Maybe this week will be the week I get back on track with my Sugar Maple Weekly Updates? I really think this is it because my BOOK IS DONE! And, the West Michigan Home and Garden Show is over too. Both of these incredible, fun things have been amazing, but the amount of stress that has rolled off my shoulders has been immense. I’m so looking forward to gardening this season now and making delicious foods and all of the upcioming holidays. Let’s chat about it all.
Recipe Book updates
My recipe book has entered into layout! This means that the graphics people at the publisher are laying out each page with my text from the manuscript. I’ve seen a few pages and it is looking good! I can’t even tell you how happy it makes me to see it all in print. I truly hope you love every bit of it should you decide to purchase it. I’ll let you know when it enters pre-sale, which will probably be sometime in the summer.
The West Michigan Home and Garden Show
Last weekend, I spoke at the West Michigan Home and Garden Show and it was such an honor. I never really imagined my love for gardening would lead to being able to do something like that and I’m still a little in awe that it has. I don’t have a good photo for today’s Sugar Maple Weekly Updates from the weekend because Kevin was taking them from the back row. The lighting was bad too and I tend to be very expressive with my face. Each shot it frozen into some weird look of me talking. The shot above is instead from a segment I did on Eight West, a lifestyle show on the local NBC affiliate to promote the West Michigan Home and Garden Show. That alone was also an amazing experience. It was only about a 5 minute segment but I was so nervous. (By the way, on TV you could not see below the countertop. )
At the West Michigan Home and Garden Show I talked about two topics. They were:
- Growing a Food Forest in any size yard to put more food on your table
- Container herb gardening to save you money
I will put both of these ideas up soon (like tomorrow and next week), but in the meantime make sure to check out this What is Permaculture post {HERE}. That is the basis for the idea of the Food Forest.
The kids enjoyed the show too and we talked to some landscapers about the pond we want to add to the garden. I also spoke to someone about solar because we want to add that to the farm. Hopefully soon.
Planting season
With the kick off of the show, planting season is coming up fast. Next week I will begin planting some of my cooler weather seeds like cabbage, lettuces and onions. These will get moved out in April when I start my warmer weather seeds.
I’ll also begin waking up my dahlias. I checked on them last week and they really seem to do well in my refrigerator over the winter so that is where they will now go each season. I’ll share more about this process and maybe a greenhouse tour too next week.
Home updates
The biggest thing that is coming up for us is that we will be getting the floors on the main level of the house refinished. Our floors are basically black on our main level and this is something we have wanted to do for years. This week, we are in the process of moving everything out of the main level. It is going slow. Also, this means that next week I will not have access to my kitchen and be able to cook. We are moving to the barn and while it does have a kitchen, it is also my pottery studio so it can’t function as a full kitchen anymore.
Why just the main level? Money. The floors upstairs are different from our main level. 1. They are a little lighter so they don’t bother me as much. 2. No one wears shoes up there so I don’t feel like they get as dirty as often. 3. They are a different type of flooring and would need to be hand-scraped. This adds a lot of cost. 4. Most of the floors are small enough that area rugs help to lighten them up.
Books I am reading:
I’m at zero books for the week again. My head has just been too full to concentrate and I am re-reading lines multiple times because nothing is sticking. I think once the floors are done I’ll be able to focus again.
St. Patrick’s Day
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I wanted to make sure I listed some of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day recipes for you. Again, since the kitchen is going to be out of commission I won’t be able to make much next week. However, there are a bunch of great recipes already on the website if you like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
- My Irish Soda Bread {HERE} – One of my most popular recipes!
- Recipe for Cottage Pie {HERE}
- Guinness Irish Stew with Braised Beef {HERE}
- Traditional Irish Scones with Clotted Cream {HERE}
- Potato Leek Soup {HERE}
- Irish Apple Cake – Kerry Cake {HERE}
- Bailey’s Chocolate Cake {HERE}
Sugar Maple Weekly Updates – Weekly posts
In cased you missed it, here are the blog posts that I have posted recently.
- What is Permaculture? {HERE}
- No Till Gardening {HERE}
- My Bolognese Sauce {HERE}
- Golden Beet Salad {HERE}
- Italian Stuffed Flank Steak {HERE}
- Creamy Poblano Chicken Enchiladas {HERE}
Any Questions?
That’s it for this week! Let me know if you have any questions below or if there is anything you would like to know about in next week’s Sugar Maple Weekly Updates. Have a lovely week, friends.
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