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Butterfly in the Sky

3/31/2021

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Or more like Butterflies!

The warmth from the sun is waking everything up! Spring bed prep is earnestly underway, and the urge/anxiety to get seeds and transplants into the ground is strong, but my bones tell me to wait and be more patient. My low temps are still low enough that it could mean disaster, even with frost fabric and low tunnels. It has been a 'mild' winter only in precipitation, not in temps and that only means that the soil surface still freezes every night and takes until noon every day to thaw. 
This means I get time in the mornings to keep sowing more seed flats for when I can plant, prep bags and labels for market season, and plan for all the fun extras I want to dive into this year (like Farm Tours!) before I get to go outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun myself while cleaning beds of the debris I left on them in the fall as an insulator from those very same cold (and snowless) winter nights.
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Every warm day brings out the beautiful butterflies, the world feels so much more alive with their little wings fluttering about.
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The first of the Daffodils have begun poking up through the frosty morning soil. The first spring prep task is to rake off the old debris from last year before everything gets too big, so it doesn't get damaged while I make way for the fresh growth!
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The Tulips are greeting the sunshine and air as well! Last fall was the first year they got planted into their protective wire-lined trenches so fingers crossed they survive the next winter from the voles and gophers!
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The perennial Lupines are also beginning to bud and grow out, so the debris removal was a chance to get excited for more and more blooms and seeds! These are the bushes I grew from seed and saved this years Lupine Seeds from and it's a great time to get them planted. They, obviously, don't mind the frost (it still is getting down to 20F here) and it gives them a head start on everything else. Since they are perennials, don't expect too many flowers the first year, but each year the bush comes in bigger and bigger with more and more blooms!
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The Dome is almost ready for those special Tomatoes that have been pampered inside under their lights, but first I had to make room by returning some of the pots, stands, and worktables to the hardening off area so that there is more room inside.
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One of the key steps, getting the propane heater online, is done! A few nights of testing out which setting is needed depending upon the outside temp so that I have a steady temp of at least 50F inside are paramount before I entrust the care of those growing 'mater plants to the Dragon Dome and the Fire Breather! That involves going out a few times every night to check how it is faring, and so far it's very good and is easily keeping it 55F inside on some of the lower settings even when it is 20F outside!
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With a warm and fairly calm day, it was time to start hardening off those baby plants to the strong sun, dry breezes, and also the cooler temps they have been shielded from. Hella was the designated inspector and efficiency supervisor!
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The hens also get to enjoy the sunshine as I whittle away at the different tasks that need to be done before mobilizing them on the pasture. Next steps are to remove the front 'safety/snow' panels and pull out those many t-posts that held their runs down through all the wind storms! In the meantime, they don't mind mingling!
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And when you wanna get away from the crowds to find your own special treats, it's best to employ the buddy system!
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Sometimes the lure of a freshly cleared patch of cool, damp soil amid the warm sunshine is just too good to pass up, even if it means risking getting raked up with all the debris!
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
  • Seeds!
    • Lupine
    • Bee's Friend
    • Cosmos
    • Calendula
    • Chinese Forget Me Not
    • Poppy
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!
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A Deep Freeze

3/31/2021

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A great weekend hike , a bit of (maybe last?) snow, strong winds, and a deep freeze. It's spring in Montana as usual.

The spring chores continue as the farm begins to shed the mantle of winter and look forward to spring and summer planting!

The hens enjoy the warm days even is the nights are still a bit chill.

And the seeds saved from last year are finally separated and packed up!
Most are available in the online store with a few more to come next week
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Special snack time means a feeding frenzy!
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It's time to start the many-stepped process of 'unwinterizing' the hen huts and get them moving on that fast greening up pasture. The first big step is to remove the tie downs and the plastic covering their runs.
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Another big step is to remove all of the electrics (extension cords, cord covers, heated water bowls, switches, and more). The bowls will get a good scrub down before being stowed away until next winter!
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Who knew we had such close neighbors?!
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The Guineas grew up with the 3 hens in the red hut and like to visit whenever they get a chance. They had to move out on their own 2 years ago when it got too cramped for their wildness, for they are tame but not domesticated.
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Monday morning brought an inch of fresh snow for the hens and ducks to enjoy without their covered runs!
The ducks definitely don't mind a little snow and even the hens tolerated it as long as I scraped enough aside so they could see that there was for sure ground not too far beneath it
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On Saturday, I hosted an Outsiety (www.outsiety.com) event for women to hike along the Kootenai on Bighorn Sheep Trail. It was a wonderful day with a special side trip up to see a special waterfall. There are other Outsiety events all year long and I'll probably host a few more this summer and in winter! All events are free!
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A deep freeze with a low of 14F hit Tuesday morning. All the seedlings in the greenhouse were double (and even tripled covered) in frost cloth, the emergency electric heater was on (it can't heat the whole thing, but can take the edge off). A pre-dawn check in let me know that all was ok and it got down to 28F in the greenhouse and 32F under the cloths.
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Classic Basil
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!
0 Comments

The Land is Calling

3/24/2021

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The snowpack is gone while the chill isn't but the grass begins to grow as the deer return to the field. The germination are in the cabin attic is always full, while more and more flats move out to the greenhouse to spend warm days in the sun and cool nights under frost fabric inside the dome.
And now the prep work for spring really begins. The winter electrification of the hen huts will be removed. The old plant material from last years' crops will be cleared from the rows. All while tending to the tender and changing needs of the baby plants that fill the many seed flats.
This is the season of anxiety and excitement when the crush of the season hasn't hit full speed so the mind can still dwell on the possibilities and potentials. My own mind and heart hears the call of spring as my hopes and fears for the coming season begin their own germination, for the land is calling and it awaits my reply.
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Freedom!!! Let's boogie!
The old tomato vines are starting to get cleared! It's a fresh start for the Dragon Dome, with more to go!
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It was just in the knick of time too, as more seedlings had to graduate to the dome to make space for many more flats to germinate in the warm, cozy cabin attic. The pipes exist to help get water to the bottom of the raised beds but also help to hover the frost cloth above the tender baby plants!
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Rub a dub dub, two hens in a tub!
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The more the hens are outside, the more comfortable they are exploring all the little places, like under the Hawthorne/Chokecherry bramble behind the barn.
When the sun is shining but the air is still crisp, Hella's favorite space is in the greenhouse where it's toasty and warm!
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The snowpack is gone and the land is calling! Time to start cleaning the beds, moving tarps, and getting ready to say hello to all the friends we've missed during the winter, like the earthworms, tiny grubs, ants, ladybugs, and all their soil-dwelling relatives!
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Classic Basil
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!
0 Comments

A Weekly Migration

3/17/2021

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My days are pretty predictable right now. Fill seed flats, seed seed flats, water seed flats, place seed flats under lights on the side of the warm attic. As seeds germinate, remove the humidity dome, place seed flats under lights on shelves (so a certain curious cat doesn't get too curious). When all that space is full (at about 40 flats) move enough seed flats into the greenhouse to make room under those lights for more seed flats. 
Every morning I wake up the chickens and uncover the plants in the greenhouse. Every night I put the chickens to sleep and tuck in the plants. 

Seed flats. Seed flats. Seed flats.

Just as the sowing begins to wane, the planting will begin.
Then I will have another, empty pile of seed flats that get cleaned, dried, and stored until the next round. Even though I keep sowing through most of the year to keep a steady supply of veg and blooms, the bulk of the seed flats still happen in the spring. A rush and collision of time, temperature, and sunlight to grow before the cool of winter comes again.
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Even the Guineas got out to enjoy the sun, find some bugs, and generally harass the rest of the birds
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Seeding more flats each week means that the farthest along ones get the boot to the greenhouse (except the tomatoes, they get pampered for a few more weeks before I feel good moving them out only to be pampered in the greenhouse too!) I better work on clearing those old tomato vines before it's too hard to move around all the seed flats!
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Luckily, I had built special window shelves for the orchids in the winter so that I could free up their wooden shelves to use as temporary flat holders in the greenhouse and all around the farm. You wouldn't believe the time I spend moving shelves around depending upon the needs of the season!
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It's fluff butt time! Those bugs better watch out!
The warmth of the sun and some rare dry dirt in spring means it's bath time for everyone!
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Doing chores while the hens are out means I am never left alone as the groupies hope for some treats to fall from my arms
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The Golden Beets are looking golden and are getting a head start in some seed flats.
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Hella still likes to pop up like a little spring vole to remind me to get the computer work done so I can come outside!
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!

Recipes for Food Eaters

When the outdoor farm work starts, it can often go from dawn to dusk, especially in spring when there is a rush to get everything cleaned up, seeded, planted, and ready for the REAL busy season of harvesting and selling, this is when I eat what I call 'hand food'. It's food that can be eaten with your hands, while walking, while working, it can be set down on a fence post or shoved into a pocket and not stick to *all* the dirt. It's jerky, fruit leather, granola bars and usually anything that can be shoved in between bread, which is hard when you feel best not eating gluten. In comes muffins and quick breads whose texture is not supposed to be gluey from the gluten. You don't have to eat these gluten-free banana bread muffins between cleaning chicken coops or sowing seeds, but they do make great 'hand food!'
Find the Recipe here!
From Dishing Up The Dirt​
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Field Day!!!!!!!

3/10/2021

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Seeding many flats, prepping the greenhouse, filling the greenhouse, and more outside work (even if it's not soil work, that's still well frozen) are some of the spring tasks that are keeping me busy!

With the warming temps and the melting ice pack the hens got to play in the mud, even as I try to avoid it!

There'll be the usual microgreens and eggs available this week! It'll be the last of the pea shoots for a week or two as I await my seed order to arrive (it's gotta come from Canada!)

Yard sale items are still available too!

Enjoy the warm sunny weather while it's here and remember that winter may still have a last reminder to send us, so don't start putting those plants out yet!
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With the snow clearing into mud, I caved into their cute little pleading faces and let the horde of hens free into that muddy, wet world.
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The plants also got to get 'out' into the greenhouse. The cabin space is full with newly planted seed flats so the biggest and most cold-hardy seedlings graduate to the, for now, unheated greenhouse.
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They get to enjoy the warm spring sunshine, and a greenhouse that can get 40F degrees warmer than outside when that full sun shines down on it. BUT, at night the well below freezing temps creep in so that crumpled bundle of frost fabric is tripled covered over the entire shelf unit to keep them cozy until that sun shines again the next morning!
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It is a thing so ordinary and commonplace in the world, but watching those seeds that I hug into the ground germinate always makes me let out a little child-like squeal of joy and feel a rush of excitement, this may be what other people feel when they see human babies, but not me, I feel it when I see plant babies!!! â–¡â–¡
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This is what a duck nest looks like when you didn't realize she was laying for awhile. LOL there was a full baker's dozen, but since they were sitting there for quite a while they went into the compost and I added her space to my regular egg check!
More deliveries arrived with CFAC Grant-funded goodies! This time a pile of landscape fabric rolls and a huge heap of stuff from Johnny's including fancy insect netting, a floral stem cutter, and a stack of special wire hoops to hold up that insect netting and my own frost fabric! A few more deliveries are on the way and they keep getting bigger!!!
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When the sun came out, the hens definitely took the opportunity to enjoy the radiant heat from the gravel and the direct heat from that beautiful sunshine!
My first day in the field was spent organizing the new shed since I just tossed most things in last fall. The first step was to toss it all outside again! It felt so good to get that precious (and so very very delicate) frost fabric daisy-chained and stored up where the rodents can't get to it!
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While tidying the shed, I had a few helpers come in to see what might have spent the winter hiding under the pile of stuff!
The shed looks so much bigger when you toss most of it's content out into the field and pretty soon it will be much emptier since most of those tools and equipment will be put to work reducing weeds, protecting from frost, and generally making it possible for me to farm in this cold, windy valley!
It's not just stuff, it's important stuff!!!
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If I fits, I sits. Just don't lock me in!
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This farmer predicts that frost fabric will be a huge fashion trend this spring, and next spring, and the spring after that, and, well, every spring, summer, and fall! It's a classic that never goes out of style!
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
    • Shoots
      • Pea Shoots
        • 1 oz
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!

Recipes for Food Eaters

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​I've got a bunch of onions sitting around still and wanted to get a chunk cleared out before they sprouted, so I caramelized them until even my sheets smelled like onions!  
So I stored them in the fridge and pull em out to toss into some warm pasta for a quick meal/snack! 
So Yum!!!

Get the Recipe Here
From Epicurious
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Waiting for Spring

3/3/2021

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Spring comes when it will, like it does every year. No amount of time I spent wishing it was now will work, besides there is so much more to get done!

Even if it arrived tomorrow, I wouldn't be ready. So I wait, knowing that I planned for it to arrive per it's usual plans. Seed sowing calendars were poured over in January so I wouldn't have to fret now. But I still have to fight the urge to plant all the seeds!
Luckily, I can fend off a little of that anxious excitement with sowing and enjoying the greenness of the microgreens. I am out of the sunflower shoots for awhile, and soon the peas, but seeds are on order and will hopefully be here soon!

Sometimes the anticipation for spring can almost be better than the actual season since spring for me means go, go, go!!!! 
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Hella and I head to the barn, then back to the house, then back to the barn! It's time to get some work done while the sun shines
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Fresh snow makes for quiet mornings...until the guineas get up!
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A north-facing porch under a sun-warmed metal roof and cold nights makes for some of the most interesting icicles. These speak to the constancy of the force of gravity but the variability in our relation to it. Poetry becomes science becomes poetry.
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The farm and I were awarded a Field Tested Grant From CFAC in Missoula for a host of farm tools to help make me a lean, mean plant growing machine! And the first purchase has arrived! A floral tool belt to hold snip, pruners, scissors, phone, pens, notepad, and whatever else I need while I plant, tend, or harvest. It's handmade by a small leather-working company in the US and I hope it will help stop me dropping my snips in the field all day!
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Since it seems to be slush season for awhile (a season Hella hates!) The magical delivery people dropped off a bevy of new cat toys (like these swimming fishes!!!), so I can get some work done without a tiny paw tapping my leg to go out, or come back in, or go out, or...
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
    • Shoots
      • Pea Shoots
        • 1 oz
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!
0 Comments

Snow Today, Gone Tomorrow!

2/24/2021

0 Comments

 
It's been a week of the weather whipping you back and forth, as it has for much of the country.
The hens have had to deal with some discomfort but the seedlings are growing happily in their special attic space which I crawl into and check on them every morning and every evening (just like I do once they are planted outside and I have to tuck them into their various frost protections every night and open them up to the sun every day). It's good routine!
And even if the hens are unhappy with the weather, the ducks are ecstatic and have been busy laying egg after egg!
Hopefully I can get back to tinkering on the many tiny construction projects next week (the workspace is essentially a wind tunnel) because before I know it all the little baby seedlings will be grown up and ready to get planted outside!
What was snow one day, was a slushy slurry the next!
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Every year I'm tempted to get a fancy seeder that can seed a whole flat in under a minute and then I don't. There are multiple reasons, like they use a vacuum and vacuums are noisy, I often don't seed a flat with the same single variety (especially with the flowers), and they won't work with a lot of the more irregular shaped flower seeds, but truly it comes down to this: I like to touch the seeds. Creepy of me right? It may be 'woowoo' but I like to give them a little sense of hope, a little feeling of gratitude for their current and future self, a 'seed hug' if you will. So go forth and not only hug a tree but also hug a seed because it is just a baby tree!
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If these little seedlings look a lot like carrots to you, then you have a good eye! They are baby Queen Anne's Lace and Chocolate Lace Flower, both relatives of carrots that flower in the first year (not the second like carrots do) and make larger and more numerous blooms, but not much root.
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The first sowing of Cherry Tomatoes are growing well, and the second sowing got done this weekend. In another week or two, they'll each get upgraded to larger pots and smothered with as much indoor light I can give them as I don't trust putting them into the greenhouse (even with a heater) until March/April. I sleep better knowing they are safe from a sudden overnight cold snap.
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I'm finally getting to winnowing and sifting the saved seeds from last year! I should have done it months ago, but that's life. Every time you save seeds you are choosing individuals that are thriving in your region and local conditions. This is the perennial Lupine that grows big and bushy, with tall spires of purple, blue, pink, and white blooms that are beloved by bees and can handle frosts! I'm working on prepping the cold hardy varieties first so they will be available for planting as the conditions are right!
The hens may get wet feet in their run, but in their coop it is drier so most stay in there, but the Teal Hut (home to the two bantam roosters) had a fully flooded run with water about 3-4 inches deep and they are tiny dudes, so I put their food and water in their hut and they have to spend some time cooped up until the water flows away, as chickens are not swimmers, especially little plump dudes with feathered feet!
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As the chickens get special treatment and consideration in the wet times, the ducks don't care one bit! I'm sure this drake wishes his run was flooded instead!
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The firewood shed floor has quickly become a chunky smoothie of mud and bark bits! Since it is a low spot relative to the snow outside (especially on the sides where it falls off the roof), it all flows in and even though the wood is off the ground a bit I may end up with some logs in ice!
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But the water in the shed is good for one thing: to keep the axe heads on with no bucket needed!
It looks like I can now designate the Farm Laborer's trailer and the Cabin as lake front property! 😂
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
    • Shoots
      • Sunflower Shoots
        • Small 1oz
        • Large 3oz
      • Pea Shoots
        • 1 oz
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!

Recipes for Food Eaters

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This is a great recipe to use both those beet roots and beet tops, plus some yummy duck or chicken eggs! 
Sprinkle with some tangy goat cheese and pork sausage and it's a protein powerhouse perfect for breakfast or dinner!

Find the Recipe here!
From Dishing Up the Dirt
0 Comments

Frigid Time for Farmers and their Feathered Friends!

2/17/2021

0 Comments

 
It was a chilly week for everyone! 
Everyone made it through and only a few eggs were lost to being frozen solid, or at least I ate them after they thawed ;). Hella stayed huddled up in her blanket pile on the couch while I fed the woodstove and turned on the other heaters too.

It was a good excuse to tidy up inside, organize the seed starting area, and chop more firewood!

And remember, every day gets us closer to fresh grass, leafy trees, and flowers! Oh how I miss flowers!!!

There are some dried flowers left if you really need a flower fix and, of course, there are eggs and microgreens available online to order or email me to reserve them for you!
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When it's well below zero the frost starts to move inside!
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It makes for great icicles too!
The eerie red glow from the coops means the hens are warm and toasty!
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The seed starting area is starting to fill up, so I brought the other shelving unit up to get ready for more seed flats that need a space and some light. It is a few weeks before I feel confident in the greenhouse dome's heater so for now they get their special space in the attic!
​The last bigger inside project is done! It was an epoxy float coat, like a bar top, for my wooden bathroom counter with a live edge also filled with glitter!!! 
The best way to enjoy glitter as an adult is to encase it in epoxy!
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I finally took the time for a quick jog/hike along the Kootenai and in true Montana fashion it was beautiful even in winter! Also saw an Eagle try for a Great Blue Heron. It got away but probably not without a few scratches!
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Hella loves the hand soap I currently have so every time I wash my hands she wants to lick it 'clean' for me!
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
    • Shoots
      • Sunflower Shoots
        • Small 1oz
        • Large 3oz
      • Pea Shoots
        • 1 oz
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!

Recipes for Food Eaters

Picture
A yummy winter bowl of warm polenta with crispy mushrooms and brussel sprouts and an egg (make it even better with a duck egg!) make a great lunch or dinner to keep your tummy warm and full!


Find the Recipe here.
From Dishing up the Dirt

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Bouquets for Your Valentine

2/10/2021

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It's a perfect week to get any of the everlasting bouquets or wreaths for your sweetie! But if the low maintenance dried flowers aren't your thing, you can always get a Farm Buck$ card toward future farm goodies. It works just like a usual online gift card and it's good for anything I sell, whether it be the fresh veggies, pasture raised eggs, or the bouquets of fresh flowers that are just beginning their season as I plant the seeds!

The hens are all tucked up in their heated huts to keep warm and toasty on these frosty nights while I stay warm feeding the woodstove with all the logs it wants!

Hella gets to patrol the hayloft for some rodent sized squatters and the wormies get wriggly with it in the worm bin!
Picture
A few Mixed Bouquets of the last dried flowers are available for those special everlasting valentines and galentines!
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The cold mean getting a lot of firewood up on the porch and ready to pop into the stove! It's a hungry beast that needs constant feeding, almost as hungry as the hens ;)
Speaking of those hungry hens, they love it when I forget to eat my greens since it means they get them instead! Even if they aren't as good about sharing as I am.
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Woodshop time means I get to work on the smattering of small 'building' that will make the farm just that more functional. First was the hut for the generator. Second is a little Farm Stand that will be stocked on Saturday mornings in future. Now it just needs a floor and a roof!
And when I'm busy in the woodshop, that means Hella gets some playtime in the barn, especially the hayloft, where she gets to chase after all the mice and packrats that nest and scurry around!
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(sorry if they are a little squirmy and creepy!!!) You may have forgotten about my wormies in their worm bin, but I haven't! I've been feeding them the veggie scraps that even the hens don't care for (like onion skins, moldy strawberries, and squash rinds) and they've been growing, multiplying, and turning all the ucky ickiness into beautiful black gold! These ones are taking a water cooler break from all the vermicomposting below so they can dish all the dirt and juicy gossip on their other wormy roommates!
Picture
Hella may be unintentionally impersonating a famous kitty cat clock, but the only time she is telling is that it's nap time!
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Mixed Dried Bouquets
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Cinnamon Basil
    • Shoots
      • Sunflower Shoots
        • Small 1oz
        • Large 3oz
      • Pea Shoots
        • 1 oz
    • Wheatgrass
      • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!

Recipes for Food Eaters

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Parsnips are the under-sung heroes of the root vegetables! Yeah they are scraggly and look like the long, gnarled nose of old man winter but they taste much better than they look! Plus, do you need an excuse to make some crumbly bacon topping? Not me!

Find the recipe here
From Dishing Up the Dirt
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Let the Germination Begin!

2/3/2021

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A little bit of rain and a little bit of snow leaves a lot of ice underfoot. But the ducks and hens get to enjoy their snow, rain, and ice free runs while I slip and slide around ensuring they have plenty of food and water!

Even while it is drab outside, the flats of seeds are greening up inside and there will be lots more to come over the next weeks. I try to give each one a little boost of encouragement which gets harder the faster they come.

Some of the smaller construction projects get done, just as more get started, and the last of the dried flowers are getting made into some early Valentines/Galentines bouquets!
Picture
A bit of fresh snow makes the Rainbow Huts look bright and cheerful amid the winter gloom!
Picture
Tiny pops of green are appearing on some of the first trays that were sown! These are Sweet Williams getting an early start to a long season of blooms!
Picture
The Delphiniums are starting to send up their first true leaves so they can soak up as much light as possible from the LEDs.
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With no ponds around what is a Drake to do but rub a dub dub in the tub
Another hut has graced the farm with it's presence but it holds no clucks or quackers, only a tidy place for the generator so sit idly by until I need it.
Some new Everlasting Bouquets to share with your everlasting sweetheart are available in the store this week and more will be added next week as well!
Picture
Sunday mornings are spent sipping a strong cup of tea propped up under warm covers while the refueled wood stove brings the cabin to a comfortable temperature while I enter the weeks receipts, except sometimes Hella takes offense and claims all the delightfully crumple-able receipts for herself!
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Dried Statice Bunches
    • Everlasting Wreaths
    • Potpourri Bundles
    • Flower Crowns
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Cinnamon Basil
      • Shoots
        • Pea Shoots
          • 1 oz
        • Sunflower Shoots
          • Small 1oz
          • Large 3oz
      • Wheatgrass
        • 4 inch wide tray
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
  • Yard Sale!
    • Kitchenware
    • Dinnerware
    • Tea Pots
    • Vacuum
    • Utensils
    • Vintage Home Goods
    • LEGO
    • Playpen
    • Yarn
    • Scrap/Practice Fabric
Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!

Recipes for Food Eaters

Picture
After all the hearty winter stews, sometimes you want a lighter dish. This one still features the seasonal winter squash but has some grains (feel free to use any other grain if you don't have quinoa) and the refreshing kick of microgreens.
The lightweight dressing adds the zest and flavor to get you through until spring!

Find the recipe here!
From Chef de Home
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    I'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog.

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