Babe’s Getting Bigger

Posted on October 22, 2010 by itfarmer

 

Babe

Babe

 

The little pig that was barely taller then her water bucket is now twice as big, and just as messy. Since the garden is devoid of all things except broccoli, and cabbage, I’ve switched Babe’s diet over to Sow and Pig feed. She eats about a bag every two weeks, bringing the total investment so far to about $95.00. I’m keeping record of all the money invested as an exploration of sorts. If raising a pig each year is economical, I’ll continue to practice. It’s not hard to take care of a pig once you get in the daily habit of feeding and watering them.

There is also the ulterior motive for having this pig: Manure for growing great gardens. I’ve started a new garden area right next to the barn where it’s easy to transport this growing additive. The area is a more conservative garden, measuring about 10 Feet by 30 Feet. The main crops growing here will likely be tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers. So next year, there will be four garden areas, as I’ve decided to move my tomatoes due to the Late Blight this year, and my doubts about whether the cold will cure the soil this year.

 

Interesting Frost Pattern

Interesting Frost Pattern

 

I noticed an interesting pattern of frost on my car this morning. It was quite unique, probably resulting from the rain we had last night. The shot is a perfect reason to write about the growing season, which I’ve got a much better grasp of after a few years of trial and error. Non-frost tolerant plants will grow from roughly the end of May to the middle of October.

Posted in Growing Season, Pigs | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Fall Omelette

Posted on October 20, 2010 by itfarmer
Fall Omlette

Fall Omlette

Now that the first frost has cleared most of the garden, it’s time to enjoy the harvest. Throughout the summer, I’ve been dicing and freezing various veggies for use in the months when they would not be available. I’ve got a freezer packed full with sliced peppers, onions and zucchini, shredded carrots, kohlrabi and turnips. Having these items frozen makes cooking simple.

I like to add vitamins to every meal I eat, if possible, and an omlette is a prime canidate for adding shredded veggies. Above you can see green peppers, onions, and hints of meat and cheese, but what the photo doesn’t show is shredded kohlrabi, carrots, and turnips. These extra veggies add very little in taste, but pack a lot of extra vitamins. I even add these shredded ingredients to spaghetti while cooking the noodles.

The process is quite simple, however, if you’ve never prepared an omlette before here is a breakdown:

For two or three servings, crack 5 eggs into a mixing bowl. Add a small amount of milk, about a 1/4 cup or less. Stir until all the egg yolks are broken, and the mixture is an even color.
Add shredded veggies, raw or frozen.
Add sliced up meat such as salami, ham, etc, and cheese if desired.
Warm up the skillet with bacon greese or cooking oil, then pour in the mix.
Cook until the eggs start to firm up, then flip the whole omelette.

Enjoy.

Posted in Cooking from the Garden, How To's | Tagged | 1 Comment

Paper Compost Bin

Posted on October 15, 2010 by itfarmer
Compost Bin

Compost Bin

As part of my commitment to lower my Carbon Footprint, I’ve decided to no longer throw away paper, or cardboard. This will reduce the amount of carbon that I put into the atmosphere, since this paper will no longer be burned.  These items can be composted, and in turn the bio mass in them can be turned into beautiful black dirt. I’ve built a bin to compost the paper in, and placed it right next to my walkway, for easy access in the winter.

 The process is fairly simple:

Rip up the paper, or use a paper shredder.
Add in other compostable items, I’ve added some compost from another pile as a catalyst, and some manure from my chicken coop.
Then throw in some weeds or other green items, such as the discarded portion of fruits or veggies.

Do Not include meats or bones, eggs are safe though.

Inside the Compost Bin

Inside the Compost Bin

Here you can see the inside of my bin with the first layer of shredded paper, some compost and a bit of greens. I’ll keep layering the paper, and mix it every few months.

There is a story about a fire which was consuming the whole forest, and all the animals ran into the river and hid from the flames. Soon, they noticed a little humming bird which would scoop down and take a beak after beak full of water, then return to the fire and let the droplet fall on the fire. The other animals asked the humming bird “what are you doing, your such a little bird, you will never be able to put out that fire”, to which the humming bird said “I’m doing the best that I can”. 

We are all humming birds, and if we each do our part, we can greatly reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, hopefully in time to fully understand the changes that are occuring to our planet. Now, if I can only find a way to melt down plastic into useable objects…..

Posted in Compost, How To's | 2 Comments

This Old Barn: Part 2

Posted on October 11, 2010 by itfarmer
Barn Before Repairs

Barn Before Repairs

On Thursday and Friday Davie and I worked on the back part of the barn.  You can see it needed a lot of work, as some boards have blown off in the last year. The barn looked terrible, and the lack of boards was letting rain inside, on the hay, and everything else. Davie had a tree cut up just for this project, and we finally had the time to get it done. The boards which are missing are 192 1/2 inches long, spanning two floors of the barn. Luckily the rough cut boards we had where about 194 inches long.

Placing the Second Board

Placing the Second Board

Before we started, Davie proclaimed me “The Ground Guy”, in other words, I worked mostly on the ground, bringing supplies to the “Ladder Guy”. Davie climbed up the 40 Ft ladder, and I handed each board up to him.  The process was very different for me, as this was vertical work, different from just about everything else I’ve ever worked on.  I was standing on a 10 Ft ladder placed directly below Davie’s, and I found this a bit unnerving. If he accidentally dropped a hammer, I would be the directly in it’s path.

After Barn Repairs

After Barn Repairs

Here’s how it looked at the end of the day. Over about a years time, Mother Nature will stain the boards to match the rest of the barn.

On Saturday, I cut some more lumber and fitted it over the whole in the basement.  The second story windows still need some work, but that’s a much smaller job for a weekend.

 

Posted in Building and Construction, People | Leave a comment

This Old Barn: Part 1

Posted on October 6, 2010 by itfarmer
Basement Door Missing

Basement Door Missing

It Stay-cation time again, and this time I thought it would be a wise use of my time off to work on the stalls in Mom’s barn. I started with this doorway, re-hanging the door that used to be attached here. It was a small step to get me back into the swing of construction.

Starting The Back Wall

Starting The Back Wall

My sister got a great deal on a pony a few days ago, so her and Rob finished the second stall, leaving just one left to be finished. I started with some Rough Cut 2 X 6’s from a tree we had milled last year.  Since the wall was so wide, I added a vertical support in the center.  I worked on this wall for the good part of a day, finishing up around 6 PM in time for some stuffed peppers.

Stall Door Finished and Hung

Stall Door Finished and Hung

This morning after getting some rest, I hung the stall door, finishing up the stall. In the background you can see the finished back wall.  I still have another door to build and hang, then clean up all the saw dust.

Hallway, and Pony's Stall

Hallway, and Pony's Stall

So here’s the result of effort from the entire family. You can read about when we worked on the floor here.

I always like to work on projects like this one due to the outcome. It’s not always enjoyable to work on your vacation, but when the work is done, the payoff makes it all worth it. I can’t wait till the kids come home from school so I can see the look on their faces !

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October Peppers

Posted on October 3, 2010 by itfarmer
Peppers

Peppers

It’s almost that time of year when the majority of garden plants perish as  the frost descends from a cloudless sky. When this happens, you can see more stars in the sky than on any other night, and a dark gray band of luminosity appears where our Milky Way galaxy flows.

To prepare for the frost, I’ve harvested the peppers shown above. I picked all but the smallest of them, and plan to slice them up and freeze them. I was surprised to find so many green peppers, as those are some of the least productive up until this point. I’ve had the best luck with “Chablis” peppers, with are the yellowish ones in the picture. The worst results came from the Merlot peppers, which set only a pepper or two per plant. I’ve learned some lessons, and have saved the seeds from the largest peppers, the earliest, and the most productive. Chablis seeds will definitely find their way into the greenhouse next spring.

Woolly Bear Caterpiller

Woolly Bear Caterpillar

Earlier in the day, I spotted this “Woolly Bear” Caterpillar crawling around on a tire used for a flower bed. When I was a child, I was told that the brown portion of the fur on this creature would tell me how long the winter would be. The more of its back that had brown, the colder and longer the winter would be. I really hope to prove that tale wrong, as this crawler speaks of a long, cold winter.

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Dirt – “The Skin of the Earth”

Posted on September 30, 2010 by itfarmer
Rototilled Garden Soil

Rototilled Garden Soil

For most of my life, I have taken one thing for granted more then anything else: Dirt. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve spent endless hours of my youth playing in dirt, ridding my bike through it, even wading through mud in our pond. I didn’t realize however, that all life on Earth is made at least partly from dirt. I didn’t understand until recently just how important, and Alive this stuff is.

A world of organisims, bugs, bacteria, and worms make their home in this loose mixture of minerals, sand and bio-mass. Plants emerge only when the soil is alive. Without life in the dirt, the recycle of life giving nutrients stops. When plants do not grow, the rain will carry away the soil, and leave behind a desert, as is happening in many places on our Earth.

I’ve been watching documentaries about how our world is changing, and I know I have a part in this process.  I try to keep this blog away from ideological subjects, and away from my own beliefs, but this is one issue, I must discuss. Just typing or reading this blog is using energy, which may be causing changes half a world away. For this reason, I will set a goal. To help offset the amount of carbon I produce, I hope to make at least five barrels of Bio-Char this winter, and begin composting all of the paper I consume at home.  I can then add this Bio-Char and composted plant fibers to the soil, hopefully improving it greatly for next years garden.

Benefits of Bio-Char | Composting Paper | Dirt! The Movie.

Posted in Afflictions, Climate, General | Leave a comment

Preparing for Frost

Posted on September 27, 2010 by itfarmer
Beets, Turnips, Carrots, Kohlrabi & String Beans

Beets, Turnips, Carrots, Kohlrabi & String Beans

The garden has begun it’s slow transformation from a land of plenty, with rapidly growing plants to a shadow of it’s height in summer. Most of the plants are showing their fatigue for the year, and many have withered completely. Few plants flourish this time of year, and it seemed prudent to pick these root crops before the first frost. I picked a bag each of Turnips and Beets, a few nice size kohlrabies and some carrots. My niece picked the string beans, as she seems to be the only one who is not yet sick of them for the year.

String Bean Kid

String Bean Kid

As I was pulling up the turnips, I kept hearing comments about the beans. Some where shaped like funny letters, a J here, an I there. I’m surprised she didn’t lay them out in the soil and spell funny words.

Large Pepper Plant

Large Pepper Plant

Last year I took a pepper plant out of the greenhouse, and planted it in a small pot in my kitchen. The plant grew enough in the winter to set one pepper. This year, I’m trying a different approach. I found the largest Chablis Pepper plant in the garden, and planted it in a 5 gallon bucket. The stem on this giant plant was about an inch in width, and is starting to get a hardened bark on the stem, just like a tree. The plant is at least three feet tall, bucket and all, and looked pretty cool when it was moved indoors. There are at least ten small peppers on this plant, so I’m hopeful for fresh peppers after the frost descends on the garden.

Posted in Beans, Carrots, Growing Season, Kohlrabi, People, Peppers, Turnips | Leave a comment

Fall Planted Garlic is Growing.

Posted on September 22, 2010 by itfarmer
Garlic is Growing

Garlic is Growing

After planting some store purchased garlic a few weeks ago, I had some reservations about whether it would actually grow. The price was far cheaper then those cloves listed in seed catalogs, so I thought it was worth a try.  I’m as delighted to see it grow as I was this spring when the first onion stalks arose out of the ground. It’s one thing to know the seeds will grow, and quite another to Actually See it Happen. There was a problem though…

Dangers Lurk

Dangers Lurk

Before releasing these scratching fiends, I placed protective wire around all of the plants in the garden which I hoped to harvest later. I didn’t think that about the garlic which I planted next to my walkway. The chickens have learned that I come up the walkway before feeding them at night, and they have been waiting for me the last few days. When I spotted one of them digging in my garlic bed, I knew I had more work ahead of me.

Protective Wire

Protective Wire

I found some old wire, and covered the four tires that make up my garlic beds. I then placed some stakes in the ground to hold the wire in place.  This should keep them away from the bulb of the plant, but I will need a new plan once the stalks grow taller then the wire.

Posted in Chickens, Garlic | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Weekend Roundup 09/19/10

Posted on September 20, 2010 by itfarmer
Freedom at Last

Freedom at Last

I’ve decided to take a new approach with regards to my chickens. Up to this point, I’ve kept them in a chicken house, with a fenced in run. Since the garden is well picked over, It seemed appropriate to release them all.

Rooster and Two Hens.

Rooster and Two Hens.

They are now “free range” chickens, and they return to the chicken coop each night, which I then lock up. This protects them from foxes, bears, or any other danger of the night. Each morning I release them, to wander as they wish. I was surprised that they didn’t fly around to celebrate their freedom, but I did notice a few extra eggs the second day.  I’ve fenced in the few crops which I hope to munch on later in the season.

Sandy's Shepherds

Sandy's Shepherds

After observing the chickens dig and peck for a while, I was off to my sisters farm for some more puppy pictures. She needed some good pictures, as the pups are for sale, and she was placing an ad for them.

Steak and Veggies

Steak and Veggies

After taking pictures, we started cooking up some food, most of which came out of the garden. It’s amazing just how little the whole family has spent on groceries this year, and we’ve been eating better then ever. Sandy got a steak and chopped it up with some veggies. We placed it all in an aluminum foil pouch, added some water, and placed it on a grate over an open fire.

Yukon Gold Potatoes, Kohlrabi, and Onions with Garlic and Butter

Yukon Gold Potatoes, Kohlrabi, and Onions with Garlic and Butter

Most garden veggies are great raw, however Kohlrabi is not one of them. I have learned a way to cook it which I really enjoy, diced with garlic and butter. Sandy and Davie have been cooking over an open fire before winter takes the option away, and I’ve learned quite a bit about eating healthy, delicious food from them. Did you know you can heat up a can of beans by simply removing the top of the can and the paper wrapper, then placing the whole can on a grate above a fire ? Simply stir occasionally to keep the beans from sticking.

Zucchini with Garlic and Butter

Zucchini with Garlic and Butter

We also cooked up some late season Zucchini to complete the menu. I don’t think I’ve had so many vitamins from a single meal that was totally delicious.

Posted in Chickens, Cooking from the Garden, People, Potatoes, Recipes, Zucchini | Tagged | 1 Comment