...and so it grows

The garden keeps growing (funny how that works) and we've been harvesting salad materials pretty regular now. This is the view from the beehives looking towards the back of our property.




Inspecting the newly sprouted beans, which I've been told will make good "leather britches".




Some marigolds peeping out amongst lettuces and peppers. There are a couple of cucumbers on the backside getting ready to climb up the jute twine.



The potatoes seem to grow while you watch them!


The herb garden is just filling in but there is enough parsley, cilantro and dill to dress up the salads with. There is something most spiritual about picking a bunch of greens and going inside to make a meal of it. Every bit of what goes into salad was started from seed. There will be more soon....some cukes and peppers and tomatoes.

We've got plans for the main garden bed to be dug and tilled soon. I'm still not entirely convinced of the no 'til methods though we'll experiment with some of it. I think it's easier for me to create something aesthetically pleasing through tilling. I want defined spaces that are pleasing to the eye as well as useful for growing food. Both are important to me. I think that's why I like raised beds.

The eventual main garden area will have a retaining wall along the backside so it will be a well-defined space. Not sure how much we'll get done this year but at least we're getting our plans together finally.

Projects for this week include assembling and adding a second hive body so the bees have more room. Oh, and good news about chicken eggs...we found a farm just up the road that sells them for $1.50 a dozen. It's close enough to walk there and we even got to help gather the eggs last week. Since the evil home owners assoc. won't allow for chickens, this is a good alternative for now.

If only I could get some raw milk out here...still looking.
My cats need it ya know.;)

Zero miles...almost

The Black Locusts are blossoming! I've waited an entire year to sample this delicacy after learning they were edible last year but losing the blossoms to a late freeze. They are truly an elegant food. I picked a few for the kids and Sierra got very excited about my stir fry idea.


So she came outside to harvest some edibles..

she started with the locust blossoms.



Aren't they amazing? I think they are one of the most fulfilling wild edibles ever....they are beautiful to look at, smell heavenly and taste of a sweet, mild pea. Perfection if I ever knew it.



She gathers some broccoli rabe from the garden along with the blossoms.



Busted! She looks like Tica here, nibbling on the blossoms.

Speaking of Ms. Tica...she's a total escape artist. I knew this about rabbits, truly I did. But she is extraordinarily talented. Funny little gal will jump back in her cage if you chase her. As long as you don't try to pick her up, she'll let you get close.

Sierra pauses to play with silly rabbit before chasing her back to her enclosure where she dutifully jumps back in. She's got us trained well.



The final zero miles meal (and our very first ever, so it's a special occasion). Ok, it's almost zero miles. We did use a bit of olive oil and a smidge of Dale's seasoning, but other than that it's all from right here. It was delicious.

Delicious and satisfying right down to the nubbins of my soul.:)

The garden grows

Outredgous lettuce and Italian dandelion. Our rabbit likes the dandelion greens better than I. It seems much more bitter than the wild stuff growing in our yard.




These are the potatoes after covering them with dirt twice (hilling). Today they are easily three times this size and I just took this pic two days ago! They grow like mad.




There are happy cabbages....



...and HUGE broccoli rabe. We've been eating off it regularly for a few days and sharing with Tica.


The strawberries are just getting started. Next year they'll be luscious!

I feel so powerful having started most of it from seed. :) They seemed so fragile and here they are growing food for us daily now. Incredible.