I’ve had an interest in making butter for a short while now. The topic came up in conversation and I made a mental note that I should look into it and that was the end of it. We aren’t big on butter as a condiment in this household (except of course slathered on fresh steamed corn on the cob) but use it sparingly for cooking and baking. I cant really pinpoint why the idea was so appealing to me because we so infrequently eat buttered anything but I think the lure was making something that all my life I’d bought at the store without ever considering the homemade alternative. After picking up a homesteading book and leafing through to the homemade butter and cheese chapter my interest was renewed. A few days later while reading Mother Earth News there was a snipit on homemade butter. Now I was convinced I had to try my turn at making butter…and what was there to lose? The process is incredibly easy and if it didnt turn out I was only out a little bit of time and a few bucks but would still gain the experience.
Made for a friend who recently gave birth to her first child, a beautiful baby boy.
This is a giant granny square with many rounds. A very simple design as I’m still getting back into the “groove” of crocheting. Also, I think its a good multi season blanket. The holes in the pattern will allow for plenty of circulation and the weight of this yarn will retain some warmth. A solid design with this yarn would’ve been far too heavy for anything but the dead of winter. Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve been diligent in removing these suckers since we’ve potted the fruit trees a few months ago. They seem to sprout up over night and this time I thought I’d share.
This was a little larger than usual. We usually pinch them off before they really have a chance to leaf out.
This spring we had 3 nests on corners of the house and 1 in a tree at eye level 10 feet from our back deck. I watched patiently day after day but I either all together missed the little babies or the nests were situated so the contents weren’t visible. Many afternoons were spent watching the mommas who were always in plain site care for babies.
This nest was right outside one of the doors leading to the deck. This time I got to see the chicks awaiting mothers arrival with dinner. How about that fellow on the far right with the little tuft on the top of his head?
The cucumbers are planted and the trellis is in place. One plant per leg of the a-frame ladder bamboo trellis detailed in the previous post .
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I’ve looked high and low for a trellis that was priced right and didn’t find one. In my opinion if I’m going to buy something already made it a) better be the right price or b) be too difficult/time consuming to make myself. Even last season’s wooden trellises at the garden stores which have weathered the stormy winter and direct sunlight with peeled paint look 5 years old are still around $20. I thought making a trellis was something I could easily tackle and hopefully would save a bit of money. Plus it’s always satisfying to be able to say “I made that myself.”
I found a garden supplier online with moderately priced bamboo. I got 6′ lengths by 3/4″ wide in a pack of 25 for about $1.40 per pole. I used about 4 poles per trellis. The wax lashing designed specifically for bamboo was $14 a roll and I barely dented it with 1 trellis…it should last a while.
About 2 weeks ago we started enjoying snow and sugar peas fresh from the garden. Planting some early season harvesters is the way to go. Last year we spent months caring for our garden before we were able to eat any of it because everything was late. Now, peas are producing steadily and just for reference the tomatoes just began flowering earlier this week.
Getting the garden plot situated has been much slower going than hoped. Plants that were started in pots have now outgrown them and we’re not ready to put up the fence yet. You’ll soon see a post outlining the leveling of the garden area and the erection of the fence…we’re nearing completion.
In the mean time, to save the plants in the pots a second raised bed was built and the ground beneath it was leveled. I was very apprehensive about putting my dear plants that were grown from seeds out in the open for any passersby to munch on. However, I didnt want to get too involved in making a temporary fence that would a) waste materials and b) be too time consuming to dismantle when the time comes.
The solution: A frame to connect bird netting to which would enclose the raised bed.
Recently the new dishwasher was installed which led us to the dilemma of finding an environmentally considerate detergent.
We settled on a recipe for a detergent consisting of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and 20 Mule Team Borax.
20 Mule Team Borax is sodium tetraborate (borax). Its a naturally occurring substance. Interesting history of the company- the brand name was registered in the late 1800′s when borax was discovered in Death Valley. Teams of 20 mules were used to transport the borax to a location where it could be refined with water. Read the rest of this entry »
What a surprise after the cold storms late into the season to find this little guy on our dwarf nectarine tree while inspecting. I was certain after the late frosts that any fruit that had been growing would be frost bitten and die eventually. I guess its too early to tell if this one will be eatable.
We’ll see how he grows over the next few months. He looks like he’s got a touch of something abnormal.
Another naturally growing treasure. Wild purple pansies.
This being only the 2nd spring we’ve been living here and really only the first that we’re truly settled in we still find dozens of surprises. Treasure hunting is quickly becoming a favorite past time.
Another bulb update. These beauties have bloomed.
They’ve since run their course. Tulips and daffodils sure don’t have a long blooming life but seeing them so early in the spring before most anything else has bloomed makes it worth planting them. The 2010 bulb catalogs have started arriving. Boy have my possibilities expanded. I’m not sure why daffodils and tulips are so popular when there are so many gorgeous bulb varieties. A plan for a large permanent bulb garden to enjoy for many years may be in the works if only I can find the time. More on this later (hopefully).
Typical trip out to the garden with my camera and while walking past a large patch of ground cover I was forced to stop by the number of ladybugs everywhere!
I counted 20+ in this picture and thats just on the tops of the leaves. I can only imagine how many were in this 3′ patch.
I took a specimen of the troubled apple leaves to the nursery for a diagnosis. The pink lady was hit the hardest with minimal damage to the granny smith and almost none on the cherry trees.
The diagnosis: a combination of earwig damage and fungus.
This year we decided to grow some peas, both sugar and snow. They were sowed fairly early in the season well before the danger of frost had passed. There were a few cold spells including some snow and hail and they faired quite well.
Once they all sprouted and had reached a few inches in height the issue of trellising needed to be addressed. I have ordered some bamboo and bamboo lashing which is on the way but decided to make do with what we had around the house in the mean time.
