La Paysanne Farm

06/06/2026

So today, I got my first bounty in my Maine garden. A single, solitary French radish, which I ate on the spot. No picture. Really a delicious one which is hopeful. What is not hopeful is that the rest of the garden, aside cosmos, is just sitting there looking stuck.

I have a theory that the Virginia heirlooms I planted do not like Maine.

At any rate, there is a learning curve to gardening in a new place. Plants grow fast and furious in Virginia, slow as mud in Maine. Garden varieties anyway, not the wild ones. They seem to attempt as much as possible as quickly as they can.

I am trying to get a native lawn going. This little number is quite lovely and I find myself, for the second year, mowing a little alien pattern, but it’s amusing. Meadow hawkweed. Quite cute vibrant, yellow flowers. Across the street, I spy pussytoes and I may go dig some up.

05/07/2026

Idk: I think Tractor Supply has some haute couture going on. 🍅

05/02/2026

My beautiful starts. Love watching them grow and I’m excited about getting them into the ground. These are mostly heirloom varieties of course.

04/24/2026

La Paysanne has spent the winter swimming 3-5 days a week, hiking 10 mile trails in the Blue Ridge, and doing yoga about 2 hours a day plus teaching it.

And She (me) broke her brand new shovel turning over new ground. I enjoy doing this by hand. It retains the natural layers of the soil much better than power tools. Plus I don’t have any anymore. 🙂

04/05/2026

Some deer tongue lettuce volunteered in a garden alley and I couldn’t have done a better job if I had tried. Sometimes you gotta allow.

03/31/2026

The OG Paysanne doing one of the things she does best. (There may be quite a list.)

Raised beds tending.

03/30/2026

All sorts of baby lovelies.

03/27/2026

La Paysanne eats.

Mixed fresh fruit coffee cake.

Had some fruit that was on its way out. Blueberries, cherries, raspberries. A quick hot rendering in sugar to release some juice. A touch of fresh squeezed orange juice. Half mixed in the batter, half coated the edges of the top alongside a brown sugar crumble with a hint of cinnamon.

This will go to the women at the nursing home where I work some as appreciation for what they do.

03/18/2026

Oh the ubiquitous seed packet sorting post.

I was in Baltimore last week doing super groovy healing work and one of the patients was an 80 something lady gardener who mentioned her seed collection whilst receiving multi-hands therapy. And of course I whispered: “But do you love Brandywines?”

Instant bond which later resulted in a fabulous recovery from macular degeneration.

Anywho. Notable seeds here: Drunken Woman lettuce. And another of the Devil as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know why I have them. Likely someone trying to get me to contribute to their insanity. 😂

03/06/2026