I’m so excited about this week’s Sugar Maple Weekly Update! This month seems like it is flying by for me and there are two huge reasons for that. I can’t wait to share with you so let’s dive in.
Book Updates
My photography has all been turned in for the book! This includes my cover shot. I mentioned last time I did a Sugar Maple weekly update that it was all due. And I had to skip last week’s update because the last of it was due and I was stressing out over it to the point where nothing else got done. I only had a handful of recipe shots left to hand in, but the book cover was hanging over my head.
Book Cover
I had been ridiculously nervous about shooting the book cover. Again, I can’t say much about it yet, but the last time I updated I was staining a table with coffee to be part of the background. Well, that didn’t work at all. However, I didn’t know it wasn’t working well until halfway into our shoot day. The coffee as a stain in the photos was much too red and pink. So Kevin and I moved to our dining room table. That one was much too yellow. Luckily, I have a table addition and the table in our basement worked! It was the perfect bluer brown that maybe the food look wonderful. You can see what that table looks like {HERE} a few halloweens ago. I did shoot something on it this Christmas too but had my manuscript due so that post was never finished. I guess I’ll show it off next year.
Copyediting
Also, my manuscript has now been copyedited! My deadline for that was earlier this week and I honestly just can’t believe how fast the last week weeks have really come to finalizing things for the book. This has been a dream of mine for so long and to be this close to being done is a little unreal. When it comes to copyediting, gosh that is a process! Hats off to anyone that is a copyeditor because you find it all! My brain just does not work that way and I applaud those of you who can do that work
West Michigan Home & Garden Show
I’m also excited to tell you on today’s Sugar Maple Weekly Updates that I will be a speaker at the West Michigan Home and Garden Show! I will be speaking in the Garden To Table stage and I’m thrilled to be sharing some knowledge with the local West Michigan community. You can see all the information about the show {HERE}. I will be speaking about how to grow a food forest for your table and how to container garden with herbs to save money! I will put both pieces of content from the show on the blog here after the show is over.
Garden Updates
With the Home & Garden show on the horizon I’m also excited to tell you that I have finally started planning our garden for the year. This year, we will be working toward the food forest concept in our garden. We’ve always been heading in this direction, but I’ve been hesitant to call it that.
Food forest
A food forest is a permaculture idea. It is also sometimes called a garden forest. Our’s will be more of a garden forest – eventually. It is a low maintenance, sustainable It is a plan for gardening that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature. It does this through layers of gardening. I will explain more about this in a few weeks when I disclose my presentation from the show.
Cut flowers
I had to slow down on all my flower plans last year while writing the book. Our area was also hit by a tornado and it took out a big portion of my dahlia field with falling branches. I’m looking forward to focusing our efforts again this year to be a small farm flower grower.
For our cut flowers this year, we will be planting just zinnias, dahlias and sunflowers. I’m attempting to shift more towards flowers that are perennials in order to reduce the manual labor work in April, May and June. We have about 700 tulips that will come up in April and May and then from there we will be waiting for the summer flowers to kick in. Not this year, but in the next 1- 2 years we will be purchasing a large portion of peony plants that will also go towards our cut flower sales. I’m hoping we can get enough to cover 1/4 acre and then have those to sell in a few years as well.
Animal updates
The donkeys have been doing well the last few weeks and they are happy that the snow is gone! (Although it did snow today.) I’m much happier too. I love the snow to a point but I am much happier when I don’t feel stressed about the animals and the weather conditions.
The chickens have started laying again! Not much and all our girls are old, but we are getting about 2 eggs per day. In March or April, I will be ordering pullets to help build our flock back up. We’ve lost about 5 birds in the last two years and I prefer to have around 18 layers. Right now we have 12 and all our chickens are 4 and 5 years-old. Speaking of the chickens, I finally put up the Deep Litter post! You can find it {HERE}.
Books I am reading:
None this week, friends. I’ve been too busy with my recipe book and some random kid things to really let my mind relax enough to enjoy anything. I’m hoping to hop back into something this week!
Sugar Maple Weekly Updates – Weekly posts
In cased you missed it, here are the blog posts that I have put up since the last weekly update.
- DIY Clay Plant Markers for Garden Bed {HERE}
- Chicken Satay Skewers {HERE}
- Easy Lasagna Skillet {HERE}
- Chicken Coop Deep Litter Method {HERE}
- No Bake Chocolate Lasagna Dessert {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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Robert DiMarzio says
If Kevin brings home more chickens that will be a real pullet surprise! ☺
Rachel says
That would never happen.
angie says
first visit here and you made me feel right at home. Thanks for sharing life looks very interesting where you are for sure. Your busy schedule dont forget to make some time making memories.
Rachel says
This is good advice. Thank you Angie.