Chillin in the circle garden

Clearly Edith is not phased by our presence as she is only about 5 feet away from our back deck when I took this. Glad she feels comfortable enough to lounge. Now if only I could train her to weed the gardens. No free rides at the farm!

Edible garden update part 2

Clunk !!. Ugh, As I write this Jacques is at it again this time with Ruby screaming at him. Even she has put aside her strong predator instincts to call him stupid. Man, that bird. I am surprised he has evaded natural selection for this long.

On to the vegetables.
The green beans have been producing for a little over a week. We pick them and Lynn steams them for two minutes, removes them from the heat and places them into an ice bath. From there they are toweled off(sounds like a spa treatment) and vacuum sealed(using the Foodsaver) where they are stored in the freezer for use throughout the fall and winter.

Um excuse me, get a room! I gotta eat those beans. Sheesh.

Next up are the onions:


Yellow

Red

Shallot

Summer squash. We planted a mix this year so every plant is a surprise. So far we have seen zucchini, yellow, and round zucchini which is ball-shaped.

We use cucumbers for pickling as well as the regular size cukes for salads and such.

We planted three types of beets. So far we have picked a regular red beet and a striped one.

Lynn made this delicious salad over the weekend Beet salad 

 Well that is all there is to update for now. Until next time...

Edible garden update part 1

Despite the ridiculous wet weather we have had, our fruit and vegetables seemed to survive. It was touch and go there for a while. We planted at the end of May and had nothing but rain in June. In fact it was so bad that I started to build an ark, then I remembered that I didn't know how. As you know, all plants need a combination of sun and water. The potatoes were under water for almost a week.(who knows how they will turn out, still too early for them)Thankfully, the last week or so has been amazing. A nice mix of sun and rain.
Anyhoo, I thought it was due time for a post or two on the harvest. If you are anything like I was, then you have never seen this stuff on the plant.

Fruit



We have been getting blueberries for the last three weeks. Early in the morning Lynn walks out to pick these and then bakes To die for blueberry muffins. Believe me, they are well named.

We are harvesting our second batch of strawberries

And the second batch of raspberries:

Raspberries look like warts as they are developing(pictured above). Not appetizing at all. They look contagious to me. But then they turn into this:

 And then the strawberries and raspberries turn into this:

Jamelly and jam. (Our strawberry jam has a lot of fruit on top and the gel on the bottom so we call it jamelly. All you have to do is mix it before using.) This year Lynn made the raspberry jam using the Kitchen Aid fruit and vegetable strainer. Thanks to my sister Dee's(who I have called MacGyver for years) recommendation last summer. The attachment is amazing in that it separates the seed and stems from the juice. Huge time and aggravation saver.

Last but not least we are awaiting the first of our blackberries. Here is a shot of an early berry.

That's all on the fruit front. Next post, vegetables.

A hint of Fall?

The last several mornings have been exhilaratingly cool – almost chilly feeling after weeks of sticky humidity.  The light even seems fall-like in the early morning with the lower riding sun peaking up over the eastern tree line.  Everyone’s mood seems to have improved.  Certainly Nora and I are relishing this refreshing crisp air.  But the animals seem to appreciate it as well.  The lambs have become more exploring of their vast pasture and show more reluctance to come into the barn in the evenings, although they can still be easily tempted with a flake of hay and a tickle under the chin for Jem.  The chickens fly out of the coop in the early morning and scatter around their yard with a lighter step.  Ruby makes herself comfortable on the steps outside the sliding door basking in the coolness. She in particular dislikes the intense heat of summer; and who can blame her with her ridiculously thick coat.  

I think we all feel revived and more energetic (well, okay, Ruby isn't looking real energetic in this photo).  I love fall, and I love feeling the anticipation that these last couple of mornings have produced – thoughts of chilly mornings, dew on the pumpkins, the smell of damp soil and fallen leaves, and the softer light on the reds, yellows and oranges of the foliage.  I can’t wait.

July flowers

The bees are lovin' the Dahlias

Sweet peas climbing the barn wood fence

Tall phlox in the foreground; and Jackmani clematis climbing the new trellis Jim built for me the other day.

A beauty of the non-flower variety -- Wilma D sunning herself

Circle garden -- tall phlox and Little Grape daylillies in foreground; white phlox and heliopsis in the background

A snippet of the new "hot garden" along the split rail fence -- all yellows, reds and oranges.  This is a combo of Rudbeckia hirta and Cardinal flowers, which haven't yet bloomed.

Special thanks to my personal photographer, Ms. Nora Lee, for all of her hard work in maintaining photo records of the ever-expanding gardens.

I know, I know more flowers please

I apologize for not posting pictures of Lynn's gorgeous flowers recently. I have an excuse though. One, the weather has been craptastic until yesterday, and two I am being stalked in my own yard.
That's right. Among these beautiful flower and vegetable gardens lurks a beast like no other. The name, Dark Venom. The game, instill fear in Nora whenever possible. I am often outside walking around our fields, gardens, etc. performing any number of tasks when out of the blue leaps a giant 6 foot long black mamba named Dark Venom.(In Lynn's mind this creature is about a foot long and is of the garden variety. but perception is reality, so remember that.) My heart stops every time. She is the master of surprise. I go out into the dog area and BAM, she is there darting in front of me forcing me to quickly abort my next step as though I am at the edge of a mountain afraid of falling off. Ugh. I go out to the vegetable garden and BOOM, she appears out of no where with her ludicrous lightening speed, once again darting in front of me. Laughing as she flits away. And it's one of those heinous, evil laughs like Ursula the Sea Witch. To the passerby I must look rather funny aborting steps here and there.
The other day I was helping Lynn in the sheep area. Who was there, waiting? Thankfully not Dark Venom, but one of her numerous young minions known as, Icky Fang. Lynn was quick to act and relocated IF to the woods. Whew, another close call. These numerous frightful encounters have put me on guard. I now hop over known Dark Venom hangouts. I wear protective footwear rather than comfortable sandals. I am always looking around at the ground when I walk now knowing that she is there. And she is, just waiting for her next attack. CURSE YOU DARK VENOM!!

Arbor Day

Ah, so what, it's not. But every day here is Arbor Day. Not only does Lynn enjoy fencing, she also has a penchant for arbors. Yeh, she's odd like that. Lucky for her, Jim is quite talented at building them. He uses cedar found in our woods and cuts, smooths, and grooves it all using hand tools. I am sure there are more appropriate terms for the work but I am woefully ignorant of them. His finished products are impressive as all get out. Take a look.

This one is located at the front of our house welcoming guests as they arrive. Would be nice if this thing would serve a drink or two as you walk through but hey, it's pretty.

Many of our visitors arrive in the back of our house so of course an arbor is required to welcome them. Lynn has this one covered in clematis. Adds a nice touch.

And finally, the arbor to nowhere. Seriously, I have no idea why she had him build this one. Maybe she was channeling Sarah Winchester,(look her up if you do not understand the reference) or maybe she was just in a mood. Who knows. It is like 10-12 feet tall and 6-7 feet wide. This leads out into our woods.

Video of Jacques

I finally captured the little fool on video. The quality is not the best but at least you can get the idea of what goes on repeatedly throughout the day.

Jacques le Imbecile

We have the cutest cardinal couple coming to the feeders. I would say they have been visiting for the last week and a half. I have named the male, Jacques(reason why to follow) and the female I just call Embarrassed.

Every day, multiple times a day, they come to eat from the cardinal feeder. Or rather Embarrassed comes to feed, Jacques, in all his manliness is there to protect his mate. I call him Jacques because he behaves just like the French at the castle in Monty Python's Holy Grail. If you have not seen this movie you are missing out. Jacques repeatedly attacks another male cardinal who, coincidentally, is at the feeder every time they show up. The other male is quite a formidable opponent. He has an uncanny ability to predict every move Jacques makes. He is able to counter all of Jacques moves effortlessly. It's as though he is somehow mentally linked to Jacques. How is this possible? Because it is Jacques. It is his reflection. That's right, several times a day he attacks himself in the bathroom window, or kitchen window. Some attacks leave him stunned for a bit so he rests, only to swoop in for another attack. Always foiled, always bruised, and yet does not stop. I can't help but hear the French accent coming out of him to his mighty foe similarly to the outrageous insults hurled by the one in the aforementioned movie. "You don't frighten us English Pig-dogs. Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you."

And so he continues to attack, day after day with his mate looking on in shame. She ignores him now, realizing that he is attacking himself, and goes about eating. But not without the look of "I can't believe I mated with this idiot. My poor children."

I have been trying to get his battles on video to no avail. I was able to snap a pic of him recovering after one of his fly-by sneak attacks of the garage window. Poor Jacques.

It'll be fine

That's what I have been saying for the last three days. I started a project on Thursday, or rather I hired people to start a project. I decided that it was in everyone's best interest if we were to run power and water out to the new sheep barn. Lynn poo-pooed the idea several times and, as usual, I ignored her protest and proceeded. Why am I so callous? Simple. Foresight. I know full well that on a day in January or February 2014 when Ms. Lynn heads out to the barn in -10 degrees while dark out at 5:00 a.m., she will be thankful that she is not lugging a bucket of water in complete darkness, only to freeze up while in the barn within 10 minutes.

And so I push through the complaints. From the dogs, sheep, and Lynn. Even the rabbits are shunning me. And here is a picture of why.

It's a 400 foot by five feet trench cutting through the dog area and up the sheep pasture to the barn. Okay, so it looks a bit ominous at this time. I have named it the Lee Canyon with the Fountain River flowing at the base. (Turns out we had a lot of H2O that kept seeping in the trench. Bummer. Two pumps, a few extra yards of sand, several hours, and the project picked up again.) Oh and the rocks. Or should I say boulders. Ha. There are plenty of them. Thankfully we have plenty of space in the woods to pile them. Well, again, not me, but my new peeps.

Speaking of them, my new best friend is our excavator Doug. He is 60 something, a former professional snowmobiler for Polaris, and has ridiculously mad skills on the mini excavator. We joked that he could play golf with it, but he probably could. And you will never believe what happened. Karma is everything kids. And let the following be a lesson in that.

Throughout this project I have been a very understanding and supportive client. I bought the crew donuts the other day and handed them out. I did not freak when we fell behind. I did not yell when I learned we were running a little over budget. I leant my precious Ranger to our beloved electrician Howard for this entire project, and even my Kubota if needed. I am a reasonable person when it comes to this stuff. I could see the water issue clearly, and the boulders. These things slow down a project.

This afternoon I was informed that the backfill was not going to take place. Ugh, another day of the sheep not grazing(they were 5 minutes away from uprising in a big way). Another day of walking the dogs out on leashes to the garden field and not letting them in and out as they like. And Lynn. I responded sympathetically to the news, thanked him for his candor, and mentioned that the sheep were about to open a can of whoopass but we would deal. With my head down, I proceeded back to the house, the walk of shame if you will. I had to let Lynn know the bad news. She was less than pleased but surprisingly was not violent, lol. I headed back out to ask about the water connection when Howard informed me that Doug(my new best friend and you will find out why soon) decided to stay longer(on this Saturday) to backfill the sheep area so the little cuties could graze. How awesome is that? So I went back in to share the news with Lynn. She was very pleased. I made a pitcher of iced tea and gave some to Howard and brought some out to Doug. While he was drinking, I was praising his abilities and asking him how long he had been doing this. Then, the most spectacular words came out of his mouth. "would you like to try her out?" at first I thought I was dreaming. I think I dropped the pitcher of tea in my excitement. he laughed and said "get on in". And so I did. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is a pic of her. I pulled back two piles of dirt for the back fill.

The moral of the story kids is, be reasonable, nice, and supportive and people will respond in kind. And maybe, just maybe, you will get to drive an excavator.

Off with their heads

Nora often expresses surprise at how violent gardening actually is.  She cringes in horror as I squash non-beneficial bugs between my fingers (we just got through the rose chafer phase, and this morning found the first of the Japanese beetles on the raspberries), ruthlessly prune and dead-head shrubs and flowers, and uproot plants altogether if I don’t like their appearance or placement.  But that’s gardening.

I try to explain to her that proper pest control (which requires hand-picking when you grow organic vegetables and fruit) and merciless pruning are necessary for a healthy, long-lasting garden.  When I manage to stay on top of the deadheading and pruning (and I have not this year as evidenced by the photos below), I can extend the bloom time on most of my summer perennials until the first hard frost in October.  In fact, I think the garden is at its best in late August and early September.

A very spent tea rose

Bee Balm gone wild.  Believe it or not, this clump began as two small plants last summer.  Monarda is avoided by many gardeners for this reason; it is highly invasive.  But I think it's beautiful and not surprisingly, the bees and butterflies love it.

Currently, I’m days behind in my deadheading duties.  The roses have dropped petals everywhere, the daylilies look shabby with their crumpled blooms, the catmint’s purple blossoms have washed-out, and the hardy geraniums have dropped their brilliant fuchsia flowers altogether and need a serious brush cut to encourage a 2^nd bloom in August.

On a bright note, the bee balm (monarda) and all of the various daisy-like flowers (heliopsis, cone flowers, shasta daises and rudbeckia) are in full bloom as of a couple of days ago, and the garden phlox is just opening.

In the vegetable garden, things are looking up.  Nora and I did a fair amount of weeding this past Sunday.  The cucumbers, squash and beans are flowering, and some of the beets and kale are ready for picking. 

On the berry front, the strawberries produced a decent amount in June, and are just beginning to flower again.  We have several varieties of everbearing strawberries, so they first produce in June and then continue, with a 2-3 week rest period, to produce throughout the summer and into early fall.  Although most descriptions of everbearing strawberries claim they produce the largest berries and largest crop in June, ours have always tended to produce more as summer progresses.  Jam production picks up dramatically by mid-late August.  As the June strawberry crop wanes, the raspberries and blueberries step it up.  I made the first batch of “to die for” blueberry muffins on Saturday (I’ll post the recipe later), and have been bagging and freezing raspberries for jam.

This morning's pick

July Stills

Posing hens

David Austin rose "Carding Mill"

More lilies

 

Hollyhocks - a cottage garden favorite

"Little Grape" Day Lilly (Hemerocallis)