Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
(Or Eat the Damn Deer) Deer droppings This week the garden finally thawed out. I can see the grass and soil and the lower trunks of trees again for the first time in months. And right along with that, I see enough deer droppings to cover an acre in an inch-thick layer. I know this… Continue reading New England Ecology
I had to refresh the sourdough culture today. The bulk ferment tub looked like it could be growing more than sourdough critters. The culture was fine, though, so I used up all but a cup yesterday, making a multi-grain nut bread with dried fruit. This meant I also used up all the nut flour that… Continue reading A Bit of Bread
The maple sap is running. The skies are blue. There is a warm breeze. The snow is… mostly evaporating, actually. Or sublimating is probably the more correct term. There are rodents chasing each other through the pines, and the birds are loud even at midday. Crows seem to have much to say today; the wren… Continue reading Permaculture (Lazy) Pruning Tips
We need to increase localized food production. We need to feed the hungry and eliminate food deserts. We need to revitalize our communities and rebuild life systems. We need to work our bodies more and connect with the more-than-human world. We need more color and flavor in our lives. Always. The solution to all these… Continue reading Guerrilla Gardening
We regularly hear about the gender wage gap. We know about glass ceilings and barriers to advancement. We wring our hands over leadership roles filled mainly by men. These are all vital concerns. But today I’d like to address a disparity that doesn’t get much press — women in agriculture. Women farmers embody the merger… Continue reading Women in Agriculture
I realized I haven’t made anything for a couple weeks. So since I had to make ricotta cheese anyway, I thought I’d introduce you to this easy and delicious recipe. I make this almost every week and use it as a sandwich spread, on toast, as cottage cheese with fruit. I use the whey in… Continue reading Making Simple Ricotta
This is the time of year that is the most difficult for high latitude living. The sun is up by 6:30am. The birds are loudly busy. There have been seed catalogs filled with glossy green seduction in the post box every day for weeks. The chickens are talking more, attempting to leave the roost more,… Continue reading Hungering for Spring
The Ameracauna hen has gone walk-about again. Third time this month. I’ve clipped her wings twice since she molted. There are no holes in the slump block wall; I’ve walked it twice this week. And the gate is as enveloped in chicken wire as it can be and still admit sunlight. If her pretty blue… Continue reading Errant and Unexpected
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the spring fast, Lent. The name lent derives from an Old English word meaning “spring season”. Other languages name this 40-day period before Easter with words that derive from “fasting”. We can see from these names that Lent is not merely a season of preparation for the Christian Easter.… Continue reading Lessons in Living in Season
I briefly considered writing about Mardi Gras today, but I just don’t like it enough. I am not a Carnival person. I don’t like the noise, the crowds, the mess, the stink. I hate feeling inebriated and I simply can’t tolerate drunk people. I have no use for plastic beads. And King Cake looks revolting.… Continue reading Pancakes for Fat Tuesday
By My Solitary Hearth 