Entertainment, country style

Last winter was one of the coldest on record–day after day after day of just blistering cold.  So cold, in fact, that “it should really cut down on the bug population”.  HA HA!  Liar, liar, pants on fire.  That saying is absolutely not true and I think next time I hear someone say something like that I’ll have to put my hands over my ears and go “la la la la la I can’t hear you” just to keep from being rude…..well, that in itself might be considered rude.  On to today’s post……

This year is a banner year for Japanese beetles–well, here on the farm anyway.  I actually found their central meeting place last evening……

As you can see, there are literally hundreds of beetles on this Pussy Willow hedge–must be the Motel 6 in the beetle world.  An evil thought struck my mind.  I usually carry a container of water with me through the rose arbor to collect jap beetles in the mornings on the way to the chicken house because they love to sleep on the rose bushes, and they are very still and easy to knock off into the water.

I got a small bucket and put a couple inches of water in it–just plain water, no soap or oil or anything, and started knocking the beetles off into the water.  It’s an entertaining game to see how many beetles you can knock off at one time in the bucket without any falling on the ground…….

As I made my way around the hedge I collected several inches deep of beetles in the bucket.

When I felt satisfied that most of the overnight guests had been successfully checked out, I took them one step further……..

The girls say “hmmmmm good Japanese beetles, thanks, mom!”

 

Day trip to Red Boiling Springs

This time of year isn’t conducive to any sort of excursions.  The myriad of tasks on the farm keeps me tethered pretty close.

Several weeks ago, while cruising the net, I came across an event to be held on June 6, in Red Boiling Springs Tennessee.  It was called the “Folk Medicine Festival” and sounded like something I’d use for a small entertainment/educational opportunity.  I made the trek to RBS last year to attend the barefoot wedding of my youngest son and his bride, at the Barefoot Farmer’s Long Hungry Creek Farm in Red Boiling Springs.  Two of my sisters accompanied me and it seems like we were lost as soon as we turned off the Interstate and twisted our way northward “over the river and through the woods and across mountains…..”

I was determined to go a more direct route this time, so I carefully planned out the route on Google maps.  I was excited to be taking a day off my routine of bending over and crawling around on the ground, but the exuberance quickly chilled as soon as I turned off I-40 and signs said “detour” and directed me in a big circle through Monterey and right back out onto the interstate…..drat!

I finally made it to the speakers hall, only 10 minutes late, to hear Jeff Poppen, the Barefoot Farmer, speak on sustainable gardening.  He mostly fielded questions from the audience, but was a good speaker and I did learn a thing or two–that’s what it’s all about, huh?

He then offered a tour of his farm so about 20  of us followed him out to the farm and toured several gardens.  I thought I had a lot of garlic–160′ row feet; his garlic patch is the size of one of my large gardens!  He has help though, and Nashville is his market.  He explained how he gardens organically and sustainably; totally different than I do, but it works.

I’m sure it’s nice to be able to walk around without shoes, staying “grounded” to the earth, but there are way too many tiny critters around here that chew on bare flesh–I go for socks, boots, pants, and sleeves.  Oh, and I keep the ground covered with leaves as well.  Bare soil and bare skin makes me nervous…….

Back at the festival, Ila Hatter was the next speaker.  I heard her years ago speaking on edible wild plants and wanted to hear her again.  She’s very entertaining and very knowledgable and I picked up a few tips from her as well.

Resisting the urge to eat a large plate of fried food, I opted for a bowl of pinto beans with a piece of cornbread.  A few onions and sweet relish made it a wonderful, healthy  lunch.

I didn’t get lost on the way home, but figure that there has got to be a better way to get there from Crab Orchard; I just haven’t figured it out yet!

Yin yang of field corn

You know that cute little symbol for yin-yang that’s like a black comma and a white comma fitted together in the middle?   Well, while picking corn a couple of weeks ago (yes, picking corn in March!) I spied an ear that eerily resembled that ancient symbol:

The variety of corn is an heirloom called “Crow’s Foot” and it varies in color from the dark maroon to the mottled yellow/maroon color, but this ear was solid maroon on one side and mottled on the other…..interesting.

What’s the buzz?

These past few weeks have been simply awesome fall weather……bright sunny days and not-too-cold nights.  It’s been dry, dry, dry, though and couple that with late October, and there’s nothing for the bees to do outside!  I see them everywhere looking for something to carry back to the hive.  I think that the girls appointed one bee to follow me around the other day and just buzz me.  It almost seemed like she was saying “I’M BORED”!  So, I started thinking like a bee…..they like sugar syrup….so voila!  I poured a little syrup on 4 plates and scattered them around the yard.

 

Happy bees!

There’s a cold front moving into the area soon so I dragged out the frost blankets for the late season greens that are outside in the garden…..

Although the high tunnels have the same crops; lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, mixed greens–they have a ways to go until ready for harvest, so maybe I can stretch the outside season just a little.  I always have problems keeping the covers on the hoops when the wind blows, but maybe I can put enough rocks on the edges to hold them down for a few weeks.  When the weather gets really cold, the covers will be moved into the high tunnels for extra protection during freezing weather.

One of the projects I’ve been picking away at during the summer is to build a fire pit in the front yard.  I detest grass and would rather watch paint dry as to mow, so I figured this would be a creative way to wipe out a good-sized area.  I’m waiting for a good deal on a load of attractive tan/brownish color gravel to  cover  the landscape fabric!

🙂

What’s going on…..

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been  a month since I’ve taken the time to download pictures and write about what’s happening here on the farm, but, well, it has…… This time of year is just plain scary!  Getting everything in the ground, harvesting for the CSA and Farmer’s Market, weeding, critter patrol, tying and staking tomatoes and beans…. it’s more than a full time job. I was working in the front garden, the one I call the “Blackberry Garden”–because the blackberries are planted over there–and I found a few leftover potato plants from last year that were just in the way of this year’s planting, so I had a pocket full of small potatoes that I incorporated into last evening’s meal. After last year’s complete demolition of the sweet potato crop by DEER, I decided to fence in the garden where I’m growing sweet potatoes this year.  It’s been quite an adventure.  Last winter a friend had 92 pressure treated landscape timbers for $1.50 each so I took them all, anticipating the fence-building project.

After researching woven wire fence I found a high tensile 4′ fence from Tractor Supply that fit my situation the best.  I put the landscape timbers on the corners, where I want 3 gates, and midway along the sides, then 5′ t-posts in between the wooden posts.  3 strands of wire are spaced above the 4′ woven fence for a total of 7′.  I hope it works.   I didn’t run into many rocks while punching the holes in the ground but it was a wonderful shoulder workout (ha)!  I plan on creating very cool gates from branches at some point in time, but for now, a swinging piece of fence hooked at the sides will have to do 🙂 Meanwhile in the greenhouse…. The president of our local beekeepers gave me an envelope with Vitex seeds in it.  Vitex is a good bee shrub with a growth habit somewhat similar to a Butterfly Bush.  I planted ALL the seeds….and about 75% of them germinated.  ALL the seeds would be 500 of them so I’ve got lots of vitex growing here on the farm.  Part of them have been potted up to larger pots, but most of them are still enjoying the moist humidity of the greenhouse at this point. The wisteria on the front porch bloomed very well this year.  I found a tripod at the Habitat Store for $3.00 so I can hook my camera to it and do “selfies” now! There are several bluebird houses on the property, but this is one of the most popular, which is along the driveway.  I was mowing the other day on my tractor, which is about the size of a land yacht with the front loader and mower behind.  The bucket was up out of the way (I thought) and all of a sudden I realized that this birdhouse was on the ground.  Oh my, I was upset!   I just knew I had wiped out a generation of baby bluebirds—BUT when I opened it, there was nothing in it–THANK YOU!!  I rehung the house and as I’m writing this post there is another generation of beautiful blue bug-eating birds in the process of becoming part of the menagerie here on the farm. A couple of months ago I was prowling around the antique shops in Rockwood, TN and ran across this cultivator.   I’ve used it a little, but the handles are a little short and my feet hit the back of it while I’m pushing, so I need to add “longer handles” to my list of stuff to look for at the local flea market. The flower bed in front of the house has been my experiment with a “cottage” garden.  The old saying with perennials is that the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps.  What the saying doesn’t say is that the fourth year it all goes to he….., well, you know what I mean 🙂  These redbuds and a hophornbeam volunteered along the edge of the bed and I’m glad.  They will work out just great in the spot they’ve chosen.  Meanwhile, the rest of the bed……arggggghhhhh! So, it’s time to head to the Farmer’s Market and also deliver the Wednesday CSA boxes…..the skies are threatening and the wind is blowing…….till next time– Happy Hoer, over and out 🙂

Oh my gosh, I am so excited to have Maize seeds!!!!!!

I went to visit a friend today and he said he had some “maize” seeds that he had been meaning to give me but just hadn’t remembered until today……I thought maize was just corn–well maybe colored corn, tasteless corn….Indian corn.

I had no idea that it was a “precursor” for lack of a better term–to our modern day corn.  I don’t even consider GMO crap modern day corn.  Look at these pictures and you’ll understand my excitement!

He gave me a small garbage bag full of assorted ears of corn and they varied from the normal Indian corn to an unrecognizable ear of corn-like grains of wheat on a cob with purple husks and dark silks…..oooohhh!!!  I had no idea this was what the original maize was like.

Isn’t that the coolest thing!  I bet the native Indians were excited to get corn that didn’t have husks around each kernel 🙂

See that little red corn seed on the lower ear of corn?  That is what is inside of each of those wheat-looking kernels on the ears.  I picked it out of an ear and put it on that ear to get it in the picture.

I hope they will germinate, cause I’m gonna have some serious FUN growing these babies!

BTW I’ve Googled it and can’t find much info…..if you know more, please share!

 

 

 

Twas the week before Christmas

And all around the farm, the creatures were stirring….

 

 

 

Really looking for something to harm……did you think I was going through that whole poem?  Really……..

Today was one of those wintertime treats!  Sunny….mid 40’s at some point during the day.  It’s funny how 50, cloudy and breezy is intolerable but 33 and sunny calm is great!

One of the projects on my “to do” list for the winter is to mulch around the blackberries and blueberries and I got started on that yesterday……

 

I know, I know, the black leaf holders are kind of ugly, but they do keep the leaves from blowing around until they are put in their place.  I’m using layers of newspaper around the bushes then lots of leaves to keep the weeds down.  I do have lots of leaves….

 

I LOVE my leaves!

 

Each season, John, Dear (that would be my tractor) and I spread a thick layer of leaves over every inch of garden space, in the chicken pens, and wherever I want new garden ground.  I did get the orchard completely mulched last week as well—yay!

 

One thing I’m experimenting with this year is planting seedlings in the high tunnel throughout the winter season.  Most of the crops in high tunnels are planted in late September/early October but in the hurry of getting another high tunnel built this year and all the other chores I have around the farm, the big high tunnel wasn’t completely planted before cold weather set in.  I’m experimenting to see if everything doesn’t need to be planted at the same time.  So far I’ve planted endive, yellow and scarlet mustard, braising mix, assorted varieties of lettuce, sorrel, and kale.  The first test plot was planted about 3 weeks ago and I’ve harvested a few greens from them.  Today I planted another 5 flats of seedlings and we’ll see how they do.   True, things do grow slower this time of year, but they do still grow!  I say hopefully next year I’ll have time to get everything in earlier 🙂

Okay, now scroll back up to the first pictures.  The kittens follow me into the high tunnels and catch and eat grasshoppers!  I don’t know how to reward a cat, but I make a big deal when they catch one.

(2nd pic) Hattie the Catahoula dug in that bed for hours–then she came up with a mouse!  I was so proud–that’s one I won’t have to deal with 🙂  Notice one of the Happy Hens had made her way up to the bed…..see next pic….

The chickens were in their pen and I was in the back garden spreading leaves.  This garden is really close to their pen, and they were following me up and down the fence.  I got to thinking–hmmm what is there to keep them in the pen?  Just a fence–no gardens to scratch up and destroy, so I let them loose.  They had a ball!  I think I’ll let them out again tomorrow…it’s supposed to be pretty here again (yay).

Until next time…..

Preparing for Winter

The weather prognosticators are calling for really cold weather tomorrow night–first really “hard freeze” of the year, although my thermometer read 24 degrees last night.  So that means removing the irrigation pump from the pond and subsequently draining the lines that feed all the different garden areas and the drip irrigation spiderweb that is in place in the gardens.  Done!

Next is to install all the wire hoops over the beds in the high tunnels to protect the winter crops inside the high tunnels.   The second layer of protection inside the tunnels really makes a difference..

This is a shot inside the larger high tunnel which is 20×96.  This tunnel has lettuce, kale, braising mix, spinach, broccoli raab, endive, mustard, radiccio, and a few other greens. The newer tunnel is 12×80 and is protecting spinach, swiss chard, arugula and broccoli raab.  Oh, and both tunnels have a row of strawberries on each of the outer walls.  Strawberries outside in this area (on this farm, anyway) are “iffy” during late frosts and freezes in the spring so I’m trying them inside each tunnel.  So far I’ve been able to eat strawberries with my yogurt about 3 days a week.  We’ll see how they do on a production scale next spring.

On Saturday I opened the bee hive and on top of the frames of the top box I placed 2 layers of newspaper, cut a hole in the middle, then poured about 3-1/2 pounds of white sugar on the paper.  The sugar was then spritzed with water to “crust” over.  Several of my beekeeping buddies have said they are going to put a solid bottom board in over the winter because they are thinking that we will have a colder-than-normal winter–so, I decided to do the same.  I cut a piece of 1/4″ insulation and covered the bottom board just after I put the sugar on, then I went about my chores.

It was a beautiful Saturday, low 60’s and sunshine.  About 30 minutes after tending to the bees I noticed A LOT of bees around the entrance and a few of them on the front starting to “beard”–okay, maybe it was too warm to install the bottom board on Saturday.  I moved it back about halfway and a few minutes later all was back to normal.  It’s okay to deal with one or a few hives in this manner but you sure couldn’t do this with more than a few!  I’ve got a lot to learn about beekeeping 🙂

Wintertime around here also means doing indoor things and that includes soap making.  I LOVE patchouli scent and bought a couple of patchouli plants this past summer.  They are in pots in the house and doing well.  I’ve been collecting leaves from them to make an oil infusion and finally gathered enough to actually get it done.  I used sunflower oil as the base oil (it’s cheap and effective for this purpose).  I stuffed a pint jar full of dried patchouli leaves then filled it with sunflower oil.  Heat a pan of water to boiling, remove from the heat and set the jar of oil and leaves into the pot of water and let it cool.  Put a lid on the mixture and shake it up every time you walk by it for a few months.

 

This is my first time doing this, so I’ll report back as the experiment progresses.

Lastly, the chimney for the woodstove is in progress–YAY!  Hopefully it will be ready to use by Christmas–I’m excited!

 

I plan on stuccoing the block since it’s on the back of the house and not visible unless you walk all the way around to the back of the house.

Another winter project around here is winterizing the gardens.  The front bluff garden was in pretty good shape but there were 3 beds of overgrown lettuce, pepper plants, and a few ugly cabbages in addition to a few weeds.

I moved the electric poultry fence around this garden since it’s adjacent to the chicken pen anyway.  The girls went nuts!

 

Now that they’ve gotten that garden cleared out they’ll be moved to the pond garden next–I appreciate all the help I can get 🙂

 

Summer is in full swing–well, sort of

Wow, it’s amazing how fast this summer is moving!  The rain has finally slowed down, although there are still puddles here and there on the farm where it used to be dry during “normal” weather. This year kind of reminds me of a trip to Vermont that my family made back in 1990 during the middle of August.  We were camping in a tent and while I was packing for the trip it was like 90 degrees so I was packing shorts, t-shirts, bathing suits,  that sort of stuff, but I did throw in one pair of pants per person just in case.  Well, turns out that we wore the pair of pants most of the week, picked blackberries in long sleeves and the folks in Vermont hadn’t even seen a ripe tomato yet.

Hello!…..just a few days ago it was 49 degrees here and I’m picking blackberries and I can still say that there hasn’t been a peck of tomatoes harvested from the 400 plants I have planted, including the ones in the high tunnel!  It’s just been too cloudy for a tomato to get ripe.

The sunflowers are starting to open…..

 

I took a bunch of them to the farmer’s market last Wednesday and they were a hit!

A friend of mine dropped by for some kale and took a picture of the booth……

 

Most of the produce grown on the farm goes to fill the CSA shares each week, but sometimes there is extra to sell at the market, like the ever popular “Fresh Eggs from the Happy Hens”.  This particular day I was sold out of eggs before I got to the market!

The broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts plants all succumbed to the deluges that we’ve experienced this year so they’ve been removed from the garden, devoured by the chickens, and have probably already returned to the earth in the form of fertilizer.   We’re less than 10 inches away from our yearly average rainfall in this area and a lot of gardeners have given up on the season, but when one does this for a living, you can’t give up.

Fall crops are being sown both in the gardens and in flats for transplanting–what’s that saying…..”no rest for the weary?”

 

The Winners of the Wild Things 2013 season veggie varieties

As each growing season is planned, along with the tried and true favorites, I always like to try some new things.   After pouring through the mountain of seed catalogs and following rabbit trails all over the Internet, the decisions have been made:  which new veggie varieties will make it to the ground this year?  (A few of) the winners are:

Jade Cross Brussels Sprouts….hold the applause…this is the first time I’ve tried Brussels Sprouts in YEARS.  This variety matures quicker so maybe I won’t have to torment over it in the garden for so long….

Russet Potatoes–going for some bakers here in addition to the Kennebec and Red Pontiac.

In the pepper category, Ancho San Martin, Georgia Flame, Cabernet, Purple Cayennes, and Lipstick peppers join the myriad of peppers already on the books.  Peppers seem to like the soil in one particular garden here on the farm, so I try to rotate them there every couple of years.

New salad tomatoes being grown this year include every kind of salad tomato you can imagine and a couple more.  I’ve really gotten into the salad tomato mix–it’s a real hit with the Wild Things followers and I LOVE to package them up–it’s like playing with M&M’s.   All the colorful and tasty salad tomatoes will be marvelous on top of the new lettuce varieties.  Names like Cherokee, Panisse, Skyphos, and Summertime will join the popular gourmet leaf lettuce mixes AND two iceburg-type lettuces will be trialed in the garden this year.

A horticultural bean (eaten shelled but not dried) called Tongue of Fire has arrived for planting and will be growing along with the usual Roma II, Blue Lake, and Jumbo beans.  A filet bean called “Masai” is scheduled to make an appearance at some point during the season as well.

Lots of heirloom tomatoes will be planted again as in years before, and a few new ones are going to be added; Nepal, Cherokee Purple, Holy Land–hopefully they will be worth saving seed from for future gardens– Hippie Zebra –that one sounds like a keeper to me 🙂

A couple new summer squash varieties, Magda and Safari, will be added, and oh, I almost forgot the coolest one of all…..Veronica Romanesco.  It’s classed with cauliflower but it looks like some kind of cool alien vegetable–

 

Well, that’s about all of the new crops I’m going to share…..I can’t tell you EVERYTHING…. if you’re within the reaches of Wild Things this coming season, you’ll just have to check it out for yourself.