This is Goodbye

Didn't I just say I was going to come back to this space? Hm. Well. My heart just isn't into it, in part because all of my focus right now is going into getting things up and running for our homeschool in the fall. Thanks to those of you who read and commented during the duration of this blog.

If you'd like, you can come visit our homeschooling efforts at With the Wisdom of Owls.

Peace be.

Use What You Have: Maple Seeds

(Sorry, no pics with this post, just to see how it feels.)

Now, I have mostly a lot of love for Mother Maple, she who graces our backyard and fair skin with copious amounts of dark, cool shade and provides us with feather soft autumn leaves in which to plunge our lazy bodies. But. BUT. In the springtime, I find it a bit difficult to appreciate the... blatant fecundity of Old Mama Maple. There isn't one spot on our property (I exaggerate not) that isn't blessed with the bearing of one of Mother Maple's progeny. In other words, I end up weeding a whole heckuva lot of maple seedlings from my garden.

Only now... Now I know. Now I know how to beat Mama Maple at her own game. Tonight found me hanging lazily from branches and scaling that rough, shaggy trunk of hers to gather those green little whirlybirds. And then? And then I ATE THEM. Yes I did.

I'll admit, this is one of those situations where, in caloric terms, I'm not sure the end justifies the means. It took a loooong time to split the husks off of each of those little seeds. This is very slow food we're talkin'! You get a big pile of green husks and a little itty bitty pile of food. Still, there're going to be fewer maple saplings to remove from the garden this year...

In regards to preparation:
-Break off the green outer husk (they're still edible if the hulls are brown, but I've read that they get bitter at that point)
-Snack on a couple to see if they're sweet enough or if you have to boil off the tannins
-If bitter, boil and dump the water. Repeat until bitter taste is gone.
-Otherwise, boil until tender (mine took ~15 minutes).
-Season with salt, pepper, and/or butter to your fancy.
-Ingest.

I have no experience with this, but you can also roast them or even dry the seeds and ground them into flour.

In regards to taste: I actually preferred them raw. The larger seeds seemed to be more bitter than the smaller ones. It's best to get 'em young, I guess. I boiled some, and they were good but quite bland. I salted them and smothered them in butter. All in all, for free food, it was good!

I'm Baaaaack!

And you all thought this blog was going to be forgotten forever... SURPRISE! (The real surprise will be if anyone is still out there... LOL!)

The truth is that the "homesteading" bit got to be a bit too much for The Husband, so for the sake of marital harmony I kind of scaled back my efforts for the past year or so. It definitely helped my state of mind that I had a new baby last spring. That made it much easier to allow the garden to go, run to the grocery store for pre-packaged tripe rather than spend the summer canning the produce that was never grown, and generally let things run amock. I won't say it hasn't taken its toll on me, but I dealt with it. Now I feel that things are back to a somewhat more stable state of equilibrium. I have come to a better understanding of The Husband's needs, and he has come to a better understanding of mine. Oh, the difference a year makes...

Now is the time to get back into the swing of things. Most things will be shifting ever so slowly, with baby steps here and there, but there are some very big changes coming as well.

For one thing, we've finally come to an agreement on the matter of homeschooling. This is HUGE, people. Just huge, because The Husband was adamantly opposed to homeschooling for, well, always. I'll be writing more about this later for certain.

Also, I'm right at the beginning stages of some major house renovation. Can you believe that we've lived in our home for nearly five years now and have yet to hang a picture or paint a room? Yes, it's true! There have been changes to the house, but most of these were a matter of "we need something to function right now" rather than making this house our home. Again, upcoming posts will talk a bit more about these changes.

Anyway, I do indeed have some things to share, so stay tuned!

Use What You Have: Strawberry Leaves

The strawberries here are done and gone. We did actually get a few this year, but the birds and rabbits got the majority. I think I want to pot them up next year, but that's a discussion for another time. What we're talking about today is not the yummy, juicy, ruby red berries of yesterday (can you tell I miss them just a little?). What we're talking about now is the LEAVES.

Once the plants have fruited, I move right on to harvesting the leaves. Most people say that the leaves are most flavorful when the plant is in bloom, but you can (and I do) harvest them all spring and summer. They get bunched and dried and, for the most part, made into tea. It does, surprisingly enough, taste quite a bit like the berries, which means it's y-u-m-m-y. It does, of course, have added health benefits (iron, vitamin C, calcium, and other minerals). I'm finding that it really helps to boost my milk production, very important in these early months of nursing.

As with any summer tea (lemon balm and mint are among other summer favorites), I like to drink it iced. I've also been using it to make popsicles for the kids.

Homesteading Legos

We went to my in-laws' house this past weekend since we didn't get out there for their Memorial Day celebration. It rained, so we were stuck inside. The boys decided to dive into my brother-in-law's old Legos. Not to be outdone by their spaceships and boats filled to the brim with guns and lasers, I spotted a horse and inspiration struck!

There's a rain barrel, windmill, compost bin (actually a treasure chest) and garden (they had only one plant, so use your imaginations here, folks!). The work horse is there for manure, of course. ;)

I'm SO pitching this to the Legos people... :P

What's Blooming in My Garden-- June 1, 2009

The buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) cover crop is coming into its own and beginning to pull in the beneficials.


Two species of Stellaria here. On the left is Stellaria graminea, otherwise known as Lesser Stitchwort. On the right is the much more common and far tastier chickweed (Stellaria media).


A second unidentified peony (Paeonia spp.).


Here you can see the lesser stitchwort growing under our front maple. That's Annie's hand in the background to give you some idea of just how teeny tiny the flowers of this particular herb are.

Still blooming from last week: raspberries, onions, chives, sage, unidentified yellow flower.

Rabbitnip

My poor, poor catnip.

Apparently, cats aren't the only critters who love catnip. I walked out to the garden a few days ago and noticed that my catnip, which has flourished unscathed for the past three years, was nearly gone! My immediate thought was to heap the blame on the neighborhood felines who frequently climb our privacy fence to hunt in our yard, but later that day I was standing at the backdoor and noticed a little ball of fur by the devastated catnip patch. Long ears, twitching nose, cute little cottontail... It was a rabbit! I've rarely seen them in our garden, but we always find bunny prints in the backyard snow during our winter nature walks. They've never bothered the catnip before though. It must have been a particularly lovely crop this year.

Buns love catnip. Who knew.

Rain Romp

Yesterday was far too rainy for gardening, so:









LOVE warm springtime rains...

Hot Peppers

Last year, my pepper crop was a dismal failure. I think I got only one measly pepper from the few plants that actually germinated, so this year I decided to add a little something to my scheme and see how the plants reacted. Unfortunately, our gardening budget for this year has been maxed out. I had to think of something for less than cheap... something free.


My version of the cloche: repurposed baby food jars. Don't mind the wonky spacing. In real life, they are actually evenly spaced, but the camera was at a weird angle.

I was hoping that my improvised cloches would provide enough heat retention that I 'd get a higher germination rate and faster growth of pepper plants than I did last year with no added protection. So far, the germination has been quicker but not higher. I'm leaving the jars over top of the seedlings until they outgrow them. We'll see how it goes.

Not Alone

I really didn't have any plans for Memorial Day yesterday beyond cleaning the house. (Can you believe I'm STILL decluttering this place!?) The Husband was working overtime, so the kids and I were on our own. Right away, though, I knew this day was going to be better than I'd planned...

About 8am, I walked onto our front porch and heard chickens clucking. I honestly thought I was going crazy, so I called the kids away from their play and asked them if they heard it too. Annie, my ever-attentive nature girl, heard what I heard. I suspected my neighbors on the other side of the street (I've long admired their garden) but didn't have the nerve to knock on their door at 8 in the morning. Callie spent the rest of the day clucking every song she sang. LOL!

Later on, I noticed the woman of the house I suspected of hiding the feathered friends planting some flowers out front, so I gathered the littles and headed her way. Apparently channeling Ned Flanders, I said something like "Excuse me, Neighbor" as my ice breaker. Yeah, I've been cooped up in this house alone for FAR too long. She was polite regardless as I awkwardly asked her if she was keeping chickens. I didn't want her to think I was going to be some nasty neighbor telling her that I was annoyed by their clucking or something.

Anyway, she confirmed that they had seven chickens and a duck in their backyard, Buff Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds. I forgot to ask what type the duck was. I was astounded! I've been living here for nearly 4 years now and had never noticed this before! Neighbor invited us to go around the back and look at the chickens, so we did. Annie was especially thrilled with them, as I knew she'd be. We only stayed a minute or so, then headed back home because we were setting every dog in the neighborhood to barking.

I suddenly don't feel so alone.

What's Blooming in My Garden-- May 25, 2009

Happy Memorial Day everyone. Be safe and keep our brave ones in your hearts.


If you thought I had it all figured out in my garden, you'd be wrong. I'm not actually sure what this flower is. It showed up right next to my lavender, and it's too pretty to pull.


The first flowers of sage (Salvia officinalis) in my garden. These blossoms are on a three-year-old plant that I started from seed. Yes, I'm a proud mama! :)


These lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) actually bloomed last week, but I forgot to photograph them because I'd cut them all and brought them indoors. They are one of the few flowers in my garden that I almost always cut because the scent reminds me of my grandmother.

Still blooming from last week: raspberries, onions, chives.

2 Months Just Flies By...

I could not be more in love.

What's Blooming in My Garden-- May 18, 2009

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time to start recording what's blooming when! Here we go...


One of the unidentified peonies (Paeonia spp.) planted by previous owners. I couldn't adore them more! The smell is divine and can permeate my house even after the blooms I've cut and placed in a vase have returned to the compost pile.


The blueberries (Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus) are in bloom! Now we just wait patiently...


The latest bloomer of all the random tulips (Tulipa spp.) previous owners scattered throughout the garden beds. This one is nestled right beside a blueberry bush because it had previously been so shaded by the overgrown bushes I removed to replace with the blueberries that I didn't even know it was there. This is its first year blooming since I've lived here.


Star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum umbellatum, which is enormously prolific here in my garden, also planted by the previous owners. They now grow beneath the raspberry bushes.


Raspberry (Rubus spp.) blossom. A homely flower which begets a gorgeous berry.


Bloomin' onions (Allium cepa)! I left these onions, planted last spring from seed, in their bed overwinter to see what would happen. Here's the result.


The purple, globular flowers of the common chives (Allium schoenoprasum) always make me smile. Such a soft, delicate bloom for a robust smelling herb. These are third year chives which have bloomed for the first time this year because I commanded that Annie not eat them completely to the dirt this spring.


Okay, okay. I didn't grow these. These blooms were my Mother's Day gifts, one from my husband and children and one from my best friend. I'm not much of a cut flowers type of gal, but it's always good to know someone cares. :)

Free Labor! (or Dave, You'll Have to Suffer Through More Ugly!)

Nothing I love more than something for nothing. Did that make any sense? :)

I'd been on the fence for a long while (like, over a year... you all know I'm a Virgo, right?) about what to do with the Spiraea fronting our bungalow. They were here when we moved in, but there was always this very awkward gap between the bush right next to the steps and the rest of the hedge. When we had our fence put in, I tried to transplant two of the Spiraea's that were in the back of the house into that gap, but they promptly died on me. I don't think I got enough of the root. Those suckers were HUGE and well established. So, the gap stayed. And stayed. And stayed. And drove me nuts.

But one day, one fine and glorious day when I realized that the rest of my yard and house were in shambles because of my indecisiveness, I made a decision. *enter the heavenly chorus* I posted my Spiraea to Freecycle. If they'd dig 'em up, they could have 'em.

Before:


After:

All the twiggy looking stuff you see there is mown English ivy, the bane of my garden. And yes, I'm still frantically trying to convince The Husband that ripping off that dreadful dun-colored aluminum siding would be a good thing.

I got an amazing number of willing volunteers and actually had to hold specific bushes for people. It was pretty crazy!

Do I have any regrets? No. Well, okay, maybe one. Nearly every house in the neighborhood has these same bushes somewhere on their property, so I kinda feel like I'm outta the club or am breaking some sacred neighborhood vow of unity. But then again, every house in the neighborhood has these same bushes. The truth is, these bushes were taller than me, which made it very difficult and dangerous for me to try to trim them. The Husband sure wasn't gonna do it. Oh, and those bushes collected garbage like you wouldn't believe. Never OUR garbage of course. Just whatever was tumblin' down the street on those fine blustery days here in good ole O-H. You wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of trash I found lurking under and behind them. They really look their best when they can run wild and free too which just made our house look sloppy. Their blossom laden boughs were always gorgeous, but I'd rather have something useful there (and there will be something useful there... someday).

I have big plans for the space, but they won't get done this year. I've bigger fish to fry, as always seems to be the case with old houses and young gardens. I'm okay with that though. I finally made a decision in under two years! It's a miracle!

And did I mention that I got people to dig out my pain-in-the-rear bushes FOR FREE!?

More Neighbor Troubles

All winter I was researching and drooling at the prospects come this spring when the white mulberry tree on our property burst into all its fruited gloriousness. Alas! There shall be no white mulberries for me this year and probably not for several years to come.

Why, you ask?

Because the neighbors on the other side of me (not the neighbors with the foul kennel) decided to chop down half of the humongous white mulberry tree at the back of our property before mysteriously vanishing from their home. Here's what it looks like now:



Why they cut down only the top half of the tree is beyond me. It is already beginning to put out some new branchlets (no, I don't know the technical term), so it will need to be cut again someday. Um, over my dead body.

Goin' to the Dogs

Last summer's garden

Believe it or not, I AM putting things in the ground this year. I didn't really know how much I'd actually get to with such a new babe around the homestead, but I decided to take it in slow, small increments and see how I fared. I'm trying to get one bed planted a day, and it's been going well (not counting the rain... oh! the rain!). I am truly the sort of dame that revels in having her hands (and feet and knees and face) dirty, so it's been blissful tying the baby to my back and setting about my work in the garden. Unfortunately, there's one thing ruining it all for me.

Dog poop.

And I don't even have a dog.

For whatever reason my neighbors, whose yard is actually smaller than my teeny yard (you can see their house in the picture above), decided to get not one, not two, not three, but FOUR dogs. Whaaa? They got a puppy last year shortly after they moved into the house, and the poor pup spent all his time outdoors in the kennel come rain, shine, snow, hail or whatever. No dog house. It was dreadful. Now they have all four of the dogs in the kennel! Everytime I go out to do my garden chores, I am beset by the foul fecal smell of those animals. Now, I love dogs. I may be a cat person, but I love dogs too. But come on! Four medium-sized dogs in a kennel meant for one? And no poo cleanup!?

In a neighborhood as closely packed as this one, there has to be a little consideration for your fellow human beings, don't you think? I mean, I asked them before I decided to bring bees onto the homestead, and I nixed the idea because my canine-lovin' neighbor is allergic. Where's the love?

On The Fence

Annie climbing our privacy fence on the first warmish day of the year in February.

I'm on the fence about this blog. I love having a place to come to to talk about... whatever, but I also feel a little bit silly putting my stuff out there sometimes. There may be no reason for it, but it's the truth. Should I also mention that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by life in general since the addition of baby #4? Oh yes, I am. The Husband was home for only one week before he had to return to work after the baby was born, so I've been flying quite solo with this one. Sure, I'm an old pro by this point. I swaddle without thought, breastfeed in marathon fashion, and know exactly how well I function on less sleep than you can imagine (the twins took care of that my first time around). Still, it's been quite an adjustment, this wee little babe. Did I mention here on the blog that I was diagnosed with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction during the pregnancy? No. Fun. At. All. Unfortunately, it hasn't completely disappeared either. I still get a moderate amount of pain on a regular basis, and laundry day KILLS me.

All that said (and, sorry, but I needed to say it), there is a good reason for all of this pain and adjustment:



That's her! My beautiful new daughter, Bea (not her full name). And no, though I love the name Beatrice, that's not her name either. :) I didn't get the birth I wanted (still trying to come to terms with that too!), but she's here, and she's healthy. Oh, and I can't stop kissing her. And smelling her. And rubbing my cheek along hers. I'm totally in love.

Welcome to the world, baby girl. We're so glad you're here!

In Case You Haven't Noticed...

I'm taking an extended blogging vacation. Maybe I'll be back, maybe I won't. The combination of being nine months pregnant and the month of March (always the most depressing month for me) has just got me... down. Nothing big, but I have absolutely nothing to write about. Time for me to hunker down, force myself to prepare those last bits for the baby, and just keep moving forward.

Thanks to all of you who have read this blog. I will miss you.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

For those of you interested, don't forget that The Great Backyard Bird Count starts tomorrow!

The First Greening

Here in Ohio, we know that the warm temperatures are probably a temporary thing. There's likely to be another big snow or a batch of freezing rain or some other weather phenomenon to send us slinking back into our warm homes. Still, I can smell spring in the air and am reveling in the little bits of green beginning to poke through. So much to look forward to...


Primula poking through the leaf mulch


Moss in the fairy garden


New leaves sprouting on the Quinault strawberries

Come back to me green! Oh, how I love thee!