Country Woman April - May 2017

I start bringing tulips into the house in February. It’s my annual attempt to hurry the spring season, and it usually works. Those few new blooms on the kitchen table each week are often all I need to carry me to now, when the riot of color moves off my table and into the garden—forsythia and crocus first, followed by tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, although I’m in a constant battle with the squirrels to get my tulips to bloom before they bite the buds off. If you fight similar backyard battles, check out our readers’ tips on page 7 for suggestions on how to combat the critters this year. I got some new ideas from you all, and I bet others will, too. Perhaps your spring bulbs are still just pushing their…

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. It’s the place we gather with friends and family and share precious moments. Tell us what you love about your home in the Our Country Home Contest and you could win $500. Enter at least six of your best photos (high-resolution JPEG files, please) along with a 500-word essay in one of the four categories below: The View What do you see when you step outside your back door? Is your home surrounded by beautiful country or nestled in the woods? Gardens Does your outdoor space become paradise each summer? Do you have a big, colorful vegetable garden? Show us the power of your green thumb. Interiors Show us the place you retreat to—perhaps your kitchen, your living room, a cozy bedroom or bath. Is the craft room…

Q: What tips do you have to keep critters from nibbling plants? The Steller’s jay is a welcome visitor to our northwest Oregon garden until early spring, when our bean plants begin to rise and unfurl from the soil. The jays will nip off, or pull out entirely, any bean starts that resemble emerging worms or insect larvae. To combat the rascal jays, we place tall, clear plastic cake domes over the bean seeds until the first two leaves open (when the jays lose interest). Punch several holes in the top of the domes to allow air and water in. Sinking the domes a couple of inches in the soil keeps the wind from blowing them away. LESLIE NIIYA BEAVERTON, OREGON I use neem oil to keep the pests off my roses and…

Happy Hatchlings It’s the season of rebirth, and we want to meet your newest farm friends. Send us pictures and stories about newborn calves and lambs, barn kittens and puppies, and all the magical moments of springtime in the country. Homegrown Advice The wisdom passed between generations is priceless. How do you connect? Do you impart life lessons while quilting with your granddaughter? Dole out bits of knowledge to young neighbors? Are you guided by principles passed down from your mother? We want to hear what’s shared between you and the women with whom you bridge time. Mother’s Day Memories Tell us about a Mother’s Day that was made extra meaningful thanks to special crafts, surprise visitors or homemade treats. Jeepers Peepers Those gooey little marshmallow chicks and bunnies are begging to be the stars of your…

Gather your living family members for this photo spanning the generations. You’ll need at least two individuals to create the neat photo effect, but there’s no limit to the number of people you could include. Photographer Amber Moose used Adobe Photoshop to create the version above, but there is an easy workaround if you are not technologically savvy. Start by snapping a picture of the youngest generation in a designated spot against a simple background. Zoom in close, as this will be the smallest picture in the project. Print an 8x11-in. copy of this image and frame it. In the place where you took the first picture, photograph the next-youngest family member holding the framed picture below her chin. Take another close-up, ensuring that none of the framed picture is cut off, then…

“I have always been very conscious of not wasting produce.”—JORDAN BERRYMAN When College Run Farms first began harvesting crops in Surry, Virginia, in 1999, paying on the honor code was the law of the land. “Customers picked their produce and put their money in a coffee can,” says Jordan Berryman, who owns the farm with her husband, Steve. That ethos of honor, integrity and providing a service for the community still drives the farm’s operations both in and out of the fields. Visit the farm in the spring and you’ll see the tiny hands of elementary schoolchildren picking their own strawberries during weekly field trips. The Berrymans are proud to introduce these kids to farming. “I’m the field-trip lady,” Jordan says, chuckling. “I help the children pick their own berries and assist them with…