Podcast Love

from the home page...what a glorious garden!

The drifts are getting smaller, but its still going to be a while before my own garden can be planted.  It doesn't stop me from dreaming and planning and wishing for it, though...so it's nice to have an amusing gardening podcast to tune into.  I recently discovered BBC 4's Gardeners' Question Time .  Basically, a panel of gardening experts travel to different communities in the UK, and take questions from a live audience.  Not only do they know their gardening stuff, they are hilarious and witty (so is the audience, usually).  I must admit to a certain amount of envy--they are already talking about second plantings and sowing things--but mostly, it is really interesting to listen to 45 minutes of gardening advice on a wide range of topics.  It has me contemplating some unusual additions to my Wisconsin garden, as well as trying out some new techniques with the old standards.

You can play the recorded podcast from their website, or download them from iTunes for free and listen to them on your iPod/iPad/iWhatever.

Eighteen Eggs In

from www.antiquemapsandprints.com

Eighteen little eggs have gone into the incubator, and with luck, when I check them in a couple more days I'll see signs of successful fertilization and the start of a new chick.  I started the first eight a few days ago, and added ten more just yesterday.  It's going to be a bit of a garduated hatching.  That's okay by me, really.  I can only handle so much excitement, and a whole bunch of chicks hatching on the same day might just send me over the edge with delirious delight.  There is nothing, I tell you, nothing cuter than a new chick, warm and fuzzy with a perfect, pudgy bottom.  And the first hatch is going to happen on the first day of Spring, which I did NOT plan but which seems like a perfectly wonderful way to celebrate the day.  Pudgy fizzy chicks on the Vernal Equinox?  Don't mind if I do.

Of course, a new baby rabbit, a week old with fur on and eyes still closed...that's pretty darn cute, too.

Let There Be Cake

Ahh, the peach--a lovely dream of summer!

Sometimes, you just want cake.  Not just any cake, a really good cake.  That was where I was at the other afternoon:  I wanted a cake that tasted of summer, to combat the piles of snow and bitter cold outside my window.  Sure it was sunny and the skies were blue, but it was cold and I needed a lift.  After paging through a couple of favorite cookbooks, I found nothing I liked...so I made this recipe up.

Peach-Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

For the cake, you'll need: three cups all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon each salt, baking powder, and baking soda; 1 1/2 cups white sugar; three eggs; 1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened; 3 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup milk; 1 1/2 cups each of peach slices and blueberries (I had frozen and stored some this past summer).

In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside for now.

In mixer, cream butter until light in color and "fluffy".  Add sugar and cream together well.  Add eggs one at a time, beat until well combined and the mixture is fluffed again.  Now, add about a cup of the flour mixture, followed by some of the milk.  Continue in these additions until all the flour and milk is incorporated.  Then, turn the mixer on a high speed and whip the batter for five minutes (this makes it fluffy and spongy when baked.)

While the batter is getting aerated, greased and flour a 9x13 inch rectangular pan.  Once the batter is done with its rapid mixing, fold in 1 1/2 cups each of sliced peaches and blueberries.  The batter will be thick, but spread it out into the pan.  Pop into a 350 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Set aside to cool completely, and then frost in the pan.

For the icing, you'll need: one 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened; 2 cups or so of powdered sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; milk as needed.

Using your mixer, beat cream cheese until it becomes fluffy.  Add powdered sugar and continue to beat until incorporated and fluffy.  Add a bit of milk as needed to allow icing to continue to mix, if it becomes very thick.  Spread on the cooled cake and devour with happiness.

Evening T.V.

The evenings are starting a bit later these days with very welcome longer afternoons, but there's still a few hours until bedtime rolls around.  I've been revisiting the 1990s world of BBC gardening programming.  A couple episodes of Gardeners' World and a hot cup of tea, and I'm ready to curl up in bed and dream of spring days digging in the dirt and planting happy seeds.

A Favorite Nursery

from St.Lawrence Nurseries web page...gorgeous!

I am a huge fan of St. Lawrence Nurseries in Potsdam, New York.  For the past several years, I've ordered trees and shrubs from them to add to my small backyard orchard.  Each order arrives in good condition, wrapped and carefully packed, full of happy bare root trees that are ready to be dug into their new homes.  All of their trees are for colder climates like mine, so if you live in USDA Zone 4 or colder, you might want to check them out.  I've had success with pretty much everything, aside from when I forgot to water or the dog peed on it perpetually.  Note: apricot trees do NOT like excessive amounts of dog pee.

I'm hoping to get my first harvests of apples and plums this year--if all goes well and we don't get late frosts again.  I can't wait to try my first Duchess apple, an heirloom variety originally from Russia.   And the Northern Blue plum should make a showing this year, I hope.  Oh how I love a blue plum!

There's still time to contact them and request a catalog (they don't have a web-based one this year), but the deadline is coming up in April so you'd better get a move on.

Lazy Weekending

While I have been mildly productive in some areas (worked on a PowerPoint, made bread), it's been a nice weekend to just putter around.  Between stints of productivity, I've lounged and knitted and been watching programs like this one.  I am, as you may have guessed, a bit of a romantic.  I do like the witty silliness that is Jane Austen, and adaptations like this one make me so happy when I rediscover them.  So, take some time this weekend to pour yourself a hot cup of tea, pick up whatever craftiness you desire, and relax, maybe catch a show like this one.  Monday is just around the corner, you know.

Getting Ready

The incubator is plugged in and heating up, nearly ready for the first eggs from the Little Coop Ladies to start incubating.  With any luck, in less than a month, we'll have some brand new Buff Orpington chicks in the house!