Our Mountain Farm

Jorene's Perennial Gardens-May 30, 2011

2011-05-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

We've been working hard replanting the dry creek bed shade garden with hostas, ferns, hydrangeas, bleeding heart,coral bells, columbine, Solomon's seal, and other shade friendly perennials.

Another view of the shade garden and dry creek bed.

Japanese iris, hostas, blackeyed Susan, coreopsis, and purple clemantis on the trellis.

Purple and white bearded iris.

The little present Thursday night's thunderstorm left us.

A view of the fallen pine tree limb from the other side of the gate.

Native daisies and phlox in the foreground with bearded iris and bluestar blooming in the background.

Pink and white peonies with purple salvia and Japanese iris in the background.

Purple salvia, sedum, and Japanese iris in the foreground. Purple and white bearded iris with pink and white peonies in the background.

Campanula blue bell, armenia dusseldorf pride, and lamb's ear in the foreground with catmint and blue star in the background.

A broader view of the front sun perennial bed.

My favorite clematis.

The Ponderosa Lodge Farm interns/WWOOFers Take On Tree Tops Canopy Tour at Adventures on the Gorge (May 2011)

2011-05-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

It poured down rain throughout the day, but we all piled into the cars and took a brief drive over to Adventures on the Gorge. There, our guides, Lauren and Read, suited us up in our gear and helmets, and we flew through the air for more than 3 hours. The Tree Tops Canopy Tour at Adventures on the Gorge has 10 zip lines, 5 cable bridges, and 1 rappel station, with each view more breathtaking than the last. We started out with a brief hike to the learning station where our guides taught us the basics of zipping, braking, and self rescuing. Then, we were off to our first zip which proved to be more eventful than I originally anticipated. Coming into the landing, I failed to brake as forcefully as necessary and crash landed on top of our guide. Thankfully, she did not kick me off the tour, and I managed to avoid crashing landing on the subsequent zip lines. Our guides also informed us of the flora and fauna located throughout the New River Gorge. For example, there is an insect that has slowly eaten and killed many of the beautiful, old hemlock trees in the area, but the folks at Adventures on the Gorge along with the West Virginia Natural Resource Division are attempting to stop the insects by providing them with an appetite suppressant pill. The third zip was a long, blind zip. In other words, we could not see the ending platform when we started the zip because it was hidden by the trees in between the 2 platforms. There were several more of these throughout the day. The rappel station at the end was perhaps the scariest and most fun. We all rapelled off a platform located 35 feet in the air into nothingness. Then, Read unlatched us from the rope and we all hiked back to the bus for the short drive back to base camp. It was an exhausting, freezing, wet afternoon, but it was well worth it. Several of our interns conquered their fear of heights, and we all left with a lifetime of great memories and a strong desire to return to the Tree Tops.

Hiking Grandview State Park

2011-05-03T03:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we took our interns to Granview State Park for some hiking and a picnic. It was drizzly all morning but we still got some hiking in and enjoyed the views.

The park is located outside of Beckley, WV and is only 30 minutes from our Lodge. At the Main Overlook, 1400 feet above the river, you see an active railway and the town of Quinnimont, where the first coal was shipped out of the gorge in 1873.

This is the view from the main overlook.

Liam, being a goofball.

Jorene, Emily and Rhianna are trying to catch up with Liam on the Tunnel Trail.

You can't catch me Daddy!

Finally, a good picture of Liam.

Farm Photos - April 28

2011-04-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

The ducks, not swimming in the pond, but in a pool of water in the stream.

Grazing in the field.

Brutus, sitting in Jorene's flower beds, just waiting for me to take his picture.

This row is ready for planting, Daddy.

Rhianna and Christina planting potatoes.

Liam and Hope hunting for Easter eggs.

And so it Begins . . . Jorene's Perennial Gardens-April 2011

2011-04-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

This Spring in our zone 5 climate has been typically wet and cool with temperatures usually in the 40s and 50s. The perennials seem to love it because they are growing at a rapid pace with some of them in full bloom already. Below, are photos of a few of my perennial beds and a description of their current states.

This is one of the two budget garden beds that are now approximately 2 years old. They currently contain Itea Virginica Henry shrubs, hostas, liriope, lambs ear, daffodils, and tulips. The Itea Virginica Henry shrubs are almost full size, but they do not have their leaves for the year yet. I removed the ajuga that I planted last year and placed it in the new garden beds on the other side of the gate. I also added approximately 100 tulips and more lamb's ear. The tulips in these beds did the worst out of all the ones I planted around the lodge last fall, mainly because the deer love them and have easy access to them here. These two beds are nearly completely filled and should look pretty nice this summer. Besides the tulips and hostas, all of these plants are deer resistant and require very little care which is essential since they are so far from the lodge.

These are photographs of the two new shade beds that the interns built for me last fall. At approximately 15 ft by 50 feet, they are large and a lot of space to fill. I have planted ajuga, ferns, hostas, astillbes, bleeding heart, azalea, and hydrangeas. Ajuga is one of my all time favorite perennials. It is a wonderful ground cover that grows in any soil type and under any light conditions. If you have any difficult to grow spots-such as the area under a large pine tree-this is the perfect choice. However, it spreads quickly and can become slightly invasive. It has a bluish-purple flower in the early spring.

The daffodils in the friendship garden are naturalizing nicely. Tulips get all the spring time glory, but daffodils are my gardening favorite for a variety of reasons. They are deer resistant. They naturalize. They are low cost or even free. They are one of the first bulbs to bloom in spring. It is great to see them after a long cold winter. To learn more about how this bed came about and my love hate relationship with it, please see our April 2010 perennial blog.

This is the shade garden that I constructed last year. With pink, blue, and white perennials, including columbine, bleeding heart, hydrangea, meadow sweet, lamium dead nettle, and foam flower, as well as a large variety of ferns and hostas, it was beautiful by the end of last summer. Unfortunately, DH just replaced the French drain along the side of the lodge; this required bringing in heavy equipment to dig a huge trench. I am fairly certain some of the perennials did not survive this abuse, so I'm starting over again. Our wonderful interns, Christina and Rhianna, constructed a dry creek bed for me. Additionally, we added a Japanese maple, azaleas and starter hydrangeas to the bed. I probably will not know for at least another month which perennials survived the big dig of Spring 2011 and which ones perished, but hopefully we can get it looking as nice as last year.

My two front porch beds contain boxwoods, day lilies, hostas, and tulips. Currently, the stars of the show are the approximately 200 tulips bulbs we planted in the beds last fall. Even though deer love to eat the tulips nearly as much as I love to look at them, most of the ones here survived and are blooming nicely.

This is my full-sun front perennial bed in which we planted another approximately 200 tulip bulbs last fall. It also contains purple, blue, and white perennials, including spiderwort, blue star, clematis, scabiosa butterfly blue, bearded iris, Japanese iris, lilies, Russian sage, delphinium, coneflower, and ajuga. It also contains a small blue hibiscus that I planted last Spring along with lamb's ear and a wide variety of sempervivum. Along with the beautiful tulips, the ajuga and white violas are currently blooming (see below photos).

Posted by Ken Toney at 5:26 PM 0 comments

Busy, busy farm interns/WWOOFers

2011-04-22T03:52:00.000-07:00

Our interns have been very busy lately, helping with various projects around the farm. This week, Christina took over the construction of a dry creek bed in Jorene's shade garden. She may have found her vocational calling in landscape design.

First, we scraped off the top two inches of soil in the shape that we wanted the creek.

Then, she began laying the rocks Rhianna and I hauled out of the woods to form the dry creek bed.

Brutus came along to inspect and stole one of Christina's favorite rocks.

The finished product! Good job, Christina.

Meanwhile, Rhianna had the glorious job of helping me install a French drain on the same side of the lodge. The old drain was covered with clay soil and had become clogged with gravel that was too small for the drain, so we had to replace it. I had a friend with an excavator dig most of the soil out of the trench, but I still had to do some hand digging. Next, we cleaned off the masonry block with wire brushes.

Then, we painted the wall with a sticky, asphalt material that will waterproof the masonry block.

Then, we placed the perforated drain pipe in just below the foundation. I plan to cover the pipe with 1" gravel to insure good drainage away from the house.

Rhianna also mulched all of our flower beds with wood shaving that we get from a local log home builder.

Excavating for our New High Tunnel--Part 1

2011-04-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today, we began excavating for a high tunnel we plan to build through a co-share with NRCS. It will be 26' x 48' and should help extend our growing season by 4-6 months each year! We're very excited to begin this as it is taking up my entire garden space. I haven't been able to plant anything yet, and I even had to pull up my grapevines and move them.

As you can see, our ground is very uneven. Getting a high tunnel with this large of a footprint in will take some considerable excavating and leveling. There is a 8' of difference from the low end to the high corner.

My friend first began removing the good topsoil that was in the garden. We will save that to put inside the greenhouse after we are finished.

Our interns, Christina and Rhianna are checking out the action.

My contractor cut at the high bank and use the fill to raise the level of the garden.

Rhianna and Christina helped survey the work and check the slope of the land. The work continued for several more hours, with more leveling and sloping of the bank.

Organic Gardening 101 or How to Shovel Horse Poop

2011-04-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Ponderosa Lodge!

I am Emily, one of the interns at the lodge. I first arrived at the lodge on Thursday night from Washington, DC fully dressed in business clothes that I was wearing from my part-time job in the city. Who knew that, in 12 hours, I would be in the pelting rain and removing more than a year’s worth of horse poop out of Ken and Jorene's friend's barn to use as fertilizer? We removed two truck loads. It was definitely more poop than I have ever seen, and there are still two more truck loads to gather in the near future.

I have to say, though, at the end of the day I was truly happy. I can list three reasons why. First, it is environmentally sustainable to use horse manure. It is great to know that The Ponderosa Lodge Farm and Bed and Breakfast uses fertilizer without chemicals found on so many farms in the USA. The second reason is that now I truly appreciate where my organic vegetables come from. Finally, the sense of community I found here is heartwarming. The manure we collected came from the farm of Ken and Jorene’s widowed friend who needed assistance removing it from her barn. The fertilizer was then distributed to her garden, the lodge's garden, and another garden down the road that Ken and Jorene use. Everyone helped with smiles and friendly jokes.

With all this manure on the farm, it is time to get planting! So far we are planning to grow beans, beets, cabbage, cucumber, corn, grapes, tomatoes, eggplants, herbs, and a plethora of beautiful flowers.

Plenty to tell next week as the planting gets into full swing!

Tomatoes and Eggplants

2011-03-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

We started our tomato and eggplant seeds today. Christina and Rhianna started 72 tomatoes and 16 eggplants, of the following varieties:

Eggplant:

Applegreen: An early, light-green eggplant. Good yield, very tender and delicious. Smooth oval-round fruit growing on small plants.

Black Champion: Standard old type; large black fruit of excellent quality is very tasty but is lower yielding and much later than many types and needs a long season.

Brazilian Oval Orange: Very tall, erect plants with dark green foliage which provides good cover. Small oval fruits are shiny bright green, ripen through orange to bright red at full maturity. Delicious in anipastos, grilled, or fried.

Casper: Medium size, very attractive, smooth ivory-white fruit, that have a very mild mushroom-like flavor. Prolific plant. Fruit ripens early. An excellent variety for specialty growers and gardeners.

Round Mauve: Round, 4" fruit are lovely, deep, mauve color; purple calyx. Plants are compact and have purple stems. Produces early.

Tomatoes:

Brandywine: The most popular heirloom vegetable! A favorite of many gardeners, large fruit with superb flavor. Beautiful pink fruit up to 1-1/2 lbs. each!

Cherokee Purple: An old Cherokee Indian heirloom, pre-1890 variety; beautiful, deep, dusky purple-pink color, superb sweet flavor, and very large-sized fruit.

Roma: A quality paste variety, very thick flesh. A popular old favorite, good yields.

Rutgers: Good for canning, also excellent fresh; large red 8-oz. globes. Good yields and flavor, large vines.

Striped Roman: Stunning and unique. These long, pointed red fruit have wavy orange stripes!

Seattle Best of All: A mild tasting tomato that is a good all purpose, medium sized red. The vines are high yielding, and the plant has good foliage.

Sub-Arctic Plenty: One of the very earliest tomatoes, the compact plants produce lots of 2-oz. red fruit. One of the best for cool conditions and will set fruit in lower temperatures than most.

Riesentrabue: An old German heirloom with sweet, red 1-oz. fruit growing in large clusters. This is likely the most popular small tomato with seed collectors, as many favor the rich, full tomato flavor that is missing in today's cherry tomatoes. Large plants produce massive yields.

Golden Sunray: Uniform, golden-orange globes are so smooth and uniform with the rich, full tomato flavor missing in modern varieties. Productive vines yield lots of sweet and tangy 8-10 oz. fruit that excel at markets.

Spring Planting with Beth, our new intern

2011-03-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

Our intern, Beth, came over this week to help prepare some beds for Spring plantings. We started with two new beds of 50 Ozark Beauty strawberries. They are an everbearer strawberry and will produce a small crop all Summer long. I've never tried this variety and am looking forward to growing them. She planted two rows of strawberries with two alternating rows of garlic and onion which are good companion plants for strawberries because they repel insect pests, including aphids, weevils, spiders and nematodes, that tend to destroy strawberries.

Next, we worked on other strawberry beds. I started five beds of June bearers last year with runners from other plants. Unfortunately, new runners and unpicked weeds made the beds look horrible (see below photo), so we decided to pull the runners, amend the soil, and replant the entire bed.

Like the Ozark Beauty strawberry beds, these were also planted with alternating rows of garlic and onions. Georgia (our friendly cat) kept Beth company while she planted.

The garlic varieties we planted along with their descriptions are listed below:

German Extra Hardy: Very winter-hardy. Large cloves with a purplish blush, 6-8 per bulb, having when raw a strong flavor, which mellows when cooked. Easy to prepare and stores well.

Sussanville: Considered an improved selection of California Early. This popular softneck is white-skinned with some occasional pink. It's also one of the best varieties for roasting. The generous-sized cloves slip apart easily after roasting and spread effortlessly on French bread or tomato slices. The mild but true garlic flavor is a hit with all garlic fans. Good for braiding and stores for 6-9 months.

Elephant: Individual cloves of elephant garlic grow to produce large bulbs weighing 1/2 lb. or more. This garlic is more closely related to leeks, and the flavor is mild and sweet. Serve alone as a steamed vegetable with butter and bread crumbs, or bake it in the oven. Yield by weight is 8 to 1 under good conditions.

Our intern, Beth, also planted 1 lb. of red onion sets and 2 lbs. of yellow onion sets that I bought at our local feed store.

Next, she moved on to 4 beds where I attempted to overwinter some vegetables from the fall. Overwintering is supposed to give the vegetables a jump start in the Spring. In October, I planted leeks, swiss chard, lettuce, and cabbage. Then, I covered them with straw and row covers in November.

When most of the snow melted in March, I built low tunnel hoops over them to give them an additional jump start on Spring. I was pleased with some of the vegetables, such as the leeks (see above photo). It's hard to believe these beautiful leeks were quietly growing so large underneath all that snow.

The cabbage, lettuce, and swiss chard, however, didn't appear to be any larger or better than if I had started the same plants in the Spring. I don't think it was worth the effort to try overwintering these particular vegetables in this way. (Oh well, live and learn.) Since there was room for a third row in the middle of these beds, Beth planted beets, snap peas, and kohlrabi seeds. Kohlrabi, which has the taste and texture of broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is high in dietary fiber and minerals such as selenium, folic acid, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and copper. Kholrabi is a new vegetable for me this year, and I am very excited about trying it.

Signs of Life

2011-03-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

With the warmer weather this past week, I've seen signs of life on our farm.

Nine 'Victoria Rhubarb' plants that I started from seed last year are returning!

Our new raspberry bushes are living and beginning to sprout new leaves. The blueberry bushes are also looking good and it looks like we might have our first great harvest from them.

Daffodils are beginning to bloom.

Day lilies, daffodils and tulips are peaking through the mulch. Jorene planted over 400 tulips last fall and they are popping up everywhere!

And new chicks have arrived on the farm! Liam and I picked up 10 Dominique / Barred Rock chicks this morning from a neighboring farm. She has a 600 egg incubator and it was filled with eggs. They were nice enough to show Liam a baby chick hatching from an egg.

Starting Peppers

2011-03-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Liam helped me start our pepper seeds tonight. He is going to be a gardener, I just know it. He loves to help in the gardens and has taken over the watering of our seedlings each day. He did a very good job putting the tiny pepper seeds into the the individual cells. His little fingers are probably more adept at it than mine.

These are the peppers we are growing, all from Baker Creek and open-pollinated, non-GMO.

California Wonder: An excellent green bell pepper of nice size and very good yield; a popular old-time variety.

Golden California Wonder: Colorful golden bells that are very sweet and tasty. Gold peppers are superb for fresh eating, great for kitchen or market gardens.

Golden Marconi: A late Italian pepper with beautiful, big, yellow, 7-inch tapering fruit that are very sweet and great for frying or fresh. This wonderful heirloom is delicious and mild.

Lipstick: A delicious pepper with 4-inch long tapered, pimiento type fruit that are super sweet. This fine pepper is early and ripens well in the north. A flavorful favorite with thick, red flesh.

Purple Beauty: Purple peppers are always a favorite, as they are so colorful. This variety produces loads of beautiful bells on compact, bushy plants. Crisp texture and mild, sweet flavor makes this one popular with everyone.

Black Hungarian: Unique, black-colored fruit that are the shape of a Jalapeno. They are mildly hot and have a delicious flavor. The tall plants have beautiful purple flowers that make this variety very ornamental. Rare and colorful!

Cayenne Long Thin: Slender, long peppers turn bright-red and are very hot. The 2-feet tall plants are vigorous and productive. This heirloom has been popular many years for drying, using as a spice, and also using medicinally.

Liam's Playhouse, Part 2

2011-03-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

Mac came over today to help finish Liam's playhouse. Liam was feeling a little better, so we let him outside for a short time to assist and check out his new playhouse. Unfortunately, Ken was still sick, so he was in bed most of the day trying to recuperate.

Below is a photo of the playhouse when we started this morning. On Thursday, the guys finished the main support beams and the entire second story floor; they also finished off the side "walls" and railing of the second story. They decided to leave 5" spaces between the 1 by 6s on the second story so that parents can sit on our front deck and still see their children while they are in the playhouse.

Ken came out for a little bit, and Liam was very excited about helping him hammer nails into the 1 by 6s.

Today, Mac surrounded the entire first floor with 1 by 6s. Liam was excited to see the walls go up.

Below is a photo of the playhouse at the end of the day. We still need to put the roof on, finish off the back wall, add stone facade to the front and sides, and stain it a redwood color to match the lodge. It will probably be another full day of work, but we are definitely enjoying the opportunity to see the fruits of our labor.

A House for Liam

2011-03-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today, we started construction on Liam's new playhouse. Actually, I dug holes last week to set the posts. Today, though, was the first day of cutting lumber and pounding nails. It is going to be two stories and modeled after the lodge.

My friend Mac and I picked up some lumber from a local saw mill for the construction. This was from a Spruce tree cut down on our farm 3 years ago.

This is the basic outline of the playhouse, with the posts set in concrete. The double swing is going to come down and be hung on the other end of the swing set.

This is Mac and Beth, our intern, nailing the support beams.

Here is the substructure, all done. On the side will be a 36". The opposite side will be the same.

The front will have an open doorway. The 2 x 6 beams along the top will support the observation deck. The siding will be stained redwood to match the lodge.

Tomorrow, we are planing the deck boards and preparing them to be installed. Liam is very excited about his new house and talks about it every morning.

Season Extension with Low Tunnel Hoops

2011-02-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

We live in the mountains of southern West Virginia in zone 5 which is one of the coldest areas of the United States. In fact, last year the snow did not melt on our mountain until April. additionally, since we are in the mountains, we also do not get a full day of sunlight even on the warmest summer days. It is a very challenging location to garden to say the least. In fact, it is almost impossible for us to grow heat loving vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants and peppers because we do not get a sufficient number of hot days for the plants to reach full maturity. One economic way to extend our growing season is through the use of low tunnels and cold frames.

The above photo is of me beginning the construction of a low tunnel in late February. As you can see, there is still plenty of snow on the ground. However, we are not predicted to get any additional huge amounts of snow, so we are taking our chances by constructing this temporary low tunnel. I took 10 foot sections of 1/2 inch PVC pipe and attached them to the raised vegetable beds.

Each raised vegetable bed requires three 10 foot sections of PVC pipe.

Then, we stretched a sheet of 10' wide, 6 mil construction plastic. We opted for this over greenhouse film because it was so much cheaper.

These four beds had winter greens, (Swiss Chard, spinach, cabbage, and lettuce) planted last fall. With a good cover of mulch and row fabric covers, they seemed to survive our winter okay. I hope the additional protection of the low tunnels will give them a jump start on spring.

Beth-Our new WWOOFer

2011-02-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

Below is a photo of Beth, our newest WWOOFer and our son, Liam. She will be starting on Tuesday; four other WWOOFers will join us in March. Unlike most of our WWOOFers, Beth will not be living with us at The Ponderosa Lodge because she lives locally. She is originally from Atlanta and currently works as a nurse at the hospital in Beckley, WV. Last year, she WWOOFed full time at a farm/retreat in Oregon. We feel very lucky to have Beth join us here.
Welcome, Beth!

Although it is very early in the year and we will not have any vegetables coming on in the garden for a couple of months, there is still a lot of farm work to do at the lodge. We tell our potential WOOFers about the fickle spring weather and the lack of many growing things. Then, we happily accept the WWOOFers who still want to come and learn. On Tuesday, Beth will help us transplant blackberry vines and fruit trees into their permanent locations. Additionally, in the early Spring, we will do the following work with our WWOOFers:
1) start more seeds,
2) move the chickens from their current coop/house into the fields where the cows will be. We will need to build them a hutch to roost in at night before we move them into the fields,
3) convert the chickens' old coop into a garden shed,
4) move all the gardening items from the garage into the new shed so that we can actually park the car in the garage,
5) start a rooftop garden on the new garden shed,
6) purchase cows and possibly other farm animals and haul them to the lodge,
7) burn brush piles. It was too dry all last year to burn, so we have a lot to catch up on,
8) transfer compost and mulch to garden and flower beds,
9) continue building more raised beds for vegetables, and
10) continue working on the blog.

Starting the Spring Garden

2011-02-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

This past week I started our first "wave" of spring vegetables indoors. It felt great to finally be digging in some dirt and planning for the arrival of spring.

All of the seeds I started came from Baker Creek and are non-hybrid, non-GMO seeds. I planted 2 trays of onion seeds (Bronze d'Amposta, Red of Florence, Tropeana Lunga, and Yellow of Parma), Leeks, herbs (dill and basil), 2 flats of lettuce (Black Seeded Simpson, Lotta Rossa, May Queen, and Parris Island Cos), Pak Choy, Extra Dwarf, rhubarb and Asparagus, Mary Washington.

The lettuce and pak choy germinated in two days and has already started to fill out the cells.

I plan to keep everything indoors for two weeks, then repot them and move them to a cold frame. I will start more lettuce and greens in three weeks to keep a succession of these vegetables all season.

Pruning a Fruit Tree 101

2011-02-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

Warm, sunny winter days are perfect for pruning fruit trees. The lack of snow and ice reduces the danger inherent in walking around, climbing, and cutting a tree with a pruning saw in your hand. Additionally, the lack of leaves and fruit on the trees helps you to easily identify which limbs to cut. It also is healthier for the tree because the sap is not flowing yet which allows the cut to heal better.

The first place to start is to cut every tiny sucker coming of the trunk and main branches. These suckers do nothing but sap energy from the tree. The photograph below is an examples of a sucker.

Once all of the suckers are cut, the next step is to cut all limbs that are growing perpendicularly straight up from a main branch. In other words, if a limb is growing straight up from a main branch rather than diagonally upward and outward, it should be cut. Depending on how long it has been since the tree was last pruned, these limbs can be small, medium, or large. Some are so large that they have many more limbs growing off them. Regardless of their size, they should be cut. The photos below show examples of small, medium and large limbs that are growing perpendicularly straight up from a main branch and that should be cut.

A small limb growing perpendicularly straight up from a main branch.

A medium limb growing perpendicularly straight up from a main branch.

An example of large limbs growing perpendicularly straight up from a main branch.

In this photo, Ken is cutting large limbs growing perpendicularly straight up from a main branch. This photo was taken about half way through this tree's pruning.

The final and longest step in pruning a tree is to cut out the limbs that criss-cross each other or that are tangled up (see close up example of criss crossing above). This tangling is undesirable because it does not allow enough air and sunlight to circulate in and around the tree, especially once the leaves and fruit start to develop later in the spring. Additionally, when there is an excessive number of limbs on a tree, the energy created from the photosynthesis process is used to support the numerous branches rather than the fruit. This results in smaller fruit at harvest time. In the photo above, the limbs growing diagonally upward will be cut out.

The above photo is an example of many limbs criss crossing and tangling. Approximately half of these limbs, especially the ones growing diagonally upward, will be cut out. This part of the pruning process is more art than science because it requires a good eye. Sometimes it can be done by cutting only a small limb. Other times it requires larger cuts or even the removal of an entire branch.

Ken is almost done pruning this last tree. As you can see, this lower branch has limbs growing both perpendicularly upward and criss crossing with the limbs growing from the above branches. Although it is clear that more pruning is necessary on this tree, it is also important not to remove more than 30% of the tree at one time because it will shock the tree, so this tree is done for this year. Next year, Ken will cut and remove the majority of the limbs on this lower branch, and then the pruning job will be complete.

For the Love of Brutus

2011-02-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, we are obsessed with English bulldogs. The latest addition to our brood is Brutus. He is a 5 year old, tan and white male who we adopted last summer. This is the story of how we came to be his forever home.

We never planned on getting a second English bulldog. As most owners of this breed know, one is usually more than an enough. However, the dominant bitchiness inherent in our 2-year old English bulldog, Hope, never subsided even after we had her spayed and she reached adulthood. She woke up every morning to make another valiant attempt at ruling the world. However, she has always gotten along well with other animals. After deep thought and discussion, we decided that it would be best if she was not an only child. . . er, bulldog.

We knew we did not want a puppy because potty training and "chew patrol" is a full-time job that we did not have time for. Instead, we decided to attempt to adopt an older English bulldog, so we spent an entire Sunday afternoon on www.petfinder.com and contacted every rescue organization within a day's drive that had an English bulldog that was dog friendly, cat friendly, and child friendly. That was a pretty short list to be sure. All Tails R Waggin' in Pataskala, OH (just outside of Columbus) was the first rescue organization that we contacted, and they were the first to respond to our inquiry. All Tails R Waggin' (www.alltails.com) is a boarding and grooming business that also does volunteer rescue work on the side. The rescue dogs stay in the extra kennels they have at their beautiful, clean facility.

We learned that Brutus had just been placed on the rescue website that day. He was a happy, healthy dog that was surrendered for financial reasons. Essentially, Brutus was yet another casualty of the economic collapse that occurred in late 2008. His previous family's primary breadwinner had lost his/her job, and the family could no longer afford Brutus. All Tails R Waggin' completed our background check for Brutus in less than 1 week. By Saturday, we loaded up Liam, Hope, and the dog crate in the Subaru Outback and headed off for the 5 hour journey to Pataskala with our fingers crossed that all would turn out okay. We eventually arrived at All Tails R Waggin' , picked up Brutus, placed him in the dog crate, and headed home right away.

After just a short time on the road, we were afraid Brutus was not going to make it home. Like many English Bulldogs, he overheats very easily. He was panting for dear life in the back of the car, so we placed him in the backseat with Liam in the car seat in the middle and Hope on the other side. It was quite a sight, but thankfully they all got along very well. However, Brutus was still panting, so we put him on the front floor board with all of the air conditioning vents on high and on him. He eventually cooled down, and we made it home safely.

Brutus fit in very well at The Ponderosa Lodge from the very beginning. He truly fits the bulldog stereotype in every way. He is beyond easy going, and he loves nothing more than a good bone, a nice toy, and a little bit of love. He would sleep in his crate all day if we would let him, but he has gotten used to climbing the mountains around here with us. He is also a first-rate snorer and farter. What more could an English bulldog lover ask for? He is such a good, good boy, and we feel very blessed to have been chosen to be his forever home.

Unfortunately, our veterinarian diagnosed Brutus with entropium shortly after we brought him home. This is a very common condition in English bulldogs. Essentially, the wrinkles near their eyes droop into they eyes which causes the fur on the skin to scratch the cornea. It requires an operation which is basically an eye-lift for dogs. His surgery went well, but poor Brutus's temperature spiked very high as the anesthesia was wearing off. Our veterinarian placed him in an ice bath and kept him over night for observation. Thankfully, we were allowed to bring him home the next day. It looks like he may require another entropium surgery in the future, but we are keeping our fingers crossed for the best. (The photos above and below are of Brutus's (AKA Frankendog's) eyes right after surgery with the stitches still in place).

Brutus gets along with all the guests at The Ponderosa Lodge. He is in our private area most of the time, but he especially likes to sneak down to the kitchen and hide in the cubby next to the trash can hoping that some guests will drop him some food while they are cooking.

Most importantly, Brutus has been very good for Hope. They are not exactly best friends, but they do get along well and his older, more subdued personality seems to keep her in her place. Hope still wakes up every morning with the goal to rule the world. She probably always will, but, thankfully, Hope finally seems to realize that that world does not revolve completely around her.

Fresh Vegetables Available in Northern Hemisphere by Month

2011-02-06T15:43:00.001-08:00

Many people have heard the advice to eat seasonally and/or locally. However, most of us are so far removed from our food source, that we have no idea what this really means. Below is a list organized by month that details the fresh vegetables that are available during each month of the year. Please note that this list may vary according to which specific agricultural zone you live in, but it's a good start for most individuals who live in the Northern Hemisphere. Additionally, please note that some vegetables, such as potatoes, onions, and winter squash, store well and can be available all winter long.

Jan - Mar

Kale

April

Asparagus

Swiss chard

May

Asparagus

Sugar peas

Lettuce (leaf)

Spinach

Wild greens

Comfrey

Turnip greens

June

Asparagus

Beans

Peppers

Lettuce

Peas

Zucchini

New Zealand spinach

Onions

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Cabbage

July

Asparagus

Beans

Peppers

Lettuce

Peas

Zucchini

New Zealand spinach

Onions

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Cabbage

Corn

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Carrots

Beets

August

Beans

Peppers

Lettuce

Zucchini

New Zealand spinach

Onions

Broccoli

Kohlrabi

Cabbage

Corn

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Carrots

Beets

September

Corn

Tomatoes

Peppers

Lettuce

Eggplant

Broccoli

Cabbage

Spinach

Zucchini

Cucumbers

Potatoes

Escarole

Chinese cabbage

Carrots

Beets

October

Tomatoes

Peppers

Lettuce

Eggplant

Broccoli

Cabbage

Spinach

Zucchini

Cucumbers

Potatoes

Escarole

Chinese cabbage

Carrots

Beets

Winter squash

Parsnips

Salsify

Brussels sprouts

Kale

Collards

Turnips

Leeks

Rutabagas

Winter radishes

Sweet potatoes

Cauliflower

Beans

November

Parsnips

Salsify

Brussels sprouts

Kale

Collards

Turnips

Leeks

Head lettuce

Spinach

Rutabagas

Winter radishes

Rutabagas

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Escarole

Chinese cabbage

Regular cabbage

Carrots

December

Leeks

Kale

Chinese cabbage

Parsnips

Carrots

Salsify

Brussels sprouts

Carving a Bowl, Part 1

2011-02-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

Winters in the high mountains of West Virginia are long, cold, dark, isolating, snowy, and really hard work. We spend much of our time splitting and stacking wood, tending to the fire, and keeping the sidewalk and driveway clear of snow. I always chuckle when our guests at The Ponderosa Lodge mention our "simple" life here because it is any thing but simple. Basic, yes; simple, not exactly. So, when the weather breaks and the temperature is unusually warm (ie. slightly above freezing) for a week, it is nice to get out and do something. My husband bought me a set of wood carving tools for Christmas (pictured below), so I decided to head down to our friend Dennis's wood workshop to learn how to carve a wood bowl.

Dennis is a native of West Virginia, and he has been carving for more than 50 years. If you have ever visited The Ponderosa Lodge, you will recognize his beautiful work because he carved the coffee table, sofa table, and end tables in the Great Room. He also carved all of our bread bowls, and we sell these items and many more at the lodge. Below is a photo of a big beautiful bowl carved from a tree knot that he is working on for us.

Unfortunately, when I arrived at Dennis's workshop (pictured below), he was not feeling well because he had a chemotherapy treatment yesterday, so I spent the day carving with his brother, Mac, and his wife, Dee.

This is the inside of Dennis's wood workshop and some of his cool power tools.

This is the piece of wood that I started with. It is a piece of cherry log split down the middle. I plan to carve it into a small bowl.

Mac first used a drill press to remove a little bit of the wood from the top. This makes the overall process a little bit quicker, and it also makes it easier for me to carve out the inside of the bowl with my carving tools.

Liam and Ken also brought their own "tools," and they joined in the fun.

Liam was very interested in assisting me while I carved. The whole process is fairly simple. Essentially, you hold the gouge (pictured in my left hand) by the wood handle and place the sharp metal end against the wood where you want to carve. Then you hammer the handle of the gouge with a soft headed mallet (pictured in my right hand). The force of the mallet causes the sharp end of the gouge to carve out little pieces of wood. This process allows you to slowly carve out the inside of the bowl. Apparently, the idea is to carve the bowl as thin as possible without actually carving a hole in the bowl. (Although Mac promised me he could patch the bowl if I accidentally do carve a hole in the bowl). Thankfully, I did not chop off any fingers, but I did slice a hole right through my work jeans with the super sharp gouge.

This is my little bowl after about 2 hours of carving.

This is my bowl after about 3 hours of carving. I still need to carve about 1/2" more to create the bottom of the bowl and then carve out the sides as well. Then, I will sand the inside and outside of the bowl. I plan to keep most of the bark on the outside, but Mac will sand around the corners so they are rounded rather than square.

Dee sanded these bowls while I carved mine. Sanding is one of the final steps in the process. She is nearly done with these bowls.

Cold Storage

2011-02-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

I was very excited when Ken and Mac completed our cold storage room in 2010. They tore down 2 block walls and ripped out an unused shower stall, sink, and toilet to open up a space that would be big enough to hold 2 deep freezers and make shift shelves to hold winter squash, pumpkins, onion, apples, potatoes, and other produce that stores well. In Spring, Fall, and Winter, this room generally stays around 40 degrees which is the perfect temperature for the long term storage of crops. This low temperature also decreases the amount of electricity that the freezers use which is greener for the environment and keeps our electric bills lower. The cold storage room is located between the garage and the lodge, so every time I walk by it, I have the opportunity to admire the non-GMO, non-hybrid heirloom veggies we raised in our vegetable gardens this year.

My favorite crop that we grew for long term storage is the jarrahdale pumpkin. It is a slate, blue-grey pumpkin that weighs 6-10 pounds. Its shape is flat, ribbed, and very decorative. It is a good keeper. As a practical matter, it was very easy to grow, but the vines do require a large amount of garden space. Also, it is very easy to clean out and cook up because the flesh is smooth rather than stringy, and it has a very delicious flesh. These pumpkins are not available at traditional groceries, but they are sometimes available at farmer's markets in Fall.

I admired our jarrahdale pumpkins sitting in our cold storage for the past 4 months instead of eating them, so they were starting to spoil a little. The majority of the inside flesh was fine, but it was definitely time to do something with them.

Ken cut open, seeded, and cubed the pumpkin.

Then, he placed the cubed pumpkin in a large stock pot and cooked it down. We will use the resulting pumpkin puree to make pumpkin soup tomorrow. The rest of the pumpkin puree will be placed in Ziploc bags and put in the freezer. We will use the puree this summer to make pumpkin bread for our guests at The Ponderosa Lodge.

Preparing and Planning

2011-02-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days, we had some above freezing temperatures that got be pining for digging and planting in the garden. Winter has returned, though, but there is much to do to prepare for Spring.

I took advantage of the nice day yesterday and cleaned our wood stove and chimney. We burn a lot of wood in our stove and I have to sweep it 4 or 5 times throughout the season. We use the stove to heat our dining room and kitchen as well as keeping the dogs warm.

I also will begin inspecting and disinfection my maple sap collection equipment. I wash the buckets, spiles, lids, and milk jugs in a solution of 1 part unscented bleach to 20 parts water. We have over a dozen sugar maple trees on our farm that I tap each season. I hope to start tapping trees in another week or two.

I also clean my seed starting pots in a solution of the same mixture. In the next couple of days I will begin starting seeds indoors, with the first ones being onions, asparagus, rhubarb, lettuce, and spinach. Once these plants germinate they will be moved outdoors to the cold frames. I also will draw plans for my gardens this year and decide what varieties to grow.

Last, I need to clean a room and prepare for our first intern of the 2011 season! Erich will be joining us next week. He is one of many interns who will be joining us this season and we are exciting to be working with everyone of them.

With Erich, we plan to make some repairs and do some painting indoors until the weather breaks. Then we have a lot of work to do outside. Some of the projects we have planned are building more raised beds, preparing the gardens, building new rabbit pens, converting the chicken coop into a garden shed for Jorene, and trimming apple trees. Look for more posts on our progress throughout the season.

Intern Positions Available

2011-01-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

OUR INTERSHIP POSITIONS FOR SPRING AND SUMMER 2011 ARE CURRENTLY FILLED. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN INTERNING FALL 2011, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US. HAPPY GROWING!! We are seeking an intern(s) to join us for Fall 2011. Our interns will be provided room and board, all meals, free internet and U.S. domestic telephone calls, and the use of a vehicle. We would also be happy to fill out any paperwork that would allow you to get college credit for your work. We are unique in that we specialize in both small organic farming and lodging. All interns should be willing to participate in both sides of the business. Please feel free to contact us for further information. We are located in the New River Gorge area of southern West Virginia which is noted for countless exciting outdoor activities, including whitewater rafting, rock climbing, fishing, horseback riding, tree canopy tours, boating, and hiking. For more information about our farm located in Southern Western Virginia, please visit our Facebook page (The Ponderosa Lodge), or our website at: www.theponderosalodge.com

Farm Photos - October 7

2010-10-07T03:35:00.000-07:00

Here's Liam, fully awake and making bread at 5:30 in the morning. He loves eating the dough and would slurp and say with a big grin "Bread!"

Jorene likes to make a fall display every year in front of the lodge. All of the gourds and pumpkins were grown here on our farm.

I've been clearing some trees around our parking lot to open it up for more sunshine. As always, the wood is being milled for lumber or cut up for firewood.

Farm Photo - September 14

2010-09-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Another day on the farm.

Clem, keeping watch from his window box.

Goofball goat, curious about what I am doing.

Turkeys on pasture.

I had to start feeding the cow hay much sooner than I thought I would. I had hoped to wait until the first of October, but late summer has been very dry.

Farm Photo - September 13

2010-09-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Liam was surprised with a new (used) John Deere pedal tractor, with bucket and trailer. He LOVES tractors, and has been having a lot of fun with it. Since my tractor doesn't have a bucket, he is going to be a big help around the farm for me.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens-August 29, 2010

2010-08-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks of military duty in early August can really put a girl behind in the flower gardens, especially in the weeding department. Additionally, it is already starting to cool off here in the mountains of West Virginia, and the leaves on a couple of the trees are already starting to change color. Fall is definitely on its way so that also means work, work, and more work in the perennial gardens so that the beds can be cleaned up and ready for Spring before Winter sets in. Many of the perennials are starting to die back, so I cut off their dead foliage and took it to the compost pile so that I can have beautiful, black dirt come next Spring. I removed the summer annuals from the window boxes because they were dead, and I threw them in the compost pile.

In the full sun bed, there are currently five perennials blooming : Russian sage, purple and white Echinacea (coneflower), blacked-eyed susan, and two varieties of aster. However, there are still several varieties of aster that have not begun to bloom yet. I transplanted some coneflower, Russian sage, and the white phlox to the large hill located at the entrance of the lodge. Also pictured in this photo is Brutus, the newest addition to our family. He is a 5-year old adopted English bulldog, and we are so happy to have him.

In this mostly full sun front bed, I sheared off all the day lilies because the foliage was looking quite tired. As you can see, I finally have one red canna blooming, but I think I'm finally going to give up on this beautiful plant. I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with it. It reminds me of home (Florida) because it has big, beautiful tropical looking leaves. However, it does not survive a cold zone 5 winter under ground, and I have had a difficult time getting any dug up bulbs to propagate the next Spring. I am pretty tired of all of the extra work that this plant requires, so I think I will dig all the bulbs out and try to get red scarlet runner beans in this box next year. This weekend, I also planted some new mums that I purchased at Lowe's. Summer may be over, but, thankfully, the color goes on at least for a few more weeks. Although they are perennials, I have never had too much luck wintering mums over, so I just enjoy them while I can. I recommend purchasing plants that have many buds on them but that have not bloomed yet. The ones pictured here will probably begin blooming next week, and I will be able to enjoy them throughout the fall.

In the friendship garden, the yellow rudbeckia (brown-eyed susans) was winding down its bloom cycle. Additionally, the leaves of the day lilies were beginning to die, so I sheared most of the rudbeckia and lilies so that the aster that is in this bed and about to bloom will have plenty of space. I hauled off the dead flowers and foliage to the compost pile for more compost next spring. I can't wait to see the aster bloom. However, it is a somewhat bittersweet time of year for me. The aster marks the end of another growing season which means I will have to wait another 6 months or so to see any flowers in my gardens.

In the partial shade garden, the rudbeckia goldsturm (brown-eyed susan) is still in full bloom. I really do love this flower. It is so easy and long blooming that I think anybody could grow it. It is equally at home in the perennial bed and in a naturalized setting and a great choice for late summer color. The purple lobelia (cardinal flower) that I planted this Spring is also still in full bloom which is unbelievable. I am pretty happy with this flower, and I hope it naturalizes to fill in this spot next year.

Finally, this photo is of one of the budget gardens that I started less than 1 1/2 years ago. It has already filled in quite nicely, and I think that it should be completely filled in by the end of next summer. The lamb's ear and hosta in the photo were moved here from other locations around the lodge, and the liriope was moved here from a townhouse that we own in Arlington, VA. I purchased a few liriope from BlueStone Perennials, and the Itea Virginica Henry bushes in the background from Ebay. Other than very minimal weeding and decent soil, these plants receive no special care, fertilizing, or watering, so I am very happy with the way this perennial bed has turned out. If you love to garden but are on a limited budget, look around at what you already have for inspiration. Your newest perennial bed could already be right under your nose.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens- July 25, 2010

2010-07-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

In the full sun bed, my beautiful white lilies and shasta daisy are no longer blooming. There are currently seven perennials and a bush blooming in the full-sun perennial bed: Russian sage, campanula blue-eyed blonde, purple and white Echinacea (coneflower), white phlox, blacked-eyed susan, and hibiscus (rose of Sharon) blue satin. I sheared the spiderwort located in front of the clematis. I have red that this will encourage new foliage and flowers to rebloom in the fall. I have never been so lucky, but does keep the perennial bed looking clean and organized.

This photograph is a close-up of the hibiscus (rose of Sharon) blue satin. I planted it Fall 2008. It did very little during 2009. There were hardly any leaves on it, and it did not bloom. In fact, I was nearly convinced that it did not survive the winter. However, I left it in the ground, and it is doing wonderfully this year. So far, there have been several dozen blooms on it. It will eventually grow to be a bush that is about 8 feet tall. As it grows, I will transfer some of the perennials that are near it to other locations on the property so that the hibiscus will have plenty of room. This bush is very useful for late summer blooms. By the time it stops blooming, the blue and purple aster in the sun bed will be in full bloom.

In the naturalized bed, the red and maroon Jacob's Cline Monarda (bee balm) is nearing the end of its bloom cycle. However, the butterflies are still enjoying it immensely. Whenever, I look at this perennial, there are always dozens of butterflies on and around it. I highly recommend this perennial for a naturalized area where it has plenty of room to grow. My bee balm perennials started as little plants but are now taller than me. I have to continually divide them and give them to friends to prevent them from overtaking this flower bed.

In the friendship garden, the yellow rudbeckia (brown-eyed susans) are in full bloom while the red-orange and orange day lilies wind down their bloom cycle. This is my favorite time of the year for this perennial bed because, as previously noted, I just love the mix of red, orange and yellow that this combination of these day lilies and brown-eyed susans provides.

In the partial shade garden, the purple clematis are no longer blooming, but the rudbeckia goldsturm (brown-eyed susan) and yellow thread-leaved coreopsis (tickseed) are in full bloom. I just love both of these flowers because they are deer resistant, care free, insect resistant, and long blooming. They are equally at home in the perennial bed and in a naturalized setting, and they are a great choice for late summer color. These perennials are surrounded by large dark green and smaller yellow-green hostas.

This is a close-up photo of the brown-eyed susan and coreopsis.

The lobelia (cardinal flower) that I planted this Spring is in full bloom. I love this perennial in the naturalized setting where it is usually red. I originally thought this purple variety would be perfect in this full shade spot to add height and interest and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. However, as you can see, it currently needs staking because the stalks were just laying on the ground, but the perennial appears to be healthy. I am going to research this issue because they should not need staking. Hopefully, I can figure out this issue by next year.

Five hostas in the shade garden have become casualties to the deer. It happens to the best of us, and it does not actually harm the plant. It just looks ugly. This perennial bed is right up against the woods on the far side of the house. The deer can easily sneak in, have a meal, and sneak out before I even notice. Ken sprays an organic deer guard on the hostas for me, but when we have lots of rain, it washes off fairly quickly.

A Full Day in the Kitchen

2010-07-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

With the garden starting to come in steady now, I have begun preserving a lot of our harvest to store in the pantry. Today, I put a full day of work in the kitchen, canning, juicing, pickling and cooking. Today's harvest has, from left to right, zucchini (Golden and Striata d ' Italia), patty pan squash, cucumbers, beets, corn, potatoes, swiss chard, fall apples, and transparent apples.

The zucchini was grated and bagged for zucchini bread this weekend when I have guests at the Lodge. The patty pan squash was sliced, rolled in egg and flour, and fried in bacon grease. Everybody in our family loves it this way, but then what's not to like about something fried in bacon grease.

With half of the cucumbers, I made 6 quarts of pickle spears. I still have 8 left to eat with salads and raw. Of course, I'll probably have another half dozen ready to pick tomorrow. Looks like more pickling is in the future.

The beets were washed, blanched and the skins removed. I'll fix these for Liam's dinner tomorrow night. I'm not fond of beets, so Liam gets them all to himself. The eight ears of corn were blanched and cut from the cob for freezing. I love to add corn to soups in the winter. The potatoes were put in the crockpot with a pound of green beans Jorene picked yesterday, along with a ham bone. We had these for dinner tonight and they were delicious.

Next is my favorite vegetable, Swiss chard. It is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, with high concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. I use it in omelets, pizza, soups, and salads. My favorite way to prepare it is sauteed with garlic and onions with a handful of nuts. This is one of my Rainbow Swiss Chard beds, which it shares with beets and onions. I'll offer one tip about harvesting Swiss Chard. Don't weedeat around the raised bed the night before you plan to harvest Swiss Chard. I had to rinse the leaves three times to get all the little bits of grass out of the wrinkles.
I have two varieties of apples in the tubs. The first has thinnings from a fall variety. A friend asked me to help him thin his tree and in return I could keep what I picked. They are tart and firm, but make a great baking apple. I made two apple pies for some guests last weekend and they loved them. I'll freeze the rest of the apples for pies later in the year.

The second tub of apples are transparents. I juiced these in my juicer and made over 7 gallons of juice.

Chicks - Week 9

2010-07-13T01:45:00.000-07:00

More pictures of our Freedom Ranger chickens, Pekin Ducks and White Holland Turkeys. I really love these Freedom Ranger chickens. Their foraging capabilities is much better than the Cornish Cross. I can't wait to see how the meat tastes, which will be soon. I plan to start butchering later this week.

One curious thing I noticed lately about the ducks is that they act as bouncers for the group. The seems to always be two chickens trying to decide who is the alpha chicken. A duck will actually get out of the pond, run across the field and break up any fights. It's never the same duck. I think the ducks in general don't like fighting. It's funny.

We also added 13 more turkeys to our farm last week. I plan to raise them for Thanksgiving, butchering them around 16 weeks. This will put them in the 20 - 25 pound range when dressed.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens-July 12, 2010

2010-07-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

The veronica royal candles, nepata walker's low catmint, spiderwort, and purple clematis in the full sun bed have all ended their bloom cycles. There are currently seven perennials and a bush blooming in the full-sun perennial bed: Russian sage, campanula blue-eyed blonde, purple and white Echinacea (coneflower), blacked-eyed susan, and lilies, shasta daisy, and hibiscus (rose of Sharon) blue satin.

This photograph is a close-up of the full-sun perennial bed. It contains, from left to right, clematis and spiderwort (which are no longer blooming), purple echinacea (coneflower), and russian sage. Low growing Pat’s Select ajuga is in the foreground. Purple echinacea is an all-time favorite in many perennial beds because it is deer resistant, long blooming, and attracts butterflies and birds to the garden. Additionally, its black roots have been used medicinally as a blood purifier; echinacea vitamins are widely available in most drug stores.

I am also very happy with the way the campanula blue-eyed blonde has performed this year. It bloomed earlier this year, and I cut the spikes that the flowers bloomed on at the end of their bloom cycle. Now, the plant part of the perennial has bloomed again.

In the naturalized bed, the red and maroon Jacob's Cline Monarda (bee balm) continue to bloom. As previously noted, monarda is a superb choice in any naturalized bed that gets full to part sun because they are care free and deer resistant. The flowers are very attractive to beneficial butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. The leaves can be used to make a delicious herb tea.

In the friendship garden, the red-orange and orange day lilies continue in full bloom. It is amazing how long the flowers in this bed have bloomed, especially since my other day lilies have nearly all finished blooming. Additionally, the yellow brown-eyed susans have started to bloom. I love the mix of red, orange and yellow that this combination of these day lilies and brown-eyed susans provides. The gorgeous double blossom orange day lily which has beautiful ruffly petals continues to bloom as well.

A better photo of the double blossom day lily that I wrote about in the last blog.

Finally, my first sunflower bloomed. They usually do not bloom until September, but I guess the extra-hot summer triggered it to bloom a little early, Regardless, it always makes me happy when I look at my sunflowers in bloom.

Harvest Meal - June 28, 2010

2010-06-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I made an awesome lunch for my family, all from our farm and garden. We had a pork tenderloin from last winter's hogs, Swiss chard, baby beets (for Liam), mixed salad greens, blueberries, sugar snap peas, shallots and garlic.

I roasted the pork tenderloin on a cedar plank along with the baby beets for 1.5 hours. When finished, the tenderloin medallions were topped with blackberry liquer sauce. I sauteed the shallots and homemade bacon and baked them in skillet cornbread. I cooked the Swiss Chard, sugar snap peas, and garlic with pine nuts and raisins for a delectable side dish. After all that cooking, the blueberries were simply eaten straight from the bowl with a splash of yogurt. Good food, straight from the farm.

Chicks - Week 8

2010-06-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's almost July. This batch of poultry has been out to pasture for four weeks now. I prepared the brooder house for our next round of turkeys, which we will raise for Thanksgiving. At this point in time, I would be planning to butcher Cornish Rocs. The Freedom Ranger Broilers have gained considerable weight, and some could be ready to butcher in a week or so. I plan to butcher all of them by the middle of July, when they are 11 weeks old. They love to forage, much more than Cornish Rocs do, and have eaten a great deal of grass. I'm also impressed with the foraging capabilities of the ducks. Along with the turkeys and the broilers, they are all keeping me busy with moving their fence. I move them to fresh pasture ever other day, now.

Liam loves feeding them every day. He's almost as tall as the 42" fence.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens - June 27, 2010

2010-06-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

The big news this week is that our friends came over while we were out tending to our other vegetable garden and picking blueberries, and they fixed our broken gutter. This is great for a couple of reasons. First, the thunderstorms will no longer erode erode the good soil from my shade garden's flower beds. Second, we can now store the rain water that runs off the roof into our huge rain barrels/cisterns located in the back of the lodge, and I use this water to water my gardens during droughts. I am so thankful for their help. After we discovered their surprise, DH hauled up 4 loads of compost to help me fill in the large holes that had eroded during the Spring thunderstorms. Then, he helped me mulch it all over. Eventually, I would like to build a dry creek bed down the middle of it, so I have left space for that. I am not positive if that will happen this year or not because we will be very busy with our vegetable gardens and guests at The Ponderosa Lodge until November. Nonetheless, I am really happy with the way the shade garden is starting to look.

The dark pink astilbe is blooming in the shade garden, and the color of the blooms really pop against the light green leaves of the frances williams hostas located directly behind them. Astilbe are medium sized plants that grow approximately 24" tall. They produce a big airy plume in the Summer, although my dark pink astilbe do not produce as puffy a plume as the light pink ones. They are an excellent choice for the shade garden because they are care free, deer resistant, and long blooming. Astilbe is also available in white, peach, red, and purple.

I also have my very first big hydrangea bloom on a hydrangea that our friend Doug in Northern Virginia gave me this Spring. Hydrangeas are a staple in many Summer gardens, but this is the first hydrangea in my garden that I have managed not to kill. I am pretty happy about that. My hydrangeas are fairly short in stature this year because they are newly transplanted, but they will eventually grow to 4 or 5 feet tall. The mother hydrangea plant is located in Doug's neighborhood, Fairlington Villages, in Arlington, VA, and nearly every beautiful hydrangea in that neighborhood was started from that one plant. I really hope that Doug's good luck with hydrangeas rubs off on me. So far, so good.

The other big news this week is that all of the day lilies on the property are in full bloom. I have orange, yellow, and red orange varieties. They were all on the lodge property when we purchased it, or gifts from friends, or transplants from my townhouse in Northern Virginia, so I am unaware of their species. There are a large variety of day lilies commercially available in nearly every color of the rainbow that bloom in June, July, and August. All of mine bloom about the same time (mid to late June). As an aside, I learned this week that daylilies are nearly 100% edible because you can eat the tubers, the young leaves, the buds, and the flowers which means that this perennial provides you with beauty and bounty all in one.

In my naturalized garden, the white ox-eye daisies are no longer blooming. Pink Asiatic lilies, orange day lilies, and red and maroon Jacob's Cline Monarda (bee balm) have taken their place. The Monarda, which started out a few years ago as small plants, have been fabulous growers in the garden. They are a superb choice in this type of naturalized bed that gets full to part sun because they are care free and deer resistant. Moreover, the beautiful flowers, which are uniquely shaped spheres with finger-like projections shooting out, are very attractice to butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. The leaves can be used to make a delicious herb tea.

The hostas and ferns that were transplanted to the part shade to full shade beds located on the guest side of the lodge have settled in nicely. One of the clematises did die off, so I will have to replace it. The purple lobelia (cardinal flower) and a yellow chrysogonum pierre (a ground cover) that I purchased from Blue Stone Perennials appear to have survived their transplants. The lobelia appears to be growing which is a nice sign. I am not sure if it will bloom this year, but, hopefully, it will produce some nice color next year. One experiment I tried this year was to plant annuals in a few bare spots in this bed this year. I thought this would produce season long color and make for a prettier bed, but for some reason, the annuals did not survive the transplant. In the future, I will probably only plant annuals in the flower boxes, so I will need to find another perennial to fill in the bare spots.

The thread-leaved coreopsis in the part shade to full shade beds are blooming, and the black-eyed susans planted with them will bloom soon. Both of these plants are care-free, deer resistant, and spread readily. They should continue to bloom until frost.

I sheared the salvia in the friendship garden as I stated that I would in my last blog. The red-orange and orange day lilies are currently in full bloom while the yellow brown-eyed susans are just getting started. I also discovered one gorgeous double blossom orange day lily which has beautiful ruffly petals. When I look at this bed, all I can think of is all the work that it is going to take this Fall to thin it out. It is amazing how quickly the perennials in it have grown, especially along the edges, in part because DH puts our wonderful rabbit manure in this garden twice a year. Since the flowers are all fighting for space, I will mark about half of the day lilies and Japanese iris that I want to transplant, shear them all to the ground in the late fall, dig out the ones I have marked, and then transplant them to a different spot on the property (most likely on our front hill)
. The double blossom day lily.

Last but certainly not least is my full sun bed. There are currently six perennials blooming in the full-sun perennial bed: veronica royal candles, nepata walker's low catmint, spiderwort, purple clematis, Russian sage, and shasta daisy. This photograph is a close-up of the full-sun perennial bed. It contains, from left to right, low-growing ajuga, viola, and lamb's ear in the foreground with white clematis, spiderwort, russian sage, and blue star in the background.

As an aside, blogging about the perennnial gardens has allowed me to keep a very good track of the sequence in which my perennials bloom, and it has also allowed me to see where I could place more effort. For example, there is not a great deal of color in this full sun bed in mid-Summer. Although the flower boxes that contain annuals make up for some of the lack of color, it also clues me in that I should start researching perennials that bloom mid-summer so that I can add them to this bed in the Fall or next Spring.

The purple clematis and spiderwort are at the end of their bloom cycles, but they still look lovely.
This photo is a close up of shasta daisy and delphinium which are no longer blooming. The delphinium, which I wrote about in-depth in my last blog, will drop its seeds soon. Then, I will cut the flower stems and leave the green plant part. The shasta daisy is another beautiful mistake. Although this perennial fits the purple, blue and white them of this bed, I thought that I had transplanted all of the shasta daisies to the front of our driveway.

If there were only two perennials that I could have in my garden, they would be this veronica royal candles and nepata walker's law catmint. While they do not produce the most magnificent blooms, their flowers are deer resistant and last for over a month which counts for a whole lot in my book. Hope, our English bulldog, snuck into the left side of this photo; she's always trying to steal the show!

Chicks - Week 6

2010-06-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

The chicks sure are growing. They love being in the fields now and spend most of their time grazing. I bought a kiddie pool for the ducks today. They say that you don't need a pond when raising ducks, but I thought they would enjoy playing in the pool. They took to it like ducks to water. Even the turkeys got in the pool. Enjoy the pictures.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens- June 13, 2010

2010-06-15T03:46:00.000-07:00

This is a side shot of the front flower beds and the hanging pots I've just put up. The front flower beds contain boxwood in the back, day lilies in the middle, and green and white hostas in the front. The day lilies are just beginning to bloom. The day lilies throughout our property were given to us by our friends in West Virginia and Northern Virginia; some were also transplanted from the townhouse in Northern Virginia. Therefore, I don't know the species of each day lily. However, I do know that most of them are the typical orange variety that is native to this area. They are often seen growing wild on the side of the road at this time of year. I cannot wait for these day lilies to fully bloom. Once that happens, I will replace the photograph on the lodge's web page with one of the day lilies in full bloom.

The hanging pots contain white trailing petunias, yellow gerber daisies, and yellow-green sweet potato vine. Every year, I try to mix up the annuals I choose for the hanging pots because it keeps the view interesting.

This is a close-up of the front bed with the green and white hostas in the front and the reddish-orange day lily beginning to bloom in the background.

These dark pink and light pink astilbe in the shade garden are just beginning to bloom. Astilbe are medium sized plants that produce a big airy plume in the summer. They bloom for several weeks, and they are also available in white, peach, red, and purple. DH has promised that he will fix the gutter this week so that I can fully mulch this bed. It should look pretty nice by then because most of the perennials are settling in quite nicely.

This photograph is a close-up of the friendship garden. The purple and white japanese iris, pink peonies, and bearded iris are no longer blooming. Only the purple salvia, which I discussed in-depth in the last blog remains. The purple salvia located in the back of the bed is currently being crowded out by day lilies and japanese iris, so I will definitely have to thin this bed out later this fall. The orange day lilies and yellow brown-eyed susans are beginning to bloom and this bed should be full of them by next weekend. Since purple and orange don't contrast well with each other, I will shear the salvia next weekend.

This is a close-up of the budget gardens that I started last year. I am quite happy with the way it is turning out. The only items that were purchased for this bed were the itea virginica henry plants in the background, which I purchased at a discount price from a seller on ebay; the dark green "big blue" liriope; and the edging in the front of the bed. I transplanted the light green liriope from the townhouse, and the lamb's ear and hostas from another site at the lodge. A few of the hostas were gifts from friends.

This is the naturalized perennial bed. The purple native phlox and japanese iris are no longer blooming, and the white daisies are near the end of their bloom cycle. The bright colored perennials of summer, including orange day lilies, yellow gloriosa daisies, and red bee balm, are beginning to take their place. I have a half dozen pink asiatic lilies in this bed that are just beautiful, but I will probably transplant them this fall or next spring because the pink color does not contrast very well with the other summer flowers.

This is a close-up photo of the orange day lilies and white daisies that are blooming in the naturalized perennial bed.

There are currently seven perennials blooming in the full-sun perennial bed: scabiosa butterfly blue, veronica royal candles, nepata walker's low catmint, spiderwort, purple clematis, delphinium, and a wayward asiatic lily. This photograph is a close-up of the full-sun perennial bed. It contains low-growing aster and lamb's ear in the foreground. The aster will bloom later this fall. Tall white delphinium, a cottage-garden favorite, are located in the center of the photograph, and a flower box with white and purple petunias, yellow-green sweet potato vine, and a blue annual are located in the background. DH purchased the delphinium for me shortly after we purchased the lodge, and it has done well. I recently purchased blue delphinium to add to this bed. The plants are still living, and, hopefully, they will grow as tall as the white ones next year. Delphiniums produce large spikes of elegant looking flowers. The taller varieties, such as the ones pictured here, require hooping or staking. Otherwise, the tall stems will break during summer thunderstorms.

This is another close-up of the full sun perennial bed. Left to right, there is dark purple clematis blooming. Below it is purple spiderwort; the locals around here call it "Job's tears." This perennial forms dense spreading clumps of erect narrow strap-like leaves. This perennial was one of the few that was here when we bought the lodge. In fact, it inspired the colors scheme and design of the entire full sun perennial bed because I didn't want to disturb it. The dark-purple three-petaled flowers bloom for a few weeks at the beginning of every summer. The interesting little flowers close up every afternoon, but they reopen every morning. It is a carefree perennial that comes back every year. Tall Russian sage is located in the center of the photograph. It as supposed to be a medium height plant, but it must be very happy because, as you can see, it is growing taller than the window boxes. It will bloom later this summer. Finally, in the right of the photo is nepata walker's low catmint. This plant does not produce the most beautiful flowers, but I love it because it is such a long bloomer. It really helps to carry the perennial beds through weeks when few other flowers are blooming, and amazingly enough, my cats don't bother it.

Last but not least, I completed this little project a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely love sempervivum (hens and chicks), and I have a difficult time resisting purchasing them. I saw these 2 varieties at a local garden tent that sets up shop for a few weeks in the Spring in a Giant grocery store parking lot in Falls Church, VA. The "hens" were just humongous, so I had to have them. However, I really didn't have any place to put them, so I filled this little wooden wagon with them.

Delicious Red Berries!

2010-06-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here on the farm, we love strawberries. They have always been my favorite fruit. Jorene loves them. Liam is following in his parents step. Even Hope likes strawberries. So, to have enough for the four of us and our guests, we grow a lot of strawberries. I have two 4' x 10' beds of Junebearers, and started 4 more beds last fall. Next week, I will be planting 3 beds of Everbearers (Ozark Beauty). Did I mention that we love strawberries?

Our two established beds started ripening on Monday. We had been snacking on them the past several days. Friday, it was time to do some serious picking. I picked 12 lbs. of beautiful red berries, leaving the pink ones to pick later this weekend.

What will I do with all of these strawberries? Well, I use some in the fruit salad for our guests at the lodge. Next, I made Strawberry Sorbet.

Strawberry Sorbet

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine sugar and water in heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, place in refrigerator and cool completely. Puree strawberries; add lemon juice and sugar water.

Start ice cream maker and pour mixture through hole in lid. Freeze until desired consistency or the unit stops.

4 cups of fresh strawberries, ready to be pureed.

Finished sorbet, ready to freeze.

I also like to freeze whole strawberries for baking later. I pick the best looking berries, wash and remove the stems, and lay them on a cookie sheet. I put them in the freezer until they are hard and won't stick together. Then, the berries can be put in a quart or gallon freezer bag.

Since I had the food processor out, I decided to mix up some batches of Strawberry Ice Cream.

Strawberry Ice Cream

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk

Chop the strawberries in a food processor by pulsing a couple of times. This makes nice bite size bits of strawberry. If you want a smoother ice cream, continue pulsing until the fruit is pureed.

Combine sugar, lemon juice, and fruit. Stir until well mixed. Stir in cream and milk.

Start ice cream maker and pour mixture through hole in lid. Freeze until desired consistency or until the unit stops.

A smile on my son's face is all I ask for.

Chicks - Week 3

2010-06-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

I apologize for writing this update late, but we were swamped this past week with guests at the lodge. So, the chicks are a little more than 3 weeks old now, and it was time to move them to their field pen. There, they can get exercise, sunshine and eat fresh grass and bugs. This saves on my feed bill by as much as 40% and produces a healthier bird.

Here they are in their field pen. The pen is 4' x 8', enough space for them to roam around inside without being too crowded. I'll keep them confined for a couple of days to get settled. Then, I will allow them to free range behind an electrified poultry net. I would also like to provide a small water pond for the duck to use for bathing. For now, I move their pen twice a day to give them fresh grass to eat and to lay on.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens-May 30, 2010

2010-05-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

The bearded iris, blue star, white and Kilian Donahue clematis, and bleeding heart have all reached the end of their annual flowering cycles. Other beautiful perennials are blooming to take their places. Most of the summer perennials in the garden are long blooming, care free, and drought and deer resistant.

Veronica Royals Candles is a short plant that does well towards the front of a sunny flower bed. Its spire-like violet-blue flowers grow on tidy, deep green foliage. It blooms in zones 4 - 8 from late Spring to late Summer.

Scabiosa Butterfly Blue is also a short plant that does well towards the front of a sunny flower bed. Its pincushion flowers grow on very compact plants that have ferny blue-grey foliate. It blooms from late Spring to early Fall.

This photo contains a bearded iris in the far right corner, scabiosa butterfly blue and veronica royal candles in the foreground, a huge clump of flowering Japanese iris in the center, and flowering lamb's ear and white delphinium in the background.

The white delphinium have been in our garden for several years now. Delphinium, a standard in cottage gardens, contain tall, large mounds of dark green, glossy foliage that are adorned with huge spikes of showy, spurred flowers of white, blue, lavender, or pink. They grow in zones 3 - 8 and can be quite tall, reaching heights of 3 - 4'. They bloom for most of the Summer, but the require staking so that the flowers do not break off in hard wind and rains. Last fall, I planted blue delphiniums with these white ones. They did not get very tall or bloom this year. Hopefully, they will survive the season and come back next year with big beautiful blue flowers.

The white clematis is no longer blooming in my sun bed, but the dark purple clematis has taken its place. This clematis has been in the same spot for several years now. I over-pruned this it a couple of years ago, but thankfully, it survived and has grown back beautifully. I enjoy clematis because they come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Additionally, the different types of clematis bloom and rebloom throughout the year, so it is possible to have clematis blooming before the last frost in Spring until after the last frost in Fall. The large grass like clumps in the foreground are spiderwort which will bloom numerous petite, purple flowers in the next couple of weeks.

The photo below is of my sun perennial bed. It contains clematis to the left followed by spiderwort , coneflower, and Russian sage which will bloom later in the year. Purple Nepata Walker's low catmint, and campanula blue-eyed blonde are in the middle of the bed. Petite, fuschia aarmeria dusseldorf pride are in the foreground.

Salvia May Night is a medium sized plant that grows 18 - 24" tall in zones 4 - 8. Its spikes of blue-purple bloom all summer long, and its leaves have a strong herbal smell. Once established, it is extremely care-free, deer resistant, and needs little maintenance or water. It does, however, respond well to sheering after blooming in order to promote fresh foliage and blooms. Other varieties of salvia are available in shades of pink, fuschia, blue, and purple. Our salvia is contained in the friendship garden with japanese iris, day lilies, bearded iris, and peonies.

Peonies are also a medium height plant that can grow 2 -3 feet tall in zones 2 - 7. Over time, they form a bush-like appearance. Unlike most of my other perennials, they are not long blooming. However, their huge size, gorgeous flower, and fragrance makes up for the fact that they only bloom for a few weeks in late May an early June. Our gardens contain peonies in shades of white, blush, light pink, and fuschia.

The photo below is of the friendship garden. Currently, the purple bearded iris, salvia, purple and white Japanese iris, and fuschia peonies are blooming. They will eventually give way to orange and yellow day lilies in the summer, and aster in the fall.

Chicks - Week 2

2010-05-22T04:38:00.001-07:00

It's the end of weeks 2 for our new chicks, and they sure have grown. I'm especially amazed at how fast the Peking duck grows. I can make out the different colors for the Freedom Ranger Broilers now. They are tricolor, redbro and yellow. I expanded the brooder floor space to give them more to move around. They are getting hardier now, so I keep the heat on at night, but turn it off during the day. Next week I will start letting them outside during the day to forage.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens-May 16, 2010

2010-05-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

My perennials are starting to bloom nicely now, so it will be another exciting, fun year full of beautiful color.

Clematis are one of my favorite flowers. I have many different varieties planted all over our property. I like them because they come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Additionally, the different types of clematis bloom and rebloom throughout the year, so it is possible to have clematis blooming before the last frost in Spring until after the last frost in Fall. They are easy to grow. Finally, since they are a vine, they need very little soil to grow in and can actually be grown in a pot on a porch for apartment and townhouse dwellers. If all of those wonderful traits do not pique your interest, check out this beauty.

This Kilian Donahue clematis is quickly becoming one of my favorites. In fact, she wins the prize for Miss Popularity hands down. This perennial is planted just outside my back door, so I have the privilege of seeing her every time I walk outside. What a sight to behold she is. The early flowers open ruby red and mature to brilliant fuchsia with an orchid edge. The more mature flowers are pink lavender with a pink bar. Because the flowers change over time, it looks like it has several different types of flowers on a single plant. Right now, she is only about 1 foot tall but will allegedly reach 9 to 10 feet tall in a couple of years and bloom for 3 months! The thought of this beautiful perennial blooming for nearly an entire growing season just makes my heart pitter-patter. I am so happy with her already that I can not imagine how awesome it will be when she is 10 times her current size. She is supposed to bloom June through September. However, I think she bloomed early this year because our Spring was so incredibly warm.

These bearded iris are not planted in a flower bed either but, rather, along the edge of our driveway. If flowers were people, the bearded iris would be a strong, steady, dependable marrying kind of man. That is why I have them in nearly all of my flower beds. Unlike the fickle tulip which can not commit to blooming every year nor stand up to a Spring thunderstorm, the bearded iris returns annually-without fail, and when the blooms arrive, it really means something. Old Man winter is gone for good, and the long, hot, sun-filled days of Summer are not too far away. Other than a little bit of sun, the bearded iris is not a needy fellow; it does not require any special soil or treatment to grow. Its blooms are fairly long lasting, and, like the best kind of man, there is more to this perennial than just its showy flower. After the bloom fades, its beautiful, unique blueish, sword-shaped leaves remain tall and sturdy all year long. The leaves serve as a great color and shape contrast to other perennials in a flower bed and are also beautiful just by themselves.

In late spring, I can look out my bedroom window and see these iris, the goats, the cow, the Appalachian mountains, and the sunset all in one glance. It is such a beautiful, peaceful sight to see that I feel very lucky to live here.

In my naturalized perennial bed, the tall purple roadside phlox, ox-eye daisies, blue-star and bearded iris are all in full bloom.

DH and I worked today on the herb/cutting garden. I moved all of the flowering perennials to a different location, and DH tilled under all the soil that is in between the perennial herbs and Japanese iris. We added more perennial herbs, including transplants of chives and lemon balm, hyssop, and tarragon and numerous annual herbs such as dill, cilantro, and a variety of basils. We love to use fresh garden grown herbs when we cook for our groups, so this garden seems to get larger every year. The Japanese iris in front of the herbs look like they will bloom soon.

Th bearded iris in the friendship garden are blooming, and the peonies, salvia and Japanese iris are about to bloom their dark pinks and purple. I thinned out and gave a way a large number of bearded iris in this bed last Spring because they were really starting to take over the left half of the bed. Looking at only the few flowers here that are blooming, I am slightly regretting that decision because I miss seeing them in mass quantities. However, I know that they will fill the bed in a year or two, and I will have to thin them out all over again. Plus, it always makes me feel good inside when I give perennials to other people.

The bleeding heart and columbine are blooming beautifully in the shade garden. These two perennials remind me of Southern girls. They are incredibly graceful and delicate with gorgeous blooms, but they are also long lasting and can stand up to the hard rains that Spring brings them. Many more plants are also starting to grow, including the astilbe, hydrangea, ferns, and hostas. Ken plans to get the gutter out of it this week ; ). Our snowfall was so huge this year that it completely destroyed our brand new gutters on both sides of the lodge. I plan to edge and mulch this bed soon, in addition to digging a dry creek bed down the middle of it. I would really like to finish it by the end of June and then add more perennials to it each year as I am able.

The shade garden continues to fill in nicely with hostas, ferns, and perennials. I was mistaken last week when I said that the clematis I transplanted died. I just noticed that it has new green growth coming on, so I expect big, beautiful flowers on it next year. The purple cardinal flower and a yellow ground cover that I purchased from Blue Stone Perennials arrived, and I planted them in their appropriate spots. There will be a few bare spots in this bed this year as the perennials I have planted get established, but I am really excited for this bed to grown and mature to become as lovely as I know it will.

The boxwoods, day lilies, and hostas in my front beds continue to grow. Although the boxwoods survived last winter, they are a little worse for the wear. Some of the branches and leaves are still droopy from the weight of the feet of snow that bore down on them all winter long, so I think I will prune them some. The day lilies will bloom in June. I also plan to get some hanging baskets to fill with annuals and hang out the porch above these front beds. I hope to complete that task next weekend.

The full-sun front bed continues to meet and exceed my expectations this year. So far, it has more flowers blooming then all of my other beds put together. This is just fabulous because I have spent the last 5 years trying to get the reality of this flower bed to align with the picture I had in my mind. Currently, the following perennials are blooming in this bed: armeria dusseldorf pride, the white and dark purple clematis, nepata walker's low catmint, viola purple showers, pat's select ajuga, chives, bearded iris, and bluestar.

Chicks - Week 1

2010-05-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

After one week, our 56 chicks have grown dramatically. The four turkeys and the duck have started to show their size, with the duck now standing tall over the broiler chicks. We moved them back outside after the last frost, recently. They get fresh air and sunshine in the afternoon. They are eating and drinking machines, consuming 1.5 coffee cans of feed, about two pounds of fresh grass clippings and 2 gallons of water each day. Liam loves making the rounds every day to feed the chicks.

Goat Pictures

2010-05-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

This morning, I let the boer goats free to graze on the hillside. I had to lead them out of the barn. Then, when I walked back in, they followed me back inside. So I led them back out and stood on the hill with them for awhile. They took to eating the brush immediately and seem quite happy. As promised, here are some more pictures of them.

Another Addittion to the Farm

2010-05-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday, we picked up a Red Angus steer to add to our farm. He is a yearling and weighs 615 lbs. I hope he will be around 800 - 900 lbs. by this fall. Like all of the animals on our farm, he will be raised on clean, organic pasture. Other than worming medicine, he will not receive antibiotics, vaccines or synthetic growth supplements.

Boer Goats

2010-05-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we drove to Wyoming county, WV to pick up 6 boer goats for our farm. The farm where we were getting them was over 2 hours away, so we started out early in the morning.

The boer goats will be my "brush clearing" crew in the 8 acres we just finished fencing. We picked up 3 nannies and 3 billies. I was surprised at how small they were. We plan to keep them in the barn for a couple of days, until they get adjusted to their new home. When I put them out to pasture I'll take more pictures.

One of the billies needs bottle fed twice a day for the next three weeks.

Liam loves his animals.

New Chicks!

2010-05-07T19:45:00.001-07:00

Today, we picked up our chicks at the post office and at Southern States. We ordered 50 Freedom Ranger Broilers, from J. M. Hatchery. They are meat bird from the Label Rouge program. It is highly adapted for pasture, free range raising. It is a slower growing bird than the Cornish Cross and is supposed to produce a firmer, tastier meat. This is our first year of growing them, so we'll let you know what we think.

Liam was excited about getting our Freedom Rangers at the post office.

We also picked up a Pekin duck and 4 Broad Breasted White turkeys at Southern States. We have been going to chick day there for 3 years now. It is a tradition with our family and Liam really enjoys seeing all of the chicks.

Jorene and Liam in front of the store.

Liam really likes seeing all of the chicks.

What's this Daddy?

Hope, on guard at the brooder house.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens-May 1, 2010

2010-05-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

In my two budget garden beds, all six of the Itea Virginica Henry shrubs are getting their leaves, so I am very excited about that because it was a really harsh winter for them. They were covered with feet of snow until early April, and I was afraid they would not survive. I was also incorrect when I wrote last week that the lily of the valley did not survive. There are a few sprouts of them, so I will move them after they bloom this Spring because this bed is not the ideal spot for them. The ajuga that I added last month seems to have survived the transplant, so I expect that it will spread quickly by the end of fall. I also added more liriope and hostas so that the bed will look fuller this year.

This photo is of my naturalized perennial bed. The plants have really grown since last month. Currently, nothing is blooming in this bed, but the purple roadside phlox, ox-eye daisies, and blue-star are about to bloom, so the next blog of this perennial bed should contain photos with some beautiful color.

The herb/cutting garden looks terrible right now because I have not weeded the front of it yet. The perennial herbs in the rear and behind the welcome rock (mint, rosemary, oregano) are coming up nicely. However, I will not be able to start the seeds for the annual herbs for a couple of more weeks because we could still get killing frost up here on the mountain. The gladiolus bulbs in the cutting garden have yet to sprout, but the Japanese iris have done well. They should bloom by the end of May.

The daffodils in the friendship garden have died off, so it does not currently contain any color. However, the peonies and bearded iris in the beds are about to bloom. Once that happens, this bed will bloom all year long. It will be incredible, and I cannot wait.

The bleeding heart located in the new shade garden is doing wonderful, and the columbine is about to bloom too. The hostas have really grown since the last blog.

The photos below are of my shade gardens in the front of the lodge. Only the woodland violets and black helleborus are blooming right now. The other plants and perennials in it are coming up nicely though. I transplanted a clematis to it this Spring. I must have not hardened it off well enough or babied it enough at the beginning of the transplant because it does not seem to have made it, so I will try to propogate another purple perennial plant to replace this one next year. There are also two bare spots on the right side of the bed that were created when I reorganized these beds last fall. I purchased purple cardinal flower and a yellow ground cover for these spots from Blue Stone Perennials. They will come in the mail this month, so I cannot wait to plant them to see how they do.

The boxwoods, day lilies, and hostas in my front beds have grown quite a bit since the last blog in April. The day lilies will bloom in June. Our friends gave us most of them last year, so I cannot wait to see what colors they are.

This front bed contains cannas, day lilies, lamb's ear, and gaillardia goblin. The cannas have not sprouted, and I am afraid they might not have survived the harsh winter. Cannas usually only survive to zone 7. We are in zone 5. In the past, I have dug them up every year, but I did not do it last year because it is a lot of work. Instead, I mulched them heavily which is a trick that usually works to winter over more tender perennials. However, I had no ideal we were going to get the harshest winter in history. Time will tell if they survived. If they did not, I will have to find another tall perennial to plant there instead. We might even put some veggies in the box. The day lilies and lamb's ear are doing wonderfully though.

I think I am going to be very happy with my full-sun front bed this year. The white clematis, woodland violets, and ajuga are already blooming beautifully. The delphinium, purple clematis, blue star, and bearded iris will bloom in the very near future followed by the Japanese iris, spiderwort, and daisies. The small blue hibiscus that I planted last year seems to be doing much better. It already has leaves, so I hope it will flower this year.

Rhubarb Recipes (or What do I do with all of this Rhubarb?!)

2010-05-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb is in season in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. It is one of the first crops that comes into season for us, so we always look forward to this time of year. Many Americans have never seen or tasted rhubarb because it is not widely available in the grocery. Essentially, it is a perennial that grows on a red and green stalk and looks similar to giant celery stalks. It has a bitter taste that is a nice complement to strawberries and other sweets. The rhubarb we use is a wonderful heirloom variety that is very old and has been growing for decades.

If you would like to try rhubarb but do not know what to do with it, our compilation of recipes is listed below (credit is given where credit is due).

Danish Rhubarb Liqueur from How To Make Danish Liqueur by Cheryl Long. (We were lucky enough to stumble across this recipe on the Throwback at Trapper Creek blog which also contains many other great rhubarb recipes).

4 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced
4 cups granulated sugar
3 cups vodka

Slice rhubard in 1/4 inch slices and combine with sugar in a large jar, glass bowl, or crock. Pour vodka over and stir well with a wooden spoon. Cap or cover and let sit 2-4 weeks. The color will turn rosy. Stir once or twice.

Strain off liqueur using a colander over a large bowl. Discard rhubarb. Strain through triple cheesecloth. Poor into bottles and cap. Let age at least 1 month. For a more mellow flavor, age 3-6 months. Makes 2 qts.

Ruby Port and Rhubarb Risotto with Sugared Strawberries (courtesy of Cooking Light magazine, May 2010, p. 196)

2 cups sliced strawberries
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar, divided
2/3 cup ruby port
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
3 1/2 cups water, divided
2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup uncooked medium grain rice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 (2 oz) mascarpone cheese

Combine strawberries and 1 Tabsp sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine port and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Cook 7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in rhubarb. Cook 7 minutes.

Bring 3 1/2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan (Don't boil). Keep warm over low heat. Combine milk, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a separate saucepan; bring to a simmer. Keep warm over low heat. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven. Add rice to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup hot water; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining water, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of water is absorbed before adding the next. Add milk mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of milk is absorbed before adding the next (about 30 minutes total). Stir in vanilla; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in mascarpone until cheese melts. Place about 1/2 cut risotto in each of 8 bowls. Top each serving with 2 Tbsp port mixture and 1/4 cup strawberry mixture. Yields 8 servings.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream (courtesy of Cooking Light magazine, May 2010, p. 116)

2 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup sugar, divided
3 large egg yolks
2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/3 cup fruity red wine (or substitute cranberry juice cocktail)
3 cups chopped fresh strawberries

Combine milk and half and half in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat milk mixture to 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around edge (don't boil). Combine 1/2 cup sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until pale yellow. Gradually add half of hot milk mixture to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour the egg yolk mixture into pan with remaining milk mixture; cook over medium-low heat until a thermometer registers 160 degrees, stirring constantly. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 20 minutes or until custard cooks completely, stirring occasionally.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, rhubarb, and wine in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and liquid is syrupy. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Combine rhubarb mixture and strawberries in a blender; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve over a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon; discard solids. Stir rhubarb mixture into custard mixture.

Pour custard into the freezer can of an ice cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Drain ice water from freezer bucket; repack with salt and ice. Cover with kitchen towels, and let stand 1 hour or until firm. Yields 10 3/4 cup servings.

Organic Insecticide
Rhubarb leaves can be used to make an effective organic insecticide for any of the leaf eating insects (cabbage caterpillars, aphids, peach and cherry slugs, etc).

Shred 3 lbs rhubarb leaves.

Boil in 1 gallon of water for 30 minutes.

Strain into a bucket to cool

In a small saucepan heat to boiling point 2.5 quarts of water and mix in 4 oz of softened natural soap ends.

Add to the strained leaf mixture, stir vigorously, and allow to cool.

Pour into a sprayer. I strained it again through a colander to make sure there were no pieces to clog the sprayer. Spray onto desired plants. Any unused spray should be used within a day or two.

Eggs are my Currency

2010-04-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today, I traded a friend 3 dozen eggs for a large bale of mulch hay.
Tomorrow, I'm going to another friend's farm to pick rhubarb. She has a huge "community" patch of rhubarb and she lets me pick all I want. In return, I'll give her several dozen eggs. I love bartering for goods and services. Usually, my currency of trade is a dozen eggs. I've traded eggs for a bale of hay, fresh garden veges, wild mushrooms, a little help moving a dresser, or just about anything else. We have 2 friends who help us clean the lodge after guests leave. They get paid and also get a gift of a dozen eggs.

Sometimes, we get homemade jam or hot sauce from a friend. They get a dozen eggs in return. If I'm baking bread at the time, they might get a loaf of bread instead. But, normally, we give a dozen eggs. It's a good that we have in abundance and readily available. Besides, everybody likes farm fresh eggs.

It's fun trading and bartering with friends. It lends to my feeling of self-sufficiency by not relying on money. Giving a loaf of bread or a dozen eggs is always a nicer gift than a couple of dollars. I've often helped friends throw hay in the barn or cut some firewood just for a cold drink. Everything doesn't have to rely on the almighty dollar. Now, if I could just get Lowes to take a dozen eggs for a box of screws.

Organic Gardening

2010-04-26T07:06:00.001-07:00

This weekend, Liam and I helped Jorene spread compost over her flower beds. We make lots of compost here on the farm. I mix bedding material and manure from the animals with leafs, straw, kitchen scraps, and wood shavings from a sawmill nearby.

The benefits of using organic homemade fertilizers are numerous. First, we are re-using materials on hand that would otherwise be considered waste materials that would clog up the landfills. Additionally, by using a natural fertilizer, we do not contribute to the pollution of our land and waterways through the leaching of chemical fertilizers into the ground. Finally, natural fertilizer is cost effective because it is nearly free and readily available in large amounts, which helps us achieve our overall goal of self-sufficiency on the farm. It also helps reduce our garbage removal bills because we would otherwise have to pay to have it hauled off.

This pile of compost had been aging since last fall. We have a large pile which is turned over with a tractor and bucket a couple of times during the aging process. This allows air and moisture into the pile and gets everything thoroughly mixed.

Here we are, hauling a load of compost up to the flower beds. Liam loves driving the tractor.

Another way we feed our plants naturally, is with manure tea. Manure tea is rich in nutrients, especially nitrogen. It feeds the plants naturally, helps build stronger plants that can fight off disease and pests, and works as a soil amendment. To start, I put a couple of shovel fulls of rabbit manure in a burlap bag.

This gets floated in a 55 gallon barrel for a couple of days. Every time I walk by the barrel, I'll stir the mixture and get some air in the tea.

After the tea has "brewed", the manure bag is removed. It can be spread on the garden or added to the compost pile. The tea is used to water the gardens and is a great source of macro and micro nutrients to our flowers and vegetables.

Jorene's Perennial Gardens-April 2010

2010-04-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

Last year, I tried to keep a weekly photo journal of my perennials. I did well until I was called to military duty mid-July. By the time I returned to the lodge in mid-August, it was all I could do to keep the weeds from overtaking the flower beds. (The fact that we had an infant to care for also added to the workload). This year, I hope to do a better job of keeping my photo journal. I'm starting very early this year because we have had an unseasonably hot, dry April with temperatures frequently in the 70s and 80s. It is usually very wet with rain nearly every day and temperatures in the 40s and 50s this time of year. My perennials are sprouting as are the trees on the mountain. They do not usually sprout until mid-May. At the rate the perennials are growing, the full sun beds should be blooming by May followed by the shade beds. However, we could get frost and snow until mid-May, so I am a little worried about the more tender perennials and trees. I have my fingers crossed for rain and above freezing temperatures for the rest of April. Below, are photos of my various perennial beds and their current states. I hope to blog more about the specifics of each perennial bed as the plants in them grow and bloom this year.

These are the two budget garden beds that DH and I built and blogged about last summer. They were covered by snow until very recently, so they are a little behind the other perennial beds. I was worried that the small Itea Virginica Henry shrubs, which are in the back and have yet to get their leaves, would not make it through our harsh winter. We received over 200" of snow here, but they appear to have made it. The only plants in this bed that did not survive were the lily of the valley. Although these are partial-shade beds, they receive too much sun for lily of the valley, and it just fried last year. I have added ajuga, which spreads quickly, to take its place. I will also add more lamb's ear and liriope because we have extra of them this year. That way these beds will fill in faster. All of the plants in these beds require very little care.

This photo is of my naturalized perennial bed. My original idea in 2005 was to plant extra perennials in here and let them grow in a naturalized setting. I almost gave up on the idea because nothing seemed to happen in the first couple of years. However, by 2007, I was starting to see a little progress. Last year was pretty great. It bloomed all season long. There are currently bearded iris, Japanese iris, ox-eye daisies, blue-star, and oriental lilies sprouting. I really can not wait to see how this bed does this year. It is always a fun surprise.

This photo is of our herb garden in the back with a cutting garden in the front and peonies in the foreground. We grow all sorts of perennial and annual herbs, including chives, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, a variety of basils, thyme, oregano, anise hyssop, and marjoram. This year's cutting garden contains a large number of gladiolus bulbs and Japanese iris.

This is our friendship garden because all of the perennials in it have come from dear friends and neighbors. This bed happened by accident. We had some extra perennials and rocks. DH did not want to mow this patch of grass, so he built the low rock wall and threw the dirt in before I had a chance to say otherwise. I added the perennials. I have a love/hate relationship with this bed. I love it because it is, by far, the most spectacular bed we have. It is always in bloom with something beautiful. Also, the colors always seem to flow nicely from one season to the next. However, I hate it because this all happened without ever really trying whereas I have planned and worked so hard with my other perennial beds, which are never up to the caliber of this one.

This is the new shade garden DH and I are constructing. It contains pink, blue, and white perennials, including columbine, bleeding heart, hydrangea, meadow sweet, lamium dead nettle, and foam flower, as well as a large variety of ferns and hostas and a pee gee hydrangea tree that I just planted. I would also like to add a little creek to this perennial bed, but I am pretty sure that, with all of the other activities going on at the lodge right now, it will have to wait until next year.

The above two photos are of my shade gardens in the front of the lodge. They contain purple and yellow perennials, including clematis, black-eyed susan, cardinal flower, woodland violets, Japanese iris, lady's mantle, and coreopsis, as well as a large variety of ferns and hostas.

My two front porch beds contain small boxwoods (which took a complete beating this past winter), day lilies, and hostas.

This front bed contains cannas, day lilies, lamb's ear, and gaillardia goblin.

This is my full-sun front bed, which I am constantly planning and working on. It never seems to look as nice as the other beds nor as I had hoped. In other words, it always fails to meet my expectations. Hopefully, this year will be the year. It currently contains purple, blue, and white perennials, including clematis, spiderwort, blue star, daisies, scabiosa butterfly blue, bearded iris, Japanese iris, lilies, Russian sage, delphinium, coneflower, and ajuga. It also contains a small blue hibiscus that I planted last Spring along with lamb's ear and a wide variety of sempervivum.

Chicken Eggs

2010-04-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

We love gathering the chicken eggs everyday here on the farm. I love it. Jorene loves it. Liam loves it. Even Hope loves going to the chicken house. It reminds us everyday of our self-reliant life and how healthier our life is by limiting what we buy at the store.

Now that the days have gotten longer and warmer, our egg production is increasing. During the winter, we would usually get 19 - 20 eggs a day. Now I am collecting 22 - 24 eggs a day, and that will increase to about 28 - 30 by summer. The surprise, yesterday, though was a green egg. You can see it on top of the basket, under Hope's nose.

While colored eggs are not uncommon, I cannot identify the chicken who is laying this green egg. I used to have 2 Ameraucanas or Easter Egg Chickens. I thought we had lost both of them last year, one to a predator and one to illness. But, apparently I was wrong. When I look around the hen house, I cannot find a Ameraucana anywhere. So, I don't know who is responsible for this green egg. Strange.

Potatoes in a Bucket

2010-04-05T03:57:00.000-07:00

We found this old rusty bucket on a recent walk in the woods. I hated to see it laying in the woods and I thought it would make a great bucket for growing potatoes. For several years, I've grown potatoes in the garden using the straw method. But I thought it would be fun to experiment with growing them in a bucket.

It already had a couple of holes in the bottom, but I drilled more to have adequate drainage. I then put several inches of compost and peat moss.

It's always good to have help around the farm. Liam and Hope helped me put 3 eye pieces of All-Blue, Onaway(White), and Caraway(Red) potatoes in the bucket. We then put about 6 inches of wood shavings over the potatoes. You could also use potting soil or straw. I get the wood shavings for free from a saw mill nearby.

When the plants start to emerge, I'll put cover with more wood shavings to keep the tubers covered. If all goes well, I plan to make red, white, and blue potato chips for Fourth of July.

Clearing the Land

2010-03-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

When we first moved into The Ponderosa Lodge, the lodge was surrounded by pine trees. This created a beautiful canopy when driving up to the lodge, but it kept the lodge dark and cool. We were so crowded that we couldn't see cars pull in the driveway and didn't know people were here until they walked up to the door. We, basically, had a 20 minute window of sunlight in the front window when the sun was peaking between the trees. We had to do some clearing.

Pines trees in the front and back in 2005.

We first cut down 7 of the pine trees in the front and 5 large trees in the back. Then we cleared some locust across the driveway. This opened up the lodge and we realized we had a view of the holler below.

Last week, we got 12 more trees removed to increase our view of our fields and open the lodge up for more sunshine. We plan to add solar panels to the roof for hot water and need a little more sunshine.

View from our bedroom window.

Tom attaches a cable to direct the tree's fall.

Tom is a good friend and a great person to know. He has his own wood mill and milled all of the trees we have cut down here into lumber. All of the improvements we have made to the lodge have utilized lumber from our property. We trade lumber with Tom in return for his help in cutting down the trees. He takes the large trunks, while the tops and most of the branches get cut into firewood for my friend Scott. The smallest branches are then hauled to the back edge of our fields for brush piles for wildlife.

First Weekend of Spring

2010-03-22T16:38:00.001-07:00

We took full advantage of this first weekend of Spring. The weather was beautiful and the snow is almost gone. I cleaned up the two beds I had hoops over for the winter. They were buried in the snow all winter, so the plants in them barely grew. It wasn't worth keeping so few plants, so I pulled the tiny greens up and gave them to a rabbit.

In our seven raised beds, I planted peas (shelling and sugar snap), onions, bunching onions, radishes, turnips, broccoli, cabbage, and beets. I covered all of these beds with row cover to provide some frost protection and insect control. I also made two salad boxes and planted lettuce and asian greens. I didn't get a picture of them yet, but I will soon. I plan to make more a couple more salad boxes this week.

Here is Jorene, Liam and our cat Georgia helping plant some seeds.

Time for a nap. I wonder what this seed will grow up to be?

Jumbo Seed Order

2010-03-20T14:52:00.001-07:00

This week, we received our Jumbo Heirloom Collection of seeds from Baker Creek. We ordered this collection of non-GMO, non-hybrid seeds to get started with our garden. We received a plastic 5 gallon bucket full of many different varieties of seeds to grow food for ourselves, our guests at the Ponderosa Lodge, and our friends. It was a great value and a great way to jump start our vegetable garden expansion. We'll grow some of them and save the rest for next year. Our bucket includes the following seeds:

Vegetables
Amaranth, Love Lies Bleeding - Green
Amaranth, Love Lies Bleeding - Red
Asparagus, Mary Washington
Bean, Contender
Bean, Fava, Aquadulce
Bean, Fava, Broad Windsor
Bean, Jacob's Cattle
Bean, Old Homestead (Kentucky Wonder)
Bean, Purple Podded
Bean, Roma
Bean, Scarlet Runner
Beet, Chioggia
Beet, Crosby's Egyptian
Beet, Cylindra
Beet, Mammoth Red Mangel
Broccoli, Calabrese Green Sprouting
Broccoli, Early Purple Sprouting
Broccoli, Rapini
Brussels Sprouts, Long Island Improved
Buckwheat
Cabbage, Cour di Bue
Cabbage, Henderson's Charleston Wakefield
Cabbage, Mammoth Red Rock
Cabbage, Nero Di Toscana
Carrot, Chantenay Red Core
Carrot, Danvers 126 Half Long
Carrot, Shin Kuroda 5"
Carrot, St. Valery
Carrot, Tonda Di Parigi
Cauliflower, Green Macerata
Cauliflower, Snowball Self-Blanching
Cauliflower, Violetta Italia
Celeriac, Giant Prague
Celery, Tendercrisp
Chicory, Castelfranco
Chicory, Grumolo Biondo Golden
Chicory, Italiko Rosso Dandelion
Chicory, Sugar Loaf
Chicory, Witloof Di Bruxelles
Collards, Georgia Southern
Corn, Country Gentleman
Corn, Pencil Cob Dent
Corn, Stowell's Evergreen
Corn, Wade's Giant Indian
Cowpea, Bohemian
Cowpea, California Blackeye
Cucumber Marketmore 76
Cucumber, Beit Alpha
Cucumber, Boothby's Blonde
Cucumber, Delikatesse
Cucumber, Early Russian
Cucumber, Poona Kheera
Cucumber, Sikkim
Cucumber, West India Burr Gherkin
Cucumber, White Wonder
Eggplant, Applegreen
Eggplant, Black Champion
Eggplant, Brazilian Oval Orange
Eggplant, Casper
Eggplant, Long Purple
Eggplant, Ping Tung
Eggplant, Round Mauve
Eggplant, Turkish Orange
Endive, Batavian Full Heart
Endive, De Meaux
Fennel, Di Ferenze
Gourds, Bottle
Gourds, Long Handled Mixed
Gourds, Orange
Gourds, Serpente Di Sicilia
Greens, Arugula
Greens, Corn Salad
Greens, Garden Cress
Greens, Mustard, Southern Giant Curled
Greens, Red Orach
Greens, Salad Burnet
Greens, Wrinkled, Crinkled Cress
Kale, Russian Red
Kohlrabi, Early Purple Vienna
Kohlrabi, Early White Vienna
Leek, Bulgarian Giant
Leek, Carentan
Lettuce, Big Boston
Lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson
Lettuce, Brune d'Hiver
Lettuce, Forellenschluss
Lettuce, Gentilina
Lettuce, Iceberg
Lettuce, Lotto Rossa
Lettuce, Mascara
Lettuce, May Queen
Lettuce, Merviella Des Quatre
Lettuce, Parris Island Cos
Lettuce, Red Romaine
Lettuce, Tom Thumb
Melon, Charentais
Melon, Collective Farm Woman
Melon, Early Hanover
Melon, Early Silver Line
Melon, Green Nutmeg
Melon, Hearts of Gold
Melon, Honey Rock
Melon, Israel Ogen
Melon, Jelly Melon Kiwano
Melon, Jenny Lind
Melon, Metki Dark Green Serpent
Melon, Metki White Serpent
Melon, Minnesota Midget
Melon, Noir De Carmes
Melon, Plum Granny
Melon, Pride of Wisconsin
Melon, Sakata's
Melon, Tigger
Melon, Tip Top
Millet, German Foxtail
Okra, Burgundy
Okra, Clemson Spineless
Okra, Emerald
Okra, Grandfather Kurtz
Okra, Perkins Long Pod
Okra, Star of David
Onion, Bronze d'Amposta
Onion, Crimson Forest Bunching
Onion, Red of Florence
Onion, Tokyo Long White Bunching
Onion, Tropeana Lunga
Onion, Yellow of Parma
Oriental Greens, Big Stem Mustard
Oriental Greens, Chinese Pak Choy
Oriental Greens, Extra Dwarf Pak Choy
Oriental Greens, Jiu Tou Niao Mustard
Oriental Greens, Komatsuma Tendergreen
Oriental Greens, Michihli Cabbage
Oriental Greens, Mizuna
Oriental Greens, Shanghai Green Choy
Oriental Greens, Tatsoi
Oriental Greens, Wong Bok
Parsnip, Harris Model
Parsnip, Hollow Crown
Pea, Alaska
Pea, Golden Sweet
Peas, De Grace
Peas, Little Marvel
Peas, Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow
Peas, Oregon Sugar Pod II
Peas, Sugar Snap
Peas, Tall Telephone
Peas, Wando
Pepper, Black Hungarian
Pepper, California Wonder
Pepper, Cayenne Long Thin
Pepper, Fish
Pepper, Golden Marconi
Pepper, Golden Wonder
Pepper, Hungarian Hot Wax
Pepper, Purple Beauty
Pepper, Red Cheese
Pepper, Red Marconi
Pepper, Red Mini
Pepper, Sante Fe Grande
Pepper, Serrano Tapequino
Pepper, Sweet Red Stuffing
Pepper, Sweet Yellow Stuffing
Pepper, Tom Jalapeno
Pepper, Topepo Rosso
Peppers, India Jwala
Peppers, Lipstick
Quinoa, Kaslala
Radicchio, Rossa Di Verona
Radish, Chinese Green Luobo
Radish, Early Scarlet Globe
Radish, French Breakfast
Radish, German Giant
Radish, Long Scarlett
Radish, Purple Plum
Radish, Rat's Tail
Radish, Round Black Spanish
Radish, White Hailstone
Rhubarb, Victoria
Rutabaga, American Purple Top
Rutabaga, Laurnetian
Salsify, Mammoth Sandwich Island
Scorzonera, Geante Noire de Russie
Sorghum
Sorghum, Black Amber
Soya Bean, Envy
Spinach, Bloomsdale Long Standing
Spinach, Giant Noble
Spinach, Gigante d'Inverno
Spinach, Merlo Nero
Squash, Black Futsu
Squash, Americana Tonda
Squash, Bennings Green Tint Scallop
Squash, Bush Buttercup
Squash, Buttercup
Squash, Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia
Squash, Connecticut Field Pumpkin
Squash, Costata Romanesco
Squash, Early Golden Crookneck
Squash, Gill's Golden Pippin
Squash, Golden Delicious
Squash, Golden Zucchini
Squash, Jack Be Little
Squash, Jarrahdale
Squash, Lebanese White Bush Marrow
Squash, Lemon
Squash, Long Island Cheese
Squash, New England Sugar Pie
Squash, Patisson Panache Scallop
Squash, Red Kuri
Squash, Striata D Italia
Squash, Sweet Dumpling
Squash, Sweet Meat
Squash, Table Queen
Squash, Table Queen Bush
Squash, Tonde De Nice
Squash, Tondo Scuro Di Piacenza
Squash, Turks Cap
Squash, Vegetable Spaghetti
Squash, White Bush Scallop
Squash, Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin
Squash, Zucchini Black Beauty
Squash, Zucchini Gray
Swiss Chard, Flamingo Pink
Swiss Chard, Fordhook Giant
Swiss Chard, Rainbow
Swiss Chard, Vulcan
Tomatillo, Purple
Tomatillo, Verde
Tomato, Arkansas Traveler
Tomato, Azoychka
Tomato, Beauty King
Tomato, Black Cherry
Tomato, Black Krim
Tomato, Black Prince
Tomato, Brandywine
Tomato, Cosmonaut Volkov
Tomato, Duggin White
Tomato, Egg Yolk
Tomato, Emerald Evergreen
Tomato, Golden Jubilee
Tomato, Golden Sunray
Tomato, Green Grape
Tomato, Green Moldovan
Tomato, Green Pineapple
Tomato, Green Sausage
Tomato, Henderson's Pink Ponderosa
Tomato, Japanese Black Trifele
Tomato, Pineapple
Tomato, Pink Grapefruit
Tomato, Pink Oxheart
Tomato, Plum Lemon
Tomato, Plum Tigris
Tomato, Purple Russian
Tomato, Red Zebra
Tomato, Riesentraube
Tomato, Roma
Tomato, Roman Candle
Tomato, Rutgers
Tomato, Sara Black
Tomato, Seattle's Best
Tomato, Snowberry
Tomato, Striped Cavern
Tomato, Striped Roman
Tomato, Sub-Arctic Plenty
Tomato, Thai Pink Egg
Tomato, Thessaloniki
Tomato, Tigerella
Tomato, White Queen
Tomato, White Wax
Turnip, Navet Des Vertus Marteau
Turnip, Purple Top Milan
Turnips, Shogoin
Watermelon, Astrakhanski
Watermelon, Cream of Saskatchewan
Watermelon, Crimson Sweet
Watermelon, Golden Midget
Watermelon, Peacock Striped
Watermelon, Sugar Baby
Watermelon, Sweet Siberian
Watermelon, Tendergold
Watermelon, White Wonder

Herbs
Anise Hysop
Basil, Dark Opal
Basil, Genovese
Basil, Greek Dwarf
Caraway
Chives
Cilantro
Cilantro, Slo Bott
Dill
Echinacea Purpurea
Lemon Balm
Parsley
Summer Savory
Tarragon, Russian

Berries
Gooseberry, Giant Cape
Ground Cherry
Huckleberry, Chichiquelite
Huckleberry, Garden
Strawberry Spinach
Wild Strawberry
Wonderberry

We were very surprised to see Jacob's Cattle beans, which Ken wanted to grow; Jelly Melon, which Jorene had wanted to grow; and a pink tomato named The Ponderosa Pink.

This weekend, we planted Broccoli (Calabrese Green Sprouting and Rapini), White Hailstone Radish, Shogoin Turnips and Dwarf Bok Choy. This week, I plant to start tomatoes and eggplant indoors, then move them to our cold frame. The tomatoes we want to grow are Beauty King, Brandywine, Golden Jubilee, Green Grape, Henderson's Pink Ponderosa, Cherokee Purple, Seattle's Best, Sub Arctic Plenty, and White Wax. The eggplants are Applegreen, Black Champion, Brazilian Oval Orange, and Round Mauve. I also have to decide what melons, squash and beans to grow. This is going to be a lot of fun!

Making Maple Syrup - Part II (Finishing)

2010-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

The sugaring season in over here in West Virginia. We've had some unusually warm weather and it will get even warmer this weekend. I've read that the prime tapping temperatures are above freezing during the day and below freezing at night. We went from snow and day time temperatures below 30 degrees, to 50's during the day and 40's at night. So, that made for a short season. Still, we yielded over 1 1/2 gallons of pure golden deliciousness. Next year I plan to tap more sugar maple trees on our farm. Once you get set up to boil down the sap, a couple more gallons isn't that much more work. I also want to find a long, shallow pan for evaporating the sap. The more surface area you have, the faster the water evaporates.

The hardest part of making maple syrup is the finishing process. You have to boil it till it is 7.1 degrees above the boiling point of water. Since we are over 2800 feet high in the mountains, I tested our boiling temperature with a pot of water. It boiled at 201 degrees.

After you have reached the correct temperature, you need to filter the syrup to clean out the syrup sand and other particulates. I bought a Hobby Filter kit from Sugar Bush Supplies. They were very helpful and described the process to me. I will gladly recommend them to anybody.

It's very important that the syrup stay above 180 degrees while filtering it. To keep it warm and filter at the same time, I used my juicer. It has a strainer, which I put the filters in, a pot with a hose to fill the jars, and a pan that is used like a double boiler. This way the syrup will be hot, but won't burn. After filling the jars, I processed them in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, just to be sure that they sealed.

Juicer with wool and paper filters in strainer.

Another late night.

Is it ready yet, Daddy?

Making Maple Syrup - Part I

2010-03-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

The maple sugar season is in full swing right now. I have 4 trees tapped with 2 - 3 taps per tree. Each day Liam and I collect 11 - 12 gallons of maple sap. I boiled down 20 gallons of sap yesterday and made 2 quarts of maple syrup. I put them in mason jars in the refrigerator for now. When I boil a second batch, I'll mix all of it together and put the syrup through the final filtering step.

Little farmer

Collection buckets

Boiling down the sap.

Finishing the boil indoors.

2 Quarts, ready for the final filter and to be canned.

Baking Day

2010-03-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to try a recipe for Kalamata Olive Sourdough Bread. Every since she saw it in my Artisan Bread cookbook, Jorene had been waiting for me to make it. And since I was going to have the oven warmed up, I figured I would make a day out of it and restock some items in the pantry for us.

I got the bread started early in the morning, then started on some spinach fettuccine for lunch. Since I was going to have the pasta roller out, I thought it would be a handy tool for rolling crackers for Liam. He loves eating crackers for a treat and will even bring me the container from the shelf in the pantry. Homemade crackers are so much better than store bought and I can like to make them when I am going to have the oven on anyway.

This was a basic white cracker (I wanted to make them whole wheat but forgot), with a little salt sprinkled over top.

I tried two recipes, Kalamata Olive Bread and Pecan Levain, each making two loaves.

It pairs nicely with a glass of Cabernet.

Pecan Levain

Buried in the Snow!

2010-02-24T04:38:00.001-08:00

Well, almost. I discovered this when I was checking the guest rooms this morning. The snow fell from the roof on one side of the house and buried a bedroom window and the hall window.

It's good that it is falling off the roof, because we are supposed to get another 8 - 14 inches later this week. That will put us into March! Will it ever melt?

Break in the Weather

2010-02-21T04:05:00.000-08:00

We finally got a break in the weather this weekend and were able to get outside. This weekend, it is forecast to be above freezing with Sunday being in the upper 40's. My family was getting cabin fever from being stuck inside for such a long and cold winter. Even the animals enjoyed the break and got outside to play.

Liam loves his cats, Clem and Georgia.

Hope had a blast running up and down the driveway. She isn't much of a "cold weather" dog, especially when the snow is over her head.

Saturday, we went to our friends' house to cut firewood. We were completely out, and they were almost out. It has been unseasonably cold this winter and everybody has gone through a lot of firewood. Our friend, Scott, was cutting wood at his father's farm next door. When he had a truckload, he stopped by to see what we were doing. He pitched in and helped for several hours. That's what's great about the country. Neighbors and friends help each other without needing asked.

I also started breeding our rabbits this weekend. I put a doe in with the buck yesterday and today. The normal gestation period is 31 days, so we should see litters around the 25th of March. The bunnies will stay with their mothers for six weeks and then will be transferred to field pens for another six weeks.

Today, we all went out to tap our sugar maple trees for sap. Although we have over 2 dozen sugar maple trees in our woods, I only have 3 taps and buckets for collection. I'd like to get more equipment next year, a little more at a time.

Liam loved being outside and helping me set the taps.

On the first day, after 4 hours, I collected over 1 gallon of sap from the three taps. The weather will be above freezing for a couple more days, then it is supposed to get cold again. At least we are finally seeing signs of spring.

Winter on the Farm

2010-02-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

Winter keeps hammering us here on the Farm. After putting Liam to bed last night, I cleared 10 inches of snow with the snowblower. This morning, we had another 5 inches of new snow. The seven day forecast calls for, you guessed it, snow every day.

View from the rabbit/chicken house. I wade through this snow several times a day to check on the animals.

This is the new snow from the last 2 weeks. Our part of West Virginia has received over 115 inches of snow, a record. We are about 20 degrees below normal right now.

Welcome, to our Winter Wonderland!

If you like snowy pictuers, I created an album of more winter photos on our Facebook page. I hope you enjoy them.

Seed Starting

2010-02-08T04:08:00.000-08:00

Finally! It's time to plant some seeds. I've been waiting for this moment ever since the seed catalogs started arriving and tempting me with their delightful treasures. Our first order for seeds came from Johnny Seeds and a couple of treats from Thomas at A Growing Tradition.

From Thomas, I received Cherokee Purple Tomato, Bok Choy Extra Dwarf, and Bok Choy Shanghai. Thank you, Thomas.

From Johnny Seeds, I ordered Encore Lettuce Mix, Upton Leeks, Pac Choi (Black Summer and Joi Choi), Bunching Onions (Evergreen Hardy White and Deep Purple), Sugar Snap Peas, and Strike Shelling Peas.

I started the lettuce and leeks indoors, under lights. I set up some shelves next to our wood stove where I can be certain the soil will be at least 60 degrees.

Lettuce seeds, waiting to germinate

One packet of leeks seeds, sown and preparing to emerge.

As soon as this latest round of snow goes away (we just got another 2 feet), I plan to build a cold frame to start seeds of onions, choys, lettuce and cabbages. The peas I will plant directly in some raised beds under row covers.

Remodeling our Pantry and Root Cellar

2010-02-03T04:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, we remodeled our kitchen here at the lodge. It was a dramatic improvement both in efficiency and style. Since then, we have wanted to remodel our pantry and a back room area to make them more organized and useful. The pantry is a big room, with shelves, cabinets, an extra refrigerator and cooler, 2 freezers and utility sink. Our two problems with this room was that it was cluttered and gets hot in the summer. We want the appliances moved out and new shelves built to hold all of our canned goods and supplies.

Canning supplies and food sitting everywhere.

Extra appliances

The back room area has the laundry area, a utility room with sink and shelves for the cleaning supplies, a bathroom, and a hallway. We hate all of the little rooms and crowded space and want to open it up to make one large room. Since it is below ground level and stays below 50 degrees, even in the summer, I plan to make this our root cellar.

Crowded hallway with limited shelving for canned goods.

Cramped utility room. This is a real pain when the four of us are trying to get cleaning supplies from here after a group has checked out of the lodge.

Bathroom with 2 toilets!?

Unused shower, just wasted space that could be utilized better.

Other view of cramped hallway.

Stairs leading down to the rooms. The cramped utility room is ahead and the washer and two dryers are underneath the stairs.

Our goals for the root cellar are:

open it and make it less crowded
move the extra appliances back here since it is cooler
create room for storing vegetables in the winter

We're very excited about this remodel. I already started knocking down the wall in the hallway and the shower. I'll post more photos as the remodel progresses.

An Alternative to the Cornish Cross

2010-01-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

For years, we have raised chickens here on the farm, both for meat and eggs. The standard breed to raise for meat is the Cornish Cross. It is the same bird that the major producers raise and has been bred for quick development and large breast size. Wanting the best quality meat that we can produce, we raised our birds on pasture and supplemented their feed with locally milled grain, free of animal by-products and chemicals. Last year, I built several pens following the model of Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms, and moved this every day so they would have fresh pasture.

Over the years, though, the Cornish Cross has been hybridized and genetically manipulated by the poultry industry to suit their confined farming style. The Cornish Cross has been bred to put on weight at an astronomical rate, reaching 5 pounds of live weight by 42 days of age. The aim was to produce a bird that basically sits, eats, and grows quickly while producing a lot of breast meat. However, this incredible fast growth is detrimental to the birds welfare and health. Since they have been selected for high muscle-to-bone ratio, the Cornish Cross bird often suffers from joint, ligament, and muscle problems as well as hock burn and other skin ailments. Their heavy weight makes them prone to heart strain and sudden heart failure. Their immune systems have been compromised through selective breeding, and they are susceptible to many infectious diseases. Due to these health concerns, the common practice is to keep the birds on antibiotics their entire, short life. Because of all of these problems, the Animal Welfare Approved association has determined that the Cornish Cross breed "is inherently flawed as a high-welfare pasture-raised bird," and they are encouraging small farmers like us to experiment with other breeds that do not have the problems that the Cornish Cross have.

This year, I am going to switch to an alternative breed of bird to raise for meat. Freedom Ranger Chickens are derived from the American and European old heritage breed of chicken and was developed in the early 1960’s to meet the highest standards of the French Label Rouge Free Range program. Currently, the Freedom Ranger genetic stock is used by most non-factory farm production models (alternative) all across Europe and also by small pastured poultry producers in search of a traditionally raised farm chicken. They are naturally better suited to the higher welfare and all true natural rearing systems (full pasturing, free range, organic, certified, backyard etc.…). They reach 5 to 6 pounds live weight in 9 to 11 weeks. Because they are allowed to grow longer, their meat is more tender and firm. They are also bred for flavor rather than rapid muscle-to-bone ratio. Therefore, they are highly sought after by chefs. As always, our chickens will be pasture-raised, giving them the benefits of exercise and sunshine. I plan to house them in a movable coop with temporary fencing, giving them more space for free range pasturing. We will also continue to feed them with locally milled grains free of antibiotics and animal by-products.

We put several dozen chickens in our freezer from last summer, and are still eating them. I like to roast a bird once a week. We get several meals from the meat, and I put the bones in a pot of water with scrap vegetables to make fresh, natural chicken stock. I generally can get 3 - 4 quarts of chicken stock from 1 chicken.

Starting a Sourdough Starter

2010-01-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my lovely wife got me a book I had been asking for, Artisan Baking.

I love baking our bread, and wanted to learn to make crusty artisan bread this winter, especially sourdough bread. This is a wonderful book, filled with plenty of good recipes and tips for making great artisan bread. I got started by following the directions in the book for making a sourdough starter. After a week of feeding, I realized that this wasn't growing the way it should. The temperature in our kitchen was too cool.

So, I started over. This time, I decided to follow the tutorial at Sourdough Home for making a sourdough starter. They have a wonderful tutorial on their website, which they have refined over the years. I won't recreate the steps here. If your interested in making a sourdough starter, I recommend reading their tutorial.

Here is my starter after 3 days of feeding. I put my starter on a rack that I had set up near our wood stove. I intend to start my seeds on here also, since it is usually above 74 degrees near the stove.

Each day, I discard half of the starter and feed it again with 1/4 cup of water and 3/8 cup of stone ground rye flour. The idea is to keep feeding the starter for a week and it will double in size each day. I discard half of the starter because, if I didn't, it would quickly balloon out of control.

Recently, I read a post on one of my favorite blogs, Chiot's Run, for sourdough pancakes. Not wanting to wait until my sourdough starter was finished, I thought this might be a good use for the starter that I discard each day. I mixed up a batch and let it rest overnight. The next morning, we feasted on sourdough pancakes and homemade sausage.

I can't wait for my starter to be ready so I can bake some bread.

Beer Braised Bear Roast

2010-01-27T10:13:00.001-08:00

Today, I decided to cook a bear roast that some friends had given us. It was small roast, 3.5 lbs. and boneless. Since bear meat needs to cook long and slow to get tender, I decided to braise it with some root vegetables.

The ingredients:

1 bear roast
1-2 thick slices of bacon, cut into cubes
2-3 garlic cloves
1 rutabaga
3 medium potatoes
4 carrots
1 bottle of dark beer, an ale or stout

In a dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 and cut the vegetables into 2-inch cubes. Coat the bear roast with salt and pepper. When the bacon is crisp, remove it to a small plate to drain.

Turn the heat up to high. Add the garlic cloves. Brown the bear roast on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, scraping the bottom of the dutch oven while it cooks. When it is brown, add the beer and simmer for 1 minute. I used a Nut Brown Ale from Mountaineer Brewing company. Add the vegetables, cover and put in the oven for 1.5 hours.

Roast, straight from the oven.

Remove the roast and vegetables to a serving platter and place the dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water. Whisk cornstarch mix into the stock and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes until it is thick.

One serving of bear roast with root vegetables and gravy.

Yum, bear roast.

If you can get a bear roast sometime, I hope you try this recipe. This recipe, and many more, can be found on our website.

The New Growing Challenge

2010-01-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

I just signed us up for The Growing Challenge, Extreme Edition. The rules are:

Grow 3 crops from seed this year
Plant the seeds in 3 new people
Tell your story
Make it seed to seed

We are getting ready to start buying our seeds and starting seeds indoors and outdoors in our low tunnels. All of our seeds will be non-hybrid and non-GMO. Look for upcoming posts as we get started.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-01-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

One of the things I like to do for us is to make my own laundry detergent. It's really simple, economical, and environmentally friendly. The recipe is easy and the ingredients are few.

1 bar of natural soap, grated, 4 oz.
1 cup of Washing Soda
1 1/2 cups of Borax powder
1 two gallon or larger bucket for storing the detergent

Here are the ingredients, all natural and cheap. You can use unscented or scented natural soap, or you can make your own essential oils from herbs and flowers, (that's another post). The unscented detergent can be hypoallergenic.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan with 6 cups of water. Heat until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. Use 1/2 cup per load.

Here is the final mixture, before it has gelled. I made this batch while cooking breakfast this morning, it's that easy and quick. A two gallon batch of laundry detergent costs less than $3.00. We buy our bars of soap for $2.50. The boxes of Borax and Washing Soda each cost less than $3.00 and are enough for many batches of detergent.

Overnight Whole Wheat Waffles

2010-01-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

I like to make homemade waffles for my family because they are easy to make and far better than store bought waffles. This recipe is really easy and is best if you start it the night before. In a pinch, you could make this recipe at the last minute and just bake them immediately.

The ingredients are:
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 cp. whole wheat flour
1 cp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tblsp. sugar
2 cps. milk
8 tblsp. (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
oil for brushing on waffle iron
2 eggs

Before going to bed, combine the dry ingredients and stir in the milk, then the butter and vanilla. The mixture will be loose. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside overnight at room temperature.

The next morning, brush the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat it. Separate the eggs and stir the yolks into the batter. Beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.

Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your iron. Serve immediately, or let cool on baking rack. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month, although ours have never lasted that long. Pop them into the toaster to reheat.

Golden brown and toasty, yet light and fluffy inside. These waffles will melt in your mouth.

Whole wheat waffles, fresh breakfast sausage, juice and a banana. Yummy!

This recipe, and more, can be found on our website.

Taking Care of the Animals in Winter

2010-01-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

During the winter, I house the rabbits and hens in the large pens that used to be the tiger shelters when the lodge was a zoo. It has chain link fence on three sides, and faces southwest, so they are sheltered from the colder winds from the north. Unfortunately, it doesn't get much sunshine, so it stays cool in there all winter. The chickens have a heated water tank, but it is not practical for the five individual water bottles I need for the rabbits. So, I walk down to the pens 2-3 times a day, carrying a bucket of boiling water, to thaw the rabbits' water bottles. This hadn't bothered me, until we got snow a month ago that has continued and won't go away. Now I wade through waist deep snow everyday to get to the pens. It doesn't help shoveling a path, because the wind just drifts it back over. We have a base layer of over 4 feet right now, after last nights additional 8 inches. Tonight we are expected to get another 6 inches. Oh joy!

Here is a rabbit in her pen with fresh water and hay to keep warm.

The rabbits are housed on the left side, with the clear plastic to block the wind. I have kept the chicken side opened for them. But this weekend we saw night time temperatures near zero, so I thought they might like a little extra protection for a couple of days. When the snow starts to melt, I'll clear some of the grass in front of the pen for the chickens. I let them free range, even in the winter. They don't care much for deep snow though.

Snow Day

2009-12-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

Well, the weatherman was way off the mark for this storm. He had predicted 6 - 12 inches of snow, and we got 26 inches! Fortunately, we had planned to spend the day indoors, baking Christmas cookies. So, we went to the store yesterday to buy a few ingredients we didn't have on hand. After breakfast, we got started baking. Jorene made Coconut-Macadamia, Chocolate Chip-Almond, and Cake Mix cookies; while I made Ginger Snaps and biscotti.

These recipes, and more, can be found on our recipes page.

Jorene likes to put a variety of cookies in colorful boxes for our friends each year.

Merry Christmas to all!

The Growing Challenge

2009-12-14T05:04:00.000-08:00

We have decided to participate in The Growing Challenge next year. The requirements are simple.

1. Grow one additional type of fruit or vegetable than you did last year, and grow it from seed.
2. If rule #1 is not enough of a challenge for you, you may make your own rules.
3. Post about gardening once each week.
4. Check in every week at 1 Green Generation.
5. When signing up, make sure to include your zone and where you’re located.

More specific guidelines are available when you sign up. Since we already grow our garden, mostly, from seed and save a lot of seed, we will add a new challenge. Next year we want to extend our growing season using hoop houses and, hopefully, a green house. This will move us closer to our goal of self-sufficiency and eating only what we have raised, grown, hunted or traded for locally. I encourage everybody to grow a garden and join in the challenge.

Farm Roundup

2009-12-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've written. My goal next year is to post once a week. If I get into a habit with it, I'm sure I can keep it up. But it is time now for a farm review of the animals we raised this year.

The turkeys were a new addition to our farm this year. I raised 3 Broad Breasted White Turkeys, 2 toms and 1 hen. They were an absolute joy to raise.

I started them in a brooder house with broiler chickens. They looked much like the broilers, except for a longer neck. But, at 3 weeks, I could pick out the toms. They were strutting around, wings stretched out and trying to look big. It was hilarious. I moved them to the field at 8 weeks, later than the chickens because they were growing slower. Once they were in the fields, though, they showed their value as pastured animals. They will eat about 60% of their diet from the pasture (grass and bugs), which cut their feed bill down quite a bit. I supplemented their diet with a locally milled poultry finisher feed. In fact, all of our feed is locally milled and doesn't contain animal by-products, antibiotics or growth hormones.

I kept the turkeys in a movable pen and poultry fencing. The pen was very heavy and hard to move without assistance, so it needs some modifications before next season. The fencing was step-in posts with 4' high poultry netting. This worked fine for the turkeys until 18 weeks, or so. At that point, they were all at least 25 lbs. and just pushed the fence over. What was great, was that they would follow me back to their pen whenever they got out. Next year I will use electrified poultry netting to keep them safe from wandering and from predators.

I butchered them in time for Thanksgiving, at 24 weeks. The toms dressed out at 37 and 40 lbs. and the hen at 25 lbs! And they were delicious. We were very pleased with them.

I will definitely raise turkeys again next year. I'd like to try butchering them at different times to get some smaller sizes. I'd also like to make ground turkey for turkey sausage. They are far superior to raising broiler chickens because of their higher consumption of pasture, less prone to predator attacks and friendliness. They are one of my favorites.

I also started raising rabbits this year. I purchased 2 does and 1 buck from Polyface Farms in May, as well as a mixed breed doe from a local farmer. We raised several litters, putting them out to pasture in field pens at 6 weeks. The rabbits are another favorite of mine. Their field pens are tremendously easy to build and move and they are a joy to watch in the fields. Guests at our lodge loved watching the rabbits and feeding them grass. At 12 weeks, they typically dress out at 4 lbs., which is a great meal for our family. Liam, our 1 year old, loves roasted rabbit and will eat all that we put on his plate. If you would like to try rabbit, here is our favorite recipe.

We had to cull one doe from our breeding stock. I bred her twice but she didn't produce a litter. I also lost a litter because I didn't put the nest box in for the doe early enough. She gave birth that night and left the babies outside the box. When I found them the next morning they were cold and lost. I know now to put the box in a week before the planned due date.

Other than those setbacks, we have been very pleased with raising rabbits on pasture. They are easy to raise, consume a lot of grass and garden scraps which cuts back on their feed bill, provide us with clean manure for the gardens, and are a good meal. By comparison, they are far superior to chickens for meat.

Once again, we raised hogs. This year, I had some friends who were interested in whole or half hogs, so we raised 5 hogs. I bought them from a local farmer at 225 lbs. and finished them to over 300 lbs. I kept them corralled in a pen next to our barn, but would like to one day pasture them in our woods and fields. We have about 8 acres of land behind our lodge filled with hickory, beech, and oak trees. I hope next year to finish the hogs there, using electric fence to keep them contained.

This year, I learned how to butcher a hog, thus cutting down on our costs. This wasn't as hard as I thought it might be. I believe I got a better product than when I took them to a butcher last year. I kept 2 hogs for us, from which I made 60 lbs. of sausage, 30 lbs. of bacon, dry-cured hams, wet-cured hams and lots of roasts, tenderloin, chops and ribs.

I raised broiler chickens again this year and put them in field pens similar to the design at Polyface Farms. I had a major predator problem with raccoons, though. The raccoons pulled chickens through the 1 inch mesh wire and dug under the bottom rungs to grab legs and wings. I finally moved the remaining chickens into a shed and started setting traps for the raccoons. This summer I killed over 2 dozen raccoons and I don't think that is all of them. We are surrounded by hundreds of acres of woods, so I'm sure they will be around all of the time. My only solution is to surround the field pens with electric fence.

The chickens, though, are my least favorite to raise. They're smelly, even in the field pens, their stupid, and prone to predator attacks (much more so than the other animals). By comparison, rabbits and turkeys are much more enjoyable. Roast rabbit is just the same as chicken and I can make stock from the turkeys. The only reason I would see to raising chickens next year would be for fried chicken. So we'll see if I raise them again.