Meadowlark Farms

Moving!

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:32:00 +0000

No, it's not us that are moving (sigh!)...but this blog is. I've decided to switch my blog over to WordPress, and I've also decided to change the name as there just so happens to be a Meadowlark Farm about 2 hours away from me. Who knew? The new site is still under a bit of construction, but it's ready enough for the switch. Here's the address:

http://rockcreekfarm.wordpress.com/

Please update your bookmarks and I'll have a feed and email subscription available soon.

If you were interested in the knitting aspect, I've put that on a blog of its own (along with some other topics, too!). Here's the address for that one:

http://mediaknits.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you all over at the new sites!

The Growing Challenge: A Magic Valley County Almanac/Gardening Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:54:00 +0000

(Can click on all pics for closer view.)

OK, so I haven't even finished the book A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold and I'm using a play on the words for my title. A co-worker on the B.U.R.P team I worked on in the summer of 2005 for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality gave it to me; and what I did read of it, was wonderful...beautiful. (I hope to start it again and finish it this year, though I haven't been reading as many books I'd like to lately. I'm currently - finally - reading Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv which has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time.) I started my own Almanac in March of 2005, and after reading that bit of Leopold's, I was inspired to fill up my little notebook with all my observations on weather, plants, gardening, bird sightings, and the like from my natural surroundings. But, if you know my record, you could probably guess that my entries were sporadic and rare. Nonetheless, I continue to scribble in it now and then.

One of my favorite uses for this spiral-bound book is writing down the bird sightings I see around my home. (I have a separate field journal for nature seen outside of my home range). I especially love when these bird sightings occur with my little boy at my side. He enjoys watching birds perching on branches or flying through the air; and I have no doubt he'll enjoy all the aspects gardening has to offer.

Currently, I am using my notebook to write down my findings on growing vegetables, crop rotations, green manures, and all that wonderful play-in-the-dirt gardening goodness. I've also been making lists of the veggies I'm hoping to plant - and that has been all sorts of mouth-watering fun. I plan to include all of my successes (and undoubtedly failures) of this seasons growing adventures in there as well. Such a handy little book of white.

Another favorite thing for me is to look at the previous year (granted I wrote anything) and compare it to the current year and season. This is interesting for bulb appearances, buds on tree branches, the arrival of certain birds, when it was sunny, and what the temps were.

I love lists. I love to write. I love to fill up the blank pages of notebooks.

What notebooks are you filling up with the moments of your life?

© Meadowlark Farms 2008

Sunny Vacation!

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:57:00 +0000

Picture taken in FL: December 2006

Looks like I'll be leaving for Gainesville, Florida tomorrow! Just decided today, bought the tickets, and away we go! I'm very excited, a bit anxiety ridden, and can't wait to be in the warm Florida sun! Will post when I return next week.

Ribbed Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:34:00 +0000

I've made some progress on my ribbed scarf. And since this picture was taken a few days ago, I'm a lot further now.

Here's a close-up. I can't believe I'm even letting you get this close. Just don't get too critical - I know there are mistakes. I have picked up dropped stiches with my handy little crotchet hook though (I actually found that to be kind of fun, like walking it up a little ladder. You too? No. OK, it's just me.) I even took out a few rows when a hole was found a bit further down. That, on the other hand, was no fun at all - except for the pulling of the yarn part. I didn't like that I couldn't manage to get a smaller needle in down to where I wanted to rip to, because I wasn't sure which piece of yarn was my stitch at the beginning of the row. So I just decided to carefully as I could pull out to where I wanted to stop, but then both of my end stitches dropped down an extra row. I was able to fix one side by re-pearling it, but the other side I couldn't figure out because the edge is different than a drop stitch in the middle. I just let that stitch be a bit longer and said to heck with it, I'd learn that piece of information the next time it comes up - hopefully not just a few rows later.

The Growing Challenge: Seeds Galore

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:27:00 +0000

My journey through seed catalogues is proving to be quite a long process. I have only just recently decided which ones I am going to order from (Territorial Seed Company & Victory Seed Company). While growing up, I remember seeing Johnny's and Cooks laying on a couch or counter where my mom had been purusing through them. When we lived out on my Grandpa's farm, out on the Salmon Tract, my mom planted a big vegetable garden full of peas, beans, carrots, tomatoes, and the like. It was the best thing ever to snap those green pea pods off the vine and pull the string back to reveal the sweetest little tasty morsels, perfect for eating right there on the spot. My mom now lives in town and though the space is limited, she still grows a few edibles - tomatoes, peas, carrots, and herbs, among a few other things. So, when my husband and I were living in the first house we owned, I too planted some vegetables - tomatoes and peppers. I bought them as plants at a nursery and a few from a grocery store. At the time, I knew little about growing vegetables, let alone things such as heirlooms, and making my soil healthy. I just stuck them in the ground and watered them sporadically. The tomatoes did fine, but weren't delicious and the bell peppers tasted like pea pods. Our soil was very poor. It had previously been farmland that had probably been planted over and over with alfalfa, and had been fallow for a while as well. (Every year alfalfa would grow up through our grass, and man those roots go deep!) The next year, I didn't plant anything - and haven't planted anything since. I looked through catalogues every year, and circled what I wanted, but just never made the order. I'm ready again to plant an edible garden. Now I have more motivators, more focus, and much more knowlledge on the subject (but still learning!).

So now that I have my catalogue of choice, I need to figure out what varieties I am going to grow. I truly have to be careful, because my personality tells me to get everything that appeals to my easily stimulated senses, but I know better and realize I need to pace myself in order to have a better chance at success. I am more than thrilled as I think about all the veggies and fruits we'll be feasting on - local and grown by us. And my son, who will be two in March, is going to have the best time digging in the dirt! Dreaming up a bit of summer and spring during these cold filled months certainly helps a little towards getting through the winter. A little.

Of course I will be growing organic produce (I wouldn't have it any other way!), and am glad to be a part of the Victory Garden Drive put together by the inspiring Pattie of Foodshed Planet.

I've also joined The Growing Challenge sponsored by Melinda and Matt at Elements in Time, which I am equally excited about!

Here's looking forward to digging in the dirt! Now what to plant?...

© Meadowlark Farms 2008

Busy Being Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:08:00 +0000

Knitting up my first scarf in garter stitch!

So the posts on here have been few and far between. Sorry to anyone who really cares. I suppose having three blogs can be tricky in keeping them all updated, so to be fair, I just don't keep any of them updated. Truth be told though, I really have enjoyed this whole blogging thing, especially my Storytelling Around the Fire, which is exclusively for family and friends. I'd really like to get more posts up, so here I am - on the record, no less - saying that I will try to be more consistent. Make sure you take notice on the way that word try is italicized. Don't hold me to it, because I'm sure to disappoint. I don't know if I slack so much because I'm so busy; I think it's more that I'm spending my down time on other things. For instance, just this month I taught myself to knit. I learned from the Internet, and you better believe I was squinting my eyes at those instructions and racking my yarn twisted brain. I'm a show me kinda gal, and reading how to knit was quite perplexing and frustrating. I happen to have a Mother who lives just a few blocks away that could have easily shown me how to knit. But it was a bit late into the night and I was determined to learn right then (By the by, I decided to pick up knitting after seeing the great things that this gal was making on her blog. I thought, "Wow, she makes clothes that I'd totally buy in a store...maybe I can do that too!"). When I finally figured it out, I was up until three in the morning pearling and kitting a bit feverishly. I sat there with my eyes an inch from the knitting needles with my teeth clenched and my shoulders tense. I had to ask myself, "Isn't knitting supposed to be relaxing?!" Just a few days after that episode, I purchased Stitch 'n Bitch from Barnes and Noble. Reading that book has proved less like translating the hieroglyphs I encountered when trying to learn online. So far, I have knitted one scarf and am now doing my second. It is ribbed and I love it already. Not because it's so great, but because I am making it - me oh my! I think I love knitting and I'm so excited to learn more. I've already signed up for a beginners sock class at a local yarn shop here in town. My own socks made by me! I think I'll make all of our socks from now on. OK, maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. I guess I should just attempt making one (hopefully followed by another) first and seeing how that pans out. Anyway, I'm super elated about the whole endeavor, if you couldn't tell. Any of you knit out there? I'd love to hear about what's on your needles! I've been busy with a few other things too, lately, but I'll post about those things soon - I'll try that is.

Here's the start of my second scarf - ribbed with a knit 2 pearl 2!

Um...

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:08:00 +0000

I don't even know what to say.

Out at the Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:49:00 +0000

This is my father-in-law's farm. Our Little Boy loves going out there to see the cows, tractors, dirt, dogs, etc., and of course his Grandpa. (The pink gloves, by the way, are ones that a sweet little niece of mine left behind when they moved. They just so happen to fit my Little Boy's hands and gloves for a 20 month old are hard to find - these ones are even a tad big.)

What's that up ahead?

Picking up...

...a handful of...

...dirt. Phew.

I Can See Clearly Now

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:09:00 +0000

We replaced our old windows...

...with new ones! Though I liked the charm of the old wooden ones, they were too drafty and far from energy efficient. No matter what the thermometer read, the air in our house was filled with an uncomfortable chill. Worst of all were the windows by our beds - and know amount of blankets was enough to withstand the icy draft. Our new insulated windows make a significant difference and make the house that much cozier.

My husband, Mr. Contractor himself, did the hard labor - and just about everything else - but I was the official hold-the-window-in-place gal. Quite the title (length-wise at least).

Here Mr. Contractor is taking out the old window. Little Boy Blue is helpful as always, even when he's simply standing there in extra big pajamas. Yes, sometimes (often) he wears p.j.'s during the day - nothing beats that all over wrap around warmth.

Bruce wanted to help too, but believe me - after his last stunt - I don't know if his is the kind of help we were looking for.

Getting these windows in means were getting closer to being able to put this house on the market. Hooray for that because we are more than ready!!

Bark

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:56:00 +0000

Bruce - our other 'farm animal' (who just recently chewed up the cable line that runs along the outside of the house - result...no Internet for a few days.)

Meow

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:11:00 +0000

Our "Farm Animal," Molly

Food For Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:07:00 +0000

Fresh Baked

You may have surmised from this previous post that when it comes to cooking, I'm rather a novice. And though I sometimes think I can get away with stating, "Hey, I'm only 24!" I have a sneaky suspicion that there are plenty of ten year olds (if not younger) who have cooked more than me. Adding to the fact that I've been married for close to 6 1/2 years only makes the situation look even worse for me as I've had plenty of opportunity to test out my handiwork. So why have I fared so poorly in this department you may ask? It's certainly not that I don't like to cook - quite the contrary indeed. Whenever I get around to it, I enjoy the process - not to mention the result - immensely. I'm sure I can chalk it all up to a few unredeeming qualities I possess, but we won't get into that here. What I do want to talk about are the strides I have made in this category just this past year. I have made excellent progress as far as cooking and baking goes - largely spurred on by my growing dedication to a sustainable future that includes eating more local and seasonal foods. This has resulted in baked acorn squash, lentil and potato stew, corn on the cob, peach bread, peach cake, apple cake, home-canned tomato sauce, along with other delectable dishes that have rarely graced our table in the past (sad - or pathetic, whichever you so choose - I know).

Another inspiration for this whole cooking at home deal is my love for great food and the lack of it on most menus in my vicinity. Not to mention it's a whole lot cheaper to eat at home. Plus I love the cozy, inviting feeling that cookies baking in the oven or garlic sizzling in a buttered pan emits. A lot has been written about the kitchen as a gathering place. It brings people together and forms strong relationships with the food its self. We are immersed in the idea of food - not in just how it sustains us, but how we relish its existence for the shear joy and comfort it brings. In fact, we even use food terms to describe other aspects of our lives. For instance, you can butter someone up, cook one's goose, take things with a grain of salt, be worth one's salt, you can go cold turkey and we can talk turkey, you can take the cake, but you can't have it and eat it too, things can be pie in the sky, you can go whole hog, and you can even ride the gray train. Good gravy! Food is certainly an integral part of our lives and a welcome addition to the tables in our homes.

My home -or rather the people in it - is the biggest reason for this surge in homemade meals. (This is due mostly to the newest member, our nineteen month son. We may have been slightly sloppy with our own nutrition, but now that we have a child, it's time to clean up our act.) For me, cooking is one of those things that makes a house a home. I feel that by cooking hearty meals for my family I am also offering up love, warmth, care and creating familiarity, togetherness, and memories. I know that this also makes an opportunity for nutritious choices and for learning about sustainability, conservation, plants, soil, and the health of the land. I am glad to be able to give this to my family (and of course to receive it when my husband cooks).

So, this year has seen much growth from me as far as cooking and baking go. I have minced, diced, chopped, sliced, and whatever else you can do to an onion or potato. I have made many ordinary dishes for the first time. I have baked from scratch, and even concocted my very own recipe, or two. Of course I only plan to continue and improve upon my skills because there's nothing better than a home-cooked meal. So raise your glasses. Here's to good food served with care and thought. ( A bit cheesy, eh?)

Oh Tomatoes!

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:52:00 +0000

The First Batch of Canned Tomato Juice!

I didn't grow any tomatoes this year, and my mom only put up a few plants - so what's a gal to do when she's hoping to try her hands at a bit of canning? She gets lucky, she does. Lucky to have a mom, who has a friend, who has tomatoes - lots and up for grabs. (And lucky this friend is also a very kind lady!) So out my mom, my little boy, and myself went to the friends to pick tomatoes on a rather blustery day. The wind was whipping maliciously and chilled us to our bones, but the promise of home-grown tomatoes through the winter months kept our fingers picking.

The Help (He Contributed the Green Ones)

The Fruits of Our Labors

This child-hood friend of my mother's has a marvelous, well-kept garden and the tomatoes were beautiful! We came home with a good amount and went to work canning the next day. On the menu were tomato juice and a basic tomato sauce. Out of a steamy dishwasher, I pulled out hot glass jars and placed them on a flower print cloth laid out on the counter. The light from the window shone through the clear glass creating a cathedral affect. Meanwhile, simmering in a large silver pot were chopped up tomatoes, releasing their juices. In an even bigger silver pot, water was coming to a furious boil waiting to receive sealed jars filled with the red elixir. The kitchen smelled deliciously fresh and wonderful. And oh when we roasted some tomatoes in the oven - sweet, warm goodness.

Canning Jars Lined in a Row

Simmer, Simmer

All the while I felt this energy, knowing I was doing something good for the environment, my community, and my family. I felt a belonging to the natural rhythms of the world and to generations of people before me who took the bounties of their harvest and preserved them in clear glass jars set upon wooden shelves to sustain themselves through winter. My mom's kitchen turned into a gathering place for learning as she passed down the wisdom gained from her mom onto me - wisdom that goes back through the ages.

Check out what other things I eat (cringe) besides tomatoes at my other blog and see the greener side of Southern Idaho and around the world. Join the discussion!

Not Yet, But Someday

noreply@blogger.com (Paige) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:34:00 +0000

Oh Give Me Land, Lots of Land, Under Starry Skies Above...

OK, you got me...there is no farm, but one day (please let it be sooner than much, much later!) there will be. For now, we're fixing up this house and trying to get it sold. After that? Well, maybe we'll be able to purchase some land, but most likely, we'll buy another house to fix up and sell. Then...then we just might be able to afford some land. And yet, it's possible that we'll have to buy and fix up still another house. But one day...Meadowlark Farms will be our home and the Western Meadowlark will greet us with its beautiful song...

Until that blissful day...I'm going to prepare myself with all I can as far as homesteading and living greener, and believe me - I have LOTS to learn. Maybe you already have a farm, long for a farm like myself, or just like to read about them. Either way, you might learn a little from me (or just laugh at my beginner idiocy) and I sure could learn a lot from you! So join me as I fumble (but triumphantly succeed - hopefully) through this life changing (and soul changing) adventure.