The Warm on My Feet

I ran outside yesterday to chase the deer from the yard and realized as my bare feet stepped onto the wet grass that there was a soft and warm sensation where the cold use to be. I had to stop and enjoy the moment. Feeling the warmth from the bottom of my feet wrapping around to the top was wonderful so I did a little squeal of delight. I knew then that the ground in the gardens was warming and ran to see what was emerging from the winter soil.

asparagus

snap peas

Caroline raspberries

crocus

rhubarb

shallots

So happy for the warmth on my feet.

Quillisascut - Pizza!

Quillisascut has a beautiful wood fired oven which we took full advantage of in our meal preparation.  Having just made fresh mozzarella and feta cheese, what else could we do but make pizza? We gathered a bounty of onions, squash, flowers, garlic, leaves, tomatoes, peppers, plumbs, a little sausage, fresh herbs and had a pizza party.

The fixings

Stoking the coals to ready the oven for our pizzas.

This amazing oven baked our pizzas beautifully and we also used it for braising the goat meat the following day.

Oh so yummy!

We cut all the pizzas up and passed the platter!

Time to Think About the Fall and Winter Crops

It seems like I've just finished planting the seedlings for the summer garden, and it's time to start thinking about the seeds I need to sow for the fall and winter garden. The first seed catalog for winter harvest veggies arrived and I must say I get the same excited feeling as when the spring catalogs start filling the mailbox! I'm kind of like Pavlov's dog.

This will be my first serious effort trying to growing veggies through the winter. I'll be utilizing the portable hoophouse I designed early this spring and will set a second one up on a new raised bed I hope to add later this summer.  The other boxes will get a cover crops to add organic matter and help improve the overall structure and health of the soil.

So far here is what I'll be sowing in the winter garden:

Arugula

Beets

Broccoli

Carrots

Collards

Endive

Garlic

Kale

Peas

Lettuce

Onion

Shallot

Spinach

Swiss Chard