Friday Favorite: Barter is Better
I love bartering, it’s so nice to be able to trade things you produce or no longer want for things you need or want. A few months ago I stumbled on Erin Flett’s Etsy store and fell in love with her hen print. Into my favorites it went and I went to Facebook to like her page.
She’s a Maine artist that focuses on sourcing all of her raw materials from companies in the United States, now that’s the kind of art/products I like. Fast forward a month or two and she posted about a new light she got for her studio which just happened to be like a few lights that were in this house when we arrived.
I messaged her to see if she was interested in a few more, which she was. A deal was made, I took four lovely vintage white globe lights of varying sizes down to her studio near Portland and she gave me a host of lovelies, including the hen print that I loved so much, which is being printed soon.
I now have four lovely oversized kitchen towels with hens and roosters, perfect for my love of all things fowl.
She also insisted that I take a small zippered pouch, which will come in handy for trips to the farmers market. I think it will become my new purse.
I also have two small pillows that will be perfect in our guest room on the bed with that quilt that I just finished.
Bartering is so great, I have a few other bartering relationships. One is for eggs, I give a local couple eggs in exchange for a credit for cedar lumber when I need it (they have a cedar mill).
Do you ever barter? What product or item do you produce that would be a good barter item for you?
Share this:
Promises of Things to Come
While out planting onions yesterday I noticed that my overbearing strawberries are starting to bloom.
I noticed that one of them was even starting to produce a small strawberry.
Mr Chiots is going to be super excited, I think strawberry season is one of his favorite seasons of the year!
Which fruit do you look forward to most?
Share this:
It’s Growing
Now that the weather is warming up things are finally starting to grow well in the 5×5 Challenge garden. I planted ‘Golden’ peas two weeks ago and the lettuce I seeded a while ago it starting to size up nicely as well.
Of course the weeds are growing as well! I don’t mind the dandelions so much, the have deep tap roots and pull up nutrient from below. I might eat the greens, or I might keep pulling the leaves off and laying them around the peas as a mulch.
Overall the garden is doing very well, in just another week or so I’ll be harvesting greens for our dinner!
How’s your edible garden growing? Any harvests?
Share this:
Colombian Limonada
Growing up in South America, limonada always meant limeade and not lemonade. It’s usually made with key limes, but regular limes will do. It’s also different than American drinks in that the entire lime is blended with water, this gives the limeade a really complex sweet/sour/bitter taste because the lime peel and pith are used. The result is a fantastically thirst quenching drink perfect on a hot day. The added pith/peel make the lemonade much healthier since those parts of citrus are super healthy.
Yesterday I whipped up a batch and it was fantastic, I really should make it more often. Here’s how I make it:
quarter 2 small limes (Bearss Limes are best) and put in blender, add four cups of water, add 5-6 ice cubes, add 1-2 Tablespoons of sugar (you can add more later if needed), add a dash of salt, blend for a minute or two and put through a sieve. The results is a slightly frothy liquid that’s pure deliciousness on a hot afternoon!
What’s your favorite beverage on a hot day?
Share this:
Bird Hop and Swap
Mr Chiots and I have been trying to take a Sunday or two each month to go out and explore the lovely state we reside in. It’s nice when these jaunts can be used for errands we needed to go on. Yesterday we headed East with three of our muscovy ducks in boxes in the back. We stopped about 45 minutes into our trip to deliver them to lady who bought them. Two were staying with her and one was heading up north to another farm. We also picked up a chocolate muscovy from her to add new color and fresh genes to our flock along with a box of Freedom Ranger chicks to deliver to the farm we were visiting.
We continued east and made sure to stop at Helen’s Restaurant in Machias because several people told us the pie was fantastic. Wild blueberry pie was enjoyed by both of us, Mr Chiots enjoyed his with a la mode of course, mine was plain.
Since we were headed up to Lubec, we decided to stop at the Quoddy Head State park to see the lighthouse and visit the easternmost point in the United States.
Then we stopped at Muddy Hoof Farm to pick up heritage turkey hatching eggs and drop off her chicks. Our neighbor will be hatching them out for us in exchange for a dressed turkey at Thanksgiving. These are the most expensive eggs I have ever purchased! There are three heritage breeds in the mix, it should be interesting to see how many hatch and what we end up with.
On our way back home we drove through the part of Acadia National park that is on the mainland. It’s a short loop, only 6 miles long, but just as beautiful as the big park. Whenever I visit places like this I don’t take a ton of photos because I always feel like they never can do it justice.
We arrived home just before sunset with time to incorporate our well traveled duck and more miles under our belts. It’s certainly nice to live in such a picturesque place.
Any traveling miles logged by you this past weekend?
