Storm Coming

It was a gorgeous, sunny day today.  Highs were in the low 40s, but it felt warm.  That might change tomorrow, as a storm is predicted to move in.  Here in Western Massachusetts, we might get up to 12" of snow.  We'll see.  It's been such a mild winter that I can't really imagine a snow storm coming in. 

Since it was so mild today, I checked on the hive of honeybees in the backyard.  I had noticed some dead bees around the entrance, and I wanted to see how many corpses were really there and if there were any living bees left.  I broke off a stick and used it to swoop the dead bodies out of the hive.  Yep, there were a lot of dead bees.  I donned my hood and got out my hive tool to take a look in the supers.  The top super looked very quiet but when I lifted it, I could see a small cluster of bees near the center of the middle super.  Ah ha!  There are live bees.  I put everything together as quickly as I could, and felt assured that we might make it through the season.  I want my colony to survive!  Not only because they are little beings that I am managing, but because I don't want to shell out $90 for a package of bees.  Buying new bees every season is not sustainable.

Here are some pictures of the hive last summer.

If all goes well this season, I might get another hive next spring.  I really enjoy working with the bees, and I find it amazing that these little critters have such a complex social order.  The honey is divine.  The wax is useful.  If I hone my skills a bit, I can definitely see expanding my bee empire!

Bakery Dreams

Last weekend I traveled to Vermont to take a bread baking class with my family.  It was part of a Christmas gift that my sister and I gave to our parents.  We wanted to have an experience together and we all love baking, so this was perfect.  The class was at the King Arthur Flour Education Center in Norwich, VT.  While in nearby Hanover, NH we came across this snow/ice sculpture:

How appropriate!  I think it was part of Dartmouth's Winter Carnival, but I am not really sure. 

The bread baking class was a success.  We made a white sandwich bread, a braided bread, a Sicilian style artisan loaf, and a batch of scones.  All turned out delicious.  How could they not?  We had a wonderful teacher!  Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures, but here is what I made when I went for a class last year:

Delicious after a few minutes in a wood fired oven!  My sister and I are already planning our next trip.

Signs of Spring

We have not had a winter this year!  It is mid-February and we have barely had any snow.  Temperatures have been consistent with highs in the 30s or 40s and lows in the 20s at night.  I posted that I saw crocuses a few weeks ago, and today I see this outside my work.  I think these are early daffodils, but I am not entirely sure.  It won't be long until I find out!

Tonight I am making a simple and wonderful lentil soup.  It's a basic recipe, nothing fancy, but it will include carrots and onions from Mountainview Farm.  We have a winter share, which means that every month for four months, we get a load of seasonal produce.  At the last pick-up, I found myself loaded with carrots, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and one head of greenhouse-raised bok choi (what a treat!).  The sweet potatoes are a bit of a challenge.  They are so filling, and the flavor is sweet and powerful.  It seems they take over every dish I put them in.  Oh well.  There are worse problems to have.

New Yarn

I've been busy at my spinning wheel lately, making some new worsted weight yarn. These beautiful hanks are 100% merino. Undyed, the color is a milky off-white. The texture is slightly bumpy with the little irregularities that make handspun so attractive. I love this yarn, but I might put it on Etsy. I don't actually have an Etsy shop yet, but I have enough handspun to start one. I love spinning, and I love the touch and sight of my yarn, but there's no sense in collecting it for myself. I don't have the space to store it, and I don't have the time to knit it all. Perhaps I can make a tiny income doing something I love. I will let you all know when I open the Etsy shop!

In other news, I signed up for a milk delivery service today. I am going to be getting my milk from Mapleline Farm in Hadley, MA. My neighbor gets the delivery, so the milk man can make two deliveries in one stop. The milk comes in glass bottles that are reused by the dairy, and many of the items for delivery are local. I say "items" because it's not just a milk delivery. This service delivers orange juice, butter, eggs, bacon, yogurt, frozen organic pizza, ice cream and a whole lot more. It's good food combined with supporting local businesses and being green. I am so excited!

Like Spring

Just went for a walk and saw crocuses blooming!  It's about 50 degrees out, and supposed to get even warmer tomorrow.  Last year at this time we were getting a two day storm.

Bulking Up

This morning, the hubs and I received big props at the coop for our bulk saviness, and I just wanted to share a little bit of my pride here.  Please pardon my patting myself on the back, but I think this is important.  Just to clarify, I'm talking about the bulk section of the market with the bags and pens, not the buying club markets (although those have some serious benefits).

The benefits of buying in bulk are numerous and tie together the personal and the environmental.  Everything we do impacts other beings on this planet, and every purchase is a vote for what we like and want.  When you buy in the bulk section you are usually buying healthy whole foods- dried fruit, nuts, grains, beans, etc.  I'm talking vitamins and fiber!  You might find processed snack foods and pastas in bulk, but most of the time even these are somewhat healthy.  Yum!  Ginger chews! 

Buying in bulk also means that you can use and reuse your own containers, which means you can get as much or as little as you want and have minimum environmental impact by eliminating disposable packaging.  Now this is where I sometimes feel like a bulk lunatic.  I show up at the store with empty jars and fabric bags, and leave the store with full containers.  My containers are all tare weighted (so I don't get charged for the weight of the jars), and I have stickers so I can write down what's in them and the PLU.  (Listen for cheers from the cashiers!)  I have a few large jars that are probably 2 gallons, but I mostly use mason jars.  Mason jars are ubiquitous in my house, especially now since I am eating a ton of pickles this winter.

I have yet to do a thorough cost analysis of buying in bulk versus buying packaged foods.  Prices fluctuate, but right now the spices are much cheaper when you buy bulk.  A tiny jar of cinnamon costs more than twice as much as the same volume of bulk cinnamon.  Shampoo costs about half as much money when you buy bulk.  However, I found the best deal on olive oil to be the large metal tins (a savings of about $15 dollars compared to the bulk).  That being said, my coop has a large variety of olive oil and in all the other comparisons the bulk wins out on price.

Buying in the bulk section is easy, and you don't have to look like a freaky hippie to do it.  Just stay organized.   Bring clean containers with labels.  Always record (on the container) the contents, the tare, and the PLU.  (Don't write it down as a list on a piece of paper and then dictate to the cashier.  This is bound to backfire-you'll lose the list or forget something and then your saviness flies out the window and you look flaky.)  Finish off the experience by being your own bagger.  Your cashier just did double duty by typing in all those numbers, so give her a hand with the bags.

Chickens, Joy, and Recycling

 

On mornings like this, I am so happy to have my chickens. I'm not just happy to have them because they give me healthy, fresh eggs or because they are fun to watch. I'm happy (and grateful) to have them because they give me an excuse to get out of the house for my morning chores. When I got out of bed this morning I had to bring out the water font (I bring it in at night so it doesn't freezy), let the girls out of their locked coop, and give them some kitchen scraps. The backyard was icy, especially the well-travelled path to the coop, but the air was mild and moist. Some mornings are cold and biting. Some are joyous and refreshing. This one is the latter. It made me want to strap on some hiking shoes and hit the mountains.

 

Inspired by Joel Salatin's book, I dumped some of my kitchen scraps in with the hens yesterday.  They LOVED them! I'm watching to see what they enjoy the most.  So far, it looks like the uncooked rice is the winner and the orange rinds are the losers.  They went right for the pile this morning, and I added some more on top. They eat more in the winter, and the pepper tops and garlic skins and moldy bread ends add diversity and calories to their winter diet.  This is healthy for them, and free for me.  Win, win. 

 

Joel Salatin inspired this little scrap experiment, but it's something I do in the summer.  Honestly, I haven't put out my kitchen scraps lately because there's snow on the ground, and the pile of compost stands out and looks bad.  I finally decided that my neighbors will understand.  I don't want to attract other animals that might be hungry in the winter, so the first sign of scavengers will have me cleaning up the little mess.  Such is life on half an acre in the city!