tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53437974505180180272024-03-13T08:10:02.706-07:00Growing ThymesA little gardening blog by Ferne and Michael.fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-3098134858729612512016-06-02T09:25:00.001-07:002016-06-02T09:25:40.831-07:00Cultured Butter<p> </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-26Ud1h-P-Ak/V1BeAIEVpOI/AAAAAAAAFxo/1Jn840MLlDY/s1600-h/IMG_1203%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1203" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_1203" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bR5ZjHA8jzA/V1BeA9yrnVI/AAAAAAAAFxs/mfBx74D95og/IMG_1203_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="452" height="349"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">Making cultured butter was a bit of an experiment with me that I went at thinking I would try it just once because it sounded too hard and complicated. Well, it wasn’t as hard or complicated as I thought and it is actually something I think I will do again. I had gotten some cultures to use for fermenting and they had mentioned making cultured buttered which really got my attention. I had never heard of it and after searching for it in my local stores couldn’t even find it. When I did at a health food store it was quite pricey. Finding clear directions was another challenge so after collecting recipes from several sources I put together something that worked for me. First I had to culture my cream. I used the culture I got from Cultures for Health. I used the <a href="http://www.culturesforhealth.com/body-ecology-starter-culture.html">Body Ecology starter Culture</a>.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">Homemade Cultured Butter</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">4 C. heavy cream</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">1/2 C. yogurt or 1 culture packet</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">1/4 tsp. fine sea salt</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">1. Heat cream to 77 degrees. Add starter pack or yogurt; mix well. Place in canning jar with a coffee filter or cheesecloth over the top to let it breath. Culture on counter for 12-36 hours. It should thicken and taste rich and tangy.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">2. Cover and refrigerate until it cools to about 60 degrees. This should take about 1-2 hours. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">3. Line a fine mesh sieve with a double layer of cheese cloth and place over a large bowl.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">4. In the bowl of a food processor or a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment process until the curds separate from the buttermilk and turn a nice butter yellow color. I did this with my mixer and it does splash a lot so use the shield next time I will try the food processor it might be less messy.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">5. Pour this mixture through the sieve and let sit for 1-2 minutes letting the liquid drain from the curds. Then gather the butter in the cheese cloth and gently squeeze out as much of the butter milk as possible. Save the buttermilk in another container to use for other recipes. I made homemade buttermilk bread to test our new butter on with a fresh batch of strawberry jam.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">6. Wash the butter by pouring ice cold water over it and squeezing it out more. </font><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">Continue adding water, washing, and pouring off the liquid until the water runs clear.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">7. Wrap and form butter as you wish. I stored it in a glass container in the fridge. It will last about a month (if you don’t use it before that) in the fridge.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">*you can find more information about this at this website: <a href="http://bodyecology.com/articles/fermented-dairy">Recipes for Health</a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">This was a fun and rewarding experiment and we used up the bonus buttermilk right away and could have used more so I am pretty sure the will be more butter making in our future.</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Bradley Hand ITC">Enjoy the good things in life!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#8fb08c" size="6" face="Bradley Hand ITC"><em>ferne</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></p>fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-4282164296040291192016-06-01T21:31:00.001-07:002016-06-01T21:31:18.566-07:00Homemade Yogurt<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jk8yscfRNco/V0-2jEo8VNI/AAAAAAAAFxM/DWvtenAB4Jk/s1600-h/IMG_1203%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1203" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_1203" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3vYe-gdRtYc/V0-2j_0mehI/AAAAAAAAFxQ/gw33tO0y3EE/IMG_1203_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="571" height="446"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I have been eating yogurt for lunch for years and am often teased about it, but I love it. After reading labels on many brands and types of store bought yogurts and finding way too much sugar in most, I tried my hand at making my own a few years ago. I was a bit disappointed in how runny it always was and sometimes sour and resorted to buying store bought yogurts again. Recently I decided to give it a try again and have fine tuned my favorite recipe with great results. I have tried 2 very different methods with very different flavors and results. The first was a mesophilic yogurt and there are several cultures available for this type at <a href="http://www.culturesforhealth.com/heirloom-yogurt-starters.html">Cultures for Health</a>. I bought a pack that had 4 different types and have tried 2. This yogurt doesn’t require any cooking and is made sitting on your counter for 12-48 hours. The time varies depending on the temperature in your home. The first culture I tried was Viili, it is a bit of a runny yogurt, but great to add to smoothies and fruit for popsicles. Next I tried Filmjolk and found that it set up nice in about 48 hours and had a bit of a tartness that made it great as a sour cream substitute. These cultures are so easy to use and require very little time to mix up. This is made with no sweetener just a good whole milk. I like to find an organic milk when possible. Pour milk into a clean canning jar; add some starter and stir. Then cover with a coffee filter or cheese cloth to keep the bugs out. Use a rubber band or metal jar ring to hold in place and let set. To check if the yogurt has formed just tilt jar slightly and see if it is pulling away from the jar like a thickened yogurt. Then refrigerate for about 6 hours before eating. The refrigeration stops the fermenting process. Remember to save some for your next batch! You can keep your culture going as long as you make a new batch about once a week. Add 1 tablespoon of cultured yogurt to every cup of milk to continue for the next batch.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">My favorite yogurt takes a little more time and some cooking, but I have been getting really good results. It seems to be all about temperature here and good ingredients. Here is my recipe:</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> 4 C. whole organic milk</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> 1/4 C. sweetener (can use honey, sugar, and more)</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> 1 tsp. Vanilla</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> 2T. cultured yogurt or yogurt starter from your first batch. *I experimented with using Fage Greek Yogurt as a culture with very good results.<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QH5V7yzh2e8/V0-2koxC4KI/AAAAAAAAFxU/9AmLZxuZK7o/s1600-h/IMG_1202%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1202" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1202" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FIIuy6D_tOg/V0-2lWiA35I/AAAAAAAAFxY/eDw0lKIUqhM/IMG_1202_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="324" align="right" height="262"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Heat the milk and sweetener to 180 degrees, don’t let it boil. Keep it at this temp for 20 minutes by stirring constantly. Add vanilla. Cool to 110 degrees. You can speed up the cool down time by setting pan in a sink with cold water. When it gets to 110 degrees mix a small amount with your starter then stir into the bigger batch. Put into jars. I use a yogurt maker and it has special jars that fit in it so I use those. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I have found that my Excalibur that I use for drying fruit holds a perfect 110 degrees and makes great yogurt in larger batches. You will keep it in the yogurt maker (or Excalibur) for 5-8 hours checking occasionally to see if it has set by tilting a jar and seeing if it is pulling away from the side of the jar. I am finding that 6 hours has been working pretty good for me.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I have been experimenting with cultures using this method and have recently found Bulgarian yogurt to be my favorite with Greek yogurt made with Fage as my culture to my next favorite. Mix in any of your favorite fresh fruits and enjoy!</font></p> <p><font size="5" face="Bradley Hand ITC">Eat healthy and enjoy feeling great!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#8fb08c" size="6" face="Bradley Hand ITC"><em>ferne</em></font></p>fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-22997229570646049282016-05-26T08:39:00.001-07:002016-05-26T08:39:56.323-07:00Adventures in Preserving<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h5CQ6fPw5-8/V0cYyBWCjJI/AAAAAAAAFwk/CiQ5rr-XA6I/s1600-h/IMG_1187%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_1187" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1187" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-64YbTXuvjYw/V0cYy8nPreI/AAAAAAAAFwo/z4FpB_lSD4E/IMG_1187_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="366"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Ebrima">As we enter a new gardening season I have a renewed hope for a bountiful harvest of fruits and veggies coming from our property this year. I have been researching methods of preserving it all so I don’t waste a morsel and I am hoping to share it all on this blog.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Ebrima">I started by listening to podcasts by Theresa Lowe of <a href="http://www.livinghomegrown.com/">Living Homegrown</a>. Each <a href="http://www.livinghomegrown.com/podcast/">podcast</a> is about a half hour which is about how long my drive to work is so the timing is perfect. Theresa also offers an on-line class called <a href="http://www.livinghomegrown.com/video-series-on-how-to-can/">The Canning Academy</a> which I have almost completed. There is a wealth of information that can be printed out from there also. Some things have changed since the days of watching my Grandmother do all this for safety reasons and also new technology so it is good to have her guide me as I get started on this new adventure. I am really not totally new to canning, but some things I did because that is all I knew and now I am equipped with a whole lot more information from a reliable source. The Living Homegrown website introduced me to fermenting in one podcast. In the past I thought fermenting was just how you made sauerkraut and I liked sauerkraut, but not enough to actually make it. Well, I now own a <a href="http://www.krautsource.com/">Kraut Source</a> and have made several batches of different fermented foods including strawberries. My first batch though was with kale I grew and added some cabbage and carrots and more and it turned out a very tasty sauerkraut unlike anything I have tried from the grocery store. I can’t wait to do more fermenting and canning.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Ebrima">I have been making my own yogurt also. I made a few batches in the past, but gave it up because it was always runny and sour tasting. Well, after listening to one of Theresa’s podcasts on making yogurt I found <a href="http://www.culturesforhealth.com/">Cultures for Health</a> and got a culture for a mesophilic yogurt that you can make with no effort in a jar sitting on the counter for a day or two. It was a lot less sour, but still runny. It was great for smoothies and I have some popsicles in the freezer from that batch. I got inspired though to try my hand at other yogurts though and have since had great success at some cooked variations using different cultures from Cultures for Health and even Fage yogurt for my culture. I want to keep my posts on all this subjects short so I think I will divide the topics and cover yogurt with my recipe in more detail in another post.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Ebrima">As things go when you are hoping around on the internet ‘researching’ I stumbled upon a link to a new book just coming out called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=joel+maccharles&sprefix=joel+mac%2Cstripbooks%2C318">Batch</a> by Joel MacCharles and Dana Harrison. They spent 3 years putting this book together. They are in Canada and I am so glad that I found them because their book and Facebook page called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearewellpreserved/?notif_t=notify_me_page&notif_id=1464192197246951">Well Preserved</a>, have inspired me so much. The book was just released about 3 weeks ago and I got my copy right away from Amazon. It is so well laid out alphabetically by produce with recipes of how to use what you can, ferment, infuse and more. They even cover salting and smoking. The few days leading up to the release of their book they were doing some short videos on their Facebook page using some of what you would find in the book and it was very helpful actually seeing it done. Joel made everything seem so simple. He likes to make things in batches so when you are cutting up strawberries for a jam throw some in a jar with a few extra ingredients and ferment them or I added some in a jar to my Braggs vinegar and a few days later I strained them out and had a tasty vinegar to add to dressing and drinks. I even found it was great to add to fresh berries to eat with my yogurt.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Ebrima">There is a whole new world in food opening up to me and I hope to many others as we grow our food and find new and exciting ways to use it. I have so much more to share here on my blog…</font></p> <p><font color="#9c85c0" size="4" face="Lucida Handwriting">more to come…keep it growing!</font></p> <p><font color="#9bbb59" size="4" face="Lucida Handwriting">Ferne</font></p>fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-53849030086005646862015-05-01T09:34:00.001-07:002015-05-01T09:37:35.412-07:00Soil Nematodes<p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">In looking back at my blog I see that I am not posting very regularly and if I have any followers left I have to apologize. Writing a blog post takes a lot longer than posting to Facebook, but on the upside I can get a lot more information in a blog post. I have set up a Facebook page for Hummingbird Farmz where I keep track of gardening happenings in our little homestead. You can follow me there by liking us at this site <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HummingbirdFarmz" target="_blank">Hummingbird Farmz</a>.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n0mHWqrLIBM/VUOrGoMfcBI/AAAAAAAAFpo/O-Iz7tlq2qA/s1600-h/Growing%252520Thymes%252520HF5%252520copy%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Growing Thymes HF5 copy" border="0" alt="Growing Thymes HF5 copy" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HJzmyzUBAkk/VUOrILMTMFI/AAAAAAAAFpw/FK9m3_ptpik/Growing%252520Thymes%252520HF5%252520copy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="554" height="261"></a> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">The topic I am devoting this blog post to is soil nematodes. I am no expert on this topic, but we are learning more and more everyday as we struggle with damage caused by some bad guy nematodes that like to eat at the roots of some plants causing the plants to be stunted and slow down production by a lot. The worst part of this problem is that you never see the little buggers or the damage until you pull up the plant and look at the roots. I thought I had taken a picture of the damage I found recently on my chard, but I can’t find it so I am borrowing a picture of nematode damage on a tomato plant. This <a href="http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/nematodes-friend-or-foe" target="_blank">Rodale article</a> describes what is happening best…it seems that the nematode has a sharp mouth that it uses to puncture the plant cell and suck the juices, the saliva it injects into the plant causes the swelling. While most nematodes are beneficial these little Root Knot Nematodes are not. They travel well in sandy soil, which is sort of what we have here. We live near a lava tube near Mt. Lassen and our soil is mostly lava rock dust. It is easy to dig a hole for planting, but it is also easy for these guys to find the roots of the plants they love. There are some things they seem to like better than others ie., tomatoes, cucumbers, peach tree, chard, kale and many more. </font></p> <p><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fe945Cb6_EM/T2gFH69zb9I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/TJH1ECqHyyw/s1600/soils2.jpg" width="488" height="368"></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">In gardening there are many problems and just as many solutions. I have found many sites that recommend adding lots of compost to help combat this problem. We are planting all nematode resistant varieties of tomatoes this year and there were lots available at Totally Tomatoes and Tomato Growers. The downside is that I love heirloom varieties of tomatoes and have had to pretty much forego those this year. I am planting a few in 7 gallon nursery pots with compost and potting soil. We are also experimenting with Actinovate AG as a soil drench, it is organic, but my concern is that is killing more than just the one targeted pest and taking some good guys with it. After having dug where it has been used though I am still seeing some worm activity so that leaves me hopeful that it isn’t killing everything. It seems that root knot nematodes are only 1/50 of an inch long so there is no way to check on their population without a microscope. My tomatoes and egg plant have been planted in what seems to be the most heavily infested bed. It has been treated monthly for a few months with the Actinovate and I added lots more compost and diatomaceous earth to the soil at planting time. I am planting lots of French marigolds one is even called Nemagold marigold, it seems that their roots deter this nematode creating an environment they don’t want to be in. One more link full of good info comes for UC Davis…<a href="http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7489.html" target="_blank">Nematode Management</a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">If you find that your tomato plants are wilting and or turning yellow early on you may be thinking that they have early blight or some other problem, but when you pull them out check the roots they may be suffering from root knot nematode damage. There is not a lot of information out there, but it does seem to be a problem that more people are becoming aware of and more solutions are being talked about and experimented with all the time…so don’t give up on gardening just yet, we can’t let this tiny microscopic critter win! It is just one more hurdle for a gardening to jump to get good food to the table…</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="5" face="GoudyOlSt BT">we can do it!</font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-18176921974266242672014-05-30T10:10:00.001-07:002014-05-30T10:45:19.969-07:00Garden update<p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wcp3JveoCn0/U4i9VcCHe4I/AAAAAAAAFWU/v9RGozVkS2s/s1600-h/IMG_0368%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0368" border="0" alt="IMG_0368" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yvkwTnt-s3g/U4i9WOUkAMI/AAAAAAAAFWc/SIVuMALnRuQ/IMG_0368_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="533" height="408"></a> May is coming to an end…sad for me because May is always my favorite time in the garden, things are always looking so fresh and promising after a little rain and warmth hits the soil. This year we built our raised beds up with deeper and stronger boards and added lots of compost rich soil which is producing plants with good strong stems and deep green leaves. One of my favorite things to come out of my garden this May was all the lettuce, beet greens, beets, peas and kohlrabi. It has made for some great tasting salads every night and I do feel healthier for it. Oh, how I have loved those varied colors of tasty lettuce, but now they are beginning to bolt and go bitter from the heat so they will soon be pulled and replaced with something undecided as of yet.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Upxf2mOqn54/U4i7NRe7MGI/AAAAAAAAFcs/PxRjno-d6Tc/s1600-h/IMG_0362%25255B21%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Upxf2mOqn54/U4i7NRe7MGI/AAAAAAAAFc0/xrUORH7kAqM/s1600-h/IMG_0362%25255B33%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0362" border="0" alt="IMG_0362" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MI4Y4a_Li24/U4i7OUGQdJI/AAAAAAAAFak/jZ3nyjTZVN4/IMG_0362_thumb%25255B31%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="285" height="247"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IYHOT5-Fk0Q/U4i7QCq1p7I/AAAAAAAAFc8/SAMfMUcBI3U/s1600-h/IMG_0363%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IYHOT5-Fk0Q/U4i7QCq1p7I/AAAAAAAAFdE/voOv0xz3KFg/s1600-h/IMG_0363%25255B20%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0363" border="0" alt="IMG_0363" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rA8opsHw90E/U4i7Q2IYDpI/AAAAAAAAFa8/k2NQ_ayxDh8/IMG_0363_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="293" height="249"></a></font></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-k19dmSloH_8/U4i7S98pu7I/AAAAAAAAFdM/X02B_o7Gtwc/s1600-h/IMG_0361%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-k19dmSloH_8/U4i7S98pu7I/AAAAAAAAFdU/N8e5zjD27hk/s1600-h/IMG_0361%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0361" border="0" alt="IMG_0361" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RBcFsgBTMgU/U4i7T6W9c5I/AAAAAAAAFbU/zGu2IrOMPcE/IMG_0361_thumb%25255B17%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="285" height="242"></a></font></a><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hznXpapd198/U4i7VjTEFKI/AAAAAAAAFdc/-x7frkwBGEg/s1600-h/IMG_0364%25255B31%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0364" border="0" alt="IMG_0364" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ty1TdVWYvs4/U4i7WYvBHfI/AAAAAAAAFbk/sPzCtocareA/IMG_0364_thumb%25255B29%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="282" height="248"></a></font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hznXpapd198/U4i7VjTEFKI/AAAAAAAAFdk/a9_i1PIQFq0/s1600-h/IMG_0364%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hznXpapd198/U4i7VjTEFKI/AAAAAAAAFds/Z-Ff4bVf-E4/s1600-h/IMG_0364%25255B14%25255D.jpg"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hznXpapd198/U4i7VjTEFKI/AAAAAAAAFds/Z-Ff4bVf-E4/s1600-h/IMG_0364%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aDEugC_GwkY/U4i7ZSWi3YI/AAAAAAAAFd0/FbAFWXYTXHQ/s1600-h/IMG_0367%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0367" border="0" alt="IMG_0367" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-l9HFc3n-ug8/U4i7aGiLzqI/AAAAAAAAFSw/N6xptTFuoS0/IMG_0367_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="264"></a></font></font><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">June should be a month when we can start to reap the benefits of our love and <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MxYo0zDZ9Vc/U4i7X1uYpUI/AAAAAAAAFcU/VZkLDko-rDA/s1600-h/IMG_0366%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aDEugC_GwkY/U4i7ZSWi3YI/AAAAAAAAFd8/yR5woKLe9A4/s1600-h/IMG_0367%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></a></font></font>labor in the garden. The strawberries are starting to produce tasty fruits along with a few of the raspberries. The first crop of figs are ripening as I write this. I am seeing baby squash on the squash plants and I even spotted a few green tomatoes on the vines.</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MxYo0zDZ9Vc/U4i7X1uYpUI/AAAAAAAAFcU/VZkLDko-rDA/s1600-h/IMG_0366%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aDEugC_GwkY/U4i7ZSWi3YI/AAAAAAAAFd8/yR5woKLe9A4/s1600-h/IMG_0367%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></a></font></font></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MxYo0zDZ9Vc/U4i7X1uYpUI/AAAAAAAAFcU/VZkLDko-rDA/s1600-h/IMG_0366%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MxYo0zDZ9Vc/U4i7X1uYpUI/AAAAAAAAFeE/47xJRmlq0WY/s1600-h/IMG_0366%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0366" border="0" alt="IMG_0366" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dCyM1R-i23k/U4i7YusoicI/AAAAAAAAFTI/Xyc6ipeSXjM/IMG_0366_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="338" height="270"></a></font></font></font><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MxYo0zDZ9Vc/U4i7X1uYpUI/AAAAAAAAFeM/LrN5VndizP4/s1600-h/IMG_0366%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></a></font></font>S<font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MxYo0zDZ9Vc/U4i7X1uYpUI/AAAAAAAAFeM/LrN5VndizP4/s1600-h/IMG_0366%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"></a></font></font>ome Facebook friends started posting pictures of their beautiful poppies so we had a lot of fun bombing Facebook with our flower pictures every day. Mine is a Zahir poppy which I grew from seeds from Redwood seeds, a local seed company. I am anxiously waiting for the seed heads to turn brown and dry so that I can harvest the edible seeds inside. I always have a jar of fresh poppy seeds for baking.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-J5HvcGWxMMA/U4i7cNBqCnI/AAAAAAAAFeU/2tyJwUlvaME/s1600-h/IMG_0369%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-J5HvcGWxMMA/U4i7cNBqCnI/AAAAAAAAFec/LQDivvdQuFU/s1600-h/IMG_0369%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0369" border="0" alt="IMG_0369" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ydcU9HdHXOo/U4i7c8YB0yI/AAAAAAAAFTg/ExDrfC4b7NU/IMG_0369_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="278"></a></font></a><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">I am trying my hand at growing Quinoa this year. It is a grain that I am learning to enjoy cooking and eating. Watching this crop grow I can see that I really didn’t plant enough. If I enjoy it I will be changing that for next year. Several people have told me that it is a lot of work to harvest so we’ll see how I feel about it after harvest time. It has been real interesting to watch it grow though.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"> </font><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">I am hoping that others are experiencing the joy of growing their own food and from the looks of our vegetable and fruit tree sales at the nursery I can safely say that there are many that are trying their hand at it. I don’t think there has been a day this season that someone has not said to me that this is their first time to try growing a food crop. I hope that they all have a good experience and will keep at it for many years to come.<font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-n-9vcrEr8Y4/U4i91mEWqHI/AAAAAAAAFTo/YSqdwI4wXz0/s1600-h/IMG_0370%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0370" border="0" alt="IMG_0370" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-duYPOCsocIU/U4i92_ahYzI/AAAAAAAAFTw/s3g_D84Sw7o/IMG_0370_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="467" height="356"></a></font></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="5" face="Harrington">Ferne</font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-31958903487832737462014-05-10T20:56:00.001-07:002014-05-10T21:05:37.017-07:00Growing Methods for 2014<p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">It seems that as we garden we are always trying something new and different. I have been keeping lots of notes on what I try new each year and then before planting I reread my notes and make adjustments. This year we splurged on a new grow light after needing to replace our old fixture yet again. We keep buying shop light fixtures and grow light bulbs, but they just don’t seem to last. So this year we got a new Jump Start 4 foot light that has 4 T-5 bulbs and we are very happy with it. The stand we are using is an old one and not made for the heavier weight of the new light fixture so we should probably invest in a new stand for next year because it was very difficult to adjust the height of the light fixture without 2 people. The new light did seem to make a big difference, it spread out over a larger area and never got hot.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-C2HTjxSYzmg/U270qqEX5OI/AAAAAAAAFOo/ksoPNJJIbtQ/s1600-h/IMG_03134.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_0313" border="0" alt="IMG_0313" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Hr-FAsCBaZc/U270yLz6amI/AAAAAAAAFOw/yq5dXlInDqc/IMG_0313_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="515" height="392"></font></a><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"> I did stick with my homemade seed starting mix from last year and loved the results so I will repost that recipe here again. I found this recipe on line at About.com, it drains so nicely and I have great results using this recipe.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">Basic Seed Starting Mix</font> <ul> <li><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">3 parts** peat or coir (coir is preferable if you can get it) </font> <li><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">3 parts vermicompost (your own or purchased from a garden center or other supplier ~ Worm Gold) </font> <li><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">1 part perlite </font> <li><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">1/2 part greensand </font></li></ul> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">First you have to soak the peat or coir and let it get nice and moist then start adding all the ingredients in a bucket or wheelbarrow. Mix it very well by hand.</font><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">We fertilized the seedlings with Kelp and Sea Weed Extract about once a week. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">We started 23 varieties of tomatoes mostly seeds left from previous years, but we did purchase a few new ones. My favorite was Geranium Kiss tomato with foliage that really looks like a geranium leaf. It will only get 2 feet tall, but from what I have seen on line it will produce a lot of clusters of pretty large size cherry tomatoes with a little tiny point at the bottom. Can’t wait to see that.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xA_Lfb9-xB4/U2702RK7znI/AAAAAAAAFO4/fT35wCRbrL8/s1600-h/IMG_0126%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0126" border="0" alt="IMG_0126" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7YU74fbEKjg/U2707W6GOqI/AAAAAAAAFPA/qr31KV1g29s/IMG_0126_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="429" height="327"></a> </font><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">This year new raised beds were built to make them 12” tall instead of 6” so more soil had to be brought in to fill them up. We found a nice mix that had some mushroom compost, steer manure and rice hulls along with other things. We have also added a lot of our own homemade compost from the big bin.</font><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GAzaG4JKEyw/U270_ZDdWiI/AAAAAAAAFPI/c72LeG8b9Qs/s1600-h/IMG_0308%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0308" border="0" alt="IMG_0308" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Q5oU02JC1E0/U271Ae9O7wI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/ho5FTUfzBpc/IMG_0308_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="464" height="356"></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"> We didn’t plant as many varieties of peppers though, but I did try something I don’t usually do, I pinched the tops several times and I love the results. They have branched out and gotten very full. I also turned the heat mat up to about 75 degrees until about two weeks before planting then I turned it down to 65 and let them harden off a bit. The day they were planted we got a heavy downpour of rain and I was so afraid I would go out to see them all broken off and sad looking, but they held up really well and a few days later it seems they are even growing. This week’s forecast is calling for a hot spell which should get things off to a good start. A new pepper I am anxious to try this year is Chablis, it is a thick walled sweet pepper that has multi-colored fruits.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT">Can’t wait to post more progress in this years garden. There is so much more I want to document here, but I will save that for another post!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="5" face="Highland Perk">Ferne</font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-54682158295174981152013-10-06T08:32:00.001-07:002013-10-06T08:41:49.101-07:00Hummingbird Farmz First Press<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mimJITkWpmA/UlGCfsXSOnI/AAAAAAAAFDE/RQhhK7kawxQ/s1600-h/IMG_1582%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1582" border="0" alt="IMG_1582" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BNRTre0YYNo/UlGCgbh4sJI/AAAAAAAAFDM/-50aJoWlMKY/IMG_1582_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="401" height="306"></a> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">This year we finally had quite a few apples to harvest which justified the purchase of an apple press. We hope to put it to good use in the future and have discovered that it works well for more than just apples. We christened it with a mixed batch of apples from our orchard and got 4 wine glasses of juice, enough for a toast to Hummingbird Farmz success. We also used it to make some pear juice and even grape juice later. I think this is going to be quite a handy tool and nice decoration too.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xXuQ4rPcuOk/UlGChE2-VpI/AAAAAAAAFDU/7O5rV0UAH3I/s1600-h/IMG_1581%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1581" border="0" alt="IMG_1581" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qtm2CB-yi8k/UlGCh5ix-4I/AAAAAAAAFDc/1GbqLvW-fs4/IMG_1581_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="295" height="387"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i8gM77HwD_k/UlGCit_hBAI/AAAAAAAAFDk/diFH0CIX2cg/s1600-h/IMG_1630%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1630" border="0" alt="IMG_1630" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Pa2QmUkDwHw/UlGCjXQOVFI/AAAAAAAAFDs/EajdhV_gmwU/IMG_1630_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="298" height="391"></a>We also took our pears and figs to a little market for the first time. It was good practice to figure out just what we needed and got us talking to people about what we will have in the future. Giving out samples for tasting was our best idea, one taste and they wanted more. We met several of our neighbors who have been watching our little orchard grow and they are anxiously awaiting tastes of those heirloom apples. The laws in California have changed now for what you can sell from your home kitchen and I am planning to go through the process so that I can sell some of my jams and jellies in the future. Some fruit has such a short shelf life fresh that processing it makes for a product that you can sell for a much longer period of time. Figs are one of those, they only last a few days off the tree and about a week refrigerated. I made fig jam and balsamic figs that were delicious and last up to a year when processed properly, You <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MRQemr-Rb6Y/UlGCkw7Y7GI/AAAAAAAAFEw/uXbLt_CBzlQ/s1600-h/IMG_1631%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1631" border="0" alt="IMG_1631" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UpmHeaMG4b4/UlGCliqB5NI/AAAAAAAAFE4/ge0kLPrRx-4/IMG_1631_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="412" height="325"></a>can also sell baked goods as long the ingredients are listed on the label along with your certification number and the process to get certified is not really hard, but there is a fee, of course, which I think will be worth it next year.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MRQemr-Rb6Y/UlGCkw7Y7GI/AAAAAAAAFFA/b6Qqdi24nsA/s1600-h/IMG_1631%25255B8%25255D.jpg"></a> </p> <p><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Papyrus"><em>See you at the market!</em></font></p> <p><font color="#008000" size="7" face="MurrayHill Bd BT"><em>Ferne</em></font></p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0XOd5NoX1zM/UlGCpQtdHPI/AAAAAAAAFFI/4ss2PjJQBwo/s1600-h/IMG_1633%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1633" border="0" alt="IMG_1633" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8EpsQ1q5PgI/UlGCqMQy5fI/AAAAAAAAFFQ/dmdUyy1MCiw/IMG_1633_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="475" height="365"></a></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-81937463450832547942013-06-21T19:29:00.001-07:002013-06-21T19:29:48.300-07:00Planting Strawberries<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-X5bcjUR8uf0/UcUMEkqXaQI/AAAAAAAAE5o/7m_KnOvkQFs/s1600-h/IMG_12234.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_1223" border="0" alt="IMG_1223" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1Gf4g1QNXg0/UcUMFZLcrJI/AAAAAAAAE5w/lr6fioeYcnY/IMG_1223_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="430" height="294"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">An extremely kind fellow blogger gave away this nifty dibble handmade by her husband of <a href="http://bepasgarden.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bepasgarden</a>, on her blog and I was just looking through my posts and realized that I have never blogged about it or how really handy it is. I used it a few months ago when I planted my strawberry plants and it was the perfect tool for the job and looked good too. I plant my berries in a 3’X6’ raised bed. I dig small trenches between the rows and plant 2 rows with alternate placement of the plants to give them the most room to spread. I have 3 rows of berries in this bed with 2 trenches that I use to deep water the roots. I fill each trench with water then lightly sprinkle over head. The berries I planted in this bed were bought bare root and are a fairly new variety called Sweet Ann. The were breed in our area by Lassen Canyon Nursery. It is a day neutral variety which means that it will continue to bear fruit all summer until frost. It is suppose to produce a very large and very sweet berry. Can’t wait to compare it to my favorite from last year called Mara de Bois, which was the best berry I have ever tasted. I now have 2 beds of Mara and one of Sweet Ann. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">Let the strawberry competition begin!</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-QQBxRvc2ljg/UcUMGLjSxdI/AAAAAAAAE54/CNCfJAcGVHc/s1600-h/IMG_1501%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto 5px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1501" border="0" alt="IMG_1501" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yOFWrg3gvjQ/UcUMG3oRoNI/AAAAAAAAE6A/Up3YnzkNhpk/IMG_1501_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="384" height="293"></a> Update: Somehow this post never got posted and now I have been eating strawberries from both beds. So I can tell you that the handy dibble did a great job at helping me to get those roots firmly in the ground and they are now producing lots of lovely berries for me and some for the bugs.</font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-46907880203613865462013-06-06T18:33:00.001-07:002013-06-06T18:33:35.814-07:00My Little Rubies<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LBnlclaGppg/UbE4Pi5eyvI/AAAAAAAAE2A/blMTLVPe68w/s1600-h/IMG_1453%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1453" border="0" alt="IMG_1453" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4Aa9FVu8Tlg/UbE4Qb75uuI/AAAAAAAAE2I/sDGiDnXx1qg/IMG_1453_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="379" height="289"></a> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Currants are like little gems growing on a bush. When you get past the seeds there is such an indescribable burst of flavor that is both sweet and tart. Every year I try to make a jar of jelly using the berries from this bush. Last year and the year before that was all I got, one precious jar of jelly. I was experimenting with just how much pectin to use and it kept coming out way to thick. This year though I came across some information suggesting that they really don’t need any added pectin as they have enough on their own and that information has proven to be true. All you need are currants, sugar and a little time. Here is <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/06/red-currant-jam-recipe/" target="_blank">the recipe I ended up using from David Lebovitz blog</a>. He suggests adding a shot of Kirsch, but since I didn’t have any on hand I skipped that part and it is still very tasty jam (actually more like a jelly). The trick for me was getting quantities right since I was making such a small amount. I ended up getting almost 3 jars from this years batch.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-acGFquXTORk/UbE4RZN0MsI/AAAAAAAAE2Q/f2b3L_X_rBk/s1600-h/IMG_1451%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1451" border="0" alt="IMG_1451" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BsgkeuvMNFs/UbE4R0wXaYI/AAAAAAAAE2Y/RIKX13_Yya0/IMG_1451_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="341" height="260"></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">1. Rinse currants and put them in a large pot. You can leave the little stems intact because they well come out with the seeds later. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. I mashed my berries up a little with a potato masher to get some juices flowing.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">2. Cook the red currants, stirring frequently, until they are soft and wilted. I then put the whole batch in a food mill and let the juices run for a while, I was baking a cake too so I let it sit while I whipped that up and got it in the oven. Then I very slowly pressed the juices out and the reason for doing is slowly is that it doesn’t get cloudy that way. Other recipes suggest letting it stand over night in a jelly bag or piece of muslin and let it drain the juice out on its own. I was impatient and this way worked very well.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">3. I measured how much juice I had in a measuring cup and matched this quantity in sugar. You could maybe go a bit less, but since I wasn’t using pectin I didn’t want to take a chance that it wouldn’t thicken.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">4. Mix the puree and sugar in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">5. Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, let it boil for 5 minutes undisturbed. You will see a film developing on the top, don’t worry it will skim off later.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">6. After 5 minutes you may want to do the nudge test. I put a small plate in the fridge before I start cooking for this purpose. Drop a little of jam on the cold plate and wait a bit (or re-chill it), if it wrinkles when it is nudged then it is ready if it stays too liquid you may want to cook it a bit longer. 5 minutes was plenty of time for mine though. Skim the scum off the top, I enjoy spreading this on bread immediately so I can have a taste.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KGH_WfTer4E/UbE4S6egXUI/AAAAAAAAE2g/EihM-3Tc6aA/s1600-h/IMG_1458%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1458" border="0" alt="IMG_1458" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Fwx5mH1D0Ak/UbE4TrdJDsI/AAAAAAAAE2o/AMj4Vlw7vBk/IMG_1458_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="369" height="281"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">7. Ladle into clean hot jars to the top. David turns the jars upside down which will sometimes be enough to seal them. If I had a bigger batch I would have put them in a hot bath now, but since the batch is small and will be gone soon I will just store it in the fridge to enjoy ASAP.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">My next big harvest is zucchini, I have some shredded and soaking in salt to turn into zucchini relish tomorrow. I’ll be sharing that recipe soon hopefully. We just used the last jar we had left from last year so it is just in time!</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="6" face="Harrington">Keep Harvesting and sharing~</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="6" face="Harrington">Ferne </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-53969209664073767272013-05-31T08:34:00.001-07:002013-05-31T08:41:14.697-07:00It’s Growing Time!<p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"> <font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IEhJx-AsvpY/UajC7mQ2YHI/AAAAAAAAE1c/zVRdstWuC7c/s1600-h/IMG_1443%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-n3VJSms_Dr4/UajC_qn6rnI/AAAAAAAAE0E/4fjXVAZQY7Q/s1600-h/IMG_1439%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-n3VJSms_Dr4/UajC_qn6rnI/AAAAAAAAE1g/Av6Gy1HYxtQ/s1600-h/IMG_1439%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SIQnFzThBzg/UajDAanRRDI/AAAAAAAAE1k/_XEUqOfAYDM/IMG_1439_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="433" height="346"></a></font></a></font></font></a></font></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">My garden has taken off growing…well, most of it. Those hay bale beds sure did work well. Here they are one month after planting them.</font><font size="4" face="Papyrus"> </font><font size="4" face="Papyrus">They are full of squash, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes and even potatoes. I also added lots of nasturtiums to trail over the sides after <font size="4" face="Papyrus"></a></font>reading that they repel squash bugs and cucumber beetles. Every thing in these beds is growing so much better than in my old beds and I am not sure if it is my soil mix or just that the bales are making it heat up more than in the ground. I suspect it is the combination of the two. Here is one squash leaf with my hand to show the size.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_DlnLraJMJE/UajDBjtXpTI/AAAAAAAAE0U/mc2qaO7ADXY/s1600-h/IMG_1440%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_DlnLraJMJE/UajDBjtXpTI/AAAAAAAAE1o/782dOogvkB0/s1600-h/IMG_1440%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1440" border="0" alt="IMG_1440" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8ERVfinq6nM/UajDCXO5ykI/AAAAAAAAE1s/xcHonBGB3rs/IMG_1440_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="464" height="356"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">I hesitate to show off my problem beds, but something is going on here or not going on as the case may be, or maybe it is just because the new guys are making them look even worse. Next year though these beds will be built up to 12” deep and the soil from the hay bale beds will be filling them.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cvFdB5cQVxY/UajDDgN7IHI/AAAAAAAAE0k/IfaKkvfSIK8/s1600-h/IMG_1436%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cvFdB5cQVxY/UajDDgN7IHI/AAAAAAAAE1w/sPZw_1JVpno/s1600-h/IMG_1436%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1436" border="0" alt="IMG_1436" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Xu6lm9kfX4k/UajDErl7R1I/AAAAAAAAE10/bviTQ9BPSDI/IMG_1436_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="466" height="362"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="Papyrus">It is looking like we will be getting some fruit from the fruit trees this year and the apriums will be the first ready in a couple weeks. Cotton Candy took a few years to produce for us and since it is ready early the blossoms are very susceptible to falling off if we get high winds or frost after they open. This year though they did good and I can’t wait to start eating some! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_QWXMqEqDlY/UajDFR5rBgI/AAAAAAAAE14/IG89NJWFcwk/s1600-h/IMG_1445%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1445" border="0" alt="IMG_1445" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6K-AokkYUPU/UajDFpnNdYI/AAAAAAAAE18/sz8CnofFotc/IMG_1445_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="373" height="307"></a><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1446" border="0" alt="IMG_1446" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2JTzx5gtSqQ/UajDHadKVUI/AAAAAAAAE1M/vQnsveBtg6Y/IMG_1446_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="305" height="242"> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">We are even going to be getting some apples this year. I am hoping to be adding more posts </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">to this blog this year with pictures of a successful harvest that is if I am not too busy picking in the garden!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="5" face="Lucida Handwriting">It is growing time!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="5" face="Lucida Handwriting">Ferne</font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-76159985889667200762013-04-28T18:35:00.001-07:002013-04-28T18:43:28.529-07:00Planting Time!<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Z5M9OV45KGU/UX3ODvefjBI/AAAAAAAAEus/u7aSRT-AF0Y/s1600-h/IMG_13574.jpg"><font size="4" face="Simplicity"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="IMG_1357" border="0" alt="IMG_1357" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lH1LqT1hPqk/UX3OEZ-2XyI/AAAAAAAAEu0/JwNRjL_Upjc/IMG_1357_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="407" height="310"></font></a><font size="4" face="Simplicity"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-a42e2iTYcyE/UX3OFrAZiOI/AAAAAAAAEu8/QpMGCePN2RM/s1600-h/IMG_1384%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1384" border="0" alt="IMG_1384" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vnlDlP3OgUg/UX3OGUT6wYI/AAAAAAAAEvE/-Nnl-Br2-es/IMG_1384_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="281" height="215"></a> <font face="IowanOldSt BT">I usually wait till Mother’s Day here to plant my summer veggies, but unusually warm temps both day and night have warmed the soil up to 70 degrees and it is looking like it might be here to stay for a while. I hope we get some rain and no frost and gardeners in northern California will finally have a good year for tomatoes. The last few years the weather has not cooperated. The blossoms on my roses are bigger than usual, I am told it is because of warm weather followed by just enough cold after the buds came out to stop them for a while then it got warm again and they exploded. It is a beautiful site!</font></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Simplicity"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_Otgn3jxnU8/UX3OHig-J3I/AAAAAAAAEvM/jrK91JnVBWI/s1600-h/IMG_1299%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1299" border="0" alt="IMG_1299" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ee90u7zYUPI/UX3OIBMUlPI/AAAAAAAAEvU/yTv32s_TaXk/IMG_1299_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="284" height="229"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZF8ZFp6li_E/UX3OLIRrsbI/AAAAAAAAEvc/Y-djw4PgUc0/s1600-h/IMG_1311%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1311" border="0" alt="IMG_1311" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eyYfuUXXHxs/UX3OLwx2gLI/AAAAAAAAEvk/7pmEmI0g4Ik/IMG_1311_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="286" height="228"></a> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I wanted to bring in more soil so that I could eventually (not this year) make my raised beds a little higher so I bought some rice bails and had some garden soil delivered and put together these giant beds. I layered the soil with compost and the plan is that next year I will have giant piles of good garden soil to add to my raised beds after I build up the sides to 12”. I am planting squash and potatoes in one and pumpkins in the other. I also added nasturtiums at the edges to make them a little prettier. I read that they attract beneficial insects that help keep squash and cucumber beetles away so it seemed like the perfect combo.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QrOZOKdh-b0/UX3OM0oYnZI/AAAAAAAAEwg/ZjSez_vSTUQ/s1600-h/IMG_1369%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1369" border="0" alt="IMG_1369" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-suRhUKYNkXA/UX3ONszia7I/AAAAAAAAEwk/drVIVHwTPK8/IMG_1369_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="351" height="270"></a> I planted my first tomatoes about a month ago and used wall o’ waters on them to protect them which was a wise choice because we did have a few cold nights. This week I took them off because the plants were about to grow over the top. I have planted squash, tomatoes, peppers and even cucumbers and my fingers are crossed that this weather carries us through May as the weather men have predicted. I grew extra plants as usual and have been giving them to co-workers, but I think I will sell this last batch.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MAVKnYItR1Y/UX3OOzHJ5qI/AAAAAAAAEwo/fadGCky93tw/s1600-h/IMG_1393%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1393" border="0" alt="IMG_1393" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-cohqlVBFiV4/UX3OPqdceeI/AAAAAAAAEws/1VkEgw3ZCMo/IMG_1393_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="293" height="226"></a> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I am growing the following varieties of tomatoes this year: </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><strong>Dr. Wychee’s Yellow, </strong></font><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><strong>Indigo Rose, Moon Glow, Black Giant, Csikos Boterno, Cherokee Purple, Black Brandywine, Zebra Heart, Chocolate Stripes, Black Cherry</strong>, all of these I have grown before and really enjoyed them. There are 3 new varieties I am trying this year 2 from a local seed supplier in Manton, California, Redwood Seeds…<strong>Zapotec </strong>and <strong>Peacevine Cherry</strong> and the 3rd is recommended by a friend for making good sauces, <strong>Nonna’s Pride</strong>. The Peacevine Cherry has really taken off and is trying to climb high! Working at a nursery and talking plants to people all day always tempts me to try new things so there may be more added to this list and that is just the tomatoes. I now have to decide just where I am going to put all the melons I want to grow this year and I know that I want to keep them away from my squash,</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I am also trying several new beans that I am growing both for fresh eating and for drying. Going through the Seed Savers catalog was just way to tempting so I have planted seeds in all kinds of weird places between things and will hope for the best!</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-t8i0r0kk3yM/UX3OQzaupnI/AAAAAAAAEww/mVD6SAieiw0/s1600-h/IMG_1396%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1396" border="0" alt="IMG_1396" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Mww6qEwVq60/UX3ORY7h45I/AAAAAAAAEw0/Yf4iG98BnFM/IMG_1396_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="318" height="243"></a></font>We have been seeing a return of butterflies so set up this little butterfly watering station near the butterfly bushes. I put small gravel in the bottom the a few larger rocks on the edges for them to sit and drink from. I haven’t seen any butterflies at it yet, but I hope they will find it to be a real treat on a hot day.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I am hoping that with all the newbie vegetable gardeners and those of us that keep growing hoping for a bumper crop year that this will be that year and we will be sharing all sorts of ideas on what to do with the plethora of fruits and veggies we will be harvesting in the next few months!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="6" face="Harrington">Keep Growing! </font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Harrington">~Ferne</font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-46717480548888721662013-03-31T17:36:00.001-07:002013-03-31T18:02:46.456-07:00Fruit Tree Update ~ Spring 2013<p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print">The fruit trees at Hummingbird Farmz are bursting forth in bloom and the bees have been busy pollinating them. Some fruit has set and some things are still in progress. It is such an exciting time since many of trees will have fruit for their first time this year and with more than 70 varieties of heirloom fruit this will be our first time to taste many of them. We go out and inspect their progress almost daily. Here is what we found most exciting on our last walk…</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uWJF66TSHtY/UVjWSROL6zI/AAAAAAAAEsc/g3G3tBXhh4Q/s1600-h/IMG_1348%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uWJF66TSHtY/UVjWSROL6zI/AAAAAAAAEsg/rlBv2Pct8iI/s1600-h/IMG_1348%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1348" border="0" alt="IMG_1348" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gz97pAgpyRA/UVjWUPUTj0I/AAAAAAAAEow/Tdpxl5W_Cqc/IMG_1348_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="315" height="240"></a></font></a><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"> Buds on an apple tree called <em>Stump</em>, originated in 1875 in Chili, New York and was very popular as a high-quality autumn apple. The skin will be pale yellow with a pink wash overlaid with splashes and stripes of dark red. </font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kK_mMGkZxyA/UVjWU18IWgI/AAAAAAAAEo4/rLemy7KJRBo/s1600-h/IMG_1339%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1339" border="0" alt="IMG_1339" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QRPD9xUIf6w/UVjWVRQ_uRI/AAAAAAAAEpA/BIK1FCoVX14/IMG_1339_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="345" height="267"></font></a></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"> This little blossom is on a <em>Strawberry Parfait</em> apple tree, The fruit will be striped red over ivory skin and red splashes like strawberries in vanilla ice cream in the flesh. It is said to have the flavor of strawberries in the flesh also. They are not long keepers so they will have to been eaten soon after picking…don’t think that will be a problem though..</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NlTwBwZywcA/UVjWWORDW9I/AAAAAAAAEpI/r7paTRWLdkg/s1600-h/IMG_1341%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1341" border="0" alt="IMG_1341" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Qhpq7JoLopI/UVjWWp6rIKI/AAAAAAAAEpQ/KY0EhCH7eqQ/IMG_1341_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="285" height="218"></font></a></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print">The flowers on this <em>Firecracker Crabapple</em> really look like fireworks going off in the orchard. These little 2” red apples will actually have a surprising red flesh. Can’t wait to pickle some of those for the holidays. They are said to make an excellent jelly as well.</font><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"> </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DPtyCuFhuig/UVjWXaxtN8I/AAAAAAAAEsk/b2MVu1EQlSs/s1600-h/IMG_1331%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DPtyCuFhuig/UVjWXaxtN8I/AAAAAAAAEso/8rVWSza5a38/s1600-h/IMG_1331%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1331" border="0" alt="IMG_1331" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1M1-fcKRjfE/UVjWX487HLI/AAAAAAAAErM/UbaIRXs9UTg/IMG_1331_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="213" height="274"></a></font></a><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font> </p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print">Another crabapple that I have in my Belgian Fence because it is a great pollinator for other apples is <em>Wickson Crabapple.</em> This is a very sweet crab apple with a very strong flavor that makes it wonderful for cider. The biggest surprise to me was the fragrance of the blossoms and how they varied. Some were strong and smelled like roses and some smelled just like a tasty apple.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CgBHJjiWv7E/UVjWYopjYJI/AAAAAAAAEss/-uK43Ja11Po/s1600-h/IMG_1344%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CgBHJjiWv7E/UVjWYopjYJI/AAAAAAAAEsw/xEcCLQzgrIM/s1600-h/IMG_1344%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1344" border="0" alt="IMG_1344" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8Lb2JsHaDdo/UVjWY3UJ3VI/AAAAAAAAEq0/oVefOZxnX_w/IMG_1344_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="308" height="239"></a></font></a><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"> </font><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print">The peaches and nectarines are bursting forth in bloom too. This is <em>Maria Gold</em> and she did produce one of the only nectarines we got last year which was very delicious. It is looking like she will grace us with her presence once again this year.</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_JR7mcx9_-M/UVjWZgPFlpI/AAAAAAAAEs0/0vb2sQDsn8A/s1600-h/IMG_1255%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_JR7mcx9_-M/UVjWZgPFlpI/AAAAAAAAEs4/5pBoIEB4_Cs/s1600-h/IMG_1255%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1255" border="0" alt="IMG_1255" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QoqxoJ_SsRg/UVjWaCeKHuI/AAAAAAAAErg/3SVUwP5XkvI/IMG_1255_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="273" height="212"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"></font> </p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print">This picture of the <em>Cotton Candy Aprium</em> in bloom shows it being pollinated by one busy bee and he did a great job because we are seeing lots of fruit coming on. Last year we got a small armload from it and it was wonderful. Looking forward to eating more of this fruit this year!</font><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"> </font><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VqfVayMMuhw/UVjWai5RBAI/AAAAAAAAErk/0-qIc_aaXjM/s1600-h/IMG_1258%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px auto 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1258" border="0" alt="IMG_1258" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MP5JiIKpYh0/UVjWbQDVwFI/AAAAAAAAEro/e__zxAGyxck/IMG_1258_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="309" height="239"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zTX9Yfb_5Fk/UVjWcLVjiRI/AAAAAAAAEqY/UhdTTVMaCWE/s1600-h/IMG_1260%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zTX9Yfb_5Fk/UVjWcLVjiRI/AAAAAAAAEs8/r_yaxn8Z8n8/s1600-h/IMG_1260%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1260" border="0" alt="IMG_1260" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2ZjY3hekt8Q/UVjWcgSVcII/AAAAAAAAEtA/c8pEiN5ctG0/IMG_1260_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="275" height="210"></a></font></a></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print">We are seeing lots of fruit in our future and will have to inviting this little guy back to help with the picking and eating of it. We have lots of other family members who would love to join him I’m sure! He does enjoy walking through the orchard </font><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print">though and studies all the signs I made for our trees so that we don’t forget what they are.. </font></p> <p><font size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bbExlFCCfE0/UVjbylOSgAI/AAAAAAAAEtE/6I4Fh3OmFLs/s1600-h/IMG_1311%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1311" border="0" alt="IMG_1311" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-N07VSnfM_rQ/UVjbzEm2c4I/AAAAAAAAEtI/yEMOvD0fuhk/IMG_1311_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="341" height="270"></a> In the vegetable garden things are happening too. I hope to be posting more on this experiment I am under taking this year using bales of rice straw stacked to make a large raised bed. I will be growing my watermelon squash and pumpkins in it and have already been adding lots of compost to get it ready for growing.</font></p> <p><font color="#800000" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><em>Looking forward to some tasty sweet times!</em></font></p> <p><font color="#008000" size="5" face="LD Shelly Print"><strong><em>Ferne & Michael </em></strong></font></p> <p><font size="5" face="IowanOldSt BT"> </font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-68457156594929265152013-02-07T15:02:00.001-08:002013-02-17T08:32:16.833-08:00Seeding Time <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-R9UVqeyxYLo/URQxnHJwhRI/AAAAAAAAEi8/YhgKUOAt2yM/s1600-h/IMG_1233%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><img alt="IMG_1233" border="0" height="322" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LSFCXrE1Si0/URQxo2V_c6I/AAAAAAAAEjE/qWzTUKHrqoI/IMG_1233_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1233" width="422" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">It is time to gather all your seed starting supplies and inventory your seeds, maybe even order more. I am teaching a seed starting class in a few weeks and was going through my process in preparation for that and because I am chomping at the bit to get started. I </span><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-m-iS3mSFpjM/URQxrEl0gCI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/luL3mU9DK8s/s1600-h/IMG_1227%25255B4%25255D.jpg"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">have been starting things from seeds for many years both in a green house and also in a one bedroom apartment so I know it is something anyone can do if they want to. It doesn’t take much space and can you give you the opportunity to grow some really interesting vegetables, herbs and flowers. Supplies you will need are containers of your choice, seeds of your choice, markers of your choice also, heat mat (not necessary, but very helpful), and grow lights with some way to adjust the height as the plants grow. The planting station above has been very helpful in containing my soil and keeping my mess easy to clean up, my antique minnow buckets are great for holding soil, tools and bulk fertilizer.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Here is my list of my favorite seed companies for the more interesting and heirloom varieties of vegetables: </span><a href="http://rareseeds.com/"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://www.highmowingseeds.com/"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">High Mowing Seeds</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Seed Savers</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">and </span><a href="http://www.everwilde.com/"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Everwilde Farms</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">. I also like </span><a href="http://www.cooksgarden.com/"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Cook’s Garden</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"> and </span><a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Territorial Seeds</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"> and order from </span><a href="http://www.gurneys.com/"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Gurney’s</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"> and </span><a href="http://parkseed.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Parks Seeds</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"> on occasion. We have a very local seed company that grows some really fun varieties of veggies that I know will do well here because they came from only about 10 miles away..<a href="http://blog.redwoodseeds.net/">Redwood Seeds is in Manton, CA</a> just a hop, skip and a jump from where I live so I always include a few things </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">from them.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-I6hCK3Wbhs8/URQyIyTE2eI/AAAAAAAAEkk/a2nj1KSf050/s1600-h/IMG_1226%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1226" border="0" height="288" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-e7M5yh5L8cU/URQyKcfsgmI/AAAAAAAAEks/WUnoYGUnkoM/IMG_1226_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1226" width="378" /></a></span><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-STJhYXUUNao/URQyNjQURcI/AAAAAAAAEk0/iDCFGB_u1_8/s1600-h/IMG_1219.jpg"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><img align="left" alt="IMG_1219" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HNQrHICXQbc/URQyPFYTY0I/AAAAAAAAEk8/TQrmmYxsKEM/IMG_1219_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px 10px 5px 0px;" title="IMG_1219" width="244" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">I have been experimenting with seed starting methods and soils for years and haven’t found a perfect go to method yet. I did use Whitney Farms Seed Starting soil for years and loved it, but since I moved I haven’t found a source for it here. Black Gold has an OMRI rated seed starting mix that is nice though. I have used peat pellets with pretty good success if I remove the mesh netting from the plant at planting time. I loved the little indentation for the seed right in the middle of the plug. This year I am trying Gurneys seed starting tray, I have seen a similar set up in other catalogs, too. The tray is Styrofoam and it floats on the water that is in the bottom tray, this should cause the roots to develop and grow into the water. I am experimenting </span><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">with it now using some lettuce seeds. The soil that fills the holes comes in preformed spongy plugs that fit right in the hole and they have the dibbled hole in the top to hold the seed. The part that seemed strange to me is that you just drop a seed in and don’t cover it with anything. After 2 days I do have seeds emerging and can see some <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bDmE3QyatmQ/URQyRZRFjfI/AAAAAAAAElE/8zhrOzyf3vU/s1600-h/IMG_1245%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><img align="right" alt="IMG_1245" border="0" height="230" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-X5oHlNItUr4/URQySxUjSiI/AAAAAAAAElM/0Ev_-xGsHPw/IMG_1245_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="IMG_1245" width="302" /></span></a>root growth too. The picture to the right is exactly one week later. I am already seeing the roots coming out the bottom of the seed sponge, so far I am quiet happy with vigor and health of these seedlings. They were all lettuce and kale starts. The best part is that I don’t have to water very often at all, just keep an eye on the reservoir.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">I found a recipe on </span><a href="http://organicgardening.about.com/od/organicgardenmaintenance/qt/seedstartingmix.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">About.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"> for a seed starting soil and found all of the ingredients at my garden center. I have mixed up a batch and like the way it looks and feels. I planted in it just yesterday so I will have to repost when I have the results. The recipe is really quite simple so I will post it here if you would like to give it a try yourself. The reason for not using a regular potting soil for starting seeds is that it can contain pathogens that are harmful to small seedlings and some may contain a pre-emergent which keeps seeds from sprouting. A good seed starting mix should be light and airy, stay moist not soggy and allow good root growth. This recipe seems like it should be a good one to me, I especially like that it contains coir and greensand. I used a coir block that I soaked for quite a while first and I used Worm Gold for the vermicompost. This takes me back to the gnat invasion of last year when I used straight coir for soil, it will be interesting to see if the addition of the Worm Gold and Green sand and Perlite help in avoiding that fiasco. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Harrington; font-size: large;">Basic Seed Starting Mix</span></b> <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Harrington; font-size: large;">3 parts** peat or coir (coir is preferable if you can get it) </span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Harrington; font-size: large;">3 parts vermicompost (your own or purchased from a garden center or other supplier ~ Worm Gold) </span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Harrington; font-size: large;">1 part perlite </span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Harrington; font-size: large;">1/2 part greensand </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;">Once you get those seeds planted in whatever container you have chosen to use the next thing is to be sure to label them. I made my own tags a few years ago from mini blinds cut down to about 6” long they are perfect for fitting all the pertinent information on you can also use purchased tags. I like to write with pencil because it doesn’t fade and I can reuse the tags with just a little erasing. Always put the date you planted the seeds on the<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Vxe2HbZDAtY/URQx3MFs6YI/AAAAAAAAEnM/SQW5_KMPvPI/s1600-h/IMG_12312.jpg"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Vxe2HbZDAtY/URQx3MFs6YI/AAAAAAAAEno/Bo2jemeeewE/s1600-h/IMG_1231%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img align="right" alt="IMG_1231" border="0" height="223" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NuCZn4AzjtQ/URQyWXS4AqI/AAAAAAAAElY/-g60XwjfQyQ/IMG_1231_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="IMG_1231" width="292" /></a></span> tag as it will help you keep track of progress later. I also like to make notes in a notebook of any kind. A simple spiral notebook can contain years of information and will be so helpful to look back on year after year to see what worked for you what really didn’t.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Vxe2HbZDAtY/URQx3MFs6YI/AAAAAAAAEno/Bo2jemeeewE/s1600-h/IMG_1231%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"></span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZJBhnYZRbjM/URQx-ThFgwI/AAAAAAAAEnY/Ocy9Dflm6yk/s1600-h/IMG_12162.jpg"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Harrington; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Let’s get growing!</i></b></span> </div>
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZJBhnYZRbjM/URQx-ThFgwI/AAAAAAAAEns/_EKIdbcj10k/s1600-h/IMG_1216%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1216" border="0" height="266" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-x6uTt5exddw/URQydaLRGPI/AAAAAAAAElk/_RKwhx8PtKk/IMG_1216_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1216" width="341" /></a><span style="color: teal; font-family: Harrington; font-size: x-large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-family: Harrington;">Ferne </span></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Harrington;"><span style="color: teal;">@ Hummingbird Farmz<span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZJBhnYZRbjM/URQx-ThFgwI/AAAAAAAAEns/_EKIdbcj10k/s1600-h/IMG_1216%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Goudy Old Style; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZJBhnYZRbjM/URQx-ThFgwI/AAAAAAAAEnw/7dvhzGgiR0g/s1600-h/IMG_1216%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></i></b></div>
fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-37444234885095884222013-01-11T19:30:00.001-08:002013-01-11T19:53:07.071-08:00Winter at Hummingbird Farmz<p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oUYvsd6jaK8/UPDYIQs1Z0I/AAAAAAAAEdE/qSsoMA-XHv4/s1600-h/IMG_1190%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1190" border="0" alt="IMG_1190" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bXYj4S8lTJk/UPDYJ9cF8lI/AAAAAAAAEdM/Z1ckbUcKSO4/IMG_1190_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="362" height="276"></a></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> I find that I don't write on this blog much in the winter because there doesn't seem to be much to say about my garden when so much is dormant and covered in leaves, but a reader of my blog recently challenged me to talk about what is going on in my garden now. Today I was raking leaves and really looking at what was happening and I saw so much more than I expected to find. I don’t like to be called an “expert” at gardening, but I do have some knowledge <strong>and</strong> lots to learn. With what knowledge I do have I’ve created a garden that I feel very much at home in. In this comfort zone I can watch things grow, grow myself and learn about what my garden needs and what I need. I get food for my body and my mind from my garden. I grow fruits and vegetables, flowers and herbs and attract visitors like birds, bees, bugs and other critters that I really enjoy observing. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OyZHYcr2Hrs/UPDYMUTJmeI/AAAAAAAAEdU/qh_qlZoBzE0/s1600-h/IMG_1188%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1188" border="0" alt="IMG_1188" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jsRMv5PEryA/UPDYNc3nmzI/AAAAAAAAEdc/r5D3ZuLogWw/IMG_1188_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="289" height="232"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BtSMzXcXRUg/UPDYP8kDh8I/AAAAAAAAEdk/tQz9ySJrUEU/s1600-h/IMG_0583%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0583" border="0" alt="IMG_0583" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uOd-WP4W6cQ/UPDYQ_Bl9kI/AAAAAAAAEds/Aj2mxCgITHA/IMG_0583_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="300" height="233"></a> </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">One section of my yard is dedicated to lilacs, quince, forsythia, weigelia and red buds. Right now it appears dormant, but on closer inspection I can see the buds swelling on the quince reminding me that soon there will quite a show going on in that section. First, the quince will bloom in a beautiful dark apricot color that is close to red followed by the lilacs in lavenders, pinks, and white with a fragrance that is not like any other. After the lilacs come the showy white explosion of spirea and the bright yellow </font><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">forsythia. The above picture on the left looks like nothing much going on, but the picture on the right is from last March when it all came to life and was so beautiful. It is reminding me of what is too come and having so much to look forward to helps me to see the beauty in this time of year when things seem to be so dismal, but in reality an energy is being stored up so that when the time and environmental conditions are just right there will be quite a show for all the senses.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LRb7I6twMGY/UPDYXVa99eI/AAAAAAAAEhI/hDOnoWzv46Y/s1600-h/IMG_1183%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1183" border="0" alt="IMG_1183" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BEs4F5BR088/UPDYYr6k0JI/AAAAAAAAEhM/8t3fkMs-UiA/IMG_1183_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="277" height="231"></a></font><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-c05recahoSo/UPDYTWKrejI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/f96tUPpfshY/s1600-h/IMG_1120%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1120" border="0" alt="IMG_1120" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jO2Nyjyx2wQ/UPDYUTjMxeI/AAAAAAAAEhU/IsHpvtjUcoE/IMG_1120_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="283" height="232"></a> </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LRb7I6twMGY/UPDYXVa99eI/AAAAAAAAEhY/SjzKBTKCPbg/s1600-h/IMG_1183%25255B7%25255D.jpg"></a> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-c05recahoSo/UPDYTWKrejI/AAAAAAAAEhc/i9HpIS1GLEM/s1600-h/IMG_1120%25255B8%25255D.jpg"></a> </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-c05recahoSo/UPDYTWKrejI/AAAAAAAAEhc/i9HpIS1GLEM/s1600-h/IMG_1120%25255B8%25255D.jpg"></a> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left">In my vegetable garden things are growing slowly which is normal for this time of year. I have small seedlings of carrots, beets, garlic and onions that have been hanging<img style="display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Mara des Bois Strawberries" align="right" src="http://images.whiteflowerfarm.com/29205a.jpg" width="287" height="255"> in there through frost, wind and even snow. My next task will be to thin and replant the strawberry beds. I grew a tasty little French one last year named <a href="http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/29205-product.html#">Mara des Bois,</a> the flavor was the sweetest and juiciest I have ever tasted so I wasted no<br>time in rounding up those trailing babies and rooting them in to tray so that i can start a whole other bed full of them to enjoy through the summer. They are ever bearing and just kept coming through the summer and into the fall. We all enjoyed them and shared with all of our visitors young and old.</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-filpGQ5VHmA/UPDYbZKPLBI/AAAAAAAAEeU/RE-PTEgZE1k/s1600-h/IMG_1182%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1182" border="0" alt="IMG_1182" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rrA72KvDK-E/UPDYcdOJrLI/AAAAAAAAEec/QWXKBPHfpw0/IMG_1182_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </p> <p align="left"></font> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="IowanOldSt BT"><em>This garden bed is currently being used to heel in some fruit trees and vines to plant as soon as the soil warms up a bit.</em></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">The Italian Parsley is loving this cold weather and I need to keep harvesting the leaves for drying and using fresh because we use a lot of it all year long. I love opening the jar of dried parsley and just taking a deep breath, it smells so tasty. We have been keeping<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tx8HOCaJL7E/UPDYfW9gpwI/AAAAAAAAEek/n6CB5bWl1ms/s1600-h/IMG_1186%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1186" border="0" alt="IMG_1186" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oChiwKZEmg0/UPDYgufYqLI/AAAAAAAAEes/uLQhW9mV_fg/IMG_1186_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="296" height="226"></a> the dehydrator busy with persimmons and we did the same method we used last year called Hoshigaki. This year we are doing even more than last year because we enjoyed them so much. This year I sliced them about 1/2” thick in one batch and was amazed at how much they shrink so the next batch we just cut them in half. I love how chewy they are and very sweet. They loose that astringency when they go through a frost. We are using them before they are all soft and gooey and they are delicious though I have been using the really ripe ones for </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HlBNegAAT3Q/UPDYjdnVBqI/AAAAAAAAEe0/fSkidUCL7UA/s1600-h/IMG_1145%25255B6%25255D.jpg"></a> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">baking some goodies. The persimmons in this picture are the ones we are leaving for the birds because we have plenty on hand for us to eat this year and share with special friends.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HlBNegAAT3Q/UPDYjdnVBqI/AAAAAAAAEhg/ZYZiM6740YI/s1600-h/IMG_1145%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1145" border="0" alt="IMG_1145" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eod3bwbGVTk/UPDYkQO2RiI/AAAAAAAAEhk/oY9lxti-eho/IMG_1145_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="277" height="211"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HlBNegAAT3Q/UPDYjdnVBqI/AAAAAAAAEho/CYBcpXkGeok/s1600-h/IMG_1145%25255B6%25255D.jpg"></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HlBNegAAT3Q/UPDYjdnVBqI/AAAAAAAAEho/CYBcpXkGeok/s1600-h/IMG_1145%25255B6%25255D.jpg"></a> </p> <p><font size="3"><em><font face="IowanOldSt BT"><font size="4">This picture is of the persimmons covered in snow just a few weeks ago</font>.</font></em></font></p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I planted some saffron crocus bulbs and they are all popping up in the bed with the parsley. The camelias are starting to bloom and the chamaecyparis are looking great as always. The yellow twig dogwood are showing off their yellow twigs and the daphne are getting ready to bloom. So there really is more going on in my garden than I imagined sitting inside reading seed catalogs and garden books and looking out at the cold. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_-Bi861VSbs/UPDYnDONnFI/AAAAAAAAEfE/i5uuzdet2io/s1600-h/IMG_1185%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1185" border="0" alt="IMG_1185" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-J7zmOzE2wVY/UPDYoEimrjI/AAAAAAAAEfM/iBw3UGkjDyQ/IMG_1185_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </font></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TCUTuABrYiU/UPDYqx79sFI/AAAAAAAAEfU/QubHeF6sisc/s1600-h/IMG_1197%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1197" border="0" alt="IMG_1197" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yKve3iOAdA0/UPDYroU-aLI/AAAAAAAAEfc/7t0yR7zBGg4/IMG_1197_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--z83xJ_fjO4/UPDYtWfkO6I/AAAAAAAAEfk/4MQG1Y_RRxA/s1600-h/IMG_1192%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1192" border="0" alt="IMG_1192" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tBZfUyiPTsQ/UPDYuPmNbaI/AAAAAAAAEfs/NVD3tmRyQEE/IMG_1192_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BuIGKa1UZ9M/UPDYwQD2ElI/AAAAAAAAEf0/CG6T1ULr8UU/s1600-h/IMG_1194%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1194" border="0" alt="IMG_1194" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jgV0niHTT58/UPDYxsL0-XI/AAAAAAAAEf8/9qoW3V8ZLUU/IMG_1194_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I have been doing a lot of reading and researching on how to make my soil better and have a wonderful book to recommend on permaculture for the home garden it is called </font><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gaias-Garden-Second-Edition-Permaculture/dp/1603580298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357960640&sr=8-1&keywords=gaia%27s+garden+a+guide+to+home-scale+permaculture+2nd+edition"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Gaia’s Garden by TobyHemenway</font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">. I am especially enjoying Chapter 4 on soil. There is a great description of just how a leaf goes through the process of turning into humus that went on for pages and I was never bored, just amazed.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I will be taking more time to really look at what is happening in the garden and not just at the pretty flowers…it is all happening first in the soil, all the stuff you don’t see at first glance.</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008080" size="7" face="Harrington">Ferne</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Ce2n4H7JT74/UPDYyqMOKUI/AAAAAAAAEgE/s7zNrHU5BQg/s1600-h/IMG_1150%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1150" border="0" alt="IMG_1150" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iods0ysZNfk/UPDYzfFH4wI/AAAAAAAAEgM/X14he4Av7KM/IMG_1150_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="319" height="243"></a></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="7" face="Harrington"><em>@ Hummingbird Farmz </em></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-78302975371994806852012-10-06T15:44:00.001-07:002012-10-06T15:44:00.756-07:00Summer in the Garden Recap<p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-e4EWhHBY7p8/UHCzuc5f0LI/AAAAAAAAETY/RWqww6wehIM/s1600-h/IMG_1019%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1019" border="0" alt="IMG_1019" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-o6iV5auW-mg/UHCzwwdV2gI/AAAAAAAAETg/IX05xLA9QWU/IMG_1019_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="441" height="336"></a>As summer comes to a close and I get the garden ready for a winter crop I was thinking back to all the high hopes for a bumper crop of tomatoes, peppers, melons and squash. I didn’t get much of a bumper crop in fact not really much at all and I am not sure why. The peppers got more sunburn, the tomatoes looked like they were cooking on the vine except the ones that were planted in the <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7Gsa3D_-m0w/UHCzziZiUwI/AAAAAAAAETo/YkvqcBQIAwU/s1600-h/IMG_1013%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1013" border="0" alt="IMG_1013" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pGD91PMk_58/UHCz1ybKYYI/AAAAAAAAETw/PARbMvBLr0w/IMG_1013_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="273" height="208"></a>flowerbeds by the shed that actually got some afternoon shade they are still producing. We did get a lot of grapes and figs though and now we are harvesting pears. Today I planted radishes, kohlrabi, onions, peas, carrots and beets in hopes of a bumper crop winter garden. Real gardeners never give up hope, right? At least I don’t, I keep adding compost, organic fertilizer and water in the hopes that the weather will do what I need it too do and my plants will flourish and produce a bountiful harvest just when I need it most.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rXdaYnid0qE/UHCz30Wo4hI/AAAAAAAAET4/P2Gtu8r3Drk/s1600-h/IMG_1015%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1015" border="0" alt="IMG_1015" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JgM2usrzwvo/UHCz43u4rsI/AAAAAAAAEUA/O1P0ldA5UbY/IMG_1015_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">The tomatoes that I got the most of were my brown cherry tomatoes. They are really more of a small plum tomato than a cherry and loaded with delicious flavor in their little package. I made a few sauces with them that I actually enjoyed as a cold sauce over angel hair pasta. I am also still getting cherry tomatoes that I grew on the other side of the shed from a tomato called Red Velvet. They are quite tasty and it is still loaded with little green beauties that I hope will turn red before it freezes. The best part of the Red Velvet is its grey foliage. I put it in a flowerbed where I plant lots of blue and hot pink flowers and it complimented them quite nicely. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-E8tm-oqkz7A/UHCz8Gxm90I/AAAAAAAAEUI/lhgLaAGBl84/s1600-h/IMG_1018%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1018" border="0" alt="IMG_1018" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-H0G8qt59-bQ/UHCz9vY7AsI/AAAAAAAAEUQ/V5H3chfFm-s/IMG_1018_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="302" height="230"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">There were lots of fires this year in Northern California and one was very close to home. Because of the fire a new herd of deer moved in and they were much better at hoping our fence then our regular herd so the garden got attacked quite a few times. I learned from this experience that they love parsley, but they didn’t touch any of the basil. Luckily they left enough of the parsley for it to keep growing though. They also ate all the strawberry leaves, but left the berries behind…I would have th<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-npiRcsZklvQ/UHC0A4PBMgI/AAAAAAAAEUY/2kPctJBZl1k/s1600-h/IMG_1017%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1017" border="0" alt="IMG_1017" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4641vFj9KYg/UHC0CZVxQmI/AAAAAAAAEUg/35fSqT_iv4E/IMG_1017_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="303" height="231"></a>ought they would do it the other way around, but I don’t think like a deer. We tried to think like deer and place barriers of multiple sorts where we thought they were coming in, but we weren’t very successful. The Scarecrow sprayed us more often than any deer. We have figured out their pattern more now though and know about what time of day to expect their visits so the pellet gun is ready to scare them off when they get too close to the fence.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dT93JppfX3c/UHC0EkDKc_I/AAAAAAAAEUo/MB5vQA4hEf4/s1600-h/IMG_1020%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1020" border="0" alt="IMG_1020" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RZKVlK38tOs/UHC0F1sE2GI/AAAAAAAAEUw/QR_rgdkW9PQ/IMG_1020_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="305" height="233"></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">The persimmons are waiting for a little cold spell to get them ready for harvest and it looks like we will be having a pretty good harvest of them again. We are planning to dry them the same ways we did last year with the hydrator and the air drying technique. We enjoyed eating them this way for a really long time. I can almost taste the homemade persimmon breads and cookies now…yum! </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Some flowers seem to look their best at the end of the summer and my French lavender and Autumn Sages are really showing some vivid colors right now. It’s a little strange thinking it is fall when a few days ago it was in the 100’s and now it is chilly and got me looking for my slippers and sweats. It was a nice summer here with a good mix of hot spells and a little cooling off in between, but there is something so welcoming about fall that just makes me want to get cozy in the house and bake something. Thinking of the holidays that will be coming just around the corner and hopefully more rainy days than snowy ones makes me think of sewing projects to work on and maybe I’ll even get some painting done in the house. For now though I am dreaming of a bountiful harvest down the road from my little garden…one of these days!</font></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-m005vMePEG4/UHC0JBnTBAI/AAAAAAAAEU4/6oyILdNVJps/s1600-h/IMG_1022%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_1022" border="0" alt="IMG_1022" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-90ieGqAQ3OQ/UHC0LW-SIcI/AAAAAAAAEVA/jF9_QTBGNjg/IMG_1022_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="446" height="340"></a><font color="#008000" size="7" face="A Little Pot"></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="7" face="A Little Pot">Ferne </font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-44593913321631285222012-08-23T09:08:00.001-07:002012-08-23T09:08:27.701-07:00Smokey Days at Hummingbird Farms<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DvyriL04_Jw/UDZVaCy2NyI/AAAAAAAAEP8/FI5mEQLJ1vg/s1600-h/IMG_0872%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0872" border="0" alt="IMG_0872" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JJZz04L-Wig/UDZVbIZC4jI/AAAAAAAAEQE/OCHHEmxGXjc/IMG_0872_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="407" height="310"></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">What looked like a thunderhead at first turned out to be smoke and not to far away. It has been smoky here for more than a week with all the fires around Mt. Lassen and now in Manton and Shingletown. Last we heard it was headed to Mineral. Luckily the winds didn’t pick up and what wind there was blew it away from us, but it was a little too close for comfort. I watched a little video on how smoke affects the flavor of grapes and therefore wines. The original lightening strikes that started this fire was right near the wineries in Manton and we haven’t heard yet how they faired. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">The funny thing is that the day this fire started I had just picked all of our grapes that we were going to dry to make raisins. After 2 days in the dehydrator we have some really tasty raisins, I know because I just had some in my morning oatmeal. The grapes we grew were called Venus. They make a small grape with a little seed that just gives the raisin a little crunch, but no bad flavor. It seems the seed is not in every grape so it is not a problem. After we dehydrated them we put them in the freezer to kill off any bugs that might be in them.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-y15XOMGB0dk/UDZVdEqmk_I/AAAAAAAAEQM/GqAjQEriGRQ/s1600-h/IMG_0852%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0852" border="0" alt="IMG_0852" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6b7_J_vvoHM/UDZVeZGnLOI/AAAAAAAAEQU/qSq2DFsyam0/IMG_0852_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="324" height="247"></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">My Grandson came for a short visit a few weeks ago and we dug potatoes and picked strawberries. He is showing signs of being a true gardener. He climbed right into my raised be and dug in and actually found a few potatoes for me. He was more interested in picking strawberries though and carefully looked for the totally red ones before he picked them then had me stem them and into his mouth they went. Not many berries made it up to the house that day. I had such a fun time with him that day and look forward to many more of the same!</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">This week my thoughts are turning to fall as I get ready to teach a fall veggie planting class at the nursery that I have been recently transferred to in Redding. It is a lot larger than the nursery I was working at, but the customers and employees have welcomed us all with open arms and we are settling in just fine. So if you are in vicinity of Redding, CA stop in at Wyntour Gardens and say “hi!”.</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="6" face="Kristen ITC"><em>Keep growing and sowing!</em></font></p> <p align="center"><em><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Kristen ITC">Ferne</font></em></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-61733074570292715132012-07-13T06:40:00.001-07:002012-07-13T06:45:00.189-07:00Orange Purple Smudge…What a beauty!<p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KUMugwiARAY/UAAmUpzrWeI/AAAAAAAAENQ/gNvOrk4Fhys/s1600-h/IMG_0792%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px auto; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0792" border="0" alt="IMG_0792" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7tHcYmFMseM/UAAmVhV0n7I/AAAAAAAAENY/zJeOS6f3Ar4/IMG_0792_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="490" height="334"></a> This is my first tomato of the season. Actually I had one more, but it wasn’t one that I started from my very own seed. There is great satisfaction in bringing up a little seedling all the way to adulthood where is is producing beautiful fruits like this for my pleasure. Now that is pay back for all my precious loving care. This is also the largest Orange Purple Smudge tomato I have ever grown, guess I fed him right! I have been using a lot of compost and products with humic acid in them and it seems to be working well. One such product is John & Bob’s Soil Enhancer. I also experimented with Dr. Earth Metabolizer. Working in a nursery vendors sometimes send us free samples to try and this was one I really liked. I think some of what I tried this year is big on the market for those growing their own ‘medicine’, but it really does work well on your edible crops too. There is a lot of focus on the other type of crop these days, but I am finding that we both can teach each other a lot about growing plants when we share information. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Working in a nursery has brought me in contact with lots of people growing lots of different things and the wealth of information we can bring each other has been very rewarding. Unfortunately the nursery I am currently working at is about to close, the owner does own another wonderful nursery and that might be my future job location, but for now I am focusing on closing this one and enjoying the company of the many customers I have gotten to know along with the companionship of my fellow employees that have become good friends and confidants. It will be hard to say good-bye to both, but I will hope to see them all in the future and share some more tips and just ‘life’ with them all.</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="6" face="IowanOldSt BT"><strong><em>Life is good!</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Highland Perk"><strong><em>Ferne</em></strong></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-31510425833262591862012-06-01T18:34:00.001-07:002012-06-01T21:04:54.654-07:00Gardening at Hummingbird Farms<p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-34uwCcc3tFM/T8mQ3ktQZ6I/AAAAAAAAEMo/0cIFH8xHs7I/s1600-h/IMG_0704%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 25px auto 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0704" border="0" alt="IMG_0704" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-y02eo7Ror7k/T8mQ5AtBxYI/AAAAAAAAEMw/CISxVYkBGtM/IMG_0704_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="443" height="338"></a> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">I came by to post this picture of the first apple ever from our orchard and noticed that it has been a very long time since I last posted. Our plants survived the fungus gnats and in fact I have had my best year in a long time with my garden so far. Everything looks healthy and growing nicely. I am even seeing some tomatoes getting to a really nice size. Last year at this time we were just planting and then we had a frost. This week though we are getting into the 100’s so the weather is quite different than last year.</font><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WdBEvblbB-w/T8ltZbwe39I/AAAAAAAAEK0/9Uy6Ke3AT2Y/s1600-h/IMG_0683%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0683" border="0" alt="IMG_0683" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-d7m0ihYB7Qw/T8ltaNzm6wI/AAAAAAAAEK8/8BlOYPVJsws/IMG_0683_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CWFWiBt3WPw/T8ltcVS-zQI/AAAAAAAAELE/Gvwm0xCa8KM/s1600-h/IMG_0646%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0646" border="0" alt="IMG_0646" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FmpV-mLpaJA/T8ltdaKD6eI/AAAAAAAAELM/tnHfkIlcSSM/IMG_0646_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-G71CXE52Ulk/T8ltfr9xkLI/AAAAAAAAELU/qHH1mujjhFM/s1600-h/IMG_0644%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0644" border="0" alt="IMG_0644" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IA1GkF-cK24/T8ltgbGX5mI/AAAAAAAAELc/YKWbl82U3XU/IMG_0644_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-a6Y-jh2VW4U/T8ltjEKrWeI/AAAAAAAAELk/PeiBS7-P9DQ/s1600-h/IMG_0651%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0651" border="0" alt="IMG_0651" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6oozKNXcQFE/T8ltkIPl7AI/AAAAAAAAELs/3Cb51OT39xw/IMG_0651_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">The top picture shows my favorite method of trellising my tomatoes. We put t-posts on each side of the beds then wire on concrete wire mesh. I tie the main stem to the wire mesh and weave the bigger branches carefully in and out as they grow. When they have a huge growth spurt though I sometimes wrap the whole thing with stretchy green tape. It is easy to harvest like this and when the season is over clean up is easy (that might be the best part).</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-T24cCIWpVZY/T8ltlfQ3siI/AAAAAAAAEL0/5nvY7_c4l_o/s1600-h/IMG_06873.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 5px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="IMG_0687" border="0" alt="IMG_0687" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KabiWmA8iII/T8ltmL6m4oI/AAAAAAAAEL8/byXI7q4LoYg/IMG_0687_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></font></a>I have been harvesting peas so that I can pull the plants and plant the rest of the tomato plants that got a late start. I think I have over 20 plants now and 5 different summer squash, 2 winter squash, 3 different melons, and 3 kinds of cucumbers. Add to that about 5 kinds of basil and some flowers and my garden will be over flowing! I actually harvested more than 10 cups of strawberries the other day and made my first batch of jam. It was from a 3 year old patch so the berries are small, but packed with flavor. Most of the seeds for the veggies I am growing have come from Bakers Creek and Seed Savers so I have some fun old varieties of heirloom vegetables. My most anticipated new tomato for this year is the Indigo Rose and I have a few plants out there all of which are doing great.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1p_i076OSLo/T8lto3Tj4LI/AAAAAAAAEME/0-ZIgG5X42M/s1600-h/IMG_07133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="IMG_0713" border="0" alt="IMG_0713" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-j1t5XfYrwd8/T8ltpvWHdqI/AAAAAAAAEMM/wNNBfL0SNps/IMG_0713_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Our little orchard is growing in leaps and bounds and my Belgian fence is filling in its first row of diamonds and even needs some pruning and tying. Looks like I have a little work to do there.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">This picture is of the cat playing in the little field of rye grass that we have let get tall hoping to harvest some one of these days and see if we can get some rye to grind into flour…we’ll see how that goes. It has kept the star thistle from coming up so if that is the only good it does it is worth it. The cats love hiding in it too, so it is kind of a cat toy…<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qCF08_2wykg/T8ltr-AOMrI/AAAAAAAAEMU/sAIgK49zcjE/s1600-h/IMG_07193.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="IMG_0719" border="0" alt="IMG_0719" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OzOrxqVLSIE/T8ltsiF82ZI/AAAAAAAAEMc/Y4Zi9z116Mo/IMG_0719_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">So if this post gets old and dusty just know that I am out in the garden harvesting or fertilizing and enjoying every minute of it. </font></p> <p><font color="#800000" size="5" face="IowanOldSt BT"><strong><em>Gardening makes me happy!</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="7" face="Highland Perk"><strong><em>Ferne</em></strong></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-68222708328523884332012-04-10T09:48:00.001-07:002012-04-10T09:48:41.477-07:00Invasion of the Gnats<p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4fFHxKQ-Phk/T4RkC6wf6PI/AAAAAAAAECk/lEGwM6TARck/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="229" height="236">There has been a bit of a fungus gnat invasion going on in our green house over the last few weeks. Now working at a garden center I talk to customers all the time who seem in a panic over these seemingly, thousands of little bugs that fly around when ever they water their plants and I laugh and tell them not to worry because the gnats don’t harm their plants and they need to cut back on watering for a bit and they will go away, the plant is probably being over watered. Well, I never thought I would be in a panic when it happened to me, but I was and it caused me to learn a bit more about the effects of fungus gnats or worse, their larva that is living in the soil and eating the roots of my little seedlings causing them to just fall over like they do when they get damping off. I am not sure where these little guys came from, but they sure do multiply fast. I did try a new seedling mix this year and was really loving it, but I am thinking that it might be the home of these cute little creatures wreaking havoc in the green house. The soil I am using is coir, it came in a nice light compact block that you add water too and it swells up making a nice fluffy light soil that seems perfect for starting seeds in. Could it also be a wonderful home for fungus gnat larva? What’s a gardener to do? I turned to Google for the answer(s) and found a few…</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">First I found the advice that I give out to customers which was to let the soil dry out and I was not willing to do that with my little seedlings. You can read all about these cute little bugs on the website </font><a href="http://www.learn2grow.com/problemsolvers/insectsanimals/insectdamagecontrol/fungusgnats.aspx"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Learn 2 Grow</font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">. That is where I got the great picture of this little guy. I learned that while the adult gnats don’t harm your plants they can carry diseases from one plant to another, but the larva do the greatest damage especially to little seedlings.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WAo0KnG2VHw/T4RkIZn3weI/AAAAAAAAECs/8_kpqSvptXY/s1600-h/IMG_0557%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0557" border="0" alt="IMG_0557" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cWcI-fE934Q/T4RkLpMs7RI/AAAAAAAAEC0/hpDO1oxHoyM/IMG_0557_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> Our solution has been to put up lots of yellow sticky traps to catch the adults and keep them from reproducing. We also treated the soil with a dose of nematodes. They use nematodes at the nursery when they plant new seedlings for this very reason. I was hesitant to spend the $20 it costs for a little container claiming to have something in it that I could not see, but the results seem to be have been worthwhile. The gnats did not seem to go away over night, but slowly we are seeing less of them and the seedlings are standing tall and looking healthy. I have even started to transplant many into larger containers. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2dzYBY7lK8M/T4RkPaTGqDI/AAAAAAAAEC8/8uV5sL-rfEI/s1600-h/IMG_0558%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0558" border="0" alt="IMG_0558" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-szV9S81ctpE/T4RkRVdbH4I/AAAAAAAAEDE/ClyeRHMVtqg/IMG_0558_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Several websites also recommended placing a slice of potato on the soil surface to attract the feeding larva. The potato slices can be used to collect and dispose of larva and to gauge when the larva are actively feeding. I didn’t try this since it didn’t seem to be a solution when using 6 pack plant trays, but it would be a good monitor to see if they were present.</font></p> <p align="left"><em><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">In conclusion I think I might be winning the war on fungus gnats…now I can sleep at night!</font> </em><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9cB2TLTCI6o/T4RkU0n9_0I/AAAAAAAAEDM/VVGq3HR2PTs/s1600-h/IMG_0560%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222"><em><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 15px auto 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0560" border="0" alt="IMG_0560" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9nqrALnRxJ0/T4RkZCOi1PI/AAAAAAAAEDU/_u_V8aUtfT0/IMG_0560_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="450" height="343"></em></font></a><font color="#800000" size="6" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="6" face="Kristen ITC"><em>Keep Growing!</em></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="7" face="Kristen ITC"><em>Ferne </em></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-73347677950782364852012-03-09T20:03:00.001-08:002012-03-09T20:08:00.912-08:00Enjoying a Spring-like Day<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YamUUlrMEzk/T1rSRBkLdgI/AAAAAAAAD-4/78LgxDBN0mU/s1600-h/IMG_0475%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px auto; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0475" border="0" alt="IMG_0475" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Fu_Pxv1XXXM/T1rSSRHrM7I/AAAAAAAAD_A/y0ySGGoAWMc/IMG_0475_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="433" height="330"></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright">After a cold and windy day spent indoors quilting I was surprised by a beautiful Spring like day the other day. It was the kind of day that you spend outside weeding and pruning to your hearts content and before you know it the sun it setting and you still don’t feel done. I fully enjoyed myself and found lots of surprises starting to come out of their winter hibernation. The camellias in the picture about didn’t bloom much last year and blooms they did have I don’t remember being quite this large, but after a year of pruning and feeding they came out with these 5” blooms that were really worth the wait.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sdaCMzW8RZM/T1rSUmwdmeI/AAAAAAAAD_I/zIbgmHlaNtU/s1600-h/IMG_0485%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Lucida Bright"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sdaCMzW8RZM/T1rSUmwdmeI/AAAAAAAAEAA/UNOhUdj5iUw/s1600-h/IMG_0485%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0485" border="0" alt="IMG_0485" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-e3EZWbLSyyg/T1rSVsSSJtI/AAAAAAAAEAE/FApxg602stY/IMG_0485_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="280" height="222"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NSVw7blDN1E/T1rSYD9Qv_I/AAAAAAAAD_Y/kpZyQUQ6MQE/s1600-h/IMG_0481%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Lucida Bright"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NSVw7blDN1E/T1rSYD9Qv_I/AAAAAAAAEAI/ssUOu945QMg/s1600-h/IMG_0481%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0481" border="0" alt="IMG_0481" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-F6ItkvSouYA/T1rSZWkwwDI/AAAAAAAAEAM/YAwSmaIFZRI/IMG_0481_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="277" height="222"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright">The original owners of our home were avid gardeners like us and they planted some wonderful combinations that continue to surprise us. There were about 5 years between when they left the place and when we moved in so we had a lot of work to do to get things back in shape but, we are starting to see what they were working towards. This is an area covered in a groundcover juniper which on its own would be quite boring, but they planted some heather which is full bloom right now looks really great with the blue gray color of the juniper.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1i2Cogkc_jg/T1rSbt-DSbI/AAAAAAAAEAQ/w99q8HoGvAY/s1600-h/IMG_0484%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Lucida Bright"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1i2Cogkc_jg/T1rSbt-DSbI/AAAAAAAAEAU/l01rgo3kVW4/s1600-h/IMG_0484%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0484" border="0" alt="IMG_0484" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6hA4XHFg4UM/T1rSdCxyDHI/AAAAAAAAD_8/uVQnmgKmtpM/IMG_0484_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="362" height="279"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright">Well, we believe that a magical yard like this one must be home to some sort of fairies and during a visit from a special boy we found a tree that is rotting away at its base and it just looked like the perfect hide away for some sort of fairies. So the three of us put our heads together and scoured the yard for the perfect door for the little hide away. When I went out the other day the door was even open as if it had been used by our little friends and they had come out on this wonderful Spring day to play in the sunshine.</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008080" size="6" face="Lucida Handwriting">Keep your garden dreams alive and growing!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Lucida Handwriting"><em>Ferne</em></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Bright"> </font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-82646823883217263602012-02-21T19:03:00.001-08:002012-02-21T19:12:48.218-08:00Renovating a Shed<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hPJacQvF52I/T0RatkLvQQI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/w-AR6oGKwtw/s1600-h/IMG_3388%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_3388" border="0" alt="IMG_3388" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eXT9FyNxmDc/T0RauuwwOPI/AAAAAAAAD6g/D3i84T6S91s/IMG_3388_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="307" height="234"></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> A great project to work on at this time of year is to renovate or organize your shed. We started by organizing the garage, then when my son, the carpenter had a slow spell of work and he found some free windows we started on renovating the shed. We have wanted to add windows since we moved in 2 years ago so this seemed like it was meant to be. We plan to use this shed to store apples in a few years once our orchard gets more mature. We want it to have good air circulation and not get too hot in the summer, so we insulated the walls. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mbvjEDWnSoc/T0RawS_I7QI/AAAAAAAAD6o/EDLUQNUB0x4/s1600-h/IMG_0447%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0447" border="0" alt="IMG_0447" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-umo9q1Zgm2Q/T0RaxpaXZQI/AAAAAAAAD6w/cGZcogUw1SE/IMG_0447_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="319" height="243"></a> After seeing a deal on cedar fence boards when we were buying window installing supplies and insulation, we went right back and stocked up on a bunch to line the walls with. Now I could finally put up the tool organizers I bought sometime last year, so much better than leaning things on the wall and getting rakes all tangled up with other things. Wow, so organized, I should prepare myself for it will never look this good again.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">We are planning to paint our house in the next few months so we used the shed as our opportunity to see if we really liked the colors we had picked out for the house before investing in a lot of paint so we started with just a few gallons of the 3 colors we chose and gave them a try. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--s69mwAm4Dk/T0RazWoJ-CI/AAAAAAAAD8A/4Vb9a3NrHbg/s1600-h/IMG_0455%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--s69mwAm4Dk/T0RazWoJ-CI/AAAAAAAAD8E/hGyxVNHHFTg/s1600-h/IMG_0455%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0455" border="0" alt="IMG_0455" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ppHzaZloneg/T0Ra2nh_vHI/AAAAAAAAD7E/pAYinSjFPTk/IMG_0455_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">All this working on the shed is really making me wish it was Spring already, but it will be nice to rest when old man Winter comes around to remind us that it is still winter even though we get a few days here and there that feel like Spring. Where I live Summer turns on like a flip of a switch and it is 100 degrees for days on end so it has been nice to have some mild winter days to get prepared.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Qh5rXyaM-HQ/T0Ra4vUinLI/AAAAAAAAD8I/f4AJTMIyMkE/s1600-h/organic-seeds-indigo-rose-tomato-new-01%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Qh5rXyaM-HQ/T0Ra4vUinLI/AAAAAAAAD8M/MwK9qcPQCPE/s1600-h/organic-seeds-indigo-rose-tomato-new-01%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="organic-seeds-indigo-rose-tomato-new-01" border="0" alt="organic-seeds-indigo-rose-tomato-new-01" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fziFo0nPLp4/T0Ra6ALR4nI/AAAAAAAAD7Y/QHFbgsHJ64U/organic-seeds-indigo-rose-tomato-new-01_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="249" height="249"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> In our little greenhouse we have started some tomato seedlings and they are looking great so far. We found some rootstock tomatoes to try some grafting with again this year. Last year we tried 3 and one took so this year we are going to <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gqZW8B9W-JA/T0RcaNK8TqI/AAAAAAAAD7w/IT8M7KSg4Cs/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Is7Ic-X1kVI/T0RcbmgkCXI/AAAAAAAAD74/8PSYo85__W0/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="164" height="164"></a>be a little more serious about it and see if we can get more to take. I have started a few <a href="http://rareseeds.com/orange-fleshed-purple-smudge.html">Orange-Fleshed Purple Smudge</a> and some other tender varieties that would benefit from being grafted to a hardy rootstock. I also found seeds for <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8711-indigo-rose-og.aspx">Indigo Rose</a> and am really looking forward to giving this one a try. We are going to graft Indigo Rose and then grow some un-grafted and see if we can tell a difference. Indigo Rose is suppose to be exceptionally high in anthocyanins which are powerful antioxidants. It seems we are growing every color of tomato but red lately, we’ll have to find some great red ones this year too.</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="6" face="IowanOldSt BT"><em>A little organization to get things growing right!</em></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008080" size="7" face="IowanOldSt BT"><em>Ferne</em></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-40031746849933375092012-01-13T18:18:00.001-08:002012-01-13T18:18:55.123-08:00Persimmon Drying Update<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MiAyu6MAQLQ/TxDlx0niv-I/AAAAAAAAD3M/KKb0efpIHLc/s1600-h/IMG_0391%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MiAyu6MAQLQ/TxDlx0niv-I/AAAAAAAAD3U/kVgkUIZ_Ya0/s1600-h/IMG_0391%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0391" border="0" alt="IMG_0391" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-J8gK6i9LYTI/TxDl3WMET_I/AAAAAAAAD3Y/M0y1HCLWKOw/IMG_0391_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="408" height="311"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> </font><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">After a few weeks of massaging those persimmons from our last post we have the results…they sure turned an ugly color, but the white sugars came to the top and boy are they delicious. They are still chewy and biting into one made me think they would be really tasty made into a cookie like a Fig Newton with chewy persimmon instead of figs. I had read that when sold at a market these things can cost up to $35 a pound and after eating one I can see why. This was definitely worth the time and massaging was really not that time consuming and actually felt kind of nice, not messy at all because they developed a thick skin within the first few days. We did leave the window open most days and considered blowing a fan on them, but since we were having some breezy days and the breeze came right in the window we decided the fan was not necessary. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--JD_x7RpmNQ/TxDl5P_O_dI/AAAAAAAAD3g/cEnDwxSO-Q4/s1600-h/IMG_0420%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0420" border="0" alt="IMG_0420" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GYnlZsLDhnw/TxDl50YUmLI/AAAAAAAAD3o/_tndbDJ5Ta8/IMG_0420_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="299" height="237"></font></a><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A5zVNG_3oy0/TxDl7sj8DmI/AAAAAAAAD3w/eV_ALctusTk/s1600-h/IMG_0418%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0418" border="0" alt="IMG_0418" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iasty_FVkhA/TxDl8jtXpaI/AAAAAAAAD34/Bkirau7ktfM/IMG_0418_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="300" height="231"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A5zVNG_3oy0/TxDl7sj8DmI/AAAAAAAAD4A/cbpauNFS4dk/s1600-h/IMG_0418%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></a> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A5zVNG_3oy0/TxDl7sj8DmI/AAAAAAAAD4E/e5YhNjktdj4/s1600-h/IMG_0418%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></a> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A5zVNG_3oy0/TxDl7sj8DmI/AAAAAAAAD4E/e5YhNjktdj4/s1600-h/IMG_0418%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font></a> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT"></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="IowanOldSt BT">Conclusion: We will be doing this again on a larger scale next year!</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#ff8040" size="5" face="IowanOldSt BT"><strong><em>Looking forward to future harvests!</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#804000" size="6" face="IowanOldSt BT"><strong><em>Ferne & Michael</em></strong></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-78043015992421493472011-12-20T17:04:00.001-08:002011-12-20T17:16:25.785-08:00Drying Hachiya Persimmons<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-T4OJEEn-lec/TvEwR7DShVI/AAAAAAAAD0s/bUsY8Ul3HKM/s1600-h/IMG_0384%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0384" border="0" alt="IMG_0384" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6Akq1bZqdfY/TvEwTFXvvjI/AAAAAAAAD0w/44VWvVuA_Es/IMG_0384_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="558" height="428"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jJM0w4sE8EI/TvEwUoNl1wI/AAAAAAAADyw/b8HA4r6RoYk/s1600-h/IMG_0385%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0385" border="0" alt="IMG_0385" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-masbaJgqg0E/TvEwVVp0z7I/AAAAAAAADy4/X2trskG0FOs/IMG_0385_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="141"></a><font size="4" face="Papyrus">After looking at our persimmon tree loaded with fruit and getting eaten by the birds we did a little research into drying them. We had already done some baking with a few really ripe ones, but wanted to try something different. We are being told that you can slice and dehydrate them before they are really soft and they will sweeten up and make a tasty snack. So we are<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4nzfxQAoI6Q/TvEwXEldsVI/AAAAAAAAD00/JHkXae2W2W4/s1600-h/IMG_0381%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4nzfxQAoI6Q/TvEwXEldsVI/AAAAAAAAD04/7H80tWOsuHc/s1600-h/IMG_0381%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0381" border="0" alt="IMG_0381" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-k-XY1DPQQg4/TvEwbL4oWyI/AAAAAAAADzM/OIIlsSqx13I/IMG_0381_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></font></a> giving it a try with the E<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZRUcmZNiIHM/TvEwc3rXakI/AAAAAAAADzU/e7Bv1_Nbqks/s1600-h/IMG_0380%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0380" border="0" alt="IMG_0380" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SIg50MFV04I/TvEwdUshPqI/AAAAAAAADzc/BDrh3995tHA/IMG_0380_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="188" height="148"></a>xcalibur. We have had some nice frosty nights that should have sweetened them up a bit so we picked a nice sized basket full and started coring and peeling them then ran them through the mandolin cutting them about 1/2 inch thick and loaded up the dehydrator. I set the temperature at 135 degrees and will check on them every few hours. I want them to be dry, but tacky not like paper. After they dry I will put them in a zip lock bag and freeze them for a few days. This is pretty much how I dried my figs and I really enjoy taking them out for a little snack every once in a while. </font><font size="4" face="Papyrus"> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Kcsu9EYV-4g/TvEwfJhDPGI/AAAAAAAADzk/3K5UVCH53Uk/s1600-h/IMG_0387%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0387" border="0" alt="IMG_0387" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1GKcbNIZB6s/TvEwfsa44TI/AAAAAAAADzs/LFuaTXWfJJM/IMG_0387_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> The second method we are trying is one we found at the <a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/japanese_massaged_dried_persimmon_hoshigaki/">slow food website</a> it a method called Hoshigaki. It came from Japan and is a little labor intensive. We had to give it a try though and will be comparing the results. For this method we left the stem intact, but peeled the persimmon. We rigged up a little shelf to hang them from in our laundry room window that gets morning sun. We tied string onto the stems and one on each end of the string then hung them over a dowel that is supported on each end by a shelf bracket. Every few days Michael will <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9ZAgZu_0Xq4/TvEwhb00zXI/AAAAAAAAD0c/ZzmybzXf01s/s1600-h/IMG_0391%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0391" border="0" alt="IMG_0391" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NzsxI8JZioY/TvEwiGg7ZyI/AAAAAAAAD0g/kDSoRH_IT00/IMG_0391_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="219" height="169"></a>massage the fruit (it is his experiment) to break up the inner pulp and get it all dried. By the end of this lengthy process, the sugars will come to the surface of the fruits, leaving a white bloom. The hoshi gaki are fully done when the pulp sets and you can no longer roll it. Can’t wait to try them both and compare.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"> This is about all that is going on in our garden, but the sun was out today and the wind stopped blowing so we processed the persimmons outside on the picnic table then took a walk around and started a little fruit tree pruning. There won’t be much pruning to do since we have been doing more summer pruning to keep our trees a little on the short side. I did find a few flowers blooming here and there, but mostly everything is sleeping. I have been scouring seed catalogs though looking for new things to try in the Spring and Summer. So far my favorite catalog for interesting varieties has been the <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/">Seed Savers Exchange</a>. I will be trying several new things from that.<img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px auto 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0382" border="0" alt="IMG_0382" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ECulUcO04vs/TvEwjBMP96I/AAAAAAAAD0E/FsZ2bhKk_U0/IMG_0382_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="378" height="288"></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="6" face="Papyrus"><strong><em>Happy Holidays!</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="6" face="Scrap Casual"><strong><em>Ferne & Michael</em></strong></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EGFUJSw3gPE/TvEwlBclC8I/AAAAAAAAD0M/jJg4ytOx0Dc/s1600-h/IMG_0382%25255B4%25255D.jpg"></a></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-40858768241007908602011-11-10T17:01:00.001-08:002011-11-10T17:01:08.466-08:00Cover Crops and Winter Gardening<p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q02-dlxdniE/TrxzlddcM5I/AAAAAAAADu8/AzvP3PHMFIA/s1600-h/IMG_0321%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0321" border="0" alt="IMG_0321" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-o2POvHBv8jQ/TrxzmZPTUwI/AAAAAAAADvE/CFDhnFUotGg/IMG_0321_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></font></a></font>Gardening at this time of year involves a lot of clean up and planning for the next year. I had planted a winter garden only for most of it to become deer food so I have got out the scarecrows and some covers and replanted some of it in the hopes that I can keep the deer away long enough to actually get some people food from it. I don’t claim to be a professional gardener, but I think I know more than your average gardener relocating and dealing with a different type of soil and living in the mountains instead of the city has sure given me a whole lot more to learn. We have a few acres to garden now instead of a 20’X20’ plot so we planted an orchard which has also given us more to learn about. We use a tractor now instead of just a shovel and <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-d94EugWd_N0/TrxzpORyQmI/AAAAAAAADvM/6edOm7JiDv4/s1600-h/IMG_0323%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0323" border="0" alt="IMG_0323" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-krmyBOayMtQ/Trxzp9uX8-I/AAAAAAAADvU/i5XaS_5C88U/IMG_0323_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></font></a>a lawn mower. We have actually been accumulating a lot more tools we have never needed before and now we find we just can’t do without them, that could be a whole other blog topic.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">Yesterday I planted the onion slips. This is my favorite way to grow onions. I planted Walla Walla and Italian Red Torpedos along side the</font><font size="4" face="Papyrus"> garlic that the deer didn’t eat and I still have some sugar snap peas coming up that they missed along with some fava beans. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Bx1NtHxBqBs/TrxzrBRSUOI/AAAAAAAADvc/j28cwgnNpxQ/s1600-h/IMG_0326%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="4" face="Papyrus"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0326" border="0" alt="IMG_0326" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Zm81Yahf31s/TrxzrwJ2CAI/AAAAAAAADvk/djycUluSlm4/IMG_0326_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></font></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">Looking up I saw that the deer had gotten some of the persimmons that are coloring up nicely, but there are still enough for us and the birds, cookies and breads </font><font size="4" face="Papyrus">are in our future, for now though I love looking at them hanging on the tree , they are as pretty as any flower and a color that is so different that there is color actually named after it. Persimmon…sort of a golden, orangey brown color perfect for fall. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">Out in the orchard is where the clean up was taking place yesterday. We have star thistle and lots of it. We are trying to get a handle on it so we disked it and then drug it and carried it off to an out of the way place. I’m not sure the timing is quite right because it is spreading seeds every where, but the<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mqduFSMcreQ/TrxztVqxzDI/AAAAAAAADvs/mCO9nD3bydk/s1600-h/IMG_0329%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0329" border="0" alt="IMG_0329" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-K9AuiGfwsJE/Trxzt1QsZ8I/AAAAAAAADv0/9_1TszWfxOY/IMG_0329_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a> plan was to plant some rye seed and some seed for wildflowers that would attract beneficial insects and with rain in the forecast for next week the timing sure seemed right. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be planting something called Hairy Vetch I would not have believed you, but <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9ohDB1NaKpY/TrxzwY8YnyI/AAAAAAAADv8/ev5MhGwIkyI/s1600-h/IMG_0333%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0333" border="0" alt="IMG_0333" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1MXePXLOEZU/TrxzwwGU0DI/AAAAAAAADwE/RsDWm-CAMkw/IMG_0333_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a>we are planting that and purple flowering vetch in the orchard to help the soil and attract beneficial insects. We bought all these seeds in bulk and the hope is that they will grow and reseed and choke out that star thistle. I love the way the bulk seeds looked in the bag and spreading them around made me feel a little like Johnny Appleseed. I am really enjoying learning all these new gardening methods and can’t wait to see the results. And when we start getting fruit on our trees there will a lot of learning and experimenting going on in the kitchen too!</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kx9VPUyBKRI/TrxzzJ1yL5I/AAAAAAAADwM/VC1FF7QONDU/s1600-h/IMG_0336%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0336" border="0" alt="IMG_0336" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FaW5NZWbsPg/Trxz0oLw5HI/AAAAAAAADwU/GG5eE4hFVg8/IMG_0336_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="478" height="364"></a>We also worked on the Belgian fence today. We are changing the layout a little and some of the trees actually put on enough growth over the summer that we actually had things to tie up and the fence is shaping up. There are several varieties of apples on here that are all on a dwarf rootstock to keep things under control. This is a real experiment for us so it is taking some time to play with and tweak, but if we can get it off to a good start while they are small I think we should have some great results. Again we are planning and gardening for the future…guess that is what gardening teaches us the most…patience…</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Papyrus">Patience and hope for a wonderfully prosperous future, this is an exercise we all need these days…</font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#800000" size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em>Keep gardening for a better tomorrow~</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#008000" size="7" face="Papyrus"><strong><em>Ferne</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em></em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Papyrus"><strong><em> </em></strong></font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5343797450518018027.post-41811298011666037382011-10-28T16:41:00.001-07:002011-10-28T16:41:25.508-07:00You know it is Autumn when…<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DD2XJvR-l4c/Tqs9FUnGOCI/AAAAAAAADsU/-yAgXE9gdhs/s1600-h/IMG_0320%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0320" border="0" alt="IMG_0320" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_n-A-hOI09o/Tqs9GbB-ZmI/AAAAAAAADsc/nC5KoJCTqiA/IMG_0320_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="392" height="299"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-d0iNyJavDuM/Tqs9I0zS__I/AAAAAAAADsk/Kt97M60KGbo/s1600-h/IMG_0273%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="6" face="Harrington"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 15px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0273" border="0" alt="IMG_0273" align="right" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-H1NQ3zlo0ds/Tqs9JhCFd4I/AAAAAAAADss/U7gsrLoC6UY/IMG_0273_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></font></a></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington">The pumpkins are turning orange…</font><font size="6" face="Harrington"> </font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font> </p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font> </p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RGY6a-peWZU/Tqs9MkbwR6I/AAAAAAAADs0/iMKg841PT0k/s1600-h/IMG_0310%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="6" face="Harrington"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RGY6a-peWZU/Tqs9MkbwR6I/AAAAAAAADs8/QY_A0HCRIfQ/s1600-h/IMG_0310%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0310" border="0" alt="IMG_0310" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-peoDlMjciAg/Tqs9SnVmFCI/AAAAAAAADtA/dQFU7Nk1gX8/IMG_0310_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="283" height="218"></a></font></a> </font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington">the burning bush is turning red…</font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZE6LutiV6e4/Tqs9VKxcELI/AAAAAAAADtI/VBU3iJXfxLM/s1600-h/IMG_0308%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="6" face="Harrington"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZE6LutiV6e4/Tqs9VKxcELI/AAAAAAAADtQ/vPRosHOhA48/s1600-h/IMG_0308%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0308" border="0" alt="IMG_0308" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-csTGibl3uLI/Tqs9bG2F_TI/AAAAAAAADtU/FOeH8rBoTqg/IMG_0308_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="305" height="233"></a></font><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZE6LutiV6e4/Tqs9VKxcELI/AAAAAAAADtQ/vPRosHOhA48/s1600-h/IMG_0308%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="6" face="Harrington"></a></font></a><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington">the yellow twigged dogwoods are turning yellow…</font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-V-eJmfJqmaE/Tqs9csSkAMI/AAAAAAAADtc/BAkXccgGeu0/s1600-h/IMG_0307%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="6" face="Harrington"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-V-eJmfJqmaE/Tqs9csSkAMI/AAAAAAAADtk/vRvTSDVtQ3k/s1600-h/IMG_0307%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0307" border="0" alt="IMG_0307" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_X5ZwcwnOWA/Tqs9f8AHIzI/AAAAAAAADto/92iTPdwp9Gg/IMG_0307_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="288" height="225"></a></font></a> </font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"> the roses are making hips…</font></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1Xoj2B2KUVs/Tqs9huhTMEI/AAAAAAAADtw/HD-CPYEmMjo/s1600-h/IMG_0314%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="6" face="Harrington"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1Xoj2B2KUVs/Tqs9huhTMEI/AAAAAAAADt4/QNMQDQsDbLM/s1600-h/IMG_0314%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0314" border="0" alt="IMG_0314" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1M42Bh_v710/Tqs9mJINBFI/AAAAAAAADt8/DNc3Xn4PuDw/IMG_0314_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="285" height="218"></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1Xoj2B2KUVs/Tqs9huhTMEI/AAAAAAAADt4/QNMQDQsDbLM/s1600-h/IMG_0314%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font color="#222222" size="6" face="Harrington"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"> </font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington">the persimmons are turning orange…</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LPejD-yq1do/Tqs9nzvjH1I/AAAAAAAADuE/-mYuKcOMAzw/s1600-h/IMG_0315%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0315" border="0" alt="IMG_0315" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ldDDsLt_omk/Tqs9o4-tvMI/AAAAAAAADuM/3_sNHjlb7LU/IMG_0315_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="303" height="231"></a><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font> </p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font> </p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington">the Rudbeckia’s are looking gorgeous… </font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font> </p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington"></font> </p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington">the leaves are falling and the heater is getting turned on it the evening…and soon we turn the clocks back. </font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Harrington">Fall is so refreshing!</font></p> fernehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17574438827016571137noreply@blogger.com0