Kimker Hill Farm

Thank you for the comment on The Virtues of Mulch

2012-01-12T18:12:00.000-06:00

Here's the comment that caught my attention today.

Interesting, I read a book called lasagna gardening and I follow the book every steps. First, gather all your newspaper or even junk mail soak them in water. I soaked mine in a cooler. Then, I just lay them in the ground no digging at all after I just keep piling on top with different organic matter. Your leaves, grass clippings, kitcthen scrap, egg shell, fish scraps, coffee grinds. After I saw the outcome of my summer garden I believe on lasagna gardening now. Check them out..

I read that book years ago, and I love the concept. We've been working on applying it in the hoophouse the past couple weeks. First, we finished clearing out the dead tomato plants. Surprisingly, a few of the plants in the middle row were still alive, a couple of them even had new shoots growing up from the roots. I didn't like having to pull them out, but I knew they wouldn't survive the extreme cold on the way. Then, Danny and the boys layered on the compost and manure they emptied out of the chicken coop. This week, I put on a new layer of junk mail and newspapers, then I started covering the walkways with cardboard. When the weather permits again, we will layer on the big pile of leaves we collected in the fall.

It's great to be getting a head start for the spring! This time last year, we didn't even have the hoophouse finished.

We won't be at the Winter Market this weekend

2012-01-12T16:32:00.000-06:00

Sorry to dissapoint, but we won't be at the St. Louis Community Farmers' Market this weekend. We'll plan to see everyone next month.

Winter market this weekend! Hope you can join us!

2011-12-09T01:03:00.000-06:00

This Saturday we will be at the St. Louis Community Farmers' Market in Tower Grove. This will be the second winter market for the season. Surprisingly, we will still have a limited amount of fresh produce. Bonnie checked the hoophouse this afternoon and said she will be picking tomatoes, lettuce, swiss chard, bok choy, kale, green beans and fava beans tomorrow afternoon.

We will also be bringing handmade soaps and candles with us. Danny has been making candles in wonderful scents that make the house smell amazing. Come and check them out!

We are also working on gift baskets! If you have a favorite product (or products) of ours you would like to see in a basket, please let us know!

Grass-Fed Beef available soon!

2011-10-25T23:49:00.000-05:00

Sir Loin of Beef, The Duke of Hamburger and Secretary of Steak are all about to live up to their names. They are all being "processed" and will be ready for pickup next week.

We are looking forward to enjoying our very first Kimker Hill Farm raised, grass (& tomato)-fed, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, beef. If you would like to enjoy some too, I will know prices soon. You can e-mail me if you'd like to be on the list of buyers.

We'll be back at the market this weekend with lots of heirloom tomatoes!

2011-10-11T22:27:00.001-05:00

We're back from vacation. We had a great time!

We came home to lots of ripe and ripening tomatoes! I've been busy preserving as many of them as I can this week. Bonnie says I will have lots more to take to market on Saturday. Come and stock up for yourself! It's really easy to freeze them. Just core and quarter and place in a ziploc freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as you can, then close and place in freezer. You just take out what you need, as you need them, all winter long.

Get them before they're gone!

Hope to see you Saturday! Don't forget, you can now use your credit or debit card.

Great day at the market today!

2011-08-13T21:58:00.000-05:00

What wonderful weather we all enjoyed at the market today! It was a very welcome change after the heat wave we have all been enduring and the storm we got hit with two weeks ago at the market. It was nice to see so many return to the market and so many new visitors. We hope to see you all again this next week!

Beginning next weekend, we will be able to start taking credit cards. We hope this will make it easier to shop with us. We will be able to take Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover.

Come see what the cooler weather predicted for the week does for the produce. Hopefully the tomatoes will finally ripen. We have 22 heirloom varieties growing in the new hoophouse, they are all full of green tomatoes that have been just staying green. We've been told that they need below 90 degree weather to ripen so the forecast has us anticipating a bountiful harvest by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the basil and cucumbers have been loving the heat. Even the kale and swiss chard have been surviving fairly well, at least when the bugs allow it. If you got some of these from us today, Enjoy!

Here's a recipe we've been enjoying lately. It's a wonderful Summer Salad. It includes kale, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and fresh basil.

Begin with the kale, wash in cold water, then remove the stems and cut into small pieces. Cut the cucumber into small slices. Chop the tomatoes. Finely chop a small onion. Finely chop fresh basil. Add minced garlic if you like. Sprinkle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Toss it all together and enjoy!

By the way, if you missed us last weekend, we were at the Washington Fair. Nate competed in the talent competition for the first time. He played a ragtime classic, "Cleanin' Up In Georgia." He wore a tux and we spiked his blond hair. He looked adorable. He got 2nd place in his age group! We are very proud of him! He's looking forward to doing it again next year. He's already started practicing a new ragtime piece.

We'll Be Missing From the Market For the Next 2 Weeks

2011-07-01T23:01:00.001-05:00

Just want to let everyone know that we are taking a much needed little break from the market. We will be back on July 16th!
Hope to see you then!

HARD WINTER , HARDER SPRING

2011-05-24T16:27:00.001-05:00

(As I was writing this, Denise had posted her own entry about Grandma…oh well she was worth the press.)

We had high hopes for this spring here on the farm…the new hoop house…all the planning…all the prep work last fall...we really thought we were going to hit the ground running this spring. But it hasn’t worked out that way.

It is with great reservation that I complain about the weather, considering what others are going through, but all this rain has washed away (sometimes literally) much of our work and many of our plans. Just about the time things dry out enough to do some work; here comes more rain. And all the while the weeds grow taller and thicker.

The darkest clouds this spring were not related to the weather.

As Denise posted earlier, this spring we lost our dear friend and adopted grandma Sally Murphy. Sally had truly become part of our family. She lived right on the farm in Great Grandma Gerke’s house which is just across our front yard. She was a fixture here. Her smile was always there. Everyone who knew her couldn’t help but love her. Though her body had been ravaged by cancer, I personally will remember her as being one of the “strongest” persons I have ever known. We will miss her very much.

The storm wasn’t over.

Early last fall Great Grandma Gerke (Denise’s grandmother) came to live with us in our home. True, it was an adjustment but it proved to be a beautiful experience for our family. Our son’s had opportunity to become so much closer to Grandma and the respect and compassion they learned for their elders is priceless. Although the doctors would report that her heart was very weak and frail, you would never know it by the love it held. The effect she had on others was evident during her last days as an almost constant stream of friends and family came to spend time at her side.

Grandma was 88 when she passed away on May 4th. She was at peace in her own bed, with her family at her side and my little sister Bonnie holding her hand. It won’t be the same without Grandma, but she and Sally shared the same unwavering faith in the Bibles promises (John 5:25-29). We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Down but not out.

Yes, it’s been a rough spring. But we are slowly making progress. We will keep at it and try to keep you up to date.
Thanks to all our regular customers for your support at the market.
Stop by and give Denise a hug. She could use it.

Dan

In Memory of My Wonderful Grandma

2011-05-24T11:34:00.001-05:00

This morning the last of our third batch of chicks hatched and was waiting for me in the incubator when I came downstairs. All the chicks are so cute and so much fun to watch. A couple of them seem to think the water dish is a wading pool. Each time we check on them, there is one sitting or standing in the water.

I'm writing this in memory of Grandma. We lost her in death earlier this month. She loved watching as the chicks hatched. I have a funny picture of her watching with the kids. Each time she was able to get up, she would check the incubator and the chicks' box. Sometimes, I'd come in the kitchen and she'd just be sitting on her walker watching them. She said they were better than TV. One night, with the second batch, she beat me to the incubator and lifted the new one out and put it in the box. When I came down to check and do a chick count, she started laughing at the confused look on my face.

Grandma had a very good sense of humor. She liked to tease, especially Nate. The last few months when she would get up and the kids would ask, "Grandma did you have a good nap?" she would answer, "I don't know, if I did I slept through it."

We loved having her live with us. She always had a smile and a hug ready to share and something nice to say. We all miss her! She was a very important part of our family and part of our daily lives. Now, we look forward to seeing her and Sally again in the paradise. We hope that time comes very soon!

Baby chicks have hatched!

2011-04-05T23:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning the first chick for the year hatched with another following closely behind. Throughout the day, one by one, more followed. They were the entertainment for the day. My mom, Grandma, sister and her kids all crowded around the incubator to watch as one of the chicks was actually hatching. It was the first time any of them had witnessed a chick's arrival into the world. During the night and all day today more have been hatching. So far, there are 15 new little fluffballs in my kitchen and we have all taken turns just sitting and watching them. Hopefully there will be even more to greet me in the morning!

In Memory of Our Dear Friend Sally

2011-03-30T00:12:00.000-05:00

This has been a very difficult time for all of us here at Kimker Hill Farm. Our wonderful friend, Sally, has been battling cancer for quite some time now. Earlier this month she lost the fight. We all miss her terribly. Many of you have benefitted from her hard work here at the farm. She used to come and help pick tomatoes. When she couldn't work in the garden anymore, she came inside to help. She started early in the spring, helping to transplant seedlings into larger containers. As the summer progressed, she helped sort vegetables for selling at the market. She also cut up lots and lots of veges for processing or freezing. Sally was very generous sharing her experiences and advice and many of her recipes. She was always able to look on the bright side of things and always encouraging to others. She kept me company through many, many long workdays. I loved hearing the stories of her life and I hope I can remember them well enough to pass them on. Now, as Grandma and I transplant seedlings, we reminisce about all the seedlings Sally helped us with in past years and how much she was looking forward to doing it again this spring. Even in the hospital we were talking about the seeds I had ordered and what other ones she wanted me to order for this year.

First winter market of the year this Saturday!

2011-01-05T16:28:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone! Hope you're enjoying the new year and the sunshine today! We're busy getting ready for the market coming up this Saturday. It sounds like it's going to be cold but otherwise a nice day.

We hope as many as possible will be able to join us. I've heard from a couple of people already who need to stock up. I'll be bringing lots of freshly ground flours and plenty of healthy mixes. I'll also have my healthy muffins to tempt your tastebuds.

If there is anything in particular you'd like me to be sure to have enough of, or if you'd like to place an order in advance, just e-mail me today or tomorrow and I'll bring it with me. The address is drwissman@sbcglobal.net.

It's been a very eventful fall and winter so far and we have lots of pictures to share. We'll try to post some of them soon.

Good News!

2010-10-14T22:56:00.000-05:00

Have you heard? The Tower Grove Farmers' Market is being extended an extra two weeks to give everyone a chance to get the produce that is still being harvested. According to the weatherman, the rest of the month is expected to stay 15 degrees above normal. That gives us all a few more weeks to enjoy fresh, local, naturally-grown produce.

Come by and get some for yourself this weekend!

Fall is here!

2010-10-04T23:12:00.000-05:00

Fall has arrived and we're enjoying the cooler weather. The flowers are still in full bloom and we're happily bringing in beautiful bouquets to brighten up the house. You can pick up a bouquet for yourself at the market. Bonnie has been doing a wonderful job making the arrangements in assorted colors.

It's been a very hectic summer but the harvest has been pretty good in all of the gardens. The tomatoes have been wonderfully delicious and most of the varieties are still producing. The okra went crazy this summer and are still covered in blooms to be enjoyed every morning. The cooler weather has slowed them down a bit, but they're still producing. The rainbow swiss chard is looking beautiful again. The bugs are finally leaving it alone.

It's finally time to harvest the sweet potatoes. We have two different varieties this year. Danny and Bonnie began digging them last Friday. If you had a savory crepe at Oh Crepes this past weekend, you got to enjoy some of them! This evening, I tried to duplicate the same mixture and filled tostada shells with it. It was delicious!

If you'd like to try it, come by our stand on Saturday and pick up some freshly dug sweet potatoes, an assortment of peppers and swiss chard. Then saute some chopped onions in a little olive oil, add chopped peppers (whatever kind you prefer) and cubed sweet potatoes. Cover pan and allow to cook on medium heat until sweet potatoes are tender. Add chopped swiss chard and cook just until chard begins to reduce. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Use this mixture to fill a tortilla shell and fold over. Then enjoy for yourself!

If you haven't had the pleasure of enjoying our heirloom watermelons this summer, you'd better hurry. The Sugar Baby variety is gone now, but we still have the Desert King's. It's a deliciously sweet yellow variety with big black seeds. Bonnie picked the last of them and I'll be bringing them with me this weekend.

It's not too late to fill your freezer with tomatoes for the winter. We have 20 different varieties and they all freeze very well. Just wash, cut in half, take out the core and fill freezer bags with them, squeeze out as much air as you can and put in the freezer. Then take them out as you need them all winter. I love cooking with them. They taste like you just picked them from the garden.

There are only 3 markets left at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. Don't miss out! Hope to see you there soon!

The virtues of mulch!

2010-08-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Let me once again extol the virtues of mulch!

I'll use Garden #1 as an example. It's the tomato garden. All the rows are mulched with grass clippings. I have had almost no weeding to do in the rows themselves and very little in the walkways. The only walkways that have been a problem are the ones that didn't get a thick enough mulch, or the chickens got in and scratched the mulch away. But it hasn't been difficult at all to pull out the weeds and add more clippings in the open areas.

Other advantages are that there has been almost no need to water that garden. When you pull back the mulch, the ground is very moist underneath. The mulch also allows you to get in the garden and pick the tomatoes even when there's been a lot of rain. The mulch soaks it up and stores it, but you can still walk on it without sinking or getting stuck. It also helps prevents some soil borne diseases from infecting the plants because the soil doesn't splash up on the leaves when it rains.

On the other hand...

We decided to try something new in Gardens #3. We tried going without mulch at all in that garden. Danny bought a new wheel-hoe cultivator that does a wonderful job of getting rid of weeds in the walkways, as long as you use it every couple of days.

Our problem is that we don't have time to redo the walkways every couple days. So the weeds take off and grow at an alarming rate. Once they are more than a few inches tall, the cultivator gets clogged up and is basically useless. Then you have to pull the weeds by hand or use a regular hoe, either of which takes even more time and trouble.

After four long, hot days in a row of backbreaking weeding, just in garden #3, I must declare our experiment of not using mulch in that garden a total disaster. After weeks of intermittent rains, which thankfully kept us from having to water too much, the weeds in a large part of garden #3 were nearly as tall as Nate. The part in better shape took a lot of weeding the week before, and tomorrow I will be trying to uncover the rest of the zucchini and peppers.

The best looking areas of the garden are the last row of okra and the very first row with sunflowers and kale. They are doing so well because I went ahead and mulched them with grass clippings as they were available last month.

My advice to anyone who will listen, take advantage of mulch!

Market tomorrow!

2010-06-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

It's been another crazy, busy week here on the farm. It is so hot! Danny has worked out in the heat all day. He's been working on getting the irrigation system in place for the summer. For me, today has been all about getting ready for the market.

I'll be bringing lots of eggs with me tomorrow, both from our chickens and from nearby Sunrise Farm. Plus, we have fresh produce again this week. We have kale, swiss chard, yellow squash, zucchini, new potatoes and green peppers.

Did you see the interview with Michael Pollan on the news yesterday? Take his advice and come and get your locally grown produce from us tomorrow! Bear will be coming with me, come by and say "Hi!"

The sun is shining! and the gardens are drying out!

2010-05-24T16:10:00.001-05:00

We had a great day at the market on Saturday. This time the weather cooperated.

We finally feel like we're back in business in the gardens. We're loving the break from the rain! I got a row of tomatoes in the ground yesterday and tomatillos transplanted today. I've got a whole lot left to plant, but it's a start.

Most of the tomatoes I planted before all the rain just drowned. I'll have to replant them. It's disappointing to see, but the plants in the hoophouse look wonderful, and are all just waiting to be put in the ground.

I'm on my way out to transplant more. Danny's been getting the rows prepared for me.

One new little chick greeted us this morning!

2010-05-16T14:01:00.000-05:00

So far, it's still waiting for the others to hatch. We can hear them peeping, but we can't see any sign of pecking yet.

I won't be at the market today after all.

2010-05-15T06:01:00.000-05:00

Change in plans. We woke up to heavy rain again this morning. Now it is storming. According to radar and the local weather forecast, by the time we could drive to St. Louis, the storm will be there too. It's supposed to last all morning.

So, I will plan to see everyone at the market next week.

Join me at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market Tomorrow!

2010-05-14T21:28:00.001-05:00

The summer market got off to a wonderful start last Saturday! The weather was beautiful, just a little chilly and windy. The turnout was tremendous. I hope all of you who were there had an enjoyable time and will join us again. To anyone who missed it, I hope you can visit soon. Stop by and say "Hello."

I'll be bringing lots of tomato and pepper plants again. And I've been very busy grinding flours and making mixes this week. Why not try out something new? I hear there will be lots of fresh strawberries again tomorrow. You could serve them over my Healthy Pancakes or Waffles on Sunday morning.

You could even make them with our delicious Free-Range Eggs. Speaking of eggs, I be bringing more this year than in the past. We have added more hens on our farm and they are happily laying. We have also partnered with another local farm, Sunrise Farm, and I'll be bringing their eggs as well. They share our commitment to Naturally Grown and Organic practices, as well as Free-Range chickens for the best possible eggs.

Hope to see you soon!

The chicks are enjoying the great outdoors!

2010-05-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

The chicks have all their feathers now and no longer need to be kept in the brooder. So, this afternoon the boys and I moved the old coop onto fresh grass and stocked it with food and water. Then, Bear and Nate helped me move the chicks one-by-one out to the coop.

Panda, our dog, stood by the garage door as we carried out each chick and waited to check them out. He sniffed each one as if he had to get to know them. Since he's not allowed in the garage, it was the first time he had seen them. It was funny to watch. After each sniff, he stood back and then patiently waited for the next one. After all of them were out, he followed us out to the coop and just stood and watched them as they got accustomed to their new surroundings.

Opening day of Tower Grove Farmers' Market is this Saturday, May 8th!

2010-05-07T01:13:00.000-05:00

Come and join us! It promises to be nice and sunny and not too hot! At least that what the weatherman has to say!

Read all about it at http://tgmarket.org/

Opening day runs from 8:30am to 2:30pm. We'll be there bright and early.

I've been preparing grains and flours and mixes for days. I'll also be bringing lots of bedding plants. I have 18 different varieties of tomato plants, most of them are heirloom varieties. And I have several different varieties of peppers, both sweet and hot varieties.

I'll also be bringing lots of free-range eggs. We're getting two to three dozen a day now. Taste and see for yourself what a wonderful difference there is in the way they look and taste when the chickens are allowed to roam. And the nutritional content can't be beat.

…with a little help from my friends.

2010-05-03T11:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the boys and a couple of their friends, Seth & Stuart, the mulch is finally over all the potatoes! These guys worked like champs and I think they even had fun in the process.

The mulch is a lot of work but we think it's worth it. It will help suppress weeds through most of the season, it will hold moisture in the soil, and it will protect potatoes that are close to the surface from sun damage. It also adds a tremendous amount of OM (organic matter) to the soil when it is turned under at the end of the season.

Our potato varieties this year are Desiree, a European red with yellow flesh, Caribe which has a bluish/purple skin and snow white flesh (reported to make amazing mashed potatoes), and Rose Finn Apple, a fingerling style with rose pink skin and deep yellow flesh that is great roasted. We will have them all at the market later in the season. If you want to come help dig them (yes, its all done by HAND) shoot us an email!

(Bear can confirm…it’s all done by hand.)

The Queen is coming!

2010-04-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

This winter was very hard on the bees. Many beekeepers in the Midwest lost hives and we were no exception. Two of our three hives did not make it. Fortunately the one that did survive is doing very well. It has a strong queen and she is producing nicely.

David Sullivan (my “mentor” from the local beekeepers club) is going to help me make a “split”. That involves dividing a colony in two, leaving the original queen with one half and providing a new queen for the other. It sounds simple enough but there are tricks to it. I’m glad David will be helping. Our new queen is coming from Ohio and should arrive mid May. – Dan

(Nate wishes we had a bee suit that fit him better.)

Eggs for Sale on the farm!

2010-04-28T00:15:00.000-05:00

Is anyone interested in buying true free-range eggs directly from us on the farm?

The summer market is open now. You can still buy directly from us, or you can get them at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market on Saturdays from 8:30 to 12:30. The prices are: One dozen large $4.00 or jumbo $4.50. You can e-mail us @ drwissman@sbcglobal.net for directions and available times for pick-up.

19 chicks and preparing for more

2010-04-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

Well, no more chicks hatched. I guess 19 new little chicks is pretty good. Almost half of the eggs I started with actually hatched. I suppose that's where the phrase "don't count your chickens before they hatch" comes from.

Oh well, I cleaned out the incubator thoroughly on Saturday and put in another 41 eggs. Now we wait all over again.

Today we moved the chicks out to the brooder in the garage. Bear told me it was time, one of them nearly hopped out of the box in the kitchen. I know it's best for them to be out there, but I miss being able to watch them while I work. They're contented in the brooder, and not too far away to go check on them frequently. They like being held. If you hold out your hand, they will climb on and just sit there and let you pet them.

3 more little fluffballs!

2010-04-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

After my last post, 2 more chicks hatched yesterday. Another one hatched today! That makes 19 altogether.

They have had quite a few visitors. Everybody wants to see how cute they are!

There are still a number of eggs in the incubator, we'll see what happens tomorrow. As soon as the incubator is empty, I have another basketful waiting to go in.

16 baby chicks have hatched so far!

2010-04-22T16:25:00.000-05:00

The first one hatched just as we sat down for supper yesterday. The next one hatched a couple hours later. At 5:30am there were 5 more waiting for me to let them out of the incubator. By 8:00am 2 more were waiting for Nate to find them and within a few minutes he got to watch as 3 more hatched. He was bouncing off the walls with excitement.

It's been very difficult to keep the boys focused on schoolwork today. They keep running in the kitchen to see if anymore are ready to hatch. We got to watch as 4 more hatched. Even Grandma Gerke was excited and got to watch 2 of them hatch. I took a picture of Grandma, Bear and Nate hovering over the incubator.

Baruch has been camera crazy. We have so many pictures of the chicks. They are all turning into cute little fluffballs and are providing the entertainment for the day. It's really fun, and relaxing at the same time, to just sit and watch them.

I'll keep you posted about the rest.

The chicks are about to hatch!

2010-04-21T00:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight I took the egg turner out of the incubator and then put the eggs back in again. Within just a few minutes I could hear the chicks peeping inside their shells. It shouldn't be long now until they begin to hatch!

Incubating eggs!

2010-04-08T00:25:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, I put 41 eggs in the incubator. We are all excitedly waiting to see them hatch.

My neice came to visit on Monday and saw the incubator. She got so excited. She wanted me to lift her up to watch them hatch. She asked which one I thought would hatch first. She was very disappointed to find out they had about 17 days left until they hatch. Last year, she was here almost every day and got to watch as most of them hatched. This year she's usually at school and she's afraid she'll miss out.

None of the hens decided to go broody. At least not yet. I'm still hopeful.

More sprouts!

2010-04-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

I have lots more little sprouts in the basement. In the last two days, the sweet peppers, hot peppers, cilantro and more eggplants have sprouted. Soon it will be time to transplant them into larger containers.

To make room, Danny is recovering the hoophouse in greenhouse plastic. When he's finished, we will be able to move quite a few plants out there. It will help to toughen them up a bit before we plant them in the garden.

On Friday, the plan is to plant potatoes and onions and as many greens as we have time for. We also have to get ready for the market on Saturday, so Danny and the boys will be doing more planting on Saturday while I'm at the market.

I will be bringing tomato plants with me on Saturday. I'll plan to bring a few of each variety, but if you want very many of a specific type, let me know ahead of time and I'll bring extra.

I need more room!

2010-04-03T00:27:00.000-05:00

I'm out of space for transplanting tomatoes. Grandma came and helped me transplant tomatoes a couple more afternoons this week. We got a lot accomplished, but we had to stop because we're out of room under the grow lights.

All the transplants are growing nicely and I should have quite a few ready to take to the market on April 10th. It will be the final winter market for the season.

It shouldn't be too long until I have more space to work with. Danny worked hard today getting the gardens ready to move the onions and kale and lettuce out from under the grow lights and into the garden. He got part of gardens #1 & #2 tilled and the raised rows ready to plant. He also got all of garden #5 tilled and hilled, ready to start planting potatoes and onions.

Our seed potatoes are ready to be picked up tomorrow. We ordered several different varieties through the Missouri Organic Society this year and they've finally arrived.

Enough for now, the timer just beeped, I have 3 loaves of my Honey Oatmeal Bread ready to take out of the oven. Mmmmm.....mmmm.......it smells wonderful!

Federal agent on the farm!

2010-04-02T00:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we had our first visit from the USDA Farm Service Agency. Actually, it was a very nice, friendly, helpful and informative representative of the agency here in Franklin County. She is helping us in our efforts to expand production capabilities on our farm. Our goal is to set up a rather large hoophouse that will allow us to extend the growing season on both ends.

We recently got to check out a friends' hoophouse nearby, and it got us excited about the prospect of getting one ourselves.

Time will tell.

Transplanting time is here again!

2010-03-29T22:45:00.000-05:00

Last night, I transplanted over 200 tomato seedlings into larger containers. This afternoon, my Grandma came and helped transplant almost that many more. Tomorrow she is planning on doing it again. She says she can almost taste the ripe, juicy tomatoes she's been waiting for all winter.

Over the weekend, Danny got chard and basil and parsley and more eggplant started in flats. Last night, I finally got sweet bell peppers planted. Tonight, I'm going to plant several varieties of hot peppers. The only problem is that we're running out of room on the heat mats.

If the weather cooperates the way they're predicting, we should be able to get onions planted in garden #5 this week. That will free up a lot of space on the plants racks in the basement, so I'll have room to keep transplanting tomatoes out of the flats.

Got to get busy!

Getting prepared for chicks

2010-03-23T23:48:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day we stopped collecting eggs from the chickens we have separated to try to hatch chicks. I'm hoping it will encourage one or more hens to go broody. If not, I'll hatch them inside the house, in the incubator, like last year.

I actually prefer having them inside so we can watch as each little chick hatches. Last spring was the first time I had ever watched as a chick hatched. If you read my post from that day, you'll see just how excited I was. But, in reality, I know it would be a whole lot less work if the mama hen did the work for me. It would also free up a lot of my time, and I wouldn't have to keep them separated from the rest of the flock for so long if the mama hen was protecting them.

Either way, we should have baby chicks in about a month.

Tilling has begun

2010-03-21T23:44:00.000-05:00

What a cold, rainy weekend. Good thing it was such a beautiful day on Friday. Danny got the Eggmobile moved closer to the cows and he and Zach cleaned it out. Whew! What a smelly job! It will make great compost over the summer as he slowly adds it to the compost pile.

After that Danny started tilling with the tractor. He was able to till all of garden #5, where we will shortly be planting potatoes. Then he got part of garden #3 tilled, but the rest of it was just way too wet. What we didn't need was more rain.

Tomato Seedlings

2010-03-21T00:26:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! I have hundreds of little tomato seedlings in the basement. I just finished watering them. Almost every single seed I planted last Sunday has sprouted and quite of few of the ones I planted just 3 days ago are up too. I'm really pleased with the germination rate of this year's seed.

Next comes the tedious part of transplanting each of them into individual pots. My Grandma is coming to help, she's been looking forward to this for a while now. I took her downstairs yesterday to see the progress. She says this is the best time of the year.

Triple Trouble!

2010-03-18T23:18:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it! Trouble got out of the fence 3 times today! We left for just a little while and got a phone call that he was in the neighbor's yard. My dad had to get it back in for me.

Danny had to come home and put up the electric fence after work today. Hopefully that will solve the Trouble problem.

Trouble

2010-03-17T23:53:00.000-05:00

Sir Loin of Beef has a new nickname, Trouble. He escaped again this afternoon. He was roaming down by the Eggmobile. When the train went by and blew its whistle, he went running back to where he got out and jumped back in.

He saved the boys a lot of time and trouble, they had just gotten outside to try to coax him back in. They weren't quite sure how they were going to accomplish the task.

Friday, Danny and the boys are going to have to run a line of electric fencing with the existing fence to keep him where he belongs.

I've started planting!

2010-03-17T23:14:00.000-05:00

Gardening season has officially begun for me now. I have 16 different varieties of tomato seeds planted in seed trays in the basement. Just 2 to go. I'm going to try to finish them tomorrow.

There are a number of veges we'd like to get in the outdoor gardens but they are just still too swampy. Even with going no-till on beds 1 and 2, they're too soggy to walk in.

Hopefully, with a couple days of sunshine and warmer temperatures being predicted for this week, they will dry out enough to get at least a few things planted.

Friday, Danny is planning on moving the "Eggmobile" over by the cows. The plan is for them to follow behind the cows in the rotational grazing. The chickens will help clean up after them and keep pathogens from having time to multiply.

There is never a shortage of things to be done on the farm.

New members of our farm

2010-03-11T20:59:00.000-06:00

We now have three really cute additions to our farm. Last week we got three young steers, a black one, a brown one with little horns and a black one with a white face. They are all a Beefmaster/Angus cross. To be sure we don't get too attached and they become pets, my guys have named them all, Sir Loin of Beef, The Duke of Hamburger and The Secretary of Steak (lol).

We have now become cattle farmers, on a very small scale of course. They will be grass-fed using rotational grazing to take advantage of and protect the nutrient cycle of the grasses. Using this method will take longer for them to reach market weight, but they will be much healthier and happy. They will not receive routine antibiotics.

I'm enjoying waking up each morning and watching them out the window. For the time being they are just roaming the field freely and they seem to want to be as close to the house as possible, so they stay very close to the fence most of the time. Yesterday, the one with white face decided he wanted a closer look. Somehow, he wiggled through the fence and it took Danny and Zach quite a while to coax him back where he belonged. Hopefully he will stay where he belongs now.

Next comes pigs, Danny is doing the research and preparing the area.

Planning time is here!

2010-02-05T00:42:00.000-06:00

Planning time is upon us! We can't put it off any longer. Our break is over. We've been pouring over seed catalogs and taking stock of our seeds on hand. My brain hurts from trying to decide on what kinds of veges we want to plant this year. Even more difficult is deciding on which varieties of each kind of vegetable we want to try. The choices are overwhelming.

We are very pleased with the ever increasing number of heirloom varieties available. More companies are contacting us with their varieties of heirlooms than ever before.

If you would like to influence our final decisions, please let us know what you are interested in us growing for the market. Were there any varieties you particularly liked that we had last year? Any we didn't have that you were looking for?

Please feel free to leave a comment on here. Or, we have a new way for you to stay in contact with us. We are now on Facebook. Zachary set up the account recently and convinced me that it's the way to reach more of our customers. It's all new to me, but I'll give it a try.

I'm looking forward to hearing your input. We'll be putting in our seed orders over the next couple of weeks.

Winter is here! Join me at the market on Saturday.

2009-12-07T23:11:00.000-06:00

The calender may not agree, but winter has arrived. I can't believe how cold it is outside. Danny finally gave in and cleaned out the flue last week so he could start a fire in the wood stove. The house feels so much more comfortable now, there is just such a different feel in the air with the wood heat as compared to electric. We're all wanting to be in the basement to enjoy it. Danny and Zach moved all the plant starting equipment out of the way, and then set up the ping pong table and they've been playing ping pong and board games and watching movies and hanging out as much as possible. They even want to work on their schoolwork near the wood stove.

Out in the gardens, there's isn't much left. What the cold hasn't killed, the chickens have shredded or devoured in most of the gardens. We have quite a number of chickens that are impervious to the electric fence. No matter how often I move the fence, they still escape within just a short while of letting them out of the coop. At least they fertilize while they eat.

Over in the far garden there are still beets and turnips that have survived. We're enjoying them, I put a couple turnips in the Mixed Beans and Peas Soup that I made today. I love having fresh veges in December!

I'm hoping to be able to bring some turnips with me to the market this weekend. I guess it will depend on the weather. It sounds like we're going to get rain and ice maybe even snow this week. I sure hope it warms up a little before Saturday.

This Saturday, December 12th, is the next winter market in Tower Grove. Bear and I are planning to be there and we hope to see as many of you as possible. Remember, I won't be at the market in January, so you'll need to stock up enough to last until the February market.

Tomorrow I start filling bags for the market, so if there is anything in particular you would like me to bring for you, please let me know asap. Special orders get priority. Larger quantities are available if you e-mail me in advance.

I just updated the list of available products and prices. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, one more thing, the chickens are in full egg-production now. I will have plenty of fresh, free-range eggs on Saturday as well.

I've been told it's time for an undate.....

2009-11-05T20:10:00.000-06:00

So much has happened since my last post. The summer market is over, the Harvest Festival on October 24th was a success. Our whole family went to the market that day. The boys kept me very busy the day before making muffins. Nate had a ball selling them. It took him all day, but by the end he didn't have a single muffin left. Now he can hardly wait for the opening day of the market in the spring, he wants to do it all over again.

We were happy that we had fresh, ripe produce for the market right to the end. As each thing ended, Danny had something new starting to produce. The last day we still had swiss chard, kale, bok choy, Michihili chinese cabbage, green and purple beans, tomatoes, potatoes and more.

If the chickens leave the gardens alone, we will even have fresh greens for the first winter market next Saturday, Novemeber 14th.

We had enough of a frost a couple weeks ago to put an end to most of the summer veges, but the winter veges love the cooler weather. The excess of rain in October made it impossible to harvest the last of the beans, they could only pick the one outside row. Bonnie said every time they tried to step in any of the rows they sunk. Danny tried putting boards down to walk on, but they sunk, too. We had such a productive fall harvest of beans that we didn't feel too bad about it.

Since the end of the market season, the boys and I have been concentrating on schoolwork. I'm still playing catch-up on grading and logging their schoolwork and trying to organize everything.

Danny finally has time to do some projects around here and work with the boys on school projects.

Were all happy to have a break from the gardens for a while...before we know it the gardens will dry out and it will be time to clean them up and put them to bed for the winter.

Hope everyone's enjoying the beautiful fall weather this week!

The bounty continues!

2009-09-14T22:55:00.000-05:00

Do you like the pictures? They give you just a little glimpse of what the gardens are like this year.

Right now, everywhere you look there seems to be something that needs to be picked. The okra is growing like crazy. It's well over our heads. Mom & Bonnie picked it again this evening & they said they had to reach way up to get it. I'll be bringing lots of it to the market this weekend.

The cucumbers are all finished now. Danny pulled up the last of the vines this evening & took down the trellis & t-posts. He tilled up the whole area around it & started hilling up new rows to get ready to plant more lettuce & spinach.

The tomatoes are still producing quite well, although certain varieties seem to be about finished for the year. We have a new variety that started producing this week. It's a yellow cherry tomato that came up on it's own in the front flower bed. They're delicious, I'm hoping to be able to bring some to the market Saturday. (If I can keep the kids from eating them all.) That makes our 18th variety of heirloom tomatoes for this year.

Are you hungry for zucchini? The new row of plants started producing last week. There are several varieties & they look really pretty together. I'll bring extra of my Zucchini Muffin Mix this weekend to go along with it. (I ran out last weekend, sorry if you missed out.)

The cantaloupes & honeydews are gone now, but the watermelons are going strong. They were all so delicious this year. Mom was telling us this evening that she just heard you have to have really good soil to get a good tasting melon. Since this is the first time we've planted in that particular garden plot, we feel very appreciative that it was so rich & provided us & so many others with such wonderful melons. We thought our favorite variety of watermelon was the White Wonder, but tonight Bonnie talked us into trying a Sugar Baby. It's a red variety & every bit as delicious.

The amaranth is beginning to flower. It's not as tall as we expected, but I guess that will make it easier to harvest. We have to wait until after the first frost.

Our second biggest producer right now is the beans. The Fortex green beans and the Chinese Long Red Noodle Beans are way up over the 8ft trellis & are covered in beans as well as blooms. The new rows of bush beans are all covered with blooms & should begin producing any day now.

All the flowers in the front flower beds and in the garden are covered in bright, beautiful flowers. The zinnias are a rainbow of color & the cosmos is a whole variety of pastel pinks & purples, now that the onslaught of Japanese Beetles is over. The lack of beetles has also allowed the Marigolds in the gardens to break out in blooms. They are a bright splash of color among all the shades of green in the gardens.

Fall is in the air now, I'll keep you posted as things continue to change.

Summer's harvest is keeping us very busy!

2009-08-27T22:24:00.000-05:00

I suppose you've noticed the lack of recent posts. The gardens have been in full production and it's taking all my time to keep up with the bounty of the harvest. Bonnie and her helper, Katie, come twice a week to pick. My mom and Danny and the boys pick too.

My friend Sally has been coming on two other days to help me with the processing. My Grandma helps out as well when she's able. Today, another friend came and picked tomatoes and okra for me. (It's hayfever season for me now, so I don't venture into the gardens very often.)

The okra is finally producing, it seemed to take forever. Up until last week we were only getting about a handful at a time (off of two 70 foot long rows.) Now, it's needing to be picked every couple of days. I should have a nice basketful again this weekend at the market.

You would be surprised to see how much all of the chicks have grown. The ones that hatched in May are almost as big as the adults. It's getting hard to tell them apart. Of course their coloring is different. We love seeing all the variety of colors as they walk around the yard. My mom commented on how much she enjoys them when she was here this afternoon.

The second batch of chicks have grown a lot, too. Except for two of them, they are still tiny little things by comparison. One of them is dark brown and black, the other one is mostly white with little dark spots. The white one is our newest pet. It loves to be held. It comes up to your feet and just waits to be noticed and picked up. It wants to be petted and carried around. Nate carries it all over the place. Last week he brought it in the garden with us while we were weeding the squash. It just walked around eating bugs and enjoying being near us. But, when Nate walked away to get rid of some weeds, it tried to follow him and started peeping loudly when it couldn't keep up. We named it Peeper. It is so cute!

The gardens have changed a lot since the last pictures. The cucumbers and beans are over the top of the 8 foot trellises. The tomatoes are almost all to the top of their trellises as well. The okra is almost taller than Bonnie. And the new variety of sunflowers Danny planted are taller than all of us, even Zach . I think one of them must be close to 15 feet tall!

We got the first of our watermelons last Friday. We've been getting cantaloupes and honeydews for the past few weeks. They are so delicious! I remember now why we planted all heirloom varieties. I've even discovered that I love honeydews. I had a man at the market complain that everyone brings them before they're ripe, that they need to split open before you pick them. Well, I came home and tried one that was split open...it was the best tasting melon I had eaten in a long time. He was right. I suppose other people knew that secret as well, because I brought a split one with me this past weekend and it was the first one to sell.

All the potatoes have been dug now. Danny and Bonnie and all the kids, even little Phillip, dug the last of them Monday. This time they got some really big ones. I'm pleased because the final ones they dug were from the starter potatoes I saved from last years harvest.

This past month Danny started tilling the areas where the potatoes and a few other veges were and began planting the fall crops. We have a new crop of beans and zucchini and yellow squash and a lettuce mix that are off to a good start. Tomorrow, he's planning on pulling up the last of one row of cucumbers and planting peas. I'm looking forward to the fall peas because the spring ones didn't do well at all. We did get a few to eat as we worked, but not enough for a meal. I'm hoping to be able to get some in the freezer for winter.

Well, there's so much more to tell ... but this will have to do for now. I've got to go finish up for today. There are still tomatillos and cucumbers and okra and eggs waiting to get put away before I can go to bed.

Great day at the market!

2009-07-18T23:45:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful day for the market! The temperature was perfect, there was a slight breeze and there was a wonderful turnout of shoppers.

I hope everyone enjoyed all the fresh produce. This was our first week with a good selection of fresh produce. We dug our first two rows of potatoes, Yukon Gold and a great red variety that I can't remember the name of. We had some of the Yukon Gold for dinner tonight, they taste amazing. I think Bear ate four of them. I'll have more of them at the market next week.

We also had lots of colorful Rainbow Swiss Chard. We had that for dinner as well.

I brought the first toteful of peppers, large bells, poblanos, jalapeno, anchos and more.

I brought lots of cucumbers, they're really busy producing now. We got a little basketful of tomatoes this week too, but they disappeared very quickly. We had a cucumber and tomato salad. We've all been waiting impatiently for them to ripen. It looks like there should be enough ripe next week to be able to take some with me to the market. Of course, the cool weather being predicted for the week may slow them down again.

Yellow squash and zucchini are in full production now too. I brought plenty of them with me today as well. We've been enjoying them for several weeks now. One of our favorite ways to fix either one is to thinly slice the squash and an onion and cook them with just a little butter and seasalt. Or, we make larger, thicker slices and Danny grills them after brushing them with olive oil, garlic and italian seasoning and sprinkling them with seasalt.

I've been chopping up lots of them and putting them in the freezer for winter, and spring. I use the chopped squash in my salsas and use the chopped zucchini in my Zucchini Spice Muffins and Zucchini Bread. I package it in ziploc freezer bags in the quantity called for in the recipies, and then it's easy to defrost and use all year long. I love putting it up while there is so much fresh, organic produce available. I highly recommend the practice to others as well.

I also had lots of our free-range eggs. The hens aren't laying quite as well as in the spring, but I'm not complaining, the ones they are laying taste so wonderful.

I took some new pictures of the chicks when we moved the coops a couple days ago. They are growing so quickly. The first batch of chicks are getting close to the size of the adult chickens.

Have a good night!

Summer's bounty is beginning!

2009-07-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Squash, squash and more squash..Bonnie keeps on picking and bringing it in. Plus, cucumbers, swiss chard, a few peppers and just enough beans to eat while she picks. This evening I found the first two ripe cherry tomatoes, I was nice and shared one with Bonnie, Danny was jealous. I discovered them while we were all busy pulling weeds and weaving the tomato plants through the cattle panels.

I'm still trying to get the transplanting finished. This past week I transplanted three more rows of Rainbow swiss chard and Bonnie planted a few more eggplant. And this evening, I finally put in the marigolds at the end of each row of tomatoes. Danny's been taking pictures so you can see the progress.

You should see how hard the bees are working. They seem to be everywhere. Danny says they're very busy filling the hives with honey. He added another hive body to one of the hives last week. Unfortunately for him, he found out firsthand why the longtime beekeepers warn about being careful around the bees when it's too hot or the weather is changing. Friday, he went down to check on the bees without putting on the beejacket with the veil. The first two hives were just like usual, he picked up a handful to "pet" and let them crawl all over his hand. But when he got to the third hive, they were not in a good mood at all. They swarmed all over him and he got stung four times. He said he went running away shaking them off as he ran. He had quite a bad reaction in one arm. But, he's much better now, the swelling's gone and he said it's finally stopped hurting. I bet he'll remember to put on the suit the next time he goes to "pet" the bees.

We were all happy to see rain over the weekend, the excessive heat wave was about to bake everything in the gardens. It came just in time to save us from having to start watering all the gardens. The plants all look so much better, they've really perked up.

It was just too bad the rain hit on a market day. It was storming so hard here we decided not to try to make it to the market. I'm sorry if I disappointed you by not being there. Unfortunately, I won't be at the market this weekend either. This is the one weekend I told everyone I would be missing. I'll be back at the market on July 18th!

Chicks on the move!

2009-06-28T00:25:00.000-05:00

This evening we moved the coops again onto fresh grass. This time we got them moved before they killed the grass under them. It's getting easier and quicker as we're getting used to the new routine.

Afterwards, I got the great idea to try to lure the big chicks into the Eggmobile. Only a couple of them followed the trail of chicken feed I left for them, so I deciced to wait until dark to try again. I closed their old coop so they would have more of an incentive to follow the chickens in to roost and we all went in the house. After dark, Bear and I went out with a flashlight and started catching them and putting them in one or two at a time. When we got down to the last two, we got tired of trying and decided to just wait until later.

The idea behind this new move for the chicks was to make room in the old coop for the baby chicks. We were planning to move them tomorrow afternoon, but we decided it would be easier on all of us to just get it over with while they were calm and it was cooler. It didn't take too long to get them all set up and now they can wake up to their new home in the big outdoors. They're still pretty tiny, but I think they'll do better in the coop than they would staying in the brooder, cooped up in the hot garage.

After we finished moving the little chicks, we tried again to catch the last of the big chicks. We got one easily, but the other one just kept alluding us. After too many trips around the yard to count, we gave up. But I couldn't quit worrying about it out there by itself (and Bear couldn't go to sleep.) So, just before midnight Bear and I went out to try again. We must have looked hilarious following it around and around. Bear finally gave up trying to be quiet and sneakily try to catch it and starting running after it while I followed them both with the flashlight. I couldn't help laughing. But it worked, the chick finally decided to try to escape out of the fence, as it wiggled its way out, Bear just reached over the fence and picked it up. Whew, I hope we don't have to do that again! As we came inside still laughing, Bear told me I had to get this in writing. So now you get to enjoy it too!

Goodninght everyone.

The first of our squash is here and delicious!

2009-06-26T00:40:00.000-05:00

Monday, Danny picked the first basketful of yellow squash and zucchini!! We've already had it for dinner 3 times and had the leftovers for dessert. We love it!

This evening, Zach picked two more basketfuls of yellow squash and it looks like there will be even more ready to pick tomorrow. This will be the first market this year that I'll be able to bring fresh produce with me.

I sure wish this heat wave would let up, the weeds are going crazy. It's hard to get motivated to go out and weed when it's this hot. I so much prefer the air-conditioning, but I have to set a good example. We all went out again this evening to weed and mulch. When we all work together, it doesn't take too long to see definite progress.

I was hoping we'd at least see the rain the weatherman's been predicting for today. After all the weeks of endless rain, you wouldn't think we'd want or need any more, but the gardens are getting rather dry. If it doesn't rain tonight, we're going to have to start watering tomorrow.

Hopefully we'll be able to do some more planting tomorrow evening. Danny has quite a bit of swiss chard that's ready to get in the ground. The initial row of rainbow swiss chard is just about ready to begin picking. We got it all weeded and mulched again this evening. It looks so pretty with all the different colors.

Oh, here's a warning for all the tomatoes growers reading this: It's time to check your plants for hornworms! One discovered our extra plants on the back porch and devoured most of the leaves before Danny stopped it. They're not the only pests attacking the gardens though. My parsley suffered the same scenerio from a parsley caterpillar. Potato bugs are out in full force and Japanese beetles have arrived.

Danny's fighting back with organic remedies for each of these pests. I'll keep you updated...

Update on all the chickens!

2009-06-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

Shortly after my last post, two more chicks hatched but two others didn't survive, so we ended up with 28 new little chicks. All of them are doing well in the brooder in the garage.

It's hard to believe what a difference six weeks can make. When the last batch of chicks hatched, we had to keep the brooder heat lamp plugged in to keep the chicks warm enough in the garage. This time, it's so hot we have to keep the big fan running to keep them from overheating.

Thursday, after Bear and I finished moving the last of the new chicks into the brooder, I decided to try letting the big chicks out of their coop to run around with the rest of the flock. Surprisingly, the older chickens didn't seem to bother them at all. I suppose our plan worked. We've been moving their coop alongside the "eggmobile" as we move it around the yard in hopes that they would all be familiar with one another. So far so good. At night, the chicks go back in their coop and the rest go in the eggmobile. I haven't even had to separate them. Its turned out better than we hoped.

Now I'm hoping that the chicks will all be ready to move into the eggmobile by the time the new chicks need to get out of the brooder. Time will tell....

More "little peeps" are here!!

2009-06-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a busy day for the chicks. Nate woke me at 5:56 this morning with the news that there were more chicks in the incubator. He said they were so loud that he heard them all the way up in his room.

When I went down to see, there were seven fluffed up little chicks waiting to be let out. I put them in with the other chicks and went back to bed. When Bear woke up, there were three more waiting to greet him. As the day has progressed, eight more have hatched and we can see several more eggs rocking in the incubator.

The nine that hatched yesterday have been moved into the brooder in the garage and are happily snuggling together. The ones that hatched today are still kind of sleepy and several are still wet.

We are enjoying watching them as they learn to get around. First they just kind of lurch forward toward the others. As they dry off, they start to heat up and want to get away from under the brooder light. Then they start walking around a bit with a lot of time to rest in between attempts. After a couple hours they begin looking for the food and water. The more they move around the more fluffed up they get until they look like little fluff balls, especially the buff colored ones.

So far, four of the chicks look like the buffs, most of them look like "chickmunks," and some of them are really dark like the Silver Wyandottes.

I'll keep you updated!

It's hatching day again!

2009-06-18T00:05:00.000-05:00

This morning, about 10 o'clock, the first chick hatched as Bear and Nate watched excitedly. Two more hatched just a short time later. Then we waited all day, peeking in the incubator as often as possible....

We were gone for a few hours this evening and when we returned there were four more waiting for us. They were already dry and fluffed out. Within a few minutes of our arrival, another one hatched. Now, there are ten more that have broken through their shells and are "peeping to one another," but they haven't hatched yet.

Some of the excitement from last time has waned a bit, and it wasn't too hard to get the kids to bed, but they did have to come and check "just one more time" more than once. It is pretty amazing to watch as they hatch. Now it's my turn to go check "one more time before bed."

My camera is working again so we'll be taking pictures to post.

You should see the gardens now!

2009-06-05T00:40:00.003-05:00

It's always amazing to me just how fast everything changes in the spring. I love looking out the upstairs windows each morning and taking note of the progress. Some days, especially after its rained, you can almost see the plants getting taller.

Most of the gardens are planted now. Just a few open spaces left to fill.

This evening we decided to add a couple more rows of tomatoes. The first ones I planted are about two feet tall now and Danny has started weaving them through the cattle panels. Some of them even have blooms on them already. The last ones to be planted haven't fared quite as well. They were planted when it was way too wet and I've had to replace a few of them, but they are growing. I'm starting to visualize picking vine-ripened, juicy tomatoes in all different colors. I think all together we have 17 different varieties this year.

We also decided to add a row of tomatillos. We have some planted in with the tomatoes, but they are coming up all over the gardens. We took Sam's advice (from Sunflower Savannah) and didn't start any from seed this year. She said the ones that come up on their own will be stronger and healthier. Last year, after the hail damaged all of mine, she gave me a lot of volunteers from her garden and they did great. So, Danny prepared a row and filled it with nice healthy transplants.

A few days ago, we planted more watermelons, bush beans, and sunflowers. We also planted amaranth. We're excited about trying to grow a new kind of grain, and I'm looking forward to the beautiful flowers it's supposed to have all summer.

My camera is not working right now, but we'll post pictures soon...

Oh, I also have another 41 eggs in the incubator. Hopefully, we'll have little chicks again in about two weeks....

The chicks got a new home today!

2009-05-28T00:03:00.000-05:00

We moved all 27 chicks to their new home today. They have really grown quickly, except for the two little ones that hatched last, they are so cute and tiny.

We knew it was time to move them out of the garage when they started getting out of the brooder on their own when we went to refill their waterer. It was just too crowded in there.

So, on this beautiful, sunny morning, Bear, Nate, Sydney and I carried them out, one or two at a time, to the "old big coop." Yesterday, after Danny got home from work, he and the boys moved it alongside the new coop and got it ready for them. It was fun to watch them as they discovered the big outdoors. The coop has a rather large screened in area with a tarp over it for shade, so they have room to explore. They all move around it in a pack as if they were still in the brooder.

After they were all settled, we moved the fence around both coops with fresh grass for the rest of the chickens. We had to laugh when I opened up "The Eggmobile" (that's what I'm calling the new coop) and the chickens came pouring out of it. It didn't take them long to check out their old coop. They seemed totally mystified when they couldn't get inside, and then taken aback when they noticed the chicks. We're hoping that by the time the chicks get big enough to integrate into the flock, they will already be used to one another and get along.

As the day progressed, we realized we moved the chicks outside on a rather frightening day from their prospective. New home, new neighbors and then rain followed by major storms. We had a lot of lightening, thunder and even hail (but nothing compared to last year's hail.)

This past week has been very productive in spite of all the rain. Danny took a few vacation days off work to be able to work even harder on the farm! He and the boys finished putting up t-posts and cattle panels for the tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. They spread a lot more hay on the gardens, and Danny got a lot planted (transplanted and direct seeded.) He also built inner covers for the beehives and got them installed. I'm almost finished planting the tomatoes, I think I have space for 12 more plants.

This year we are closely guarding our "just-in-case replacement plants." We have moved them in and out of the hoophouse repeatedly because of all the storms. Last year, when the golf-ball sized hail hit, all the extra plants were either on the back porch or in the hoophouse and they got shredded along with the ones in the garden. This year, we're not taking any chances.

Well, the summer market in the Tower Grove Park is off to a good start. If you haven't been there yet this year I hope you can join us soon. We're there every Saturday from 8:30am until 12:30pm.

Opening Day at the Tower Grove Market!

2009-05-13T09:14:00.000-05:00

Kickoff Celebration was a great success! All five of us were there. It was fun getting to look around at all the different vendors and trying new items. Bear and Nate had a ball again at the playground. They even found a way to play and work. They took a basket of my muffins, a few at a time, and sold them all!

You can see Zach working in the last picture at Oh Crepes!

Now we're back working on the farm. Hope to see you Saturday at the market.

Good news!

2009-05-06T23:39:00.000-05:00

Two more 'little peeps' were waiting for Danny this morning when he left for work. They seem so much tinier than the others. I'm waiting until tomorrow to introduce them to the rest.

We still have hope for the other fourteen in the incubator, but we haven't heard any peeping for a while now. Oh well, we'll wait and see.

Today my Dad and Grandma came to see the chicks. Grandma seemed as excited as I was. She was hoping another one would hatch while she was here, but it didn't. Grandma also came to help me transplant various plants to larger pots to get ready for the weekend.

This Saturday, May 9th, is the Kickoff Celebration for the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. It lasts longer than the usual market. It runs from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Check out the website for all the details: http://www.tgmarket.org. Hope you can join us!

We'll be bringing a lot of heirloom varieties of tomato plants, such as Green Zebras, Brandywines, Tappy's Heritage and Reisentraubes (at Earth Day I found out that means enormous grape). We'll also have hot pepper, sweet pepper and banana pepper plants, as well as herbs and flowers.

I've been taking more pictures. I'll try to get Zach to post some tomorrow. I even managed to get a good picture of Grandma working, not an easy task because if she sees the camera she makes a face.

Five more 'fluff balls' have arrived

2009-05-06T01:08:00.000-05:00

They all hatched this morning and are all doing very well. All 25 of the chicks have been moved to the brooder in the garage. The five that hatched this morning just got moved a couple hours ago. They seem to like being part of the brood.

There are still sixteen eggs in the incubator. Technically, they were just expected to begin hatching this evening. We are beginning to hear little 'peeps' coming from them. We're guessing that the different varieties take different lengths to fully develop.

I want to go check on them one more time before I go to sleep.

Update on the chicks

2009-05-05T00:05:00.000-05:00

As of 9:30 this evening twenty chicks had hatched! Almost all of them hatched in pairs. To us, it appeared as if they were racing to see who could escape first.

Only 4 of them look like the Buff Orpingtons. The rest are a mixture of colors. Quite a number of them have coloring like a chipmunk. The boys are calling them "Chickmunks'!

Fourteen of these 'balls of fluff' have been moved into the brooder in the garage. It had gotten quite loud in here for a while. They seem to all start peeping at the same time.

Six are still very sleepy and some are still a little damp, so they are snuggling together in the box in the kitchen.

Right now, two more have broken holes in their shells but are resting in preparation for the 'big hatch.' The ones in the box were peeping loudly in encouragement, but now they are all sleeping again and the kitchen is quiet.

The adult chickens seem to like their new coop. We let them out for the day and when evening came, about half of them went back into it on their own. We had to help the rest of them get back inside. Today, they even rewarded us with the most eggs we've ever collected in one day, thirty-one!

Oh, I think the other chicks are hatching, I want to watch!

Some pictures...

2009-05-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

An eventful night!

2009-05-04T12:23:00.000-05:00

We all had trouble going to sleep last night, no one wanted to miss seeing the chicks hatch. Zach had the idea of taking turns sleeping and he took the first watch. Everyone else went to sleep, but...

About 3:30am, Danny woke me up asking how the chicks were doing. I came downstairs and found Zach sound asleep on the couch. When I looked into the incubator, one egg had a crack most of the way around it. I was fascinated. This was a first for me. I've never actually watched a chick hatch before. It happened in little steps. It rested a minute from its pecking, then it pushed and broke the top apart from the bottom. Rested a minute, then pushed its head upwards. Rested again, then gave a mighty kick and the bottom flew off. Rested again, then wriggled away from the shell. I was so excited I wanted to go wake everyone to tell them the good news... I didn't, I restrained myself. After all there were still 38 more to hatch. I went back to bed.

At 5:30, I decided it should be dry enough to put in with the others. When I came down to move it, there were 2 chicks dried off and waiting for me. The second one was a buff, the first three are all Siver-Laced Wyandottes.

I put them in the box, checked on the others and then went back to bed. When Zach and Nate woke up, there were 2 more hatched and waiting.

Bear, Nate and I have spent the morning watching chicks hatch. They are every bit as excited as I am. The thirteenth one hatched a few minutes ago. So far there are only two buffs. It's fun watching them as they go from these tired, wet, little bodies to cute, soft, cuddly, adorable balls of fluff.

I'll update later, the boys are calling me, two more are just about to pop out!

Surprises in the incubator!

2009-05-04T00:08:00.000-05:00

When Danny came downstairs this morning to make coffee, he heard little "peeps" coming from the incubator. The boys and I didn't get to hear them until later in the afternoon. I was surprised, I've never heard "peeping eggs" before, I didn't expect to hear them until they hatched.

When we came home this evening, we were surprised again. There were two chicks waiting for us in the incubator and "peeping" loudly. One was already dry but the other one looked like it had just hatched, it was still damp. They both seem to think Bear is their mom. When he holds them they are quiet and relaxed.

We had to scramble to get supplies together for them. We thought we still had a couple of days to prepare. For tonight they're in a big box in the kitchen. After they've all hatched, we'll move them to the brooder in the garage. Gretchen, our indoor cat, will be happy about that, for now she's locked in the basement.

Just wanted to share the good news.

The chickens have a new home!

2009-05-03T00:43:00.000-05:00

We moved the chickens into their new home today. It really does look a lot like an old-fashioned covered wagon. The chickens weren't nearly as excited as we were. First, we tried pushing and pulling it ourselves. We found out we're only strong enough to move it on level ground. Then Danny hooked it up to the lawn tractor and pulled it over near the hay bales. He stopped briefly so he and the boys could load it up with some hay.

Then he let the younger boys climb in and go for a ride while he moved it into place. They were thrilled! He ended up having to go get the big tractor to get it precisely where he wanted.

The chickens were very happy to have a totally new area to explore and to scratch up. Of course, first they scattered all over the farm while I was moving the fence around the new coop. The boys and I spent hours rounding them up again and getting them back inside the fence.

We tried coaxing them to go inside the coop and check it out for themselves with breadcrumbs, but it didn't work. So, when it got dark, still they didn't want to go inside. They tried to get back to the old coops. We had to pick up each one individually and put them in. Zachary got a flashlight and put it at the back so they could see where they were. That seemed to calm them down and by the time we headed back to the house they were beginning to roost.

The plan is to leave them inside the coop for the next couple of days. We want them to become accustomed to their new home before we let them out. With all the hay in there it should keep them occupied for awhile scattering it around and eating all the seeds in it.

Hopefully by the time we let them out the new chicks will have hatched! I removed the eggs from the automatic turner this evening so they can begin positioning themselves for hatching. They should start hatching on Tuesday. I'll let you know when they do.

Time to recover!

2009-04-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a busy weekend! We accomplished so much in the gardens.

Saturday, Danny finished tilling & hilling all the gardens. Then we started planting potatoes. We got all our seed potatoes saved from last year planted then started planting another heirloom variety that we decided to try. After that Danny and Zach rolled out haybales over them. We're trying out our own variation on the "Ruth Stout method" again. After the hailstorm damage last year, we don't think our results were typical. We're hoping for a much larger return per plant this year.

Then we finished our preparations for Earth Day on Sunday.

The weather cooperated nicely for Earth Day, it was sunny and warm, but a little too windy at times. The turnout was a big success. It was nice to see many of our regular customers and to meet so many new people that we hope to see again at the summer market. Our boys had a good time exploring and learning. We were all very glad to get back home though.

Today we're all trying to recover. Surprisingly, Danny managed to find enough energy to plant a couple rows of veges after work.

We'll, I need to go candle the eggs that we're incubating. I'm very hopeful that by this time next week we'll be taking care of a bunch of chicks.

Progress in the gardens!

2009-04-24T23:39:00.000-05:00

We had a very productive day today on the farm. Danny re-tilled at least parts of all the gardens. Then he used the new hiller attachment on the tractor and started forming the rows for planting.

After that, he started planting seeds. He direct-seeded okra and swiss chard. Besides that he cut a bunch of grass with the push mower to get grass clippings to put in the gardens. He even mulched the onions.

Meanwhile, Zach was busy cutting grass with the riding mower. I love the way the yard looks just after the first cutting. Everything is so green now, we can really see a difference in the field in front of the house where we moved the chickens around all last year. It's funny, you can see exactly where the coops sat with each move. The grass is so much darker and thicker. It's hard to tell that it was mostly weeds the previous year. The chickens did a great job of eating the weed seeds and providing a multitude of fertilizer.

I was busy working on the front flower bed. I got quite a bit of weeding and mulching done and planted a few new plants. I added 2 new varieties of peonies and a new variety of bleeding heart. Right now, the bleeding hearts and the violets are in bloom and the peonies look like they're just about to bloom.

I also worked on potting plants to take to the market. I'll have quite a few with me at Earth Day and even more at opening day of the Tower Grove Farmers' Market on May 9th. So far I have crown vetch, daisies and violets. Tomorrow I'll be potting 2 varieties of hostas.

Time to get some sleep, tomorrow's another busy day.

Earth Day at Forest Park is this Sunday

2009-04-24T00:59:00.000-05:00

Please come and join us at Earth Day this Sunday, April 26th, in Forest Park!

The celebration is located all around the Muny. We will be in a new location this time. The entire Tower Grove Farmers' Market will be located in the Food Education section. It will be to one side of the Muny, more centrally located than last year.

We have been very busy making preparation to be there. I have been grinding lots of flour and making lots of mixes. If you didn't get to the market early last time, you missed out on the new Buckwheat Pancake Mix. I sold out rather quickly, I'll be bringing a lot more this time. Come give it a try. It's made with certified organic, freshly ground buckwheat and flaxseed as well as steel-cut rolled oats. I may even be giving out samples of the finished product. Danny picked up the permit today to be able to sample our products.

For those of you who have been waiting patiently, the Amaranth has finally arrived and I'll have it with me at the market. Also, I have the Golden Flaxseed once again.

Hope to see you there!

Reminder about the market tomorrow

2009-04-10T21:16:00.001-05:00

Just a little reminder, I'll be at the St Louis Community Farmers' Market in Tower Grove tomorrow from 9:00am to 1:00pm. It's the last one for the season.

I did get the new mixes, "Denise's Healthy Buckwheat Pancake Mix" ready in time for the market. Come and try one for yourself.

Hope to see you in the morning!

Changes on the farm

2009-04-08T00:28:00.000-05:00

There is so much happening on the farm now! The little peach trees have bloomed. Flowers are popping up all over. The peas have sprouted in the front flower bed. The chickens are back inside their movable fence. Or maybe I should say, we're trying to keep them in. After all these months of freedom, they're not too happy about being restricted from the gardens. But we are trying, because every time they get out they eat the seedlings popping up in the gardens.

You should see the progress Danny and the boys are making on the new chicken coop. Both ends are up and connected, the doorways for us and the chickens and the openings for the nesting boxes are all cut out. It has a trap door in the floor for easy clean-out and its almost ready to put on the top. Danny's making it up as he goes along because he couldn't find plans for what he wanted. I think it's going to look like an old-fashioned covered wagon when it's finished. We're trying to find a good name for it, so if you'd like to make a suggestion, feel free.

I've been trying to hurry him up building it, because I expected to have a lot of new little chicks by now, but none of them hatched. I'm disappointed, but I'm about to try again. This time I'm going to use an automatic egg turner in the incubator.

We have lots and lots of little plants in the basement. There are literally hundreds of tomato and pepper plants. They've all been transplanted into larger pots now and are getting bigger everyday. We have about 15 varieties of tomato plants, most of the heirloom varieties. The Brandywine and the Old German Striped varieties are really taking off. Last night when I went to water them, they were so tall I had to raise the grow lights over them again. We also have a number of herbs that are growing quite well.

It looks like we'll have plenty of plants to bring to Earth Day at Forest Park. It's on Sunday, April 26th this year. It was a lot of fun last year. We hope you can join us.

I'll also be at the St Louis Community Farmers' Market this Saturday, April 11th. It's the last indoor market we'll be at this season.

I've been working on a new mix for Buckwheat Pancakes. If you'd like to be one of the first to try it, come see me on Saturday. It's wheat and milk-free, but I add milk and yogurt to the mix when I make it at home.

Hope to see you soon!

Excitement is in the air now!

2009-03-14T21:57:00.000-05:00

The first tomato seedlings made their appearance today! I'm so excited, I started them in flats just a few days ago. When I came home from the market today about 6 different varieties had popped up.

It's been a busy week. Last Friday, Danny added the needed amendments to each garden bed and then tilled them all. Two of the beds he expanded, one a little, one a lot. We're hoping it will allow us to spread out a bit, some of the rows were just too crowded last year. Oh yeah, the chickens were thrilled. I got several great pictures of them following behind the tractor.

Since then, we've been working on starting seeds and ordering needed supplies in the evenings. Yesterday and today Danny's been working all over the farm. He built a very nice set of compost bins. He's been putting in raised beds for herbs, and putting in stakes for trellises along the edges where he can reach without stepping in the garden. After tilling last week and all the rain this week, you just sink in the mud if you try to walk in the gardens. He also planted snow peas in the front flower bed. We've never had them there before, but we're envisioning walking out on the porch and picking and eating them as a snack. (Last year my little nephew named them green M&M's.)

Besides all that, I'm trying to hatch chicks in an incubator. I set 46 eggs in it a few days ago, so it's keeping me busy turning them several times a day and monitoring the humidity level.

We were also getting ready for today's market. It was such a beautiful day, it was nice to see so many join us at the market.

Now I need to go turn the eggs.

Happy chickens!

2009-03-04T23:33:00.000-06:00

Danny made the chickens very happy this afternoon, he plowed up the first garden bed for this year! They went wild when he finished. They definitely lived up to our slogan about them, "happy, healthy chickens with nothing better to do than walk around all day eating bugs."

Friday, Danny will be adding the organic amendments to that bed and tilling them in. Then, hopefully, the other 4 garden beds will be dried out enough that he can get them plowed too. I'm sure the chickens will be very happily following right behind him.

Meanwhile, I'll be starting to plant seeds in the basement. Danny prepared several flats for me this evening.

Can you tell we're finally beginning to get excited about spring? Hope all of you are too!

Okay, our winter break is over!

2009-03-01T23:38:00.000-06:00

Time to get back to work! Not that we ever really slowed down, we just got busier making improvements to our house and concentrating on schoolwork with the boys.

Now we're back, thinking and planning for the upcoming growing season. Danny made improvements to my seed starting area in the basement this weekend. I now have running water in the basement with a hose to water all the little seedlings we're about to start. No more hauling water down the stairs, or bribing the boys to help me. (ha,ha) He also put in a new fluorescent light above my work area and generally cleaned up and got my work area organized.

This evening we've been going through our seeds, sorting, taking inventory, trying to decide what we still need to order... so much to do to get started again.

Recently we got the test results back from our soil samples from the different garden areas. Now it's time to start adding the recommended organic amendments. Overall there's not much that needs to be done, all the organic matter we've been adding the last few years has really paid off. It's just the newer beds that need a little extra help.

Time to dream about it now!

I'll be at the Winter Market this Saturday

2008-12-17T23:52:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to remind you that I'll be at the Maplewood Winter Farmers' Market this Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

I'm bringing plenty of goodies. Right now my favorites are the soup mixes and cornbread mix. I have the Mixed Beans and Peas (the recipe is on the blog) and the Split Pea Soup Mix. I also have plenty of the Chili Bean Medley. They are all certified organic.

Today I was busy making my Pizza Dough mixes. Tomorrow I'll be working on Banana Muffin Mix, Zucchini Spice Muffin Mix, Waffle Mix, Pancake Mix and Cornbread Mix. Remember, they are all made with freshly ground, certified organic flours.

After that I'll start grinding the various kinds of flour. I love having such a variety. Each one has a little different flavor and texture and I like to experiment with combining them for a healthy delicious way of cooking and baking. If you haven't tried it yet, or want to try something new, come see me at the market and I'll tell you more about them.

I'll also be bringing my Mixed Grains. They make a wonderful breakfast cereal. I like to simmer them at night while I'm getting ready for bed. Then I turn off the heat and let it set overnight. It absorbs the rest of the moisture and is cooled off and ready to eat when you wake up. You can enjoy it hot or cold. You can make it with water or use juice for added flavor and sweetness.

It also makes a great side dish for dinner. Or try it in stir-fry. You can serve it any way you would brown rice. Each grain adds it's own taste and texture and they have various protein contents. For instance, millet has 15% protein, spelt has 17% protein and quinoa has 18% protein. It's a tasty way to add vegetable protein to your diet.

You can also get the same benefits when you bake with my 10-Grain Flour. It has all the grains as in the Mixed Grains, and of course, all the same health benefits.

Hope to see you Saturday!

What a beautiful night!

2008-12-02T00:18:00.000-06:00

It's such a bright, clear, snowy night! This is the first lasting snow of the season, yesterday's snow melted too quickly. The boy's spent hours playing outside today.

Personally, I'd rather just watch from inside where it's nice and warm.

I hope you are enjoying it too!

It's a georgeous day today!

2008-11-17T16:31:00.000-06:00

The kids are taking advantage of the beautiful afternoon. They are raking leaves at Grandma's house and dragging them by tarpful onto one of our gardens. Then they are wading around through the leaves to scatter them all over. It's hard to tell if they're working or playing, but they are accomplishing their goal.

When it gets a good, thick layer of leaves all over it, Danny can start plowing, or maybe layering on manure from the neighbor's cows and then plowing.

Hope you are enjoying the day, too!

It's kind of quiet around here now.

2008-11-12T22:00:00.000-06:00

Things have really slowed down now here on the farm. We're concentrating on schoolwork and getting organized again.

It was nice to see such a large turnout at the first winter market this past Saturday. If you were there, you know we (the vendors) were kind of packed in like sardines. It was great still having fresh produce to sell. We had ripe tomatoes and green tomatoes, tomatillos and plenty of swiss chard. I hope everyone enjoyed shopping. My middle son was there with me and he had a great time working and shopping. He loves getting the fresh apple cider.... and chocolate.... and honey sticks.... and granola.... and...and...and... and when he gets home he even shares!

Thanks for all the support we received throughout the growing season!

Clean-up is well under way!

2008-11-02T22:53:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy few days around here. Danny started out by taking care of the bees. He decided to condense both hives back down to one hive body each. From what we learned at the beekeepers meeting they'll stand a better chance of surviving the winter that way.

After that, he and the boys finally got the pool packed away for the winter. Then it was on to fall clean-up all over the place.

Yesterday, Danny, Colin and the kids worked together and removed all the t-posts and strings and old tomato plants from the tomato garden. Today, Danny brush-hogged over it and the squash/cantaloupe garden and the boys raked and piled up the debris. After it dries out a little they're going to burn the pile to be sure to kill any diseases that may be lurking in the old plants.

They also started removing the fencing from the cucumber rows. They removed the drip tape and soaker hoses from two of the gardens. They even got quite a bit of grass cut and the chicken coops moved. The boys managed to get quite a bit of outdoor playtime mixed in with the work (they were jumping haybales this afternoon.)

Bonnie and I worked on pulling out tomatillo plants and found an unbelievable amount of ready to eat tomatillos hiding underneath the plants that weren't affected by the frost. We have several boxes of them to put up. (Just when I thought canning was almost over!)

Today I worked on removing the debris from the gourds and then weeded the asparagus. It looks like the majority of new plants I started this spring survived the summer in spite of all the weeds and are actually doing quite well. I hope we'll get our first crop from them in the spring.

Then I started weeding the swiss chard. It looks beautiful, the frost didn't affect it at all. The chickens were thrilled, they got to enjoy all the imperfect leaves I removed. I should have quite a bit of it to take to the market on Saturday!

I guess the next big project will be removing the dead plants and taking down the rest of the fencing in garden #1. Next year's gardens will have a completely new arrangement. We need to rotate crops again. Most likely the herbs and swiss chard and the hoophouse will be the only things to stay in the same place next year.

Danny is very anxious to fertilize and plow and then let the gardens rest for the winter.

Oh, we also got our first sweet potatoes this weekend, about 20 pounds so far, and we still have about 2/3's of the row left to harvest. We're excited, it's the first time we have ever tried to grow them. We decided it was a success and we should do it again next year in greater quantity so we have enough to share.

Hope to see all of you at the market on Saturday! I'll be at the St Louis Community Farmer's Market. This will be the first one of the winter season.

The frost got us this time!

2008-10-28T22:50:00.000-05:00

Yep, we got hit hard last night. We are officially finished picking tomatoes for the year. At least it held off until after the weekend. We had lots of tomatoes and other produce for the weekend market. And, on Sunday afternoon we picked as many green tomatoes and tomatillos as we could.

It's strange this time of the year. There's a feeling of sadness at the thought of most of the plants dying. But, at the same time, there's a feeling of relief. It's a time to start looking forward to the next growing season and time to clean up from this one.

Of course, there are still the over-wintering vegetables to take care of. We have the hoophouse rather stuffed and plenty of lettuce, swiss chard, turnips and beets that like the cold still out in the open. We're still trying to figure out how to get some of it under cover before we get any snow.

We're happy it's going to warm up again for the rest of the week. It will make clean-up much more tolerable and maybe even enjoyable.

Friday we're going to winterize the beehives (or at least get a start on it) and begin removing t-posts and fencing and pulling out the dead plants to get the gardens ready for fertilizing and plowing. We've decided our gardens aren't ready to go completly no-till yet. They are still in need of more organic matter mixed in with all the clay.

It's making me tired just thinking of all the work to be done!

No frost yet and none in the forecast for this week!!

2008-10-20T10:25:00.001-05:00

Whoopee! The frost missed us! I hope it missed all of you too!

I'm so happy to still be able to look out and see the beautiful flowers blooming. The cosmos are taller than I am. The zinnias are still blooming but the cold nights are slowing them down.

The gardens are still producing! The leafy greens and the root crops are loving the cooler weather. We have lots of mustard greens and turnips and radishes and the beets are almost ready to eat. It looks as if we may even still have ripe tomatoes this weekend. I know we'll have lots of geen tomatoes.

Today I'll be putting up what's left over from the market. I'm going to freeze tomatoes and work on Bread & Butter Pickles and Dill Pickles. Tomorrow I'm going to try to make another batch of Not So Hot Salsa, Zachary informed me at the market that I'm all out of what I made earlier in the summer.

This evening we're going to the Beekeeper's Meeting. Time to ask lots of questions about getting them ready for winter.

Gotta' get busy!

Oh no, they're talking about a frost!

2008-10-16T23:46:00.000-05:00

What happened? I thought we were safe for a while longer. At least they're only saying "possible frost in low-lying areas." I hope being up on the hill will spare the plants for a little while longer.

Just in case, Danny covered what he could. He and the boys also moved all the potted plants either into the house or the hoophouse. Over the past week or so he's been transplanting into the hoophouse as well.

I even talked the boys into cutting enough flowers for several large flower arrangements for me. They are so beautiful! Especially the cosmos. This is the first year we've had so many. We didn't even know how big they could get, the plants are over 5 feet tall and covered in blooms. I took several pictures a few weeks back but I still can't figure out how to post them.

Bonnie is supposed to come and pick tomorrow afternoon. I hope there's still plenty to pick and the frost doesn't arrive tonight. If it holds off, there will be quite a lot for the market Saturday.

The large watermelons are finally ripe. Zach brought in a 29 pound watermelon this evening (he couldn't wait to weigh it!) It looks great! He wants to cut it open tomorrow. That will be a great snack while we're all working hard. I think I'll cut up some for samples too. Come and try it!!

I made something new this week: Dilled Green Tomatoes. I think I'll wait until next week to bring them with me, and to sample them, so they have plenty of time to soak in the garlic.

Tomorrow I'll be baking all 3 kinds of muffins: Banana, Zucchini Spice and Green Tomato with raisins. The Green Tomato Muffins were a hit for the last two markets. I think I'll make extra for this week.

Here's hoping we all avoid the frost tonight!

Another beautiful week and lots of ripe produce!

2008-10-10T00:08:00.000-05:00

We have an abundance of ripe produce to be harvested tomorrow. It's difficult to believe this is almost the middle of October. Normally, we would be preparing for the first frost by now. Instead, Danny and the boys got to swim last weekend and based on the forecast, they're planning on swimming again this weekend.

This whole growing season has been pretty crazy around here. At least now we're getting to enjoy an unusually late season harvest. The tomatoes are ripening nicely, the cucumbers are still setting new fruit, the watermelons are finally ripe, more cantaloupe are ready to enjoy and the eggplant look great. Even the new crop of lettuce, radishes and turnips are ready to pick. The swiss chard looks wonderful. Even the gourds are producing prolifically. We even got our first bottleneck gourd last weekend.

Danny and the boys went out to check on the bees. They are still very active and filling the hives with food for the winter. We were hoping to get some for ourselves but it looks like we'll have to wait until next year. Oh well, we did each get to sample a little of it.

It's supposed to be 80 degrees and sunny Saturday. I hope to see lots of you at the market. You'll have lots plenty of choices!

Beautiful day at the market!

2008-10-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

The weather cooperated beautifully at the market today! It was great to see so many of you there!

Hope you got to try my new Green Tomato Muffins. I used my Zucchini Spice Muffin recipe and substituted the green tomatoes in place of the zucchini. I'll plan on making them again for the next few markets. If you missed out today, you'll get another chance.

It was nice to have so much fresh produce available. It appears we'll have even more next week. The watermelons weren't quite ready for today but they should be perfect by next weekend. Some of them are huge!

Danny was busy at home while I was at the market. He got the hoophouse re-covered and ready to start transplaning into for the winter. He plans on building another one before it gets too cold.

He was also busy working on the new chicken coop. When I drove in he was painting the base of it. He's starting with a trailer framework. So far, he's removed the original wood, sanded the frame and now he's painting it "John Deere Green." He's getting the boys excited about the project, and getting them to help too. Yesterday, Zachary helped paint for a long time. They're all happy to be included in the planning and choosing the materials and looking forward to actually helping to build it. The idea is that having it up on wheels will make it much easier to move. And it will hold a lot more birds than the old ones.

There's always plenty to do around here!

The Green Tomato Cake was a hit!

2008-10-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

I can definitely recommend the Green Tomato Cake Recipe. I made it yesterday and it was a big hit. In fact, there's none left.

I did make a few modifications to the posted recipe. I only used 1 3/4 cups of sugar. For the flour, I used 2 cups of freshly ground Combo Flour (wheat berries and flax seed) and 1 cup of unbleached flour. I left out the nuts and the coconut.

Tomorrow I'm going to try something new. I'm going to make my Zucchini Muffin Recipe but substitute green tomatoes in place of the zucchini and add 3/4 cup of raisins. If we like it, I make some for Saturday's market and you can try it too.

On a different subject, we've been having fun watching the guinea family as the keats are growing. Yesterday, we got to see the five surviving ones learning to fly. They were so cute. We all excitedly cheered them on.

Today, we were disappointed when we couldn't see most of them. All we could find were the daddy and one baby. They've rejoined the chickens and were safely sleeping in the big coop when I checked on them earlier. The keat was protectively tucked under daddy's wing. I wish they had all been locked up last night!

On a brighter note, we should have lots of fresh produce this weekend. The weather has been cooperating quite nicely this week and the garden seems to appreciate it. I'll have lots of swiss chard, cucumbers, tomatoes-both ripe ones and green ones, tomatillos, radishes, spicy mustard greens, basil and lettuce. I'll also have smaller amounts of acorn squash, gourds, cantaloupe, parsley and beans. If even appears that we have several varieties of watermelon that will be ripe and ready to pick. These will be our first ones this year. If they're ready I'll try to sample some at the market.

Hope to see you Saturday!

Green tomatofest at our stand this Saturday!

2008-09-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Get out your best recipes for green tomatoes! My husband and sister informed me that we now have an abundant supply of large green tomatoes! I will be bringing boxes of them with me this weekend.

If you have a favorite green tomato recipe, please post it for all of us to try!

Here are a few recipes I found and want to try.

CLASSIC FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
4 to 6 green tomatoes
salt and pepper
cornmeal (REMEMBER, I HAVE FRESH GROUND CORNMEAL)
bacon grease or vegetable oil
Preparation:
Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 - 1/2-inch slices. Salt and pepper them to taste. Dip in meal and fry in hot grease or oil about 3 minutes or until golden on bottom. Gently turn and fry the other side. Serve as a side dish - delicious with breakfast!

Or, try this variation:

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
4 to 6 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
salt and pepper
flour for dusting
2 eggs, beaten
cornmeal or bread crumbs
bacon grease or vegetable oil
Preparation:
Salt and pepper the tomato slices; dust lightly with flour. Dip slices in beaten egg, letting excess drip off, then coat well with meal or crumbs. Fry in hot grease or oil until browned, turning gently (about 3 minutes each side). Keep warm in a low 200° to 250° oven if frying in batches.

For a healthier option, try:

OVEN FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
4 to 6 green tomatoes, cut in 1/4-inch thick slices
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup water
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Preparation:
Sprinkle tomato slices with salt and pepper on both sides. In a shallow bowl mix beaten eggs, milk, and water. Put the all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl. Dip each slice into egg mixture, then into flour.* Dip each slice into egg and then into the flour again. Arrange tomatoes in large, shallow, greased baking pans, or bake in 1 pan, in batches. Tomatoes should not touch. Bake uncovered in 400° oven 20 minutes, turning halfway through.
For crunchier coating, dip slices the second time into egg mixture then into seasoned bread crumbs or corn flake crumbs, with a little Parmesan cheese, if desired

I even found a recipe for:

GREEN TOMATO CAKE
This spiced green tomato cake is surprisingly delicious, and it's a great way to use green tomatoes before the frost gets them.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1 cup raisins
2 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes
coconut (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, vegetable oil or shortening, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in pecans, raisins and tomatoes.
Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with coconut if desired. Bake for one hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. .
Serves 12.

I think I may bake this in muffin pans for Saturday.

GREEN TOMATO PICKLES
Ingredients:
4 quarts sliced green tomatoes, loosely packed
1 quart sliced onion, loosely packed
1 cup pickling salt, divided
1 pound light brown sugar
6 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
2 small red chile peppers
1/3 cup mustard seeds
1/4 cup celery seeds
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cloves
Preparation:
Place sliced tomatoes and sliced onion in a large bowl; sprinkle salt over them; stir. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. Place in a cheesecloth bag, and squeeze gently to remove excess juice (personally I would just drain well). Discard the salt liquid. Combine remaining ingredients in a large kettle. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 2 minutes. Pack tomato mixture and liquid into hot sterilized 1-quart jars (with 1 piece of the chile pepper in each jar - cut if necessary), leaving 1/2-inch headspace; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on ring bands. Process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes.
Store in a cool dark place. Store opened pickles in refrigerator. Makes 4 1-pint jars or 2 1-quart jars.

For more recipies check out this website: http://southernfood.about.com/od/greentomatoes/r/bl10712d.htm

Hope to hear more suggestions from all of you!

Reminder, I won't be at the market tomorrow!

2008-09-19T22:45:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that I won't be at the farmer's market tomorrow! We get to do something as a family. We'll be going to the Special Assembly Day in Spanish Lake to learn more about putting Bible principles to work in our everyday lives. We're all looking forward to it.

It's been a very productive week putting up a lot of produce. My little sister came and picked even more today. A little break will be greatly appreciated.

With help from friends and family, I had a record breaking day (for me) making dill pickles. Today I made 33 quarts of them. Yesterday I only managed 14 quarts. Plus, we put up tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos and squash in the freezer.

We are all ready to call it quits for the night.

Oh, I have to tell you, I got a bunch of pictures of the guineas this morning. The parents have started bringing them nearer to the house. They are so fun to watch, I kind of got carried away with the camera! I'll try to get Zach to post them for me.

Another exciting thing happened today, Danny brought in our first honey from the hives after he went out to check on them and put a super on the second hive. It tasted wonderful! He says both hives are very busy making more!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2008-09-14T22:52:00.000-05:00

Our gardens are water-logged again, thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Ike. At least the rain seems to be over, it was nice to see the sun this afternoon. I hope we get the warmer weather they're promising for the week ahead. We have lots of produce just waiting for the heat to make them ripen.

We're finally getting enough tomatoes to continue making salsa and start putting some up in the freezer too. I love being able to take out a package of frozen heirloom tomatoes in the middle of winter and make fresh spaghetti sauce or use them in my Mixed Beans and Peas Soup. It makes up a little for all the hard work during the summer.

If you haven't tried it for yourself, pick up some at the market. All you do is wash them in cold water, cut them in half, take out the core and them put them in freezer bags. Be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible before closing the bag. After that, just put the bag in the freezer. Then you, too, can enjoy fresh tasting, naturally grown hierloom tomatoes in the dead of winter. It's worth trying!

I'll be putting up a couple gallons of them tomorrow!

I won't be at the market this weekend, but I'll be back again on September 27th.

New babies on the farm!

2008-09-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

What a nice surprise we got yesterday. We found 10 tiny keats (baby guineas) trailing behind their parents! They are so cute! I'd like to show you, but they have very protective parents and we haven't been able to get pictures of them yet. I'll keep trying.

The boys are so excited, they keep running outside to watch them. Then they come back and give me the latest update on them. Apparently, 6 or 7 of them are brown and 3 are white. Strange, both of the parents are grey and white. Of course, they'll all change colors as they mature.

I'll try to post pictures soon!

Hi Everybody!

2008-08-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

Well, we're ready for a big weekend at the market! I've been busy making lots of pickles this week. Our cucumbers are producing very well now. Earlier in the week I made 55 pints of Bread & Butter Pickles and today I made lots of Spicy Dill Pickles and Old-Fashioned Dill Pickles. I'll be sampling tomorrow! Come try them out!

I'll also have lots of fresh produce: tomatoes, assorted beans, cucumbers, peppers, basil, parsley, mint, swiss chard, eggplant and several varieties of squash.

Hope to see you there! I've got to get to bed now.

We've finally got ripe tomatoes!

2008-08-23T23:45:00.003-05:00

Hip, hip, hooray! Last weekend we got our first ripe tomatoes. Today was the first market we had enough to bring some with us. If you we're fortunate enough to get some of them I hope you're enjoying them as much as we are!

We've been enjoying them all week, just eating them fresh, making salads, salsa and tomato sauce. I especially like snacking on the new Jelly Beans and Yellow Pear varieties.

Last night Danny grilled pizzas for us. They were fantastic! We tried something new for us. I used my Pizza Dough Mix, spread out really, really thin on stainless steel cookie sheets. Then, Danny made a pesto sauce with lots of fresh basil, garlic and olive oil and we spread it on the dough. We topped it with sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms and black olives. We covered it all with shredded mozzarella and he grilled it until the dough was crispy and the cheese was melted. It was so delicious. My mom said it was the best pizza she's ever eaten!

We've also been enjoying lots of fresh beans. We have 4 varieties this summer, Fortex green beans, Purple Royalty beans, Long-Red Chinese Noodle beans and Marvel of Venice yellow beans. They're all stringless varieties of pole beans. Danny's been grilling them, too. He tosses them with olive oil, minced garlic, italian seasoning and coarse seasalt. They look so pretty when they're finished.

It's so nice to have lots of fresh produce again. We finally feel like we've recovered from the storm. We have lots of cucumbers, eggplant, several varieties of squash, swiss chard, peppers, basil and of course all the varieties of tomatoes.

Monday I'll be starting on more dill pickles and peach preserves.

I'll try to get some pictures posted soon.

Busy, busy, busy!

2008-07-31T16:50:00.000-05:00

I've gotten so much done this week! The cloudy days have been very helpful in getting a lot of weeding and mulching done.

Inside I've been busy too. I finished the Good & Hot Salsa, then I made of batch of Fiery Hot Salsa yesterday. Today I got 9 quarts of dill pickles finished, some Spicy and some Old-Fashioned. I'll have all of them with me at the market Saturday. If you get the pickles though you'll want to let them sit a few more days to absorb the flavor.

Back to work now, I still have more to prepare for the weekend.

Hope to see you Saturday!

What a hot week!

2008-07-29T09:44:00.000-05:00

We had a good day at the market Saturday, but it sure was hot! While I was gone, Danny checked out the damage to the gardens from the storm Friday night. Things looked pretty good, except for the peppers. They can't get a break this year. There was a wooden crate sitting in the yard above the garden where the peppers are. Well, there was so much rain, in such a short time, that it carried the crate and most of the mulch, across the top of the plants in the raised rows, all the way to the bottom of the garden. It bent over all the plants in it's path. Fortunately, Danny was able to uncover them and straighten them back up. The poor little things are still "hanging in there."

My little sister and her husband came over in the evening and helped weed the okra and the peppers. We also tried to put the mulch back where it belonged, but it's too big a job for one evening.

Sunday felt even hotter and then it brought another storm at bedtime. This one lasted all night. We couldn't belive the lightening display. It went on for hours, I finally fell asleep watching it. All together, we got over 5 inches of rain this weekend.

In the morning it was still misting rain. I decided to take advantage of the cooler temperature and go out and get more weeding done. After so much rain, it's easy to pull out the weeds, but shaking off the mud is a very messy job. I had to stop several times and clean the mud off my glasses. I got all the rhubarb and asparagus weeded and part of the gourds. Then the sun came out and it got hot in a hurry. I kept weeding for a while though. I'm really glad I did. I found 2 nice size bird's nest gourds and probably a hundred more little ones. They're growing on an arch trellis and it gave me a little shade to be able to keep working a little longer. Finally, the heat and humidity were just too overwhelming and I had to go inside.

In the evening, Danny and I went out to work the bees. We moved one frame of brood from the busiest hive to the other, not-so-thriving hive. We'll see if that helps them get established faster. Then, Danny put the second hive body on the thriving hive. It has almost all the frames filled in now so we're giving them room to expand. It is so fascinating to watch them. I'm happy we took the plunge into beekeeping.

Now I need to get busy again. For all those who have been waiting patiently, I have a new batch of Good and Hot Salsa cooking. I'll have it at the market Saturday. Come by and try it out. I'll be sure to have samples.

See you at the market tomorrow!

2008-07-25T23:03:00.000-05:00

Hope to see everyone at the market in the morning! I'll have all the usuals plus more fresh veges. Danny picked beets, turnips, radishes, basil and lettuce this evening. My little sister picked 3 kinds of beans: red, purple and green (but there's not many so first come first served.) I picked lots of rainbow swiss chard.

It's hard to believe but we got hit by a major thunderstorm just after we finished picking. I guess we'll see in the morning if it affected the gardens.

Great news!

2008-07-23T23:15:00.001-05:00

Guess what I found? Our first 2 cucumbers! After the rain yesterday, I decided to weed the beans and cucumbers. Quite a few of the cucumber plants are large enough now to reach the trellis, so I was trying to train them upwards. I was so excited when I lifted one and found 2 cucumbers ready to pick and another one almost ready. I also found quite a few red noodle beans close to being ready.

There are vegetables all over the gardens now. There are a few small eggplants, tomatillos, green tomatoes, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots and lettuce. Plus the rainbow swiss chard is looking great. I'll have quite a bit to take to the market this weekend.

Tomorrow I'll be starting the day pulling more weeds, it's supposed to be fairly cool again and three days in a row should get the gardens looking pretty good. I hope anyway! I'm being very careful to add more mulch as I go, it makes a big difference. The areas with the most mulch are so much easier and faster to weed.

The heat is speeding up recovery!

2008-07-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everytone who joined us at the market yesterday. It started out raining on us, but it turned out to be a beautiful day. It didn't get too hot until the very end.

The heat this past week may be melting us but it's really helping the plants in the garden. We got our first few green beans this week. My sister came and picked a handful this evening for her son, he's 8 months old and he's going to have green beans for the first time. She was waiting for the most healthy, naturally-grown ones she could get. I hope he likes them!

Oh yeah, I got to eat the first ripe tomato a couple days ago. It was delicious! I can hardly wait for more. We're finally seeing green ones here and there but none are turning color yet.

This evening, Danny & I went out to check on the bees. It was the first time I got to work with them. I was glad to have the beekeepers jacket, the heat makes them a little more difficult, but they're not aggressive at all.

Both hives seem to be doing well. We removed the feeders this time and put in the missing frames. Now we'll see how well they do at filling them in. One hive is much stronger than the other, it looks like it's almost ready to put on the first super. I hope that means we'll have honey this fall.

Well, I need to get to bed. I'm going to try to go out early and get some weeding done before it gets too hot tomorrow. The weatherman is predicting record high temperatures this week.

The Hail Damage...

2008-07-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the hail damage. They were taken about an hour after the storm. As you can see, the plastic on the hoophouse was shredded, but it lasted long enough to save most of the plants inside. The plants on the picnic table were on the back porch when the storm hit. You can see the one container of peppers that survived in tact. They were on the bottom shelf at the very back of a plant stand protected by the rail posts.

This is all that was left of the beautifully colored swiss chard.

Our dog, Buttercup, was injured in one eye by the hail. She's okay now.

This was one of the potato beds. Before the storm, they were good-sized plants in full bloom.

The gardens are definitely making progress!

2008-07-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

I found new seedlings all over today, the zucchini, yellow squash and cantaloupe all had more sprouted than the last time I looked.

Danny got the new raspberries planted yesterday. We decided to put them in this year's pumpkin patch. Now he needs to make trellises for them. Although that may have to get put on hold for the time being.

The cantaloupe and cucumber plants my mom and dad transplanted seem to be doing well. Of course it's going to take some time to collect all the newspapers that were covering them and are now scattered all over the place.

This evening I finally started planting the watermelon seedlings that have been patiently waiting in the basement. I got about half of them in the ground and then got sidetracked weeding the eggplant. By the time I got back to planting, a storm had blown up and I had to go indoors. At least there was no damage this time. Just a downpour and then a beautiful double rainbow to enjoy when it was over.

The bees seem to like their new home. We're seeing them all over the place. I felt sorry for them last week. They had only been here two days when the hail came and took out all the flowers. But the clover came back quickly and it seems to be their favorite thing anyway.

It's fun watching the boys with the bees. All three of them want it to be their turn to take care of them. Yesterday, the two oldest went down by themselves. Zach couldn't resist tasting some of the honey and the comb. Danny told him he's not a beekeeper he's a predator. They all wish they needed to be checked on every day. The youngest one is jealous that he hasn't had a turn to wear the beesuit and help dad. I can't say I blame him, I'm still waiting for my turn too.

Things are sprouting!

2008-07-01T11:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, my little sister came to see me. She dragged me out of the house to look at signs of improvement all around the farm. It helped that she brought her kids with her. They brought lots of hugs and kisses and I got to hold the baby and play with him while we walked around.

First she took me out to see the long row of lillies, there are lots of new shoots with buds on them. It looks like we will get to enjoy them this year after all. One of the red and yellow ones is already blooming.

Then we went to Grandma's house. Lots of her flowers are blooming again.

Next, we checked out Danny's grapes. They are putting on new leaves and she helped them along by removing some of the damaged ones. It looks like they are all going to survive.

She pointed out a few new blooms on the sunflowers and a lot of new leaves. The cosmos and daisies and crown vetch are all beginning to bloom too. We even discoved the tiniest zinnia blooming. The plant is only about an inch tall and the flower can't be bigger than a dime, but it's determined to live.

In the garden, we found that a lot of the seeds Danny planted the day before the storm are up. The beans and cucumbers are several inches tall. Even the cucumbers he planted the day after the storm are up about an inch.

The lettuce is growing again. There was enough swiss chard to have some for supper last night. There are even new carrots and radishes. She even pointed out six new blooms on the eggplant.

My mom and dad came a little while after she left and brought cucumber and cantaloupe plants from my uncle. They even stayed and planted them for me. We had to cover them with a sheet of newspaper to protect them from the sun. They are pretty good-sized plants, almost as big as the ones we lost. Maybe we will have a crop to harvest before long.

Oh yeah, we also had a friend bring us some dill and cilantro seedlings on Sunday. The gardens are greening up again.

Gotta get back to work!

Things are looking up again.

2008-06-29T00:05:00.001-05:00

Today was a nice day at the market. Not too hot, a nice breeze, overcast but no rain. Thanks for all the encouraging words and offers of help.

It's been almost a week now since the hailstorm and I haven't cried for two whole days. There are actually signs of recovery on some of the plants. Yesterday I discovered that one shredded hosta has sent up a new shoot and is getting ready to bloom. And one poor, bent-in-half sunflower is blooming on the ground. There's even one zinnia with one flower.

In the gardens, a few things are starting to put on new leaves, like the swiss chard and some of the peppers and tomatoes. Most of them, however, were broken off at the ground and had to be replaced. With quite a bit of help and encouragement from family and friends, we've managed to transplant a lot of tomatoes and tomatillos as well as peppers. Danny is handling the situation much better than I am. He has worked really hard removing debris and replanting a lot of seeds and transplanting a lot of seedlings.

We've had quite a set-back but we're trying to look ahead and concentrate on the crops to come. I'll keep you posted as things begin to sprout again.

Starting over again!

2008-06-25T00:36:00.000-05:00

I'd like to tell you all is well here at the farm, unfortunately we were hit hard by a hailstorm on Sunday afternoon. It's hard to believe a few minutes could change everything.

We had golf-ball size hail that seemed to last forever. It did damage on it's way down then bounced back up and caused more damage on it's way back down again. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I got the camcorder and recorded a few minutes of it until it changed directions and I had to shut the door and head for the basement. The tornado sirens were blaring and we were all really scared.

When it was over we surveyed the damage. It's just unimaginable. There's nothing left of the gardens. The hail shredded everything. There's just little stubs where the vegetables were. Even all our replacement plants were on the back porch and got shredded too (except one container of peppers.) The only other things left are the swiss chard and chives in the hoophouse. They survived but the hoophouse didn't, it too is in shreds.

In the morning we were enjoying our surroundings, the first sunflower and three zinnias were blooming, the entire fence-row of tiger lillies were in full-bloom, the daisies and crown vetch were a mass of yellow and pink. The whole flower bed at Grandma's was blooming. Everywhere we looked made us happy.

Now, it's all gone. I spent most of yesterday crying. Everytime I look out a window I see something else that was destroyed. Even our house and vehicles are damaged. It is so overwhelming.

The only up-side is our family and friends. As soon as they heard what happened to us they started coming to our rescue. Sam and Billy at Sunflower Savannah told us to come and get plants. They sent tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos (I can't believe this will be the third time we'll be planting tomatillos this year!)

The next day, one of our extra moms brought over more tomato plants. Then my little sister, my brother-in-law and his mom (who brought the plants) came and helped us start replanting.

At Danny's work, others were calling around and finding out what we could do to try to save some of the stubs we have left. They even sent organic remedies and formulas we could try.

My uncle is sending cucumber and cantaloupe plants that he needs to thin in his garden. We've had several other offers of help and some are coming tomorrow evening and others are coming to help on Friday.

We really appreciate all the support and love we are receiving!

Excited about getting bees!

2008-06-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

Guess what? Today's the day we get our bees!!!

I've been wanting them ever since I got honey from Femme Osage Apiary at the Tower Grove market two summers ago. I started asking questions then and have been doing research ever since. We've gone to lots of beekeeper meetings and asked lots of questions.

Before the meeting this past Monday, we finally got our equipment. Danny and our youngest had fun painting it together a couple days ago to prepare for their arrival. Today, all the boys are helping to clear the area and get set up for the bees.

They've all had fun trying on the beekeepers jacket with the veil and playing with the smoker. I keep telling them they're going to wear it out before we get to use it. Even Danny came in a little while ago to tell me he started a fire in the smoker so he could "try it out."

This evening we get to go pick up the bees. We're all going together to see what a large beekeeping operation looks like. We're just starting with 2 hives.

Our main reason for wanting them is to help with pollination in the gardens. But, we're also anticipating the delicious honey they will provide. We were afraid we were starting too late to get any this year, but were assured at the meeting we should get at least one super of honey by the fall. We can hardly wait!

Ask me about it at the market tomorrow! I'll have swiss chard and radishes again, plus turnip and beet greens and purple kohlrabi for the first time this year. I may even have a few hot peppers.

See you tomorrow!

Beautiful day at the market!

2008-06-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

What great weather we had at the market today. The sun was shining, it didn't get too hot and the wind didn't try to blow us away! Thanks to all who joined us there, we really appreciate your business.

Thanks also for all the nice in-person comments about our blog. It's very encouraging! I'm happy to hear we are helping others with what we're doing.

I took a stroll through the gardens when I got home. I did a little weeding in the squash patch and then a little more in the herbs. Then I checked on my newly planted kohlrabi plants. I really, really, really hate rabbits right now! Out of the entire new row of plants, they have eaten all but 5 of them!!! Anybody know of a good way of keeping them away from the garden, other than high-velocity intercranial lead therapy? lol It's way too big to fence off all the garden areas and they just keep hitting one section after another.

Well, after the stroll, we all enjoyed Danny's cooking. He made grilled chicken breasts, potatoes and onions. We also got to have a big helping of our rainbow swiss chard. It is so delicious, even our youngest practically inhaled it.

Now I have got to get some sleep.