Product Review: Aerogarden

Now, this is a little strange for me to doing for my very first review, because honestly I am usually pretty much all about the all natural and organic as possible.  I do realize, however, some people are not as far along in their natural food journey as I am and even myself, I'm NOT a perfect eater. Having more green foods is better than none, so having them in your kitchen in the middle of the winter is better than having none there at all.  A stepping stone to the even better things, you can call it.

The Seed Pod Kit

I stumbled upon this goody on a local facebook yardsale site.  It's a 6 pod AeroGarden made by Miracle Grow ( my reason for hesitation..).  It retails for about $120-$150 new and I snatched it up for $30.  I thought, why not give it a try and see how it works.  The winter is dragging itself out and I didn't get my herbs in before a surprise frost last fall... so I figured hey why not.  (Some day soon I'll blog about my kitchen herb garden that I have here in the growing season.  It's splendid.)

I ordered the Gourmet Herb Pod Set from Amazon.ca.  It was here quickly, as per usual.  I love those guys!  I then set to work getting it ready.  To save you a long drawn out explanation:  I filled it with water, added the Miracle Grow, added the pods, put the tiny domes on them, turned on the lights and set it to Herbs.  That's it. The pods already have the seeds in them.  Since then I've been just watching.

5 Days after starting.

The herbs I have in there right now are Genovese Basil, Chives,  Mint, Cilantro, Dill, and Curly Parsley.  It also came with a second kind of basil, because it was a 7 pod set, so I`ll save that for later.

7 Days after starting 

As you can see, the first to show up was the basil.  All of the herbs stated they would sprout between 6-21 days.  Basil showed up after about 3, but it took a few days for some of the others to show up.  

8 Days after starting

The next to pop through was Dill.  Dill quickly started to touch the top of his tiny dome, so it was the first to be removed.  After that they all started coming in one by one.  The hubby and the kids have also enjoyed watching them to see what is happening.

Today`s progress is showed in the last picture `12 Days`.  They are coming right along.  Only Mint and Chives are left with their domes and once Chives stands up, probably tomorrow, his will come off as well.

12 Days after starting

So far my opinion of AeroGarden is good.  It`s a `set it and forget it` sort of thing, which is good for busy folks.  I wouldn`t say its any quicker than the old fashioned way, like I planted my tomatoes ( see my post on my tomatoes here), but if you don`t have time and want fresh herbs this might be great for you!  I also like that you can get other pod sets for the Aerogarden, such as cherry tomatoes.

I`ll update you all as progress continues!

Ps- Sorry about the formatting... tonight it has a mind of it`s own!

How Maritimers Deal with 446 cm of Snow (14.64 feet)

While not necessarily homestead related, today's post is about what we are up to these days, while buried in snow, other than working on finishing touches to sell the city house.

When every not-shoveled surface is covered in snow too deep to navigate, you have to be creative!  Sliding? Not likely. Skating outside? Not much is cleared.  Snowmen? Where? THIS is how we do it on Canada's East Coast :)

Winter bonfire.

Snow Pit Bonfire!  A snow blower lead by an eager grandfather, and  you can enjoy a bonfire surrounded by snow. Bonfires are a weekly ritual for us in the spring, summer and fall, so this long winter has everyone missing them! My dad (the kids' Grampy) cleared the bonfire pit in his backyard and we all hunkered down to enjoy the warmth.  We were actually planning to sleep in snow pits that night, but it was calling for snow. ( A Snow pit in a shallow area in the snow, just big enough for you and your sleeping bag, covered with a tarp, with a small area to climb in.  Super warm as long as you are dressed properly and prepared!).

Chicken noodle and hot chocolate!

He put on his Coleman stove (one of many, he is nicknamed the Coleman man, ha ha), with some chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate.  A fun Friday night, and one we will always remember along with the rest of the winter that broke the record, 2014-2015.

The boys walking out to the ice fishing shack 'village'.

Another fun winter activity is ice fishing.  The area we fish as been used for ice fishing for at least 200 years, as the area that is now small cottage-converted homes, was once its own small village with saw mills.  My own family has used this area for many generations, our kids being the 5th.  This year we almost weren't able to.  The extreme cold and snow has made for beyond average ice thickness.  It is usually about 1-1.5 feet thick, this year our auger, which is 3.5 feet to the crook, just barely made it through.  One more inch and we would have been out of luck!!

When all else fails and you NEED to get around, you break out the show shoes.  A great way to
exercise and get fresh air, especially when the winter just doesn't seem like it is other going to end.  One piece of advice:  If you haven't used them in awhile, test your bindings and make sure that they are secure and pliable.  Otherwise, you'll end up like me: In waist deep snow when they break and you end up wading back to your car.  Add the fact that it was a nice day and I was wearing leggings... yeah, my drive home was... cold. It was fun though, and an adventure I'll be telling for a long time to come.

Today was the first day of spring, and although the snowbanks are still towering, there is a hint of spring in the air and the sun feels stronger and is slowly eating away the snow.  As much as we want it gone, it needs to go slowly.  They just announced the beginning of the annual River Watch for our area.  The snow pack is 150-200% of the normal water equivalency (this measures how much water is in the snow pack) and we have about 10 times the usual amount of snow.  If it melts too quickly, it could be disastrous for those on the water.  7 years ago the river flooded (as it does every year) and our cottage, which sits on the banks, flooded as well.  We had furniture up on cinder blocks, as water covered the sunken living room and the front of the cottage became buoyant (our children are the 6th generation to enjoy this jointly-family owned cottage).  It caused a lot of damage, but it was salvageable.  This year, I pray we will be just as lucky or luckier.  Good news?  The new homestead is near the river, but nowhere near the flood zones..  yay!

Starting Tomatoes: An Inside Job

 So, with all this talk about seeds, picking seeds, thinking seeds, dreaming seeds... There are some that I have already on hand and started indoors a few weeks ago.  I went to my local seed store, Halifax Seed and bought a delightful pack of organic Organic Beefsteak Tomatoes.  They are an indeterminate variety, so I look forward to seeing just what they produce!

Newly transplanted tomatoes,
from cell packs.

I didn't take a picture of when I planted them in the cell pack trays with a plastic dome, but I basically just used an organic potting mix that I picked up the same day as my seeds.  I do have a grow light and heat mat downstairs, but I opted to use the natural sunlight for these seeds.  On top of Sophie's (our resident Boxer) kennel is one of the sunniest places in the house, so I have been keeping them there and they seem to be doing well.

After the seeds sprouted and were a few inches tall, I transplanted them to some 1.5" peat pots.  Now, when I planted them, I planted a few seeds per cell.  When you transplant tomatoes you are supposed to just transplant the best one, not all of them ( or so they say, whoever they are?).  I just can't bring myself to throw out a cute little seedling that holds so much potential, so I just carefully separated (most) of them and gave them their very own peat pots to grow in.  I had to leave a few together, we shall see what happens to them down the road.

I have since taken more progress pictures and I'm happy to say that they seem to be doing well.

Exactly two weeks after getting their new peat pots.

When I transplanted them, I planted them so that a lot of their stem was under the earth.  I'll do this again when they move.  From my experience and reading, tomatoes do better when they have a lot of stem in the ground, where more roots will emerge.  These tomatoes will also be planted deeper when they finally get into the outside soil, a long with a lot of other wonderful and strange things. I can't wait for that post.  Some of you will find it common knowledge, but others... you might find it just plain STRANGE what some people put in their tomato holes, let me tell you!!

Sophie chillin' with her 'baby' (pig).

Since I mentioned Sophie, here is a picture of her, for visualization. Tonight she is being a lazy bones. She is quite the character, so look forward to many posts about her antics and adventures with her human brothers and brother and sister cats, whom I will introduce soon!  We aren't even on the homestead yet and we have a small herd..ha ha.

Oh!  I almost forgot to tell you.  Remember my three tabs of seed websites open, that I have had open for..oh... almost a week?  Some little person unplugged my laptop, which subsequently died... so I'm back to square one.  I think it is a good thing... plus, I'm still thinking!

Tootles!

Corned Beef and Cabbage- A St. Patrick's Day Dish a la Crock Pot

The Corned Beef and Cabbage dish was in the dishwasher.. ;)

Chop up yo veggies!

St. Patrick's Day is upon us!  Here in our city, nicknamed 'Canada's Most Irish City', it's a pretty big to do.  Green beer flows, people gather at local Irish pubs, they wear green clothing.. and eat Irish inspired dishes. From green cupcakes to green pancakes, my Facebook feed is flooded with green food!

With two boys under the weather today, my green baking didn't come together, but I made up for it with a traditional Irish dish: Corned Beef and Cabbage.  While I didn't corn the beef myself this year ( I reaaaalllly hope I can say differently once we are on the homestead!), I did the rest from scratch and I'm going to share it with you!  I made it in the slow cooker this year, so it was a super simple meal.  This is a pretty flexible dish, so for veggies you can choose your favourites.  I generally stick with potatoes, celery, carrots and of course, coarsely chopped cabbage.  We were out of carrots, so they didn't make the cut into this year's dish.  Sorry, Carrots, maybe next time.

After you've chosen your veggie team, chop 'em all up.  Except Cabbage.  Cabbage waits until close to the finale.

Moose Light, beer

Put your corned beef in your slow cooker and add a can or bottle of your favourite unflavoured beer.  Here in our Irish City, Moose Light is pretty popular, so it made the team today.  On top of this, place all of your chopped veggies.  You can add seasonings if you want, or you can let the beef and beer flavour your veggies.  Today, I added a few peppercorns, a couple cloves, and some coriander seeds.  Cloves are very strong tasting, so be sure to add them sparingly, if you use them at all.

Now, to cook this beast.  The rule of thumb is 50 minutes on high per pound.  I gave my small 1.5 pounder 4 hours, so the veggies could cook well and all the juices could flow. It smelled pretty good in here this afternoon!  Around the last hour of cooking, add in your chopped cabbage. Did you know that cabbage is ooooh so good for you?  Well it is!  

"Cabbage has the highest amount of some of the most powerful antioxidants found in cruciferous vegetables – phytonutrients such as thiocyanates, lutein, zeaxanthin, isothiocyanates, and sulforaphane, which stimulate detoxifying enzymes" -http://foodfacts.mercola.com/

So here's the recipe ingredients at a glance:

1 Corned Beef Brisket, sized to suit your family or guests
Potatoes
Onion
Celery             } or add your fav's
Carrots
Cabbage
1 can or bottle of unflavoured beer (you can also use water or beef stock/broth)
Preferred spices, such as coriander seed, mustard seed, peppercorn, cloves, and more.

It's a pretty versatile recipe!

This year's St. Paddy's celebrations may be over, but now's the time to add that reminder to next year's calendar to pick up those veggies, locate a corned beef brisket, and serve up this old fashioned traditional meal next March 17th!  OOoooooooo.....

The Seed Saga: To Plant a Pumpkin

This post is an extension of Planning a Garden In a Record-Breaking Blizzard, because...well... the saga continues!  I still have three tabs open, with seeds in each cart and have been adding, switching and removing seeds each day.  I WILL figure this out!

One of my hopes for the new homestead is to have a u-pick pumpkin patch within the next couple of years.  It would be a great source of additional income, and something new in our area.  The new homestead is located in the perfect location for such an endeavour, right on route between the city and a very popular farmer's market that is one of 'THE Go-To' places each summer.  It is also located in an area with a few different apple orchards that offer u-pick apples, so I can see many families making a stop at our patch during those beautiful autumn days.  I'd also like to hope that local photographers and parents eager to take their children's pictures would like to stop in and use our picturesque land and pumpkins, while visiting the animals... oh, one can dream!

 Fall, and all of the wonderfulness that goes with it,  is my most absolute favourite time of the year.  This includes pumpkins...  I love them!  As I'm sitting here, staring at all the pumpkins available, there are certain varieties that I have always wanted to grow and offer in the patch:

Rouge vif d'Etampes,
aka The Cinderella

Rouge vif d'Etampes Pumpkin - aka The Cinderella Pumpkin.  Almost a red-orange, with a more flatten shape than jack-o-lanterns, they make such beautiful additions to any fall decor.  Bonus: you can use them for cooking, too!

Warty Sanchez Pumpkin

Warty Pumpkin  or Sanchez.  These are just so neat and really fall into the Halloween decorating theme, in my opinion.  I just love the way they look.  They are good for eating as well.

For Jack-o-lanterns I'm still undecided between Jack of All Trades and Howdens.  They both are used for Halloween carving and are good varieties... I'm leaning more more towards the Howdens, but we shall see.  I'd love to hear your input!

Lumina

I also would love to grow Ghost (Lumina, white) pumpkins and FairyTale pumpkins... oh the choices.

Last but not least (because there are others I want to grow as well, haha!), let's not forget Dill's Atlantic Giants.. because what pumpkin patch is complete without a giant pumpkin to crawl all over?  

Now, you might be thinking, "Hey, just go for it and grow a few of each!"  Believe me, I'd love to.  There is a problem though.  With open-pollination and heirloom pumpkins there is the trouble of cross pollination and we don't want that!  So, I have a few options:

My first option, and the one I don't like very much (that would be my stubbornness coming out), is to just plant one variety of pumpkin each season.  If this was the case, I would have to stick with a traditional jack-o-lantern variety.  Don't get me wrong, I love them too, but I'm really hoping to offer some variety and some types that aren't available just everywhere else.  So, if I'm not going to stick with just one type of pumpkin, I have a few more possibilities...

My second option to deal with cross pollination between pumpkin varieties is the distance method.  This method involves planting different varieties of a plant species far enough apart that pollinators, like bees, won't likely visit both in one day.  With our 5 acre field of dreams, this method won't be possible.  It might be for some plants, but not for pumpkins, as they need about 1/2 a mile to be safe (give or take, depending on who you listen to).  Some plants, such as self pollinating beans, aren't such an issue, while some varieties of beets need 5 miles (Whoa! Better hope Mr. McGregor next door isn't planting beets this year too!).  There is a great book, called Seed to Seed, by Suzanne Ashworth that has great information about plant spacing and seed saving.  I also really love this super chart over at How to Save Seeds.  These people know their plant spacing!  I'm a fact-nut, so I find it pretty interesting.

Another method, that won't work for us unfortunately, is to time planting so that different varieties aren't all blooming at the same time.  From my pumpkin growing experience, once a pumpkin plant starts to bloom, it just keeps going.  Some growing methods involve leaving only one pollinated pumpkin per vine or plant, but if you aren't going for show-sized pumpkins, your plants can bear more than one fruit.  (Yes, pumpkins are in fact fruit!  If you want to get super specific, they are more closely related to berries and are a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, in the Cucurbita genus.  This also includes cucumbers, melons and squash).

This leaves us to the last method, which is covering the blooms to avoid letting pollinators at them.  This is also the method that I'm going to have to use, if I want to grow more than one type of pumpkin.  What my plan is, is to grow mostly jack-o-lantern pumpkins, as this is the kind that a lot of potential U-Pickers are going to come looking for. This way, I only have to cover the blossoms of the secondary varieties.  Although this will cause extra work, I think it will be our best option.

So there you have it!  One of the many thoughts that are running through my head as I 'try' to plan this years garden.  My thoughts are this:  We may not know WHERE, but we can try to narrow down the WHAT as much as possible.  Plan for small and hope for more.  Expect little and be surprised for more... you get the picture.

I'll be posting a delicious recipe in my next post, one especially for any followers with Irish roots... or those who do for one day per year ;)

PS-  More snow in the forecast tonight!

Planning a Garden in a Record-Breaking Blizzard

As I write this the wind is howling outside and blowing snow is pounding down on us.  Yes, on March 15th we are in the middle of a lovely pre-spring blizzard, my friends! Driving is touch and go, public transit has been pulled from the roads, the city is pretty much at a stand-still and I'm planning our garden. (♪ ♫ one of these things is not like the others..♫ ♪).  Truth be told, I'm going on my third evening doing this and I don't expect to finish tonight or tomorrow night either.  It is no easy task! Let me tell you why!

As I scour my favourite seed company websites, Cottage Gardener, West Coast Seeds and Stokes Seeds there are so many things running through my mind!  First and foremost, my main dilemma is that as much as I hope that we list our house, it promptly sells and we are at the new homestead in time for planting, realistically speaking there is a good chance that we won't be there in time.  If this is the case, I don't want to order a whole bunch of seeds that we aren't going to use!  What a shame it would be, though, if it does all work out and we arrive with only enough seeds and plants for our city garden.  I will be starting a lot of our seeds indoors this year, or at least the ones that can be started indoors.  This way, with a season that looks like it might be shorter, all of the plants can reach maturity.  What I'm considering is planning for somewhere in the middle: more than needed for the city and not nearly enough for the country.  This way, we will have a decent garden either way and if we have too much for the city, I can sell the seedlings.  This approach has a few downfalls; however, one being the obvious issue that we potentially could be looking at our beautiful fields... empty. The second being that this approach means we won't be growing much in the way of animal feed, which means our first year might include only a few chickens.  A few chickens is more than what we have now though, which is zero...

Snowing and Blowing!

That's our house back there..somewhere

March 16th. Post blizzard, with 36 cm (a little over 14 inches) of snow down, but a beautiful sunny day. We have broken the record for the most snow to ever fall in our city!  The previous record, set in 1962-63, is no more as we stand at 431 cm so far this winter.  That is almost 170 inches, or over 14 FEET of snow.  Wowza!  Oh, and we have more coming tomorrow night.. Yippee!  Now, back to the big problem here:  My Seeds!

Aside from the 'Where' dilemma, there is also the 'What' dilemma that goes hand-in-hand with it!  When I look through the catalogs and websites I just want to plant them all!  I'm like a kid in a candy store.  So much potential, but trying to do everything in the first year is just not realistic.  As much as I know, there is a lot I don't know and there will be a learning curve for sure. So, the quest continues.

I'll be posting soon about what I end up ordering!  Stay tuned!

Homestead Baked Beans

It's been a few days since my last post and I'm going to be honest: I've spent the past three nights on my favourite seed websites trying to plan this year's garden. I'll be posting about that saga in another post, because this post is dedicated to BEANS!  Delicious, hearty, comforting, old fashioned baked beans.

This bean recipe is a meal that you plan the day before, as it takes about one day to really prepare it right.  From soaking to slow cooking, its the time and planning that makes this a happy meal and even though it does take about a full day to make, a lot of it is just time, so this is an easy meal to make.  This is a recipe that has been handed down through my family: 4 generations for sure and likely a lot more.  Even our youngest son, who has a very limited diet due to sensory issues and preferences, eats this one!  So, without further ado...

You'll need 2 lbs beans ( I like solider beans, yellow eyed beans are nice, too).  Pick through your beans and remove any cracked, split or really discoloured ones.

You should add these to a large roaster and cover them with water.  There should be at least an inch or two of water above the beans.  You should also check on them a few hours after you start soaking, as they tend to really soak up a lot.  You want them to soak overnight.

The next morning, check your beans for water.  If needed, add more, so you can parboil them.  To parboil, place your roaster of beans in a 300 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes.  You will know they are done when the beans are to your desired softness AND they pass this old test:  Take one bean out on a spoon and lightly blow on it.  If the skin peels away from the bean, it is ready.  Now remember, once you add sugar to your beans they will not soften any further, even after baking, so make sure that they are as soft as you want them to be now.

When your beans have reached your desired softness, add the following ingredients:

1 c. (packed) brown sugar*
1 c. molasses
1-2 chopped onions ( I like bigger chunks)
2-4 tsp dry mustard ( I like 4 heaping tsp.)
Salt and pepper to taste

You can also add pieces of bacon or lard if you want, but it isn't necessary.

*If you are trying to reduce your sugar intake, you can substitute palm sugar for the brown sugar.  I have done this and it didn't effect the taste at all!

After you have stirred in your ingredients, bake your beans in the covered roaster for 3-4 hours.  The length of time depends on how thick or runny you like your beans. Your beans can also continue absorbing a lot of water, so for these two reasons it is always good to check on them every hour or so during baking to avoid burning.

We had beans for breakfast this morning!

So, there you have it!  Delicious baked beans.  These are great served with some buttery rolls, like we had them for dinner tonight.  I put leftovers in a container for freezing, because baked beans freeze so well and are just as good reheated - perfect for a quick dinner on another night. I also saved some in the fridge to have with our ham breakfast tomorrow morning.  Yumbo!!  Enjoy!!

Getting Ready for Planting: Sweet Potatoes for Pennies

Even while still buried under many feet of snow, I am already planning the garden.  I cannot wait to get planting and the signs of my eagerness are starting to pop up all over the house. My husband has even commented recently on the number of plants and seedlings started around here.. and I have only just begun... *insert maniacal laugh here*. I have many of my heirloom seeds collected from last year ready to go soon, if not already, and I have been sifting through my favourite seed catalogues and websites (I'll tell you my favs in an upcoming post!) and will be ordering the rest of my seeds soon! Yay!  Now, hopefully all the wonderfulness will be planted in the ground at the new homestead, but if not, it will be a container garden year, ready to ship to the new place when its Go Time.
Amongst some of the recently started plant babies around here are sweet potatoes!  Now, one of the most obvious reasons for planting sweet potatoes is because they provide us with yummy tubers that taste great and are super versatile. They also keep for a very long time if stored properly: this includes curing them.  I'm going to write a separate post on curing sweet potatoes during one of my sweet potato updates, that way you get all of the sweet details and can enjoy your delicious harvest's full potential!
There are a few other reasons you should include this tasty plant in your garden this year. One being that sweet potato vines are eager little growers, taking no time at all to fill out their spot.  The vines are also very pretty (or aesthetically pleasing, if you don't like referring to your food as pretty).  If you are growing in the city, you could easily plant sweet potato in your front garden bed and no one would ever be the wiser, until you dig it up in the fall and your neighbours are amazed at the bounty you pull from your flower bed!

Day One

Sweet potatoes also really like the heat, which is why you wait until the soil is warm and all danger of frost is past before planting your shoots.  This also makes them excellent candidates for container gardening and raised beds!
Sweet potatoes are one of those plants you DON'T plant by seed.  They grow from shoots, which makes them super easy to propagate AND you can get all you need at your local supermarket (no shipping and handling on these babies)!  I do suggest buying organic sweet potatoes for sprouting, but you don't have to.  This year I am actually going to try both conventional and organic, I'll document the results and see if there is a difference between sprouting time, growth and yield.  I have already started mt conventional potatoes and will get my organic ones this weekend.  Here's a picture of the conventional potatoes on Day One.
You don't have to plant them like this.  Cutting them in half and then playing them cut-side down in a tray of water also works well.  I'll like do that with my organic ones, but this way really lets you see those roots developing.  Here is a picture of my one week check-up.

One week check-up.

First, you will see roots develop and then likely within a couple of weeks you will see the shoots start to develop near the top of the sweet potato.  Can you see the itty bitty roots forming on the guy on the left?  Yeehaw!


I'll do a check up each week until we have some viable shoots, with more tips and what to do next!  I'll also update this post with my organics, and of course some sweet potato recipes in upcoming posts... YUMBO!  So when you get your groceries this week, grab a couple sweet potatoes and get them started.   They might not be ready for the outside, but they need some time inside to get ready.  This is perfect timing!  See you all soon!

Our Kitchen Reno: Scary to Airy for less than $300!

Renovations!  Some people love them, some people hate them. I personally love them!  I must say, however, that because I'm chompin' at the bit to move I'm over renovating our city home.  Don't get me wrong, it's been a good house, but I've been ready to move on for a LONG time.  Unfortunately, when you get to that point, your tendency to start new projects somewhat diminishes and ugly mint green kitchens tend to stay ugly and mint-y for much longer than is excusable!  This, my friends, is the reason why a person who spends a HUGE amount of time in their kitchen is just now finally getting around to doing something about this terrible eyesore!  Good news is, I'm usually pretty good on doing this on the cheap ( and still looking decent, if I do say so myself!).

When we moved into our city home almost 8 years ago, the galley kitchen looked something like this.  Green, dated, with strange, useless, hunky handles everywhere, green-grainy counter tops, nasty linoleum floors, a strange wall that wasn't originally there and to top it all off, it had a small apartment sized stove hardwired into the middle of the kitchen and a range hood vented into the attic.  That's right folks, picture a 1 inch hole drilled through the floor with a stove wire run through it and to the panel and a vent dumping moist air into your attic. Utter loveliness!

About a month after we moved in, and with the arrival of new appliances, we removed the strange wall and moved the new stove over to the 'real' wall, complete with a new proper 240V stove outlet.  (Yay for safe electrical!) With the removal of the wall, we did a quick crack fill job on the ceiling and some peel and stick tile on the floor, with the intention of doing a proper job within the next year.  And there is sat, folks.  In all of its ugliness.  Until now.

To get the house ready to sell we realized that this ugly green monster had to go!  With my husbands handy skills, and my vision ( and mad painting skills) we did a quick yet effective renovation.  We painted the cabinets, removed the ugly header board to expose more storage, added some crown molding,  new hardware, new vinyl flooring and a counter top paint job.  We also jazzed up the end wall with some beautiful 100 year old barn board shelves ( not included in the reno price) which really add to the feeling of the kitchen.  I realllllly hope to take them with us to the homestead!  I'm going to do a separate post about the shelves and a more detailed post with instructions and pictures on my counter top reno, which saved us big money ( about $40 vs hundreds to replace!). We went with a grey colour scheme to update the space, while keeping it airy and neutral.

After our under $300 reno!
Not staged, just grabbed a picture to show.

While it's always fun to drop a few thousand or ten on a whole new kitchen, sometimes its just not in the budget.  Rest assured, you too can totally change the feeling and update your tired, scary kitchen as long as you also invest a little patience, creativity, time and elbow grease.

One step closer to the homestead, y'all!

Clean, Fresh, FREE Water- It's Out There!

Your body, which is comprised of 50-70% water, needs plenty of water to function and be at its healthiest.  Not just any water either: Fresh, clean, good for you water.  None of this chlorinated, fluoridated, 'Mystery X' added stuff!

Today the boys and I went for our semi-monthly drive up the river road to full our water jugs.  The natural spring we go to has been used for generations and it continues to flow constantly, providing all who go with fresh, clean water.  When we get there the boys work like little ants in an assembly line.  I climb down to the spring and fill the jugs, hand them to the next boy in line and they take them back to the car and bring more empties.  We all have fun and its a good thing I think they will remember when they are older.

Fresh spring water, free for the taking.  Beautiful!

Today I was talking with the land owner, who graciously allows people to park on their land, and keeps the spring accessible.  Talk about good people!  The woman was telling me how years ago an old store stood at that spot.  They would place their bottles in the spring to keep them cold in the summer.  People would come for the water and stop at the store for their needs.  Now there is a small area for parking cars and a garden where the store once stood.

Looking for a fresh, free source of water?  Ask around.  Often times there are local fresh springs people can access.  Asking a few 'earthy' folk will probably help you locate one out of city limits.  It's also always a good idea to make sure that the spring has been tested to ensure the water is actually clean.  Most times, it is.  The earth is a wonderful natural purifier, passing through layers of rock and sand. If you check out many commercial water purification systems, you will often see them duplicating the Earth's perfect system, too!

It's also important to make sure that the containers you are using are clean and if plastic, BPA free and food grade.  This will make sure that plastic doesn't leach into your water.  Obviously, glass is the most ideal water vessel, but from experience, a large glass jug filled with water is not only extremely heavy, but dangerous if dropped.  We have two large Aqua Pak 20 litre containers with spigots, in addition to our many reused water jugs, and they work great.  They are also great to take camping: clean fresh water for drinking, washing and cooking.. as long as you don't have far to carry them.  

While driving home from the spring my oldest son asked if we would still go to the spring when we move to the new homestead.  I guess not?  With a well ( as long as it is tested and pure) we won't need to leave the city for clean, fresh water anymore.  Perhaps we'll still go once in awhile just for the heck of it :)

Growing Food In The Winter- For Cheap: Turmeric Edition!

Hi Folks!  So, today I thought I would talk about one of my many current and ongoing food/ plant projects:  My Turmeric.  Now, before we get started, let me explain my title.  What I mean to say is Growing Food In The Winter- Inexpensively, but it just doesn't have the same ring to it, you know?  Turmeric and all of its wonderful properties is definitely not a cheap date!

After a couple of weeks in their pots.

Last fall, I visited my local organic vegetable store, Kredls, and while shopping I grabbed some organic turmeric. There are SO many health benefits to turmeric and since I'm not a doctor and because I could ramble on and turn this into a HUGE post on the subject, I'm going to tell you to make sure to take some time to check them out!

After using up most of my turmeric, I had two small pieces left and I figured I would try my hand at seeing if these roots ( the part of the turmeric plant we eat) would grow more turmeric.  Now, I would suggest using organic turmeric whenever possible and that goes for any food plant you are going to try and propagate from a cutting or root.  Oftentimes, conventional plants are sprayed with inhibitors that make it difficult to regrow plants from the cuttings. Even if you can get it to sprout, it will often struggle with producing and even then, you are bringing icky sprays into the picture. I digress....

I put them on my window sill... and waited.  A few weeks later I was most pleasantly surprised to see them springing shoots, similarly to what garlic looks like, if it is laying around too long (you can also plant sprouting garlic!).  Once the shoots got about an inch long, I put them in two small pots of organic earth on the window sill, and resumed my waiting.  After a couple of days they started reaching through the soil and quickly started unravelling their leaves, one by one.

   

Approximately three

 weeks later

 The first picture was taken a couple of weeks after the shoots started pushing up through the soil.  The second picture was taken about 3 weeks after that. (Pardon the window sill, one of the cats decided to go poke around in the dirt, avid little gardeners that they are!). 

The last picture is now, taken about 1.5 months after the second photo.  As you can see, they are growing into nice sized plants and will soon be moving to bigger pots, to allow for their ever-expanding roots (more turmeric pour moi!).  I'm pleased with their progress.  You have to remember, these aren't tiny little string roots we are talking about.  Picture ginger.  These are good sized roots, so their leaves are really like the tip of the iceberg ( or will be).  I haven't decided if I will plant them in the garden this year, or keep them in their pots.  I'm leaning more towards the latter, so I can move the pot indoors in the fall and continue to  enjoy their bounty next winter.

Currently, about 1.5 

months later.

How can you eat the roots if they are in their pots, you ask?  Simple!  Carefully remove the plant, take a snippet of the root and place it back into the pot.  If you have a few growing, you can alternate which plant to take from, allowing them to establish again before the next up-root.  It's similar to growing green onion on your window sill, just that you are using the other part of the plant.

So there you have it!  A way to turn some leftover root into a source of fresh turmeric that can be used year-round.  Give this method a try using ginger or garlic and see what happens!  I have many other plants started around the house, which are bound for the homestead garden. I'll be posting about those plant adventures soon!

New to turmeric?  Try out this Turmeric Tea at Wellness Mama.  It is a great immune booster, so its perfect if you feel a case of the sniffles coming on. It calls for coconut milk, but I have used almond milk as well as dairy, so it lends itself to variation to suit your taste and what you have on hand.  You should always make a point to use local unpasteurised honey whenever possible, as it has  antibacterial and antimicrobial properties- so good for you!  I'll be posting about honey in the future, too!

Spring Fever, Under 7 (12.5) feet of Snow!

As I write this I sit at our kitchen table (at our current city home) with the sun strongly coming through the patio doors.  If I close my eyes, I can practically feel spring in those rays!  When I open them, however, I am looking out into our 'snow swimming pool' yard.  We have 6 ft fences on the sides and an 8 foot in the back.  Some of the drifts are over the 6 ft fence! This winter we have received an amazing 381 cm ( that's 150 inches, or 12.5 feet) of the white stuff. Amazing!  I also refer to our yard as the snow labyrinth.  I can feel spring in the air and I'm starting to see some subtle signs, so I'm convinced it is on its way!  Generally, I would excited to see tell-tale signs of my raised beds and hoop house hoops starting to show. This year, I will watch them appear and fight the urge to plant.  Why?  Because I am hoping for everything to work out that I can plant our garden at our new homestead this year!

That's my poor husband, fighting his way through to our
 heat pump condenser!

Signs, you may ask?  Well, yes!  Pay attention to old Mother Nature and you will have a pretty good idea of what is on the way.  Last summer, for instance, I kept telling people "We're going to have a LOT of snow this winter".  When I told them why, some laughed.  Last summer the hornets and bees were building their nests higher than I had ever seen, our trees starting dropping their leaves a little earlier than usually AND the fall foliage seemed extra beautiful.  All nature's of way of saying "Prepare for a cold and snowy winter!".

Now, for the signs of spring!  First, a lot of my early spring flowering houseplants have already come into bloom.  A much welcome burst of colour inside, when the outside world is so white right now!

My beautiful Dolphin plant,
starting to bloom!

Secondly, the song birds and robins are coming back.  I have seen and heard a few, and I know more are on their way! Thirdly, there has been a lady bug spotted.  Indoors, but still.  They are stirring.  I was very excited when my friend found one in her home.  She, however, was less than excited by the tiny red visitor.  Are you seeing any signs in and our your home?

Let`s Start from the Very Beginning, or Maybe Just Before It.

Welcome, welcome!

Sometimes our life`s missions start from a single moment of great epiphany... and others start with a small seed and grow into something bigger than itself.  That`s how this mission started.  With a seed.  I can`t tell you exactly which seed, since I was always roaming, building, creating and foraging as a child, but somewhere along the way I got lost and then I was suddenly FOUND! Haha.  Let`s elaborate.

A few years ago, while starting to re-learn the basics of canning ( aka preserving), I stumbled upon an article that explained the importance of the quality and origin of the ingredients that go into your canned creations.  For a superior, wholesome pickle, one mustn`t be chintzy on vegetable quality!  Vegetables coated in commercial waxes, pesticides and residues pretty much undo any attempt at making and providing a healthy, natural preserve: you might as well go buy a processed bottle at the local grocer.

This was my eureka moment.


Although my parents, grandparents and others in my family I had seen preparing food often cooked things from scratch, in thinking back to childhood experiences, it seemed that the art of finding really natural supplies had been a long since abandoned art.  Not to their fault; however, most of the world has fallen in the complacency of buying their food from the nearest, cheapest and most convenient source. I needed to re-learn everything I ever thought I knew about food.  

In my mission to locate natural, unadulterated food I stumbled upon a local young entrepreneur who had recently purchased a popular rural vegetable stand named Kredls, and was quickly gaining popularity with his weekly vegetable boxes, Daves Produce Packs, and great naturally grown, local and often organic food choices with a quickly expanding assortment in his store. If ever in the Hampton, New Brunswick area this is a MUST stop.  I'll blog more about Dave and his mission in future chronicles!


Natural food source found, I started on a mission to learn the lost art of preserving ( I was preserving before preserving was cool!). My love of canning grew, and soon I was also delving into baking and cooking with natural ingredients.  Self professed foodie right here, folks!

And let's just say... it just completely snowballed from there.

I have long been a gardener, but I mostly dabbled in flowers.  My new found hobby for hunting down fresh food took on a life of its own and quickly became also a mission to grow as much as I could in my small city backyard.  One bonus of fenced-in city living is that the deer can't eat your greens; one downfall is that you are somewhat limited in what you can do.  My city backyard must wear many hats: Aesthetically pleasing, child play area, family dog run area, back yard deck area and garden area.  With a raised bed garden, some large totes of healthy earth, cedar flower boxes on our deck and the help of my husband ( whom I will talk about often as he is my faithful, comedic, not overly critic partner in crime) I set out to learn, grow and take over the world.  Ok.  Maybe not take over the world, but reclaim some of our yard and master the art of homesteading, with a goal: to someday soon move our two boys, the dog, the cats and our home to the country.  In the meantime, I am preparing as much as I can, planning the first year's garden, planting seedlings, learning about plant propagation and trying natural household product recipes as part of a year-resolution with my long time and dear friend, Sarah, to cut out chemicals, toxins and unnatural products while saving money!

Right now, we are in the 'almost launching' stage of our country homestead.  We are putting the finishing touches on our city home, with plans to put it for sale in the coming weeks.  We have found our new homestead: 5 acres of VERY old farmhouse ( a project in itself), big beautiful old barn, fields of untouched earth and wild apple trees.  I could tell you all my plans now, but I'll leave them for future posts!  Here's hoping for lots of fun, lessons learned, tutorials, missions, pictures and laughs!