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I am Cecilia. A New Zealander who farms in Illinois.
My farms are organic and regenerative and full of stories. I have been writing here about environmentally sustainable farming and food and travel since 2011.
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LATEST POSTS
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A Small but Robust Sticky Crush
Yesterday we picked out first little crop of Vidal Blanc grapes for wine. We hauled everything out through the orchard into the teensy vineyard (10 vines to pick), set up the harvest table, (made from old recycled barn timbers) and numerous vessels. Gathered the troops and began. This is our first pick of these grapes…
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Spinach Soup for the Pickers and Crushers!
Today we are going to pick and crush the grapes. These are a Vidal Blanc grape on a root stock that will deal with the extended freezing temperatures here in the winter. I can leave the grapes on the vine until they are frozen (resulting in a really sticky white dessert wine) however I don’t…
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Butternut, Chickpea Curry with Eggplant and another award!
We are picking plenty of butternut now and I know I am supposed to be storing them in the basement for the winter but they are just so tasty. Eggplants or aubergine seem to have been our best fruiting plant this year and we still have some hanging, just waiting for the kitchen. In fact…
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An award on a late late summers day
Look what miss valentine sent me, an award, this is wonderful! She is a stunning, sensitive, honest, hardworking girl with freckles who loves m&m’s and I would love you to drop by and say hullo. And thank you for this Miss V. Evidently and most excitingly I am to nominate 15 more bloggers and so…
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One more tiny story for mw&g – T on a bike
This is the last T story for a wee bit as the grapes are beginning to turn, and the animals need some extra attention with my grass going so much slower. It is still late summer ( I am quite determined about that) and that means harvest time in the pumpkin patch, prep time in…
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Egg Nog is not only for Christmas, and T learns about gas – for mw&g
When we were kids and living in that big beach house, there was a period when my mother became unwell. For quite some time actually. And during the times when she was in bed I would take over the kitchen and the littlies and my sister A would take over the laundry and the floors.…
The Kitchen's Garden
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