Before and After

Here is a before and after picture of the kitchen in Tiverton.

The before picture was taken in 2001.  That was a long journey to get the house to it's present state today.

And then the after:
The window opening remained where it was.  But everything else was removed including the window and framing.  Of course we restored the window.

And these show the in-between work.
Including all new framing, plaster and the soapstone counter installation.

Chicken Coops

Here are a few unusual ideas for chicken coops. This coming spring I want to begin keeping chickens. From what I've seen chickens are pretty flexible with their living arrangements.



Illustration Credit:
ROBIN WIMBISCUS

Featured in Mother Earth’s portable henhouse design.



This one is very "British" Love the bumper sticker.




Made out of a found dresser.

Bee Hives

As my bees have increased in population this week I added new hive bodies to each hive. Now they are two stories high. The new boxes have ten frames in each and my bees will be busy building out the wax comb for the queen to lay her eggs in. The bees have been very active with the current honey flow and are surrounding the bird bath for sips of water.

Bees

I have wanted to keep bees for a long time. It would make sense with my large vegetable garden to have them for pollination.
Plus with all the news of CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), more bees could be beneficial.
So this past winter I attended 'Bee School" in Rhode Island. Then on Easter Weekend I picked up my nuc of bees. Put them in their hive and have been watching them since.

Luffa

My luffa seeds got started about 6 weeks ago and are now forming their secondary leaves. Even though the days are getting warmer the soil needs to be warmer before I feel comfortable transplanting them.

Quahogs

On Labor Day I went out to dig for quahogs. It's part of the "ocean/land to table series". I got my quahogs and made my chowder.

Steam the quahogs in water, then remove quahogs and reserve the broth.
In a medium size pan, saute 2 cut up slices of bacon. Add 2 diced potatoes, and 1/2 diced onion & saute until translucent.
Add the chopped up quahogs, & broth.
When ready to serve add cream or milk & some butter, salt and pepper to taste.

Shells can go into the compost bin.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

I ordered this book from the Tiverton Library. This book by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois proves that you really can make and bake delicious bread with very little time and effort, plus the photos by Mark Luinenburg look like the baked goods from the delicious and unavoidable "Seven Stars" bakery in Providence: http://www.sevenstarsbakery.com/

This is a great budget buster book, and I'm looking forward to baking up some goodies.