Rhubarb

This spring, in early MAY,  I transplanted Rhubarb from the little red house down to the farm.

Generally it is recommended by.... (quite frankly I don't know whom)..... to wait until the second year

to harvest lightly and then the third year it is ready for a heavy harvest.

Well, I am too impatient to wait for three years so I harvested some for market today.
 No I did not wait for 2 or 3 more years, why?

 

Let me explain,

I lined the path to the greenhouse on both sides with the small pieces of root mass from the parent plants.  Added some  Gourmet Goat Garden Garnish ,  that we age and compost down for several years,  and then covered with hay the picky goats refused to eat.

Watered well and this is what happened.

 

 

Looks like an ordinary rhubarb leaf, but sometimes looks can be deceiving.......

I wanted to show you a picture of how large they had grown, but the picture didn't do it justice.

 

 

so I put my square, stubby fingered, farmer's hand in the photo to help

you get a perspective of the size of the plants, but that still didn't give you an accurate account

of the growth......so I used my favorite measuring tool that I always carry with me.....

 

My Shoe!

 

If you will recall from earlier posts it is often found sitting on squash or other vegetables

to help you see the growth and progress of the vegetables here at our little farm.

 

Yep, I will be picking Rhubarb for market and CSA shares

over the next few weeks, not in a couple of years from now!

 

 

 



Farm Fences

 

A farm fence always tells a story.  Here are a few of ours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers, grasshoppers, a flyin' in the air.

Grasshoppers, grasshoppers, are crawling in my hair.



Grasshoppers, grasshoppers, stickin' to  my clothes.

Grasshoppers, grasshoppers, a clingin' to my nose.



Grasshoppers, grasshoppers,..... get me out of here!

Grasshoppers, grasshoppers, not til the job's done, I fear.


GRASSHOPPERS,  GRASSHOPPERS

 in the air,

GRASSHOPPERS,  GRASSHOPPERS

 in my hair,

GRASSHOPPERS,  GRASSHOPPERS

 in my cloths, and

GRASSHOPPERS, GRASSHOPPERS

 on my nose.

GRASSHOPPERS, GRASSHOPPERS,   EVERYWHERE!

GET ME OUTA, OUTA, OUTA,  HERE!




If  Willy Nelson was a rapper I would give him the permission to record this and give the proceeds to the society against grasshoppers .......if there is one...........if not lets' make one!

 The year of the grasshopper was a disaster.  Every where you looked the hoppers were munching away at the new growth on every one's farm.  You would walk and the ground would move under your feet in tiny waves of brown, spotted, clicking, hoppers.  We had spent the long, hot, summer days on the ditch bank and in the fields with shovel in hand smashing the ugly, jumping insects until our shovels were covered in a thick, blackish-brown, tar-like slime.  The grasshoppers were different than the hordes of crickets we sometimes get.  The hugh crickets eat and migrate on, where-as the grasshoppers eat, lay their eggs in the farm dirt, eat until they die and the cycle starts over.

It was in the early seventies.  My younger sister and I were cutting the hay fields.  We used an old New Holland, 8 foot head, open (no cab or roof) swather.  I loved driving that little machine.  It had  two stick handles  to drive it.  Push both handles to engage it to go forward , pull back to stop while using the  brake pedal.    If you wanted to turn left, you would apply the  brake,  pull the left stick back while pushing the right stick forward.  Vice-versa for a right hand turn.  Man, that swather could turn on a dime!  Ya, it would spin in a circle too!-----DON'T TELL MY DAD

Cutting a 100 acre patch of hay would take 3 to 5 sun up to sun down days.  We had several hundred acres to lay down that year. As we  swathed through the hay, the grasshoppers would fly up from the ground just high enough to land directly on us as we drove down through the fields.  Grasshoppers have barbs on their feet that attach and hold fast.   UGH..............they would land on us and begin crawling on our skin or in our hair.  The most disturbing were the ones landing on our faces and crawling in our ears.  Trudy and I would take turns, each of us cutting as long as we could stand the bugs.  Finally after days and days the cutting was done.   BUT........along comes Uncle Leo who had a section he needed cut and would the "girls" be willing to cut it.  (Uncle Leo had about 5 boys who could of cut his field, but for some reason us girls got to do it.)  The grasshoppers were extremely thick at his field.  They flew up in a thick cloud and landed all over us.  It was awful!  To this day I loath, no that is not a strong enough word, I HATE grasshoppers.  ( I obviously have a liking for crickets however)  In fact I dislike  grasshoppers so much they have a bounty on their heads at the farm. " Spare no mercy!" I inform the kids.  I still shutter today when I hear the click-a-ty-clack of a flying grasshopper............
                                    and I grab my shovel and start swinging!

Farm Babies

Western King bird or as we call it around here

Fly Catcher

This mama was carrying her brood around on her back

 when my son discovered her and scooped them up and put them in the jar

(just long enough to show me and then I made him promptly let them go---far, far away....)

A young fledgling dove that was raised over head of my sun room office

newly hatched chicks--odds are they will all be cockerels

(my babies now all grown and flown the coop)

robins

first steps

horned toad

adorable baby cotton tail rabbit-----until they start munching the lettuce and beans---

then they aren't "so cute"

a new batch of "Poly-frogs" as we call them here at the farm

sunning themselves on a rock

the toads are raised in the small pond at the little red house and then transferred

to the greenhouses and gardens

A Day to Celebrate

Today I want to say just a few words

 about this wonderful country we live in.....

A land of refuge,

a privilege of freedom, 

the blessing of choice.

The right to have pride in one's community,

and the opportunity to make it better

by being an active citizen and contributing good

  through hard work, honesty, and integrity.

 By appreciating the beauty around us,

 respecting and honoring the bounties of the earth,

we can make a difference. 

I am grateful for those who have sacrificed for my freedom.

In return I will  appreciate:

  opportunities I am given,

 the right to Worship,

my home,

 the land I farm,

 and the privilege to make

choices.

I AM

 ( blessed, grateful, proud, honored)

 TO BE AN AMERICAN

5 Reasons

I'll   NEVER have one of those fancy-smancy, cutsie-wootsie, adorable, blogs about gardening like so many talented people have.   Not going to happen around here, and here are my 5 good reasons why I won't.

#1.  I don't have time, instead of spending a little, short amount of time in a postage-stamp size garden (something I will some-day have if I can figure out how to only plant 3 Zucchini plants instead of 800),  I am spending all my time in my  acres and acres of garden and so little time on the computer.  Instead of writing (well maybe I do a little) about gardening, I am out puttering (which involves lots and lots of work) in the garden.

#2.  I don't know how, you see I belong to the over the hill gang.  I barley could sit through a half year of type while I was in High School.  It was more than I could handle sitting on that hard chair with my feet placed just so, my back straight, and my neck cranked to one side to see the word's in the bright orange,odd shaped type book.  The constant click, click of the typewriter keys and mumbling under my breath when trying to go too fast and the key bars would become a jumbled mess, and worst of all was the constant ding as you came to the end of the row.  Ding, reach up and catch the lever that advances the crisp, white sheet of paper, and sends the roller in the opposite direction, all while trying not to knock the whole heavy apparatus off the table.  And if you made a mistake, well just too bad, either white it out or start over with a new sheet of paper.  Whew, I got out of that class as soon as possible.  (And to think my mother wanted me to be a secretary).  Computers weren't even invented back then.... 

#3.  I have lousy Internet service,  not anyone's fault but the W-I-N-D-'S.  It blows a hundred miles and hour out here and just blows away my signal along with the neighbor's cat!  My cell phone doesn't work half the time either, so if it is important to contact me, you better send along a letter, I check the mail at the corner, a couple of miles away, at least once a month!

#4.  I ain't smart, or beautiful and would rather tax my brain on something more interesting, like how do I keep the mice out of the little red house, or trying to out smart the chipmunks who insist on eating all my squash seeds after they are planted and germinate.  (Which I did with just a 5 gallon bucket full of water) 

#5.  I just don't wana,  there are to many places to discover,  trails to hike, painting's to paint, seeds to plant, weeds to pull, rows to water, veges to harvest and put up, and sunsets and sunrises to watch.  So folks, you'll never see any of that fancy-smancy stuff here.  NO-SIREE!
OH, I guess I do have one more reason:
#6.  My final reason, I just don't wana because, I don't know how, and I ain't smart enough to figure it out.    My internet service is lousy, and I just plain don't have the time.



Summer CSA Shares Available

We have several openings for our summer shares.  Deliveries are to St. George on Wednesday evenings at the Real Food Health Food store on 700 south, Thursday mornings in Cedar City, and farm pick-up Thursday evenings.  Our farm stand will be opening soon.

Our spring shares have been filled with a good variety of produce

delicious, beautiful,broccoli has been

 in the share for the past 3 deliveries

green beans and several varieties of summer squash from

my Sister Shelly's garden

the best, deep yellow yolked EGGS from my

very spoiled hens

herbs:  sage, thyme, cilantro

tomatoes, cucumbers, rhubarb,

lots of greens:  mixed lettuce, spinach, chard, arugula,

mustard, broccoli leaf

Sweet Sugar Snap peas

and shell peas

several varities of radishes

and MORE

the SUMMER season is filled with a large variety of produce,

 all your summer favorites

season starts July 3rd

our first delivery for the spring season

To join just give me a call

a monthly pay schedule is available

info is in the orange box to the right

RHUBARB is available for delivery to St. George

 $3.00 a one pound bundle

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Harvested my first garlic head for the season.  I would have shown you a picture, however I promptly took it home and ate it, but I stopped along the way to pick a sack full of fresh spinach.  Rinsed the spinach while sauteing the chopped garlic in butter, removed the golden brown garlic and added the  drained and chopped spinach.  Wilted the spinach down and removed from the pan.  Added a little flour to the garlicky melted butter to make a rue and then added an 8 oz. package of cream cheese.  Melted the cream cheese and  added a big spoon full (1/2 c.) of sour cream, a spoonful of mayo, and a 3/4 c. of grated Parmesan cheese ( or use a cheese of your preference).  Stirred over warm heat until all the cheeses were melted.   Added 2 small cans of artichoke hearts (drained and cut), the wilted spinach and garlic.  Stirred this all together and popped it into the oven for 20-30 minutes. Browned thick slices of crusty bread on a cast iron griddle using lots of olive oil.  Served with tomatoes and cucumbers from the greenhouse to offset all the fattening cheese.  Whew, going to have to work really hard the next few days to account for all those calories, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!!!!!  Good thing we had company so there was only one helping each.
  ( and Yes, I used my fine un-matching china).

A Sink Full of Dirty Dishes

After listing my old farm-house, country kitchen sink for sale it got me to thinking about doing dishes.  In my Grandmother's small kitchen, above her old enameled, white, sink, with a drainboard, hung a poem about dirty dishes.  I read it often as I munched on freshly baked bread right out of the oven.  Grandma would call us and say she had just finished baking and to come over for a piece of, still warm from the oven, bread.  Now mind you she didn't cut the loaf the traditional way, instead she would slice the loaf in thick pieces lengthwise.  Slather butter all over it and pour a good helping of molasses over top.  I can still smell and taste her bread almost 40 years later.  I always asked for the hill (side) because I like the crust the best.  I was the only one who liked the crunchy outside so there was never an argument over who got it.  She also made the most delicious doughnuts!

In my crazy farm life, up and down the road life, not enough hours in the day life, even though I only sleep 3 hours a night life, I still insist on using the best, un-matching, thrift store fine china I own.  I decided long ago that my family was "THE BEST COMPANY I COULD EVER HAVE", so every meal is eaten off real plates, with fancy footed glasses, silverware, and a table cloth on the table.  Yes, sometimes late at night-----11:00 p.m.------- when we are dragging in from a day spent, weeding, milking, watering, and chores, I think to myself," You must be out of your mind (which all of you know I am by now) to dirty a bunch of dishes when I could just use paper plates, cups and plastic utensils.  Well, I am either awful stubborn or a glutton for punishment, because there will not be paper plates on my table no-siree!

The kids sometimes groan when it is their turn to wash (by hand of course) and I just smile and quote a little poem I learned in my grandma's cozy kitchen oh so many years ago.

THANK GOD FOR DIRTY DISHES;

THEY HAVE A TALE TO TELL.

WHILE OTHER FOLKS GO HUNGRY,

WE'RE EATING VERY WELL.

WITH HOME, AND HEALTH, AND HAPPINESS,

WE SHOULDN'T WANT TO FUSS;

FOR BY THIS STACK OF EVIDENCE,

GOD'S VERY GOOD TO US.

(wish I had that old plack a hanging on my wall)

a dish drainer filled with beautiful, colored, vintage, stemware

after a wonderful, unexpected, dinner with family and friend's who happened to drop by

 I did wish, for just a moment,

 that I had some paper plates stashed away in a cupboard somewhere........ 

or a dishwasher------

but, a sink full of dirty dishes is a blessing,

a reminder of meals shared together and

evidence that family is cherished

besides,

 doing dishes is the only way I can get the farm dirt out from under my fingernails

and the green stain from weeding and trimming tomatoes off my hands.

SO,

LET'S EAT REAL, HOME-GROWN FOOD......

 ON REAL PLATES!

Farm House Vintage Sink

I don't want to, but sometimes you have to let go of your dreams because reality gets in the way.  I am offering up my vintage farm sink for sale.  It is in good condition.  There are a few dings in the sink that could be re-enameled if wanted and a little rust on the metal cabinet.  I wonder about the stories these old sinks could tell.  I imagine the women, all strong women, standing along side washing dishes with an apron tied around their waist.  They hum as they wash dishes, looking up, they glance out a big window,( with billowy, white curtains) installed above the sink into their well manicured garden.  After the breakfast dishes are done,  they wander through the beautiful, perfect, not a weed in sight (it looks that way in my imagination) and pick the ripened vegetables, dropping them into their apron held up by the corners forming a bag of sorts.  Standing on tip toes to dump the vegetables into the sink, they wash away the dirt before preparing a beautiful, 3 course, home-grown  evening meal.  They accomplish this without a hair out of place, not a run in their stockings, wearing a conservative heel, and a perfectly fitted, zippered back, print dress. (Glad I didn't live back in those days!)

I have one of these sinks and cabinets installed in the mobile home at the farm. 

 I, for lack of better words,

 LOVE IT!!

The drain boards on each side of the double sink allows for extra work space, and a place for a drying rack.  You can plop down a bunch of fresh picked beets and just wash away the dirt.  You have one drainboard for dirty dishes, a sink to wash in , a sink to rinse in, and a drainboard to dry on.

I do have another double sink just like this, that I will be installing in the little red house when we remodel the kitchen, I have just decided that I won't be needing this particular sink anymore.  I wanted to put it out in the garden for  a vegetable wash station, but I have decided against building one now, so the sink needs to go.

Radish Report

     

I should have been a weatherman.  I can smell frost in the air even if it is 2 o'clock in the afternoon and it's 70 degrees outside.  I knew frost was coming last night.  Had I gotten in too big of a hurry and planted my tender plants, cukes, beans, squash etc. too soon?  The beans and squash have just set on the second true leaves and are a couple of inches above the ground.  I plant the squash deep in the hollow of the row to help protect it.  The beans are intensely planted in wide rows and are more susceptible to frost. The cukes are just barley breaking ground so they should be fine.  As I walk the gardens this morning the beans leaves are covered with a thin layer of ice, but the stems are not frozen.  They should be o.k. I hope.  The hoses are frozen, but I can't start water until until it warms up anyway.  Today I will be planting the fall crops, turnips, parsnips, more beets, kale, found another bag of potato seed so I will plant a few more potatoes.  The small greenhouse has lost it's plastic covering so I will plant it with more greens and cover the arches with shade cloth.  It's Monday, a new week, my agenda is full of projects for the boys and I to accomplish, life is good!

TUMBLIN' TUMBLEWEEDS

 

Here's what greeted me as I drove into the driveway at the little red house.  Welcome to Beryl where the wind blows a hundred miles an hour (it really does) and it fills up your house with sand and your driveway and walkway with tumble weeds blown in from the fields.

I hear you can sell them.  Well, actually a few years ago, I spray painted a bunch of them in beautiful, bright colors (pink, yellow, purple, light blue) and GAVE them away at market.  ( Humm, I have a can of spray paint, I'll paint one and post it as soon as this blasted wind stops blowing).  Right now, I am offering them FREE to anyone who wants to come out to the farm and get them!

 

This is the pathway looking out the front door.

 

about 6 feet deep!

 

 

So we did the only thing possible with this many weeds.

 

 

 

but the next day the W-I-N-D blew them all back............

and the next day the wind blew them all back.......

and the next day...........

 

 

 

Hey, all you old fogies, who was the name of the group of singers that sang Tumblin' Tumbleweeds?

My grandpa was a fan and we'd listen to a tape of them all the time riding in his big ole

 Red Cadillac.  They also sang, "Ghost Riders in the Sky", but I can't for the life of me remember who they were.  If ya know please leave me a comment, and I'll send ya a beautiful

 spray painted tumbleweed!

(but only if ya want one)

available for U.S. delivery only

 

 

 

 

Knock me over with a chicken feather

"Really", I turned and asked Glen when my name was called. Waiting for a few seconds (seemed like minutes) to see if anyone else had the same name as mine, but no one else stepped forward so I decided it must be me.  "Really", it can't be me I thought as I made my way to the front of the art museum to claim my prize.   There must be some mistake.   I was still in a state of shock as I shook the curator's hand as she handed me over a check for FIRST PLACE in the theme oil painting "LEATHER AND LACE" for the 24th annual Outlaw Trail Juried Art Show in Vernal.  Entries are accepted from anywhere West of the Mississippi River.  It is the first juried show I have entered,  I painted, on a large24"x30" canvas, a gardener's view of the theme and my amazing husband built me a beautiful frame to go around my painting.  I clear stained the decorative edge that would be next to the painting, stained the outer edge dark brown and painted grey over the stain and then sanded away some of the paint.  I wanted to give it the essence of looking out a window and seeing this on the neighbor's back steps.   I almost didn't enter it.  I felt a little embarrassed to even think of entering a juried show and didn't fill like my painting was good enough.

"Are you all right" the curator asked me, "You have a funny look on your face".
 I replied "Oh, just in a state of shock".  Yes, you could have knocked me over with a chicken feather!

  My typical reserve, never afraid in the face of danger, totally went out the window.  My knees were shaking and I honestly thought I would pass out. Somehow I managed to collect the check and make it back to where my handsome man was standing without landing in a heap on the floor.  I am shaking right now even thinking about it.  I wasn't even going to make the trip back up north to attend the artist reception and awards ceremony, but at the last minute I decided to go.  So I hopped in good ole Wilma and away we went.  The boy's would take care of the farm while I was gone.

 I still can't imagine why I won, the only thing I  can think of is, the judge ( a professional artist from SLC) must be a gardener too:-) 



yes, it's blurry
I haven't learned how to use my new camera



 Thank you
Uintah Arts Council
for the opportunity to participate in your annual show
and especially for the unexpected
honor.


 

 

 

PLANTING SEEDS

Every year we save our seeds to plant for the next season's crops.

  The miracle of planting a tiny seed

and harvesting

 a beautiful red beet,

 or a vibrant multi-colored squash

takes my breath away. 

CHARD

ATOMIC RED CARROT

ARUGULA





LETTUCE

The gardens are in.  This past week has been crunch time.  I have about a 3 day window to get all the tender vegetables planted.  I need to wait until the soil warms up enough, but on the other hand, I can't get in to big of a hurry because I still have 2 weeks of frost.

Next week I will be starting seeds in the greenhouse for my fall harvest of Cole crops 

and planting the fall root crops out in the field.

As I plant I can taste the sweet carrot and the earthy essence of the golden beets.

I can smell the slight waif of pumpkin pie on the breeze.

I remind myself not to get to anxious for the harvest and enjoy the growing journey. 

 Each new day brings new growth and the beauty slowly unfolds before my eyes.

I sit in my old wooden swing under the tree and watch the garden grow.

Yes, there is a mighty, mighty miracle in those tiny, tiny seeds. 

I ain't smart or beautiful

So, I can rope a cow, hog tye a hog, throw a bale of hay, shovel all day long, drive an old standard pick-up truck, back up a horse trailer through a narrow alley, and drive a tractor.  I can milk a cow, or goat, ride a horse bareback, and shoot somethin' for supper.  Make bread and fix things when they break, but one thing's for certain,

                                                  I SURE AIN'T SMART!

 

I decided long ago that all that book learnin' was not for me.  Now don't get me wrong, I have read almost every classic book written, and my favorite authors are John Steinbeck and Willa Cather.   I have a large selection of poetry books; Wadsworth, Frost, Whitman etc., so I can read, but I can't write worth a hoot.  My grammar is pathetic, spelling is even worse, never a coma in the right place, sentences that are too long or to short.

Math, now that is Greek to me.  Never did understand  about the whole two negatives make a positive.  If you are multiplying a -50 and another -50, how does that make it a +2500 .  Couldn't wrap my brain around that concept until....... I had my first youngin'.

You see, I am a homely ole farm gal and my husband wouldn't ever win no beauty contest either, so I just figured that we'd have homely kids just like us.

Well, imagine my surprise when I had this beautiful baby girl who looked just like the Gerber Baby, everybody said so.  And ever one of my youngin's turned out beautiful or handsome.  And it's not just cuz I'm the mom that I think they look mighty fine.  My graduating son was just voted by his class........

 "could even make a potato sack look good"

 

Anyhow it got me to thinkin'...... two negatives make a positive.........  Still didn't make any sense using numbers, but the way  I figured it, two uglies', or homelys' make a beautiful or handsome, so it would only make sense that two "ain't so smarts"  would make very intelligent youngin's.

 

Yep, my little feller is a graduating at the top of his class as VALEDICTORIAN

(his older brother did also)

and he also received the "COUGAR CREST" award, an award presented by the faculty to  whom they feel is an exceptional student and individual.

 

 

 

CONGRATS!

feller on a job well done,

 

 

 

Nope, I certainly ain't smart or beautiful, but that don't bother me none.