Good Intentions

Trying out new things intrigues me.  Renewing favorite pastimes interests me.  I get these ideas, like many people, that I will do certain things, and then life continues and those ideas remain ideas.  Dreams.  For some reason, luck, optimism, stubbornness, impracticality, take your pick, I don't give up.

So here is my current cookery bucket list:

1 - Make some fresh cheese using raw milk.

2 - Make some jelly from dandelion flowers.

3 - Make some rhubarb wine (preferably before the next batch of rhubarb needs picking)

4 - Make violet jelly.

The first two will be new endeavors.  The second two are revivals. I'll have to wait for violets and dandelions to be in bloom to make the jellies.  I've made violet jelly quite a few times but not lately.  I use Euell Gibbons' recipe from his book Stalking the Healthful Herbs.  It's pretty easy.  You start out by sitting on the grass on a sunny day in May.  The hardest bit is picking LOTS of violet flowers.

Next you pour boiling water over the flowers.

Then strain the liquid and add lemon juice.  The lemon juice changes the color to a beautiful pink.  After that it's a basic jelly recipe with sugar and cooking, etc.  (I don't actually have the recipe in front of me at the moment.  I spent time searching for the book but it's in hiding.)

Here's another blogger's version of the RECIPE.

Violet jelly is delicate in flavor and nice on a cracker with a bit of mild cheese or served with meats like lamb.  It would probably be good in sandwiches for a fancy tea party.

I am not promising anything about my bucket list.  I just have it.  And I have the hope that I'll be telling you about my cheese, wine and jellies before too long.

What are your dreams?

"SPRING DREW ON..."

"But the privations, or rather the hardships, of Lowood lessened.
Spring drew on: she was indeed already come; the frosts of winter
had ceased; its snows were melted, its cutting winds ameliorated.
My wretched feet, flayed and swollen to lameness by the sharp air of
January, began to heal and subside under the gentler breathings of
April; the nights and mornings no longer by their Canadian
temperature froze the very blood in our veins; we could now endure
the play-hour passed in the garden: sometimes on a sunny day it
began even to be pleasant and genial, and a greenness grew over
those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought
that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter
traces of her steps. Flowers peeped out amongst the leaves; snow-
drops, crocuses, purple auriculas, and golden-eyed pansies. On
Thursday afternoons (half-holidays) we now took walks, and found
still sweeter flowers opening by the wayside, under the hedges."

from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Looking forward to spring flowers.

Spring is gradually and steadily coming along here at the farm.  When I look outside, the world is still mostly white.  But the driveway is finally all melted off!  That should make travel easier and safer for folks coming by to get eggs.  Our paths to the chicken coop and duck house are still a changing mix of snow, ice, mud, puddles, and bits of soggy lawn.  It makes for interesting walking.  On cold days, we can walk on top of the hard snow and it feels awesome to be able to stride confidently!  Then, on a warmer day, every step is a surprise - will we stay on top or suddenly sink?

The ash tree.

A few days ago Rob and our neighbor Ed started cutting down a large ash tree north of the house.  This tree has been part of the landscape around here since I moved here in 1976.  It's a huge double tree now and a favorite of the Northern Orioles for singing and nesting.  Unfortunately, it has been damaged by Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect that destroys ash trees.  And it leans towards our house.  So we made the decision to take it down before it fell on the house.  In a way, I was glad to see the rotting wood in the core of the trunk after it was cut.  The extent of the damage and the harm the tree could have done to our home made it clear that we had made the right decision. On the bright side, our cut flower garden will now have a lot more afternoon light!  And Rob and Ed did a great job getting the tree to land in the best possible location.  (i.e. not on any young plum, peach or apple trees, or the house!)  The second half is yet to be felled and might be trickier to control.  We are lucky to have Ed's experienced help.

Head lettuces coming up - just a few of many seedlings.

My main activity these days is PLANTING.  The house now has seedlings in all of the downstairs rooms and the front porch.  I am really happy with my new set up on the porch.  Robin built another shelf for plants (later to be used for the farm shares) and I chose a small space heater and thermostat that are both working really well.  The heat comes on if the temperature approaches 32 and shuts off at 40.  Cold hardy plants are happily growing there and when they are ready, they are moved out to the hoophouse.  The hoophouse shelves are filling up with hardy seedlings like leeks, spinach, and broccoli for the garden.  In the house, we have the tender items like basil, peppers, eggplant and soon, tomatoes.  Every week there are seeds to plant (tomatoes, asters, microgreens, and mesclun this week) and many little seedlings to transplant (celosia, Sweet Annie, and peppers, for instance).  I am really having a blast.

Outside, the fruit trees are calling us, "Please prune us!"  Robin is busy busy with sugaring and I am intensely planting and doing a last major fling with paperwork before the outside planting begins and, supposedly, creating more beauty and order in the house while I can.  (More often I am spreading potting soil and spilling water on the floor.)  I am also singing as often as I can, filling up my soul.  "So, fruit trees, we'll be there soon!"  In the meantime, we study our pruning books.

The hoophouse is about half planted for the early spring crops.  Arugula, radishes, escarole, scallions and bok choy up growing.  Mesclun and spinach need to be started.  There's a funny springtime dance going on out there as well.  On warm sunny days, we open the door and block the opening so chickens and ducks can't get inside.  We can water if we turn on the outside tap and use the hose, but if it is cold at night, we have to cover the plants, close the doors, and close the water line (in the basement).  We watch the weather forecast very carefully.  One of our farm goals is to set up what is called a frost-free hydrant.  You dig a trench deep in the ground (below the frost line) and lay a water line.  This gets connected to a faucet outside that only opens when you turn it on, so it can work even in the cold.  (Frost-free!)  That will make watering both the chickens and the plants easier.

Looking forward to summertime bounty!

Our other activity is selling FARM SHARES.  We have four left to meet our goal of 20 shares this year.  We've met some new people in this process and I am excited to have both new and returning members.  On Saturday, April 18, Sweet Morning Farm will be at the CSA showcase and market in Brattleboro, VT.  Hopefully, we will add a few members through that market, which is part of the events leading up to the annual STROLLING OF THE HEIFERS weekend in June.  We have had quite a few farm members from Guilford, VT, which is only 2 miles away.  This is the first time we have been able to go to a market in Vermont.  We'll be bringing microgreens and whatever is ready from the hoophouse (radishes? sorrel?) and leeks, if we can dig them up out of the frozen ground!

I am eager to dig up the leeks because I will be planting early broccoli and cabbages in the same low tunnel.  I am eager for fresh broccoli!

As you can tell, we have many things going on gearing up for spring and lots of thoughts buzzing around in our heads.  Looking forward seeing those flowers peeping out amongst the leaves and seeing what trees the Orioles chose for singing in this year.

Happy springtime,

Laura

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2015 is almost here.  It has been a lovely year here at Sweet Morning Farm.  Planting mushrooms, learning about sugaring, welcoming new farm members and old friends, selling duck for the first time, and a farm kitty cat.  These are just a few of our 2014 activities and news that come to mind.  We have been enjoying the quiet peace of December while planning and dreaming about the coming growing season.  In addition to thinking about the garden layout and planting schedule, deciding exactly what to grow and studying how to do a better job growing them, we are already sowing seeds!  Really, the garden never ends, it just changes shape and location.  Right now, most of the actual growing takes place in the house under lights where we have microgreens, hot peppers, and greens starting.  In a month or so, some seedlings will be transplanted to the hoophouse.  It feels like a dance.

2015 FARM SHARES are on sale.  It is not too early to reserve your share.  For more information, CLICK HERE.

Thank you for being part of our dance!

Laura and Rob
(photo by Leslie Lynn Lucio)

Mushrooms!

One of our first homegrown mushrooms!

Last week some of Rob's Wine Caps popped up overnight.  These are growing on sawdust under some of our fruit trees, to benefit the trees and give us food.  We harvested a whole bunch and they were delicious and huge.

Mushrooms quietly growing

Shiitake Mushrooms!

Rob drilling holes for shiitaki mushroom spawn.  He is using a grinder with a special drill bit to make the holes so quickly.  The logs were inoculated and placed in a damp, partially shady location near our spring. We are hoping to harvest mushrooms by fall 2015.

It's April, it's spring! Spring chickens!

It took a long time for winter to end around here but the snow melted and looking at the weather forecast, there are no hard frosts in the coming week.  Awesome.  Oh yeah, and the sun is shining.  So it is a wonderful time to plant things.  Today I am planting peas, snap peas, and snow peas.  And setting some sweet pea and yarrow seedlings in the cut flower garden.  And some sunflower seedlings are shifting to the hoophouse for early blooming.

There's about 500 other things on my To Do List but I feel happiest if I just focus on what I am doing at the moment and keep the list for the day as short as possible.  I love pea-planting day.

Last fall Robin built an extension on our chicken coop and we are expanding the flock.  On March 17 our new chicks arrived and they are growing and thriving.  At the moment they are housed in the new coop in their own little section, with heat and protected from drafts.  As of yesterday they graduated to grower pellet, instead of chick starter and pretty soon we'll be setting up a special outdoor spot for them to range around, now that the weather is more settled and the chicks have feathers.  If they were human, they would be probably starting to describe themselves as "big girls".

These are the breeds we are adding to the flock:

(Descriptions and pictures are from Murray McMurray Hatchery, where got the chicks.)

Buff Minorca - white eggs (new to us)

Like all of the Minorcas these have long, strong bodies well set up on firm muscular legs. The large red combs are very typical and in the hens will fall to one side almost covering one eye. The hens lay good sized white eggs and are nonsetters. Plumage is a rich golden buff color and shanks and toes are a pinkish white.

Speckled Sussex - brown eggs

The Speckled Sussex was developed in Sussex County, England over 100 years ago. It was famous there as a table fowl with pinkish white skin and long, deep body ideal for fattening. It is of medium size, in the heavy breed class, a layer of light brown or tinted eggs, and the hens will set. Its plumage color is a delight to the eye being of rich mahogany base color with individual feathers ending in a white tip separated from the rest of the feathers by a black bar. Baby chicks vary greatly in color from a creamy buff to dark chestnut and some also have alternate dark and light stripes lengthwise on the back. This variety combines beauty with utility, and is very nice to raise for showing.

Silver Laced Wyandotte - brown eggs

The Silver Laced is the original Wyandotte and the other varieties were developed from it later with crosses on other breeds. It is an outstanding example of American poultry breeding ingenuity and is one of the most beautiful breeds we offer. It is colorful, hardy, and productive. The broadfeathered, smooth fitting plumage is sharply marked. The general appearance is silvery white and lustrous greenish black as each feather is edged in a contrasting color. The close-fitting rose comb and good body size are valuable assets for winter laying. Cold weather doesn't seem to bother them at all as their hardiness and vigor keep them laying straight through the winter. They lay a nicely shaped, good sized egg, varying from light to rich brown and will set some. This is another excellent variety for exhibition. Baby chicks vary from almost black to light silvery gray and many have contrasting light and dark stripes on the back.


Cuckoo Maran - dark brown eggs

(Chocolate Eggers)

This breed was developed in France in the mid 1800's in the town for which it bears its name, Marans. They had made their way to England in the early 1900's and quickly became very popular for their very dark (chocolate) brown eggs - a trait they are still known for today. These beautiful birds were first exhibited in 1929 in Paris by the Poultry Breeders Society of France and since then have gradually made themselves popular in various countries around the world. We carry the CUCKOO variety of Maran which resembles the Barred Rock in color by displaying feathers which are all crossed throughout with irregular dark and light slate colored bars. Maran's lay the darkest eggs of any breed we carry and are a nice dual purpose bird for both eggs and meat.

Delaware - light brown eggs

This breed was founded in the state of Delaware from an original Barred Rock and New Hampshire cross. The Delaware is considered a heavy breed which lays a nice brown egg. Males are medium size and large enough to butcher for meat and the hens will make a nice "stewing" dish when they are done laying. The feathering on these beautiful birds is almost all white but shows a slight indication of barring in the hackle and tail. Delaware are a nice quiet bird when well tended to. 

Ameraucana - green, blue, or pale brown eggs

This unusual breed gets in name from the Indian tribe of Chilie where they were first discovered.  Our chicks have some Araucana and some Ameraucana blood mixed and consequently are not for show but are beautiful chickens known for their ability to lay colored eggs of shades varying from turquoise to deep olive to shades of brown.  Each bird will typically lay a different shade of colored egg that will amaze your friends and make a wonderful "show and tell" type project for school.  Adults are of medicum size with pea combs and our breeding stock are selected for their ability to produce colored eggs.  They exhibit a wonderful combination of colors and color patterns and 10 or 20 of these birds will make an absolutely beautiful laying flock that is extremely hardy and will be the talk of the town.  Baby chicks come in all colors, plain and fancy, just like the adults.  This is a unique breed and great fun to have when the colored eggs start coming.  Our chicks are recommended for egg laying color and ability, not for exhibition.  


OK, folks, it's time to go outside and get those peas in the ground!

Happy Spring and Happy Easter!