Morning, Noon and Night

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

 Morning, 10:15am 

 Noon, 12:30pm

Night, 5:45pm

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

Connection

A little time spent connecting to nature, and each other, at one of our favourite spots this weekend. We walked, talked, climbed trees, feed the chipmunks and chickadees, watched wild turkeys saunter around in the woods, got up close to see a mama duck and her ducklings, and enjoyed a picnic.  A lovely way to spend a few hours on a Saturday morning.

How was your weekend?

Joining Karen and Country Kids

27/52

 "A photo of my little man, once a week, every week, in 2014"

Reece, climbing trees again. I think if I gave you the option you would live in a tree.

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

The Evening Harvest

The evening harvest is one of my favourite times of the day. With a cup of tea in hand, I slowly walk around the yard checking in on the gardens, and harvesting, a little bit here and a little bit there, for our dinner. Last night Swiss chard, kale, salad greens, dill, parsley, and chives, along with some eggs from our hens, made the little trip from garden to kitchen, and then to our plates for dinner.

For me, this evening harvest is a simple pleasure tucked into my day at the perfect time. But really, it isn't all that simple. From the plans manifested during the dark, cold winter months, the seed ordering and planting, the tending and nurturing, and then finally, the food making its way inside to the table. When I think back, the whole process is anything but simple, but it is a pleasure, and one that fills me with great joy.

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Happy 4th of July to all my American friends. Enjoy your celebrations.

Filling the Pantry Shelves

My old friend made her return to the kitchen this week. She will sit comfortably on my stove top for the next few months, called into service after we pick strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and apples from our local farms, forage blackberries from the woods, or harvest cucumbers, green beans and beets from the garden in the backyard. She never complains about her work, even when the heat and humidity creep up to almost unbearable highs. Best of all, she is my partner in crime as I work to put local food on the pantry shelves for the winter ahead. Oh, how I have missed my dear old canning pot.

We hit the strawberry farm last Friday with some friends. There are many strawberry farms in our area, but I drive a little ways to get to this one. I enjoy my conversations with the farmer and his wife, they live a slow simple life on a quiet farm, and best of all, they refuse to use chemicals.

We headed out early to try and beat the sun and the heat, and pretty much had the whole field to ourselves. There was a lot of picking, and a little eating, strawberries fresh from the vine, warmed by the sun are just too hard to pass up. Once back at home, the fun began...some jam making and some freezing. By Saturday afternoon, all but a bowl of strawberries were put up on the pantry shelves and in the freezer, ready to help sustain us during the long, cold winter ahead.

This is just the beginning, and I have a feeling it is going to be a pretty good canning season.

Around the Garden

I am always amazed at how much the garden grows in a few days. Being here day in and day out, I don't notice it, but then I go away for a few days, and wow! And that is exactly what we came home to last week after a few days of yurt camping...everything grew. Strawberries ripened, pole beans started to snake their way up the poles, snow peas reached up higher on the trellis, cucumbers, squashes, zucchinis and pumpkins sprouted large new leaves, the garlic scapes circled around themselves and the greens exploded. It was an amazing site to see as I toured the gardens upon our arrival home.

The garden is growing well, we are keeping the bugs at bay and we are enjoying food grown in our own backyard. It really doesn't get much better. We have been picking strawberries daily, garlic scapes have been harvested and made into pesto and kale, Swiss chard, lettuces, beet greens and herbs are making it into meals on a consistent basis. I am carefully watching those first few tomatoes, my mouth watering, as I wait patiently for them to ripen. The potatoes are growing well, sending shoots up through the straw, and the garden as a whole is in a good place.

I have been harvesting medicinal herbs for a few weeks, infusing and drying them, so they can be used in various forms over the winter. Comfrey and yarrow are infusing in oil, nettle has been dreid and stored, calendula flowers, lavender, lemon balm and yarrow are drying, and motherwort and lemon balm are infusing in alcohol. There will be more infusing and drying over the next few weeks with more of the same herbs, and also some chamomile and St John's wort.

Our flower gardens are in various states of bloom, the poppies having long faded and the lilies and daisies are starting to make an appearance. The bees and butterflies are happy, and I am bringing fresh flowers into our home every few days.

I am hoping for a little bit of rain to fall soon, things are a little dry, and hand watering takes quite some time, so a little help from Mother Nature would be greatly appreciated. Fingers are crossed.

How are things around your garden?

Morning, Noon and Night

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

Morning, 10:15am

 Noon, 1:30pm

Night, 5:15pm

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

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Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends.
Hope you have the most wonderful day celebrating this great country we live in.