Author Archives: maryjane

fresh start

How many times have you come home from the farmers’ market or grocery store with a fresh bundle of fragrant herbs only to watch it wilt before you’ve even had a chance to use it?

I know—me too.

Even greens grabbed from my garden will go limp if I don’t snip and season right away.

But I’ve found a little gem that may just flabbergast fresh produce fanatics from here to Farfoodle.

It’s called FreshPaper by Fenugreen.

Cute, right?

And oh so simple.

It’s just an unassuming piece of paper, not unlike a dryer sheet, that keeps fruits and veggies fresh for two to four times longer, organically.

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Photo courtesy of fenugreen.com

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sherrilyn Askew!

Sherrilyn Askew (sherri, #1350) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Backyard Farmer Merit Badge!

We started by digging out the old barn from under the blackberry bushes. We then had to rebuild the majority of it. In one end we built a chicken coop. This past June we purchased a variety of baby chicks and started our hen house. We now get over a dozen eggs a day and supply our family and neighbors with fresh eggs. We use a local feed called “Scratch & Peck”. It has no GMO’s and is a small local company. The chickens think it is fantastic!!!

IMG_0822We wound up with 5 roosters and 19 hens. So far we have eaten 3 of the roosters. The eggs are fabulous!!! I had forgotten how good fresh farm eggs tasted and how beautiful they looked. Such large golden yolks and firm whites. I want to try my hand at pickling eggs at some point.

Way to go Sherrilyn! Good choice on Scratch & Peck for your feed. That’s what we feed our chickens here at MaryJanesFarm.

International Glamping Weekend—in Australia!

There are 65 days; 5,616,000 seconds; 93,600 minutes; 1560 hours and 9(ish) weeks until International Glamping Weekend.

But who’s counting?

Trish Martin, our Australian glamper-ific girlfriend down-under is, and she’s taking International Glamping Weekend to the next level.

Below is an article posted on AdelaideNow about her Glamper Gals event. Trish was one of the first to list her event with us on our International Glamping Weekend ‘gatherings’ page last year, and again, this year. Now with 500 members, she’s taking Australia by storm!

Or, better yet, by sunny weather and a cocktail …

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Jen Weeks, Mardi Zeunert, and Mel Ward are on the glamping bandwagon, pictured with Mardi’s vintage caravan, “Flossie.” Picture: Naomi Jellicoe. Courtesy of AdelaideNow.

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Pocket Hose

Farmhand Ace gave me a gift yesterday to help celebrate our upcoming International Glamping Weekend, June 1 & 2. Why a hose for glamping?

“As seen on TV” is a little joke of ours. The next time you need to emphasize how sure you are of something, just say, “As seen on TV.” Ace also knows how much I love hoses. Hint: Garden hoses test my patience like nothing else.

Do you have a hose that grows? I do. Are you ready for International Glamping Weekend? I am.

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Cows to the Rescue

I always knew my bovine team of Jerseys was destined for greatness. But I didn’t know they’d be the solution to Planet Earth’s demise. (I see a blockbuster movie in the making—Planet of the Cows.)

How many essays have I written where I’ve made my case for the use of protein harvested from local deer, elk, and moose rather than soybean and oats grown in the midwest where the land was tilled, sprayed, and eroded in order for a trucker to deliver granola and soymilk to our doorsteps? I’ve reasoned further, Aren’t bucolic, perennial pastures growing high-end protein better than the constant turning of soil?

cows_MG_1430But first a little background. For the most part, I’ve grown up following Allan Savory—he was a hero of mine when I was a young environmentalist. However, now that I’m an older, “well-seasoned” environmentalist with things like a dairy to manage, I haven’t caught even a glimpse of him in the last 10 years.

Now I know why.

He’s been busy figuring out a way to reverse climate change.

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Only 2 Days Left!!!!

“It has been a bit since I’ve posted in the MaryJanesFarm chatroom, but I knew that this was the place to come for some farmgirl support!” writes Ann of Forrester Farm in Belmont, Michigan.

Yesterday morning, Ann shared her recent mission:

She has been busy searching for a farm addition—a location that would allow her to expand her fabulous floral business and host dreamy rural weddings.

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Photo courtesy of A Sprig of Lavender.

“We now have an opportunity to grow into an additional farm location that will support a you-cut flower garden, bridal and community floral classes, and small events like farm-to-table dinners by local chefs.”

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photo-of-the-day

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WINNER! Giveaway: Homegrown Honey Bees

Our farm photographer, Louise, digs into her apron pocket …

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and pulls out the winner of the book Homegrown Honey Bees … Veronica A. Carter!

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photo-of-the-day

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Madi

They say bread is life,

and, sure, bread is good.

But, water …

Water is the stuff life is made of.

More than just a mere thirst quencher,

water is the luscious, liquid basis of our bodies.

It makes up more than half of who we are!

“There just wouldn’t be any you, me, or Fido the dog without the existence of an ample liquid water supply on Earth,” confirms the U.S. Geological Survey. “The unique qualities and properties of water are what make it so important and basic to life.”

Photo by DFID, UK Department for International Development (CC-BY-2.0) via Wikimedia Commons

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