http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaeus%27_flower_clock

This sounds so cool!  I might have to try this!

If corn is going to have any chance at fully maturing here in the rocky mountains It has to be planted as early as possible. We live in a nice little valley here in Eastern Idaho elevation 5200 feet. The wind comes through here every night blowing away any warm air that may have accumulated during the day. We have had several frosts and very cool and extremely wet weather since I planted a sweet corn hybrid variety of corn called Sugar Buns.  I know you are supposed to wait until after all danger of frost before planting but if I did that then I wouldn’t plant corn at all. Last summer we had snow and a couple of good frosts right up until the last part of June and another good frost in July and then again in mid August. It’s not usually that bad, it must have something to do with global warming.

Anyhow I did mange to get my peas, several varieties of lettuce, some spinach, beets that haven’t come up, carrots that are struggling and probably need to be replanted and onions in. I have to replant some things sometimes around here because of the extreme conditions. It will be really cold one minute and then the sun comes out and in our thin mountain air and bakes the ground the next minute  making it difficult for the little baby seedlings to push through the soil. It helps to either not water the ground at all or keep it watered all the time until the babies push through.

When planting corn I go ahead at the very first window of opportunity and plant knowing full well that  snow storms or hard freezes are probably coming. I had good luck with Spring Treats a couple of years ago, if  I find it again I’ll  give it another try. Last year I planted a small batch in the middle of May when the weather warmed for a couple of days. The corn popped up fairly quickly and then we got hit with snow and cold wet weather and the corn survived and was actually really good. I wasn’t able to plant the rest of my warm weather stuff, squash, beans, tomatoes, more corn, until late June and none of it did any good at all. In fact I planted tomatoes twice and they got killed off both times.

Like I said last year was a tough year. Usually our last frost is around the 15th of June and our first frost is about the last week in August. I know that sounds a little challenging but we do manage to grow a nice productive garden, if you like peas, onions, carrots and of course potatoes, lots of potatoes. Run over an elk that invariably has some kind of death wish once in awhile and a body can eat pretty good around here.

The first is this link to an article about using hydrogen peroxide and vinegar to kill the e. coli.
http://www.discount-vitamins-herbs.net/n-410-clean-vegetables.htm

The second is an essential oil blend available from doTerra.  Onguard combines  wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary.  This oil can be used internally and externally. This is a perfect thing to have in emergency kits.  Leave a comment if you need a source for this  and I’ll contact you.

Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea.

I rave no more ‘gainst time or fate,

For lo! my own shall come to me

I stay my haste, I make delays,

For what avails this eager pace?

I stand amid the eternal ways,

And what is mine shall know my face.

Asleep, awake, by night or day

The friends I seek are seeking me;

No wind can drive my bark astray,

Nor change the tide of destiny,

What matter if I stand alone?

I wait with joy the coming years;

My heart shall reap when it has sown,

And gather up its fruit of tears.

The stars come nightly to the sky;

The tidal wave comes to the sea;

Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,

Can keep my own away from me.

The waters know their own and draw

The brook that springs in yonder heights;

So flows the good with equal law

Unto the soul of pure delights.

By John Burroughs

Baking a good loaf of bread is a wonderful skill that can save you some serious cash.   I go through 1/2  lb of yeast and 25 lbs worth of flour every week to feed the 7 of us that are currently in residence,of course this still varies with the older girls coming and going.   Here’s a basic bread recipe that I use to make bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, pizza crust, etc.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees

In a very large bowl add:

1 quart hot water
stir or whisk  in enough  flour to make a soft goopy mix like thick soup.
Add:
4 teaspoons of salt
4 tablespoons of oil
4 tablespoons of sugar, honey or other sweetener
4 tablespoons of yeast (buy it by the pound to save money)

Continue to whisk all ingredienta together until well blended.  Then switch to a heavy duty spoon.  Keep stirring and add flour until the mixture forms  a ball and it’s thick enough to turn out onto a floured table top.  Knead in flour until it’s no longer sticky and has a nice elastic feel.  At this point you can let it rise or form into the desired shapes.

Makes 4 pizza crusts or
two pizza pan covered with hot dog or hamburger buns
2-4 loaves of bread depending on the size of your pans.
1 9×12 pan of rolls with a little extra for 1 loaf of bread
3 nice loaves of french bread

I bake almost everything including bread at 350 degrees.   Small loaves take 25-30 minutes and large loaves take about 40 minutes.

For the French bread I bake it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Make sure the oven is preheated

Hope this works well for you. Enjoy!

This price jump just seemed ridiculous!    Sure enough as I kept checking and asking friends, one friend called another friend and asked where he gets his seed.  The answer was Sugar City Hardware Store.   I meant to call ahead but ended up stopping by about 8 am on Saturday.   They had several varieties.  I bought half a lb of Sugar Buns corn seed for $10.   Bodacious was $8.25.  They also had Ambrosia and  an earlier variety that I wasn’t familiar with.   So if your regular seeds sources seem outrageously priced, check with other locals and with a good old hardware store!