independence days - year 2 week 5

this year i'm feeling very challenged about gardening and everything else...too much going on and not enough time for it all! i restarted the id challenge to get me going and guilt me into being busy in ways i need to be.

want to play along? visit sharon (the creator of this great challenge) to read all about it!

lots of rain this week slowed us down a bit.

1. plant something
~buttercup squash (replanted)
~6 cukes
~2 tomatoes: juliette and paragon
~3 bell peppers
~reseeded watermelons
~california poppies (more)
~seeded foxglove
~sensitive fern
~zinnias

2. harvest something:
~milk
~eggs (chicken and turkey)
~various leaves for making my morning tea: sage, bergamot, thyme, oregano, echinacea, motherwort, dandelion, lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint
~grass from the lawn to mulch plants
~radishes, lettuce, spinach, chickweed, dandelion leaves, kale, mint, lemon balm, cilantro, dill, borage, lamb's quarters, dianthus blossoms for salad
~strawberries

3. preserve something:
~started rose petal infusion to make jelly

4. Reduce waste:
~use canvas bags at grocery store
~re-use egg cartons for our nest run eggs
~use plastic shopping bags for trash bags

5. Preparation and Storage:
~mulched paths
~weeded


6. build community food systems:
~sold eggs & milk to local people
~published june issue of herbal roots to teach children about using herbs medicinally and for food
~worked on willoughby farm master naturalist intern project, locating plants and grant writing
~bartered milk for produce at market

7. eat the food:
~weeds from my garden, using lamb's quarters sprouts by the handfuls (we let a lot go to seed last year)
~spinach, lettuce, radishes, chickweed, kale, chard, asparagus, dill, cilantro, borage, mint, lemon balm, carrots for salads
~strawberries
~strawberries

not buying it - week 12

clothing (i did all this on a rainy day when greg was home to distract the kids)
-converted 2 pairs of pants to shorts for jaden and sage
-patched 2 pairs of jeans, sewed zipper back on 3rd pair
-sewed cape for nina
-sewed a dress from a women's skirt and girl's shirt and made a matching pair of bloomers with leftover shirt material for jaden
-sewed 3 bread bags (made from cloth seed sacks)
-converted a huge house dress into a skirt for me
-converted a long sleeved shirt into a short sleeved shirt for sage (it still fit in the torso but too short in the arms for him)
-mended my friend's tent fly
-refashioned a 2 piece stretch mini skirt outfit into a swim suit for me

food
-harvesting salads from the lawn and garden: carrots, chickweed, kale, dandelion, violet, day lily shoots, lettuce, spinach, radishes, asparagus, dill, lamb's quarters, cilantro, mint, lemon balm
-strawberries
-broccoli exchanged for milk
-eggs and milk from our backyard

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags

utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player (this is especially important right now while we are incubating eggs and raising chicks with grow lights which sucks the electricity)
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room

gifts
-

exercise/self improvement
-hooping
-weeding

homestead
-started new pasture area by tilling to prepare for seeding
-got some pots through freecycle for used it potting up plants to sell


education
we are on spring break

weaknesses
-breakfast at market

purging
-weeds...does that count?!

wanna play along? sign up here:

juliette de bairacli levy

one of my top favorites herbalists died yesterday, juliette de bairacli levy. she was someone i admired greatly and wished i could have met. may she be at peace.

another chance!

mamaroots (the very talented mama who makes the critters for my giveaways), is going to give one lucky person a copy of june's edition of herbal roots! hurry on over and sign up for a chance to win! the contest closes on saturday at midnight.

after 6" of rain the past 4 days...

st. john's wort is starting to bloom. i think i overharvested the blooms last year because it came back sparse this year. i'll not be harvesting much this year to let it seed freely.


false indigo and chamomile make lovely garden companions. i can't wait until skullcap joins in!

can any of my plant geek friends (and i consider myself a plant geek so don't be offended!) help me with this plant? i want it to be wild yam so badly! it is growing in my yard!! but, i think there's another plant that looks similar and i need to be sure.i discovered it yesterday after cutting down the multiflora rosa.
it's about 1 foot tall right now.
lots of mud everywhere...makes it hard to walk in the garden!

the herbs sure love this rain! they are growing by leaps and bounds...motherwort is blooming like crazy.

the view of the recently tilled area...there are seeds planted but nothing growing yet.
same view as last week...steadily growing...

Herbal Roots - June 2009

finally! sheesh. i sure threw myself off this month, thinking i had another monday until d-day. this month was entirely too quick!

anyway, it's done!! june's edition is ready to enjoy.

herbal medicine making

i'm posting over at not dabbling in normal about making herbal pills and lozenges today.

congrats!

today we drew names to win the dandelion pendant and next month's free copy at herbal roots! congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for playing along!

june's issue will be delayed slightly thanks to this holiday weekend throwing me off schedule.

not buying it - week 11

clothing
-pile is growing larger. must. work. on.

food
-harvesting salads from the lawn and garden: chickweed, kale, dandelion, violet, day lily shoots, lettuce, spinach, radishes, asparagus, dill, lamb's quarters, cilantro, mint, lemon balm
~packed food and water to take to the market

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags

utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player (this is especially important right now while we are incubating eggs and raising chicks with grow lights which sucks the electricity)
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room

gifts
-

exercise/self improvement
-hooping
-weeding

homestead
-started new pasture area by tilling to prepare for seeding


education
-

weaknesses
-forgot to make breakfast bread for market so still had to buy breakfast even th0ugh we had snacks covered

purging
-weeds...does that count?!

wanna play along? sign up here:

independence days - year 2 week 4

this year i'm feeling very challenged about gardening and everything else...too much going on and not enough time for it all! i restarted the id challenge to get me going and guilt me into being busy in ways i need to be.

want to play along? visit sharon (the creator of this great challenge) to read all about it!

nothing but sunshine, headin' my way!

1. plant something
~5 lipstick pimento peppers
~12 rose tomatoes
~oregano plants (from a friend)
~boneset transplants
~anise transplants
~irises (from a friend)
~10 butternut squash
~6 spaghetti squash
~7 amish paste tomatoes
~amish pumpkins
~california poppies
~zinnias


2. harvest something:
~milk
~eggs (chicken and turkey)
~various leaves for making my morning tea: sage, bergamot, thyme, oregano, echinacea, motherwort, dandelion, lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint
~grass from the lawn to feed to the sheep and goats
~radishes, lettuce, spinach, chickweed, dandelion leaves, kale, mint, lemon balm, cilantro, dill, borage, lamb's quarters, dianthus blossoms for salad
~strawberries

3. preserve something:
~

4. Reduce waste:
~use canvas bags at grocery store
~re-use egg cartons for our nest run eggs
~use plastic shopping bags for trash bags

5. Preparation and Storage:
~mulched paths
~weeded


6. build community food systems:
~sold eggs & milk to local people
~writing june issue of herbal roots to teach children about using herbs medicinally and for food
~worked in willoughby farm for my master naturalist intern project, planted ginger and located more plants through local growers
~bartered milk for produce at market

7. eat the food:
~weeds from my garden, using lamb's quarters sprouts by the handfuls (we let a lot go to seed last year)
~spinach, lettuce, radishes, chickweed, kale, chard, asparagus, dill, cilantro, borage for salads
~strawberries

the year of the buck..

ahhh...the life of a barn cat.

our third and final doe kidded this am...twin bucklings. that makes 4 bucklings this year, no doelings. what's up with that?!
this is the doe that got attacked by bees last year..she stills looks mangy from itike and mike...i think all our kids are named after junk food this year...brownie, oreo, ike & mikethe garden is going like gang busters! i have baby summer squash and zukes that should be ready to pick in a week or less. i am drooling with excitement!
the potatoes are bursting through the mulch, the onions have taken hold and the tomatoes are starting to get over their shyness of being in the dirt as opposed to the green house.

onions, onions/potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, zukes/summer squash/okra,4 rows of corn (can't see for the weeds), tomatoes

greg re-tilled the final garden area. i'll be planting like crazy over there tomorrow. the final tomato seedlings, plus a few winter squashes...butternut and spaghetti. also, i need to get the sweet potatoes in soon. they have finally rooted enough i think. i started them myself this year. very easy but next year, i need to start at the end of january i think as it is a slow process.

on the way home from market today, i shouted out 'holy shit!' as i drove by a bee swarm about 10' away from the road. they were on a stake that was hammered into a straw bale for erosion control. it looked like a giant corn dog, very odd which is probably why it caught my eye. i raced on home, we unloaded the truck, threw in the bee gear and raced off again. this is our 5th capture, 3rd this year and greg's best yet i think.our very sophisticated tool for capturing bees...a saw.waiting for the bees to settle into their new digs.the farmer sprayed ammonia today. joy.

sage learned to pedal his bike this past week. nothing's going to stop him now!

cooking with gas

the solar oven's been fired up, pizza is on the menu for tonight! i have a post at not dabbling about baking cookies in it today.

eta: i just found instructions on canning tomatoes in the solar oven. sweet!

eat your greens!

i have a post up at herbal roots about eating dandelions and a contest for a chance to win next month's edition. come join in on the fun!

not buying it - week 10

clothing
-dug out and washed shredded jeans so i can patch a pair of greg's using pieces from it and tearmender glue
-i really need to get my butt in gear, i have a stack of clothes falling on me that need repaired

food
-harvesting salads from the lawn and garden: chickweed, kale, dandelion, violet, day lily shoots, lettuce, spinach, radishes, asparagus, dill, lamb's quarters, cilantro, mint, lemon balm
~packed food and water to take to the market

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags


utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player (this is especially important right now while we are incubating eggs and raising chicks with grow lights which sucks the electricity)
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room

gifts
-

exercise/self improvement
-hooping
-frisbee

homestead
-feeding animals grass clippings from the lawn instead of buying hay at $5/bale
-set up a hot wire (solar powered) fence to allow the sheep to graze on our mini hay field

education
-

weaknesses
-

purging
-still bagging and boxing up cloth

wanna play along? sign up here:

independence days - year 2 week 3

this year i'm feeling very challenged about gardening and everything else...too much going on and not enough time for it all! i restarted the id challenge to get me going and guilt me into being busy in ways i need to be.

want to play along? visit sharon (the creator of this great challenge) to read all about it!

this week we had a lot of rain which stunted my planting and weeding efforts.

1. plant something
~lipstick pimento peppers
~amish paste tomates (18?)
~5 yellow pear tomatoes
~1 sweet meat squash
~7 moon and star/cherokee watermelon
~2 hills of cukes
~2 table queen squash hills
~7 moon and star/van doren watermelon
~1 wormwood
~several all heal i dug up from the pasture
~transplanted a butterfly bush
~transplanted a lot of irises
~transplanted narrowleaf plantain

2. harvest something:
~milk
~eggs (chicken and turkey)
~dandelions
~various leaves for making my morning tea: sage, bergamot, thyme, oregano, echinacea, motherwort, dandelion, lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint
~grass from the lawn to feed to the sheep and goats
~asparagus
~radishes, lettuce, spinach, chickweed, dandelion leaves, kale, mint, lemon balm, cilantro, dill, borage, lamb's quarters, dianthus blossoms for salad

3. preserve something:
~

4. Reduce waste:
~use canvas bags at grocery store
~re-use egg cartons for our nest run eggs
~use plastic shopping bags for trash bags

5. Preparation and Storage:
~mulched paths
~mulched potatoes

6. build community food systems:
~sold eggs & milk to local people
~writing june issue of herbal roots to teach children about using herbs medicinally and for food
~met with the director of willoughby farm to discuss my master naturalist intern project, installing a woodland medicine garden using native plants and trees; confirmed the site location and discussed needs/strategies
~bartered milk for produce at market
~wrote article to submit to essential herbal

7. eat the food:
~weeds from my garden, using lamb's quarters sprouts by the handfuls (we let a lot go to seed last year)
~spinach, lettuce, radishes, chickweed, kale, chard, asparagus, dill, cilantro, borage for salads

new giveaway at herbal roots!

i'm thrilled to announce my 2nd partnership for fun monthly giveaways!! slither on over to sign up for a chance to win this cute little fella! the contest ends on may 22.

and don't forget, there's still time to enter for the dandelion pendant made by my good friend rebekah! for every referral that ends with a sale, i'll add your name to the pot a 2nd time! that contest ends on may 25th. i'll announce the winner when june's edition is released. (make sure you comment on the pendant giveaway post).

fun things!

need to make a birthday banner? here's a cute printable by the toymaker that lets you decide what to say on it.

plants on the trail

i've started my master naturalist internship project and am trying to identify some plants. can anyone tell me what these are?

these first two shots are the same plant, just side and top view:
i believe this one is called 'snow-on-the-mountain' (Aegopodium podagraria):
this one reminds me of lupines:

the handiest of accoutrements

i'm posting at not dabbling today about a great little helper i have around the farmette.

not buying it play along

i've added mr. linky to my not buying it challenge...anyone playing along can sign up on this week's post to link to your own week's update.

ETA: it's supposed to have mr. linky on it...i'll try to fix it!

Herbal Roots has Moved!

i've decided to give herbal roots its own home! now, all the issues can be previewed and purchased all in one place. all the contests and giveaways will be hosted over there as well. i've also added recommended books and games for teaching kids about herbs with direct links to purchase them. if you are so inclined to do it directly from that link, i will be paid for the referral. i will continue to update the links as i find more appropriate books and activities. i hope to get another section up to include other resources such as the supplemental craft activities and links to other websites that give good information about herbs.

at any time, you can go directly from this blog to herbal roots' blog by clicking on the latest issue's cover in the right hand corner of this page.

swing on over, check it out and don't forget to sign up for this month's first giveaway if you haven't already! remember, when you refer a friend who buys an issue and mentions your name, i'll add your name to the pot again! and keep checking back...i have another exciting giveaway that i'm hoping to announce by the end of this week!

independence days - year 2 week 2

since i'm struggling to get the garden in again this year due to my rambunctious toddler, i thought taking the id challenge would be a good moral booster for me. i try to practice this idea anyway during the growing seasons so it's a great reminder of how much i really do even when it feels like i do nothing.

thanks to gina for prodding me back into this challenge! i believe sharon (the creator of this great challenge) is starting up again too at her blog.



1. plant something
~transplanted 8 jewelweed plants from woods to closer to our house
~rattlesnake pole beans
~rutabagas
~radishes
~okra
~beets
~turnips
~amish pie pumpkins
~ eggplants
~6 tomatillos
~280' sweet corn
~juilette and something else tomatoes
~lipstick pimento pepper

2. harvest something:
~milk
~eggs (chicken and turkey)
~dandelions
~violets
~various leaves for making my morning tea: sage, bergamot, thyme, oregano, echinacea, motherwort, dandelion, lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint
~grass from the lawn to feed to the sheep and goats
~asparagus
~radishes, lettuce, spinach, chickweed, dandelion leaves, kale, mint, lemon balm, cilantro, dill, borage, lamb's quarters for salad

3. preserve something:
~dandelion jelly

4. Reduce waste:
~use canvas bags at grocery store
~re-use egg cartons for our nest run eggs
~use plastic shopping bags for trash bags

5. Preparation and Storage:
~mulched paths

6. build community food systems:
~sold eggs & milk to local people
~started writing june issue of herbal roots to teach children about using herbs medicinally and for food
~met with the director of willoughby farm to discuss my master naturalist intern project, installing a woodland medicine garden using native plants and trees; walked the site and picked a tentative location to create said garden
~a friend gave me 2 more tomato plants (juliette and something else) and 1 lipstick pimento pepper
~farmer's market opening day!

7. eat the food:
~weeds from my garden, using lamb's quarters sprouts by the handfuls (we let a lot go to seed last year)
~spinach, lettuce, radishes, chickweed, kale, chard, asparagus, dill, cilantro, borage for salads

not buying it - week 9

clothing
-i was given a lot of secondhand clothes for jaden this weekend
-have a huge pile accumulated of clothing to repair/repurpose just need to find the time to get to it!

food
-harvesting salads from the lawn and garden: chickweed, kale, dandelion, violet, day lily shoots, lettuce, spinach, radishes, asparagus, dill, lamb's quarters, cilantro, mint, lemon balm
~packed food and water to take to the market

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags


utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player (this is especially important right now while we are incubating eggs and raising chicks with grow lights which sucks the electricity)
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room

gifts
-contemplating a mother's day gift for my mom

exercise/self improvement
-hooping
-walked in the woods

homestead
-feeding animals grass clippings from the lawn insead of buying hay at $5/bale

education
-

weaknesses
-ate out at a local sushi bar for lunch on saturday with my 3 oldest kids and some friends (well worth it!)
-bought sunglasses for myself and two little ones...mine were scratched beyond repair and theirs were all broken. i've been staying out of thrift shops since i tend to overspend in there, justifying it because it's secondhand so instead of risking going in to search for sunglasses and coming out with everything but, i bought them new.
-didn't get breakfast bread made for market so had to buy myself and 3 kids breakfast ($10)
-bought a flower basket for my mom for mother's day since i was out of ideas on something to make for her

purging
-still bagging and boxing up clothes and books. trying to decide if i should try selling books or not...not sure it would be worth it for the time involved

wanna play along? sign up here:

i'm changing professions...

after today's weird storm, the garden is half under water...greg had created several hills that i had been planting in...i wish the entire garden was like that because the plants in the hills were doing good but between the hills was entirely flooded...it looks like i'm growing rice instead of vegetables! the corn is completely under water since i hoed the rows in...all 280' of it!

the kids are enjoying this though. i've started work on the water pond and it is now a huge mud bath...3 of them were playing in there making mud pies, sliding around and painting themselves. they are quite a mess at the moment and banned from coming inside until they hose each other off.

the herb garden is partially under water, in places that have never flooded before in the past 4 1/2 years of living here, even with the really bad rains of october 2007. we got 2" of rain in about an hour or two. that's more than we usually see in a week or two combined.

once the storm had passed, the sun came out and acted like nothing freakish had happened...figures! i attempted to get into the garden to work but ha! no way i could do anything in all that mud and water. hopefully it will dry out enough by tomorrow that i can finish planting the first run of seeds and plants. i'm ready to work on other things!

the electric company delivered our first truck load of mulch yesterday. rebekah and i herded 6 blonde curly headed kids away (4 naked boys, 1 girl in a swim suit and 1 boy in a dress) and we all stood and watched it be dumped...right into the oat field! oye. they missed their mark by a good 3 feet, idiots. oh well, what can you do, it's free, right? we got busy working on mulching paths and got the old garden path remulched. now it's time to rip card board and create some new paths in the new garden area by the house. it's going to look so much nicer!!

things to do this weekend:

*finish planting seedlings and seeds
*mulch garden paths
*cover potatoes with straw/hay
*dig water pond
*pot up plants for market sales
*laundry
*work on herbal roots website (it's getting it's own blog!)

let's hope the weather cooperates!

exporting blogs...

does anyone know how to get the comments from posts to export into a new blog?

picking my brain

i'm posting over at not dabbling in normal today about my household binder that i refer to as my brain...won't you go and pick it?

isn't it dandy...

i love dandelions! seeing them like this makes me smile. a few minutes after i took this pictures, sage had a hay day with them!

we've been harvesting them to make jelly (you can find the recipe here), syrup and other delicious concoctions! jaden was a big help separating the petals from the base.

the jelly is one of my favorite herb jellies. it's like a golden drop of honey in every bite.

we have been enjoying dandelions every day in salad and tea. i add the leaves to both. i hope to harvest more roots soon to roast for making dandelion chai. you can find that delicious recipe in this month's edition!

if you haven't signed up yet or missed it over the weekend, don't forget to comment on friday's post to have a chance at winning the beautiful dandelion pendant that my lovely friend rebekah made. (sorry to tease you like that on friday with her being out of town, she should be back online today!) she makes the loveliest ceramic fairies, mugs, birdhouses and pendants. don't forget that for each referral that ends in a sale that you make, i'll add your name to the pot again! the drawing ends at the end of this month.

not buying it - week 8

clothing
-washed grass seed bags and marked hemline to sew into bread bags
-piled all the clothes to be mended and repurposed next to sewing machine

food
-harvesting salads from the lawn and garden: chickweed, kale, dandelion, violet, day lily shoots, lettuce, spinach, radishes, asparagus, dill, lamb's quarters, cilantro, mint, lemon balm
~packed food and water to take to the festival and avoided buying food there

household
-reusing plastic bags for trash bags
-converted 3 grass seed bags into bread bags for storing baked bread

utilities
-diligently shutting off power strips each night for computer/dsl and tv/dvd player (this is especially important right now while we are incubating eggs and raising chicks with grow lights which sucks the electricity)
-making sure lights are off when we are not in the room

gifts
-contemplating a mother's day gift for my mom

exercise/self improvement
-hooping

homestead
-feeding animals grass clippings from the lawn

education
-greg was given some children'sbooks for free this week
-been posting books and cd's on paperbackswap.com and am earning credits. unfortunately, none of the books i want are available!

weaknesses
-traveled 4 days this week (as opposed to 1-2)
-bought contacts. i hate wearing glasses in the summer...too much sun in my eyes. i'll probably make them last 2 years though instead of 1 since i don't wear them in the winter

purging
-setting aside more things to list on ebay and freecycle

independence days - year 2 week 1

since i'm struggling to get the garden in again this year due to my rambunctious toddler, i thought taking the id challenge would be a good moral booster for me. i try to practice this idea anyway during the growing seasons so it's a great reminder of how much i really do even when it feels like i do nothing.

thanks to gina for prodding me back into this challenge! i believe sharon (the creator of this great challenge) is starting up again too at her blog.



1. plant something
~540 onions
~50# potatoes
~6 each zucchini, yellow crookneck
~1 sungold tomato
~6 luffa plants
~10 ft. each carrots, spinach
~sunflowers
~44 strawberries
~oregano
~6 hollyhocks
~asiatic daylilies

2. harvest something:
~milk
~eggs (chicken and turkey)
~dandelions
~violets
~various leaves for making my morning tea: sage, bergamot, thyme, oregano, echinacea, motherwort, dandelion, lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint
~grass from the lawn to feed to the sheep and goats
~asparagus

3. preserve something:
~

4. Reduce waste:
~use canvas bags at grocery store
~re-use egg cartons for our nest run eggs
~use plastic shopping bags for trash bags

5. Preparation and Storage:
~3 gallons olive oil

6. build community food systems:
~sold eggs to local people
~published may issue of herbal roots to teach children about using herbs medicinally and for food
~taught a friend how to make mozzarella from goat's milk
~met with the director of willoughby farm to discuss my master naturalist intern project, installing a woodland medicine garden using native plants and trees

7. eat the food:
~weeds from my garden, using lamb's quarters sprouts by the handfuls (we let a lot go to seed last year)

are you worried about the so-called swine fly "pandemic"?

if so, and even if not, read this:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx

it's fear mongering as usual, and the 'cure/prevention' for it is worse than the actual disease, causing more harm and deaths than the disease itself.

happy mayday and a herbal roots giveaway!

happy mayday! is everyone making their mayday baskets to go leave on doors? this month's edition of herbal roots has a may day basket craft to put some sunny dandelions into. just remember, if you get caught, the person catching you is supposed to kiss you!this month, i'm starting an exciting partnership with an amazingly talented friend of mine who makes pottery. at the end of the month, i'll announce the winner of this beautifully handcrafted dandelion pendant.to enter the contest, leave me a comment about what you like the most about dandelions.
and, for extra chances to win, tell others about herbal roots. for each person that purchases a copy of herbal roots naming you as the referring party, you'll get another chance to win!
if you can't wait until the end of the month, head on over to her store and pick one out for yourself! she has all sorts of lovelies...butterflies, dragonflies, bees, mushrooms, spirals in addition to peppermint, daffodils and violets.