Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Tudor Monastery Farm Season 1 Full Episode 1



Published on Dec 30, 2013
The first episode finds the farm team arriving at Weald & Downland in West Sussex. There are domestic tasks to tackle, from lighting fires with flint, making meals with depleted crops during the Hunger Gap and using a tread wheel to fetch water from the well. Peter and Tom's first job is to move the sheep to fresh grass. Wool at this time was known as 'the jewel in the realm', because it generated much of the nation's wealth.

Ruth makes a tallow light out of rushes and sheep fat - it will provide the only source of light outside of daylight hours. And to equip the kitchen, she visits Robin Wood, one of the few men in Britain who can transform a log into a wooden bowl. She tackles making the favourite Tudor dish of Pottage and performs the ritual of laying the table, an act full of Christian symbolism.

Tudor pig breeds were large, wild and often dangerous animals and monasteries forbade pigs to run free, so Peter and Tom set about building a pig house, without nails! Peter and Tom must also master a new skill; ploughing with Oxen. These creatures, neutered cattle, had traditionally been preferred to horses. Today, there are no working Oxen left in Britain, so Peter and Tom hope to do the job by breaking in a pair of cows!

The team follow a key custom of the time in setting up a Religious guild, dedicated to the patron saint of farming, St Benedict. In an age before science, a guild was seen as a key means of ensuring favourable conditions for success for farming communities (and a safe passage to heaven!). The team also celebrate one of the most important religious events of the year: Palm Sunday - which signalled the coming of Easter - a time of much merry-making, where foliage was blessed by a priest and hung over doors to ward off evil spirits and misfortune. It also requires Peter to dress up and play the role of a prophet.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Hydroponics, Transplaning Peppers, Harvesting Parsley for Coddled Eggs



The chilli peppers that I planted from seed on December 8th. are ready for their first transplant into individual pots. A look at the lettuce and cucumbers in the hydroponics set-up, harvesting the first parsley from the aerogarden3 and making Parsley Butter Coddled Eggs for lunch.

Edwardian farm episode 12 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 12 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlandswith

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 11 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 11 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Friday, December 27, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 10 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 10 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 9 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 9 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

The Queen's Christmas Broadcast, 25 December 2013



Published on Dec 25, 2013
Her Majesty speaks of striking a balance between action and reflection, and looks back at the birth and Christening of Prince George and the 60th anniversary of her Coronation in 2013.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 7 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 7 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 6 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 6 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Friday, December 20, 2013

Something New in the Grow Room



Getting a very early start on next years garden in the grow room and a look at the progress in the hydroponics and aerogarden3 set-up.

Edwardian farm episode 5 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 5 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 4 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 4 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 3 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 3 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 2 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 2 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Monday, December 16, 2013

Edwardian farm episode 1 FULL



Published on Feb 10, 2013
Episode 1 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Testing my new iPad mini



Just a test of my new iPad obviously I need to speak louder.

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 12 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 12 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 11 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 11 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Thursday, December 12, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 9 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 9 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 8 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 8 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 7 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 7 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Monday, December 9, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 6 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 6 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 5 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 5 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Recette des truffes au chocolat.



Published on Dec 7, 2013
How to make chocolate truffels on a fast and easy way.
La recette simple et rapide des truffes au chocolat.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 4 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 4 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Friday, December 6, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 3 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 3 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Chanteclers 19 Weeks Old



The Chantecler Chicks are nineteen weeks old on Friday December 6th. It turned out much better than I had previously thought I have 4 pullets and one cockerel. According the the literature a pullet should start to lay her first eggs anywhere between 16 and 20 weeks  old. So far I haven't seen any eggs in the nests that I thought were laid by the young birds. Every once and a while I find them up in the nest checking them out but I don't think there have been any eggs yet.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 2 FULL




Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 2 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 1 FULL



Published on Mar 9, 2013
Episode 1 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

First Cold Day at the Cabin



Enjoying the first wood fire in the cabin on the coldest day so far this fall. A look at how the fig trees are doing in the hoop house. A look around at some of the things in the garden that offer winter interest and food for wildlife.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Hydroponics & Aerogarden3 Update (+playlist)



The seedlings have been moved to the hydroponics and for the most part are doing ok. One of the lettuce plants collapsed for some reason, the cucumber is growing best of all and has a great root system. Also a look at the Aerogarden3 and the flat leaf parsley that has finally started to grow.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Late Autumn Bird Feeder



I only feed the birds in autumn and winter and I recently started putting out feed again. Amazing how quickly the birds return to my bird tables. The last clip on this video is a test of the Canon remote wireless microphone on a  windy morning, very impressive.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Review - Canon WM - V1 Wireless Mic



At last my wireless microphone arrived and I think it is great. In this video I show how it works and do a distance test with it outside. I is supposed to be able to broadcast back to the camera for a distance of 50 meters / 150 feet.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Winterizing my Fig Trees



Trying a new method to see if I can't bring my fig trees through the winter and hopefully get some figs next year.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Look at those tomatoes

My explanation of why tomatoes appear to ripen when sealed in a paper bag with a banana or apple.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Setting up the Hydroponics



The summer growing season is over but I always have to have something growing so I'm starting to set-up my 6 net pot hydroponic unit and my Aerogarden3.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Winter's Coming

Time to make preparations for winter and finish the harvest. Planting my garlic a new variety, Northern Quebec, and the garlic bulbils that I started two years ago. Harvesting Cabbage and Rutabagas and setting-up a winter sunroom for the chickens.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Tomatillo Salsa Verde - Artichoke Seeds - In the hoop house (+playlist)




Garden season drawing to a close we had our first light frost today. A look around at things that are still growing in the hoop house, saving some artichoke seeds harvesting some vegetables that were hidden under the vines. I picked my tomatillos and found a recipe for Salsa Verde which turned out to be quite nice.

Link to the winter squash harvesting video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px9ekV93aoY


2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Construction, Crushing and Paving



A collection of clips that I've taken over the past month or so documenting the activity in a quarry close to where I live. Rock blasting, crushing and the much needed resurfacing of the local highway which had not be done in almost 30 years. I'm fascinated by all of the large machines and the incredible amount of work that has been done here in the last few weeks.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Hens & Chantecler Chicks 10 Weeks Old


Out reading and watching the hens free range. Now I'm concerned that my 5 Chantecler chicks might be 4 roosters and 1 little hen. I explain why this might be happening.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Pickled Cauliflower, Cara Potato Storage, Harvesting, Compost and Chante...



Two of my Cauliflower were ready to harvest so I made a few jars of   Cauliflower Pickles I think they turned out well and should be nice and spicy as I used Thai Birdseye chillies.I think I have settled on a method for storing some of the Cara potatoes for next years garden. A look at some compost that is ready to use, I plan to put most of it in the raised beds in the hoop house. Of course another look at the Chantecler Chicks which were eight weeks old when this clip was recorded.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Winter Squash, Cauliflower, Cabbage and Chantecler Chicks



Harvesting and cooking the winter squash and another look at the very satisfactory progress of the brassicas in the Hoop House. And of course checking out the Chantecler Chicks which are now 7 weeks old.

Friday, September 27, 2013

North Korean Camps - North Korea



The only escapee of North Koreas most brutal prison camp has lived to tell us a story of unspeakable horror. Starved of food and common humanity, Shin proves that gulags are still a tragic reality.
We were always hungry. Shins most vivid memory of his life in the camp is the constant hunger he felt, food made me escape, even if it was going to cost me my life. The only thing that interested me was the food. Before his escape three years ago, he didnt even know that a world existed beyond the barbed wires. Until then, his life had been one of torture, hard labour and complete isolation. My mother was supposed to inform on me and me on her. He believed she deserved her fate as he witnessed her execution. I blamed her. I had no real feelings as a kid. Shin didnt know love, only violence. Once the guards beat a little girl on the head so hard, she died the next day. He eventually escaped through a gap in a high-voltage fence. His charred legs still bear the scars. As horrible as it is, Shins story is not unique. Wang, himself a former prisoner, is a prominent writer on the subject. He believes that oppression in North Korea will keep increasing: The brutality of the system has grown to the point where Kim Jong Il now fears that he will suffer the same fate as Caucescu of Romania. He simply wants to kill all his enemies.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Father of orphans



Pastor Gennady Mokhnenko adopts dozens of children and takes them into his own home, helping them escape poverty and giving them hope for a normal life.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Hot Pepper Relish and Garlic Bulbils



Making hot pepper relish but my peppers aren't very hot. I pulled my two year old garlic bulbils and will be replanting them later this fall hopefully they will produce normal size garlic heads in the third year.

Friday, September 20, 2013

How To Grow Oyster Mushrooms From Used Coffee Grounds Cheap And Easy - P...



I want to try this. I will post the other videos in the series as they become available.


Published on Sep 20, 2013
http://www.tomorrowsgarden.net/
I've been looking into growing mushrooms for the past 8 months or so. What I have learned is that they have a great deal of medicinal properties and are a good source of protein. Amazingly, they can be grown quickly out of practically nothing. They don't need an artificial light source and can be grown in various types of media such as wood chips, coffee grounds, grains, straw and manure. It's perfect for preppers as it's self sustaining and can provide a constant supply of food in very little time. It's knowledge that everyone should have.

This is video 1 in a series that go on to show various methods of growing mushrooms from start to finish with ease.

Harvest Full Moon at the Cabin



A few little clips of the Harvest Full Moon rising on September 19, 2013. I took these clips while I was camping over night at the cabin for the last time this summer, as autumn begins on the 22nd. Likely the last time without a wood fire for this season too as the nights are getting colder now.   These clips were taken from the little deck outside the cabin door as the full moon was rising up through the trees into the clear night sky. Do not adjust your sets, LOL, this is a silent movie.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Grape Jelly, Pickles, Wasp Nest, Canning Beans and Chantecler Chicks



I harvested the grapes in the hoop house and made a small batch of grape jelly. The beans are starting to produce and I canned the first batch of beans. A look a a large wasp nest that I found not too far from the cabin and of course we check out the Chantecler Chicks which are six weeks old.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Harvest, Figs, Pickles, Bees and Chickens




I've pulled my onions and started two batches of Lacto Fermented Dill Pickles. I;m very pleased to discover that the fig trees that have been in the hoop house for two years now have started to produce figs it remains to be seen if there is time left this season for them to develop and ripen. The Chantecler Chicks are five weeks old and have started sleeping on the roosts. Another short clip of the Bee House and the Solitary Bees this clip does a better job of showing the different kinds of bees that are using the house.

Link to the Lacto Fermented Pickle Recipe :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6fNfpNA9tI&list=TL8J1cl9J_0O8

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Saturday, August 31, 2013

A wonderful harvest from one little Cara seed potato, you have to see it to believe it. A look around at squash growing in trees and some of the things in the hoop house and of course a look at the four week old Chantecler Chicks.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A lot of activity at the Mason Bee House so I decided to just record five minutes or so of uninterrupted activity to give you an idea of what it is like. Most of the bees in this clip look like leaf cutter bees to me but I could be wrong I know very little about these little guys, I'm basing my opinion on photos that I have found in google searches.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

A dissection and close look at the what is it item that I found on a donut box. A look at the cabin in summer. The Chanteclair chicks are three weeks old now and a look at the N.B. wild river grape that has climbed a pine tree. Info on the Chantecler breed: http://www.cfagrf.com/Chantecler_chicken.htm

Saturday, August 17, 2013


MAKES 2 PINTS Louise Pawson of the Old Cottage Tea Shop makes this jam to serve with her scones and clotted cream. Black currants are tart and acidic when eaten raw but pleasantly tangy when cooked. 1 lb. fresh black currants, stemmed and rinsed 4 cups granulated sugar 1. Put currants and 1½ cups water into a heavy medium pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a gently simmer and let berries cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until berries are very soft, 15-20 minutes. Add sugar to berries and stir until dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high and bring jam to a vigorous boil, stirring often. Continue to boil, stirring frequently, until jam thickens and reaches its setting point (about 220º on a candy themometer), 6-10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and skim any foam that has risen to the surface of the jam. 2. Meanwhile, submerge 2 pint canning jars, their lids and ring bands, and a widemouthed funnel into a large pot of boiling water over medium-high eat and sterilize for 10 minutes. Remove from hot water and transfer to a clean dish towel. Using the funnel, fill each jar with hot jam to no more than ¼" from the top. Wipe jar rims with a clea dish towel, place lids on jars, then screw on ring bands. 3. Transfer filled jars to a canning rack, submerge into pot of gently boiling water (jars should be covered by at least 1" of water), and place on a dish towel at least 1" apart to let cool undisturbed for 24 hours. To test that jars have properly sealed, press on center of each lid. Remove your finger; if lid stays down, its sealed. Refrigerate any jam that hasn't sealed and use within 4 weeks. Read more at http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Black-Currant-Jam#RhvGIgblaHYXPjZx.99

Saturday, August 10, 2013


I harvest my wonderful beet crop, the best I've ever grown anyway, and decided to make pickled beets. To close the video off a little look ant the mason bee house for the first time this summer and of course some footage of the little bantam and her flock of Chanteclair chicks./div>

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Garden and Harvest End of July




Harvesting some potatoes, beets, broccoli and cucumbers at the end of July. A look at the recent transplants of tomatoes, brassicas and cucumbers in the hoop house and the bean tower and winter squash in the garden. A few clips of the method I used to lacto ferment some of the daikon radish and garlic scapes.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Friday, July 26, 2013

Chanteclair Chicks Hatching



The Chanteclair eggs started hatching on July 25th and continued on the 26th. As I upload this video 5 of the original 8 eggs have hatched and the little bantam is still sitting on a couple of eggs. I will remove the remaining eggs on the 27th if they haven't hatched. I'm curious as to why there are two colours of chicks 2 are a definite yellow and three are a very light yellow almost white. It will be interesting to see if this is an indication of gender.

What is it.... ???

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Lucky Flew the Coop



Lucky has been living in a small coop for several weeks now because he was bullying his father Prince Leah. Just the nature of the beast if there are two roosters in the same coop they will spar until one is triumphant and becomes the dominate rooster,leader of the pack. The problem here was the difference in size Lucky is a large full size bird and Leah is a bantam. I have advertised Lucky as free to a good home on Kijiji two weeks ago and today he moved to his new home in Rowley New Brunswick. He is now living with a young family with two young boys who were very happy to see lucky. There is already a rooster, Lucky's size, in the flock but I'm confident that they will sort out the pecking order in the first few days if there is an real issues the family does have a second coop with a flock of younger birds and Lucky could be moved in there.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

July 19th in the hoop house




2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Walk Around the Outside Garden




2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Gardening in the Heat Wave

2013 Plant List 1. Onion Red Zeppelin 2. Okra Jambalaya 3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax 4. Pepper King Arthur 5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum 6. Pepper Aji Dulce 7. Pepper Shi Shito 8. Tomato Mountain Merit 9. Tomato Roma VF 10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712) 11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712) 12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled 13. Mustard Dragons Tongue 14. Mustard Red Giant 15. Lettuce New Red Fire 16. Broccoli Gypsy 17. Collards Flash 18. Cabbage Bronco 19. Cauliflower Fremont 20. Kohlrabi Kossak 21. Peas Dwarf Sabre 22. Daikon Radish April Cross 23. Sweet Peas Old Spice 24. Summer Savory 25. Cucumber Rocky 26. Parsley Forest Green 27. Sage 28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712) 29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712) 30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712) 31. Beets Merlin 32. Summer Squash -- Elegance 33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama 34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix 35. Garlic Susan Delafield 36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara 37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant 38. Rutabaga -- York 39. Cucumber -- Calypso 40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake 41. Lima Beans- Fordhook 42. Common Comfrey

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Ross Farm Museum, New Ross, NS




Just back from a short holiday in Nova Scotia. I visited the Ross Farm Museum in New Ross, Nova Scotia. This has been on my to do list for a few years now and I'm so glad I was able to make the trip this summer. Shortly after I arrived I met Walter, cooper68ns, a youTube friend. Walter works at the farm and as his Channel name indicates he is a cooper at least that is one of the many things he does at the farm. I have been looking for a source for Chantecler hatching eggs, the only Canadian registered chicken breed, they have a small flock of them at the farm and Walter gave me a dozen eggs. I have a broody bantam hen and the last clip on this video is the little bantam settling in to brood the eggs.

A link to Walter's cannel: http://www.youtube.com/user/cooper68ns

A link to the Ross Farm Museum website: http://museum.gov.ns.ca/rfm/en/home/default.aspx

A link to the history of the Chantecler breed; http://www.cfagrf.com/Chantecler_chicken.htm

Friday, June 28, 2013

Garden in Early Summer




A look around at the gardens at the beginning of summer. The artichoke now has two small artichokes on it, the tomatillos are in bloom, I'm harvesting some of the miniature cucumbers and peas and there is a look at the grape vines again which have almost completely covered the end of the hoop house. Like I have done with several on my videos lately this one ends with a look at some of the things in bloom right now in the gardens.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Friday, June 21, 2013

Pond Life



No narration and no cameo appearance in this video, just the sounds of nature at the pond. This pond isn't on my property but it is adjacent to my land only about a five minute walk away. The pond has been there for many years in a disused gravel pit. It used to be very shallow and would go dry in summer, but in the past year beavers have moved in and built a lodge in the centre of the pond. The beaver is a master at hydraulic engineering, they have damed up the areas where the pond was loosing water and almost doubled the size of the pond and it is much deeper than it used to be. If you notice dead trees around the edge of the pond that is an indication that there are beavers at work, when they raise the water level trees at the edge of the pond suddenly find there roots under water and that kills the tree. Toward the end of the video I show you the very well camouflaged Beaver Lodge but unfortunately I have't been able to video the beavers yet. Since the beavers moved in there is a lot more wildlife than there used to be. Not sure how many turtles there are but as you can see I have seen three at one time and I have seen a number of smaller ones off in the water. not sure of the breed but they might be Painted Turtles if anyone knows for sure please leave a comment  There is a nice close-up of a frog and two different kinds of tadpoles. Frogs, toads and salamanders all lay there eggs in ponds and they hatch into tadpoles. There is also a close-up of one tadpole in it's second year stage starting to grow legs. I know that there are at least two families of Black Ducks but I have't been able to get video of them so far either, so maybe there will be a Pond Life II later on this summer.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Harvesting and Veggie Progress




A look around at how things are progressing in the hoop house. The first Artichoke has started to come up, cucumbers are starting to grow,the peas have lots of pods on them, I thinned the beets and got enough greens for a couple of meals. I'm trying a new way of feeding the grape vines something that I remembered from a visit to Hampton Court Palace many years ago and the video concludes with the time lapse of the peas growing from April 4th to May 7th.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Garden, Hoop House and Harvesting




A look around the gardens and hoop house. The summer and winter squash have been transplanted into the garden. It looks like all of the potatoes and most of the beans survived the week of rain. I transplanted the last of my New Brunswick wild river grape cuttings two on the house and the other four at the base of trees. Things in the hoop house have really improved since I started using Epson Salts. Harvesting some of the mustard greens and a couple of the daikon and a quick little clip about making some pickled daikon. To finish off with a look at some blooms around the property and a couple of clips of some of the local wildlife.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Saturday, June 1, 2013

At last the rain has stopped




Unboxing a small shipment of herbs intended for use are a green manure tea for the garden. A look at how I measured the amount of rain we received over the weekend. Transplanting some seedlings into the garden and a look at a few things that are in bloom right now.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook
42. Common Comfrey

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Hummers



Put up a humming bird feeder yesterday and within a couple of hours the first humming bird arrived.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Grapes and other things




The Beta grape vine has blossom buds lots of them so I hope to have my first grapes this summer. A look around at the things I recently transplanted in the hoop house and the other crops that are growing in there.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara
37. Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
38. Rutabaga -- York
39. Cucumber -- Calypso
40. Pole Beans -- Blue Lake
41. Lima Beans- Fordhook

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Cabin, Hoop House and Garden




A look at how things are developing in the gardens and hoop house and I just finished painting the cabin so I wanted you to see that too.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
31. Beets Merlin
32. Summer Squash -- Elegance
33. Winter Squash -- Sweet Mama
34. Calendula -- Fiesta Gitana Mix
35. Garlic Susan Delafield
36. Potatoes Yukon Gold & Cara

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Canary and Hoop House update




A look at my canary in the coal mine experiment and the grapes, artichoke, daikon,onion and peas that are growing in the Hoop House. To finish the video a few short clips of some of the spring flowers.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Justin Trudeau -- Channel Change







I tweeted, google+ and blogged these ads and I would like to encourage others to do the same.
J'ai tweeté, Google+ et blogué ces annonces et je tiens à encourager les autres à faire de même.

Canary in the coal mine




Testing the hoop house to see if it is safe to bring my seedlings out. Planting my onion seedlings and a look at how things are growing in the early season hoop house.

The latest version of the ever growing seedling list:

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
11. Tomatillo (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage
28. White Wonder Cucumber (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
29. Buttercrunch Lettuce (Free seed from Praxxus55712)
30. Heshiko Green Onion (Free seed from Praxxus55712)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Frank Gardner's Return to Saudi Arabia BBC full documentary 2013 Inside ...



(There are a couple of ads in the middle of this video but you can click to stop them.)

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner returns for the first time to Riyadh, the city in Saudi Arabia where he was shot by Al Qaeda in 2004 and left dependent upon a wheelchair. Travelling in this important and mysterious country, he explores how it has so far avoided an Arab Spring revolution.
Frank Gardner's Return to Saudi Arabia BBC full documentary 2013 Inside the saudi kingdom

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Aerogarden, Hydroponics, Light Garden and Hoop House update




A look at the progress and growth in the Aerogarden, Hydroponics, Seedlings in the light garden and Hoop House. The plant list below corresponds to the numbers on the plant tags.

2013 Plant List

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora
11. Tomatillo
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak
21. Peas Dwarf Sabre
22. Daikon Radish April Cross
23. Sweet Peas Old Spice
24. Summer Savory
25. Cucumber Rocky
26. Parsley Forest Green
27. Sage

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

I hope he's moving in



Something a bit rare in this area a male Cardinal and he is singing for a mate. I sure hope he finds one I would like to see them move into the area.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Cantonese Egg Tarts


Cantonese Egg Tarts, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Link to the recipe : en.christinesrecipes.com/2009/03/cantonese-egg-tarts-reci...

Crocus and Chickens




Out enjoying some spring flowers and supervising the chickens free ranging time. It looks like we could be in for another spring snow storm. We were lucky one got a cm or two of snow then it changed to rain. 

Friday, April 12, 2013

Spring Birds



A short clip of some of the birds that have returned for the spring breeding season.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Hoop House Experiment and Seedlings



The plant list that corresponds to the numbers on the tags:

1. Onion Red Zeppelin
2. Okra Jambalaya
3. Pepper Hot Hungarian Wax
4. Pepper King Arthur
5. Geranium Bullseye Mix Pelargonium hortorum
6. Pepper Aji Dulce
7. Pepper Shi Shito
8. Tomato Mountain Merit
9. Tomato Roma VF
10. Tomato Yellow Multiflora
11. Tomatillo 
12. Mustard Southern Giant Curled
13. Mustard Dragons Tongue 
14. Mustard Red Giant
15. Lettuce New Red Fire
16. Broccoli Gypsy
17. Collards Flash
18. Cabbage Bronco
19. Cauliflower Fremont
20. Kohlrabi Kossak

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Cabane à sucre - Sugar Shack




A compilation of video clips made this spring as I collected Maple Sap and made Maple Syrup for the first time. I enjoyed the whole process hope you enjoy it too. This link will take you to the University of Maine's How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup Bulletin #7036:

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/PDFpubs/7036.pdf

BBC Wartime Farm episode 6 of 8

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Camp Oven Issues Solved




With a couple of changes the Coleman Camp Oven is now working perfectly. I added a pizza baking stone and used the right side burner on the coleman gas stove which is much easier to adjust. In this video I baked bread and muffins and they both turned out very well.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Saint Patrick's Day Green/Basil No-Knead Bread Metric Measure

The New York Times No-Knead Bread

In addition to the regular ingredients listed below I added one third cup of fresh Basil finely chopped with 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil. One third cup of Pesto would work as well. It smells and tastes wonderful and was great with olive oil to dip it in.

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour,(I use 450g) more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, (I use 380g)and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees F.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

I have enjoyed all of the loves that I have made using this method but I have had a problem with consistency so I have been working on a using weights for the flour and water instead of volume measures. After several tries I've settled on 450g of Flour and 375g of water. I'm also finding that I get a much better loaf using unbleached flour.

Link to NYT YouTube video:

ca.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

BBC Wartime Farm Ep.1/8




Wartime Farm

History, War Documentary hosted by Ruth Goodman and Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn, published by BBC in 2012 - English narration


Information
------------------------------

Wartime Farm
Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn face up to the challenges of the biggest revolution ever seen in the history of the British countryside as they turn Manor Farm back to how it was run in the Second World War. When Britain entered the war, two-thirds of all Britain's food was imported - and now it was under threat from a Nazi blockade. To save Britain from starvation, the nation's farmers were tasked with doubling food production in what Churchill called 'the frontline of freedom'. This meant ploughing up 6.5 million acres of unused land - a combined area bigger than the whole of Wales.


1) Part 1 
In this first episode, the farmers find themselves in a new location, a new time period and with a new team member. There is a new farmhouse to modernise, strict new rules to abide by and air raid precautions to contend with. The team begin by reclaiming badlands to grow new crops. Peter works with a blacksmith to design a special 'mole plough' to help drain the waterlogged clay fields. Ruth and Alex get to grips with a troublesome wartime tractor - and must plough through the night to get the wheat crop sown in time. On top of farmers' herculean efforts to double food production, their detailed knowledge of the landscape also made them ideal recruits for one of the war's most secret organisations - the 'Auxiliary Units', a British resistance force trained to use guerrilla tactics against German invasion.

Hydroponic Harvest




Harvesting, cooking and eating some of the hydroponic greens and a look at the seedlings in the light garden.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

sap collecting

Back in the Hoop House



At last the door to the hoop house thawed out and I'm inside looking around at how things came through the winter and doing some of the early season chores. Both of my fig trees survived but the one that I didn't cover is in much better condition so next year I will just leave them alone to do their thing. The grape vines are in great shape and starting to break bud. I moved the wires that they have been climbing back a few feet so they will be growing flat up against the back wall this year, fingers crossed for some grapes and figs this summer.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Coleman Camp Stove



Hooking up my Gas Colman Camp Stove. I decided to use a 20 pound propane tank rather than the little disposable ones. This way the tank itself can be outside of the cabin which I think is much safer. I was amazed at how much heat it produces,it boiled water in no time. I also used my Colman oven to bake some muffins.