Where's the beef?

http://lindenleas.ca

I know where my beef comes from and what it eats. Above is the website for Linden Leas beef where we purchase our beef from the man that farms it. We all know about the recently thought advantages of eating grass fed animal products for our health, including, specific to beef; leaner meat, an increase in 'good fats' like omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, (which is thought to reduce the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes and immune disorders), lower in saturated fats, lower in calories and higher in nutrients. 

Cows naturally eat grass, not corn and grains. Studies have shown that grass fed beef cows have less e coli in their gut, although there is more research needed in this area, which could make grass fed beef a safer product. In a study performed by Cornell University the E coli bacteria present in the grass fed animals was much less likely to survive stomach acid. Interesting to say the least. 

    Linden Leas farm cares as much about nutrition and the environment as they do their product, which is exceptional. You can read all about it on their website, it really speaks for itself. After a visit to the beef mobile you get a sense that Linden Leas farm follows it's practices because they truly believe in them and that profits are simply a bonus that come with delivering a really great product.  

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

My computer was giving me trouble the last few weeks and was completely on the fritz for the past few days. As a result I was unable to do all the holiday blogging I had wanted to do. I plan on making up for the brief hiatus in the new year starting with my fall newsletter highlighting all the seasonal vegetables we're eating these days. I was hoping to have it posted on the last day of fall so the recipes could be tried out for Christmas, however the squash and rutabaga are just starting to fill the shelves at the supermarket so there will be plenty of time to try the recipes. Check back after Christmas for the updates!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

I find you can tell a lot about a person by simply looking at  how they choose to decorate their Christmas tree. Our tree is quite the mix of homemade, second hand, random and gifted decorations. These are some of my favourites.  

Snow Day!

A hen braving the snow.

Little kale tops poking up through the snow.

The tall green tops in the center of the cold frame are green onions. They did extremely well in the frame and we should have green onions for a couple months yet. Next year I'll plant even more. I have some planted outside of the frame too, as they overwinter really well and will continue to grow when the warm weather comes in the spring months. Having green onions and chives ready really early in the spring is ideal. The storage onions start to really decline in quality around that time and are often starting to sprout when purchased from the store. After our storage onions have been used we switch to using mostly green onions and chives instead. Chives can often be picked in very early spring. I usually have to remove the snow from on top of the growing chive tops to find some to use.

Kale

We have been eating our fair share of kale these days. I don't think I could ever tire of it though. We eat it the same way almost every time, with the exception of the odd time I make dehydrated kale chips, simply steamed and topped with butter. The flavour of kale when picked straight from the garden is enough on it's own to top it with anything else would be insulting to the brassica family.

Progression of the Paperwhites

After having moved these into direct light about a week ago or more now, they quickly shot up and are getting ready to bloom. This paperwhite timing thing has been quite the experiment. Only time will tell if I have planned correctly, however a mishap would never be the end of the world. Flowers are lovely and welcomed anytime even if it is a bit arbitrary.

Missing my flowers.

Swiss Giant Pansies.

There is not too much in bloom these days. Splashes of colour are found in rose hips, holiday decorations and the odd flowering kale. I have been going through my pictures from the past growing season to see where I can improve, move and add to my gardens.  Here's a few of my favourite flowers.

Snowdrop Anemones.

Orange Ballerina Tulips.

More Swiss Giant Pansies. So easy to grow from seed they will do the job for you the following year when they self seed.

Tulips.

Mish-Mash.

This picture is on the bulletin board behind the cash at the local nursery, Pleasant Valley. I did not win the photo contest, my boyfriend did!

White Bleeding Heart.

Tiny Allium.

Large Allium.

Even more Swiss Giant Pansies.

German Re-Blooming Iris. Yet to Re-bloom....

Dutch Iris.

Again.

Asiatic Lilies.

This mornings eggs, all eight of them.

Straight from the Loving Oven.

Fresh sourdough bread. You can take my word for the fact that it smells as good as it looks. Sourdough bread is quite different from your typical loaf of bread, however it's a welcome difference.

Holiday Gardening.

Last year I started my paperwhites too early. This year I'm hoping to be right on time. Paperwhites are extremely easy to force indoors and make for great holiday decorations. Simply fill a shallow dish about 2/3 full with gravel, pebbles or another soil less growing medium. Very gently press the bottoms of the bulbs into the medium, making sure the bulbs aren't touching. Add just enough medium to hold the bulbs in place. You want the top 3/4 of the bulb to be exposed. Add water so that it hardly touches the bottoms of the bulbs. Put in a dark cool place for about 2 weeks or until green shoots are almost 4 inches tall before moving into  a cool spot with direct sun. Turn the bowl often to promote nice straight stems, you can tell mine are just starting to straighten up.  You can then decorate the area surrounding the bulbs with bits of moss, rose hips, mountain ash berries (as I have here), bayberries, pine cones, old man's beard, twigs and sticks and whatever else you think would look nice. I used a seasonal candy can that was leftover from another Christmas  that I felt could use a new purpose.

Paperwhites are delightful any time of the year. You could start some now for a burst of early spring in the new year. I will warn you though, I thoroughly enjoy their scent however I have met many others who find it less than pleasant.

Chicken in the dog house. Thankfully the dog does not mind sharing, especially since the hens sometimes lay eggs in the house which he steals and eats. I taught him how to crack them open by dropping them on the patio stones.  

Some of our onions drying in our shop loft.

The very end of the red onions, pulled from the ground a week ago.  

The garden covered with eel grass, shredded leaves and cover crops. I had some compost that was going to be ready to apply in the spring so I threw that in a pile on the garden and covered it with eel grass and straw. That way it will already be on the garden in the spring when we have to till the soil. I can not wait until we are gardening without having to till.

Home Sweet Home.

Myrtle and my flower bed, also mulched against the elements over spots where new bulbs were planted.

Kale.