Good Morning everyone from California. Our John tells me that all is well back on the farmy. Not long now and we can see for ourselves. But I am loving the Un-Bloggers series. (We must do this again.) Today our Un-Blogger Post comes from the flat, flat tundra. Thank you Mere for taking over for me today and Mere is our second to last guest blogger.. Enjoy! .. celi
Greetings from North Dakota!
We live in the coldest part of the country on the Northern Great Plains, in the gracious and proud State of North Dakota! This is me skiing home.
The winds are always blowing and our temps are extreme…from the high 90s+ in the summer to 30-40 below zero durning the winter months. Everyday seems to be a bad hair day! You look great in front of the mirror, but as soon as you step outside? Well…it’s not good! I have a kazillion hats!
Our farm is on the shores of the ancient Lake Agassiz in what is called the Red River Valley. Beautiful country.
My husband and I grow hard red spring wheat and soybeans. I am a gardener, canner, wine and jelly maker!
Hubby is a hobby beer brewer! I grow heirlooms and collect seeds. All my 7 kitties are neutered and up to date on vaccines. Excellent mousers! Even though 5 of them are toothless!
Some of my other hobbies include working on a gluten free cookbook, restoration, baking, cooking, and gardening!
I love creating or reinventing some dish and refurbishing some lovely find! Always thinking and doing something!
My sweetheart and I work together everyday and because of all the time we spend together we are very close in love and friendship! He is my best friend in the whole world! I feel lucky!
Good news! We are pregnant and our new golden puppy will be ready to come home the first week of January. I will always miss my Maisy.
She was such a bright light everyday in our lives. She was our girl. We miss her very much and probably always will. We feel that we are ready to provide a home for a new baby…one to bring happiness back into our lives! It will be nice to feel the joy of a pup once again.
I hope you enjoy my photos of home! I wish I could post more!
Sincerely, Mere Frost
The Kitchen's Garden 
70 responses to “Mere’s Guest Post from the Tundra”
Congratulations! Having a baby will definitely add some excitement to your lives.
Do you grow organic soybeans?
Mere, please let us know via Celi’s comments when you start your blog. As I read this post and the comments I Google mapped North Dakota, Red River Valley & Lake Agassiz – you are almost living in Canada 😉 For me, who lives in a city with a moderate climate on the other side of the world this glimpse into your life & geography is fascinating, and so different but we all in the kitchensgardens Commenters lounge have a lot of common interests as well.
Celi, this was brilliant bringing us blogs from these wonderful un-bloggers. It’s been interesting to get an insight into their varied lives and also understand a little of the glue that has brought us all together.
🙂 EllaDee (Sydney, Australia)
Ooh, I do envy your canned cupboard, what an undertaking! So with those harsh winters, how on earth do you grow so many vegetables? Do you have a greenhouse? I live in the high desert of Central Oregon, and we get maybe a 3-month growing season, if that sometimes. Thank you so much for sharing your life on your farmy! I love Celi’s blog, and I’ve really enjoyed all the guest posts, including yours. 🙂 And congratulations on the puppy! Squeee!
Hello, Mere. We had and feel the same way about goldens. Enjoy that new pup! I can’t imagine the temperature extremes you deal with. Loved your photos, the sunbeams streaking across the sky, cross-country skiing, and your canned goods. Nothing makes such a lovely display as the rewards for the work of one’s hands.
Hello, Mere! Thank you for sharing with us a bit about your farm and the busy life you lead. That’s some store of canned goods you’ve put up. That’s a lot of work but you’ll be very thankful for it come January, if not before. Congrats on the pending arrival of the new pupster. It’s sure to keep you occupied this Winter and Spring. Good luck!
I was shivering as I read of your extreme temperatures and thought your name most fitting: a merry frost indeed! Great to hear of what you are doing on your farm. Thank you.
Thank you everyone! Interesting time zones! 😉 Yes, we border Canada! We visit back and forth! Will let you know when I am up and running…hope to see all of you! Will truly make my days this long winter! LOL I can’t tell you how many people say they know my brother…”Jack Frost!” 😀
Will share lots of photos of the new pup! You will love the name we finally decided upon! Ta ta!
I love and admire all of your canning! Congrats on the new addition to your family. 🙂
😀 Thank you!
Good morning Mere! I am very late with catching up with your guest post. First off i have a request: Please start a Blog of your own, because you have so much to share. I enjoy your regular comments here and on my blog. Now to your post….
It is wonderful to get a glimpse of the person and surroundings of ‘Mere Frost’, what a busy life you lead and the proof of the pudding sits on your pantry shelves. I used to make my own jams(jellies), and still dabble with small quantities of chutney, beetroot and slow peppers. Apart from nourishing food, it gives a great feeling achievement.
For years tidy was my golden rule, it certainly makes life easier.
Hi Mere! I’m just wondering, are you north or south of Grand Forks and/or Fargo and how far west of the river? We live south of GF and about 4 miles west of the river, who knows? You could live just down the gravel road! We have a small farm with a couple of acres and each year, we try to raise more and more of what we eat and rely less on the grocery store fore out food. It’s cool to see someone so close to home doing the same thing!