It's not unusual for our birds to lay their eggs in places other than the nesting boxes...
...but this is definitely a first. :) Silly hen.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wordless Wednesday- Silly Hen.
It's not unusual for our birds to lay their eggs in places other than the nesting boxes...
...but this is definitely a first. :) Silly hen.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Return of the Butterflies!!
i was going to use this as my Wordless Wednesday post, but never got around to actually posting it. Another busy week, and my blog is feeling a bit neglected so i may be posting a few back to back the next couple days.
We are usually visited by a variety of butterflies all summer. In fact we often get so many that we joke about having a butterfly infestation. i can usually walk outside on any given day and count at least 10-20 butterflies. We raise and collect monarch caterpillars every year and this past spring we even planted extra carrots, dill, fennel and parsley to attract the black swallowtails. Yet we've only found one caterpillar and there has been very few butterflies this summer compared to the last few years.
...and then they began to come. In just the past few days, the swallowtails have been appearing and feeding on our butterfly bushes. They seem a few weeks late from last year.
Eastern Tiger swallowtail on tall phlox.
A battered looking Spicebush swallowtail, i believe. i still have a tough time telling the black ones apart.
A female Eastern Tiger swallowtail. The males are always yellow, but females have a yellow and a black form.
We are so glad to see the butterflies returning! Our black swallowtail caterpillar should be emerging soon and we are getting ready to go look for monarch eggs. i love this time of year, when the butterflies are everywhere.
If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
Author Unknown
We are usually visited by a variety of butterflies all summer. In fact we often get so many that we joke about having a butterfly infestation. i can usually walk outside on any given day and count at least 10-20 butterflies. We raise and collect monarch caterpillars every year and this past spring we even planted extra carrots, dill, fennel and parsley to attract the black swallowtails. Yet we've only found one caterpillar and there has been very few butterflies this summer compared to the last few years.
...and then they began to come. In just the past few days, the swallowtails have been appearing and feeding on our butterfly bushes. They seem a few weeks late from last year.
Eastern Tiger swallowtail on tall phlox.
A battered looking Spicebush swallowtail, i believe. i still have a tough time telling the black ones apart.
A common buckeye and a Great Spangled Fritillary.
More Spicebush, i believe.
More Spicebush, i believe.
A female Eastern Tiger swallowtail. The males are always yellow, but females have a yellow and a black form.
We are so glad to see the butterflies returning! Our black swallowtail caterpillar should be emerging soon and we are getting ready to go look for monarch eggs. i love this time of year, when the butterflies are everywhere.
If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
Author Unknown
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Cherokee Purple Tomato
Every year we plant a variety of tomatoes. In the past i have not paid that much attention to what we planted. i bought the most common varieties, Big boy, Beefsteak and Romas. This year i made a point of planting only Heirloom varieties and actually writing down what i planted so that i would remember when i began harvesting.
The first to ripen this year have been the Cherokee Purples. This is my first time growing them, and they have quickly become my favorite slicing tomato! Besides the unusual deep dusky red/deep purple hue of it's fruit, Cherokee Purples are extremely sweet and have an unbeatable tomato flavor.
Cherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style, with green "shoulders" across the top. They are known for having a dense, juicy texture, with small seed pockets irregularly scattered throughout the flesh. The darker interior color is enhanced by the seeds which are surrounded by green gel. A truly beautiful tomato!!
The fruits average 10-12oz, and the plants produce dense foliage. They are easy to grow and relatively disease resistant. A great choice for those new to growing heirlooms.
The Cherokee Purple is reported to have been grown by the Cherokee Indians, and is dated back as far as the late 1800s. It really has an interesting history and only became available in seed catalogs in the early 1990's. You can read more about it's history on Wikipedia.
You can find seeds for the Cherokee Purples at Southern Seed Exchange.
The Cherokee purples make the best tomato sandwiches ever. i really can not say enough about the wonderful flavor of these tomatoes. i've looked around for info on canning these, and although many people do...i don't think they are ideal for canning. Cherokee purples are best eaten fresh. We've been enjoying them on salads, sandwiches, topping bruchetta, tossed with pasta and eaten alone.
Last year Brandywines were my favorites. This year i planted black, yellow and red Brandywines so i'm eager for them to ripen to i can compare the flavors. Right now though, i am very much enjoying my Cherokee Purples. i will most definitely be growing these again next year!
The first to ripen this year have been the Cherokee Purples. This is my first time growing them, and they have quickly become my favorite slicing tomato! Besides the unusual deep dusky red/deep purple hue of it's fruit, Cherokee Purples are extremely sweet and have an unbeatable tomato flavor.
Cherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style, with green "shoulders" across the top. They are known for having a dense, juicy texture, with small seed pockets irregularly scattered throughout the flesh. The darker interior color is enhanced by the seeds which are surrounded by green gel. A truly beautiful tomato!!The fruits average 10-12oz, and the plants produce dense foliage. They are easy to grow and relatively disease resistant. A great choice for those new to growing heirlooms.
The Cherokee Purple is reported to have been grown by the Cherokee Indians, and is dated back as far as the late 1800s. It really has an interesting history and only became available in seed catalogs in the early 1990's. You can read more about it's history on Wikipedia.
You can find seeds for the Cherokee Purples at Southern Seed Exchange.
The Cherokee purples make the best tomato sandwiches ever. i really can not say enough about the wonderful flavor of these tomatoes. i've looked around for info on canning these, and although many people do...i don't think they are ideal for canning. Cherokee purples are best eaten fresh. We've been enjoying them on salads, sandwiches, topping bruchetta, tossed with pasta and eaten alone.
Last year Brandywines were my favorites. This year i planted black, yellow and red Brandywines so i'm eager for them to ripen to i can compare the flavors. Right now though, i am very much enjoying my Cherokee Purples. i will most definitely be growing these again next year!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Tropical Traditions Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway! CLOSED
As a health conscious family, we really try to limit the amount of oils and unhealthy fat in our diet. We primarily use extra virgin olive oil for cooking, but still occasionally use vegetable or canola oil for baking. A few months ago, a friend told me about coconut oil and the benefits to using it in place of other oils.
Coconut oil is also nature's richest source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. High Lauric Acid. Tropical Traditions Gold label Virgin Coconut oil contains no hydrogenation or trans fats and contains the highest levels of anti-oxidants. They use only USDA Certified Organic, non GMO coconuts.
There are many ways to use coconut oil and incorporate it into one’s diet. Since it is a stable cooking oil, one can simply replace unhealthy oils in their diet with coconut oil. Since it is a solid most of the time at room temperature or when refrigerated, it can be a butter or margarine substitute for spreads or for baking. Any recipe calling for butter, margarine, or any other oil can be substituted for coconut oil.
Coconut oil can also be used in homemade lip balms, soaps and lotions. It can be massaged directly onto your skin and hair for use as a moisturizer.
Unlike most coconut oils on the market, Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is still produced by hand. They use a wet-milling process of extracting the oil from fresh coconuts and benefit families in the rural areas of the Philippines where the coconuts grow. Tropical Traditions does NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years. Their coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards.
Tropical Traditions gave me the opportunity to try out their Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil. i was excited to try it out, and found that it adds a light coconut flavor to meals. i've used it to make pancakes, and to fry tofu and am very pleased with the flavor. It's absolutely delicious! My entire family loved the subtle flavor it added. Tropical Traditions website has an entire recipe section for their coconut products.
Buy it! You can purchase Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil here.
Win it!
Tropical Traditions has offered one reader a quart jar of their Gold Label Organic Virgin Coconut oil.
MANDATORY ENTRY CLOSED
You only have to complete one to be entered, but may do all three for extra entries!
You only have to complete one to be entered, but may do all three for extra entries!
- Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter. They have awesome sales!
- Follow them on Twitter @troptraditions
- 'like' their Facebook page.
Leave a comment letting me know you completed a mandatory entry, and leave your email address, facebook name and/or twitter ID so i can confirm!! Please leave a separate comment for each extra you complete.
Please include your e-mail address or make sure it is visible in your blogger profile so i have a way to contact you if you win. Otherwise a new winner will be chosen!
Additional EXTRA ENTRIES (make sure you did at least one of the mandatory above!!)
please leave a new comment for each extra entry. If you qualify for 5 entries, leave 5 separate comments.
please leave a new comment for each extra entry. If you qualify for 5 entries, leave 5 separate comments.
1. Visit the recipe section at Tropical Traditions and leave me a link to one that you would like to try.
2. Be a fan of The Enchanted Tree on Facebook 1 entry
2. Be a fan of The Enchanted Tree on Facebook 1 entry
3. Follow my blog The Enchanted Tree 1 entry
4. Tweet about the contest include @Troptraditions and leave a link to your tweet. 1 entry (can tweet daily)
5. Add my button (top left column) or add me to your sidebar on your blog 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
6. Blog about the giveaway link to this post & the Tropical Traditions website. 3 entries, leave 3 comments.
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product. i was under no obligation to review it, write a positive review or host a giveaway in exchange for the free product. All opinions are 100% mine.
4. Tweet about the contest include @Troptraditions and leave a link to your tweet. 1 entry (can tweet daily)
5. Add my button (top left column) or add me to your sidebar on your blog 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
6. Blog about the giveaway link to this post & the Tropical Traditions website. 3 entries, leave 3 comments.
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product. i was under no obligation to review it, write a positive review or host a giveaway in exchange for the free product. All opinions are 100% mine.
**Rules**
- Giveaway ends August 19, 2011 at 11:59pm EST
- Winner will be contact by email, and posted on the blog.
- Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
- This giveaway is open to USA and Canada shipping addresses only
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
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