDFuJIirAGuY_8yxeE5OGHMOVzW65rzdbhAHDmpb2f6ommCKmVU3uS4XDblgO/s320/20181128_132034.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior</td></tr>
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A fun quick project.<br />
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Shared with BNOTP <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/pottery-barn-inspired-christmas-garland-bigger-and-better-the-second-time-around/" target="_blank">here.</a> Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-78148811861145374982018-11-26T15:33:00.000-06:002018-11-26T16:13:45.833-06:00Jack's GiftThe first of my handcrafted gifts for this year is done. I shared in my previous post that I was hoping to restart a long neglected sewing hobby and this is one of my first projects. My brother makes a killer cheesecake. It is a little embarrassing. I taught him to make cheesecake but his cheesecake is far superior to any that I have made even though he still uses the recipe that I gave him. 'Our' recipe uses a 10 inch diameter springform pan and this year for his gift I am giving him a smaller 6 inch diameter pan so that he can make cheesecake for a smaller crowd without having half a cake left over. The handcrafted part of his gift is a pair of potholders with his recipe printed on them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOmUHBivo7rqr2Q8slfwtEHK9jeaIAZfgzGMbXmF3GispmUW5B_mYGNclb5FvV2uYpuoAV_NHSYy2SR4lRZYJmWrvlCylPzRag0RUSRAyXqT0qhXlu427DlKGVgryCxs43LfCBIOrPPfn/s1600/20181126_140245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOmUHBivo7rqr2Q8slfwtEHK9jeaIAZfgzGMbXmF3GispmUW5B_mYGNclb5FvV2uYpuoAV_NHSYy2SR4lRZYJmWrvlCylPzRag0RUSRAyXqT0qhXlu427DlKGVgryCxs43LfCBIOrPPfn/s320/20181126_140245.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
I had never printed on fabric before. There are many methods out there on the web. I used one where the fabric is attached to a piece of freezer paper cut to the size of typing paper and then it is run through the printer. I prewashed my fabrics to remove any sizing and make sure that it wouldn't shrink when the finished project was laundered. I double checked to make sure that my printer ink was compatible with printing on fabric. I prepared my document so that it was the size that I wanted for the potholder and bolded the font to make it a little darker.<br />
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After I printed it I cut it to size and applied fusible interfacing to the back. I then attached a single layer of cotton batting and the ticking fabric to make the pocket. I made the potholder that the pocket was going to be attached to by sandwiching four layers of the same cotton batting between two layers of ticking. The back ticking layer was cut larger so that it could be folded over the edges of the potholder and stitched on the front making a binding. I sewed a few lines of quilting on the potholder then attached the pocket. I attached a hanging loop in the left upper corner as I stitched the binding in place. I am happy with the result. I learned one method for printing on fabric. My new sewing machine with the self threading feature allowed me to sew all I wanted without needing to get help when my needle came unthreaded. And I have one gift done. <br />
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Sharing with BNOTP <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/a-family-christmas-mantel-the-best-cyber-monday-shopping-finds/" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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Jack's cheesecake recipe is <a href="http://mhfthebakeryatmomshobbyfarm.blogspot.com/2013/12/jacks-cheesecake.html" target="_blank">here.</a> Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-73417547798110298402018-11-18T00:12:00.000-06:002018-11-18T00:12:00.472-06:00DoneThe farmers market season is over. The garden has been put out of its misery by the onset of cold weather. Thanksgiving is coming and I have a lot for which to be thankful. I am a glass half full kind of girl and one of the things to be thankful for is that we get to start over again next year after a challenging this year. I am thankful for new beginnings. Very thankful. <br />
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After only posting one blog post all summer I am looking forward to seeing if I remember how. I have a couple of ideas of things I could share. I am probably a little late to the party but I made some beeswax food wraps. My intention was to make them to sell at the holiday extravaganza that i had committed to having a table at. My thought process went like this--if they didn't sell I could always put them in the kids' Christmas stockings or save any surplus for next year's market. I only took one picture of the process, and that picture was of the finished wraps drying on my pasta rack. That is not going to be a photo-laden post.<br />
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I have made a couple batches of homemade soap but I am eager to try another method of soap making and more recipes.<br />
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I am trying to restart an old sewing hobby. My poor eyesight has made it pretty difficult to sew. Threading the needle on the sewing machine was impossible. I recently bought a different sewing machine, one that threads itself. Additionally one of my favorite fabric stores closed this summer but before they did they had deep discounts on all of their fabrics. I bought fabric for a duvet cover and curtains for my newly gray bedroom. I bought fabric for table linens and throw pillows and linen bread bags and reusable grocery bags. I have been watching youtube videos about making purses and bags and it looks like fun. <br />
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I haven't added any recipes recently to my recipe blogs. But this summer I took breads and scones and biscotti and fun jelly to the market. I tried to expand my repertoire of gluten free offerings for the market, trying to make that my niche in our small group of vendors. I bought some fun pasta making tools, wood ones for cutting pasta and ravioli and gnocchi that I should learn to use. And vintage steamed pudding molds. <br />
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I haven't done any tablescapes with any new to me dishes. I could at least share some thrift store finds.<br />
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I haven't started the table that will hold my vintage sink that will be outside. I have barely started to build the bar that will go in my chicken coop. Both are outdoor projects that could see a little progress on a sunny winter day. <br />
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And...we have three weddings next fall! So that will mean engagement parties and bridal showers It is going to be so fun. My niece wants vintage dishes used at her wedding so her mom and I are on the hunt for white china and brass candlesticks. I have some. Well, quite a bit, actually. Her mom has some too, but more are needed. We like to thrift so it is not like it will be a hardship to search out the additional place settings that she will need. <br />
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Yep, it is going to be a good winter. <br />
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Lorri Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1685059690331828135.post-81558031980445033972018-06-23T07:06:00.000-05:002018-06-23T07:06:41.206-05:00Finally a little updateNo, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.<br />
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Looking back on my last post on this blog there was still snow on the ground and now we have passed through spring and the first day of summer. Blogging has taken a backseat to life. Just about everything that could cause havoc in my life has given its best shot and I am still limping along. I have lots of not yet finished projects. The ones that I shared in the last post are still not finished but I am moving forward and they will eventually be crossed off my to do list. <br />
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Still painting. Still doing the window trim but I am enjoying my new windows. <br />
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The maple sap season is done, and I have some syrup tucked away. My new buckets worked pretty well. <br />
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The lettuces and greens in the greenhouse are done until fall. The plant starts for the summer garden for friends and family grew and have been delivered. Lots of the big garden is planted and so far no rabbits have gotten in to sample anything.<br />
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The farmers market has started back up. I missed the first day but have made it to three since then. there are not a lot of vegetables available yet so the customer traffic has been a little light. I am finding some new gluten free recipes and so my repertoire is slowly expanding. No one else in our small market is doing gluten free so I am hoping to fill a need.<br />
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I have been trying to add some perennial fruit to the farm each year. The fruit that I ordered this year arrived and was planted. They were bare root and all are getting new growth. This year's additions are an apple tree, two peach trees, 12 grape vines and four blueberries. <br />
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Libby, the new puppy is growing like a weed. She still plays in the water and is muddy everyday. She has a innate ability to find water. Leaky hose--she will find it. Puddle at the end of the sump pump hose--finds that too. When we weren't getting rain and I was spending a lot of time watering she was my constant companion, drinking from the hose and splashing in the water, Now that Mother Nature is helping out with lots and lots of rain she finds all the low spots with the standing water.<br />
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It has taken two days to get this little update done and there aren't even any pictures. Such is the story of my life right now. Thanks for visiting. Lorrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154324971136140766noreply@blogger.com3