We’ve reached part 4 of this riveting story of how calcium and other nutrients make it into into the soil and thence into our vegetables and thence into our own bodies (and into chicken eggs). We’ve had some cliffhangers already, so be sure to check out parts one, two and three. ~ 4. Solubility, carbonation …
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Oh My.
Amie chooses flowers I put in my seed order. I may have gone overboard a bit, again. No, honestly now, not “again”: even more so, than last year. And these are seeds over and above what I still have left. To be honest I am ashamed to publish the list. Oh my. But, truth be …
Of Calcium in the Soil – Part 3
This is the third article in a series on how calcium and other nutrients end up inside our vegetables, and on how to interpret certain soil test results. It is preceded by part 1 and part 2. ~ 3. Water and pH Let’s investigate the water in the soil. For one, water brings the minerals …
Who’s at the Feeder and Hoop House Trouble
I enjoy nothing more, in winter, then sitting by the big window with a cup of steaming tea and a good book or chess game, and observing the birds at the well-stocked feeder. We have the usual flock of juncos, who love playing in the snow. They are having it out with a flock (the …
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Quick Notes on Stored Food and a Peek Inside the Hoop House
So I did all that canning last year and ended up with a little more than what you see in the picture above. So far we’ve eaten half the tomato sauce, a lot of apple sauce and blueberry jam (but not half, not by a long shot), a quarter of the peaches, and some of …
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Of Calcium in the Soil – Part 2
This is the second article in a series on how calcium and other nutrients end up inside our vegetables, and on how to interpret certain soil test results. You can read the first part here. ~ 2. The soil’s ability to hold on to this calcium: colloids and cation exchange capacity The soil needs to …
Of Eggshells and Calcium in Soil, Compost – Part 1
It was the combination of finding an eggshell in the compost and staring at our soil test results that did it. I started researching and one thing led to another. But I figured it out, the basics of it, anyway. The result is a long text, so I’m serializing it over the next couple of …
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One Down…
With daytime temperatures in the single digits (F), I was motivated to cover the smallest, yet still considerably large, living room window with a thick quilt I had lying around. I just slung it over the curtain rod and then snapped on three of the handy pvc clips that hold the plastic to our hoop …
Homestead Animals: Bees, Chickens, and Fish
Amie welcomes the first non-human animals on the homestead I signed up for Bee School (7 Thursdays and 1 Saturday morning) and while I was at it I also enrolled for a backyard chicken class (2 Saturday mornings, maybe Amie can come too). It took me so long to sign up because I know that …
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Honey Garlic, Finally, Almost
Back in October I peeled about 50 garlic cloves, which I put in apple cider vinegar in a ball jar, and then plain forgot. You’re supposed to wait for only 6 weeks for the next part, but so we waited a bit longer. Tansy’s recipe is here. I finally got around to the second part …