Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

The Morton Arboretum opened its doors to members tonight for its annual Arbor Day plant sale. But tomorrow and Sunday, everyone’s welcome. At Morton, shoppers can “Choose from more than 400 varieties of trees, shrubs, grasses, vines, and perennials. All plants are Midwestern hardy, easy to grow, and are resistant to problems commonly experienced inContinue reading “Looking for Seedlings? Look No Further Than Your Local Greenhouse”

It’s looking like we’ll need to find temporary and possibly permanent homes for our guinea pig Fluffy and gecko Leopardy. For the last few weeks, my husband has been having allergic reactions that are triggering his asthma. We initially thought it was over-exposure to cats. That’s what usually causes these episodes. Cats are drawn toContinue reading “Our Pets Are Being Banished, Doctor's Orders”

Today was just a so so day, kind of a grim, dreary and cold Monday. But my mood changed for the better after I learned on Twitter that today is, of all things, National Garlic Day. I immediately started to dream up ways to celebrate the pungent, multi-use herb. My husband already had supper underContinue reading “It's National Garlic Day. How Did You Celebrate?”

The Oak Park Farmers Market isn’t a quite a sport. There aren’t teams facing off in a battle for supremacy. But every Saturday through October, there are at least two sets of winners at the OPFM: The farmers who get a little profit off their hard labor and the market goers who get fresh produceContinue reading “Opening Day: May 22”

I probably have all the seed starter pots I need. Because I have garage space, I save all the little plastic pots that have come with seedlings I’ve purchased over the last few years. But while we were enjoying Green Sunday at Cheney Mansion, I learned that I can use black and white newspaper toContinue reading “Seed Starting and Newspaper Recycling at the Same Time”

Usually, Future Farmgirl is about as shy as one can be in a new setting. Indeed, when we first walked into the Cheney Mansion this afternoon for Green Sunday activities, she hid behind my leg and averted her eyes from the man who welcomed us. So you can imagine my surprise when after the greeterContinue reading “Never Too Shy to Cluck Like a Chicken”

Ever wonder what all those tobacco farmers have been doing with their land and talents as profits for cigarettes are being snuffed out by market trends? Turns out, they’re going back to their roots as grape growers. The iFarmer has a good friend who was a Kentucky extension agent for years, helping tobacco farmers makeContinue reading “Kentucky Farmers Returning to Pre-Prohibition Roots”

While we were celebrating the risen Lord and wrapping up our whirlwind Kentucky/So. Indiana trip, the Real Farmgirls were busy getting down and dirty at The Farm planting potatoes. I’m excited about another good tater crop. I already put in my order for red potatoes, though the white potatoes from last year’s crop were alsoContinue reading “Easter Spuds”

What a day! I can’t believe we packed in as much as we did. We started off with a visit to Greensburg to visit the matriarch of the iFarmer’s family. She looked good and we enjoyed seeing her and a cousin who stopped by while we were there. I don’t remember ever being in Greensburg,Continue reading “A Full Vacation in One Day”

After I first learned about rainbow cupcakes from my sister-in-law’s blog, I knew I wanted to make these with the kids during their spring break. Of course, time ran out. We had so many other places to go and things to do, that we didn’t get around to making these until this morning…at breakfast time,Continue reading “Cupcakes for Breakfast”