Dehydrated Asparagus Powder

Blanch for Two Minutes

Plunge Into ice Water

We love asparagus and work hard not to waste any of the spears we harvest.   To this end, we save the woody ends of our asparagus, blanch them, shred them with our food processor, dehydrate them, and grind the dehydrated spears into a fine powder.

 Shredded Spears
After 12 Hours in Dehydrator

Shredded Spears Ready for Dehydrating

We then use the powder to make
Cream of Asparagus Soup and
 also to thicken chili's and other
 homemade soups.  Hubby and
 I try to avoid consuming wheat
 so this asparagus powder works
for us as an excellent, thickening
alternative to flour.

Dehydrated Spears
after Grinding Into Powder

Turning Dying Oak Trees Into Vole-Proof Garden Beds

The weather is cool, sunny, and breezy.  It's a great day to work in the yard.  So....

Cutting a Felled Tree Into Two-Foot Lengths

We have three red oak trees that are dying.  While they still have an abundance of lower leaves, their tops are dead, ragged and unsightly.   Today, my husband did a masterful job of felling two of the trees - placing them smack dab down the middle of our driveway - not on our neighbor's lovely white fence.  Insert sigh of relief here.  The boys are hauling the side branches to the woods where we will - in time - run them through the chipper and use them to mulch our garden paths.

Dragging Side Branches to the Woods

Enter experiment number ??

Branch Pile Waitingto be Shredded

Well really.  Who knows how many experiments we have going?  I have simply stopped counting.  Suffice it to say, I've come up with yet another one.  Vole-proof, raised garden beds. 



Here's the plan:

• Cut the trees into two-foot lengths and then split them.
• Use a post-hole digger, pick axe, etc. to bury the split logs on end, one foot deep, side-by-side, all around each one of our newly dug garden beds.
• Leave one foot of log exposed above ground level to contain the amended soil.

Stacked Logs Waiting to be Split

I'm hoping this will keep the voles from digging into the beds and give me the raised beds I love without the cash outlay required to build them from milled lumber or stone.

Of course, I will post more pictures as the project progresses.

P.S.  It looks like the neighbor across the street has a few dead trees that need removing...hmmm?

St. Serenus, Pray for Us.

Beautiful Blooming Deutzia

Our Deutzia has really bloomed this year. 
You can see the wine-colored  irises
are just starting to pop out amid the pearly blooms.

A Quiet, Rainy Week -Progress Report

It has been raining all week long and the garden paths are standing six inches deep in water.  We did manage to move the fencing and expand the garden.  This will give us room to plant, melons, pumpkins, and other winter squash vines along with a large area of sunflowers.  We mostly worked on weeding and tidying up the flower beds around the house.  Here's what the week brought:

1917 Farm Bulletins, Asparagus Beetles, Chickens & Quail

Our two, 50-foot asparagus bed have been invaded by devilish little asparagus beetles. It is our own fault.  We did not keep the bed properly weeded last year and these tiny spotted pests like to overwinter in any old asparagus fronds and other debris which remain in the garden at the end of the season.  See all the grassy weeds among the asparagus?  Shame on us.

We will certainly do better next year, but in the meantime, I don't want to lose a single spear to these tiny, spotted insects.  I have been handpicking them every morning, but there are so many that I'd like to find a simpler and more back-friendly approach.

Asparagus Beetles and Their Control,
1917 Farm Bulletin

I love reading old agricultural books and bulletins from simpler times and while researching the beetles, I came across some info in an old 1917 Farm Bulletin:

Chickens and ducks are efficient destroyers of asparagus beetles, and as they do no injury to the plant their services are still in requisition for this purpose at the present day.

Camera Shy Hens

So you can probably guess what is coming next right?  We are going to let a few chickens run among our asparagus in hopes they will help get it somewhat weeded while they chow down on the beetles.  Since we can't keep chickens on
our property, they will only be here for a short while and then we will resell them which is easy to do in the area.  Since we bought 8-week old chicks, I'm not too worried about them scratching big holes into the bed - especially since the garden is practically under water from all the rain we've had.  There will be no dusts baths in our garden for some time.

New Quail Baby Close-Up
Cheesing for the Camera

Our Adorable Little Quail Babies

In the meantime, we are also going to test out letting some quail simply roam the garden and hang out with us as pets.  They arrived yesterday by mail, from Furbelow Farms in Virginia, and will stay in one of the old rabbit hutches until they are a bit older.  They are so lovely and tame.  Can't wait to get to know them better and set up and little habitat for them out in the garden.  Maybe it will work - maybe not.  Beetles or no - these tiny darlings are here to stay!

Rain in Due Season and Iris Blooms

Sheltered by the Norway Spruce and warmed by the brick,
the season's first Iris offer a bright sparkle of azure
on this grey, rainy day.

Then I will give you 

rain in due season, 

and the land 

shall yield her increase...

Leviticus 26:4

Today we are experiencing a soft, gentle, on-and-off rain and more of the same is forecast for the week ahead. This is just the boost that my newly-planted seeds and seedlings needed.  When the golden rays of the sun return and share their warmth with the soil, we should see our seedlings growing taller by the minute and our carrot, beans, and corn seeds breaking free of their earthly straight jackets and reaching eagerly toward the sky.

All Things are Accomplished by Diligence and Labor

Yesterday the four of us worked in the garden from 10:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.  When we finished, we were sore and exhausted, but it was satisfying to see all the progress we had made.

As our labors were winding down, Number #1 Son turned to survey the work we had completed, looked at me, and with a sweep of his arm cried out, "Mother, behold your kingdom."  I looked at all our progress and pronounced it good.

Son #2 offered me a small bow and a cheeky retort.  It went something like, "Mother, behold your slave labor."  Then he offered me a sheepish grin.  I smiled back and must confess that I was very tempted to spout off some pithy quote like

 "He who labors diligently need never despair, for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor." (Meander).

But I refrained.  There was no denying that it had been a very long and arduous day.  So I thanked them again for all their help and saved the pith for another time.

We were tired and hungry, but in good humor as we made our way into the house for dinner.

Here's what our diligence and labor accomplished.

Of Fresh Herbs and Windfall Profits

Fresh Herbs
A Gold Mine of Flavor and Value

I strolled out to the garden this morning to harvest some rosemary, sage and thyme.  The thyme was beginning to bloom so even though it was only the size of a large cantaloupe, I sheered the entire plant.  It will grow back.  The total thyme harvest was seven ounces.

Then I cut six fresh rosemary sprigs (2 ounces) from our beautiful rosemary bush and maybe one quarter of a cup of sage leaves (1 ounce) from our tiny little sage plant.  The rest of the thyme and rosemary will keep in the fridge for several weeks.

About one half ounce of rosemary was placed into the cavity of one of our home grown, free-range, organically-fed roasting chickens.  All of the sage and maybe one quarter ounce of the thyme was placed underneath the skin of both breasts along with a little of our homemade butter.  Yum!

After I popped the bird into the oven.  I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things.  While there I checked on the spices.  Holy cow!  If you don't have an herb garden - get one quick.  Fresh rosemary, thyme and sage leaves are sold in the produce section for $1.29 per one quarter ounce.  That's a whopping $82.56 cents a pound.  This means the 10 ounces of fresh herbs I harvested today saved us $51.62.  I frequently cook with herbs and sprinkle them onto our salads.  Never once have I paid attention to their cost.

Being totally blown over by these figures, I sauntered over to the dried spice aisle.  Are you sitting down?  Those cute little bottles of dried herbs average around $145 per pound!  The next batch of thyme, sage and rosemary I harvest will get popped into the dehydrator.  After they are dry, I will strip and weigh the leaves.  It's sure to be a fun experiment.

Meanwhile the aroma of chicken and fresh herbs permeates the house, my sons are off doing their thing, hubby's watching a bit of television.  I of course, am sitting here recording our windfall profits and basking in our blessings.  When through, the chicken should be just about ready.  Oh blessed Sunday, day of rest and rejoicing.