Squash!

Without a root cellar on site, we cannot store our garden vegetable for the whole winter. Around this time of year Ian's mission becomes to cook everything up before it rots. This target today - this beautiful Long Island Cheese Squash. It is almost too pretty to cook!

Soup Weather

 I am loving that our last root vegetable harvest made such a hearty and delicious pot of soup!

Bread Baking for Centering and Satisfaction

 

I really enjoy baking bread. I know this. I just need to try harder to make for time for the little things that bring true satisfaction.

November Swim Session

Has spring come early? It would seem so...if the weather was like this and it was March I would be planting lettuce seeds in my box garden! I resisted the urge to sow but did take the garden hose out of winter storage so I could fill up the ducks' pool. Do you think they appreciated the gesture? Wait for it...they really go nuts around the 30 second mark.

https://youtu.be/khu6iUoQ-GQ

Lots of Holiday Cheer but No Snow!

We are not sure how to feel about the disappearance of the snow. We're hoping Christmas in Perth will help keep us in the holiday spirit. It was a gorgeous (and warm!) afternoon for the small town festivities.

 

Ugly but Beautiful

We pulled the last of our turnips today. They may not be perfectly shaped but I am proud of the turnip harvest we produced this year - enough for us and lots more to share! These ones are destined for chicken soup.

 

November Harvest

We are still pulling carrots from the ground. These ones are as sweet as candy!

 

Christmas Turkey?

 Pecky Becky is in the festive spirit and wants to join in the holiday fun. If only she could come inside...

Growing our Own

 With the price of veggies can you blame us for growing our own?! The cost of LED lights, seeds, and well water is negligible - whereas the cost of fresh greens at your finger tips is priceless! Right now we have lettuce, parsley, and scallions. Yum!

Recipe: Satisfying Salad

Our kale is still going strong in the garden but the last of our parsley and mint is getting covered up by the snow. I knew it was still down there though and look what I managed to dig up from beneath the snow! This is more than enough parsley and mint to make a wicked tabbouleh salad! What a win!

This was completely covered by snow 15 minutes before!

Parsley is a great herb to grow. It is so flavourful and hardy. November salads from the outdoor garden are incredibly satisfying.

Recipe: Gael Glen Farm's Tabbouleh

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup cooked couscous
1 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/2 cup fresh mint, minced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
juice of 3 lemons (9 tbs)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Cleaning House

I had some help with the farm chores with morning while Seamus was at tutoring and Ian and Ali did the week's grocery shopping. My trusty helper, Liam, mucked out the chicken coop like a pro. Instead of dumping the manure in the usual pile in the chicken run, we added this valuable waste to our kitchen garden. As the straw and chicken poop breaks down, it will as much needed nutrients back into our soil to help us produce a bountiful harvest next year.

Snacktime!

The goats love when Ian brews beer because it means that they get a warm snack of fermented grain.  This is especially appreciated on days like today when the winter wind is blowing hard!

Bye Bye Snowy Forest

I made time for one last short hike on my way home this morning. It was such a treat staying so close to Gatineau Park. I am excited to get back to the farm though. I missed all the craziness (the tiniest little bit).

Stream crossing!

 

Pre-breakfast Foresting

When you are staying a two minute walk from Gatineau Park, you have to make time for hiking. Even if none of your new colleagues are willing to tromp around the snowy forest with you before breakfast.

 

Work-cation

 Sometimes you just need a little work-cation to an alpine cabin in Chelsea to get the juices flowing. I am so happy to get to meet my new team and start collaborating!

Snow Dog

 

Apples on Ice?

Our hens seemed less than enthused about today's enrichment activity - apple bobbing for Canadian winters. They looked at me like I was crazy and then firmly demanded that their apples be moved to a more suitable dining location. Party poopers.

Kale Creativity

The most abundant thing in our garden right now is kale. We have so, so much kale! Three different varieties, in fact.

We have a whole row of kale!

And more kale!

 This means we are forever using kale in creative ways - kale caesar salad, kale chips, kale tacos...

Emergency Rations

With the winter weather approaching, Liam and I added some emergency food to the top of each hive and closed them all up for the last time until spring. We will still do one final round of mite treatments via oxalic acid sublimation but that does not require the hives to be opened. Happy hibernation little buddies! 

 

Right as Rain

Poor Ali is still sick on this rainy Remembrance Day. As happy as I am to have a shadow as I do farm chores, I hope he feels better soon. I have just about reached my sad, fussy kiddo quota and I am sure he is equally ready to feel right as rain again too.

Nobody Puts Ducky in the Corner...Except Herself

 An unfortunately circumstance to find yourself in if you are a half blind duck.  Poor Kate. I did rescue her and she is perfectly fine.

Hump Day Sunset

 It is a bit nuts trying to balance a sick kid with everything else but we made it to the end of hump day. The weekend is in sight!

Parvovirus B19

It is impossible to tell from the photo but Ali is covered with a million tiny red dots - all the way from his nose to his toes and everywhere in between. He has Parvovirus B19. He is no longer contagious but is full of snot and misery (though you can't tell from this smiling photo). He will be off school for the foreseeable future. How did we get so lucky?! Sigh.

A Treat for the Taste Buds

We cannot go wrong with homemade leek and potato soup and rosemary focaccia. A dinner to please anyone's taste buds.