Can you guess that it has been busy? No posts for over a month! Work wise spring is a busy time for me so I just haven't been able to spend the time to blog.... though I have thought about it.

A lot has happened including my Mother's Day gift of a new green house!





As you can see I won't be putting in a traditional garden as our property is currently hard packed clay. The load restrictions are still on so we are unable to bring in any good top soil yet.





I have moved the tomato plants in and am starting some heirloom Armenien Cucumber plants and some just regular green pepper plants


My mother-in-law gave us some purple starter potatoes which we planted in some large garbage containers. As the plants begin to grow we will continue to heap them to encourage the growth of lots of potatoes. We have never done this before so it should prove interesting.

I didn't know what to do with the lids of the garbage containers, but figured that I could turn them upside down and drill drainage holes, fill them with dirt and plant my lettuce. And that is exactly what I did.

The strawberry pot has also been filled and planted with strawberry plants that I purchased from the local gardening shop.

Husband and I were away for two weeks - he was on business and I was on holiday ;)

We spent a few days in Penticton as the Penticton Lakeside Resort, Convention Centre & Casino. We had stayed there a few years ago and it was very nice. This year they are touting how 'green' they are... and in a lot of ways they are trying really hard.

From Penticton we headed to Harrison Hot Springs for the long weekend in May. It was nice but VERY touristy (we didn't know). We had fun looking at the sand castle competition entries. The sand sculptures are built in May and taken down in October. How do the last? They spray the sculpture with a water and glue mixture. My favourite sculpture is shown below "Queen of the Pirates" and the Husband's is the chess match to win the princess.



Can you believe they really are made all of sand?!

The Beach at Harrison Hot Springs

From Harrison we drove south across the border and to the southern part of Washington State. We headed for a conference being held in Kennewick. How ironic - it was a 'snowfighters' conference, at which Husband was a speaker, being held in 38c weather!



Husband has decided to become a 'gentleman farmer' in his own words - he even said he would be willing to have other animals in the future (besides chicken) like raising weiner pigs or sheep. Let me tell you this is a BIG step for him. Yesterday he purchased a tractor...


a Kubota BX 1850 with post hole auger, bucket, snow blade, mower and tiller. All the things we will need to get this property into shape and maintained. We will be selling the Bobcat that we currently own as it is much to big and heavy for this clay.

On the way back from the farm equipment store we came across a grizzly sow and her cub. At least one of the photos I took turned out!

Books purchased this week:

Tomato seeds have finally been planted and today I can see the sprouts poking up out of the peat pots.

I'm too busy to do much posting. This is a busy time at work and all my energies have been devoted to my clients.

On and exciting note, my sister gave birth to a baby girl this morning! I am an aunt again!

It has been a busy week, hence the lack of any posts.

Though 'spring' is officially here in date - you would never know it as I look outside. The snow just keeps coming down! Yesterday was wonderfully warm and the water ran off the roof. This morning's snow will cover up everything that melted yesterday. We still have about a metre of snow in the yard - a huge difference from town where it is almost all gone and the robins have arrived.

Husband set up a snow golf course over the Easter holiday. Son, Son's friend, and Daughter had a great time hitting tennis balls into the holes made of empty coffee cans and flagged with shovels and rakes. The the snow is deep, it is very crusty and strong enough so one can walk across it unaided. Though every once in a while you break through and have to struggle to get back up again (imagine one leg thigh deep in the snow).

My first seeds arrived in the mail from Heritage Harvest Seeds! They even included a free package of tomato seeds!!! How cool is that?

The other package that arrived this week was filled with the beeswax candles I ordered. Just in time for Earth Hour which we observed with all lights out... in fact we kept the lights out all evening.

Easter is almost here and I have been dyeing eggs. This year I'm using natural dyes and have found them just as easy, (not quite) as colourful, and healthier than artificial dyes.

Here is what I did:

I gathered up my dye ingredients. I used blueberry juice, turmeric and spinach for this batch.

Eggs were placed in a pan (single layer) with enough water to cover and added one tablespoon of vinegar to the water.

I then added my dyes. I didn't use any exact measures - just enough for what I figured would be effective. I think I put in 2 tsp of turmeric.

Bring the pans to a roiling boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Rinse the eggs and then use some vegetable oil to polish.

Final product: - as you can see the turmeric and blueberry juice worked very well. The spinach did turn the eggs a very pale green, but I think I didn't use enough in the pot.

Other frozen or fresh fruits and vegetables you could use are:

Beets

Beet juice

Skins from red or regular onions

Pomegranate juice

Grape juice

Curry powder

Mustard powder

Red cabbage

Cranberries

Grass

Instant coffee

Lemon peels

Orange peels

Blackberries

His name is Larry and he followed me home - hitchhiked actually.

I did some shopping and decided to purchase some indoor plants for the house. Our old place was so dark, I wasn't able to keep any plants alive. This home was build with very large windows for passive solar energy, plus is south facing - very bright and sunny indeed.

I found a large Mass Cane at the store that I picked up. Daughter squealed in delight when she saw it. There was Larry attached to the side of the plant!

Considering I have about a meter of snow (3 ft) in my yard, and snails are not indigenous to our area - I am not able to send him out. I guess I got two for one - a new plant and a new pet.

Saturday's Green Tip

Glass bottles can be recycled infinitely without any loss of purity or quality. 80% of recycled glass will end up as new glass containers.

I ordered heritage seeds this week - vegetables and flowers. I had loads of fun pouring over the catalogues and reading the history and specifics of all the plants.

From The Cottage Gardener I ordered these:

French Breakfast Radish (Certified Organic)- 1879 (20 – 30 days) An oblong radish, about 2” long, red with white tip.

Five-Colour Silverbeet Swiss Chard ( Certified Organic)- (55 – 60 days).1850’s. A very old variety, nearly lost, that I grow for ornament as much as for flavour. The stalks come in a rainbow of colours – red, yellow, orange, pink and cream – and are beautiful in the garden.

Tennis Ball Lettuce (Endangered; Certified Organic; Butterhead) - (50 days) Introduced in the 1850's (although the name makes it seem modern!), and offered in Canada since at least 1878, this tiny, perfect lettuce produces loose heads measuring only 7" in diameter. Perfect for pots and balconies.

Little Finger Carrot (Certified Organic) - 55-60 days) Did you know that the “baby carrots” that you buy at the grocery store are actually just regular-sized carrots that have been pared down? So deceitful! If you want true baby carrots, Little Finger is the one to grow. Developed in France, this carrot grows to just 3” long and ½” wide with roots that are very tender and sweet. It grows well in heavy soils; is perfect for container gardening; can be used fresh, cooked, pickled or canned and is a good carrot for market growers.

Wildflower Mix (Flowers for Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Songbird) - This high-quality mixture includes a variety of North-American wildflowers that attract and help sustain these beautiful winged visitors to our gardens. Each packet sows approximately 100 sq ft. Contains seeds of: Amaranthus caudatus, Asclepias curassavica, Aster bigelovii, Clarkia amoena, Coreopsis tinctoria, Cosmos bipannatus, Echinacea purpurea, Gaillardia pulchella, Lupinus perennis, Malope trifica,Monarda citriodora, Ratibida columnifera, Rudbeckia hirta,Salvia coccinea, Saponaria vaccaria, Zinnia elegans.

Helianthus - Italian White Sunflower -This beauty, diminutive for a sunflower, is perfect for city lots. Growing just to 5’, it has multi-branching stems that are festooned with pale yellow to creamy white flowers. This makes it also a wonderful cut flower. It is thought that this heirloom was brought to the U.S. by European immigrants.

Digitalis grandiflora -Large Yellow Foxglove - A true perennial Foxglove, originally a native of Greece, and grown in Britain since the 16th C. The “large” in the name refers to the flowers - pale yellow with maroon-netted throats- rather than the height (2 - 3’). Very hardy. Z 3 - 8. (100 seeds

Digitalis Purpurea - Common Foxglove - 15th C. This is the original English wildflower species from which many of today's hybrids were developed. Spotted, bell-shaped flowers in purple, pink or white droop from 2-3' stems in early summer. Attracts bees and hummingbirds.

From Heritage Harvest Seed I ordered these:

Farthest North - Tomato - Introduced by the North Dakota State University in 1934. A very early and prolific cherry tomato that sets fruit in cool temperatures. Good for containers and northern areas. Determinate, regular-leaf foliage. (50 days from transplant) EXTREMELY RARE.

Hahms Gelbe - Tomato - A wonderful little cherry tomato from Germany with delicious yellow fruit. The small plants grow to about 6” high, about the same size as Andrina, which is a red cherry. The two make an excellent combination in containers and you can then enjoy red and yellow cherries all summer long. Determinate. (60-65 days from transplant)

Nasturtium - Empress of India (pre-1884) (Tropaeolum majus) - (aka Indian Cress) This old heirloom variety has bluish green leaves with crimson flowers. The plants are dwarf and bushy. Nasturtiums are not only ornamental but also high in Vitamin C. The leaves and flowers add a spicy flavor to sandwiches and the seeds have a peppery taste. The seeds can be pickled and used as a caper substitute. Annual. Sun-part shade. Ht: 12-14” (25 seeds/pkt

Night Scented Tobacco (1850) (Nicotiana sylvestris) - (a.k.a. Woodland Tobacco) Introduced from Brazil to the United States in the mid 1800’s, Night Scented Tobacco soon became popular for its wonderful fragrance. The tall plants reach 5’ tall with huge light green leaves and the white slender tubular flowers remain open all day. A favorite of hummingbirds and moths. The fragrance is captivating on a warm humid evening. A very stately plant that is beautiful planted towards the back of a large flower bed. Can tolerate quite a bit of frost in the autumn. One of my favorites. Ht: 4-5’ tall. Annual. Sun-part shade. (50 seeds/pkt)

Forget-Me-Not (Cynoglossum amabile) - (a.k.a. Firmament, Chinese Forget Me Not or Hound’s Tongue) These wonderful old fashioned flowers are literally covered with clear blue blossoms all summer long. A very carefree annual that self seeds prolifically. Ht: 14-16” tall. Annual. Sun-part shade. (50 seeds/pkt)