Pea in the cup

As I was doing the livestock chores this morning, in my car, since my tractor is still in the shop, and it is too muddy for Steve's truck (thanks AWD!), I was pondering on what I could plant. This morning, Steve made a comment that we have not been doing much farming lately. It is true, the weather has not been cooperative in that regard.

I am limited to greenhouse work, then. So, I was thinking lettuce would be a option, another round of arugula, maybe. Then I thought, what about peas? That might work, except for my 'little' vole problem. Pea greens sound like a delicious treat for rodentia. Hmmm.

What if I covered the row with rat wire? No, I would have to do something about the ends, and they would probably just dig under the edge anyway. Cut off lengths of PVC? No. little rat wire cages for each pea? No, too much trouble, I would have to attach them somehow.

Then I thought of all the plastic cups that have been sitting in our kitchen cabinet since our wedding party five years ago. Hmm, what if I cut a hole in the bottom of each one, and set it upside down on top of the peas? Plastic is no fun to chew through, when there is easier prey, and it would be easy, and use what I have on hand. Maybe it will work, why not, why not?

First Market

This Saturday was our debut at the Hillsborough Farmers' Market.

We didn't have much to bring in the way of produce, due to the unusually severe winter we have had, and the elements were working against us with gusty winds and cold, and still, we had had a great time. To my surprise, the turnips and watermelon radishes were a hit, and we sold a fair number of sweet potatoes, too.

The other vendors were very friendly and welcoming, and the customers that braved the weather all bundled up and shivering seemed to be glad we were there. We are looking forward to future markets, fairer weather, and the season to come!

Bottling The Harvest

It was time at last to put up our 2008 concord grape wine! We had a very good year for grapes. They consistently produce a staggering abundunce for us, and we are grateful. There is always more than enough for a good store of grape jam, handfuls of juicy treats to toss to the chickens, and this year, two carboys of vino. I regret that I don't have photos of the actual stomping procedure, that is the best part!



Once the bottles have all been scrubbed and sterilized, we boil the corks,

siphon the precious liquid,


cork em',


and then put them away and try to forget about them for two years. That's right, these will be ready for tasting in August 2010. Sigh. However, with any luck, I will look forward to more grape stomping this summer.

It snew! What's snew?

So we stayed in mostly, and watched the inauguration. We did have to make a run to the feed store, though.

Yep, it is country. 'Spose we are, too. Hurdle Mills feed and farm supply has the very best in customer service, in the form of Leroy.

He is there to help you! So friendly.

Snow is pretty and all, but I am still ready for spring-

It has been so cold lately that we have covered some of our plants inside the greenhouse, to keep them from getting frostbitten. These are the ghosts of artichokes:

Spring's Eternal Hope

Ah, Winter is a time of dreams for farmers. It is a brand new beginning, all is possibility. We prepare the cold barren ground so carefully, laying out the beds and tucking them under a thick, fluffy blanket of mulch.

Sure, I know that the weather will warm and wake up the weeds, which will rise up and be made fine and well fed from all the delicious compost, but that doesn't bother me now.

I will fill the greenhouse with carefully seeded flats, certain that every seed will germinate, that the aphids will remain at bay, the crickets won't come out at night and nip off the tiny cotyledons, leaving the teensiest green stumps, oozing sap. Certain that I will get the timing just right, and the young plants will thrive.

As we plan what will be planted, our visions are full of perfect tomatoes, bushels of green beans, bouquets of vibrant flowers. In our minds, this could be the perfect season. For now, there could be no cutworms, whiteflies, potato beetles, or squash bugs, no disease or drought or hail. It hasn't happened yet, after all.

As we consider the coming season, we think of happily buzzing bees, tall stands of sunflowers and corn, the limbs of trees bowed low with the weight of fragrant, ripening fruit.

I think you have to have a lot of hope in your soul to be a farmer, to not give up. Every season we are confronted with old problems and new. It is never easy, never not a struggle to get it all done, to solve new problems, to make a living at it all. Yet we keep on, year after year, for some reason. In the beginning, anything is possible.

Syngenta's New Baby

How can anyone possibly think that this is a good idea? Corn is wind pollinated, and those teeny grains of pollen can travel for miles.

There is more information on the Center For Food Safety Website.

Event 3272 corn:
Raises serious environmental and human health concerns. It contains an exotic enzyme derived from "thermophilic" (heat-loving) microorganisms living near deep sea hydrothermal vents. This enzyme might be capable of causing food allergies in people who inadvertently consume this corn. Humans have never been exposed to this form of alpha amylase before (no history of safe use).

While meant for fuel and not food, this corn will enter the food supply. USDA admits that if Event 3272 corn is intentionally or accidentally diverted into the food supply, it could negatively impact food quality. But instead of reviewing the foreseeable negative impacts of biological contamination to organic and conventional corn from this unprecedented new industrial crop, USDA has improperly relied on Syngenta, the creator of the GE corn, to protect non-industrial corn from contamination. If we learned anything from the StarLink episode, it is that voluntary, industry-led agreements to curtail contamination do not work in the real world.

Is not needed "to help the U.S. meet its goals for ethanol production" as USDA has erroneously suggested. Ethanol production from corn surpassed the 2012 target (7.5 billion gallons) in 2007 (8.2 billion gallons)! And with 10 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2008, we're well on the way to achieving the mandate for 2022 without the introduction of Event 3272 corn.

Is engineered for fuel, not food. The dramatic worldwide surge in food prices last year--which has already pushed 100 million more of the world's poor into hunger and poverty--has caused a radical rethinking of how biofuels are produced, especially the use of corn for ethanol. Food experts from academia to the World Bank have decried the massive diversion of corn from food to fuel, blaming it for at least part of the steep price increases in food staples like corn, wheat and rice. Event 3272 corn will only exacerbate this situation.

Happy New Year

We have been having many days of nasty cold rainy weather, which I suppose is typical for this time of year. It sure is making it difficult to get things done. However, when the weather permits, Steve has been busy working on a fancy fence for a fellow down the road.

It is an interesting place-while at work one day, Steve noticed these festively blooming lichens.

Meanwhile, planning is underway for the season to come. Our kitchen table is groaning under the weight of all the seed catalogs. Now, we do have our favorite companies, such as Baker Creek. They are fiercely committed to providing GMO free seeds, to the extent that they started testing their sweet corn this year, in order to provide pure stock, only. Recently, a study has uncovered that the cause of CCD in bees may in fact be Bt corn!

However, they make the darn catalogs so attractive, one can't help but take a look through them all, and there are so many tempting varieties. Orange pimientos, striped marigolds, beautiful shiny beans, spotted, speckled, swirled. I tell you, it is difficult to focus!