FROM SCRATCH CLUB

If you caught my previous post, then you already know I’m trying to start a micro farm this year called Little Sparrow Farm. In mid March I started my seeds with some grow lights in my basement. In late March I went out-of-town for a week and my husband was in charge of the seedlings. […]

April is a transitional month in my neck of the woods. At the start of the month, cold winds still blow and snowflakes dot the air. By the end of the month, the tulips and daffodils are in full blossom, and everything appears a bit hazy from the delicate buds that start to pop open […]

Its ‘spring’ (although I have a foot of snow on my lawn) and its time to start thinking about finally making that jump into Backyard Chicken Land! Whether you hatch them yourself or buy from a local farmer you trust, we have insights from two contributors that have lots of experience: Liz and Jillian. We […]

The following is the very basic tale of how I’m starting my own micro-farm in Ballston Spa. It’s called Little Sparrow Farm, and yes, it’s named after Dolly Parton. Last summer I was telling a friend how I was going to be ordering a lot of garlic. The amount I ordered ended up being over […]

As I write this I’m certain one of my hives has hive beetles and there’s a hurricane that might hit us early this week (Editor’s Update: 10/30/12 Hurricane Sandy did not hit us as expected in Upstate New York, but others in CT, NJ, PA, and of course NYC & the 5 boroughs where not so […]

The FSC Book Club is rocking! We’ve got 92 members signed up on Goodreads and are diving into homemade cookery and pantry staples as an awesome virtual group. For this assignment, we looked at Chapter 3 (Canned Fruits, Vegetables & Beans) and Chapter 4 (Condiment, Spices & Spreads) of The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can […]

For the first time ever, my garden is overflowing with eggplant! Sure, it’s also overflowing with weeds and a LOT of green beans that never got picked but despite that I am pretty excited about the eggplant. I’ve gardened at our current home for the last five summers and each year I plant eggplant hopefully. […]

When we bought our house in the summer of 2009 we quickly realized there was no simple spot for our garden. Our larger backyard was simply too shady and the front yard was engulfed by a tree and a 20-30 year old hydrangea bush. That front spot got plenty of sun though, so we knew […]

If it weren’t for my friend Howard, my wheat would still be in the field. When I got home from vacation last Saturday, I found a message that the wheat was ready. Howard had toured my plot, and found the grain passed the crack test. When the wheat is ready, the seed should feel hard, […]

Editor’s Note: Our ‘community voices’ series rolls along with swapper, and now FSC Academy teacher, Leah A. who is back with another hot swap item, Homemade Magic Shell. Food Allergy friendly w/ only three pantry staples- you bet I’m making this asap!-Christina We eat a relatively healthy, no fast food, freshly-made, organic-when-possible diet and have […]

Editor’s Note: One month ago today, Gina M, a local blogger at ModSchooler and a guest contributor at Albany Kid, mentioned the idea of cooking dried beans in a crockpot in a comment. She mentioned it in response to Alexis’ wildly popular piece about White Bean Burgers. The moment I saw the comment I JUMPED.RIGHT.IN. […]

If you’ve raised baby chicks or you see some in your future, one of the questions you’ll ask is, “How can you tell the males from the females?” It is commonly thought that you have to wait until they grow bigger and the roosters start acting like they own the place (to put it nicely) to definitively […]

This episode of the FSC Podcast, we are diving into the world of urban farming. That’s right, farming in cities. Not the typical, sprawling pastures in the country or the iconic red barn, but we’re talking to people and organizations who are farming in the city. They are increasing access to fresh food, forging a […]

Now that the wheat we planted really looks like it might become food, I’m beginning to dread its harvest. I feel like the Little Red Hen’s friend, ready to hide until there’s dinner. Even though I’m the one who convinced my family we should plant our new lot – behind our house in the city […]

I love to garden. Maybe you do too. I love to do lots and lots of things. So many things, in fact, that I am too busy to allocate as much time to my garden as I would like. If only I had an extra 2 hours a day… that would make things so much […]