Planting Garlic Fingers and Other Winter Pastimes

🎶🎵Take it easy, take it easy
Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don’t even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand, and take it easy🎶🎵

Luke enjoying his own company (a great skill to have in this busy world) skating and shooting pucks on our duck pond. Feb 18, 2019

Sometimes life just gets hard, like really REALLY, capital H-A-R-D.

Watching people you love suffer with illness is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. What keeps us going ?

A wise doctor who came into our life (and cracks the best jokes but also tells it like it is) says we get through hard times with our people around us and the things we love. We do not get through this life , and sometimes literally don’t, without help from those who love us. We always do better. Illnesses are not logical. Keep your circle small with these people and the skilled people God sends to help you. Then hang on .

Insert prayer here to whomever you worship for the Syrian family living in Halifax who lost all of their seven children in a house fire. May they find some comfort in their family being brought from Syria to support them. Prayers for their circle to be strong. Amen.

Atlantic Ocean, Stoney Island.

February 2019

Gardens go dormant and rest but the rejuvenation is so sweet. I just brought in some forsythia branches to force so in less than a week we will be enjoying bright yellow flowers inside to make this last week of February a little less dreary.

What is inspiring me on my farming bookshelf right now ?

Folks, this ain’t normal ! By Joel Salatin ($5 off the Yardsale site …yah!)

He is a cranky pants, yes, however there are a lot of great tidbits of advice for farmers but also on the philosophy of farming.

What my kids are hating me quoting right now ?

“Did you know Joel’s children both entered their twenties with over $20000 in the bank, earned from their farm childhood businesses? “It’s earning me a lot of sideways looks.

However from animal rights to activists, pasture management to foraging,to his family and farming values this is already a great book. Plus I love history and he goes there ALOT.

I love cranky old men.

No devils lettuce growing here under these lights….

It’s time to start plants (zone 6b):

Chives

Onions

Asparagus (4 YEARS to harvest ,PEOPLE, FROM SEED….I am telling you I get so patient as I get older )

Herbs for a potage garden

Lettuce starts

I follow NIkki Jabour for her helpful tips about this zone and plantings. She also grows some pretty different things. Never hurts to mix it up. …in the garden wink ,wink !

Back to garden, you filthy beasts ….I also ordered my blueberry bushes and raspberry canes from Jackson Lore of Lore Farms in Clyde River. I want Elderberry bushes as well for their medicinal properties but that might be a next year project .

This year is fences !

Look at this darling who is coming to the farm in April with three of her brothers. What is it about pigs ?? I have always loved them. When we were younger on our family farm we had a huge pig house my grandfather built into the side of a hill with concrete walls and drainage and a huge run. He was a man before his farming time, Grampie Charlie.

These are Berkshire x Yorkshire. These are great Heritage breeds , trained on electric fences and great foragers. I am looking forward to pig cuddles. You may not want to smell me for a while.

Growing Garlic Fingers

Owen and I had a great laugh after planting garlic chives. Owen was super pumped and helpful .I thought that was a little unusual for a child of three to love garlic chives so much but was like ….whatever. Then we were putting them under the lights and he said “Gramma, I just can’t wait for the garlic fingers to grow !!!!”

Inquiring minds want to know :

Why grow garlic chives when you can grow garlic fingers ??

Take it Easy,

Jenn xx

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