It’s time again! I turned on the heat mat below and the shop lights above, inserted four flats with an assortment of seeds, and two days later had tiny collards and lettuce. Can you spot them? Germinating at present:Â lettuces of all kinds, collards, kale, spinach, scallions, onions, chives, mizuna, mache, claytonia, chard, celery, celeriac, brussels …
Author Archives: kaat
Success!
Finally the  bottle opened with a loud pop and a gaseous cloud. And there it was: bubbles! It’s very tasty, with a mild zing against the palate. Wonderful.
All Kinds of Snow
We’ve seen fluffy snow, the kind you can shovel for hours without feeling (too) put out. The sticky snow that clings to snowballs and snowmen. The piled on snow, foot upon foot, with a layer of ice on top, that you sink through but your daughter doesn’t. And  the kind of snow that has dwindled …
Overwintered Bees
Incredibly, it almost hit 60 today. After lunch I went out to the hive – appropriately dressed, this time – to check the bees’ stored honey and the pollen patty and sugar fondant I put in last time. There was no wind and the sun appeared sporadically. I took 10 minutes – my feet were …
Bush and Other Orders Happening
Ah, I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much on plants in my life. I just put a couple of orders through. Berry bushes and vines 1 Johns Elderberry 1 Â Adams Elderberry 1 Â Witch Hazel 50 Honeoye Strawberry 2 Bluebell Grapes 3 Island Belle Grapes (Campbell’s Early) 3 Marechal Foch grapes 1 Vaccinium vitis-idaea Red …
Fermented Soda: On to the Third Attempt, and Plans
Amie walks on top of three feet of snow Well, my ginger, chamomile and berry soda was a bust. It never fermented. But it did grow hair! Good for the compost, this one. I got right back on the horse and added the next ginger bug in line (there’s always one brewing)  to a simple wort …
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First Hive Opening and Feeding the Bees Sugar Fondant
I waited impatiently for that “warm” day when I can go out to the hive and do a quick inspection. 40-45 F is the minimum advised temperature at which you can open the cover, have a very quick look, deposit any food on top of the bars, and close it up. No more. In preparation …
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Dare to Dream
The future is all around us (Sherlock Holmes) As I was drafting this in my journal I was thinking how wonderful it is to have a place – my journal – where I can dream without fear and doubt. Then I thought, hey, I can do that on the blog too. Here goes: Plans for …
Firewood
As you can see, I’m sledding in the fire wood now. I also made an extra transfer point in the kitchen to dry it out a bit before it goes into the stove. The wood piles are pretty well covered up but snow gets in. Â A wet log in the fire is a wasted log, …
Ginger, Chamomile and Berry Soda?
To your health! My first ginger soda (I’m going to call it soda as of now because otherwise my European readers think I am brewing alcoholic beverages) lost its fizz at some point. Probably when it was in the carboy, before I bottled it. It’s still mighty good to drink but I want to make …