I went through two shelves this week (very hard work for me) and purged a box of books I know I will never read. And I did something for the first time – I took them to FireHouse books and exchanged them for $12 in store credit, which I then turned around and used on 1 book I really enjoy. You see, I have put together a box of books many times, but they never actually make it out of the house, furthering the clutter issues. 

The book I traded in for is “Voiced of American Homemakers”. It is a collection of interviews conducted by the Oral History Project of the National Extension of Homemakers Council.

Beulah Rawlings, 76, of Indiana said when asked about food preservation, “We raised what we ate, and ate what we raised. You didn’t go into town and buy it, so it really was important to put your garden out and really take care of it, and take care of it when it was ready to harvest.”

It makes me feel a little guilty about putting my garden out late, then only half assing it these past two months. If it was crucial to me vs a hobby, and granted I love that it is not and we won’t starve if the weather sucks, maybe I would have made it more of a priority. I do have a few cucumbers, but not as many as I could have if I would have planted them when I should and watered them like I knew I was supposed to. 

“When I was a girl up North, before pressure canners, we never canned much vegetables because it was all put in the cellar. We canned fruits and tomatoes, but that was about the only thing we canned…. In our cellars we put in our carrots and potatoes and onions and turnips and we even had a big bin fixed up from celery…” – Elsie Gould, 86, Florida

I really like the idea of a root cellar. Mike (who owns the yard where the garden is and is in on it with me) has a nice semi finished basement and we are going to try to store all our potatoes and onions and garlic down there. I sure hope it works okay and we can enjoy our harvest as long as possible. 

We have a load of basil, dill, parsley, and other herbs. Plus many cherry tomatoes and some peppers on the way. I decided to do some small batch preserving this week for the basil that is plentiful. Pesto was totally the answer to how to keep basil fresh for the winter months. Once we get more tomatoes, I’m going to make some marinara sauce and can that too – I’ll post about that when the time comes along with my favorite recipe for sauce. 

You can read about my pesto exploits on Craft Leftovers, I posted about it today for the Thrift Kitchen post.

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So I got up yesterday morning by 7am and got over to the garden by 7:50am. 2 solid hours of weeding left the garden looking pretty awesome – I have to say it was much better than I had thought it would be because Mike had been going out and weeding on his lunch break – but there were a lot of spots where he couldn’t tell what was weed or what was herb, so he let it be – the best thing to do really.

Here is when I first finished planting the garden before I left to the Maker’s Faire in May:

And this is what it’s looking like now (before I weeded everything and cut down those trees back by the fence:

Everything is growing at a good steady pace, but the cauliflower has been decimated by catapillers, the strawberries have been beat down by the rain, and the raspberries and blackberries, well 1 of 3 of each are looking great.

I think the soil is pretty good overall, but could use some more organic materials in it. I think it’s a bit sandier than it should be for the raspberries and strawberries. Now that everything is pretty much up and growing well, I would like to set some mulch down or maybe some more straw.

I’m going to put in some flowers where things didn’t grow – the nasturtiums didn’t sprout at all, so sad, I love those. Nor did the orgegano. Yesterday I went to Lowes and picked up some annuals and herbs that were on sale for $2 each and there were 4 plants in each pot. I’m hopeful I can seperate them out and fill out the garen plots. If anything it’s something that can go into the compost at the end of the year – which is also doing really well.

Peat, Manure, steaks, gardening gloves, natural insecticide (like a soap mix stuff with ash in it or some such thing) and some – gasp – miracle grow. I hate to admit it because I usually go straight up organic. I looked at the back and it’s supposed to be “natural” but I have no delusions about the fact that it most likely is a long stretch from what nature actually makes.

Sunday morning will be all about tying things up and harvesting. All the herbs I planted are doing amazing as is the salad mix bed. Oh and we need to do our second sowing of seeds, more salad mix, beans, peas, spinach. I’m going to change up the location a bit – the greens going along the back fence where the raspberries didn’t take and where they may get a bit more shelter from the sun.

I’m going to make a regular habit of going over there to draw the various things in the garden – there are more than just plants you know, many neat spiders and other bugs. Maybe we can make friends and they will stop eating all my spinach and cauliflower.

Well, I need to get that pattern up for Craft Leftovers – it was way too late to try to take pictures last night, they all came out looking so bad. So much for being ahead of schedule. Nah, I shouldn’t say that. I do already have monday and tuesday’s post done, as well as a post for july. It’s all good. I just need to get ahead with the patterns too is all.

-K

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Here is a quick list of new things (with quick pictures):

1. New self portrait that sucks a little less than the last one.

2. I cut my hair (and you can also see how bad the above self portait is by seeing what I really look like):

3. I got a hippo in a trade for yarn – it is so freaking awesome! – from Fun Is Always In Style.

4. I dyed yarn (it will go in the shop this week coming up) – I tried a new hand painting method and I really like how it turned out:

5. I’m knitting some mittens for my friend Emily:

6. I rearranged my studio:

7. I am making progress on my Scrap Quilt:

8. I started a new pair of socks:

9. I figured out what I want to do for my sweater and am making progress on it again.

10. I’ve been spinning.

11. I received this great zine/kit bundle and am now a member of the diy weavers club!

12. I organized my hooks and needles.

And that concludes the pictorial list of things. In other non picture news:

1. I worked my last day at the chocolate shop last week – I’m still on call so if they need me, I will if possible – but I’m not on the schedule anymore and that’s a big step in the right direction.

2. I’m now teaching fiber art classes at the octagon, knitting at the WorkSpace, and crochet at the RoseTree – hooray!

3. I’m working on a secret article project for one of my favorite magainzes.

4. I received a copy of the book I have a project in this past week – giveaway, preview, and more details coming soon

5. I’m working on my own book – I’m hoping to have a prototype to show around at the end of March if not sooner.

6. Kro Studio is well underway to get a good work over visually with business cards, newsletter, and fliers (for classes), so that is super exciting, I can’t wait.

7. The Sewing Rebellion is going to 2 times a month next month! the second and forth sunday of each month.

8. Food poisoning two weekend in a row! I need to get a little insulated bag for things I pick up while I’m out and about so I don’t let them spoil before eating – it’s not -20 anymore where they are okay after being in my bag all day! Hummus the first time and Brie the second.

9. I’m starting a garden in my friend’s yard and we are doing the first planning of it tonight.

10. I updated my class list for the upcoming quarter (March – May). There are many new classes and exciting things, plus I put just about everything into google calender so you can click though that too! I don’t have all the specifics yet (cost and material fees for instance), but will add them as I get info verified.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Ahhhhh, okay, big breath. I think that pretty much gets us up to speed on everything. Now I feel free to post little random updates each day. I don’t feel like there is so much to catch up on. I might extrapulate on some of the above topics too. Especially the process/story of the sweater, which is pretty funny I think and deserves a post all it’s on.

So I will see you soon and am happy to get back into blogging again. I sure was missing it while i was going through this crazy time of “exhilarating and exhausting”

See you soon!
Kristin

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She sent me seeds in many of her letters. Seeds from her garden. The first I remember planting and really caring for were holly hocks. I did so many water colors and pen and ink drawings of that one plant. Later when I had the chance to have my own garden in my grand parents back yard, I carefully collected seeds from my mom’s garden and planted those. My aunt sent more seeds, some of which I still have tucked away, to start this new plot.

I have been without a garden for so long. Since my grandparents died. I miss it so much. I still subscribe to Organic Gardening and read You Grow Girl everyday. Jason, love that guy, bought me You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening for no particular reason, which is the best reason, and gave it to me over break.

I love this project, so great. I have so many gardening books, but I really feel like this one captures how I feel about the whole process. It’s so resourceful, smart, well written. I enjoy Gayla’s writing style and I am just so inspired after reading it.

There are two main things her coming together. My love of gardening and of letter writing. These two things hitting me upside the head at the same time.

I’m going to bring them together with my print gocco. I want to make stationary for myself and to send to my Great Aunt, who really is great.

I always kind of need a side dish project (because i’m a side dish a-hole, you know what i mean jill) that isn’t tied up in a larger project. It gives me some room to feel like I’m playing even though I’m still making stuff.

You all most likely won’t see the end results of this idea until April, but that’s okay. I’m going to work on sketches…. then in april, after all the deadlines. I’m going to burn a couple of screens and go nuts. I might just take the opportunity to learn to really how to silk screen with photo emulsion and such.

oh oh oh, here is something from the other day:

crustless quiche I whipped up to use up the last of my veggies and eggs before vacation.

Now the funny story behind this is that I totally love this quiche, it was really good. I ate about half and was like “i think jason would like this, I think I’ll take it with me to ames” then I left it in the car on accident. It froze. Then we had a heat wave of 40+ degrees and it literally melted… gross! I kind of am hungry now. Dang it. I know it’s late (Jason), but I’m dyeing (spelled it like dye… haha, dying, no e) here. I’ll see you cats later, I’m going to go rangle up some grub…

What is up with all these oldie phrases, whatever, as if, I like them. hehe.

I’m going to take some photos of the pots I made, but that will have to wait until better light. My plan is to eventually, someday, have an outdoor kiln as part of a compost pile (burning down stuff to smolder around the pots for low fire, um, firing). Ah eventually someday. I really like making pots like these. I’ll show you tomorrow… I’ll talk more about it then.

See you all later folk!

Kristin

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