Puritan Farms Compost Crew

This is part of my crew who help me keep my soil up to par.  I keep our chickens in a corral, and keep it supplied with dried leaves, grass clippings, and all of my scraps from the kitchen.  I've been thinking if the girls eat the scraps, and  "process them, it's that much faster composting!  how using the chicken yard to compost leaves, chix manure - then  benefit the garden.  I pull the leaves and what not aside, and harvest the soil for the gardens.

Thanks Girls!

Eat beter for less money

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have good old fashion home economics classes in the schools again?  Or maybe as a special after school program for those families that often utilize those programs to fill in for daycare for those short hours after school till they get out from work.  Now more than ever, the economics of cooking are so important for tight budgets, tight waist lines, and tightwads!

-Deli meats, a staple for all those who brown bag it, filled with nitrates, preservatives, sodium, and God knows what else.  How much is it?  $ 3 - 6.00/lb.  A roast, or chicken, from about $1.99 - $3.00 on sale, saves at least 50% on the food cost, and an unmeasurable amount on your health by the likes of me.  It becomes a habit to bake up a batch, some for dinner and some for lunch.

-Bread is $3-$6.00 a loaf, egads.  5 pounds of flour, on sale for $1 or $2 will make 10 loaves of bread.  The cost of salt, sugar, water and yeast can't be more than 0.50cents, so if I'm doing my math right, that's about 0.75cents a loaf?  Not to mention how wonderful your house will smell on baking day.  One day, freeze the rest, well worth this huge savings.

-Soup, the easiest thing to make and in huge vats too.  Campbell Soup is $1.00 a can, for 2 or 3 adult servings? A can of chopped tomatoes, some frozen mixed vegi's, onion, celery, garlic - voila! huge pot of soup for now and to fill the freezer with for latter.  Pasta, leftover meat or chicken, whatever is in the fridge get's pitched in. I call this L.O. Soup. (leftover soup)  If you whirl it through the blender, picky eaters who don't think they like vegi's will never know what's in it.
I guess it's not wise for me to tell you too many secrets in one posting, I've got to keep you interested in future posts!
-Isn't it silly that the boneless skinless chicken breast, is the only way to go?  Shopper's even pay extra, just ot have it sliced off the pone.    Have you noticed the white pads in the package, under the chicken?  It's there to absorb liquids, which they add to the package so it weighs more than the actual product?  OK, I buy it too, you can't beat the convenience.  I saw an ad at Stop and Shop, split chicken breast - that's with skin and bone, was only 0.99cents!! OMG. Pull the damn skin off and cook it up for the dogs.  Take it off the bone, and use the bones in a soup!  Imagine how the heads of our fore mother's wag when they see the terrible waste we justify as convenience.  The old fashioned way's are the best, healthiest ways to eat.  Couldn't the upcoming youth turn around the obesity, diabetes, and whatever other problems arise from the way we've all used to shopping, cooking, eating.

The Stupid Jar

Unsolicited parenting advice....I'm feeling defiant today, fighting to be me, in a society of people I'm nothing like.....Ok, it's not thought of as appropriate these days, but when my children were growing up and in their teen years, we had a stupid jar.... I thought it was best to raise the kids with consistency in all areas, anyway, whenever I asked the kids to do something, I only said it once, if I said it a second time, they had to put a dollar in the stupid jar.  It didn't happen often, but when it did, I didn't think I was belittling them.   Isn't it ironic, funny, interesting, that you can look back in time, and apply today's standards onto something that happened a long time ago, and then see it in an entirely different way....  Today, not only do they still love and like me, they've both finished college, and engineer and a nurse, and are using all their gifts and skills to build their own lives.  I celebrate their successes as my own, and realize without having a kick ass mother, they wouldn't be who they are today, my idols.

Peas Scrambinling on Twigs.

Watch the Peas Scamble

I've collected twigs around my yard, just before the leaf buds develop.  I sink there into the soil, create a natural support fence, and hope for the best!

laundry

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe - Dry

I try to save money at every turn, something I have just started doing is to make my own laundry detergent. It's very easy and ends up costing pennies per load. All you need is 1 cup grated Fels Naptha bar soap, 1/2 cup borax, and 1/2 cup washing soda - which is called sodium carbonate and can be purchased at the Pool supply or Wal mart. You'll have to read label to find the right pool additive, but it's called Ph something or other, depends on the brand.  This additive, is what is left after baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, is extracted - so it's totally antural.   Mix it all and use 1 tablespoon for a regular load, 2 tablespoons for a really soiled load. If you can't find Fels Naptha, the Ace hardware in Onset carries it, and if they are out... they order it for you.Their customer service is everything you might expect from a Mom and Pop establishment  I also hang all my laundry on the line, so mother nature whitens it.The dryer will set any stain so you won't have a chance to remove it once you see it, and I think it makes my laundry look dingy and gray.

Vinegar Weed Killer

get the generic.

I love the library, vinegar,and my family!!  Well not exactly in that order.  Vinegar is Acetic Acid if sprayed on weeds, breaks down the plant cellular wall and kills the weed.  You may need 2 or 3 applications a day or two apart, but who care's, it's only Vinegar.  If you get it on your crops, it will kill them to, so be careful.  When I grocery shop.... which is only every 2 or 3 months, my cart has at least 6 gallons of vinegar.  I'm always getting comments from other shopper," what are you cooking?"  Where do I start, I use it for laundry, dishes, marinade, hair rinse, cleaning..... yada yada yada.

I love the library

I love the Library

Every question that pop's into my head, I research it at the Jonathan Bourne Library.  I can get any book the entire Library system on the Cape carries, or even from any participating library in Massachusetts.  They all get sent to my local library for me to pick up.  I know I'm getting manic when I have more than 30 checked out at a time.... I've even had close to 50 at one time!!  This was a sure sign I was getting ready for a crash!  I love to learn, and I've read, (of course) that it stimulates your brain and keeps you with it.  My friends at the library, the library ladies and man, joke with me that they notice what's new on the farm by whatever I'm requesting at the time.  Library's are a free benefit directly proportional to your taxes, so why not take advantage.  Another thing, the more you use it, the higher the circulation, and this supports all your friends who work there,justifying their jobs or even creating more.

A bar of Soap vs. Dish Soap

The best place to look for ideas to save money, come from history.  Do you think our ancestors bought liquid Dawn, Sunlight, or who whatever.  Nope, it was a good old bar of soap.  Use whatever you use on your fabulous bod... if it's safe enough for your skin, it's safe enough for your dishes.   Remember when mother's used it to cure children of swearing?  It cost depends on what you buy,  I use Jergens or Cashmere  Bouquet at about 0.25 cents a bar.  It last's me weeks, stays on my sponge, and makes me feel thritfy and smart.  I look for soaps, not detergents, again, looking to  keep our harmful exposure to toxic chemicals  down.

Saturday Morning Cape Cod Garden Advice

Saturday mornings, 8 am. tune into the garden radio program on WXTK 95.1 fm.  You;ll hear all kinds of advice specific to our area.  The call in's from the Cape, always ask the questions you need to know about, and C.L. knows all the answers.

Sea Clams

Sea Clams

These things are what childhood nightmares are made of!  They're huge, look at the proportion compared to the phone.  When the tide is exceptionally low, there are sand bars that allow my Gentleman to get these beasts.  When the moon is full, and the tide is right, he takes Mr. Buddy and whoever else will go with him, and get's me enough of these for chowder or linguini.  Friends make stuffies, stuffed clams, but after cleaning all of these, I'm not in the mood to spend any time fussing around with stuffies.

Food into soil = Food out of soil

The story behind the garden soil could was so interesting to me once I started reading about it.  I always thought the roots of plants spread around and searched their nutrients out, but that's really not the whole story.  I think the root spread is more for water absorption than nutrition.  what transports nutrients to the plant are the tiny microscopic organisms, worms, and yucky creepy crawlies.  These travel around the soil, and during their life cycle, absorb nutrients, once they croak here and there, and around the roots, they deposit their nutrients.  Some of them attach themselves to the root, and feed the plant right there as a secondary benefit to themselves, as they extract what they need.  Of course this is  so simplified because that's all I've absorbed from my reading, but if this interests you, look into it. 

Interesting Email, FYI

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Hey this sounds reasonable! Is it 100% true?? From: DGrecoe@aol.com Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:59:33 -0400 Subject: Fwd: CLOROX VERSU

CLOROX VERSUS  PEROXIDE

Clorox vs Peroxide VERY interesting and inexpensive. This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana, a doctor's wife.
She was over recently for coffee and smelled the bleach I was using to clean my toilet and counter tops. This is what she told me.

'I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little ol' bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. What does  bleach cost?

My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years. Most doctors don't tell you about peroxide. Have you ever smelled bleach in a doctor's office? NO!

Why? because it smells and it is not healthy! Ask the nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!

Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40's?  It's chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our troops.

Peroxide was invented during WWI in the 20's. It was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops and hospitals.

Please  think about this:

1. Take one cap full (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for10 minutes daily. Then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.

2. Let your  toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell  Simply put a little on your dishcloth when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus  on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture  of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes)  every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that  would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.  

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold or plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes and then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also  lightens gradually, so it's not a drastic change.  

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help get rid of boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing,  pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is one reason why I appreciate it so much.

14. Another place it's great is in the bathroom, if someone has been careless & has peed on the floor around the toilet & it's begun to smell of urine. Just put some peroxide in a spray bottle & spray. In the blink of any eye all the smell will be gone & the bacteria eliminated!

I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should  be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save a lot of money in such a simple, healthy manner! 

Clorox vs peroxide is VERY interesting. And saves money too. Pass it on!

 reply:

Hi Marsha,

Yes and no to if this is 100% true.
It's more true than not.... but white vinegar is under $2.00 a gallon, and that's way cheaper than $1.00 for 8 - 10 oz of peroxide.  Peroxide will get fresh blood right out of clothes. It would take an entire bottle to whiten laundry, but it will work on some stains when they are fresh.  Oxi Clean/ Oxi boost is actually a chemical primarily composed of peroxide.  It is 100% less toxic to you and the environment than bleach.  The reason Dr.s offices don't smell like bleach is that it is terribly corrosive to metals/fabric/rubber/skin and odors are toxic so it's flagged by MDSD.  It will whiten teeth, clean wounds, but clean the mirrors with rubbing alcohol for cutting the shmutz and leaving no streaks. Generalized household disinfection.... this is less accurate.  Again, Vinegar kills 93% for household germs, bleach is 99% - but again, vinegar is not toxic.  I fill the liquid fabric dispenser with white vinegar for each load.  It whitens the clothes, cuts the soap residue that dulls colors, disinfects, and softens clothes without leaving an odor.  Fabric softeners like Bounce/Snuggle - have petroleum based products in them to hold onto the sent, they coat the clothing, and actually make clothes more flammable.....

Are you sorry you asked ????

xou, Betsi

Too many tomato's

Remember Augustus Gloop... he falls into a chocolate river and is sucked up a pipe to the fudge room....... Well, I'm thinking of Augustus and wondering if I'm going to blow up into a round, red tomato and float away!  One day I pick the tomato's, prep them for canning.  The next day I can them, or freeze, or make salsa, and  dehydrate the grape tomato's and or the pulp left over from canning.  I'm struggling to keep it all in perspective, that this is just the crazy harvest time and I'll be enjoying myself in my new sewing room, all winter.  Once it's all done, I'll take a picture of the pantry... it will all be worth it then. click here/put your cursor here...  to link to the Oompa Loompa Song- it's not the mantra my Yogi Mommy would suggest, but it's working today.

Got Powdery Mildew? Get Milk!

How does milk control powdery mildew?

Scientist aren't 100% sure how milk works to control this disease. It seems that milk is a natural germicide. In addition, it contains several naturally occurring salts and amino acids that are taken up by the plant. From previous experiments using sodium bicarbonate, potassium phosphate, and other salts, researchers have found that the disease is sensitive to these salts. It is possible then, that milk boosts the plant's immune system to prevent the disease.

Milk used around the world

The benefits of using milk to control powdery mildew haven't been isolated to Brazil. Melon growers in New Zealand are saving thousands of dollars every year by spraying their crops with milk instead of synthetic fungicides. The melon growers in New Zealand have been so successful that the wine industry is taking notice and beginning experiments using milk to control powdery mildew in grapes.

What kind of milk should be used?

In Bettiol's original experiment, fresh milk was used, straight from the cow. However, this is obviously not feasible to most home gardeners. The research work in New Zealand actually found that using skim milk was just as effective. Not only was it cheaper, but the fact that the milk had no fat content meant that there was less chance of any odors.

Musing while canning tomato's

If you've ever canned your own sauce, you'll understand what I'm talking about.  If not, and you're a friend of mine, you have higher than average reasoning powers, and will follow along nicely.

If you take tomato, remove the skins and seeds, you're left with a very watery sauce.  So,canning instructions are, slowly cook your sauce to reduce it by evaporation.  Well you can cook and cook, and it doesn't have a consistency anything like those commercial prepared jar sauces.  Pounds and pounds of fresh tomato's, processed at home, only to produce my watery sauce.  Why?  Why take all this time slaving away in the garden and the kitchen, when you could  purchase your sauce, for a fraction of the cost of homemade, at the grocery?

  So, I'm pondering this for hours while I struggle to can all the tomato's I harvest from my 40 plus plantings and this is what I've come up with.  "They" must add something to commercial sauces to change the consistency because there is no way in hell that they could sell Ragu type sauce for $1.50 following the recipe we all use - it's just too product and labor intense.  Again, I've identified another area of our food chain, where corporations optimize their earning while compromising our nutrition.  This is why I work so hard to produce my own food, and why I'm blogging, to share these ideas, and improve all our lives.  The secret ingredient that thickens their sauce while mine remains watery is starch.  Vegetable gums, starch, and pectins are added to the mixture because a very small quantity of starch, absorbs a large amount of the water in the sauce, therefor making it thicker.  "Ok", you might say, "big deal - they're not toxic or anything, right? "

True, it's not toxic, but  I think it's a bit disingenuous at least.  Theirs is not a thick, concentrated sauce chocked full of tomato pulp... it starts as the same watery sauce we make, is artificially thickened, further diluted with water which replaces what you think are nutritious vegetables.  They actually have to use very little real tomato - just thicken theirr product with starchy fillers.  Therefor, the consumer is ingesting less nutrients and more sugary starches, even though their intention was probably to make a nutritious meal. The added bulk from the starch, also fills you up, but without nutritional benefits.  Commercial sauce will have a less nutrient concentrate and less flavor than a homemade sauce , but they get a lot of product for less money.  The consumer is unaware of the switch- a -roo, and they make great money.  Sell us glass jars of sauce that many think must be far superior to home canned sauces because it has the thick consistency we've all expected from spaghetti sauces.  Greed, it's at the source of what's wrong in society today. Post your comment to my theory, am I just worried about a non issue? I need everyone's feedback/comments to fuel my blog!  Keep watching for posts to the blog and I'll share my tricks to thicken the sauce.

I Am

I am an old porcelain teacup.

Waiting with the others on the shelf of a thrift store.

At first, I look wonderful, "can this teacup really be here? they ask themselves.

"Missed by the other shoppers, forsaken for the matching set of four?"

As they pick me up, they can see my handle has been carefully glued on.

There is crazing on the petals of my hand painted English tea roses,

a chip or two along the un- used rim.

Not as wonderful as they first thought... and my saucer is unmatched -

as I was separated from my base long long ago.

Too bad.

Not the find they hoped  for.

Once again, I'm returned to the crowed shelf

I am interesting, inspected, but clearly not perfect and returned again and again.  

You, can see my beauty, my potential, an ability to hold a perfect cup of tea.

I am a found treasure to you.

Those who know you, notice your affinity to this old teacup.

It is a strange cup to choose as your favorite, they think.

You wash me carefully.

Give me a place especially cleared in the cupboard, and feel blessed to find me,

waiting for you daily, bringing you comfort, warmth, nourishment.

Those who know you very well can understand. Some also see my beauty, other not -

I am yours.

Garden abundace to feed the Food Pantry

Don't forget the food pantry when you're over run with squash, beans,  whatever.  My local food pantry will even come and pick up my extra's.  Some people even plant a row and designate it just for the pantry.

Look Out, The Bugs Are Here!

UPDATE:  The bugs are insane this year.  Maybe because of the heat? I'm thinking that I'm infested becasue with such a small farm, even if you rotate crops, the area the bugs have to  travel to find their treats isn't really that far even on little bug legs...sssssssssooo  if dug deep into my pockets and purchased beneficial nematodes! ARBICO NemAttack and NemSeek which are two types of microscopic nematodes that attack  cutworm, termites, fea's, flying bugs, grubs root weevils. It comes in a refrigerated ziplock powder form, and you reconstitute it with water and spray on a wet soil.  I used only part of my zip lock portion and have been trying to multiply my bounty by growing them in a aerated compost tea brewer with compost, molasses, some fungi..... I'd give them Cheetos if that would work.  I notice a drastic drop in the bugs within a few days, both the cucumber beetle and the Japanese bettle are few and far between - hopefully it's my nematodes.  I'm going to apply small portions every two or three weeks, and introduce them to the compost pile too as maybe they will over winter in it's heat.  I wish i knew someone who had experience with this, there's very little online and I'm like a mad scientist here on the cape with my aerated compost tea brewer I whipping up all sort of beneficial brew.

 Original Post  6/23/2010

The great attack of the vegetable garden has begun.   I haven't seen the black squash borer yet, but I'm sure he's here.  The yellow striped cucumber bug is all over everything in my garden.  I usually just let the bugs eat what they want, and live with their leftovers, but they are going nuts this year, so I've brewed up another of my concoctions. I made my own insecticidal soap spray.  I simmered dried hot pepper in water, added some chopped garlic. After 15 minutes, I added about a cup of canola oil and  approximately 1 cup of shredded ivory soap. Stir till blended, then I strained it of the bits and pieces so they wouldn't clog my sprayer.  I'm hoping for success, but only tomorrow will tell whether this works or not.  Either way, it will be time to replant some more squash. Have you any success with these variants, plz leave your ideas in the comments for us all to share.

Compositing in the garden

UPDATE:
I used far too much brown litter in the garden and even though I use compost tea.... this garden is  agonally slow this year.  I'm still convinced composting in the rows you walk in is an idea I'm going to pursue.
 Original post:
I use wide rows in my beds, and hull up the rows onto the beds in the spring to get things rolling. What you see filled with dry leaves are the furrows left by my preparation. I fill in the furrows with leaves, grass clippings, manuer, and newspaper that has only blank ink. This is much slower than a hot pile, but it's a start.  By the end of the summer, it will all be gone! I fill it back up with the leaves and what not for the winter and start again next spring.

canine summer wiffle cut

One of my very best friends, she's complicated - a must have attribute  for all my friends.

Remember how all the boys got wiffle cuts as soon as school was out? Something so classic about a little boy with his summer wiffle cut.  No hair to worry about for the summer, cool...  So I think that it's good for my dogs too.  Easier to find ticks, cooler, and they run around like puppies again.

My new Mantra to live by

What you practice gets stronger.
What you focus on gets bigger.
What you keep doing is who you become.

Zuccinni Soup

We were visiting Nova Scotia a few summers ago when we discovered Zuccinni Soup for the first time.  We took our car over on the ferry and then  drove along the coast to Cape Breton.  We stopped at a little mom and pop lunch place were they were serving Zuccinni Soup for lunch.... you really didn't have too many choices so that was lunch.  It was terriffic!  Everyone was so friendly and generous, and they shared the recepie with me and I've been making it ever since.  It's perfect for all the extra zuccinni and summer squash you ultimely end up with this time of year.  I cube up my extra's and pop into the freezer in a ziploc.  You don't have to blanch it, just cube it and that's it.  All winter I make this soup - I hope you like it.

                                                                                                           In a large dutch oven

Saute onions, garlic, and one cup of rice.

Add the zuccinni and 1 can of your favorite broth - chix/vegi/beef

Fill half the pot with water and cook on low heat for at least 30 minutes.

Then whirl around in the blender, return to pot and season to taste.

I hope you have other idea's - post for all to see in comments.

Scrambling Peas

This is my row of shelling peas. It would have been just as easy to erect some sort of traditional fencing for the peas to grow onto..... Can you see The twigs sticking up from the peas? I wish I had taken a pix of this before it started to grow, but I just took the trimming from a bush, and amke them into an upside down V shaped tunnel. There was this spot along the tunnel, were the peas didn't germinate, so I pluncked down a few cucumbers, and I'll let them scamble too.

The Farm Hits the Beach

I love the look of vintage farm implements, so I've bought the beach to my galvanized pails. I have a box of shells that I collect, like every other hunchback waling down the beach, and I hot glued them to my pails. I've drilled a few holes in their bottoms. Mr. Rust has also helped me there with drainage. Anyway, what do you think?

Why do all Mommy s look terse?  

Guess who?

New Zeland Spincach

This is my spinach bed, the tiny spinach plants scattered across this photo get harvested every 3 or 4 days. That's why they are so tiny! The large leafed cabbage is there just because I though by the time the spinach bolted, the cabbage would be nearly ready to harvest too, leaving a row ready for my fall planting. The star shaped green just below the cabbage is new zeland spinach, which will grow all season long, without bolting. I don't think it's really in the spinach family, but that's it's name.

Shrimp Cotail Plant

Have you ever wondered were horseradish comes from? Well, I love it, and this is one of my two pots of the stuff. I bought the organic root at the grocery, much less $$ than I would have paid online. My sister Donna grows this, and warned me that it's invasive if not corralled, so I've sunk a large shrubbery pot and drill extra drainage in the bottom. This grows wildly all season, and is harvested in the fall. I'll keep a piece of the root from the harvest, and replant right away. It over winters fine on the Cape, and creates a dependable anchor to this end of the garden.  Like everything else you grow, it takes so much stronger fresh!

What's eating you?

These baby squash seeds went through the trouble of shucking their shell, pushing up through the soil, sprouting their primary leaves, only to the munched on by something hungry. What am I going to do? Replant! By the time the next seeds germinate, whatever it is that's eating her, will have grown past it's lifecycle and no longer be a threat.

Organic Fertilizer and Growth Stimulant - Epsom Salts

Did you know that  good old fashion Epsom Salts, is an organic element you can add to your garden to promote blooms/fruiting and growth? First of all, it is really not a salt, but rather magnesium sulfate.   It contains 10% magnesium and 13% sulfur.  The magnesium will green up the plants, as they use it to increase photosynthesis.  The sulfur is acted on by the bacteria located around the roots of the plant, it is converted into sulfuric acid, thereby making the soil more acidic, which in turn allows the plant roots to  absorb the surrounding nitrogen.  Ipso facto the improved nitrogen uptake creates growth stimulation.  Epsom salts has long been used as a pain revealing soak, the skin absorbs the magnesium sulfate, relaxing muscles and stiff joints, and drawing toxins that cause inflammation.  It's also used as a laxative... I won't go further into this.  My point is, if Epsom Salts is nontoxic and even helpful to our health, same goes for the garden.  Do you have any other safe elements to add to the garden?  Leave me a comment.

Cheese tip

I hate spoiled food!  It's expensive enough, right?  I never use a whole block of cheese, then remember to use it and it's growing green.  I've started grating the extra, like mozzarella or cheddar cheese, spreading  it on a cookie sheet, and pop it in the freezer,  Once it's frozen, scrape it into a zip lock or container, and use it just like fresh cheese when cooking.  Another way to keep it fresh is to take it out of the plastic wrap, re-wrap it with a piece of damp cheese cloth with a little vinegar  squeezed out.  The acetic acid inhibits mold growth, and the damp texture keep it soft and fresh.
I also used my dehydrator once...... I thought making cheddar dry sprinkle cheese would be a fancy alternative to Parmesan, what a lot of work for very little bang.  Do you have any good ideas what to do to keep it fresh.

Guess What

Can you guess what this is??? We research this idea all winter, and have been running back and forth to Home Depot, getting a thingy to reduce this down to that..... Bet you can't guess what it is. There's a prize in it for you if you leave the right answer in comments.

I need a good idea!

What would you do with all this oregano? I split it, trim it, it's just so happy to take over everything! Leave me a comment with your good idea.... I'm running low on those today.

Summer Salad Expectations

Salad, Salad, Salad.  The greens are so moist and tender at this time of year, but were are the tomatoes?  I'm looking for a cool shady spot to hide my summer crop of lettuce, so I'm ready when the tomato is ready for harvest.  Please please, no tomato blight this year!  I've started planting all my varieties of tomato's already, and it's on my list of to do - that I need to start the seedlings for  a savior crop of tomato ,should the blight wipe me out again this year.  Last year, after I lost 50+ plants to the blight, I drove all over the Upper Cape looking for plants to preplace my lost crop, and would have paid a pretty penny if I could have.  Ha Ha you damn virus - I'm ready for you this year!  My sweet salad green's are waiting for their perfect union latter this summer.  Sure hope Mr Blight is listening.

Mr & Mrs. Border Collie

These guys are my second best friends, my husband being my first. This is Mr. Buddy on the left, and Mrs. Corky on the right. They are 14 & 13 yrs. old, Border Collies. I bred these two for years, and now they are spending their retirement blissfully following me around. Their intelligence, was what attracted me to this breed. We tried to count all the words/phases they understand, and stopped somewhere above 40. Often people ask my, aren't they hyper, don't they require a lot of activity? I think, if you have conversation with them, and involve them in whatever you do. If their "job" is to move pillows from one sofa to the other, that's good enough. Border Collies just want to be involved and feel like they are helping you out.

Mushroom Farming

After a lot of winter reading about the health benefits of mushrooms, I've added mushrooms to the list of things The Gentlewoman needs to nurture here on the farm. The hardwood logs are cut about 4 feet long in the early spring. Then I drilled holes which I pug with wooden dowels impregnated with mushroom spawn. The logs should start producing this fall, and continue for 4 of 5 years. There are so many health benefits associated with mushrooms, once you look into this, you'll be amazed. Chinese medicine is definitely considered more of an alternative health philosophy than our traditional health practices, but I cannot dismiss the 1000's of years experience from the ancient ones. Some of the information I read, rushed right over my head, but quite a bit did sink in, and I'm now a true believer of the health benefits. Mushrooms even are able to break down oils and pollutants, many more environmental benefits,if widely understood, would become a huge part of the new green movement. So far, it seems like with an investment of a few afternoons, my husband and I will be reaping the benefits of the shrooms for years to come. I hope there are an abundance so we can share!

Find the Hidden Silver Spoon

Do you remember reading Highlights in the Dentists office when you were a kid? I actually didn't ready the magazine, but I always played the hidden picture game on the back. I can't figure W.T.H.one of my silver spoons is doing in my husbands tool box - I don't think I'll bring him anything to eat when he's working in the future!

Ancient Asparagus

Asparagus is pretty much the first vegi that can be  harvested in the New England garden. I started our asparagus bed about 5 years ago.  My fingers were crossed, and I made more than one prayer that I would be successful.  Why is growing asparagus so intimidating?  They've been cultivating asparagus since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans.  The Romans even has an asparagus fleet, that they used to travel far and wide in the search for the delicious spears.  Start the bed, watch it grow and produce for two years, but don't pick!  Year three, ok, pick a little, but what exactly is a little.  I still feel like a rank amateur about the cultivation of this bed.  Am I  harvesting too much, is this too much mulch?  Then on the other hand, since we have been enjoying the asparagus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - I guess I'm now a member of the elite group of asparagus growers, ancient knowers of the mysteries of cultivation.  I hope I can share the picayune directions with another gardener, before I too and ancient holder of these mysteries!

If a Parsley Farmer is caught cheating on his taxes, does the IRS garnish his wage?

The girls are laying the largest eggs!  I cannot even close the egg box lid for fear of breaking them.  Customers ask, "what breed of checken's lay these huge eggs?"  My typical answer is, "oh, they're just very happy chickens."  They are in reality, red sex links, but who cares about that?  They forage for bugs, worms, and greens and brows over a bag full of table scraps every morning. The black and white chicken is a feather footed barred rock.  She's the house mother for the girls, I call her Sister Mary McCluck-Cluck.  She seems to shuffle around on her feathered feet, as if she were wearing her habit.  Sister Mary was originally a Bishop's pet, legends tell, who was stolen, crossed state lines, and finds her harbor here with us.  We sell the eggs for $4.00 a dozen, and are very appreciative when our customers return empty egg boxes for reuse.

Spring Garden Cleaning

Another sunny spring day spent in the garden.  I try so hard to keep my gloves and shoes on, but they keep coming off!  I think I'm doing good when I've got my spf 75 and wide brim hat on.  Barefoot and dirty - this is my happiest times. I transplanted seeds I stared under the florescent lights earlier this spring - kohlrabi, leeks, bok choy,  and cabbage. There's a row of spinach that is just breaking ground, and a row of peas that are taking their time showing up. This year I'm scattering the different varieties around the garden, in small groups.  My rational is that the bugs will have a harder time finding their delectables than they otherwise would had I followed the traditional row of this and row of that. A sneaky organic trick I'm playing on my bug buddies.  I'm also planting early and late harvests together, and since the varieties are varied, so too are the root systems.  Some deep and long, others.... well you get the idea I'm sure. As the earlier varieties are harvested, the disruption of the soil helps to cultivate those crops remaining in the beds. If the soil is loose, the crops will thrive as nutrients and water are more readily available.

April Foool's Day

It's been a full day in the dirt for me- and I seem to have missed being a fool today!  The sunny warmth of the day distracted me from my obligation to trick someone. I've rearranged the primary garden to follow a more linear flow.  Everything's been tilled/manured/mulched and little by little I'm adding more elements.  RJS and I found wild white narsisis like bulbs in an abandoned farm close to a prison... guess that's why it's abandoned.  Anyway, I transplanted these  at the ends of each row to help mark the rows, and make them more permanent.  I've been reading about the benifits of not tilling the earth prior to planting, not sure I can break the habit, but permanent row markers may help.

Greenhouse alternative

This hoop tunnel cost me about $25.00 to construct.  We cut 2 foot sections of re bar and hammered these into the ground every 4 feet, with just 6 inches remaining above ground.  The black hoops are flexible electrical conduit that I cut to 5 feet, which was just what I needed to  make this nice arch over a 3 feet bed.  The poly film is 6ml polycarbonate sheeting, purchased from Home Depot, 10' x 100' for about $60.00.  This poly will cover 5 hoop tunnels that are 20' in length.  The black hoops are very rigid and will stand up to any wind we get here on the Cape, short of a hurricane.  A hi/low thermometer is on my shopping list, so that I can collect the info I'll need to see what temperatures are maintained, and how low the temperature may become outside before I suffer a frost in the tunnel.  Here is a new lettuce, just peeking up. I can hardly wait till she is big enough to be plucked and eaten!  There is bok choy, scallions, beets, lettuce, and arugula all up and creating the excitement of spring.

propogating hosta's

Multiply your Hosta'sl

Multiply your Hosta Plants

We started our Hosta Hoard with under five donated plants.  Now we have rings of hosta plants around our trees not only to beautify but also to make it easier for the Gentleman of the farm to mow around!  Ok, to propagate, get ready - just cut a piece of your "mother plant" as soon the the ground permits, and replant it.  Really, it's that simple.You can dig up your mother plant partially, use a sharp knife, and saw off a piece about the size of a tennis ball, trying for a lobe if possible.  This really doesn't hurt the plant, but make sure you recover it well, and maybe insure your success by adding more soil to the surface of the mother, even better, compost if your lucky enough to have some.  Take your baby hosta, and start it some place new.  Again, insuring it's success with some good soil.

Good luck.