Snow #3

 

It's snowing and even though we only have a small amount so far, the University and other public places are on delay or cancelled. The weather report says we are to have a plowable amount, but for here, a plowable amount could be a little more than a dusting - especially over the last few years! Yes, it's been that long since we have seen any "real amounts" of snow. We used to live a couple hours north of here and we actually had decent snow storms, but now, well not so much. But I guess that's a good thing with people driving to and from work.

Ten pounds of turkey are happily vacuum-sealed and frozen in the freezer and broth has been put up. And that is after we all had our fill of leftover turkey and sandwiches. Hubby was all about the dinner but I craved those sandwiches! Then there was the snitching every time the fridge was opened. Just grabbing a piece to snack on was heaven. Now I have at least 10 meals to enjoy over the winter. Hubby is not a fan of turkey - but I love it, so I'm trilled to have a leftovers in the freezer!

We are pouring over seed catalogs and planning next year's garden. I want to do more herbs and flowers and hubby is all about the vegetables. The compost pile is not growing as much as previous years, though. He usually gathers leaves, but this year with all the high winds, the leaves got blown away to who knows where. Usually he has a lot to compost, but they were blown straight from the trees and just gone! We had a few that got caught between the house and garage, but not a lot. He usually gets them from the neighbors, too, but no one around us had any real clean-up this year. 

It's been a strange year all around. I'm hoping we have more success with all endeavors next year. 

Black Friday - Just Staying Home and Enjoying Family

Black Friday is a day I normally don't venture out in. I never really saw the draw, and after working in retail, I certainly don't get it! People start shopping on Thanksgiving now, and will go all the way through into Black Friday. I've talked to some shoppers that don't even have Thanksgiving until the weekend, so that they can shop! Sorry - I was brought up that Thanksgiving family time started on Wednesday evening and went through to Sunday - when everyone had to return home. I long for those days when spending time with  family was more important than rushing out to stand in line for sales of items one really doesn't need anyhow. But that's just me.

I've been pouring over online seed catalogs, trying to decide what we will be planting next year. I am a Sustaining member of Seed Saver's Exchange and an heirloom gardener. I prefer seeds with stories that are open pollinated and love collecting seeds from the plants I grow. It is so much more satisfying for me to do that than to have to buy packets of seeds every year. Don't get me wrong - I still buy and trade seeds, because there's always something different I want to try.

I came across some asparagus seeds at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I've been wanting to plant some asparagus, but the plants can get a bit expensive. I chose the Precoce D'Argenteuil as they can be harvested in their second year instead of the normal three! The packet holds 75 seeds and has a lot of good ratings stating they are easy to grow and delicious, so I have a decent chance of succeeding with them! With them being an heirloom, I'll be able to collect seed and make a really nice bed of asparagus for $3!

I also like MIgardener. Luke offers some amazing seeds at an unheard of price of 99 cents. He has over 500 varieties to choose from and everything I have purchased from his has always performed well for me. He also has a fantastic YouTube channel that has so many wonderful and informative videos. I have followed his channel from almost the beginning. I've learned so much and it's been great watching him grow.

The other place I get open pollinated/non-GMO seeds is from Fedco Seeds. Their prices are good and you get a nice amount of seed for the price. I've also had great success with their seeds in the past. They are out of Maine and have a lot more than seeds. They have trees, plants, tubers, berries, bulbs, etc. The most exciting thing for me is they offer root stock and scionwood for grafting as well as supplies. After I get out gardens established, I'm going to put my grafting classes to good use. Definitely worth a look at their catalogs!

Weird Weather and A Late Soap Update

I can't believe the weather these last few days. We went from snow to 60's! It worked in well for putting out the crocus and the garlic late, but the plants are confused. My daffodils are about ready to break through the soil and the chrysanthemums are coming up. My chives are about 6 inches tall and my hydrangea is budding up. I haven't checked the other plants, but I certainly wonder what this late warm weather is going to do to everything. I lost my all my thyme and now wonder if it was from the same reason, as we had strange weather last winter as well.

While I was out doing some catch-up yard work, I gathered the last of my seeds. I got really behind on things, so I didn't really harvest anything. I was lucky and was able to get the seeds from my Dutch and Siberian irises as well as my garlic and regular chives. I found a patch of chives that had reseeded in an area I didn't want them in, so I dug them up and potted them up to keep inside this winter. I've never overwintered chives inside so we'll see what happens. Right now, they aren't looking the best, but this is just after potting them up - complete with dirt still on the side of the pot!

Crisco Soap curing.

Back in January and February of 2015, I made 3 batches of soap. My first batch of soap was from a soap making class that I took locally and it really didn't do very well (you can read more about it here). The second batch was a soap recipe using Crisco and that one traced really quickly (read more here) and the last batch was made following the instructions from Becky's Homestead. This soap was made using olive oil. (more info here). Well, they were cut, cured and then tried, but seemed like each one needed longer to cure. They were put in shoe boxes, put on the top shelf and there they sat, forgotten about, until this past year.

The bars are definitely dried and some have cracked, but they are all still usable. Out of the three, I like the Crisco one the best. It lathers enough to be pleasing, cleans well and doesn't seem to dry my hands out. Becky's recipe didn't do a lot for me. I'm not sure if it's the additives I put in or just not my type of soap, but that stuff will melt quickly and turns slimy. It is certainly not one for the shower. Even after 4 years of sitting in the box!  The one I made from the class is my least favorite. It just doesn't do it for me at all. Maybe because there was the lack of trace, I don't know, but without a recipe, there's not making again to find out.

Will I attempt soap making again? Yes! I just need to get through these bars first. That may be awhile, though, because now that they sat for so long, these guys are taking FOREVER to get through!

January is Seed Order Time

I can't believe January is more than half over already! I have been spending lots of time trying to get everything in order for the coming year growing year. Who says that winter is slow and a time to rest?! The garden may be put to bed, but between the holidays and planning the year to come, time goes just as quickly if not more-so.

We've been here two years now and my fingers are really itching to garden again. We left behind a 36' x 80' garden and now we are starting over. I do miss the large garden and I miss the soil even more. The first year here, there were 6 4' x 8' frames in the back yard. I didn't plant much in them, only the things I brought from the old house: strawberries, Egyptian walking onions, chives, garlic chives, mint and rhubarb. I wasn't sure how they would do here, but had to move them before we put the old house up for sale. I also brought some heirloom flowers that came from my mother's and grandmother's gardens. Mom and Grandma are long gone, but the flowers continue.

Things did pretty well, but I didn't plant anything else as I watched to see how the light would be on the frames. Some of them don't get sunlight until noon! I was going to pull those out, but am wondering if they will do well to keep lettuce and cool loving veggies in them.

Hubby made two new frames for me last fall. He decided to orient them differently. The frames that were here ran north to south - the new ones run east to west. We filled them with leaves and dirt to lighten up the soil. I'm hoping this will help!

Last year I tried some veggies, but some really don't like the heavy clay soil. I need to amend it a LOT to make it lighter. I took one frame in the fall of 2013 and put a whole garbage can of compost in it - then planted my garlic in it. I grew the best garlic I've ever grown last year! I did the same thing this past fall, but am hoping the added leaves won't be a problem (we used one of the new frames). We ended up planting 108 cloves of garlic. That should give me enough to replant, use for the year and maybe even share. Can't wait to see how they turn out.

So - back to the seeds...

I found a new place that I wanted to try called MIgardener . The site is run by a young man and his fiance. He is a gardener who want to inspire others by posting TONS of information and videos. All his seeds have been tested and grown by him before he offers them. He also only charges 99 cents a pack and the packages have generous amounts of seeds in them. My package was just shipped out, so I will be anxiously awaiting their arrival. Turn around from the time of order to shipping was FAST! MIgardener offers vegetable, edible flower and herb seeds.

I also purchased some seeds from Le Jardin du Gourmet . I have purchased from them years ago and was pleased to see they are still in business. They offer regular sized packets as well sample packets that contain enough seed for the small gardener or one that wants to try something new without spending a lot of money. Each sample packet runs 40 cents. They offer vegetables, flowers and herbs.

Now, off to research more about some of the unknowns I purchased...