signs of spring

daffodils

tulips

cover crop

and lots of outdoor play (mostly cowboys at the moment)

The winner of the giveaway is Jen!  Thank you to everyone who signed up to our newsletter!

sugaring's done

We pulled the taps, and boiled out.  The sugaring season is done.  We made 60 gallons of syrup this year, which ties our best year in 2013.  We made quite a bit of dark (formerly grade b)...our favorite, which we usually don't make a lot of.  We have most of it bottled in quarts for sale on etsy and at farmers' markets.  

It was a great year--surprisingly long considering the early warm days we had here in Vermont.

Don't forget to sign up for our mama collaborative newsletter to get entered into this giveaway.  Just leave a comment that you've signed up.  (I meant to post this post yesterday...and thought I had, so I'm extending the entry time until Monday!)

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!  

cerisier en fleurs

I have been eyeing these dresses on ravelry since little F was born.  And, like usual, in the middle of many other projects, I dropped all of them to work on something new.  I wanted to get this done before Easter and I ended up finishing it in just a few days last week, so F wore it to church this past weekend.  Honestly, she has been wearing it every day since I finished it, so I'm thinking of making another shorter one as a play dress.  She chose the fabric, the Madeline Tosh yarn is the same that I'm using for another project I'm working on.  (Don't mind the shiner on her forehead...she had a little accident with a chair this week) ;)

Joining Nicole this week.

Mama Collaborative Giveaway

Happy spring, everyone!  

As I've mentioned a couple times over the past several weeks, I am so honored to be a part of a new etsy shop with 9 other crafting mamas.  It has been so inspiring to be able to work with these creative women...bouncing ideas off each other, offering and receiving suggestions and strengthening connections.  

I'm doing a giveaway this week.  I'll be giving away one of my linocut foxes and a patchwork potholder.  The potholder is what I'd call a second, I was still working on my bias-tape-making skills, but it is made with love and fully functional. ;)  

For an entry to the giveaway sign up for the Mama Collaborative newsletter, and leave a comment on this post that you did so.  We promise not to land in your inbox too often, just occasional newsletters with shop updates, a few photos and maybe a short essay or poem.

Giveaway closes Saturday, March 26.

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Giveaway!

Head over to my friend, Kim's, blog to enter her giveaway.  Kim and I have been blogging friends for years and now get to work together (with other crafty mamas) on our new project, Mama Collaborative!  Visit her blog by this coming Monday and sign up for our Mama Collaborative newsletters for a chance to win the wonderful handmade items above!

little fox

I have been playing around with making linocuts to stamp fabric with...my first project is this little fox, which is now listed at our Mama Collaborative etsy shop!  

I'm really enjoying making simple prints and can't wait to try out other ideas. 

Joining Nicole today...

today

Adam is boiling in the sugarhouse,

the syrup is waiting to be canned,

my sleep sack is waiting to be knitted,

the mountain of laundry is waiting to be folded,

and I'm snuggling my sick little farm girl.

mud like april

The trails through the woods are starting to look like the end of sugaring season.  The ruts in the mud are getting huge.  The extended forecast looks like sugaring season for us could be done in the next week or two.   But we are thankful for the great sap runs we have had--the best one to date was just two nights ago.  We collected 300 gallons as the sun went down.  Adam had to run to drag another tank to the trailer we had in the woods because we had filled our main tank.  Collecting buckets in the dark is not the most fun way to sugar, but we are thankful for every drop of sap.

(Syrup is back in our etsy shop, by the way.)

maple pudding

Mostly farm fresh pudding with our eggs, milk and maple...

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1/8 tsp salt

5 egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups whole milk

Whisk the maple syrup, cornstarch and salt together in a medium saucepan.  Add the yolks, then immediately, but gradually whisk in the milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently at first, then constantly as the mixture starts to thicken and begins to simmer, 8 to 10 minutes.  Once the mixture simmers, cook for 1 minute.  Pour into ramekins and place parchment on top, and refrigerate until cool.  

I have some friends who prefer not to use cornstarch but I haven't made it with alternate thickener (and we can purchase organic nonGMO cornstarch in bulk at our co-op).  Maybe something like arrowroot would work?  

This recipe makes 6 small ramekins of pudding. 

Enjoy!