...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.

The Swarm

On Saturday, a swarm appeared on our trampoline. The kids went down to jump and suddenly had a bunch of pissed off bees flying around. Not a good day to jump.:)

On Sunday, I went into my hives and they looked just fine. No worries. I decide the swarm can't be from my hives (which made no sense anyway, as they still have plenty of room). I decide to call K&K on Monday if the swarm is still there.

Monday arrives and all hell breaks loose. Bleu is outside working when suddenly what-seems-like-five-million bees are around my hives. It stays crazy for a while then the blob of what-seems-like-five-million-bees moves back over to the trampoline and makes our yard practically unusable.

I'm a bit freaked out now. My hives seem to have little or no activity and I really don't understand what is going on or what to do about it. I leave messages at K&K and another hive inspectors voicemail, no answers though. I call throughout the day at work, can't get anybody!

So I call Jessica, just up the road. Yes, she has a five gallon bucket. Yes, they'll come over after I get off work and help me remove them in the dark. "It's like the blind leading the blind" says she. I laugh casually in agreement, hiding the fact that my knees are shaking now.

The going theory is that the swarm had decided to try and move in on one of my hives and failed in their first attempt.



The swarm was quite happy up there under the trampoline. My kids weren't so happy about them taking that location. It's tempting to try and hive them, but two hives are quite enough for this year. Jessica felt the same. So this swarm was freedom bound.

We donned our equipment.
Headed out with an entourage of nervously excited children and one curiously amused husband (hers...mine was hiding out in his office).

The conversations when facing the swarm were something like;
"ok, do you want to hold the bucket or knock them in?" (neither job seemed entirely safe)
"Should I smack the top of the trampoline or just lift and drop it?"

A range of opinions fly forth from the entourage.

Then there's that lovely thought that they could be Africanized bees and all may not go well. Oh, the things you think up at just-the-right moment.


It went something like this...
The main group of bees had the bucket held under them by Jessica, I lift the trampoline about a foot off the ground and drop it. Big blob of bees falls into bucket while a smaller nearby blob falls onto the ground. We brush as many of them up as possible. At some point we decide we've pushed our luck far enough and leave the rest to fend for themselves.

Not one sting.
We're mildly cocky at this point,having captured our first wild swarm without any experts. "The blind leading the blind" thing came off without a hitch.

There were a couple of pissed off bees following us for a few minutes. They got squashed...I did want to take that veil off!



So there's the bucket-o-bees.
Capturing a swarm at night was a great idea.:)

Jessica and family took the bees home with them for release on their property. I got an update this morning:

~~Ren, I walked the bucket o bees out to the pasture and placed it at the base of a dead locust tree. It is perfect if they use it, it has a large split that opens into the tree's center without opening all the way up, so they would actually have a "ceiling" if they use it. I wanted to just sit and watch, but the day called. I'll go back later and check on them. It was a neat feeling holding that pail with the vibrations of their buzz going through my hands. Jess~~

Thanks for calming my fears and coming over in the dark to help me out. You guys rock!

Edibles

We've not only been getting more garden in this last week, but also collecting a few wild edibles.
The violets seemed to carpet the hill almost overnight...

we took advantage and sprinkled some onto salad. My favorite way to use violets is by glazing them with egg whites, sprinkling sugar on and drying. They save in the freezer and look amazing atop cakes and in salads.

Don't these look luscious?
Sierra helped...
A couple days ago we were all about the dandelions. Chopped greens in salad and I even harvested some root for future use.

My girl also helped plant the onions, garlic and potatoes this week, she's one of my constant gardeners.:)


We had some passerby friends, a wee butterfly..



..a garden kitty named Bella. She loves to follow me and rub against my backside while I'm digging in earth.



This wee caterpillar was saved while cleaning brush. I think it makes an amazingly graceful circle, cradled gently on a leaf.


There are many of these willing helpers...

..yeah, we grow 'em big in Tennessee! Happy digging everyone...spring is grand.

She hives the bees...and gets stung

It goes something like this...




Put the newly purchased veil and gloves on, pretending like you know how it all works. Other than not knowing how to adjust the hat inside the veil (thank you for that tip Jessica) I did ok.

Remove the top cover, still pretending (fake it till you make it right?) that you can handle this without fear. Fear that you will go through all of the cost and time and worry and still have no bees because you screwed it up so badly they all leave, or die, or....

Breathe.

Open the top.



Remove the queen cage, remove their can of syrup feed, replace lid temporarily.
Yep, the queen really is bigger than the other bees. When they said she would be marked they really meant it. She has a big, white spot painted on her backside.

Place the queen cage inside two frames in the middle of the hive.
Carefully.
Oh, so carefully.
Because she is the success of the hive.




Then not-so-carefully you literally dump three pounds of pissed off bees over the frames. They are a living blob, buzzing and confused. Two of them manage to sting through the clothing. Beginning to re-think whether that suit is worth the money....

Call Kelly Lovejoy after hiving the first package to find out if you can go ahead and hive the second one with what seems like five million bees flying all over the yard and your head and the other hive. Yes, she assures me...they'll sort themselves out in the end, keep going.

So I do.
And it's ok.
Silently thank Kelly.



Wake up early every morning, nervous about whether you will have bees or just an empty hive body, nervous about whether you're feeding them enough and just how long do they need the syrup anyway? Read more on the internet. Read more in the books. Decide you've done everything ok after all.

You sit watching these amazing creatures, flying in and out, feeding on your carefully prepared syrup and fetching brightly colored pollen and you suddenly realize...

I. am. a. BEEKEEPER.

For real. And it feels great.

Getting started

My friend Christi (a most talented a beautiful human being) quoted this at her blog:

"Pursue, keep up with, circle round and round your life,
as a dog does his master’s chaise. Do what you love.
Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it,
and gnaw it still." --Thoreau

I love this quote. It is the mantra for my life. Call it passion, interest, curiosity or neuroticism, I don't care. For me, it's a thirst for life. For everything. For the things that make my heart sing and the things I dream in the dark and the light.

This is one of those things.
One of those things you talk about, you think about, you might read a bit here and there. And then one day you just simply DO the thing. It feels so good. I say there is a magic in the action, in the doing, in the trusting yourself to just do what you can and know the next step will unfold even if you can't see it right this moment.

Here are a few of the steps we've taken towards the "thing" of beekeeping...



It starts with attending the beekeeping club's meetings for a few months, purchasing some bees (and by golly you'd better get the hives ready if you know bees are coming!) and then purchasing a couple of hive bodies from K&K right up the road. You take this knowledge that bees are coming, the hive bodies and throw a couple of interested kids into the mix...



Mum adds some nails (is that a wee rattie watching from the background?)



Turn the aforementioned children loose with a gallon of exterior paint and the assembled hive bodies,



drag the husband into the party for help building a stand for the hives,


and Voila! You have a home for some tired and hungry bees, a couple of proud and smiling children and a husband that is thinking this might be an awful lot of work for the raw honey he loves in his tea mug.:)

More to come soon (I have three stings to share....but they came from MY bees by garsh!)

The garden grows...

...sorta. They're still indoors awaiting their permanent outdoors beds, but it's fun to watch them grow. The formerly leggy broccoli starts are still struggling, but some are filling out nicely.


I had 20 Brandywine tomatoes, an heirloom variety, but a few got smooshed. They are growing quickly!


I broke down and purchased a growlight...at least I got a good deal by getting it used from a friend.:)


In all, I have almost 200 starts going right now. We've started working the ground and some leeks and potatoes I ordered are here and needing to be planted shortly. There is also a small herb bed with some lavender, sage, rosemary and thyme planted with room for a few more kitchen herbs.

Everything is coming along, yet all I see is the mountain that must be climbed in order to get it all done. Seems daunting sometimes. Today was a big work day...
we got the bees hived today! I'm nervously waiting for morning to see if they're doing ok.

We'll get some pics posted of that shortly, it's been quite a learning experience. I've decided to utilize this blog more for the projects we're doing to work towards a more sustainable existence. Recipes to be included....:)

The last few things

So I've given up on the blogging every day, but the "thing-a-day" is keeping me inspired to create and document nonetheless...

A couple nights ago, we made a dessert with some small puff pastries, topped with berries and whipping cream. No pics of that, but the next day I had this one lone puff pastry left and it looked rather sad all by itself.

I took some fresh spinach and sauteed it with some Dale's seasoning and sea salt on a cast iron pan, then topped it with some tomato/basil feta. Made a great second lunch.:)




Sierra and I were craving Sushi the day after our berry dessert. We scrounged up enough to make it work. Ingredients to keep on hand for Sushi: Nori wraps, Sushi rice and Sushi vinegar. The rest of it is personal preference...cucumbers, cream cheese (less traditional but delicious anyway), tilapia, tofu, lettuce and Mai Ploy hot/sour sauce are some favorites around here.



I thought I'd post this for the farmers out there, since I can use any tips and information possible! They look less leggy to me, but I'm new to starting from seed so who knows? The tops are filling out nicely and they've quit shooting upwards so fast. The window ledge gets sunlight from sunrise to almost sunset. I'll start putting them outside as soon as I transplant them to larger pots so I can start some more. There's a second tray of broccoli and my bell peppers are actually doing something finally!

Just after Eleutheros left a comment about waiting on them, I saw a spark of hope. Two sprouts are pushing up. So I'm continuing to keep them warm. Without a warming mat I had to get creative. Let's just say I'll have to replace the oven lightbulb soon.;)



Sierra made a really cool thing tonight; an ice cup! It was hollow and crunchy, like some movie set prop. I was properly impressed.

Cooking seems to be my thing

It's the only thing I do most every day. Yet it seems boring to blog about creating meals or baking all the time. That's what I have for this day though.

Some oatmeal, raisin cookies (specifically, "vanishing oatmeal raisin cookies" from the Quaker oatmeal box. Thanks to La for inspiring that one) except I used Flax seed gel instead of eggs.
Flax seed gel makes a GREAT egg replacement and you can store the seeds for a very long time. You simply boil some seeds in water for a few minutes and it's instant goo.;)




...and a large pot of minestrone soup. All I could think while cutting up the miserable turnips from the grocery store, is how happy I'll be to use the veggies from my garden this summer.
Insert big, fat sigh here....


Lastly, I wrote in a journal. One of the many journals. I really wanted to write something about my Mom, since her death anniversary was on the 4th. But I didn't. I wrote while sitting at the park with Jalen and Sierra, on our way to run some errands for Trevor who left town yesterday. I already miss him.

He had his first Greyhound bus experience, but made it there safely in spite of the interesting people at the Johnson City station. I'll admit I was a bit nervous.



This page isn't what I wrote yesterday...I'll take an excerpt anyway. Isn't that how it works? I get to share what I want and hide the drivel. Or maybe it's all drivel...but it's MY drivel. So there.

This page was a wandering stream of thoughts, part of it says
"...passion surfaces occasionally
and gets pacified with
Djarum
or
Mojitos
or
words
spilling like silky Darjeeling
over my mind..."


Lastly, here is the progress on my broccoli starts. They are doing fabulous, in their little window ledge. The bell peppers are struggling to sprout. I really need a warming mat to make it all work better but I'll keep mucking about with my seeds and pots and a sunny window ledge.

I continue to marvel at the power of a seed. A tiny thing that becomes so much food for us. I sat and stared at my wee broccoli sprouts and imagined the plant they will grow into, providing nutrition and satisfaction for our bodies. I really think there would be more happy people in the world if everyone just grew some food.:)

Spring update

I spent today in training for the company I make my income with.:) I work with some amazingly creative, talented and inspirational people. So it was about creating art on the face today and taking some silly photos of it all.....



Katie-Laine from Nashville, who loves making connections (and we seem to have quite a few between the two of us)...



Erin from Knoxville who's sunny disposition and colorful style always uplifts me....



...yet another crazy Knoxville chic (Amanda) grabbing a moment to be goofy while listening to the Sr. artist. We have way too much fun to call it work.


I decorated Amycake's box for her Fafi goodies, as well as my own. Lotsa fun. The quote on the side is the one I have on my business cards: "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or find it not." ~Emerson



Lastly, I created my own Fafi inspired graffiti "tag".

So that's what I've been creating today and unfortunately there was no way to get to a computer before now as we were on the road to Chattanooga last night and then in a hotel without access. Hopefully I can stay on track now!!