Fuller Harvest herb farm

The smell of books and new dishes

2011-09-29T20:53:00.004-04:00

Tonight made new dish as published in Sobey's recipe magazine - sweet potato rice pilaf, pretty fall colours and delicious spices - happy that I can have a tiny bit more for a lunch treat tomorrow... Also happy with book I picked up at my library - author Neil Pasricha talks about little things to be grateful for such as bakery air, and the smell of books - Awesome!

New Life!

2011-09-22T15:25:00.004-04:00

What is it about tiny fresh flowers and tiny baby fingers that can grab at your heart strings? The flowers just came up in my back garden patch - and I sure wish I could smell those precious fingers of my beautiful new niece Sabrina who was born last Friday on the other side of the country...

New foods to try out!

2011-09-13T13:57:00.005-04:00

As we have a tiny chokeberry bush growing in front of our 'workshop', I wanted to see if you can eat the black berries - turns out, you can. They are full of anti-oxidants, however, they also contain oxalic acid. You can wash and eat the berries raw, in fruit salads or baked goods. The couscous salad was another new recipe we tried out on the weekend - nice to have a different grain. (not sure if the guys loved the tofu, however!)

Harvest Time!

2011-09-03T14:32:00.002-04:00

Came across this quote and wanted to share:

"I did then what I knew how to do.
Now that I know better, I do better."
- Maya Angelou

How sweet is your Marshmallow?

2011-08-08T14:46:00.004-04:00

I am quite happy with the colours of my first wild rose shrub and marshmallow plants. Yes, you heard right - Marshmallow or Althea officinalis - not the white puffy candy stuff used to roast at your campfire! You can use the leaves and roots for medicinal purposes, especially good for digestive/stomach issues.

Yummy flowers

2011-07-25T10:17:00.003-04:00

I was fortunate enough to spend the whole day in the garden yesterday weeding, (if you can call working in 30+degrees celcius with humidity lucky) and saw plenty of beauty with butterflies enjoying the milkweed, goldenrod opening up their golden colour, and my first rosebush giving a hint of ballerina pink. My absolute favourite flower at the moment has to be the hollyhocks with colours ranging from black/maroon to salmon and pink. I don't think they will last much longer, however, as their huge stalks are starting to fall over...

Books and bugs

2011-06-19T11:17:00.002-04:00

Inside, I'm reviewing library book titled 'Ginger and Ganesh' by Nani Power - "she takes the reader into a culture, a cuisine, and the female psyche, with recipes and stories from each chapter revealing the struggle of modern women, both American and of Indian descent". Isn't the cover photograph gorgeous? Outside, I'm noticing bug and butterfly visitors on my marshmallow, valerian, and St. John's wort plants. Now if we can only get rid of the mosquito's!

Feeling blue....

2011-05-28T14:17:00.003-04:00

Feeling blue about this 'spring' we are experiencing - nothing but rain and mosquitos! Luckily, mom and I came across these gorgous blue lilacs in a farmer's field and we helped ourselves to a couple of arrangements. The fragrant blooms remind us that after a long cold winter, warm and bright days should arrive ...

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T21:44:00.004-04:00

We have another mom in our workshop preparing her nest in time for Mother's Day... Wanted to share this quotation with you by Elizabeth Stone:

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T14:39:00.003-04:00

Good thing mom is keeping super busy with all her colourful knitting yarns - outside the world is still presented in grey and beige shades... Sandi, I hope you love mom's latest creation pictured above, as it is especially created for your little precious bundle on the way!

Dreaming of fresh Catnip

2011-03-31T20:06:00.004-04:00

Looking back over my last few blog entries, it seems I have posted quite a few cat pictures - well, I could not resist our big fella dreaming of fresh Catnip... We are all patiently waiting for the snow to disappear, and as a matter of fact, some new Calendula babies have come up in my newly 'renovated' growing rack parked in the workshop we have been working on - amazing anything came up at all considering the cold temperatures.

Chef at Home

2011-02-26T13:45:00.004-05:00

Has anyone ever watched the Chef at Home cooking show on Food Network channel? I just love the pantry set-up with all kinds of spices and herbs in mason jars...makes you want to cook or bake something special. Speaking of baking, just made a batch of Coconut Macaroons from Michael Smith's book 'Chef at Home'- they turned out a bit dark, but my tummy did not mind...Other recipes that sound interesting include Sherry Maple Vinaigrette, Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Red Wine Herb Vinaigrette, and Fruit Crisp with crispy buttery topping.

Got your compass ready?

2011-02-05T16:11:00.003-05:00

Instead of sailing on the 'big' boats, our youngest teen has been spending time on his other passion - model ship building - so far this is what his Chesapeake Skipjack looks like... Mike is looking forward to teaching again through the Ottawa Carleton District School Board with a new program called "Wilderness Navigation with Compass & GPS" starting next week!

Inspired by artist Frida Kahlo

2011-01-23T15:14:00.005-05:00

In addition to reviewing beautiful art books, Mom and I watched a PBS home video together about the legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The story was very moving and it inspires you to try out a new craft from garden design, and beading, to drawing. How do you like the flamboyant colours in mom's new knitting project?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T14:09:00.006-05:00

Oops, I guess it has been a while since I updated my blog - busy with moving my momma in and her precious cat (that is her in the photo with her catnip gift), baking with my new dishes and oven mitts (gifts from my guys), and getting organized for another great year - wishing everyone a healthy and happy new year!

Those good 'oldies'

2010-11-12T19:53:00.002-05:00

I had to laugh when I grabbed my Canadian Living Cookbook (1978 edition) off the shelf - it is split in half and I don't know where the cover disappeared to ... but I know exactly where to find the oatmeal cookie recipe all my guys have enjoyed over the last few years (page 244) - liked with raisins, and loved with chocolate chips.

I'm a Domestic Goddess!

2010-10-22T14:40:00.003-04:00

Over the last week have made a batch of Pineapple Chutney - fermented, so good for the belly - and coconut macaroons - also good for the belly! I just love the juicy color of the pineapple; recipe from author of Nourishing Traditions, and the macaroons are from author Nigella Lawson in her book 'How to be a domestic goddess'.

Beauty and Kindness

2010-10-14T11:38:00.003-04:00

I came upon this quotation that I wanted to share today -

"How beautiful a day can be
When kindness touches it!"
- George Elliston

Real Food

2010-10-06T19:00:00.004-04:00

Reading both these books about food - one is by the author Bill Phillips (of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Body for Life) with a book titled 'Eating for Life'. I can not believe the foods he recommends in this book, from sugar free jello puddings and soy protein powders to sugar substitutes such as Splenda. He focuses mostly on fat-free foods and products that substitute for sugar.

On the other hand, author Nina Planck of the book 'Real Food' highly recommends you eat your foods the way your grandmother prepared them - with the skin, cream, butter. She focuses on traditional foods and how they are healthy for you. I just started reviewing this book and got so hungry for a 'real' egg, that I picked up a few dozen free-range eggs from my local farmer - can hardly wait until we have our own girls in the back!

Crispy Fall air and Crunchy apples

2010-09-19T11:46:00.003-04:00

With the leaves changing colour and the temperature dropping, I get the urge to cook and bake up something new - lucky me, found this cookbook at the library by Rose Murray 'A Year in My Kitchen'. The book is divided by seasons so new Fall recipes I will try this week include Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables and Apple Crisp!.

Hardworking guys and a Happy Mom

2010-09-03T14:38:00.004-04:00

When I see the work all the guys are putting into the workshop, I feel as happy as this sunflower - a healthy treat to keep them happy would be something topped perhaps with a touch of chocolate -
Blend 1 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt, 2 TBS honey, and 1/2 tsp. almond extract in small bowl until mixture is smooth. Divide this mixture into two dessert dishes - make sure they are equal! Place raspberries on top, garnish with 1 TBS sliced almonds, and some grated dark chocolate.

I have a thing for beans...

2010-08-28T12:52:00.004-04:00

and the colour orange lately - lucky me, found a three-bean salad recipe in the Alive magazine with three types of beans and mandarin oranges:
In large bowl, mix 1 can navy beans, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can chickpeas (drained & rinsed), 4 plum tomatoes (I will use my garden cherry tomatoes), 1 can mandarins (drained), 2 celery stalks (sliced thinly), 1/2 red onion (chopped fine), and 1 cup curly parsley (chopped). For dressing, whisk together 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp. agave syrup, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. Add and mix dressing to beans, may drizzle with lime juice. Chill in fridge 2 hours - It would be nice to add to healthy lunches the following day!

Disrupting our food supply

2010-08-10T15:16:00.002-04:00

As I was taking these photo's I could not help wondering where all the bees were this year. Went online to do some research and found a recent Toronto Life article; the author states that Indian researchers released a new study that links cellphone radiation to the drastic drop in bee populations throughout Europe and North America. The radiation interrupts bees' navigational systems.

Think about this - about one third of the food we eat, such as apples, nuts, and squash, depend on these important pollinators!

Yummy Summer Berries

2010-08-06T15:33:00.003-04:00

After going for an afternoon walk with my son and pup today, we came across two types of berries which both belong to the Rosaceae family. Chokeberries (Aronia) are often mistakenly called chokecherries. Earlier this year, the chokeberry bush showed off its gorgeous tiny white flowers. I've read that chokeberries can be used to make jam, syrup, and wine. We harvested some blackberries and used them in a yoghurt and smoothie treat ... yum!

Colour popping up everywhere!

2010-07-29T11:41:00.002-04:00

Everywhere I look, there are happy colours popping up around the 'Workshop' gardens -from the rose-purple field milkwort and red poppies to yellow evening primrose, yellow meadow parsnip and multi-coloured zinnia's. I had never seen field milkwort before, so the Peterson Field Guide for Wildflowers came in very handy!

Through the Wild Garden and Wild Heart

2010-07-21T16:08:00.005-04:00

Parts of my garden are starting to look a little wild with purslane growing where it wishes to (over the garden paths) and mugwort reaching far (over the garden paths). Just came back from a wonderful weekend at Blessed Maine Herb Farm where I met other students very young and 'old'! Gail showed off her beautiful new schoolhouse and I have just started to read her new book 'Through the Wild Heart of Mary'- teachings of the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary and the Herbs and Foods Associated with Them.

Just love these colourful herbs...

2010-07-14T15:52:00.002-04:00

Finally this year I get to enjoy the beautiful colour of my bee balm - in addition to the anise hyssop, thymes, and other herbs in shades of purple! Also, I am happy to report another Robin family has joined the herb farm - I am pretty sure there were three little heads sticking out of the nest! In terms of workshop building, guys have been 'busy as bees' working on all the porches - they look super. Speaking of bees, there must be at least a hundred of them on the St. John's Wort plants!

Are you looking at me?

2010-07-01T15:16:00.002-04:00

Our youngest cat is trying to get my attention as he feels 'mom' has been taking too many pictures lately of baby birds ... how can you not when they are right in front of you in the workshop we are building. Momma bird is back on the nest again for a second 'batch' - she is feeling right at home in this noisy workshop. And speaking of looking, I should have remembered this is a construction site - I tripped last weekend and camera and I hit the cement foundation at the same time with dark bruises and a broken camera lens as a result!

Aromatic herbs ready for harvesting

2010-06-18T13:40:00.004-04:00

Actually, as you can see on the photo, I should have harvested the thyme a little bit earlier - but I just could not cut down the flowers yet... The mugwort will be bundled up later to create smudge sticks. Gail Edwards in her book 'Opening our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs' (see my book list) states that mugwort has an ancient history as a sacred and protective herb with special healing qualities. The down on its leaves makes moxa, used by Chinese herbalists and acupuncturists to stimulate stagnant energy. American Indians used mugwort to relieve headache and backache, rheumatism, and parasite infestations. It grows quite tall and I think it is quite beautiful!

Let me introduce you to ...

2010-06-08T09:27:00.004-04:00

Beautiful vegies like kale and other greens coming up in those container boxes we built! If that doesn't make you want to eat healthier, check out the recipes in the book 'The Kind Diet' by Alicia Silverstone - just picked it up from the local library - look forward to first of all trying out 'Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins'...

Zinnia's already coming up!

2010-05-27T08:34:00.003-04:00

The guys built a total of 7 amazing container boxes over the long weekend and already the zinnia seeds have come up! I also planted a variety of salad greens, squashes, carrots, a variety of flowers, and ofcourse herbs... We followed the method used in Mel Bartholomew's book 'All New Square Foot Gardening' - simple. Looking forward to doing less weeding work and more munching on greens!

Look what has come up!

2010-05-14T15:02:00.004-04:00

Lots of action around the house with gorgeous tulips showing their colours, herbs 'stretching' their green limbs, camper being removed (sold to a happy young couple!), and workshop walls going up at lightning speed with the help of a bunch of teenage boys!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

2010-05-03T08:53:00.002-04:00

After watching his shows on TV, I was able to get my hands on a copy of his 'Food Revolution' Cookbook - so far have tried one of his curries (even the boys liked it!), his spring bean soup, the roasted chicken with a whole lemon stuffed inside (which was delicious!) and tonight on the menu is his sweet potato soup... love the photographs in this book, his style of writing, but would have also liked nutrition information, such as calories, carbs, etc. However, the most important point is getting the family together around the dinner table eating a home-cooked meal, yum!

Create natural Mother's Day products

2010-04-23T08:54:00.003-04:00

You are invited to create a special gift bag for that special lady in your life - it will hold natural herbal products. Workshop will be held the Wednesday just before Mother's Day on May 5th at Mother Earth Natural Health, 747 Richmond Rd., Ottawa. For more information, you may contact Dawn at 613-321-3557 or just send me a quick email and I'll get right back to you. Hope to see you there with a friend!

Things are growing fast around here...

2010-04-16T14:14:00.003-04:00

My baby herbs are not the only thing growing fast around here - the boys have grown so big that all of us simply can not sleep comfortably inside this camper any more. How quick the time goes! Wonderful memories going across US and Canada with this on top of our truck - if you are interested in buying it and know how to do some fixing-up work, send me an email. Beds, stove, bathroom great shape and fridge brand-new. Happy Camping!

Largest Hunting & Fishing Show in Eastern Ontario

2010-04-05T15:27:00.002-04:00

Come and see these and other productive flies Mike has tied for the upcoming Annual Fishing and Outdoors show in Carp. The show is held from Friday to Sunday, April 9-11th and opens Friday for the public at 4PM. Mike will also give a presentation to introduce you to Fly-fishing and looks forward to assisting you afterwards with any fly-tying materials you may need. In fact, Mike's Fly Shop is the only exhibitor at the show that specializes in Fly-fishing and Fly-tying equipment - and there are more than 100 exhibitors.

Muscle strength and Vitamin D

2010-03-25T15:11:00.003-04:00

Oldest son has been busy using his muscles fixing his truck - did you know that Vitamin D is not only important for the growth and development of muscles, bones and teeth, but also in the prevention and treatment of breast and colon cancer, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis? Food sources for Vitamin D include fish liver oils, dairy products, eggs, liver, shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes. I saw dandelion greens available at the grocery store the other day; other good herbal food sources include alfalfa, nettle, and parsley. Try to get outside for a minimum of fifteen minutes a few times a week and catch some sunrays to get your Vitamin D - enjoy the warmth on your face!

Good health to you!

2010-03-19T08:31:00.003-04:00

After spending a day at Emergency for my mom (all tests results ok!) and hearing my niece underwent dental surgery (she told me she's ok!) I am again reminded how our health is top priority. As I went downstairs to check on my seedlings, I noticed the cherry tomatoes are coming up; they will taste good in this avocado ceasar salad recipe I found in a magazine - to make it:
-place 8 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce on a platter,
-top with 4 sliced green onions, 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1 sliced avocado and perhaps some sliced radishes, croutons and bacon bits/beans. Add 1/4 cup ceasar dressing - Avocadoes are a good fat, source of Vitamin C and excellent source of fibre. Wishing you a happy and healthy day!

Great addition to salads!

2010-03-12T10:04:00.003-05:00

Just finished growing some fenugreek sprouts - they are on the large side and should taste yummy on my salad or I can put them in a sandwich made with multi grain bread, spelt bread, or a tortilla wrap and add some veggie fillings such as cucumber, colourful peppers, and more greens... ok, I am getting hungry here! Fenugreek has a unique scent, and is known as the traditional herb for colds and flu.

Gold Medal winner at our house!

2010-03-05T10:19:00.005-05:00

Both boys have been busy 'building' - from History class projects like the WWI Valcartier Camp complete with tents and trees to building walls, as required by the Eastern Ontario Secondary School Skills Challenge - Intergrated Building Tech division. All day long, our oldest son and his team members cut, hammered, and finished complete walls including a window opening - and won the Gold Medal for their division! Over 260 other students competed in a variety of skills challenges, and those that won first place may have a chance to go on to compete at Canada's largest Skills Competion in Waterloo this May!

How to make a perfect pot of tea

2010-02-25T09:57:00.003-05:00

First of all, fill the teapot with hot water and allow it to stand for a few minutes - this will warm up the pot so that the tea you pour into it after will not cool down as quickly. Now empty the teapot, add the loose herbs (1 heaping teaspoon of dried herb per cup of water, plust 1 extra teaspoon for the pot), and fill the pot with boiled water. Cover and steep tea for about 10 minutes. To serve the tea, hold a strainer over each cup as you pour - on this photo, I made my delicious blend of herbal tea with good-for-digestion herbs!

Latest Workshop News...

2010-02-18T09:09:00.002-05:00

How do you spell frustration?...Ordering, waiting, then patiently trying to connect furnace stove pipes that are mighty cold to the touch! Better get back in the warm house and watch some more Olympic Games - go Canada go!

Mom, may I have another muffin?

2010-02-11T09:18:00.003-05:00

Few days ago, I made a wonderfully warming bowl of mushroom barley soup with some colourful cabbage salad on the side ...yum! Speaking of warming, the herb cinnamon has hot energy and is used in this Mott's Fruitsations Blueberry muffin recipe:
In large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. salt.

In another bowl, whisk together 2 containers unsweetened fruit snacks, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 canola oil, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour over flour mixture, stir in 1 cup blueberries. Spoon into 12 muffin cups, then combine 2 tbsp. flour, 2 tbsp. wheat germ, 2 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. canola oil, sprinkle over muffins. Bake 350F (180C) for about 20 mins until centre comes out clean. A+ from the guys!

First visit to Richters!

2010-02-04T09:56:00.004-05:00

Here is a tiny sample of the herbs, flowers, and vegies I'll be starting real soon... Richters is a wonderful warm place to visit for the selection of seeds, plants, and ... fat cats! One of the friendly staff members mentioned that the cats used to be good 'mousers', but have since taken on jobs as 'supervisors'. I just had to buy Hollyhock seeds as I had seen some gorgeous flowers last summer at Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center.

Food Matters

2010-01-28T15:39:00.005-05:00

I thought it was great that 'Oprah' had Michael Pollan on the show yesterday - I highly recommend you also watch the 'Food Inc' and 'Food Matters' documentaries.

Here is a picture of my 'pup' taken two years ago - look at that snow! A friend had specifically requested a picture of her as only the kittens have been shown on my blog - fair is fair!

Healthy Digestion 101

2010-01-21T09:51:00.004-05:00

You never know where the conversations will go when you teach a Healthy Digestion class - but one of the questions asked last night was "what kind of gas is good gas and what is bad gas?' - well, it sure helps to consume some fennel seeds. I made this skillet pizza the other day which has both flax and fennel seeds - great for the digestive system - let me know if you are interested in the recipe. We also talked about anise seeds, and licorice root - my childhood herb in Holland! Thanks ladies and Dawn at Mother Earth Natural Health on Richmond Rd. for a fun night!.

Head and Heart in Haiti

2010-01-18T11:08:00.005-05:00

You can see some of the healthy goodies that went into my new batch of sauerkraut. As I was putting the batch into the jars, I couldn't stop thinking about the Haitian people - have they had something to eat or drink by now? My heart goes out to the Haitian people, and all those courageous people trying to help. The least I can do is donate money - I know my local licquor and pharmacy stores are collecting money, so you know where I am going next...

Snuggle time...

2010-01-08T10:29:00.002-05:00

As I was putting a nice pot of soup on this morning, our two cats really decided to snuggle up together - they are the best of friends. I look forward to snuggling up later with this library book - 'Earth to Table' by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann -Michael Pollan states on the cover "This is a beautiful book in every way" - I agree!

Big cheers for catalogues!

2010-01-04T10:19:00.004-05:00

A happy start of a new year with fresh green smoothies 'brewing', fresh sprouts growing, and fresh garden seed catalogues arriving in the mail box weekly - I can hardly wait to sit down and 'drool' over them with a cup of tea...

Wishing you a healthy and happy New Year!

2009-12-29T19:20:00.003-05:00

Bird feeders and bellies are filled up with holiday goodies...

You know by my sidebar that I very admire the work Greg Mortenson does for schoolchildren in Afghanistan - I just finished reading his latest book 'Stones into Schools' - another fantastic read - and this time I finally wrote him a letter (small) and enclosed it with a money order (small) that came from a large jar with a year's worth of pennies - all those small amounts add up, right!? What if we all brought in our pennies and forwarded the money to a cause close to our hearts? I wish you all a healthy and happy 2010!

Things to do in a small country town

2009-12-14T15:01:00.004-05:00

Look what came through our small country town this morning - the torch is off to Beautiful British Columbia - perhaps my dad and sister will get to see it over there... Seeing all the young children made me think of other family wintry activities to do such as:
-watch birds at your birdfeeder,take photo's
-make a 'manifestation' poster for the new year,
-go snowshoeing, skiing, skating
-'force' amarylis bulbs, grow sprouts in a jar
-take a class on healthy eating (such as my Healthy Digestion class in Jan.)
-exchange a smile and open a door for a stranger!

I'm a 'Published Author' !

2009-12-07T15:33:00.002-05:00

My article about my upcoming Healthy Digestion class was published in the 'Tone' Magazine, December issue, on Page 26! If you would like to know how to make your digestive system happier using herbs and healthy foods, send me an email and I will get back to you with information about the next scheduled class!.

'Star' of the Craft Show!

2009-11-30T19:47:00.004-05:00

I want to start the week off with a note to say 'thanks' to those friendly people that stopped at my craft show booth yesterday to have a chat or a laugh. I was very proud of my mom who had unique seed bead jewelry for sale - I got the feeling that the 'Star' of the craft show was this beautiful necklace mom made with a ribbon closure in the back - a very happy young lady with pink boots purchased it for a night out on the town!

Come into my herb workshop!

2009-11-23T09:43:00.003-05:00

The guys put in the four windows in the front, only 3 more to go - and those double doors you see will be the entry of my herb shop - doesn't it look awesome! I met some very friendly people at the craft show this weekend and would love to invite them to the workshop next year...

Craft shows coming up!

2009-11-16T09:13:00.003-05:00

I did a small set-up in my living room to prepare for the upcoming Christmas craft shows - would love to meet you at Cairine Wilson Secondary School in Orleans this Saturday, Nov. 21. Then next Sunday on Nov. 29, I will be at the Canterbury Community Centre in Ottawa. My mom will also be there selling her beautiful European seedbead jewelry!

Read and then eat...

2009-11-12T09:33:00.003-05:00

Have not had much time to read lately, however, while I was having my lunch the other day - the video made for a perfect 'partner'. I also picked up the book from the library - has anyone else seen the movie or read the book? Would love your comments!

Marvelous morning muesli

2009-11-09T13:48:00.002-05:00

On Saturday morning, made a batch of swiss-style muesli to go with any kind of milk or yoghurt and fresh fruit - good wholesome oats surrounded by nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and wonderful scent of cinnamon...recipe from Mark Bittman's book 'Food Matters' - listed as one of my favourite books!

Summer berries on our first wintry day...

2009-11-06T10:03:00.003-05:00

Woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow so decided to bake muffins with delicious summery blueberries using a new recipe from another book by Edward Espe Brown - 'The Tassajara Recipe Book'. All these books I have mentioned lately are from my local library - what would we do without our libraries?! Now it is time to cuddle up with a good book, a hot muffin and a cup of herbal tea...

Wise Child lives with the local wise woman

2009-11-02T10:05:00.004-05:00

A young homeless girl, Wise Child, is sent to live with the local wise woman, Juniper, in a place that might be Scotland, and at a time that might be the Middle Ages... Wise Child learns Latin, mathematics, herbal and healing lore, and a bit about the making of magic.
If this book sounds interesting, there are two that follow: Juniper and Colman (Wise Child is my favourite). I found them in the 'teen' section written by Monica Furlong.

Growing sprouts is fun and easy!

2009-10-29T08:55:00.002-04:00

Sprouts are inexpensive and easy and quick to grow - makes for a fun project with your kids as well! Ann Wigmore, author of 'The Sprouting Book' started growing them many years ago to relieve her colitis symptoms and she states in the book that by eating sprouts and greens, she healed her body of colitis and arthritis!.

Long, but lovely day in the kitchen

2009-10-26T13:37:00.004-04:00

Look what I created on one crispy day - beautiful plain and poppyseed whole wheat breads - I tried a new recipe from the Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown - was delicious, worth the time it took!

Also, made an autumn-coloured Fall Pinto Bean & Yam Soup from the book 'The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook' by Alissa Segersten - you should have smelled the house! Some of the good digestion ingredients were pinto beans, garlic, onion, yams, carrots, cumin, and paprika. It tasted absolutely heavenly and luckily there was a little bit left over for lunch the next day...

Moving the gardening fun indoors...

2009-10-16T17:27:00.006-04:00

These pictures were only taken 1-2 weeks ago and you wouldn't believe how different the garden looks already after a couple of nights of frosty temperatures! So frosty that I created some gardening fun indoors today - I put up some alfalfa sprouts and then made blue elderberry syrup for the upcoming winter colds. The recipe is in Rosemary Gladstar's book 'Family Herbal' - she makes it very clear to never eat elderberries that haven't been cooked first - good to know! The finished product makes a beautiful colourful addition to my fridge...

You are never going to guess where I was last week...

2009-09-30T11:16:00.004-04:00

I attended a fabulous week-long workshop taught by Rosemary Gladstar at Sage Mountain Retreat Center in Vermont and met wonderful new friends from all of the USA. We were taught a variety of subjects by Rosemary and her assistant Amy in the yurt, and were fortunate to listen to guest-speakers as well, including Ann Armbrecht, who created the just-released film 'Numen' - the Nature of Plants (a film about the healing power of plants). All the notes I took will keep me very busy for the next few months and all the warm memories created will stay with me forever...

What just happened on the roof...

2009-09-18T13:45:00.003-04:00

The guys have been working real hard to get the forest green metal sheets on, but the project that slowed them down a couple of days was the designing and building of three cupola vents which will support our weathervanes - you can see a couple of them on the photo. What you will not see on the photo is Mike's incident with the roofing air nailer - standing on the roof and hanging on to ropes, he accidently fired a roofing nail into his knee. A quick trip to the hospital, followed by a long wait and various X-rays, the doctor was able to remove most of the nail - so now Mike has been ordered by the doctor to take it easy for a few days...

First things first...

2009-09-12T19:21:00.002-04:00

Thought I'd better get a blog in before my birthday...speaking of birthdays, how do you like my Bali Angel my mom bought me in Montreal - isn't she beautiful? Once our herb workshop is built, she will be my 'welcome' angel when you enter my herbal shop - I just love her!

Our youngest son had his first back to school haircut again last week, and our oldest son bought his very own first (used) truck - what excitement! Also, the building inspector came by to do his first inspection on the workshop - we can continue building - yippee!

yellow everywhere...

2009-08-31T20:04:00.004-04:00

During this week, I took some pictures of our sunflowers and went on a couple of healthy bike rides with my youngest son - we saw lots of goldenrod growing in the neighborhood (even he recognized this plant!). We are trying to get a few more rides in before his yellow schoolbus shows up at the door - speaking of yellow, I made the pizza recipe in Barbara Kingsolver's book 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' and decorated the pizza with an interesting combination of pepperoni, pineapple, yellow peppers, and herbs - yum!

It's been a green week!

2009-08-24T09:48:00.004-04:00

You could call me crazy, but I just felt like knitting again - I am only a beginner knitter, but I decided to knit myself a nice cozy wrap in 35C (hot!) weather in a beautiful leaf green colour.

Speaking of green, I harvested some green beans for dinner and freezer. If you look closely at the photo with my green beans, you will also see some gorgeous swiss chard, which I will start using in future green smoothies - here is a photo of my very first green smoothie made with mango and baby spinach - it was quite tasty!

...a kitchen filled with herbs and folk remedies...

2009-08-17T15:11:00.002-04:00

...she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an Acadian midwife with a gift for healing and a kitchen filled with herbs and folk remedies...

What an opening of an interesting novel by Ami McKay - the title of this novel is "The Birth House" with details regarding the Halifax Explosion, the midwifery tradition, knitting socks for soldiers during World War I, and - to me, the most fascinating - stories of herbal medicine and women's wisdom!

2009-08-10T12:22:00.002-04:00

After hours of weeding in my vegie garden, I was rewarded with a first harvest of green beans! I made a delicious spicy potato & green bean salad from recipe in book 'ExtraVeganZa' by Laura Matthias. Then in the evening when I went for a stroll just in the back of our property, I found some beautiful pink-purple flowered plants with purple stems - used my trusty library Peterson Field Guide copy to find out it was sweet Joe-Pye-Weed.

Treasures to be found in your back yard...

2009-08-10T12:17:00.002-04:00

Our roof is going on the workshop - Mike and our 'big guy' came down this steep roof with very achy calf muscles...

From green to pink to ...lift-off!!

2009-08-10T12:10:00.002-04:00

Thought I would update my readers that out of those beautiful 3 robin's eggs, 3 pink darlings came out, and then sadly Mike found one baby on the cement floor one morning... The two babies grew quickly, and then luckily one night, I climbed up on the ladder just in time to take photo of the only bird left - ready for take-off the following day!

City of Art

2009-08-03T19:33:00.004-04:00

We saw Art Galleries and artists working or selling their works on the street - from lithographs, coloured photographs to miniature paintings. The architecture was impressive with the height of the doors at the Court House and the numerous churches, especially the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. What an amazing city to share with family and friends!

Fabulous French friends

2009-08-03T19:14:00.004-04:00

My wonderful friend Linda from Quebec played 'tour guide' for mom and I - she drove us to Montreal where we saw amazing homes with curvy staircases, pots of plants and bicycles everywhere...my mom said she thought she was in Amsterdam (both my mom and I are born there).

Above is a photo of a restaurant in Old Montreal - what a wonderful idea to present your pots!

Rain, more rain and rainbows

2009-07-22T21:33:00.003-04:00

We all know how much rain we have had this summer, but look at this beautiful rainbow my hubby and I saw when we returned home from a weekend gathering with herbalist Gail Faith Edwards and friends in Maine. It was great to ask Gail questions in person, to meet new friends, and learn more about herbs! (and yes, it rained in Maine also)

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-22T21:25:00.003-04:00

When we returned home from our family fishing trip, we found momma robin had been busy building her own new home in the rafters of our workshop! We had to carefully move the nest and we are keeping a close eye for the new babies...

herbal helper Maisy

2009-06-24T14:27:00.003-04:00

When I was creating my herbal mix for a digestive tincture this morning, I found my new friend Maisy was very willing to help and supervise... I think she liked the scent of the chamomile flowers that went into the bowl. I told her we now have to be patient for about 6 weeks and let the herbs blend properly with the alcohol, and then we can try some of the tincture in a drink. (but I believe she should have some chamomile tea instead for her little tummy).

Isn't Maisy adorable? I picked her up a few days ago at Ikea - we had an immediate connection. Many of her sisters are waiting at Ikea to be adopted...

Valerian loved by butterflies, bees, and beetles

2009-06-24T14:20:00.002-04:00

I hope I am wrong, but I have been closely supervising and admiring my valerian beauties out in the front herb garden, and have seen not only butterflies, and bees, but also beetles!!! So ripped open my gardening books and not sure if these are potato beetles or cucumber beetles - need to do more research! They better not do a lot of damage....

Celebrations all week long

2009-06-02T11:45:00.003-04:00

Celebrated our first harvest of rhubarb this week with a yummy rhubarb strawberry crisp dessert...then as you can see my oldest son happy as he and younger brother walked home with 5 Awards that they received at their High School Awards Night - Honor Roll and Construction Technologies related - and we also attended Sea Cadets Annual Review over the weekend. They both worked hard and we are very proud of them (even our 'pup' gave a congratulations hug).

New addition to the Herb garden

2009-05-24T20:57:00.003-04:00

Finished planting my new 'babies' into the ground - a few hundred that is - I had lots of 'help' from the mosquito's and black flies. I am waiting a few more days to put my basil in since last year we had a 'surprise' cold night and that took care of the basil... I love the way my new bird bath looks in the 'pollinator' section of the Herb garden - it was a mother's day gift from my three guys!

Beautiful bees

2009-05-24T20:54:00.003-04:00

Last weekend saw tons of bees - I kneened down to take a close look at their busyness and beauty and realized I love all winged creatures...

Walls are going up

2009-05-24T20:52:00.003-04:00

Guys worked real hard this weekend putting almost all the outside walls up - while they were busy building the workshop, I was busy building the vegetable garden and the herb garden...

2009-05-18T15:03:00.001-04:00

Mosquito Shop

2009-05-18T14:55:00.002-04:00

All the men have been working hard on getting our 'workshop' up - they are now putting up the sheets on the outside - not easy considering the mosquito's and black flies are trying to tickle them! I worked on the back garden area the last couple of days cleaning up areas where old firewood was stored (yucky bugs underneath, not the useful bugs), cutting the grass for the first time, transplanting some mullein and red clover, and I have been talking nice to my herb and veggie babies that are still in their trays waiting to be transplanted in the gardens...the weather has been iffy at night time and even dropping to freezing temperatures - hopefully all my plants will find their new 'homes' this upcoming week!

Black Tulip Beauty

2009-05-18T14:53:00.002-04:00

Here is our oldest cat watching over the beautiful black tulips that are in our front garden - looking at both the cat and the tulips makes me feel at peace...

Spring beauty

2009-05-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

Gorgeous 'look at me' tree

2009-05-08T15:49:00.002-04:00

On my way to pick up my son from his Sea Cadet activities last weekend, saw this beautiful tree and just had to stop driving so I could take a picture...let's hope I can get this photo on my blog for all to see...

Where did the month go?

2009-04-30T11:50:00.002-04:00

Last day of the month already! With transplanting my 'babies', looking for my outdoor nettle plants, creating new snacks for a second-son-in-braces, building our workshop space, and baking up banana chocolate 'swirl' muffins and fruit cobbler and other daily life activities and 'necessaties', I found some time to start reading Made from Scratch: Discovering the pleasures of a handmade life by Jenna Woginrich. I am very interested in the self-sufficient lifestyle, so I am really enjoying this book so far!

Beautiful Burgundy

2009-04-10T15:17:00.002-04:00

My herb seed babies are coming up nice on my growing racks so I want to make sure they get a perfect spot in the garden - that is why I am sketching out some garden designs... I also took several photographs of my valerian plants that are coming up outside - what a beautiful burgundy colour!

Doodle Stitching and Drawing

2009-04-10T15:03:00.003-04:00

I have definately caught the doodle 'bug' - I am both drawing in my sketchbook, which I have not done for many years - and I have enthusiastically reviewed an embroidery book by Aimee Ray called 'Doodle Stitching'. I have always been interested in embroidery, and now I have new project ideas to work on, and my small sketches in my sketchbook cover a variety of topics from dog biscuits (yes, I tried to draw the herbal dog biscuits I baked for my pup!) to garden design. I am planning to embroider a project with a herbal bouquet on it...

Blue Chalk on Dog

2009-03-31T07:35:00.002-04:00

Well, we've been sooo lucky with the weather the last few days - not only do we have tulips coming up in the front garden (March!) but we started to work on our workshop in the back - my big guys put down the sill and I helped with cleanup and putting down chalkline but accidentally let go too soon and chalked the dog as well - oops! She was pretty good about it and simply 'washed' herself in the muddy pools surrounding the property...

2009-03-23T11:17:00.003-04:00

My Ottawa, Ontario area herb farm is a sanctuary of healing for plants, humans, animals, birds, butterflies, and fairies. My husband Mike and our two teenage boys and I are in the process of building a multi-purpose workshop - 'The Herb and Fly Workshop' - where we plan to provide both informative and productive classes that cover topics from medicine making to flytying.

Mike is a fly-tying specialist serving the Ottawa Valley - he teaches fly fishing, fly-tying, and sells materials and tools. He is scheduled to teach 'Fly Fishing made easy' starting April 22-May 20 through the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

You can reach Mike at mikesflyshop@xplornet.com and to receive information about herbal workshops, contact Yvonne at fullerharvest@xplornet.com.

Grow with joy!

We've got seed trays in the fridge!

2009-03-15T12:07:00.000-04:00

I am passionate about growing herbs from seed, harvesting, and creating herbal products that are all natural and do not harm Mother Earth.