tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77951844132845631932024-03-14T09:03:50.930-07:00Homesteading on the HomefrontA military wife's journey towards self-sufficiency.Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-65975070983727670542017-02-27T16:58:00.000-08:002017-02-27T16:58:58.914-08:00Pimento Grits ala Vivian HowardMarch is the month where two of my cooking challenges collide. The March Food52 Cookbook Club book is "Deep Run Roots." I've been cooking through it for awhile now with my friends back in VA. <br />
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Two years ago, before we moved to Guam, we celebrated my birthday with a road-trip to Kinston, NC and ate at "The Chef and the Farmer" and also "The Boiler Room". It was one of those memories I will never forget. I had watched all of the episodes of "A Chef's Life" on PBS and felt like I knew Vivian. Her food was amazing. So of course, when she came out with her first cookbook, I had to have it.<br />
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My friends and I have been tackling the chapters one at a time, saving the summer foods for, well, summer. February was "Ground Corn" month and so I chose to make the "Pimento Cheese Grits with Salsa and Chips" (<a href="http://www.starchefs.com/cook/recipe/vivian-howard/pimp-my-grits-pimento-cheese-cherokee-purple-tomato-salsa-and-jalape-o-cornbrea">you can find a similar version of hers here</a>). I'm a New England girl, y'all... the first time I ever had grits was at the Chef and the Farmer and no one was more surprised than I was when I absolutely fell in love with the 'Dirty Grits' with sausage and chicken livers (pictured above). <br />
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I promise that I speak the truth when I say that I intended to make the pimento from scratch, from the recipe that is also in the book. I have a jar of pimentos in my pantry to prove it. But really, now... did I honestly think the Commissary here would carry white cheddar? When I saw the $1.50 container of ready-made pimento cheese, I grabbed it.<br />
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I started out with the grits in a homemade double-boiler. After the recommended time, they still hadn't really thickened, so I put them directly on the heat and that did the trick perfectly. <br />
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I transferred them to a cast iron pan and dropped spoonfuls of pimento cheese on top, then spread it (do not try the wax paper tip from Vivian with store-bought, it's too sticky and wet to roll out) and popped it in the oven.<br />
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At this point, it was time to make the 'salsa'... which I would call more of a pico de gallo. The 'tomatoes' we get here are notoriously awful. Barely orange on the shelf, refrigerated, and don't even think about letting them ripen because they'll be a soft mess in about 12 hours. But I bought a couple just for this recipe, chopped up some purple onion, threw in a couple of frozen cilantro/evoo cubes, and called it good.<br />
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The cheesy grits came out of the oven as bubbly goodness and I added the salsa on top. It just seems wrong, but I served it with "Hint of Lime" chips (our favorite), and called the family to try. We literally stood at the counter, scooping directly from the hot pan on the stove until the bag of chips was almost gone. It was truly that good. Even the picky 13 year old scooped around the onions and wolfed it down.<br />
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I will say it's better served warm than cold, but that didn't keep me from finishing off the leftovers straight out of the fridge. This would make a great appetizer, assuming you are hosting the party and can serve it warm, or you know your hostess well and can heat it in her oven before serving. I don't think it would travel well after cooking. <br />
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The next time I make it, I think I will only use half of the grits called for (or double the salsa) because I think I would prefer that ratio better. But none the less, this one is another winner.<br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-75535974958054991022017-02-16T01:52:00.002-08:002017-02-16T01:52:58.657-08:00The Art of Pie... Lemon MeringueI need to make an effort to clean out the fridge and freezer. Both of them are too full at the moment. So I grabbed a ball of pie dough from the freezer and the jar of local-lemon juice that's been sitting in my fridge for the past month (remember <a href="http://homesteadingonthehomefront.blogspot.com/2017/01/calamansi-marmalade.html">this</a>?) and decided to try my first ever lemon meringue pie. I love lemon desserts, so I'm not really sure why I've never attempted one before. May be I was a tad intimidated by the meringue.<br />
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I followed <a href="http://artofthepie.com/the-queen-of-lemon-meringue/">Kate's recipe</a> (not for the pie dough... I'm still waiting for my order of leaf lard to be delivered and I had that ball in the freezer so I couldn't justify making more...) and it worked just perfectly. The only change I made was that I did not have any lemon zest, so I added in a bit of homemade lemon extract instead.<br />
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I couldn't have been more pleased with the results. The youngest took one bite and said "oooooh! This is GOOD!" The oldest ate vegetables at dinner so she could have dessert. The husband said "You've never made Lemon Meringue before!" (15+ years of marriage and THAT'S what he notices???) <br />
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The struggle was waiting for it to cool completely before cutting in to it. It was a long, hard wait.<br />
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It was real good, y'all! When I can get my hands on more calamansi, I'm going to try that instead of the lemon. Kate, you're killing me here. I do not have the room on my shelf for another cookbook! (I know Kindle is an option but when it comes to cooking, I want the real thing.) I still have one more ball of dough in the freezer and a can of pumpkin in the pantry, so I might have to be the only person who bakes pumpkin pie in February. And hopefully the lard gets here soon because I really want to try the Chicken Pot Pie. <br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-3750198372391138342017-02-13T00:38:00.000-08:002017-02-13T00:38:08.841-08:00The Art of Pie... Cottage PieLast week, I happened to stumble upon a new Facebook site called the Food52 Cookbook Club. Basically, every month they pick a cookbook and cook from it. This month's pick is The Art of Pie by Kate McDermott.<br />
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Now, I have been stingy lately when it comes to buying new cookbooks. I sifted through A LOT of them before we moved to Guam and donated about 75% of my collection (they are heavy, and we have a weight-limit when it comes to moving). I vowed that I would become much more disciplined when it came to adding any more to my collection. Since then, I've only purchased 2 of them... Vivian Howards "Deep Run Roots" was a no-brainer because I love her show, I ate at both of her restaurants, and I knew it would be worth having. I also bought Alana Chernila's "Homemade Kitchen" because I had her first cookbook and really liked it.<br />
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All that to say I do not plan on buying all of the cookbooks that the Cookbook Club works through. I do, however, plan to try as many recipes from those cookbooks that I can, relying on library downloads to my kindle and also online sources for recipes. When I cook enough to determine the book can hold its own, I may buy it.<br />
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Fortunately, Kate McDermott's website has several pie recipes (you can find them <a href="http://artofthepie.com/recipes/">here.</a>) Unfortunately, many of them call for leaf lard for the crust, which is just not something that is readily found in this tropical paradise. So I decided to start with the "Cottage Pie" recipe because I knew all of the ingredients could be easily found.<br />
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I anticipated push-back from the family. First of all, my husband will not eat Shepherd's Pie and this isn't all that different. Secondly, the eldest daughter despises onions and, well, anything new. But I am desperate for new dinner recipes (I feel like I've been in an 18-month rut, since moving here totally changed how and what we eat) so I persisted.<br />
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I loved that I could assemble this ahead of time, prepping before the 'witching hour' when kids were home from school, whining about homework, and underfoot looking for snacks. I grumbled at having to lug the food processor out to shred the carrots, but then realized I also had to use it to shred the block of cheddar so it kind of felt like I was killing two birds with one stone.<br />
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Half and hour before we wanted to eat, I threw the pan in the oven. Complaints from the eldest ensued, even after I explained there wasn't actually any cottage cheese in the Cottage Pie, but she didn't want to make her own salad (the only other option we give them when they don't like what's put in front of them) so she begrudgingly filled her plate.<br />
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The husband said "This is tasty." So of course I had to ask him why he'd eat this and not Shepherd's Pie. His answer? This has cheesy potatoes and carrots instead of corn (which he eats alone but not mixed in anything else.) The eldest child picked out the onions and ate everything else... and went back for seconds. The youngest child claimed the leftovers to pack for lunch tomorrow. And in a blink, the entire pan (which is supposed to serve 6-8) was empty. <br />
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If you would like to give it a try, <a href="http://artofthepie.com/cottage-pie/">here's the recipe</a>. Completely Lepper Colony approved. Next up, I may try the lemon meringue pie since I have some juice of local lemons in the fridge. "The Art of Pie" is getting great reviews on Amazon, and so far I concur!<br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-27126791948661908992017-01-23T17:24:00.000-08:002017-01-23T17:24:31.589-08:00Harvesting Honey the Old Fashioned WayUnlike many beekeepers who will not admit to their short-comings, I guiltily admit to neglecting my girls. Torrential downpours and tropical heat do not make for ideal hive-checking conditions. This morning I went for a walk after I put the (human) girls on the bus and it was one of those rare days when it was almost... dare I say... <i>pleasant</i>. So I vowed when I got home I would don the jacket, fire up the smoker, and say hello to the bees.<div>
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I did not bother to look for either queen because both hives had eggs and larvae. But the most exciting thing for me was finding a full frame of capped honey. Checking to make sure I wasn't depleting their stock, I put that frame aside and closed up shop before they got too mad at me. Back in VA, it was easier to rob the bees because we'd do it a box at a time, using special (but safe) fumes the bees didn't like. They'd hunker down in the lower part of the hive, we'd lift off the box of honey, and off we'd go. This morning, I had to brush the bees off the frame, walk away from the hive, brush some more bees off, walk further away, brush more bees off... you get the picture. Only when I was satisfied that all bees were off the frame (and my jacket) could I take it inside.</div>
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I never imagined I'd have bees in Guam, so I left my Extractor in storage. I wouldn't have used it for just one frame, anyway, because it makes a mess and wouldn't be worth the hassle. Instead, I resorted to the age-old practice of 'crush and strain', which is exactly what it implies.<br />
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You take the wax off the frame, crush it, and strain it to remove any 'impurities' (like bee legs or larvae). Obviously, this means the wax is destroyed. Had I used an extractor the whole frame could have gone back into the hive for the bees to fill again. But that's ok. Bees are busy and they'll make more. And the wax certainly won't go to waste. I'll clean it, melt it, and use it in my salves and soap-making.<br />
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Voila! One full quart of honey and about 3 more cups in the bottom of the bowl.,, about 84 oz of honey. Here in Guam, the going rate is $20/lb, which means I just harvested $105 worth of honey. NOT THAT IT'S FOR SALE. Because it isn't!<br />
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Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-8738560277871329682017-01-18T17:28:00.000-08:002017-01-18T17:28:57.319-08:00Calamansi MarmaladeIt's been 18 months since we made the move to Guam and I am not canning nearly as much as I did in VA. I've made a lot of Mango and Guava jam for Christmas gifts, but I miss hearing the ping of sealing jars on a regular basis. So when I heard about the <a href="http://foodinjars.com/2017/01/food-jars-mastery-challenge/" target="_blank">Food In Jars Mastery Challenge</a>, I knew I had to take part. Basically, each new month is an opportunity to work on a different food preservation technique or skill.<br />
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January's topic was MARMALADES. Now, I'm not one of those people who dislike marmalade, but I'm not going to go out of my way to get my hands on it. And I certainly have never taken the time to make it, because unless I can get local, spray-free citrus, I'm not real interested... unlike most Navy families, we have never lived in Florida or California! When one lives on Guam, however, the first thing that pops into your head when you hear 'local citrus' is Calamansi. <br />
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I'd never heard of it before I came here. In other parts of the world, it is called Calamondin (I've also seen both words spelled with a 'k'.) It's a small lemony-limey type citrus fruit most often juiced for a drink similar to lemonade. I don't like to drink my calories (I eat more than enough of them as it is!) so I've never tried it, but I know many friend who enjoy it. So, my reasoning went, if people enjoy the taste enough to drink, certainly it should make a good marmalade. An on-line search revealed that calamansi marmalade is, indeed, a 'thing', so I decided that's what I was going to make.<br />
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When I asked a group of friends where I could get my hands on some, they all said "Call Sabrina! She's got a ton!" So I did, and she had just enough left to give it a go. (She'd foraged them from a tree on the side of the road. I knew they were organic!) Well, I followed the directions perfectly and I ended up with the most bitter-tasting, disgusting product to ever come out of my kitchen. I am really good at 'saving' jams that don't come out as expected, but there was just nothing I could do with this stuff. <br />
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Then I got to talking to my friend Susan, whose in-laws have a farm here on the island. "Are you SURE you were using Calamansi and not local lemon?" she asked. Um, not really! A couple days later she presented me with 3 different kinds of Guam citrus. She was right... my calamansi marmalade wasn't calamansi at all!<br />
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On the left are the fruits referred to as 'local lemons'. I have no idea what the rest of the world calls them, if they even grow in the rest of the world. In the middle are the calamansi, which you can see are much smaller (they will turn orange if left on the tree, but the locals here consider them gone-by at that point.) On the right are the local tangerines, very similar to clementines except they have a green skin and a white flesh, and aren't quite as sweet.<br />
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I immediately got to work on my second attempt at marmalade, this time using true calamansi. I used <a href="https://gardeningonthego.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/making-marmalade-from-the-calamondins/" target="_blank">this site </a>as my guide. I started with about 4 cups of fruit. I washed them and then cut them in half, taking out the seeds and slicing them (trying to save as much juice as possible.) I figured out too late that it was probably easier to get all the seeds out by cutting along the 'equator' of the fruit instead of from pole to pole.<br />
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This gave me 2 cups of fruit, which went into a pan along with 1 1/2 cups of water.<br />
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I let that simmer for a good 20 minutes to soften the skins. This is also a great time to remove all of the seeds you missed!<br />
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Once cooled, it went into the fridge overnight to help develop the natural pectin. The next day, I added an equal amount of sugar and let it boil until it got to 220 (which didn't take nearly as much time as it did when I used the local lemons, which surprised me). Normally, I use half as much sugar as fruit in my jams, but this is not the time for that. First of all, the sugar is needed for taste since the fruit is so sour. And secondly, with no commercial pectin, the sugar is needed to ensure the marmalade will set up. Then I processed it in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. <br />
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The results were a pleasant surprise. Sweet and tart and not very bitter, it was actually kind of delightful. I am hoping to try it in my tropical bar recipe the next time I need to bring a dessert somewhere. It would also be really good as a glaze over blueberry cheesecake, I'm sure!Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-5950912011429374612017-01-10T18:16:00.004-08:002017-01-10T18:16:52.396-08:00Rice Pudding, Vivian Howard's WayThe holidays are over and that means one thing... time to get back to cooking from "Deep Run Roots". I've missed Vivian. It feels like months since PBS aired a new "Chef's Life" episode. I've had to resort to streaming earlier episodes, and I might have watched the Holiday Special more than once.<br />
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In the interest of trying to eat seasonally (which is more for Nancy and Courtney, my co-conspirators who are in Virginia, and not for me, stuck on this tropical island where nothing I want to eat is ever in season except maybe mangoes, avocados, and coconuts) we decided to tackle the rice chapter. To be completely honest, it's not a chapter that spoke to me, although I was happy to see that 'Scarlett's Chicken and Rice' was included, since that's a dish that has come up several times on the show. <br />
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Nancy chose the "Crispy Ginger Rice with Leeks, Shiitakes, and a Fried Egg" because she loves fried eggs. Me, not so much. Courtney chose the "Country Ham with Celery Creamed Rice." Being that there's no country ham to be found on this island, better her than me. And what did I go with? Happily, one look at the rice pudding recipe confirmed I had all the ingredients (well, except the rice, but more on that later) and so that's what I chose.<br />
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I like rice pudding. But I never make it, because every recipe under the sun starts out with cold, cooked white rice. Which is a problem for me, because I never have white rice in the house, never mind cooked and cold. So I was excited to try this one, because you basically dump everything in the pot along with a half cup of UNCOOKED rice, and you're good to go. Can do.<br />
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Now, I'm no rice connoisseur, so I began by reading Vivian's recommendations. Long Grain... Carolina, Jasmine, Basmati, Uncle Ben's. In that order. Well, I knew the odds of finding Carolina rice here would be nil, so off I went to the commissary in search of Jasmine rice. On an island where most inhabitants have Filipino, Japanese, or Spanish blood, there is no shortage of that. <br />
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Y'all, my choices were a 5 pound bag or a 50 pound bag. I wanted to scream "What happened to the small 16oz packages? I only need a half a cup!" And then I wanted to cry because I just want to live where I can buy normal groceries. I've been here for over 18 months and I'm never going to adjust. I've accepted that. So I bought the 5 pound bag, sans tears, and went home to cook.<br />
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I got out a whole star anise, a cinnamon stick, a vanilla bean, and some homemade dehydrated orange peel. I should note that all of these items came to the island with me. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble. I had to fish the vanilla bean out of a half-gallon mason jar full of Bourbon that I smuggled in in a 5 gallon bucket surrounded by popcorn kernels (normally, movers won't pack anything liquid. I wasn't going to leave behind my homemade vanilla! The jars of maple syrup and honey were packed carefully in the safe. They made it just fine. Needless to say, not my first move. I'm an expert by now. But I digress...)<br />
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Into the pot it all went, and then it was just a matter of stirring. Often. For 30 minutes. This is not a recipe to attempt if your attention needs to be elsewhere. For the record, here are the Top 10 productive ways to spend this 30 minutes (stir after each), in no particular order:<br />
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1. Give the cat some fresh water.<br />
2. Pour the 5 pound bag of rice into an air-tight container to prevent insect infestations.<br />
3. Do the dishes. By hand. Because you don't have a dishwasher (no, I'm not bitter. Much.)<br />
4. Refill the ice-cube trays. By hand. Because the ice machine in the fridge doesn't work and no one wants to consume unfiltered water on this island anyway.)<br />
5. Wipe down the counters.<br />
6. Wipe down the cupboard.<br />
7. Discard the Christmas left-overs that are languishing in the fridge.<br />
8. Put away all the spices that came crashing down while you were digging around trying to find the nutmeg.<br />
9. Turn on the Roomba so at least you get clean floors out of the deal.<br />
10. Feed your sourdough starter.<br />
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At the end of 30 minutes, your pudding will still be soupy. Mine was REALLY soupy, because despite what the dial says, my burners only have two settings: warm and scorching. So I erred on the side of caution. After 10 minutes of cooling, it had significantly thickened. And dang, this stuff is good warm.<br />
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But I put it in the fridge to serve after dinner, and it thickened even more. Joanna and I loved it cold, too. I totally disregarded the part about adding pistachios and buttermilk before serving (mostly because I've only seen liquid buttermilk on the shelf once, and that was about 3 months ago). It didn't need it. At all. A scoop of fresh whipped cream would have taken this totally over the top, but I didn't have any of that, either. I had to limit myself to 3 bites or I would have eaten the whole batch. (For the record, the other two don't like rice pudding. Their loss.)<br />
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It's so nice knowing that I can make rice pudding whenever I want, no cold, pre-cooked rice required. Which is a good thing, because I now have a lifetime supply of white rice. <br />
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<a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/recipe/vivian-howards-buttermilk-orange-rice-pudding-pistachio" target="_blank">Here is the recipe</a> if you would like to try it yourself (no endorsement of Dr. Oz implied!!!)<br />
<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-88967151554051307992016-10-31T21:18:00.000-07:002016-10-31T21:18:13.991-07:00A Walk Around The Homestead 11/1/2016I had a happy surprise today in the garden, so I thought it was time to show you how things are growing out there. We are getting towards the end of rainy season, which means that we're still plenty wet. I love not having to water my containers, as it's unusual if we don't get at least a little shower once a day. Then the sun comes out and dries everything out. In the dry(er) season (Dec - May), we may go two or three days without rain, which means I have to keep up with watering the plants I have in containers because the sun is so hot that even though we'll still get a couple of inches of rain per week, it's just not enough.<br />
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I bought this Barbado cherry when we first got on island a little over a year ago. It has blossomed several times, but not set fruit... so I was happy to see some growing. Once it gets going, it should produce nearly year-round.<br />
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This was my truly happy surprise this morning: The Strawberry Guava that I bought at the same time as the Barbados Cherry is blossoming! I have been waiting and waiting for signs of fruit, and it makes me giddy to see the beautiful flowers.<br />
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I have tried several times to root cuttings from a friend's Mulberry Tree. Happy to report that the last attempt appears to have worked (it truly was the last attempt, too, as she moved off island and the military housing neighborhood she was in is now completely closed!)<br />
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And we all know how I feel about my figs. They are looking beautiful!<br />
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This is my green-stem Malabar Spinach plant. It's so long! I just keep weaving it between my railing posts and it seems to be loving life. We love the leaves in smoothies.<br />
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This tomato was one of the volunteers I found that sprouted up shortly before I got back on island in August. It really started to take off once I repotted it.<br />
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These are some sunflowers I planted from old seeds. I didn't expect any of them to sprout. I'll need to transplant them soon so they have more room!<br />
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Lots of bees out doing their orientation flights this morning!<br />
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The dragon fruit has really grown by leaps and bounds. This is a native yellow variety, and I've been told I won't need to hand-pollinate it. I just hope it flowers soon!<br />
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This is luffa that also sprouted from old seeds. I decided to put it next to the chain-link fence so it can spread its wings. We'll see how it does, as I've never grown it before (successfully, anyway!)<br />
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I've got several Poona Kheera cukes that sprouted, so this one is on the same chain link with the luffa. I grew some in the dry season without much luck, so I'm hoping these will do better.<br />
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I just cut back this lemongrass last month and it's already grown even more. This all started from a $1.69 bunch of stalks I bought at the commissary and rooted.<br />
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And this prehistoric looking monster of a plant is called Naranjilla, which means 'nectar of the gods'. It has the nastiest thorns ever (which the Baker Creek catalog failed to mention) so I moved it from a pot on the deck into the pathetic raised bed. We'll see how that goes.<br />
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And this lettuce is an experiment that seems to be doing well. It is Jericho Lettuce, which supposedly is more heat tolerant than most. I've had it in a protected place away from direct sunlight and it seems to be doing well.<br />
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I would like to start some pepper seeds and see if I can't grow some jalapenos, but other than that, I don't have any major plans for the garden. It is definitely still an experiment in this humid 'paradise'.Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-26857200754184477642016-10-21T23:23:00.000-07:002016-10-21T23:31:11.110-07:00Ms. Barwick's Applejacks (Courtesy of Vivian Howard)Last week the mailman delivered my copy of "Deep Run Roots", Vivian Howard's new cookbook. I have been waiting for its release for a LONG time. Before we left Virginia and moved to Guam, I was fortunate enough to be able to eat at both of Vivian's restaurants (you like how we're on a first-name basis?). I have watched every single episode of her show, "A Chef's Life", which airs on PBS. To put it mildly, I'm a fan.<br />
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Anyway, my friends Nancy and Courtney are also fans, so we decided that we would cook through the book together, even though they are 8,000 miles away in Virginia (with access to lots of fresh-picked-right-off-the-farm fruits and veggies) and I am here in Guam (with access to flown-in-from-thousands-of-miles-away fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, there aren't any chapters in the book featuring mango or avocado or Asian beans or anything else that grows on this island.)<br />
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Given the time of year, we chose to begin with the Apple chapter. Having been intrigued by Applejacks ever since the apple episode in the second season of "A Chef's Life", that's where I chose to begin. The back-story on these is that Vivian grew up going to the B&S Cafe, where they would sell these hand-held apple pies on the weekend for about a buck. Sweet Ms. Barwick, who used to run the Cafe, is now Vivian's neighbor and in the afore-mentioned episode, she taught Vivian how to make the Applejacks. <br />
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It's not a quick process, I will tell you that much. (ALL.MORNING.LONG.) You can find the recipe <a href="http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/old-timey-applejacks/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Yesterday, I cored and sliced some Fuji and Golden Delicious Apples and slid them into the dehydrator. Vivian tells you in the book how to dry them without any fancy equipment, but since I already had the fancy equipment, I figured I might as well use it.<br />
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I decided today would be the day I attempted these babies since the husband and kids were out of the house for a good part of the morning. Making the filling was easy... chop up the dried apples, mix with some Apple Cider and water, and cook it down. Except that there is no easily-found Apple Cider on Guam right now, so I used some apple juice concentrate I had in the freezer.<br />
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It took awhile to cook down, but you can see the apples underwent some transformation.<br />
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The dough was easy... just flour, lard, and water. Except that there is no easy-to-find lard on Guam, so I had to use the Crisco in the cupboard. In the cookbook Vivian recommends a tortilla press instead of rolling by hand, but mine is in storage so the rolling pin it was. The dough was easy to work with, so it was time consuming but not frustrating.<br />
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Add some filling, then close 'em up and await frying. I did not follow directions, which said to place them on a floured sheet. I should have. I ended up having to do some 'gluing' with dough, since some of them stuck to the plate and weren't easy to remove.<br />
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I got eleven pies out of the deal. The recipe should have made 12 but the first couple I made were too big. My kitchen was a mess.<br />
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In the Apple episode, Vivian said they switched to frying in lard they rendered themselves and that really improved the final outcome. Alas, all I had was Crisco. I do not typically fry ANYTHING so this was a first for me. <br />
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After they were golden brown on both sides, I hit them with some Cinnamon Sugar. The recipe recommended a Rosemary Sugar, but I'm not a fan of rosemary and I figured cinnamon couldn't hurt.<br />
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The kids loved them. Hubby thought the filling was too sweet. I thought there was too much lemon juice in them. They were still good, it was just an awful lot of work for not a lot of pies. In all honesty, I prefer my mother-in-law's recipe for Slab Apple Pie which can also be eaten in hand but doesn't require nearly as much work. In the future, I may try the Applejack filling in the Slab Pie recipe and see how that combination works together... I suspect it will be amazing.Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-44613270051332282712016-08-17T19:31:00.000-07:002016-08-17T19:31:23.474-07:00Neglected PlantsUgh. <br />
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I've been off island for almost 2 months... and we're smack dab in the middle of rainy season. I had no idea what would happen to my plants in my absence. I knew the tomatoes had run their course before I left, but I didn't have time to pull them up. I half expected to find a bunch of dead stems.<br />
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We got in late at night, so I was pretty thrilled when I woke up yesterday morning and saw that there was still life on the back deck! The only plant that didn't make it, as far as I can tell, is the mulberry, which was on its way out when I left.<br />
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After I yanked the tomatoes and over-grown New Zealand Spinach, things started to look pretty decent. See for yourself:<br />
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On the left is a Strawberry Guava plant and on the right is a Barbados Cherry (acerola). At one point, the cherry was so over-taken with blackspot that I had to wash each individual leaf. It bounced back nicely, and if you look close you might even see some of its pretty pink blossoms. The Strawberry Guava usually takes 18 months to blossom, so I am hoping to see some anytime now.<br />
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The two bottom plants are figs, and the one on top is a Surinam Cherry. I was happy to see that all 3 of my figs were still alive. The Surinam is looking good, but they are slow to fruit. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will get some before we move in 2 years!<br />
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The plant on the left is actually a sweet potato! The leaves are great to add to smoothies and it's a really easy plant to propagate. They are slow to grow actual sweet potatoes, though, so I'm really only growing it for the leaves. On the right is a Thai Basil that is doing splendidly.<br />
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The Sweet Basil reseeded itself everywhere! I had some growing with each tomato plant, but they'd pretty much all bolted when I left. I didn't expect to see any alive when I returned. But, like I said, I had them in MANY pots! I transplanted the babies into their own containers and will probably use them for hostess gifts and such. The plant in the aqua container is a pineapple, which I had bought right before I left island. It's as easy as cutting the top off a pineapple and sticking it in/on soil.<br />
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This weird looking plant is what remains of a Malabar Spinach plant. As you can see, the original lost all of its leaves and is nothing but berries (the black things) which I will harvest for the seed inside. But look at all the baby Malabars that popped up! Eventually, I will repot them and share with fellow gardeners. I also plan to grow them in a more shaded area this time, as that will encourage leafing.<br />
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Out in the yard, I was very surprised by my monstrous lemon grass. Going to have to harvest that and dry it for teas and soaps.<br />
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Another surprise was the mango plants that popped up. I'd harvested a bunch of them and composted the peels and seeds before I left. It's too bad they grow so big and take so long to fruit... I'm going to have to pull them up.<br />
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Having been through a full calendar year in Guam, I have definitely learned some good lessons about growing in the tropics. I'll be doing a lot differently this time around!<br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-44626417758007105242016-04-06T21:11:00.002-07:002016-04-06T21:14:00.783-07:00Growing on GuamIt's been way too long since I've posted. In fairness, I will say that it took me awhile to get into a gardening groove here. Topsoil is almost non-existent, so any gardening that I do is limited to containers (there was once a 4x4 bed out in the yard, so I'm working on building that soil to make it fertile). I brought lots of containers with me, but soil availability is sketchy. Home Depot usually has it at a price I refuse to pay, so I have to wait until the NEX Homestore has it in stock. Which they usually don't. Once the stars aligned, however, I bought a ton of it, along with several bags of steer manure/compost, and I was able to get started. It was probably January once I'd gotten everything together and started seeds... a little later than I'd like but next year I'll learn my lesson. Gardening during the rainy season (June - Dec) is not easy, especially in pots, so I wanted to take advantage of as much of the less-rainy season as I could. Turns out, it's actually pretty dry here and I have to water all the time (being so close to the equator, the sun is HOT).<br />
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I'm happy to say that the cherry tomatoes are doing well. I have a couple of plants... one has small fruits perfect for my youngest to pop in her mouth. I got it at Home Depot only because I think it was mismarked, and really cheap for its size! The other cherry tomato I grew from seed that I'd saved from a plant that volunteered in my VA compost pile. It was the only tomato that grew for me that summer, so I was determined to save the seeds. I was happy to see they were still viable and have produced a great plant loaded with fruits and blossoms, so I can continue to save seeds for next season.<br />
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Large tomatoes don't tend to grow well here (it's too hot/wet), but I did plant some Juliet seeds that have done really well. I know I won't get enough of them for saucing, but I do hope to make some salsa. Notice the spider. They are everywhere here!<br />
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One of my surprises has been the Alma Paprika that I planted... I've had the seeds for awhile, as I tried to grow them in VA but didn't have any luck. The compact plants are loaded with blossoms, so I am excited to harvest them and make my own paprika (and, of course, save some fresh seeds!).<br />
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I acquired several fig trees and one of them is growing like gangbusters. Just the other day I looked out and realized that it was growing baby figs. This makes my very happy! I am keeping my fingers crossed that nothing happens and I can harvest them!<br />
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My friend Joan in VA had given me a "Korean Mint" plant, and before we sold the house I made sure to collect seeds. Also called "Korean Hyssop", it's a lot like Anise Hyssop but taller. So far, it is doing well, and I love to rub the leaves for their black licorice smell.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6gPgwzxkcTpj5RPVrsiZQmH67sxFdyrBYhwl8h42MTVHFKNdO0NZcHuN-xQGZi_N8mJCBltYpcy3JBh24kbmNivzNPo-41VDwbhspd6SZC3cvjNEFKI1_c5DQ6vjaeGGkMqaOXngjrCl/s1600/IMG_2722.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6gPgwzxkcTpj5RPVrsiZQmH67sxFdyrBYhwl8h42MTVHFKNdO0NZcHuN-xQGZi_N8mJCBltYpcy3JBh24kbmNivzNPo-41VDwbhspd6SZC3cvjNEFKI1_c5DQ6vjaeGGkMqaOXngjrCl/s320/IMG_2722.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
After several attempts, it looks like I've finally gotten the hang of Malabar Spinach. When it gets a little bigger, I'll start harvesting the leaves for our smoothies. <br />
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Also for smoothies is Dwarf Moringa. This is a tropical plant I learned about on island and it's loaded with protein and vitamins. I have several growing and am interested to see how large they will get in pots. Even though they are dwarves, they would still grow to 30' if I put them in the ground!<br />
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This Jurassic-looking plant is a "Naranjilla". When I ordered the seeds from Baker's Creek, I didn't know that they had such monstrous THORNS! Supposedly, they will produce small fruits that look like oranges and I will make some jelly with them. <br />
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This 'little' guy was waiting out there for me this afternoon and I was stumped! <br />
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The ONLY way for him to get up on the deck was to climb all of these stairs! How did he do it?<br />
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I am trying not to get too excited, but in the next couple of weeks it looks like there could be bees on the homestead. You all know how happy that would make me, so keep your fingers crossed!<br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-22300896583354504932015-08-29T03:55:00.002-07:002015-08-29T03:55:47.342-07:00Fonte Dam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning we embarked on the first of many Boonie Stomps here on Guam. We chose to start with the short hike to Fonte Dam, because it's really near our house and it was rated as a pretty easy hike. We had a great view of the water tumbling over the dam because we're in the middle of raining season. However, that also meant that there was a lot of slippery mud. I was grateful Stephen remembered the hiking stick, which I quickly claimed as my own.<br />
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The dam was made in 1910, a project of the Navy under the Taft Administration to provide the capital city with water.<br />
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"Look, Mom! The toads are hugging!"</div>
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We decided to kill two birds with one stone and continue hiking on to the Libugon Radio Station that was destroyed by the Japanese in the early 1940s. It was a hard trail to follow, but we finally found the ruins.<br />
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Pretty sure when Dad made that walking stick he never envisioned it being used on Guam!<br />
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By the end of the hike, the girls were DONE! Click on this picture and get a good laugh at Jojo's face!Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-6326861235337351722015-08-28T03:37:00.006-07:002015-08-28T03:37:46.731-07:00Medicinal Herb FarmI promised a post about the Medicinal Herb Farm, and here it is. You just have to click on over to <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/guam-traditional-plants-zbcz1508.aspx" target="_blank">Mother Earth News</a> to read it!Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-14077234725026337602015-08-25T02:42:00.001-07:002015-08-25T02:42:22.400-07:00A Walk Around the Homefront AUG 2015We've been on Guam for about 3 weeks, and in that time we've explored the island, been to the beach, taken delivery of our household goods, toured a local Medicinal Plant Farm (more on that in another post), and lost my beloved Aunt Audrey. I knew the best thing for my hurting heart would be to play in the dirt, so Sunday afternoon I repotted all of the plants I'd accumulated in that short time. <br />
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This morning, I realized it had been awhile since I'd taken a walk around the homefront, so today I took my camera with me so I could show you what we've got so far. It was Aunt Audrey who took me on my first 'walk around the homefront', on her property back home in MA. She would point out wildflowers ("Look at the Indian Paintbrushes! Time to go back to school!" she'd say) and we'd check out the fruit trees and admire Uncle Leroy's garden and pick ripe blueberries. It's no wonder, then, that I would take comfort from a walk around our new property to check things out.<br />
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In the built-in planter out back, we have this beautiful ornamental red ginger. I was hoping it would be edible, but no such luck.<br />
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Out front, we also have this Bird of Paradise which is beautiful. But again, I wish it was more than just ornamental.<br />
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Cathy, my friend and neighbor from Virginia, gave me this flag and as soon as I unpacked it, I had to go put it up. <br />
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There are several coconut trees lining the "Alley" we live on. Stephen has gotten good at cracking into them and toasting the meat to have with his morning oatmeal. Yum! <br />
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This is a Strawberry Mango tree that I bought from Ralph, a retired military dude who sells his extras once a month at the flea market up on the Air Force Base. Hopefully, it will start to fruit sooner rather than later, but it's still little.<br />
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I spotted this poor basil plant at the BX at the Air Force Base, so I had to bring it home. I need to prune it so it bushes more. <br />
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We also have some papaya trees. We aren't sure if they are ours or if they belong to our neighbors, but they don't seem to want them, so we are not above foraging! <br />
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Just a few days ago, I was looking out our bedroom window and noticed that there was something hanging off of this shrub. Further examination revealed Guavas, and lots of them!<br />
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This is a Surinam Cherry that I also bought from Ralph. We think it should start to bloom in about six months. <br />
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And this one is called "Orange Berry" because... you guessed it... it produced orange berries. It also came from Ralph.<br />
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These two plants came from Amot TaoTao Farm, which is a local medicinal herb grower. On the left is Sambong (<em>Blumea balsamifera)</em><strong> </strong>which will eventually grow into a larger shrub. On the right is Miracle Plant (Bryophyllum pinnatum)<i><b> </b></i>which is VERY easy to propagate (just stick a leaf on the soil and it'll sprout a new plant!).<br />
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This Barbados Cherry was the first plant I bought, at the Navy Exchange Home Center. In just 3 short weeks, it has blossomed and is now growing fruit!<br />
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This beauty right here is a Vietnam Gardenia which Abby brought home from the same place. It's supposed to blossom year round, so we'll see. It, too, has a blossom coming.<br />
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This pathetic little specimen is Lemon Grass, but for $2, I couldn't resist bringing it home. It makes a great iced tea!<br />
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Max loves this look-out point. The big window in the kitchen is great for plants and starting seeds. There's some cilantro, a vinca, and a pineapple top which I am attempting to re-grow.<br />
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This was my surprise of the day... bananas! Again, not sure if this tree is ours or the neighbors, but I'm certainly going to keep my eye on them!<br />
<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-4885073701873527142015-08-06T01:44:00.000-07:002015-08-06T01:44:40.326-07:00First Market in GuamIt has rained every day since we arrived on the island. Not constantly, but it's been cloudy every day which has been a nice break from the sun. Thankfully, the weather held and we were able to enjoy the night market in Mangilao.<br />
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I was all about getting my hands on local produce. The husband and kids were all about eating meat on a stick. In the end, we all were happy.<br />
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The first new-to-us fruit we tried was Santol. It's the yellow ones on the left in the photo above. It has a mild citrus-y taste (almost like a grapefruit?). Apparently, you can make santol marmalade but I only bought a few so we'll be eating them raw.<br />
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We didn't buy any juice, but I had to take this picture because I was proud of myself for knowing what the purple Ube is. (It's a purple yam/sweet potato very popular in the Philippines. I know this thanks to my VA neighbor, Cathy, who once made us Ube ice cream!) We also passed on the fish balls.<br />
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There were several vendors selling grilled chicken on a stick, and we tried one from everybody. The unanimous winner was Dada's BBQ. Yum-o.<br />
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For dessert, Joanna decided she wanted Tapioca pudding. This was not at all like the chilled, thick goodness we know and love. It was warm and soupy, and absolutely out of this world. Even Abby ate it, and she doesn't like tapioca! <br />
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"Farm to Table Guam" was there with some beautiful produce, and I got to introduce myself to Rita, their PR person. Hoping to get some canning/dehydrating classes on the island! <br />
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Not a bad haul for my first market. Clockwise from top left: some little bananas, long string beans, santol, guava, star fruit, avocados, dragon fruit, and soursop. I feel a tropical fruit salad coming on!<br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-59017649923489656842015-06-30T18:14:00.003-07:002015-06-30T18:14:56.127-07:00Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes... and ChincoteagueI am disgusted with myself that the last blog post I wrote was NINE MONTHS AGO TODAY. Cripes, I could have had a baby in that time!!! (Rest assured, I did not. Thank you, Lord. Although it would have been a great excuse...)<br />
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Since then, my life has been consumed with preparing for an overseas move and selling our house. Which we did. In fact, the last of the paperwork was signed today! Yesterday, the movers drove away with all our belongings and we left Chesapeake. I decided to take the kids to Chincoteague before we left the area for good because they both loved the "Misty" books.<br />
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The original plan was to rent bikes and ride around the National Park on Assateague. But I decided this morning that we'd take a pontoon boat tour, instead. It was expensive, but I was really hoping we'd see some horses (Abby is obsessed with them!) On our way to the dock, she spotted this statue and begged me to stop so we could take pictures.<br />
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I saw these chairs and made them pose!<br />
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Shortly after we boarded the boat, the Captain announced that a foal had just been born, and instead of stopping and talking along the route as he would normally do, we were going to rush out to see if we could spot the foal. The herd was still there and there were several foals. But none of them were newborns.<br />
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Then we spotted this little one, off on his own and struggling in the water. <br />
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Mamma and Daddy realized it, too, and rushed over.<br />
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Unfortunately, the mud was too much for him and he couldn't get out. <br />
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Captain Arthur's son, Hunter, is a member of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, who is responsible for the horses. He wasted no time climbing off the boat and into the water. While not deep, it was very muddy. He carried the foal to dry land, with Mama watching closely.<br />
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He stayed to make sure that the foal could nurse (it is very important that they get the colostrum after they are born.) Unfortunately, the mare's milk wasn't in yet. <br />
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At last, Mamma led the little one back to the pack. <br />
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At one point, he refused to go into the mud and she had to go back for him.<br />
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But she still let him back through the water, silly thing.<br />
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Here's the whole family, back together.<br />
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And back with the whole pack.<br />
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This was another pack we saw on the way back. More foals. They were beautiful.<br />
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A visit to Chincoteague wouldn't be complete without a visit to Island Creamery. Ice cream. It's what's for lunch. Joanna had Cotton Candy and Cookie Dough and Abby had Chocolate and Pony Tracks. I had a taste of theirs. First and last time I'll ever pay $6.50 for a cone! But the homemade waffle cones were good.<br />
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We went to several places that had ponies the kids could pet, and we did ride around Assateague... but in retrospect, I am so very glad we took the boat tour. Otherwise, the only wild ponies we would have seen would have been from a great distance. By 4, we were on the road again... made it to Dover, DE by 6 and had plenty of time for swimming. Last leg of the journey is tomorrow. So far, so good.Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-54482824309004452482014-09-30T10:21:00.000-07:002014-09-30T10:21:18.322-07:00The Only Dehydrating Resource You'll Ever Need!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Many years ago, when I was still single and bees, chickens, and
gardens weren't even a twinkle in my eye, I bought myself a dehydrator.
It was the cheapest model the big-box store had to offer. I used it to
dry apples, and make jerky, and not much else. Mostly, it stayed it
its box until many years later when I got bit by the 'real food' bug and
had a husband and kids to feed. It was around this time, when I knew I
wanted to preserve fresh summer produce, that I found the website <a data-mce-href="http://www.dehydrate2store.com" href="http://www.dehydrate2store.com/">Dehydrate2Store</a>. <br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
The
brain-child of Tammy Gangloff, this website held the answer to every
dehydrating question I had. I spent hours watching Tammy's videos,
gleaning ideas and dehydrating all kinds of foods I never would have
thought to dry. You should have seen my triumphant face the day I
scored pie pumpkins on clearance, and then fit 5 of them in a quart jar
as 'powdered pumpkin.' When Santa asked what I wanted for Christmas,
the answer came quickly and easily that year... "An Excalibur!" <br />
<br />
The
new dehydrator meant I could dehydrate more produce at one time, which
was fortuitous. Shortly thereafter, we moved from Chicagoland to
coastal Virginia, where fresh fruits and veggies are available just
about all year long. The dehydrator is running more often than it
isn't. On any given day, we eat several types of dehydrated foods...
the kids take fruit leather or dehydrated apples to snack on at school, I
use chopped veggies in soups and casseroles, hubby enjoys the dried
fruit in his morning oatmeal or granola, we add dried herbs from the
garden to our homemade pizza... the list goes on and on.<br />
<br />
I am so
enamored with dehydrating that one of the classes I teach as a Master
Gardener is entitled "Dehydrating Throughout the Year." Many people are
surprised at not only WHAT can be dehydrated, but HOW it can be used.
One of the resources I make sure to share with attendees is the
Dehydrate2Store website because I believe it is the most comprehensive
dehydrating site there is, especially for visual learners who like to
see it before they attempt it.<br />
<br />
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<br />
You can imagine my excitement, then, when I learned that
Tammy recently published "The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook." Would I be willing to do a review of the book? Youbetcha! Not only
does it talk about the hows and whys of dehydrating, it also includes
hundreds of recipes using dehydrated food. I've been dehydrating herbs
all summer, hoping to use them in teas. Lo and behold, there is an
entire section on this in her book! From camping foods to holiday
feasts, there is something for everyone... and from now on, this is the
book I will be recommending. Those new to dehydrating will appreciate the alphabetical list of instructions for almost every fruit and veggie you can think of. Those who already have jars and jars of dehydrated food on the shelves will appreciate the HUNDREDS of recipes making use of them. This is truly the only book on the subject you will ever need.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
If you haven't tried dehydrating yet, I encourage you to give it a go. Dehydrators are relatively inexpensive
and are an invaluable tool on the homestead (you can even build your own
solar dryer!) If you're a dehydrating pro, I encourage you to branch
out and see what else you can be doing with your appliance. There's
always something new to learn and someone new to share it with! Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-51869216779954443572014-08-05T08:42:00.000-07:002014-08-05T08:42:20.656-07:00Homemade Red Wine VinegarSo it's been forever since I've posted. I get the 'bad blogger' award. Hoping to rectify that with a quick post to share my latest project.<br />
<br />
I've been making my own apple cider vinegar for awhile, and I just started a new batch with the drops from my neighbors apple tree (I only use organic apples for vinegar). When I opened up my old jar to dig out the mother (or SCOBY), I discovered she'd reproduced... which gave me the opportunity to try my hand at making some Red Wine Vinegar.<br />
<br />
I just took the second mother and added her to a jar of homecanned grape juice. I topped it with cheese cloth, and hopefully I'll have some great RWV in a couple of weeks!<br />
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Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-23346905318876515902014-05-13T13:15:00.002-07:002014-05-13T13:15:18.988-07:00In BloomEvery February, I curse the Knock-Out Roses that came with the house. I hate pruning them, and no matter what I wear, I always get cut up. Last year, they suffered terribly with what I now know is Black Spot (thanks to my Master Gardener training! Knock-Outs are supposed to be highly resistant. HA!). This year, they appear to be rewarding me for my diligent care. I have never seen so many blooms. The yellow roses by the front steps:<br />
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The container I assembled between the garage doors.<br />
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The pink Knock-Outs around the maple tree (with blueberries in the containers):<br />
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Me playing with my Aperture Setting:<br />
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More pink Knock-Outs around the Crepe Myrtle:<br />
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One of the last Azalea's: <br />
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More Azalea's, from the bush that had been languishing in full-on sun. I moved it this Spring, and it is thanking me profusely (more Aperture playing): <br />
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The Garden. Sam the Scarecrow came home with me from the thrift store yesterday:<br />
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Chives blooming, as well as German Chamomile:<br />
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Yarrow, a gift from a friend:<br />
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The Amarylis that I planted out front in the daffodil bed. I am relieved it made it through the winter. It has thrown off 4 babies that I will separate after they are all done blooming: <br />
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We are in the throes of Strawberry Season here. I picked my 55th pound of the year today. So far, they've all been either made into low-sugar Strawberry Jam (I also tried Strawberry Chocolate Mint and Strawberry Lemon Verbena) or dehydrated. I will freeze less than I did last year, but I do need to go get more and freeze some.<br />
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Happy Spring!Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-86583059481566926722014-05-08T15:07:00.004-07:002014-05-08T15:07:39.695-07:00Here's the Buzz...Got in the hives today. It's been about 3 weeks since we last checked on the bees, so it was time. I wanted to make sure they weren't building any swarm cells, and I was also curious to see if they were storing any honey.<br />
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Our neighbor, Tom, who is in 3rd grade, wanted to tag along. So he suited up and joined right in.<br />
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His Mom is afraid of bees. She stayed far away. <br />
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We were pleased to see lots of larvae and eggs. We had to add another brood box because I wanted them to have enough room. There's a box of honey which was left from last winter, and another box that they are filling but haven't yet capped over, and another one for future stores. I think we're in good shape. After the honey flow, we'll make a split and get back to two hives.<br />
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It makes me happy to know the bees are thriving. I wish we hadn't chose the hottest day of the year to get in, but it's good to know they aren't planning on swarming anytime soon!<br /><br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-87394513868344512922014-04-17T12:41:00.002-07:002014-04-17T12:41:54.615-07:00Why CSAs Just Don't Work for Us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year around this time, I get asked about CSAs. "How do you feel about them?" "Which are the best to join?" "How do they work?" "Are they worth it?" My answer to all of these questions is the same.<br />
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"It just depends."<br />
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For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture" The premise is that some time in the winter or spring, you can join a CSA by sending the farmer cash, which is exactly what he (or she) needs to buy seeds and fencing and all the other various expenses that come with farming. In exchange, you get a weekly portion of the harvest, which you are responsible for picking up at a designated place and time. CSAs are a great way to support local farms.<br />
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But.<br />
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There's always a 'but', isn't there?<br />
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Despite my attempts to find one that works for our family, I haven't been able to. Here's why:<br />
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#1. I cannot be tied to a weekly pick-up time, especially during the summer when vacations and day trips and canning demand that I not be committed to any form of schedule. Furthermore, the cost of time and gas to even get to the pick-up site must be considered, and in many cases it is not insignificant.<br />
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#2. I would say my family is more open to trying new foods than the normal family is. And I am certainly more familiar with cooking from scratch than the average home cook. Yet in every box, there is always SOMETHING that we just won't eat... or, something new that we try and don't like. This is just wasted food, and I hate wasting food.<br />
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#3. In my experience, the amount of food you get in a CSA box pales in comparison to the amount of food you would get if you spent the same amount of money at the farmer's market. (Perhaps because sorting the boxes is more labor intensive? I don't know.)<br />
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I decided, therefore, that I would take the money that would normally be invested in a CSA, and still give it back to the local farmers. However, by shopping at the Farmer's Market, *I* would be the one to choose which foods I went home with. I get to choose not only what veggies I want, but also what varieties of those veggies I want. No wasted food. I get to chat with all of the farmers, not just one. If I can't make the Farmer's Market on Wednesday, I go to the one on Saturday. For bulk purchases, I attend the produce auction which also supports local farmers.<br />
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Sometimes I feel like a real heel when I tell people we don't participate in a CSA. But... (there's always a 'but', isn't there?) ... it's what works best for us.<br />
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Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-69872470164603287522014-03-30T12:20:00.001-07:002014-03-30T12:20:20.885-07:00Dandelion Jelly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been wanting to make Dandelion Jelly for awhile, and I decided today was the day. I braved the drizzle and gathered my dandelions, with a little help from the neighbors' yards (do not gather them from the side of the road, and make sure they haven't been sprayed with any 'cides'). I gathered about 4 cups of flower heads, and came home to remove the green parts (they can be bitter, so you don't want them in your jelly).<br />
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Once you have 2 cups worth of 'fluff', bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil and add in the dandelions. Let boil for 10 minutes. Then, using a jelly bag or coffee filter or what have you, strain out the liquid. You should have 2 cups of dandelion juice.<br />
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Now, there are lots of recipes for Dandelion Jelly online, but I wanted one that was low in sugar. So I decided to use the "Nana's Dandelion Jelly" recipe from the Pomona Pectin cookbook.<br />
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I brought the juice back to a boil, added 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 2 1/2 tsp of calcium water. After returning to a boil, I added in a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 2 1/2 tsp of Pomona Pectin. Again, bring to a boil, stirring all the while, and then remove from heat and jar them up for canning. Process for 10 minutes. I ended up with 5 4-ounce jars.<br />
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They are a pretty golden color (some people add yellow food coloring... but why?) and taste like spring! Because this is a low-sugar recipe, it doesn't taste as much like honey as the full-sugar recipes do, but I am ok with that! It felt good to play with jars again, and I am very excited that Strawberry Season is only about 3-4 weeks away here.<br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-61970378315291101492014-03-27T06:26:00.001-07:002014-03-27T06:26:22.948-07:00A Walk Around the Homestead - March 2014It's been almost two months since I've posted... been a busy bee! My latest endeavor, becoming a Master Gardener, involved classes twice a week for 12 weeks. We just 'graduated' as Interns, and now we need to complete 50 hours of volunteer time before we are considered full-fledged Master Gardeners. I absolutely loved the classes, I learned a ton, and met some really great people. <br />
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That's the happy news. The sad news is that we lost not one, but both of our beehives. There was plenty of honey left, but lots of dead bees. Not sure if it was the cold, or what, but I know they didn't starve, and I know it wasn't Colony Collapse (CCD), because that's when the bees just up and disappear. Thankfully, the Nuc that I'd overwintered on my deck was thriving, so that got moved into one of the hives. They now have lots more frames of drawn comb for eggs, storing pollen, and collecting honey. Once the weather warms, we will go ahead and do a split and be back to our two hives. Because they won't have to waste time and energy drawing out comb, I am optimistic that we will be able to harvest some honey this year. We won't be able to raise any Nucs for new beekeepers, but I'm okay with that right now.<br />
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Looking at the 10 day forecast, there appears to be no more dangers of frost until April 5th. At that point, there is only a 10% chance of it getting below freezing, so I am also optimistic that gardening season has arrived. Let's take a walk around the homestead and see what's happening!<br />
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The daffodils have been blooming for awhile now... about 4 weeks later than normal, since we've had such a cold winter.<br />
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I have trimmed back all of the liriope. We just need to add more mulch, and divide some of the larger clumps. <br />
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The peach tree has been pruned, and with no time to spare. Only a few days later, the blossoms started to open, and it is absolutely gorgeous to behold. This is the first year I expected to get fruit, so we'll see what happens.<br />
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The Mallow is showing signs of new growth, as is the echinacea. Unfortunately, the bee balm isn't, as I don't think it got enough water last year. Luckily, I had given some to Mom so I am hoping to be able to take some of that back with me when I visit over Spring Break.<br />
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We saved all of our leaves last fall, and after running then through the lawnmower, I used them as mulch in the garden. There are hardly any weeds, and the soil is so nice! I will definitely be doing that again. I've brushed the leaves aside in some places, where I've planted peas, carrots, radishes, cabbages, and pak choi. I also added some Urea (Nitrogen) and Potash (Potassium), as my soil test indicated I was low on the Potassium (but sky high on everything else. Go figure!) Once the plants pop through, I will add a layer of compost and then put the leaves back as mulch to keep out the warm-weather weeds.<br />
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I mulched the herb beds with wood chips, and as you can see the yarrow, garlic chives, and chamomile are loving the cool weather. The jury is still out on whether or not the rosemary and lavender survived this cold winter, and I am not sure if the Stevia and Lemon Verbena will come back, either. <br />
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The roses have been pruned, and the bed weeded. It just needs to be mulched. I have been having a problem with black spot (yes, on the KnockOuts no less), so hopefully cleaning out the bed will help. The left container holds a lilac, and the right container holds a blueberry. Both will be moved at some point! <br />
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The chickens have been laying faithfully every since the days have gotten longer, We are now getting 4 eggs a day. Rosie, our Lavender Orp, is not laying at all for some reason. She shows no signs of being an internal layer, having worms, or any other issue, so I don't know what to think about that. <br />
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This rhubarb shoot was a complete surprise and made my day! I was convinced that none of my plants had survived... this is NOT the ideal climate to be growing rhubarb... but I have to try! This will be the year I can finally harvest some of the stalks, so keep your fingers crossed. <br />
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Here is my 'garden ghetto' of winter-sown seeds. I didn't like the milk jugs I've used in the past, so this year I used clear clam shell containers and it's working out well. <br />
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These little sprouts are sunflowers! I've also got a ton of zinnias, calendula, horehound, feverfew, toothache plant, holy Basil, Mammoth Basil, and plenty of others I can't remember off the top of my head. <br />
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For the first time this year, I decided to try starting some seeds indoors, because the warmer-weather plants don't do so well with the winter-sowing. Here you see my Juliet Tomatoes and some Heinz Tomatoes, along with some of Abby's Forget-Me-Nots. I was going to give up on the idea of growing tomatoes (they have not done well for me at all the past few years, as I have early blight in the soil), but I decided to try growing in containers and choosing some resistant varieties. My friend Donna Rae swears by the Juliets, and I thought the Heinz would be fun for homemade ketchup, so we'll see how that goes.<br />
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I will try to be better about posting, now that Spring is here and I have something to post about!!!Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-411783691297127112014-01-27T08:45:00.001-08:002014-01-27T08:45:54.570-08:00Music to my Ears!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few days ago, in the midst of our cold weather (in the teens for 3 nights in a row... a rarity in these parts), I went out to check on the bees and nearly had a heart attack. There were tons of dead bees at the entrance. When I brushed them off, more tumbled in their place. All I could think was that we'd lost the Nuc... first of all, I've never over-wintered a Nuc before, and these guys didn't have nearly the stores of honey they should have had going into the fall. I fed them sugar syrup (and, with the cold weather, straight sugar) in hopes of getting them through. Not to mention, this is the first colony I've had on our property (our other hives are at a neighbors' place)... they are right on our deck, where I can watch them out the window while I do dishes. I am emotionally attached to these bees. I did knock the side of the hive and was able to hear some buzzing, so I took that as a hopeful sign even though my heart had sunk at the grim prospect of losing the whole hive.<br />
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Today, I went out to check on the bees, since it's almost 50 degrees, the sun is shining, and there's no wind... in other words, perfect conditions for them to be out flying around. And buzzing, they were! All is right in my bee world... for now! <br />
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Originally, the plan was to sell this hive in the spring, but if they prove to be such hardy beasts that they can make it through THIS winter without succumbing to the cold, or mites, or any other number of calamities facing our bee colonies, I will probably end up deciding NOT to sell them. Because our original bees came from a wild swarm, and we were able to split them in their first year, these bees have good genetics. There's a relatively new queen in there, and I've been very happy with what she's doing. I like the idea of keeping a spare Nuc just in case something happens to one of our other hives. I don't have any desire to spend the money on the boxes a third hive would require, so a Nuc is a great way to always have a spare queen. When the colony threatens to outgrow the Nuc box, we can either add another box on top, or split it and make another Nuc to sell. I have a feeling there is going to be a huge market for local bees this spring, as many of my fellow beekeepers are reporting significant losses already, and we haven't even gotten to February yet (which is, historically, a bad month for hive losses).<br />
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We are due for more snow and more cold temps tomorrow, so we're not out of the woods yet by any stretch of the imagination. But there's still hope for this one!Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-51983152527260205952014-01-20T17:46:00.000-08:002014-01-20T17:46:49.812-08:00A Walk Around the HomesteadIt's been awhile since I posted about goings-on around here. Today was such a beautiful day that I knew I had to take a walk around and post some pictures.<br />
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The bees in the Nuc are buzzing and bringing back pollen to beat the band. As you can see, there were bees constantly coming and going. The yellow blobs on the incoming bees are the pollen. It's been unseasonably cold here, so I'm grateful that they have even survived the cold snap. But the fact that they are bringing back pollen is another good sign. Pollen is used to feed the brood. If the queen hasn't started laying yet, she will soon. I haven't actually been IN the hive to see what they are up to, as I don't want to disturb them.<br />
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The garden is all mulched! I tried wood chips the year before last, and sadly neglected the mulching chore last year. I didn't like the wood mulch, because it got in the way when I wanted to direct seed. But it did help the weed situation. So this year, I had Stephen shred all of our leaves with the mower and bagger. Once I hoed and weeded the beds, I put the leaves on the garden. This will help feed the soil and also block out the weeds. Once this cold snap passes, I plan to have the soil tested so I can really know what I'm dealing with. I should have done that when we first moved in!<br />
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There are some crocuses and a hyacinth that are blooming, so spring is on it's way! The daffodils have started popping through, but they are a later variety so I don't expect to see them bloom for another month or so. <br />
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Poor Extra Crispy is molting. She looks absolutely horrible, and her tail feathers have fallen almost completely out. You can see where her new feathers are popping through. It looks painful, and it can be... she's one of our better layers, so I'll be happy when she's done molting.<br />
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Tomorrow, the cold weather moves in and we might even get some snow. I'm going to take this opportunity to work on the garden plan, and drill some drainage holes in the containers I'll be using to start my seeds. In another week and a half, I'll be headed to the Virginia Association for Biological Farming Conference with my dear friend Donna Rae. I am so looking forward to the "Biodynamic Gardening and Beekeeping" Pre-Conference Workshop with Gunther Hauk, not to mention a whole slew of other workshops! <br />
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<br />Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795184413284563193.post-30665085279389459992014-01-01T05:31:00.000-08:002014-01-01T05:31:22.704-08:00Homesteading GoalsLast year, I set some <a href="http://homesteadingonthehomefront.blogspot.com/2012/12/homesteading-goals-for-2013.html" target="_blank">Homesteading Goals</a> for myself. I have to say, now that 2013 is drawing to a close, that overall I am happy with what I was able to achieve (with the exception of meal planning. That will remain on the list!) So, here we go with my top 5 Homesteading Goals for 2014.<br />
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1. MEAL PLANNING. My life is about to get hectic. REAL hectic. I've been accepted into the Master Gardener Program and will be attending 6 hours of classes a week, and then I owe 50 hours of volunteering. Add to that my volunteering at the schools, teaching an after-school class once a week, and the onset of garden-season, and I am not going to have time to think straight. So, I need to have a plan for dinners or we won't be eating. More crockpot meals, more freezer meals, more planned left-overs. I need to do it all. And, as evidenced above, I need to keep my plan away from the kids.<br />
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2. FOOD PRESERVATION. This remains on the list, too, because I need to tweak some things. More dehydrating (especially blueberries, cherries, and apple chunks), more low-sugar jams and jellies, and more using what I have already preserved (I have too many jars of stuff that I don't know what to do with.) I can't believe I'm going to say this, but more tomato sauce.<br />
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3. DECLUTTERING. I have amassed a lot of stuff. Much of it needs to stay (thousands of canning jars!) but a lot of it also needs to go. I feel like my house is a perpetual mess because I'm always making/doing something in the kitchen (which won't change) but also because there's too much stuff in all the other rooms. It is stressing me out, and I need to change that. Also, as hard as it is for me to believe, in another year from now we'll be beginning the process of finding out where we move to next... and I'm pretty sure we'll be down-sizing no matter where we go.<br />
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4. GARDENING. Obviously, the Master Gardener training will help me be a better gardener. But I still am not getting as much food out of ours as I'd like. This was a bad year for carrots and peppers... and I want more snap peas. And tomatoes, which I hope to do in containers (my friend Donna Rae swears by Juliets, so I'll be attempting those... from seed...) I think I need to bite the bullet and rip out the overgrown rosemary and lavender plants that are taking up way too much space. Lots to figure out. I did manage to dry a lot of Stevia this year. When ground up, however, I only got a few tablespoons! And I need to get a better grip on companion planting.<br />
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5. NEW SKILL. I expect this will be a permanent fixture on my goals list. It's important to keep learning. I would absolutely love to learn how to either hook a rug or make a braided rug (I have an overabundance of thrift-store wool) but I've not been able to find a teacher near here. I could be brave and attempt you-tube, but I'm not sure I'm that capable. <br />
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Happy New Year from our Homestead to yours!Lanettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678145568554470054noreply@blogger.com1