Bog walk

Yesterday, we decided to go explore a peat bog by our farm. This is the type of bog from witch peat moss is harvested. Peat moss is the layer of decomposed Sphagnum moss that everything in the bog is growing in. It takes hundreds to thousands of years for a peat bog to form.  To harvest it, the peat moss is "mined" A proses in witch they scrape off the top, living layer and bale up everything underneath. to read up on this Here is a good article on peat moss production.
I found the bog to be hauntingly beautiful. covered in a springy white and red carpet of moss. every time you take a careful step forward, seeing how far your foot sinks before putting all your wait on it,  the ground springs back up behind you, making it sound as if you were being fallowed. Lots of rare animals and plants grow in there too. there are 3 types of carnivorous plants to be found Pitcher plants, sundews and butterwort. of witch I only spotted pitchers, but it may still be too early in the season for the others. there are also some orchids and bog rosemary as well as endangered birds that call it home. Due to the pour quality of the soil, the trees, pine and spruce that manage to grow amongst the moss are naturally bonsaied. they can be hundreds of years old, and yet, be only a few feet high.
I found this trip to be eye opening, and you can bet, I won't be buying peat moss ever again. I urge all of you to do the same. Use leaf mold, and compost instead. Better for the environment, and healthier for your garden. 

yellow spotted salamanders

We moved to Price Edward Island from Ontario this past December. The Island is a beautiful place but I found the lack of wildlife very sad. In Ontario, we had black bears, wolves, dear, several kinds of turtles. All in our back yard. Almost every time we went hiking, we saw some wildlife. Here, there are coyotes, and foxes and skunks, that's all.  And I haven't actually seen any of them. We do see some Coyote tracks in the forest.  But never an actual animal. So imagine my excitement when I came across these little guys while on my hike this morning. A pair of yellow spotted salamanders. Its their breading season right now, and the deep puddles along the path are a perfect place for them to lay their eggs. Here is a great site with lots of info on them.  Sorry about  the picture quality, but Its hard to photograph threw water, and I didn't want to disturb them. For the next few weeks, I'll be looking in all the shallow still water I come across, to see if I can spot more, and possibly get some clearer pictures.

Putting all my eggs in one basket

I ordered a new incubator weeks ago, and I'm so excited to have finally received it! Its fully automatic, and can hold up to 48 eggs. I fired it up, and put a dozen eggs in to test it before I order rare breed eggs. Right now I put in, 3 Houdan eggs, 1 welsummer egg, 2 EE eggs and 6 Ameraucana eggs however, since I keep my birds as a mixed flock, there is no guarantee what mixes I will get. Its not spring without baby chicks, so for me, this proves it...Spring is finally here!!

Recipe of the week: chocolate peanut butter balls

Chocolate peanut butter balls

1 1/2 cups dry dates
Boiling water
2 cups sugar free peanut butter (or any other nut butter)
4 tbs cocoa powder
Coconut or oatmeal

-Put dates in a medium sized bowl. Add boiling water, to just cover dates. Let sit 2 or 3 min.
-In blender, mix peanut butter, cocoa and date water mixture, until smooth.
-Place in the freezer for 30 min to an hour, until cool and stiff enough to work.
-Roll into inch sized balls, roll in coconut or oats and place on baking sheet.
-Put your finished balls back in the freezer for a few hours before serving.
-keeps a few months in an air tight container in the freezer.

This recipe is courtesy of my sister Mariane. You can find more of her awesome sugar free deserts on her web site Mariane's healthy Kitchen

Easter Celebrations

We had a great Easter. Our hens aren't laying much yet, so we could only spare a few eggs for crafts. But the kids had a great time decorating them. Amazing food at two different Easter dinners, with family and great friends. Plus of course a scavenger hunt leading to baskets of goodies courtesy of the Easter bunny. We were spoiled this holiday.

Our angora rabbit Fuzzbuzz was the star of the show. She got spa treatment with a long brushing session, some extra carrots, and lots of love. Just incase she knows the Easter bunny.

Hope everyone had a happy Easter.