Starla Parkin

Live your life with intention!

Gardening · Preservation and preparing food · Simple Living · Uncategorized

Living in the Present Creates your Future

By starla on

Living, what does that exactly mean? Dose it means surviving day after day in a natural state, eating sleeping and feeling numb to the world? Or getting up every morning singing with the birds and going on an extreme experience in the most lavish places. Or does it means finding contentment in life, living each day to the best you can, improving your skills, experiences and embracing the now of life. Finding purpose in the small but constant things around us. The joy that brings laughter and smiles to your sole and the ones around you, being able to joke about the small fumbles that we all have and embracing the excitement when things are happening. Bringing great food to the table to enjoy with others or the dry jokes that you just can’t not smile from.

              Something that I find myself saying often is only positive and live for the present and future. Dwelling on the past or negative never sets you up for a positive day. The past and negative things that cross your path in life are there to learn and grow from. The present and future are here to live for, to enjoy striving to get to a place where you dream of being and enjoying as many moments as possible along the way.

              Nothing is better than struggling to hike up to that spot just to feel like you are exactly where you need to be, in that very moment you feel like you are untouchable and on top of the world. That positive moment has created a memory that gives you continuous motivation as you move through the days and nights. Or the precious moments when you are challenged to step out of your comfort zone, embrace your talents that others see so clear, and you rock it. The success, accomplishments and experiences push you to step out, let you know you can do it and gifts you the hidden skills to mold your future.

              Living includes eating, sleeping, socializing, growing, learning, working and much more. Enjoying the everyday movements that we all go through in a heightened positive manner creates a life that is full of appreciation and joy. A life that when you look back at the many memories that you have filled your sole with, you will be profoundly joyful and content, a life you have made by living in the present and creating your future.

It is important to pay attention to living your present lifestyle with intention,

as living in the present creates your future!

Progress not perfection

By starla on
Learning, growing and enjoying the beauty of the garden

Through the years that have passed, to the ones in our future, it is always a wounder as the beginning of the new year approaches. A wonder about what adventures to aim for, what goals to set and what new knowledge should be gained. A mystery of what awaits us to behold as the days pass, through the seasons and time. A time when the previous year’s goals that were set are reflected upon, were they achieved, do they still relate with our drive or should new goals be set.

With each year there has been a great lesson that I remind myself of every day. A lesson that propels the motion of the day in the direction of the set goals that are in place. The motion of this lesson moves you through the tough times, keeping you moving in the direction of the final goal. Remembering the lesson that keeps you in the positive motion of ‘progress not perfection’.

Learning to bring life to the garden

Progress not perfection allows you to begin. It allows you to move forward towards your goals, your destination, one step at a time without the constant self-pressure of perfection. Starting with progress sets you up for growth that allows you to learn and become closer to the end destination. Without progress, without that first step or self-challenge in the direction of your choice, it could leave you forever wondering about your destination.

Mastering Apple Syrup

Progress is not always easy and there is no guide laid out as your manual to life that fits your excite circumstances, Progress is taking that first step out into the unknown or unperfected. It is believing in yourself that your dreams are reachable, and you too will get there. It is standing back up if you find yourself falling, it is to keep moving forward no matter what storm hits you, to be always moving forward instead of standing still. I don’t believe there is ever going to be the perfect perfection with everything.

As we reflect on the previous years, prepare for the current year, and look forward to our future years, we remember the progress and people in our lives that have strengthened us, taught us, and shared their precious time embracing the life and achievements made. Some of those precious soles now live with us deep in our hearts and memories. I hold those soles dear to my heart to encourage me to keep moving forward, to embrace the time we have, to make a difference as they have made a difference in our lives. Allowing the positive memories to empower the courage to step out and start. Set your dreams and destinations high, embrace the path and start the progress, but most importantly remember the positive and grace that you find on your journey. Moving forward is always the bests way to move through life.

Believing in the power of progress not perfection, we must start.

A toast of sparkling sprinter topped with fresh candy mint sugar to celebrate all of you!

Bringing the Outside in

By starla on

              There is nothing nicer than breathing in the fresh air of the morning breeze, feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays kissing your skin and strolling around the garden taking in every ounce of beauty from all around. It is the time of the year when the Dahlias, cosmos, sunflowers and much more are all in bloom. The time when the bees are buzzing around collecting pollen from every bloom they can. A time of beauty and abundance. A time that we all look forward to and patiently wait for. When our produce is readily available, and we are striving to just stay outdoors for a little bit longer.

We bring our daily tasks outdoors, take extended walks, outdoor picknicks and refreshing swims in any body of water that is around. Family and friends gather to enjoy laughter, make memories and long for the days to never end.

When it is time to return to the indoors completing the tasks that just don’t go away on their own there is something that I just can not help myself from doing, that is bringing the outside in to extend summers beauty wherever I may be. Feeling the visual beauty along with the lovely fragrance the flowers produce is always welcome in every room.

When strolling the garden in search of the perfect stem to include in the bouquets there is a few things that I look for. I want to make the bouquet do more than just look beautiful on the table or ledge. I want that bouquet to create a feeling in the room, to set the mood, you could say. How you might ask, by the form, colors and the smell. I think of what room I am harvesting for, the size that I want to achieve and most importantly the feeling that I want to release.

Do I want it to be natural, Flowey and springy? I would choose longer steams of cosmos, grape and lavender. Or maybe I want it to speak of a hardy appearance, a bit more traditional, then I would choose Dahlias, basil, and feverfew. For something sweet and mystical, cosmos, sweet pees and amaranthus might be the right choice.

Harvesting to the end feeling both sensationally and visually, I can add that special element to each room. It adds a conversational piece, enjoyment, and the special touch only this time of the year can bring. One of the best things about adding the outdoors to the inside living space is how it changes with every month. It makes us look at our gardens differently and creates something to look forward to as you are waiting for the bloom to open and expose its true beauty. Most of all it gives us the ultimate gift to share with family and friends.

Enjoy mixing and matching with different blooms and foliage, enjoy what nature gives us both indoors and out.

Growing your garden from seed -18 seedy secrets

By starla on

One of the most exciting things in the garden is to sow a tiny little seed into the soil and watch it as it comes to life. With each day new growth appears until one day it happens, the bud of the flowers starts to bloom revealing the hidden treasure of the flower blossom! It is rewarding to grow vegetables from seed as well, resulting in a fresh plate of home grown food.

Zinnia sowed directly into prepared soil 6″ staggered spacing.

              I have spent many years growing flowers, herbs, and vegetables from seed, and I have learnt a lot from doing so. Some of the greatest lessons that I learnt is from just getting started and have helped me grow into a greater gardener. This allowed me to be able to grow a larger variety of plants from seed to plant throughout our property.

Here are 18 Seedy secrets that I have learned:

  1. Start from the ground up – if you do not have the proper soil you will not have the desired growing success, soil is one of the most important things in gardening.
  2. Let the light in – believe it or not some seeds need light to germinate. Meaning you place the seed on top of the soil and bottom water, you can put a small about of vermiculite on top to keep the seed in place until the roots start to grow.
  3. Pot it up – When starting some plants in the greenhouse they can get root bound in the smaller tray containers of 72, potting up the plants into a larger container will allow the plant to stretch its roots and grow. Plants need room to grow, by giving them the room it can make a difference from a tired discolored plant and a bright green healthy one.
  4. The importance of light – by having the seedlings under a grow light that is kept about 1” above the tops will grow you a stronger and healthier plant, until they are established enough to be potted up or planted out.
  5. Importance of cell trays – cell trays come in a variety of sizes you can buy 72 cell, 60 cell, 200 cell. Each tray has a different cell size for the tray, the purpose is to be able to grow a large about of plants in a smaller area. Once the plant grows enough in the cell tray they can be potted up or transferred directly into the garden.
  6. Hardening off – I am not always good at this but hardening off your plants before transferring them into the garden gives them a better chance and the plant a stronger start by not shocking the plant. To harden off your plants you would expose the plant to the outdoors a little bit at a time, slowly increasing the time per day until you plant them into the garden, about 3-5 days.
  7. Bottom watering – Water is key to keeping your seedlings from drying out in their tiny pots. By using a tray and putting the pots into the tray you can put 1/4” of water into the bottom of the tray and allow the plant to wick up the water. This also helps the tender plant from getting knocked down from overhead watering.
  8. Let the fan blow – keeping a fan gently blowing on the plants will give the plants constant wind movement and encourage them to grow a stronger steam.
  9. Bottom heat – to get the seeds to germinate faster allowing bottom heat to the sowed trays work great. I put a towel on top of our radiator, then the seed tray on-top of the towel or use a heat mat. Throughout the sowing season I sow a few trays each day or two to be able to have the room on bottom heat.
  10. Cold treatment – Some seeds do better by having a cold treatment before sowing. This simulates their natural habitat and can be done by putting them in the fridge for 2-3 weeks before sowing.
  11. Timing – sowing the seeds at the right time is a gift to know. If you sow your plants to early they can become to root bound and struggle growing to their full potential. Starting the seeds to late in the season may not allow them enough growing time to mature before the last frost kills them off.
  12. Frost dates – knowing your first and last frost dates allow you to be able to know when to start your seeds and when you need to get things out of the garden. Count back from your last frost date and mark the weeks on the calendar with the number, now when your seed packet says 6-8 weeks from the last frost date you will know when to start the seeds. For sowing a fall and winter garden you will want to know your first frost date in the fall and count back to know when to sow the seeds to allow enough growth before the growth rate is slowed down through the winter months. Knowing the first frost date will also give you a deadline to get frost sensitive things out of the garden like gladiolus corms and dahlia tubers.
  13. Water it in – when you sow the seeds give them a generous watering to wake them up. When you plant out your new plants make sure to water them in once planted into the garden as well.
  14. Fertilize – yes you can fertilize seedlings. Most potting soil dose not have any nutrients in it, so fertilizing your seedlings will give them a stem up.
  15. Know your garden space – ok, this I need a lot more work on….. knowing the square foot of the garden you have and the space the plants you sow will need will give you a good idea of how many plants to start. I try to sow an additional 20% from what I need, that way I will have enough if a plant dies or is not a strong plant and will give me extras to give away.
  16. Garden Plan – This is gold! I have heard a lot of great things about having a garden plan, but it has only been the last few years that I have paid attention to this and felt the greatness of having the plan. You can keep this simple or have it a more detailed. I have a cheat sheet of spacing per square foot (4” spacing staggered = 7 plants per square foot). Doing this lets me know how many plants fit into each bed per square foot. The plan also tracks the growing history of the garden beds, keeping it easy to know what needs to be rotated to keep the soil nutrition balanced.
  17. Seed lifespan – seeds like all living things do not live for ever. Pay attention to the life span of the seeds and make sure to use the older seeds first to keep your seeds from going bad before you plant them.
  18. Space savor – to save space on the heat pad and under the grow lights I will sow multiple seeds into a smaller container (4” pot). When the first true leaves start to appear you gently separate the seeds into their own cell in a 72 or 60 cell tray. This ensures that each cell of the tray has a plant in it, saving room under the grow lights and allows a higher volume of seedlings to germinate at once on the heat pad. This can be a great way to test your germination without wasting the valuable greenhouse space.

I hope these seedy secretes help you have more growing success. I know it is great to have them written out to remind me of the areas to continue to grow in.

It’s all about Blackberry Jam

By starla on

It’s spring here on Vancouver Island and one of the things I love about spring is making blackberry jam. We have an abundance of blackberries on the island and throughout the summer months when they are ripe, we pick buckets full and freeze them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Once they are frozen, we transfer them into large freezer bags and store them in the freezer.

Apple tart topped with frozen blackberries and candy mint.

Through out the four seasons we utilize the frozen berries in baking, pies, smoothies and much more. Springtime is one of the times that I circulate through the freezers and take a little bit of an inventory of what we have left. This gives me a good idea of what we are going to need to grow, harvest and preserve through the next season to hold us through the winter. As in life there is an Ebb and Flow in the amount of food you are going to use, knowing the amount you preserved and the amount you have left will give you the quantity that your household uses. During a rainy spring day is the perfect time to turn those frozen blackberries into blackberry jam.

There are lots of ways to make jam, I am sure, so I am only going to chat about the way that I make our blackberry jam and that is in bulk. I do this for a couple of different reasons. Now there are pro and cons for everything of course.

The pros of making blackberry jam in Bulk:

  • Saves a lot of time,
  • Produces many jars at once per batch,
  • It gets all the processing and mess done at once,
  • Saves a ton of money and end up with organic home-made jam.

The Cons of making blackberry jam in Bulk:

  • Measurements are not exact,
  • Making multiple batches at once may cause gel failure (more liquid jam).

Weighting the pro and cons I choose to still make large batches at once.

Bulk batch Canning for Blackberries: (Yield 17-18 Pints)

-Going by the measurements on the pectin package, times the amounts by 4, with the blackberries frozen on cookie sheets and put in the Ziplock it makes it easy to measure, it normally equals 3 large Ziplock bags of frozen blackberries.

-4 times the sugar amount on the Pectin package (I always use organic cane sugar and add the pectin to the last cup of sugar to make it easier to mix in).

– 4 packages of Pectin.

Place the blackberries into a large pot with a few table spoons of water. Place the lid on them to speed up dethawing and stir occasionally. When the berries are ½ way thawed you can add the sugar and pectin. Bring the Jam to a boil for the required time on the instruction of the type of pectin you are using. Process jars according to the instruction of the type of pectin you are using.

Always make sure the jars are hot and sterilized before filling them with blackberry jam, I use the 18 quart oven with the lid on to keep the jars hot after I wash them and waiting to be filled.

Once the jars are filled with jam, make sure to leave ½” space from the top and wipe the rime of the jar with a clean damp cloth before putting the lid on. If there is anything on the rim of the jar when you put the lid on the lid will not seal properly.

Lay one or two layers of towels onto the cooling surface (I used two because I set the jars on the stone countertop). Place the jars onto the towels and cover with two towels overnight. By letting the jars cool slowly I find they end up with a better seal. You will most likely be able to hear the popping of the lids as they seal, it’s like music to my ears! The next day press on each lid of the jars, if they do not move they are sealed, take the metal ring off, wipe them down and transfer them into a cool spot until you are ready to use them. If the lid pops and moves up and down the jar is not sealed and will not last on the shelf, you can put them into the fridge and use right away.

Next comes the best part – enjoying fresh jam!

Until next time here are a few Canning tips:

  • Save your hands by using Fishing gloves, these are thick gloves with a rubber coating used in cold processing plants and can be purchased at a store caring safety clothing supplies.
  • Save counter space and speed up processing time by using a 18 Quart roster oven with 2-3” of water to keep the jars hot (holds 15 jars).
  • Precheck your jars when prewashing jars make sure there are no chips or cracks in the glass jar.
  • Preheat the lids into the metal ring that way you can easily pick up the lid from the water (make sure not to scratch the inside of the lid when lifting them out.
  • My preferred method of cooling is bundle the jar up with a towel underneath and 2 layers on top, this allows the jar to cool more slowly ( I have found I get a better seal ratio from this method).
  • Always make sure the rim of the jar is clean and wiped down with a clean cloth after it is fill and before the lid and ring goes on.
  • Keeping it clean, use a cookie sheet to fill your jars on and set the spoons on to keep the counter top from staining and making clean up a breeze.

The Garden Plan

By starla on

The snow has blanketed the ground and now is mostly melted, the signs of spring are emerging from the cool …

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