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Friday Favorite: Seeds

April 5th, 2019

I’m finally back and unpacked, our week in France was fantastic. One of the places we visited was Villandry, a place I’ve been wanting to see for a LONG time! I’m not really the type to buy kitschy souvenirs, typically I try to find something I’ll use. At Villandry, I bought two packs of seeds, both French heirlooms.

Cinderella type Pumpkins ‘Rouge tres Hatif d’Estampes’ and my favorite lettuce ‘Merveille des Quatre Saisons’. If they both do well, I’ll start saving seed for these two varieties each year. This variety of lettuce is a favorite of mine, one I’ve grown most years. The last batch of seed I got didn’t have great germination, so I didn’t have any of this last year. Fresh lettuce seed germinates very quickly, so I’ll be happy to start saving seed for this particular variety so I always have viable seed in the future.

What types of things do you purchase on vacation as a remembrance of your trip?

Chick, Chick, Chickens

March 26th, 2019

Spring is always a time of hope, for me, and for the chickens. I think they love this weather more than I do. They can once again do what chickens love to do, scratch around in the leaf little finding bugs and other tasty treats.



They sit in the sun, spread out their wings, and soak it up. They dust bathe in the dry spots. They spend as much time outside as they can (just like I do).

Busy Season

March 25th, 2019

It’s been a busy spring here, after a busy winter. I’m not sure where the time went, but alas, it’s already the end of March. Planning vacations in spring is never a good idea when there’s maple sap to be collected and seedlings to tend, sometimes that’s the way of it. While I’m busy planning to be gone in France, I’m madly collecting sap, cleaning coops, and trying to get ahead at work.

Maple sugaring is always a favorite activity of mine. It gets me outside just as the weather is turning nice. I get to enjoy a warmer sun on my skin and get to feel the earth thawing beneath my feet. A big bonus is the sweet reward that comes in the form of maple syrup. Sugaring is for me, the harbinger of spring. It’s the one activity that signals that spring really is coming.

What activity signals spring for you?

Hello Tom

March 22nd, 2019

Last fall, one of our turkey hens hatched out a few poults. I didn’t want any new turkeys, but she hid the nest well until it was too late for me to pull her off. Luckily, she only sat on 4 eggs, of which every single one hatched. All the poults survived and grew and grew over the fall and winter. Turkeys take a while to mature, it’s difficult to tell if they’re hens or toms until they’re 6 months old. A month ago I noticed one was all of a sudden much larger than the others and had started gobbling. Low and behold, we now have a very handsome tom dancing around the barnyard trying to attract the attention of the turkey hens.



I don’t need more toms, so I’ll most likely find a home for him. He’s a nice bird, no aggression at all (if you’re not familiar with turkeys, some toms can be quite aggressive). He’s also a very handsome fellow! Hopefully I can find a nice home for him where we can live out his days doing what turkeys do.

What’s going on in your neck of the woods this week?

Spring is in the Air

March 19th, 2019

When I was at the United Farmer’s Market in Belfast on Saturday, I spotted some lovely tulips at the Willow Moon Florist booth. I don’t have any tulips in the garden and the ground is still deep in frost, nothing will be blooming any time soon. Since I needed some new spring photos for The Jojoba Company, I decided a bouquet of orange tulips would be perfect!



The tulips definitely brightened up our facebook page! Tulips are a favorite spring flower of mine, I definitely need to add some this fall.

What’s your favorite spring bulb?

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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