CSA Week #1

Here we go again! Our CSA baskets have begun. Welcome to Week #1. Today's basket includes: rhubarb, sorrel, kale, scallions, radishes, lovage, garlic chives, basil, apple mint, parsley, sage, oregano, baby head lettuce, garlic bulbs, spinach bunches, daikon microgreens, wasabi mustard microgreens, red clover microgreens, and a dozen eggs. Our special item this week is fresh baked bread with a jar of wild violet jelly.

 So excited for the 2022 CSA season. Let the fun and deliciousness begin!

Savouring Spring

There are so many delicious things to eat from our Spring garden right now. Today we had an Asian-inspired miso soup with fresh garlic chives, scallions, and chopped up sorrel greens in a homemade chicken bone broth. I added tofu cubes and some store-bought shrimp wontons (because who has time to make those?!). Yum.

Summer Sunday

Nothing says "summer Sunday" like hamburgers and ice cream!

 

Special & Important

The boys have been very patient with us over the last few days with farm work (tilling, planting, mucking, watering, etc.) taking up most of our leisure time. Today we divided and conquered to make sure each boy had some attention focused solely on them in hopes of reminding them that even though we're busy, they are still special and important.

Seamus chose a fishing excursion with Daddy. They went canoe fishing, had lunch at the Cheeky Chippy in Almonte, and hiked in to check how Ian's deer stand fared in last weekend's wind storm.

https://youtube.com/shorts/3Cy_XtHovcw?feature=share

Liam planned his outing with Mama. We went to breakfast at Cora's Restaurant with Alistair and Grandma, to see a movie at the theatre, on a hike in the Greenbelt, and to five playgrounds!  Five!

Alistair spent the day with Grandma creating an artistic masterpiece, taking Annabelle on a long walk, doing lawn maintenance for Grandma's elderly neighbour, and befriending some of the tree removal men working around Grandma's house.

So much for a quiet and relaxing Saturday. I hope the boys enjoyed their special days since it is back to farm work tomorrow!

TGIF

I cannot believe that I managed to make it to the weekend. I am so grateful it is Friday. Looking forward to a quiet and relaxing weekend.

How's it Hanging?

We grew our own flowers from seed for our hanging baskets this year. They are filling out slowly.  I am hoping they turn into huge balls of flowers like the baskets that line the main drag through Carp but I think we might still have a way to go. I wonder how others make their baskets so huge?

 

Done Before the Rain

It's done. It is very likely that I will not be able to move tomorrow but I got everything planted before the rain comes and still put in a full work day.  Planting time is crazy!

Our tally:

86 pepper plants

65 cabbages

25 tomato plants

25 broccoli

plus...herbs, lettuce, arugula, basil, spinach, sweet corn, french beans, and squash - all planted today!  The big 2022 planting push is now over - let the rain begin! Next up is weeding and watering on repeat until it is time to harvest.

They are not nicely arranged yet but at least roots are in pots and everyone is watered.

The pallet gardens are filled up with herbs of all types.

These are the third planting of cabbage along with our row crops.
Our first zucchini plant popped up today!

Rows of tomatoes and eggplants, then potatoes and a three sisters garden of corn, beans and squash.

Our head lettuce and scallions are almost ready to harvest.

This is the kitchen garden. Now that planting is done, the weeds are just starting to sprout.
Perfect timing!

And don't forget the seed starts that are still indoors.
These are the next planting of head lettuce and the fall plantings of cabbage
that will go into the ground once the garlic is harvested.

 

Suit Jacket on Top, Dirty Knees on the Bottom

Today began bright and early at 4:30 am with a virtual presentation at an academic conference in Denmark.  Luckily I am a morning person.

Next it was out to the garden to get planting. With the risk of frost past and rain in the forecast for later in the week, today we started planting our frost sensitive produce. With Liam's help, in went tomatoes, eggplant, flowers, chinese cabbage, and potatoes - so, so many potatoes.

At 9 am, I washed my filthy hands and dusted the dirt off my knees, put on my suit jacket and stepped into my office to "begin" my work day.  Off went the jacket and out again for more planting during my lunch break.  After finishing work, getting the kids to bed and donning my suit jacket for one last evening meeting, I headed outside to plant a final row of lettuce and put the animals to bed.

It has been a very long and thoroughly exhausting day.

Jelly Bellies

It is the time of year were we cannot resist making floral jellies. On today's agenda were are new one for us - wild violet jelly - and an oldie but a goodie - dandelion jelly.  Par for the course, I did not enjoy the two hours it took me to pluck the petals from the green part that attaches to the stem (if you leave the green part in it makes the jelly bitter) but making the jelly in batches was a breeze.  These babies will be including in our CSA baskets as "extras". In other news, our CSA baskets begin next week!  The growing season is upon us - tomatoes, peppers and eggplants go in the ground tomorrow.  Woohoo!

These are all foraged from our front lawn.
Purple for colour and white for added flavour.

The wild violet tea.

It changed to pink once I added the lemon juice.

All natural fuchsia colour. Beautiful, eh?

So, so many dandelions are needed to get a strong flavoured jelly.

Dandelion tea steeping.

This jelly was still warm. It should firm up as it cools.

Blooming Before our Eyes

Things are blooming brightly around here, including our lilacs and our Liam.  Our eldest munchkin celebrated his First Communion this Sunday during the power outage. Luckily churches are well stocked with candles.  We are very proud of Liam, who is growing stronger and kinder with each passing day.

Liam is sporting his Papa's tie!

Hoppity Hop

 A new farm friend has taken up residence in our backyard. Seamus is thrilled. I hope he hopped to cover before the big storm hit!

Tree Huggers

We have always been tree huggers here on Gael Glen Farm but today we are also tree planters. After splurging on a new magnolia tree (I have always wanted one), we resigned ourselves to the more cost saving tree planting strategy of transplanting various other volunteer trees growing in weird places around the farm into more desirable locations.

My new magnolia tree which will have yellow blossoms
has been planted in my pond garden.

This is a flowering black locust tree.
Very honey bee friendly.

We also transplanted a choke cherry from the ditch beside the driveway and a red currant bush growing under the huge pine tree beside the chicken coop, both into the flower bed in front of the house where the huge cedar bushes used to be.

These were in addition to our three new gooseberry bushes, three new haskap bushes, and two new kiwi vines that we also planted this week. These beauties were ordered from the nursery though along with our seed potatoes.  Planting season is here!

Past, Present & Future

With this first-of-the-season, perfect red radish, I remember my dad. With a sprinkle of salt and its crisp, spicy crunch, I am grateful for our shared love of gardening.  I savour this taste of the growing season to come and I think about how very much I miss him.

From Farm to Table

After a busy day being a rambunctious munchkin, this little one chowed down on his homegrown supper.

Corned beef and cabbage with fresh garden asparagus.

Rhubarb crisp.

Fresh food from farm to table is one of the best things about spring. As his empty plate will attest, Alistair agrees!

Honey Bee Super Highway

Our apple and crab apple trees are literally buzzing with activity.  Standing under them is almost like standing inside a swarm with bees zooming right past your ear! The bees are completely uninterested in me though, they are on a mission. Crab apple honey, anyone?

Time Saver

I am grateful for today's rain. It saves me so much time watering but it does knock the petals off the crab apple tree.

 

In Full Bloom

Our apple and crab apple trees are in full bloom. So is Pecky Becky. They are certainly a sight to behold.