Tag Archives: organic

Let’s Talk about Gardening

gardenmidjune2

It’s time (or perhaps a little past time) to start putting the summer garden together. The photo above shows just about the entire extent of my gardening abilities. We have three Earth Boxes two potato planters and a few pots for herbs. Last year we had a modest new potato crop, two good tomato plants, an eggplant a day, plenty of fresh herbs and one super giant zucchini.

059 Garden from 2011 with strawberries and cucumbers. (The cucumbers were awesome that year. Last year we had one and the plant shriveled and dyed because of the heat the very next day.)

I have tried and failed for the last two years to grow spinach and peas. Is that going to stop me from attempting them this year? No way! I realize though, that if I am going to grow them, I need to get a move on. I haven’t even started cleaning the balcony up from winter yet. That’s first on the agenda. Then tracking down fertilizer and dolomite for the earth boxes.

zuchinniblossomI can’t tell you how excited I am for spring and for growing things and big yellow blossoms and the promise of fresh, sun-warmed produce.

The balcony garden is not the only thing I am doing this year. During the summer, I will be tending a Sunflower garden out at my Dad’s house to grow some flowers for the wedding. Then, at my Dad’s church, they are starting a community garden project.

What are you growing? Where do you grow it? And how?

Welcome to Midwest Yarn!


We will post when our website is set to go live.  It should be up and running by mid to late February.  Until then our Ravelry ads will point you to the blog.
Welcome to the Midwest Yarn blog!  Midwest Yarn, a Cherished Moments company, is a small business operated out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My name is Melina and I am the proud owner of this wonderful yarn shop.  Over the past few years, I have been operating Cherished Moments, dreaming about the many different options available for needle artists when it comes to yarn.  And then it hit me, OPEN A YARN STORE!

Our goal is to provide the highest quality yarn to knitters and crocheters alike.  There's nothing like proudly wearing a handmade garment and feeling how soft and luxurious the yarn is.  We carefully select our yarns to make sure that we only stock lines made from natural fibers. Silks, wools, cotton, and their blends make wonderful fibers to work with. 

You may not see yarns from nylon, acrylic, or polyester, but you will see high end brands like Noro, Debbie Bliss, and more. We will also carry yarn made from organic fibers and are working to find spinners and dyers who would like to sell their natural fiber yarns as well.
 
To start we will carry some great new yarns and some favorites like:
  • Noro
  • Louisa Harding
  • Sirdar
  • Juniper Moon Farm
  • Ella Rae
  • Debbie Bliss 
We will do everything we can to provide excellent customer service, support for your projects, and a welcoming environment for yarn lovers everywhere. All the comforts of your local yarn shop without having to leave your home.

If you do love the atmosphere of your local yarn shop, don't worry!  My goal for Midwest Yarn is to also open a brick-and-mortar shop as soon as possible.  Until we reach that goal, check out what we have to offer and let us know how we're doing.

I will be using this blog to support other knitters and their projects, keep you updated with what's going on with our store, and offer you special deals.  For now, make sure you follow our blog.  Ravelry group (Friends of Midwest Yarn), blog, Facebook page, or Twitter (@midwestyarn) followers receive a 10% discount - more details to follow.

GRAND OPENING SPECIAL:


Enjoy 20% off your first order using the coupon code WELCOME20 at checkout. 

Otherwise, any order over $50 shipped in the US will receive free shipping.

Blueberry jam . . .

It seems like a million years since I last made jams or jellies, or did any kind of canning for that matter.  It used to be a fairly regular thing . . . peaches, pears, apricots, cherries, tomatoes--you name it, I canned it.  But I always loved making jams especially.

When I went to the The Little Red Barn last month, Jennifer and Claire brought a plate with watermelon and fresh, beautiful blueberries.  I later read Jennifer's blog and found out where she got her blueberries--she later helped me order some from Blueberry Hill Farms and I picked them up one day last week.  Rowan was with me when I picked them up and held them in her lap while we drove home.  Although I warned her about eating unwashed berries, her little lips were blue with them by the time we got home.  I had to agree that they were fantastic--so fresh, crisp, and organic to boot! 
After eating blueberry pancakes for nearly a week, munching on handfuls of them for snacks, and offering them up to visitors every chance I got, yesterday was the day that the abundance had to be made up into blueberry jam.  Rowan was here to help--she did a good job of mooshing up the berries with the potato masher and put the labels on beautifully!  What a great helper she is!!

The finished product is fantastic!  I'm so glad I preserved some of this flavor to remember in December or January when the winter snow makes fresh blueberries only a distant memory.