GROW YOUR OWN DINNER

What an unbelievable busy Spring we've  had...planning, planting, weeding, milking, mowing , etc! More about that later...

For now....I'm so excited about this online SUMMIT about growing your own FOOD. It starts Monday July 7.   Anytime I can go to a lecture in my farm boots and muddy jeans...count me in.  Me and my laptop can sit on the deck, watch the summit while Toby (Mini Aussie puppy) and Katie Scarlet (#1 cat) snore at my feet.    AND, one of the speakers is my fav... JOEL SALATIN.    AND, it's FREE.  What more could you ask?

Check it out: 
HERE


We are busy growing stuff in our first-year high tunnel and in our field gardens and in our raised beds.  I'm growing veggies....mother nature is growing weeds!

So, back to the FOOD SUMMIT.   You don't have to "attend" every lecture...only those that interest you.  And, those that you have time for.  Register HERE

I have four lovable kittens ...just call me if you need a mouser extraordinaire.  They are 3rd generation here at the farm so we KNOW they have THE most lovable cat genes ever.

One more time: don't let this FOOD SUMMIT pass without you.  If you have EVER wanted to grow your food and get off the corporate chemical assembly line, start now.  Begin now.  There is SO much info being presented here; you have no excuse.  Its free.  It's convenient.

Sign up now: 

AND...did I mention you get FREE STUFF just for registering!!!   Whoop. Whoop.  So, even if you don't have time to watch the summit, you'll still get the free stuff.   REGISTER HERE

Today...

Farmers talk about the weather and the weather. When it's HOT and DRY like this summer, they talk about the WEATHER. Everyone at my farmers markets is trying to just keep the garden alive until the heat lets up by watering as much as they can. We are fortunate to have a well, plus I hate putting chlorine on the plants. The stuff in all my raised beds is doing quite well--here's a photo of the French Tarragon.

Here is an excerpt from Jungs Seeds newsletter that explains WHY my beans have no beans and WHY my tomatoes are not ripening: "Tomatoes are the most widely planted garden crop, so many of the calls we receive relate to them. First of all, an abundance of blossoms on tomatoes doesn't always result in a bumper crop. Temperatures above 85 degrees F. can affect pollination and fruit set. Studies have shown that daytime temperatures in excess of 95 degrees and night time temps of over 75 degrees may cause flowers to fall off. Temperatures over 100 degrees can make the plant go into survival mode, causing red pigments in tomatoes to stop forming, while the yellow and orange ones continue. If this is the case, it's best to pick the tomatoes when they begin to turn red and allow them to ripen indoors at cooler temperatures. It takes about 5 weeks for a tomato flower to become a ripe fruit - the first 3 weeks to get to full size and the last 2 weeks to fully ripen. Temperatures above 90 degrees will slow fruit growth and ripening, so if you've planted a large-fruited variety, you probably won't harvest the big tomatoes you are expecting. This is not the fault of the variety - it is a result of the heat. Once the excessive heat is over, it will most likely take five more weeks to begin harvesting tomatoes again. Tomatoes that have developed to full size in spite of dry weather may suddenly grow again if watered or rained on, and the result may be split fruit. " You can see the entire article here: http://www.jungseed.com/GardenLibrary.asp and click on Hot Weather and How It Effects Your Garden.

This is my spearmint and elecampayne in April BEFORE the drought. Our 2 year old Alpine doe that we acquired a few weeks ago "June Bug" had perked up quite a bit. She was feeling poorly when we got her as she had a stillborn this spring. Then this weekend she took a turn for the worse. FarmBoy Gary nursed her with hourly carrots/apples while I was at farmers market; she was weak, lethargic and off her feed. I dosed her with herbs and the goat-keepers Miracle Cure of molasses, corn syrup and corn oil, a high dose of vitamin C and pro-biotics. She snapped out of it this morning, ate all her breakfast and even when up on the mountain to forage with me and the rest of the goats. She still is not up to par, but at least she looks like she will live. I had my doubts on Saturday. June Bug as a baby. Isn't she adorable?

Wiley Coyote has been visiting us each day. He is straggly, skinny and looking for chicken dinner. Rocky has been great at chasing off the Miss Foxy so we haven't seen her for weeks. And, he chases Wiley when he sees him. Today he was so cute he ran up and down the mountain trailing the coyote in the high heat of the afternoon. When he finished he just collapsed in the shade. Anatolian s are not known for their stamina in a race!

My egg customers have been disappointed for a few weeks, but my little hens are starting to lay again. Guess they decided the heat was here to stay so they might as well get with the program.

This morning I was preparing pots for rooting some perennials and a hummingbird landed on my work table. She just sat there for a minute watching me. It was one of those delightful moments when one forgets the heat, forgets the coyotes, forgets the egg problems. For one minute it was just she and I alone. Bliss.

Garden Planning

I've been scribbling and scratching on paper for months plotting my garden plots; in fact I started it LAST summer. I have notes about what grows good where and sidebars about what I liked and didn't like about certain tomato species and what the black swallowtail caterpillar-cum-butterfly ate for lunch. But, this year I'm adding something new to my lay outs: a computer garden plan module. Wow, never thought I'd be saying that. Remember, I'm an organic person in the sense that I prefer paper to plastic, pens to keyboards, walking to wheels. I do not have nor do I want enough left-brain synapses to plan my garden with a right click in an autoCad type program. I did miserably poor on the high-school what's-your-best-vocation tests where we added missing parts to three dimensional objects. I already knew I didn't want to be an engineer. However, this garden program has the three criteria I most require: A) easy B) easy C) easy. And, it looks so stinkin' cute on the screen. There are several garden planners out there offered by different magazine/seed companies. Through a little sleuthing I discovered they are exactly the same program so I chose to subscribe through one of my favorite magazines: Herb Companion. Last night I had a little glitch (which is not unusual for me when it comes to anything electronic or mechanical) and I emailed the support center. We all know how disappointing "support" centers can be, but this morning bright and early I had a response waiting for me. Not only did my new BFF "Jeremy" answer my questions, he went the second mile and tweaked the program to accommodate my operational issues. Ahhh, customer service may be wounded, but it's alive. Now, I am even more delighted with my new "program" and am laying out new gardens at a pace that rivals Henry Ford's assembly line.

Yesterday afternoon Gary and I, Cassie, our trusty farmer-dog, April, the queen-of-everything cat, Chance, the neighbors dog and at least three Mables, the laying hens, all trooped out into the field to finish marking off the rest of our nine garden plots. After measuring, remeasuring and measuring again just for good measure (my husband got the engineer gene) to be sure they were square, plum, accurate to the nth degree, aligned with the north star and could easily be entered into the surveyors hall of fame if there is such a thing, we pronounced it not only finished but perfect. Perfect in spite of the fact we couldn't locate the compass prior to beginning. Now all I have to do is transfer my plants from the paper to the dirt and I'm off and running. Life is Good.