I ate my first asparagus spears, plucked right from the bed and into my mouth last week, and so the garden 2018 officially began. The peas in my window boxes are looking good and healthy but not bearing anything yet. I harvested my first handful of tender new kale leaves last week as well. Check … Continue reading Garden 2018 has officially begun
Month: April 2018
Ducks Are Learning Their Routine
My little ducklings are getting the hang of their daily routine. I am utilizing the fact that they are afraid of the chicken door to my benefit in teaching them. Initially I thought it would be better to lock them in the coop until they figured it out on their own how to use the … Continue reading Ducks Are Learning Their Routine
First Kale Recipe of the Season
I love kale. It is such a versatile, nutrient-dense and hearty green. I grow it in my garden every year. This year I started some seedlings in a cold frame that I built back in February. They were slow to take off with the gray, cold days. Just this past week though, the little … Continue reading First Kale Recipe of the Season
Lavender Dandelion Muffins
When I set out picking dandelions yesterday, my intention was to make an infusion for jelly. Arriving home with a basket of the happy yellow flowers, though, I felt inspired to try something new. I got a new cookbook, Recipes From The Herbalist's Kitchen by Brittany Wood Nickerson, and I've been trying out recipes from it. … Continue reading Lavender Dandelion Muffins
Starting the Truck Box Coop Conversion
The quick growth of the chicks has necessitated finally starting work on the truck box conversion. If you remember, we purchased this 22' truck box from a local seller who had posted it on eBay. It was a terrifying drive home hauling this huge thing on our trailer but we made it. Then we had … Continue reading Starting the Truck Box Coop Conversion
Enjoy this Beautiful Spring Morning with Me
Make sure you have the sound up and enjoy this beautiful spring morning with me. I took a child to school and came home to tend to the animals. Walking down to the pond, I was feeling frustrated to find the adult ducks stayed out again last night which means they laid their eggs god … Continue reading Enjoy this Beautiful Spring Morning with Me
The Plant Kingdom is Taking Over
It started, as it always does in late winter, with a handful of tiny seeds and a couple small seed starting trays in the window. I was aching to start growing again so I did a few herbs in some windowsill trays. Before long that turned into a few more small trays. Then I jumped … Continue reading The Plant Kingdom is Taking Over
Flower Jelly Season Begins Again
I love this time of year - spring flowers are beginning to pop out everywhere, including some of my favorite edible wildflowers. One day last week I decided it was time to begin picking season in earnest. I set out with two baskets and came back a few hours later with this haul: forsythia in … Continue reading Flower Jelly Season Begins Again
Spring is Flowering
The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. - Gertrude S. Wister It is true, I just adore spring flowers. After the long winter, those first shoots of greenery followed by bursts of color warm my heart. This year the daffodils were the first … Continue reading Spring is Flowering
A New Tractor Already Making Life a Little Easier
My husband is a tractor man. As long as I have known him, he's been buying little John Deere tractors, tinkering with them, and then passing them on to new owners in a little better state. For a long time, there was always an extra one in the garage. He seems to have moved through … Continue reading A New Tractor Already Making Life a Little Easier
Phillips Farm Batavia, LLC 