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
Our Blog
Canning Tomatoes
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
Farm Feast
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
Pasture Ramble
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.
Saturday fun
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
Elderberries.
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.
Prepping for Rain
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
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