Growing Food

 

Since we have been blessed with lots of good soil we are able to grow nearly everything we want to eat. Each year we try to grow a little more, in hopes that someday we will be able to grow an entire year’s worth of food (grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, maple syrup, honey, meat, eggs…maybe even milk and cheese). This year we grew lots of vegetables for ourselves and some for our local farmers’ market. It was a slow spring because of all the snow, but in the end the plants did pretty well. Next year we are hoping to grow more legumes and a few grains; I’d like to be able to grow our own oats (we eat a lot of porridge) and buckwheat (to eat instead of rice and to turn into flour). Here is a photo recap of this year’s garden:

This was what April looked like, so the garden went in later than we had hoped

We started our seeds in our “sun room”

The seedlings moved to the “green house” (the front of our woodshed) once the weather improved

We played in the dirt a lot in preparation for planting

Planting the garden was a family activitiy

Green!

Early-season harvesting

Lunch from the garden

Mid-summer

Good food surrounded by weeds 🙂

All from the garden (except the rice)

A cozy nook to play in while I processed vegetables

Still Renovating

We have our stove up and running again! With the addition of a second radiator, we are really enjoying the coziness of the yurt. Mike finished sewing the walls this weekend, so our yurt is back to normal (almost). My brother-in-law plumbed our shower while he was visiting (he’s a plumber and graciously worked on our bathroom despite being totally confused as to why we would want to live in a yurt). I’ll write about the changes soon. For now, here is our to-do list.

Pimp my Yurt 2014 (wish list):

• sew a new outer layer of canvas 
• add a few more windows
  

  windows from yurta.ca – I’ll have pictures of ours soon

• refurbish the Rayburn (wood stove) with new fire bricks
  

  a blue version of our stove

• add a second radiator
• build a closet –> two rails (one for us, one low one for Alma) and a few shelves (for sweaters, towels, etc.)
  

  a branch for a rail – we will use an old yurt pole

  

  low rail and shelves for the wee one

• build another counter for the kitchen
• build ‘pantry shelves’ in the kitchen
• fancy up the bathroom and make it more toddler friendly (lower sink/step-stool, etc.)
  

  toddler bathroom

• make a preschool area (easel, chalkboard, activities, etc.) —> aside from the extra windows, this is what I’m most excited forschool area