Calendula, for the future, from the past

It seems terrible to look to the future when we've been waiting so long for today to come about.  Many of us attended a lesson on making calendula salve led by Dr. Shawn Yakimovich and hosted by Sustainable North Grenville the other night.  What a wonderful lesson to (re)learn.  I now know what I'll be doing at the end of this growing season and through the cold months, besides putting up tomato products, curing and dehydrating, and growing sprouts for us all.  I'm quite excited about it, not so much the cold months, but the fact that we'll all be saved from various ailments from the salve we'll be making here at Day Brighteners Farm.  Dr. Shawn made it look so easy.  After all, we grow calendula here, from his seeds I might add.  Why not take it a step beyond eating the flower petals in the Salad Greens.  Hmm, I wonder what else we grow here which can be used for furthering its potential.  We'll soon see about that.  

Sprouts:  So the sprouts aren't as popular now as they were over the last four months.  I'm not surprised.  They are still as good for us but we are quite distracted by the fresh spinach, salad greens, herbs, kale and all the other veggies preparing themselves out there for our future meals (there we go again looking to the future, it just happens). So, rather than growing too many sprouts or not having enough of that certain kind you may like, I've decided to not sprout on my own discretion but will only sprout when you pre-order.  So if you'd like me to have sprouts available for you, please order the week ahead and I'll be happy to make it work.   

Eggs:  A few things are happening here.  Out of our eleven hens, we usually get five eggs a day, except when we get two or three.  Three of the older girls are broody right now which means they won't be laying eggs for a few weeks.  Therefore, we're down a few dailies already.  A couple of the new little ones are starting to lay eggs, sporadically, so we might be back up to four, five or six a day, depending on the weather.  It turns out the nine laying hens we reserved from our chicken supplier may not be coming after all.  I'll look into it, between planting, up-potting, soil and garden preparation, harvesting and delivering, but I may be out of luck until fall for buying new birds.  I'll keep you posted for when that blessed day arrives when we're getting more than a few eggs a day.  I know you understand, it's nature, right?  I've been working on this egg production thing for a couple of years now, it's not as easy as people let on.  

Salad Greens:  This week, you'll see what I mean about the lettuce varieties being able to grow once we ate up a good portion of the aggressive arugula.  From now on, the Salad Greens will also be hosting more edible flowers, some of which may surprise you.

The beans, snow peas and radishes are getting bigger every day.  All of the onion sets we planted a couple of weeks ago are up several inches now.  The garlic is growing at an astonishing rate.  It seems early this year.    

Garlic Scape Pesto here we come.

   

I believe we're good for salad until
 the outside rows are ready. 

We found this little kale plant growing,
where there was kale last year.   

I love allium flowers.  These are just the beginning of all the beautiful colours and smells to arrive in the upcoming weeks and months - lovin' Springtime.

We're busy getting ready for the Plant Sale here beginning May 23.  It's also the weekend of the North Grenville Dandelion Festival but we're on the edge of Townships and I feel many people closer to us have never heard of that particular festival (if you can imagine) and we and they will do well.  I also feel any earlier is too soon to plant out.  After all, we're expecting a low of 3C tonight - ugh.  My little girl will be visiting from that big old city for a few days but the Plant Sale will continue again from Wednesday the 27 until we're done selling and you're done buying.  

Just keeping you up to date.  Until next post, have a great every day.  

Jo