The Bees...


The Bees arrived Saturday.


 Ferrous honey bees.
a.k.a. - wild bees.
I don't know much about ferrous bees ...yet.
But will share as I learn.


first thing I noticed...very groovy dwelling!


Bee skyscrapers.
It's like a bit of the city in the blueberry patch.
Second thing I noticed..

 

...they are smaller and look a bit different from a regular honey bee.


The timing is great.
Things are just exploding around here.


Of course, the arrival of the bees does not stop me from loving the bumble.
They come every year and always beehive.

Just Dandy...


While most people this time of year are working hard to kill the dandelion...


..we have learnt to welcome them.


And with our bees set to arrive this Saturday, we offer them all of this to enjoy.
blueberries and dandelions


Life is pretty dandy.

Farm Girl Failures...


I was all excited to present you with a recipe for a yummy 'made from scratch' jelly roll,
but it wasn't any good.
Hard to believe - it looks delicious.
I will keep working on this...


My Dad was in town last week.


Perfect timing with the art studio being done.
My Dad is an amazing artist and teaches 6 months of the year down in Bucerias, Mexico.
Perfect chance for a lesson..or so I thought.


Eventually he took over my painting as I got frustrated.
I would have painted over it, but he made it look so pretty I couldn't wreck it.
He did that on purpose.

I will keep working on this too...

Hey, who wants to meet me in Bucerias in the fall for painting lessons and cocktails!



Feeling deflated, I grabbed my camera and decided to do what I seem to do best these days.


Capture life on the farm.


The blueberries are spectacular


I mean seriously spectacular.


And the strawberries are on the way!
OK, back to my painting...

Poppytalk Cookbook Giveaway...

Head over to Poppytalk this weekend and leave a comment!
Jan is giving away a copy of our Missing Goat Cook Book, as well as offering a very cute printable lemon curd label that she designed.  
Now you can make the lemon curd, add a pretty label and give it to a friend...or a mom!
Mother's Day is just around the corner..


Another great chance to win a copy of the book!
Good Luck Everyone.
You have till Sunday night to enter.

Tomorrow (Saturday the 20th)  we will be at Lepp Market in Abbotsford helping them celebrate three years in business.  Face painting, bouncy castle, bbq,
jam tasting, cook books and lots of fun for everyone.
Hope to see some of you there.
11-4pm


Making Hazelnut Butter...


Making nut butters is one of the easiest things ever.
I showed almond butter in the cook book.
Today, it's hazelnut.


Spread as many as you like on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 oven for about 7-8 minutes.
I used about 2 cups
I rubbed the hazelnuts after they were toasted in a tea towel to remove a bit of the skin.
They can be bitter.  


Throw them in the food processor and whiz.
This is after about 30 seconds.


After about two minutes, they will start to get creamy.
I had to stop the machine and scrape the sides down twice in the 5 minutes it took to make this.
If you use raw nuts - which you can, it may take about 15 minutes or more, and a lot of scraping down.
The slight toasting of the nuts really speeds this up.


After maybe 5 minutes...
Smooth.
And a lot runnier than almond butter.


But it got the finger lickin' good approval..


And made the perfect after school snack.
I'm putting it in my smoothie tomorrow morning too.

The Spring Sheets Winner Is...



Random draw #39
Pollydove from Utah
Yeah!!
I can't give you all sheets, but I can share a very pretty shot I took yesterday.
I know, the sheets would have been better.

A Perfect Spring Giveaway...


I love my bed
and I love good sheets.


When Edith McCosker of Butterfly Dreams emailed me, asking if I would try
 sleeping in her luxury sheets I said ..well, at first I said 'are you serious?'  then I said
"Yes Please!" 
When we opened the package, and discovered that she had sent a set for my wee girl too..

 

...well, someone was over the moon happy.
Edith - you are too kind!
When she finally pulled her face off of the super soft sheets...


She got busy.
We washed them first, then she set up her room.
Not only are they fabulously soft and cozy, they pass the jumping test.


She was so happy, we had to celebrate before bed.
Of course, this oven mitt caught on fire 30 seconds later...
but we were still happy.

I have only one problem with these sheets...



She won't get out of my bed now.


The colours are soft and pretty - perfect for spring.
They are beautifully made as well.  
I'm in love with my bed again.

Want to fall in love too?

 Edith has offered to send a Queen Sheet Set in Serene, Billy Blue or Honey Beige 
anywhere in the world to one lucky winner.
Leave me a comment and on Monday morning, I'll random draw a name.
Happy Spring Indeed!

In My Garden...



We've finally turned the corner on all the 'renovations' in the garden.


Everything is coming alive and starting to pop.







Even the blueberries are in full bud.


Just in time for the bees who are coming next week


And soon, lots of you will be coming for blueberries and a little chat on the swing.

Meyer Lemon Tart & Baked Apples...

Well, if you have any Meyer Lemon Curd left after making this last week, here is a fun and delicious
 way from my cookbook to use it.
(cute lemon curd label designed by Noelle Rawlins)



Meringue Tarts

Now that you are in love with the previous recipe for Lemon Curd, you will make these tarts and then send me a note saying I am wicked as you have just eaten three of them—it’s OK … I did too!


And, a teaser for summer and of course fall..


Fire Pit Baked Apples

This is a perfect, easy, and ready-made dessert for camping or out around the fire pit. I like mine peeled as does my girl. The whole apple becomes a warm gooey delicious mess. You may prefer the peel left on. Do both so everyone is happy. We did. But they wished they asked for peeled after they tasted ours.


Click on this jump to find the recipes in an easy to read format.
I know they are hard to read here.