It does not often rain during the summer in Western Washington. This is one of the biggest challenges of farm management in the PNW, the 60-90 days of drought that we get every single summer. However, last week we had rain forecast for Friday, and not just a little drizzle, but a good inch of… Continue reading Prepping for Rain
Month: August 2025
Catch up post
This has been a very busy week and a lot has gone on, so buckle up. It's time for a catch-up post. Literally. Mommy took Evie and Ellie to the fair last Wednesday. No, the other last Wednesday, the 6th of August. That's how far behind we are. They immediately started winning prizes. Ellie got… Continue reading Catch up post
Fair Prep, and an unexpected visit.
Monday was a very busy day. Mommy had to be at the Pierce Co Fair to set up because she is the ASOATFR. (assistant superintendent of all things food related). Daddy and the kids had work to do at the house. Mostly digging for a new fence on our front yard (the old one blew… Continue reading Fair Prep, and an unexpected visit.
Miscellany
Sometimes the disorder gets too much, so we have to clean up a little. This happened recently when we bought a load of chicken and hog feed. Before we could unload it we had to re-organize a bit. Finally got the scythes up on the wall where they can hang out of easy reach of… Continue reading Miscellany
Wheelbarrow PT
Sometimes you have to choose between farm work and training. Or do you? This week I have been doing "wheelbarrow PT" in the mornings. We are running out of time to plant our winter garden this year. Some of the crops with longer days to maturity (DTM) need to be well established and growing by… Continue reading Wheelbarrow PT
Plum Juice
Our Hollywood plum tree produced like crazy this year, unlike the past two years (the tree is only three years old). It is the earliest blooming plum we have, and as such, is subject to late frosts, while the other two plums have a tendency to miss the late frosts. This year, however, we had… Continue reading Plum Juice
Sauerkraut!
What do you do with a 13 Lb red cabbage? This cabbage was one of the late planted cabbages from last year that didn't sprout in time for winter, but took off as soon as the ground started to warm up in the spring. It has been growing next to the pea trellis ever since.… Continue reading Sauerkraut!
Duck Stock
Fair week is fast approaching. Last Thursday, the 31st, we finished up our stock making process. Monday we roasted the carcasses with carrots, celery and onion. Then added water with a dash of vinegar and some salt, and set it to simmering. We kept an eye on it for a couple of days, topping it… Continue reading Duck Stock
Summer Afternoon
Harvesting Wheat and Garlic
Tuesday was the day we got around to harvesting our wheat. It was a bit disappointing. If you look closely at the picture above you will see that a significant number of the wheat stalks are missing their seed head. In this section it was 50% or more, most other sections were not hit quite… Continue reading Harvesting Wheat and Garlic