Babe the Pig

Posted on August 15, 2010 by itfarmer
Slop Trough

Slop Trough

When I was visiting Sandy, I found out that one of her pigs was for sale, so I talked to Mom later in the day, and asked if she could pay for half. I told her I would take care of it daily, and we could split the meat when the pig goes to heaven just before winter.

So this morning, I started the day by building a Slop Trough. I couldn’t remember just how tall the pig was, so I made the trough so that a short pig could easily get to the food. Just as I was finishing up, I got the call that the pig was ready for transport. I set off in my Chevy Cobalt, and found it doesn’t make much of a livestock transport. We had to disassemble the “dog carrier” kennel and reassemble it inside my truck.

"Babe"

"Babe"

Here’s Babe in her new home, inside a horse stall in Mom’s barn. My niece named her, when she was over at Sandy’s farm.

Growing Bacon

Growing Bacon

I found out that pigs love tomatoes, blight included, so I’ve found I’m now growing Bacon, rather then tomatoes…. I love bacon, and Babe loves garden scrapes. She’s got quite a selection of garden goodness.

Now, I just need some cows…..

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New Chics and New Pics

Posted on August 14, 2010 by itfarmer
New Chicken

New Chicken

I’ve snapped a lot of pictures today, as it’s been one of those days where a world of difference unfolds.  A few days ago, I decided to trade my old rooster in for one of the roosters I had hatched from eggs earlier in the year. When I put the new rooster in with my egg laying females, they let him have it, and I found him hiding in the corner day after day. I decided to put him in a different cage, and since my egg layers are getting pretty salty, I got a few new chicks for my new rooster.

Smaller Chicken

Smaller Chicken

I now have five egg laying chickens (and five dozen eggs in the fridge), a new rooster, and two new female chickens that will start laying in the fall. I choose these oddball colored chickens, as I’m out to start my own off-shoot of chicken evolution. Maybe someday there will be a ITFarmer breed of chickens running around….

Sandy and Davie's Cow

Sandy and Davie's Cow

Sandy asked me to come to her farm to take some pictures of her East-German Shepherds. As she was rounding up the pups, I wondered off to take pictures of the other inhabitants of the farm. Above is one of their cows, the look on it’s face makes me wonder if it knows about that Big Mac I had on Thursday….

Male Goat

Male Goat

After scoping the cows, I stumbled upon this happy goat. He seemed to be having a great day. His ears are fairly long, and his horns are bent back out of focus.

Puppy Outtakes

Puppy Outtakes

When the puppies were ready, I began to learn a thing or two about photographing animals: They never stand still long enough ! These puppies were very cute, but I’m used to taking pictures of cucumber plants that don’t move. I took many pictures, and learned a lot about timing.

Success ! - East German Shepherd

Success ! - East German Shepherd

After many photos, we got a good number of cute and detailed pictures. I’m not much of a dog person, but this picture just screams “take me home”.

Veggies On A Stick

Veggies On A Stick

We all went to Mom’s farm afterwards, and began preparing lunch. Peppers were picked from the garden, onions were sliced, and of course we had to throw in a Brandywine tomato. These veggies on a stick were first microwaved for five minutes, then browned a bit in the toaster oven. Combined with a salad, we all left the table stuffed, after eating a meal paid for with no money, simply the time we invested to grow it.

To end the day, we picked lots of corn, zucchini, and melons, and Davie offered to man the stand to see how the customer response would be. Here’s hoping it’s a big success, as it’s the first venture after the market mix up.

Posted in Chickens, Cooking from the Garden, Cows, Goats, People | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cucumbers and Okra

Posted on August 13, 2010 by itfarmer
Boston Pickling Cucumber

Boston Pickling Cucumber

I’m trying a second planting of Cucumbers, as the plants that went in from seed this spring have stopped growing, and the vines are dying. I have way too many cucumbers at this point, but soon, they will either be pickled, eaten or they will wither away.  In the past I’ve mainly tried to extend the season by starting early, but this year I am trying to build on my skills by pressing the boundaries of fall. I’m hoping the plants will grow cucumbers up until the fall frost takes them away.

Okra

Okra

Here is an Okra plant, complete with the potential for three vegetables. I have learned that Okra originated from Africa, and is grown in three major areas: South Asia, Central Africa, and to a lesser extent, Europe. I was a bit disappointed to find out that Okra cooks into a slimy texture, but I’m still eager to try it out. Here’s some more information for those interested.

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One of a Kind Rock Rake

Posted on August 12, 2010 by itfarmer
Rock Rake

Rock Rake

This spring I realized I had a problem, a rock problem, and I began the harvest before I had planted any seeds. I would pile the rocks up, and then wheel them off to the edges of the garden in a wheel barrel. Davey knew this method was simply too labor intensive, so he began planning, and collecting materials for a custom made rock rake. The main support is made from an old plow, and the tines and mounting bar are from several cultivators. Davey assembled the pieces, and had Shane weld them. This rake is made to attach to a small lawn mower sized CASE tractor, and with the hydraulic lift, it’s much simpler to collect the rocks. I takes several passes to work the soil well, but I’d rather ride around for a day then push a wheel barrel all summer !

Thanks Davey.

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Stocking Up

Posted on August 11, 2010 by itfarmer
Cut Cantaloupe

Cut Cantaloupe

My father lived through the Great Depression, and often spoke about the daily struggle to find something to eat. At the age of seven his life turned from the age of prosperity which consumed the Roaring 20’s into one of despair. His father had a great job before the depression, and a nefarious one after. In the days when the bills demanded to be paid, his land lord forced him to sample home brewed beverages, figuring if my grandfather lived, it was well enough for sale. During the dark days of prohibition, this is how the rent was paid.

I tell this whole back story to help you understand a constant activity which my father employed, and one which I’ve begun to emulate. Dad constantly stocked up food, and had a years supply on hand at all times. When bad times hit, we always had enough, and when good times flowed, we were constantly refreshing the cabinets and closets. In the past people had their own pile of food at home, something I haven’t seen in a while. I personally did not stock food before this recession, but it’s something I have really started to focus on. I have lot’s of food streaming in from the garden, and cannot possibly eat it as quickly as it grows, so I’ve been stocking up what I can.

Cantaloupe, Ready To Freeze

Cantaloupe, Ready To Freeze

The cantaloupe we’ve harvested have been cut, bagged and are ready to be frozen. I’ve chosen to freeze them without syrup this time, but most recipes online call for the mixture. I’m not so worried about the economy while stocking up. I just can’t wait to see how good this food tastes on a freezing cold day in February, as I’m sure I will smile while eating it.

Posted in Melons | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Late Blight

Posted on August 10, 2010 by itfarmer
Late Blight

Late Blight

So there it is, Late Blight, day four, and the tomato plants are showing the devastating destruction it always leaves behind. I like to keep things positive, and you should know I have way too many tomatoes in my bedroom and hallway, so I’m very happy with the harvest. I wanted to show what this affliction will do to a tomato/potato plant. Had we left the tomatoes on the vine to ripen they would all be mush by now.

Mexican Husk Tomatillos

Mexican Husk Tomatillos

Frank Sinatra once sang “every cloud must have a silver lining”, and I’ve found the silver in this situation. At one end of the tomato patch, there is a small green island untouched and unaffected by the evil blight spores. This is the home to my Mexican Husk Tomatillo’s, which technically are not tomatoes, but they sure do look similar. The veggies that decend from the leaves of this plant have a husk similar to the one on corn cobs, and the center edible portion is usually green in color, with some variation depending on the variety grown.

Husk on a Tomatillo

Husk on a Tomatillo

Here we see the husk in more detail. When it dries, and begins to crack open, the tomatillos are ripe, and can be eaten. I personally do not like the taste, but their blight resistance is very attractive, and several members of my family absolutely love them. They will always have a place in the tomato patch.

Posted in Afflictions, Tomatoes | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

About Garlic

Posted on August 9, 2010 by itfarmer
Garlic Bulbs

Garlic Bulbs

You might be surprised how I write this blog. I start out with pictures, anything I find odd, or interesting. I then start writing about the questions that form when I look at the picture. This is how I view the world, with endless curiosity.

When I pulled up my garlic bulbs, I had no intention of writing about them. They are puny to say the least, and it may take many years to learn the skills needed to grow a better bulb. I generally like to write about what I grow well.  What I did learn due to my curiosity, was particularly valuable to me, so I had to share:

Garlic Bulbils

Garlic Bulbils

If you allow a garlic plant to grow through it’s entire life cycle, it will form a “flower” at the top of it’s stalk, and inside this flower, it will set many small pods, named “bulbils”. I didn’t know what they were called at the time, but judging by there shape, I assumed they were small cloves, or seeds. After a Google search, and with the help of Wikipedia, I found their name. Then after finding a very informative site, I discovered they are small seeds, which will spring forth new bulbs in a few years time.

So it seems you can grow garlic with cloves, or you can start new plants from bulbils as well. What a great fact to know, as I love garlic.

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Diggin For Gold

Posted on August 8, 2010 by itfarmer
Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Gold Potatoes

 Diggin for Gold, Yukon Gold Potatoes that is. These are my favorite, and I’ve been so spoiled by there taste, that I won’t go back to regular white store potatoes. These are the spuds I live for. They have a golden color when cut open, and require no butter to taste excellent. 

Since the Late Blight has swept through the tomato patch, we harvested the potatoes early too. They have had just enough time to grow a decent crop, but in better conditions, they should have been left to grow for weeks longer. With three rows measuring about 20 feet long, I think we did alright. In the photo, they are setting in the sun on the produce stand, drying out a bit. You may notice how dirty they are; This is required in order to store them without preservatives. If they are washed off, they won’t last as long before rotting.

So there’s my pile of treasure, beautiful isn’t it ?

Posted in Potatoes | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Tomatoes

Posted on August 7, 2010 by itfarmer
Cleaning The Tomatoes

Cleaning The Tomatoes

As the Late Blight is sweeping through the area, we were left with two choices: Pick the tomatoes green, or watch them turn into brown mush. The choice was simple, pick them green, and hope for the best. Sandy, Davie, Kim, Maurice and Aggie began the process on Friday, picking an unimaginable amount. They filled large boxes in Aggie’s dining room, swelling the ranks of cucumbers, zucchini and other greens. When I saw the sheer number picked, I thought the work was done. That was until I surveyed the garden. Today was the second day of picking, and we gathered the amount shown above before giving up for the day. They were spread out so they could be hosed off, and wiped clean. I placed a bottle of dish soap in the center to show scale. The bottle is nearly lost in the rainbow of tomato tones.

Family Effort

Family Effort

Photo by Jennifer.

This years garden has been a huge family effort, and all of the people shown above (plus many more who had other commitments) have helped plant, weed and harvest this huge project. From Rob and Davie fixing the tractors as I broke them to the Little Gardener who planted the Watermelons, we all have a great deal invested. We’ve spent hours baking in the sun to plant row after row of corn, peppers, tomatoes and everything else. The best part is, when a young kid asks “Do they make white tomatoes ?”, and my reply being “yep, put this is a window, it will turn white”. I had planted “White Snowball” tomatoes, and was very delited to answer a question with a tomato.

I’m exhausted, as are all of the people above, sleep will come easy, and tomorrow, we’ll do it all over again……

Posted in People, Tomatoes | 4 Comments

Gardener’s Friday Breakfast

Posted on August 6, 2010 by itfarmer
Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe

Today is my late day at work, so this morning, I met up with Kim to pick whatever was ready for harvest. When we got to the Melon Patch, we noticed many of the plants are turning brown, and decided it was time to try one of the Melons. Since we knew they would not grow any more, there was nothing to loose. I was quite surprised when we cut open a cantaloupe, and found a beautiful golden fruit inside. The taste was absolutely wonderful, and it made my Friday morning that much better.

In total, we gathered about four shopping bags full of cantaloupe and muskmelon. Soon more help arrived, including Sandy, Davie, Maurice, Jess, Jen, and The Little Gardener. That’s when I got the bad news. Jen asked me “Is this blight”, while holding a browned tomato. I looked, panicked, and ran out to the tomato patch. Late blight has found it’s way to dozens of my tropical plants. Everyone agreed that it would be best to pick the tomatoes green, and let them ripen indoors. Now it’s time for work, and I’m seriously contemplating calling in sick, so I can gather as many as possible before they are all mush. It’s not all bad thought. We have hundreds of green tomatoes, and I’m going to use this years crop to investigate methods to battle the blight. It seems like this will be a yearly affliction, so I’m going to learn all I can. Learning how to battle this blight might just be the silver lining to this ominous cloud.

Posted in Afflictions, Melons, Tomatoes | Tagged , | Leave a comment