Saturday, July 20, 2013

Seed Saving

Today I attended a seed saving workshop sponsored by the Center for Rural Culture and hosted by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College at the Goochland County campus.  Betsy Trice was our lovely instructor.

If you haven't already been to the college gardens, it is worth a visit.  Each spring they also host a garden fest to sell plants raised by the students. They really do grow alot in a relatively small space.  Today I discovered a papaya tree and several pomegranate bushes.  I am going to attempt to grow both of these fruits.




Betsy began the class with a discussion of open pollinated and hybrid seed varieties as well as GMO (genetically modified organisms) seeds.  We moved onto he importance of saving seeds from plants that have done well in our individual microclimates and preserving plant diversity.  Saving money is also a great benefit.

Then we moved out into the gardens to discuss the different types of fruit/veggies and when to harvest. I love this rain barrel set up.



Here we are harvesting sunflowers 



and dill

Dill seed
then we moved onto beautiful rhubarb, which looks just like beet seed.

After our tour of the gardens we returned for a demonstration of seed saving techniques for different fruit and veggie types.   


At the end of class we were able to select some seeds to take home.  I also found some great ideas like this elegant use of a hog panel as a trellis gate.

All in all, it was a great, if hot, day.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Eggs for Breakfast

 Sat down to breakfast and SUNSHINE this morning.   It seems so long  since we've seen sunny days here.  We were getting ready to build an ark!    The lack of morning sunshine made me forget just how golden our hen's fresh eggs are. 

With the sun streaming in through the glass and across the table I couldn't resist taking this picture of the breakfast plate.  A "Blue Plate Special" of scrambled eggs so rich and gold next to the buttered toast!  Yum!




Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Welcome to Graystem Farm!

It's been so wet here the past few weeks, we're debating building an Ark.

Several of our hens have gone broody with a corresponding reduction in egg production.   We are also gathering eggs for a bi-annual Avian Influenza testing.    The chicks are adorable but it means we do not currently have eggs for sale.   If you are interested in purchasing some chicks, stop by the Powhatan Tractor Supply event on July 13th.


The herb gardens are going well.   Oregano and garlic chives are in bloom.   The basil is bushing up while the thyme and sages are spreading.  Spearmint is running rampant.    And we have our first little "giant" pumpkin.




We've had some beautiful visitors to our wildflower gardens.  Unfortunately, all of this rain has kept the bees from leaving their hives.


It doesn't look like we'll have tomatoes for the Fourth of July holiday but the bacon is ready and waiting in the freezer for those first BLT sandwiches!   Hope you enjoy your celebrations!