The vegetable garden

If one live on a farm you are morally obliged to do at least something that looks like farming. Raising a vegetable garden is a minimum I suppose. The little playground we have mentioned before was good but far too small to count as a real vegetable garden for a farm. With only beans you can not live. The potato field was a good beginning but there was need for more. So I prepared another piece of ground alongside the potato field. Or in short conclusion I could not stop myself as it is just fun to seed and plant and to see it all grow.

The piece of land we had in mind was totally overgrown by nettles so it was hard work to clear it in a good way. At one stage Carin and I were crawling on our knees advancing centimetre after centimetre to get all the weeds gone. So we had quite some time to talk about ideas (like having a party) and the future of the farm. After being cleared as good as possible it looked quite well once laid in beds. Let's hope that the most of the weeds are gone. 

Unfortunately after 3 days we had a huge thunderstorm with 40 mm rain in a few hours. And I feared that all of the seeds were washed away. But look, because of the warm humid weather nearby all of the seeds were already showing their first little leaves. And most of them still grew in rows.

The dill did not stay wel in its row.

Purslane did quite well.

Different coles and a zucchini were in fact the first habitants of the beds. They love this kind of weather. So till now not one has died, even if the little plants didn't look as happy as when we bought them. Next year we have to seed them ourselves!
The little roots from dill and parsley, left overs from first taking the leaves in the kitchen, were perfect to fill a row. And they are going well, just like the coles, since they love the warm rainy days. So they are also recuperating and showing off there first leave again. 

Meanwhile our potato field is growing well! Some of the sunflowers boarding the field are already over 1,5 meter high and for sure they will head for over another meter. 

Feest

Carin loves parties. I am, or better, I was not so fond on her ideas of having a lot of parties. I imagined myself being sitting there, with glazy, tired eyes at late parties with drunk people around, just standing up when the first morning light is saving those who did not choose for this. And for sure, weeks after that day you could still feel the irregular life in your body. I didn’t want to disappoint her but I could not be very enthusiastic. I’m a morning person!

But our party turned out different. Not that I changed and not that Carin changed her mind. What she meant were family happenings, being together with friends in the afternoon, having a talk with colleagues … Of coarse this kind of parties are fun! I do like people coming to our house. Friends, local or from all over the world. Exchange ideas, learn about little things in life, what makes them happy, hear their stories and values, and laugh together.

They are all welcome!

On Sunday we had a big party. 36 people, adults and kids together, showed up to our farm for a cosy lunch. We made it a little bit easier for all of us. We supplied bread and drinking. Carin loves to make all kinds of bread. So that was an easy part. 

I made some elderflower syrup. Carin mixed this freshly made syrup into a set of very tasty alcohol-free drinks. For the wine lovers there was some wine. But it turned out that the juices were much higher on the list.

The visitors could bring something  nice to put on the table (ett knytkalas). So yes, we were overloaded with all the best Sweden can bring us. The efforts, small or big, were much appreciated. From the obligatory “köttbullar” (meatballs) to 8 kg of “dillpotatis” (potatoes with dill) from Bjärehalvön (the sandy soil gives really the best potatoes one say), over a huge palette of other dishes going from appetizers and main dishes to  desserts -  all wanting to be the best of the day. Take a look yourself to the rich table we had.

In the preparation of the day we came out at a lack of tables. So I went to one of the big building shops. I bought 4 planches from 40 cm broad and 2.5 meter long and glued and screwed them 2 by 2 together. So with some existing tables we could form a long garden table for those who enjoy to sit outside. It took us quite some time to decide to sit outside. But just as the weather predictions said, from 2 o'clock the sun enjoyed our party too. 

At six a´clock Carin brought our last visitor to the train station. So we could start the clean-up. Unfortunately our dishwasher is as good as totally gone. We had to do the dishes by hand in the evening and the next day. Cecilia helped to turn the dishes in a piece of modern art. 

before

after

Thanks to all of you for the efforts and the cosy party we had!

Finally

Finally after our third visit to Store Mosse I found what I hoped to find: Hippodamia septemmaculata (sjufläckig nickelpiga – veenlieveheersbeestje). Old collections from Belgium learned us that you could find them in the neighbourhood of Brussels. But now there is only 1 known place left in the whole of the country hidden away in the south of Belgium. They totally disappeared. I guess there is no peat mosses any more where they can live in. I found them once in the French Vosges, high in the mountains in the middle of a small lake on a floating island (scary to walk over). Now again I found it! In Sweden in my neighbourhoud. (Well... at least in Swedish terms neighbourhoud)

Some friends from Belgium came by to visit us. They cycled from Belgium to Germany. In Rügen they took the boat to Trelleborg. And from there it’s only a few hours cycling to us. Now they went up to Helsingborg to take the ferry to Helsingør (Denmark) and go down south again for a few days. Maybe they will pass Louisiana, an art centre.

I felt sorry for them as they just arrived on the first day of rain. But we went to the nearby wood (Dalby Söderskog Nationalpark). Piet pointed at the big ash trees. Just like in Belgium they die from the fungi disease. 

Of course there is always something to see as some animals love rain and with the huge amounts of dead wood mushrooms liked it there too. 

Polyporus squamosus

Helix pomatia

The next day we went to Store Mosse. Piet has a huge knowledge about plants and mosses (and lots of other things) so it is fun to go on a trip with him. And meanwhile we can show Piet and Hilde a nice little piece of Sweden.

We had a good time. Unexpected, what do you think, we had good weather. At noon a little drop of rain but before and after that rain full sun. So we had a full Swedish picnick with lot's of good Swedish food.
And there it was, my special ladybird, just running around on the water-purslane (Rödlånke – waterpostelijn) standing in the water at our feet. 

But luckily we had also some other nice animals and plants. We saw even a grass snake (snok - ringslang) but it was to quick to take a picture.

Trichophorum alpinum ?

Equisetum sylvaticum

Pyrola minor

 

The next day Piet and Hilde left in the pouring rain. I joined them till the centre of Lund. After they were gone it stopped raining. I hope they had some nice weather further on. But never trust Sweden in June. At midsummer you will have for sure the classic rain shower and as midsummer is not far away ...