Salami,Salami,Bologna, Yay Spring

Yay! Spring!  Well... sort of. Its coming in a little early this year. I'm glad because I need the extra couple of weeks to get ready.  Starting at the end of this month I will be immersed in filming the first few episodes of a web series so, I need to get as far ahead as I can  on planting  and other things.   I've also been inspired by  close friends to get back in the studio  and do some serious work aaaannnd... a research project I have been working on for a couple of years is  coming to a peak point.  I just need a few hard copies to present as evidence and I'm there.  The  winter ennui is over and I'm up and moving.   I'm sure ,in a few weeks, I will be  kvetching and moaning about not having enough time to get in a good  nap.  On top of the  projects listed above Jimmy and I have a list of artisan lifestyle things we want to get done this summer.   Over the winter I experimented with making my own Deli meats.  I turned out a respectable salami and bologna.   I opted for cooked  meats first , just to see if I could do it without  poisoning us.  I did and  sometime over the next couple of weeks I will try cured dried meats. I am going to smoke them this time.  I was going to do it last time but I fried the cord on my smoker ( don't ask me how...just understand...I am dangerous around fire)  The new parts should be here any minute now.    While we are waiting Jimmy is turning over beds and I have a garden shed full of starts.    If you are an enthusiastic gardener but don't like hard labor.... get yourself some chickens.  Over the winter I put them to work in three different areas.  There isn't a single  buttercup or blade of grass left in the raspberry patch.  They  took out all the weeds (and everything else ) from the rock garden and at the same time kept the raised beds   turned over and weed free.  I started them working on a patch in the far back that I want to experiment with. They should have it done in about a month.
This is a little short blog today because Jimmy and I are headed to Sky Nursery to pick up some seed potatoes and tonight we have dinner plans  with friends.