Adventures of an urban homesteader growing greens, preserving the harvest and tending a backyard barnyard
Apricots are little fruit jewels of the home orchard. They only last a day or two once picked, which is why you rarely see either apricots (or figs) fresh in the store. Their sweet, delicate flavor earned them a spot in our garden in the hopes that we could enjoy these treasures at their height of ripeness. Unfortunately, in the Pacific NW it is really
Goumi is a medium-sized shrub from Asia that is gaining popularity in western gardens. The berries are used medicinally and sweeter varieties are great for eating fresh. Goumi shrubs are nitrogen fixers, benefiting the plants around them with higher nitrogen soil – great for leaf growth. The shrub has long thorns that are easy to spot and avoid. We have two varieties planted on the
Four ducks plus three chickens equals a huge amount of eggs on the homestead. Surprisingly, we are keeping up with the supply pretty well. The secret? Garden frittatas. Frittatas are the perfect egg dish. They use at least a half dozen eggs at a time, are quick to make, you can put anything in them and they are great at any meal. Alice Waters gives
Insomnia has begun to really kick in for me on this home stretch of pregnancy. The combination of waking up every two hours to use the bathroom and being kicked in the ribs throughout the night (it’s okay, Bug… I’d rather you move too much than too little!) has made for some rough nights of sleep. Some nights it’s just better to throw in the
The holidays this year are something we are admiring from a distance, rather than actively getting into the spirit of. Boxes are still stacked like a maze in our house from moving and projects are lined up high. What we would do without our sense of humor about it all? The duck coop is getting closer to completion and I suspect the final touches will
Thanksgiving falls at a weird time in my graduate school schedule. It’s always the week before our final studio design review, so I’m cranking on drawings when most people are pouring over holiday recipes. The picture below is the world I live in right now: sketches, trace paper, tea and pomegranates (a little treat to keep me in my seat working). The last few years
What a weekend! It was equal parts active and hibernating with a double scoop of food lovin’. This big baby in my belly, who we’re calling Bug, went with me to yoga. Of course you have to follow up exercise with a huge brunch – hey, I don’t make the rules. I ate my entire plate of biscuits and gravy, plus half of Jay’s stack
I enjoyed my first foray into the world of mushroom hunting recently. Mushroom hunting has been on my “to-do” list for a few years now, but I can never afford the fancy, all weekend workshops that happen around the NW. Some day I will take those great classes, but for now I’m riding on the coattails of a few good friends. My friend Colin has
My cupboards are generally stocked with homemade, canned marinara sauce. It makes my life sooooo much easier on busy nights to pop open a jar, throw it in with some pasta and call it dinner. The marinara sauce I make is also great on pizzas, which we have about once a week. It takes time and love, but pays off big time come winter. The
