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.

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.

Bûche de Noël au chocolat !

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.

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.

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.

Look at those tomatoes

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

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.

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.

Ian Knocton Saved My Tomatoes & Homemade Fire Starters & Rocket Stove Co...

At last thanks to Ian I have ripe tomatoes and a reasonable harvest. Check out Ian's video on the topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itKHkz1Z_Ok&feature=c4-overview&list=UUFe6j4jOKK9SL0zUT9uJHLg
And the Tomato Website: http://www.tomatogrowing.co.uk

Chickpea and Spinach Spread - Hummus Recipe by Manjula

Recette de Pâte brisée - Sortcrust pastry recipe - Receta de Masa quebra...

Chicken Whispering LOL

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.