It is officially here, the season in which every time I open my mailbox there is a new seed catalog boasting the jewel toned colors of summer produce.  I love these little gems.  I love perusing the pages and imagining baskets overflowing with rainbow colors of farm fresh, organically grown produce.  Every year I wish I had a budget large enough and a plot fertilized and cultivated enough to grow it all. Until that day though, I simply salivate over the offerings.

So, why am I even thinking of vegetables this time of year?  I think for a few reasons, one being the unseasonably warm weather that my area has been having (I was line drying clothing on the 1st of February in 55 degree weather!) The other being the wisdom I learned from an older gardener a few years ago.  She said, "February is the time to start your tomatoes."  Seriously?  I always wondered why plant sales in May had such gargantuan offerings of the tomato plant, offerings that towered over my spindly, wimpy little homegrown from seed ones.  This was the trick, she started them long before I did and hers were wildly bigger, heartier, and healthier than mine.  I do have to share that through trial and error over the last 2 years, I did start growing my seeds indoors.  I have this insatiable desire sometimes to get to the most very basic elements of something and do it myself! (I realize I must sound like a toddler here).  Why would I go spend money on plants when I could just "do it myself" from the seeds I saved after last year's harvest?  Well, that I did, and I have chronicled my gardening ventures here on my blog, even through failed attempts and frozen seedlings.  I have come to a profound realization that is hard for me to admit...without a good greenhouse, it is hard to start tomato plants really early.  I said it.  I feel like I am admitting defeat as I really fantasize over the scads of tomato plants that I can grow from seed, but alas, they end up far too leggy, spindly, and awkward when I inevitably leave them out too long while "hardening" them off in the spring, only to have to start over from scratch again.  That being said, the admitting defeat part, I think until that glorious day when I can purchase a real greenhouse, complete with a door, vents and a way to heat, I will simply go back to purchasing whole tomato plants.  At least I gave it a girl scout try!

As for all the other plants...I will continue to grow my cabbage, carrots, peepers, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, pumpkins, Delicata, green beans, pintos, and all the others from seed, but oh you tomato, you win, I will buy plants of your form.  

I have pictured above the plant catalogs that are my favorites.  I love these because most carry the old heirloom variety of plants, most are organically grown and GMO free.  You can also buy some hybrids, and sometimes I do as long as they are non-GMO.  However, if you are newer to gardening just be aware that hybrid seeds, though usually heartier and sometimes more pest resistant, cannot be saved as seed.  A hybrid seed will not produce another plant true to the form of the one you saved from.  So, when I buy hybrid seeds it is usually just for a fun accoutrament to my produce plan, I do not buy hybrids for my main crops (as those I still save seed from year to year).

You can go to any of the websites for the catalogs above and request a catalog, and I suggest that you do, maybe you too will be salivating as I do, in February, dreaming of the first crops to come!

Territorial Seeds
Annie's Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Seed Catalog
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Seed Saver's Exchange (PRETTIEST CATALOG BY FAR!)

And here is an article by Mother Earth News Magazine on the 22 best seed catalogs.

Many of my friends ask me how I keep my little ones busy while homeschooling.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret...this is one of my biggest challenges too.  It is not easy to home school multiple grades while keeping two little boys from all but reducing my home to a pile of rubble.  This is the hardest part of my current season of homeschooling.  I find that when I am on top of it and I am very organized and prepared, this is an area that goes relatively smoothly, however, I am here to admit that is not always the case.

More often than not I end up trying to think outside the box and come up with a quick activity that will at least entertain my two most challenging students, while allowing me a few precious minutes to explain a new concept to another child.

This photo is from just such a day.  I actually did have plenty of activities planned for the little ones, but, as luck would have it this was one of the days that nothing was working (yes, even I have those days!)

In a moment of desperation I grabbed a bottle of shaving cream that the littles' grandmother had given them for fun tub time, and I gave them a large pile of the creative stuff each.  WHAT WAS I THINKING?  Well, I did get the extra 20 minutes or so that I needed to explain that new concept to my 4th grader, and the boys did have fun, as did their sister who joined in the fun, but it certainly was wild!

I share all this to say, if this is an area that is challenging for you, you are not alone.  If you are also on this journey of homeschooling and you have little ones at home, you know too the challenges I am speaking of.  It is okay, you can do it, and sometimes it just takes a little creativity and willingness to clean up a mess!

I recently had the opportunity to have a slumber party with my grandmother, we stayed up late, laughed and chatted.  I cherish these times I get to spend with her and they become sweeter, and more special, the older I get.  

I had a goal in mind to pick her brain about things she remembered from her youth, as you my readers know, I have a bit of a romanticized view of the way things used to be and I don't seem to tire of learning more and more about those times.  While I was there, we came across a recipe that belonged to my great grandmother.  My grandma shared remembering this recipe as being a delicious one that she and her siblings enjoyed (back before they had refrigeration even!)  I brought this home and gave it a try right away, it was a HUGE hit!  

I had to laugh out loud as one of my daughters said, "mom, I wasn't sure about these as sometimes older recipes were thought to be good only because there wasn't much extra so it was a treat, but these were REALLY good!"  I have to concur.  What makes it even sweeter is that I believe this is actually my great grandmother's handwriting on this slip of paper I photographed.  It seems like a connection to the past when I can whip up a favorite recipe from days gone by.
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Grandma said that there was not refrigeration so this would have likely been put in some cool place overnight, I wrapped up the log and placed it into the refrigerator, even slicing thinly though, I have to wonder how in the world grandma got 70 cookies from this recipe!  I think I may have gotten 36, and they didn't last long at all!

They were an absolute hit and will definitely be made again and again in this house!

Want to try? Printable recipe link HERE.