Luscious Crops Of Summer

Hot weather crops like tomatoes need lots of time in a warm place. The way to know when to plant is your last frost date. To find out, check with a local garden center, your Cooperative Extension Service, or check your climate in your area. Rotate Plant Families: There are lots of ways to rotate crops, based on when they start and finish, their fertility requirements, and so on. Peas, beans, clover, vetch, favas, and lentils build the soil by pulling nitrogen out of the air. Cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and mustards need lots of compost. Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and tobacco need their foliage dry. Parsley, carrot, parsnip, celery, cilantro, and dill need to be scattered around the garden to control pests. Hope this helps all my garden buddies out there.  Have a great weekend!

ART 

My husband (the artist) has his picture of "The Mill" line and wash watercolor for sale for anyone who is interested. The price without question is $95 dollars including frame plus shipping. Please contact us at david.susan@twc.com  regarding inquiry's.

More Garden Talk

March is coming, and whether it comes in like a lamb or lion roar its coming. So lets talk about late spring planting. A good habit is to sow only part of your seed at first, saving the rest to plant a week or two later. That way, if the seeds come to harm, you still have some. And when harvest time comes, you won't have all your produce at once, but can pick over a long period. Good soil preparation gives you a better garden, and can make all the difference. I have wet , poor soil, so I load it up with my chicken manure and hay that I have used in the chicken coop.. I also fill my garden with coffee grounds and other disposable waste. I love broccoli, so I try to get that crop in around the first of April. Potatoes would be great too. Unfortunately, my ground is too wet at this time so I rely on the Mennonites for my potato crop. Beets are another crop that I plant in April. I love to can beets.  The flavor is superb!They are simple to grow and are one of my favorite veggies loaded with iron. Carrots are yummy too. I always start the seeds in April, and let them grow till mid summer, and harvest the wonderful flavor of these orange nuggets. More on summer crops soon.      

Garden Talk

The weather has acted drunk this past week. We have had 65 degrees, then rain, then cold. Tonight's forecast is calling for a light dusting of snow. I think it is safe to say I won't be digging in the dirt for a while yet. But it will come soon enough, so I suppose I will enjoy a few more quiet days working inside the house before the insanity of spring hits! When it hits, the first seeds I am going to plant are peas, lettuce, radish's, and kale. The soil temperature should be 45 or above. Generally that is when the ground itself is no longer frozen, and is well drained enough to crumble when handled. These seeds can handle a light frost.   

Once Upon A Time. You can fill in the blanks. Our grandson spent the weekend with us, and as I got in the shower Sunday, I noticed this superhero on the shower catty. What is he doing? Protecting our space, is he the enemy, or the good guy. Should I leave him there, or should he be taken away? You can decide for yourself how the story ends!

So, in the dead of winter I may not have a colorful landscape to inspire me, but I do have my coop and flock to rely on. Cinderella is setting on a clutch of eggs. It is day 17, and I just hope she is not disappointed. Sunshine is still hanging out in the chicken coop. Poor Girl! Her babies never materialized, and she is beside herself. What's a mother to do!

http://www.wbko.com/home/headlines/Last-Minute-Valentines-Day-Shoppers-245631141.html

 

Is Your Food Living Or Dead?

Our body is a living organism, comprised of living cells that were designed by God to be nourished exclusively with living raw foods. Is the majority of the food you eat on a daily basis living or dead? Maybe you never thought to put your food into one of those two categories but it may help in your quest to avoid serious health problems now and in the future. Remember, food is fuel, and dead food is very low grade fuel.

WeatherForecast

It almost feels like spring right now! Unfortunately showers  are in the forecast for later on today, so I guess I will be slogging through the mud to do chicken chores. Our garden is like a swamp. I don't know why I am surprised, it is usually like this every year. I guess the only thing left to say is... bring on the mud!
I found this remedy that you might want to take advantage of on toenail fungus. I have had problems with it, and I know some of you out there have too. Soak your nails in beer for 30 minutes twice each day. In two weeks you should see a noticeable difference. Beer has natural anti-fungal properties. Have a good Monday!  

Happy Valentines Day! 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Valentines Day. Treat yourself to a wonderful dinner with your loved one, and stop by Starbucks to top the evening off.

Five Great Reasons To Buy Local, Organic Food

Obvious, for most people, it's a bit challenging to buy every food item locally. So, at the very least really get to know the source of your food before you make your purchase. No one wants to invest in toxic food which promotes sickness and disease. Local food taste better. Most produce, in the supermarket, is picked weeks ahead of time before it's ripe. Eating local food is seasonal. As you eat food seasonally you will also notice that your diet tends to have much more variety. Local food has more nutrition. When you buy local food you are more likely to be eating fresher food. Local food supports your community. This is a great way to boost the economy around you. Want to help defeat MONSANTO? Buy local, organic food. 

They Eat What?

When many Americans think of farm animals, they picture cattle munching grass on rolling pastures, chickens pecking on the ground outside of picturesque red barns, and pigs gobbling down food at the trough. Over the last 50 years, the way food animals are raised and fed has changed dramatically , to the detriment of both animals and humans. Many people are surprised to find that most of the food animals in the US are no longer raised on farms at all. Instead they come from crowded animal factories, also known as large confined animal feeding operations. Under current law, pigs, chickens, and turkeys that have been fed rendered cattle can be rendered and fed back to cattle. A loophole that may allow mad cow agents to infect healthy cattle. Animal feed legally can contain rendered road kill, dead horses, and euthanized cats and dogs. I don't know about you, but I don't want anything to do with this situation.

Pressure Canning

Pressure Canning

For me, one of the keys to cooking real food is to have a pantry stocked with real food that I have prepared ahead of time. I always have a supply of homemade salsa, applesauce, pickles, green beans and multiple other items. It makes it easy to put together a real food meal without spending several hours in the kitchen each and every day. My freezer space is limited, and certain things taste been canned than frozen. In the event of a power outage, my canned items are ready to go at a moments notice. This has never happened, and I hope it never does, but even if my freezer was without power and the food in it spoiled, my canned items would be ok.



Recap

Well, Sunshine had been on the nest 32 days to no avail. I took the eggs from her and replaced them with 6 fresh eggs, and she started over again setting. This time she stayed on 18 days. She got off the nest and the eggs were cold. I gathered the eggs, and come to find out one cracked while I was gathering them. Inside the egg was a perfectly formed chick as you can see in the picture. Why did she get off the nest? She was so intent on setting. I am confused. Does anyone in blog land have any answers for me?

 

Worton and Morton On Their Adventures! 



Frog and Toad are best friends. The compelling story and the adventures of these two toad brothers are fascinating to all young children. I know they were a favorite with our two children. My husband, the artist, painted these pictures. You can find them on SALE at The Franklin Art Gallery located on the square in Franklin KY.

Organic Food - Who Can We Trust

 

Organic food is big business. Sales of organic food and beverages went from $1 billion to $26 billion in 10 years. But, unfortunately, many small organic farms are selling out to bigger food corporations. We must ask, who can we trust? Clearly, consumer demand for fresh, organic food is on the rise. But, wait, for the uniformed consumer, you may want to be careful with your food money. Many of the foods sold in health food stores are loaded with heavy metals, genetically modified ingredient and may not be organic, especially if these foods come from China. As the picture above is self explanatory, now you see why I am out in my garden! 

Are Chickens Supposed To Be Vegetarians?

You know, the ones that boldly declare that the eggs sitting cozily inside their carton are from chickens fed an all natural vegetarian diet. At first glance, that sounds pretty good, right? I mean, it's always good to pay attention to labels especially with all the iffy stuff that takes place in food production these days. But when I stroll down the egg aisle at my local grocery store, those particular labels always make me shake my head. Cause if you have ever watched a chicken scratch and peck around your yard, then you know that chickens are most definitely not vegetarians by nature. A free range chicken generally makes a sport of hunting down and happily devouring any sort of moving object it can find including moths, grasshoppers, grubs worms, and even the occasional mouse or frog. It's a great way to pass time and an important source of protein for their diet. If you want to dig deeper into the confusing world of egg labels, check out this post from therisingspoon.  

When A Hens Mood Is To Hatch

As you know, Sunshine is still on the nest. Tuesday is her due date to hatch her chicks. I am afraid that if she is not successful I will have to eliminate the eggs, and she will have to get off the nest. Some hens stay on until they actually kill themselves of starvation. That is how strong the calling is. A hen has a hormone surge prior to egg laying that causes her to find and prepare a nest for the arrivals. The hormones usually return to normal levels after the egg is laid, but occasionally they will remain elevated, which causes the hen to sit in a chosen location, intent on hatching eggs. I like to say broodiness is a calling. It sure is with Sunshine. I will let you know the outcome. Have a blessed day!  Keep warm and cozy


SUSAN

I just couldn't resist this one. Yoga is one of my favorite things!