Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 3
Week 17: April 29, 2023

A sunny Saturday was perfect for spring cleaning the vintage A-frame greenhouse at Chocolate Box Cottage. I swiped down a winter’s worth of spiderwebs and breathed in the scent of lemon blossoms. Learn to grow Meyer Lemon trees from seeds!

The geraniums needed to be groomed. I plucked all the yellowed leaves from the porch pots and hanging baskets. I have several scented geraniums in rose and citrus flavors and I have to say they are heavenly! If you can find one at a nursery or take a cutting from a friend’s plant, do. They’re wonderful.

I made sure all the plants were watered and refilled my watering cans, snacked on the last Clementine orange fresh from the tree, reordered my garden supplies on the shelves, and swept the floor. I am looking forward to moving the potted plants outdoors soon.

Once all was in order, I stepped back and a lovely feeling of satisfaction washed over me. Hundreds of small seedlings are popping up in trays on an improvised table! Morning glories, sweet peas, herbs, flowers, peppers, melons, cucumbers, summer and winter squash. Meanwhile, the tomato and tomatillo seedlings have already been up-potted to 4-inch pots.

Later the same week…

VINTAGE GREENHOUSE ~ Up and Growing Edition!

At last it is warm enough to leave the door open on the greenhouse during the day. Seeds are popping left and right and there are some surprises! Follow along in the photos as I count tiny green joys.

And if you’re curious about the buckets of murky water sitting in front of the greenhouse, they are there because our irrigation is turned off this week for maintenance and animals and plants are both hand-watered all week. Read about our vintage greenhouse repairs.

Of the dozen or so varieties of tomatoes we grow, a mere few are still available commercially through seed companies. Many of them are vintage varieties, heirlooms we have been growing for 10-20+ years, saving seeds each year for replanting the next. Read Full Circle Tomatoes and Finally Tomatoes to learn more.

Moonflowers unfurl their first seedling leaves, reminding me of the moths and butterflies who will frequent them when their flowers open at night. Read Suppers in the Garden teepee to see both Moonflowers and exceedingly rare Mayo Bule gourds cover our teepee.

A variety of medicinal herbs and cottage flowers will bring beauty and healing to our homestead.

Better-than-expected germination of 2 pepper varieties makes me smile! Blushing Beauty is an All America Selections (AAS) winner from 2000. It was a F1 hybrid created by crossing two peppers and saving first generation seed. Blushing Beauty produces gorgeous ivory bells that ripen through shades of pink on the way to red and is edible (and delicious) at every stage, though it is sweetest in the pink to red stages. Through years of careful selection and seed saving, I have developed an open pollinated variety.

Aloha Sunrise has a story too! Last summer I found spectacularly striped red/orange bell peppers in the produce section of my Fred Meyer (Kroger) store. Tiny stickers with the word “Aloha” gave me the idea for the name. I bought several peppers and saved the seeds (they were sweet and tasty!) This year I planted seeds saved from those peppers last year. It will likely take years of selection similar to what Blushing Beauty did before I have a stable variety that produces uniform and true-to-type fruit, but I will enjoy the journey.

While it feels like spring is way behind, in truth it is right on time.

New video

A second video on growing an indoor salad garden, by popular request!

In Part 2 of Indoor Salad Garden, I introduce 6 new colorful greens to add more flavor, texture and color to your salad bowl. Even if you don’t have a garden space, you can grow a wide variety of lush, edible greens in your own Indoor Salad Garden. You DON’T need so invest in special shelves, trays, racks, fertilizer, or lighting. You can use simple, everyday items you probably already have around the house to grow a never-ending supply of greens. Read the post and get the printable Supply List and 7-Step Guide.

Bookshelf

Knead Peace, edited by Andrew Green

Let me start by acknowledging the obvious. The war in Ukraine is being used like a political football. People in the US and probably other places are weary of hearing about it.

Please don’t let deter you from buying, enjoying, and baking with this book!

You will notice is is “edited” rather than authored by Andrew Green. Green was inspired by the resilient, determined spirit of Anna Makievska and The Bake House in Kyiv, who have continued to bake and give bread throughout the war.

Makievska spent 3 years and 1.5 million USD building the bakery of her dreams, which opened in October 2021 in the Podil district of Kyiv. Four months later Kyiv was a war zone. She had to pack up the mixers, bowls, and bannetons (bread proofing baskets) and move back to the basement of the old bakery.

It is hard to find ingredients and at times it is unsafe for the bakers to come to work. Distributing the bread is a logistical quagmire.

Green contacted some of the most esteemed bakers and bakeries around the world and asked them to contribute recipes; recipes that work in home kitchens. The collaboration resulted in a one-of-a-kind collection of recipes – many made with whole grain flour!

I just received my pre-ordered copy of Knead Peace. Recipes that immediately caught my eye include:

• 100% Rye Sourdough
• Lazy Wholemeal Loaf
• Townmill Tin Loaf
• Olive Oil Buns
• Cardamom Buns
• Currant Teacakes
• Coffee, Cardamom, and Walnut Cake
• Anzac Biscuits
• Wholewheat Rhubarb Galette

As I have mentioned before, my Great Grandparents emigrated from Bessarabia to the US. If not for that, my family would be there in that war-torn region. So as I bake my Grandma’s recipes as well as recipes from Knead Peace, I will think of and pray for the people in Ukraine as well as Russia who are experiencing such devastation, not by their choice.

Homesteader’s uniform

Just for fun…

I am modeling my “classic homesteader ensemble” for you!

A skirt that moves with me, a pretty top just because, and an apron (one of many) with pockets to hold treasures like seeds, pretty rocks, and chocolate chips! On my feet are Muck boots, none too clean, but equal to the mud and other “terrain” I encounter in my day. LOL!

My makeup, applied early in the morning, has long since worn off but the most important thing I am wearing is a…smile! I am wearing a smile because I have joy in my heart.

I am thankful for my husband who brought home a load of firewood this morning, for my good health (no migraines in 2 months and fibromyalgia pain/brain fog are less pronounced), for my wonderfully imperfect family, for the hope of heaven through Jesus, and last but not least – no snow!

Wishing you a wonderful day, dear friend. And if it isn’t a wonderful day (because not all of them are) I wish you comfort from our Heavenly Father.

Love, Michele

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 1 Corinthians 1:3,4

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 3
Week 2: January 14, 2023

Once upon a quiet Sunday evening, I resolutely refused to let my thoughts wander into next week and instead spent a quiet evening hand-stitching felt Christmas tree ornaments. My stitching was slow and even without a hint of hurry. One stitch at time.

I enjoy hand sewing because it puts my mind at ease and I enjoy it more after Christmas because I am less busy.

This special time was made more uplifting and relaxing with a cup of tea made of herbs dried from dried from my apothecary garden:

Zloty Lan chamomile

strawberry mint

lemon verbena

The herbs were steeped 5 minutes in water heated to 185 F (85 C) rather than boiling to preserve the aromatic qualities of the herbs. I use a simple lollipop-style thermometer to check the temp.

The pink bone china cup and saucer are stamped “Vogue” in gold lettering on the bottom. Made in England, I discovered a pair of them in a thrift shop year or two ago for a few dollars.

Gardening

And the cycle of seed to shoot continues in the indoor salad garden.

I generally plant 4 or 5 kinds of seeds twice a week to keep a steady supply of greens for the salad bowl. Here you see soaking (clockwise from the top left): radish, broccoli, pea, and sunflower seeds in baby food jars.

Root wads leftover from salad greens are a special treat to the chickens – they devour them!

Marigold, the buff Muscovy hen wakes up with messy “bedhead” feathers every morning – too cute!

Four years ago I bought a $2 pot of hyacinth bulbs at Walmart. After they bloomed, I transplanted them to this lined metal “basket” instead of throwing them out. Every spring I enjoy a “free” bouquet of flowers.

We picked our first 3 clementine oranges!

We have grown our own Meyer lemons for many years, rotating the trees between the restored vintage greenhouse in winter and the garden the rest of the year, and felt ready to expand our citrus horizons. (We live in USDA zone 8b)

I was thrilled to receive this twiggy little clementine tree for Mother’s Day in 2022!

What is a clementine, you say?

It is a cross between a willowleaf mandarin orange and a sweet orange. Similar to a tangerine, fruit are small with a bright, sparkly flavor. They are very easy to peel and give off an invigorating aroma when the skin is pulled away.

Samuel’s projects

Sam’s projects involved vehicle maintenance this weekend. He changed the wiper blades on my car and his truck and changed the oil in his truck.

Baking

It was a busy week for baking! I always start by grinding my flour in my KoMo Fidibus 21 grain mill. It’s a wonderful mill! For years I used my Vitamix with the container marked ‘dry’ to grind my flour. It works, but you really have to work for it if you know what I mean.

I was so happy to purchase my KoMo after extensive research into grain mills. I bought it in 2009 or 2010 and haven’t had a bit of trouble with it. It is attractive enough to display on the kitchen counter, making it easy to have fresh whole grain flour at your fingertips.

My faithful baker’s bench was due for a spa treatment. I rubbed homemade Spoon Butter Wood Conditioner into the clean wood surface to protect it.

Once my flour was ground and the baker’s bench was treated, I used the Bosch Universal mixer to mix a 5-loaf batch of Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread.

Deeply browned crust and soft, fluffy crumb. This recipe is a family treasure.

Let’s move onto homemade pizza! I really need to write this recipe up to share. It is a simple whole wheat crust made with yeast that goes together quickly. I have made 1,000 or more pizzas with this recipe!

Topped with fresh sprigs of basil grown in a pot, homemade pizza simply can’t be beat.

Separating milk and cream

If you look closely at the jar of milk, you can see the “creamline,” the line dividing the milk (bottom) from the golden cream (top).

Cream naturally rises to the top and floats, making it easy to skim off and save for my morning cup of black tea or to make whipped cream for dessert.

I use a small melamine ladle to lift the cream and transfer it to a separate jar. This little spoon is so handy!

We are extremely fortunate to have a family-owned dairy The Mcmaemic Co. just a mile or two away and Farmer, Chicken Wrangler, Egg Gatherer, Sourdough Baker, Spice-Mix Maker, and Chief Milkmaid @Renee Clark wears all the hats beautifully! Her husband and kids are involved, too, and if you’re local you really ought to check out the farm’s website.

Bookshelf

These books are a bit beat up, it’s true. There are lots of newer crafting books out there, but I keep coming back to these.

Scrap Saver’s Stitchery series by Sandra Loundsbury Foose contains around half a dozen books brimming with fun, simple, playful projects for your house, for gifts, for kids, and for yourself.

Many of the projects can be stitched by hand, others require a sewing machine. The fabric amounts are small, so you can use your scraps. Patterns are full size, no enlarging required, simply trace onto copy paper and go. This time of year, I find sitting and sewing to be such a pleasure!

The four books pictured are: Scrap Saver’s Gift Stitchery, Scrap Saver’s Stitchery Book, Scrap Saver’s 101 Great Little Crafts, and Scrap Saver’s Christmas Stitchery. All by Sandra Loundsbury Foose.

The Scrap Saver’s books are out of print, but available cheaply at my favorite online used bookseller.

Personal note

A personal hello from us to you! Thank you for reading, for following along on our cottage-homestead journey, and for sharing your time and your journey with us! In a day when handwritten letters are rare, we appreciate your comments and encouragement more than you know. Thank you.

Blessings,
Michele and Samuel

Note: This post contains links to products and vendors I use and appreciate for their quality and usefulness. Some are affiliate, some are not. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases when you use the links I provide; this does not change your price. Thank you!

Chocolate Box Cottage Diary, Volume 2

Week 19: May 14, 2022

We are establishing an herb garden this year, which will provide plants for tea, medicine, crafts, and enjoyment. When I feel fancy I call it my Apothecary Garden.

I struggled a bit, no, a lot, in planning the herb garden. Enclosed by a board fence and measuring 37×31 feet, is a generous space. I still don’t have a firm plan. I’ve have decided to be okay with that, to allow inspiration and curiosity to shape the garden. It will probably be messy the first few years, but in time I trust it will become what it wants to be and I will enjoy stewarding it.

I discovered a few herbal treasures to add to the herb garden today at the first ever Growers and Crafters Market in our community including a variegated willow with cream and pink leaf tips and an upright form of Oregon grape. Thank you, Maura! Meanwhile, Jenna raised 2 1/2 flats of herb seedlings for me, to order. Lucky me! I brought home a jar of crystal clear dandelion jelly Cynthia Gibson made and Sam and I enjoyed some scrumptious baked treats too.

Small but especially fragrant Original Poet’s daffodils bloom later than other daffodils, for a nice change. Garden tools are at the ready on the back wall of the greenhouse. The Peace roses went in the herb garden first. I am so anticipating their peachy scent for bouquets and potpourri!

The greenhouse is brimming with plants! Zloty Lan, favorite chamomile variety for tea, grown from seeds outdoors using the winter sowing method.

The next tree destined for firewood: a dead, standing Douglas fir tree. I have my eye on the second tree, also a Douglas fir. It is “decorated” with a bonanza of resin. Next time I will bring a suitable container for collection. Close-up of fir resin, useful for drawing salves, beeswax wraps, and more.

We brought home another load of firewood and the snow is gone. There will be mushrooms soon, and trilliums are just starting to show delicate flower faces.

Can you see it? View from Sam’s grader. One of four coyotes Sam’s crew spotted on Little Applegate road one day while grading the road.

This week I pulled out the Bosch Universal mixer and made a big batch of Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread. I shared my family’s favorite recipe in this video, which included all my treasured tips and breadbaking wisdom. If you own a Bosch or are considering one, give this recipe a try. It might become your family’s favorite, too.

One of the tips I shared in the video is to weigh the dough for even sized loaves of bread. Scale is a KD-8000.

Plump loaves of Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread, otherwise known as Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread, made with freshly ground whole wheat flour and homemade buttermilk.

Beef Goulash, a pantry meal made with home-canned tomatoes, dehydrated diced zucchini (instead of pasta), herbs, frozen corn, and local ground beef. Topped with cheese, Beef Goulash is fast food at our house.

Homemade buttermilk ad sour cream from local raw milk.

Happy moments with Mom and my sister Marti on Mother’s Day!

My Mother’s Day gift from Sam was a Clementine orange tree, several small herbs, and 3 rolls of chicken wire. The wire will be used to reinforce the garden fence so I can keep our little elderly (and deaf) dog in the garden with me. I could ask for nothing better – except to have all my kids with me! Miriam went to church with us this morning, knowing there could be no better gift.

Spring interrupted is appreciated even more and we are grateful for the much-needed rain and snow we received in the past month. Trees, grass, plants are all sporting the flashiest shade of green!

How are things in your corner of creation?

Blessings,

Michele