This is unhulled buckwheat… This is sprouted unhulled buckwheat…   This is vanishing sprouted unhulled buckwheat…   My hens are receiving a new treat and we get nutrient-packed eggs. They flip out over the little morsels.

Today I was in Fleet Farm buying yellow paint for the exterior of one of our cabins. On the way to the checkout lanes, I was drawn to the sound of trickling water. When I spied this fountain I immediately gushingly fell in love with the little yellow bird (a finch) and the bunny peeking over the ledge of…

I so look forward to my weekly 3-mile trek to Brainerd's Farmer's Market. Although there is slight duplication in products offered, it's amazing that what it lacks in number of vendors, it makes up in variety.      Today I came home with a collection of freshly-picked leafy greens including Swiss chard with stems of…

After I opened the coop door to let my hens out this morning, I strolled through my garden to see what fresh growth I could harvest for my breakfast menu. We received such a nice steady rain all day yesterday, so all vegetation glistened with water droplets and happiness and contentment exuded from every corner of the…

Today Dick and I went on a field trip to Seven Pines Farm in Verndale (Minnesota) 45 miles from Brainerd accompanied by about 20 other members of our local food co-op. The tour was hosted by owners Kent and Linda Solberg whose focus is grass-based agriculture and pastured egg production. They use New Zealand-style swing parlors to secure…

Today I planted presprouted fava beans. My research indicates that they are similar to lima beans and they add a large amount of beneficial of nitrogen to the soil. Look at the sturdy tap root the seed sends out! These are Windsor Fava Beans, which are an heirloom variety from England that grow 48" tall. I also transplanted…

My greenhouse plants are begging to be set free in the garden. Even the ones that I have transplanted into milk cartons are outgrowing their quarters. Frost is predicted for both Saturday and Sunday morning, so the plants aren't leaving the protection of the greenhouse just yet.   At the end of April, I transplanted the wildflowers that…

This afternoon I transplanted cauliflower and beets into my covered raised bed. They are plants that I started from seed and have been hanging out in my greenhouse. Beets supposedly fare best when direct-seeded in the garden because they don't transplant well. However, I decided to see if starting them from seed in newspaper pots would make the…

A  pear blossom bouquet from Momma Nature… blooming beside the "out my kitchen window cabin".     May 10, 2009 Today's mileage: 0 Total mileage for May: 11 miles (same as yesterday)  Bible reading? Yes.

Yesterday in the warm sunshine, I happily planted spinach seeds, but this morning a cold blast of winter-like weather has returned. Anticipating the backslide, we constructed a mini greenhouse over one of our raised beds using sections of water pipe leftover from other projects. To attach the plastic, we wrapped and stapled clothesline rope around the…