revised plan

Pouting accomplished, an alternate plan was hatched. I'll still do heirloom vegetable and flower seedlings, selling them in the spring at the many herb and garden fairs. What doesn't get sold, I'll grow myself, and take the produce to the local growers markets (along with some of the seedlings early in the season). This can still work. It might not be as convenient, but it can work.

So at this point in time, no retail on the tiny little farm. Perhaps sometime in the future if business is good, the greenhouse is showing a profit, and the neighbors have had no reason to complain it will be something to pursue.

I don't care what they say (or, I am too a farm!)

Earlier this summer, wanting to make sure what I wanted to do is allowed (before getting all excited), I decided pay a visit to the township zoning officer. She confirmed my property is indeed in an agricultural zone and that a greenhouse is a permitted use. But here's the kicker... no retail at my location. What? Why? The regulations state a permitted use is "display and sale of farm products from a structure on the farm by a person farming land in the Agricultural District." "Ah yes, but it does say farm, and you don't have 10 or more acres so you aren't classified as a farm." She also told me I could apply for a special exception but there's a $500 fee to apply and no guarantee of approval, and that an engineering firm would then have to do a storm water runoff survey (which can run into quite a bit of money). Oh good grief. Just to sell vegetable seedlings and perhaps bags of compost, organic fertilizer and other assorted gardening paraphernalia. I had already come up with a tag line, "The Gardener's Greenhouse". Catering to the serious gardener. Carrying things that might otherwise be hard to find. Specialty items. You know.

Well, I have to admit that I allowed myself to pout for about three days. The I started thinking about other ways to make this thing work...

welcome!

Ahhh, beginnings. They usually follow endings, but in this case, not so much. It's more of an expansion, really. This blog is about starting and then running a micro-mini farm. Before the end of the year I hope to have a new greenhouse built and to have produce and cut flower beds prepared for spring planting. In the meantime, you can follow along with me as I wade through the details - building permits, selling permits, zoning regulations, etc. Right now it's just a hope, a dream and a plan, but if all goes well it will soon be reality. I hope you'll join me.

in my own backyard

I have been quite negligent in keeping up with this blog lately and have no excuses, really, except that I feel like I've been running in 4 different directions at the same time. And when you're doing that, it's hard to get anywhere at all!

One of the directions will soon bear fruit with the opening of my new show at Diddywopps & Keeffers. The show runs from September 10 - October 19, with the opening reception on Saturday September 12, from 6-8 p.m. If you're in the neighborhood, do stop by - everyone is welcome. One of the reasons I like Diddywopps so much is that Tami has created such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, without the pretensions. Just fine art and craft, presented beautifully.

Hope to see you there!

garden guests

Can you see my little friend here? It's a black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar munching on some dill in the garden. Upon closer inspection, I counted a dozen of them. But I don't mind, after all, there's more than enough dill for all of us. And who doesn't love butterflies?

a pastoral scene

This is the view from my back pasture, looking out into the neighbor's field. This scene is so much better in person - the quiet and gentle peacefulness of sheep grazing in a lush pasture, the single tree providing soft shade, and the bounty of the newly harvested field - it fills my heart up.

they don't sound as pretty as they look!

So this is what I heard last night.

That's right, you try sleeping after that.

remembering

"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves."

Gandhi

some thoughts on gardening and art

To be perfectly honest, I've not been particularly creative or productive, sculpture-wise, for the past two months or more. However, the garden is looking better than it ever has. Pondering this, I realized there was a correlation. The need to create, specifically to create something of beauty, thoughtfulness, and worth is ingrained pretty deeply. So if I'm going to garden, then it needs to be an aesthetically pleasing garden. Productive, yes, but also attractive to the eye. So combined with my love of being outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, along with a lifelong enjoyment for growing things, and you have my creative energies going into a garden rather than into sculptures. So all those pieces I've started, along with the ones that are still only an idea in a sketchbook, have been patiently waiting for me to return to them (do they have any choice, really?). And return I will, just as soon as I pull a couple more weeds and admire a few more bee-covered blossoms, and maybe check to see if there are any baby tomatoes yet...

another good read

A lighthearted, yet thought-provoking book that actually made me laugh out loud in a couple of places. In it, the author chronicles his experiences of his first year in his attempt to "live green" on a ranch in New Mexico. From battles with his rose-eating goats, to driving a truck whose exhaust smells like Kentucky Fried Chicken, we are given an insiders view into the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows of learning to live more in tune with the earth and less in tune with fossil fuel.
Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living

garden blossoms-part 2

one of the many sunflowers that are blooming

my kitchen windowsill

Find and enjoy the small beauties in life.

a garden weekend

The garden has grown so much in the past couple of weeks and so I wanted to share an updated photo. The "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash are doing well after getting off to a sluggish start, literally. The slugs chewed them up pretty heavily until I left some weeds for them to go after. Now that the sisters are bigger, I've gotten rid of the weeds once again. Salad greens are nearly over, getting ready to bolt and become bitter. The spinach is already a goner. The red beets did particularly well this spring, producing much more than expected. They've been going in salads, roasted as a side dish, and now pickled. Good stuff.

pickled red beets

The sunflowers are turning their faces to catch the rays, the mustard is in full bloom and covered with honey bees, potatoes are just going crazy, growing and blooming on and on. The tomatoes have also begun to bloom, so hopefully soon I'll see some little ones growing.

Some of the herbs were big enough to begin cutting. The mint planted earlier this year has just taken off - doing its job and filling in a hard-to-mow area which has been turned into a mint bed. I think it likes it there. I was also able to cut some parsley and basil, and as you can see at left, all three have been hung up to dry in my kitchen. And by the way, the kitchen smells great! Best of all, this is just the beginning of a harvest that should last until the end of summer.

so, how many lambs can YOU fit in a VW Bug?

Only two in my bug, but then two was all I was in the market for. Ever since visiting Shelley at River Bend Farm late last summer, and then again early this spring, I've been looking forward to getting a couple of Shetland ewe lambs. Today they finally came home with me. Their names are Aster and Apricot. Aren't they beautiful?

helpless

Checking on the garden this morning, I heard some robins making quite a ruckus. Glancing into the yard, there was my standard schnauzer, Biggie, lying on the ground and looking at something between his front paws. Realizing he must have one of their babies, I quickly took it away from him, seemingly unhurt, and deposited it on the other side of the fence at the edge of the woods. So far I haven't seen the parents taking care of it, but they sure know where it is, because when I went back out to take this photo, they strongly voiced their disapproval. The babe seems nearly feathered out so hopefully he'll make it.

my salad days

Garden salad of green leaf, red leaf, and buttercrunch lettuces, parsley, spinach, diced radishes, sauteed baby beets, hard boiled eggs, and pumpkin seeds. Topped with the Tulip Tree Hill house dressing.

Right now the garden is providing an abundance of mixed greens and spring roots, so salad is on the menu more often than not. With the exception of the pumpkin seeds, everything in the salad above was raised right here. Pretty cool, huh? Hopefully with this year's pumpkin crop, even the seeds will be homegrown next spring.

My favorite dressing right now is a creamy sweet and sour herb mixture. Here's the recipe:

Tulip Tree Hill House Dressing

In a one pint jar, add the following:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup salad dressing

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon thyme

Put the lid on the jar and give it a good shake until well blended.

Open the jar, stick your finger in and give it a try.

Adjust sugar and/or vinegar to taste.

That's it, all done!

Please keep refrigerated.

it won't go down without a fight

See, this is what I meant about bamboo getting sneaky when threatened. These tiny, little, seemingly innocuous, grass-like clumps are actually bamboo. This is an area well away from the main stand where I cut some down last year in an effort to stop its spread. The rhizome didn't die, it just waited for the opportunity to come back in disguise. Later today the weed killer will be put to good use. Unfortunately, some other plants may get hit in the crossfire, but that's what I meant about collateral damage. I have also begun cutting mature stalks, but there are probably a couple hundred of them and they're woody and tough. It will be a long fight - but one that I mean to win.

what I'm reading now

Living Seasonally

by Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd

A wonderfully written book that's a pleasure to read. It puts into words so much of what I feel but don't quite know how to express about gardening. You know, like when I get asked why bother growing potatoes when you can buy them for almost nothing... my answer is usually less than eloquent, like "ummm, because it feels good?" There's so much about the love of growing things that's hard to verbalize, but these two guys seem to manage it.

Also at times, when reading this book, I wanted to be them (except for the part about living in Vermont - somewhere warmer is more up my alley).

my how they've grown!

Yesterday was the first day that the broilers were allowed to go outside. At 4 weeks old, they finally seemed like they were ready. It was a bit damp and rainy, but a few of the braver souls ventured out between showers. They enjoyed pecking around and looking for nasties goodies in the grass, such as worms, grubs, slugs, etc. I've kept bantams for four years, but this is my first foray into raising meat birds - specifically Cornish Rock crosses. Compared to egg-layers, these broilers are awkward and somewhat fragile, growing faster than they can feather out (a bit pathetic, really), hence being kept inside for so long. Next year, my choice of meat birds will likely be a standard heavy breed such as Barred Rocks. They'll probably take twelve weeks to reach a good size rather than the eight for broilers, but since I'm not pushing for quick turn-around, that's okay. I'll be a lot more comfortable with the "normal" growth rate and increased vigor.

garden blossoms-part 1

potato,

mustard,

mesclun (salad mix),

cucumber

Aren't the potato blossoms just gorgeous? They'd look nice even in a flower border. So would the mustard. And the mesclun isn't too shabby either. The bonus is that you can also make dinner from them.