Gathering Wood

       We sell our wares at a variety of events and festivals.   One of the most popular questions that we hear again and again is... "  Where do you get the wood for all of your beautiful pieces?"   So, I thought I would take a minute to give folks a little insight into the part of the spoon carving process that most people miss.  

      Our largest wood source by far is simply thoughtful friends, family and neighbors that hear of someone needing to take a tree down or see a tree that has fallen down.    Thankfully, word of mouth spreads quickly and we get calls quite often from people who need to remove a walnut tree that is too close to their house or saw a cedar tree in the ditch, or did a landscaping job and removed a holly tree. Sometimes customers will have us create something from a tree that was in their yard and died or had to be taken down.  Then they can continue to enjoy the tree and cherish the memories they have of the tree.     We really appreciate all these good folks who call us.    It helps us out tremendously,  is far less wasteful than letting the tree rot or chipping it, and it preserves the beauty of the tree for many generations to enjoy.   Once we get the call to come and get wood, we never quite know what we will find when we arrive.   Sometimes the tree is cut and laying by the road and we are so thrilled to just lift it up into the truck and head for home.    Most of the time, however, that is not the case.    A more likely situation is that the wood is at the bottom of a hill, nestled in between many trees or houses and there is no way to get the truck close to the wood at all.  Then we have to get creative and as Sy says, "use our primitive  Egyptian-style techniques."    Basically, we use a lot of muscle and some ropes and perhaps some nearby saplings as rollers.    It eventually works and everyone gets a lesson in working together and problem solving.     

    These pictures are from a trip we took to West Virginia last week.    Sy had some special orders that needed walnut wood and we were out of it.   So, we headed to West Virginia to visit Sy's Granny and see if we could find any walnut on her 30 acres in the hills.    We very rarely cut living trees solely for the business, but if we have no other option, we choose carefully and repectfully.    We found a walnut tree that was dying and a cherry tree in an area that could benefit from thinning.   We cut them both and were thrilled to load up a truckload of wood and head back over the hills towards home.    There is a story behind each spoon or bowl that leaves our booth.   We know where your bowl began and the hours that we sweated to get the tree home to carve it.   Each piece has a lifetime and a tale to tell  before it ever reaches the chopping block.  Just ask us about your spoon.  We know the story behind it and are happy to share it with you.     

Honey Day!

     Around our home, honey extraction day ranks right up there with one of the most popular national holidays. School is cancelled for the day, friends and family drop by to lend a hand and crank for a while, the kids gorge themselves on big chunks of wax and honey that drop unnoticed, and the day just hums with excitement.    This year was no exception.   We learned a whole lot and made more of a sticky mess than you could imagine, but everyone had a great time.   

       We had 8 frames to extract for this session.   ( Hopefully we will be able to take some more in another month or so.)   The first step is to cut the capping wax off the top of the comb.   This step actually proved much less graceful and refined than I would have imagined.   However, as Selene and I tried our hand at carefully removing the top of the comb, I began thinking hard about the beeswax and what a marvelous creation it is.   The wax is made by female worker bees.  It comes from glands on their abdomens, and it is clear and unscented when it is first excreted.   The color and scent of the beeswax comes from the nectar and pollen that they gather.    Just as honey varies in taste depending on the source of nectar; beeswax also varies in color or scent.    However, there is so much more to it than color and scent.   This amazing product is used by the bees to build incredibly  strong and beautiful comb.   This comb keeps the finished honey completely clean with just the right moisture content.   It protects it from mold, moisture, heat and stores it extremely efficiently.    The beeswax is naturally made with no chemical by products.   It can be used over and over again, and when the bees are done with it, you can turn it into candles, soap or other products.   All of this can be accomplished without wasting  any energy or burning fossil fuels.    

      When I think about all of the human technology that we possess, it frustrates me.   We can communicate with someone thousands of miles away, we can build structures hundreds of feet tall, and we can make I-phones and computers that can do more than I could ever imagine.   However, we can not create a  protective wrapper for our food without using up energy or wasting petroleum and emitting toxic by-products.  Once the wrapper is created, it is  normally used once and then left to rest in a landfill for the next few hundred years.     The simple orange peel or common beeswax are beautiful examples of nature's perfect system.   I hope that we can learn to imitate this system a little closer in the future.    There is so much to learn from the bees, if we could just observe and listen a little closer.   

Dew on the Mint Plants

 Whew......  Life gets so hectic sometimes.   The kids get involved in complicated projects, gardens need to be tended to, the laundry pile threatens to actually hide the washing machine, and then a small pile of helpless creatures that needs to be bottle fed every couple hours usually turns up and the day goes from busy to a bit insane.    This has been the rhythm of my life lately, and I find myself trying to find ways to unwind and relax.    So, I slip on a pair of worn out tennis shoes and head out in an early morning misty rain to contemplate herbal teas. 
     Growing, drying, and making herbal tea is an extremely easy, and satisfying project that anyone can handle.  Here in Virginia, there are several herbs that are carefree and easy to grow.   These include all the mints, bee balm, lemon balm, lemongrass, stevia, and anise hyssop, lavender.   Then there are some slightly harder, but still rewarding herbs to grow for tea.  This list may include licorice root, horehound, chamomile, and hibiscus.  
         Harvesting of your herbs should be done on a dry day after the dew has evaporated.    I try to cut my  leaves just before the plant flowers.   This results in the highest concentration of flavor and scent in the dry leaves.   Roots should be harvested in the fall.   The fairly invasive herbs (such as mint) can really be harvested whenever they have a good stalk of green leaves growing.  Your biggest problem with the mints will be keeping up with the harvest and keeping them from overtaking your more obedient plants.  
       Once you have the leaves/ stems cut a simple way to dry them is to just hang them upside down.   I like my dehydrator and use that for most of my drying.   I have also heard of people using their hot car on a sunny day.   The key is quick heat with some air ventilation.   Dark is best also- if you have a hot attic with a fan that works very well.  After the leaves are dry and crumbly, they can be stored for a long time.   Light and heat are the things that will break down the herbs, so try to store them in a dark, cool spot.   I put mine in mason jars in the back of the pantry.   I feel that glass or stainless steel work better than plastic for keeping the herbs air tight.  
        After your herbs are dry, they can be used for tea at anytime.   I use about 1 TBSP dry herbs per cup.   ( Fresh is great too, when available,  just use 2 TBSP per cup)   Just heat your water to boiling, remove from the heat and add herbs.  Let them steep 3-5 min or to taste.   Sweeten, Strain and then enjoy your tea. During the summer, I like to make a big pot and then chill it in the fridge to serve cold.   Here is also a great way to get your kids to drink healthy herb teas (like nettle, oatstraw, etc)  If you make the iced tea and then freeze it in popsicle molds or make shaved ice with it later--  somehow my kids drink way more tea in popsicle form than hot tea form.       

 

After you have your tea dry you can experiment with many different flavors and combinations.   You can also  purchase herbs from the local health food store to add to your own or supplement what you can not grow.   I have purchased herbs lately to make a few different blends for some garden shows that I am doing this spring.   Here is a good basic recipe to follow for a simple tea blend-

    1 part flowery ( chamomile, calendula, wild rose petals, etc)

    2 part earthy  ( raspberry  leaves, nettles, etc)

    1 part fruity  ( rose hips, hibiscus, lemongrass, etc)

     1 part cooling ( peppermint, spearmint, etc)   

  

 

This picture above was one of my favorite new tea blends that I created this spring.   I am calling it  "Leave your troubles at the gate"  because it was made to help one relax and calm down after a stressful day.   It passed the "kid test" here in my household so I am passing the recipe along to you and your families....

     2 parts chamomile
     2 parts spearmint
     1/2 part lavender buds
     1/2 part cinnamon chips
     1 part passion flower  

                                                      ENJOY!!

Ideas for Kale

                 Kale is one of the healthiest foods that we can eat.  It is absolutely loaded with vitamins, and  it is a powerhouse and superfood of nutrients.   Unfortunately, in my family, it is also a food that I normally have to cook, disguise, smother, and then serve in small portions.  So, when a well meaning neighbor gave me two large, black trash bags full of kale this week, I was a bit overwhelmed.  Wasting food, especially REAL food, makes me feel rather ill  and so I racked my brain for something to do with all this kale.  It was then that I thought of my new dehydrater that was just waiting to get broken in.    I decided to try some kale chips and was thrilled to find  a great way to store lots of kale.    And here is the real kicker... My kids love them!       So here is what I did, and I would love to hear other ways you have found to serve this nutritous vegetable. 

1-   The first step was to clean and chop the kale.  This actually took the longest time for me out of all the steps.    Next time, I will get my kids to help with this part.   However, since I was uncertain how the chips were going to turn out, I hated to prolong the torture by also making them prepare such a large ammount of kale.   Basically, just rinse it and tear the leaves from the stems.   Simple, just time consuming.

2-    Next, I prepared a dressing for them in the Vita-Mix.  I tried 3 different ones for 3 separate dehydrator loads of kale.   The first used olive oil, honey, garlic, nutritional yeast, cardamom, and turmeric.   My next recipe included olive oil, honey, lemon and nutritional yeast.    The last one used olive oil, honey, Bragg's liquid aminos, lemon juice, and some ginger.   The last one turned out great, but the kids also really liked the second batch.  The first one did not go over quite as well.   I don't really have exact measurements, but you want to pour the mixture over the kale and then massage it into the kale until it is limp  and shrinks down to about half the original ammount.    (see above photo).   For an entire dehydrator full, I use somewhere around 1 cup olive oil, half or 3/4 lemon, one spoonful of honey, one small piece ginger and maybe 1/4 cup Braggs.   If you like nutritional yeast, then try about 1/3 cup.    Experiment with what your family likes.   The kale should be covered, but not dripping.   

    3-  Next came the easy part-  I dehydrated the kale at 110- 115 degrees.   ( Don't go over 118 and it is still considered "raw" because the enzymes are still intact.)   It took me about 5 hours,  but just keep an eye on it.  If your trays are really full you may have to turn the kale or wait longer.    It was during this step that I got a big smile.  The kids were actually "sneaking" into the back room and stealing kale out of the machine before it was even finished!    Oh the small joys of motherhood!   When it is done, the pieces are crisp and flavorful.   They can be stored in airtight containers in a cool, dark place.   My chips are in mason jars in the pantry.    Also, I have read that you can do this process in the oven if you do not have a dehydrator.  I don't know much about it and have not tried it.   However, it might be fun to try for those who don't have a dehydrator.      The above picture shows my final product--  very beautiful! 

    4- Clean up and enjoy the kale chips!   Hopefully, your kids will relish them also!     My chickens got all the stems and leftover pieces.   They enjoyed the scraps and then we get exceptional eggs later.    

Springtime chores....

     Sometime last spring, my Mom decided that she and I needed a new hobby.   Her father was a beekeeper and my father has a small orchard on his farm.  Beekeeping seemed liked the logical and exciting new hobby for us.   Now most who know me well are probably now thinking, " a new hobby is exactly NOT what she needs";   however I was thrilled.   The whole process intrigued me, the farm can always use more pollinators,  and the prospect of extracting lots of fresh, raw honey gathered right in my own backyard was a major plus.    So, we jumped right in and ordered 4 packages of honeybees.  

    I think we both figured, "How hard could it really be?"   My grandfather was an exceptional,  well known and well respected beekeeper in the Northeast.   Surely the beekeeping skills are hereditary and these simple creatures will flourish with little care.   Besides, we had watched my cousin care for his hives  the past several years on my parent's property.  He made it look rather easy as well.  

     Earlier this week, these thoughts made me laugh as I examined our hives with my Mom.    Amazingly enough, 2 hives did survive the winter and are completely thriving.   "Great" you may think!  However, the job of the beekeeper is to try and establish a delicate balance.  You want the bees to thrive and reproduce, but not so much that they run out of space and swarm.   Then, you go into shock as  half of your hive abandons you and heads for the trees to find a new home.   You try to salvage what is left and move on.   However, at that point your chance of having surplus honey goes way down.   Our hives were overflowing with bees, honey, pollen, brood and queen cells.  ( which indicated a swarm was imminent).   So mom and I floundered around a whole lot and finally decided to split our 2 colonies into 5 colonies.   We gave each new  colony some queen cells, honey, brood and bees.   Then, we hoped for the best.    Mom in her great wisdom says, " Well, I guess it is all a learning process.   If it works, then we know we did the right thing-- if not, we know what NOT to do next time."    I just have to smile.   It may turn out just fine. She was right about needing a new hobby, anyway!  

     After an exhausting afternoon beekeeping, I had to tend to some activities I am more familiar and confident about.  Josie and I have started lots of flats of cut flowers for market this summer.     We have some "Old favorites"-  such as sunflowers and zinnias, but I have purchased some new seeds as well to try.   Some of our new cut flower varieties for the upcoming market season include, "emerald tassles" amaranth,  Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, Black tip wheat, "marble arch" salvia and some new perennials.    I am excited to see how they turn out.    

     The tulips are beautiful this week.   I have lots and lots of varieties, which are all coming in quickly due to the unseasonablely warm spring.   They will come and go quickly this year, so I am doing my best to appreciate each day that I have to enjoy them.

Another step-another direction...   Today we are packed and rolling down the highway headed for Ohio and Mosquito Creek Farm!

I will miss this peaceful , quiet place.      So much