American choppers and jalapeno poppers

This morning the heat and humidity was back.  Just when we were getting comfortable the muggies are back upon us.  Oh well.  We had a big day planned so we got to the chores early.  I might amend that statement by saying that Tricia got started on the chores early.  I woke up and she was already out at the barn milking Daisy.  I brought my coffee out to the barn and visited with her for a bit before feeding the chickens and the pullets and filling up all the animals' water.  While it was cool, I walked around and just sort of inspected things.  I see we have an infestation of bag worms in a peach tree.
 

Bag worms

You can see from the picture that they build a "bag" and eat all the leaves off of the plant and you can see a gazillion worms inside the bag.  I can remember as a small boy going out to the pecan orchard at the farm and there would be infestations of bag worms.  My grandfather would take newspapers and tie them onto the end of a long cane pole, set the newspaper on fire and lift it up and burn the bag worms.  If left unchecked, they'll defoliate a tree.

A neighbor then called me over to inspect a bunch of catfish he caught on the intracoastal last night.  He made "jug-lines" and baited them and caught some nice fish.  As I was admiring the fish, a good friend showed up with a chainsaw and offered to help me cut up a large pecan limb that had fallen out of a tree in the front yard.  In no time, we had it cut up, loaded and moved to the back.


Getting ready to cut up the limb

Benjamin held a piece of lumber that is the exact size we want the logs to be cut against the limb.  This guide is used so the logs will fit in the fireplace.  Our friend would cut up the logs and we'd load the logs on the trailer. 

Lumberjacks at work

 

Almost done!

Once we had it all cut up and loaded, Benjamin and Russ started up the lawnmower and mowed the grass that was under the limb that we had been unable to reach with the mower.  Thank the Good Lord for good friends!  We have a sledge and a wedge, an axe and a maul and I'm going to show the boys how to split up all this wood for the fireplace and wood for barbecuing.  Pecan wood adds really good flavor to meats.

Speaking of BBQ, we fired up the grill and put a nice steak and one of our fresh chickens on the pit.

Seasoned up home-grown chicken



Time to eat!

We also picked some fresh jalapenos from the garden.


Jalapeno peppers ready for picking

I cut each of them in half and put cube of mozzarella cheese in the halved, cored peppers.

And then put them in a cast iron skillet with a little bit of oil and let them heat up.  Something about heating them up gives them a mild, almost sweet flavor.  Russ and I ate them all right out of the skillet and ended up making another batch!


We had a productive day and even got a lot of gardening done.  Let's discuss that tomorrow.  Good night!

Silver Linings



Every cloud has a silver lining

Every cloud has a silver lining...

Every bad situation has something good to it if you look hard enough. That saying is usually said to encourage a person who has some difficulty, is discouraged and is unable to see any way out.  As I was looking at the rain soaked garden and inability to get the Fall/Winter crop in the other day, I looked toward the western sky and saw some beautiful clouds that had silver linings and thought about that.  I think everyone who has breath in their lungs is dealing with something that burdens them.  Although hard when you are in the middle of the fray, it is good to try to look on the bright side and be optimistic.  Lots of times good things come out of difficulties or set-backs that we face.  Laughter is often good medicine during those times. 

Tomorrow will be the first day that we won't milk Rosie.  We're drying her off after milking her for a year.  We will miss her good milk but will still have Daisy's milk to drink as we'll be milking her twice a day now.  We will also save a little on our feed bill during this time.  We don't feed our cows much at all, prefering them to eat only grass.  We do give them a gallon of dairy ration each time we milk.  We have a rule that the cows don't get feed unless they're in milk.  That means Rosie will be on grass and hay for a few months until she calves in December.  I'll also give her some good stuff out of the garden as well.  The sweet potatoes will be ripe soon so they'll have a ton of sweet potato vines to keep them full.  They are fat and well conditioned right now.

You know, talking about feed for the animals,  it reminds me of a funny story my cousin told me one time.  My cousin is quite a character.  He lives out on the river in a town not far from here.  He pretty much lives off the land.  You'll drive up to his house and he'll be skinning a hog, or coming in from hunting wood ducks or squirrels or coming in from the river with a mess of catfish he just caught.  Chickens, peacocks, geese and turkeys roam around and my cousin's always got a smile and some humor.

One day he tells me, "Kyle, rice bran is awfully expensive to feed my old horse."  "Yep," I said, "it is."  He says, "I was sawing up some lumber and got to thinking that the sawdust looks an awful lot like rice bran.  So I had and idea."  "Oh, yeah?" I said.  "Yeah.  I began to substitute a little sawdust for a portion of his rice bran each day.  The first day I put one cup of sawdust in his rice bran and he ate it all.  The next day I replaced two cups of rice bran with two cups of saw dust and he ate it all.  Each day I put more and more sawdust and less and less rice bran and the horse ate it all.  Man, I was saving all kinds of money on feed. You know, Kyle, I had that horse eating almost 100% sawdust before he up and died on me!"

Don't worry, we're not going to be feeding Rosie any sawdust!

Tomorrow I think the ground is going to be dry enought to do some planting.  I am looking forward to that.  As I was checking out the soil, I took a few pictures that I'll share below.  This first one is of basil that has gone to seed an a lot of little sprouts that are coming up all over the garden.  Basil will give anyone confidence as it is so easy to grow. 

Young basil seedlings

Here is some ginger that is in bloom.

And finally, here is a persimmon from one of the trees in our yard.  The persimmons are small, and chock full of seeds, but they taste good.  Tricia makes a real good cake with them that is a favorite around our house.



Tomorrow is a big day as we'll try to work some soil and put some seeds in the ground.  Good night, everybody!

Random Ramblings

Hey, Fall is in the air!  This morning we woke up to temperatures hovering around 60 degrees, a gentle breeze blowing and no humidity.  Daisy and Rosie are frisky with this weather and about two thousand pounds worth of milk cows running at you in the dark is more than enough to wake you up.

Yesterday afternoon after doing chores I got Benjamin mowing the yard.  This is one of his jobs.  I think it is a good idea for kids to have responsibilities around the home that they have to do.  Looking back on my childhood, I had daily chores and weekly chores.  Every day I had to make my bed.  Now to be perfectly honest with you, this is a habit that I abandoned, I think, my very first day in college and I've never looked back!  I also had to (gasp) burn the trash.  Can you imagine?  We lived in the country and we had a burning barrel in the back yard.  Everyday I would gather all the trash in the house and go burn it.  I can still remember the smell.  If you did that today, you would undoubtedly have the EPA and four or five other government agencies on you like white on rice.  I took a picture of Benjamin, AKA "the Lawn Ranger" in action.


The Lawn Ranger

One of his other jobs is to make sure that the cows have enough water.  For the troughs by the house, we can pretty much keep those filled with rain water, but for Magnolia and Stryker's water, he has to fill it by hose.  You don't want to touch the poly-rope as it is an electric fence that will shock you and make you holler.


The Waterboy

For the longest time, Tricia wanted roses.  I don't know how to grow roses.  In fact, I only like to plant and take care of things that you can eat - call me crazy.  Last Spring, however, we purchased 3 rose bushes from the local nursery in town, a pink one, and yellow one and a white one.  They have appreciated the recent rains and are rewarding us with nice blooms.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of the white rose.

This Bud's for you!

While we're talking about flowers, here is a picture of my two pretty flowers in Laura Lee's dorm room.  Although the dormitory was built in the 1940's, they have recently renovated them and they are really nice - a lot nicer than the spartan dorms that I lived in. 


They are my Sunshine!



In talking about Laura's dorm, it reminded me of some interesting, to me at least, history.  I noticed on the cornerstone of her dorm, that it was built during the administration of Governor Jimmie Davis.  He died in 2000 at the ripe old age of 101.  He was a sharecropper's son and they were so poor, he didn't have a bed to sleep in until he was 9 years old!  The late Governor Davis was well known for his singing and was a nationally popular gospel and country music singer.  In fact, he is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.  His song, "You are My Sunshine," (you may have heard it) is the official State song of Louisiana and is #73 in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.  The singing Governor.  We've had some pretty colorful governors in our State!

Below is a picture of my Mom and Dad with Laura Lee prior to the LSU vs. Idaho football game in the lobby of Governor Davis' dorm.  Later on that night with binoculars, we spotted Laura in the student section during the game having a good time.  I have a great story about my uncle spotting my brother in the same student section, but 23 years earlier, and not having such a good time.  I'll have to tell you about it sometime.




Gameday attire

  I'll bid you farwell as we watch the Lawn Ranger ride off into the sunset.


Racing the sun to get the work done!





I miss Mayberry

Rascal Flatts sings a country song named "I miss Mayberry" that has some great lyrics.  They're lyrics that make you nostalgic for the "good old days".  Now a lot of people reminisce about the good old days and if you ask an old timer, some might tell you that they weren't all that good.  But I don't know, as a 45 year old, I find myself increasingly longing for the simplicity, innocence and pace of those days.

Here are the lyrics to the song I'm talking about.  If you want to hear the song, here is the link: I miss Mayberry - Rascal Flatts

Sometimes it feels like this world
Is spinning faster
Than it did in the old days
So naturally, we have more
Natural disasters
From the strain of a fast pace
Sunday was a day of rest
Now it's one more day for progress
And we can't slow down 'cause
More is best
It's all an endless process

(Well) I miss Mayberry
Sitting on the porch drinking
Ice cold Cherry Coke
Where everything is black and white
Picking on a six string
Where people pass by and you call
Them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by
Bye, bye

Sometimes I can hear this old
Earth shouting
Through the trees as the wind blows
That's when I climb up here on
This mountain
To look through God's window
Now I can't fly but I got two feet
That get me high up here
Above the noise and city streets
My worries disappear

(Well) I miss Mayberry
Sitting on the porch drinking
Ice cold Cherry Coke
Where everything is black and white
Picking on a six string
Where people pass by and you call
Them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by
Bye, bye

Sometimes I dream I'm driving
Down an old dirt road
Not even listed on a map
I pass a dad and son carrying a
Fishing pole
But I always wake up every time I try
To turn back

(Well) I miss Mayberry
Sitting on the porch drinking
Ice cold Cherry Coke
Where everything is black and white
Picking on a six string
Where people pass by and you call
Them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by
Bye, bye

Bye, bye

Now, I know every generation has their problems, it just seems that the pace, pressure, and intensity of things have all increased in my time on this spinning ball.  Is the life we live today truly "progress?"  I am fully aware that the Andy Griffith Show was only a TV show and I'm sure Mayberry had its share of problems or Barney Fife wouldn't have had that bullet for his service revolver in his shirt pocket.

Listen to the song or read the lyrics.  Isn't it true about the pace?  Do you remember when Sunday was a day of rest and all of the stores were closed?  Does anyone even sit on the front porch anymore?  Do we take time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life?  Do we know our neighbors by name?  When's the last time you drove down a dirt road?  Just some simple questions to ponder while walking down memory lane.

A dragonfly (mosquito hawk) on some flowering basil in the garden I saw yesterday

Rascal Flatts, in this song, talks about how in Mayberry everything was either black or white.  It seems these days everything is in varying shades of grey and we're told there is no absolute truth - that everything is relative.  Really?  It seems everything used to be so simple and now, the problems of the world seem so complex and things appear to be spinning out of control.  You can't turn on the TV or radio without being accosted by new things to worry about, fear, stress and pressure.

Maybe this is one of the reasons why I enjoy farming so much.  Dirt roads, simplicity, pastoral landscape, distance from the noise and city, old-time values.  I know things weren't perfect back in the good old days - far from it, but from where I sit, I'd take the 50's or even 1975 over 2012 any old day and twice on Sundays.

You know what?  We don't have to participate in the chaos around us.  We don't have to give in to the worry.  We can form our own little protest, if you will, by heeding the advice of the Apostle Paul:

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 In times like these, we would be well-served to heed the advice of this fellow as well:



Praying Mantis about to eat a mosquito in the back of Russ' truck

Pray hard.  Life is Short.

Thanks for walking with me and Andy and Opie, and Barney, and Aunt Bee down memory lane.  Be careful to step over Otis.  Don't trip on him.  All right now, feel free to whistle the theme song to The Andy Griffith Show now.  You know you're itchin' to do it...

Making pesto

After working up the ground this weekend so that I could put in the Fall/Winter garden, we got 4 inches of rain yesterday morning.  I wish I could FedEx some of this rain to our neighbors in the Midwest.


Raining cats and dogs

This will definitely delay putting in the crop while I wait for the soil to absorb all of the rainwater.  This photo shows why I plant on rows.  The land is very low and floods easily with water running from east to west across the property. 


Agriculture or Aquaculture??

 No worries.  I diverted my attention to all of the wonderful basil flourishing in the garden and determined that tonight is a good night to make some pesto!  We love pesto.  The word pesto comes from the Italian word pestare which means to pound or crush.  There is a lot of pounding and crushing action in making pesto.  Pesto can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for later use.  We eat it on toasted french bread and on any kind of pasta - usually bowtie pasta.  It is a quick, delicious meal. 




Genovese Basil ready for harvest

 I'll bring out a bag and pick a big bag of it, trying to get mainly the tender, new growth.  When I bring it inside, I pick off only the best leaves, putting them in a colander.  I wish I had a dollar for every stink bug that came in with the leaves.


Picking good leaves & culling the bad ones along with the bugs



All of the culled stems and leaves go in the compost bucket.  We try to put as much as we can back into the land.



The compost bucket

The first thing we do after picking it and culling out the bad leaves and stems is to wash it up real good.  We soak it in the sink for a while and pick out bugs and worms that float to the top.  We like protein, but are discriminating about what types of protein we eat - bugs and worms are not a big favorite.  While washing, we agitate the water real good to loosen and dust and dirt on the leaves.

Washing the basil (bug bath)



Then Tricia will take handfuls of washed basil leaves and put into the salad spinner to dry off the leaves as much as possible.

The Spin Cycle

In addition to making pesto, Tricia got out the food dehydrator, set it on the herb setting and will be drying some basil so that we have dried spices during the winter time. 



Drying basil

Tricia also washed, dried and packed basil leaves in a gallon freezer bag for freezing as well.

Freezing basil

So back to making PESTO.  We use a recipe that I've quadrupled since I picked 8 cups of basil leaves.  The recipe follows: 

• 8 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano Cheese
• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups pine nuts or walnuts
• 12 medium sized garlic gloves, minced
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

We have 8 cups of fresh basil leaves washed and packed.  We then grate 2 cups of Parmesan cheese in the food processor with the grating blade on it.

Grated Parmesan cheese

We throw 12 cloves of garlic in the food processor with the chopping blade and mince it up real fine.

Minced garlic

Next as an experiment we deviated from the recipe a bit.  Pine nuts are doggone expensive, so we normally buy walnuts as a replacement.  They are cheaper and you can't tell the difference in the flavor.  Well, this got me to thinking.  We have a ton of pecans.  I wonder if you could substitute pecans?  So we're going to try it.  Here is 1 1/3 cups of pecans that we'll toss in the processor and chop up real good.

Homegrown pecans

And finally, 2 cups of extra virgin olive oil.

Olive oil

In the food processor combine the basil with the nuts and add the garlic, pulsing until it is pulverized.
 

Ready to process

Then slowly pour the olive oil in a steady stream while the food processor is turning.  Stop from time to time and scrape the sides of the processor down so that everything gets chopped and mixed evenly.

Adding the olive oil

Add the grated cheese and pulse until it is mixed up.

Adding Parmesan cheese

Finally add a little bit of sea salt in the palm of your hand and throw in the processor along with several shakes of black pepper.

A dash of sea salt and black pepper

I spoon this out into three 16 oz containers and freeze them.  We find that one container will feed our family.  For a quick, healthy, delicious meal, pull one of the containers out of the freezer and let it thaw for a few hours.  Cook up some pasta, drain and mix the two up together.  You may have to add a little bit of olive oil to tie it all together.


Packed in 16 oz containers for freezing

Presto!  It's PESTO!

A couple of final notes: Regarding our experiment of substituting pecans for pine nuts or walnuts, it worked like a charm.  Of course, pesto is so tasty, you could probably put acorns instead and it would taste good.

Word of warning:  After you eat it, be sure to brush your teeth so that you don't walk around with a big green thing stuck between your teeth.  Pesto is notorious for doing this and it is embarrassing as all get-out to smile with pesto stuck in your teeth!  Enjoy.

Weeds

I'm preparing the seedbed in our garden for putting in the fall/winter crop.  It is quite a chore because I have an infestation of weeds - not your typical run of the mill weed, but Nut sedge.  This is a perennial weed that is one of the most problematic weeds there is in tropical climates.  We don't use herbicides in the garden, so this weed keeps us busy bending over and pulling them out by the roots or using a hoe to chop them up.  Below you can see the infestation that we have.  This is not a pretty sight.  Ever notice how plants that produce things good to eat are quick to die and are hard to grow, while weeds just take over the garden without any watering or tending to?  When you ask people how their kids are and they tell you, "They're growing like weeds," now you know exactly what they are talking about!

The dreaded nut sedge - a scourge to any farmer

The problem with this weed is that they are so difficult to control.  As the picture above shows, they form a dense colony and multiply and crowd out the good crop you are trying to grow.  If not controlled, they can greatly reduce crop yields.  Here's how they do it:  The nut sedge originates from a tuber.  It looks like a little nut - hence the name nut sedge.  If you are weeding the garden and you snap off the top of the plant and leave the nut in the ground, guess what?  It will re-sprout.  In fact, I think that just makes the plant mad and it sprouts more vigorously than before.  If you want to be effective, you must pull the entire plant up, leaves, roots, and nut.  There's no time to play around.  If you snooze, you lose.


How the nut sedge got its name

This weed sends out rhizomes, a horizontal, creeping stem and reproduces itself into twin plants.  Let me correct that statement, multitudes of twin plants.  The photo below shows a nut sedge plant that I've pulled that demonstrates the rhizome.  If you look closely, you can see the white "root-like" appendage growing horizontally to the right.  That is the rhizome.  I've pulled it up from the roots and as you can see by the brown line on the weed, all this goes on below the ground.  From the end of the rhizome, another sprout will come up, and then the scenario repeats itself - exponentially.

Close up of a rhizome

I think that weeds, and the nut sedge in particular, are a perfect analogy of the sins or faults or short-comings in our lives.  Oftentimes we think that we have it all together and have everything looking good from the outside.  I stand guilty as charged.  Maybe we've pinched off the top of the "weed" and all looks good from the outside as you and others inspect your 'crop.'  However, brewing beneath the surface is a noxious "weed" waiting to wreak havoc.  Maybe it is pride or stubbornness.  Maybe it is gossip or a bad attitude.  Maybe it is envy, bitterness or impatience.  Once we see these flaws in our lives, we may try to eradicate it, but if we don't pull it up by the roots, it can come back with a vengeance to do further damage.  Like a creeping entity, the transgression that may have started out small soon sends out runners and reproduces itself until it has ruined the entire crop, crowding out the good seed sown and destroying the crop.

A bumper crop of nut sedge

It makes good sense to do some frequent weeding in our gardens.  "Weeds" are much easier to control when they are small and before they've sent out runners and gone to seed.  If we are diligent, we can root out things that have a potential to ruin our crop and reap a bountiful harvest.  Excuse me, I've got some hoeing to do...