Getting started…. All of these fresh organs are used to make delicious traditional foods…. We harvested the first of the spring piggies over the weekend. Everything went so well, and we were careful not to pack too much into one day this time. The scald water was the perfect temperature, and scalding…
SOUPE A L’OIGNON: Onion Soup
The onions are bulbing beautifully. This year we were careful not to water them, and they are keeping very well. They are very strong – I’ve never shed so many tears while slicing onions before. Through gardening, I have not only been impressed by how much flavor home-grown vegetables have, but also the remarkable lack…
In the Garden: Between Seasons
I loved this quote from Ben Hewitt that he posted recently: “Things will get done, and that which doesn’t get done will get done later or ultimately be deemed unnecessary in the first place, and we’ll think to ourselves isn’t it lucky we didn’t do it back when we thought it had to…
Clo and Belle
Car trouble marred most of yesterday – it seems like whenever we have savings, the car breaks, and the repairs always magically cost exactly how much we have. It’s more of a broken car fund than a savings account! I remember reading an article in ACRES USA magazine years and years ago about all…
Fruitful
Despite our years of neglect, the orchard seems to be having a good year so far. The early blueberries are just beginning to turn purplish. No one can wait until they are properly blue. The girls go through every day and pick every one that even thinks about turning color, and offer up a handful…
Hidden
The past few weeks have been an absolute crush of work – the garden must be finished, and the KonMari-inspired, once-in-a-lifetime spring clean is nowhere near complete. And we are still homeschooling for several more weeks. Every day there is just so much to do. The weather has been beautiful, which has made…
The Snapping Turtle
On Saturday we went to the BugFest put on by the UF Entomology department. They had cockroach races, an arthropod petting zoo, beautiful specimens displayed, all kinds of food made with bugs to taste. We had a good time, but the best thing was the huge snapping turtle we found in the parking…
CARROTTES A LA MENAGERE
I finally got some carrots from the garden this season. I have been making do with inferior store carrots. My first planting did not like the hot weather in the fall, but the second planting was finally ready to pull. It’s always a challenge to actually get carrots into the kitchen: they are very popular…
Rainy Day Colors
Easter brightened up the end of a rather dismal week – with illness and rainy weather, everyone was grouchy and cramped. It felt like I spent the week with both of Cinderella’s obnoxious step-sisters, and The Little Engine That Could – And Did, even though you told it not to several times. Clothilde managed…
The Start of The Season
All of us are sick today, a frustrating situation when there is so much to be done. The beginning of this week was wasted in stumbling around with exhaustion from the cursed Daylight Savings Time. Wednesday morning I was glancing at the clock, and then out the window, and realized I was going to boycott…
Painting Eggs
All week last week we blew eggs for our morning omelets, and saved the shells. Over the weekend I started some rye in a pretty pot to hold the Easter branch. Yesterday some friends joined us yesterday to paint the eggs, and brought some white eggs that they had saved. We use just regular…
OMELETTE AUX FINES HERBES
I often make omelets for breakfast, and I thought I knew quite well how to cook them. Following this recipe, however, the omelet turned out extra good. I was also glad to find a recipe that called for chervil, as it is still thriving well in my garden. This recipe is also in two parts…
Toadstools And Fairy Rings 