Extending the Vase-life of Lilacs

   In Central Vermont we are just beginning lilac season. Most flower lovers agree that it is too short of a season. No other flower's scent comes even close to the aroma of spring lilacs. Whether they are outside where their scent is caught on a breeze, or brought into the home arranged in a vase, the floral aroma is both intoxicating and romantic. Just inhaling the scent of lilacs invokes memories of Grandma's house for many, and I am no exception. The scent of lilacs always transports me back to  my Grandma's house where she had a huge garnet colored lilac next to her porch blooming. No other lilac has ever compared in both scent and visual beauty to that lilac.


 Unfortunately, lilac blooms have the reputation of not lasting long when cut and brought indoors. Although this is true, compared to most cut flowers, there are ways to extend their vase life so we can enjoy their short pleasures a little bit longer.


 To keep your cut lilacs lasting longer in the home, here are a few DO'S and DONT'S.


DON'T smash the ends of the cut lilac stems with a hammer, an old practice guaranteed not to work. This procedure actually causes more harm than good. It actually crushes the lilac's capillary system and therefore destroys the ability to draw up water, which is what essentially keeps the lilac hydrated and alive.
Instead DO cut the branch on an angle and then make a clean cut vertically up the stem about 1 to2 inches. DO place immediately in a bucket of water while you continue to gather more lilac blooms and continue this detail as you fill up your bucket with the lilacs.
When you have brought your lilacs in to prep for arranging, DO take your knife and scrape the bark off the bottom 2 inches or so and recut the branch again on the diagonal and again vertically up the center of the stem. Do immediately place the newly cut stems in a few inches of boiling water, which you can prepare while the lilacs are resting in the bucket of water when you bring them in. Leave them in the boiling water until the water cools. Place clean room temperature water in a vase with flower food and arrange your lilacs. Do remember to change the water in the vase daily to keep your lilacs fresh for as long as possible.


With just a bit of extra steps your lilacs will grace your home with their beauty and scent much longer. Try it! Or stop by The Farm at Mill Village for an arrangement of lilacs with these steps already done for you. DO remember unfortunately it is not a very long season.

Forcing Spring to Arrive

   Why do Spring, Summer and Fall seem to rush by so quickly and yet Winter lingers on forever in New England? The secret to leaving the gloominess of late winter behind and rushing into an early spring isn't really that hard. When we think of spring we inevitably think of flowers. Although there may be snow on the ground (as it is here in Vermont) we can bring spring inside our homes right out of our winter looking yards.
   The calendar says it is officially spring as of March 20th, but I have been forcing a bit of spring for several weeks. It all started during an unusually warm spell at the end of January when I noticed the pussy willows in our yard starting to slightly open up. That was all I needed to motivate me to pick some branches from the bushes and bring them into our warm house to fully open. Within a few days presto it seemed like spring!
   Generally flowering branches cut in January take 3 weeks to bloom in your home, branches cut in February take 2 weeks, and branches cut in March can flower in just one week. Be sure that the buds on the branches are fairly swollen before forcing them to flower in the house.

These peach tree buds are swollen on the branches and ready to force indoors.

Strip the bark from the bottom inch of the branch and put two cuts in the bottom of the stem in an X, this will enable the stem to take up water more efficiently. Be patient and watch spring unfurl indoors while it is still too chilly outside.

   Try forcing redbud, flowering quince, flowering dogwood, forsythia, crabapple, apple, plum, peach, any flowering fruit tree, as well as, spirea, mountain laurel, pussy willow, rhododendrons and azaleas. It is always fun to experiment every year and add a few new species to the flowering branches you have already had success with. Enjoy tricking these beautiful harbingers of spring into blooming in your home too.

Forsythia starting to come out in the house in February.

 

 

Apple branches being forced last month.

 

 

Pussy willows forced at the end of January added to a bouquet of flowers from The Farm at Mill Village in South Royalton, Vermont.

 

 

    



 





 

 



The Quietness of Winter

   For the most part, I have been enjoying the quietness of winter. Although there are no garden chores, other than ordering seeds for spring planting, the barn chores have more than doubled in the winter months. It seems I just get done cleaning the barn, chicken house and duck house, when I have to leave the comfort of the woodstove in the house and go out into the frigid air and do it all over again. This is the first winter in a few years that we have had a cow in the barn again, and I must have forgotten how much work it is to clean up after a cow confined to the barn to have decided to do this again! Oh well, spring is coming and soon the sheep, cow, chickens, and ducks will be outside all day only coming in at night.
   I have started to order my garden seeds and have already received all my vegetable seeds. This year I ordered all my vegetable seeds from High Mowing Seeds, an organic seed company right here in Vermont. For years I have ordered all my veggie seeds form The Cook's Garden, but this year decided to "keep it local." This week I will order my cut flower garden seeds. I always order the flower seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds in Maine. I have tried other companies but my best flowers seem to come from Johnny's. I am especially excited to try some new varieties this year, as well as, the tried and true sunflowers (6 varieties), zinnias (5 varieties) and celosia (4 varieties). I am looking forward to growing "Blue Boy" bachelor buttons, pincushion flowers, snapdragons, and China asters. Wish me luck!
   The prospect of starting seeds soon is so exciting, but the thought of my laundry room being taken over by grow lights and flats of seedlings on tables is a little daunting. I do so love the smell of the damp soil though! So I think I'll make a cup of tea and sit by my woodstove, and do my flower seed ordering right now.

Chickadees having breakfast on the farm this morning.

 

Temperatures finally warm enough today for the ducks and chickens to venture out.

 

The quietness of Winter in our field.

 

The herb garden at sunset last week.

 

Getting the barn ready for Winter

 

   As we go through this rainy, chilly weather pattern it makes me realize that a lot must be done in the barn, duck, and chicken houses to prepare for winter. My winter hay supply will be arriving in the barn, so I must reorganize and make room for the neatly stacked bales of hay which will dominate the first room of the barn. Where will everything go? Why do I always end up putting gardening tools and supplies in the animal barn instead of the garage designated for the garden paraphernalia? Well, everything will have to be put back into place and the hay will arrive to feed the animals.
   The animals are all doing well. The vet paid her visit for yearly exams and shots, and declared all are healthy. It is always a relief to hear that from your vet. Annabelle, our 4 1/2 month old Jersey heifer, has now been weaned off of her twice a day bottles and has been mooing her protests but has finally resigned herself to only eating grain and hay. Poor Annabelle! The sheep are getting their winter wool and are beginning to look like a flock of cuddly teddy bears. Oh, so cute!
   I recently had another small harvest of lavender and was able to make one more batch of lavender oatmeal soap. I have my fingers crossed that the 24 lavender plants I planted in the spring will winter over. I will mulch them with straw for protection and hope for the best. So far, they seem very well established and have grown more than I thought they would have in their first year, and I had three generous harvests from which I could make soap, lip balm and dried lavender sachets. I am already dreaming about all the lavender products I will make next year.

dried lavender sachets

 

 

home-crafted lavender oatmeal soap

 

return of winter wool

 

Poor Annabelle, no more bottles just hay and grain.

 

Fair Days

   My good intentions of blogging once a week have once again taken a backseat to the chores needing to be done around the farm. I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post.  Soon the gardens will be done for this season and that will free up lots of time for indoor pleasures such as writing. The gardens were quite successful this year with such perfect summer weather. My flower gardens all did beautifully and I was able to enter a lot of flowers in the Tunbridge Fair this year in the cut flower category. My entries included sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, and celosias. I had sold so many bouquets of cut flowers in the past few weeks that I was really in a panic trying to find enough blooms for the arrangements for the fair entries. Luckily the flowers were in top condition and all received blue ribbons! My greatest honor was receiving the "Best of Show" rosette for a potted geranium I entered. This plant was bestowed with the "Libby Dodge Award" and was such a huge surprise and honor for me. It felt like Christmas when I was a kid!
   The animals are all doing well and the young chickens are finally laying eggs every day now. Unfortunately discovering that we have two roosters in the mix has left us without two laying chickens that we had counted on. I must say that the roosters are truly beautiful to look at though and delightful to hear crowing "Good Morning" each and every day. It's also nice that the chickens, ducks, sheep, and calf are all in the barn and chicken house earlier and earlier each night with the shorter days. That means my day has been ending earlier as well.
   I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely early fall weather.

Cosmos entered at the fair

Sunflower entry

Celosias entered at fair

Zinnias

"Best of Show"

 

For the Love of Yard Sales

   I admit it, since I was 15 years old I have been a yard sale aficionado. Luckily for me, my husband really loves a good yard sale as well and is more than happy to go out on Saturday mornings on the hunt for a great bargain. It seems the interesting yard sales are becoming fewer and fewer, so we really didn't go out that many weekends this year.
   My first rule is to read all the newspapers on Friday and Saturday and look for yard sale ads especially with the words "antique" or "vintage" in them. Be there at least 15 minutes early and try to line up a few sales in the same general geographic area, and then the hunt is on. We only go out for a couple of hours since the really "good stuff" goes quickly and then it is usually a waste of time and gas driving around for hours. Often the best items are over-priced in the morning and the sellers are willing to take a lot less later in the day, so sometimes with a trip back late in the day you may just be lucky enough to find an item you really loved but couldn't afford is now going home with you for a song!
   This year I can't say I went to any one great yard sale. It seemed to be a really bad year for yard sales. Yet, I did manage a few fun purchases this year. I have been mainly looking for garden and vintage garden items and did find a few things I really like. This past weekend we went to a moving sale and I think I may have found my best buy of the summer yard sale season. I spotted a concrete Japanese pagoda garden decoration for $50. Since I have a few concrete garden embellishments, I know that any is worth $50. I was sold, but being a yard sale veteran I knew I had to ask if the seller would take less. When she said $30 I was ecstatic! So I now have a three tiered Japanese pagoda that is over four feet tall in my yard. Of course I looked it up on the internet and found the same exact one by the same manufacturer for $350. That's a yard sale score I would say! Next year I am planning a shade garden for my pagoda in a shady corner of my yard. Feng shui?
  

Our new pagoda ($30)

1940s Rain King lawn sprinkler ( $4)

Vintage gardening tools ($1-$2 each)

1906 lawn mower ($20)

wheel to lawn mower-Worcester Mass. Lawn Mower Company

 

 

Rusty 1940s child's wheelbarrow ($10)

 

Let it Rain!

   These couple of days of much needed rain have given me a break from the gardens and a few hours to catch up on some inside chores. I even spent Sunday afternoon in my sewing/craft room planning this year's Christmas presents to be made.
   My beets have all been just about harvested, maybe a dozen left in the ground to mature some more before pulling them out. They have been tender and sweet and my husband and I have really been enjoying them. One got away from me and became a giant. I don't know how I missed pulling this one up sooner, but now it is way past the suggested eating size of "slightly larger than a golf ball", as stated on the seed packet. It is now the size of a large turnip and probably pretty tough to eat. You can see from the picture next to the quarter it is past it's prime, but a gigantic root crop just the same.

 

 

   My gardening nemesis, the Japanese beetle, arrived in full force in July doing devastating damage to my roses and fruit trees. Oh, how I hate them! I don't use any pesticides in my gardens and the beetle traps you hang in trees seem to import more Japanese beetles to the property. My grandfather used to pick each and every beetle off of his roses, in his extensive rose garden, and throw them in a glass jar with kerosene in it. Well, I guess that killed them! There are so many Japanese beetles here this year it would be a nine to five job for me to hand pick them off. One lucky break this year has been no sighting of tomato hornworms. Those I do pick off by hand to save the tomato crop.

Another rose ruined. 

 

   I hope everyone is enjoying this rainy day, I know the gardens are! Maybe not the animals that are confined to the barn, look at the faces on the sheep who were summoned to the barn when  a thunderstorm was approaching yesterday.



The Ups and Downs of a Farm

   Last week was a stressful week for me. When I went out to the barn last Tuesday morning for morning chores I was greeted by one of our silver laced Wyandotte chickens savagely killed. Feathers were all over the ground and her head was totally gone. This is nothing anyone wants to see at 6 a.m. to start their day. She was one of our young chickens who was being kept in a large dog crate with her little flock at night, because they haven't yet learned to go into the chicken coop with the older chickens at sunset. Whatever got her tried to pull her through the spaces of the wire cage, pretty successfully. The rest of these little chickens are now living in the chicken coop with the big chickens at night courtesy of me chasing them and personally putting them in the coop each night. What a workout! I hope they get the idea of going in on their own soon.
   To further add to my stress Annabelle, our then 2 week old calf, needed to be dehorned. A job I hate. All dairy calves should be dehorned so as not to injure themselves by getting their horns caught on something, injuring other animals on the farm, and especially their handlers. Although a simple process if done at a very early age ( it involves shaving a spot where you can feel the horn buds coming in and then applying a caustic paste to the area the size of a quarter) it does really burn the poor calf for about an hour after applying the paste. After that they forget about it and the result is no horns. Annabelle was a wonderful patient with hardly any complaints. She held up better than I did. I actually didn't sleep well the night before, anticipating the deed. How silly!
   This week seems to be going much better, all the animals are happy and healthy. The gardens are doing beautifully with sunny days and weekly rain showers. We have even enjoyed our first beets and are still picking strawberries. The cut flowers are abundant, with different varieties coming on each week. Homegrown rewards for all the hard work of gardening!

At 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Annabelle drinks one 1/2 gallon bottle of raw milk from a local farm

And oh how she loves that bottle of milk

She also loves grass and clover

Our new barn star

Strawberry Time

   Saturday morning my husband and I had our weekly ritual of hitting a couple of yard sales, coffee and a decadent Danish at King Arthur Flour's café, and then on to the Norwich farmer's market. The farmer's market did not disappoint since I went for local strawberries for making jam, and strawberries they had at nearly every vendor.
   Sunday morning it was jam time! I started at 7:30 a.m. and was totally done by 9:30 a.m. The most time consuming part was of course clean up. The filled and canned jars must sit for two weeks before trying them, to allow for addition time to complete the jelling process, but so far all looks well.
   The recipe is simple and I encourage anyone who would like to try canning to make strawberry jam as their first attempt at canning. So here we go!

 You will need, in addition to a stove, measuring cup, spoons and pots the following items:

a colander
strawberry huller ( a sharp paring knife works fine)
potato masher
jar funnel
jar lifter
bubble remover/headspace measure ( also not mandatory, a butter knife slid along the side of the jar will remove air bubbles)
water bath canner with jar rack
canning jars
jar lids
screw bands

1. Wash jars, lids, and screw bands in hot soapy water, rinse. Place jars in your canner filled 2/3 with water, bring to a simmer. Let jars sit in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in a small saucepan of water and simmer ( do not boil lids).
2. Wash strawberries and drain in colander. Pat dry on paper towels. Hull strawberries, then crush strawberries with potato masher one layer at a time. Measure out 5 1/3 cups crushed strawberries and place in saucepan. Slowly add 6 Tablespoons of Ball brand "Real Fruit Classic Pectin". Bring mixture to a full rolling boil. (a boil which cannot be stirred down) Then add 4 cups of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return to a hard boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. This recipe yields 8 jars of jam 8 ounces each. Ladle jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, use bubble remover to remove any air along sides of jar. Wipe rims with clean damp cloth and position lids on jars. Apply screw bands and adjust to just fingertip tight. Do not over tighten.
4. Place filled jars back into jar rack in canner with 1 to 2 inches of water covering tops. Place lid on canner and when it comes to a boil, begin timing and boil for ten minutes. Then turn off heat and remove lid. Let jars sit in canner for 5 additional minutes before removing.
5. Place jars on table or countertop and check seal in 24 hours. Pushing on the center of lid should not yield any flexing for a tight seal. Tighten screw bands and store in a dry, dark cupboard for up to 1 year. Refrigerate your jam after opening the jar.

It's a real indulgence to have a bit of summer in a jar on a cold day in January!  

jar funnel, magnetic lid lifter, bubble remover/headspace measure, jar lifter, potato masher, and strawberry huller

the completed jam

 

A Calf for the Farm

   Already we are at the end of June. After a slow start to the growing season in the vegetable and flower gardens everything has suddenly taken off at once, especially the weeds. So it's weed, weed, weed every early morning and every evening. I have even been able to harvest some lavender in the new lavender garden and there is much more to come. My only regrets this year gardenwise is not having planted more lavender and strawberry plants. Oh well, there is always next year.
   I avoided a regret I knew I would have and brought home a one week old Jersey calf to the farm on Monday. She is just adorable, and we have named her Annabelle. Of course all of the sheep are terrified of this tiny calf, since sheep are pretty much scared of anything, but they are getting used to her ever so slowly.
   All of our little "birds" are growing up way to quickly. Our Wyandotte chicks are now pullets, the next step before becoming laying hens, and our little duckling, Beatrix, is almost full sized. How does this happen so fast? So I am staying put on the farm this summer and enjoying all my lovely farm animals and especially our little Annabelle while she spends her first summer as a little calf.

Annabelle taking a rest after her first bottle at her new home.

She really does look like a baby deer!

Beatrix getting bigger everyday.

 

Beatrix is Here!

   Our new duckling has arrived and is just as darling as can be. We have named her Beatrix and she is now a tiny yellow duckling but will soon grow to be a large white Pekin Duck. Our plan is that she will be a companion to Francesca, our Rouen Duck, but we will have to wait and see when introductions are made.
  Francesca originally had two companions when we got her two years ago, but now occupies the duck house alone at night and during the coldest winter days. I ordered three Rouen ducks from a local feed store- two females and one male. I had hopes of little ducklings from this grouping, but it was not to be. I ended up giving the male duck away because he was so abusive to the female ducks, and even worse to me. I had constant bruises on my arms, where he bit me every time I gave them food or water, for the few short months I had him. Francesca's constant companion, Jemima, was killed the first summer by what we believe was a fox. Francesca was seriously injured as well, but survived by staying in the water in the center of a small livestock trough behind our barn, so apparently the fox could not reach her. She limped for a long time, lost quite a few feathers, and suffered a broken heart always looking for her friend Jemima. Since then she was adopted by the sheep, and thinks she is a sheep. She is always by their sides during the day when they are in the pasture. We thought she might like this little duck for "duck" company when she is alone in her house, but I fear she will probably just teach Beatrix to be a sheep too!

Beatrix- one day old

Every duckling should have it's own claw foot bathtub on the back porch!

Last week's bee inspection- the bees are thriving!

Our "not so baby" chicks

Garden Treasures

   After over a month of not blogging it feels good to sit down for a few moments and write down all the farm happenings. Our sad news is that we had to put our beloved 14 1/2 year old black lab, Millie, to sleep. It was time, but that didn't make it any easier for us. She was a great dog and a loving, faithful companion and we miss her more than words can say.
   On a happier note, it seems Charlotte our two year old ewe is indeed pregnant. If you read a previous post you know we were told by the vet she probably wasn't. A sonogram was done  and the vet saw nothing. She said her wool was so dense that the Doppler was not picking up any signs, and if she was pregnant she wasn't that far along. So April 20th, her expected due date, came and went. When the sheep shearer came to shear our flock, it became apparent that Charlotte is expecting. We have anytime up until June 5th to expect the little lamb or lambs. So exciting!
   The gardens have taken over every waking hour of my time the past few weeks. I have hand turned all the soil with a pitch fork in the existing gardens, raked, hoed and planted some seeds and plants. On Mother's Day my son, as part of my Mother's Day gift, rototilled the new lavender and cut flower garden. Now comes the planting! The garlic, onions, beets and carrots are all up and growing in the vegetable garden. I seem to be weeding all the time.
   While digging in my gardens in past years I often unearth a treasure or two. Usually in the form of an antique glass bottle, a marble or two, and plenty of shards from broken dishes. This year my hard work was rewarded with an antique child's size iron and a commemorative coin celebrating the return of Admiral Dewey and his ship the Olympia to New York on September 28-30, 1899. They don't have very much monetary value, but it really is a thrill to find old artifacts on one's property. So keep digging all you gardeners and I hope you find a treasure as well.

   

Front of Commemorative Coin

 

Back of Commemorative Coin

 

Antique Child's Iron

Glorious Spring!

   I refuse to complain about the pot holes in the roads and the mud just about everywhere because it's Spring, it's Spring, it's glorious Spring!! I can hardly believe the snow is almost gone. I can finally see where my gardens go. It's been soooo slow coming but spring is here.
   The baby chicks arrived on Thursday and they are just as cute as can be. Now I have to worry. Are they too cold? Are they too hot? I seem to be constantly raising and lowering the brooder light to get the temperature just right. They are in their brooder, a small livestock tub, with a brooder lamp on them to keep them warm, and all seem content- eating, drinking, and napping. What more could a baby chick want?

                                                                      Our new babies.

                                      Day old Silver-laced and Gold-laced Wyandotte chicks

   My first beekeeping class was Monday night at the Randolph Tech Center, and it was really informative and fun. It was not too "technical" and our teacher answered all our questions and emphasized to have fun with this new adventure. He was very laid back and now I feel more relaxed about getting my bees and setting up my hive, and very, very excited.
   With the warmer weather and longer days, our older girls are really laying eggs! So with the new "Fresh Eggs" sign finally completed, we will be setting up our roadside stand on nice days. The price of the eggs are still $2.50 a dozen. I also have a limited amount of cultivated French pussy willows for sale as well. These are the big pinkish-gray pussy willows that I grow in my yard. They are $5.50 a bunch.

The new sign for our eggs.

 

Pussy willows- a sure sign of spring.

 

   Finally thanks to everyone who has contacted me for orders for the Lavender-Shea lip balm. Although I included the instructions and recipe for the lip balm in a previous post, most people do not have the time to make it. I am going to be making the lip balm for sale, and you can contact me at thefarmatmillvillage@gmail.com with orders. The price is $3.50 per tin plus mailing.

   I hope everyone is getting outside and enjoying this fabulous weather. We finally made it to spring!