Squirrel Nest

This time of year it's easy to see the squirrels' nests high up in the trees.   They are balls of leaves where no leaves ought to be this time of year.   It's always fun to see how many there are.

We have  a lot of them, all pretty high up.  

Winter's Teeth

These icicles show up where the little springs drip constantly into one of our creeks.  As soon as it gets cold, they show their teeth.   This winter has been particularly biting.

Gluten Free Brownies

Brownies. Are. My. Favorite.

I especially like them warm with ice cream.  Because brownies!   And ice cream!

We've been wanting to try baking with almond flour so Lily made these brownies from a paleo recipe she adapted from Elana's Pantry.  Gluten free!  [We assume no regular flour in the almond flour....]

Lily's GF Brownies
www.rurification.com

1 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
7 medjool dates with pit removed
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Pulse the dry ingredients in food processor.  Add the dates, pulse until in small pieces.  Transfer mix to a bowl or stand mixer. Add eggs, butter and vanilla and mix together with mixer until just combined.  Bake in greased 8x8 dish for 30 minutes or until done. 

These brownies are dense and fudgy - exactly the way I like them.   They didn't have a 'date-y' flavor like some things flavored with dates do.  The almond flavor balances the dates nicely.   I didn't think that either the almonds or the dates overwhelmed the chocolate flavor at all.  I loved these! 

Tree Damage

My favorite autumn olive tree [Elaeagnus umbellata] was laid low by the recent winter troubles.    All that heavy snow just after the new year bent it right over.   The bending isn't a problem except that a lot of splitting occurred, too and around here that just means disease for a tree.  This tree has a date with the chain saw.

This is some of the damage.

Split limb.

The main trunk, laid on its side, split.

Here's the base of the main trunk - split pretty badly.  If you blow the pic up, you can see a lot of bird damage, too.   The woodpeckers and sap suckers must really love this tree.

Here's a close up of some of those bird holes.  I think they look pretty cool.


We'll try to salvage part of the tree.  It's a good bearer - thornless, too - and I don't want to lose it.

Euonymus Berries

It's so nice to see color this time of year.   We have a lot of these little trees. I'm pretty sure it's Euonymus atropurpureus.   They stay in the understory and in years with good rainy springs, they fruit.   Gotta love that winter red.

Canadian Robins

We had some Canadian visitors to our crabapple tree.  A whole flock of robins showed up one blustery day to snack.  

They stayed for a few hours.   I wondered where they were going next - north?  or further south?   

I like the look of them in the tree.  

Best winter ornaments ever.

Winter Veg

After we cleaned out our dead hives [see yesterday's post], Eric reminded me that we hadn't checked out the cold frame or hoop house to see how those vegetables had weathered the weather. 

At last, some good news!   Some lettuce, little radishes and little carrots had done just fine.  A lot of the greens had some frost damage, but we expect them to bounce back pretty well.

In the cold frame I found my two little spinach starts doing just fine.   So, if I can get this stuff to grow, which I haven't been able to do in the past, at least we know it's cold hardy!   I will likely let these go to seed and save it for next year to try again. 

0 for 3

The arctic vortex killed the last 2 of our hives.  Eric had skirted the bottoms and put up extra wind and weather protection, but those plunging temps [-20 here with much lower wind chills] were too much. We started the winter with 3 hives - 2 regular sized ones  and one tiny one, tucked up well for the winter and with plenty of food.  The first hive died early in December.

Here is a pic [above] of some of the dead bees from the nuc.   You can see the queen in the center with the dark solid butt.

The temp here was 50 a few days after the cold snap [Cold snap.  Hah.  Now that's an understatement].  So we checked the bees and when we found nothing but deadouts, we cleaned them out.   There was a pair of mice in one hive.   We kicked them out and closed up the entrances so they couldn't get back in.   We pulled all the frames except for the two straightest ones in each hive.  I left those in in case we're lucky enough to get swarms this year.

The bees had plenty of candy left, so we tossed that out for the other critters to snack on.  We even saw a bee from a wild hive come to check it out.  I'd love to get those genetics!

We took all the frames inside to strip for honey and wax.   I got 7 pints of honey and about 2 lbs of wax

We thought all the colors in the comb were really pretty. 

Our next decision was whether to try again this year with bees or just throw in the towel.  Beekeeping is EXPENSIVE.  If you start, be aware that the cost for bees, equipment and extras can add up fast.   There are ways to cut costs, but trying to keep an apiary going for a few years is no small investment in money or time. Just sayin.

I love having bees.   We love what they've done for the gardens.  So, we thought we'd give it another year.  I put in an order for 2 more nucs.  They're expensive this year [$165 each], but we're getting Indiana queens and by getting nucs instead of packages, we're getting a 6 week head start, which will translate into bigger hives going into the winter.    I'd like to be able to overwinter the majority of my hives eventually and I'd also like to get a real honey harvest [60-200lbs of honey per hive]. 

Wish us luck.   Clearly we need it.

Organizing Seeds

I finally found a way to organize all my seeds.   I put them in a photo box and then labelled the dividers for the categories that made the most sense to how we garden.

I use separate dividers for the normal stuff that we plant like peas and melons and squash and tomatoes and peppers, etc.

I combined the onions and leek type stuff.  Also all the greens.    Also the herbs.  Also the root vegetables because I want to try some new ones and they'll get lost if I put them under Parsnips, because seriously, who remembers parsnips??

So far I love the system.  Everything stays contained and I don't have to use rubber bands.  The seeds I save, I just put in envelopes and file with the others.

Now that I have this and the seed viability lists, I can toss out the old stuff that won't last and know exactly what I already have so I don't re-order any more than I really need.

Old Seeds

I have loads of old seeds.   Loads of them.    I never know which to keep and which to pitch.   Turns out a lot of other people have the same question every year and there are these wonderful charts to help me remember.

I found this chart at  http://awaytogarden.com/estimating-viability-how-long-do-seeds-last/

So.    I'll be pitching my old onion, parsnip and parsley seeds for sure.   And I'll be getting all new spinach seeds - maybe that's why we've had a problem growing spinach.  I was trying to use old seed...

When I was going through my box of seeds, I realized that I had a bunch of herb seed that was aging as well.   Here's a list of herb seed viability rates from The Herb Gardener:  http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2013/01/seed-longevity-herbs.html

• Angelica - 6 months (21 - 30 days)
• Basil - 5 years (14 days)
• Borage - 4 years (14 days)
• Caraway - 3 years (18 days)
• Catnip - 3 years (30 days)
• Chamomile - 3 years (18 days
• Chives - 2 years (10 - 20  days)
• Cilantro - 2 years (21 days)
• Coriander - 4 years (21 days)
• Fennel - 3 years (18 days)
• Lavender - 2 years (21 days)
• Lemon Balm 3 years (21 days)
• Marjoram - 2 years (15 days)
• Mint - 3 years (30 days)
• Oregano - 4 years (30 days)
• Parsley - 2 years (30 days)
• Rosemary - 3 years (14 - 28 days)
• Rue - 2 years (21 days)
• Sage - 4 years (28 days)
• Summer Savory 2 years (28 days)
• Thyme - 3 years (21 days)

It's nice to have these lists on one page now.   I hope they help you plan a great garden this year!

Magic

This is the creek that runs down the hill next to the road from Solsberry to the black barn.   It meanders, like all of our creeks do.    It looks nice in all seasons, but looks spectacular decked out in white.

I love those snows where the snow sticks to every twig and branch.   It's magical.


We specialize in magic around here.   

Walnut Debris

We know the squirrels have been busy when we see piles of walnut debris in piles all over the place.   We have loads of walnut trees and plenty of happy squirrels - mostly grey squirrels, but some fox squirrels, too.  

You can collect these hulls and freeze or dry them to use for dyeing.  They make beautiful colors.

Ripples

It looks like ripples in the water, but really the ripples are in the stones themselves.   Click the pic for a closer up look.

Dinosaur Skull

We've been walking by this log for a couple of years now and it's always been just a log.  Then one day, Lily and I stopped and laughed and said, 'Do you see that?'    So I snapped the pic.   Then when I had it pulled up on the computer, Eric saw it from across the room and said, 'Is that...?  That looks like a...' and we all said, 'I know!'

Roasted Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Eric is a great cook.  One of the things he likes to do a lot in the winter is toss a bunch of vegetables in the oven and roast them all afternoon.  Once they're roasted, we can eat them as is or grind them up for spreads and soups.

Last week,  Eric roasted a whole head of garlic, 6 large slices of ginger, 2 cut up carrots, a sliced onion, a handful of frozen red peppers and three chicken breasts - all topped with a generous sprinkle of oregano and thyme.    He put it all in the cast iron skillet and left it in the oven at 250 until the chicken was done.   

It would have been fine to plate it up as is and eat it that way, but Eric decided to shred the meat and make soup.  He added 4 cups of turkey stock from the freezer along with 4 cups of water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes.   It made a brilliant brothy soup.   And we had enough leftovers for dinner the next day. 

Hoop House Re-Do

We've been thinking about how to re-do the hoop house so it is less vulnerable to collapse and so it has doors that are easier to navigate.

Here is a link to Walden Effect's post on Eliot Coleman's hoop houses.   Read my review of Coleman's book here.   Here is his website.

This is the place he gets his row covers.  It looks like he's using Agribon 15 or 19.  That's the most affordable, but it doesn't last long according to Anna at Walden Effect [see link above].

Here is the pdf for how Coleman builds smaller hoop houses.   This is what we're going to try to do.   His are 13 ft wide and I need 10 ft wide ones.   Not sure how we're going to do that yet.   We have a couple of options. 

• Do the bends higher so the hoop house is taller and narrower.
• Do it his way and cover my entire bed and the paths on either side.   I couldn't easily get around the hoop house that way, though my paths are pretty wide so maybe it would be just do-able.

Here's the link to Johnny's tunnel pipe bender.   And here's the link to their slideshow on how they build the moveable greenhouses.

Here's a site that has the clamps:  http://shop.hoopbenders.net/    Check their sidebar for a list of sizes. 

Nails

We joke around here about the building practices of the folks who built our places.    Sometimes they used 1 nail where they should have used 3.   Sometimes they used 7 where they should have used 1.   You never know until you get inside. 

I noticed this row of nails where they had pulled the wood off the side of the old shed I've been telling you about.   One nail per board across the tops and another across the bottoms.   It was frugal and it held for decades.  

Sheet Metal

All of the old out buildings [and some of the old houses] had this roofing. They had taken half the roof off and stacked it up neatly to cart away or for re-use.  I love the textures. 

Corner Shelf

A corner of the shed I've been telling you about.   It's very common to see these clever shelves.   You never know what you're going to find on them. 

Notice the fishing pole tucked back there.

Chain

It's common to find old chains hanging on the walls of barns and sheds out here.   This one is being salvaged from an old shed that's being torn down down the way.    They're big chains.  Fat chains.  Heavy chains.    We use them to tow things, to wrap around stumps and trees to pull them loose, to attach to come-alongs.

The last time we used one was last summer, with a come-along [wiki], to right an SUV that had been tipped over into a big ditch [driven by an inexperienced teen driver going too fast down our hill on loose gravel].   Eric hooked it all up around a big tree across the road from the wreck and after reminding the driver and his friend to keep entirely away from it and that they did not need to help push it upright, righted the thing by himself.    

Chains and come-alongs are fabulous.    [Here's a link to a bunch of come-alongs if you want to check some out].

Tires

From the old shed I told you about yesterday.   They were in a pile.  I didn't count them, but there were more than enough for a couple of vehicles.

Old Shed

Things change. 

Things age and start to fall down.   There's an old machine shed down the way from us that has been aging - rather ungracefully lately - for a long time.   The neighbor built it from wood he salvaged from the old farmhouse that was on the property when he moved there.  He lived in a mobile home on the place and tore down the old house and built a machine shed.  Over the years it filled up with stuff.

They're tearing it down now and over the next few days, I'll show you some of the treasures that collected there over the years.   I have mixed feelings about these old places.   The piles of stuff alternately result in raised eyebrows, rolled eyes and grins of appreciation.

Crazy Winter

So.   We had a little weather here.  

Late Saturday night it started raining.  Temps hung out around freezing and early Sunday morning we had a beautiful snow - huge flakes falling straight down.   Then late morning, the snow turned to slush.   It snowed snowcones for hours.   It was so wet it was puddling - the ducks loved it.   By afternoon, we had 3 inches of mushy slush everywhere. I watched this flowerpot collect the snow and slush all day on Sunday, the snow piling in straight lines up on the tiny edge.

Late Sunday afternoon, the slush turned to snow again and we got a lot more snow - that melted into the slush.

Fun.

At the end of the day, things looked like this.  It was magical.

Then the temps dropped and the wind blew and in the morning, it still looked just like this.   Snow was frozen in globs all over everything.

It was just too darn cold to go outside so you'll have to imagine the blue and white twinkling world we had as that deadly Arctic Vortex slammed us.   We and the animals stayed indoors for the next two days until the temps climbed to the double digits again.  I've never been so happy to see 11 degrees above zero. 

Leaves

I thought the russet color of these oak leaves was pretty against the woods. 

Berry Rhubarb Crisp

Last year we cut and froze a lot of rhubarb.    First time ever!    Just recently, we realized how much we had in the freezer and we decided to start using it up.    We love the traditional strawberry-rhubarb combinations, but since our strawberries have already been used, we decided to try other combinations with rhubarb.

Turns out that Blueberry-Rhubarb and Blackberry-Rhubarb are just as good as [if not better than] the strawberry version.

Lily made a couple of crisps so we could do the tasting.   Delish!

Berry Rhubarb Crisp
www.rurification.com

2 cups blueberries or blackberries or strawberries
3 cups rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar  [3/4 cup if you know your fruit is tart.]

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Toss the fruit with the sugar and put in baking dish.  Sprinkle all over with topping.  Bake for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbling.

Crisp Topping
www.rurification.com

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1/2 sugar
1 cup oats

Cut together well with pastry blender or food processor. 

Notes:  We use this crisp topping on a lot of different things.   You can use white or whole wheat flour.  You can use regular or old fashioned rolled oats.   It's good with white or brown sugar.  

Thinking About Syrup

This is the time of year to start planning for maple syrup season.   You need taps and collectors.   We use metal taps and these awesome syrup bags.   They last for several seasons.

Here's a post describing how we tap our trees and where we get our stuff. 

We'll start actually tapping the trees late this month or at the beginning of February, collect all month, then do our boil at the beginning of March.  

Time for Summer Garden Lists

My favorite veg garden seed catalog arrived in late December.  Baker Creek is awesome.   www.rareseeds.com  I've been marking entries and making lists.   

I'm going to learn how to grow onions from seed this year.   I just read a terrific post from the Walden Effect on doing just that.   It's a fantastic article and if you're going to grow onions, then read it!  I need to read up on short day vs. long day onions and then buy some new seed appropriate for our location.   [I'm guessing we're in between...]

I'll let you know what my final list is as soon as I decide on everything.

Little House in the Big Woods

This little house sits off one of our back roads.  It and the accompanying barn a bit apart were long since abandoned and it is a decaying wreck now, slowly, slowly being reclaimed by the woods. 

Proof positive that Indiana wants to be woods and when left to herself will revert right back.

This place sits atop a high place and you can tell that it had been cleared at one time for quite a distance around it.   They probably raised cattle and had a tobacco field or two.   Maybe grew some corn.   

The roof and floor have completely rotted out and the rooms have caught the detritus of decades of landowners.

It had a pretty view out the back at one time where the hill falls away.

I loved the old wallpaper in this room.  The woman who last loved this house also loved flowers.  

There are giant old forsythias that bloom in tangles between the house and the barn.    There are wild and windblown rose of sharon trees out the back. 

There are probably surprise lilies that come up in August, hidden in the weeds, as there are by all the old houses out here. 

The windows were shot out long ago.  The walls are separating.  The siding is crumbling.   It's a crooked little house now, next to the crooked little barn,  melting and melding into the big woods. 

But once upon a time, a woman sat in a rocker on this front porch and shelled peas and listened to the birds. 

Emergency Kit First Aid Book

I got this book for us for Christmas to add to our Bug Out Bags. It is full of fantastic information and exactly what I needed to keep in our emergency first aid kit. 

It is spiral bound and all of the pages are plastic coated so the book can be used in the wet without falling apart or spoiling.   I love that!

 Check out those tabs along the bottom. There are sections on:

• safety
• cpr
• medical [e.g. childbirth and allergies]
• injury [including stitches]
• environmental dangers [e.g. altitude sickness and hypothermia]
• poison
• disaster
• survival

The dimensions are 3"x6" including the binding.  It's an ideal collection of information to keep with emergency packs.  

The only thing I don't like about it is the spiral binding, which I assumed would be along the side [no biggie that it's on the top], and which is made out of plastic.  [Seriously, guys??]   I'll find a sturdier case to keep it in so it doesn't get destroyed in the pack.

Here's the link to the Amazon page:

 

Hidden Opportunities

We lost one of our hives early in December and since there's really nothing to do with it until things get warmer, I just covered the entrances and let it be.  But when my sister and her family came last week, I realized that a winter deadout is a fantastic hidden opportunity to teach people, especially kids, about bees.

First off, I knew for a fact the middle hive was a deadout because Lily and I had already opened it to make sure a few weeks ago.  We thought the nuc was a deadout too and had opened it only to find that not only was it alive, but defensive.   On this day, we left the nuc completely alone and opened only the hive I knew was already dead.

The day was cloudy and in the lower 50s.  We did see a couple of bees from the big hive come out for exercise.  I had the boys put their ears to the back of big live hive and then I knocked so they could hear the hum.  

Then we opened the deadout.  We showed them propolis and how the bees had sealed up all the cracks. 

We talked about how winter bees are all girl bees and how they kick the drones out when it gets cold but the queen lays more when it starts getting warmer.   We talked about how drones don't have stingers. 

The boys got to hold dead bees.   They thought that was really cool.  I showed them how fuzzy they are and where the stingers were and that an insect has three parts:  a head, thorax and abdomen.   

We showed them how the cluster was arranged like a ball in the hive and then we pulled out a frame with bees on it and show how they were arranged in the cells and over the cells to make the cluster.   We looked for the queen but couldn't find her.   We did see dead brood and showed them the capped brood under the bees.

Eric explained how when bees are born they start out as nurse bees, then progress to foragers and finally water carriers.  

I pulled out a frame of honey and cut some off so everyone could taste it.   The wax was crispy from the cold, but the honey was gooood.

We showed them the pollen stores and some unfinished nectar and the capped honey and a couple of places where the caps were shredded and honey must have been robbed out.  We talked about how bees make honey from nectar.

They wanted to know what killed the bees, so we talked about varroa and Eric pulled the bottom board so we could show them a few.   We talked about how a varroa on a bee is like a tick the size of your fist on you, passing on diseases like Deformed Wing Virus and that those things will weaken a hive so it won't make it through the winter.  

We talked about where the hive entrances are and how you stay in the back of the hive when you check things.   They asked tons of questions and it was one of those times when you can see learning happening.     I think from now on, whenever I have a deadout I'm going to make a point of inviting people over to look it over.   It's a great way to teach people about bees.