Four Little Wings Egg Project

Four Little Wings Egg Project

Well my goal to post once a week was a total fail.  No excuses.  I just didn't make the time.  But we have had some fun adventures in the Garden this year and have started another new adventure.

We have added to our "Garden" adventure and now have 6 chickens and 3 ducks.  What!  It has been so much fun to see them grown and we cannot wait to start collecting and eating the yummy eggs.  We also cannot wait to see if we have boy or girl ducks....

 We have loved our new feathered friends so much and feel so blessed that we have decided to grow our flock of chickens to 18-24 and share the eggs with Local families in need and Local food pantries.  Inspired by the blog Eggs for everyone.  http://eggsforeveryone.com

But our little coop wont be big enough for such a grand adventure.

So it is time to create something a bit bigger!  Something a little bit more like this: 

check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Four-Little-Wings-Egg-Project/1463904250520044?ref_type=bookmark

It's all about Soup

Our family eats a lot of soup. 

Here is one of my favorite go to recipes.

Not so Pasta E Fagiol

 1-2lbs browned ground beef
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes

 1 24oz Jar of pasta sauce....any kind works

2 packets onion soup mix....any brand

4c Water

2 16oz bags frozen mixed veg.

2-3 cans of beans  (I used red kidney, chick pea & cannelli today....but that changes each time)

2-3 minced garlic cloves or 1tsp garlic powder

1tsp basil

Cook in a crock pot for 4-6hrs on low 

or

cook on the stove on low for a few hrs.

The best part of this recipe is that it is so flexible.  You can change it in so many ways, and it always comes out awesome.

 This makes enough for a couple meals and a few frozen crocks for my husband to take to work for lunch. 

Add some yummy bread and it is the perfect easy dinner.

If I dont feel like making my own I run to our local Protuguese Bakery and pick up a nice fresh loaf of sliced bread....and a sweet bread for toast the next day.  Yummm!! 

Just Compost it!

Compost.  You never have enough.  And yet I get lazy with it all the time.  Over 1 year we easily fill 3 bins....yes I use basic black garbage pails with holes drilled in the bottom and lid....but if I was more diligent about it I could most likely double that.  Right now everything I toss in is just forming one big frozen mass, but come the spring with a little love and some worms this yuck will make the best addition to the soil.  Might just be time to re-start the worm compost!!  And that is a whole other bag of fun.  

Here is a great list of what and what not to compost:

Happy New Year

 2013 was a great year in our family.  

With the Addition of our last little baby....I am just getting to old for this....We are now a family of 6. (4 crazy kids and 2 even nuttier parents!) 

Nathan Thomas Wing was born 6 weeks early on August 11th, 2013.

It was a tough garden year...the heat was a bit too much for me and I let a lot go undone. 

But this year I am already anxious to get started and out in the dirt.

Each year I manage to post a few things and then forget all about the computer.  

This year I am going to try and post at least once a week....

it might not all be garden related, but should be fun!

I am off to a great start....4 weeks into January and this is the first time posting....

I guess it is time to get on track!

Mapping the Garden....is this fun or what!

This morning I got up needing to feel spring like thoughts.  So I decided to start mapping my garden.  It is important to keep records of where you plant things in the garden.  This helps plan placement for the next year.  

It is best to do your home work so that you don't plant things too close or in the wrong place.  For instance.  Tomatoes should not be planted in the same place 2 years in a row....cabbage family plants also need to be rotated.  

A good plan can also let you see if you have room for extra plants or room to try new things!

It also takes a lot of stress out of the crazy days of planting.  Once it is time to plant you will spend less time wondering where things go and more time enjoying digging in the dirt.  It will also help you put any helpers to work in the right place!

One week after starting seeds!

Check it out!

Sorry about the mess, but here is a picture of the place in the Laundry room 

that I have the seeds set up.

 

Starting Seeds February 1, 2012

Time to start thinking about the Garden again! 

And that means starting seeds.

I have gathered together a List of the Seeds that for my region need to be started 8-10 weeks before the last frost.  For me this includes:

Egg Plant

Tomatoes (I also buy plants)

Basil

Hot and Sweet Pepers

Swiss Chard (new this year)

and Flowers, also something new for me this year.

I will start other seeds, but not for 2-4 weeks.

Some things start fine in small containers, but others do not transplant well and need to be started in the size container they will stay in until planted in the ground.

Tomatoes and Egg Plant do not transplant well and will be started in the larger pots, all other seeds I am starting today are fine in something smaller.

 most seed starting mixes are good.  I look for things that do not include fillers like platic.  some mixes use plastic foam  pellets to add water retention...yuck.  

For best results add water to the mix before adding to the pots.  This hydrates and compacts the soil without over packing.   Some seeds only need to be lightly scratched into the dirt surface, but others need to be placed in the soil.

Silly, but I find a new crayon is the perfect tool for making holes that are not too deep or wide.

Drop 2-3 seeds in and lightly cover...making sure not to push down too hard.

Cover tray with plasic wrap or a tray cover and mist dirt lightly each morning when you plug in your lights.  Leave on for aprox 14 hrs each day.

Once seedlings start to pop up un-cover and keep lights 2-3 inches above the tallest seedling.  Do not put the light any further away or they will grow up...(ha ha ha)...to fast.