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