Seedy business

FFF Photo a Day - Day 309

A good year for pumpkins means its a good year for roasted pumpkin seeds!

Salted, spiced, even sugared pumpkin seeds are a healthy snack that provides a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, that are hard to find in other foods. 

Pumpkin seeds are also known as pepitas (spanish) and can be eaten raw, shelled or toasted, roasted, in the shell, even sprouted! 

The seeds pictured were toasted after being tossed with salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning. Yum!

The grass is always greener!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 143

Today the chicks felt grass for the first time! 

Up until now, they've been in the greenhouse under heat lamps. Now that they have their full feathers and the weather appears to be cooperating.. they have moved outside! 

They all look a little bit stunned and stood in one spot for quite a while before beginning to explore! By evening they were running around grazing on weeds and grass, capturing small bugs and scavenging for seeds.   

A Spring Haiku

FFF Photo a Day - Day 70 

Some of our first seedlings are up, stretching towards the sunlight. 

To celebrate, I offer you a spring haiku: 

Planting has begun,

Seeds germinate in the sun,

A sure sign of spring.

Seeds of spring

FFF Photo a Day - Day 67

The weather outside is getting warmer and the days are longer but the true sign of spring is when seeding begins! 

While its a hopeful and exciting sign, it also fills me with a sense of urgency and a bit of anxiety. It means that the time of renewal and pause that comes with the cold weather is almost over and the busy, frantic time is to begin. 

I look around and see all the projects I intended to finish this winter and sigh... 

Prepping for Spring

FFF Photo a Day - Day 62

It's coming... its getting closer... the sun is getting warmer, days longer and the forecast is looking just a little less grim. Spring is around the corner and we are getting ready!

This is a tray for 200 seedlings. It will be used for onions this week. The nice thing about these trays is you don't have to deal with tangled roots when it comes time to transplant to the field.

And given that we've never transplanted onions except on a cold, windy, wet spring day... that's a good thing.

Making granola

                                                           

FFF Photo a Day - Day 59

Today I started a new batch of granola. I make it in my dehydrator (although you could do so in the oven as well). 

Once I mix up all the dry ingredients (nuts, seeds and oats), I add a mixture of browned butter, oil, honey and syrup to stick it all together. 

Before they are fully done, I may shape them into bars or simply leave as shown and then break apart into bigger chunks. 

Great energy bars and I like that I know what's in them!