grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Sunday Letter: 04.14.19

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Sunday Letter

Good morning Sunday Letter readers,

I hope all is well in your corner of the world. After a trip to the farm, I’m back in Fayetteville. Even though I was only gone a few days, so much changed in our neighborhood! The dogwoods are in full bloom. Our hostas have fully emerged. Our backyard has leafed out in that special spring way, looking fresh and green and oh so lovely.

Look at this picture I took yesterday of our street. Notice the white dogwood on the right. It has a branch that always blooms pink! Love that quirkiness.

our neighborhood

But what a difference a few hours makes. This morning we’ve already had a bit of snow and frozen precipitation.

Rude and mean and totally uncalled for, if you ask me.Continue Reading

Morel Mushrooms served with Fettuccine

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Fettuccine and Morel Mushrooms

Y’all, I harvested my first batch of morel mushrooms last week, and I have to say, the whole process was so much fun! I noticed a few mushrooms growing on our property. Once I began searching, I gathered a big bowl full of these prized beauties. Probably two pounds!

According to reports from those in the know, this spring’s morel season is a stellar one. Conditions have been perfect for these gifts from the forest.

morels

John was sure I was trying to poison him. You see, we missed the fungi class during our Master Naturalist training so he was skeptical. But real morels are easily distinguishable from false morels. Real morels are hollow inside from stem to cap.Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 04.07.19

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Sunday Letter

Hey, hey, Sunday Letter friends! Today I’m writing from our farm in Mississippi County. It’s great to be home, and the good news so far is that we’ve had no snake sightings at the Bat Cave. ???

KNOCK ON WOOD.

In case you are new to Grace Grits and Gardening, let me explain. The Bat Cave is what we call our house on the farm, the place where I grew up (and Gracie Lee, too). We call it the Bat Cave because Momma’s initials are BAT. Plus, some of the rooms are dark with wood paneling, i.e. cave-like. (You can read more about the Bat Cave HERE, if you so desire.)

With respect to the snake reference, we’ve had a couple of freaky issues with snakes inside the house. Most recently, the last time I was home a long black rat snake slithered out from underneath the main chair in the den. Yes, I know rat snakes are the “good” snakes. They eat rodents. Seriously, who cares when one is in the den? I high-tailed it out of the cave and just now returned.

One snake probably has friends.

A few weeks after my sighting, a five-foot snakeskin was found inside the house. Yesterday, we found another snakeskin on the back porch. I tell myself he left his skin as he slithered on back to the field (not vice versa).

☺

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Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!