Picking out seeds for this year's garden

The seed catalogs have been coming for several weeks now.  Since before Christmas, actually.  And I've been looking and looking.  Dog earing pages and putting a star by the varieties I'm interested in.

Then I pass that catalog on to John and Josh to see what they have in mind.  We're pretty much on the same wavelength.

What are we interested in growing this year?  Heirlooms, definitely.  Organic preferably.  We don't use pesticides or herbicides in our garden because we have bees.  So we want the seed we buy to be as free of chemicals as possible.

I think we'll be buying the bulk of our seed this year from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Missouri.  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds  If you've never seen their catalog, you're missing out.  The photos are beautiful!  If our produce this year is even HALF as nice, we'll be very proud.  Here's a picture from their blog.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

 I found some wonder tomatoes, and melons I'm very excited about.  I think I'll try the Orange Strawberry tomato on page 132.

 

 The Golden Midget melon (page 163) looks very yummy.  The catalog says that the rind turns a lovely golden yellow when it's ready to harvest and the flesh is salmon pink.  What a lovely color combination.  The taste is very sweet and it matures in just 70 days.

Golden Midget watermelon

 
The Indian Cream Cobra melon (page 72) also looks delicious. 

Indian creme cobra melon

Candy Roaster squash

I'm also interested in the Candy Roaster squash (write up on page 116, pictured on page 118).  It's a pink, banana-shaped squash.  The tip is blue.  It weighs around 10 pounds.  It's delicious, smooth orange flesh is perfect backed, fried and makes great pies.

Joan rutabaga

Josh is interested in the Joan rutabaga (page 107).  The flesh is dense, crisp and mild.  It has a delicate and very sweet flavor.

red plum radish

 He's also interested in the Purple Plum radish (page 104).  It ripens in only 28 days!


















I'm also interested in the Red Rosella (also page 107).  This is a type of hibiscus used for making cranberry-flavored red beverages, jelly, pie and tea.  A tasty sauce can be made by boiling and sweetening the fleshy calyxes.  The leaves are used to make a drink.  The plant is red and very beautiful.  The citrus-flavored flowers are delicious on frozen desserts.

red rosella hibiscus drink

Perkins long pod okra

Living here in Arkansas, okra is a must in our garden.  This year I think we're going to try the Perkins long pod (page 84).

Strawberry Husk Tomato

John has specifically asked me to get the Strawberry Husk Tomato (page 52).  The catalog states this plant has "huge yields of tart-sweet berries."  This is the type of ground cherry used by the Pilgrims and is excellent for pies, jams and preserves.  The fruit is inside a paper-like husk.







I think I'll try the Cosmic Purple carrot also.  I'm a sucker for those "odd-colored" veggies.  I like my salads and my dinner plate to have a variety of colors.  Who says dinner can't be beautiful.  The Cosmic Purple (page 33) has a bright purple skin and the flesh comes in shades of yellow and orange.  The roots are spicy and sweet-tasting.  It's mature in 70 days.

Cosmic Purple carrot

I always start my seeds indoors.  That way I can start only the number of plants I wish to grow.  No thining.

In fact, I usually get my seeds started at the same time I put some eggs in the incubator.  That way I have my chicks hatching about the same time I'm ready to put my seedlings outside to start "hardening".  I want to baby them a bit, but I also need them to experience changing light, temperature and wind conditions so they are vigorous and strong.

Rhode Island Red chicks 1 day old

Just like people, it is the challenges we face - the difficulty we overcome that gives us strength.

The sounds of country living

When you think of country living, what comes to mind?

I think of the sound of wind chimes, roosters crowing (a constant around here starting at 4:30 each morning), trucks on the highway, a passing train, hawks crying and the guinea fowl response.... song birds, Peanut barking as a buzzard flies over.  Rusty yowling at 3 AM (darn cat).

I don't have the ability to make a video/audio recording and post it here.  But, I do have the ability to search out other recordings that are very much like what it sounds like here....  and so, here's a sampling of some I found.

We have 5 roosters.  Gus the Brahma Cochin, Hexter the Rhode Island Red, Henry the Rhode Island Red, Fred the Bantam and Splash the Bantam.  And so we have a day-long crowing contest every day.  Here's a picture.

Our chicken house

It sounds something like this.

Morning chicken sounds

And of course, the hens have to get in on the act too.  Hens make a specific sound when they are laying an egg.

Hens laying eggs

And when you feed the chickens, the roosters tell the hens where to find food.  They make a very cool clucking sound and call their girls.

Rooster calling his hens

Our guineas are free range.  We let them out in the morning and lock them up at night.  I've written more about this before...  Anyway, the guinea pair up.  They mate for life.  We have 4 pair, and 1 hen extra (Number 9).  Here's a few pictures of them out wandering around.

Curly Joe and Vera

Curly Joe, Bruce, hens and keets

Here's a guinea flock with some keets. 



Guinea hen with keets

(I've never let my keets out when they were this young, so I don't know how many they raised to adulthood.  But the babies sure are cute!)

And what to guinea sound like when they are startled?  Talk about an alarm system!  Holy cow!  These birds make noise!

Guinea fowl flight

Sometimes they come and look in to see what we're doing.  Talk about nosey... geeze!

Who's in there???

 Guinea fowl knock at the door


But, this guinea hen found her coop nice in the cold weather.

Gertrude sings "Let it snow"

Late winter flowers

The weather here has been on a bit of a see-saw.  Cold, warm, cold, warm.  One day we had a high of 31.  The next day it was 51!  That confuses the birds and the bees.  And the flowers. 

Our daffodils and hellebores are peaking through the mulch.  I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet this year, but here's what they looked like last year....

Helebore by the den window

I love the color of this hellebore.  I hadn't ever grown any before.  But I planted them in 2011, and here's what they looked like that first early spring.

Daffodils by the west door

This hellebore is right next to the purple one.  The 2 colors really compliment each other.  I'm really happy with the way these plants have thrived.






All the daffodils around our house have been transplanted and redistributed from those that were here when we bought the house.  We have several different colors, some doubles and even some that are very tiny white and yellow.

Tiny white and yellow daffodil

I love this little flower.  I've been looking for a small figurine of a fairy that I can hide in beside it.

Tiny double daffodil

These found these tiny flowers in this spot when we started cleaning up that first spring (2006).  I love the way they're placed in amongst the rocks.  It's very picturesque.  It makes me smile.

Trillium

 

This trillium is also a new flower to me.  I saw some in a catalog and thought I'd try them.  I really like the soft purple color...  Can you tell I like purple?





Back in 2010, I decided to handquilt a square as part of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation's (PDF) Awareness Quilt that was to be displayed in Scotland in that fall.  So, I sorted through my fabric stash and selected all my batik fabrics.  The background is a lovely sky blue.

My Parkinson's Awareness block

I cut each petal and leaf separately, then used matching embroidery floss to stitch it down with a blanket stitch.  I didn't have an exact design or layout in mind when I started.  I just let each piece of fabric "talk" to me and tell me where to place it.  It was a great project and I really enjoyed doing it.
Here's a picture of the work in progress.  See it there behind my leg??

And here's what the quilt looked like on display.

I was honored by PDF, and was featured in their 2012 calendar and their Parkinson's Creativity project.  Here's the PSA (public service announcement) they provided on the subject:

Williford Resident’s Artwork Selected for Parkinson’s Charity Calendar

 

New York, NY, December 13, 2011 — Williford, AR resident Penny Teem is one of 13 artists whose work was selected to appear in the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation’s (PDF) 2012 Creativity and Parkinson’s calendar. Her quilt panel entitled, “Flowers of the Field” is featured in the month of April, which also is recognized as Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

Ms. Teem, a Navy veteran, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s seven years ago. She has been creative since a young age; she began sewing and knitting at the age of nine. In recent years, she began creating quilts using applique, a technique of using smaller pieces of a fabric to create a design on a larger background. Ms. Teem says she that when she is quilting and keeping her hands moving, her Parkinson’s tremors seem to stay under better control.

PDF’s Creativity and Parkinson’s Project exists to explore, support and encourage the therapeutic value of creativity in Parkinson's. So when Ms. Teem she heard that the project was creating awareness quilt for Parkinson’s, she was eager to contribute her talents.

Her quilt panel was chosen from 600 others to be featured in PDF’s annual print calendar, which is distributed nationwide to nearly 20,000 people.

Ms. Teem said of her experience with creativity, “In a way, being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease was a blessing. It changed my life for the better because it gave me the life I wanted. If my hands are going to move, I wanted to focus them in a positive direction and do something creative with them. The saying ‘Flowers in the Field’ inspired me to create this quilt. Many of us have Parkinson’s but the disease is different for each person. Like a flower we are similar but we are all unique.”

Robin Elliott, Executive Director of PDF, said “We thank Ms. Teem for her contributions to the Creativity and Parkinson’s Project and applaud her for having her artwork selected for the 2012 calendar. Her works, those of the 13 other individuals featured in calendar and the more than 270 in the online gallery, have inspired those affected by Parkinson’s who come to PDF looking not only for information, but also for hope. At PDF, we are hopeful that by creating for Ms. Teem works and those of other people living with Parkinson’s; we can begin a conversation about the reports of beneficial effects of creativity.”

Those interested in learning more about Ms. Teem’s artwork may contact the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation by calling (800) 457-6676, emailing info@pdf.org, or visiting www.pdf.org/creativity.

About the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation
The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) is a leading national presence in Parkinson’s disease research, education and public advocacy. We are working for the nearly one million people in the US who live with Parkinson’s by funding promising scientific research while supporting people living with Parkinson’s through educational programs and services. Since its founding in 1957, PDF has dedicated over $90 million to fund the work of leading scientists throughout the world and over $37 million to support national education and advocacy programs.

Teaching

When  I was 9, my great-aunt Jean Cragle taught me how to crochet and knit.  Why did she do this?  She was tired of me chasing her chickens!  She told me I needed to learn to do something constructive.  I wonder if she had any idea how important those 2 skills would be in my life.

I crocheted doilies while riding on the school bus.  I made rugs, bags, blankets, scarves, hats.  I didn't knit as well as I crocheted, so I let it lapse for a few years.
 


By the mid-1980's I got bored with crochet.  I decided I wanted to knit a sweater.  I was stationed in Japan at the time (US Navy 1979-1992).  I think it was 1986...  anyway, I went to a local department store and got a Vogue Knitting magazine.  I picked out a pattern, got some yarn and the needles required.  And I went home and started knitting.   Man, I had a lot to learn.



Knitting patterns aren't held to any standard.  Some are very well written.  And some must be written my aliens.  Aliens because I can't understand them - even after knitting for these past 27 years.

I love teaching people, sharing my skills and passing on what I know to another generation of artists.  My aunt shared that gift with me & I want to pass that love along.  I wish I had a photo from those days, but I don't.  Oh well.  I have the memory, and that's what counts.

When I lived in Washington State, I was lucky enough to find a wonderful community of knitters, spinners and weavers.  I met some wonderful people and had many wonderful adventures with them.  I traveled to some places I never imagined I'd visit on our "spinning adventures".  Imagine a car full of women laughing, knitting and sharing their thoughts and dreams.  Emphasis on the laughing.  That's what it was like.  I miss those ladies!  Northwest Regional Spinners Association (NwRSA)2015 is a great organization.  They meet monthly in Bellingham, WA.  Locations vary.  They have a Facebook page.Spindrifters-Area-2015-nwrsa  Northwest Regional Spinners Association

I met the Skagit Valley Weavers when I moved to Mount Vernon in 1989.  Wonderful ladies.  Many of them went on to join the NwRSA, as I did. Skagit Valley Weaver's Guild

I wasn't always as active with the Weavers as I had been, but I enjoyed meeting with them.  I learned about the State Fair system through them.  I helped man their exhibits at the Fair in Mount Vernon.  That was always fun.

NwRSA loom at the Highland Games in Mt Vernon, WA

 I made some wonderful friends through the NwRSA.  I learned the most from Billie Eby, Margaret Magic, Nancy Bjerke, Debra Lacy, Linda Smuzer and Terri Larkin.  Talk about talented women.  Tiny Stratton and Jean Molinari were mentors to me.  Jean Nelson took me under her wing.  Jean Lehman and Anna Mae Kindaid did as well.  (Sounds like I only knew ladies named Jean.. maybe it's because that was my aunt's name....)  Anyway....  The ladies I met through the fiber organizations will forever be part of my life.  And I thank all of them.

Anyway, I also went through a course to get certified to judge entries at the State Fairs.  I met more wonderful people doing that!  And the quality of the workmanship (or should I say workwomanship?) was amazing.  I was truly honored to be involved in the State Fair program.

I also taught some of the kids at the local school.  If you want a challenge, try teaching 10-year old boys how to knit in one 45 minute session.  HAH!

I was fortunate enough to be able to share my skills, and offered  classes through Knot Just Yarn in Burlington, WA.  My friend Becky Sumners owns that store.  She's a great lady.  Her store is wonderful!  If you ever  get a chance to visit, be sure to stop in.  It's worth the trip.  Knot Just Yarn is also on Facebook.  Check them out. Knot Just Yarn

I also got to teach through Northwest Handspun Yarns.  My friend Nancy Bjerke owned the store at that time.  She was located in a little shop in Bellingham, WA.  Her shop expanded into a wonderful location.  I had since moved to Georgia and then on to Arkansas, so I haven't visited the new store.  Nancy has since sold her shop to Meg Jobe, and it's still in beautiful Bellingham.  It's a wonderful store.  The staff is excellent.  I spent many wonderful hours at the shop in the early 2000's.  Nw Handspun Yarn is on Facebook.  Nw Handspun Yarns


Since I moved to Arkansas, I haven't connected with many fiber artists.  My good friends Gena Stout and Erika Schindler are yarn addicts.  But I haven't found a place to share my obsessions with others.  But I may have found one now.  My friend Vicki Huskey-Mann  has decided to offer classes at her store Sugar Creek Goods.  We've only had 1 class so far.  It went well, lots of laughs.  Check Vicki out on Facebook.  Sugar Creek Goods

My husband and stepson have reconditioned some spinning wheels that we're selling.  I haven't found a buyer yet.  If Vicki's spinning class gets going, I may find a taker yet.  John and Josh fixed the wheels, I cleaned them up.  They all spin well. 

Anyone interested in a wheel???

Scandinavian style wheel

Saxony style wheel

Parlor style wheel with ivory accents

Another cold morning

Rusty

When it's really cold like this, my biggest concern is keeping my critters warm.  I don't want to let the dog or cat out too long.  I know they're covered with fur, but they can suffer frost bit too.  I may baby them too much, but I love them and want them to be safe.  Besides, who could leave these cuties out in the cold???

Peanut

I know Peanut would like to be outside chasing squirrels and chipmunks.  But she can wait until it's not 21F outside.


But, my real concern is for my birds.  You see, I have my birds in large runs.  I'd love to let them be free range.  I let the guinea fowl outside when the weather's nice.  But, we have all kinds of creatures here that would LOVE to eat bird for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Here's a sample of the woodland creatures we've seen here at Big Rock Farm.

Opossum

Racoon

These 2 are the biggest chicken theives.  We know they eat eggs & chicks.  We haven't caught them eating adult large birds, we're sure they've had some bantam for dinner.  

But, they're not the biggest killer of chicks or the main egg eater.  Here's the culprit  for that!  Black snakes have eaten my chicks several times.  They have also killed 2 different bantam hens and eaten all their chicks.  Around here, I have to keep chicks in a brooder on the back porch or they don't survive.  I can't put them out IN A CAGE OFF THE GROUND until there are more than a month old.  And even then, they might be snake food.

Black Snake

I do NOT kill snakes just because they're snakes.  But, if I find a black snake in my chicken cage, it's lunch.  Literally.


Who else has come looking for an easy meal??

Stripped skunk

Did you know that skunk blood stinks?  In fact, our porch by the workshop STILL stinks of skunk whenever it rains.  And it's been 2 years since Mr/Mrs Skunk came to visit.

We've also lost guinea and chicken to the pair of hawks that are nesting right here.  Peanut saw a hawk get a young chicken.  Now, she hates anything that flys over head.  She'll chase it across the yard.  Of course, anything flying over the yard results in guinea chaos!  And then the chickens start yelling too.

Hawk

It's illegal to shoot a predatory bird in Arkansas.  So, we keep our chickens in a cage.  It's a nice, large cage.  But it's still a cage.

We feel safe letting the guinea out.  Our flock has 9 members.  4 pair and 1 poor unmated hen.  We call her Number 9.  She's an unhappy girl.  We'll raise some more babies this year, and we hope Number 9 can find a boyfriend out of them.

We started out with 3 pair last year.  Here's a picture of some of them.

Curly Joe, Bruce and Dennis with keets.

My favorite bird is Curly Joe, he's the lavender one in the foreground. We raised him from an egg.  We had 5 birds that first year.  All got killed except Curly Joe.  Moe and Larry each disappeared over night...  The girls got old enough to start laying, but they both failed to show up to roost one night just leaving us with the bachelors.  Then Moe and Larry each got eaten, leaving poor Curly Joe by himself.  So, we invested in Bruce and Dennis.  And we got some young keets from a nice lady down the road, and got some hens.   Now Curly Joe has his mate, Vera.  And Bruce has his Babette.  Dennis got eaten last fall....


And who can eat a full grown guinea at night???  I'll show you.

Coyote

 There are coyotes in the woods here.  They will even sneak in during the day and take the guinea hens right off their nests.  So, that's why we have to keep them locked up when they're laying.  Otherwise they don't come home.

Barred Owl

And the owls can pick the guineas right out of a tree when they're roosting.  So, the guinea have to be locked up at night.

And whoooooo else comes to visit at night?  (Sorry I couldn't resist that pun!)  We have pictures of these from our trail cam.

Grey fox

We've not seen a fox anywhere near the house.  But the trail cam was in the trees by the "pasture" which was about 200 yards from the house.  That's pretty close if you ask me.

Who else comes to eat  birds?  These sneaky buggers come in day or night!  And they LOVE to eat birds, any birds.

Norway rat

I suppose I'm partly to blame.  What else to rats like to eat besides birds?  Why bird food, of course!  And so, leaving any food around in the open is an invitation to dinner in the rat's opinion.

I guess that ends my conversation on local predators for this morning.  We have many other critters around that don't ever bother our birds.  I'll talk about them some other day.

Lunch on a cold clear day

So today, I decided to make some casserole in the crock pot.  What did I want to make???

I started looking in the freezer and here's what I found.

Tater tots

Venison

 

 
I also got out these....



And what do you  get???



DINNER!!!


Seriously, we love eating a nice hearty casserole on a day like today.  It's cold outside.  We don't want to fuss much...  We just want to eat well.

Homesteading is hard work

When people hear the term "homesteading", what do they think of?  Someone moving from the "city" to the "country", putting in a garden & some herbs.  Getting some chickens....  Canning and dehydrating, making pickles, baking bread...  Tilling the garden.  Hoeing the garden.  Watering the garden.  Checking daily for bugs (cabbage worms & tomato worms).  Working on an old house.  Cutting and stacking firewood.  Working on roofs, replacing windows, fixing walls.  Laying walkways.  Buying a tractor.  Felling trees.    Getting a "farm truck".  Believe me, you DON'T just move from the city into the country and become a "hobby farmer" without a willingness to do HARD work and get lots of blisters and an empty bank account.

So, I'd like to do a photo history of rehabilitating our homestead.

It started with finding our dream house on the real estate MLS service.  We were living in Northern Georgia and it was John's dream to move to Arkansas.  This required several trips just looking at property until we found what we wanted.  And here's what we found.

12 sided oak log house on 42 acres

Notice the outbuilding in the back?  That's where John set up his workshop.  There are 2 rooms (one with a wood heater).  And there are 2 horse stables.  And a space for hay storage.  The hay storage became a general storage room, mostly for large appliances and lumber.  The larger stable became the "garage" for tractor, lawn mower and golf cart.  The smaller stable is more general storage (think chicken wire, ply wood...).

The interior of the house had been totally stripped in 2000 by the DEA following a drug raid.  I understand they were prepared for a bloody shootout with the druggies and even had a TANK here.  Heck, the house IS 6x6 oak logs...  A real fortress. 

There's an addition/den and enclosed "patio" also.

Den with driftwood

The driftwood was immediately removed and helped fuel the fireplace & burning the knee deep leaves around the place.

So, as I said the interior was totally stripped.  We had the kitchen counter, 2 toilets and a claw-foot tub.  There's also a cool 70's style freestanding fireplace.  And the main feature of the house is the fact that it's built around a ROCK.  In fact, that's how our "farm" got it's name.  When we were closing on the place, the title company kept asking us for the name of our "ranch".  Ranch??  What ranch??  Well, it seems that in Arkansas, if you own 40 acres or more; it's a ranch.  Oh.  OK.   So, our "ranch" is named Big Rock Farm.  Because we have BIG ROCKS.  And we're only going to grow BIG ROCKS.

Anyway, here's what the interior looked like.

You can't tell from this picture, but there's a very large hole in the wall between the sink and the toilet.

The sink wasn't there when we purchased the house.  But we did find in out in the pasture behind the workshop.  So, John (being the very handy guy that he is) installed it!  I'm so glad I married a handy man... 

That makes me think of Red Green... But that's a story for another day!

So here's the Big Rock. 

We found a very nice woodstove out in the yard, under a tree.  It's only got 3 legs.  As best as we can tell, this woodstove had been installed ON the rock - thus using it as a thermal mass.

 We've since talked to some people who knew the people who actually built this house & they told us that the woodstove was indeed ON the rock.  And that was the only heat intended for the whole house.




Here's what the great room looked like.

Here again you can see the big rock.











And now for the den.

Here you can see the freestanding fireplace, the threshold into the enclosed "patio", and the clawfoot tub.  We put the wood flooring down.  We got it locally, from the recycling center.  We have the same flooring in the great room.







We had no landscaping.  No garden.  Holes in the walls, no ceiling....  And we were happy!

Laying out the border for the walkway and flower beds

 We found bricks lying around everwhere.  So, I started laying them out for the border for the flower beds and the walkway I wanted to lay.

Where the druggies had their "garden"

We wanted to have a garden, but we didn't know WHAT the druggies had been growing in their "garden", so we took all this fencing down and tilled the ground.  And then we just left it, to become part of the yard.








And now, I'd like to show you what 7 years of work have completed.

Our main walkway and flower garden.

The Big Rock with propane heater.

Dining/kitchen area.

While John was busy cleaning out the workshop, I started laying the stone walkway from stone plied around in the pasture.  I think it came out pretty well.










We invested in a propane tank and 2 propane heaters.  One went in the den/guest room.  And the other went on the Big Rock.  I really like the way it looks.










The kitchen island was a dresser we found out in the workshop.  We repainted it.  It had no top, but the piece of butcher block was also lying out in the workshop.  And so, we had a complete kitchen island.  I bought the reconditioned hoosier at a local antique store.  And I painted the entire great room in the same color scheme to tie everything together.

Living area with our handmade loom

We turned one corner of the great room into my "fiber corner".  I have my weaving loom (which John and I built) and my spinning wheels in this part of the room.  Sadly, because of my health issues I decided it was time to stop weaving.  Happily, I was able to pass the loom on to a dear friend who is using it.  That's a good thing.  And John's handiwork is still being used by someone who loves it.

Bird cages

We turned the old dog kennels into big cages.  We have Rhode Island Red chickens, Brahma Cochin chickens, guinea fowl and bantam chickens.  And sometimes we have quail.

John in the garden

And, here's the garden.  This picture is from 2010.  That hickory tree has since come down in a wind storm.  It did hit the fence and the roof of the small outbuilding just to the left of the garden.  But that tree provided a lot of firewood and lumber.

Anyway, that's all for today.  Hope you liked looking at the pictures. 

We've done alot of work.  But we've loved it!