Around Here

Around here... winter has been showing up quite frequently.  Hopefully this will be the last of the snow pictures to share until next winter!  I am ready for spring although I haven't started any seeds yet, which I cannot believe.  I am usually tipsy with crazy right now sprouting plants left and right.  It will come.  Last Thursday I had no kids at the day care because of snow and on Saturday it was fifty seven degrees.  Crazy Tennessee weather.  Shaun took me for a ride Thursday through the woods to check out the snow down there and it was beautiful.  Today I thought I heard thunder under a clear sky when it was only four inches of snow sliding off the back roof.  Please enjoy my shots.

Inside

 I CANNOT keep these floors clean with weather like this!  UGH

 Tommy could care less either way.

 Granola bars for my sweets for the week.

We got around five inches over night with this snow.  Most we've seen in some time.

The fire pit at the camp in the fork of the creek.

And then, Friday morning as I was looking out the back door, I spied a doe laying down right inside the tree line behind our house and back yard.  At first I didn't see the others until Shaun pointed them out.  Even on a bed of white the deer can be hard to see.  They were spread out through the back hollar only one of them standing and stretching off the night.  

Seeds

Am I finally getting to this post??  I ordered new garden seeds a few weeks back and have actually already received them!  I haven't, at this point, gotten around to starting any indoors as of yet.  We are planning on setting out the garden the first week of June again this year.  We used to put it out on May 10th or there-a-bouts.  But it really seems to take off faster and better and really needs less tilling when the ground is truly warmer and ready.  So there's really no rush on starting my tomatoes this soon.  Boooo.  However, I do feel that the seeds I will begin to go in pots do need to be started very soon.  If I put them outside earlier I can always bring them under the porch eave if there is frost in the forecast or pop them into the house for the evening.

Two years ago I was given a tip for a good company to order seeds from that offers a wide variety of heirloom seeds and are non-GMO, non-treated and non-hybrid.  Just good seeds.  Their catalog alone helps get me through the winter and the last one they sent out was just beautiful... cover to cover and featured pictures of their employees.  My orders are easy to place and arrive by post very speedy.  If you are looking for a good spot to purchase seeds I highly suggest giving them a try.  All of the seed that I purchased from them last year came up and grew very well.  The bell peppers were ever as huge as they said they would be and I have had problems in the past with bell pepper plants... not these!!  They offer herbs, flowers, vegetables and more!  And they were nice enough to allow me to use their photos for this post!  Thanks a buncho!  Visit Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds at www.rareseeds.com

Here are some of the seeds I purchased.  The following I bought to try this year.  They are all plants that I've not grown myself before.

Crosby's Egyptian Beet

I have fallen for beets and they and I always say that things are just better when you grow it yourself.  I fully intend to try it with this one!

Calabrese Green Sprouting Broccoli

A friend of ours remarked last year about how good the broccoli was from their garden.  It's been on my mental list to try and grow.

Chantenay Red Core Carrot

The kids at the day care wanted to grow carrots in our garden this year.  We shall give it a go then!

Caraway

Ah caraway... I love to use caraway seeds when baking bread and also in my cabbage.  I can't wait to collect my own seeds for next winter.

Oregano Vulgare

I've not grown oregano from seed before that I can recall.  I think I've always bought a plant from the garden center.  Hopefully.. not this year!  And I've been out of homegrown oregano for a few months and I sure miss it and need to grow more this time.

Apple Blossom Snapdragon

I had such success growing snapdragons last year that I thought I'd try another color this year in addition to the seeds I will sprout that I saved from my own plants.  They bloomed all summer and I so enjoyed them!

Orange King Zinnia

I'm gonna tell the truth here when I say that I decided to order seeds for orange zinnias instead of stopping to steal some from the gardener up the road.  Not that he would have minded.  I never could seem to catch him out there to ask permission and going late at night just felt wrong.  I can't wait to see these big orange beauties gracing our garden!

I also ordered Henderson's Black Valentine Bean, Glory of Enkhuizen Cabbage, Bonny Best Tomato, Crimson Sweet Watermelon, Blue Lake Bush 274 Bean and Basil - Genovese.

These are the peppers that I grew last year and extremely pleased with.

Emerald Giant Pepper

Here is a shot of their beautiful catalog.

Click on it to order yourself a copy!

The 2015 ones aren't available anymore but you can get on their December mailing list!

But you don't need a catalog to order online!

They also have a larger catalog for sale that is amazing.

I was in awe when I saw the collage of seeds adorning the entire cover of their catalog.

Amazing and beautiful I found myself trying to name the seeds and beans.

Thanks to Baker Creek Heirloom for allowing me to use their pictures for this post!

All credit goes to them!

Remember to click the pictures or names to be directed to that item.

What do you intend to grow in your garden this year?

Really!  I want to know!

Trying anything new to you this year?

Happy Birthday to readers Kathy and Katety!

Black Bean Soup

Hi Y'all.  Let me tell you... I love some black beans.  I even grew some on the garden a few years back and have already bought some new seed beans for this year.  This soup is actually made from canned black beans but you know it's not really a problem, with the proper equipment, to can them yourself in an afternoon.  Then you would have lots of jars to go to.  But they are pretty cheap in the grocery.  I prefer the organic kind and let me give you a tip... if you drain and rise the beans you will cut down on the flatulence dramatically.  If that's a problem for you.  I know when the word "beans" is brought up in certain circles, facial expressions can change in an instant.  That trick would probably work on any canned bean and it is well worth a try and the time and effort.  Here's a hearty and lovely winter time black bean soup recipe for you.  I don't have an end result picture as I got a little too excited and was hungry... both times I made it.  :)

Some ingredients are not pictured.  Like the garlic or the broth, or the carrots because I picked them out of the bag of frozen veggies that time.  I also added leftover chicken the the first batch.

The soup actually doesn't stay this color.  Once the black beans get cooked in good the soup gets darker.  I served ours with cheese quesadillas and another day with tortilla chips.  I froze the left overs to have for lunch.  Also you can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for a more vegan approach.  

Here are a few other black bean dishes I've shared in the past.

Black Beans and Rice

Black Bean Delish Side Dish

Canning Dried Beans

Cowgirl Veggie Burritos

Around Here

Being snowed in can be fun.  Only because it doesn't happen very often.  In my three years at the day care on our farm this was the first time I didn't have kids because of snow.  Two days in a row at that.  I wound up having eight days around the house with the only time we left was in a four wheel drive and it was either to play in the snow or get groceries, car parts or things for other people.  But it did, however, leave time to get some things done.  Like.. Black Rose is up and running finally!!! I made lots of recipes and got to spend lots of time with Shaun.  Yay!

Making biscuits on a Sunday using my Grandmother's biscuit cutter can.

 Frying bacon in my new skillet retrieved on one of our outings.

An Ice island on the pond by our house.

Katie Bug oddly decided to sit still for a few shots but wouldn't look at me.  Funny girl.

 Grandmother's watering can.

 All she needs is the top back on and my goal for March of recovering the seats.

 Last Thursday morning's snow on top of the ice and snow already there.

It's pretty when it sticks to everything.

On cedar trees.

On Basil.

On lavender.

On fences and roofs. 

And on swing sets.  As you can see there was quite the fog around here that morning too.

On door pulls.

Night lights.

Benches.

Oh and you know every kid coming in or out my door has to kick through the piles!  This morning's snow was powdery enough to sweep it off the existing path. 

It may not be a big deal there, but it's what's happening... around here.