Martha Stewart Arrives On The Witch's Island

So it’s spring again and we’re finally getting out of the winter doldrums. Mind you, it was a great winter here, at least weather-wise and spring came early but the temperatures have been fluctuating like crazy. We had 20 degrees C in February and snow in April, Saturday was 32 C and today it is 10. It’s been hard to figure whether to get the garden under way or to wait for a bit. Last year I started my tomatoes and peppers way too early and by the time I got them in the garden they were very tall and spindly. I ended up restarting a lot of them and I swore I wouldn’t make that mistake again this year. I held myself back as long as I could but it does seem like spring is at least a couple of weeks early so I started them anyway. Let’s all pray that there is no frost in June!

Not that frost is the only thing to worry about. Our entire tomato crop was destroyed by late blight last year and we didn’t get more than 2 or 3 tomatoes from 40-some plants. What a shame as the plants were doing very well until the blight hit. So, this year we are going to mix things up a bit. We’re going to put the tomatoes at the other end of the garden away from the infected rows and we’re going to try a new supplier for the seeds.

Our order arrived about 10 days after being placed.

The packages are plain and simple. Let’s hope that the plants are more specatular.

I found out about Heritage Harvest Seed while reading a post about seeds on the Canoe Corner blog. They specialize in “rare and endangered vegetables, flowers and herbs.” and they had dozens of different varieties of tomatoes alone! The descriptions for some were so compelling that I had to try them. As an example here is the blurb for “Sylvan Guame”:

“An old heirloom from Canada that was obtained from an elderly man in his 80s. The original seed was from Russia. This excellent variety produces gigantic red oxheart shaped fruit. My largest was 3lbs and that was during a dry year! The fruit are not only large but delicious. My absolute favorite large fruited tomato. Indeterminate, regular leaf foliage. (80 days) EXTREMELY RARE. Highly recommended!”

How could a person resist? It was very difficult to pick out only a few types to try so I just went nuts and ordered 8 and then they threw in another for free! Oh, and 3 types of beans and 2 different peppers. What am I going to do with 9 different varieties of tomato, you say? Please don’t ask such difficult questions while I’m busy planting.

Here is a list of what we got for about $54.00 including shipping:

Tomato

• Sylvan Gaume 
• Harbinger 
• 42 Days 
• Forme de Coeur 
• Fireball 
• Silvery Fir Tree 
• Bonny Best 
• Bison 
• Uncle Joe’s – free 

Beans 

• Steeves Caseknife 
• Red Peanut 
• Jacob’s Cattle 

Pepper 

• Matchbox Chilli 
• Black Hungarian

Look, a whole garden’s worth of peppers and pumpkins are growing on my windowsill.

It sure didn’t take long for the seeds to germinate and now I’m hoping that they don’t get to spindly before I can transplant them.

Spring is all about getting back outdoors after the long winter and to me that means in part that lobsters are back on the menu. I’m not a big steak eater but I love Surf and Turf. This little canner was just the perfect size. Hubby took it out to the back deck to break it up for me so that the juices didn’t stink up the kitchen. The body and shells all went out into the trees as a treat for the birds and foxes.

One small canner is all I need for my first taste of lobster this year.

It is also time to get out into the gazebo and see if all the effort the last two summers was worth it because blackfly season has arrived with a vengeance.

So far, so good, the little bastards are staying out but we need something to sit on. We looked all of last summer and the best furniture set we found was the “Lanfair 4 Piece Conversation Set” from Martha Stewart Living . Yes, Martha has come to visit The Witch’s Island and it looks like she might just stay awhile!

The Lanfair set came in one big box in disassembled form. It really is amazing just how tightly packed in it was. We spent one whole afternoon putting it all together and it came out all right. There were a few bent tabs and some pieces didn’t align quite right but we managed to make it work. Also, the fabric cover on the cushions was different than is shown on the box and the display set in the store. Those were a solid green but ours have a subtle striped pattern (which we actually like better).

Here’s Martha arriving on the back of our John Deere.

The picture on the box showed a different material on the cushions.

Even the tools needed to put it together were included in the box.

Here are all the pieces spread out and ready for assembly.

The first chair is done after an hour’s work to get it square and level.

The chairs were finished just in time for a union-mandated beer break.

We’ve also been out to the nurseries again and this time we came home with a “Yellowbird” magnolia, a “Honey Crisp” apple and a hybrid apple tree which has 5 different varieties on one trunk. We were just going to put in the Honey Crisp but it needs a second different type of apple to pollinate properly. We have lots of wild apple trees around the yard but just to be sure we got the hybrid one to keep the Honey Crisp company.

Hubby is planting my Honey Crisp apple tree. We’re soon going to run out of space for trees in the back yard.

Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala and Red Macintosh all on one tree!

Just to finish off, here’s a really quick and easy dessert recipe that takes almost zero effort. Get yourself a package of frozen tart shells and bake them (empty) according to the directions on the box. When they are cool just fill them with some key lime flavour “Oikos” Greek yoghurt from Danone and then sprinkle the top with a bit of graham cracker crumbs. One 100ml tub of yoghurt will fill 3 shells. Key lime tarts, mmmmmm.

Oikos Greek yoghurt.

Key lime tarts. Very tasty.

Wind Chimes and Weekend Work

“The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind”

I was thinking about last week’s post and my laundry out on the clothes line blowing in the wind and it made me think about these beauties pictured below.



I have had these chimes for well over 20 years now and, hopefully, they will be around for even longer as they are guaranteed for 101 plus years. I got the first one from Hubby as a Christmas gift and thought “Oh boy, where am I going to hang this so it won’t keep us awake at night?” It hung outside our bedroom window for over 18 years before we moved and it never bothered us at all. The funny thing is that you actually don’t notice it after awhile because the sound is so peaceful. They are hanging from the front of the garage at the new place so we can’t hear them at all from the bedroom unless the wind is blowing at gale force but they chime a nice welcome every time we arrive home.

I just love the sound of them. The one with the blue stained glass pendulum is tuned to the sound of “c” and the one with the copper tubes and the orange stained glass is actually supposed to sound like cow bells. They don’t really make the copper kind anymore because copper tubing is hugely expensive. So I really cherish this one.

We never take them down and, yes, they have withstood some huge snowstorms with 80 km winds. Sometimes, if I know it’s going to be really bad, I have unclipped the stained glass disc but usually I just let them swing. I have had to replace the glass disc once because the first time we hung the chime it was too close to the house and high wind slammed it against the wall and broke the glass. What can I say, we were young and foolish? They now hang from wrought iron rods which extend them about 18 inches away from the house.

We have given these as wedding gifts and they have always been hung outside with pride. You could even have one of the tubes engraved with the couples name and date. I haven’t done this but I don’t think it would be hard for us to do.






Anyway, as usual, it has been a busy weekend. I’ve baked some muffins, done the laundry and cleaned the house. Hubby is STILL painting the front entry, working the land and fertilizing the lawn. It can be very expensive to have all the equipment you need to do all the outside chores so it is a good thing we have great friends who are willing to share their equipment.

This afternoon, we planted six of the nine blue spruce we bought for the front lawn and now we have to make supper, and then it’s back to work tomorrow. Where do the weekends go?

Giving Trees

What a day!

The weather was perfect and the day was full of hope and promise for everyone. We went to a fund raiser which benefits everyone now and in the future. It's an annual event sponsored by the Department of Forestry and The Breast Cancer Society to raise some money by giving away trees. For a small donation to the Society you can pick up some local tree saplings in plug form or even dig up some larger native trees from a site managed by the Forestry Department. There was even coffee and doughnuts to be had but we were too late arriving to get any.

When we finally got home we had at least 20 trees to plant. Now don't get all worried, that's not as much work as it sounds like. We spent way more time figuring where to put each plant than we did actually putting them into the ground. Besides we have been doing this for over 20 years between here and the old place. That's a lot of digging. I can remember one year where the better-half planted Austrian pine saplings in a snow storm on Victoria day weekend. Poor fella! I think that we have planted trees just about every year we have lived in this province, I guess it must be several hundred trees and counting.



While most of the trees we have planted have been evergreens and hardwoods we have put in a bunch of fruit trees as well. Fruit trees have been our favorite because we love to make jams, jellies and preserves. I often wonder if, when we retire, we can pass on these skills. Most people can't be bothered, what a shame. I was blessed with these life skills from my Grandparents who had to work the land to survive and make a living. What would happen if everyone actually had to? Scary thought isn't it?

We started some veggies seeds in containers for the garden this week. They have already sprouted and need to be re-potted to bigger containers. YES, in one week!! We are hoping for another great gardening season. Last year's garden was so good. We have ordered some compost from a local farmer and we're just waiting for them to deliver it in their big New Holland tractor. I'm really becoming a country girl now, not everything has to be a John Deere! All we need after that is to get the Horse back from the shop, where it is getting an overhaul, and then we wil be able to rotill that shit right into the ground! No pun intended.

We love the new couch and love seat. The old set sold the day before the new one arrived, so it worked out perfectly. We actually had 2 couples who wanted it and the first one to hand over the money got it. The second couple lost out by 20 minutes. You snooze you lose as the saying goes. What I find funny is that we got $230.00 for the set and 30 plus years ago we only paid $650.00, in a no tax sales event, from Eatons, I believe. You can do the math to see how long it lasted and how well it held up. I bet you the new set won't last as long. Let's hope I'm wrong.

Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms out there, especially mine.

She is a classy Mother who loves to garden and is a great joy to talk with every day.

Love Ya MOM.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO