Growing ginger, Chick update, Spring cleaning the garden.

While at the local Dutch market, I picked up a few fresh Ginger roots. I placed them in a terracotta pot positioned on the kitchen counter until I needed them. Yesterday, I spotted a few "eye" sprouts and decided why not try growing them. After a few searches online, I found you can easily grow your own ginger indoors. They do not like direct light once their sprouts come above the fertile soil. Indirect is best plus they very much dislike temperatures below 50 Degrees (F). More information can be found at this **site** if you would like to give it a go, yourself. It may not flower for you, but the fresh ginger root growing beneath the soil will be pleasure enough.The chicks are growing fast and their new temporary housing needs cleaning everyday.

I still enjoy hearing their little pips and chirps. Such a sweet sound like being outside on an early warm spring morning.The weather warmed up enough for Frog and I to play in the garden.We spent the afternoon raking old leaves and pulling last year's garden vines. Once Panda came home from school, she was able to meet us up in the garden. Which she took the nice afternoon to read her Rainbow Magic Fairy series book. She whips through 1 book rather quick and has gone through all the ones found at the library.The Bee's were out buzzing around the hive. They too were tricked by the 50 degree (F) temperature, thinking it may be Spring.Little man dug up a surprise by the big pines out back.It's a Roy Roger "Trigger" horse shoe from an old 1950's kid game set. How cool is that? I met one of the children (now a grandmother) who use to live here. We are only the third Family to live or own this home since it was built in 1949. Maybe I should send Little man out tomorrow with a shovel to dig some more around those 80 foot tall pines....
The air may not have that wonderful fresh garden smell as of yet, but at least I can get my hands dirty for a few days. Then the snow will be back to cover up my hard work. That's O.k. I still have a few wood working projects to finish before the plants start calling my name.

Sweetest dreams,
~Tammie

Backyard meat, herb surprise and a treat From Garden Girl!

The meat rabbits are here...all 4 of them. 3 does and 1 buck of the Californian breed. All are around 7 months old and in their first day with us have been bred. How successful will be determined at a later date. The captain has named the Buck "don Julio" after the tequila. Theres a story to go with the name but I'll save that too for a later date. Now these 3 ladies are for breeding and the offspring are for the meat. I most likely will be giving Chris and Lisa over at the 1 acre homestead, 1 of these does. I think 3 is just too much for us right now. Not to mention the cage space is running short. I need to build the buck his own hutch so the does can each have their own side this hutch which The Captain built all by himself. I was a good girl. Stayed out of his way and did not butt in with "you may want to do it like this..." or" no no no. You need to do this". I preoccupied myself with sanding the old dining table, preparing for paint.
The 3 are fine for a few more days together but need to be put in separate quarters soon. Now lifting that hutch is not a bit appealing since the captain made the floor base from a pallet. I would like for it to be out by the garden and moved down by the house for colder months. Maybe he can put some wheels on the 4x4 legs....
We had a day last week which afforded us the pleasure of tromping around the garden, wearing jeans and a sweater. Inspecting what has begun to show up and pulling the leftover dried weeds out.
We left carrots in the ground so we could harvest their seed this year and of course many herbs such as tarragon and savory. The herb which did surprise me was this single "broad leaf"sage plant. It barely grew past 3 inches last year and I thought it would not survive the winter. As I dug up a few carrots for the rabbits, I spotted this:
Already with a few green leaves poking through. I gently dug it up and transplanted to the parsley starts pan under the indoor grow lights. I plan to move it to another spot in the herb garden in Spring so as not to get overlooked again. I have never had success with sage starting from seed, so this was a big surprise. A very happy one.
We have 4 enchincea sprouted and going strong~another herb I have had no success with in the past. Of course that is 4 seeds out of 20, but I will focus on the 4 positives. That is more then zero.
Frog and I will make a trip to the local garden nursery to pick up a portion of their plastic seedling containers (the thin 4 pack kind) to start more seedlings in the next week or two. We have lots to prepare for Panda's new entrepreneur idea and our family food garden. Of course now she has excited due to a little surprise which came in the mail recently.
Patti Moreno from Garden Girl T.V sent us a packet of heirloom Marmande Tomato from a promotion in her email newsletter (which I enjoy very much reading and have Panda practice her reading to others by printing out some of her articles. She enjoys the reading and learning plus I stay focused on what she is saying instead of zoning out to a kid story).
Marmande
Semi-determinate, 70 days. Popular old French variety developed by the Vilmorin Seed Co. Scarlet, lightly ribbed fruit, have the full rich flavor that is so enjoyed in Europe. Medium-large size fruit are produced even in cool weather. Productive market variety. Imported European seed.

"The smooth, round Marmande with its even, deeply ribbed skin is part of the beef tomato family. Its luscious, meaty flesh is divided into a number of segments. This variety is perfect in salads, soups, sauces and warm dishes and is a delicious treat on its own."


Can you feel it? Is it becoming to strong to resist? I need to get my hands dirty! I need to smell the fresh dug earth and Spring air. I am hoping for nice weather to come soon and stay, but I will not hold my breath...for too long.
"In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt" -- Margaret Atwood
Sweet Garden Dreams,
~Tammie

another unsual..O.k, Crazy idea for the garden

I was searching through, trying to get some ideas on how to utilize the 8 pane window I have hanging in the dining room. The dining set is in very ugly exterior shape and is being repainted, as you will see soon. The chairs are being recovered in a more durable stain proof dark color this time around.
The window is secured to the wall and I am thinking I may get old pictures of our adventures, transferred to B&W and a frame mat to update the wall. We are installing light wood flooring next month over the ugly, and very hard to remove dark linoleum flooring (I gave up after 3 hours when getting just a 3 foot space removed). And as most things, my mind started to drift and began dreaming greenhouse. This picture did not help with the way my thoughts change in route...I want one. I desire one. I NEED one! So what do you think about instead of the hoophouse, I make a green house with the same plan: no taller then 4 feet from ground level for town codes, a wider ditch (4 feet wide) and the beds remain at 3 feet depth on each side with the back having a 2 foot depth bed. It stays in code of not needing a license and does not qualify under the no more then 2 structures code since the others are for "agricultural use" and I have a waiver as such for the Goat cabin.
I know, I have some the craziest ideas sometimes. But this may just work! If I use long 2 foot tall rectangle windows for the bottom and then use the 4 panes for the a frame roof, It should work.
Right?
I found the above picture over at this *site* from A woman who lives in Orville Ohio. It was built May 2007. She reported it worked great and is housing seedlings in May 2008.
Here are a few more inside shots:From crazy greenhouse dreams to Rabbits... The Captain has begun building the rabbit hutch from old pallets and crate 4x4 posts. Great thing being he works in the management of transportation trucking. We have been burning old pallets with our wood pile for supplementing home heating.
But back to the rabbit hutch, it looks great. I know- Wow, I have not done a thing in the project and have to say he is doing a great job. I am keeping my nose out of his project and instead applauding his triumphs. well, I may have to make a few suggestions but that's it....
we pick up the rabbits tomorrow and will begin breeding immediately.
Here's to hopefully seeing some kits by April!
Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

A medley of herbal rituals. sap to syrup & jealousy.....

Panda and I share the same color hair. Unfortunately it also came with the same scalp problem. Oily -sometimes itchy scalp and dry hair ends. Frog and Lil' Man have that light blond-brown hair and all 3 have a small spot of eczema behind the ears with lil' man having patches on his cheeks.
Since I have begun rinsing Panda and my hair with a Rosemary tea, I have seen drastic results with her eczema and my dry ends. Split ends were horrible- a week after snipping off they were back. Rosemary will darken hair over time (even grey gets covered). Being 33 and already noticing a few, I like the idea of natural hair color and even better -healthy hair.
This is our hair rinse recipe and the rosemary which I buy in bulk (3.25 ounces) at the Flower Factory for under $2! We also steam our faces with the reusing of the rosemary after the first batch for the hair rinse.
1/3to 1/2 cup dried rosemary in a 4 cups water to boil- let steep 20 minutes, drain through filter into jar and reuse the rosemary for another batch of the infusion to add to the jar or split amongst jars.Be sure to rinse out the tub or sink you use this in. It will leave spots but will come off with a light wiping.
Most children and adults enjoy oranges. (I rarely do). But the Navel oranges are a favorite snack for my girls. We now use a cheese grater to save the orange peel for body care. We use it in sea salt body scrubs, face masks, etc. And while drying makes the kitchen smell so nice. The white ramekin contains grated peel from 1 navel orange. The jar has peel from 4. When dried it drastically shrinks, but you do not need much. Just a small teaspoon amount . And be sure to wash off your oranges before grating. Set out to dry on the fridge top for a few days then place into jar with lid for later use.
My compost gets the pith and inner rinds. I will be using a muslin cloth to dab the infusion on Frog's and Lil' man's skin spots. I hope it helps like it did for Panda.
Beautiful temperatures but sloppy ground make slippery stepping outside this morning.
Second batch of sap from our maple trees has been collected in just 4 days. I have 4 buckets collecting it from 2 trees. This red bucket one gives out the most sap in a small time frame.
After filling up the enameled canner pot, it boils down to maybe 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Maple syrup. Another first for us and it will become a pre~Spring ritual from now on.
Somebody is jealous of the new babies "mommy" brought home... Grizzle is constantly after our attention when the chicks are out. The girls are watching the new"Kit Kitteridge" movie and Grizzle who enjoys on occasion some T.V was upset this was as close as she could get to cuddle with the girls while they had a few chicks out. See those sad eyes? Poor thing acts like no one pays her attention- ever.. Personally I think it may have something to do with how she cannot mother hen them with umm... bottom cleanings like the last batch. She is good at gently nudging them back to where I put them on the floor after washing a few pasty bottoms. Good Girl!
I have a new dog bed in the works for Grizzle, some more homemade goodness for the body to be made and of course good eats to whip up all before heading back to bed tonight...
Got a full day but I will end it with...
Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

Farm chick fever and tapping those trees...

The house is once again filled with those loud peeps announcing the presence of Baby chicks.

1 was obviously on its way to not surviving (An americauna at that..) where the rest were ready for water, heat, food( and hopefully soon a nap).
We have 3 Americauna's (3 others went to my Friends Chris and Lisa over at the 1 acre homestead) around6 or 7 Wyandott's and the rest Delewares.(27 chicks total).Yay! I'm a Farmchick again...
Here in our area of Ohio we have had some great weather for Tapping those Syrup trees. I have had no luck in finding "Spiles"( maple tree spouts are also known as Taps or spiles). So i fashioned my own up for now. I will be putting in a order over at Bascom maple for next years Tapping. The plastic spiles are 35 cents and the Stainless steel with hook is less then $2.
I am on the lookout for some old school style Bucket and gable roof lids like these:Now where was I? Oh yeah. My homemade Spiles for the Maple tree. I studied the picture of a spile and how it works. As I sat in bed still half in dream land, I envisioned a small diameter PVC pipe with both ends tapered to a pint. So When I got out of bed, I searched all over for any left over PVC from previous projects....None. So then I spied it. An orange pen. I immediately envisioned cutting the 2 ends off and fixing some plastic tubing to it. And these are what I came up with:(food grade plastic tubing from The Captains old "Kegerator and unused Pens emptied and cut at both ends)
2 of our trial methods of sap collection buckets~ all the same pen and tubing Spile design:
See the first one? That is not water. That is Maple Sap. I need much more, but it has only been 24 hours since it was tapped. I need to cover the third bucket set up before dark tonight. Same spile set up and a hook screwed into the tree to hold up the bucket. Just need to find a cover for it...
Bee man was here. I went to inspect the hives and found lots of bee bodies outside around the hive. So Glad he stopped in to check on them. They are still alive inside the hive. He poured some honey in the top frame and they came licking it all up. I was so relieved.
He lost 3 hives and besides our hilltop hive, he has just 1 left at home. Good Bee's! You deserve something special for surviving the winter. I must plant some Lavender up there for them. Wonder if it will affect the honey in taste- good or bad? Hmm. Input?
Oh and those skylights will be put to use on the Cordwood chicken coop this Spring. Found out they would not be sufficient for cold frames so I am giving 2 to Chris and Lisa for their new coop and keeping 2 for our's.
Stay tuned~ Somethings dripping in the garage and it will be put to use very soon. Have a wood burner or fire place? Start saving those wood ashes in a 5 gallon bucket- fill it up! I will help guide you through the rest soon. You have about 1 week. Oh and you will need a 2nd 5 gallon bucket (plus a bucket of either snow to melt or fresh rain water). Gosh...Did that just give it away?
*Sweet Dreams*,
~Tammie

Scored Skylights, and welcomed seedling visitor

Picked up 4 nice large bubble Skylights off our local Craigslist. Someone was remodeling a condo and was giving 7 away. I have been searching to see the effect of them being tinted would have for the purpose I desire as cold frames. Starting the lettuce and other greens now. My friend and co owner/moderator of our Local homesteading forum, Chris, mentioned in an email this morning how he planned to plant a greens garden just for the bunnies. Transplanting dandelions into the spot along with seeding some other greens for his meat rabbits. Since we are picking up a trio of Californian does and a Floridian buck on the 15th, I am inspired by his idea to do the same.
The seedlings Frog and I planted are not growing very fast. Basil, winter hardy lettuces, parsley, a few just for fun mystery seed tomato. They seem like they got to one point and just stopped. The Parsley did just grow their scalloped signature leaf in the last few days and there are about 40 parsleys total.
Frog has her own foil pan garden and despite the over watering her cat grass has survived and is now home to a new friend:

Anyone have any input on using the tinted skylights for the lettuce "cold frames"?
Any tips on doing it right?
I need to repair the inside where the insulation barrier is slightly torn but otherwise they are in great shape. The plan is to use 1 layer of brick to make a frame for the skylights to sit on and let them warm up real good in the garden for a few weeks.
I also scored some very nice split doors with frame and handles intact. The one will go in the laundry room separating the under stair space with the well room. Hard to explain but you will see it soon enough. I should have taken a before picture when the walls were not painted...Ah well

I had a whole can of the Sweet Annie green left over from the last painting of the living room, so I put it to good use.
I have trimming to finish in the laundry room before I get to the next step. The way our stair well is, we have a flat tall wall as you go down the steps which is very eye catching. Perfect spot to put a painted Cursive quote. I'm thinking something like:

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

- Kahlil Gibran
Or maybe:
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu
Something to add to the wall as decor so it is not so plain.
Baby chicks (at 26 of them!) will be here this weekend and I have yet to get the new heat lamp. YIKES!

Sweet Dreams,

Tammie

A dream within a dream~morning thoughts that stray...

Its just how my mind works... i can not help it...
Sipping my morning coffee with grizzle curled up next to me, I start to dream.....
Our babies are still sleeping, their minds still dreaming. I drift off into deep thought.
Why must the world be so full of nay sayers, so full of others who do not dream as they had while a child? Why do they condemn others who do still hold onto the way our imagination creates dreams. Dreaming of riches as an adult for them is much different then those they dreamt as a child....
I still hold on to those childish dreams, That is how I live the way I do. Simple riches are all we need.
I see more in life through Nature then through society or social climbing.
Simple moments bring more joy such as a child blowing soap bubbles, chasing them through the air.....

A dream within a dream, we love and we breath our hopes and wishes..
That's how we get caught in our dreams, and as we enter the adult world...
It's hard to let go and that hurts the most.....
Everyone says our bubble must burst.
I DON'T THINK SO.



see? i told you... I am just fine where I am and if others do not like my holding on to those soap bubbles, then you can stay out of them. Just as i would stay out of yours...
Soap bubble dreams,
~Tammie

How to "Stick it to the man" or "How to beat the zoning rules"!

As you may well know by now, zoning and I are real tight. We know each other by name and well... O.k I call him "S***head and he calls me by last name...But you mention my road and he knows who I am. "That lady who is trying to raise goats out there" said with a rather snooty tone- when he did not realize it was me "that goat lady" he was talking to on the phone....

Remember my "Fight the power" chicken coop protest, on my first interactions with them in 2006? I'm sure its a sight the neighbors prefer not to recall. Hard to miss when it was 35 feet from the road and EVERYONE stared.
My lips were closed but it opened their eyes to stop the zoning calls- at least for awhile. Guess they were afraid of what I may do next to their "view"..LOl I still laugh about that one...I called to inquire about regulations on having a green house or hoop house or cold frames. Of course I was not surprised by the silly rules and looked them up to see how it was worded. As long as I make it no more then 4 feet tall from ground level, I do not need a permit or to "register" the structure. I can have cold frames without any permits but nothing can go in the front yard or be of an" unattractive sight" to the township.
Yep. I thought of a way to beat the system just because it makes me get all giggly....
A 4 foot above ground level hoop house with a 2/12 foot "ditch" in the middle for a walkway.
Here are my notes and some illustrations I borrowed for more mental picture clarity:

Building above ground hoop house with underground walk way. The above ground frame at highest point should not exceed 4 feet in height from ground level plus not be longer or wider then 10 feet. Walk way will be dug in center aisle 2 1/2 feet deep by 2 1/2 feet wide (approximant but not exact), leaving about 3 1/2 feet width on each side for plant beds. I will be making a 2 foot plant bed at the end of the hoop/greenhouse, which is not shown in illustrations (as a framed raised bed).

Total outside space size will be 10 feet wide by 10 feet long.

Frame Step #1

Frame Step #2

Finishing Step #3

Pictures found at http://www.floridagardener.com/greenhouse/greenhousematerials.htm

Great diagram for what I am doing. Makes it easy to visualize the finished hoop/green house.

Now to factor in the supplies and cost which I calculated to be under $100 if you purchase ALL supplies and cannot “salvage”…

6 Mil clear plastic sheeting of 10X25 feet long roll~ $25

2X4 Lumber pieces for all main structure framing~$30 (approximant)

2 - ½ inch weather hardy pvc pipe for “rib” holders ~$4

“Ribs”: 8- 8 foot long EMT Metal Piping (spaced every 2 ½ feet) 4 ribs on each side meeting in the middle on roof main beam.~ $18
8- conduit piping wall clips ~ approx. $9

1- 4X8 wood board for north end of hoop/green house ~$7

You can add a small fan to the north end for a breeze to caress the plants for more strength. Be sure to put a screened hole at the South end for Fresh air circulation. Be sure to visit The Door Garden over here* for instructions on how to cover your hoop/green house and making the door.
I am putting this up on the hill so it is not so visible from the road and the only way you would know there is a walking ditch is if you opened the door.

This weekend project should begin in late March/ mid April. Then its Cordwood Chicken coop Time!

Sweet dreams,
~Tammie