Tuesday, March 19, 2013

March

Smells like spring in here!

 
I have spent several hours these past few weeks in sunny, near 90 conditions....right in my back yard.  I must say I have thinned my blood hanging out in the green houses!  When the sun is bright it is down right HOT in there!  It's a near death sentence if you wander in there with your long johns on--whew!  Fans and vents keep the plants cool and sometimes I even open up the doors to make sure none of them overheat. 
 
The longer days bring more growth to the spinach in the hoop house.  And if we actually had some sun, I could harvest just about every week.  The leaves are thick and oh so sweet.  Winter Spinach puts spring field spinach to shame.  No question about it.
 
I did not build any drainage around my hoop house so last week's warmth and rain made the house a muddy river.  Some plants were even under water.  I had to make trenches so the water could flow out of the house and not just settle in ponds inside.  Then I had to put a barrier up so the ducks would not go in and splash around.  They were not very happy with my barricade.  So just when I thought the worst of the spring thaw was over, here we are getting another foot of snow!  Again, the ducks are not very happy.  I too was actually adjusting to seeing the brown earth and am having a hard time switching gears.  Very early tomorrow morning I will be out plowing snow -- that will snap me back into I am sure.
 

Tapping, Hanging, Collecting, Boiling

 
Maple sugaring season is upon us too.  Another tricky season this year with the weather so hot then too cold, we have only collected three times.  300 gallons of clear beautiful sap each time, but that doesn't amount to much syrup.  We will see what the weather brings us after this snow storm.  Hopefully we can collect on Friday or Saturday so there is sap a boiling for Maine Maple Sunday.

Maine Maple Sunday March 25th

Visit Mitch and Penny in Bowdoin for Maine maple Sunday--where I help collect, and where the syrup I sell comes from!  Follow our sapping journal...
 
 
MARCH Winter Share Pick Up Thursday 21st
Pick up Includes: winter radish, red/russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, red/yellow onions, parsnips, golden turnips, rutabagas, green cabbage, celeriac, the last of the butternut and spinach!

LOTS of EGGS this week!!!!!!!
 

Recipes:

Green Cabbage Soup --sounds boring but it is simply yummy!
 

 
Orange and Chili Stewed Bottom Round Steaks with butternut Squash and Oregano -- I scanned this recipe from How to Cook Meat by John Willoughby (a great book), but I don't know if this will work, so if you would like the recipe and the link doesn't work, I can email it to you!