Winter on the Farm

Winter has come to the farm. The garden is sleeping under a blanket of snow. The pace has slowed down quite a bit. We are indoors a lot more now staying cozy by the fire and doing indoor projects, crafts and baking. We are enjoying the rest, the break while at the same time beginning to plan and look forward to next season with anticipation. The seed catalogs are starting to appear and we can't resist flipping through them and dreaming of spring. But for now we are content to wait, to plan, to work on the projects that need to be done in preparation. Spring will come soon enough with all the busyness that comes with it. For now I am grateful for the quite and the peace of this seson.

Honey Cough Syrup

Cold and cough season is fully upon us now, the days have become chillier and everyone at our house has caught a bit of a cold. Time to make some healthy, natural cough syrup. It is so easy to make, too! I made two different kinds; one is elderberry and the other is lemon ginger. I use honey as the base for both, it is naturally antibacterial and also feels soothing on the throat. Elderberries are great for your immune system and are excellent for coughs and colds. Ginger is also good for your throat and lemon has antibacterial properties as well. I also added a dash of cayenne to the lemon ginger syrup. Cayenne is good for your immune system and improves circulation. So here are the simple recipes.


Lemon-Ginger Cough Syrup

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
juice and zest of one lemon
1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
dash or two of cayenne

Elderberry Cough Syrup

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup elderberries(mine were frozen, we have elderberries growing wild abundantly around here, so I harvested some this past summer and froze them)


To make your syrup combine all ingredients from your chosen recipe in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Strain through a wire strainer into jars. Store in the refrigerator for several weeks, it should last for quite a long time. To use simply take a teaspoon at a time. Your kids will love it! Warning: do not give this to babies under 1 year old, the honey can contain botulism spores.

Simmer gently for about five minutes

Strain into a small jar

David Learns to Plant Garlic

As the season ends and winter approaches there is always a mad rush to get everything done before snow comes. One of the big projects to get done is planting the garlic. This year David was so interested in helping with the whole process. He helped us break the cloves apart in preparation for planting. Then Andrew gave him a lesson on how to plant garlic out in the garden. He explained to him which end of the clove goes down and which end goes up, he showed him how to find the marks in the soil from the bed marker, and how to plant each clove where the lines cross. David caught on really fast and enjoyed planting garlic so much. Every time we were ready to plant another bed he was ready to help.

Andrew cleans the garlic.

Garlic for planting.

Separated cloves, ready to plant.

Garlic cloves waiting to be pushed into the ground.

A clove in the ground.

David carrying the box of seed garlic up the bed.

Last of the Harvest

 Andrew bringing in the last of the cabbages.

 Some of the last leeks.

Andrew harvesting the last beets.

David in the Leaves

We had some gorgeous fall days in October during some of the last Farmers Markets. The Chewelah park was lovely with all the leaves floating down and carpeting the ground. All the market children were exuberantly playing in the leaves; tossing them an rolling in them. David had such a great time joining in. It was so cute that I couldn't resist snapping some pictures.

Harvest Season

It's that time of year again. That time when the evenings get dark earlier and the mornings have a chill in the air, while the days are still warm and sunny. The leaves are beginning to turn a golden shade. And the garden is winding down. It is the time of the harvest. I love this time of year. We are gathering the potatoes, onions, and squash in from the field. The dehydrator is running most of the time filled with tomatoes, pears, or onions. I canned 21 pints of salsa verde and the apple butter is cooked down and ready to can also. The pantry is filling up, all stocked for winter. Soon it will be time to get our firewood in. This time of year is busy and yet there of something slower about it,  something cozy, a hint of winter rest.

Of Babies, Autumn, and Farming

Things have been busy around the farm these days. We are in the peak of harvest and market season and on top of that we just added a new baby. He is such a sweet little guy and we all love him so much. He adds so much joy to our lives. He keeps mommy busy, cuddling him, nursing him, and changing him. And of course I love it! He loves it when daddy comes in from the garden and holds him and talks to him. He is becoming so alert; looking at faces and noticing voices. David is getting used to his new brother and even adjusting to sharing Mommy. He likes to hold him and kiss him and pick out his clothes :)

I have been mostly resting and recovering from the birth and enjoying my new baby. The last few days I have enjoyed getting back out into the garden a little bit. I wrap Matthew in his Moby wrap and pick a few tomatoes or I hold him on my lap while sorting cucumbers or weighing out beans. Today I enjoyed going back to the Chewelah market for the first time!

Andrew has been doing most of the farm work and all the markets by himself. And he is doing a fantastic job! The booth looked wonderful when I stopped by for a few minutes last week. We have been appreciating the help of my sister with much of the harvesting as well.

Around the farm fall crops are starting to come on. We harvested the first leeks this week and the pumpkins and winter squash are getting close. Andrew harvested most of the garlic and it is hanging in the barn at my parents place. Soon it will be time to harvest the potato crop.

There has been a chill in the air in the mornings and evenings lately. We even had a light frost last weekend. Autumn is definitely on its way. The hoophouses are all covered up again and some of the beans and cucumbers have floating row cover over them. I am looking forward to the autumn season ahead.

Our Second Son

We are so happy to announce the birth of our second born Matthew Jonathan Engell. He was born at 6:41 in the evening on Tuesday August 14th. He weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. and was 21 inches long.  My labor went really smooth this time and wasn't overly long. I went into labor around 7:30 in the morning. I kept going about my normal business for awhile. My contractions started picking up around ten.  And everything went steady and smoothly from there. I don't remember when the pushing started but it doesn't seem like it was too long.  And then Matthew was born at 6:41. I felt so good after he was born just relaxing in my bed holding my sweet little son.

Weeding the Potatoes

Little Luxuries

Sometimes while living the farming life it can be easy forget to make time for little luxuries. Money can get tight so we don't buy extras or we can get so busy that time seems to be in very short supply. Recently I have been enjoying making sugar and sea salt scrubs. I have been selling them at the farmers market but I always make a bit extra for us. They are wonderful on dry feet, hands, knees, elbows or anywhere else. I use them in the shower on any rough spots from working in the garden. Andrew even likes to use them on his hands. So now I am going to share my quick and easy recipes with you. Enjoy!

Sugar Scrub

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup coarse turbinado sugar

1/3 cup sweet almond oil or other light oil

20-30 drops essential oil (I like blending vanilla and lime)

Sea Salt Scrub

3/4 cup sea salt

1/4 cup himalayan pink salt

1/3 cup olive oil

20- 30 drops essential oil (I have been using lavender and grapefruit)

For both recipes simply mix all ingredients together and store in a lidded container. I like to put mine in small cute canning jars.

Just a couple of cautions now. If using in the shower be careful because they can make the flour slippery. Also the sea salt one will sting or burn any open cuts or scrapes.

Real

Come visit our farm and take a look at our garden and you won't find perfection. No, what you will find if reality. You won't see perfect beds with perfect rows of crops free from any weeds. Everything isn't completely tidy and neat. You will find the reality of the never ending struggle with weeds, the challenge of keeping the row fabric on the beds to help crops grow faster, and maybe some empty flats from the last rush to transplant before a rainstorm. You will find real work that has been done and plenty more to do. It might seem a bit untidy with all the grass along the fences and certain corners that look like a wilderness. It can all be so overwhelming at times and yet it is also beautiful. We have healthy, abundant crops in the midst of it all. Lush zucchini, beautiful lettuce, and colorful swiss chard. The pine trees just behind the garden give a wonderful woodsy, mountainy scent, especially after a rain. The little birds sing and play in the especially wild, grassy corner. Sometimes I think that I like a little bit of wildness better than complete perfection. We do continue to work to make things better, we try to reduce the number of weeds, to make the garden tidier overall. But somehow I have a feeling that we will never reach perfect and that is okay with me.

Under the Rainbow

I looked out the kitchen window and saw this lovely rainbow and Andrew cultivating the potatoes under it. I had to snap a photo of the beautiful scene.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Recently I have been trying to get the freezer stocked with some quick and easy meals for the busy days of summer ahead. This week so far I have added one rhubarb pie, one empty pie crust, and four packages of ten homemade pita bread. I am planning to use the pitas for some picnics this summer. We have a delicious recipe for pitas with lamb, cucumbers, and yogurt. I will post it in a future post. For now I am going to give you the pita recipe. It of pretty simple to make and they turn out delicious. The most time consuming part is rolling them out.

Pita Bread

1 Tbsp. Yeast

1 Tbsp. Honey or sugar

2 1/2 Cups warm water

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Oil

6 to 7 Cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve yeast and honey in water. Add salt, oil and 6 cups flour. Knead 5 to 10 minutes adding more flour as needed. Let rise until doubled about one hour. Divide into 20 equal pieces. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Let rest on greased cookie sheets for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Just before baking flip pitas over. Bake 8 - 10 minutes switching position of pans halfway through. They are done when puffed in the middle and slightly browned. Sometimes I have some that don't puff completely but they still work, I just have to cut them open carefully with a knife. These pitas are not real big

Rhubarb Pie

We have been enjoying some yummy treats made from the rhubarb growing in the garden this spring. So far I have made 2 pies, muffins and ice cream. Maybe I can post the recipes later.

Growing

The garden is doing well. We have lettuce and greens just about ready. The tomato plants are loving their new home in the hoophouse.

Ready to Work

David saw Daddy with potting soil in his wheelbarrow so he wanted some too. He is always ready to "help" with whatever we are working on around the farm. Having a little guy on the farm can be very challenging at times, with the constant reminders not to step on the plants or dig up the seeds, but it is also such a joy. He is so enthusiastic about the garden. When we set up the hoophouse he was jumping up and down exclaiming "We are putting the hoophouse up, we are putting the hoophouse up!" He talks about the Farmers Market all the time and wants to bring vegetables from his garden to sell (he also wanted to bring his legos to sell). He is learning so much every day about planting and growing veggies. Sometimes he sees how we do something once and the next time he is telling us what to do:) Having him with us and involved in everything we do is such a joy and benefit for all of us.

Cute Cowboy