Spring in a bowl

Sugar Snap Peas from the Farmers Market
Radishes, Spring Onion, Basil, Dill & Thyme from our garden
All dressed with lemon juice and olive oil

Real Food Breakfast

Our breakfast this morning was simple and oh so yummy. Toasted slice of multigrain bread from a local bakery, topped with our homemade labneh (yogurt cheese), drizzle of local honey and sprinkled with strawberries from our backyard.

It's the simple things that are the best. In case you're interested in labneh, a delicious way to get your good belly bugs, here's our recipe:

1 quart cream top, plain yogurt  
We make our own yogurt from raw cow milk, any milk will do, but try for the lesser, more gently pasteurized types, and opt for non-homogenized. Not only does it taste better, it is better for you!
1 tsp salt

Place yogurt in a bowl, whisk in the salt. Place muslin, or a few of layers of cheesecloth in a strainer, and place the strainer in a bowl. You want the strainer to sit towards the top of the bowl so that there's enough room for liquid to drain off. Pour in the whisked yogurt. Let it sit like this for an hour or two, until some of the liquid (whey, if using animal milk) drains off. Then gather the edges of the cloth up and tie it closed. Now you hang it for 18 - 24 hours. Some people do this in the fridge. We have a set up over one of our kitchen counters - since we're using yogurt there are plenty of good bugs in there to protect it from any bad bugs taking over. But if you're kitchen is really hot or you're concerned at all it's not hard to set up a hanging area in the fridge. We've got a simple plant hanger screwed into the ceiling and a piece of string. We hang the labneh from the string, and leave a bowl underneath to catch any more drips. After it is hung and almost all the liquid is drained out you're left with a spreadable cheese akin to cream cheese - a little tangier, and a whole lot better for you!

This post is shared on Frugally Sustainable's Sustainable Ways # 26

Exploring the yard

3 weeks old

Asmina triloba

Our Pawpaw trees came today from One Green World. Four varieties - Taylor, Pennsylvania Golden, Wabash, Shenandoah.

Productive Weekend

We let the girls explore the chicken tractor for just a bit. Built some bean teepees, and planted all manner of beans and peas. Also planted okra, corn and two cherry trees. One of our apples didn't make it through the winter, so we replaced it as well.

Sprung.

Spring is here! We have our baby chicks. They actually arrived on the first day of Spring.

From left to right we have Stella Luna (Barred Rock), Bacon (Rhode Island Red), Bunny (Easter Egger), Winnie Cooper (Golden Laced Wyandotte).  Winne is clearly the leader, and Stella is a little slow. It is really neat to get to know their personalities and see them grow and change each day.

What are we supposed to do with this thing?

We are so excited about all the flowers, and potential strawberries. Hopefully the birds won't get them all.

Weirdly, the apricots have already set fruit. And the pears aren't far behind. We really hope to get some nectarines and apples this year too.















We finished the keyhole bed at my parents' place last weekend and planted it with herbs. Hopefully all the seeds didn't get washed away in the deluge of rain we had earlier this week.