The End is Near....Hopefully

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The first day of spring, March 20 was blustery and snowy. The following day, Friday, was sunny and in the forties but that's about to change for the next several days. More cold air is expected to drop over the Great Lakes region along with some snow.
However, some of the long range forecasts are predicting a warming trend in early April. Some days in early April are expected to reach into the sixties (hopefully, the end is near for winter 2013-2014, a Polar Vortex Nightmare

 Since no gardening can be done outside, well, except for pruning work, attention has been on a few houseplants and some seedlings for the vegetable garden. The Aloe plant pictured above is a useful plant for many reasons.
It is also called the medicine plant and the burn plant. The gooey gel inside the leaves relieves many problems such as minor burns, skin irritations (like poison ivy). The medicinal qualities of the Aloe has been known by man ever since time began.
More recently, it has been discovered that the Aloe plant also helps to purify the air inside the home. For more information and details, From an Ancient Past. A New Beginning.

The First Harvest - Although it has been impossible to do much yard or garden work outside, despite what the calendar claims, there's been some pretty busy folks out in the woods. The sap began to flow the second week in March and the maple producers in the region were a busy bunch gathering buckets and boiling.
The sap began just a week or less before the Open House Taste and Tour Weekend, March 15 and 16 at many local Sugar Houses. during the Taste and Tour weekend, Sponsored by the Northwestern Maple Producers Association, everyone is welcome to visit a Sugar House, watch a variety of demonstrations, sample maple products.. Each Sugar House had different activities for people of all ages such as free wagon rides through the woods.
According to many of the producers, the crowds were large this year throughout the weekend and there were many people asking for information about backyard sugaring.
All the Sugar Houses will be selling maple products throughout the year, for more information on the Sugar Houses, contact information and what they are selling, Maple Products.
Hurry Hill Farm Museum will have the museum open every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m..until the end of May. It's a fascinating place and if your considering making your own backyard maple syrup this year, this is a great place to start your adventure. For more information, Hurry Hill.

Leeks - Mayapples and Trout Lily - Coming soon to your nearest woodland.soon after winter departs.
Healthy leeks, pictured above, will soon rise once the temperatures rise in April, followed quickly by the pre-historic Mayapples and the colorful Trout Lily. Both can be used in landscaping very effectively. There will be plenty of other wildflowers blooming as well including one with a horrible and undeserved reputation, the dandelion.
The dandelion has a colorful history and many uses besides being a very important plant for the bees. For more information and details on this useful plant, Dandelion.

Ice fishing, despite the still winter like weather is rapidly drawing to a close. It's been a great season for those who like to get out n the ice and fish. Read the fishing report by Darl Black, click on fishing report at FISH

For more information on what is happening in Northwestern Pennsylvania, GOCtawford

Spring will be Here...Whenever

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The winter of 2013-2014 has been harsh and relentless for millions of people throughout the United States and Canada. Just about everyone is at wit's end for springs arrival. In this region, in addition to being one of the snowiest places in North America, the temperatures have been consistently below zero and at times as low as minus 24 degrees.

March began with much the same, bitter cold and snow, although areas south and east of this region are having a much worse storm today, March 2.
 “In like a lion, out like a lamb”?

Being an optimist, I'm sure spring will get here sooner or later. Back in February, I  decided to plant four tomato seeds, all of which sprouted and are growing nicely in a south facing window.

They are the seeds from a volunteer plant which appeared in last years garden. It was dug up and placed in a pot. It started bearing cherry, roma shaped tomatoes very early and produced heavily until it had a fatal encounter with the late tomato blight.

The tomatoes were really tasty so some seeds were saved. Hopefully, the seeds remain true to the mother plant. These were just tasty tomatoes, great for snacking or in a salad.

Throughout the winter, thoughts have been on getting a couple bee hives; which led to thoughts about a bee food plot next to the backyard vegetable garden. If the bees can be afforded this spring, they'll be happy, if not the wild honey bees, hummingbirds and butterflies will enjoy a feast.

The seeds for the bee plot, Lemon Mint, Bee Balm, White Sage and Borage, all arrived in the mail last week. These bee plants will all reseed themselves so once the plot is done it should bloom for a long time to come.

For many years, Borage (pictured above) has always been planted in the vegetable garden. It attracts literally thousands of feral honeybee and native bees. Borage easily reseeds itself. Discover more about theis useful herb at Borage. It is also known as the bee plant and like the other herbs mentioned has some culinary uses..

Interested in the bees? Here's a few tips on how to help them, 10 Bee Actions

It's been a tough winter on wildlife and the opossums must be hungry. They have been out quite a bit during the daylight searching for food. They are normally nocturnal. They are ancient animals with a bad reputation for just being flat out ugly.

They are the only North American Marsupial (they carry their young in a second pouch) and are actually quite harmless unless aggressively provoked.

The opossum pictured above was released alive and well into a nearby woods.

A sure sign of spring is maple syrup. In this region, sponsored by the Northwestern PA Maple Association will be the 11 annual Open House Taste and Tour will be held March 15 and 16. It's really a fun time visiting the various Sugar Houses and watching the demonstrations and learning about the craft of making syrup.If one is lucky enough, the Sugar House will make some JackWax.

For more information on the Taste and Tour weekend, NW PA Maple.

On the subject/thought of spring weather and gardens...Pictured are some old ACME corn planting tools found in an old house in the Pleasantville, PA area. In the photo, the darker colored planter is a homemade one, while the other is from the Acme Company located in Traverse, Michigan. More on these tools shortly.

For more Northwestern Pennsylvania happenings: GOCRAWFORD