spring help

We are so thankful for the warm weather! Getting the gardens ready has been very relaxing and peaceful, and the kids have been a big help. Little Claire isn't too keen on the strong wind, so she took a nap in the garden shed. The warmth of the sun and the smell of the fresh air is such a welcome change from the long winter.

Taking the grass to the burn pile.

Elauna was sick, so she bundled up and sat in the sun.
Claire didn't like the wind too well.

Just waking up from her nap.

Having fun in the garden shed.

cherry pie

A few years ago, Jeremy's stepmom, Barbara, gave him a dwarf cherry tree for his birthday. This year was the first full harvest, and we picked six pounds of cherries. The kids loved to help pick, because the lower branches were just at their height. They tasted a few, but the cherries were too tart to eat right off the tree. I spent an hour or so pitting them while the guys were pouring footers. I like to make at least one meal for any crew we have working, and I especially like to feed hard workers.

I knew a meal was out of the question right now, so I thought fresh cherries might work instead. I pitted and washed the cherries, added the ingredients, and put them in a large stock pot.....on the grill. The crew wasn't going to be around long enough to taste the cherry pie, so I took some of the warm cherry pie filling and poured it over vanilla bean ice cream. It was heavenly!!! Later that evening when the pie was finished, I shared it with my family; my dad even told me cherry pie was one of his dad's favorites. I love learning about family history....it always seems to happen while eating or working. How 'bout that!

Cooking cherries on the grill.

Cherries over ice cream.

Fresh from the oven.

Delicious!

Classic Cherry Pie

2 quarts cherries
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup water
3 heaping Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
red food coloring (optional)
2 9-inch pie shells

Drain cherries and heat juice to boiling and add sugar and butter. Mix water and cornstarch; add to juice. Thicken. Add almond flavoring and food coloring. Put in pie shell and bake at 450 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

Note** I had to be adjust a little because I was cooking the whole batch of cherries at one time. This isn't hard to do if you keep the ratios the same. Typically, I would make a lattice top for the pie, but the full top with sugar sprinkled worked pretty well too.

grilled quesadilla

I am learning to be creative with the grill now that I am without a kitchen, and the gas has not been connected to my canning stove. So, alas, I am using the grill. Tonight I made grilled quesadillas with grilled chicken, onions, peppers, mozzarella cheese, and soft taco shells. I added fresh cilantro from my garden - which really made the flavors pop. Yum.

a new day dawning

Even though it is not very warm yet, the sun and blue skies make it seem like spring is just around the corner. I always want to clear my gardens a little sooner than I should, so I am trying to avoid the urge this year to start too soon. I did get outside and check my bulbs. My daffodils are starting to shoot up, and much to my amazement, I found a few lovely crocus in bloom. They are an early indicator that spring is here, along with the return of the vultures and the snakes. 

daffodil heads popping up

my surprise crocus

I also keep a gardening scrapbook full of notes on the plants and trees I have, where they came from, when I planted them.....I also have drawings of my gardens so I know where certain plants should pop up each year. It is a work in progress, but it has been so helpful. When I purchase flowers through a catalog, I clip their picture and write-up and paste it in my book. When I buy a potted plant, I put the plant tag in the book. I have kept my seed packets, but I haven't started putting them in yet....that's a job for this year. 

my notes on taking care of my Ficus tree

my original garden layout and sketch

early garden shed ideas

plant tags and plant descriptions

seed packets for saving my seeds this year

clay pot lights

I posted about my garden shed last year, and said that I would share about my clay pot lights that I created for in the shed. We finally ran electric to the garden shed, so now they are working and I thought this would be a good opportunity to show you how it turned out.

My light fixtures working.

These lights were super easy to make and really captured the garden theme. The whole project (all supplies included) was less than $20.00.

Supplies (per unit):
12 inch clay pot
Threaded pipe
2 large flat washers
2 lock nuts
1 complete work light (remove cage)
1 black metal cage
Heavy rope, natural color
1 energy-efficient light bulb

Topside

Inside  

black cage with light bulb

First, I put the large flat washer and the lock nut on one end of the threaded pipe. Next, I put the pipe through the center of my pot and put the other set of washer and nut on the opposite side and tightened all. I then snipped the plug end of my work light and ran the cord through the pipe. Next, I pulled my rope through with the cord. I knotted the rope on the inside to securely hold the pot when in hangs. I placed the black cage on the light socket and inserted my bulb. The rope was run to the top of the shed, through an old pulley and secured to the wall with a hook. A plug was put on the end of the electrical cord and plugged to the outlet in the ceiling.

Old pulley found in our barn.

Hanging from the ceiling. 

Thanks to Jeremy and Blake for running the electric for me so these will work this spring. I'm so excited.

garden shed

My garden is a pleasant place

Of moon glory and wind grace.

O friend, wherever you may be,

Will you not come to visit me?

Over fields and streams and hills,

I'll pipe like yellow daffodils,

And every little wind that blows

Shall take my message as it goes.

A heart may travel very far

To come where its desires are,

Oh, may some power touch my ear,

And grant me grace, and make you hear!

- excerpt from My Garden is a Pleasant Place, by Louise Driscoll

My garden is a pleasant place, as is the garden shed my hubby has worked so hard on. We had a very old garage on our property that we were tearing down, and as we were doing so we found the roof to be made from old saplings (the shed was probably over 100 years old). We decided to keep this piece of history and turn it into my garden shed. It is a working shed, but also a peaceful retreat. I have decorated it with the burlap bags I collect, as well as old tools. I "repurpose" things quite often, using old freezer baskets as places to store chemicals. The shelves also are very old, probably used when there was an old general store run out of our house - also 100 years ago. The hutch was a piece my mom found....not a 100 years ago....and it is perfect. My dad restored the old barn light on the outside. Inside, there are little bits of me, my family, and now my kids. So fun! I made my own light fixtures out of clay pots (I will do a post on that another time).

Corner of my workbench

a local seed bag

letterholder for seedpackets



my bottle collection

the tools and hutch...and a good place for a nap

the shelves live on

my light fixture

the sapling roof we found (used white to accent)

Not quite finished, but sure fun already



homemade pasta sauce

I was reminded today of the passage in Matthew 9:37 where Jesus was talking with his disciples and he said “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” The interesting thing about harvest is that it doesn't wait for when it best suits us to work. When the harvest is ready, we need to stop whatever else we are doing and gather the harvest. The same is true of the Lord's call on our lives. He is calling, and we need to act with obedience and promptness, because his call is an indication that his harvest is ready and he needs us to work.

My harvest today was tomatoes, and it was time to make pasta sauce. I wash them and remove the stems, then boil them in water for a few minutes. Next, I run them through my KitchenAid sieve, which removes the peel and seeds, and purees the rest. Then I add my spices to the tomatoes and cook again. Pour into the pint jars and process for 40 minutes. Pretty easy!

some of my tomatoes (small size this year)

my KitchenAid attachment

my pasta sauce

my kitchen help: Frederick and Elauna
note: one needed an apron :-)

raspberry trellis

Last year I wanted to start a raspberry patch so I could pick my own fresh raspberries for jam, pie and freezing. My mom gave me 16 starts, each with 4" or less of growth. She dug up wild plants from her woods. They took very well and are huge this year, with many berries coming on. These are black raspberry plants.

They were planted on the South side of the barn, where they are protected and get partial sun the entire day. They also get runoff when it rains. Jeremy built a trellis last week for the raspberries and I wanted to share the steps to make one. Our raspberry bed is 28 feet long, so it was divided into two sections. We bought three treated 4x4s, seven feet long and buried 3 feet in the ground for stability.

For the cross sections we used treated 2x2s that are two feet long. They were attached half way between the ground and the top of the 4x4. Next we took heavy gardening wire and ran three wires: the first 3/4 the way up the 4x4 pole, the next two on either end of the 2x2.

The wires were easily attached with U nails and the wire twisted to keep it taut. To make it look a little nicer, we added copper tops, though they really serve no functional purpose.

It was relatively inexpensive to start a raspberry bed. If you are interested in starting a patch and want to save money, ask someone who lives near a wooded area if they would be willing to let you dig up plants for free. (Most farmers would be glad to get rid of the ones near their fields). Prune them back low to the ground and do not harvest the first year (depending on when you transplant, you probably would not get fruit anyway). I have only found the black raspberries growing wild in our area and their flavor is so sweet. If you are wanting the red raspberries you will most likely need to buy them from a nursery.

Last step: Enjoy produce from your own patch!

gardening 101

I remember when I was growing up that my mom would plant a garden, and I seemed to take for granted how she did it. When I finally started planting on my own, I was a little in the dark about annuals versus perennials, zones, and other gardening basics. After my beloved flowers did not come up the next year, I learned the difference between an annual and a perennial. I love fresh produce, and am trying each year to get a better grasp on the green thumb, because it is my desire to grow my own food, preserve it, and provide fresh, healthy food for my family. I think there is great value in being self-reliant, and knowing the value of hard work. These are things I would like to pass on to my children.

So here are a few of those things in which I needed a refresher course:

• Annuals last only 1 year and the frost normally kills them. Most vegetables are annuals. Think petunias, geraniums, and sunflowers.
• Perennials come up every year. Think coneflowers, lilies, columbine, and hostas.
• Here in Ohio, we are in zone 5.
• Bulb depth matters here where it freezes, or your pretty flowers may not come back the next year.
• For those saving their seeds each year to plant for the next, you need to buy heirloom varieties. For example, tomato variety Mortgage Lifter is an heirloom variety that was developed in the 1930s. You can save the seeds and replant the following year. Non-heirloom varieties, or hybrids, will not reproduce. Heirlooms seeds are great for homesteaders planting each year. Check out www.heirloomseeds.com
• Sometimes you will come across the terms "determinate" and  "indeterminate" when ordering tomatoes, beans, etc. Determinate means that all the produce will be ripe at the same time...there is a determined end time. Some tomato varieties are determinate. Indeterminate means that the plant will continue to produce, either until the plant dies or there is a frost. (for Ohioans) Most bush beans are indeterminate. When a label says they will produce "all season long," they are indeterminate.
• Self-pollinating fruits trees are wonderful, because they do not need another tree to help them produce. If you buy trees that need a pollinator, make sure you get the correct match, and appropriate for your zone. We like fruit trees from Stark, as they are hardy and well grown when they arrive. www.starkbros.com

Happy planting....

garden scrapbook and companion planting

I was updating my garden scrapbook today, and ran across my list of planting guidelines / plant compatibility. For those of you who don't have a garden scrapbook, it is a great way to keep track of all those plant tags, plant locations, etc....and it is even a neat way to track plants that have been given to you as a gift, or from a family garden. I cut out the nice pictures and descriptions in the garden magazines sent out each spring, as that normally covers most of what I need to know about the plant, and it only takes a small space in my book. I also sketch each garden and the location of plants. If I know the year I planted a tree or shrub, I put the date next to it as well. Just fun stuff like that!

As I mentioned at the start, I found my plant compatibility chart I made a few years ago....which I added to my scrapbook. Planting for compatibility is also known as companion planting, where plants are put near one another based on how they react to one another. (I will do a post later about planting by the moon and crop rotation) Following are a few of the most common:

• Beans - plant near corn, carrots, cabbage and tomatoes
• Carrots - plant near tomatoes, cucumber, peas, sage and onion
• Chives - plant near carrots, tomatoes; do NOT plant near beans or peas
• Corn - plant near beans, melons, cucumbers, peas, squash, sunflowers
• Dill - plant near cabbage family, corn, lettuce, onion; do NOT plant near carrots, tomatoes
• Peas - plant near corn, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes
• Peppers - plant near carrots, onions, basil, oregano; do NOT plant near beans
• Potatoes - do not plant near apples or pears
• Tomatoes - plant near cabbage family, carrots, asparagus, dill, basil, parsley, sage; do NOT plant near potatoes
• Watermelon - plant near mint, beans, corn, catnip, sunflowers; do NOT plant near potatoes

One aspect to note when planting next to one another is root depth. A shallow-rooted plant can normally be planted next to a deep-rooted one, because they will not interfere with each other. Some plants help repel pests or bugs, aiding the plants next to it. For example, Dill and Mints attract beneficial insects. Anise and Coriander also attract good insects. Mints spread, so they should be placed in a container before planted, otherwise they will take over....unless, of course, you want them spreading. If you just want pretty flowers in your vegetable garden, delphiniums, larkspur, marigolds, and roses are nice options that typically react well. Most herbs add a pleasing effect to a garden, with the softer leaves and delicate flowers. They also can react with vegetables, so plant them with an appropriate companion.

Fruit trees react to other plants and trees around them too. My mom planted a cherry tree when we were younger, and we never had any cherries. It was a few years ago that I read that cherry trees react negatively to nut trees, which would explain why we never had any cherries. Our little cherry tree was graced by a beautiful backdrop of oak trees, walnut trees, and hickory trees. The poor thing never stood a chance!