Lehman's Country Life

Did you know a typical family of four can reduce its amount of organic waste by an average of 85% with home composting?

When you read about composting, one of the first facts you’ll read is how one-third of all the trash we throw away in the United States is food waste, and 97 percent of these food scraps end up in landfills. Most people think that food waste in land fills isn’t a problem. It’s food, right? And food breaks down and certainly must break down faster than any other material in the landfill… right? Yes, but at an alarmingly slow rate and not without environmental consequences.
Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

One of the most appealing aspects of growing your own food is that you can enjoy a higher quality diet because you don’t have to rely on having your vittles transported hundreds or even thousands of miles to your table. Varieties that boast better flavor and nutrition than what you might find in the market but which are passed over in the commercial world simply because they are too tender or delicate to “ship well” can be yours. What’s more, you can enjoy these foods at a lower cost – and with a little planning ahead, for nothing!

Anyone who has ever grown their own lettuce has probably neglected one or two plants, and as the season gets on they start to grow in a peculiar way: upwards, instead of outwards. This is known as “bolting.” Salad eaters know that the lettuce harvested in this condition will be tougher and more bitter tasting, and so the plants are generally yanked and tossed onto the compost heap. But if they are allowed to go through their full cycle, the tall stalk they produce will soon be covered in attractive little flowers. If pollinated, these blooms will contract and then dramatically expand (like dandelions) to form a delicate sphere of feathery threads, soon cast to the wind. This is the reason why the plant has developed its stalk, to give these floating messengers the best chance of wide dispersal. Each carries a cargo of a single lettuce seed, to start a new leafy generation. With a little careful husbandry, these seeds will be yours to plant, nurture and consume.
Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

Even though it makes sense that your tomato vines should be at their largest and lushest on the longest day of the year –June 21^st— to get the very most out of summer’s life-giving sunshine, they probably won’t get that enormous until July or maybe even August. Their growth depends on photoperiod (how much light they get every day), climate (how warm and how cold – the smaller the difference, the better), how much they’re watered, and how much they’re fed.

As regards nutrition, around every two weeks I give my tomato vines a light fertilizing with liquid fish emulsion. This is a thick slurry of just what you might think, namely old rotten fish mush from the commercial fishing trade’s copious waste; it comes in a concentrated form in a gallon jug. You mix this with a unit quantity of water (usually 1 tablespoon per gallon) and apply it with a watering can, or just out of a bucket. I mix it a little bit lighter than indicated on the jug’s instructions, and give it to the plants as a substitute for the second watering.

Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

daffodil wood carving and carving tools

I am sure many of you have been enjoying the spring flowers.  I know I have!  In Kidron, Ohio the lilacs are in bloom and we are still seeing the last of the beautiful daffodils.  The delicate daffodils and flowers in the photo above though are made from wood, believe it or not.  The photo does not convey the paper thin realism that I got to see in person.  I was quite impressed!  Rod Hardy shared with us his woodcarving skills during a demo on Sat. May 2 in the Buggy Barn at Lehman’s and brought a whole assortment of floral and wildlife carvings for us to enjoy.   Included in the photos above are some of the woodcarving tools that Lehman’s carries and that Rod uses to create these beautiful pieces.   You can see he also has some beautiful  bird wood carvings.  I especially enjoyed a tiny hummingbird eating nector from a flower Rod carved.

Floral and Wildlife Wood Carving Demo

I am helping Lehman’s schedule area artists and crafters to line up  interesting demos for the whole year.  We certainly want to invite Rod back along with a wide assortment of other talented artists and crafters.  We know from experience that visitors to Lehman’s are a creative, hands on kind of person so it is our pleasure to share this with you!  One of the perks of doing this is then we get to hear about what you do with the ‘work of your hands’!  That is so refreshing in todays busy world.  Thank you!

Floral and Wildlife Wood Carving by Rod Hardy

To see the schedule for upcoming demos please visit the Events tab at the top of this page.  To read more about the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild demonstrators visit the OACG web site here.

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

At this time of year in your garden, spring has definitely sprung and the threat of frost is either past or diminished to near zero. You’ve weeded, double-dug and enriched your tomato beds and they’re looking so beautiful and inviting you’re tempted to climb in, yourself. The few young weeds that have sprouted since bed preparation have been ruthlessly eliminated with but the slightest effort.

In the greenhouse or the cold-frame, or maybe just that sunny window ledge –a pretty crowded one, by now— are your gorgeous, bright green tomato starts in their 1-gallon pots, some of them a foot high or more and threatening to get even leggier if you don’t do something. But hold those horses, because there are a few small steps yet to take.

Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

This week visitors to Lehman’s will be treated to some fun, free and informative demos in the Buggy Barn.  In keeping with the start of the growing season the demos will have a gardening theme as people  gear up to plant gardens and take advantage of the newly expanded garden room at the Kidron store.

Friday’s Demo 10:00am – 2:00 pm

Feline Garden Fantasies by Contemporary Folk Artist BZTAT

Artist Vicki Boatright, known as “BZTAT” (pronounced bee-zee-tat), specializes in whimsical drawings, paintings and prints of cats, dogs and other companion animals.  BZTAT will create a painting of a cat frolicking in the garden in her unique, contemporary style as part of her demo.   Her use of bright colors and uplifting themes are a hit with all ages so be sure to stop by! 
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
Vicki Boatright
Art Adventures Studios

Saturday’s Demo 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Ron Hardy will share some of his garden themed art as he carves daffodils and other spring flowers in wood.  As many of you know Lehman’s carries a wide assortment of wood carving tools so if inspiration hits after you watch Ron you can find the right tools to try this on  your own!

To see upcoming demos and special events please click on the Events tab on the top of this page.

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

Original Oil Painting By Sue Steiner

Check out the Events Calendar on this page to see the schedule of local artisans sharing their knowledge and skills in Lehman’s Buggy Barn as demos.   We are fortunate to have a wide variety of local, talented folks from the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild who welcome the chance to talk with visitors to the store on topics of interest such as environmentally ‘green’  activities, farm related arts and crafts,  pottery, wood carving, farm animal art, rural landscape oil paintings and gardening.

This week Devona of Clevernesting will be back with her garden themed crafts using recycled items normally thrown away.  Last week she shared with us seed catalog art, plastic grocery bag woven baskets and coffee bag seed starter pots.  You’ll enjoy her enthusiam as she shares her wealth of ideas and tutorials on how to make the most with the least using commonly found items!
Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

Annuals can add season-long color to beds and borders and also supply a summer full of cut flowers for decorating. Annuals are easy to grow and require little care except watering and occasional deadheading. They can be mixed in with perennials, including shrubs and trees, and fill empty spaces in the garden until later plants grow and mature. They can also be grown alongside vegetables and are well adapted to pots and containers. Here are a few tips on getting started this year…
Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

A few weeks ago we were sprouting our tomato seeds and pricking them out to be paired up in four inch pots.  It’s likely that a few have died since then, but most of them ought to be lusty growing things by now, bearing one or more sets of true leaves.  The first (immature) leaf set will be smooth-edged, but the second set ought to start looking like a familiar tomato leaf with its irregular serrated edge.

After ten days or so, your paired sprouts might do with a little more food.  Give it to them in the form of very dilute liquid fish emulsion.  It’s an excellent and widely available fertilizer, but may prove an issue if your sprout pots are still in the house in that sunny window (particularly if they don’t have a catch basin under them) or if you have a cat that finds them now strangely and irresistibly interesting thanks to the fish.  A greenhouse, even a small one barely big enough to stand up in, is a terrific boon to have for these occasions; the next best thing is making use of a friendly neighbor’s greenhouse.
Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

We are gearing up to begin another round of arts and crafts demos at the store in Kidron in the Buggy Barn from now until the end of the year.  The founder’s of Clever Nesting along with other Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild members will take turns doing demos in which they share with you their skills, knowledge and crafts.   Colleen and Devonna have a refreshing way to get people enthused about recycling.  Read on to get a glimpse as to what they do….

“Colleen and Devona are passionate about conservation and creativity. They enthusiastically want to share this lifestyle with others, hence, the Clever Nesting website was developed in early 2009. At Clever Nesting you’ll find posts about crafting techniques, full craft tutorials, and links to other great crafting resources. There are design ideas for the home and techniques for the garden, many of which reuse and repurpose items often thrown away.  Plus, read artist interviews who also share the Clever Nesting vision…a world where people do more with less.

Off the web Clever Nesting is active in the Greater Akron, Ohio community spreading the creative and repurposing spirit by hosting local events and teaching craft classes and demonstrations.”

To see dates for demos please click on the Event Calendar on this web site.  Clever Nestings demo this Saturday  they will be doing ‘Recycling Crafts using a Gardening Theme’.  You can expect to see seed catalogue paper crafts, plastic grocery bag basket weaving, and recycled coffee bean bags seed starter pots.

For more Artists Profiles go to: http://www.oacg.blogspot.com

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites