Dragon's Breath Farm
  • Home
  • Store
  • About
    • Mission
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Foraging Classes
    • Yoga Classes / Retreats
    • Meditations in the Wilds
  • Blooms
    • Wholesale
    • Retail
  • Botanicals

It's getting frosty!

8/25/2021

0 Comments

 
The frost is here and here to stay for many of the nights.
Some things are hit too hard by it but other go right on growing. They freeze then thaw and do just fine! 
The flower harvest continues as does the seed harvest as I search for every last possible bloom that has the tenacity and temerity to got to seed in our short seasons here.
But the frost also means the Kale, Chard, and Spinach will be extra sweet and it gives me a bit of extra time in the morning to sip my tea or coffee with a cat curled up in my lap while I wait for the sun to reach each corner of the valley and chase that frost away.
Picture
Yepsies! It's frost time and the Dahlias didn't even have a chance to get started! With more frost on the horizon for me it means the probable end for them and the Zinnias but a lot of things aren't bothered by it (until it gets too cold or if it lasts for too long, every plant has its own limit)
Picture
I spend most afternoons harvesting flowers, grasses, and all the little odd bits to dry for making beautiful dried flower creations this winter. I gotta snag them and get them hung up before the deep frost decides to take them!
Picture
While harvesting all the things, I often find tiny garden helpers like this caterpillar or a grasshopper hiding amongst the foliage. Yes, they eat a little bits of greenery or damage some petals but they have their place and purpose so I either let that stem stay for them and the bees or gently push them off onto another so that they can go about their buggy business!
Don't let that frost fool you into thinking the flower days are done!
Everything has gotta be tough out here and there are still some beauties for fresh bouquets and a lot are getting dried (like those prickly Echinacea tops and the crisp Paper Daisies) so everyone can enjoy them year-round.
Two very different plants. Two identical feelings of abundance. 
On the left is Broomcorn Millet a grass usually grown for use as a cut flower (you will have seen its flowing heads of drooping heavy grain in the mixed bouquets!) and on the right is Cerinthe or Honeywort a relative of plants like Blue Bells and Comfrey. It too has drooping heavy heads of purple to blue to indigo foliage and blooms. Both heavy armloads came from 2 feet of bed space. Don't let anyone tell you you need large amounts of land, knowledge, or equipment to grow food or flowers. You just need a space to plant some seeds, time to give them to grow, and the energy to give them the care they need to thrive (these need no more than regular irrigation).
Picture
The cherry tomato harvest continues and the beans are just getting started! (ignore the tiny ear of corn. it was an experiment that I kind knew the outcome of even before I planted the seeds :) )
Picture
Even if I want to stay in and play with the kittens all day long, the harvest must go on. They watch me from their window perches in the bedroom as I go back and forth from plot to plot going about my day and I make sure to sometimes stop and let them smell the rose colored Yarrow.
Picture
Hella, the adventure cat, got to join me on a little jaunt up the ridge just across the road from the farm. I often pop up a few deer trails to visit a favorite tree and this time she joined me. I would pause to wait for her to find her own way up downed logs and under low branches until we had to turn home and go back. But at each pause she was right at my heels wanting to smell new smells and see new sights. Who says walks are only for dogs?
If you're a gardener, you may recoginize this weedy 'foe'. But did you know it is edible and tasty! It's a native to both North America and Europe from the same plant family as Lamb's Quarters and Spinach. Meet Strawberry Spinach! 
The leaves are edible either raw or cooked (just like Lamb's Quarters, but these don't get as bitter after they flower) and those red 'fruits' are surprisingly sweet and juicy (kinda like a mix of a delicate strawberry with celery or watermelon) and they have tiny black seeds that give it a pleasing crunch.
I'll have a few boxes of those fruity tops available this week if you're feeling adventurous!
Picture
Just a perfectly pleasantly warm evening with clear skies that indicate a nighttime frost is on its way. That is what fall is like on the farm.
What's available this week?
  • Eggs!
    • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
    • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
  • Flowers!
    • Mixed Bouquets 
    • Gladiolus Bouquets
  • Veggies!
    • Microgreens
      • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
        • Large 4oz
        • Small 1oz
      • Lemon Basil
    • Shoots
      • Sunflower Shoots
      • Pea Shoots
    • Kale
    • Cherry Tomatoes
    • Rainbow Swiss Chard
    • Petal Power Edible Flower
    • Strawberry Spinach 'Fruits'
  • Seeds!
    • Lupine
    • Bee's Friend
    • Cosmos
    • Calendula
    • Chinese Forget Me Not
    • Poppy
    • Delphinium
    • Columbine
  • Live Plants!
    • Cactus Globes
  • Crafts!
    • Treasure Bowls
    • Dragon Clips
  • Botanicals!
    • Dragon's Balm
      • 0.25 oz
      • 1 oz
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-630pm!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019

    Categories

    All
    Clucks & Quacks
    Microgreens
    Newsletters
    Recipes
    Winter

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Store
  • About
    • Mission
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Foraging Classes
    • Yoga Classes / Retreats
    • Meditations in the Wilds
  • Blooms
    • Wholesale
    • Retail
  • Botanicals