In the meantime, you'll probably enjoy this. And if you don't, I have no idea how you survived reading this blog so long.
Showing posts with label threat of frost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label threat of frost. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Happy Frost 2008
Happy Frost Day, fellow farmers and friends of farmers! Luckily, this farmer pulled all the tomato plants this weekend, which may be the first time in which me being a step ahead of Mother Nature worked in my favor. Pictures of the Last Harvest soon...
In the meantime, you'll probably enjoy this. And if you don't, I have no idea how you survived reading this blog so long.
In the meantime, you'll probably enjoy this. And if you don't, I have no idea how you survived reading this blog so long.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Fall Days, Sunshine
Rosa: "Hey--watch this."
I'm just going to walk up, quietly...
Give her a little smooch...
...and then pounce!
...and pounce!
and get in her face. :)Oh yeah. The tomatoes just barely survived the threat of frost (note the low...).
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 63F
Yesterday's low: 32F
Warnings: This is looking like the last week for growing...
Mood of the farm: Frigid.
Reason to consider a new career: farmer has to have something to do in the winter besides wait for spring...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Fall Has Arrived
Man down! The sunflower was sawed off at the base, just when all the little nubs were about to bloom.
[H suspects squirrel involvement]
Well it's fall around here. The squirrels are starting to get pudgy (which Maisy translates as "more delicious"), the leaves are turning, and this Farmer wakes up freezing and wondering about frost. Sadly, I'm only wondering, not Worrying and Scurrying to the Farm to check on the state of things. Whether that's because fall has a different pace or because I'm swamped with work, I couldn't say. But I only go to the Farm at most once a day now, and even then only for a few minutes; I've even been known to skip a day. Shocking, I know.
In the meantime, look at this delicious thing I made. It turns out that since the farm is still producing tomatoes to harvest, a person needs to find fall-ish things to make with them. Farm box onions and garlic, sauteed with the tomatoes and gift-mushrooms from H&N turned out to be just the thing. AND! At the very end, I added a bit of the basil-and-olive-oil paste I made and froze a few weeks ago to see how I might be able to use it. Delicious! (Sorry about the messy bowl--I didn't know it was going to be so delicious I'd have to photograph it immediately)
Monday, September 1, 2008
A Return to Labor...
Family, Friends, Strangers, and Pioneers,
Happy Labor Day! This is going to be a long post, because many things are going on at the moment. I just came back from checking on the farm, and I have some things to catch you up on... First of all, over the last week or two, a number of things have either succumbed to squash vine borers or just run out of steam and needed to be pulled. This includes most of the zucchini, all of cucumbers, and most of the green beans.
Fear not, the tomatoes continue to grow and ripen at breakneck speed. The plants are even making new flowers. I know in the interest of ripening the tomatoes already on the vines that I should remove these flowers stat. But the bottom line is that I don't have the heart to do it, and the plants are already making more tomatoes than three humans could possibly eat in one summer. Here are a few yellow ones I picked this morning, alongside the last cucumber of the season.
About those yellow tomatoes... When I picked the first, gigantic one, I was so excited. And then I took a bite and almost cried. It tasted terrible, and I professed my hatred of yellow tomatoes to my closest friends, but not you people of the internets, because I had put so much energy into growing the things and Worrying my Farmer Worries about whether or not they were growing appropriately. Well, luckily I tried another one a few days later, and I am happy to report that it tasted DELICIOUS! This one was of the traditional size, instead of the first ginormous one, and this one was definitely ripe--I might have cut into the first one a little too early. In any event, I am proud to say that I love yellow tomatoes, and am once again delighted with the Bounty.
Also on the farm, the flowers have sensed they're running out of time and sped things up. Now I'm not generally a fan of flowers, and certainly not posting pictures of them, but I'm a little bit enamored by them this fall...
So here's the sunflower of Green Thumb Sunday fame, but close up:
Some kind of vining flower seed N is growing that we almost mistook for a weed until we figured out what was going on:
The garlic chives flowering away:
Now, we're at the sad part of this post. September has arrived (somewhat unbelievably), and the time has come for me to return to my real career as a graduate student. I never really left it, but I added this farmer gig on top, and as is no surprise to anyone who knows me well, I'm not very good at doing two things I love at once. So this Farmer schtick is getting downgraded to a part-time job, which luckily dovetails nicely with the fact that the farm requires almost no maintenance at the moment. And the Grad Student schtick is going back to it's all consuming ways. I have a giant paper to write, and then several hours of on-the-spot questioning to prepare for this fall, all in the service of showing the powers that be that I am a competent human being. And I'll be collecting my dissertation data. This weekend, I prepared my office for that task, and like the green-ish farmer that I am, I even recycled a little motivation.
What does that mean for you people of the internets? Well, this blog is going to be updated a lot less frequently. But I'm still going to air all my farming adventures, mistakes, and hijinx to the masses. I mean, threat of frost will soon loom over the farm around every turn, and you know I'm going to post all my antics of attempting to cover those wild tomato plants and all of my fretting about whether they are surviving as they should. Oh, and I don't think I mentioned it but I planted lettuce seeds (!!) a week-ish ago to try my hand at a "fall crop" even though I'm not sure if Minnesota can handle it. People, you know I will be fretting about that too. But daily posts are a thing of the summer, not the fall. And you know how I like routine...
So until the next time the farm (or the farmer) does something remarkable, take care of yourselves, and each other.
When you don't have a sign off, I find it's best to use Jerry Springer's. ;)
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 86F
Yesterday's low: 67F
Warnings: Last day of hot weather, possibly for the rest of the year, today.
Mood of the farm: Worried about all the plants the farmer is pulling...
Reason to consider a new career: Well, I'm a grad student. And I love it. So I'm sticking with that.
Happy Labor Day! This is going to be a long post, because many things are going on at the moment. I just came back from checking on the farm, and I have some things to catch you up on... First of all, over the last week or two, a number of things have either succumbed to squash vine borers or just run out of steam and needed to be pulled. This includes most of the zucchini, all of cucumbers, and most of the green beans.
Fear not, the tomatoes continue to grow and ripen at breakneck speed. The plants are even making new flowers. I know in the interest of ripening the tomatoes already on the vines that I should remove these flowers stat. But the bottom line is that I don't have the heart to do it, and the plants are already making more tomatoes than three humans could possibly eat in one summer. Here are a few yellow ones I picked this morning, alongside the last cucumber of the season.
About those yellow tomatoes... When I picked the first, gigantic one, I was so excited. And then I took a bite and almost cried. It tasted terrible, and I professed my hatred of yellow tomatoes to my closest friends, but not you people of the internets, because I had put so much energy into growing the things and Worrying my Farmer Worries about whether or not they were growing appropriately. Well, luckily I tried another one a few days later, and I am happy to report that it tasted DELICIOUS! This one was of the traditional size, instead of the first ginormous one, and this one was definitely ripe--I might have cut into the first one a little too early. In any event, I am proud to say that I love yellow tomatoes, and am once again delighted with the Bounty.Also on the farm, the flowers have sensed they're running out of time and sped things up. Now I'm not generally a fan of flowers, and certainly not posting pictures of them, but I'm a little bit enamored by them this fall...
So here's the sunflower of Green Thumb Sunday fame, but close up:
Some kind of vining flower seed N is growing that we almost mistook for a weed until we figured out what was going on:
The garlic chives flowering away:
Now, we're at the sad part of this post. September has arrived (somewhat unbelievably), and the time has come for me to return to my real career as a graduate student. I never really left it, but I added this farmer gig on top, and as is no surprise to anyone who knows me well, I'm not very good at doing two things I love at once. So this Farmer schtick is getting downgraded to a part-time job, which luckily dovetails nicely with the fact that the farm requires almost no maintenance at the moment. And the Grad Student schtick is going back to it's all consuming ways. I have a giant paper to write, and then several hours of on-the-spot questioning to prepare for this fall, all in the service of showing the powers that be that I am a competent human being. And I'll be collecting my dissertation data. This weekend, I prepared my office for that task, and like the green-ish farmer that I am, I even recycled a little motivation.
What does that mean for you people of the internets? Well, this blog is going to be updated a lot less frequently. But I'm still going to air all my farming adventures, mistakes, and hijinx to the masses. I mean, threat of frost will soon loom over the farm around every turn, and you know I'm going to post all my antics of attempting to cover those wild tomato plants and all of my fretting about whether they are surviving as they should. Oh, and I don't think I mentioned it but I planted lettuce seeds (!!) a week-ish ago to try my hand at a "fall crop" even though I'm not sure if Minnesota can handle it. People, you know I will be fretting about that too. But daily posts are a thing of the summer, not the fall. And you know how I like routine...
So until the next time the farm (or the farmer) does something remarkable, take care of yourselves, and each other.
When you don't have a sign off, I find it's best to use Jerry Springer's. ;)
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 86F
Yesterday's low: 67F
Warnings: Last day of hot weather, possibly for the rest of the year, today.
Mood of the farm: Worried about all the plants the farmer is pulling...
Reason to consider a new career: Well, I'm a grad student. And I love it. So I'm sticking with that.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Projects on the Farm
The GoodQuite a few things have been happening on the farm in the last few days. More things are sprouting (spinach, look far right), first and foremost, which is a nice little boost of confidence for this farmer. Also, the mint apple plant seems to have risen from the almost-dead for good, and after removing some of the almost-frost-nipped leaves, looks pretty good!
The Bad
The woodchuck (aka MiniChuck), on the other hand, has been finding new and inventive ways to bring trials to the life of the farmer. As if the hissing and staring down wasn't enough! Now, MiniChuck has decided to sample the watermelon plants. According to MiniChuck, three plants, three snacks:
The Ugly
Now, let's all get on the same page here for a minute. I know this "fence" isn't going to win any awards anytime soon. Although, I did take a "green approach" by using some of the rocks I found while prepping the area to block some of the gaps in the fencing. *ahem* However, if I'm really lucky, it might just keep MiniChuck from snacking on the leaves. And, more importantly, snacking on the farmer.
(as usual, click for a bigger picture...)
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 72F
Yesterday's low: 53F
Warnings: None. It's finally sunny!
Mood of the farm: feeling safe and secure with the new fencing
Reason to consider a new career: let's just say my fencing skills leave something to be desired...
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday Top Five on the Farm
Top 5 ways my life has changed since becoming a farmer (in chronological order of my day)
1. I woke up without an alarm.
(to be fair, this one may be more a sign of the apocalypse than about farming)
I won't bore you with the details, but the short story is that I generally require at least half an hour's worth of snooze-button bonding in the morning. I've tried to break up with it--we had the talk and everything--but it never seems to stick. So to wake up this morning at 7:22am of my own accord was An Event.
2. Waking up in a cold room scared me.
People, there was a threat of frost this morning! You spend weeks growing tomato plants from seeds, and then you can laugh. But with a windchill of 35F, all thoughts were on getting up and over to the farm to check on everything instead of what normally would be a pleasant coffee-drinking-under-the-covers freezing cold morning.
3. Weather check. Before coffee.
I don't do anything before coffee.
4. The morning walk involves a new route.
Maisy has been a real sport about this one, except when I yelled at her today for stepping right where the zucchini was planted. Every morning now requires a farm check involving Maisy, my coffee cup, and I surveying our Lands and Bounty.
5. Seeing H&N even more than usual.
This one is self explanatory and great. Especially on mornings with said windchill because who doesn't want to see N start the day in socks and sandals on the grouchy bike ride to work??
I know it's only been a few days of farming, but these are serious Life Changes for a farmer who thrives on routine. Farming doesn't require a free spirit, folks--it requires lists, and planning, and rigid routines, and rushing to get your seeds sowed under threat of storms. And of course science in action. Somebody should have put a shovel in my hand when I was 2--I was born for this kind of life.
In blog maintenance news... I'm getting rid of the "mood of the farmer" from the Farm Vitals section because I can tell you right now I'm always going to be ecstatic and expectant about this project. It's being replaced by the dumbest thought I've had that day regarding the farm... If you have requests for the Vitals section, leave a comment.
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's High: 64F
Yesterday's Low: 46F
Current Weather Alerts: None, though we thought maybe a spur of the moment tornado...
Mood of the garden: sleeping, I think
Reason I should consider a different career: "I wonder how many carrots each of these seeds will make... Five sounds like a nice round number."
1. I woke up without an alarm.
(to be fair, this one may be more a sign of the apocalypse than about farming)
I won't bore you with the details, but the short story is that I generally require at least half an hour's worth of snooze-button bonding in the morning. I've tried to break up with it--we had the talk and everything--but it never seems to stick. So to wake up this morning at 7:22am of my own accord was An Event.
2. Waking up in a cold room scared me.
People, there was a threat of frost this morning! You spend weeks growing tomato plants from seeds, and then you can laugh. But with a windchill of 35F, all thoughts were on getting up and over to the farm to check on everything instead of what normally would be a pleasant coffee-drinking-under-the-covers freezing cold morning.
3. Weather check. Before coffee.
I don't do anything before coffee.
4. The morning walk involves a new route.
Maisy has been a real sport about this one, except when I yelled at her today for stepping right where the zucchini was planted. Every morning now requires a farm check involving Maisy, my coffee cup, and I surveying our Lands and Bounty.
5. Seeing H&N even more than usual.
This one is self explanatory and great. Especially on mornings with said windchill because who doesn't want to see N start the day in socks and sandals on the grouchy bike ride to work??
I know it's only been a few days of farming, but these are serious Life Changes for a farmer who thrives on routine. Farming doesn't require a free spirit, folks--it requires lists, and planning, and rigid routines, and rushing to get your seeds sowed under threat of storms. And of course science in action. Somebody should have put a shovel in my hand when I was 2--I was born for this kind of life.
In blog maintenance news... I'm getting rid of the "mood of the farmer" from the Farm Vitals section because I can tell you right now I'm always going to be ecstatic and expectant about this project. It's being replaced by the dumbest thought I've had that day regarding the farm... If you have requests for the Vitals section, leave a comment.
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's High: 64F
Yesterday's Low: 46F
Current Weather Alerts: None, though we thought maybe a spur of the moment tornado...
Mood of the garden: sleeping, I think
Reason I should consider a different career: "I wonder how many carrots each of these seeds will make... Five sounds like a nice round number."
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