Category Archives: the homestead

Sweet Peas

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I have a lot of flowers in my yard

There is a general rule that the flowers in the yard DO NOT get picked.

I like them outside to brighten the yard, they last longer and are prettier outside, nothing is sadder to me than a daisy that looks thin because it has been picked over.

anyway…


There is one exception,
and that is my
Sweet Peas!

I have grown them now for four years and have fallen in love with these flowers,
they are so pretty and different and the
fragrance

HEAVENLY!

I plant these special little beauties in the spring and about June they start to bloom, I cut every single bloom until they stop flowering in August. (By doing that I keep them from going to seed and they bloom longer.) I have small vases in the kitchen and the living room and the smell fills the house.

The best part is filling small jars and sending them to the neighbors, there is nothing like fresh flowers to brighten someones day.

Onions out my ears!

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Today was a working in the yard kind of day.
It had rained all night,
then the sun dawned fresh and crisp
and cool.


I harvest the garlic that I had planted in November, they are a little small, next time I will put them in a place where they can stay longer. I need their planter box for other things.


I thinned the carrots that needed thinning.
They are little bitty things, but the kids will have fun eating them.

Then turnips of coarse, I planted a lot of those this season.
I am going to give turnip greens another try tomorrow.
Wish me luck.

Then I thinned out my onion bed and I got 1.5 pounds of green onions!
I don’t cook much with green onions,
however next week, we are going to be eating a lot of these little babies.

I planted some cabbages and broccoli

trying to stagger the harvest
and got inside just before this happened


I love early summer rain!

First Fruits

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My very first harvest for the year.

Pretty purple turnips.

I have never tasted turnips before.


I sliced up the turnips very thin and we ate those raw.
Whew, they had some kick!

Then I cleaned and trimmed and cooked the greens and served them for dinner.

With these yummy ribs!


The ribs were a hit, the greens…well I need to work on those a bit!
Any tips on cooking turnip green would be appreciated!

June

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I think June is my favorite time in the garden (ask me in July and I will probably tell you that is my favorite month in the garden! I love my garden). I love the newness of everything, the roses start blooming and the vegetable garden is just starting to show its potential.

Come take a walk with me.


The yellow roses are a particular favorite of mine
Dadzoo bought this bush for me when we bought this house.

Springtime on the Homestead

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Spring had sprung in my little suburban homestead.
We have five new baby bunnies.

Here they are, about three days old…so cute!

Their names are:

Stew, Roast, Fried, BBQ and Stir Fry.


Then Tuesday I got a call from a neighbor who has a friend who bought colored chicks at a pet store because they thought it would be cute for Easter (grrrrrr). Well, the lady who bought them did want them any more (surprise), they were noisy and stinky (really? chickens?) and she wanted to know if I wanted them. So me, never one to pass up free live stock, said I would love to have them. So here they are my freaky, neon chicks…I can’t wait for their real feathers to grow in.

There you have it, Springtime on the Homestead.

(warning…I am climbing on my soap box)
I think it is totally irresponsible for stores to sell dyed chicks at Easter time. People buy them on a whim with no thought as to the fact that chicks grow into chickens, who cluck and poop. Then after 2 weeks they get tired of them….what next?…hmmm didn’t think of that…DID YA!
(ok done now…have a nice day!)