Old McDonald Had a Farm...

E-I-cow-in-the-barn

Garden Goodness

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout

last year's garden

One of the things we love about living in our old house is that it came with a huge yard - something that isn't present in modern homes. Our plot is 60' by 100' which provides us with ample space for a vegetable garden. I started this garden last year and learned a lot from my mistakes, so I'm betting this year will be even better. And of course, because I love gardening so much I just HAD to blog about it.

Hoe while it is spring, and enjoy the best anticipations. It is not much matter if things do not turn out well. ~Charles Dudley Warner

I crammed as many vegetables as I could into my garden. My goal by the end of the summer is to have a freezer full of frozen beans, peas and carrots to use in side dishes and soups. I think it's great that I can give my family organic vegetables throughout the winter for a fraction of the cost that we would pay at a grocery store.

I traveled off my beaten path and am experimenting with growing butternut squash, cabbage and beets this year. I'll need to look up recipes for these veggies since I'm not very familiar with cooking them. If you have any suggestions on how to cook these veggies, I'd be most grateful!

If we were planning on staying in this house for quite some time, I would have invested in raised beds, with cedar chip pathways between each bed. My garden functions just as well, but pulling out the quack grass gets old fast.

My nesting got the better of me and I had Nialle, Nethanel and Nethanel's friend Jordan dig me another plot at the back of our yard. Yep, I've got MORE beans, peas and carrots in there. In total, I have planted two varieties of beans, three varieties of peas and three varieties of carrots. I also used up all the seeds in the packets...Nialle's already started to complain about how he's going to be sick of eating all this stuff by Christmas.

My mom's post on tea gardens inspired me to plant some chamomile and mint to dry for teas that I can enjoy throughout the winter. Although, I must say that fresh mint tea in the summer tastes much better than dried mint tea.

Our raspberries came with the house and they might be the one thing in my garden that I am looking most forward to enjoying this summer. Last year we had a bumper crop of raspberries which meant I had bags and bags of frozen raspberries in the freezer. Even after giving some of the bags away to friends, Nialle and I were still enjoying raspberry smoothies up until this March.



I'm even going to try to make my own raspberry soda this year. You should come over one day and enjoy some with me!

The lilac bushes are also another thrill of spring. Who needs Febreze when you have lilacs right outside your bedroom window? Both our bedroom and Liam's bedroom are heavy with the perfume of lilacs. It's very romantic.

It's Spring!

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood

Victory Gardens

Only recently did I learn about Victory gardens, but they have become a bit of a fascination to me. I mean, when else did so many people and towns participate in growing their own food? Yum!

Victory gardens were planted in the US, UK and Canada during WWI and WWII in order to alleviate the demand on the public food supply. It was intended that the money saved on importing food would go directly to supporting the armed forces.

Gardening during the wars wasn't just for the poor anymore, it was a way for the public to feel they were making a contribution toward the war efforts. In many ways, having victory garden was seen as a morale booster.

And what better way to boost morale, than to grow your victory garden in a bomb crater as seen in this picture?

Space that otherwise would have gone unused was put to work for the war. Street corners, public parks and apartment building rooftops were bursting at the seams with vegetables, fruits and herbs.

Maybe I'm just a tad sentimental, but who wouldn't want to plant their own victory garden today? Not you? Oh. Well, I do!

There's lots of great reasons why having your own vegetable garden is a good idea. There's no war effort we're called to support, but food shortages are slowly becoming a reality. Furthermore, in cities there's a lot of wasted space that could be used to provide nutrition for the public. All that aside, we all know that the fruits and veggies we buy at the grocery store are often covered in pesticides and lack nutrients because they are forced into maturity. Having your own homegrown vegetables is an excellent way to enjoy organic and nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. Come on, it's fun! (And it's cheap, cheap, cheap).


But that's just me. I'm a geek. I'm a nerd. And I'm slowly turning into a hippy. But I'm having a lot of fun doing it too - which is why I shared this with you!

Reverse Psychology

There are days when Liam doesn't want to eat his porridge. Being the clever parents we are, Nialle and I employ the 'don't eat your porridge' tactic. Liam loves it.

Watch and learn...

Tasmanian Devil or Ambitious Toddler?

Liam has graduated to a toddler bed which means that he has free rein around his room once he is put down for his nap or bedtime. It's not uncommon to find Liam in bed with a small toy or book that he grabbed before he fell asleep. However, today he had another surprise waiting for me...

I hope this same 'surprise' isn't waiting for me again tomorrow morning.

When Boy Meets Sidewalk

Liam took a pretty bad tumble this weekend. He was out for a walk down the block with Nialle when he tripped over his pigeon toes and, as Nialle explains it, "Stopped himself with his face." Of course, this had to happen right before Grandpa and Grandma Farm took him to Calgary to see Thomas the Train where lots of pictures would be taken of the Liam and his uncles.

Obviously, Liam is a tough guy and doesn't look too worse for wear in this picture! He had a blast in Calgary and hopefully Grandma Farm will post some pictures of their awesome day with Thomas.

Sunny Days

Spring has finally sprung around here! That means hanging laundry to dry outside on a regular basis and airing all of our bedding out for a spring cleaning. Liam has made a game out of running underneath the clothes while I'm hanging them up. He also likes to hand (throw) me the clothespins.

Vanesquatch is in full force as I look around the yard to see what needs to be done. (That garden shed and the garage could sure use a painting). Nialle has a to do list as long as his arm and I'm hoping everything will get done before the baby arrives. It's always nicer to make to-do lists when you know your husband is the one having to do all the work ;).

Liam and I went to see the doctor today regarding Liam's pigeon toes. I think they are the darlingest things in the world, but I know that he might not appreciate them when he's a young man. Our doctor thinks Liam will grow out of his pigeon toes, but is referring us to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion just to be sure.

I love his pigeon toes!

The next picture is a special one just for Grandma Town. Liam misses you while you are away and thought you'd get a good laugh out of this picture. This is how I found him one day after his nap - electrifying!