De Ja Vu

Maybe I should read my own blog. Last two posts about the same thing.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

My new method of composting. I work my compost in barrels. The ingredients still get piled till there's room in a barrel. When it's time to turn the compost I throw a lid on the barrel, knock it over, and push it with the lawn mower. 

I do it that way for two reasons. One is that I'm extremely lazy and the other is I get through the turning a lot faster. A third reason is how heavy the barrels get when they are nearing the end. I did mention I'm lazy, right?

Maybe I'll get P-man to video the turning next time.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

I've decided to start a new exercise regimen. I've filled two barrels with leaves, grass, kitchen compostables, and a couple of scoops of semi composted stuff. Now, once or twice a week I'll roll the barrels up to the house and back down to the garden and see how fast they work. Maybe I'll have full, completely composted barrels by November.

You Are My Sunshine

Miss Claire's surviving sunflower.

Children of the Corn

We went corn picking today. Claire and Pearce both remembered picking it last time I grew it. We picked until their bags fell off their shoulders.

This Is My Tomato Plant

Found this guy hanging out on a tomato plant in the garden today.

Mornings With Star Wars

Got up this morning around 5 and went out to plant some pintos in the corn. Cleaned out a raised bed of weeds to put out the last of my sweet taters. The last still have some leaves and may survive the nasty vegetable predators. I moved the sprinkler and started the water and voila time for breakfast.

Pearce was up shortly and we got the days ration of Clone Wars going. I fixed a boiled egg for Pman and sausage, egg, and toast for me. It is a good morning.

One, Two, Tree

I went down to Roswell to pick up some trees and compost. No compost, Morgan Falls doesn't give it away anymore and I couldn't find anywhere else to get some. 

Got a few trees though. Came back to Rome with two 10 year old Oshio Beni, two 3-4 year old Oshio Beni, twenty 1-2 year old, and two buckets of Southern Magnolias.

This tree has grown for 10 years in a seedling container. The root never got bigger than 3"x3" and it still has leaves. It's also about 8' tall. It's my pet project to 

Working on the Corn

Took some advice from Native American farming techniques. I read about hilling the corn and I did it.

Maybe you can't tell but the lower right is not hilled the other two are. It creates moisture retention and strengthens the root system.

What's Coming and Growing on the Farm

This is the first bed of sweet taters. There be another bed of nine once I take care of the warrior ant problem in that bed.

My second produce to come out of the garden. It's a white squash or scalloped squash. The white squash is one of the oldest squashes and has long been a staple of eastern Native American cuisine. 

It's Supper Time

Down on the Farm

Claire and Pearce were very eager to use their new farming equipment the Davis' gave them. Spent some time hoeing and raking and staking 'maters.

Opposite ends of the garden was a necessity. They're going to need to work on swinging implements safely in close proximity to one another.

I'm Having a Fowl Idea

Stay tuned.

Garlic Drying Barn

Aragog's web. Can't see it to well but the yellow rope is there.

Nearly there on the tarp coverage.

A place to cure my garlic without stinking up the house. Maybe store some equipment out of the garage.

First Harvest is Up and Curing

First crop of the year presented by Pman. That would be a cool drying frame if it weren't going to be 'mater stakes.

Boring Old Details

1/2" rain yesterday evening. No watering until Friday if at all this week.

Need to start seeds for last of summer squash, next round of tomatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, and maybe eggplant. I also need to decide how I'm going to do my sweet taters. Do I buy slips or do I make them? That's the $2 question. Tune in tomorrow, "same Bat-Time, same Bat-Station"

The Buzz Around the Farm

A frame full of honey held by my Hunny.

A brooding moment with the bees.

Mixed sleeping and eating quarters.

The word around the hive is the bees are beeing extra busy on the honey making.

A Little Plant Relocation Program

Pearce and I spent some time filling in holes in the rows of okra and field peas. 

Poking the hole with a dibble stick. A dribble stick? No, a dibble stick!

Pound that thing in.

Pulling seedlings from well germinated clumps.

Look at those roots. 

Stick it in the hole.

Getting the irrigation straight.

Pop Goes the Veggies

What we found when we got back from Zane's graduation. 

Okra

Corn

Field Peas

and Tomatoes. There's some cucs, melons, and squash in raised beds too

The Great 'Scape

That right there is about 3-4 lbs of garlic scapes. I split them into 4 bags. They are now residing in my freezer, but would rather be in your cook pots.

Garlic Scapes, WooHoo

Look at these beautiful scapes. I think they are one of the coolest things in the garden. Here is a quote from one of the sites I looked at while hunting up some recipes for the little boogers.

"... scapes are to garlic as fusilli is to rigatoni: the crazy-b_____d college buddy who never really embraced adulthood, the one you catch up with by phone once or twice a year. Scapes are the shoots that grow out of the ground from hard-neck varieties of garlic. When they're young and tender, they look like curly green stalks with tightly closed buds on top. Farmers and gardeners harvest them at this time of year so that they won't drain nutrients from the garlic bulbs that will be dug up in a couple of months, plump and glorious and ready for drying.                                                                                                                                                                      But scapes offer more than a slightly rowdy alternative to garlic. Because of their substantial heft as opposed to garlic cloves, they are vegetable, aromatic, and even herb all in one. "  Carolyn Cope, The Crisper Whisperer

Look at the recipes and ideas below and let me know if you want some. There is a limited supply.

Here are some recipes for using garlic scapes.
Garlic Scape Pesto
Garlic Scape Vinegar
7 Things To Do With Garlic Scapes

Here's a quote from another garlic site about keeping the little guys around after they're cut.
"Garlic scapes keep well in cold storage, though freshly cut scapes taste the best. You can keep      scapes in the refrigerator for a month or more, in a paper bag to avoid turning them into a slimy  science project.

 They freeze well, too--blanched or not--but they tend to lose some of the garlicky heat during long  storage below freezing. Even if they lose some flavor, scapes from the freezer add a great texture and  color to dishes long after scape season has passed.

 One of our farm customers swears by vacuum-packing and then freezing, but we haven't tried it yet.  And in the 2013 season a few of us have committed to experimenting with blanching and not  blanching scapes before freezing and comparing the results at different times in the scapeless portion  of the year.

 If you want to keep scapes flavorful for many moons, make up some scape pesto for the freezer.

 Some people pickle garlic scapes, too, and you'll find recipes on the web."

Tilling Time

Finally broke down and borrowed a tiller to get the ground ready for corn, okra, and beans.

It's a New Day

Hi Ho the Dairy-O

Made yogurt Saturday and Sunday. A quart each day. Made some Labneh from 2 cups of Saturday's.