This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

Friday Favorite: Homemade Pizza

April 24th, 2015

Mr Chiots loves pizza. There aren’t a ton of place that are close and convenient so we sometimes make our own. Last night I finally had time to make eight, one to eat and seven for the freezer. Now we have quick meals this summer that will pair perfectly with a salad.
File Apr 23, 8 12 47 PM
I used this sourdough pizza crust recipe and it turned out very well, definitely a dough I’ll be making over and over again! They were topped with fresh mushrooms, red onions from the garden, kalamata olives, and Italian sausage from our pigs. Perfectly delicious.

What’s your favorite pizza topping?

Five, Six, Pick Up Sticks

April 23rd, 2015

There were a ton of sticks littering the lawn after all the snow we had this past winter. We have two dead eastern white pine trees below the house and they are losing branches like crazy. I picked up six wheelbarrow loads full of stick just from one area of the yard.
File Apr 22, 6 27 46 PM
I also checked on my little hoop house. This was set up on Sunday because of all the rain in the forecast. I also like to keep my seedlings in one to stay warm on these slightly chilly nights.
File Apr 22, 6 28 36 PM
It’s such an inexpensive way to have a greenhouse/cold frame when you can’t afford one or don’t have the time to make one. I put one of these up in the fall too over plants I’d like to keep around a little longer. I actually have about 25 of these hoops that I use here and there. This summer I might experiment with putting a low tunnel over my peppers to give them a little extra heat.

What gardening chores are you doing this week?

Soggy, Soggy, Soggy

April 22nd, 2015

Spring always comes with rain and lots of it. The ground is already saturated from the snowmelt, so 2 inches of rain on top that has all the ditches and creeks raging.
rain gauge
Thankfully I got a lot of seeds in the ground last week so they will be well watered in. No doubt they will all start sprouting after the good soaking they received over the last two days. It’s supposed to rain pretty much every day this week as well. I guess April showers bring May flowers, or so they say.

Do you have certain seasons with more rain?

Calling All Gardeners

April 21st, 2015

If you’ve been reading here for long you know that I write articles for magazines throughout the year to help cover the costs of this blog. Magazines are often asking for topic ideas for their articles, things gardeners might be interested in reading about. I’ve been discussing this with my gardening friends, coming up with a list of topics that I could write about in the future. Then I realized my best resource was YOU!
potager (1)
hoop_house_in_the_garden
wrapped_hydrangea
So gardening friends – what kinds of articles are you interested in reading about in gardening magazines? If you are a cold climate gardener, what sorts of topics specifically interest you about gardening in a northern climate? Is there a certain vegetable that you’d like to know more about growing successfully?

Gearing Up

April 20th, 2015

Yesterday was beautiful and I wanted to spend as much time outside as I could. After putting up a low tunnel to protect my seedlings from the week of rain and cold nights we’re supposed to have, I headed back into the woods to clear out a few saplings. These saplings will be used to make bean and pea towers, just like the ones I used to have in Ohio.
saplings
green beans  2
It’s always nice to be able to procure garden supports without spending money. These are perfect because the saplings need thinned on the back hillside anyways. Killing two birds with one stone is always the most efficient way.

What kind of supports do you like for beans/peas and other climbers?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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