Monthly Archives: June 2012

Garden Report

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The garden is doing really well.  Everything looks nice and coming along.  We do have a little problem though, we have not had rain for a while.  The grass is getting brown, my garden is still looking good, but may need a little water.   We are so hoping for some rain soon.  We are not at emergency levels yet and I hope we don’t get there.  This is when I am really happy that I have a nice thick layer of mulch on the garden it is helping to retain that soil moisture as much as possible.

When I woke up this morning, this is the shot I was able to capture of the sun coming up.  Red sky in the morning…. Does that mean rain?

The Farm Wife

First BLT is Almost Here!

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I have a tomato that is days away from being ready.  This is a record for me.  I have never had a tomato by the 4th of July.  It’s a Celebrity, and I check it everyday to note it’s progress.  It’s still green at this point but is starting to get a not so firm feel to it.  I used my last quart of canned tomatoes about 2 weeks ago for pizza sauce.  I don’t buy store tomatoes, so we have been out of luck on the tomato front since that pizza.  I have almost resorted to trading neighbors, eggs for a quart of tomatoes, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

After my spinach was done, I started lettuce in my raised bed which will also be ready in a few days.  The bacon is bought from Webers, our local meat packer, and is waiting in the freezer.  I also heard a rumor in the coffee shop today that there is some fresh sweet corn being sold not to far south so that means it won’t be long before we have sweet corn for sale in this area.  Of course, this isn’t just your run of the mill sweet corn.  This is the best in the country.  Nothing beats mid-western sweet corn.  So BLT’s and Corn on the Cob here we come!

The Farm Wife

Todays Flowers

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Right behind my kitchen garden* in the garden pride category, is my cut flower bed.  Of course my cut flower bed is nothing like my grandmas was back in the day.  The other problem I have with it is, I have such an obsession with sunflowers that I have trouble thinning them out and they block the flowers under them.  I am getting better though.  With meetings and a sponsor, I have the sunflower obsession just about kicked.  Without any further adieu, here are today’s flowers.  It is still very early in the season so there are many more flowers to come.  This is just the appetizer to wet our whistles.

The Farm Wife

*I got this term from my European blogging friends, and I like it!

Breakfast in an 1890’s Victorian Kitchen

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  • Rice waffles
  • German pancakes
  • Country Fried Ham with Red Eye Gravy
  • Fried Catfish
  • Strawberries and Cream
  • Biscuits
  • Egg Coffee
  • Hot Chocolate

How does that sound for breakfast?  To me it sounded awesome although maybe in the 1890’s they didn’t get the memo that here in Wisconsin we eat cheese with every meal.  Anyways, it was awesome and making it all in an 1890’s kitchen made it even better.

In Prairie du Chien, Wi. There is a mansion called the Villa Louis.  It was built in the 1840’s and through the early 1900’s it was a summer home to the wealthy Dousman family.  Now the Wisconsin state historical society opens the mansion up for tours and puts on special programs like the one my mom and I attended last weekend called Breakfast in a Victorian Kitchen.

We made everything sans electricity and new appliances.  That includes dishwashers.  I thought maybe they could just throw one in the back where no one could see it to put the dishes in when everyone is done eating.  No such luck.  We used wooden spoons, old crocks, egg beaters, cast iron skillets, the works.  Mom and I were in charge of the German Pancakes.  It was a great dish with about 4 ingredients, flour, milk, eggs, and butter.  It was more of what we would consider an egg bake than a pancake.

One of the highlights of the morning for me was learning about egg coffee.  Get this and get ready for your life to change.  You can make coffee without a filter or other straining device.  I know, I know, you say it can’t be done.  It can and I drank the proof.  These people were geniuses.

Coffee made with an egg:

One egg is sufficient to clear one cup of ground coffee.  If a smaller quantity be desired, half an egg may be used, as if fresh, the remainder will keep until the next day.  Or the whole egg may be beaten with the ground coffee, and such portion of it used as needed, keeping the remainder closely covered.  To make the coffee, add one half cup of cold water to the portion of egg to be used and one third of a cup of coffee.

The Boston Cook Book, Mrs. D.A.Lincoln, 1884

So basically what that means is you can beat an egg or eggs (depending on how many cups are being made) with the coffee grounds.  Essentially, you are mixing a blob of egg and coffee grounds.  Then, put that mixture into the cold water and heat it up.  When the egg mass is cooked you remove it and you have coffee left with no grounds.  Isn’t that amazing?  The person who thought of that deserves a medal.  Sure it’s more economical to use a coffee maker but what if you are a guest at someone’s house who doesn’t have a coffee maker?  Yes, those people do exist.  Before you grab the keys to go to McDonald’s think of egg coffee.  Although, if they don’t have a coffee maker they probably don’t have coffee.  Well, let this be a lesson to you- next time, travel with your own coffee.

The Farm Wife

Hot Air Balloon Chasers

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Last night we were on our way to the other farm to take care of chickens and grab eggs.  We usually make this a family outing if at all possible because first of all, the chickens need to be taken care of, and secondly the farmer enjoys looking at the corn as if it was his own flesh and blood.  Although, I do know how he feels because I walk out to my garden every chance I get to just look at it and note its progress.

Anyways, last nights taking care of chickens turned into hot air balloon chasers.  There is a balloon company in a popular tourist town about 20 miles south of us that gives hot air balloon rides.  It is a rare occurrence that the balloons will get as far north as us, but it does happen.  Well last night was one of those nights.  There was a prevailing south wind and there were 2 balloons in the air that kept coming closer and closer.

When we first saw them, they were still quite a ways south, but seemed to be coming closer.  I told the farmer to get closer so we started our balloon chasing adventure.  We zigged and zagged down the country roads trying to get the best views we could get.  We were having a good time and those balloons kept heading north so we kept chasing.

When is was all said and done the balloons ended up on our neighbors hay-field just across the road and about 3 football field lengths from our field.  The deal is, if the balloons land in your field and you are there to witness you get free tickets to go up on a balloon ride.  It was pretty close we were so hoping but when they started to descend we knew we were out of luck.  It was still a fun Sunday night activity to chase a hot air balloon.

The Farm Wife

p.s. All these pics were taken with the farmers Iphone because I always break blogging rule #1. Never leave home without your camera.

New Find in the Garden

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Today during my morning garden scouting, (that’s what I call it when the farmer calls for me looking for his breakfast) I saw something dash from the cabbage to the peas.  Was that my rabbit?  I have an old farm dog who’s arthritis hinders him from effectively performing his farm dog duties.  This is the first year I have ever had rabbit issues in my garden.  So I go over to the peas to investigate and there was a tiny little rabbit hiding for his life.  I called the kids over to see and with a quick swipe I was able to catch it.  The kids are thrilled to have a pet baby rabbit.

 

The rabbit, on the other hand, couldn’t be less thrilled.

The Farm Wife

Garden Talk in the Coffee Shop

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I have mentioned before that I work at a coffee shop in our church.  It is a not for profit coffee shop ministry that our church has been running for six years.  In Wisconsin, for the last year, we have been in a political mess basically to sum it up.  Our governor was recalled and as of a week ago won the recall election and is still in office.  So a little over 50% of the state is happy that the governor is in office and a little under 50% of the state is upset, to say the least, that our governor kept his office.  In the coffee shop, we get folks on both ends of the aisle who come in for their morning pick me up.  As a coffee shop barista, my job is to not be politically polar.  We have had a sticky situation or two in the last year, but no one has left and not come back so I think we have done pretty well.

I do have conversation ammunition though when things look like they might be going in the wrong direction.  That is garden talk.  Almost everyone enjoys a good garden or garden related topic.  If they don’t have a garden, they usually will have a tree that is giving them headaches, or a vine that needs pruning, or a bird that they are looking to attract to their yard.  The topics can be endless.  If all else fails, rain is the trump card.  Do we need rain?  Have we gotten rain?  Is there rain in the forecast?

It doesn’t always pan out, sometimes we have folks walk in who are just so focused on politics that it’s impossible to turn it around.  In that case, I find that responses like “yes, that’s what they say.” Usually work ok or “I heard that on the news the other day.”

Working in a coffee shop is more than just knowing how to make a skinny caramel mocha.  It’s also knowing when to talk and when to keep your opinions to yourself.

The Farm Wife

p.s. I had a virus on my computer and had to take a small break from my blog.  My computer is better and my garden is growing so I am back and ready to start blogging.

Dane County Farmers Market

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Dane County Farmers Market on the Square Madison Wisconsin

I enjoy a good farmers market.  I had a friend in college whose summer income was selling her flowers, hanging baskets, and bedding plants at a popular, local farmers market.  It’s a lot of work, you have to be a good manager -at a time in your life when staying out late on Friday night is more popular than waking up at 4am on Saturday morning but with the right market and the right product, there is money to be made.

I have from time to time gone back and forth about trying my hand at the farmers market set.  In another life, maybe.  I am lucky to live in an area where there are a couple really good farmers markets.  Of course I have a few favorite products at each one and it would take me all day going from one to the next to get all my favorite things.  Cheese at Madison, Cinnamon rolls at Platteville, cut-flowers in Galena, I guess every saturday I just need to choose what I want most.

Dane County farmers market in Madison is the largest producer only farmers market in the country.  In my opinion, producer only, is the only way to be a true farmers market.  Right now there is a five yr. waiting list to have a stand at the farmers market. Then, once you are in you are required to be there or you will lose your spot.  I suppose if you wait 5 yrs your going to take every opportunity you can to showcase your product.

My daughter and I got there really early to beat the crowds.  Her first score was a small bouquet of yellow roses.  Mine was a larger bouquet of dahlias. 

Then, you don’t have to tell us twice where the cheese is.

Raw Milk Gouda made by Bleu Mont Dairy was my cheese of choice that day.  It was fantastic.  So many great artisan cheese makers in Wisconsin.  Dane County Farmers Market has many from around the state in one spot.  It’s a cheese lovers paradise.

Then we sat down to enjoy more of our great finds.

We had a good time.  We could do without the political madness that seems to swirl around our state capitol, but we kept to ourselves and enjoyed the fresh, local, farm products.

The Farm Wife

Time to Make Hay

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One of the jobs on the farm that is my responsibility is raking hay.  Raking is the second step in the hay making process.  The farmer does the mowing of the grass, I rake, then we hire someone with a baler to come in and bale.  My tractor for raking is the John Deere 3020.  Raking hay flips the grass rows over to aid in the drying of the grass and makes two or more rows of mowed grass into one and easier for the baler to pick it up and bale it.  The process of making hay takes several days and in those several days you hope for no rain.  If your grass is not dry when you bale, there can be trouble.  Like a compost pile, water aids in the decomposition of the compost material.  In a hay bale, water will help the decomposition process and start to heat up the bale.  Many farmers have lost hay bales to a hay fire.  It’s very important there is no moisture in your grass.

Grass rows ready to be baled.

This year we sold all of our hay to a local dairy.  We had so much hay last year that we still have almost a shed full.  I use our hay not only for my animals but also for my garden see my post Garden Install and Mulch.  This hay is the basis for my gardening efforts.  It will add organic matter to my soil over the years as it decomposes,  it will save me many many hours of weeding as a garden mulch, also in the event of a dry year it will hold moisture in my soil for my veggies.

This is the baling equipment coming to bale.  The rows of dry grass go into the front of the machine and come out the back wrapped into a large bale.

Then the bales are taken where they will be out of the elements until they are used.

That is a basics of making hay.  There is a lot of weather watching before and during the whole process.  With a little bit of luck, and a lot of work, you are rewarded with a great hay crop.

The Farm Wife