It's canning time again. Bulging bags of green beans and pickling cucumbers awaited me in the fridge, all picked and ready for preserving. Some were from my garden, some were from my neighbor's garden, and some were from the farm where we get our CSA. It was a collaborative harvest. My friend came over to keep me company, and we spent the day making pickles. There is something ...
Life
First Harvest
Garlic braids are hanging in the pantry, a big bowl of potatoes is ready to eat over the coming weeks, green beans are all picked for pickling, and I won't have to buy another onion for a good long while. It was a wonderful feeling this weekend to harvest some of the fruits of our labour. All summer long we've been picking some peas here and there, gathering a bowl of cherry tomatoes every couple ...
Summer Abundance
With all the bounty of the earth ripening in the garden and the fields, and the creative spirit of the Women's Festival at Stillpoint Farms where I vended this past weekend, I wanted to create something honoring this flow of abundance. I needlefelted this wall hanging, working on it late into the night, of a woman in the fields with a basket of apples she has just harvested from the tree. I ...
Cast-Iron: Not Just Your Grandmother’s Frying Pan!
How many of us are still cooking today with our grandmother's cast-iron skillet? We might think lovingly of grandma or great-grandma standing at the stove, cooking up some delicious morsels as only a Grannie can do. Ever pictured Grannie wielding her skillet as a weapon? Perhaps she used it to smack an intruder or surly spouse over the head? There is a story in my husband's ...
What We Have Here is a Watermelon!
Five, to be exact, and more coming on. I LOVE growing food! ...
Camping at Crane Prairie Reservoir
This time of year, when the weather in the Willamette Valley is stifling hot, it's nice to find a mountain lake to camp by with the promise of cool breezes and refreshing swims. We made plans to escape to one such place by the name of Hosmer lake for the weekend, and ended up at a beautiful spot on the shores of nearby Crane Prairie Reservoir with some adventures in between. Both lakes are in the ...
Hang it Well and Hang it High: The Art and Importance of Hanging Your Food While Backpacking
Remember the things your dad taught you while you were growing up? Maybe he taught you how to build a table, fix a car, use a pocket knife, skin a deer, play a harmonica or make a mean pancake breakfast. Of all the skills passed down to me, the one I find myself doing exactly the way my dad showed me, is hanging the food bag in the backcountry. Every evening we were out on ...
Women Who Dig Rocks
Recently, my old friend Thena came through town to visit on an Oregon rock hounding/fossil hunting road trip with her daughter, Raine who has big plans to become a Paleontologist. Being the rock collector that I am (I can't help it! They just come home with me everywhere I go!), I was very intrigued by their trip. Armed with their rock hammers, pick, shovel and a book called Gem ...
Busy in the Craft Room
I've been so caught up in the busy goings-on of summer on the homestead, that I realized I haven't posted anything on here in a while. Life has definitely involved more gardening and watering and less crafting as of late. In preparation for the upcoming Women's Festival at Stillpoint Farm, at which I'll be vending with my booth, I'm busy at work again in the craft room with my wool and ...
Vending at the Stillpoint Farms Women’s Festival
http://www.stillpointfarmsfestival.com/ I'll be there with my Mountain Hearth Handcrafts booth! See you at the farm! ...