I was visiting a student in Northside last week so I took the opportunity to stop by and see mom at Spring Grove Cemetery. The cemetery is also an arboretum, and this time of year is absolutely beautiful there - flowering trees, wildflowers, spring bulbs... everywhere you look something is blooming. The entrance to her … Continue reading The poem of creation is uninterrupted
Author: phillipsfarmbatavia
Spring fever
“When the groundhog casts his shadow And the small birds sing And the pussywillows happen And the sun shines warm And when the peepers peep Then it is Spring” ― Margaret Wise Brown We wait for the sound of peepers around here as a sure sign of spring's arrival. The thing is, those darn peepers love … Continue reading Spring fever
Did you eat your weeds today?
I noticed lots of spring edibles on my nightly walk with Soju this evening so I started collecting some items for a salad. I came back with a handful: daylily shoots, dead nettle, hairy bittercress and wild garlic. I rounded out my collection after dropping Soju off. I found sorrel, dandelion, chickweed and forsythia near … Continue reading Did you eat your weeds today?
A New Generation of Foragers is Born
The middle schoolers from the Xavier University Montessori Lab School have been coming out once each month this school year to spend a day learning and helping with a project. Today's theme was "Signs of Spring." We started off the day by dividing into three groups. Each was to search out as many signs of … Continue reading A New Generation of Foragers is Born
An herb garden renovation
When I moved into this house I was lucky to inherit an established herb garden from the previous two owners. As you may well know if you follow me, I live across the street from trained herbalist and local food celebrity Rita Heikenfeld. Through the years here she has helped me take ownership of my … Continue reading An herb garden renovation
Robyn’s Orange Chicken
Our Aunt Robyn was telling me about a new recipe she made for her son's family last week, and I had to try it straight away. Robyn's homemade orange chicken was a hit here last night. It is a pretty simple recipe but packed with flavor. Robyn's Orange Chicken Ingredients: One bag of chicken tenders … Continue reading Robyn’s Orange Chicken
A new kind of ferment: Water Kefir
Introducing the Xavier middle schoolers to fermentation reinvigorated my own interest in it. I got a great book from the library: Home Fermentation by Katherine Green. I've been trying all kinds of new things from this including fermented chia seed jam, sprouting seeds and water kefir. I wanted to share this last one with you. … Continue reading A new kind of ferment: Water Kefir
So much for a lazy weekend…
I wanted desperately to be lazy for a couple days while my hubby was out of town for a guys trip. I dreamt of days spent watching tv and crocheting warm and toasty while it was frigid outside. Unfortunately having animals means you don’t get to take time off whenever you like and the temps … Continue reading So much for a lazy weekend…
Duck skating
I spent most of the morning yesterday working out in the coop but didn't see the ducks come up to eat at all, which is unusual. When I walked down by the pond I found them quacking loudly in the cattails, the one part of the pond that hasn't frozen solid yet. When they saw … Continue reading Duck skating
Tree Tapping & Fermentation Fun
This school year, I have found a new way to connect my two areas of expertise: education and farming. Because of my connection to the Montessori department at Xavier, I was asked if we might serve as the farm for the middle schoolers at the lab school to visit each month. Maria Montessori thought that … Continue reading Tree Tapping & Fermentation Fun
