As sometimes happens, Tuesday afternoon we had a short stretch of down time, about twenty minutes, between doing chores and starting supper. 20 minutes is a lot of time, enough to get a quick job knocked out if you're all set up, or read a story book, but not really enough to get much progress… Continue reading Hand Plane Interlude
Author: Ryan Kraeger
"I only remember the very first part of the book where he described the man of steel and velvet and I remember the deep chord that phrase struck. I remember the image I had of a hand of living steel wearing a velvet glove, a hand that could crush or caress, strike a killing blow or wipe away tears, lift mountains or cradle an infant. The rest of the book was an afterthought."
From an essay about Aubrey Andelin's "Man of Steel and Velvet".
Odds and Ends
Time to go visit our Turkey Birds! They are very majestic and noisy, well worth visiting. Repairing our outdoor Advent Wreath! You might think we would be tired of apples by now, but... Not when they are dried apples! Everyone loves dried apples. We could preserve a barrel full this way, and it still wouldn't… Continue reading Odds and Ends
Quick Job: Check valve on water line
This is why I like having all the tools for each particular type of job (e.g. fencing, plumbing, electrical, etc.) whenever possible, in some kind of consolidated kit, or at a minimum in a consolidated location. Seppi and I were able to grab the tools and get this job knocked out in about 10 minutes.… Continue reading Quick Job: Check valve on water line
Preserving Squash
Saturday, after the Ciderfest, I took a walk out to the garden to check on the winter squash. It has been cold and rainy for several weeks and we want to make sure we are salvaging the squash before it starts to go bad. The Georgia candy roasters are the most susceptible of the winter… Continue reading Preserving Squash
Ciderfest 2024
Well, folks, our second annual Ciderfest was a great success. And now that we have done a second one, I think we can actually call it annual. It takes two data to create a vector, don't you know? "Here you go, Daddy!" Dixie cups for tasting the fresh squeeze. Let me tell you, there is… Continue reading Ciderfest 2024
Ready! Set! Cider!
A corporal work of mercy
Now that we have Thursdays as a “family day” I would like to be able to claim that we spend every Thursday doing cool things and charitable works together as a family. In fact, this is not the case. At best, Thursday is now the day when we can go get groceries, catch up on… Continue reading A corporal work of mercy
Preparations are Under Way
Clock is ticking! Saturday morning we go live with our Second Annual CiderFest! First step is getting the propane stove in the shop... fired up! It gets cold sometimes, when you are cutting up apples and grinding and smashing them all day, and the ability to warm your little fingers from time to time makes… Continue reading Preparations are Under Way
No Grown-ups Allowed!
This post is a bit of a break from our usual fare, for a couple of reasons. One is that it has nothing to do with our farm. The other is that it is really more of a meditation or insight that arose out of the event. While on vacation two weeks ago in Tennessee,… Continue reading No Grown-ups Allowed!
Buckwheat processing, year 2.
Despite being a little under the weather yesterday, we processed this year's buckwheat, mostly. I would say 90% solution. I also have to say, this year it has been night and day, less labor intensive and more efficient than last year. This year we hand harvested into a garbage pail so we had much less… Continue reading Buckwheat processing, year 2.
Little Farm in the Big City 