Friday, June 28, 2013

Chit Chat

I've been trying to grown foxgloves for several years now. I finally have a patch established and they are gorgeous this year.


Susan Branch has a new downloadable free bookmark with a sweet little lamb on it to celebrate the launch of her new book A Fine Romance due out this fall. Click here to download. Looks like a beautiful book.

I've been trying to get a photo of the lamb in the center of this picture since she was born. It was born to a yearling ewe late this winter. It is the quickest lamb and very camera shy. It is now in the pasture in the front of our farmhouse and I finally got it.




It's rhubarb season. Do you have a nice patch? Is it overwhelming watching it go to flower? Honestly, I don't do a lot of baking here - mostly when we have friends over or I host a class at the farm or a photoshoot. The Farmer doesn't eat sweets and Julia shouldn't have them since she is diabetic. That leaves me! Which isn't good. Best not to bake. Last year I made some rhubarb syrup and then mixed it with some gin for a tasty cocktail. I must try that again.

Have you ever thought of cooking rhubarb with lamb? Here's my recipe for a Persian Lamb and Rhubarb Stew. Seems odd to make stew this time of year but you must strike when the rhubarb is at its best. You can find the recipe here on our Leyden Glen Lamb website.


Lots of interest in the photos I posted the other day from the TNNA Show. I have just heard that the new designs and new colors in Color By Kristin will be shipping to your local yarn store in mid-July. At the show, I passed out a flyer of all my knitting PDF's. Did you know that you can purchase them through your local yarn store through the Ravelry Shopkeepers Option? I'm all for supporting the LYS but I have been so surprised that I have sold barely a dozen patterns through local stores in over a year. If you are lucky to have a local yarn store that sells through Ravelry, know that you can order any of my PDF's through them.  And of course, you can also buy from my website

Rain here for the next few days. Hope it clears up for the 4th. Kevin Ford is coming on Wednesday to shear the first batch of sheep. That is if they dry out. Our sheep are in 5 different fields all through town which is making shearing a bit of a logistical nightmare. We'll be bagging it up and then storing it undercover until we can find a buyer for the lot. It will be about 1500 pounds of wool. 

Have a nice weekend everyone. I'm glad to be home.

5 comments:

patty said...

have you thought of selling it to quince and co., or maybe even classic elite? Call it Homegrown!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous photos, Kristin. Here in CA, our foxgloves bloomed in April. I so love that photo of your lamb stew on its flowery plate,with all those gorgeous colorful textile patterns.
I've never grown rhubarb, will have to try it.

Sheep Farm adventures of a Shepherdess said...

Funny what some people want to grow and other's try to get rid of. We don't want the Foxglove to grow because it is poisonous, it grows wild here. We don't want ivy to grow it takes over and smothers everything the same goes for Scotch-bloom. All very beautiful plants. As for that little lamb he is a cutie can't wait for you to see the photo of him when he's not watching. Again beautiful and wild.

Adaliza said...

Lovely photos and it's good to keep up with what's happening down on your farm. Hope the rain doesn't cross the Atlantic, this week at least - we've stolen a surprise week away by the sea in Cornwall. Just us and the collies - a retirement pressie for me and a birthday treat for him! I've been baking myself out on the patio, overlooking the harbour and doing a bit of crochet to keep myself amused - if this is retirement, then I'm all for it!

Susan said...

My mom used to freeze rhubarb - cut it up, sugar it lightly and box it up (or bag it.) I think it deteriorates somewhat in the freezer and may only be good for baking or sauce, but it's a possibility. I miss rhubarb; it's hard to grow in the South.

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