Thursday, July 31, 2014

Blueberries






It is blueberry season around here, and the picking is good! We visited our favourite blueberry orchard yesterday and picked our little hearts out with some friends, and the harris hawk who was on duty protecting the berries from the birds. Always a treat to see the hawk and meet his trainer.

We walked away with 12.5lbs of the delicious blue berries. Some of the berries have already made it to the freezer, and blueberry jam is in the plans for today,  Whatever is left we will enjoy as is, by the handful.

The best thing about blueberries, the long picking season. We will be heading back next week for another session of picking, and then, a little more jam making.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Around the Garden




















Oh my, these are good days around the garden. The harvests are rolling in, food is being eaten, and put by for winter, and herbs are being harvested and turned into medicine. There is a fullness in the beds, I might even say it is kind of wild, but the wild is growing some good food.

These days in the garden are the ones I dream about in February, when I sit back with a seed catalog in front of the fire with a cup of tea, the snow gently falling outside, and pick out the seeds for the planting season to come. During the dark, cold days of winter it is this dream that keeps me going, as well as the anticipation of being in the garden day in and day out, tending, nurturing, and growing our food.

This week we have been eating kale, Swiss chard, snow peas, green and yellow beans, zucchinis, and the first tomatoes. Parsley, basil, dill, chives, oregano, and sage have all been included in our meals here and there, and we are still enjoying strawberries and raspberries. Peppermint is being used in our drinks and to make sun tea, and calendula, yarrow, St. John's wort, lemon balm, and motherwort have all been harvested to make plant medicine.

The biggest news this week, I harvested the garlic, 74 beautiful, organic heads of garlic. I am not sure what it is about garlic, but I do love growing and harvesting it. It might be the whole process, planting it in the fall, tucking it in tightly under warm straw, watching the snow pile high on top all winter long, then seeing the little shoots of green peeking out in early spring, harvesting the scapes, and then finally, digging up the garlic. The whole process is amazing, and one that never gets old. The garlic bed is now empty, waiting to be topped up with some compost, and planted again. With what I am not too sure, I will figure all of that out this week.

The salad greens are done, getting a little too bitter for my tastes. I pulled out what was remaining and tossed it in the chicken run...I am the chickens new favourite person now. I also bring them leaves of kale full of cabbage worms. I have cleaned up the part of the bed where the salad greens were, and again will decide what to plant there this week.

Something else happens in the garden at this time of the year, I start planning again. Up until last year, we planted our summer garden, enjoyed it, and didn't really think much about planting for fall or winter. We harvested as much as we could before the first frost, and continued to eat kale until it was covered in snow. Last year, we decided to plant a fall garden, and really enjoyed it. So this year, we have decided to take it a step further and try out some winter gardening. I have been digging this week, creating a deep hole to put our cold frame in. It was hard work, but I finally moved the last bit of soil yesterday. The next step is to put a nice layer of straw on the bottom, place the cold frame in, fill it up with soil, and then plant it. I am pretty excited about this, and am really looking forward to see just how well we can grow food in the winter this way.

We also have plans of creating low tunnels on one or two of the raised beds. I need to firm up my plans this week on how many beds, and which ones, as those are the ones I will plant for the fall and winter garden.

And last but not least, did you see that new raised bed. Justin didn't think I could find a place for yet another raised bed, but I did! This one though, isn't for food. This will be my cut flower bed. I have a lot of perennial flower beds, and I do cut flowers regularly from them, but I thought it might be fun to have a specific bed just for flowers. They will grow in rows just like my vegetable beds, it won't necessarily be pretty, but it isn't meant to be. These flowers are meant for cutting, and a cutting I will be doing. I can't wait!

Wow, a lot of things have happened around the garden this week. Exciting times for sure.

How are things around your garden?

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Morning, Noon and Night

Morning, noon and night...three little peeks into my day yesterday.

 Morning, 10am

Noon, 2:30pm

Night, 7:30pm

***If you would like to play along leave your link in the comments section so I can stop by and visit.***

Monday, July 28, 2014

Good Things




:: flowers in little jars around our home
:: laundry on the line
:: family foraging adventure 
:: wild raspberries
:: food from the backyard
:: pantry shelves and freezer slowly filling up
:: garlic harvested and hanging to dry
:: meals enjoyed outside
:: a summer breeze cooling us off
:: jars of herbs infusing on the kitchen windowsill
:: lazy summer afternoons
:: family time at home
:: squeals of delight from my little man as he ran through the cold spray of the hose
:: one knitting project cast off, another cast on
:: imagination
:: the excitement that comes with planning
:: working towards our dreams together

What good things are you enjoying this summer?

Saturday, July 26, 2014

30/52

"A photo of my little man, once a week, every week, in 2014"
 
Reece, a lazy afternoon in the garden, you chilling on the deck, me playing with my camera. You are growing so fast, baby to boy, in what seems like an instant. I love you little man.

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

Friday, July 25, 2014

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

In the Woods

This morning I watched him,
carefree and wild,
running along the path.


Between the tall cedars,
reaching skyward,
casting shadows on the forest floor,
he laughed.


Moments of stillness,
for fairy houses,
flowers,
and frogs.


Onward again,
I meandered behind. 
I could feel time
slipping away,
as he moved further
into the woods.


He can't seem to stop,
moving,
or growing.
He is changing before 
my eyes.
Slow down little man,
wait for me.


These moments we share
in the woods,
are a balm for my soul.
My place of comfort
is here among the trees,
and I sense
the same is true
for him. 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Around the Garden















Life is good in the garden right now. Things are growing very well, the bugs are under control, we are eating a wide variety of foods, and we did our first big harvest yesterday. We have been eating from the garden for quite some time, heading out to pick a little bit here and there for our meals, but yesterday was the first harvest to start putting food by for the winter.

Reece and I headed out to the garden after breakfast with the intention of picking green beans and kale. He quickly got side tracked by the snow peas, and sat munching on them while I harvested. Can I just say watching him sit by the garden eating snow pea after snow pea melted my heart.

With the harvest collected we headed into the kitchen to make something of all that food. First up was kale pesto. Reece loves working the food processor, and did a wonderful job. We jarred it up, and added it to our freezer stash. We then sauteed some kale with garlic, just enough to wilt it, then laid it out on a baking sheet, and put it in the freezer. I will bag it up tomorrow morning, and then use it throughout the winter in soups, sauces and stews. Reece's only request as I harvested kale was kale chips, so I put enough aside to do a batch of kale chips, which he enjoyed for his afternoon snack. The greens beans were canned into dilly green beans, and are now sitting on the pantry shelves, ready for the winter ahead (if we can wait that long).

Did you happen to see that tomato? A sun gold, just about reading for picking. It will be split three ways in a few days, as long as I can stop little hands from getting to it first. The calendula is out doing itself, and I am harvesting flowers everyday for salve making. The garlic looks like it is almost ready, a little earlier than last year. I might just pull a bulb up this week and see how it is doing. And so far the cucumber, zucchini, squash and pumpkin are growing wild and crazy, producing flowers, and the beginning of food to be enjoyed soon.

Everyday flowers are brought inside, and put around our home in little vases. Just a little bit of sunshine brought inside to make me smile.

How are things around your garden?