Last Sunday was a perfect garden day. Warm and sunny with a light breeze, a high temp of 76. My Chief Farmhand, Chris and I worked until we were just about delirious. lol We spent more than eight hours straight outside I do know that!
I started my day by baking several batches of sourdough bread! When they all came out of the oven, I promptly wrapped the loaf in paper and ran it next door to the neighbors. I will surely take them plenty more bread and veggies over the season, in my thanks and appreciation for use of their tiller!
Chris worked the tiller nearly all day (I did help by taking over for 5 or 10 minutes here & there!). Row 2 is done and ready for planting! Row 1 was very damp still so will need more tilling. He plowed the back row and created an additional 20 feet or so of planting space where once was lawn, grass, and various overgrown bushes, vines, and weeds! I prepared the area for the leeks in row 1 by hand and hope to plant those seeds later in the week. My main job of the day was to go through compost. I filled up several 5-gallon buckets full to that got tilled down into row 2 and dumped onto row 1. I filled multiple wheelbarrows full of dried leaves that got tilled into row 1 and 2 and the new 30-foot back row. I also made plant markers for everything that is in the ground and transplanted some red pepper seedlings into larger seed pots. I must have done much more than that...but that's all I can recall now! I did give a few "farm tours" to neighbors, family, and friends that popped in for a visit.
Chris built the raised bed for row 3 and row 4. We have their spots marked off but not installed permanently yet. I had to pull up one kale plant that was in the way of the row 4 bed (don't worry, we will eat all that pretty kale!)
Monday
After a sunny day in the upper 70's, of course we're expecting more winter weather today. It's been cloudy, cold, and rainy with the wind howling around the corners of the house all day. I have covered the seedlings in row 1 with their sheet of plastic again just to protect from the 20-22 degree lows tonight and to help keep my area for planting the leeks dry.
My shoulders and neck are aching from all the manual labor done over the weekend, I can't imagine how Chris's arms and shoulders must feel after running that bucking bronco of a tiller for over 12 hours this weekend! But I can't imagine anything more gratifying, satisfying, and thrilling than the sweat equity of tilling the land, planting a seed, and feeding your family from it! All while getting to be out of doors in the sun and fresh air! Man....I can't wait to get to wherever the Big Farm is located! ;)
Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday is a Blur
Ever have those weeks when you're not sure what day it is or was or where you've been? Yeah. It's been that kind of week for me. I do know that my daughter made up a new batch of peppermint laundry soap during this time and who knows what else happened.
I received a beautifully hand decorated envelope from Tina in Kentucky this week filled with seeds! One of my seed-exchange friends sent: Carentan leeks, lemon cucumber, northern pickling cucumber, Little Gem butterhead lettuce, Golden bush zucchini, Cocozelle zucchini, buttercup squash, sweet dumpling squash, and Love In A Mist flower seeds! I was overwhelmed! I knew she was sending leeks and maybe lettuce and possibly something else, but this was incredible!
My fabulous friend & housekeeping partner, Katie returned to town from her Mardi Gras adventure in New Orleans this week. She visited the farm and was so sweet to bring my son some Mardi Gras snacks, my daughter a baking mix for beignets (yum), and hot sauce and coffee for me! Love it all - thank you Katie!
Another fantastic delivery to Ramsey Farms this week was a totally unexpected gift via the UPS man. One of my long time and dear friends sent me a gift they knew I had a long wanted...my very own copy of Walden by Henry Thoreau!! I've read this book in borrowed form a few times, but to have my own copy to highlight or underline or otherwise make notes in is incredible! Thank you to my dear, sweet, and thoughtful friend!
Freezing rain was expected so my teen daughter and I covered the plants inside the cold frame with several layers of crumbled newspaper, the kale and the herb garden covered in an old bed sheet with plastic on top of that, and most of my daffodils with plastic 2 liter bottle halves. The sweet peas were already under cover of plastic cloches, the plastic lid and humid conditions of the cold frame protect & cover those plants, and the seeds in row 1 are already covered by 4mm plastic sheeting. Will this protect everything? Stay tuned to find out! The garlic and cabbage are on their own. They survived snow for three days, so I'm not really worried. Forecasted low is a mere 30 with strong winds and a mix of rain and freezing rain.
Friday
A cold and rainy day all day today. I am slow cooking chicken thighs to make a chicken rice casserole tonight and the aroma is incredible! The casserole includes my homemade healthier cream of chicken soup recipe and plenty of dried herbs from my garden. We will also have fresh Italian herb bread with just a hint of dried parsley and rosemary mixed into the dough.
My mom is coming for a visit Saturday as part of my daughter's birthday celebration! So excited to get to show her the work we've been doing and see her face!
Did I mention that this blog has had more than 1,000 page views already?! Wow! Thanks for stopping by to read so much. The cold frame page is the most visited of all. The majority of our readers are in the U.S., but apparently this blog is a big hit in Malaysia and we've had quite a few views from readers in Germany and Argentina too. Who knew?! lol
Saturday
Chief farmhand, Chris and I worked in the garden as the sun was shining and the temps hit about 72. After two or three days of heavy rains, it was way too soggy to do anymore tilling. Chris continued working on clearing of the back corner...it seems not only is there part of a chain-link fence, a tire, and a tarp, he has unearthed a concrete foundation of sorts that must have been under an old building at some point. I was a little worried about what he might actually uncover back there! He also got the compost pile moved and started separating the good, usable compost from roots and other debris.
I got my leeks planted! Hopefully on Sunday we will be able to prepare the soil for next week's (March 15) plantings of potatoes, beets, and head lettuce. You should SEE the sweet peas! They have gotten so big! My little boy and I pulled a radish and ate it. It was very small and very delicious. (I did replant in that empty spot though). We should be enjoying salad in another week or so!
- If you missed my other posts this week, be sure to check out the recipes for chicken 'n dumpin's and cream of chicken soup for cooking.
- I will post new cold frame and garden photos Sunday night so check 'em out! :)
Enjoy your week. Slow down. Take time to breathe deeply and enjoy your time here on earth...it'll be gone fast and rushing around to run errands and working late isn't how you might want to spend it? Call your mom, spend time with your dad, hug your children, watch the sunrise or set, and take time to listen to your own thoughts. ~ Ramsey
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