Sunday, April 29, 2012

Baby Chicks are Here!

The babies are here!!!!!  We have five adorable, warm, fuzzy, bundles of joy.......



Our mama hen, Rosemary, decided she was NOT going to go broody this year despite all of our efforts so we finally gave in and purchased some Dominique chicks from a farm just down the road from us. We hope all of them turn out to be pullets :)





Baby chicks always seem to bring new life and excitement to our homestead, a sure sign of spring and good things to come. 



The babies are growing so fast and have been exploring their new brooder. Just recently they have been attempting to fly up on their feeder! I love picking them up and snuggling with one of them under my chin. 

This chick learned how to fly on top of its feeder.
 Before long they will outgrow their brooder box!

In about four more weeks they should be all ready to go outside into their brooder coop. I will post pics of the new coop once it is ready!


For now, I have some baby chicks to play with!


Sunday, April 22, 2012

A Growing Garden and Eating with the Seasons


Our garden is coming along nicely! We have planted lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets, onions, garlic, kale, collards, beans, peas, radishes, cauliflower, cucumbers, okra, summer and winter squash, pumpkins, and a "three sisters" garden of beans, corn and squash growing together. Whew! That's a lot. The only thing still left to be put into the ground are the tomatoes and pepper plants that we started from seed. 


garden beds and cold frame- the trellis pictured here is for the cucumbers




peas are popping up

All of our gardening efforts have really got me thinking lately about trying to eat more with the seasons.  I know I have talked about this before, but I really think it is important when trying to maintain a local and wholesome foods diet, especially if you are aiming to grow as much food on your own as possible. What we can't grow ourselves, we can purchase from the local farmer's market, which always provides produce that is in season in our area. Of course, there are a lot of foods and other dry goods that you will have to purchase at your grocery store or market that you can't make on your own. I'm hoping to whittle that list down as I learn to be more self-sufficient on our little homestead. 


This bed is all ready for tomatoes and peppers to be planted

Since we are growing springtime veggies right now, our meals would revolve around produce such as lettuce and greens, kale, collards, asparagus, spring onions, snap peas, spinach, broccoli, and other crops that can tolerate colder weather. Our chickens are always laying eggs and we keep milk, cheese, free range chicken, pasta, and fresh bread on hand, so those ingredients are a staple in our diet and often contribute to our meals. So, a weekly meal plan for us in the spring might look something like this: 

-asparagus, pancetta, and cheddar quiche

-Asian chicken salad  (lettuce and greens, cut up seasoned chicken with curry powder, candied and toasted sliced almonds, mandarin oranges, spring onions, toasted sesame dressing)

-White bean, bacon, and kale soup with fresh bread

-Poached eggs over crispy marjoram toasts smothered in an herb tomato sauce

-Pecan crusted pork loins, southern spoon bread, sauteed collard greens with garlic

-chicken salad sandwiches (a mayonnaise based recipe with spinach and grapes) with raw veggies like broccoli, snap peas, and carrots

-strawberry pie


The hardest part about eating seasonally sometimes, at least for me, is giving up fruit when it is not available locally. Are you willing to do that? The earliest bearing fruits in the spring are strawberries and rhubarb. 




In the early summer and again in the late summer and fall, I will post more about how our garden harvests affect meal planning for our family, so do stay tuned.  Do you try to eat seasonally? 






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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

framed botanical prints

A long while ago I had made up my mind to frame some antique botanical colored plates. I had seen these used as artwork in home decor and I love the look and earthy feeling it brings to a room.








I had the antique botanical plates professionally framed with a delicate black wooden frame and double-matted with a golden-beige matte and a dusty green matte underneath. I love the way they turned out and I'm sure they will be displayed in various spaces of my home for many years to come. Botanical prints are pretty timeless when it comes to decorating in my opinion. They can work in just about any room.




Someday I would love to dry my own botanicals and then frame them. I think they would add so much texture to a room and could really pop in all white frames and mattes. Have you ever decorated with botanicals? What is your favorite way to display them?






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Saturday, April 7, 2012

He is Risen!

My Lord has Risen!  Hallelujah! 



Wishing you a very happy and joyful Easter :)