Rocket Plants, Science Experiment, Purging and My Beef Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe

Greetings Y'all,

Weather Report:

Welcome May.  Whatever shall you bring?  We did get the dump of snow as promised.  Apparently some places got over 30 cm [a foot], other places, nothing.  We were pleased to get right in the middle.  Papa reports that the 15 cm [6"] of wet snow translated to 1/4" of actual moisture.  We literally watched the grass turn green as the snow melted.  We have had a few more centimetres since over the past few days, so it's all good moisture.  We were especially happy to have the moisture come on schedule, the day after we fertilized the trees.  Bonus!

We'll take whatever moisture we can get, be it white or clear.  It's all good!

I am happy to report that much of our springtime yard and flower bed clean up is completed.  We still have to tackle the East flower bed and the holding nursery in the main garden, but this should only take a few days.  We are expecting warmer weather next week, so it will certainly wait until then.

Greenhouse News:

The plants in the greenhouse are taking off like rockets!  Papa figured out that we've had about 50% more sunny days this past April than we usually get.  This and the fact that he hadn't needed to run the heater in the greenhouse, for all of April.  Everything is so far ahead right now, that we are actually going to have transplant into their permanent planters sooner than later.  The past few days have been cloudy and overcast, so hopefully it slows things down a bit.  Every year is a new experience, that's for sure!

First Petunia blossom for the year.  It smelled heavenly!

I can't believe how far along everything is this year!

Romaine Lettuce harvested from the greenhouse!  First crop of the year!

Tomatoes beginning to bloom.  Fruit will soon follow.  :)

Coop News:

The Chickens appear to have found their stride again.  We are back to getting more eggs, more consistently.  I guess the Chicken Pot Pie pep talk must have worked!

The babies are quickly growing.  Papa figures we are about a 50/50 hen/rooster split again this year.  He is beginning to be able to tell them apart.  I still don't have a clue, but I am happy that they are still cute and a very quiet group. 

Egg production appears to be back on track again, finally!

Papa tells me that the darker one on the left is female and the lighter one on the right is a roo.  I guess time will tell.  :)

Growing well and very calm birds.

Wine Making:

Papa has been experimenting with attempting to get different alcohol levels in his wine.  Apparently this is done by adding more or less sugar and taking specific gravity readings to tell you the alcohol percentage.  He is really getting this down to a science!  It's amazing how you an taste the alcohol in one batch, but not in another with using the same fruit.  It's all in the sugar and time.  Go figure?  He is trying to figure out the exact tipping point where you can detect the alcohol taste and when you can't.  It appears it is right around the 10% mark.  I guess I just have to suffer through his Science Experiments!

Papa's notes and Science Lab [wine making room]

He filtered a batch of Grapefruit wine into the primary and is taking a sample to measure the specific gravity to tell the alcohol level.  He can still adjust it, if he wants to.

The Hydrometer reads the specific gravity to tell you the alcohol level

Studio News:

Since it has been cold, I have been getting some Studio Time again!  Yay, Me!  I am currently working on an items I will have for sale in our booth at the Tin Chicken Antique Mall and Mercantile for when she gets it renovated and opens later this year.

Sometimes I just love to sit and do assembly line sewing.  Not a lot of thinking involved and quite therapeutic!  This is going to be a table topper that will measure about 23" square when it's done.  It has been a fun project.  Not sure if I am going to hand quilt or machine quilt it yet.  I am also working on a little crocheted purse that I want to embellish with beads.  It is fun working on smaller items.  More "instant" gratification!  

Table topper in progress

Purge Report:

We are continuing to sort thru and purge.  After moving in - we basically just got on with the business of living.  We moved in, put everything away with the promise that we would go through it all - One Day.  It is hard to believe that it will be 10 years this November already!  Where has the time gone?!

"One Day" finally arrived after Papa left work.  Holy Hannah!  Can we ever accumulate!  They say you spend the first 50 years of your life accumulating stuff, and the Next 50 years trying to give it all away!  Last week we tackled the machine shed.  This week was the basement storage room.  

We each hauled out our own boxes to go through.  Papa was in a ruthless mood and ready to purge.  I, on the other hand, took a stroll down memory lane.  He was qiuckly done with his boxes and had moved onto his wine and my canning equipment.  I was still on my first box, really enjoying my trip down memory lane . . . .  

It the first box I found:  my Mother's notes on when my first teeth erupted, my first steps and my first taking an interest in my surroundings.  My first pair of glasses from age 3 was in there.  It actually quite took me aback. In your mid to late 50's it is hard to consider that you were actually someone's baby one time.  I guess we all start out as miniature humans, don't we?  

Other things I re-discovered were:  My art work from high school.  Some of my first hand embroideries.  Bead work.  Paint by number paintings.  Leather tooling.  An autograph book also from high school.  Old newspaper clippings.  Greeting cards.  My old stationary box complete with vintage, unused stamps.  A corsage.  Some jewellery.  Type written reports, short stories and poetry.  So many things about me and my early life.  I shed a few tears remembering those whom I have lost after discovering some letters and cards from loved ones no longer here.  I had a few good laughs over some things I collected that were dear enough to me to keep.  Did I remove anything from this first box?  Nope.  I carefully returned it all to the box and put it back on it's shelf.  

Some day I might share it with my grand kids, if they ever want to see it.  Or I might not and leave it for them to discover after I am gone.  Perhaps it will give them insight on who I was and why I do what I do?  Or, it may mean absolutely nothing to them.  That's the funny thing about "things".  Something might have a deep meaning to the owner, entirely due to a memory it holds.  To someone else, it is simply a "thing" and they wonder why you would have ever kept it in the first place?  It really is all about your personal perception and perspective, isn't it?

The things that no longer have value to us were added to the first and second purging piles.  We loaded up the Durango and hauled these surplus treasures into the Auction Place in town, to be re-homed to someone else who might need or want them.  

It feels good to go through things.  It can also be very exhausting at the same time.  But, in the end, it is good to move things along for someone else to get use from.  So in the end it's all good!

From the Kitchen:

I got my Lemon Peppercorn Blend jarred up yesterday.  It smells absolutely amazing!  I can't wait to try it on fish or chicken or in a stir fry dish.  I mixed 1 part dehydrated lemon to 2 parts peppercorns in to each jar.  This will be ground as needed.  Yum!

Lemon Peppercorn Blend jarred up

It has been a cold week so that puts me into a soupy state of mind.  Off to the cold cellar for some inspiration.  Beef Vegetable Barley Soup, it is!

Soup inspiration:  Pressure canned potatoes, Beef in stock and stewed tomatoes

To make my version of Beef Vegetable Barley Soup you will need:

In a 4-6 quart soup pot, combine:

1/2 diced onion

1 large or two small carrots, peeled and diced

1 large or two small ribs of celery

1 large or two small garlic cloves

Saute in 1 tbsp of oil until soft

Add

1 litre of Beef stock with 1 cup cut up beef

1 pint of stewed tomatoes

1 pint of potatoes [about 3 smallish-medium peeled and diced]

1 can of tomato soup

1/2 cup rinsed pot barley

1 - 2 cups of water to get to desired thickness [barley will suck up a lot of the fluid - Add more after simmering, if needed]

1 handful each of dried parsley and oregano [about 1.5 tbsp each to taste]

Salt and pepper to taste [about 1 tsp each]

You can also add any other veg you might have on hand:  Frozen peas, corn, bell pepper, etc

Bring to a boil and simmer for at least an hour

Makes a hearty soup that reheats beautifully

Beef Veg Barley Soup simmering away

As I sit out here in the studio working on this entry, it is currently lightly snowing again.  We didn't get the April Showers but these May Flurries, although rather cool, will certainly help with the drought we have been enduring.  Talking to a farmer the other day informed us that the ground is still very much frozen 18-24" down.  Isn't this how permafrost is made, asks I? Hee hee!

Keep warm and enjoy your weekend.

Until next time.

Gremlynn