Miscellaneous

After weeks (and weeks) of illness alternated with bitter cold, health and pleasant weather coincided. I took advantage of this to clean up outside.  We cleared asparagus beds of woody fronds, cleared a raised bed to top it off with chicken bedding, moved multiple rolls of goat fencing, and began to clean hive frames.

Sadly, we are back to two hives.  One we lost to wax moths, as it was not strong enough to expel them, and another was too weak to survive the two weeks of below freezing temperatures.  We’ll be cleaning frames and preparing for new hives this summer!

Lately, I’ve been on a mission to use up stored food.  We’ve done so well stocking an extensive pantry with nonperishables and three freezers with beef, chicken, and other delicious food, but with all the last few years have brought, I’ve gotten lazy at planning and cooking with forethought.  No more!  I hope, by spring, to clear one large freezer.  Stewing hens are meeting the Instapot, and it’s a tasty match.  Once it’s warm and light enough to comfortably grill in the evening, I have some packages of steaks to enjoy.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It’s Puragtory Ranch.

Saturday's Work

Spring is a delightful but challenging time at Yahweh Jireh Acres.  A plethora of tasks clamors for our attention, but the abundant rain we've received makes some of those tasks difficult or downright impossible.

This Saturday morning, we pruned out dead wood from our blackberries, sweet cherry bushes, and roses.  We gathered the winter's collection of dead debris and piled it for a future burning or disposal. All the chicken tractors moved, uncovering burrowing mice (excitement for the chickens).  The damp reek of overwet chicken bedding (with the rain, it's been a muddy two weeks) will fade as it dries in the heat.

Asparagus spears are launching themselves out of the soil, so the weeding around them is particularly important.  We also have rhubarb, one trying to bolt and two that required transplanting.  In addition to digging rhubarb, I transplanted four sweet cherry bush stems that were growing too far away from the main plant to be viable in their current location.  If even one or two survives, we will have greatly increased our cherry treats!

Disappointingly, James labored much of the morning on tractor light rewiring and was ultimately unsuccessful.  Another day, God willing, he will find success.

There are still strawberries to tend, always weeding, honey to rob, and a turkey Tom to butcher.  Our tom, named Effingham Sandwich, bit JoJo.  Attacks on humans is a capital offense, so we will be enjoying turkey for Easter.  Ooh, and tomato plants to transplant and turkey poults should be hatching any day.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Weekly Recap

Maybe if I make an effort to recap our week, I can get back into the habit of blogging.

There's always (always) weeding to be done.  And lest you think our property is perfect and we've got it all together, behold just one rock...  The kids decided to decorate the top with pulled weeds, but there are still plenty more to tackle.  We have come a long way, but, please, don't be too impressed.  I don't take many pictures of our messes.

What's sprouting?  Radishes and summer squash are sprouted.  Strawberries and cherries are forming.  The garlic is now waist high.  I didn't even know garlic could grow so tall!  I certainly hope this means we'll have splendidly large bulbs in a few months.  The rhubarb is finally looking healthy, although watering it regularly remains a challenge.

What are we planting?  Tomatoes are two rows down, a million to go.  (Not literally.  There are still eight flats sitting on the deck awaiting my attention.)  I've also planted herbs and flowers.  The basil seeds are high on my list for some soil and water.

What are we harvesting?  Asparagus and eggs are keeping us hopping.  We're trying new laying boxes to foil our egg eaters.  Thus far, I'm disappointed in the lousy boxes, but our efforts are to make them work.  Our two sheep are at the butcher, so I've cleaned out two of our deep freezes while they're empty.  Soon enough, with sheep and chicken, we'll be full again!

What about those chickens?  The layers are now moving to fresh grass each evening, meaning the yolks are during the delicious, deep, orangey-gold that no store egg can match.  The layers-to-be remain in our stationary pen until James has time to build a new tractor for them (and who has time in the spring?!).  Our meat chicks are busy growing too, and while on grass, don't get moved every day (yet) until they can tolerate less heat.

 We are moving along with the business of living and growing!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Spring

We are ever threatened with tornadoes and high winds, but this has been a spring mainly devoid of such excitement.  Despite 2"+ of rain, the ground is still thirsty.

The parade of the chicken tractors has begun, with the layers being moved once a day.  They are so thrilled to see new grass that they will avoid their feed until the grass is cropped.  This is, of course, what we want, and we look forward to the deep gold/orange yolks of our well-pastured eggs.

Meat chicks (114) arrived Monday and are safely installed in their tractor.  Once the weather warms up and the chicks get bigger, we'll divide them into two coops.  For now, they are easier to warm in one coop.  We've lost several to "pre-existing" conditions, but if last year was a good teacher, we should be done with those losses soon.  With our order arrived one exotic breed chick, almost certainly a male.  I think he was a crevecoeur, a created breed.  The deck was stacked against his survival, being half the size of meat chicks and with curled toes that made his balance terrible.  We tried to create a boot for his toes and sequestered him inside, but he wouldn't eat and I think he was too frightened too survive.  That, my friends, is the difficult part of raising animals.

Our asparagus is fat and delicious.  We've been enjoying an okay harvest, eating it every few days, and clearly need to fertilize and stay on top of the weeds better this year.  Roasted with salt is the way to go!

Our new business cards arrived, and I'm excited to quit saying, "We haven't ordered any yet!"

Planting and weeding are, for once, not tasks sorely neglected.  Having the watering system in place has greatly facilitiated by planting in a timely manner.  I'm also trying to plant some of the many flower seed packets we've accumulated but never used!

Enough for tonight, as we are anticipating bad weather and I should sleep while I can!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Tour

 In between the rain storms (3+" in the last few days), I stopped to admire my view during my circuit of chicken chores...

The garlic bulbs have poked little green stems through the soil.  I had almost forgotten this were here.  It's nice to know I didn't kill them.

 The garden is a weedy, flat place after most of the trellises have been removed.  I have one row left of tomato vines to pile up, and two rows of fence.  Then, fire will take what it will.

 The asparagus is beginning to die back.  I may harvest a few seeds this fall to attempt asparagus seedling next year.  I may.  I may not.

 Hoses have been pulled up.  Most are coiled neatly for next year, but a few, pulled out in the middle of harvesting, still need some care and attention.  Once they dry (ah, I love the rain!), I will store them for next year.  I didn't realize how many hoses we had accumulated.  I suppose that happens when the movers put them in three different places last summer when we moved, and we bought more after most of the hoses were laid out.

 Our guineas and exiled (freed?) chickens are enjoying an afternoon meal outside the Love Shack.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Fall is Here

I've cooked down the last of the tomatoes worth eating.  From here on out, until I finish tearing out the last two rows of tomatoes, anything left on the vines can go to the chickens.

Oh, to have nothing to do but snap random pictures while someone else does my work.  Instead, Bear Cub Q took a few for me, including this of of the dog.

 We've finally... finally... finally... begun gathering eggs from our Turkens.  I must say, the sight of those two little eggs in the nesting boxes was enough to make me whoop for joy.  If you know me, you know not much makes me whoop!

The eggs made for a particularly rich rice pudding, as evidenced by the fact that two little girls ate an entire batch, leaving only the rice stuck to the sides for DH and I to eat when we came in from chores!

 These are luffa sponges.  When harvested young, they can be eaten, but I'm hoping they survive a week or two more before a frost and mature enough to form the spongy interior.  The one below should almost definitely be successful, but after harvesting one too early, I am loathe to cut anything off!

 Finally, here is the {mostly} tidied asparagus bed.  I won't be pulling out these fronds until they die back.  The new plants are not nearly so sprawling, but look rather pathetic in their smallness, so I skipped taking a picture.

Onions in storage are beginning to sprout, so I guess it's time for another round of onion-chopping!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

... Christmas?  It was definitely winter weather for far too long this year, but the plants are enjoying the moisture that came with it.  I certainly hope I have some giant, tasty onions as a result!

Strawberries, 5/5/2013

Rhubarb, 5/5/13

Just to confirm, my helpers assure I am incapable of planting in a straight line.  I've planted the first portion of a row of tomatoes.  Hopefully, they perk up a little more.  They look rough now, but between the wind, cold weather, and a lack of watering in the last few days on my part, it's understandable.

Our first Purple Passion asparagus is up.  Oh, the weeding yet to be done!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Tomatoes hardening off...  I think we have 13 flats.

I love the sight of redbuds blooming in the spring.  I didn't know, given my ignorance of trees and the drought last summer, if I was lucky enough to have any redbuds. We have two!

While working outside today, I remembered my hat in an effort to avoid the nearly-obligatory first ferocious sunburn of the summer.  (No, it's not summer weather, but it's always the first sunburn!)

Rhubarb is thriving!

Strawberry bed

I don't see any major gaps in the strawberries, so I think we planted well.  The rain has definitely aided in helping plants establish themselves.

Peas, lettuce, spinach, and onions are planted.  Who left the shed door open?  I think one of my little helpers have come by...

Despite the thriving weeds and lilies around them, threatening to choke them out, the garlic is doing well.

ASPARAGUS!  I am so relieved to discover five plants survived the searing heat last summer.  Q added his finger to the picture.  I'm looking forward to the first harvest of the spring!

The Assistant and Q added their thumbs to this onion picture.  The onion have lovely new growth, and I hope they enjoyed the cold weather we had recently.  It should aid in bulb size.

Peach tree, post-multiple frosts.  I'm still not sure what will come of it.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Nap Time's Labors

Today, our mail lady dropped a "Johnny's" box on my door step.  "What was inside?  Surely not the sweet potatoes," I argued with myself.  "It's too early!"

Nope.  No sweet potatoes.  Purple asparagus.

Myself, I'm just okay about asparagus.  However, I love eating from the garden, and I have a mom who will eat all the asparagus I can grow, so I ordered asparagus crowns.  And here they were, in all their sandy, damp glory, just waiting to be planted.

Ah, tis the rub.

I am notorious for not planting starts, crowns, etc., in a timely fashion.  Once, an entire box of strawberry plants went MOLDY because I didn't plant them.

But not today.

Today, the baby was sleeping by himself in the swing.  (This kid puts himself to sleep while laying down, which no other of my children have ever done.  Who knew how un-needed it would make me feel?  But anyway, back to business!)

Planting.  Here.  Now.  In the sun and the breeze.  The day the box arrived.

So I found my rain boots (remember yesterday?), gloves, a shovel, and the box.  Soon I added a rake, bucket, and wheelbarrow to my tool pile.  There is an existing asparagus patch (*the upper left of the photo), but the rest of the "patch" was full of lilies or irises.  I love a good iris, but there were more than enough that I could sacrifice a few for the sake of edibles.  Besides, my mom was willing to take the bulbs.  Hence, the bucket.

There was plenty of dead grass to rake aside, so the wheelbarrow was duly loaded.  I'm not particularly adept at the shovel (I'll blame it on having a baby less than three months ago), so it was slow going.  I think I reached the appropriate depth, and I'm that much farther along in cleaning out this bed.  I have a 4-gal. bucket of irises for my mom.

The garlic was unburied in my raking enthusiasm, so here it is.

And, as a crowning glory for my efforts, I discovered these beautiful blooms on the peach tree.  Now for a few glasses of water and a hungry baby.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.

Garlic Planting

I'm a little late, but had a bit of fiasco with my attempt to order new garlic to plant this fall.  The summary: the company wouldn't be shipping my garlic until early November.

So today, after admiring the asparagus for a time (we were delighted to discover an overgrown asparagus bed when we moved in), I cleaned out the weeds, grass, and dead iris foliage to make space for my garlic planting.

We love garlic, and I love that planting it in the fall leaves me one less thing to do in the spring.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Planting Time

Dan has determined one ought to know what they are doing before riding a tractor like a bucking bull. ... but that is a story best told by the men.

Today, we planted several hundred onion plants (Vidalia, Texas Sweet, and Red Candy), 12 asparagus crowns, and 2.5 pounds of Rose Finn Apple potatoes from Seed Savers.

Hopefully, neither Dan nor I had any more contact with poison ivy, as we have not yet recovered from the last encounter. I could have skipped the sunburn too - at least I only burned where I missed the sunscreen on my upper arms.

There is the case of the missing tractor key, but a pocketknife solved the case. Our research suggests it is well-cultivated into the onion bed. Perchance it will give rise to a key tree, in which case I would never worry about James losing a key again.

The manly men hauled a trailer-bed of dry wood to the land from a neighbor for later cutting and splitting.

We are without pictures today. I said to Myle, "I should take a picture before we leave," but we were so tired by the time we were packing up, a camera was the last thing on my mind.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.