Got the Blues? My favorite garden accessory color (part one)...

When it is time to pick out a planter, a piece of furniture, or a color for a sculpture, you can safely bet that I will vote for BLUE.
And 80% of the time, the shade of blue I can never resist is cobalt.

Is it because it is so rare in nature?
There really are no naturally blue foods..
And Blue flowers are quite hard to name as well. Right now, I can't think of one that blooms in rich, deep blue.

Maybe I love to use blue because it reflects and repeats the color of the sky... my Temple of The Big Blue Dome...

Or maybe because it helps cool and contrast all of the warm-to-hot colors so abundant in flowers: red, yellow, orange...

No need to keep trying to articulate something that just FEELS so right and looks so good:) Enjoy a little sample of the cobalts in ze garden at the Bohemian Homestead this year!

I tried to get the pics all neat and organized, but haven't mastered the art of photomontage on blogger yet...forgive:) !!

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Running for all the Wrong Reasons - a guest blog on Elizathon.com

It isn't every day I would put a photo of myself in a swimsuit 'out there' for the world to see! Like many American girls, I grew up with a list of insecurities regarding body image, being 'thin', and looking like the glossy images I saw in magazines... so brace yourself, here it is...gulp. Ok, so maybe I will put it at the bottom of the post, just so you have time to change your minds:)

Not too bad for 43 I guess...and only willing to let dear friend Heather snap the shot a few weeks back while we were sunning, funning, wine-ing and dining in the garden because of, well, the wine-ing part of the afternoon.


How many women (and men) around the world spend endless and unsatisfying hours at the gym or on the track or in front of a fitness video? I used to be one of them; logging mile after mile with a head full of self judgement. This is my topic for a guest blog on Elizathon.com, a blog for "real-world" runners who are out there for the RIGHT reasons: a joy for self expression through physical activity. I love Elizathon for its approach to running, Elizabeth sees running the way I see gardening: as something 'real people' can achieve!

It wasn't until I found gardening that 'exercise' became tolerable for me. I can spend hours sweating, lifting, moving, digging, bending and stretching without a second thought or moment of self-consciousness: the way it was meant to be!

Which leads to a new topic: just how much exercise IS gardening? I bet there is a website out there with a calorie counter to log various garden chores... But I gave up counting calories about the same time I gave up the gym membership and started gardening... :)

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ATTRA: A wonderful resource for Homesteading!

If you don't know about this amazing resource, now is the time to get on their website and take a look around. Click here for a link to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.

I remember when they were getting started back in the 1990's as a part of the National Center for Appropriate Technology; the wealth of information available through this organization is astounding!

Whether you seek information on organic apple production, are interested in water and soil conservation, want to know more about keeping chickens, are looking for an internship in sustainable food production, or need funding for rural energy development, THIS IS A ONE STOP SHOP for Sustainable Living!

In Celebration of Earth Day, why not take a moment to see what ATTRA has to offer, and help spread the word? Peace, Love, and Learning!

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Natural Dyes for Eggs

Even though our chickens lay eggs that are naturally green, brown and pink, it just wouldn't be Easter without the ritual of dying eggs!

It is not much more difficult than using the chemical dyes available in grocery stores, and much more fun and educational for the kiddos... Not to mention a great step toward a healthier and more organic home.

The basics:

1. Prepare one pan of water for each color you want to make, and add 3 Tablespoons of white vinegar per quart. Place uncooked eggs into each pan (be sure they are totally submerged in the water - about 6 eggs each)

2. Add the dye materials using the ideas below:
have fun with the process! Mix and match materials to make your own colors, too!

For each quart of water add:

Blue: 1 cup shopped red cabbage
or 1/2 cup mashed frozen blueberries

Red: 1/2 cup fresh sredded beets
or three bags (tsps) hibiscus tea

Yellow: 3 Tablespoons tumeric
or skins of three large yellow onions

Burnt orange: 3 Tablespoons chili powder

Green: a mixture of yellow onion skins and blueberries was what Mother Earth News suggested, but mine turned out very muddy, so I tossed in spinach, too...much earthier:) Photo above was swiped from their site, actually...and I never could achieve their marbled look...

Brown: 1 cup strong coffee or 1/2 cup used grounds.

3. Bring eggs and dye materials to a boil. Let it all boil for three - five minutes, and then remove from heat. Let it all cool together for 20 more minutes and rinse. The eggs will take on natural patterns where beets or cabbage touch them....

Extras:

I can't dye eggs without making designs with a white candle first; the wax resists the dye and leaves words, names, or pictures behind...

Try rubber bands around eggs (carefully!) for a stripy tye dye effect...

Save dye baths and double dip: either a whole egg - or suspend one half way down...

With so much concern over the effects of food dyes and food coloring on children's health and behavior, why not try this natural method with your family as a way to "spring into more organic living". The Easter Bunny will be so happy! LOVE:)

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Medicinal Herbs: 18 powerful medicinals you can grow

Check this link to an article at WebEcoist - it was fun and informative. 18 powerful medicinal herbs and their uses, all accompanied with photos and fun commentary:)

From violets growing wild in your garden beds to tansy and catnip in the herb plot to the ever-controversial marijuana hidden in the national park just outside of town; you never know when a cure is staring you in the face!

Enjoy;)

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Review: The Backyard Homestead

When I see a book that claims I can "Produce all the food (I) need on just a quarter acre", my cynical evil-twin rears her questioning head, purses her lips, slants her eyes and says, "yea, RIGHT". So of course I ran right out and bought a copy. Typical.

But lo! The Backyard Homestead by Storey Publishing was a pleasant surprise! OK, so it may be a bit optimistic with its projections of harvesting 1,400 eggs, 50 pounds of wheat, 2000 pound of vegetables, plus fruit, nuts and meat on a quarter acre, but it does give the reader realistic basics on how to begin each of these endevours...

I do want to stress that nothing compares to experience when it comes to gardening; but for a quick reference on planning and planting, The Backyard Homestead does a pretty good job, especially considering the amount of other information within.

I loved the chicken coop plan (page 236), and was inspired to try some grain growing as well (before 'plant your own wheat field' on page 186, making flour was never a consideration, but who knows!!) ...

For an overview of herbs, animals, milk and dairy, growing and using grains, as well as a general but really comprehensive fruit and veggie guide, The Backyard Homestead is an inspiring start! Who doesn't love a guide that teaches you to make your own wine and cheese. And jerky;)

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Poop Power: Manure generates electricity in Vermont

Check out this link to Central Vermont Public Services!

It is a wonderful example of maintaining a healthy ecosystem at the 'farm' level - using cow's waste products (ie, POOP) to power not only the dairy farms which produce the manure, but to generate electricity for the community as well!

Three cheers for Vermont's efforts to help Guard'n the Planet!

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Mushrooms and forest animals

: : YEEESS! Finally, some new prints in the shop. I'm very excited about these two prints. I hope that they'll become favorites with little ones and adults alike. Check out the shop, there are some traditional kurbits in new color combinations available as well. And more to come....

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Building the Homestead- a photo history 2006-2010

U.G.L.Y. Yup, it sure starts out plain, so keep scrolling down!

I am blown away by the changes! This is the first time to upload all of the photos and view them side by side. It just goes to show: you don't have to start with something fancy! All we started with was a dream for Forgotten Works; an interactive garden/gallery full of inspiration for gardeners and new homestead enthusiasts...

October 2006 we moved our wee green bungelow to 7 acres of pasture; up from the lush creekbed where it had flooded twice.

By Summer of 2007 it was yellow for some reason, and the sheet composting project to help add nutrients to the worn out soil had begun in earnest.

2008 saw the addition of a small lakehouse (400 sf) to the left (west side) - to serve as a studio and office -and a kiosk to the right (east) side - to become a sunroom (currently the sun room houses two smelly teenage boys!)

2009 (above)was the turning point: the sunroom had windows and was actually attached with a door, and the plantings were beginning to look more natural, more permanent... not quite as "little oasis in the pasture".

2010(left): Eddie shattered his ankle, so it was all I could do to keep everything alive. We didn't see too much expansion (the orchard gained 40 trees), but the plants really started to fill in and make the place look established! Looks like we are sticking with the red, too;)

The gardens, too, have seen progress. We started with a herb bed, and honestly didn't know where we were going next!

The first few years were all about building soil ... in fact, this process is still very important and far from finished. In a perfect world, we would have improved ALL of the soil before planting anything, but that isn't very fun, is it? :) Looking east is the herb bed and veggie beds beyond. Year one sure was bleak!

We added a shed, and while working on soil improvement we let lots of legumes take over and work their magic as cover crops amid a few perennial herbs. I had surgery in 2008, so it was a pretty scraggly year!

2009 and 2010 were turning points for the garden as well: it crossed the threshold from 'pasted onto the landscape' over to 'a PART of the landscape'... I am sure the ever improving soil helps as well, and it sure makes all of the loads of manure hauled from the local stables seem worth it!

Other improvements include adding molasses and cornmeal to the soil, as well as beneficial nematodes and fungi cultures: it's all about building a healthy soil ecosystem capable of sustaining life!!!

A few beneficial insects like ladybugs have helped out as well, and I can't underestimate the value of the chickens when it comes to consumming harmful insect pests!

Conclusion: don't move just because your 'house' doesn't feel like 'home' yet! You can start with something plain (or hell, like us, even downright ugly!) and transform it into a lush, nurturing haven with just a dash of homestead savvy.

...Can't wait to see what the NEXT four years bring;) Time to go get dirty again my friends!

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"Cottage Contemporary" - a new planter design from Forgotten Works

Check out our newest design - from 100% recycled materials found right in our own neighborhood! Half Pipe Planters are made from steel pipe discarded by the Texas oil and gas industry; powder coated in adorable antique aqua and paired with solid cedar from old fencing. Sturdy planters have bearing 'feet' to prevent rolling and come in narrow (4 inches) and wide (8 inches). Wide planters are long and short (24 inches and 14 inches approximate) Link to our Flickr page for more information HERE. We will have our Half Pipe Planters at the Mansfield Farmers Market all season!

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