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Laura
Outside of Paris, France
On the path to sustainability and self-sufficiency
Interests: gardening, cooking, books, theology, eating good food, my two puppies, hiking and mountain biking, dancing (salsa, ballroom and just about anything), other cultures and languages
Recent Activity
Thanks Mike :) We are definitely loving it here. We got a late and small start to the garden, but managed to grow some great veggies nonetheless.
I'm working on getting a new blog started (though I'm still stuck on the name!). If you're traveling through Montana be sure to stop in and visit! And/or hopefully we'll be coming through your area sometime soon!
Commented Oct 3, 2011 on Big News at The French Country Challenge
Big News
I have to confess there has been another reason for my relative silence here on the blog. You've probably been wondering about the lack of posts detailing my plans for this year's garden plot, or crowing over the first seedlings poking through in their sunroom starter home, or preparations dug i...
Hi Emily, I'm glad you found the post useful!
In warmer climes fennel can make it as a perennial, yeah (exactly as you said, harvest the bulb and leave the root), but I don't think it would last through a Montana winter unfortunately!
Commented Sep 14, 2011 on Experimenting with Fennel Root & an Identification Challenge! at The French Country Challenge
Experimenting with Fennel Root & an Identification Challenge!
In the course of clearing out the summer plants from the garden, we took out our remaining fennel plants (one of which we had cut already in order to dry the feathery leaves to be used later - apparently if brewed as tea it is good for the digestion!), which happened to be neighboring the parsni...
Thank you for the compliment!
Commented Mar 29, 2011 on Garden Update at The French Country Challenge
Garden Update
Sometimes my foodie side gets a bit carried away and I forget that this is actually supposed to be a blog about the garden too! So thanks to Ashley for reminding me to give an update on the veggie plot situation! Since I posted the garden plot plan, we have managed to get all the seeds sown - c...
Thanks so much Sue! I'll be sure to stay in touch :)
Commented Mar 15, 2011 on Big News at The French Country Challenge
Big News
I have to confess there has been another reason for my relative silence here on the blog. You've probably been wondering about the lack of posts detailing my plans for this year's garden plot, or crowing over the first seedlings poking through in their sunroom starter home, or preparations dug i...
My pleasure! I just have to try not to look at the photos myself or we'll end up with 20 more dogs!!!
Commented Mar 15, 2011 on Dogs (and Cats) Looking for Good Homes! at The French Country Challenge
Dogs (and Cats) Looking for Good Homes!
No, we're not getting rid of Maya and Kali. But there are over 320,000 pets waiting to find a good home on Petfinder.com. Today is Petfinder's 15th birthday, and they are celebrating with Adopt the Internet Day. If you are looking to bring a pet into your lives, please consider adopting one of t...
Dogs (and Cats) Looking for Good Homes!
Posted Mar 15, 2011 at The French Country Challenge
Comment
4
Likewise! We're also just over the pass from Yellowstone. I'm sure the kids (and adults for that matter) would love to see all the wildlife :)
Commented Mar 11, 2011 on Big News at The French Country Challenge
Big News
I have to confess there has been another reason for my relative silence here on the blog. You've probably been wondering about the lack of posts detailing my plans for this year's garden plot, or crowing over the first seedlings poking through in their sunroom starter home, or preparations dug i...
Thanks! We are very glad to be getting some more land and land that is properly ours (soon to re-become the most prized commodity!). Montana also has a lot of proper wilderness that will provide another very useful string to the self-sufficiency bow. We're looking forward to learning to trout fish, forage and even hunt deer/elk, if I can ever bring myself to shoot one.
But it doesn't look like we will be getting the chance to visit before we leave :( We will be back to the UK to see Henry's family though, so hopefully we will be able to manage a little trip across the channel at some point!
Commented Mar 11, 2011 on Big News at The French Country Challenge
Big News
I have to confess there has been another reason for my relative silence here on the blog. You've probably been wondering about the lack of posts detailing my plans for this year's garden plot, or crowing over the first seedlings poking through in their sunroom starter home, or preparations dug i...
Hi Emma, how exciting you are setting up a smallholding! I am very much a beginner still myself, and we are getting ready to take the next step - moving to a property with a bit of land, fruit trees, chickens soon and maybe that goat! There seem to be growing numbers of us taking to the countryside, so we must be onto something :) and there are plenty of people blogging about it to learn from too! Be sure to check out the links page for some of the other self-sufficient blog friends I've made... Best, Laura
Commented Mar 10, 2011 on The Self-Sufficiency Checklist at The French Country Challenge
The Self-Sufficiency Checklist
So if you have been following this blog, you may have noticed that we are not, nowhere even near, self-sufficient. We still have to go to the grocery store, we have things like pet food that we have to buy, and we use a lot of parmesan cheese, which believe it or not I don't make myself. But s...
Will do Heiko! And thanks Ben!
Commented Mar 10, 2011 on Big News at The French Country Challenge
Big News
I have to confess there has been another reason for my relative silence here on the blog. You've probably been wondering about the lack of posts detailing my plans for this year's garden plot, or crowing over the first seedlings poking through in their sunroom starter home, or preparations dug i...
That's a good suggestion, thanks!
Anyone else with suggestions feel free to share!
Commented Mar 9, 2011 on Big News at The French Country Challenge
Big News
I have to confess there has been another reason for my relative silence here on the blog. You've probably been wondering about the lack of posts detailing my plans for this year's garden plot, or crowing over the first seedlings poking through in their sunroom starter home, or preparations dug i...
Big News
I have to confess there has been another reason for my relative silence here on the blog. You've probably been wondering about the lack of posts detailing my plans for this year's garden plot, or crowing over the first seedlings poking through in their sunroom starter home, or preparations dug... Continue reading
Posted Mar 9, 2011 at The French Country Challenge
Comment
13
muito obrigado!
Commented Mar 9, 2011 on Planning for Next Year and A Taste of the Unexpected (by Mark Diacono) at The French Country Challenge
Planning for Next Year and A Taste of the Unexpected (by Mark Diacono)
It hardly seems fair, but the riotous flourish that is the summer garden is already on the wane. For schoolchildren it is the rentrée, the beginning of a new year, and in many ways September can be seen as the start of the gardener’s year as well. For me it is a time both to sit back and evalu...
Hi Jeanene, yes, despite the below freezing temperature this morning, there are signs that spring is on the way! It is definitely a trade-off. I would love to be able to grow year-round, but I do really enjoy having all four seasons!
Commented Mar 4, 2011 on Winter Wonderland at The French Country Challenge
Winter Wonderland
It seems I had just gotten used to fall when winter descended upon us rather precipitously. Something seems amiss with the seasons when a half-raked pile of leaves I had intended to return to is buried by a sudden snowfall. Last Thursday the snow began as a light dusting, and proceeded to part...
Uh oh, that makes a lot of sense...but the last thing we need is them reproducing out there!
Commented Feb 25, 2011 on New Beginnings... at The French Country Challenge
New Beginnings...
January. A new year. Well, a new calendar year anyway. For me, milling uselessly about the muddy garden, it still feels like the old year, though with that antsy feeling of excitement and restlessness combined, like when you're waiting for someone to arrive whom you haven't seen in a very long t...
Thanks, I enjoyed reading your responses as well! You must have the anti-phone gene too :)
Commented Feb 15, 2011 on Life is Good! at The French Country Challenge
Life is Good!
It is with great joy that I humbly accept the 'Life is Good!' award from my friend Heiko over at Path to Self Sufficiency, despite the fact that I've been rather quiet on here. Apologies for that, by the way, dear readers, but with very little happening in the garden and thus rather little of no...
It sure is - when we started this blog I didn't expect to find so many likeminded people and make such good blog friends! Looking forward to reading your answers... :)
Commented Feb 15, 2011 on Life is Good! at The French Country Challenge
Life is Good!
It is with great joy that I humbly accept the 'Life is Good!' award from my friend Heiko over at Path to Self Sufficiency, despite the fact that I've been rather quiet on here. Apologies for that, by the way, dear readers, but with very little happening in the garden and thus rather little of no...
Will do! You'll be wanting to get rid of use before you know it... :)
Commented Feb 14, 2011 on Life is Good! at The French Country Challenge
Life is Good!
It is with great joy that I humbly accept the 'Life is Good!' award from my friend Heiko over at Path to Self Sufficiency, despite the fact that I've been rather quiet on here. Apologies for that, by the way, dear readers, but with very little happening in the garden and thus rather little of no...
Life is Good!
Posted Feb 14, 2011 at The French Country Challenge
Comment
6
Thanks, and happy new year to you too!
Commented Jan 11, 2011 on Experimenting with Fennel Root & an Identification Challenge! at The French Country Challenge
Experimenting with Fennel Root & an Identification Challenge!
In the course of clearing out the summer plants from the garden, we took out our remaining fennel plants (one of which we had cut already in order to dry the feathery leaves to be used later - apparently if brewed as tea it is good for the digestion!), which happened to be neighboring the parsni...
Haha, I'm sure you could...if hungry enough! We did find a dead mole in the garden a few months ago, and I wondered if it was the work of the dogs or the neighborhood cats that come round. The dogs obviously like to chase the cats off, but I've also been letting the cats stay in the yard to give them a shot at the mole too!
And happy new year to you as well!
Commented Jan 6, 2011 on New Beginnings... at The French Country Challenge
New Beginnings...
January. A new year. Well, a new calendar year anyway. For me, milling uselessly about the muddy garden, it still feels like the old year, though with that antsy feeling of excitement and restlessness combined, like when you're waiting for someone to arrive whom you haven't seen in a very long t...
New Beginnings...
Posted Jan 5, 2011 at The French Country Challenge
Comment
4
Thanks! It snowed again last night, and maybe more on Saturday! I heard Lyon was supposed to get some snow too?
Commented Dec 17, 2010 on Winter Wonderland at The French Country Challenge
Winter Wonderland
It seems I had just gotten used to fall when winter descended upon us rather precipitously. Something seems amiss with the seasons when a half-raked pile of leaves I had intended to return to is buried by a sudden snowfall. Last Thursday the snow began as a light dusting, and proceeded to part...
Hi Florian, thanks very much!
And I know, I know, but that's what they say...I actually stayed with a family in Lyon when I first came to France though - it was the first to truly capture my heart!
Commented Dec 16, 2010 on Who are we and what are we doing in rural France? at The French Country Challenge
Who are we and what are we doing in rural France?
Well, first things first. I guess an introduction is in order. We are Laura and Ashley, two American girls who went to Paris to study at age eighteen and now, seven years, an education and some work experience later, have left the city of lights with our respective partners to live in the Frenc...
¡Gracias, me alegro que te haya gustado!
Commented Dec 6, 2010 on April seedling update (re-potting) at The French Country Challenge
April seedling update (re-potting)
As I mentioned earlier, the seedlings have really taken off, and the tomatoes and zucchini in particular needed an intermediary re-pot before we plant them out towards the end of April. So we got larger plastic pots and managed to do all the re-potting this morning. We had also sowed two seeds...
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