This And That

 It's no surprise that this week has been quiet and slow... much slower than is typical.  But, nonetheless, the week has been beautiful and I have enjoyed each spring-like day. 

 As I mentioned earlier this week, March's weather is erratic and this weeks temperate days 

are going to be replaced, next week, with "fireplace" days and nights dipping down into the 20's.  We've learned to not get too comfortable with warmer weather in March as it is always fleeting.

Jack has taken care of all farm chores this week.  I am hoping to gradually be able to resume some chores as we go forward - slowly building back up to normal over the next week or two.

I did putter around in the garden yesterday.  The beauty of raised-bed gardening is having a place to sit while you gently tug spring weeds out of the soil.  The rhubarb has erupted...

I did manage to plant sugar peas and radishes this week.  These are cold weather tolerant plants that don't mind the crazy weather that accompanies March.

I had my helpers with me, of course!

I am thinking of adding another of these livestock panel arches between two more boxes so that I can grow my gourds (I'm planting loofa gourds this year) squash, and cucumbers off of the ground and onto a trellis instead.

As for the greenhouse, yesterday I added kale and sunflowers to the seeds planted there.  You might have noticed that I have several grow mats plugged into outlets there.  Each tray of seeds is on a warming mat to help quicken the germination of the seeds.

  Although the greenhouse is very warm during the day, it cools down at night and these mats keep the soil a constant temperature.

Daily watering is added to my chore list.

I had a little equine therapy yesterday afternoon. 

 It's always peaceful to spend a little quiet time amongst the herd.

And there is nothing better than donkey therapy!

Even though my wings have been clipped this week, I have kept myself busy.  Boredom is not a part of my vocabulary.  Instead of manual labor, I have occupied my time with hand-embroidering a white linen shirt.  On the back shoulders...

On the collar...

On the bottom of the front...

I'm slowly turning my wardrobe into a fungi wardrobe!!

I tried  this recipe for chocolate sourdough bread.  Oh my goodness... what decadence and deliciousness.  A slice of this, toasted, slathered with pistachio butter is as close to Heaven as I can imagine!  I'll be adding this to my arsenal of recipes for farm guests.

I also used freshly fed sourdough starter for this recipe for waffles.  Mixed the night before and allowed to ferment all night on the counter.  The next morning, eggs, baking soda and powder and salt are added. 

 

These are also delicious, and healthier than typical waffles as the fermentation process pre-digests the wheat and sugars making them more nutritious and with a lower glycemic index. And, for this recipe, I used 100% home-milled wheat flour.   The recipe made 6 Belgian style waffles - so I will freeze a few for later use - warmed in the toaster.

As we head into the weekend, the weather is turning colder.  Gardening projects will be on hold for another week as we enjoy the last of our cozy time by the fireplace.  It looks like I'm going to need to start another project.  Hmmmm.... I wonder what that will be?