The weather turned gray, windy and just 49 degrees; it is now raining.
I decided to not go to the milk parlor and finish cleaning and prepping the planting materials.
Instead baked a pumpkin pie, the first dessert baking I have done in some time. I tried a new technique for me, blind baking the pie shell. I have never done that but have not liked my bottom crusts for some time. They didn't seem done enough. This new technique worked and I will be doing it from now on for custard pies; maybe even fruit pies. Not having dessert for a long while made us really appreciate this one!
Continued:
March 29, 2018
Another cool, dark, rainy day in the Ozarks. So far, we have had 3.75 inches of rain.....much appreciated but now I want warm sunshine. We are never satisfied are we?
Mama Pea and I can carry on an egg-bragging. I don't have any waterfowl but my heirloom girls are really doing great. My Dominique's are beginning their third laying year and are surprising me with the output. I still wish I had a really dark egg layer like Marans...if I ever run across them............I may have to have a couple.
Another catch up post.
We have had more up and down weather, actually 86° one day and down to freezing the next. I am ready for that pattern to settle into a slightly normal pattern.
I did manage to get some outside work done. Partially mowed the east lawn around the first of the month.
Planted a 20 foot row of potatoes and cleaned more henbit from flower beds and garden fence row. The hard freezes don't faze it at all. I try to pull and toss lots of green weeds to the hens every time I get a chance. I even turned them into the garden proper one day since I have no seeds planted.
In the background is my Gravely with the garden cart serving as a yard tractor. I load up all tools and other necessary things to go to the work area. It saves me lots of steps and I need all the help I can get.
Growing under plant lights on the back porch:
Several varieties of tomatoes, three kinds of the fluted Italian ones that I have never grown before.
eggplant (the long skinny purple and white striped)Listada de Granda, red and yellow cheese peppers,
three kinds of Chinese cabbage, garden heliotrope, another variety of heliopsis to grow beside the plain yellow one I have had for years at the east end of the garden.
My plant light stand fixtures are slowly dying. I don't know if they are 'fixable' or not. I am sure it is the ballast. The replacement fixtures are almost $90 so I won't be doing that (I don't think).
In bloom:
the redbud tree is showing pink
my hybrid lilac 'Isabella' (not fully yet)
Several varieties of daffodils
These are growing outside the milk parlor (aka, potting shed and anything else that needs shelter while doing. I have heat and water in there.
The forsythia have finished and the ordinary lilacs are budded but not blooming.
My next outdoor project has to be chainsaw pruning before things get fully leafed out and I can't see what to do.
Max and his helper were going to do some fence repair but it is just going to be in the 40's so we are canceling until a (hopefully) warmer Wednesday.
Cooking
The last two breads have been oatmeal bread, recipe from King Arthur flour but using my mixer technique.
Still not doing desserts for us. I did make Ina Garten's Oatmeal and Raisin cookies for the neighbor's visit and then he didn't come down.....drat, now we will have to eat them.
It's a very good recipe and I have added to my files as a favorite.
I decided to not go to the milk parlor and finish cleaning and prepping the planting materials.
Instead baked a pumpkin pie, the first dessert baking I have done in some time. I tried a new technique for me, blind baking the pie shell. I have never done that but have not liked my bottom crusts for some time. They didn't seem done enough. This new technique worked and I will be doing it from now on for custard pies; maybe even fruit pies. Not having dessert for a long while made us really appreciate this one!
Continued:
March 29, 2018
Another cool, dark, rainy day in the Ozarks. So far, we have had 3.75 inches of rain.....much appreciated but now I want warm sunshine. We are never satisfied are we?
Mama Pea and I can carry on an egg-bragging. I don't have any waterfowl but my heirloom girls are really doing great. My Dominique's are beginning their third laying year and are surprising me with the output. I still wish I had a really dark egg layer like Marans...if I ever run across them............I may have to have a couple.
April 16, 2018
We have had more up and down weather, actually 86° one day and down to freezing the next. I am ready for that pattern to settle into a slightly normal pattern.
I did manage to get some outside work done. Partially mowed the east lawn around the first of the month.
Planted a 20 foot row of potatoes and cleaned more henbit from flower beds and garden fence row. The hard freezes don't faze it at all. I try to pull and toss lots of green weeds to the hens every time I get a chance. I even turned them into the garden proper one day since I have no seeds planted.
Growing under plant lights on the back porch:
Several varieties of tomatoes, three kinds of the fluted Italian ones that I have never grown before.
eggplant (the long skinny purple and white striped)Listada de Granda, red and yellow cheese peppers,
three kinds of Chinese cabbage, garden heliotrope, another variety of heliopsis to grow beside the plain yellow one I have had for years at the east end of the garden.
My plant light stand fixtures are slowly dying. I don't know if they are 'fixable' or not. I am sure it is the ballast. The replacement fixtures are almost $90 so I won't be doing that (I don't think).
In bloom:
the redbud tree is showing pink
my hybrid lilac 'Isabella' (not fully yet)
The forsythia have finished and the ordinary lilacs are budded but not blooming.
My next outdoor project has to be chainsaw pruning before things get fully leafed out and I can't see what to do.
Max and his helper were going to do some fence repair but it is just going to be in the 40's so we are canceling until a (hopefully) warmer Wednesday.
Cooking
The last two breads have been oatmeal bread, recipe from King Arthur flour but using my mixer technique.
Still not doing desserts for us. I did make Ina Garten's Oatmeal and Raisin cookies for the neighbor's visit and then he didn't come down.....drat, now we will have to eat them.
Well, you may say something to the contrary, but I think you are one busy lady and get A LOT done so don't down-play all you do!
ReplyDeleteSounds as if I can't get rid of any of my surplus eggs by sending them to you, eh? ;o) We, too, have always wanted a dark brown egg layer and have tried Marans but they never produced well for us. Wonder why? The few eggs we did get from them were sure beautiful though.
Oh, how I'm envying your spring blossoms. I would love to live in your area in the spring, but I'd have to head northward come summertime or you'd find me as a melted, sweaty puddle (how's that for an image?) in the middle of the driveway. Neither hubby nor I can handle the heat and humidity anymore. How did we ever grow up and live in Illinois for so many years?!
There must be a perfect zone somewhere that is perfect.....I want mid 70's, no bad storms and lots of rain.....Oh well, we can dream.
DeleteWe have one chicken that lays a darker brown than all the others, but has to be one that we have several of.....I always wonder if the same chicken lays the same color all the time....
I'am glad to read the whole content of this blog and am very excited,Thank you for sharing good topic.
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