They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
Last week we re-vamped the first flush diverter on the South side of the barn, and added an outlet for the rainwater tank. It worked amazingly! So much easier than the factory configuration. As set up in the kit there is a small nipple that threads on that is supposed to drip and empty the… Continue reading Odd Jobs
Two weeks ago we made sauerkraut. Since then, we have been having... learning experiences. The kimchi fridge wants to store the ferments, not ferment them. To keep it at a fermenting temperature I would have to check on it every day, which we just don't have time to do. The temperature in the basement is… Continue reading Fermenting Fumbles and Fails.
This is the story of a beef stew. It begins very early, a long ways back. In some ways, I suppose, it begins when we bought the steers. Or maybe when the steers were born. Or maybe when the first cow was created. Or maybe on the First Day of Creation. We are eating part… Continue reading Beef Stew
Last Saturday, (that is last Saturday but one by the time you read this, a.ka. the 16th) we processed most of the tomatoes that we had harvested the previous Thursday, ahead of the rain storm. On the right are the ripest ones, mostly Heirloom Marriage and on the left are the less ripe, mainly Cuore… Continue reading Canning Tomatoes
This is a story about what happened last Thursday. this is ellie this is a picture of me and rhea l am wareing a yellw hedaband I found Althir. Althir is a big hollow tree known as the lair of the Sable Quean. (This is a book from Redwall. Okay now, back to the blog.)… Continue reading Farm Feast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLo_XQJeF5k Some observations: The difference a few days and one good rain storm can make is astonishing in pasture recovery. I need to learn how to identify pasture grass species. The farm is quite pretty of a summer morning.
Daddy: "Ellie, do you want a job that involves sitting in the shade?" Ellie: "Sure!" Daddy: "We need to cut the blossoms off these chamomile plants." Ellie: "I'll use my knife." If you are wondering where our seven-year-old got a knife, she made it herself. It's a stick she sharpened on Daddy's grinding wheel. She… Continue reading Saturday fun
This was the first year we have gotten a decent crop of elderberries from the farm. So far we have only been harvesting from the black elder shrub, and have already gotten a huge haul. These are the elderberries we pruned back to the stump in early 2024. They grew out shoots in 2024, and… Continue reading Elderberries.
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
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
Little Farm in the Big City 