SPRING INTO GARDENING

A break in the weather means warmer temperatures, sunshine, and garden time. This year we wanted to try something new at the farm and plant a garden close to the kitchen. Welcome to our kitchen garden!

We’ve always had a garden here at the farm, but this year we decided to grow pumpkins & flowers in the back garden for my flower stand, while keeping the veggies close to the house. There’s nothing like fresh lettuce and tomatoes for the perfect summer salad, am I right?!

To get started with the garden, a couple months ago I planted my first seedlings in repurposed egg cartons. I filled the cartons with potting soil, mashed-up eggshells, and coffee grounds to provide both organic drainage & essential nutrients for the plants. (Check out the how-to tutorial in my highlights!)

I started a few tomato plants, some buttercrunch and romaine lettuce, larkspur, sunflowers, and lupines. The key, I found, is to keep the seedlings indoors in a sunny spot and water them regularly. As they sprouted and grew, I thinned out the seedlings to one per slot in the egg cartons.

In terms of garden prep, we measured out an area roughly 15x18 feet and removed all the sod. We decided we needed to fence in the area because of deer and other little visitors. As you all know, I love nothing more than a recycled DIY project! I found the perfect solution in the form of a picket fence that needed mending. I also found an old door from the early 1900s in the upper barn. I recruited Mr. Maple to help me cut it in half to transform it into a garden gate. With a garden gate and a fresh coat of paint, the fence was as good as new! We put that along the front side of the garden. For the rest of the border around the garden, we kept it simple with wire fencing.

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That's all for this project! It doesn't matter how big or small a space you have to convert into a garden. You could use pots, make a raised bed, or carve out a little space in your yard, like I did. It's about the growing process! If you've made a spring garden too, I would love to hear about it. (Plus, any tips or tricks you found helpful or learned in the process.) Feel free to send me pictures @maplecreekmarket on Instagram. I will be reposting my favorites on my stories!

Leaving you all with a picture of some of my favorite woolly friends--Clarence and Scamp!

Don't forget to be a light, and shine bright this week!

Blessings,

Ginny

#2020 #springdecor #boutiquerugs #farmhouse #vintagefarmhouse #vintagedecor #garden #planting #sunflowers #maplecreekmarketdesigns

PUMPKINS & CORNSTALKS

Welcome to the fall porch here at Maple Creek!

This year, as in years past, I wanted the porch to display all of the fall goodness that you find here at our farm. I grabbed cornstalks from the field & lots of pumpkins from our pumpkin patch and set to work. I’m not sure why but I absolutely love the look of pumpkins spilling down the front steps of the farmhouse. It makes me smile...so that’s what I did. You have to love what you’re creating and make it your own!

I also wanted to give it a cozy look so I used lights from Better Homes & Gardens to frame the space. I put them at the top of the porch and wove them throughout the pumpkins down the steps. Next, to keep the “cozy” vibe going, I used lanterns from The Christmas Tree Shop and Wegmans. I’m kind of a lantern junkie, so I love to keep several on-hand to decorate a space. One tip I’ve found is to look for lanterns at the end of every season. They usually go on sale, so you can store them and pull them out when you need them.

For the door this year I choose a galvanized piece from (surprise!) Better Homes & Gardens as well. I let my little mailbox from Hobby Lobby stay put. It’s one of my favorite purchases, definitely a year-round staple! The signs displayed are from TJ Maxx. I found them both when I was out shopping one weekend and thought they would be a nice addition to the fall porch.

If I could offer one piece of decor advice when decorating an outdoor space, it would be this: try to use AS MANY of the natural elements as possible. Keep it organic, fresh and beautiful. For example, I incorporated hay bales, fresh mums, ferns and cornstalks for maximum effect & low cost. In the warmer seasons, I use fresh flowers from the garden wherever possible. Decorating doesn’t have to break the bank! You can have a beautiful space that you love, even on a tight budget.

Friends, I’d love to know how you tackled your “fall porch.” Tag me in your pictures! I’ll be reposting my favorites on my IG stories over the coming weeks. As always, thanks for reading! Comment below or share this post to spread the love!

Blessings,

Ginny, @maplecreekmarket

#autumn #kirklands #tipsandtrick #cozy #maplecreekmarket #famrhouse #fixerupper #cornstalks #pumpkins #betterhomesandgardens #galvanized #fallporch #falldesign #fall #vintage #vintagefarmhouse #vintagedecor #love #lights #christmas #rustic #outdoor #farmlife

SWEET, SWEET SUMMERTIME ON THE FARM!

Welcome back, friends! I hope your summer nights have been bug-free and sunset-beautiful! Fun fact about our family…we LOVE ice cream…almost as much as being together. 😉 Kidding! But seriously, Sunday nights are tradition around here. It’s the perfect night for a good board game, a bonfire and homemade ice cream.

I blame my love of ice cream on my childhood. My grandfather worked for the Penn State Creamy, which, if you’ve never been, is the largest university creamy in the United States! He used to bring used five-gallon drums of ice cream as a treat when I was a kid. If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience PSU ice cream…you’ve missed a little piece of paradise. I found out recently that the creamery uses about 4.5 million pounds of milk annually, around half of which comes from a cow herd at the University’s Dairy Production Research Center. The rest of the milk comes from independent milk producers right in the area. Delicious AND local!

Photo by Something Original at English Wikipedia

Here’s another fun fact for ya: they sell 750,00 hand dipped ice cream cones per year and have over 100 flavors…can we say yum? It’s beyond amazing and YES, I’m a little Penn State proud. It’s my alma mater and part of my heritage! Don’t tell anyone, but my sister and I were once known to eat ice cream for breakfast when we were growing up…

Image by Susanne Jutzeler, suju fotografie from Pixabay

Summer on the farm is so beautiful. One of the reasons my husband and I bought a farm is because we wanted to teach our kids the value of hard work and lending a helping hand. There’s something magical that happens when you begin to work with your children on a project. Oh, sure, there might be a little (!) complaining at first, because the jobs aren’t always their favorite, but working together forces you to work on communicating. Sometimes the only way to successfully finish a job with another person is to communicate about the best way to get the job done.

Image by Free-Photos, from Pixabay

As a family we’ve tried really hard to turn off the devices and interact with each other! These days screens seem to take up so much of our lives, and I fear so many kids and even adults are losing the art of interaction and the sheer simplicity of finding enjoyment in life, living. Summer is the perfect time to set limits for your children and even yourselves. We as a family have set some screen time boundaries this summer, and it feels so good. We all should listen more, talk to each other, and share what we’re learning on a regular basis. The art of face-to-face communication is so important in this virtual world. 😊

Okay, stepping off my soap box…thanks for listening folks! LOL. Back to the ICE CREAM…

So many of you asked for my recipe for the ice cream and homemade peanut butter fudge topping, so here it is:

Background photo by Brenda Godinez on Unsplash

We have a White Mountain freezer and absolutely love it!

After you’ve put the ice cream down in the bucket, put ice all around the sides of the freezer and then add rock salt to the top. After that then you plug it in and check periodically according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Background photo by Brenda Godinez on Unsplash

For the fudge, depending on how strong of a peanut butter taste you want you can add more or less of the creamy goodness. It can also be reheated for another night of indulgence...

Thanks for reading! What are YOUR summer night traditions? Or summer resolutions? Anyone else trying to limit screen time, and get outside & move a little more? If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments or on Instagram, @MapleCreekMarket. Have a blessed day!

#recipes #summerdecor #summer #summerrecipes #country #countryliving #vintage #vintagefarmhouse #farmhouse #creamery #icecream #whitemountain #summerfun