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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!  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!  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.  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.  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!  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!  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!  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?
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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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!  When it's well below zero the frost starts to move inside!  It makes for great icicles too! The eerie red glow from the coops means the hens are warm and toasty!  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!  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!  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?
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 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 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!  A few Mixed Bouquets of the last dried flowers are available for those special everlasting valentines and galentines!  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.  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!  (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!  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?
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
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!  A bit of fresh snow makes the Rainbow Huts look bright and cheerful amid the winter gloom!  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!  The Delphiniums are starting to send up their first true leaves so they can soak up as much light as possible from the LEDs.  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!  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?
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
A week of crossing as many things off the list as adding onto it! The bucket shelves are done in the trailer and soon the Dragon Wagon will be rolling all over delivering fresh flower and food goodies! Hella had a field trip into the world of the hens, albeit a very short one! More seeds get to meet the soil, with high hopes for a fruitful future in the Dragon Dome greenhouse! And a few new additions to the yard sale items are waiting for their forever homes! More projects are still underway as the focus turns from making the cabin cozy and comfy to prepping for an avalanche of seedling trays and all the future packaging and management to get them from me to you! And if I've planned my time management correctly, I might even get a few new wreaths and/or dried flower bouquets up online so you can be ready early for the impending February holiday!  The Trailer's bucket shelves are complete! The next step is to put some water in them and a few twigs of evergreen boughs as flower stand ins and drive around to see if they are successful in keeping everything upright and contained!  Each of the rails that hold the buckets in place can slide out of their brackets for easy loading without tipping all the flowers out and fast to slide back in to keep them all safe for travel.  Often the hens are very eager for the scraps from the weekly microgreen harvests that I can barely get in the door before they start munching!  And sometimes the hens give me 'micro' eggs in return! LOL  More seeds are going into soil and this time it's the first batch of tomatoes. The plan is to heat the greenhouse Dome in late April (and probably a few nights into May, weather dependent), so those baby plants will have a nice place to get a head start. I'll be starting a second batch to plant the more usual early to mid May, in case that plan fails. Hella had a midday field trip into the realm of the hens! She wanted to go in and sniff around. The hens didn't mind. But she quickly felt outnumbered and wanted to be released! Wintertime is when all the administrative stuff gets done, like crop planning and packaging prep! As usual, Hella is a constant helper and gets to inspect all boxes and finished projects for quality.  Wintertime is also when I can enjoy the indoor orchids blooming without all my attention being sucked up by a field full of blooms!  More items have been added to the yard sale, mainly a Waterbath Canning Pot and old pillowcases, sheets, and fabric that are great for practicing or pattern making! What's available this week?
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
~~~ Farming Facts ~~~ Is it a Microgreen or a Sprout?
This is a common question I get at Farmer's Markets and the main difference is how they are grown. Sprouts are germinated in water only, no soil, and are only a few days past germination and haven't 'greened' up yet. Microgreens (and shoots) are germinated in soil and are grown from 7-21 days, depending upon variety. Plus, they get a chance to 'green' up and start producing chlorophyl. Both are nutrient-dense, yummy, and are great additions to your fav salads, smoothies, wraps, or any meal you fancy! It's been awhile since the sun shone bright on my little valley and it was very welcome by not only me but all the clucks and quacks as well! When not enjoying doing winter chores in the sunshine, I sat inside watching webinars as part of the many virtual farm conferences that fill the winter and used the time to go through my yarn stash (some of which is available in the Online Farm Store!), and painting panels for a tiny hut to cover my generator during the majority of the year when it just sits waiting for something to go wrong so it can go into action! Clearing out some of my yarn lets me see the amount of dried flowers I have left and I'll be working the next few weeks to make some special Valentine's and Galentine's Day wreaths, bouquets, and barrettes! And it reminded me of all the seeds I saved and that I need to start prepping them for their little packets so they can be available for planting this spring! Check off one item completed and discover ten more to add to the list!!! This week there are also all the microgreens (including the new and popular Pea and Sunflower Shoots), Rainbow Eggs, Duck Eggs, and the rest of the Yard Sale goodies!  Sunsets can be bittersweet in winter!  Everyone got out to enjoy the warmth of the sun, even the hens!  And a favorite pastime of the hens is to visit their long-lost rooster friends to say Hi!  Of course, Hella got out too so she could check out her brambles!  A sprinkling of cayenne pepper around the huts helps keep all the four-legged furry things with sharp teeth (both big and small) away from the hens, as deep winter is the when I get the most visits. It is the smaller predators (the mink and ermine) that are the hardest to keep out and can cause just as much carnage as any larger predator, this line helps keep them from trying to find the inevitable gaps and holes they can squeeze through! The yarns, along with some ribbons and roving, are available on the website as part of the Virtual Yard Sale. They are priced to go to some great new homes and they are great for anyone who wants some practice yarn! Next week the fabrics will be up! What's available this week?
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! It may be months away but it is also just around the corner. Spring and summer tends to arrive fast for the unprepared farmer! The first seeds got sown last week! The main seeding frenzy won't begin until February but I try to spread it out a little so I don't get behind. Some more home projects got finished as soon the only thing I do inside will be sleeping (even though I do wanna try a night or two in a tent in the field this summer just so I can feel what it's like to be a head of lettuce or a larkspur bloom waiting for the warming sun to clear the usual frost) The trailer is getting some more work to make it a lean, mean veggie, flower, and egg delivering machine! And there are a few new greens available during the winter season to check out below (and online as well as at the Pop Up/Drop Off this Friday!) Also, all my tidying and clearing out of unused things in the yard sale has made me itching to clear out more stuff! (I know I said that last batch was the end lol, best laid plans and all!) So next week look for the special stuff that feels almost anachronistic for me to part with like some acrylic yarns and fancy fabrics! I'm still working on my weaving and craftwork but I prefer to work with natural fibers and the acrylics were mainly around for me to practice and learn. I've been staring at them long enough without doing anything with them so they should go to those who will turn them into something beautiful!  The seeding begins! Yep, and it starts with a few early season perennials that won't mind being planted out as soon as that sweet, sweet soil is thawed in the field! They get to sit in the relative warmth under the lights. When I check for those wonderful first signs of germination, I give them a little pep talk and I hope that sitting next to their bigger cousins of over-wintering perennials that didn't get planted this fall helps them see into their futures and dream of the wonderful plants they will become!  Oh, to be a fat cat soaking up the sun! The saying goes 'to get your ducks in a row' but it seems the hens are much better at lining up than those quackers!  The Dragon Wagon is getting some upgrades! I got a start on building some shelves along the side to hold and corral many buckets of flowers and bouquets for those weekly trips to the farmers markets and florists. Hella had my back and was my lookout while I was measuring and installing. It's easy for her to get up but to get down she usually jumps on my head, literally. She meows as a 'heads up' though so I guess I'm the well-trained one! I've had some requests to grow your fav shoots and greens in winter, so this is the first week that the Pea Shoots (left) and Sunflower Shoots (right) are available. Also, the Basil Microgreens will be making a comeback with regular basil to start this week! The pea shoots taste just like eating a fresh sweet pea pod and the sunflower shoots are crunchy and nutty! They should be a great addition to your wintertime meals along with the more dainty micrgreens you already know!  After letting the bathroom paint cure for a couple weeks, I got to put up giant stickers in the form of a temporary wallpaper of shiny gold constellations. It really makes the space feel fancy!  The laundry nook got a crisp coat of light gray and a new super bright LED light so I can really see how dirty everything is!  And last but not least, a curled up kitty atop a feather pillow covered in velvet atop a velvet couch soaking up the heat from the wood stove and dreaming of all the future gophers she will get to chase and pack rats she gets to side eye. Does anyone else sometimes wish they could be their own pet? What's available this week?
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! Lots of time spent pouring over seed catalogs, websites, and spreadsheets to make sure I get to grow what I want, can get the seeds, and have space & time for it all! It's like juggling because if I change one variable it affects the others. It is a great task for this time in winter as I start to itch for planting things, seeing flowers and birds, and watching the trees leaf out. I get to visualize and daydream of all the seeds I'll be busy sowing in February, March, and April, all the tiny seedlings I'll be planting out in April, May, and June, and all the veg and flowers I'll get to harvest from June through October because it can get hard to dream about while in the thick of it and all the weeding, watering, and chores that go along with it that we tend to forget to include in our daydreams. The daydreams are just for the fun stuff! The original instagram where the world looks perpetually rosy! One of the new crops that gets a debut even in winter are little trays of fresh, growing Wheatgrass. Cut them for healthy juice or to add to smoothies or as a kitty cat treat when there is no outside grass to chew on or if they stay inside safe and cozy year-round with no access to fresh grass! I started growing some for Hella with really ancient seeds I had. She chewed it all down to little nubbins as she was also trying to find any stray blade of grass hiding outside. I thought other kitties might enjoy it to help keep their tummies happy!  Under all that snow and ice and debris is some happy soil waiting to grow some happy plants!  Most of the crop planning is done on the computer, but mapping it out helps me conceptualize the space I have available and all the seed catalogs and websites help me to dream the future!  Especially for the increasing amount of perennial crops I have, keeping a map of where everything is planted and where I hope future additions will go is a great tool to make sure everything has a home. The office ceiling in the attic is a great place to tack them all up!  A fresh refill of dusty dirt gets the hens in a bathing mood!  Why use the dirt bins if you have deep bedding of pine shavings and dirt, that way you can spread out and have plenty of space for all to bathe at once!  A sneaky little Dandelion is taking advantage of the pots of biennials that get to overwinter inside. It's a cheerful reminder of spring! I've been working on some new sprouts and the first one up is Wheatgrass! It's available in 4 inch diameter dishes still in it's soil so it will stay super fresh for juicing and smoothies or place it out for your kitties to chew on! Hella likes to nibble on it and it'll last for a few weeks in a bright windowsill (which is also a favorite of Hella's) Left: the Wheatgrass just sprouting Right: How thick it gets after about 1 week  One of Hella's new fun toys is a kitty scratcher so she can groom and scritchy-scratch herself even if I'm not around! I stuck it to the washing machine for now to see how she likes it but will move it to a better (less noisy) spot soon, since it seems like she likes it a lot! What's available this week?
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! A New Year is just around the corner and it brings fresh microgreens and lotsa eggs! I've been reading new farm books, watching webinars and trainings, and working more on the planting plan for this new year. All while tending the microgreens, collecting eggs and cleaning duck huts. And all the fresh goodies will be back for pick up this Friday! There are also a few more Yard Sale items added as I find more stuff hiding in corners. Winter is a great time for clearing house so that deep spring cleaning can go a lot easier! The hens and Hella got a few holiday gifts and a fresh layer of snow makes me happy!  Newly painted rainbow stairs is a great way to welcome the New Year. They were worn with chipped paint. They are still worn but they got some fresh, cheerful paint full of whimsy!  Hella napped in the clothespin basket atop all the super soft and comfy wooden clothespins.  The hens got a special gift for the season of rainbow xylophones! Can the hens keep a beat? We'll find out!  One for each main flock so no hen feels left out. 2021 is the time for no mo FOMO!  A vision of loveliness. I can't wait for seas of grass as well as seas of tiny greens!  Hella, the farm's resident gargoyle, getting into position! (and scattering the hens in the process) Yet again I found some other items that were tucked away for a rainy day and they've been added to the online store as part of the Yard Sale. What's available this week?
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! It's time for a change, as the sun (slowly) returns! The more you farm or do anything that relies upon the seasons or weather, you become less and less aware of the human holidays (and marking of the days) and more and more aware of when the seasons shift, the subtle change of light, the smell in the air, the brightness of the moon and how they affect the plants and animals around you. Thus it is that Solstice, the marker of when sunlight (the rocket fuel for plant growth) returns and day length increases, feels like a more important celebration than anything else and all the other celebrations of the season just add to the merriment! (Also with Amazon and online shopping, Santa can deliver presents any and every day of the year!) There is no Pop Up / Drop Off this week as that is Christmas Day! So I may not get a holiday from feeding hens or collecting eggs, but I do get a break from wintertime driving and errand running! All the Hens, Hella, and Me wish you all a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!  Most of the past week was warm and wet which melted most of the little bit of snowpack and gave the hens the chance to roam in the mud and the rain! All the rain and thawing soil meant it was best for me to stay inside and get more cabin painting projects wrapped up! Now all the window frames are painted and protected from all those plants that fill them up!  The quickly thawing soil meant for muddy runs which got some fresh straw added to it to keep their toes toasty!  The receding snow gave me a chance to check on the perennials that dot the farm and it's amazing that anything keeps going through winter instead of dying back completely, but some do like this Wormwood!  Just as the hens were getting used to their daily free-time, the snow returned with a bang as a windstorm preceded it and shook the valley! But at least there is snow! The hens may not like ti but I do!!!  The heavy winds left a few minor casualties. Many some torn plastic on the runs that I patched up and secured back down and a few broken boards where knots left weak points for the wind to exploit. They'll be patched up lickity split!  Hella ended her self-imposed indoor lockdown (she don't like when it's wet and muddy) to come out into the snow and catch a shrew! She never eats them (they aren't very big or tasty) and also rarely kills them as it takes a lot to accomplish that, but has a 'catch and release' policy with them and they usually escape into a tiny spot she can't get into. They truly are shrewd shrews! What's available this week?Nothing! but it'll all be back for next Friday, 1/1/21!!!
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AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
February 2021
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