Farm photos- pictures instead of words!!

From the country...

Cabbage! Super excited- sauerkraut and coleslaw here I come!!

Carrots one of the gazillion crops we are harvesting right now...

raspberry pie- sure to rival my sis' sour cherry one (with an all butter crust I might add...)

Spring 2014

From the country...

So we have been lost in space for a while, but there are many exciting happenings around here. Amelia is moving on home to the farm (at least for the summer while Simon is touring with the Strumbellas).This old farm house will be rocking with a big brood of kids! Speaking of kids,we welcomed baby Frances Pearl in March- another girl to the mix! So we will be posting more often with our new adventures on the farm and Amelia's adventures touring with the band across Canada in mid summer with a toddler and a new lil' one. I of course,will be here on the farm plugging away and periodically updating our life here. Stay tuned...

June and July (so far).

From the country...

Ducklings in the sun

Potluck fun

Teacher's pet...end of school year gift

Family at Canada's Wonderland

So while most of the crops are in (I say most because there are still the continuous plantings and the fall plantings that still need to happen) there is still a huge laundry list of jobs that still need to be done. On said list is:

-seeding down the buckwheat for a green manure crop
-constructing a greenhouse to go around the cherry tomatoes and peppers that are already planted.
-staking beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers
-planting the haskap starts (when they come in), lovage, spice bush, sour cherry shrubs
-move turkey poults out of brooder and onto pasture
-construct outdoor hoop houses for ducks and quail.
-working up a new garden for fall plantings
-irrigation
-general farm maintenance and weed, weed weeding...

On a side note my addiction to poultry has hit max capacity. I think an intervention may be in order. That being said I have some of the neatest breeds this year that I am super excited about. Silver Laced Wyandotts, Welsummer's, Basque, Speckled Sussex, and Silkie chickens among the usual ducks, turkeys and quail.

I put in 200 raspberry cane this year and I am happy to say they appear to be doing really well. Also the apple trees look pretty good, the crab apple tree is full and it may be a banner year for the wild apples and grapes....

I have a new culinary love. Her name is mayonnaise. Why has it taken this long for me to discover it? I have made three batches now and 2 have turned out fantastic. The first one went out the window and then I actually read the instructions.... I chock it full of herbs and garlic scapes and then it is ready for anything. I have since made many a Caesar salad and a kick ass chicken salad too.
No really homemade Mayo- where have you been all this time?

Had a family trip to Canada's Wonderland. Mark's family came to the farm and treated us to a trip to this well loved theme park. The kids had a blast.

For me though, I prefer staying on the farm. Not to mention roller coasters freak me out.

I promise to keep in touch better. My sis is out West (Vancouver, Seattle) and if we play our cards right she may just jump in too and tell us about her adventures... right Amy?

Hooray For the Wild Things!!

From the country...

No time to chat because spring is in a hurry! The weather has been amazing and my hands are stained a nice shade of brown...

My 33rd Birthday.

From the country...

1st hatch out of the incubator

New GORGEOUS earrings that I adore.

Went out for noodles.

1 of 2 Mason bee houses that I am SUPER excited about.

Well, look at me thirty three. Not old but certainty not a young wipper snapper either.

32 sounded cooler and 23 sounded even better.

I like getting older though believe me, I appreciate the maturity that has found me.  I feel that you get better with age- more so in your mind.

Man, I wish I had that 23 yr old body...

So my incubator has been rocking all week long and my brooder is full of little chicks. It doesn't stop there though, I already have a new hatch on and am always on the prowl for something new and exciting in the poultry world. Right now I have my eye on a Speckled Americauna rooster to bring home to my ladies and have some Speckled Sussex and Silver Laced Wyandott eggs in the incubator. Also bought myself this new poultry book to add to the library. I highly endorse the Storey's series.

My sis bought and sent me these amazing earrings that I am very in love with. I am not as fond of material things as I once was but man do I love these earrings. They look like the top half of an Easter egg.

We went out for an authentic Chinese dinner. The kids thought we actually were going to China, even though we tried explaining we were only going to China town. Lucas kept asking if we were back in Canada on the way home. We ate at the Pacific Mall in Markham at a place that came recommended for making their own noodles.  It was good, the noodles were fresh and we enjoyed watching and hearing the thwack of the dough being shmacked on the counter while the noodles were being made. We ate in a food court and out of one use plastic bowls and cutlery which was a drawback but the dumplings were really good and I LOVE baby bok choi in a noodle soup. The black bean and bok choi dish was really fresh and tasty too.

My lil' family presented me with 2 Mason Bee homes yesterday morning. It is my first foray into beekeeping. I am very excited to make another space for pollinators at the farm. I want to find a way to have them close to the new orchard that we are putting in this year. I have some research ahead of me to best accommodate these little wonders.

So while my sis is jet setting to Regina to attend the Juno Awards and all the partying that comes with being a wife to a very talented member of an amazing Juno nominated band, I will be attending my first farm auction of the year.

How very different our lives are.

33 here I come.

The Aftermath From The Greatest Party Ever...

From the country...

The BIG 6th birthday bash

 Lucas has an impeccable memory. He is constantly blowing my mind with the minute details of any given day. This year he informed me that he has never really had a birthday party (aside from family ones) and that last year all he received was a stinking bird house... Which may be true but there has been some other good birthdays passed for this little guy.

Needless to say the Momma guilt set in and the party of the century was planned. April Fool's Day just so happened to fall on Easter Monday. I took this into consideration when inviting because I thought (silly me) that everyone would be busy with Easter plans- so I invited a few extra kids.

EVERYONE RSVPed!!

I had 13 kids here (not including toddlers and adults). It reminded me of the Robert Munch book, Moira's Birthday where she invited grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, grade 6, grade 7, grade 8 aannnnnnddd Kindergarten! I had kids of all ages. At one point I went upstairs and there were kids everywhere- even in the crawl space below the attic. I needed to get this kids doing something.

Luckily I had planned a scavengerish hunt outside. We had 4 teams: the Snake Rockers, The Champions, The Flying Thunder Horses and The Dragon Slayers (the kids made up the names). The weather held up for the short time we were outside (it was a cold, windy, terrible day...). I had activities like- find a man with a beard and ask him to yodel, push each member of your team on the swing, make a play dough creation of Lucas and challenge another team to a tug o' war. Then there was the farm centric activities like collect 1 white egg, 1 blue egg and 1 brown egg, take a photo of your team around the tractor tire/ below the old taxidermy fish above the shed and dig up a dinosaur from the soil bin in the green house.

This guy has been around for awhile...

After the game which was filled with laughter and some tears, the kids came back inside for some cake (chocolate cake with green icing and dinosaurs), ice cream, prizes, and then a dance party.

Oh and we had food too! All the stuff that Lucas loves rice balls with dipping sauce, guacamole with corn chips, olives, chips and bean dip, summer sausage, punch...

So anyway I hope that I have officially redeemed myself in the eyes of my newly crowned 6 year old. The disadvantage though to the party of the century is that I have set the bar pretty high here and my kids will be expected a blow out for every birthday...

sheesh.

Dying Eggs (well kind of...)

From the Country...

some dyed, some from a quail and some already blue.

Dyed with black tea and turmeric.

Okay, so this is my half A double S attempt at dying Easter eggs. I have been preoccupied with a certain someones BIG 6th B day blowout this up coming Monday, not to mention all the farm stuff to be done around here.

 I know excuses, excuses...

I have quite a few eggs in great colours already so I took some of the brown ones and did this:

Hard boiled them in black tea (5bags) and some turmeric. 
Let them sit for a couple hours in the pot and steep.
Done.

There are some great natural dyes out there (beets, onion skins, nettle) for Easter eggs- maybe I will check them out next year.

Have a great weekend!

March Break Recap

From the Country...

So, I am currently having technical difficulties. My computer is on the outs, I am currently typing on a computer with minimal keys (thanks to the kids) and Mark's new one is a little to high tech (why is Windows 8 so complicated?). So to say the least I am frustrated and a new computer is not in the budget (Gal just bought a manure spreader don't cha know?). Anyway here is a rundown of March break and some new things around here:

-here is a great little post and sweet photo collage by Dan Gordon from Whisky and Spice from his farm visit early last spring. 

-have you ever seen one of these? A must have for the gal that likes to carry her cupcakes to go- I borrowed it from my Aunt and am sad that I have to give it back.

-made giant chocolate cookies with homemade vanilla ice cream and then the following day these whoopie pies with peanut butter icing. The kids LOVED it- my butt not so much...

-went swimming, played hearts and the tournament of champions (which included Mario cart, drawing contest, crazy eights, running around the farm...).

-ate braised lamb, homemade chicken wings and great pizza.

-Nate was honoured as Kid of the Week for his fundraising efforts.

-I am currently in love with the Buckeye chicken and the Samon Faverolle and want to get me some. They seem more winter hearty then some of my current breeds and are oh so pretty.

-am currently hooked on this show - (weirdly addictive) and also this one (who doesn't love Laura Dern?).

-currently redoing my kitchen cabinets in Duck Egg blue/green - I know I am obsessed with all things poultry- need I say more?
-finished the farm hiring process for the season- HOORAH! This was a tough one for me considering I am a firm fence sitter. We now have a full time employee, a part timer and some peeps interested in volunteering!
-the spring list of chores is quickly creeping up on me I need to clean the chicken/turkey pens, seed more and more, make sweet tater slips, order chicks and get hatching amongst many other things.
-finished the great onion seeding of 2013 need to get them out in the greenhouse- just waiting for some spring weather. So many great and wonderful varieties this year - I am very excited!
-planning a big bash for my lil April fool, Lucas for his 6th birthday and he is super excited about it. He keeps asking me how many days until the big shin dig.

Anyway that is it in a nut shell... now I am going to throw this here computer against the barn wall...

Thoughts of Spring

From the country...

Sweet crab apple blossoms,

flying kites,

growing things

harvesting fiddle heads

and really dirty kids.

Spring will come, eventually...

Nate the Great Earth Ranger

From the country...

Nate showing off his "flair"

Nate received a package in the mail for his fund raising efforts in the Earth Rangers program. He raised $50 for the endangered Wood Thrush, was deemed a defender and received a whole bunch of cool buttons (which he has worn every day, proudly).  He plans to seed/sell potted vegetable plants at market this spring with some of the proceeds going towards a new campaign with the program.

So proud!

The Weekend (baking, buying, and biting)

From the country...

REALLY good Meyer lemon marmalade

So this past weekend was a pretty good one and as per usual I tried to do too many things at once. Amy and Theo came for a visit while Simon and the band were away on a quick tour (did you hear about the JUNO nomination!!??). There was lots of toddler fun to be had, running around the kitchen island, racing through the house, lots of potty talking (Millie is almost completely trained!!) and hugging. This was then followed by pushing, biting, screaming and someone ending up in tears.

We went on a walk, made some kick ass Meyer lemon and vanilla bean marmalade (first batch or preserves  for the year and soon to be followed by the Seville orange type) and did some baking (made these cookies- not bad at all!). We ate a pancake breakfast, drank warm(ish) tea, watched a mediocre movie and gabbed on and on like sisters tend to do. We had all these grandiose plans to do this and that but when it came down to it we just hung around, talking and laughing about the kid's shenanigans.  

Amy watched the brood while I went and purchased/picked up a new greenhouse (with the help of my Dad and a really handy tractor float). This was a bit of a nightmare and took the better part of the day considering we got stuck in the snow... I am SUPER excited about this purchase though, when it is all assembled it should be 150 feet of greenhouse heaven... I plan to grow cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and/or peppers in it. I cannot wait to get started...

I also purchased a new (to me) tractor implement this weekend- something that we have wanted for a while now. A medium sized manure spreader!! -yes that is right-an implement that flings feces into the air! It is the perfect size for our operation and should make short work of all the composted chicken/turkey manure we have around here. I can't wait to take it on a test drive and spread old manure over this years garden.  She is a real beauty!

greenhouse hoops

manure spreader circa 1970's

It was a pretty full weekend followed by a shopping spree at the Value Village's 50% off sale yesterday.  I highly recommend these sales- bring your A game though and keep your elbows up- it draws a big crowd!

Lots of snow and then rain...

From the country...

snow mountain made by the tractor mount snow blower.

Millie Mae and Lucas

Nate in his kid cave

Millie Mae

the snow ball maker.

It snowed and snowed and then snow some more. After spending a few hours removing the copious amounts of white stuff from areas where we park, drive and walk (barn chores where specifically hard- ploughing through the snow carrying buckets of water for the animals), the kids donned their shovels, snow ball makers, sleds and went out to tackle the freshly made snow mound.

They had a little help from the resident work horse around here...

best dad ever...

 And now today it is raining already and threatening to ruin all the efforts made yesterday...

We will see if snow mountain makes it for another day.

For the Birds- Peanut Butter Balls

From the country...

not the best pic I'll admit I took it through the window...

I made some little edible decorations for my outside tree this year and since then I have had to keep making them. The birds are hungry and they just may need some more rations this week when the temperatures dip low. They are super easy to make and only take mere minutes- which is all I have before Millie swipes the spoon and starts eating bird seed and peanut butter.

Here goes. Take a pine cone and dip it into peanut butter- make sure to get the p. butter deep inside the cone. Next roll/pat the cone in cornmeal and then roll/pat the cone with bird seed. I tied my cone with some raffia prior to dipping so that it would hang on trees/ poles outside. It is a tad smooshy when done but it will freeze up quite nicely when put outdoors.

It's a hit. Woodpeckers love it and chickadees adore it! Not to mention the Red poles and the Gold finches! It is a also a great way for us to watch the birds fight over them from our kitchen window.

A Few Things

From the country...

Nate's 8th B day stink bug cake.

X mas family shot 2nd half.

Kimchi

favourite t shirt ever... from my sis

Hoards of family over for the holidays- check.
Loads of food being prepared in every which way- check.
Many games being played (Sponge Bob Monopoly, cards, Clue, charades...) 
Nate's 8th birthday (made this cake always a hit...)-check.
Colds, flu, teething, repeat- check.
Lucas' operation (adenoids, tubes in ears)- check.
Blew through the 1st 2 seasons of this show- check.
Imputed all this years business receipts- check.
Nate becoming an Earth Ranger and wanting to raise funds for these endangered birds- pending.
Seed ordering for this years market crops- pending.
Cleaning/organizing the house- always pending.
2 batches of kimchi from this book (turned out amazing and made my kitchen smell really funky)- check.

So there you have it a brief update of what we have been up to, cooped up in the house and mostly enjoying each others company... Miss Mae has turned into a terrible two (writing on walls, stripping naked, climbing everywhere, into every drawer, screaming, crying...) which makes life a tad more challenging for everyone. She is fast though like a fox- you finish cleaning up the cards she has just spread all over the kitchen while she is upstairs pouring the cat food into the toilet. A simple "no" is her favourite word followed by her second which is "hug" and then "poop".  Lucas pulled through surgery like a champ- and is on the mend thanks to copious amounts of homemade jello, popsicles, soup and snuggling. I am pretty proud of my newly crowned 8 year old who wanted to become and Earth Ranger and picked the endangered song bird the Wood Thrush to help save. He uses words like "his campaign" and "deforestation" which blows me away and makes me proud.

So lather, rinse, repeat I guess. Another new year.

t-shirt from here

Grapes, Mud Badminton, Cucumbers and Late Summer Harvesting

From the country...

First harvest off our grape vines - SUPER excited about it!!

Millie playing some mud badminton...

It has sure been a great year for cucumbers!

As you can probably tell this growing season has been busy (hence my lack of online activity). It has been a super exciting season though and we are pulling in a ton of produce. I could go on and on about the onions (I won't though for fear of boring you to tears) but the beans have been prolifically amazing as well, the cucumber harvest was great, the eggplant keep on trucking and the tomatoes (despite some blight) are making a comeback! Not so much for the melons... There is so much to report on but not enough day light hours!

I look forward to the fall. I have been swooning over this year's curry squash, we are working on the fall head lettuces, the radicchio planting is in and the sweet potatoes plants look great.

Sweet potatoes vines

Gorgeous curry squash.

 Ahh.. Late summer harvest...

It has been awhile....

From the country...

Mark and Millie setting up drip irrigation (photo credit:Dan Gordon Photography)

Eating peas and playing with sticks on the porch (photo credit:Dan Gordon Photography)

Family camping trip to Arrowhead Provincial Park

Farm life is all consuming to say the least. We have been running since early spring putting in the crops (lettuces, edible soy beans, filet beans, pumpkins, winter/summer squash, a ton a different types of onions, cardoon, carrots, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, a lot of cucumbers of various varieties, sweet potatoes and on and on...) and tending to the livestock (hatching this year's chickens, ducks and turkeys, building runs and different forms of poultry housing). It has been a full time job maintaining our crops, irrigating almost every day because it has been a really, really dry summer thus far.

We managed to get away for a few days to camp. We a lot of spent time swimming in the lake, fishing, cooking over the campfire and playing games (not to mention a rousing game of charades...).

the boys crashed out in the tent mid day.

Right now the vegetables are flowing out of the garden. We have been gorging on new potatoes, green onions, fresh herbs with everything, cucumbers, the first of the tomatoes and boat loads of lettuce. Next onto beans and melons...I am excited about the melons this year! They like it hot and well we have sure had a double dose of that.

Laura