A day away from the farm

Been back and forth between the farm and the home away from home.  The vegetables are all harvested from the fields, the last CSA delivery for the season has been made.  I have a day for relaxing............ and recovering from several days of being drug around the farm behind the rear tined hand tiller.

so I sat down in my old 50's bright orange couch

put my feet up

on my vintage drop-leaf chopped-off table....... 

but I can't sit for more than a minute 

IDLE

I needed something to do

so I

gathered up some small prints of my paintings

and the pile of fridge magnets I have been saving

 they come attached to the new phone books

that are delivered in the mail 

glued the prints to the tops of the magnets

set a pile of books on them until the glue was dry

cut out the individual tiny works of art

and placed them on the fridge

try this with your favorite photos, cards, inspirational or funny quotes, etc.

THEN

I grabbed the keys to the my ole 53' Ford and

drove to the local pumpkin patch and purchased 4 large pumpkins

(no, I don't grow my own at the farm in Beryl...my season is to short)

spent the rest of the day cleaning out the pumpkins and making

ROASTED PUMPKINS SEEDS

I made several flavors

and ate way toooooo many.

Kicked off my boots late in the evening

......it was a perfect day of relaxing

middle of nowhere

       Often I am asked, "Why do you live out in the middle of nowhere?".......far from the comforts of civilization and t.v. ................unless you pay for it.......which I don't  so I don't know all the tragic things happening, or the current trends, or who or what is the latest fashionable thing to do, to wear, or to copy.  I drop by the local library to post on my blog, and never take time to check the news or the weather.  I figure if I step outside and get wet it must be raining, my aching legs tell me 5 days ahead of a storm anyway.  Or if I smell frost in the air.......really I can....... I cover the tomatoes and turn on heat lamps and make sure the greenhouses are closed tight.   No, living out in the middle of nowhere is not an inconvenience unless you run to town 50 miles away and come home having forgotten to pick up what you went to town for in the first place........Yes I have done that more than once..........
       Years ago I discovered that if I sit down on the ground and look all around me, I cannot see any of the neighbors, they are hidden from my view by the stands of native sage brush and grasses. I am the only person in the world.........  I live in solitude, peace, and self reliance.  I farm the soil that grows my food, kings can do no more, but the best reason for living out in the middle of nowhere, second only to the kazillion stars that are overhead every night is the preclusion to their fiery, nightly show;  the sunsets that grace the sky every evening.  Sometimes I am too busy and forget to look up, there is just so much to get done before darkness sets in, but  generally I stop and breath in the beauty that surrounds me.  I watch the ending of a perfect day, the colors brilliant across the sky and then slowly fading into the muted tones of rest and rejuvenation.  The stars peaking out one by one until the sky is filled with dancing specks of light guiding my footsteps along beaten paths through the garden.  The plants close their leaves around them to keep warm through the chilly night.  The lizards that run around my feet during the day are lying quiet waiting for the sun to warm them as the morning breaks.  I hear the owls begin their nightly flight, the whoosh of wings as they hunt the creatures of the dark.  They roost in the trees above me, their hoo- hoo-- hooooo lulls me to sleep. The night hawks that hover close to the ground and the bats that find their way through the crops with their high pitched calls of direction accompany me through the gardens.

Why do I live out in the middle of nowhere?  To explain it....I can't, it is impossible to find the right words, they don't exist.   It is a feeling, a sense of total awareness, I am one with the wind, the moon, the stars, the seasons, the cycle of life and death,  I live out where I can truly believe, I can be true to myself, and..... I can watch the
                                                           sun set.........

I snapped this photo at the junction just as I was getting home from making a CSA delivery to town last Wednesday evening

TURNIPS

I quite often hear people comment that they don't like turnips.  I wonder to myself if they have tried them or just assume they are not tasty to eat.  Several years ago at my husbands' family traditional 24th of July celebration, I took a platter of veges from the garden.  I brought carrots, radishes, young beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and had peeled turnips, julienned  into thin pencil strips.   I had made a tasty radish and cream cheese  dip to accompany the vegetables.

.   Everyone was enjoying them (the turnips) until someone asked what the thin white things were.  Well, the minute I said "turnip",  everyone said "Ewwwww,  I don't like turnips", and quit eating them

Did you know the tradition of pumpkin carving was originally turnips that were carved?

On all-hallows eve hundreds of years ago the Celtic people of Ireland would carve out turnips, adding a face and filling with glowing embers.  They would be placed on doorsteps to keep away the evil spirits that wandered around on that night.  When the Irish came to America and discovered the native pumpkin (something they did not have in Ireland)  the use of turnips was replaced with the larger, easier to carve pumpkin.

Turnips have been in the CSA deliveries the past couple of weeks.

I enjoy turnips, peeled and eaten raw,

 or try roasting with small new potatoes, carrots, beets and parsnips.

  

mix root vegetables of similar sizes together

add onions and peppers

season well with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and ground sea salt

roast in a hot oven 400-425 degrees until vegetables are soft

try adding raw, peeled, and grated turnips to your favorite cabbage coleslaw recipe

Drying SAGE

Harvested sage today.  I usually harvest twice during the growing season.  The first harvest is in the spring just before the flowers bloom and then again after the summer growth in the fall.  Harvest in the morning after the dew has dried and before the sun brings out the volatile oils.  Rinse well, shake off additional moisture and dry thoroughly  in a dish towel.

Place sturdy rubber bands (instead of sting or twine) around the stems.   As the sage dries the bands will tighten around the stems, preventing them from falling out of the bundle.

hang bundles up to dry in a warm place 

you can also cover with a paper bag to prevent dust from the air getting onto the leaves

I like to hang a bundle right by my stove so I can add it easily while I am cooking

after sage leaves have dried, store whole leaves

(they last longer if you do not crumble them)

in a container that is dark and air tight 

I will store the dried sage in plastic bags in one of my copper containers 

Try using fresh sage in bread, cornbread, and biscuits

(look for recipes using sage in the recipe section of my blog)

The Brassicas Family

Brassicas----this family of vegetables takes it's botanical name  BRASSICACEAE from the genus-Brassica.  This family group contains Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials.  All produce the same characteristic flower, with the four petals arranged in a cross (another name for this family is Cruciferae).  They are grown for their leaves, buds, roots, stems or shoots.  They thrive in cool, moist climates.

Members of this family include:
Arugula
Asian mustard
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chinese cabbage
Cress
Kale
Kohlrabi
Minza greens
Radishes
Rutabagas
Seakale
Turnips
Upland cress

Brassicas prefer a moist, firm soil (they do exceptionally well in my clay soil, and cool weather).  They are heavy feeders so plant in an area precluded by a crop of peas or beans that have fixed nitrogen in the soil.  Brassicas make up a large portion of your garden so it is important to keep track of plantings and rotations to avoid diseases.

Here is a picture of the Brassicas family that lives on my beautiful, sustainable farm.

the CABBAGE family

papa cabbage

mama cabbage

and little junior

WHO or WHAT? a description of myself

People have been a bit curious about FarmHer JILL and so in this post I will try to tell you a little about myself.  If I were to use words (which are highly inadequate), I would say ODD, ECLECTIC, UNIQUE, ECCENTRIC, ADVENTUROUS,  maybe even a bit STRANGE,  off my rocker, missed the bus, a wacky sense of humor.  A long, long, long, time ago I came up with just one word to describe myself..............

artsyfartsyjunkycow-hippie

interpret that as you may, it is the best way I know how to describe myself, much to the embarrassment of my children.....hey," what are parents for?" I ask them.

Well, let me see if I can describe myself in words........

my eyes are blue

my hair is long, wavy brown with sparkly silver streaks

I always wear a hat

my hands are square

and strong

my face is round

and usually sunburned

I'm not tall or short

not thin or thick

my teeth..... chatter

my knees..... knock

my feet...... smell

my nose...... runs

my ears...... ring

I have charlie horses in my calves

and goose bumps on my arms

hum...... really makes ya wonder about me doesn't it

going for a ride in my 63 Red Freddy Ford

me and my handsome man team roping

Read this post for more information about

FarmHer Jill

Crusin' in my 53 Ford flatbed pick-up

First thing I did when I got up north (zipped up for a couple of days) was back my ole 53 FORD truck out of the garage and drove to the local thrift store.

I had left the farm early, about 4:00 a.m....... I am always up by that time so I might as well be driving. After about one and a half hours drive up the road I saw some tail lights ahead on the freeway that looked like my old Ford truck's tail lights.  Sure enough, as I slowly caught up to the vehicle I could tell it was an old 53 Ford pick-up.  I was amazed that he could travel freeway speed (75 mph) in that ole truck.  "I've got to stop and ask what kind of engine they put in it" , I said out loud to myself.

 The Beaver exit was just a few miles ahead, and if they take the exit I will follow them in and ask.  Well, they just cruised on by the exit (next exit was an hour up the road) so I followed along a while and then with places to go and a long trip yet, I passed and continued on my way.  An OLD FARMER was a drivin' that pick-up truck.  It was just getting light enough to see him through the window. He was a drivin' down the freeway in his OLD 53 green Ford Pick-up, wearing his bib-overalls and hat,  probably reminiscing of the days when he was a much younger fellow, a drivin' his NEW 53 Ford truck down the two lane road that has now been replaced by the freeway.  I wish I could  have stopped to hear his stories.

an old vintage belt buckle I use as a key ring

I'm back to the farm and today is CSA delivery day to St. George.  The fall gardens and greenhouses are producing nicely.  

Today I will have:

Butternut Squash

6-8 Acorn Squash

2 Honey Dew Melon

2 Cassaba Melon

2 Crenshaw Melon

Cantaloupe

Kale

Chard

Arugula

Turnips

Celery

EGGS

 5 lbs.Yukon Potatoes

3 lbs.Tomatoes

Peppers

Pomegranates from my sister Shelly's orchard

Over-wintering Geraniums

During the long, cold, dark days of winter, there is nothing I enjoy more than Geraniums happily blooming in a sunny window.

Now is the time to dig up the plants and place them in pots and move into the house.

Select a pot that has a hole for drainage, place a milk or coffee filter over the drainage hole in the bottom to keep the dirt from leaching out, or fill 2'' of gravel, rock, or broken clay pot pieces in a galvanized bucket or other pot of choice if it does not have a drainage hole.

Trim back the geraniums, but not to much.  

Remove the plants from the ground keeping as much soil around the roots as possible.  I mix equal parts of farm dirt with organic potting soil and then add a little compost or aged manure to the mix.  I have found that the purchased organic potting soil  does not sustain healthy plants so I always mix in my farm dirt and compost.  The soil can be a little on the heavy side.  This keeps the plants from drying out to fast.

Bring in plants of other perennial flowers and herbs, to enjoy over the winter.  Place in a sunny south-facing window for best results.  Trim often to prevent legginess.

Try herbs plants of oregano, rosemary, lavender, chives, sage, tarragon and other woody stemmed plants.  I have also successfully grown dill from seed in a windowsill.

Radish Pods

I purposely let some of my radishes go to seed so I can collect the seed pods to eat.  Most radishes are just a little to spicy for me (other than the french breakfast) so I prefer to eat the pods.  They are milder and sweeter than the radishes.  However, you will want to keep a close eye on them and pick before they turn pithy and the seeds have fully formed and matured.

Flowers and pods from White Icicle Radishes. (my personal preference for the pods) 

 You may let the pods dry on the stem and then harvest the seed for next year's crop.

I plant cherry belle, french breakfast, easter egg, watermelon, and winter radishes for eating. I set aside a spot for the white Icicle to set seed.  They can grow up to 4 feet tall and are beautiful when in flower.
The leaves of the radish are also editable, not intended solely  for the chickens or the compost pile.

Radishes mature in the early spring and late fall so this soup recipe is a good way to use the greens.

RADISH LEAF SOUP

6 TBS.  Butter

12c. radish greens coarsely chopped

1/2 LB. scallions diced

41/2c. water (or chicken stock for more flavor)

freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan melt 3tbs. butter over med heat.  Add radish greens and wilt down for about 4 minutes.  Add the water and boil until greens are cooked and tender, about 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Puree in batches for 2 minutes or until smooth.  Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste.  Gently reheat soup, adding remaining 3 tbs. butter.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and diced  fresh herb of choice

 (sage, chive, parsley or oregano)

Breaded Zucchini

This makes a quick breakfast or supper.

Simply slice Zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.

Dip into beaten eggs.

Coat both sided with crumb mixture. 

 I use rye flour and seasoned bread crumbs.

  Also I like rye flour and cornmeal. 

 Use equal parts of each.

Fry in butter on a cast iron griddle.

Cook until golden brown.  Add butter to skillet as needed.

This is a breakfast I like to fix for myself when I come in from working in the gardens. I just pick a fresh squash on my way down the lane.   I use 2 beaten eggs to dip the Zucchini in and then pour the remaining eggs into the skillet after cooking the squash.  Scrambled eggs with breaded zucchini and a fresh cucumber is one of my favorite meals.  

GLAMPING

Well, what do you do when you rent out "the little red house"?   You move Rosie,  my little vintage camp trailer, into a secluded spot on the farm  and set up camp.  Only one problem, she is not self contained.   I have always wanted an outdoor bath, and have been collecting items for it for years.  I had  big plans of a quirky building to house the facilities, and an attached sun room to draw in the heat with hoses or pipe in the roof to collect  hot water.  But when necessity calls you put something up quick.  So it was off to the lumber pile and a few hours of work and this is my dream come true........well, maybe not quite what I had in mind, but it will work dandy.

moved  ROSIE into the trees
(see an earlier post-- Rosie gets a face lift--- of her recent remodel)

made a table out of an old slat door

an old dining hutch filled with dishes, utensils and bowls

and an umbrella make a fine kitchen

Rounded up what lumber we could find,

big grow boxes placed next to each other formed the foundation,

and the port-a-potty used 17 years ago when we first lived on the farm.... in a tent,

thick gold draperies from the thrift store

a window

a wooden shelf

and hauled the claw foot tub I have kept for just such an occasion.

WA-LA

Gathered up the old glass decanters I have found over the years.

I'll make some beautifully colored bath salts, bubble bath, and bath oils

to fill them with.

Yes, necessity is sometimes the best reason

this will certainly do

Lots' a RAIN

We have had unseasonably warm weather accompanied by rain.  Lots' and lots' of rain (almost daily for the past 3 weeks).  Standing water everywhere.  I haven't had to water my gardens  at all.   The plants look beautiful and the weeds are as tall as trees.

One day I threw a coat over my head and went for a walk in the gardens.  Didn't get far before slipping in the slick mud and crashing to the ground.  I saved the camera and didn't drop it in a puddle, however by not using my hands to stop the fall, this ole lady has a few bruises.

The hens gladly came out for their food, however no amount of coaxing with fresh hay, could get the goats to poke theirs noses' out from under the shed.

All the plants are producing well and if I squeak by without a frost I may even get a cantaloupe to ripen on the vine.  I try every year but the end of August frost usually gets me.  With all this constant cloud cover it has stayed wonderfully warm.  The Armenian Cucumbers (pictured above)  have especially appreciated the moisture.

Now that I don't have to spend my days watering, I guess I can sit in my chair and watch the weeds grow. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kale

Kale is a member of the Brassica family.  It is a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, the B-vitamin folic acid, and beta carotene.  It is also exceptionally high in carotenoids, including zeaxanthin and lutein, which are powerful antioxidants.  It is a great source of calcium and magnesium and other trace minerals.
Kale is a wonderful fall crop,  it is sweetened by a frost or two.  It is quite hardy and will last well into the winter.
This year we have grown several varieties of kale here on the farm, the Dwarf Blue,  an Italian heirloom 'Lacinato', and Red Russian.

As the harvest increases with the cooler weather you might try a few of these recipes.

KALE CHIPS

cut kale into 2 inch squares

toss with olive oil and salt

place on a baking sheet

crisp in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes

(try using broccoli or cabbage leaves also)

KALE AND BEAN SALAD

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion diced

1 bunch of kale leaves, stripped from stems

1 small cabbage chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2c. chopped parsley

1 cup cooked navy beans (plus 1 cup cooking fluid)

Cook beans until tender.  I usually do this the night before.  Chop all vegetables.  In a large skillet, heat oil, add the onions and cook until soft. Add the kale, cabbage, garlic, parsley and salt to taste.  Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are reduced, about 30 minutes.  Add the beans and 1 cup of cooking liquid.  Simmer until the beans are heated through and the greens are completely tender.  Serve over or alongside garlic toast. 

CREAMED KALE

A Danish dish to serve with pork
(this recipe is not for the faint of heart)

2 pounds of KALE
4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. flour
1c. milk
1c. light cream
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
salt and pepper

Cut off the tough stalks and cut the kale into bite sized pieces.  Wash and drain.  Put the kale in a sauce-pan and cover with water.  Sprinkle with salt and cook about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and drain.  Make the sauce by melting butter in a large cast iron skillet.  Add flour and stir until well blended.  Add milk and cream.  Stir constantly until thick and smooth.  Add the kale.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

FREEZING KALE

steam or blanch in boiling water

plunge into ice water to halt the cooking process

place in a colander to drain, bag and freeze

use in place of recipes calling for frozen spinach

DRYING KALE

cut into 2 inch pieces

place on drying rack

dry until brittle

I crumble up the leaves and store in a glass jar

add to soups and vegetable dips


What's your favorite to serve KALE?



JILLY, where have you BEAN?

Awe-shucks, I was afraid you were going to ask.  I haven't posted much lately because...... Well as you know by now I spell out the words that I don't like to say out loud so .......I have been......

 

 

M-O-V-I-N-G

 

Not just once, but TWICE!

 

The people renting the mobile home left in the middle of August, and my sister and her adorable family (who live in MN) were here in the valley visiting family.  I happened to mention that the people were moving from the mobile home at the farm and knowing they wanted to come back this way, I said I would be willing to rent it to them.  They mulled it over for a day and decided that yes they would move in.  Then I mulled it over for a day and decided to let them rent the Little Red House instead.  You see I am needing to rent it eventually and I would rather have my sis and her cute bunch of kids (6), and her kind husband than anyone else in my Little Red House so........the middle of August I moved out  of the Little Red House moving everything (15 years of accumulation) into the mobile home...... and then I will be moving out of the mobile home in a few days for new renters.  I live out in the middle of nowhere, so to have a yard sale is not an option (we usually sell almost everything we have before moving).   So,  I have been packing and hauling boxes filled with stuff (junk)

 for the past few weeks.

As I load yet another load of belongings in the small 8 foot trailer to drag 50 miles to a storage unit, I am reminded of THOREAU'S writings about our worldly possessions. 

 

"What man but a philosopher would not be ashamed to see his furniture packed in a cart and going up county exposed to the light of heaven and the eyes of men, a beggarly account of empty boxes!  I could never tell from inspecting such a load whether it belonged to a so-called rich man or a poor one; the owner always seemed poverty-stricken.  Indeed, the more you have of such things the poorer you are.  Each load looks as if it contained the contents of a dozen shanties; and if one shanty is poor, this is a dozen times as poor.  Pray for what do we move ever but to get rid of our furniture, our exuviae; at last to go from this world to another newly furnished............"

 

and he goes on to say

 

"When I have met (a man) tottering under a bundle which contained his all-- looking like an enormous wen which had grown out of the nape of his neck-- I have pitied him, not because that was his all, but because he had all THAT to carry."

 

Henry David Thoreau

from his book, WALDEN

 

 

I AGREE!

Poor, poor, pitiful me.

I have way to much stuff

it makes moving really ruff.

I should just pile it high

strike a match

 and watch the flames reach the sky.

 

But no,

we hang onto our things

thinking they will fulfill our dreams

we drag them here

we drag them there.

Only to be burdened down

with possessions that own us

as we move from town to town.

 

 

Maybe we should re-evaluate our needs

and only carry upon our backs

a hoe, a shovel and a packet of seeds.

A smile on our face,

 and a pocket full of integrity.

Showing kindness to all we meet

as we move from place to place. 

With nothing but our treasures

stashed within our heart and mind

moving wouldn't be so bad

I'm sure we'd surely find.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\

Native Sunflowers

The Native Sunflower can be found along road-ways, in vacant lots, growing wild where ever the birds drop it's seed, it especially likes clay soil, and can be found growing in my garden.

 

 

 The sunflower

smiles down upon my cabbages. 

 It spreads it's roots among the cucumbers and stretching out it's leaves,

 it shades the tender vines. 

 It shares it's seeds

 with the many birds that eat

 the bugs munching on the crops at the farm.

The sunflower seeds we enjoy eating today came from the lowly wild, native sunflower.

  Through selective saving of seed over many, many years

 the size of the sunflower and seeds were greatly increased to what we now recognize as the Mammoth or Giant Sunflower..

Helianthus annuus

Helios is the Greek word for Sun.
Sunflowers prefer full sun and will grow in any soil,
 except one that is light and well drained.  They are very tolerant of heat and can get by
with very little water.

Let this flower have a spot in your garden.  It will reward you with bouquets for your table.  Provide shade for heat intolerant plants.  Attract bees that will pollinate your crops.  It will easily self sow for
future years.  And my favorite reason for letting the sunflower grow in my garden is simple,  "It makes me smile".