Stop By…
If you’re going to be at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Spring, PA next Weekend (Sept. 18-20), stop by and visit Mr Chiots at The Jojoba Company booth. You might get lucky and see me as well (or give him a message and we can meet up)! If you’re interested, you can also pick up some of the lotion bars, lotion tins, or lip balm that I made for them.
I made some of these bars for a blog post for a client and gave them away as gift. Everyone loved them so much that the company asked me and a friend to make up a batch for them to sell. If they sell well then it looks like I might have another small side business. So swing by and pick up a few if you’ll be at the fair, I guarantee you’ll LOVE these beauties!!!
Are you doing any traveling in the near future?
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HMM…..
Where I lived in Ohio for many years there was a big Wooly Bear Festival. The wooly bear caterpillar signaled what kind of winter we were going to have (see more over at the Farmer’s Almanac), they were harbingers of what was to come. As a kid, we’d look high and low for them and compare notes as to what they were saying about the upcoming winter. Earlier this week I spotted an all blonde one in the garden and had to think about what exactly that meant. That means a mild winter, the middle of the wooly bear is supposed to signal the milder portion of winter, the dark brown the harsh parts.
Of course I’ve seen my share of regular ones too. It’s certainly not scientifically accurate, but it’s a great way to get young ones interested in nature and to help keep them from killing every insect they see.
What are the wooly bears in your garden telling you about this coming winter?
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Summer Saved
I don’t do much canning, but I do put up a few jars of tomatoes every summer. There’s nothing quite like cracking open a jar of crushed tomatoes in the middle of a snowstorm. The smell brings you right back to summer.
Last night I worked late into the night getting 8 quarts and 4 pints of crushed tomatoes put up. Earlier this week I made 20 pints of tomato soup. I’m hoping to at least double this if the tomatoes hold on and the weather continues to be nice. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for no late blight and sunny days.
Do you jar up tomatoes? What’s your favorite recipe to use them in during the winter?
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Wonder
One of the things I love about gardening is all the wonderful wildlife you get to see while doing chores. This weekend I was weeding and mulching the 5×5 Challenge garden and was startled by a frog.
Then, Mr Chiots called me out the other morning, he found this amazing salamander while he was out working.
I just love seeing this beauty all around when I’m outside working! Frogs, toads, and snakes are probably my favorite things to see while out working. I know they’re hard working creatures that are doing my garden loads of good.
What’s your favorite kind of wildlife to see in the garden?
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Friday Favorite: Garlic Harvest
There’s something about harvesting things that are buried underground. It’s like a treasure hunt. You never know quite what to expect when you plunge the spade into the ground.
This year was especially exciting because I followed a friend’s advice. Susan from Moonlight Mile Herb farm mulches her garlic with litter from her chickens coops in the spring. She spreads it right on, straight from the coop. It’s always claimed that this should NEVER be done, because chicken manure it way too hot to put directly on crops. Let me me tell you, it’s the perfect mulch for garlic!
The chicken litter mulch provided some of the best moisture retention I’ve ever had with mulch. The fertilization was perfect as well. My garlic is AMAZING this year!
Another benefit is that the chicken litter kept the weeds from germinating as well, perhaps it heated up the soil enough for them to germinate under the mulch? You can bet I’ll continue using this method for years to come. I’ll also be experimenting with using fresh chicken litter on other crops (nothing that gets eaten raw within 3 months of application though).
What’s your favorite crop to harvest?
