~ In the Garden ~

~ Potted Herbs ~


~~ Cilantro ~~

~~ Broccoli Head ~~

~~ Potatoes Blooming ~~

~ Garden Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Happenings on the Homestead ~

We've been busy around the homestead , cleaning flower beds ~ fertilizing fruit trees ~ fighting snakes ~ harvesting wild herbs ~ picking strawberries , pulling weeds , shoveling compost and the list goes on and on.

I froze most of these berries and made a strawberry cobbler , it was sooo ...... good. We are planning to go this weekend and pick more berries to make jam.


The blueberry bush I moved has a few blueberries on it this year. I need to cover it with netting so the birds don't get them. The other two bushes died , I plan to replace them this Fall.


The hens have really grown , they're clucking and starting to develop their own personalities. I let them free range while I'm working in the garden , they love digging around in the compost bin. I think some of them will start laying next month or July , I can hardly wait for fresh eggs.




Yesterday I found my first black snake in the chicken coop , sooo ....... he's a goner , Shadow had fun with it after I killed it. Dh moved some steel and tires that were near the coop last week , it was under that stuff. He wanted to kill it then , but I told him not to , thought maybe it would head for the woods.




I found 2 guinea eggs last week , she had laid them in the pathway to the chicken coop , they didn't have a shell , guess it would have been a double yolk. I think it was her first time laying , so maybe they're just beginning to lay eggs.





Doing Not Thinking Update ...... I didn't get anything done in the kitchen. I did start a list of things that need to be done , so I guess that's a start.



~ Many Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

~ Apifera Farm and Pino ~

Katherine Dunn is a wonderful artist who gives from the heart. She is planning a charity event to honor Hospice Caretakers , please checkout her website and consider donating an Aporn or Quilt Square for the upcoming event. I will be donating this vintage aporn to the event , hope you'll help Katherine and Pino make this event the best ever.

...... Read All About It !!! ......

http://donkey-dreams.blogspot.com/2009/05/pinos-call-for-aprons.html

http://www.donkey-dreams.blogspot.com/

~~~ Donkey Blessings ~~~

JoyceAnn

~~ Wild Herbs ~~

~ The blackberries are blooming ~

Look who I found peeping out under some violet leaves !

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

~ Violet Wood-Sorrel ~

~ Venus Looking Glass ~

~ Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

* Doing Not Thinking Challenge *

Kathie over at Two Frog Home is encouraging us to take the * Doing not Thinking Challenge * again this year. I've been thinking about decluttering and reorganizing my kitchen. I hope to make it easier to work in , I did a few things last year , but there's so much more to be done. I want to clean out all of the cabinets , get rid of things I haven't used in 30 years (LOL). I need to reorganize and move things to make them more convenient to use.

I hope to find space to put my canning supplies together , so they'll be handy when I need them. Today I plan to make a list of everything I want to accomplish and hopefully get started on some decluttering.

If you would be interested in taking the challenge , check~out the link below. Do you need a reason , push or boost to get started on something you've been thinking about , if so this might be a challenge you would like to try.

http://twofroghome.com/2009/04/21/doing-not-thinking-challenge-spring-to-autumn-2009/

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Around the Homestead ~

It's that time of year , there's so many things going on around the homestead. We've been busy planting seeds , plowing and pulling weeds. We've had to work between rain showers , it has rained everyday for about a week , hopefully it will make for a good garden season.

I've also been potting up my herbs and working on my herb bed. The cilantro is coming up from the seed I saved last year. I still have a few herbs I want to buy , will probably take a trip to our local strawberry farm tomorrow and see what they have in their garden center. I'll be picking some strawberries too , time to make strawberry jam and freeze some berries.

Dh got us a load of compost Saturday , we need more than we are making. He's also working on a sandbox for the grands , it will be boxed in with cedar logs. We have several dead cedar trees around the homestead , so we're using them for the sandbox and garden beds. He also made the potato plow and a rake for the tractor , he's so talented and saves money by making this equipment.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day , Saturday night my Son-in-law cooked a steak dinner for his Mom , my Mom and me. He's a good cook , the meal was delicious. My oldest daughter gave me a keepsake box called " The Transition " , it has a beautiful butterfly on it. I found the perfect spot in my bedroom to display it. My youngest daughter , her boyfriend and the boys gave me a garden wagon. I 've always wanted one , it's raining today , so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to fill it up and pull it around. I'm sure I'll find many uses for it , riding the Grands ........ for sure !

Hope Your Mother's Day was Wonderful too !

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Happy Mother's Day & Take another look at your Laundry ~

Kathie over at Two Frog Home wrote some beautiful thoughts about laundry ( Yes Laundry ) please click on link and enjoy , you'll see your laundry in a different light ( http://twofroghome.com/2009/05/06/laundry-line-lesson/ )

Happy Mother's Day !!

~ Love & Hugs ~

JoyceAnn

~*~ Dandelion Stir Fry ~*~

The May issue of Herbal Roots is all about those wonderful Dandelions. Check it out , you maybe interested in buying this months issue of Herbal Roots just for the info on dandelions , here's the link ( http://fieldoftansy.blogspot.com/2009/04/herbal-roots-may-2009-issue.html ). Please add my name as a referral , if you purchase. I'll be gathering more dandelion greens today , before Dh mows. This Dandelion stir fry is delicious , thought I would share the recipe.

Dandelion Stir Fry

3 boneless chicken breast or pork tenderloins cut to bite size pieces

2 cups or more of dandelion greens

1 or 2 cloves of garlic

1 small red onion

Crushed red pepper

Sea salt

Olive Oil

Add washed dandelion leaves to a pot of water and cook 10 minutes , drain water. You may want to boil a second time if they're bitter. Saute red onion in olive oil , remove when tender and browned as you like. Add minced garlic cloves to oil , saute to they turn clear , add chicken or pork to sauteed garlic and stir-fry until done. When chicken is done , add dandelion greens , caramelized onions , sea salt and crushed red pepper to your liking. Continue stir-frying until greens and onions are heated through. I have served this stir-fry over rice and angel hair pasta , it was delicious both ways.

~ Dandelion Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

*~* Two Faces *~*

( Click Photo to Enlarge )

Do you see " Two Faces " ?

~ In the Garden ~

The garden is growing quite nicely , so are the weeds. I fertilized the garlic last week and have been weeding it this week. Monday I had a visitor come through the garden , Mr. Kong the sneaky snake. He went back to the woods , hope he stays there. I really don't want to mess with him , but if he ends up in the chicken coop , he'll have to go. The potatoes have sprouted and took a good growth.

Remember the seeds I started awhile back , the kitty laid on the lettuce plants and ruined them. My brussel sprouts and broccoli didn't do so well either , so I moved them outside. The brussel sprouts died and the broccoli was still looking terrible. Easter weekend I sat the broccoli plants out on the deck by the pool , I was planning to dump them in the compost bin the next week. But they started looking better , the stems were looking stronger but still tiny. The following Monday I planted them with some other broccoli plants we had bought , they have grew and are almost as large as the other broccoli. The broccoli that is mulched is the broccoli we bought , the other pic shows the broccoli I grew from seeds. I need to mulch them when it stops raining.

The last few times I've worked in the garden , there has been a wonderful smell wafting through the air , I finally figured out what smelt so heavenly , they're wild roses. I've never really paid attention to the area they're growing in , they're in the edge of the woods and running up in the trees. It's a small white rose , my wildflower guide said they're called , Rosa multiflora. I'm going to dry some of the blooms for potpourri , they'll look good mixed with my dried violets.

Sooo ..... How does your garden grow ?

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~~ Wild Herbs ~~

( Arisaema atrorubens )

( AKA ~ Jack-in-the-Pulpit )


(Common Wood-Sorrel )

( Hypoxis hirsuta )

Yellow Stargrass / Common Goldstar

( 2 Types of Ferns )

~ Click on pics to enlarge for a better view ~

Sunday afternoon , I took a stroll through the woods to see if any plants were blooming. I found this little patch of plants that caught my eye , only one was blooming. I later identified the plants , they're called ( Arisaema atrorubens ) aka Jack-in-the-Pulpit. The Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants said the corm can be thinly sliced , dried out and eaten like potato chips or dried and ground into a flour. The book said the flour has a cocoa like flavor. The corm has to be dried out before eating as it contains calcium oxalate crystals that create a burning sensation in the mouth. It's a very interesting plant , plan to learn more about it.

Then I found a ground cover of common wood-sorrel , we nibbled on this when I was a kid , we called it sour grass , it has a sour taste. It's a beautiful little plant with it's clover like leaves and pink flowers. The field guide said the clover shaped leaves can be added to salads , never thought about adding the sorrel to salads , but I'm sure it adds a wonderful flavor. I 'll be adding some to the next salad I make. Sorrels are rich in vitamin C but the guide gives a warning , excessive consumption can inhibit the absorption of calcium , use in moderation.

I also found this little yellow beauty blooming , but I haven't been able to identify it , anyone know what it is ? My neighbor said she has seen trout lilies behind her house in the woods , but I don't think this is a trout lily. The ferns are open and look beautiful , I love hiking through the woods and enjoying all Mother Earth has to offer. I gathered a basket of bark with mosses , twigs , hickory nut hulls and other goodies , will make another collage this week.

~ Update ~

The beautiful little yellow flower is Yellow Stargrass. Thanks Flassie for helping identify that flower. It's not edible but sure is a beauty.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Guinea Gang ~

The guineas are doing a wonderful job at controlling the tick population. We still find an occasional tick on us , but I believe Shadow and the cats are bringing them in from the woods.

We lost one guinea , the neighbor saw a fox chasing them in the field across the road , so I guess he got one. That was about 2 weeks ago , since then , they've been staying closer to home. They had been going across the road into the field and visiting some of the neighbors. So far I haven't had any complaints from the neighbors , as a matter of fact , they seem to be happy they visit. Our closest neighbor , actually cut a hole in the fence so they could walk through to their yard. They had guineas when they were young , so they know how great they are at bug & tick control and enjoy having them visit.

I've been looking for guinea nest , but haven't found any. I think they should be laying now , but have read they hide their nest well. But since they free range and cover a very large area , I guess I may never get a guinea egg. I was looking forward to trying one , to see how they compare to chicken eggs. They are a lot calmer now and don't make as much noise as they did , only when startled and they're still roosting in the same tree at night.

~ Spring Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Altogether ~

Monday , my Mom had a birthday gathering at her house for a friend. Little Tree was lying on her bed , Curious J was coloring , so Little Missy and Little Froggy had to join in. I was able to get all four Grands together in a photo , it's hard to get the toddlers still long enough to get a pic of them altogether.

Yesterday , I cleaned out the area around the well house. I have planted cilantro there for the last couple of years. I planted seed I saved from the cilantro I grew last year , hope it germinates. My sister gave me some strawberry plants from her patch last year , I planted then in a strawberry jar since I didn't have a bed ready. They are blooming and some have small berries on them , I'm thrilled !

I finally have a spot chosen for my herb garden , decided to put it behind the swimming pool and to the backside of the garage , in a sunny location nearer to the house than our garden is. I already have catnip , leaf lettuce and spinach growing at the backside of Dh's garage. I plan to work on it Monday , I'm going to make a spiral herb garden with white flint rocks.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Taking Time Out ~

Dh and I took some time-out yesterday , we went shopping. He needed concrete mix for a gate and I wanted to checkout the garden center and netting to put over the chicken coop.

The garden center was full of wonderful plants , I had a hard time deciding on what I really needed. I got 3 potted herbs and some herb seed. I was thrilled to find stevia , hope I'll have better luck with it this year. Last year I purchased stevia and set it out to soon , the frost killed it. I also bought lemon balm and lemon basil. I love citrus flavored foods and drinks , looking forward to trying recipes with these herbs. We also purchased cilantro , dill , garlic chives , lavender lady , lime basil , oregano , parsley , radish and sweet basil seeds. I saved seed from my cilantro last year , but bought a packet just in case it doesn't sprout.

After we left the The Home Depot , we went to Target. I bought all the Grands a outfit , a new hobo bag for myself and a few food items. We left Target and went to TGIF 's for supper. It was nice to have some time-out , we haven't been out in long time. Hope you were Blessed with some time-out this weekend.

~ Spring Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Spring Harvest ~

My oldest daughter was given about 10 lbs of asparagus this week , we've eaten some and frozen some for later. I love asparagus and hope my patch does well. Does anyone have a favorite asparagus recipe to share ?

I harvest violet leaves to make a infusion , it's like a green tea. The infusion is very good for you , full of vitamins and nutrients.

Harvested a few more violet blooms , they're almost through blooming for this season. I made more ice cubes with these blooms. I've also added some to salads. I didn't get to make a second batch of violet jelly , but plan to make dandelion jelly soon. I found a cookie recipe using violet jelly , they're called "Thumbprint Cookies " , hope to make some soon. I will share the recipe if they're good.

I gathered lots of dandelion greens , plan to cook a mess for my family this weekend. The girls are eager to try the new dandelion recipe. I think I'll serve it with whole wheat noodles this time.

Something store bought , something homegrown and something wild , made for a great salad. I used iceberg lettuce , a handful of homegrown leaf lettuce and dandelion greens , violet flowers & leaves.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn