What do you like to do in your spare time?
My greatest pastime aside from the immensely pleasurable pursuit in creativity through design and execution of various media including; metals, glass, wood, concrete and ceramics, would probably be in the arena of horticulture. Fabulous results lately from my permaculture activities these last 7 years developing hügelculture growing beds, a food forest and the addition of a nice stone walled greenhouse adjoining the barn. Last year (2018) revealed that we are now at about 80-85% year-round self sustainance in produce with extra amounts in wine production and fruit jams. The unheated greenhouse is now being exploited much more through the winter as we just harvest our first three heads of broccoli (Feb.24) as a first test for winter gardening. Love it! Just planted three new pawpaw bushes last years, so look forward to trying that new taste.
Additionally, I enjoy traveling... to Greece and the southwest of Crete, in particular.
edited OCT2020: Transplanted our fig tree from a large pot into the greenhouse after moving the peach tree from the greenhouse to the outside during the late winter of 2018. We had an abundance of both fruits this year and actually achieved the two crops in one year on the figs. They are soooo sweet. Also had our first big yield of kiwis which have taken over much of the southeast facade of the fenced in chicken run. Was able to root 6 more kiwi vine shoots that will be gifts to friends. Also planted three more kiwi vines into the food forest that will grow up into the oak trees for whatever extra fruit we get off that. Started and rooted two apricot trees last year. One transplanted on the property this Spring the other will grow another year or two in a pot before transplanting. Our second year of growing sweet potatoes in the greenhouse from shoots started off one of last year's potatoes. Enjoyed eating Sweet Potato Leaves in the wok most of the summer and will be digging up what looks to be a really good harvest of tubers in a couple of weeks. Our first big apple harvest this Fall largely as two of the five trees started from seeds about 7-8 years ago have started fruit production. They have of quality good enough for juicing, pies, and other cooking. That's nice! Maybe next year we'll have more revealing their taste genetics. Hope it's great. Super abundance of our elderberries this year so we were able to ferment/brew 24 liters of wine. The 2018 batch we opened this year and it is of incredible wine quality, quickly becoming our favorite even above the black currant wine which now is our 2nd best. Also continued with more gooseberry wine and red currant wine. Lack of cherries this year, because of no pollinators, so that was a blow to our preserves, pies, kombucha and wine with that flavor. Fortunately I still have about 1 pound of dried cherries remaining from last year that is supplementing our taste bud diversity in muffins and the like. Also was an incredibly abundant year for strawberries. We made about 20 pints of jam, drying about 2 pounds (dry weight) and freezing another 2 gallons. Will never make wine from that, as my High School remembrances of that detestable Annie Green Springs-Strawberry Hill taste turns my stomach, just at the thought. Have propagated an additional four hazel trees (from our nuts) which I'll transplant from pots in another year or two raising that number of trees to a total of seven. Built another hügelculture bed (15 square meter+) which was prolific with butternut squash growth and two volunteer tomatoes and a volunteer cherry tree that I first noticed in Sept. Our second mullberry (white) began production last year but was incredible this year with berries. Still have two more young bushes that haven't produced yet. Also propogated a Josta Berry bush from our other bush which had a decent yield this summer. Additionally propogated six more Aronia (var. 'Viking') and transplanted early summer. Was a decent harvest from our 6 other bushes two of which are of this variety. A really large flavorful berry. Transplanted an additional four new varieties of Honeyberry (we had two) and will transplant a Sichuan Black
Pepper Bush in the garden next Spring, to round out our herb-spice garden.
