Our Subsistence Pattern: Ho Ho Ho...

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Ho Ho Ho...

....and to think I was considering planting potatoes today.

70 comments:

Sense of Home Kitchen said...: Ha! Winter just does not want to let go does it?

-Brenda; April 26, 2011 at 7:35 AM
Silke Powers said...: Seriously?! Snow?!? It's so hard for me to even imagine with the air conditioner working around around the clock already, temps in the mid-80's and humidity that has us knowing that summer is almost here... How about I send you some of our heat?! Hope you are all doing well even with the snow... :) Silke; April 26, 2011 at 7:37 AM
kelli said...: what?! we had an unseasonably hot and humid weekend, and yesterday i was fried to a crisp planting. that snow would probably feel good on my burns right now.

yours and rowdy's matching expressions are priceless!; April 26, 2011 at 7:44 AM
Mavis said...: Maybe if you make an offering to the Sun God he will grant you warm weather... or at least do a little chanting...; April 26, 2011 at 7:46 AM
Annie*s Granny said...: Ho Ho Ho.... should be NO! NO! NO!

My plants are sitting on my kitchen counter, but our cold and wind are no match for your snow. I feel your pain.; April 26, 2011 at 8:05 AM
Ohiofarmgirl said...: ok .. hee hee hee you win. that sucks for sure. i'm in shorts and t shirt and its not raining NOW... probably in a few mins tho
;-)
ps i couldnt watch DWTS last nite - not until that stupid Kenda goes. gggrrr!! but i might tune in tonite b/c i really like the Macy's Stars of Dance performances.; April 26, 2011 at 8:19 AM
Jennifer said...: I just keep pulling my hair out with this stupid weather!!! Maybe if I roll on the floor and have a full blown tantrum spring will arrive. Do you think it will work? *sigh*

Sorry you got snow, we got ice... this just sucks huh?; April 26, 2011 at 8:19 AM
farmer said...: how terrible!
We had the last couple of days 17+,t-shirt weather.
Our neighbour owns a potato farm and all were planted this weekend.
I hope mother nature stops playing tricks on you!; April 26, 2011 at 8:37 AM
Heiko said...: Who ever said something about global warming hey? Man that sucks!!! I hate to tell you, but the weather here has been simply pleasant. Have a look at my FB photos of this weekends Liberation Party. The word verification sounds like a suitable swear word: ocklikil!; April 26, 2011 at 8:58 AM
Patricia said...: Unbelieveable! and I worry if there will be clouds tomorrow!; April 26, 2011 at 9:18 AM
Sinfonian said...: The weather is just NOT cooperating. Sorry!

My tomatoes should have been planted last week or so, but I'm still hardening them of due to the foul weather.; April 26, 2011 at 9:29 AM
becky3086 said...: Ha Ha, go ahead plant them. Mother Nature is already LHAO!; April 26, 2011 at 9:41 AM
Mrs. Mac said...: Our snow is starting to fall from the trees now .. and it's still snowing .. above freezing. I planted potatoes Easter Sunday along with asparagus in my new raised beds that are now pretty and white.; April 26, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Unknown said...: We had some snow here in Maine on Saturday, but the rain that followed washed it away. Ground is still too wet for digging and planting potatoes. I think my mid season crop will be a late one this year.; April 26, 2011 at 10:20 AM
LynnS said...: Maybe you'd better plant Snow Peas instead!

I know 'snow' is a four-letter-word, but that white-stuff really is beautiful. :-); April 26, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Mark Willis said...: Your dog looks pretty fed up with the snow! (And who can blame him/her??); April 26, 2011 at 11:31 AM
Diane@Peaceful Acres Farm said...: OH NO! I am NOT laughing! It has been esp cool here too and our potatoes are over a month late.; April 26, 2011 at 2:20 PM
Mr. H. said...: Brenda - It's hanging in there that's for sure...hopfully on its last legs though.

Silke - I would love to borrow some of your heat...please send ASAP.:)

Kelli - Do you see why I "him and haw" about trying to grow things like figs. Rowdy and I do have that same disgusted look on our faces don't we.:)

Mavis - I will try that.

Sweet Water And Warm Sun Bless Us
Sweet Water And Warm Sun Bless Us
Oh Spring Comes Hope - Begins In Us
Oh Spring Comes Hope - Begins In Us
Out Come The Leaves, Up Comes The Grass
Oh Seeds And Eggs, Oh Ostara
Oh Seeds And Eggs, Oh Ostara

Nope, didn't work.:(

Granny - "Snow, wind, and cold go away and come again some other day...both Granny and I are tired of you." Now, if we both chant that all day as Mavis suggested perhaps we can get some warm weather going on.:)

Ohio - You really missed out (not), Kendra was really shaking it up last night...kind of scary really. I thought some of her parts might fall off.:)

Jen - I tried the tantrum thing and it didn't work.:) I'll take our snow over your ice I suppose...ice is always worse. We had some honey this morning...it was so good.

Farmer - Mother Nature will eventually relent and I'll be there waiting with a shovel in my hand.:)

Heiko - I'm not sure but I think "ocklikil" means "this weather sucks" in Klingon...I'll have to check with our sister, she knows the language better than I. Enjoy that nice weather of yours and say hello to Eddie for me...Rowdy wants to dance with him.:)

Patricia - "Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same." -
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sinfonian - Lets hope for a long warm summer...maybe we will be lucky. I still have to repot my tomatoes.

Becky - Mother Nature certainly does march to the beat of a different drum...or maybe she just has a devilish sense of humour.

Mrs. Mac - Glad to hear you got your spuds in the ground...I need to do so soon as ours are sprouting pretty good now. Bet you really got a bunch of snow up there on the hill. We are still predicted to have a really nice summer though, time will tell.

Grafixmuse - I think our crop will be a late one too. Hope the sun comes out and dries your soil up soon. Speaking of Maine, I just started reading a book called "Small Farm in Maine" by Terry Silber...it appears to be about a couple that leave the big city to grow and sell vegetables.

Lynn - Funny you said that as I just happen to have a note on our pellet stove reminding me not to forget to plant the snow peas. I planted a 50' row of afilia peas yesterday in the rain...muddy, miserable experience.:)

Mark - our dog loves the cold weather but nobody, not even him, likes sloppy, slushy, cold snow.; April 26, 2011 at 2:26 PM
Gingerbreadshouse7 said...: Mother Nature is trying to tell you something :o) like
rest up, I'm going to work the heck out of you soon :o); April 26, 2011 at 3:14 PM
elizabeth said...: Looked the same here in Montana this morning. Got up to 38 and snow was gone by midday. Fortunately its so dry here in SW MT that I was able to plant a bed of cabbage and cauliflower this afternoon. You might not have success growing figs, but at least you can grow tomatoes and beans outside there!; April 26, 2011 at 4:11 PM
A Farmstead Pilgrimage... said...: Mr. H, what a sight! Looks cold!

JFYI, there's more headed your way this week...we are getting hit Thursday night, perhaps it will be there Friday sometime. ~grin~

I have to agree with Gingerbread House, 'Rest up...the fun's about to begin'.

I sure would like to buy one of those comfrey starts from you... starts are not available here, unless you know someone with a mother plant, so I'm trying from seed.

Definitely one of my more challenging 'starts' yet. They need 30 days of cold, so inventing cold and dark in the refrigerator. Not sure how it will go. Might be starting them in the wrong season.

Take Care,
Kris; April 26, 2011 at 4:17 PM
Buttons Thoughts said...: Wow Mr. H what the heck? I am thinking global warming is not where you are. B; April 26, 2011 at 4:22 PM
randi said...: sheesh!; April 26, 2011 at 4:23 PM
Mr. H. said...: Diane - Seems like a lot of people are having a cooler than normal spring this year...lets hope it shapes up soon. Summers around here are too short as it is and I have had enough of winter.

Ginny - I think you are right, but I'm chomping at the bits and ready to go already.:)

Elizabeth - Our snow never did melt and it sounds like we might get more tonight. But yes, I bet you struggle much more than we do with the cold in your area and have an even shorter summer season. Lets hope for an extra nice summer this year.:)

Kris - Ours is Bocking 14 comfrey that we recently purchased as roots from from Horizon Herbs. You could try them or I do have one that was a little slower to leaf out that is still in a pot and would be happy to send you free of charge...let me know. mhannon141@adelphia.net

Buttons - Yep, where is that global warming when you need it.:); April 26, 2011 at 4:52 PM
Mr. H. said...: Randi - I know, you would think we lived in Vermont or something.:); April 26, 2011 at 4:53 PM
Michelle said...: No no no...! And I thought we were having a rather cool spring here. :) Next thing you know it's going to be scorching hot. Hang in there, winter has got to blast its last gasp soon.; April 26, 2011 at 5:55 PM
Bev said...: Oh oh oh. Mother nature does not want to be taken for granted, does she?; April 27, 2011 at 5:22 AM
Mr. H. said...: Michelle - Winter will drift away soon enough I suppose and they are predicting a really hot summer for us this year...we shall see.:)

Bev - She definitely wants to remind us that she is the one in charge.:); April 27, 2011 at 5:42 AM
Carolemc said...: Good grief!! We are having heavenly weather here in the UK - warm and sunny every day.; April 27, 2011 at 5:44 AM
Dave @ HappyAcres said...: You're getting snow and cold, we're getting inches of rain! Oh well, there's not much we can really do about the weather. It doesn't stop us from wanting to though!; April 27, 2011 at 5:59 AM
sylvie in Rappahannock said...: ah! ah?
well... maybe in one of your grow tunnels/ cold frames?; April 27, 2011 at 6:42 AM
Malay-Kadazan girl said...: Does having many snow this year will usually be a very hot summer? I hope this will mean you have longer summer there as spring is still winter?; April 27, 2011 at 7:18 AM
Dani said...: Gotcha - surely it can't be much longer until your winter goes to bed and summer lifts it's head?

Am sending sunny thoughts your way...; April 27, 2011 at 7:26 AM
Elizabeth said...: I can't believe my eyes. It is so stinkin hot down here, sending warmth your way!!
Peace and Raw Health,
Elizabeth; April 27, 2011 at 8:21 AM
Ohiofarmgirl said...: so, Brother. are you planting 'taters today or planting yourself on the couch? sun? snow? its hot and between storms now.

i caught the very beginning of DWTS last nite and saw the "show stopping" number - wow! around here we'd say that gal has "good udder attachment" or them things woulda gone flying right off! for heavens sakes. you wont catch any of these Plain Women hootchie-koo'in like that! hee hee hee hee hee

have a great day and here's hoping the sun is shining on you!; April 27, 2011 at 11:10 AM
johnnydesoto said...: Its been in the upper 70's - 80's here all week and I can't cut asparagus fast enough, and the radishes are bolting :) This after a cool spring that allowed the seed maggots to wreak havoc on the peas and fava's.; April 27, 2011 at 1:07 PM
A Farmstead Pilgrimage... said...: Thanks Mr.H, for the link.

Horizon Herbs is where I ordered my seeds. I will check back with them.

Many Thanks!
~Kris; April 27, 2011 at 1:26 PM
Anonymous said...: Was just reading what Horizon said about caring for Comfrey and wanted to let you know that I have a plant that has been here for at least twenty years on our place. I have never fed or even watered it. It is growing in just plain old dirt. So I'm sure with the care you guys will give it, you should be overrun with Comfrey in no time! If not - I will be happy to share some of mine with you. Anna P.River; April 27, 2011 at 4:29 PM
Lorena said...: I'm laughing so hard that I'm crying just because I'm living it too, a little south of you.I think I'm experiencing seasonal affective disorder, the kind where you aren't even sure what season it is! At least I'm eating greens out of the greenhouse. Looks like it might be a biosphere(in the greenhouse, hoophouse) gardening year. I think I'll search the internet for a nice Sun God to pray to what do you think?; April 27, 2011 at 4:34 PM
Mr. H. said...: Carolemc - Please send some of that suny weather our way. Not too much just enough to get our gardening season under way.:) Enjoy that nice weather, I'm sure we will have some soon as well...I hope.

Villager - Weather is just one of the many challenges of growing ones own food I suppose...I really do feel bad about your potatoes though. By the way, I came across this blog on community gardens that I thought you might find interesting at - http://alpinegarden.blogspot.com/

Sylvie - I could kick myself for taking our row covers down too early this year, I won't make the same mistake twice.

Malay-Kadazan Girl - That is quite often how it works around here. A harsh winter is often followed by a very warm summer and a warm winter by a rainy cool summer...I have my fingers crossed that we will have a nice long summer this year.

Dani - Thanks for the sunny thoughts, I'm sure winter will soon relent and summer will be upon us in all of its glory...the sooner the better.:)

Elizabeth - Thanks, we will make good use of that warmth.:)

Sis - Seriously, I thought for sure an audience member was going to be injured, but yes, her udder attachment obviously held out under the strain.:)

We started re-potting tomatoes but still no potatoes...it's supposed to snow again tomorrow.

Johnny - Our asparagus just started poking through the soil...I can't wait.:) Too bad about your pest issues, I'm very grateful that we do not have any problems with maggots in our peas or beans...I'd rather deal with the snow.

Kris - Horizon sells both seed and roots. We went with the Bocking 14 roots instead of the other variety offered as seed because they are supposedly more vigorous...we shall see.

Anna - Thanks, I am hoping that it will be as tough as you say and not need too much tending. We just got ours in the ground a few days ago and the cold and snow did not seem to affect it at all so it is obviously very hardy even though it was never really hardened off before planting.

Lorena - Pretty soon we will both be complaining about how hot it is I suppose...leastwise the dogs will.:) Rowdy just hates the heat and loves the cooler weather. Took him for a run along the river today and actually managed to wear him out...he is sound asleep now.:); April 27, 2011 at 5:58 PM
.09 Acres said...: Snow...unbelievable! It's been in the mid-upper 80s here in Newport News, VA for the past few days, which is about 5-10 degrees warmer than normal. Hopefully you'll get your tomatoes in soon.; April 27, 2011 at 7:32 PM
Mr. H. said...: .09 Acres - Upper 80's...amazing. The weather certainly has been strange all over the U.S. this year.; April 28, 2011 at 5:23 AM
kitsapFG said...: That's just not right! I hate late springs. We had one last year and this year too and I am pretty much completely over it - so mother nature needs to quit and get her act together!

We got down to 38 degrees last night. I was worrying about the tomatoes planted up under cover but when I checked on them this morning they looked great. Sufficiently hardened off ahead of time and the grow tunnel cover adds quite a bit of insulation and warmth. We are supposed to do a crawl back up in temperatures starting Friday and Sunday is looking pretty darn nice in the forecast. Keeping my fingers crossed they are right.; April 28, 2011 at 5:54 AM
AJK said...: It's almost May and there's SNOW??? What is going on?!?!? I'm sorry about the bad weather.... hope things warm up soon!; April 28, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Mr. H. said...: Laura - With any luck we it will start warming up here a bit as well. All of our bushes and trees still have buds but no leaves so we are quite a few weeks behind where we were last season, and I thought that was a cool spring. Perhaps we are going into a multi year cooling trend and we will have to start planning on an even shorter gardening season....how short can it get though.:)

AJK - Yep, I'm about sick of the winter weather this year. We did manage to get a few of our tomatoes re-potted yesterday though...slowly but surely.:); April 29, 2011 at 4:49 AM
Leigh said...: The weather is so crazy! I reckon we all have "complaints" about where we live. I lament not having enough cool weather in the spring to plant more cool weather crops; it turns hot so fast! On the other hand, seeing what other gardeners have to deal with should help us be content with what we've got.; May 1, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Mr. H. said...: Leigh - You are so very right, we all have our own special weather issues to deal with that's for sure. 6 months of snow does start to wear on a person after a while though...but, yesterday we actually had a nice warm day and it is looking much better going forward.:); May 2, 2011 at 4:47 AM
Roasted Garlicious said...: my goodness... brrr.. yes i'm very very sick of the cold, the wet, and the miserable.....; May 2, 2011 at 4:56 PM
Matron said...: Good grief! you definitely can't plant potatoes in that! Nice doggy!; May 2, 2011 at 11:47 PM
Mr. H. said...: Roasted Garlicious - More and more it seems as though we go straight from winter to summer with out much of a spring...let's hope for a very nice summer for both our gardens this year.:)

Matron - I was actually able to get started on potato planting last night but got rained out before finishing the project...at least the snow is now gone. We took Rowdy to a dog park the other day where he could run around off leash with other dogs...he absolutely loved it.:); May 3, 2011 at 5:03 AM
Faith said...: Hey Mr. H,
Nice snow. Ours is melting and almost gone. We didn't get any freak storms in April this year.; May 3, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Mr. H. said...: Faith - Ours has finally melted as well and it looks as though we might have a warmer week coming up, still freezing at night though...certainly not as cold as where you live though.; May 4, 2011 at 5:11 AM
Lisa Carroll-Lee said...: Just amazing! Crazy weather here too, but for us that means one day we gor into the forties. :); May 5, 2011 at 9:44 AM
Phelan said...: Right now I would kill for snow. precipitation of any kind would be wonderful.; May 5, 2011 at 10:26 AM
Ohiofarmgirl said...: hey! i'm popping by to say hi and see how it was going? we actually had a sunny day! whoot! hope you were in the sun and got your taters planted!
:-); May 5, 2011 at 3:24 PM
Mr. H. said...: Accidental Huswife - Our snow has changed to rain and while we did manage to get one sunny day on Wednesday I am hoping we will get a few more soon so things will start to grow.

Phelan - I'll trade you straight across, you send me a bunch of sunshine and I'll give you all the rain you want.:)

Ohio - We had a sunny day too...just one, but it at least allowed for the planting of our potatoes.; May 6, 2011 at 5:05 AM
Wendy said...: Still got snow???!!!; May 7, 2011 at 8:52 PM
Mr. H. said...: Wendy - The snow is all gone, just lots of rain...but we hope that will also be gone in the next week or so and the sun will finally come out for more than a day. Typical North Idaho weather I suppose.:); May 8, 2011 at 5:08 AM
Chris Burns and Llyn Peabody said...: You have created a beautiful site! Thank you. We appreciate the link you posted about our site:http://www.AlpineGarden.blogspot.com It has brought us a lot of traffic. Another site you might enjoy: http://freefarmstand.org/ and a book we're enjoying: "Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners and Smart-Cookin' Mamas" by Mark Winne; May 8, 2011 at 10:09 AM
Mr. H. said...: Chris and Llyn - Thanks for the link and book title...I do love books. I look forward to checking both of them out.:) I have just recently discovered your sight and find your contributions to the community and information on gardening to be most interesting.; May 8, 2011 at 8:21 PM
Ohiofarmgirl said...: hey are you watching tonite!?!? i am!
:-); May 9, 2011 at 5:10 PM
Mr. H. said...: Ohio - I did watch...poor Daniel Larusso.; May 10, 2011 at 4:56 AM
Kate said...: Just found your blog.... I am another passionate seed saver but living in southern Tasmania, Australia.; May 11, 2011 at 11:51 PM
Mr. H. said...: Kate - Hello, it's always nice to meet a fellow lover of seeds, coffee, and all things gardening...I just read your profile.:)

Funny, I was just trying to look up a book called "Growing vegetables south of Australia: how and why a Tasmanian food gardener produces heaps of fresh vegetables twelve months a year" by Steve Soloman. The author once lived in a neighboring state in the U.S., not too far from where I live and started a seed company (Territorial Seeds) in these parts, I believe he now lives in Tasmania...small world.

Anyway, please forgive my ramblings and thanks for stopping in for a visit.:); May 12, 2011 at 5:39 AM
Leigh said...: Just dropping by to check up on you all. Hopefully all your time is being spent in the garden!; May 16, 2011 at 7:44 AM
Mr. H. said...: Hi Leigh - It's been an interestig spring but all is well and yes we have been so very busy of late but having a great time regardless of the weather related challenges. Direct seeded plants are finally beginning to germinate and grow and I hope to find time to write and post a few pictures soon.:); May 16, 2011 at 6:33 PM
Kimberly @ We Call Her Momma said...: Hi there.

I wanted to share this recipe with you. It's a raw kale salad and it is delicious. I found it at this site: http://www.phmiracleliving.com/t-recipes.aspx. It's the 2nd video down. The only problem is we haven't been able to let it marinate overnight. After 3 hours it is calling our names. Kind of like abbrakadabra...it's all gone.

Tonight I added chard and peas from our garden. I like the darker, flatter blue-green kale (the name starts w/ L) better than the curly kale.

I'm going to try the limey cucumber avocado shake in the morning.

Hope it has warmed up for you.

Take care.; May 17, 2011 at 8:52 PM
Mr. H. said...: Kimberly - Thanks so much for the link, I checked out the video and the raw kale salad sounds really good...I will definitely have to try this.:); May 18, 2011 at 5:07 AM
Kimberly @ We Call Her Momma said...: update: The limey, cucumber, avocado shake was DELICIOUS also.; May 18, 2011 at 12:58 PM
TexWisGirl said...: oh this made me laugh! (sorry! when we're baking to death in Texas, you can laugh - start any time now as we're close to 100...)

came over from Farmer's place at Hidden Meadow to say hello and congrats on your award!; June 5, 2011 at 5:28 PM