green frogs

it turns out that the 'green frog' is actually a type of frog and not just a description of how it looks. who knew?

well, brooke did and that's how we all found out. they make a hilarious sound nothing at all like 'ribbit' and much more like a low banjo string being twanged. there are an obscene number of frog and toads already in the pond here and it only looks like things are going to get more crowded...

dandelion cookies

i'm in a foraging mood and am planning on making some violet jelly as soon as i get my hands on some pectin. in the meantime, i decided to try making dandelion cookies on account of their abundant presence on our property and the fact that we happened to have all the right ingredients

i used this recipe but increased the amount of dandelion florets (only because i picked too many) and added raisons. i wasn't sure how they would turn out but they're nice. they have a really subtle floral sweetness and enhance the flavour of the honey. i took some pictures of the process but didn't realize i was doing so in RAW which my computer is not currently equipped to handle. oops!

mystery

mystery bulb plant growing in the brush under our willow tree (complete with a small green spider). it's about the size of a small daffodil...any ideas?

hoot hoot

went on an unsuccessful sauce farm v&c mission yesterday and came home with this little gem of a lamp. keeping it!

happenings

garlic

brassicas and lots of seeds yet to sprout

under construction wigwam/sauna

rain barrels in the chicken coop

so much going on at sauce farm! we moved here in october and have waited very patiently through a long, cold winter to have the opportunity to start making this place somewhat of a hobby farm. we're on the way! 8 chickens in the coop, 9 eggs & counting in our bellies, a long weekend in the garden, a coldframe that is literally overflowing with plants and 7 happy friends cohabitating. things are good.

coltsfoot

a couple of weeks ago, coltsfoot starting popping up all over the place around here. it looks deceptively like dandelion from afar but once you see it up close you can spot the differences. i harvested a bunch and have hung it to dry in our basement. coltsfoot can be used as a tea or tincture to treat chest colds, coughs and bronchitis among others. it's weird, i haven't been sick in ages but all of a sudden i've come down with a cold/cough that started in my chest and fits a coltsfoot picture pretty perfectly so i've been drinking coltsfoot tea with thyme and raw honey for a couple of days. it has a really gentle flavour and the combination is really nice. kind of a strange coincidence...

going for it

i started an etsy shop for vintage clothing and goods just about a month ago. i've wanted to do something like this for some time - combine my love of searching out treasures in dusty thrift stores and sidewalk sales and try to run my own business.

so far so good, albeit challenging.

how do you get people to come to your shop? you may have great items, great photos and a super duper personality but it doesn't really matter if no one sees any of that. so much work to be done!

new blog!

yay!