Hobby farms, greenhouses, and strawberry salad!

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back with more pictures of flowers, the garden, a farm, and of course, kids!

Here's my ten year old being smothered by our old cat. Don't worry; he was rescued!

I was researching and went to visit a little hobby farm near us. We live surrounded by real farms of hundreds of acres but I wanted to see a small farm run by people who have day jobs. It was so much fun!

The owner's husband made her this greenhouse from recycle materials. The windows came from an old school. I grew up in a house that had a large green house attached to the main house and just the smell brought me right back!

Edward said we needed one  and I agree! I spent hours and hours tending African violets and other miniature plants in my "special area" of my childhood greenhouse.

The builder even salvaged a pulley system from an abandoned mill. He rigged it to open an close the windows in the roof. The greenhouse I grew up with was automated (push a button, things open or close) and it was really neat to see this old-fashioned way of providing ventilation.

They had such lovely little raised beds. Nothing like our wild garden! Frog Hollow Farms (the name of this little place) also sold fresh bread, goat cheese, and cinnamon rolls. You can imagine that besides our heirloom tomatoes and other plants, we also came home with some tasty goodies.

Our garden is in full bloom and I can't help it. I have to share. One of our clematis.

My favorite rose. It smells delicious!

We have about ten bushes of these. They were here when we moved in almost fifteen years ago and have only gotten more beautiful.

Some of our peonies have opened but the later variety are so pretty when they are just beginning to bud.

One proud seven year old in the strawberry patch he's tended all spring.

The very proud five year old with his heirloom pineberries... these guys are mostly white with red seeds and taste like pineapple. They used to be very hard to find in the US but they've gotten more and more common in the last few years.

This is my amethyst basil plant. Isn't it pretty?? I love all kinds of basil but this one makes a beautiful pesto.

Ordinary strawberry.... if there ever was an "ordinary", sun-ripened, perfect berry from the garden!

And the grape vines don't look too impressive but I'm SOOOOO excited.

Because this--

Will soon become this!

Now, in honor of our very first strawberries, I'd like to share a salad that probably has been done before. I don't have any of my own pictures because I always remember AFTER I've eaten it, but this is a good spring salad that celebrates what's local and fresh!

(spontaneoustomato.com)

Sweet berries, goat cheese, pine nuts, fresh baby spinach, and a little balsamic vinegar makes a perfectly refreshing lunch!

Until next time! Be sure to drop by my facebook page Mary Jane Hathaway or my blog at The Things That Last to see what I'm up to! (Which, honestly, is researching and revising right now. Nothing really cool. But pop on by anyway because I'm always up for a chat!)

Hidden Treasure

We're moving. 

Oh, not until next year, however, as I was putting away Christmas stuff, I found myself pondering each item, wondering if it were something I would want to take to the ranch. Then it hit me that next year at this time we'll be getting ready to sell our house. Holy cow! That means I only have a year to purge. But where on earth do I start?

Then curiosity took hold. When my mother moved in with us some thirteen years ago, there were three really big, heavy boxes of dishes and such that we basically ignored, relegating them to a back closet.

So with a cold, lazy Saturday ahead of me, I decided to tackle said boxes.

 I can't tell you the fun I had. I expected to find my mother's china, which I did, but I also found so much more.

Like these cranberry glass pieces. Be still my heart. I love cranberry glass. I felt as though I'd just won the lottery.

See the two little figurines?

Not cranberry glass, but so cute.

And I knew my mother had a thing for milk glass, I just never realized how many pieces she had.

Anyone else remember the days of candy dishes?

 I love these painted milk glass pieces.

But the tea lover in me was totally stoked over these finds.

There were a few disappointments, too. Like finding three other saucers, but no teacups. 

And a plate that had been broken and poorly glued back together in the days of rubber cement.

Such a shame because it matched the tea set.

I was seriously considering tossing it when I saw this on the backside of the plate.

February 10th was my grandparents anniversary and Jane is my mother.

 How cool is that? 

I don't know if she gave them the entire set or simply the plate, but crack or no crack, they deserved to be displayed together.

I spent a lot of time Googling stamps found on the backs of dishes.

At least those I could read.

Remember those figurines? 

1956. Cool.

If only everything had been as plainly marked.

Alas, I hit the bottom of the last box and my treasure hunt was over.

My children will be recipients of some of the items while others will be enjoyed by me for a time before being passed down.

It's fun to see those things that my mother considered precious enough to hang onto. And I love

that my children and grandchildren will have the opportunity to enjoy them, too.

Now it's your turn. What cherished pieces do you have from past generations?

All Things Pumpkin

What is it about the lowly pumpkin? We ignore it all year and then BOOM. October and November there's nothing but. Oh, wait, I saw that Pumpkin Lattes came out in September and then there was a waterfall of all things pumpkin.

There is something about the bright color. And I've loved seeing the deep orange heirloom pumpkins popping up this year, even the peach.  Not a fan of white ones but they do set off the ones with warmer hues.

Then there is the shape. Some are really round, some squatty but there are no sharp edges. Just kind of comforting. I love holding the miniature ones.

I love pumpkin connections to fairy tales. I caught this one as it morphed into Cinderella's coach. 

Pumpkins, by hue or by chew, warm things up. I love this table display I did of heirloom containers. So great for the gray and dark days ahead.

And before we even get to November, I'm already hankering for pie like in this post from last year.

But this year there seems to be more pumpkin EVERYTHING to the point it's being made fun of. So I must ask,

What is your favorite use of pumpkin in decorating, in recipes? Do you get tired of pumpkin or could you eat it all year long?