Spring in the Garden and Maple Pudding

fuchsia bougainvillea

Spring is the busiest time of year for us with newborn animals to care for, orchards to tend, gardens to plant, projects to tackle. Hence the silence on the blog over the last few months.

But it’s been a good busy and each day I wander our farm looking with satisfaction at all we’ve accomplished thus far, determined to enjoy THIS and not worry about all that still waits to be done.

Spring is in full swing now, with elderflowers blooming, asparagus shooting up every day, and blossoms and fresh green leaves covering our fruit trees.

elderflower blooming

We have broody geese and broody hens sitting on nests, and we excitedly check their pens to see if we have any new babies. We have one gosling toddling about, getting into mischief, and he’s so cute with his large behind that keeps him from escaping through the holes in the wire mesh of his pen. We keep a close eye on him so the magpies don’t swoop in and make him their dinner.

fuchsia bougainvillea

Today I made a tree nursery from an old duck pen. It is fully fenced so the goats can’t break in, has shelter from a nearby shed so the seedlings don’t get damaged by big winds, and has access to fresh water, so it’s perfect.

Bear gave me two wheeled carts with waterproof trays on top where I can set buckets of seedlings and keep them well-watered through the hot, dry summer. At the moment I have cider apple trees and avocados, and will soon move in a bay tree, raspberry canes, and a host of plum and peach cuttings once their root system is hardy enough for transplanting.

flowering yarrow

It was Canadian Thanksgiving this week, and although it was far too hot to even think of doing a full-blown traditional turkey dinner, we did celebrate by making creamy maple pudding and using it to top Bear’s favorite steamed plum pudding. It was a luscious, cold homage to my homeland.

maple pudding

What projects are you doing this week? xo

Maple Pudding

Ingredients:

1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, broken in small separate bowl
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp maple extract

Directions:

1. Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan on the counter.
2. Add milk and whisk briskly until incorporated.
3. Place pan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute.
4. Pour one ladle of hot mixture into egg yolks, whisking immediately. Pour into saucepan, return to boil, stirring constantly, and boil and stir for one minute.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and maple extract.
6. Pour into one bowl or several individual dishes. Cover and chill for an hour or serve warm.