Spring Planting

We had some rain roll in over the weekend so I decided to get some planting done.  Things are getting busy around here so I wanted to get this early planting out of the way.  We are not out of danger of frost yet, but there are some things that can tolerate the early spring cold.  I planted some of the same things last year but am trying a few new things also.

Last year I mentioned I wanted to try growing potatoes, but we never got around to getting the planters built.  Since we have the beds for the rest of the garden ready to go, I put Brent to work on the potato beds.

 Cutting the boards

The idea behind the potato towers, is that you can grow a large amount of potatoes in a small space.  Since a potato is a tuber, it will shoot off potatoes where there is dirt and room to grow.  We found these plans and used them as a base for building them.  Potatoes can be grown just about anywhere.  Some people use tires, others garbage cans or buckets.  They can be grown in the ground and in towers like ours.

Three potato towers

We had enough lumber for three towers so I decided to experiment and plant three varieties and see which grew the best in this environment.  Many websites say that you can grow 100 lbs of potatoes in this type of set-up.  I plan on weighing them at harvest and see what yield we actually get.  I planted Little Reds in the first tower, Idaho Russets in the second, and Yukon Golds in the last one.  It will be interesting to see which variety does the best.

Idaho Russett potatoes

After I placed the 12 pieces of potato with eyes that were sprouting into the tower, I covered them with dirt.  Once they are about 6-12 inches tall, I will fill in dirt until there is 3-6 inches of leaves above ground and we will add another board.  This will be repeated until there are 6 layers.  Some people wait and do a harvest at the end of the season, or you can harvest throughout the season as well by removing the bottom board and harvesting some potatoes and then putting the dirt back in.  I have had little luck storing the big bags of potatoes we get in the fall so I think I will do the harvest as you go method.

Along with the potatoes, I planted some sugar pod peas this year.  I only planted one row because I will probably be the only one eating them, but I wanted to try something different.  I planted a different variety of carrots and radishes than I did last year.  The carrots from last year failed to grow very big.  I think they were a different variety than what was supposed to be in the package.  Then, like last year, I planted lettuce and scallions.  I will have to wait until May to plant anything else.  We still will get frost and there is still snow on Schafer Butte so I cant plant anything that will not tolerate the cold.

I'm excited for this year's growing season.  Everything did so well last year and I am hoping it will do good this year as well.

The girls enjoying the dirt from the grass we dug up

Better Bread

I have been trying for years to make a decent loaf of bread.  It has taken a lot of experimenting and failed attempts, dense rolls, and loaves that didn't rise.  I learned to make a decent pizza crust and had been making that for a long time.  My family eats a lot of rolls and french bread.  I have at least a dozen roll recipes stashed away.. some that were better than others but none that were great.  Many times I would have Brent stop into our local grocery store on his way home and grab a loaf of freshly baked french bread to go with dinner.  It was quick and easy and not too terribly expensive.

The problem with stopping at the store for one thing.. is you usually end up buying at least 3 or 4 things and that can really add up.  I was on Pinterest one day and came across this recipe.  It looked simple enough so I thought I would try it.  After making this french bread half a dozen times, I don't think I will ever buy it again.

Here is how mine turned out.  I usually make it into two large loaves using one the day I make it and saving the other for either kids' lunches, or another nights meal.

 

Shaped into loaves

Slicing and doing an egg wash

Baked to perfection

These got a tad bit darker than I would have liked, but I am still learning the ins and outs of my new double oven.  This french bread turns out so soft and airy.  Spencer (4) gets so excited when I make the "squishy bread"!  It is perfect for eating hot out of the oven, turning it into garlic bread, or as leftovers for sandwiches. It is so incredibly fast to make.  I can make a batch in about 2 hours from start to finish with little babysitting. I wish I had known how easy this was a very long time ago.

I recently got a Wondermill grain mill so I will be making much more bread in the near future.  It really is an art but nothing beats a fresh loaf of bread.

Knee Deep

I didn't fall off the face of the earth, I have just been... preoccupied.  Since we have come to the realization that we will be living in this house for a while, or at least someday sell and hopefully profit on it, we decided to start working on some home improvement projects.  We bought this house after the owners foreclosed on it and put it on the market at a steal of deal.  It was too good to pass up so we took advantage of what started out as a bad situation.

Since this was a rental for so long, many things had been neglected.  It was fairly dirty, there are chunks of drywall missing in places and bad patch jobs in others.  There is no color on the walls, the carpet has been well worn, and the appliances were overused and not very efficient.  The first goal was to paint.. everything.  However plans changed and we started to do a mini kitchen renovation.  After some quotes, we decided we would do most of it ourselves other than the counter top refinishing.

I will have some before/after pictures eventually, once I locate the befores.  It is finally starting to come together nicely although it was sketchy at first.  I was without a sink and dishwasher for about 2 weeks and I have since come to truly appreciate their presence in my kitchen.  Washing dishes in my bathtub was getting really tiring.  I realize this is a first world problem  but most of the problems in America are.  Sometimes we just don't realize how good we have it.

I digress... so far, we have a new stove, dishwasher and microwave (that still needs to be installed), and new sink and faucet (that yours truly installed herself).  The counters are refinished and I am about 80% sure of a paint color.  I need to find some curtain fabric so I can take down the horrid faux wood blinds.  It will be nice when things get spruced up with some new paint.  We are also hoping to paint all the cabinets and trim.  We have learned so much about each other and home improvement in these last few weeks.  I also appreciate the people who do this sort of work for a living as it really is an art form.

I am trying to do a little more reading lately.  We went to the book store to look at some books the other day and I found this little gem in the bargain shelves.

Now I know most of you won't appreciate the all kinds of wonderful this little book holds, but for my fellow lefties, trust me when I say how great it is.  I would never have thought to read books on being left-handed but growing up as a lefty in a right-handed world, I can honestly find the humor and truth within these pages.

My kids are all on Spring Break this week so that in itself has presented many challenges.  Thankfully we have had good weather compared to some that are experiencing snow storms in March.  I think Punxsutawny Phil better run for cover because I know a few people who would like to have his hide!  I, on the other hand will be enjoying almost 70 degree weather in the upcoming days where I will be planning the final layout for my 2013 garden.

Happy Spring y'all!

For the Birds

We had an unusually cold winter this year.  For a few weeks it was below freezing constantly.  We have had a few warm days since that cold spell but the last few days it has been really windy and chilly.  I can't wait for some warmer weather when I can get my garden going and spend time outside.

This winter we decided to put up a bird feeder.  When I was young, we had one in our backyard that my dad built.  I loved identifying all the different birds and seeing the same ones come back time and time again. I have wanted one here for a long time and a couple weeks ago Brent thought we needed one too.

My childhood cat, Patches, waiting in the birdfeeder

I have really enjoyed having birds around.  Our dog, Kati, who happens to be a bird dog, happens to think its pretty great to have all the tweeties in the yard.  She has long since ignored the chickens but is enticed by the little ones.  Part of what makes having a bird feeder around is the fact that many of the birds found in Idaho, were not found in Tennessee.  I have my handy little bird identification books around so I can look them up.

Some of the things we discovered is how many hawks are around here.  We see hawks flying around all the time but usually not in our backyard.  Last summer a Robin built its nest in our tree and hatched five little babies.  The kids were excited.  Then one day one of the kids went to check on the babies and the nest was totally empty.  Someone said it might have been a Magpie, but we don't usually see those either. After we put up the feeders, there were a lot of hawks hanging around.  So we thought maybe it was a hawk that plucked those featherless babies from the safety of their nest.

Kati is not enthused with the chickens

We have watched some hawks nose dive the little house sparrows and goldfinches.  We have even found some feathers on the ground.  One day there was a young Cooper's hawk on our fence eating what appeared to be a little bird.  This just proved that they are around in full force.  I know next time I have baby chickens I will be really careful to keep them safe.  It would be horrible to have one plucked from the pen by a hawk.

Some of the other birds we have seen are various finches, a downy woodpecker, several Northern flickers, and many doves, starlings, and robins.  I am hoping spring will bring back some of the migrating birds and we will see some different species.  I also want to put up a hummingbird feeder.  I am really glad we decided to put up the feeders this year and hopefully we will enjoy them for many seasons to come.

Open for business

Back in December, I mentioned my first craft show.  It went really well and I decided to try and sell my little aprons online and had to get a shop up and going.  I'm not one to really put myself out there much and I know the competition is stiff but everyone has to start somewhere right?

When my girls were little, my mother-in-law gifted me her old sewing machine.  I toyed with my mothers when I was a teenager, making hair scrunchies for my hair.  I always liked the idea of sewing because my mom made us some nice dresses from time to time.  My mother-in-law taught me the basics and then I was pretty much on my own. Thankfully kids clothes are forgiving so I was able to practice on my kids clothes. I still have a lot to learn but for now I am having fun.

I decided to use the ever popular Etsy to sell my little aprons.  I still have to get some more inventory in there and it would be great if I had a little girl model but for now it will do.  I am also in the process of fancy-ing up the girls style and I want to design a teen one.  One of my "little" girls isn't so little anymore and I will need to design something more appropriate for her.

These aprons would be great for baking, gardening, art, or whatever ones heart desires.  So hop on over to my little shop and take a peek!  I have aprons for girl and boy children and toddlers and am willing to discuss custom fabric requests.

www.etsy.com/shop/LandofMisfits