Merry Christmas

This Christmas Day, celebrate the loved ones you still have in your life and allow yourself to believe that you will see all those you loved again one day. Buon Natale! Merry Christmas to all! May 2014 bring you peace in your heart and joy in your days. Happy holidays!

Autumn Harvest

This weekend, we harvested the remaining pumpkins in our pumpkin patch! I'm dreaming of pies, and breads right now.

 And a friend sent this to me..  I just love it!  It kind of looks like my kitchen counter right about now ;-)

Herbal Snippets

Mints. mints, and more mints..  I just love them!

  

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Wordless.. whatever day!  ;-)

                         

Minty Beet Salad

Before you read any further, run out to your garden and pull about six fresh beets.  Then, bring them into the kitchen..trim their tops and give them a good rinse and into your pot they will go..to be slow boiled for about 20 minutes.  As they are cooking, prepare this simple dressing.

                                                              Fresh Beet Dressing

2 TBLS red wine vinegar

1 TBLS aged Balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1 TBLS olive oil

4 sprigs of any mint in your garden, minced

Once the beets have cooked, and have been drained and peeled and cooled down, quarter them into bite size pieces.  Now cover them in this dressing, and toss gently.  Add the mint lastly just before serving.  We enjoy this salad chilled, and also at room temperature. Enjoy!

Beets, beets and more beets

   I think I overdid it this year planting beets. But I have to say, the Detroit's and Chioggia beets have been just awesome!
I use beets in any dishes..  roasted, steamed, pickled..and to make salads with, and with this heatwave we've been seeing lately..many salads were made.  They are one of my favorite garden veggies.  Well they won't be in short supply this year for sure :)

Fresh Garlic

Today I pulled lots of organic garlic out of the garden, a bunch of shallots and two rows of cippolini onions.  The garlic looks fabulous and smells so wonderful.  Now to dry it.

Fresh Garlic

Eat Local

Support your local farmers!

Harvest time

It's that time..to harvest the first of our green beans~

Lady Bugs

LOVE it when I scout for potato beetles, and all I can find are ladybugs! :)

Around the farm

                                                                    Birdie heaven

                                                        
                                                               Hooped hot peppers

     
                                                               Blossoming chives              





        

                                                              Unfrozen pipes--yeah!!

                                         

                                                          

Leeks, Onions & Shallots

 Nearly all the beds are set for sowing and transplants.  Yesterday, though really windy, I set in some cippolini onions that we started indoors back in February, along with some leeks and new for me this year--red shallots.  I just love cippolini's roasted in balsamic.
And finally the asparagus is started to shoot. Asparagus is best in full sun in an open site but not too exposed to wind. It requires rich,  well drained, sandy soil and prefers a PH of between 6.5 - 7.5 and  needs cool winters during its dormant period to crop well in spring. After this past winter, we should have oodles of asparagus!  I'm told that the natural habitat of asparagus is maritime and it can be found growing wild in many seaside locations around the world.  It thrives in soils that are too saline for for many other plants and is an ideal plant for a seaside garden....so clearly this addition to my garden should flourish here on the ocean front. Gotta love Spring!


                                          The last of the cippolini's from last season.

Signs of Spring

Yeah, I know, it's been a while.  It's been a long winter, but we're so glad to see the first arrivals of Spring... chirping birds, pussy willows, mud (yes, even the mud)  croccus, and one of my favorite garden plants.. rhubarb with which I'll be making plenty of jams, pies and chutney!

I've been busy readying all the garden beds and today I'll set some of the onions, carrots and peas.  I'm so glad I planted some greens last Autumn in the cold frame.

Happily growing at home are  peppers, tomatoes, more onions, rosemary, sage, basils, many greens,  scented geraniums and bay.  All in all, we're hopefully off to a good growing season.  Welcome Spring!