Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! To celebrate, we are planting seeds today. What are your plans?

The first Earth Day was celebrated April 22, 1970. Protesting the war in Vietnam was high on the list of many Americans. Saving the planet was not.
Earth Day Network shares the history on their site, and includes a video from a news brodcast of the day.
Read more about the history of the first Earth Day

Welcome to Spring in New Hampshire

Sunday was the first day of Spring. It was a beautiful sunny day. The perfect spring day. You could actually be outdoors without a coat. It was nice to be able to open the windows, and doors and get some fresh air into the house.
Just when you think it is safe to put away the shovels, Mother Nature thinks differently. Yesterday, we had more snow. About 5 more inches. Just enough to cover up all the bare spots shimmering with spring life.
Welcome to Spring in New Hampshire, where one needs to remember to pack shorts and a tank top for one day, and boots and a parka for the next.

Scraps of Gold

Okay, they are not real gold, but to me, scraps of fabric are like gold.
We have a neighbor that will be turning 100 next month, and I have been thinking about what we could make her as a nice gift. Being that she is my sewing buddy, I thought that a lap quilt would make a nice gift.
I went into my sewing/craft room, and started tossling through the bag of fabric scraps I save from sewing my skirts. I have chosen some soft, cotton pieces that I will cut into pieces to fit into the quilt. Ah, maybe I could make a crazy quilt. That is something I have not done in a long time.

While going through the bags, I also took out a few pieces for a new skirt for me. I haven't made a new skirt in a long time, so I guess I am due.

Dr. Seuss Birthday Bash

Every year, to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday, we get out our Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes and head over to the Efingham Library and have a party. All the kids love it. We love it too.

We decorate party hats, have some cake and home made apple juice, and read Green Eggs and Ham. It was my son's favorite as he was growing up.

The children get to meet and pet Penelope the chicken. She doesn't lay golden eggs, but she does lays green eggs. The little ones always get a kick out of petting her.

Making a child smile must be the best feeling on earth.

Why Organic Heirlooms?

That's a question we get many times. Whether we are at the farmers market, or doing farm tours. People always ask why.
Well, I'll tell you.
Organic should be the only way things are grown. Who wants pesticides in their food? If you spray anything on or near a plant, it will grow into the food. It is soaked up through the roots, and traces will show up in every vegetable on that plant that grows. Some may tell you that insecticides break down after 7 -10 days, but they don't. The toxins are there. This is why in order to become a certified organic farm, there must be at least 3 years of no toxic sprays being used. Do you want toxins on your food. No, me either.
Secondly, heirloom vegetables are the most tastiest vegetables you will ever put in your mouth. What is an heirloom you ask? An heirloom veggie, or fruit is one that our ancestors would have grown. They have the same genetic make up year after year. This mean, that you can save the seeds from one year to the next, and always get the same delicious fruit. For example, we grow Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes. Mortgage Lifter got it's name from a man during the 1930's who grew these tomatoes and used the money to pay off his mortgage. They are big and juicy. Mortgage Lifter isn't always the prettiest tomato, but it sure is one of the tastiest.

Organic Heirloom combines the best of two worlds. Healthy and tasty food.

You won't find heirlooms in most grocery stores, but you may be able to find some at your local farmers market.

Sorting Out The Seeds

When it get's to be March, we start to get a little bit of cabin fever. We are tired of the piles of snow, and look forward to the green, green grass of home.
We are seed savers. It not only saves money, we can continue to get the same great crops of tomatoes, pumpkins, squash and other veggies we grow. We grow organic heirloom, which means that we will get the same veggies year after year.
Today, I think it is time to sort our all the seeds, and see exactly what we have, and what we will need to order. We buy our seeds from Johnny's Seeds. They carry all the heirloom seeds we need, and they are only a couple hours away. We visit with relatives when we go, so it kills two birds with one stone...sort of speak.
This year, we are going to try a new heirloom variety they have called Black Triefle. The description sounds delicious, and they look kind of cool.
Off to sort out my seeds.

To Pig or Not to Pig

A couple of summers ago, we raised a couple of Tamworth cross pigs. Last summer, we chose not to, but we are thinking about doing it again this year.
Raising pigs is kind of fun, but it does take a bit of work. They are like having children. They do expect to eat three times a day. This would mean that we would not be able to travel far away from the farm. Not that we usually do anyway, but it is a decision we don't take lightly.
We enjoyed raising Pork and Chop, and we especially enjoyed having a freezer full of meat for the winter. Both pigs were about 200 pounds each when they went to slaughter. This provided us with close to 175 lbs of meat. Tamworth pigs are very lean, and have hardly any fat on them. They are a heritage breed, which is why we chose them.
We have a few more weeks to decide whether or not to do it again.
We are also thinking about getting goats for milk.