Cedar Writes

Author: cedarlili

  • Building and Popovers

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    cedarlili
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    The part of the Barn that will be Mica’s forge is going up fast! We have three walls up, and since it will be 16′ tall at the front and 8′ at the back, they decked all of the upper story temporarily while they assemble and raise that front wall. The upper loft will only…

  • Cooking From the Garden II

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    cedarlili
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      Continuing the theme of cooking with what I harvested, I made Focaccia Bread for lunch. Fresh herbs, ripe tomatoes, and some shredded summer squash on herby-garlicky dough was delicious!   Focaccia Bread   5 1/2 c all-purpose flour 2 tsp salt 2 tsp white sugar 4 tsp active dry yeast 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 c warm water (105-115…

  • Cooking from the Garden

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    cedarlili
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    When I came in this morning from chores, I had a basket full of goodies. Eggs, blueberries, summer squash, basil, tomatoes and raspberries. I had a couple of very large zucchini, and that made me think of zucchini bread. I wanted to kick up the standard Zucchini bread recipe a little, so I threw in…

  • One Piece at a Time

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    cedarlili
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    We are buidling a barn one piece at a time. Both in the sense of pieces of lumber, and bays of the barn. Eventually, the barn will be 50×12. maybe even 60×12. We are building it in 10×12 bays because that’s all we can afford at a time! The first bay, currently under construction, is…

  • Mother of All Blueberry Bushes

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    cedarlili
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      We started out early today, as it’s another hot one. It was up to about 100 degrees yesterday, might hit that much again today. It did rain last night, and started off overcast today, which let us all work until close to one before knocking off for the afternoon. Dad and Mica are putting…

  • Changing the Face of the Garden

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    cedarlili
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    We hired a guy with an excavator to help us remake the garden. The third of an acre we use as a garden and which was a truck garden decades before we moved into this house slopes slightly to the north. It has been overgrown for years, even the part that we had used as…

  • Early Morning Blueberries

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    cedarlili
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      We went out to pick berries at 6:30 this morning because I haven’t picked in days and I was anxious not to lose my berry crop.  Pippa joined me right after I went out and we picked until just after 8. We got two quarts of blueberries and about a pint of raspberries and didn’t make…

  • Composting Balloons

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    cedarlili
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      One of the other things I do, and one of the most fun, is twisting balloons. I also facepaint, but the balloons led to a discovery.  At the end of a big day, like the workshop I will be teaching this coming week, I will have a bunch of balloon scraps. That, coupled with…

  • Excitement and Raspberries

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    cedarlili
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    It’s been an interesting day… very quiet at the moment, as the kids are off at a friend’s party. But about 10 am, Dad came in and announced that the guy with the excavator was coming this afternoon to clean the farm lane, the pad for the second greenhouse, and the pad for the shops.…

  • Milkweed Blooms

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    cedarlili
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    I’m always happy when the milkweed starts blooming. Yes, I know it’s a weed, but its the food plant of the Monarch butterfly caterpillar, and if that weren’t enough, it smells so good. I’ve been toying with trying to extract the essential oil from the flowers and bottling that scent for year-round enjoyment. I tried…

  • Berry Season is Open!

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    cedarlili
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    As of the first of July we are picking raspberries and blueberries! We don’t have a lot of either yet, so I will be freezing small batches until we get enough for a batch of jam, but if you want some at the farmstand let me know and I’ll pick for you! Keep in mind…

  • Books on the Farm

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    cedarlili
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    It’s been chilly and rainy, so not much is happening on the farm. Critters need fed, herbs are growing, but the tomatoes aren’t ripening yet and the raspberries are holding off, too. Dad and I both tend to do one thing during down times… we read. A lot. My parents gave me a love of…