Spring is on its way!

The last several days we've seen temperatures in the 70's.  It has been a welcome change.  While milking the cows this morning, I heard mockingbirds in the trees singing their songs.  I hadn't heard songbirds in a while. This weekend I could hear crop dusters flying in the distance which is another telltale sign of Spring.  As discussed in another post, I worked up four rows and planted 116 seed potatoes.  I have some additional seed potatoes that I need to plant, but it'll require pulling up a couple more rows.  The days are getting longer, too, which will allow me to get more done in the afternoons. Sunset today is at 6:01 pm, but by the end of the month, it will be 6:09 pm. Longer days and warmer weather will dry out the water-logged soil and enable me to plant the Spring crop.

That got me to thinking that I needed to do a seed inventory so that I can order some seeds to replace the that I used last year.  So last night while Benjamin and I watched the Olympics, I went and got all my seeds out of the freezer and grouped them in logical groups like melons, beans, peas, corn, squash, okra, herbs, etc.  I made a list of the seeds that I have in stock on a legal pad.

Grouping seeds together and getting organized

Then I pulled out my planting guide from last Spring that shows, row by row, what I planted and when I planted it.  My planting guide shows all 35 of my 30 foot rows and what is planted where.  I compared the two lists (inventory against planting guide) to determine what I needed to order.  I like Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and I went to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds at www.rareseeds.com and placed an order. They'll come in the mail in time for planting.  The other reason I look at my planting guide is to help me determine where in the garden to plant items this year as I don't want to plant the same crop in the same location.  Rotating planting locations helps give the soil a rest and allows the soil to build up nutrients pulled out of the ground by the crop.

Looking at my planting guide from Spring 2013

Some of my seeds are left over from the 2009 crop packing year, but I still experience good germination on them, so I keep using them.  You'll notice that I only inventoried my purchased seed last night.  I have a big drawer that is absolutely filled with supplement bottles full of seeds that I save.  I'll use those seeds in addition to purchased seed.  Each year I try to save as many seeds as I can.  I have another inventory list of those seeds.  I'm finding that I have to purchase fewer and fewer seeds each year.  This year my total seed purchase was $17.50 and that included shipping.

Seeds on carpet that will soon be in the dirt

Making a list of all my seeds does another thing besides providing an inventory and determining what I need to order to be prepared for Spring Planting - it helps me begin thinking about how to organize the garden.  I have so many seeds and each year I'm tempted to enlarge the size of the garden.  I've found that the size of the garden and the time it takes to maintain and properly care for it is at odds with a person (me) who has turned another year older since last Spring's Garden was put in.  A man's got to know his limitations.

So I've decided to operate on the same standard operating procedure that our Government does.  I won't reduce the size of my garden, I'll just increase the size of it at rate that is a little slower than the garden's growth rate in the past and call it a cut. (Smile!)

Making a list and checking it twice

While watching the Jamaican bobsled team go down the run, I got out my LSU AgCenter Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide.  It can be found here.  It is a really good planning tool that I use to help me with seed spacing, depth, and planting times. After looking at it, I really got the fever to go out and play in the dirt!

Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide from LSU AgCenter

I have notes in the margins and things highlighted to help me improve the garden each year and I look over it to refresh my memory of things I want to change.  One thing that I'm definitely finding is that I want to be planting at the very earliest dates for the Fall Garden.  To try and beat the heat and bug pressure, I want to do the same with the Spring garden as well, but it is a little dangerous to do that.

Just to be on the safe side, I researched the average last frost date for my zip code and it is February 21 - 28th.  It won't be long now until I knock the rust off of my garden hoe...

The Love Carrots

I love carrots - but that's not what this post is about.  I'll get to that in a minute. Sunday afternoon after a great lunch, I ventured out to the garden.  I have three rows of carrots that need to be harvested.  With a little over 2 inches of rain last week, the ground was soft and conducive for carrot pulling.

I started working on the Cosmic Purple Carrot row.  We've gone through this row several times now, picking out all the biggest, nicest looking carrots.  Today, I figured I would harvest all that we have left on the row so we could cook some in butter tonight and blanch and freeze the rest.  Carrot pulling, regardless how soft the soil is, is back breaking labor! I filled up three quarters of a five gallon bucket with carrots while feeding the carrot tops to the cows.

Some dirty carrots

I brought the bucket of carrots up close to the water hose and adjusted the nozzle to the jet setting and sprayed off all the dirt and mud.  What a transformation!  It's as if you turned on the lights or something.

All cleaned up

I pulled off the remaining carrot greens and root hairs and left those, along with the muddy water, in the bucket.  I'll go pour that all back in the garden.  I don't want to remove one bit of topsoil that I worked so hard to build from the garden. 

An overflowing colander of carrots

Now, getting to the title of the post, while pulling cosmic purple carrots, not two days removed from Valentine's Day, I unearthed what I call the "LOVE CARROTS".  I was a little embarrassed at first in interrupting the carrots' cuddle-time.

Love Carrots

But in the end, I pulled them up and separated them.  Sorta sad as they seemed inseparable.  Impossible to tell which one is the better half!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Harvesting turnips on a beautiful afternoon

In the late afternoon on a really nice February day, I decided it was time to pull a few turnips.  We have quite a bit of turnips planted and they are healthy, lush and thick.  I liked the way that the sunshine was filtering through the leaves creating varying shades of green in the turnip patch.

Turnips for days!

I reached down and pulled up a handful and there were turnips of all different sizes - from the size of a marble to that of a baseball.  I know a few family members that are going to really enjoy these.

Turnips of all sizes

And here they are, the turnip eating crew.  They lined up at the garden fence just knowing that they were about to feast on the turnips.  The garden is primarily planted for our human family, but the turnips are mainly for the cows.  Oh, we'll eat a few. I'm trying really hard to like turnips.  We'll roast a few and they are okay, but just not a vegetable that I'm crazy about.  I think it is because from the way they look when they are cooked, I'm expecting a potato and when I bite into it, it is nothing like a potato.  We'll eat some turnip greens with some cornbread, too.  But the cows are the real turnip aficionados.

Throw me something, mister!

So I tossed some over the fence.  It is interesting to watch them fight over the turnips and see how Daisy, the matriarch, is the boss and the others know she is the boss! She normally ends up with the turnips and I have to make an effort to ensure that Rosie and Magnolia get their fair share.

Mmmmmm...

Some of the turnips were large enough that I felt it best that I cut them in half so the cows wouldn't choke on them.  They would crunch, crunch, crunch on the turnips and then belch!  Peeeyew!!!  Not very lady-like! But cows have large fermentation vats inside of them and that's just what cows do.  

Turnips, cows waiting in the background (and a bracelet that Benjamin made for me)

Even Nellie, the chickens, and the guinea came to get the leftovers that the cows dropped.  Not much gets wasted around here.

Suppertime!

Although we only have 12 square bales of hay left, we have lots of turnips left.  We'll be supplementing the cows' diets with plenty of turnips, so this afternoon will repeat itself many times over the next month until the green Spring grass comes in.  Bon Appetit, Girls. 

Planting Potatoes

Saturday, February 15th was the most beautiful day of 2014 so far.  A brilliant sun and clear blue skies with a slight breeze blowing made for a perfect day to get things done on the farm.  I knocked a bunch of things off my list, but wanted to get the seed potatoes in the ground today.  I checked out the piece of ground that I want to plant them in and it was perfect - not too wet.  That was surprising, especially considering all the rain that we've had lately.

Potato ground

The seed potatoes we cut up have scabbed over nicely and the eyes are sprouting.  So we are ready to get our hands dirty and get them put in the gound..

Seed Potatoes

Using my hoe, I quickly pulled up four rows in the nice soil.  A friend of mine gave me some composted chicken poop and wood shavings and I have most of this broadcast over this area.  I think it is going to grow some nice potatoes.

Rows are pulled up

I focused in on this next picture as it shows the nice sprout growing out of the seed potato.  You can also see that there is a lot of organic matter in the soil.

The eye of the potato

My main man, Benjamin helped me to get the potatoes planted after I dug the holes.  You want to plant the seed potatoes 4 inches deep and 12 inches apart.  As they grow, I'll heap dirt and hay around the potato plants.

My bud planting a spud

After I dug the holes, Benjamin put the potatoes in the hole and did a little quality control, making sure that the potatoes were at the right depth and the right spacing from each other.

Benjamin dropping it in the hole

I used a knife to pull dirt over the hole to cover the potato.  The dirt is loose and airy and full of composted organic matter.

Covering up the hole

The way it worked out I have 27 potatoes planted on each row and I'll have to work up one more row in which to plant some additional seed potatoes that I didn't have room to plant on these four rows.

And here is the finished product:  Four rows of potatoes planted.  I have enough seed potatoes for another row, but I'll have to wait for tomorrow as I started running out of daylight.

Got 'em Planted

Finally, I placed hay in the walkways between the rows in order to discourage weed growth between the rows.  I don't like to weed.  This trick helps!!

Hay added to the space between the rows

We will keep our eyes on the rows for sprouts popping up.  If the Good Lord's willing, we'll be harvesting potatoes in early May.  I cannot wait!

2014 Meat Birds at Six Weeks Old

Tonight it took quite a while for me to locate Ol Black Eye among all the other meat birds in the chicken tractor.  For one, the birds are all growing and filling up the whole tractor so he was harder to find.  They need more space so tomorrow, one of the things on my agenda is to take down the tin on one end of the tractor and extend the tractor by adding a couple of 16 foot panels and an 8 foot panel to the existing structure.  This will give them a little more room to grow.  For another reason it was hard to find him because it seems like the black spot above his eye is fading somewhat.

Ol Blackeye the meat bird

The bird is not as clean and white as he used to be.  This past week we had a couple of inches of rain transforming the pasture into a muddy mess.  It is hard to stay clean and white when you walk around and sit in mud.

I brought Ol Blackeye in and sat him down while I got the scale.  Notice the Cornish Cross on the feed sack.  He is standing up.  Our bird is not.  These birds are notoriously lazy.  They are highly proficient at three things: eating, sitting down, and pooping.

I'll sit down and rest for a bit

I got the scale and zeroed out the weight of the bucket and placed old boy in the bucket.  This made him stand up alert and look around.

Ol Blackeye tipped the scale at 2 pounds and 13 ounces.  Last week he weighed exactly 2 pounds, so this week he's gained almost a pound.  That is a lot of weight gain in a week, but still it is getting clear to me that these birds are not going to reach the 6 pound mark at 8 weeks and we'll likely have to give them an extra week to grow.

13 ounce gain in one week

This next week promises better weather with warmer temperatures, so the birds won't burn as many calories staying warm and will be able to divert that energy into building muscle.  We'll update you next Friday at the 7 week point to see how the birds are progressing.  

Good, Simple Food (Part 2)

"People are fed by the Food Industry which pays no attention to Health, and are treated to the Health Industry, which pays no attention to Food." - Wendell Berry

Good, simple food is what we try to produce on our little 5 acre slice of Heaven for consumption by our Family and friends.  We like the idea that a big percentage of the foods we eat are wholesome, delicious, and freshly grown at most 300 feet from our back door.  We also like the idea that we can pronounce the names of all of the ingredients in most of our recipes.

Food from Our Maker's Acres Family Farm

As opposed to the ingredient list in Hot Pockets, for example, a brand that is a $2 billion dollar category of frozen sandwiches and snacks:

Quite an ingredient list in the Hot Pocket

Ingredients
Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product (Water, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Casein, Modified Food Starch, Whey, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Food Starch, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid [As A Preservative], Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Lactic Acid, Artificial Color, Mozzarella Cheese [Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes]), Pepperoni (Pork, Beef, Salt, Water, Dextrose, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Oleoresin of Paprika, Dehydrated Garlic, Sodium Nitrite, Bha, Bht, Citric Acid), Tomato Paste, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil (With Lecithin, Artificial Flavor, Beta Carotene), Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product (Mozzarella Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Water, Casein, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Food Starch, Whey, Salt, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavor, Sorbic Acid, (As A Preservative), Artificial Color), Contains less than 2% of: Dried Whey, Seasoning (Spices, Salt, Garlic Powder, Maltodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil), Modified Food Starch, Dough Conditioners (Calcium Sulfate, Mono- and Diglycerides), Sugar, Dried Egg Yolks, Salt, Yeast, Dried Egg Whites. (Contains 8.5% Pepperoni).

As touched on in the last posting, we've traded off good, home-cooked meals for convenience and we've paid a mighty big price in terms of our health.  I'm not a doctor and don't pretend to be one on TV, but a recent article I read What really causes heart illness? explores some of the things we've been told by doctors that have been flat-out wrong.  Doctors linked heart disease with high cholesterol and then prescribed medicines to lower blood cholesterol and put us on diets to restrict our fat intake.

Ingredient List: Raw Milk

From the article:

These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.

The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.

Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.

Ingredient List: Carrots

Dr. Dwight Lundell goes on to say that cholesterol accumulates in the arteries because of inflammation. Inflammation traps the cholesterol and doesn't allow it to flow freely.  Inflammation is a normal reaction that the body uses to protect itself, but if we constantly expose our bodies to toxins or foods that we can't process, then chronic inflammation occurs.  Following the recommended diet low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates causes this chronic inflammation which leads to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.  

Ingredient list: Potatoes, Real Butter, Rosemary, Kosher salt, Cracked Pepper

So what causes chronic inflammation in plain English?:

Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.

The more we eat processed foods, the more we are poisoning our bodies.  There is but one solution: Returning to eating foods close to their natural state like your grandma and grandpa probably ate.  Eat fresh and unprocessed foods whenever you can. You'll make the pharmaceutical industry and the food manufacturers unhappy, but your body will thank you.

Ingredient list: Peas

If you can't grow your own food, get to your local Farmer's Market or get to know a local farmer.  We're passionate about the food we grow because it is GOOD and GOOD FOR YOU!

Good, Simple Food (Part 1)

“The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared food, confronts inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that ever lived. The products of nature and agriculture have been made, to all appearances, the products of industry. Both eater and eaten are thus in exile from biological reality.”
― Wendell Berry

Mealtime is a special time.  Today many people eat in front of the television, or in their cars, or on the run, or gobble something down quickly while reading or surfing the Internet and either eat alone or ignore the other people that they may be eating with.  I don't get it.  I think suppertime, especially, is a sacred time - a time to hold hands across the table and thank God for blessing us with our health, our family togetherness, and asking a blessing over the food that He's provided for us and asking a blessing for the hands that grew the food and for the hands that prepared it. Somewhere along the way, mealtime became a task instead of an event.  We made meals just another job and ceased to be thankful for the meal and ceased enjoying conversing with one another task while we savored the flavors of a home-cooked meal.

Image Credit

Mealtime also became something that would be foreign to our forebears who worked hard to produce the food they ate.  Many times when we eat (as Wendell Berry points out in the quote above), we're eating processed food that is so far removed from its natural state that it is more of an industrialized factory product than an agricultural product.  This transformation of the 'ceremony' of mealtime into a job and the meal itself from a natural product to a factory widget has taken a toll on our lives from both a relational and a healthy standpoint.

We should be talking more during meals, learning from one another, discussing current events, and taking an interest in each other's lives.  Asking simple, crazy questions like, "If money was no object and you could travel anywhere on the planet, where would you go?" around the table and then listening and commenting as each person answers provides great conversation.  Slowing down, putting down the phone or the computer or the game and actually talking with one another allows us to reconnect with our families and build a family legacy.

One thing that we've discovered since we're trying to raise the majority of the food that we place on our tables, is that we're more thankful for our food.  When you grow it, you know the time that it took to milk the cows, gather the eggs, harvest the vegetables, and plan and cook the meal.  You are thankful to the Creator because a lot went into getting it to your fork.  You had to overcome hardships with weather, pests, predators and crop failure in order to eat.  When you really understand this, it makes you really thankful and you realize that He is the Source for all we have.  As a society, we don't know the farmer and many times the food is coming from across the globe.  The distance from farm to table has made us less thankful, I think, as a people.

Fresh from the Farm

This year, for example, we had unseasonably cold weather that ruined our cauliflower crop.  We absolutely love oven roasted cauliflower with garlic.  I'm telling you it is like candy!  Well, they'll be none this year.  The freezing conditions turned the ripening cauliflower heads to brown mush.  They weren't ready to harvest prior to the freeze or I would have picked them all early.  Such a shame.  I clipped the plants off and fed them all to the cows and they loved it.  At least someone got enjoyment out of the cauliflower!  The point is when we harvest cauliflower next year, we'll be THANKFUL!

Good, simple food grown and prepared at home and shared with those you love.  Can it get any better?  For the sake of brevity, I'd like to discuss the health standpoint of simple food in the post tomorrow.