We got such a bounty of golden potatoes and made our first video which is too large to upload here. What do you think the name of our You Tube channel should be?
Friday, June 11, 2021
Blooming fairy duster
We wanted to share the beauty of this fairy duster addition to our Hummingbird Haven, a garden we tend for our pollinators, as we work on our video editing skills.
Enjoy the wonder of these incredibly intricate blooms.
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Sunday, April 4, 2021
Naturally dyed eggs with organic whole foods
Last year and this year, we ditched any toxic or artificial dyes for our eggs.
We made our own organic dyes from whole foods and used eggs from our chickens, choosing mostly white eggs which worked best. We drew on our eggs with white crayon and used clear tape to make designs but they didn't come out well.
We used 1/4 cup wild blueberries, 1/4 cup boiled and peeled beets, 1/4 cup boiled purple sweet potato peels, 1 tsp paprika powder, 1 tsp spiraling powder and 1 tsp turmeric powder.
We put our chosen dying agents in repurposed yogurt cups with about 1/2 - 1 cup distilled white vinegar for about 60 minutes. We found the dyes worked best when the eggs soaked for longer.
We laid them on a towel to air dry and put them in a carton to store.
So easy and we didn't pollute the earth with toxic chemical dyes and coloring agents, nor did we purchase (thereby indirectly polluting the earth) any kits made with virgin tree pulp which was bleached and then dyed with unnatural colors and filled with plastics made from petroleum which break down into tiny particles and choke our marine life.
Not to mention the stickers. Pretty little pieces of pollution intentionally geared to make one forget the insane amount of processing they take to produce. Ugh.
The dyed eggs air-dried and ready to munch.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Our organic garden and our plot for Spring (Pun Intended)
With all the craziness in the media and organic food disappearing from the grocery stores, our family focused on what food we will grow ourselves in our backyard garden.
We already have strawberry plants growing
a young avocado tree we grew from a pit
a maturing peach tree we watched blossom and now eagerly anticipating the dozens of ripening peaches.
We are most proud of our hummingbird haven, a garden dedicated to plants that attract pollinators.
It has a gigantic aloe vera plant, which the bees and hummingbirds love to visit since several of the stalks are blooming deep orange flowers.
The symmetry is captivating.
A roaringly growing honeysuckle with the most radiant orangey-red flowers
Our backyard receives visits from all kinds of creatures, including at least one hummingbird visitor several times a day.
We painted our own rocks.
We have been adding splashes of color to our rocks and placing them in our garden.
We laid down landscape fabric in preparation for the river rock with which we are covering our yard.
We filled the bottom of the garden bed with used bathroom tissue rolls.
Then we filled the bed with organic soil from Happy Frog and organic mulch.
We chose seeds for the appropriate growing season.
Then we plant them in egg carton planters we prepared ourselves.
Once the plant grows bigger and doesn't need as much nurturance, we will transplant into custom-built garden bed or an above ground pot.
It is a labor of love and well worth it. Our family unites around growing our own food.
Plans for the chicken coop are currently underway and we just bought eight baby chicks!
We already have strawberry plants growing
a young avocado tree we grew from a pit
It has a gigantic aloe vera plant, which the bees and hummingbirds love to visit since several of the stalks are blooming deep orange flowers.
Our hummingbird haven hosts a salvia greggi
A Russian Sage with delicate purple flowers
Our newest additions to the hummingbird haven are a Mexican firecracker and a penstemon.
The hummingbird haven is quite a happening spot. We even had a duel between hummingbirds!
Making the Garden Even More Colorful
Inspired by the artistic rocks painted by our aunt and hidden throughout our yard (ala an egg hunt)
We painted our own rocks.
We have been adding splashes of color to our rocks and placing them in our garden.
Our Spring Garden
To prepare our spring garden beds, we removed the invasive weeds and grass that seems to kill everything we plant in the ground.
We laid down landscape fabric in preparation for the river rock with which we are covering our yard.
We filled the bottom of the garden bed with used bathroom tissue rolls.
Then we filled the bed with organic soil from Happy Frog and organic mulch.
We chose seeds for the appropriate growing season.
Then we plant them in egg carton planters we prepared ourselves.
Once the plant grows bigger and doesn't need as much nurturance, we will transplant into custom-built garden bed or an above ground pot.
Plans for the chicken coop are currently underway and we just bought eight baby chicks!
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