Davison's Orchard

Friday morning after dropping off all the kids at school I decided to take my youngest up to the local orchard to play for a bit.

For some reason, I always feel guilty taking him to fun places without the other kids because I don't want them to miss out (and I also know that they will not be happy when they find out what they missed!) I don't know why I feel this way. We had so much fun hanging out together for some "just me and you time".

The weather wasn't great and it was early so we were the only customers there for awhile. Mr. Davison the owner came over to talk to us and when my boy was too shy to share his name, Mr. Davison decided to call him Fred and gave him a free cookie. When Mr. Davison asked if he could offer me a dollar to keep "Fred" - I (of course) declined, but "Fred" said okay... I think he really wanted to live at the orchard, be a farmer and eat cookies all day.

My baby will be five this month. He's growing up so fast. He starts school in September and we have very few days left with just the two of us. I am trying to enjoy our last days like this together.

I have been taking my babies up to the orchard since my oldest was an infant in a stroller. Davison's has   always been one of my favourite places to visit.

Each year it seems to get bigger, busier and a little more touristy. Now when I go it is usually early on a week-day morning when it still feels like a farm and not like an amusement park.

Even though it can get very busy, it is still a working orchard with three generations of the Davison family working together.

That is one of my favourite things about the farm. Generations working together on the family farm: keeping it active, keeping it relevant, working together and giving others the opportunity to get out and see where food is grown. I love that. I want that.

While I am waiting to realize my dream of having my own family farm (that may or may not ever become reality) I am grateful that I have a place to go where I can take my kids and teach them about where our food comes from and where we can spend time with some animals and play outside. 

My baby's approaching birthday has really made me think about how fleeting my time with my kids is and how quickly they are growing. I know I need to take more time to enjoy their smiles and laughter because before I know it they will be grown. But...I don't really want to think about that just yet.

signs of spring...

Two of my favourite signs of spring have been popping up all over for the past couple of weeks...

Just in case I haven't mentioned it before... I love asparagus season! And the little corner of the world where I live is known for producing great asparagus. This season I may be consuming a little more than my fair share...but it is SO good! I love...really love roasted asparagus. Although I think I may be the only one in my family who is happy that there are at least two more weeks left in the season! The same could be said for rhubarb... my kids do not share my obsession with the tart, pink, deliciousness...but I am really enjoying the flavours of spring this year and they are learning to like them...they don't seem to match my level of excitement until strawberry season hits.

The other sign of spring that I can not get enough of is lilacs!

After fruit blossoms, my favourite spring flower is definitely lilacs.

I love how lilacs perfume the air...

I love the variations in colour...

I love how simple the individual flowers are...

and I love bringing in an armful and grouping them together...

Waking up to the scents and sights of spring are one of life's small pleasures. 

and I am learning that it is the small things that make the biggest difference.

berry season

I was so happy to receive a phone call from my local organic farmer to tell me they had three flats of Raspberries ready for me! I have been waiting so patiently for the rain to stop (the okanagan has had the rainiest, coolest summer that I remember. We haven't even topped 30 degrees yet! I think this is mother nature's way of preparing me for my move to Vancouver). The berries finally managed to dry off long enough to be picked and I jumped and ran out the door as soon as I received the call.

We have been snacking on berries all week and it has been wonderful. I really try to buy a lot of fresh berries when they are in season. I feel so bad for my kids who do not have the pleasure of picking berries in the backyard. When I was growing up my granny had a large garden and every summer I used to pick strawberries and raspberries by the ice cream pail full and I could always eat as many as I wanted. We also had a large row of blackberry brambles running across the front of our property and I would do the same in late August with those. Even though we don't have our own, I try to recreate the excitement of berry season by buying as many flats as we can eat. My kids look forward to berry season every year and we all dream of the time when we can just step out into the backyard for our yearly fix.

All the berries around our house has also kicked off canning season! This week I have made over thirty jars of jam: strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, raspberry strawberry cherry, and apricot. The smells coming from the kitchen have been amazing! I have frozen bags of rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries - cherries are coming later this week. I always feel so content looking at what I have stored away for winter.

I also surprised my kids with another treat from my childhood...while the two oldest were out with their grandma for the afternoon, I whipped up a double batch of granny's pyrahi (learn about granny's pyrahi here). I used the last of the strawberries for one batch and the first of the raspberries for the second...so good! I love being able to pass on a family tradition.

They taste of summer and happy childhood days.

I love berry season.



Fresh local produce and Rhubarb Scones

I have really been enjoying Spring in the Okanagan this year...especially my first local, fresh asparagus and rhubarb in three years. I have really missed them.

I have been eating asparagus almost every day now for the past few weeks in omelets, stir fries, steamed and roasted (my favourite which is where most of my asparagus ends up). Rhubarb in muffins, pies, crisps and scones (and a new cake-like crumb bar I will be trying this afternoon).

Asparagus and rhubarb are two of my very favourite vegetables; possibly because they are so refreshing after a winter full of root vegetables and the occasional imported "luxury" like salad greens or a pepper or cucumber.

I have really been enjoying them but I am really excited because in about two weeks the strawberries will be ready...the beginning of berry and fruit season!!!

The Okanagan is known for it's orchards...I really can't wait. For so many years I took the fresh fruit for granted. When I first arrived in Nova Scotia I remember picking up a harrowsmith magazine that declared the only places in Canada where peaches were grown was in BC's Okanagan Valley and the Niagra region in Ontario! I almost cried...what?!!! No fresh peaches for almost three years! While I did find some great farmer's markets in Moncton, NB and in Halifax, NS...the fruit was not the same. They just don't get enough sun to really bring out the flavours (although I really liked the maple syrup...oh and the lobster). I am a little embarrassed to say, but honestly, what really made me want to move back to BC was the fresh fruit. I have decided I just don't want to live somewhere where I can't get fresh local fruit within a days drive. I know that sounds crazy to a lot of people and I am getting used to the strange looks I often get (and the more polite smile with the raised eyebrows and head nod)...but I know there are a few of you out there who will understand!

My favourite this season has been the rhubarb scones.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup vanilla sugar (I keep a canning jar with cane sugar and a couple left over vanilla pods) but you can use regular sugar as well
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

whisk the above together in a medium sized bowl. Cut in 1/4 cup of butter.

In a small bowl whisk together:
1 egg
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp heavy cream (or milk or half of each)
1 tsp vanilla

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb and work into the dough. Form into scones. I like to flatten into a sqare shape and cut squares or flatten into a circle and cut wedges.

Place on a lined baking sheet and brush tops with cream and sprinkle with vanilla sugar if desired. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy the season!

Decisions...

I know that ignoring my blog after writing about the lack of beauty in my new home will look like I have fallen into a pinkish/beige - can't change a thing -funk...but this is not the case. This past week I have been indulging in a (what seems to be yearly) hobby of mine. I have spent countless hours reading through pages and pages of information on the different schools that are available to my children.

My stress levels seem to peak every May/June.  I first experienced educational stress while contemplating and making pro and con lists between french immersion and the regular local school for my first two children. We chose french...and then on our most recent move we could not get them into french immersion...so I spent hours deciding between english school or sending them each to separate schools accomodating one in french or homeschooling. We chose to keep them together in English school...and then a few weeks later changed our minds and chose homeschool and then had to decide if we would homeschool all or just the younger ones. We decided to stick together as a family and pulled all of our kids out of the local school.

We have really enjoyed homeschool for so many reasons and I thought my decision making days were over...but...we are moving again and I have discovered that I do not have to register with the local distributed learning school - we can choose any distributed learning school in the province. In BC  distributed learning schools are homeschool based but the kids have a teacher they see (or contact) once a week, we "follow" the provincial learning outcomes (which are actually pretty vague), our learning is funded by the province and the kids get report cards and will graduate with a diploma. In my research I discovered that each school is different, which has led to a lot of research. The school they have been going to this year has provided us with textbooks and weekly schedules, which has been great. I have had very little planning to do and we have enjoyed a flexible schedule doing "school at home". But, even though we have loved it, I think it can be better. I find that we get bored and that we don't have time for a lot of things that we want to study or do.

And so...I have spent the week reading and reading and pondering and wondering...which school is best for us?

I think I may have found one. This school focuses on student directed learning (which will hopefully give us more time to explore our interests). I am hoping that it is a good fit. And I am really happy to have a major decision made.

We have a lot of changes and excitement (and work) ahead of us. We are finishing up our year of school at home, I am prepping for my university classes that start June 1st and we are starting to pack and are making another trip to Vancouver at the end of May where I will stare at those pinkish/beige walls trying desperately to figure out how to change them without covering them up...and I am open to ANY ideas...  for photos click here

Keeping me sane and very happy is the daily dose of fresh local asparagus I have been consuming and my first rhubarb harvest in three years. Stress melts off with my daily plate of roasted asparagus...quite possibly my favourite vegetable dish...and tomorrow I am making rhubarb muffins and/or scones...another decision...maybe I'll just make both.

A Family Farm

I love farms.

Small farms.

family farms.

self-sufficient farms.

We have visited many.

I grew up on a few.

I want one.

I want to be self-reliant.

I want to buy some land and start my own family farm.

I am thinking of ways to make it happen...

before my children all leave home.

I am impatient.



gratitude on a snowy morning

It is a grey, snowy morning here in the Okanagan...

and the kids and I are cozied up in our little cottage for the morning....

(I think the afternoon will be spent tobagganing)

Since it is so cold and snowy, I thought it would be a perfect morning for some apple spice muffins to warm us up...

Like many people at this time of year we are a little short on cash and while we are awaiting the first paycheck of the year I just thought I would mention how grateful I am that I have learned how to cook!

even with little in the fridge I was still able to make a yummy breakfast of apple spice muffins (using apples that I chopped up and froze in the fall) and delicious canned fruit from this summer...

I am grateful that I love to be in the kitchen (I always feel so sorry for those who view cooking as a chore) and my husband is grateful that when he sees nothing to eat and "no food" in the house that I am able to put something on the table that is just as good if not better than what we would eat if we had money to spare.

I really do love eating in season and in Canada without the aid of greenhouses the only thing that is in season right now is food that was stored up for winter during the great harvests of summer and fall...and so during this time of instant gratification and endless supermarkets...I am very thankful to have a closet full of summer canning and a freezer full of chopped fruit and the side of grass fed beef we purchased in the fall...life is good!

hobbies and things to do

This weekend I was thinking about time and all the things I would love to do. I have a fear that there is not enough time to do everything.

 Currently I am working on my BA degree majoring in English and History. I have been working on it for four years and am half way. I am determined to finish it before I turn forty.

In January I learned to knit. So far I've been trying to perfect the garter stitch...I think I'm ready to move on to the next one. I've knit 2 1/2 scarfs and three facecloths

and I also tried out one of those knitlaces ~ half scarf/half necklace that I've seen a few people making over on etsy.

My 10 year old loves it.

I have made about a dozen sock pets over the past four months

I have been looking at other peoples patterns mostly

and I think I will soon be ready to create some of my own.

Although I did make some sock pokemon's for my boys that turned out okay.

I have also been doing a lot of baking. I'm trying to get that perfect "Martha Stewart" pie crust.

It tastes delicious...I just need to keep practicing fluting the edges!

I have also been trying to better understand my camera and learn a few new computer skills. All of these things have kept me pretty busy over the winter. I still need lots of practice on all of these things, but I have a few new things I would like to learn...I just need to find someone to teach me.

I really want to learn how to fish, I do live in Nova Scotia and I have really been trying to find good local ingredients to cook with...it has been difficult where I am but I will continue to try.

I am staying put this summer (other than lots of local day trips!) and so I am putting in a small garden, finally! I have had three summers with no garden and am desperate for fresh produce again and to learn what it is like to garden in the cool and damp maritimes rather than the hot and dry okanagan.

I am looking forward to going on a lot of new hikes and what I really would like to learn this year is

how to forage for mushrooms.

We see hundreds and hundreds of mushrooms almost every time we go for a hike.

All kinds and all colours. I really need to find a teacher, but I'm not sure where to look...

 and I am really nervous about learning from a book...

I've read too many times that mushrooms can kill you if you don't know what you are picking...

but there are so many mushrooms all around here!

Everytime we go hiking we see more and more.

 My kids always call them smurf villages.

And I always hate just walking by something that looks edible and is quite possibly delicious. Hopefully, I'll be able to find someone in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or P.E.I.

I'll keep you posted!