Last night was our first frost. Not until late last night did I notice on the news that there was a frost advisory, and by then I just decided it was too late. I was going to cover the grape plant and blueberry plants and put the tomatoes to hang indoors to ripen. Oh well. Actually the Grape and blueberries seemed to fare well and just might stay green a while longer. The grass actually crunched under my feet as I walked to let the chickens out of the hen house thismorning so it was quite a heavy frost. And surpisingly, the tomatoes look fine! I am going to pull them anyways and see how they end up.
My hubby's aunt and uncle have been pulling bushels of peaches from their trees and offered us as many as we can deal with. I took three grocery sacks full. You can imagine what I've been up to for the last couple of days! Actually, it's funny how, once the fruit is pitted and sliced, there seems to be so little. I canned 11 pints of sliced peaches and have just enough peaches left over to hopefully get a couple pints of syrup. Does anyone have a good peach syrup recipe to go over pancakes? I am hoping to go get some more peaches from them if the the freeze didn't get hit them. I would like to make some peach jam as well.
We lost a chicken. We we didn't actually loose her; she is out in our front garbage bin. We think a racoon got her, though I have no idea how! She was still in the hen house, and not bloodied or eaten, but had lost a good many feathers. There was no hole where a critter dug in, and the lid of the house is so heavy, it's difficult even for me to lift. But there she was, poor Georgette, lying there dead in the house. We are assuming it was racoons because their food bin ( a metal trash can I keep next to the coop) was raided as well, and there was racoon scat on the roof of our shed. Just a week ago we awoke to three small racoons on our back deck. So racoons it must have been. I'm trying to decided if I should replace her with another pullet before winter to keep up our eggs, or if I should just get a couple more chicks next spring.
Hubby got his hunting tags. Two deer tags and an elk tag. We can almost count on him getting his doe, and his brother actually spotted a small herd of elk in their area just two days ago. But they are not hunting until fourth season and the elk may be scared off by then. I am so looking forward to a freezing full of wild game!
Hubby took Big Girl and Little one to a nearby bike park the other day. Here are some pics of them on some of the trials. Most of them were too difficult for them, but they did pretty well, all in all.
I've spoken much of the ranch I ride at, of my "adopted family," of Wings Like Eagles, and of my "brother" who is going to the Olympics (he happened to leave for Bejing yesterday!); All of these are one in the same. The Bremer family is my adopted family who run the horse camp Wings Like Eagles where I get to ride regularly and give riding lessons and it is their son, Eli Bremer, who is competing in this year's olympic games (he competes in men's modern pentathlon. You can check him out at NBC.com)
All that said, Duncan and Michele (Bremer) woke up two nights ago to the donkey braying wildly. Duncan grabbed his gun (typical rancher response) and ran out side to see what was going on. He found a mountain lion crouching over its fresh kill, one of the sheep! (Here in Colorado, and I'm sure many other states as well, it is legal to kill any animal that is a threat to your own farm or ranch animals or livelyhood without having a license for that animal.) I'm sure Duncan's heart was pounding as he raised his riffle to aim. Deep breathe... Steady.... BOOM!
Well, first of all, I guess it isn't really a corn field exactly. It's more of a corn patch. But as I was watering my grapes , which are near the corn. I noticed a loud buzzing. I turned around and this is what I saw:
Bees all over the corn tassles!!! I don't have any of my bees at my house yet, so these are just wild bees, but it was still fun to see.
Gotta start school with the girls. Busy day ahead: shopping for more canning jars, canning about four quarts of green beans, shopping for new tennis shoes (since my old ones were ruined in the oil), out to the wine shop to buy a bunch of wine bottles to bottle our wine which is ready, and of course my regular daily chores (make bread, vacuum, etc.) Today is hubby's day off, but he won't be able to come with me on my errands because he has jury duty today.
Because! it is too dark (even with flashlights) to really see what one is doing or any of the bees that are trying to protect their hive. And, at night, ALL the bees are home and not busy working. It is especially hard when one is standing on a bucket to reach some more bee frames on a high shelf and the lid of the bucket breaks and one falls into five gallons of used motor oil!!! The oil splashed (splashed is not really an acurate description, but anyhow...) all the way up to my chest! So I litterally had to throw away my socks, shoes, and clothes! I have needed new shoes anyways for quite a few years, so now I have a reasonable excuse to get new ones!
Happy Trails!
P.S. Motor oil leaves quite the ring around the tub!
Ah, the first "put up" of the season! The quarts of green beans. I would love to have at least 52 quarts, but I will have to replant if I'm gonna get that much. The weather cooperated with my early start this year, so I might have time to plant a second time.
And here are a few of the chicks. I couldn't get good pictures of all of them because the little suckers are getting so fast!!!
This is Midnight
This is Red. I just love the her facial coloration.
And this is Fur Ball. She has really neat facial markings too!
You know, I just realized last night that I've kinda taken on a lot this year. The first thing I did was to plant a very small vinyard, which will take me a great deal of learning to know how to prune and train and care for throughout the years.
Then we got chickens, another learning curve. I know they are still only a little over a week old right now, but still, I've had to learn a lot! AND I already have someone who wants to buy fresh eggs from us! (I'm gonna need more hens!).
These two things along aren't too much, and neither require much daily effort, but what makes it all slightly overwhelming is that I've also taken on bees. I've been interested in keeping a hive for the last few years. I've prayed and prayed that God would provide me with a hive (I didn't think I'd ever be able to save up the $400 to buy a hive and the bees for it) and He did, bees and all. Actually He happened to provide my best friends with a dozen hives, and she knows nothing about beekeeping. She said that if I taught her what I know (which is very little) and help her figure out where to learn more that she would give me a complete hive, bees and all! God is soooo awesome!!!
So, there I was sitting at the PPBKA (Pikes Peak Bee Keepers Association) meeting last night with my friend learning about veroa mites and skunk attacks and pollen patties, and I thought to myself, "Wow, this is a lot of information!" Now, I'm not a perfectionist. I don't intend to keep my bees perfectly so that I "maximize production," but I do want to keep the little suckers alive. So in addition to learning to keep a vinyard, and learning to keep chickens, I am learning to keep bees. Hmm, I just realized that everything I am taking on pertains to food!
Well, the JW's surprised me and came on Friday! I was just heading out the door so it helped make it quick. She asked if I had anything I would like to discuss with them, and I said no, that I didn't think we would see eye to eye. She asked what about, and I said that Jesus is God. Of course JW's admit that He is a god, just not The God. Well, we went round and round (it never got heated, which I was thankful for) and when she said she would like to come back at a better time. I said there was no need. I did say that if anything I said struck a chord with her and she had any questions for me, then she was welcome to come back. She gave me sort of a funny look. They won't be back. After they left, I was looking at a web site that I kinda like and found a great article on talking to JW's!!! It was just what I had need....only a few hours too late.
I went to the farmer's market today for the first time ever! What fun. I went expecting not to buy any produce because I have heard how high the prices are (I rarely buy any fresh produce because it is out of our grocery budget), but oh it was sooo tempting! Fresh corn, peaches, cherries, apricots, wild mushrooms, local honey,... I did pick up a loaf of bread because hubby requested sandiwiches for lunch today and I didn't have anytime to make bread! MMmmm, delicious!!!
My last remaining cucumber plant survived the night!!! However, it did suffer an attack. It wasn't cut off at the base, but rather the top was lobbed off. I will have to dust the WHOLE plant with DE today. Nothing else has suffered but I will DE everything just in case.
Be warned - the following pictures are brutal and may be difficult for some to bear.
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These were cucumbers! But now.... oh, the pain! CUTWORMS........DIE!!!!
Today I will be fashioning paper collars laced with diatemacious earth. Does anyone know what other plants I need to protect (are succeptable to cutworms)?
We finally got our chicks!!! They are Black sex links. All the females are black and the males are white. Ours are all females since we can't have roosters in city limits. There names are Furr Ball, Midnight, Sweetie Pie, Georgette, Red, and there is one left without a name. And no, they are not eating yogurt. I converted a big yogurt container into a temporary chick feeder.
Update.....The no-name chick is now Felicity
Well, things are shaping up in the garden. So far we've eaten lettuce, radishes, and snap peas! Here's what we're still waiting on:
The corn is now knee high, and there is some squash in there too (I don't know what kind yet, it just grew. Oooh, suprise gardening! What fun!)
Green beans.
Broccoli
Tomatoes. The tomato towers are four feet tall, so the tomatos are about 2 feet right now. I'll have to add another two feet of cage to the top. Four feet just isn't going to be enough space!
I have been taking care of a friend's bees while she has been away for the last year, and I have really been wanting to start a hive of my own. But As I looked into purchasing one, I found out that it would cost me around $400!!! Yikes! So I have been praying that God would provide. And guess what! I have been volunteering at the horse camp (that same place I grew up) and the lady who owns and runs it wanted us to get rid of an old hive that was laying around. So I got to keep it!!! It needs frames, a queen excluder, and an inner cover. I will also need a smoker, hive tool, and gloves - not to mention the bees. But it's a start. Isn't it neat how God answers prayers!
I have also been wanting chickens, but I can't afford to build a coop. Again, I asked God to please give me a coop, and He DID! My hubby came home the other day and said that they got a huge shipment of calcium carbide in. Calcium carbide turns into a poisonous gas (which is great for getting rid of prairie dog, gophers, and such) if it gets wet, so they have to ship the barrels enclosed. The "box" they sent it in is 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and six feet tall. Hubby just needs to put a pitch on the roof and voila! a perfect chicken coop! I will need feeders and nesting boxes and such, but God can provide those as well. I'm just waiting on Him.
These are my tomato towers. I have never grown tomatos like this before, but a very close friend of mine does it this way. She ends up with more tomatoes than you can shake a fist at. So here's what I did.
I bought Brandywine heirloom tomatoes (my friend usually buys Big Boys or something like that) and dug a hole deep enough that only the top eight inches of the plant will be above ground. I set the plant down in the hole and sprinkle a tiny bit of polymers and a tiny bit of tomato fertilizer around the plant (my friend does not do the polymer). Then I put in a layer of dirt and more polymer and more fertilzer - just a tiny bit remember! I repeated these layers until the soil was mounded up slightly around the base of the plant. Then I gave them each a full gallon of water. Next, for the towers...
I took four foot tall fence wire and made a cylinder about three feet wide out of it. Actually, I made two, obviously. Then I took a square of wire screen and wired it to the top to prevent hail damage. Next, I wrapped each tower in 2mm plastic, this helps with a little bit of a green house effect.
And....Tada! Tomato towers.
I am not exaggerating when I say that my friend's tomato plants were literally pressing out from every opening they could find. They were so prolific, and through the plastic you could see more tomatos than you could count!
First, I have to ask a naive question. Why are we having a grain shortage? Is it because of the decrease in bees and their pollinating? Is it because of the storms that have wiped out farms? I don't watch the news much, so I really don't know. Please tell me.
Secondly, I have to say that, from what I believe to be a Biblical standpoint, I don't really agree with stockpiling grain for ouselves, unless we do so under the intention to sharing it with those in need, when the time comes. Otherwise, it just takes the much needed grains off the market for others, and it hoards it for ourselves. Sounds a bit self thinking to me. Motives aside, it also doesn't help the problem at all. When I hear of everyone stocking up, it sounds so defensive. When asked what my plans are for preperation, I really had to think. I've been praying about it and just going about my business as usual, trying not to worry, because I know God will take care of us one way or another. His Word promises that His people will not go begging for bread. Then an idea came to me, which I believe was from God. Rather than hoarding grains, why not grow our own? I will share what I found in a book (an absolutely incredible book) by John Seymour called The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It. About wheat he says this:
"Many self-supporters feel that grain growing is not for them: it requires expensive machinery, is difficult, and cannot be done effectively on a small scale. This is just not so. Anyone can grow grain, on no matter how small a scale... Harvesting can be done quite simply with the sickle or even an ordinary carving knife. Threshing can be done over the back of a chair, and winnowing outdoors in the wind. Griding can be done with a coffee gringer or a small hand mill.... When the Roman armies wanted to conquer Britain, they waited until harvest time, so that their soldiers could spread out over the country, reap the native wheat, take it back to camp, and make bread out if it. If the Roman legions could do it with such apparent nonchalance, there is no reason why we cannot do it, too."
"Hard what grows only in fairly hot and dry climates....In temperate climates, soft wheat grows more readily."
"In temperate climates, wheat - and it will be one of the varieties called winter wheat - is aften sown in the fall. Winter wheat grows quite fast in the fall, in the summer warmed soil, then lies dormant through the winter, to shoot up quickly in the spring and make and early crop."
"I prefer to put winter wheat in very early; even early in September, because it gets off to a quick start, beats the crows more effectively... and makes plenty of growth before the frost sets in.... You can sow winter wheat in October and sometimes even in November."
If we each tried growing our own winter wheat, so that it would not interfere with our regular gardening or take up any additional space (space that many of us don't have), not only would we not be depleating grains from the commercial market, be we would actually be helping out with the shortage! (not to mention that we could all have our grain organic.) If we do not try in some way to help the shortage we will end up in a situation like this: imagine WW II without any victory gardens.
So I propose that we each attempt, for that is all we can do, to grow our own winter wheat "victory gardens." Let us not be greedy and self thinking. Let us lighten the load on the market, and still have the wheat we need. I think the picture in our minds of endless wheat fields is a little overwhelming, but remember that those giant fields are supplyiing wheat for hundreds of thousands of people. Even as little as a few hundred square feet of wheat can give enough flour for a small family, if used sparingly. From what I understand, you get about a pound of wheat for every ten square feet planted. Every bit helps.
I challenge each of you to do your part, and try growing wheat this winter!
We just got a Cortland apple tree the other day, so I picked up a book from the library on pruning. About apple trees it says this: "Annually [late winter or very early spring] remove broken branches, crossing limbs, weak stems, and any branches that grow toward the tree's center or grow vertically or downward. Thin out enough new growth to allow light to filter into the canopy when the tree has leafed out. Cut back to a sturdy side branch any too-long branches." -Sunset Pruning Handbook "For the cleanest cut, be sure the blade side of shears is closest to the portion of the stem that will remain on the plant.....The lowest point [should be] opposite the bud and approximately even with it; the cut slants upward in the direction the bud is pointing" -Sunset Pruning Handbook
This is the planting schedule I got from the from the folks at Rick's Garden Center in Colorado Springs, CO. They are incredibly knowledgable, and have just about anything any gardener could want or need. I know nothing about planting in other areas, but if anyone lives in this area or in a similar climate, this may be helpful.
The below listed frost dates are for Colo Spgs, elevation 6,035'. You can adjust the dates of the first and last killing frost for your specific location by knowing your elevation. Count forward or backward 1 day for each 100 foot change in elevation above or below 6,035' to get the average frost dates.
Average last killing frost in CS - May 15
Average first killing frost - October 15
Average growing season -148 days
Vegetable Indoor start Transplant Outdoor start
Beans May 15
Beets April 15
Brocolli March 15 April 15 June 1
Brussel Sprouts March 1 May 1
Cabbage March 1 April 15
Carrots Late April
Cauiliflour March 1 April 15 Late July
Celery February 15 June 1
Chard April 15
Collards May 15
Corn May 15
Cucumbers April 15 May 23 May 23
Eggplant March 25 June 1
Kohlrabi April 1 May 15
Leeks February 15 May 1
Lettuce April 1
Onions March 1 May15
Onion sets April 1
Parsnips May 15
Peas April 1
Peppers March 1 June 1
Potatoes April 15 June 1
Seed potatoes April 1
Pumpkins May 15
Radishes April 15
Spinich April 15
Squash April 1 May 15 May 15
Tomatoes March 20 May 15
Turnips April 1
Watermelon April 15 May 23
I sometimes am about two weeks late according to this schedule, and I don't worry about it. Sometimes I'm later than two weeks, and then I don't get a very good crop. Happy Planting!
This is the south most part of our garden. This was last fall. You can see of of the grass walkways between garden section. I grew giant marigolds around the borders. This picture makes the garden look extra small, and it isn't huge, but it's about 800 square feet total.
This is a little stone planter I made to raise the ground a little so it gets some sunlight. Nothing I plant grows well along the curb (I don't know why our whole property has a curb around it) so maybe this will help. I have some sugar snap pease and some strawberries in this planter and the matching one next to it (just out of the picture). I've been wanting something pretty and useful to grow up the chainlike fence that separates our yard from the warehouse that is next door to us.
These pictures are the south and north parts of our garden. You can kinda see the stone border I have up and the grass walkways between.
We had a couple of beautiful days where it reached into the sixties! I cleaned out one of my flower beds. There are some wild irises and hollyhocks already coming up! I also planted a little over a dozen sugar snap peas in that bed. I have a trellis (sorta) in that bed and I decided that it would be just as pretty to grow something useful on it as it would if I planted just a flowering vine. I also got a lettuce bed started. I gave each of my girls a small plot to garden themselves. They both picked spinich and red lettuc and sugar snap peas for their gardens, along with a bunch of flowers. I helped them turn the soil lightly (we are on clay, so we have to turn it to keep it from turning to one solid brick) and they marked their rowed and planted their seeds. Little One complained that they were such small garden plots, but I know they will be plenty big enough once more weeds start coming up!
In addition to get some early seeds in the ground, I ordered some fruit trees from Gurney's. I got their Nova Spy apple tree because the apples are good for eating as well as baking, their Contender peach tree because it is both early and late frost tolerant and it is self-pollinating, I got their Planter blueberry bush because it is also self-pollinating and will do well in a pot (my other blueberry plant died and I needed something to fill it's pot), and last but not least I got two seedless Concord grape plants. I can't wait to get them in. I've never ordered anything live through the mail before, but I'm sure they will come through just fine! I have a dear friend who I will be getting a bunch of raspberry canes from, too. I am so excited to thing that in just a few, short years (ok, it will seem like forever, but still...) we will be getting fruit from our very own trees and plants!!!
I was looking through my Ball Blue Book of Preserving and I ran across a list I made of all the things I want to put up this year. I think my goals may be a little bit lofty, but here it is:
12 qts dill pickles
12 qts bread and butter pickles
13 pints and 12 half pints of choke cherry jelly
12 half pints of cranberry jam
40 qts of green beans
15 pints salsa
50 pints diced tomatos (if anyone has a recipe for canned diced tomatoes, I would love if you'd send it my way!)
24 pints applesauce
6 pints dill relish
8 pints pumpkin puree
40 quarts corn
8 qts chili
6 pints apple butter
Now I know there's no way I will get 40 quarts of corn! I just don't have the space to grow that much. But It is on my list because some day....
And I'm sure I'll add more to my list and modify it where needed as time goes on, but here's my list to start with.
Welcome to our farmette-ette-ette-ette (9000 sq foot city lot). Come on in! I may not stop what I'm doing while you're visiting, but feel free to join in. Mi casa es su casa!
This is a little stone planter I made to raise the ground a little so it gets some sunlight. Nothing I plant grows well along the curb (I don't know why our whole property has a curb around it) so maybe this will help. I have some sugar snap pease and some strawberries in this planter and the matching one next to it (just out of the picture). I've been wanting something pretty and useful to grow up the chainlike fence that separates our yard from the warehouse that is next door to us.
These pictures are the south and north parts of our garden. You can kinda see the stone border I have up and the grass walkways between. 