A Gorgeous Redhead in the Garden (And Other Fabrications)

A couple of weeks ago the two rows of corn in the garden began to tassel.  This is an important time in the development of the corn.  If fertilization is not complete, the ear of corn will be not full.  There will be gaps with a few kernels here and there - not much for eating.  It is also a time in which thunderstorms roll through and threaten to knock down your corn.  So far, so good.

We grow several varieties of non-GMO, heirloom sweet corn.  It grows very tall!

We don't grow a lot of corn - just two rows.  You never know just how the crop is going to be until you shuck the corn and pull back the silk and inspect the ear.  Would you look at that!  This is an ear of Stowell Evergreen Sweet Corn.  I generally eat the first ear standing in the garden.  It is sweet and delicious raw, right off the stalk.

I looked over to the next row of corn and lo and behold, what do I see but a gorgeous redhead standing in our garden.  What is she doing here?  No, Tricia is not a red head.  She has black hair, but calls it dark brown.  I am referring to the brilliant, candy-apple red tint of the silk on an ear of Country Gentleman Sweet Corn.  (I like the name of this variety.)

Country Gentleman is a white sweet corn.  It is sweet and delicious, but has another unique characteristic - the kernels aren't organized in rows.  They are arranged in a haphazard, almost random arrangement.  It doesn't matter what it looks like.  It tastes great!

As I stand in the garden, if I am patient, the afternoon sunset is punctuated by the tassels atop the corn stalk.  The hot sun gives way to a semi-cool breeze and a beautiful sunset.

It is quiet and peaceful - apart from buzzing, swarming hordes of hungry mosquitoes, it would be paradise.

But I'll bring my bucket of corn inside.  Once I shuck it, we will boil it and slather butter and salt on top.  Fresh sweet corn.  

That's some good eating!  Always a good idea to floss after eating corn on the cob...

A Fresh Coat of Paint

The year was 1978.  My grandpa had retired from farming and was ready to devote more time to fishing in his boat at Toledo Bend lake, gardening, and raising cattle.  He purchased a cattle trailer to haul animals to and from sale barns.  It was a yellowish/gold/tan color.  It had green pexiglass windows in the front.  It had a dividing gate inside so that you could separate animals or put animals in the front and hay and feed in the back.  The cattle trailer was nice back in the day.

We've hauled many animals in it - to sell, to slaughter, and for the past ten years mainly to livestock shows in Jennings and Lake Charles.  The cattle trailer did not have lights and was not really road-worthy from a legal standpoint.  We would take all the backroads between our house and the livestock barn, so as not to get pulled over by law enforcement.  It was kind of stressful.

Over the years, it has required some repair.  The tongue broke and had to be re-welded.  Same thing with the jack on the front.  The body had a lot of rust damage.  The floor required replacement.  Dad did that and did a great job with it.  The floor is in tip top shape.  The exterior paint is horrible.  I've painted it several times.  I'll be the first to admit, I am not a skilled painter.  In previous painting projects, I primed it and painted it red.  The paint promptly peels off!

This year I decided to consult some experts at our local hardware store.  I was told that I had been using the wrong primer.  This time I listened to them and bought at can of Red Oxide Primer.  Before that, however, I cleaned the trailer up good with a pressure washer and repaired rusted out places with Bondo (for the small holes) and epoxy resin patches (for the big ones).  Here is a photo of the 1978 cattle trailer all patched up and ready for priming:

The trailer is in need of a new paint job, wouldn't you think?  I shook up the can and stirred it up.  I don't have a spraying apparatus on my air compressor, so I settled to paint the cattle trailer like Tom Sawyer would do, with a paint brush.

It was hot and the paint fumes were strong, but I made up my mind to get the job done.  Three quarters of the way through, I stepped back to observe the progress. 

Not too shabby!  The old trailer was starting to regain some of her former glory.  It was tedious work, painting the sides and all around in every nook and cranny.

Finally, I climbed up on top of the trailer and painted the very top.  The job was complete.

The old girl looks good!  Grandpa would like what she looks like.  Not only does the red oxide primer make her look good, but it curbs the rust.  This is just the primer.  I think I am going to paint her a navy blue color, for a change of pace.  First though, I have about a third of the can left.  I'll use that up painting the inside.  We will share photos of it when we have here decked out in blue.  I told my Dad, brother, and cousin, "The cattle trailer will likely last another 43 years and outlive us all!"

Serpents in the Garden

One afternoon last week I was in the backyard after filling the cattle trough with water.  I stood there admiring Tricia's rose bushes.  The pink ones are putting on a show.  So pretty!  As I was standing there looking at them, something else caught my eye.  Can you see it?

I'll give you a hint:

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  Genesis 3:1

See it now?

No, this wasn't a talking snake.  Or at least I didn't stick around to find out!!  This is a Blue Racer snake and it is called this because they can slither up to 4 miles per hour!  They grow up to 36-60 inches long.  Blue Racers eat small mammals and other snakes, so I left it alone, unharmed.  He can eat all the small mammals and snakes he wants around our house.  Tricia wasn't excited about this decision; however, I justified it in the confident knowledge that Tricia could run faster than 4 mph if this snake was chasing her!

Stocking the Pantry

This time of year is the culmination of many hours building the soil, sowing the seed, pruning, weeding, feeding and ultimately harvest.  The produce begins piling up in the kitchen, in the ice box, on the counter.  We cook a lot of it.  We eat a lot of it raw.  We give a lot of it away.

Here is an example of some homegrown tomatoes.  Black Krim on the left.  Big Rainbow Organic on the right:

Some of the crop, we preserve for later.  We'll dry some in the dehydrator.  We'll blanch and freeze some.  And some, we'll process and can to restock the pantry.  We were completely out of canned tomatoes, so Tricia worked yesterday on replenishing the inventory in the pantry.

A big basket of tomatoes were put in boiling water for a few seconds, the skins were removed, they were cored, and put into a big pot.  They were crushed up and boiled for 5 minutes, then ladled into sterilized pint jars with 1/4 salt in each jar and a Tablespoon of lemon juice, Tattler brand lids were put on and then the rings, and then they were placed in a hot water bath canner for 35 minutes.

Once done processing, we removed them and set them on a dishrag to cool.

We watched with anticipation as the lids sealed!

When all was said and done, we had ten pints of stewed tomatoes to line up in the pantry.  Tricia found that 13 pounds of tomatoes made 10 pints.  We have lots more to do.  The plants are still producing.  Not our best tomato crop, but not near our worst, either.  We are already planning the fall tomato crop.

The Willow

 “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Saturday mornings are magical.  It is the weekend.  You are the captain of your own vessel.  Adventure awaits.  You can march to the beat of your own drum - or no drum at all.  After morning feeding and milking I walked into the pasture to inspect the grass growth.  The sun has started its ascent in the east, but the June rays still linger, filtered between the limbs of the live oak trees and allow a brief pocket of time to enjoy nature before the oppressive heat and humidity drives you to seek shelter.

As I survey the landscape, my eye catches a willow tree.  Can you see it below?  There is a lesson to be taught in the Creator's creation.  The willow is almost in the center of the photograph, just to the left of the live oak.  It started out growing straight and true, but is now growing at an angle toward the west.  It's almost pointing toward the upper left corner of the photo.  That tree was a mistake on my part.  I dug it out of the garden.  It had leaves that looked like a wild peach tree.  I thought perhaps it was from our compost and planted the "peach" tree in the yard.  Well, it was no peach.  It is a willow tree.

The willow is fast growing!  Except, it is being crowded out by the live oak tree.  As the live oak tree grows upward and outward, the willow tree fights for its very existence, changing its trajectory in order to survive.  The live oak battles the struggling willow.  It seems stronger, mightier, and more majestic.  But the willow adapts.  It bends but does not break.  It keeps reaching for the light amidst the relentless pursuit of the overwhelming oak and it stubbornly resists being swallowed up by the predominant growth of its rival.

You see, I want to be like that willow.  In a culture that wishes to envelope you, crush you into conformity of popular culture and incorporate your thoughts, actions, beliefs, virtues and values into the hive mind of prevailing thought and popular opinion, I want to resist, to bend, to flee from conforming.  I want to 'zig' when the world 'zags.'  

There is a phrase for this - Contra Mundum.  Translated from Latin, it means "against the world," in defiance of all general opinion.  One must be careful, however, as this can quickly become a prideful pursuit, one that forces you to walk a tightrope, but it is a worthy endeavor.  You see, as we see age-old truth under assault by moral relativism, and a culture that increasing loves wickedness and hates godliness, one must fasten your vessel to the moorings of Biblical principles to anchor you - to guide you.  It may not be popular.  It will not be easy.  It probably won't be pretty.  As time goes on, it may be lonely.  But time doesn't matter if you have an eternal perspective.

As worldly branches encroach and threaten to bring shade and darkness to our environment, we must fight.  We must bend and keep stretching upward toward the Light.

Remember the willow and its heart and desire and perseverance.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”   Romans 12:2

Father's Day 2021

Father's Day 2021 was truly a memorable one for us.  All three of my kids came in and spent the day with us.  We laughed, talked, and enjoyed each other's company.  I am a blessed man, for sure.  The tie-dyed T-shirt has a story behind it.  We were trying to date it, but couldn't.  We narrowed it down to over 21 years ago, Tricia helped Laura Lee and Russ (Benjamin wasn't born yet) with a craft project to make the tie-dyed T-shirt for a Father's Day gift.  It meant a lot to me, and I still had it, so I wore it for the big day!

After church, my Dad and Mom, sister and brother-in-law and their boys came over.  We barbecued, ate good food, told stories, laughed, reminisced about memories, and genuinely had a good time.  

Most importantly, before eating and around the pit, we all held hands in a big circle and each Dad prayed, thanking God for His Goodness, His protection, and His benevolence in giving us a strong, supportive family.  Happy Father's Day, Dad.  We love you!

Tomatoes 'A Plenty

Each afternoon we go out to the rows of tomatoes and do some picking.  We have a number of heirloom varieties planted.  It is a decent, but not stellar year.  After the deluge of rainfall, some of the tomatoes gave up the ghost and shriveled and died.  Others slowed, but continued to produce.  Some you're gonna win, Some you're gonna lose, Some are gonna get rained out, as they say.

We have Black Krim, Black Vernissage, Cherokee Purple, Roma, Creole, Pink Brandywine, Big Rainbow, Thessaloniki, and a few other varieties planted that slip my mind right now.  So far, the stink bugs haven't been as bad as in prior years, but we have had some worm issues.

We pick what we can and make homemade salsa, and Italian tomato salad, dried tomatoes.  We plan to can a bunch of stewed tomatoes.  I've had the envie for homemade garden fresh pizzas.  We'll use some creole tomatoes for that.  There's only four of those pictured below, but we had a bunch more.

The better half cuts them up to ready for topping.  In the meantime, she's made some crusts.

The basil is producing nicely so she slices some of that up with some mozzarella pearls.

The fresh crust is brushed with some pesto that we made and froze from last year's basil crop.  So good!

She sprinkles some fresh frozen sweet corn from last year over that and then arranges the sliced creole tomatoes and mozzarella pearls over the top.

Pop in the oven and slice and serve.  We learned to wait until out of the oven to sprinkle sliced basil over the top as basil loses its green color and turns black and unappetizing.  In the photo below, we hadn't topped with basil yet.

I didn't get a final photo as we immediately began eating and didn't stop until it was mostly gone!

The Berry Best

It is peak berry time around here.  The are producing and require picking every single day.  We are in a race against our adversaries - Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, and Cardinals.  They all like picking berries, too.  I don't know what it is about this year, but there are tons of birds!  We noticed them loudly singing all spring in the backyard.  At first we thought it was nice, now we know they were calling their friends to partake of the blueberries.  Their friends arrived and they told their family members.   

Now, I don't mind sharing, but they are taking more than their fair share.  Not nice.  Next year I will buy nets to put over the bushes.  One year I hung rubber snakes from the branches.  I'll look for some of those too.  For now, we will continue picking.  We still come away with some nice blueberries.  They are at all different stages of ripeness.  We still have gallons of blueberries frozen from last year, so my wife has encouraged me (and I've obliged) to eat plenty while I am picking each afternoon.

Some are hard and green, but each day they ripen.  Others are blue, plump, and sweet as candy.

Some years they are smaller, harder, and more tart.  My theory is that all the rain we have had has resulted in more H2O uptake, making the berries plumper and juicier.

On normal years, we pick between a pint and a quart of berries each day.  This year, not near that much, although the birds may be getting that much, doggonit!

When we are done with the blueberries, we mosey over to the thornless blackberry bushes.  We have two of them and they produce well.

These are not ripe yet.  They turn black when they are ripe.  Hence, the name blackberries...

They ripen quickly, turning from red to burgundy to black in merely a day or two.

The size is bigger than that of the dewberries that grow in the wild.  Russ got some cuttings off of these canes and will try to propagate some of these on his own to get more coming.

These are good to snack on.  Sweet.  Juicy.  They are also delicious to put on top of homemade ice cream!

Time to head to bed.  I'm berry tired.

We Welcome Lulu to the Our Maker's Acres Family Farm!

On a very hot afternoon in the 90's, Rosie gave birth to A HEIFER!!  After having nothing but bulls, now both Clarabelle and Rosie have given us heifers.  Poor Rosie was so hot after calving.  Her tongue is hanging out and she's panting just trying to cool off.  After checking back in on her this evening, we sprayed her down with a water hose to help her cool off.

Calving is always an exciting time for the entire barnyard.  The chickens all gather around and peck at the placenta.  Then once that's gone the peck at the calf's hooves.  Poor thing can't get any peace!

When I got home from work, we considered several names for the new baby and finally settled on "Lulu."  After getting a little colostrum, Lulu settled down in the tall grass and took a cat nap.

Funny thing is that Elsie, Clarabelle's heifer, can't get enough of Lulu.  Elsie left her momma's side and hung out with Lulu all day.  When Lulu sat down in the grass, well, Elsie was sure to sit right near her.  Lulu is her half-sister, and I think they are going to enjoy each others' company.

We went back out at nightfall to check on the new baby and to ensure that Lulu had gotten enough colostrum and let her nurse until she didn't want any more.  Colostrum gives Lulu antibodies to fight infection and strength during her first days.  I milked the remaining colostrum out.  Tomorrow we will check in on Lulu throughout the day and evening to ensure she's acclimating to her new surroundings.

We tend to overdo things sometimes.  When I try to do to much, I think of the following Wendell Berry quote comes to mind:

When you are new at sheep-raising and your ewe has a lamb, your impulse is to stay there and help it nurse and see to it and all. After a while, you know that the best thing you can do is walk out of the barn. Wendell Berry

Numbers 11:1-5

1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.

3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

After the Exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel began to complain.  They got tired of the manna that fell from heaven and began to thing longingly about their time back in Egypt.  When they were in bondage, working as slaves for their cruel taskmasters.  The first thing they remembered fondly was the food. 

I thought it interesting that onions are only mentioned once in the Bible in Numbers 11:5.  According to literature I read, onions were cultivated way back in Egypt and there are drawings of onions in the pyramids!  Well, we like onions, too.  We had a bumper crop of them this year - the best crop we've ever had.  We harvested them all and cured them so that they would last.  The photo below is just one of many trays of onions drying in the sun right after harvest.

We had one small issue.  Four of the onions were buried a little deep and didn't quite bulb.  We didn't harvest them as they weren't matured.  We were fortunate.  I scraped the dirt and mulch from around them and they began to develop bulb - not huge bulbs, but bulbs nonetheless.  Last week I harvested those four.  Instead of curing them for shelf storage, we sliced them up. 

We laid them in the trays to a food dehydrator and turned it on.

After about 10 hours of drying, this is what those bad boys look like.  Looks like they've dwindled away to nothing but what remains is crisp and flavorful.

We put the dried onions into pint-sized jars.  So four onions made two pints of dried onions.

When our store of fresh onions are depleted, we'll still have some dried onions to use for cooking gravies, stews, etc.  

Resolving a Problem Around the Oak Trees

We are never going to win Garden Spot of the Month.  Our lawn is always overdue for being mowed.  With a challenging job and lots of chores at home with animals and gardening, we like to keep things simple.  We've always had a problem around our live oak trees.  Specifically, keeping the grass trimmed around the base of the tree.

Live oaks have large roots that come up above the ground making it impossible to mow close or you nick the roots pretty good.  We don't use Round-up and I'd rather have my toenails pulled out by the roots than weed-eat.  So what to do?  That's long been the question.  Well, last year we put the wood chip mulch around the base of the trees and let it compost down.  Then we planted Indigo into the wood chips and kept it watered.  Here is what it looks like this year:

Indigo apparently spreads by rhizomes and is taking off, covering the mulch, covering the roots and branching out.  When it grows out into the grass, I simply dig it up and replant it in a place closer to the base of the tree.  If you keep it watered, it quickly roots.  You can make many cuttings off of one plant.  In time, it will surround the tree like a skirt, and my weed eating dilemma will be solved. 

Another neat thing about the indigo is that they stay covered in flowers for a good, long time.  See how pretty they are?

The flower is almost like a wisteria in its shape.  Indigo appears to really like the shade or filtered sunlight in the understory of the live oaks.  We'll try to take cuttings and move around the other trees as well.  Seems like a perfect solution to a problem we were having and it's actually making our lives easier.  Win-win, they call it!

An Evening Ritual

I drive in from work in the afternoon, usually pulling into the driveway around 6 pm.  Tricia and I visit for a little bit and then inevitably the question will be brought up, "Do you want to do chores before supper or after supper?"  Last night she made chicken fried steak, so we ate first.  Then we went out to the barn.  

It was a peaceful late afternoon, even if the mosquitoes are out with a vengeance.  Our Maker's Acres Family Farm sits on 5 acres.  I began to call the cows in.  I'm sure the neighbors are not amused.  Rosie, Clarabelle, and Elsie were as far away as you can be on five acres.  You can see them in the center left of the photo below.

Those girls did not heed my call.  No amount of beckoning could convince them to head this way.  So, I pulled out the secret weapon.  This will get them in.  I grabbed the feed bucket and put some sweet feed and a handful of alfalfa on top.  The sweet feed smells great and is sticky-sweet with molasses in it.  I picked up the plastic bucket, banged on the side of the bucket, and yelled, "C'mon girls, Come eat.  Come eat."

Like the bat signal in Gotham City to Batman and Robin, the 'bang on the bucket' trick was successful!  You can see them heading my way.

Elsie is in the lead, followed by Rosie, then Clarabelle.  They've been out there all day eating in some taller grass, so their bellies are full.  They'll sit down tonight and chew their cud.

With anticipation, the girls' steps are sure, their gaze focused.  They cannot be distracted now.

We bring them into the barn, feed the momma cows, feed the goat family, check them all out, and then move all of the animals out of the barn except for Agnes, Cupcake and Elsie.  They sleep in the barn each night.  Rosie and Clarabelle exit the barn.  They are always sure to stay right in the gate.  Right in the way.  Why do they always do this?  Rosie will lick Clarabelle's head and ears in an affectionate display.  

The chickens slowly make their way back to their roosts in the hen house and the cows and goats sit down on the other side of the barn and chew their cud.  Belle, the dog, lays out in a freshly dug hole in the yard (Argg!) and Ginger, the cat, follows us back to the house where she'll try to sneak inside when we open the door.

The sun sets beautifully in the west and we make our way back down the garden path, over the bridge and back inside.  Another day done in our little corner of the world.