It's time to get growing

March 1st is the magic date for peas to go into the ground around here. Today Charlie put the first row of Wando peas in the ground. He also finally removed the tomato stakes and put them in new rows. We tossed some onion sets into the ground yesterday for green onions. I would have helped more outside today, but I'm a little under the weather with a respitory evil.

We also started flats of leeks - Giant Musselburgh, and tomatoes - Black Prince, Cherokee Purple, Kentucky Beefsteak, Principe Borghese, Roma, Spears Tennessee Green and Stupice, and peppers - Alma Paprika, Ancho/Poblano San Luis and Golden Marconi.

In the ground and growing already are winter-overed shallots and garlic.

I'm counting down the days until our last frost date.

Catching my breath

I've been up to my armpits with work (feeling under the weather hasn't helped either) and I'm sorry if you've been looking for farm updates or other things of interest. I've just been too overwhelmed with life in general to write a word.

In the middle of re-enrollments, faculty contracts, state inspections, testing, new student recruitment and all the other fun things that have been coming my way (like interviews for new jobs where I'm not the boss of everything...) I've had one excessively odd and fun job - the hunt for Sandy the Hamster. I'm not sure if I've mentioned Sandy before. She is Monkey's class hamster. She comes to stay at our house every school holiday and we are very fond of the fat little rodent.

Sandy has developed a rather annoying habit of late. She's become a successful escape artist. On past occasions it's been easy to track her. She leaves gaudy little piles of beads and seeds behind toilets or shelves. On her last escape at school (she doesn't escape at our house) I found her dozing behind a toilet plunger with a hoard of dried beans she pilfered from one of the pre-school rooms.

Sandy's latest escape has left us a little dumbfounded and frustrated. The teachers and students have been looking for her daily. She's managed to elude our searches. She escaped last Tuesday and we are saddened (no really, there has been weeping from the 4 year old quarter) that she's still on the loose. At first we found her normal piles of beads and a few marbles, not to mention hamster poop... But the trail grew cold last week and we thought all was lost. In our search for Sandy we've found lots of things we thought lost and gone forever, but no fat hamster.

On a more cheerful note, today I found a sign that she's been hanging out in one of the preschool rooms (a nice tidy pile of hamster poop and colored rice behind the math shelf). So my search continues with new zest; a welcome change from being chained to my desk. I am the official Montessori Hamster Hunter. I'll keep you posted.

Waiting for weather

As the person "in charge" at school I worry when a parent who happens to a meteorologist (married to a meteorologist) stops by my office and cheerfully says, "See you Monday!". That was yesterday. Today I'm waiting for a big ol' winter storm to arrive. The school day has been cancelled because the threat of a storm exists.

I grew up in the Midwest. Winter was the time for snow and ice. Here, in the South, winter weather is a major news event and all things shut down before the first flake falls. All schools are closed in anticipation of a storm. I will admit that I've seen the radar and listened to reports and this storm is big. Flights were cancelled in anticipation yesterday. The forecast is several inches of snow, followed by ice. Road crews, power crews and kids with sleds are ready. I'll keep you posted.

Oh and the bad thing about being the principal - it may be a snow day, but I still have to get up at 5:00 to check weather, cancel school and make sure everyone knows about it. Being the boss is not such fun...

Confessions of a Seed Catalog Junkie

I have stopped. I promise. No more ordering of seeds. I cannot promise that I won't pick up a few packets here and there, but no more ordering. I really don't know what gets into me. But, I need them, I want them, I can't refuse them a place in my garden. It's too much really. And there are seeds to use from last year! My garden will be overflowing. Good thing for me that I've made new beds...(I promise that I am not grinning maniacally and rubbing my hands together in an all-together much too crazy fashion. Really).

I'm quite ready for spring. I even braved cold temperatures yesterday to be outside working. Yesterday afternoon it started to snow and today we have a snow day. Monkey and I have been enjoying the day by painting together, making crepes, and keeping the fire going. I've also been working on my garden notebook for this year by creating the plant pages. I've come up with a general information sheet, which I then use to copy the seed packet onto using the color copier in my office. I have plenty of room to write notes and can keep a copy of the seed packet nice and clean for future reference.

I've already started leeks. I was hoping to start some shallots from seed, but was informed they won't show up until March. Now that the leeks are thin little slivers of green on a sunny shelf in my office, I want to start more seeds. But I will be patient and wait a little while longer. I have started more in the greenhouse - arugula, radishes, mache, and a few potatoes that sprouted in the cupboard. What I love best about my seed habit, is trying new varieties and keeping old favorites. I'm glad that I saved a few of the Kirby's Whippoorwill field peas from Bakers Creek because there were none to be had this year. I'll just have to save my own seeds to keep that one coming. So much promise in such a little thing. I'm an addict, all right.

Augustus/Augusta

It would seem that Augustus is really Augusta. I found the evidence tonight, ending weeks of speculation.

That's it, up there on the left. It's almost as big as my palm. Definitely a goose egg. The speckled one on the right is a turkey egg I believe.

And I promise, no more egg pictures! (Well, maybe one when the duck finally lays a egg).

And really, she's a beautiful girl. You can't really tell in the photo, but her eyes are the most beautiful blue!

I've marked my calendar

The Organic Growers School is March 10. I can't wait!

It's the little things

One of the things that makes gardening so enjoyable is taking time to notice the minute things that happen in a day. Take this snow pea. It poked its way out of the soil only a few days ago. It's growing and each day it will push a little farther. In no time with the help of a small trellis, it will reach up toward the ceiling of the greenhouse.

I spent a couple of hours in the greenhouse today. Outside the sun is shining, but the wind is quite cold. The sun warmed the interior of the greenhouse to a toasty 70 degrees. I moved and filled pots. The sun moved across the sky hanging behind the woods to the south. Long shadows from the bare trees criss-crossed the floor of the greenhouse. In a few short weeks it will shift far enough north to be over the trees. I watched the chickens scratch in the garden and around the lawn. The ducks and goose took a dip in the fish pond, then came down to see what I was up to. I tossed them the lettuce seedlings I had been thinning.

I generally cloister myself during the winter months. I venture out to take care of the animals, but don't want to spend too much time outside in the cold. My body doesn't really handle cold too well. I feel that I miss a lot in the winter. But no more! I soaked up sunshine alongside the peas and lettuce. I have to say that the greenhouse is the best gift I've ever received.

And in the greenhouse...

A mix of Asian greens.

Look what I found!

The first guinea egg! Now what?

Plotting the plots

Seed catalogs arrive in hordes each day. How can I say "no" to so many delicious possibilities? I've stopped the frenzied ordering. I'll just sit back (on my hands, so I can't order more) and await the arrival of seed packets.

I ordered most of my tomatoes from Baker Creek again this year. Last year they germinated so well and grew big and somehow managed to stay healthy. I've added Principe Borghesi, for sun-drying. Jamie inspired me. And speaking of inspiration - Liz's talk of growing her own paprika induced me to order not one, but two varieties of paprika for my own garden this year.

I've grown quite brave (foolish?). I'm trying several new things this year - leeks, kohlrabi, fennel and jicama for the sheer silly hell of it. I'm sticking with favorites in the tomato, potato, bean, pea, cucumber and carrot realms with a few new varieties thrown in for adventure - you know - red carrots, french cornichons, yellow mangel beets, russian banana fingerling potatoes...
Maybe I'll find a few new favorites.

Everything is up and growing in the greenhouse. I insulated the lower walls with bubble wrap. The spring-like, unnatural weather is helping to keep the heating bills down. Soon I'll be starting seeds and planting more pots to harvest early. We should have baby lettuce ready for harvesting in a week or two. I love to be inside where it smells of earth and damp. The goose and turkeys take turns posturing in front of their reflections. They must wonder why the birds in the greenhouse never come outside. Gigi sits outside the door with a ball in her mouth. It's torture for her.

The weather is torturing me because I know it will turn.

Home Again

We had a little holiday. Monkey and I went to the National Aquarium and enjoyed a day of fish watching. We then took off to the wilds of Virginia and enjoyed a weekend of doing absolutely nothing. Nothing is a good thing to do.

I've spent the last several weeks scouring seed catalogs and spent my first evening home ordering lots of promise for the spring and summer. More on that later.

She was a good dog

Chelsea, the Grande Dame of Little Creek Farm

1993-2007

photo by the monkey, Christmas 2006

Signs that I need a vacation...

I had a dream where I hired Dr. Who as our new kindergarten teacher. The field trips were fantastic.

Good thing we're off to Baltimore in a couple of days.

Duck, duck, goose! Gander? Goose? What?

The raising of ducks and geese has become a frustrating endevour for me. Last year - two rather expensive orders from hatcheries and one free donation from a kind stranger left me with one Buff Orpington duck, two Cayuga drakes, one Pekin drake and one Tufted Roman gander (or is it goose? - I just can't tell!). Poor Augustus/Augusta lost his/her mate. Drusilla/Drusus was lost in a mystery attack a couple of months ago. The out-of control drakes have been harrassing him/her and Buffy the Buff duck for the last several weeks. It's almost embarrasing, really. I mean, if they weren't water fowl and all...

I read this article yesterday, and it made me think about my lone goose, and the gang of young drakes... So tonight I placed an order for 2 Tufted Roman Geese and one Gander, and 3 Buff Orpington Hens and one Drake. I had promised myself that I would not order chickens this year. Geese and ducks don't count, do they? Besides, we need chicks of some sort for our Second Annual Chickfest/Chickapalooza party in April. Hopefully soon, with a little culling of the unwanted Cayuga drakes, we'll have happy flocks. Prophetically, the Cayugas never acquired names. The new residents should arrive around the first day of spring.

What's up in the new year

So, shortly after the last post, the skies opened up and the rain came down. It rained and it rained and things flooded and got quite damp. The next day - first of 2007, the sun came out. Temperatures soared and it felt like, well, April (or at least March...). I cleaned out the chicken coop and the goat shed, spread lots of mulch and pruned apple trees. Oh, and we also butchered all the young thug roosters, leaving only Rufus and Number Two. It's a lot quieter around the farm these days.

Life was good, then the winter break ended and it was back to school. Our fun ended.

For all of you who have asked (and thank you!). Louis and Marie are fine and dandy. I'm hoping for little Royal Palm turkey poults this spring. The guineas have settled in. I plan to let them out soon. They make noise, loud noise, but infrequently. Number Two has found a new home here with all these hens and has been, um, getting down to business. And for your viewing pleasure, here he is - chasing the ladies.

What to do on the last day of the year

Charlie finished the greenhouse yesterday. It took a little work to level out a spot. We've still got work to do. We need to gravel the inside. For now there's landscape fabric. We'll be building a low retaining wall and filling the newly created bed behind the greenhouse with low growing herbs, flowers and veggies.

I filled some 7-gallon containers with potting mixture and sowed seeds for the first greenhouse crops - rouge d'hiver lettuce, black-seeded simpson lettuce, a mesclun mix, a stir fry greens mix, catalina spinach and oregon giant snow peas. I have more containers to fill. I'm thinking of starting some carrots and radishes. For now everything will be in containers, but I'm planning on some raised beds this spring. Before we know it, it will be time to start seed for the garden. I've got to leave a little room for some shelves. The seed catalogs are arriving daily and I'm getting itchy to order way too much again this year. But I've got grand plans forming for 2007.

Roosters Swapped

I met up with Jamie on Thursday and it was a wonderful meeting. We met in a brewpub in downtown Greenville, SC and swapped roosters. It was an odd excuse for a meeting, but a worthwile one. She had an extra Speckled Sussex rooster (which I had been wanting, as I have four hens) and I had Lucky, the Barred Rock/Dominique - only named because he managed to escape not one, but two attempts at butchering. Good luck, Jamie - he's a handsome, yet crafty creature. The Sussex is now getting used to his new surroundings with one hen and will soon be joining the group.

I haven't been doing this whole blog thing quite as long as she, so it was nice to meet someone else doing what I'm doing. I liken it to meeting a pen pal. Do people still have pen pals? I had one from Japan and one from France (who at some point got tired of my poor French grammar, and stopped les lettres. Jamie was just as friendly and cool as I expected and surprisingly familiar. I suppose it helps that I've been reading her posts for almost two years... I even made the aquaintance of her car, Squeaky - which is blue, sort of.

Here is Number Two (her name for him, but it seems to be sticking) at the rooster swap high atop a parking garage in Greenville. He was quite perturbed when I brought him home and then he saw the Speckled Sussex hen in the pen next to him and he turned on the old rooster charm (they must be hardwired that way...). Way to go Number Two and welcome to Little Creek Farm.

Holiday Recovery

Finally, a time to relax. The Monkey has finally gone to bed after two days of hard partying. In case you're wondering, "hard partying" for a four year old (excuse me, four and a half year old) involves wearing a Tinkerbell constume, consuming vast quantities of sugar, jumping up and down frequently and non-stop verbalizing. The hardest part has been that the weather turned and our Christmas was rather wet. Nasty, cold wet. It has at least set in motion serious plans for revamping the critter area. Gravel - it's a novel concept. And it's much easier to walk on than soul-sucking mud



I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, or whatever it is you do at this time of year. We tried to have less present under the tree, but our families didn't quite cooperate. Monkey didn't mind. She got a Tinkerbell costume, a Hello Kitty boombox (for her collection of kindermusik and Suzuki violin cds) and lots of art supplies. Charlie received practical presents like new boots, two copies of the new edition of the Joy of Cooking, and a doormat made of recycled flip-flops (one of our favorites!).

My Christmas present didn't fit under the tree this year. It is still sitting in several large boxes on the screened porch (thanks to the rain). I got a greenhouse! I've begged Charlie for months to help me build a hoop house and had been rather dissapointed that he seemed to show no interest in the prospect of fresh vegetables year round. Little did I know he was plotting. It's the curse of living with a landscape designer... ...it all has to look good. So, as soon as the weather breaks, he'll be out assembling all those panels and soon I'll be planting radishes and lettuce!



While not a "present", so to speak, we do have new inhabitants here at Little Creek. Four Guinea Fowl - three lilac and one pearl, have joined the menagerie.

Two breeding pairs. I hoping for little guineas in the spring. From what I've read, they love to eat bugs and scratch less than the chickens - they may even get to go in the garden! I'm hoping to that they'll be rather self-sufficient. I know they are tasty! Although these four are just for breeding and increasing the screaming guinea horde. In case you aren't aware, Guineas can set up quite the racket when they want to set off an alarm. When they are just chatting, however, the sound quite pleasant with little chirps and such.

Tonight it's snowing and blowing and the temperatures have dropped. How do we keep warm around here? Let me share a favorite Christmas drink. I think Santa loves when I leave him one by the fireplace...

Aztec Sluggers from Gourmet, December 2005

Here's what you need...

1 cup freshly brewed strong coffee

1/4 cup bourbon

1/2 oz Kahlua

2 oz finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon sugar

Heat coffee, bourbon, Kahlua, chocolate, and 2 tablespoons cream in a heavy saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is melted. (Do not let it boil.)

Whisk remaining 1/4 cup cream with sugar until it holds soft peaks.

Divide drink between two large mugs, then top with whipped cream. Enjoy with your favorite jolly, old elf. I'm taking some down to the guineas right now as a house-warming gift.

Art - let's eat!

On Thursday afternoons I teach art to a group of home school children. They range in age from kindergarten through third grade. This whole "semester" we've been working with color and exploring lots of possibilities. For our last class of the year we made an edible color wheel.

Yummy. I only gave them frosting in the primary colors - red, blue and yellow. Their job was to create the color wheel. After much finger-licking and consumption of sugar, they went on their merry way. It was a very fun project. And I just have to say, I love teaching art this way - working with a handful of students over a protracted period of time. We really have been allowed to explore and learn. I just love hearing a kindergartner explain analgous colors to his mom.

I think I'm on my way to creating a little attelier! We meet in my studio and they get to see the paintings as I work on them. They ask questions and work at their own giant table. In January we move on to line, form and pattern. Soon I'll have them grinding colors and preparing canvases, while living in an indentured state in the garage... (not really - we can't go back to the renaissance, but a girl can dream).

One more day

One more day until Winter Break and I sure can use it! And tell me, how did I happen to not post anything here for two weeks (besides being a bad blogger?). Well, it could do with renegotiating my contract, writing a couple of grants and generally being exhausted.

It's not as if I didn't have anything to say... Everyday, something occured that was a little, if not exceedingly, "blog-worthy". I even created whole posts in my mind. I just didn't sit down at the computer to actually type.

So tomorrow starts 10 days of doing nothing work related. Which is not exactly true. The carpet cleaners are coming to school and I must be there to let them in and lock up afterward. But generally - I'm work free (well, besides a couple grants I want to polish off...).