3rd week of April 2010

White Lilacs ] Working outdoors is a pleasure for the senses this time of year. The meadowlark serenades me from the fencepost behind the garden while the mockingbirds and cardinals perform from the tree tops. Another seasonal thrill is to walk past the lilac trees and catch a glorious whiff. Pictured is the white lilac tree that could be nearly 100 years old since the grandpa house it is next to was built in 1900. It gives off plentiful babies which I keep digging to pot up for others to enjoy. We have had quite a stretch of dry weather in April and early in the week I was out watering lettuce transplants, carrot and beet beds along with other greens with the hose. The ground was dusty and it felt more like August soil. Thankfully the rains came over the weekend to jumpstart everything again. The rain is giving me an opportunity to take a break from work in the garden beds to pot up plants on the porch. The tomato seedlings are ready to go into 4 inch pots and the challenge is to keep everything accurately labeled when I'm working with 15 varieties.

Nettles We are still getting some spinach and greens from the overwintered crops but are eagerly awaiting the spring plantings to grow large enough for harvest. While we wait, there is another crop that is abundant - the weeds! Here is a bowlful of stinging nettle that I just harvested from one of our plentiful wild spots. The nettles are a nutritious spring green that are good steamed, in soup or as a tea. Our family has eaten them in several dishes and the last two weeks I've sold them by the gallon bag at Local Roots with a recipe attached. I even have folks who think I'm incredibly blessed to have so many weeds at my house and they are requesting starts of stinging nettle. I'm keeping an eye on the lambs quarters so I can harvest them when they are big enough. They make an excellent spinach substitute. Who knew that our weed patches would become cash crops! Besides that, my plate of edible weeds that I bring along for my Thursday demos at Lehmans is one of the most popular items to drum up conversation. I guess that shows that it is wise to look deeper than just "weed-deep" at the value of things.

Baby Goats New babies are bursting everywhere. So far in 2010 we have calves named Snowdrop, Sapphire, Primrose, Dithers and Black-eyed Susan. Some are Jersey and some are Hereford and they are fun to watch romping through the pastures. Two of the Oberhasli goats also gave birth recently. Skipper is part Nigerian Dwarf and Helga is full Obi. Both needed a little assistance in their delivery and our daughter now has the experience of being a goat mid-wife. The goat kids are great pets and provide plenty of entertainment. Our children enjoy taking visitors to see the new little ones. We are waiting on one more goat to give birth next week and there will be many calves yet to come also.