First Cherries
I came home after Maker Faire and the first thing I saw were the cherries with the late day sun upon them. I need to pick them now before the birds get to them.
The Real Reason To Grow Citrus
The real reason to grow citrus is the fragance of the flowers in the spring. The tree produces mostly inedible sour oranges but walking by the tree in the spring makes you stop. Full stop. Breathe deeply before moving on.
A Female Artichoke
It’s artichoke season. I just cut this large artichoke from a plant in the garden. It has rounded leaves, which means it is a female. A male artichoke has more spiky leaves. The artichoke is going in a pot with a little bit of water to steam it up for dinner.
It is hard to describe the distinct flavor of artichokes. I wondered if artichokes have the so-called fifth primary taste, umami. They do apparently; they have a high concentration of glutamate, as do other vegetables like asparagus and tomatoes. Umami is the taste in dashi, which comes from seaweed, and is the base for miso soup. These seem like related or compatible tastes.
Counting Sheep
I fed the sheep on Saturday and Sunday mornings this weekend. The five lambs are doing well. Add the ram and two ewes plus three others and we are up to eleven sheep. Then there’s the unruly goat who makes sure he gets as much to eat as the rest of them combined. We have to throw one flake of alfalfa for him and another just for the sheep.
Growing Greens
I started several varieties of lettuce by seed in the greenhouse on January 6th. I set the seedbox on a heating pad. It’s below 30 at night.
A week later, most of the seeds had sprouted, although some had not. A month later, they’re growing. It’s a cold start for the new growing season.
Two New Black Lambs
We had two new lambs born this week.
Two new black lambs were born this week. Milo took this picture. I noticed them Friday morning. They came a week after the three white lambs were born.
Given that we have lost lambs to predators, I’m worried when I hear anything at night. The lambs are inside a pasture with five-foot tall fences, which are electrified at the top. I hope that keeps out what had gotten in before. Fingers crossed.
Welcome New Lambs – Triplets
I’m in Boston but Milo tells me that three lambs were born Friday night. Triplets. “It is unusual for a sheep to have triplets, but they are healthy and energetic.” I can’t wait to get home and see them.
