Silvopasture

   Silvopasture is essentially multi-purposing land for both raising livestock and tree crops. It was and in some areas around here still is a technique used in this hilly locale. It is a method that some of the 80 acre farm's first farmers utilized.

 The layout was determined by them, and it is quite logical. The "top" of the hills were cleared and somewhat flattened over time. These were the tilled plots for crops. The steep hill sides and valleys were pasture/orchard/ wildlife.

  Tucked into the various wooded sections near the barn are also old overgrown ruins of what once were chicken coops and what looks like an area for pigs (just a guess. Either it was meant for pigs, or someone went a little crazy with the fencing.) Some of these wooded pastures are being swallowed up by nature as the landscape hasn't been grazed in many years. A lot of junk has been hidden in the woods by previous residents. In the U shaped pasture.. at the bottom of the "U" is a massive junkyard. Everything from glass bottles to an old dishwasher, and old furnace, right on to a burned out car. That is a clean up project we will tackle later.

 The farm was primarily dairy cattle and black walnut lumber. The pastured areas were mainly cleared of black walnut (toxic to several livestock, but as well to fruit trees) and that is where the apple, pear, plum orchard was planted. Back in the day the fields were alternated of various crops. After a field was harvested or cut, the cattle were rotated to that field for grazing, which then gave the primary pastures time to recover. I don't know the accuracy of this as I do not have any dairy cattle experience, but the farmers around here move cattle out of pastures that have apples. I asked about this and was told that they believe cows will dry up if allowed to feast on fallen apples. Instead they leave it to lure yet another prize.. whitetailed deer and turkey.

  This was just an example I wanted to show of old style silvopasturing. The concept can be scaled down significantly and altered to suit different needs. It is combining trees for various uses (lumber, fuel, fruit/nut crops, bee forage, wood working, fencing, etc.) with an understory crop and as well able to be used as a sheltered location for animals, a windbreak, and a means to help energy efficiency of a home.

 Which trees to use? Several considerations need to be taken into account when selecting trees. Speed of growth, utilization properties, toxicity (if you are working with livestock), maturity size, compatability with surroundings, canopy spread/ density, invasive potential, soil condition, etc. Shade is also a big thing to take into consideration. Taking note of how much shade is cast and the effect on the surroundings. Some with a thinner canopy may let you get away with berries planted underneath, while others block out so much light that many plants could not produce a crop (unless you consider mushrooms!) 

 An example of this would be my ponderings of planting a black walnut grove. If I have the proper spacing I can also plant Black Locust. Black Locust grows rather fast, it is a very good rot resistant wood which makes it a good candidate for fence posts or even for constructing raised beds. It has a highly invasive property with the ability to send out many seed pods as well as suckers. However it is not resistant to juglone. So while it would encourage the black walnuts to grow upwards more quickly and more straight by competition, it would not be a long standing companion as the black walnut will essentially kill them off in about 2 decades. Black Locust is an excellent wood for fuel with a high BTU and good burn time. It is a nitrogen fixing tree and also produces a potential bee forage crop. It is toxic to many livestock however, so the placement would not be in a pasture (even though it has wicked thorns that would deter nibbling.)

 Right now my Mom is getting some estimates on a few of her black walnuts. Value of the tree is determined by quality and size. To give a ballpark range on the value of these trees.. it can be a few hundred per tree on up to $2,000+. That is when someone else is coming in to cut and carry them away. Nut crop vs wood crop in this case. The methods for achieving the best lumber isn't the most ideal for nut harvest (shorter trees for harvesting and more spacing for heavier yields.)

 The black walnut grove is only a concept right now. Reality is that it is a VERY long term crop and one that I quite frankly will doubtfully be alive to benefit. Unless I somehow live well into my 100's..lol. It would produce nuts well before that, but still well over 20 years from planting.

 For now I am identifying what species I do have, what qualities they offer, and how they would fit best into overall land management.

 I mean.. it was no small coincidence that the old timers situated the pig pen where the oak trees grow. (Acorns a bountiful and well loved crop that fattened up the pigs in the fall.)

Juglone.. leaf me alone! and Black walnut harvest

 Fall clean up and the endless bounty of leaves is making for nonstop raking. Two of the properties seem to be in the leaf collecting vortex burying the houses in a 3 foot drift. The small house in town we are able to shred and compost those leaves as they are mainly elm, maple, mulberry and oak. 

 The larger farm is more of a challenge as those are black walnut. The juglone in the black walnut materials does break down with proper composting. It has to be completely broken down.. so the smaller the particles, the faster it can compost. Leaves break down the most quickly. Several weeks (2 months roughly) for hot composting, roughly 6 months+ if buried to give a rough timeline. The smaller the bits, the faster. You can test the compost on a tomato seedling.. if it isn't finished the seedling will die.


 The nuts have mostly all dropped. Not as big of a year as previous, but still a lot to clean up. Every few years the bigger farm has a particularly bountiful black walnut crop that buries almost the whole driveway in several inches. The husks have sort of a lemon smell and shortly they oxidize, turn black and start decomposing releasing the walnut inside. Critters galore just love the driveway as the tires dehusk the walnuts revealing a favorite wildlife food. Rain coming down mixes with the husks and creates a coffee colored deluge with an amazing ability to stain what it splashes.

 I have about 3 garbage bags full of black walnuts I have to husk today. Black clothes and rubber gloves needed to tackle these. After removing the husks, the nuts will get a quick wash, the on to racks and in mesh bags to cure for a couple of weeks. Black walnuts, unlike English walnuts, have 4 chambers and an extremely hard shell. They take a lot of work to process but offer a prized flavor in return. Longer storage of the shelled nuts is best in the freezer.


 Black walnuts are one of those prime foraging finds. The tree offers not only a nut crop in the fall, but can be tapped for sap to make syrup in the spring. 

 Black walnuts nutritional data if you are interested in what these treats have to offer.

 I would have collected more if I could, but this pile alone is a lot of work in what limited time I have. The bigger farm had to be rented out again for hunting season.. which means I can't do anything on it until next summer.  If you listen carefully... you can hear the sound of me banging my head against the wall.

  

Elderberry shrubs

 Well it took me a bit and a lot of batteries, but I finally got some elderberry pictures in case anyone was going to check around.

 They can be used as a shrub in the yard like this young one..

Yes.. those are bowling balls. Slight problem with tractors missing the road entirely and cruising through the yard. It is hard to adjust those headphone/radio do-hickeys and drive at the same time.

 That is planted in full sun, partially on the edge where the water runoff is along the street. When you plant Elderberry in full sun, the berry crop ripens more quickly. This one was done awhile ago and didn't have much to offer. It is trying to bounce back from heavy borer damage.

 A little ways down the street, between the road and the forest is this lovely group..

 The berries

 The leaves

  It is a pretty easy to control shrub, but it does not appreciate the traffic of a lawn mower or the nicks of a weed whacker. It also does not handle many chemicals well.  They can send out suckers, but not obnoxiously.

 In case you are curious about the nutritional value of these little gems..

 When I gather them, I bring clippers and snip off the cluster. They set fruit on that year's new growth, so it does not effect next year's crop. In the spring, they do well with a little well aged compost but overall this shrub can handle a pretty decent range of soil conditions.

 It is considered a honey plant. The bees worked them daily, but they bloom when a lot of other flowers are at full force as well. 

 As always, make sure to positively ID a plant before snacking on it.

 I'll be asking DV for permission to gather a few of those beauties so I can plant the seeds. I have just the spot to put a large group on the north side. That will be on our property bordering DV's place.. and as well an ideal location for hives later. 


 Next up for me is trying to get some chestnuts. The darn squirrels have snapped almost every one up! I managed to get 2.. and hoping to find a few more.

 

Elderberry, here's a sign..

 Only am getting a few moments back at the house and trying to get done as much as possible! The last few days have been blustery, cold, windy.. cabin fever set in about 10 minutes after the rain began. The wind has been sending patio furniture flying, eradicated any chance to catch up on laundry, and making for some very misbehaved poultry.

 I may need a sign soon, if only to warn the drivers as they go down the road..

 "caution! Assless chaps and nude chick(ens)"

 Maybe a series of signs..

 "Slow chickens"
 "seriously, they aren't very bright"

 The guineas have handed many a rooster their tail when confined in the coop for more than 6 seconds past when "they" think they should be out. Hence the "assless" chaps. 

 Guineas get first dibs on everything, regardless if they like it or not. Apples, corn, and the occasional Sprite melon have been on the daily afternoon menu. I cut the apples up and throw them everywhere so everyone gets some. The guineas like it best when I hold a piece, so they can peck at it. Some days they have good aim, some days it is like wearing Lady Gaga's meat dress around a pack of wolves.

 I'd probably be less fond of them if they didn't come racing out to me every time I go outside. My minions... they are greedy, feathered, flighty and feeble minded.. and really darn cute. Up close, guineas remind me of Dr. Suess.. and a horror flick at the same time.

 Anyhow... elderberry is well into their season. I'm trying to grab up what I can, mainly to plant them later. The seeds can take up to 2 years to germinate. 

 The berries can be dried for use later in teas and such. Personally, I like them in jam best. Back when I could consume sweets.. we used to make a syrup from elderberry and black caps. It is lovely over pancakes... or mixed into 7-up or Sprite. Often we'd have cottage cheese with sliced canned pears and drizzled with the berry syrup.. or doused over ice cream. Oh man... I miss sugar.

 If you dry the berries, the seeds can be stored for over a decade. Elderberry usually start producing at about 3 to 4 years of age. The fruit sets on first year wood. It is an understory shrub, but one that exists more often along the edge of a forest, or even along streams. They can handle full on sun, but appreciate a bit of shade. 

 They are a shrub that defies juglone producers.. like black walnut. There are several cultivars.. and a native red elderberry (do not eat this one..) that is not edible. Most of the dark fruited wild ones seem related to European strains in this area of the Midwest. 

 While not a very long living shrub, the fruits are fairly rich in antioxidants. They have a history of several medicinal uses, but I like them for their taste. They were one of the things we would snack on as kids as we romped around outside.

 Hoping to get some more time soon. Hope you all are doing well.

Today at the farm.. err.. garden... area-like-type-setting

If you've seen the commercial.. you'll get this..

Oh man... I coulda got a falcon!

    I've pulled the last of the purple tomatillos. Many don't realize that how purple they get depends on sun exposure on the fruit. You can get them to further ripen to a lovely gem colored shade by lining them up on a window sill for a little while.

  Tomatillos are one of those plants where you need several of them for proper pollination. I pulled all of the seeds of course as these had a great flavor and were nicely sour. It is iffy as to my germination rate for a first year here as the pollinators took awhile to work them.

 Elderberry harvest has been weak at best so far. I have a scant few after the chickens found one of the few shrubs, and the wild birds feasted on the others along the woods. The shrubs are getting nailed by some sort of borer, many of them are quickly dying. The few berries I have will be planted.

 Trying to go out to pick the berries is a challenge, as the birds love to follow me. I had to call in a furry reinforcement.

  He's a good dog and I'm lucky that he's so well tempered. 

 This roo here.. a bird of every color.. Ozzy.. not the best mannered. 

  He has a look alike.. Gonzo.. so named because the down near his tail is white and it makes him look like a puppet that has been loved to the point where the stuffing is coming out. He's also a butthead like Ozzy.

 Speaking of which.. the sun is down and I have to race back to the farm. Trying to find some computer time between painting the neighbor's house, replacing the other computer's power supply, juggling 2 bids on our house... you know how it is.. when it rains, it pours.

 I hope all of you are doing well and am wishing you all better times.

wild grapes, zucchini seeds, Chinese mantis

 Wild grapes are in season right now. I wandered out and grabbed up a few pounds.

  They are significantly smaller, tend to ripen at varying stages.. and are sour. Like with many wild fruits, the seeds are significantly larger with less flesh. These are lovely when mixed with other fruit in juices and jams. While munching on them off the vine is fun, the seeds can be daunting, rather like when bits of popcorn get stuck in the back of your throat. The chickens were snaking on them as well, often jumping up like Michael Jordan with incredible "air time" to snag a few treats. 
 There are several species native to North America. With wild genetics, each one is a bit different than it's neighbor. Even if you are not pleased with the grapes these natives provide, the vines do offer more. Grafting is an option. Many are not aware that wild strains of grapes from North America saved many vineyards in Europe. Our wild types are resistant to a disease that was ravaging European cultivars. 
 If you are interested in grafting, this is a helpful link. 
 I was surprised by this massive guardian of the garden.

See her? A Chinese mantid. 4 inches my foot.. she's over 6 from her head to the end of her body.

  A beneficial invasive, imported for bug control over 100 years ago. We have a couple of these wandering about. You can see the Japanese beetle damage to the vines. Minimal damage compared to the vines that were not patrolled by my feathered friends. 

 I've pulled my first zucchini for seed saving this year. You have to let the fruit get fully ripe.. which a ripe zucchini has a hard shell and is yellow.

 This is Ronde de Nice, a small round French heirloom strain. These are great for stuffing. I like a few of these.. and let them hang out until close to Halloween. The seeds benefit from some storage time of the fruit. I'll carve a few out, save the seeds ( and roast the extras).. to be small jack-o-lanterns. 
 These are cucurbita pepo.. and many "summer" squash are as well. That means they will cross with many other garden favorites. I controlled cross pollination by picking the male flowers of the other c. pepo that were soon to bloom. They became dinner. 
 Same drying method as others. Clean off the seeds, dry them well (will snap in half when bent). They can last a decade and better in proper storage and still maintain decent viability.

 Ok.. have to run! Best to you all!

Apple in my eye

 Having sort of caught up with our "to do" list, and by sort of I mean ignoring much of it, we took a day off.. kinda. About when we settled our plans to hunt for mushrooms and enjoy a picnic, DV (our survivalist neighbor) popped over for a visit. He was tinkering in his stable of machinery (and it is a stable with every tool made to do anything and darn near everything) when he decided to mess around with one of his back-up to the back-up to the back-up cars.  He was bored and wanted to know when I wanted to do some canning.

 Plans.. totally changed. Next thing I know I am rounding up jars, lids, a pitcher of tomato sauce and big pot of chicken stock.. then racing to the garden to grab up beans. Yahoo! My husband was coming with which was an even bigger bonus. 

 Getting to DV's is not easy. To walk there we can take the shortcut.. but that is passable only with a truck or ATV. The containers were very full.. and ignoring the plastic wrap as they sloshed about. I had to hold both at the same time to minimize spillage. The car entry is less challenging, much further away, and about as smooth as the sea in a perfect storm.

 Only a half mile left of his drive to go and I had to request my husband to stop the car. He was laughing. I was apparently giving myself a pep talk.. aka muttering in discomfort. DV commented how he heard me "making a god-awful noise" down by the "crik".  He was standing at the front door with a beer for my husband. They get along too well. 

 His old trusty "National" pressure cooker on the stove, jars, a pot of water simmering, a crock of salt, and the funnel all at the ready. Everything loaded into the jars and popped into the pressure canner, the man is fast. He showed my husband the model, the weight on top that jiggled when it was at the right pressure, things to look for, the seal, the various styles...

 "And don't forget.. you need a splash of vinegar in the water so you don't have that limestone build up."

 My husband.. was getting into canning!

 My husband.... was getting into CANNING! Questions abounded, and yet another beer as we waited. DV was pulling his various canners off his wall and going through the features. Then he went on about canning on a woodstove.. the one he has indoors and the outdoor cooker... my husband listening intently. 

 The time was up, the stove shut off and DV asked if we wanted some apples. 3 ancient trees had a decent load this year, but they are wild types. The apples are small, slightly larger than a golf ball to twice that size at most. Tart, sweet and juicy, they will be great to work with in various ways. So we picked apples and of course DV found the reason to use large equipment. He pulled out the tractor, we hopped into the bucket and picked like crazy. It was so much fun!

 Conservatively.. I have 50 pounds of apples. We have yet to hike the back field to see if that lone stand of trees has any to offer. The other neighbor across the way offered to us their apples too. Good thing DV has a lot of canners. I'll be visiting him again soon to tackle the applesauce... once I find a good food mill. I have no desire or drive to peel itty bitty apples! I already have the start to apple cider vinegar, which will take a month to make.

 Hen-of-the-woods mushrooms are out right now. Still no puffballs. Hen-of-the-woods can VERY well. They hold their texture, and are very mild flavored. Tossing them in with other dishes and they seem to absorb the flavor of sauces wonderfully. You find them out here under old old oak trees. DV found 2 massive clusters 3 years ago.. and he's still got a lot of jars of them left even though he shares them a lot too. 

 I have to get the applesauce done before the hen-of-the-woods are in full swing! My husband.. now a canning enthusiast.. realized my pressure cookers were left behind. He took off right after breakfast yesterday to get a food mill. (I'm looking to get the Oxo Good Grips food mill.. anyone have any input on a good mill? I need it for not only tomato sauces, but processing black caps, wild grapes, mulberries and applesauce. Tiny seeds in those berries.) A train was derailed blocking the way to the bridge over the Mississippi. It took the poor guy a whole day to track a mill down.. and it is the wrong one. (Holes too big, no varying screen sizes, etc.) He also got sucked into hunting pressure cookers.

 Small town thrift stores suck. In CO.. the Denver and Aurora thrift stores were great. If you need a pressure cooker or a food mill.. and actually a ton of other things.. they are a good place to check out. We got 2 new pressure cookers.. still in their boxes.. intact and unused for less than $5 total. Big Lots was also a place where I got many Mason quart and pint jars for cheap.

 Apple pie filling is something else I want to jar up. Not sliced apples, but rather apple chunks. 

 Anyways.. right now I am researching food mills, grabbing up my apple recipes, loading up the flour and sugar to do some massive baking at the small farm kitchen.  

 I'm also checking out the Resident landowner's hunting licenses. Picking beans last night I looked up and 2 huge liquidy eyes and big ears were peeking through the fence at me. A fawn, still dappled and curious watched me from not 15 feet away. I don't think I could "off" something that damned cute. It's twin ran up and jumped on it.. and they raced around the field sparring. The mom was near the chicken coop grazing.. with a bunch of chickens attempting to figure the situation out.

 I'd better get a move on. I hope you all are doing well. I'll try to get pics soon of what's going on.. and if you like garlic and shallots.. tis the season to be getting a bed ready for them! 

 Things still are hopping around here and there just never seems to be enough time to tackle it all!  I try to get back to the house to catch up whenever I can. A bit of hope is out there as there may be a job opportunity. I'm not holding my breath, but I am crossing my fingers.

 Meanwhile, I've been trying to keep a handle on the tomatoes which means every other day I am making sauce. I'm grateful for every jar as this is one thing I use a LOT.

  The imperfect tomatoes go to the chickens and the rest gets used fresh or into various sauces. This morning I just made a plain stewed tomatoes. I love adding tomatoes to beef barley stew or I use it to smother fish (I lay out a bed of veggies sliced rather thin.. then whatever firm white fish I may have on hand over it.. top it off with crushed stewed tomatoes and bake it.) 

 The Queen Anne tomatoes are rather juicy, thin skinned, seedy.. which lends well to eating fresh, but not too great for sauces. The Goldman's Italian American ( GIA ) are much less seedy, drier, well flavored.. and a bit thicker skinned. Blanching the GIA's was fast as they easily slipped out of their skins and are rather large tomatoes too. 

 I of course could not stop myself..

  I am still awaiting the Jersey Giants. No wonder that strain is "rare" if it is almost September and still the tomatoes are green. A strain I will try again next year should I get seeds from them, and I will make sure to start them well ahead of the rest.

 The hornworms successfully nailed all of my other paste/ sauce type tomatoes. The yellow pears have been in high demand.  They are the perfect snack size and are great to toss into various dishes. I've tossed them in with carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions that were around a roasting chicken (the gravy made from that was fantastic. We brought some to DV and he came to the house the very next day to ask how I made it.)  I'll typically put a dash of olive oil in a pan (although my husband likes the bacon version better.. chop up a few lean slices and crisp up in a pan.. set bacon aside and use the drippings instead of olive oil).. thin sliced onions, sweet peppers (sometimes I'll toss in a chili pepper with the sweet), thin cut carrots, and several handfuls of the yellow pear tomatoes. At the end I'll put in minced garlic and pour this over pasta. The yellow pear tomatoes will soften and break to create a lovely sauce. I can make endless combinations (beans, corn, edamame, mushrooms.. almost anything works!)  The bacon version.. the bits go on top as a garnish usually with chopped chives and parsley.

 I haven't yet jarred up any salsa. That is on the list for next year. We can eat a lot of salsa when it is around.

 I have several good sized squash stashed away. Many winter squash are best eaten after they have had some time to cure. Fresh off the vine many seem bland and water.. their flavor improves as they dry out a bit. They will be wonderful in the middle of winter!

 This is my latest treasure..

      Pink old fashioned hollyhocks courtesy of yet another neighbor. His Grandmother planted this stand of hollyhocks before he was born. That puts it sometime before the 1940's. I have collected up enough of these seeds to plant an entire city block. Hollyhocks are biennial and in some areas will keep reseeding themselves quite happily. After drying.. these seeds will go into the freezer for 2 weeks to remove any potential weevils. 

 The honey bees have been happily visiting these flowers all day long. (Unfortunately.. so have the Japanese beetles.. munching on the foliage.) The seed pods remind me of wheels of cheese. A long sleeved shirt and gloves are helpful if you have to mess with these a bit as they have irritating hairs all along the stems and stalk. His hollyhocks are not staked up (they are planted along the wall of a free standing shed).. so in the crazy wind storms they got knocked over. They are well over 7 feet tall and still putting out blooms. 

 Today we have apple picking to tackle.  I need baskets. Those old apple baskets of woven wood slats would be incredibly helpful right now. Many of our apple trees on the bigger farm have been nailed by a blight. Flowering very well.. heavy fruit set.. and then BLAMO! A few trees didn't blow their load, but most did. (Quite a few fruit trees will probably need to be removed. Sad.. but necessary. Fruit wood is quite lovely for smoking meats..)

 The pears are still going crazy.. but they are a wild sort that nature planted. Small, heavy producing, highly russeted.. they won't be winning any beauty contest. They do however taste very good and are sweet.. even though I sampled them while they were still very unripe. 

 Black walnuts should be along soon. A few have dropped unintentionally, but they are not ready for picking yet. It should be a decent year for them, but in no way great. There are not nearly as many nuts on the trees this year.. but still more than enough to keep me busy. The husks smell lemony.. a good thing as I forgot I had stashed several of them in my backpack.

 It rained most of the day yesterday.. so gardening is not going to happen. In the next day or two I will be keeping my eyes peeled for puffballs. Mushrooms are triggered by both moisture and temperature fluctuations. It is kinda like playing a slot machine.. just with better odds of a pay out. I swear I have been dreaming about these mushrooms..  with wine, caramelized onions & garlic, and steeping in a beef broth.. and a crusty bread to dip into it. That can be made with any mushroom.. like button.. and it still is very good.  



And to my surprise.. I found that Guineas and chickens can cross.  As Roy, the Americauna rooster has displayed his vim and vigor... in the front yard...with what feels like every time a car passes... I am not concerned. Mainly because Roy... likes guinea boys.

 Back to work I go. I hope you all get a moment of more to enjoy summer while it is still here!

Queen Anne and the derecho

  The hints of fall being right around the corner can be felt in the air. While I can, I am savoring tomatoes as often as possible.. starting with my favorite breakfast sandwich.

Queen Anne tomatoes thrived for me this year when many of the others struggled.

  Toasted bagel with cream cheese, thick slices of tomato, seasoned with onion powder, a pinch of salt and pepper. YUM!! A family favorite, my husband also has been busted repeatedly scarfing this down.. and he constantly professes his dislike for fresh tomatoes. Queen Anne's seem to be the exception to the rule. They are mild almost sweet. While I personally love a tomato that is acidic, smacks you in the face with flavor, I understand that's not everyone's desire.

 What you might notice missing.. are the seeds. The plant this tomato came from has been putting out some hefty fruit, and the blush is also more pronounced at the blossom end. Any tomato my husband happily eats fresh is a keeper. So the seeds were removed and set aside to ferment.. as I pray they didn't cross with the yellow pear. I have enough of a stash from this variety to last me several decades, but I can't help grabbing up more.


Standing out on the front porch, making my husband hold the plate so I could actually capture the tomato's color.. he says "look at the sky!"
 I glance up.. and take a picture..

"Oh wow... pretty!"  I heard myself say.
 "Didn't you just feed the chickens?" he asked.
 "Crap!"
 I grabbed one of the sandwiches and inhaled it as I fled to the backyard. Just as I was speed waddling agilely sprinting across the lawn.. and half way to the feeders, the sky let loose. 

   Meanwhile, my husband sat down on the bench and snapped a shot of the neighbor's from the porch.. while he ate the other half of my sandwich. When I came back he shot me a huge grin, handed me the empty plate and announced the camera was dry. I fought the urge to channel all 3 Stooges. The rain had stopped, the sun was back, the pellets were squishy (but oddly the birds were loving them like that) and it could have been worse.
  The first wave of rain passed pretty quickly and it was a mild summer shower. I snapped a few shots of the flowers in the yard.  

Shortly after this, wave 2 hit fiercely. Winds strong enough to slam me into the side of the house and almost knock me off my feet! No joke.. chickens were sliding across the cement patio. The door was violently blown open dousing several antique table ends and a couch with sideways rain as I tried to shut it. Drenched in a New York second, I ended up huddled in the corner attempting to protect the birds from the onslaught with the only thing I had... myself.


 Sometimes, 15 minutes can feel like an eternity. The inside of the temporary coop was soaked, patio chairs were launched into the yard.. but I managed to keep most of them safe and maybe 6 of the chickens got drenched. The rain let up, the birds raced to the yard to hunt for worms. I slogged into the house the way only someone in super cold wet jeans can.


 I had to rummage for some dry clothes as mine were all wet. "Need to make a trip home to get changed." I muttered to my husband. It worked out well as he had to get more hinges in town.


  Dropping me off at home as he ran off to the boy's toy depot hardware store, he told me he took an interesting picture too.

   I totally forgot I had opened the windows. He thankfully, remembered as he saw the storm front moving towards us. When we got home, I made him his own tomato sandwich complete with bacon.

The Survivalist Neighbor

 With the massive rain storm that dumped over 16 inches in under 12 hours, came a really wonderful surprise... meeting a neighbor. To give you an idea how much water came down and what it can do, this is a farm 2 "doors down"

  When a farm becomes an island...

  Thankfully... their hives are on high ground...

  I was wondering from where all these honeybees were coming! Now these are not the "new" neighbor's bees (he actually has a bit of a "time" with the bee family.. due to 30 hunters somehow wandering on to the wrong property.. a story for another time.)

 The "new neighbor" is a blast. He's 71 and all go all the time. He has 150+ acres of heaven complete with 2 spring fed ponds (which hold many 4 pound plus large mouth bass), acres and acres of wild black raspberries, gooseberries, chestnuts, black walnuts, elderberries, a massive garden, deer, turkey... everything he needs and then some. He rarely buys anything from the grocery. Coffee and beer (because although he has made his own beer, wine, brandy, etc. he's too busy to "screw around with that right now") and this vanilla oil.. that's his grocery list!

 His house is underground. It is small but absolutely amazing. In winter it never drops below 50 without heat, and in the summer it is 68 without air conditioning!! He cans and preserves everything he hunts, picks, gathers. I'm flat out swooning. His storage room is just gorgeous. Floor to ceiling jars of gem colored veggies and a huge section of venison, turkey and other meats. I am getting canning lessons from him! 

 I just have to laugh, because last year... learning to cook squirrel and 'coon was not on my radar. Did I mention he hunts from his living room?  Stand fixed to the window and ready to go at a moment's notice. He also makes wicked amazing biscuits on his wood stove. The "right way" to field dress deer, turkey, 'coon, and squirrel is also on the curriculum... after proper gun care lessons. That comes after 'shroom hunting.

 Seriously.. he's amazing. He made a jalapeno coring thingy from a (ammo)shell, a bolt and some nuts. While he doesn't have a sweet tooth, he looooves cinnamon rolls. Oh yes.. rolling pin in hand.. I am ready BRING IT ON!!!!

 He's an optimist living like a pessimist. Prepared for the worst, enjoying every moment. He has a "rep" for being... well.. gun crazy and nuts. He finds that hilarious and wants to keep it that way. He's a self proclaimed recluse but is anything but solitary.

 The lightening in the storm hit a tree a foot away from the propane tank. (This tank btw would heat a house for 1 winter.. his set up.. he has to refill it every 10 years!!!) It went through the lines in the ground, blew up the phone box (sending the cover and parts 50 feet from the house.. as well some decor on the house also launched off into the yard), fried a bunch of electronics (in particular his gas stove! It punched 2 holes in the gas line by the stove and "it was like fighting 2 flame throwers!" He had to shut it off with a hammer at 3am.).. so he came over to us when he realized the other neighbors were not home. When we got back to town we called in to get his phone back on (still down.. as well the "other" neighbors still have no phone).

 We chatted for awhile and he invited us over. Best day ever!! It is like finding out you moved in next to Santa Claus!! For being a "recluse" quite a few of his buddies fought their way through flooded bridges to make sure he was ok. One of his hunting buddies (I'll call Dozer), a small guy (in a wife beater, Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots.. and looking like he was fresh out of kindergarten) was there with his bulldozer fixing his road the next morning, even though he had already done most of it! 

 The rain nailed his garden, washing away over a foot of dirt. It looked like someone pulled all of his root crops out for harvesting. We spent a couple hours in boot-sucker mud rounding up as much as we could before the scorching sun did more damage. Much of his zucchini, beans and tomatoes were swept away. He shrugged it off as he has a 2 year supply of garden goodies still stashed away. 

 After tackling his garden we hopped into his Kubota to check on another neighbor's farm he was watching while she was out of town. Totally washed out with a brand new 6 foot ravine crossing her driveway.. in 2 places! We helped take care of the chickens, dogs, horses while Dozer sent her some pictures. It seems Dozer just last month put in new massive culverts. While it would have handled the 13 inch record breaking rain storm last year, this year's 16+ incher uprooted huge trees everywhere. Her ancient barns were well placed in one of the few spots that these torrents of rain did not reach. 

 So tomorrow, after I try to tackle my chores, I will go visit the neighbor and bring him some tomatoes I just picked a little bit ago.

  Yellow pear x Black Krim = really tasty plum sized funky colored tomatoes. 

 Not a long visit as we are almost done with the coop. Sorta. Nest boxes will be done tonight, the brooder box will go underneath it.. then paint the floors.. and put in the roosts.. after the walls are closed up. This is what it looks like so far.

  The front of the nest boxes will be hinged to flip down so that cleaning is easier. The ceiling and walls are insulated, but we have 2 walls to finish yet and ran out of materials! The coop only has 1 coat of paint on it so far. Then.. on to fencing in a pen. They have a huge area to run around in right now, and oddly the guineas never leave it.. it will be some time to retrain them to get off the patio. There are also 4 red tailed hawks and several bald eagles.. so the pen is for when we can't be outside with them.

 Speaking of which, night has fallen and I need to run back to put them in for the night. Right after a quick call back to the realtor. It seems someone is still breaking into our house and stealing more things. *sigh* I wish it was sold already. A constant downer as we have to deal with banks, police reports, mortgage companies.. and still no work. I wish unto our "tenant" the same things he has brought us. 

 At some point.. I hope.. we catch a break. Until then.. I'll be making a jalapeno corer from an ammo shell, a bolt, and some nuts in the slice of heaven right next door.  

Of Beaks and Beans

 We had to seek refuge from the heat. In the high 90's, pushing 100 with air so humid it was smothering even before the sun rose. The dog was in utter misery and I was worried like crazy about the young chickens, so we went to the farm and turned on the AC. My husband packed some things from our house and spent the night there. He got heat stroke... in the house. I'll be surprised if any of my seeds in this house are viable.

 We've been pulling bowl after bowl of beans and a few tomatoes every day. A lot of tomatoes are still very green, and I am awaiting to see what some of my mystery tomato crosses will be. So far.. quite a mix. Seems the yellow pear has crossed with ???  The plants are covered in light bulb shaped tomatoes, but much bigger than the standard yellow pear parent, and they are still very green. I have to say... I am excited about the Goldman's Italian American tomatoes. Massive rippled tomatoes.. RIPEN ALREADY!!! Seriously not getting any younger here.

   Now.. July and August are when the tomato horn worms come out. To be quite frank, I totally wasn't even thinking about them. I wasn't even thinking to look for them until about a half dozen tomato plants totally disappeared to nothing but a stem. I'm still training the chickens.. (yes.. training them).. and so far behind on weeding, laundry and basic functions that checking on the tomatoes was pretty far down the list.
 The Japanese beetles are fabulous for chicken training treats. "Izzy" knows her name, so does "Karen" and "Kate" and "Roy".  The beetles appeal to the chicken's 5 senses.. crunchy and shiny. After shiny, not much else matters.

  I... armed to the teeth with my trusty never-to-be-used-again-for-people salad fork.. went to wage war in the pathetic tomato patch. You can sorta pop horn worms off if you *use the fooooork Luke... use the fooooork!* place the tines to get the last 2 sets of legs off the plant. These wriggling juice bags went right into a container to be fed to the chickens.

 These are the 3 amigos..

 Horrible picture of them, I know... but my husband had the camera. The crocs are worn strictly to torment the fashionista poultry. These 3 follow me everywhere. The brave, the daring.. they are the few that will go into the garden. So I didn't think much about these boogers when I was picking beans.. until I heard the squeals of excitement by the 3 little dorks as they went tearing back to the house. You could just hear what they were thinking.. "Omgomgomgomgomgomg lookit what I have!!!"

 When one of my chickens has something new.. it must show whatever it is off to the other birds. Their reaction determines if what they have is any good.. desirable... so the initial "run" plays out like the OJ car chase. Really slow, with everyone watching.. still processing what is going on.  If they know they have the goods.. break-neck speed right to the cop.. through the masses.. 

 They thought they had horn worms, until they got to the coop and paid attention to what they snapped up. Several minutes later they are back in the garden.. then sqeals as they zoom back to the house. It takes a chicken quite a few times to figure something out. About 1/2 a bowl full of beans before mine figured it out.

 If you like silence.. listen to Pioneer Preppy and do not get a guinea fowl. When they are content, it is like a bunch of 6 year olds with kazoos saying "Doot-dah-doo" over and over. When they are not making that sound.. they are screaming repeatedly. When you go inside to hide from their commotion, they seek you out and express their dislike of your relocation.. right after they crap on the patio.

  At first, a loud sound of any sort would surprise them into silence. Then they caught on and it would force me to reach for desperate measures... old songs.

 RAMA-LAMA-DING-DONG!!!!!!!!!!!   OOOOhhh   EEEEEE  OOOOhhh-AAAHHH AHHHH
TING TANG!!  WALLA WALLA !!! BING BANG!!!!

Then came disco...  oooowwp   ooowwp!  and imitations porn...  bow-chica-wow   No pride left.. I just wanted a few minutes of blessed silence. Nothing was safe, nothing was sacred.. songs learned in CCD to pop songs.. a nursery school song in German, advertising for dog food, theme songs to TV shows.. all fair game.

 No pride left I tell you. A fact I completely realize when I have to get them back into the temporary coop at night. When I hear myself mutter things like "please get in.. sleepytime.. please don't make me use the jazz hands..."

 The chickens meanwhile.. just hop right in.

Mulberry season

 Mulberries are in season. They ripen at different times and a little wind sends them dropping all about. The easiest way to harvest them is to spread out a large sheet and jiggle the branches. The fruit will drop mostly on to the sheet, unless a strong wind comes up or your hilarious spouse shakes the branch over your head while you are not paying attention. They are delicate and will stain the sheet, your hands.. and your carpeting should you forget to check your shoes.

 The darkest berries are good to eat fresh, juice, or jam. The slightly under ripe berries are a bit more tart and are good for baking (toss in muffins, cobblers, etc.) The white ones I'll toss into the compost. I'll be making juice, jam, syrup and cobbler. 

 Mulberry is one of my husband's favorites to snack on so he was quick to have found the better flavored berries. One tree behind the small house in town is particularly good flavored and sweet. Some of the trees on the bigger farm are incredibly tall and out of reach. No doubt he try to find a way to get some of those too! It took us maybe 30 minutes to gather these up. 

 Mulberry trees start producing fruit at about 10 years of age. If you want to try and grow some from seed, plant the mulberry drupe right after you pick it. The trees can be cloned, something to consider if you find a particularly tasty one.

 Here's a link to some nutritional information about mulberries. 

 The ones we are picking are the red mulberries. They are quite common around here and often considered a weed tree. Birds also like the berries (guess what color my chickens' beaks will be!).. and what goes in.. comes out with a purple vengeance. As in.. don't hang a laundry line near the tree! 

 My husband is thinking about making mulberry wine. I think he should. I also think he should try to make some mulberry vinegar! (Fig vinegar has to be my all time favorite, but I like various ones.)

Tossing more batteries into the charger.. I am hoping to get some chicken and farm pictures. I named many of my chickens after my friends. Granted.. I am now discovering that the names are a bit off, but I rather enjoy the fact that I have a hen named Dave.