tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74730299140154901112024-03-19T16:28:11.831-06:00whiteplum farmUrban living celebrating agricultural roots.
Grow organically.
Eat locally.
Love God.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-2479567325527894952023-01-09T11:31:00.000-07:002023-01-09T11:31:11.677-07:00Left the Mile-High City<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy1N43Ig0wxm4Q1-r2u7A-U9wjCP-Qrx4_xuJVaw6PNzt6K3Ter6ki3lZS5OoBMXONyJaNnlv9rLlP8fwa7xA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
Just a year ago about this time we contemplated moving away from the developer-driven environment where we were holding our own in the 'new climate' of extremes. I had already planted my garlic and Al had ordered a million onion sets for the spring. (or maybe 200). In our new environment we live in the land of grass. We fairly quickly removed an area of lawn to grow some food. We dug in many bags of compost from the town's composted waste site (people warn us of weeds, but don't weeds happen anyway?) We got our soil tested and found it to be trather acidic, so dug in 50 pounds of lime. Manure in the great state of Iowa is elusive--farmers seem to use their manure and hobby gardeners (like they did in the mile-high city) often buy it in bags. I am holding out to maintain my old mantra: "don't pay for poop".
Somebody gave us extra tomatillos and hubby brought a bushel of green chiles back from Colorado to freeze. We've become acquainted with the farmer's market (people grow a lot of good things), and have enjoyed many sightings of the white-tailed squirrel. It rains and the soil is loamy. We're learning new plants that pop up. Life is good. But the tap water tastes bad especially in the summer due to the farm run-off. Don't mourn, organize!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpIZIeQSz1-ju4mQTKcLTgTiono2EGUVHhTqLK44yG-k6pJHpiA4qIPntG60WsuadTnbwbAQ3cxb1FvB_YEyQexbRpSRmLe3E267h34PfLujxFczKiMtBraQv6slIqj9z6Qe0Getf5yZIeueKUdop4zVzQKG2BStuki6FmyQNDbvqktae5KztYcRh/s640/IMG_1720.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpIZIeQSz1-ju4mQTKcLTgTiono2EGUVHhTqLK44yG-k6pJHpiA4qIPntG60WsuadTnbwbAQ3cxb1FvB_YEyQexbRpSRmLe3E267h34PfLujxFczKiMtBraQv6slIqj9z6Qe0Getf5yZIeueKUdop4zVzQKG2BStuki6FmyQNDbvqktae5KztYcRh/s320/IMG_1720.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJUPV0OtML89jlIKBsPaDjLDEd5VRx_-Zt93_Fa1vXK9_R4hgWmuo9n0pJyg-GhcxDtUHt-1XlpIw10JSemA4IcGmOH0CCQ8geOHe0dQkRx0k9WwbTYVFMA1yfPCaQWeF5nU5FjHT1sgYxPnEoIL7liKR8ALNShAEk8N2PvIRv1rZCVivNTA_jsiM/s640/IMG_1879.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJUPV0OtML89jlIKBsPaDjLDEd5VRx_-Zt93_Fa1vXK9_R4hgWmuo9n0pJyg-GhcxDtUHt-1XlpIw10JSemA4IcGmOH0CCQ8geOHe0dQkRx0k9WwbTYVFMA1yfPCaQWeF5nU5FjHT1sgYxPnEoIL7liKR8ALNShAEk8N2PvIRv1rZCVivNTA_jsiM/s320/IMG_1879.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxYHj9nWwDWhj0hrsg68bXf5GSrjbnjvc8ft35DZS0MtBZJnQdonwR9wm7YkFyorIMNv87k6zbtiTdqMXtZVtLk_ubR28iPQKl1qpGnlF-1LaDqoH_hEYOujPJra6KG9ap5FJfBptaAtnIM_xn1LS9S-XyfAxdSh_W2tO4Qv2dtziGav7KInazRRm/s640/IMG_2065.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; ">whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-49954308018650599332015-01-27T21:21:00.000-07:002015-01-27T21:31:42.416-07:00What We Did Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYYC_ZTq-5J7MHgGF2WOM4SZsS25hGixRtVKE_pbJJ9oLSf2yi65gnT1VQIEMCz3Ws50yXaMti1rALbi8Br2T1a3rjJ8lrqoCxzX548Li7yUC4SVtgVScJXEdDL67kKK02TowCeK5bGU/s1600/IMG_2265%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYYC_ZTq-5J7MHgGF2WOM4SZsS25hGixRtVKE_pbJJ9oLSf2yi65gnT1VQIEMCz3Ws50yXaMti1rALbi8Br2T1a3rjJ8lrqoCxzX548Li7yUC4SVtgVScJXEdDL67kKK02TowCeK5bGU/s1600/IMG_2265%5B1%5D.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Mom said she missed reading this, so I will enter a post today. Here are some things we did at Whiteplum Farm today.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgjGQ3QvxF3IMRsi9hUptzpW8teI6KnhVN-IC4DVATt5kjeWnW6pAzVQfH7iYnLIJiFxM7Nh24VZM2FDXtET91NjQsxA_IXHot4LyGAOb_GzHo61zy_hwt7GHHvcr00IhVQdnosYhzG0/s1600/IMG_2275%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgjGQ3QvxF3IMRsi9hUptzpW8teI6KnhVN-IC4DVATt5kjeWnW6pAzVQfH7iYnLIJiFxM7Nh24VZM2FDXtET91NjQsxA_IXHot4LyGAOb_GzHo61zy_hwt7GHHvcr00IhVQdnosYhzG0/s1600/IMG_2275%5B1%5D.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
First, the day was just darn glorious--70 degrees. We took a trip to one of our favorite poo sources, a bunny rescue, really a lovely bunny retirement home. We loaded and packed our 4 cylinder pick-up with the awesome side panels tightly full of bunny mulch (the bunnies' signature byproduct plus bedding of wood chips or ground paper or straw). <br />
No picture of the truck, but here is one of the gardens we unloaded it into.<br />
The ladies were happy to scratch around in it because it came pre-loaded with red wigglers and chicken delicacies. <br />
Cooked some little pumpkins in the solar oven, here they are ready to remove. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinach and some cilantro and green onions in cold frame. It's January!<br />
Earlier super-cold temps slowed things down, but we put some spinach in our omelet Sunday. </td></tr>
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whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-61876963455852310392012-12-09T09:43:00.003-07:002012-12-09T09:43:23.133-07:00<div class="post" id="post-97">
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Glorious</h2>
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A hint of snow fell last night. Even a trace felt like a miracle to inhale. So with this post we'll share a song.</div>
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Just <a href="http://www.mamuse.org/music/glorious/">click the button that says listen to song</a> to read all the lyrics and hear this song called "Glorious"--written by Karisha Longaker and sung by MaMuse (Sarah Nutting and Karisha)--that is just such a pretty meditation on the beauty of the earth and its mystery. <br />
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Oh, what a day! Glorious!<br />
All the clouds<br />
Have gathered round<br />
The tops of trees<br />
Oh what a day! Glorious!<br />
Pitter patter<br />
Fallin’ rain I can’t believe<br />
All that’s green<br />
Lifts up its leaves<br />
Singin’ water come on in<br />
We’ve been waiting all these days<br />
Prayin’ you would come to quench<br />
Every yearnin’ in our bones<br />
Water, life with you begins<br />
Oh what a day</div>
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whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-84429495761328402472012-12-01T20:42:00.000-07:002012-12-01T21:05:31.011-07:00Consider the Source: Local eggs and Walmart clothesShelby Grebenc, a 13-year-old farmer expresses well in <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/athome/ci_21967690/feeling-grateful-yet-teenage-poultry-farmer-dishes-straight">this Denver Post article </a>what it
means to want to buy food that came from a known place. This
girl is not only a good businesswoman, she neatly lines out what
many may already suspect: a commitment to buying sustainable food
is simply not going to be something one can do at Walmart.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b><i>"</i><span id="redesign_default"><i>If you want sustainable, wholesome,
pasture-raised organic, hormone- and antibiotic-free food, you have to
support it. You can not get these things by talking about it and not
paying for it."</i> </span></b></span></blockquote>
Speaking of Walmart, this week a plant in Bangladesh making clothing for Walmart, Sears and Disney burned while locked exits kept workers in the 8 story building from escaping: 112 died.<br />
The <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2012/1126/Deadly-Bangladesh-garment-factory-fire-spotlights-poor-working-conditions-video">Christian Science Monitor </a>reported
this week that between 1990 and 2012 at least 33 fires in Bangladeshi
clothing factories have claimed 500 lives, according to the Bangladesh
Garment Manufacturers and Exporters. Despite strong laws written into
Bangladesh law, to date none of these factory fires have had conclusive
investigations and no one has been held responsible. <br />
<a href="http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/images/life/TriangleShirtwaist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" id="il_fi" src="http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/images/life/TriangleShirtwaist.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="400" /></a>In 1911, 146 workers, mostly immigrant women, died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, a fire that started on the 8th floor of the 10<i>-</i>story building where the clothing factory was located. Company co-owners were charged with
manslaughter, but not convicted. The Triangle fire sparked many protections for worker health and safety<i>,</i> and accelerated worker organizing in the early part of the 20th century. <br />
We can only hope
the publicity of this recent Asian fire generates 21st century global economy
consciousness. People should not have to sacrifice their lives this way
to feed their families, and consumers of goods should not
condone this kind of slavery.<br />
Change comes hard.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-57514969652624366512012-11-04T21:59:00.003-07:002012-11-04T22:13:47.435-07:00Buy Local. Directly from the farmer if possible. Don't flush every time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We just saw the film Queen of the Bees, an interesting and alarming documentary about bees and the urgency of their survival to the whole of the ecosystem. We humans have been disrespectful of the gifts of the earth. The film conveys the stark wrongness of miles and miles of almond groves which bees (who have miraculous directional instincts when left to their own devices) are trucked across the country to pollinate.<br />
A week after we saw this film we saw Last Call at the Oasis, a scary movie about the source and lack of water. Like the Bee movie, this documentary about water focused on water wasted and polluted by industrial agriculture. They didn't forget Las Vegas either. <br />
In between the movies we visited our friends Val and Mark who manage the land at Shii Koeii (“She-Ko-eh,” Jicarilla Apache for “the people's water”) in Gardner Colorado. (Click the arrow in the middle of the sunflower to play shii koeii's kickstarter video). <iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1852343346/shii-koeii-community-farm-raw-honey-for-the-people/widget/video.html" width="480"> </iframe><br />
Here the land is fully respected and lived on without waste. An electric wire surrounds the beehives to deter the bears, but the bees are free to do the job they do so well, succeeding even in a bone dry year. Human waste is reused in a system that fertilizes trees instead of using water to flush it away to a treatment plant. Seeds are saved to be reused again next year, un-beholden to Monsanto for their version of seed. The straw bale, adobe dwelling place emerged from the earth and holds the heat from the sun; no gas is required to heat this home. Solar panels on the chicken house and a single windmill provide electric power.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDEJKx3iFmEY7FyXQIe5BjRyDsPsI0yRWZGYPxSaEOgIzqIQPyTSANEufuAd-9wxrhRSBtTGQdj0hJzalMv5lZ6M-K5FfSm8nAU6k5guyfk3tzGAVjo4SCtOKoAu5c5OlPjMwWSDpVcg/s1600/oct+2012+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDEJKx3iFmEY7FyXQIe5BjRyDsPsI0yRWZGYPxSaEOgIzqIQPyTSANEufuAd-9wxrhRSBtTGQdj0hJzalMv5lZ6M-K5FfSm8nAU6k5guyfk3tzGAVjo4SCtOKoAu5c5OlPjMwWSDpVcg/s200/oct+2012+055.jpg" width="200" /></a>Meantime, we learned that Royal Dutch Shell is buying up the water rights in the Gardner area, presumably to use hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas. The little Huerfano "River", which the goats are pictured drinking from in the video, can't afford this.<br />
To keep this place where we live, with every step we must respect our relationship with the earth herself.<br />
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<br />whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-23017268160314801792012-10-23T21:44:00.000-06:002012-10-23T21:44:57.632-06:00Ode to Posey CrumbpackerUsually when we lose chickens it's due to the foxy foxes. <br />
Two of our chickens we know the heritage of and we got them when they were 5 weeks old (Ginger the Buff Orpington and Rocky the Plymouth Rock).<br />
<ul>
<li>One, a bantum, was given to a college student right before Christmas break as a gag gift and we ended up with it (Melanie).</li>
</ul>
Seven of our girls came from a woman who couldn't keep them anymore and she couldn't bear to separate them. <ul>
<li>Little Maudie, a white bantum with a blue beauty spot and 5 furry-looking feathered toes on each foot. </li>
<li>Three sisters of questionable heritage (Violet and Daisy the twins, and Hyacinth of lighter color). </li>
<li>A Rhode Island Red (Rose).</li>
<li>Dorothy the gynandromorph Polish hen.</li>
<li>And Posey Crumbpacker, who laid the absolute largest eggs we have ever seen.</li>
</ul>
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On Sunday we realized Posey was dead on the nest. We believe she died from being egg bound. Her eggs were not only large, but thin shelled. Had we observed she was having trouble, we could have placed her in a place of moist heat and she may have been able to pass the egg naturally, but we did not realize she was in trouble. <br />
You were a winner Posey, and we'll miss you.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-38580168266162021432012-10-17T22:33:00.000-06:002012-10-17T22:33:00.858-06:00Keep feeding the chickens, keep watering the plants.When is it time to kill the chicken?<br />
Today we collected a single egg.<br />
20 legs of unknown chicken descent are hobbling around out there.<br />
The price of corn is going to go up, has already gone up to $18 for a 50 pound bag. <br />
Here we happen to have photographed among our rescued brood, Rose, Daisy, Violet and Hyacinth (left to right, top to bottom). Probably Rose lays eggs. We aren't sure about the 3 sisters. A dilemma.<br />
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It rained about an inch here all summer. Still the year ended again, with a bountiful harvest, despite the fact that <a href="http://www.denverwx.com/wxhistory.php?date=201204">this weather site </a> shows 2.5" precipitation for May/June/July/August combined. In the garage we still have tomatoes to can and a root cellar with tomatillos I plan to process into salsa. Have enough garlic to plant (still to be done) and last through until next summer. Have jars of pickles, applesauce, jams, juice, beets; frozen bags of corn, rhubarb, peaches, beans, peas, spinach, peppers. Have pumpkins, some squash, a few cabbages. Grew a watermelon I didn't even realize was there (it was DELICIOUS). <br />
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Count it all joy.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-66039768019803321332012-09-22T23:31:00.000-06:002012-09-23T08:54:58.978-06:00Back to Eden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhfnFNMaCCgpXukOEr4U9Fth5z7VNMp3tuJGJP4CUi-iYWVdL-xZkMrF2pclSDUpWLjvJ6K2JjimXHRFJ_509m2lNfUsdheTLP83np9-5S3ijSsHwEfNyOWPDbN17KRwfu9fRZBvtMjg/s1600/sept+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhfnFNMaCCgpXukOEr4U9Fth5z7VNMp3tuJGJP4CUi-iYWVdL-xZkMrF2pclSDUpWLjvJ6K2JjimXHRFJ_509m2lNfUsdheTLP83np9-5S3ijSsHwEfNyOWPDbN17KRwfu9fRZBvtMjg/s200/sept+062.jpg" width="200" /></a>I removed a pepper from the fridge today to use in a salad and it was so pretty I felt moved to take a photo of it. Only when I cut the pepper did I realize there was a small hole in the bottom; and only when I opened the pepper did I realize there was an earwig (our nemesis) inside ...grazing.<br />
My brother-in-law sent us a link to a video the other day, it's about 2 hours long. <a href="http://vimeo.com/28055108#at=0">Back to Eden</a> chronicles use of wood mulch in organic gardening, among other things. I'm mentioning it here because there was a bit in the movie about how it's a "good thing" when vegetables have been nibbled by insects--that we should be more concerned if that <i>doesn't</i> happen. Anyway, the pepper was still great, I just cut a little out of it, and said a little prayer of thanks for all the good that has come from our garden this summer. <br />
The salad, one of my favorites for potlucks, was great. I used up the rest of 2011's frozen corn.<br />
Here's the recipe to alter as needed:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oHyCwRGyC6eVbI9MgLnX93E00kHGGGLbx_I5i9w4TYpMsAMtA-_w3WkDRRtNmjj_zv6qN1CGsNbKDe_JHqhjb7BWysXUz8ZVdu5C5BO7upRMv7-QtjawEXUrVl7B8giUebTRzfDpJAk/s1600/sept+063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oHyCwRGyC6eVbI9MgLnX93E00kHGGGLbx_I5i9w4TYpMsAMtA-_w3WkDRRtNmjj_zv6qN1CGsNbKDe_JHqhjb7BWysXUz8ZVdu5C5BO7upRMv7-QtjawEXUrVl7B8giUebTRzfDpJAk/s200/sept+063.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>2 cups cooked black beans (I cook a pot beans on weekends in the solar cooker and freeze them in smaller containers)--I rinsed the beans before using them</li>
<li>4 cups frozen corn</li>
<li>a red pepper (or green if that's what you have)</li>
<li>an onion (whatever you have)</li>
<li>1/4 c olive oil</li>
<li>1/4 c lime juice (or today I had about 1/2 a lime and 1/2 a lemon)</li>
<li>salt to taste</li>
<li>a few teaspoons of cumin powder </li>
<li>a hot pepper, or a few tablespoons of hot pepper sauce</li>
<li>sprinkle with some cilantro if desired </li>
</ul>
<br />
Mix it all up at least 1/2 hour before serving. The frozen corn will be just right and the salad will be cold for your potluck. whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-82866526976814935292012-06-17T10:47:00.000-06:002012-06-17T10:53:37.283-06:00To frack or not to frac, that is the question<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5eOZTIVqptHluyzeWN1ZpCErLr1Z7QeuStRbj523aZkIWg8jbFe_91sxaKGG-JuXp7GnprypG1LQKQEL83EM2gZSdVoeK1SbP5bJcIIH5ammUiY7kEJy_-TGN_Ol5bf-1lW5B-9Y3no/s1600/earthflag+crisis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5eOZTIVqptHluyzeWN1ZpCErLr1Z7QeuStRbj523aZkIWg8jbFe_91sxaKGG-JuXp7GnprypG1LQKQEL83EM2gZSdVoeK1SbP5bJcIIH5ammUiY7kEJy_-TGN_Ol5bf-1lW5B-9Y3no/s320/earthflag+crisis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Earth flag in crisis! The winds here have been blowing like the plains of Wyoming or Nebraska. My recent view of our earth flag caused me to pause and reflect on its symbolic image of care for the planet that sustains us. We have recently become involved with others who are concerned about the consequences of under-regulated industry, in this case oil and gas development. These neighbors were concerned about a gas well which was secretly being "fracked" near their homes. Some things I had heard about natural gas production were good: mostly, cleaner than coal. Much of what I heard about hydraulic fracturing of oil wells was bad: pollutes the ground water, pollutes the air, causes earthquakes, uses tons of clean water that cannot be recycled--a massive issue in a bio-region so short on water that farmers can't irrigate crops. <br />
Here is a link that explains hydraulic fracturing technology and responds to some of the questions and criticism of fracturing 2012. This 2011 video of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSWmXpEkEPg">Cornell professor Tony Ingraffea</a> is an hour and 45 minutes in length, but contains a lot of information about myths and truths of the "fracking" debate.<br />
<br />
The oil and gas industry tells us that methane which causes people to be able to light their tap water on fire is a naturally occurring phenomenon, even when the people whose water quality has been compromised continually testify their water was clean until the point of horizontal drilling using hydraulic fracturing technology. <br />
Colorado has over 50,000 oil and gas wells. Here is a <a href="http://www.eser.org/">map</a> showing all permitted wells, producing and not producing. Wells which are not presently producing may be up for frac-jobs. Appealing to emotionalism, here is food for thought from the middle of northeast colorado shale country: <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UHCkvN_MLxs" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Let's hear it for the renewable power of the sun. Let's hear it for clean water for livestock and people. Suffice it to say, living on earth is risky. Farming is radical. Learn what you can about what others are doing to the land we share, and why. <br />
Ask yourself who is accountable. <br />
We are.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-76382662551371624752012-03-26T22:32:00.001-06:002012-03-26T22:36:53.710-06:00Miss Posey Crumbpacker, on EggsI was talking to mom on the phone today while I was sitting outside watching the chickens have their time in the sun. Really I was trying to get them to eat the grass in the raspberries, but they didn't really understand that yet. We have a bunch of silly chickens. We got them for eggs, but the recent incursion of 7 who supposedly all were laying and a little more than a year old, prime time, have not proven to be the layers we hoped for.<br />
Anyway, I was talking to mom and mentioned that we had sold some eggs last week. She wondered how much we sold them for and I told her $3 a dozen. Mom pronounced that "too much". She said she stopped buying eggs from her neighbor Mildrid because she could get them at the store for 99 cents a dozen. <br />
I tried to explain to Mom my perspective on how value is more than the price one pays for an item at the store.<br />
I asked her if she knew that in Iowa (where she lives) a few weeks ago they passed a law making it illegal to get a job on a farm with the intention of photographing the operation. Factory farms are not the farms we all grew up with. Some people (such as the Humane Society) have made it a mission to expose some of the practices of these operations. Here is a video which is one of the ones which spurred this Iowa law.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zeOh3p8MVQE" width="560"></iframe> Now why would they need a law that discourages whistle-blowing of this nature? As the Iowa family farmer with piglets running past him on another video I saw says, "I have nothing to hide here..."<br />
I'll close now with the hope that Mom calls Mildrid for eggs. Or at least finds a way to regard where food comes from, in the mix of how food purchasing choices are made. Miss Posey Crumbpacker, layer of very large eggs, thanks you.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayLHAmL607u8bfGAfSgrxQhU4lZ-7O4UflT2Fz0a4S3m5zrnhg4HOy3SGQHxUTx0d-6r2fsaAklGnZzT4ddW7RDV8ReoXCIEac0bfzFLFW2g12vnvmDtOg54N-Km5A35YzW4qPXET5jA/s1600/posey+crumbpacker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayLHAmL607u8bfGAfSgrxQhU4lZ-7O4UflT2Fz0a4S3m5zrnhg4HOy3SGQHxUTx0d-6r2fsaAklGnZzT4ddW7RDV8ReoXCIEac0bfzFLFW2g12vnvmDtOg54N-Km5A35YzW4qPXET5jA/s320/posey+crumbpacker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-17499027454677814702012-02-03T22:06:00.000-07:002012-02-03T22:06:29.107-07:002011 Garden Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEich2XUgxHOdNMP4gQSOnySoXf-fcbhIEVt63dEqBPZXvgsuIFhjuVPbcMr0rL5wuM2ghaKVhxos7RRSh4wlrMD7zHeR24FkRQXdU_3uMx-Rbz-KLdYlTQBZ1RMf4CCWvbosMG5WjwbiNM/s1600/july5+2011+535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEGOf_RcsKLHavze0eJ4QOJluENCNmvRJCejUieCmpWdPe25LljIA4OY3KkAyTSuTTKgvO5NcSuNHUVuqy5BEIjt556lybCcDCHDtBm46hYgsBS82Uq2ToDk2aXqkKA_-rlBNo-C_jbs/s1600/aug+28%252C+2011+028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEGOf_RcsKLHavze0eJ4QOJluENCNmvRJCejUieCmpWdPe25LljIA4OY3KkAyTSuTTKgvO5NcSuNHUVuqy5BEIjt556lybCcDCHDtBm46hYgsBS82Uq2ToDk2aXqkKA_-rlBNo-C_jbs/s200/aug+28%252C+2011+028.jpg" width="200" /><span id="goog_1310542708"></span><span id="goog_1310542709"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5mT6XSc-v2Kg_hxSvHSqmBtCUejdTCQNQprUUt7aHN-mBg9AJ3eqF3jycwpR4bR9n9C6-rG9h-2nZep4JVjrKzGmj1bH48LJB3ilXN33HHPHxPlt6euVano3rByXtB5MHHocj0GxPWI/s1600/aug+28%252C+2011+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5mT6XSc-v2Kg_hxSvHSqmBtCUejdTCQNQprUUt7aHN-mBg9AJ3eqF3jycwpR4bR9n9C6-rG9h-2nZep4JVjrKzGmj1bH48LJB3ilXN33HHPHxPlt6euVano3rByXtB5MHHocj0GxPWI/s200/aug+28%252C+2011+031.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CHfoxWJbfx2rrHA6DmtKAG2NH461n-BYMvqyQewmeUVEpp5pnsoXRehTM-YVMsHZ-sijLobUcrJonCqOJEh9JJUgbJgGcBS1MEIc_G0hImcsZ_KXv5yrulhKOhDOT2NgxdwqcnKZ6ZM/s1600/nov+13-2011+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CHfoxWJbfx2rrHA6DmtKAG2NH461n-BYMvqyQewmeUVEpp5pnsoXRehTM-YVMsHZ-sijLobUcrJonCqOJEh9JJUgbJgGcBS1MEIc_G0hImcsZ_KXv5yrulhKOhDOT2NgxdwqcnKZ6ZM/s200/nov+13-2011+007.jpg" width="200" /></a>Had friends for dinner this week and Jerry brought some arugula and spinach leaves from his garden. He asked "how our garden was" this year. Funny how easy it is to hesitate with that question. Or maybe forget the bounty we had. Why didn't I say we had our first watermelons ever? And our first canteloupes? We are still enjoying acorn squash.<br />
There is nothing more satisfying and practical than having a store of spinach stashed in the freezer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuRlrgyv5KegIV4mAnXYRABqu-0soHXgKeyrj47jD6EIe2r0pkOWa2wdfcT5NQwqYSuuAQwgUg0-j2DlGRprm2uQ9dL3JVds6EfxWMTkpFNY7l3M_2jL8CtjZgVK9SvpEQGIb22q_dMk/s1600/bad+example+garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuRlrgyv5KegIV4mAnXYRABqu-0soHXgKeyrj47jD6EIe2r0pkOWa2wdfcT5NQwqYSuuAQwgUg0-j2DlGRprm2uQ9dL3JVds6EfxWMTkpFNY7l3M_2jL8CtjZgVK9SvpEQGIb22q_dMk/s200/bad+example+garlic.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIsiPvNxkvlx6DOJeKyuRCDtu3jInagtDCpuKR5JiwtCVlhM-72UHZgEMN3Yv-VvCMnO8soDch1KLqdths6i9Np8xix8U3iMrK6GVa_A_ICTiubFIkmPgzyooUmrUG0t_6YVuWRm8iCQ/s1600/nov+13-2011+009.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIsiPvNxkvlx6DOJeKyuRCDtu3jInagtDCpuKR5JiwtCVlhM-72UHZgEMN3Yv-VvCMnO8soDch1KLqdths6i9Np8xix8U3iMrK6GVa_A_ICTiubFIkmPgzyooUmrUG0t_6YVuWRm8iCQ/s200/nov+13-2011+009.jpg" width="200" /></a>We ate fresh salsa this week with our locally grown tomatoes and jalapenos, and tomatoes in both frozen and canned forms for lots of things. (Did not do the sun-dry experiment this year, unfortunately). We have corn and bell peppers in the bag. We have grapes in the jar. We have garlic in the basement. We still have basil in a pot. We have honey in the comb, a process we understand better than we did when we received it. We gave tomatillo salsa and plum jam for Christmas. Finished the onions, could have used more. Garlic got harvested too late and split, but we are still using it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghg3NYPtqroxEiRfRCVWSyi8f-HtFn5wO9jT4YOnnakrOneapSS9-j3k04EcESWojXVQF8OmHuC17D0-NzcFysBPdEOmW3kgR2pidtiNNBW9qjicM9f4WdTySa1GWHfUfb7bD-Lvr7qgs/s1600/nov+13-2011+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghg3NYPtqroxEiRfRCVWSyi8f-HtFn5wO9jT4YOnnakrOneapSS9-j3k04EcESWojXVQF8OmHuC17D0-NzcFysBPdEOmW3kgR2pidtiNNBW9qjicM9f4WdTySa1GWHfUfb7bD-Lvr7qgs/s200/nov+13-2011+059.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>A world of carrots never sprouted due to watering issues and planting too late. The boys say they don't want to plant sweet potatoes next year, but seeing this picture makes me think they're silly. Paid almost $1 each for them last week. White potatoes (actually yukon gold) were OK, but not outstanding. Had worm problems for the first time ever. Went through about 9 chickens (give or take) but would not trade any of it. <br />
<br />
"It was an OK year."<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEich2XUgxHOdNMP4gQSOnySoXf-fcbhIEVt63dEqBPZXvgsuIFhjuVPbcMr0rL5wuM2ghaKVhxos7RRSh4wlrMD7zHeR24FkRQXdU_3uMx-Rbz-KLdYlTQBZ1RMf4CCWvbosMG5WjwbiNM/s1600/july5+2011+535.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEich2XUgxHOdNMP4gQSOnySoXf-fcbhIEVt63dEqBPZXvgsuIFhjuVPbcMr0rL5wuM2ghaKVhxos7RRSh4wlrMD7zHeR24FkRQXdU_3uMx-Rbz-KLdYlTQBZ1RMf4CCWvbosMG5WjwbiNM/s200/july5+2011+535.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The July 4 Derailer Bike Collective chickens.<br />
Snowball, Rocky, Ginger, and the girl who only lasted a day. <br />
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</tbody></table>whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-88628500101078898412011-08-29T21:28:00.000-06:002011-08-29T21:28:04.538-06:00Rocky Mountain Bee Weed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMRfGzB0yo3gFR4OEjrKOLq0feIAJzOGZpjxUf1j7RtUq6b8AWOmYm7hNbYp153z5eMt3ETAU4mS63CY29jVCkv6lABKoiZ50GFh-egxyRGQWa9OIgQwcos_Wymy6NULUuCRGhfbMH7U/s1600/bees+lovin+it+8-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMRfGzB0yo3gFR4OEjrKOLq0feIAJzOGZpjxUf1j7RtUq6b8AWOmYm7hNbYp153z5eMt3ETAU4mS63CY29jVCkv6lABKoiZ50GFh-egxyRGQWa9OIgQwcos_Wymy6NULUuCRGhfbMH7U/s400/bees+lovin+it+8-15.jpg" style="font-family: inherit;" width="400" /></a>The bees love this stuff!<br />
Last year we had a single flowering weed, which bloomed late in the summer. The weed was huge, maybe 7' tall. It was allowed to remain established because it appeared overnight and was covered with bees--they loved it! The plant put out seeds in pods--must be a legume, also good for the soil. There might have been 2000 tiny seeds in each pod. <br />
I knew as soon as I saw the bees went for it that we needed this plant. In the spring it came up everywhere--it was easy to tell that this was my plant. I thinned some out, but left a large bank of what I now know to be "Rocky Mountain Bee Weed". <br />
Wikipedia informs reader <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cleome serrulata </i></span>is used in the southwestern U.S. as a food, medicine, or dye.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleome_serrulata#cite_note-6"><span></span></a></sup> It is called <i>waa’</i> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_language" title="Navajo language">Navajo language</a>. The <a href="http://www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal/habitat/native/wildflowers/rocky.htm">National Wildlife Refuge Rocky Mountain Arsenal </a>web page tells that <span class="style14"><span class="style5 style2 style43 style46">bees and insects are attracted to the rich nectar from the blossoms of this native plant, and that the seeds are often consumed by morning doves. Among other uses, the site recommends boiling the leaves as greens, eating the seeds or making them into flour. I just want all bee-keepers to let some of these grow in their alleys. If there's any rain at all, you probably won't need to water.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ky9YURKWYo-XsJNu7Prdw1RJBlWIVuAECkEcMbbIvxLCRgWcF3xdsGZCyeDodwE3XYLaDhHARZGw0n4LfpwG0W-a36CM8aw4G1mQ7UP7QVK9TavQVcaVBnidVyrKTd3zeEW2o1TrhEc/s1600/aug+28%252C+2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ky9YURKWYo-XsJNu7Prdw1RJBlWIVuAECkEcMbbIvxLCRgWcF3xdsGZCyeDodwE3XYLaDhHARZGw0n4LfpwG0W-a36CM8aw4G1mQ7UP7QVK9TavQVcaVBnidVyrKTd3zeEW2o1TrhEc/s320/aug+28%252C+2011+014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="style14"><span class="style5 style2 style43 style46"> </span></span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleome_serrulata#cite_note-8"><span></span></a></sup> whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-63763642841994016352011-08-29T21:07:00.004-06:002011-08-29T21:30:30.082-06:00Eat what you like and freeze the rest<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWV-TBTdkfK2nMbxoM9uuZuqnUtvd4nlDeE3IVND_qrb1XUNMDtaE1-52qG8Y7e0b-iVkyytaCzxsvjxAhAxWqbWBBsgXDSjdWkhrTMACeXw4fqR5pkV2d5Ay03kVP6AAn2YR9i7Q4dY/s200/aug+28%252C+2011+019.jpg" width="200" /></div><br />
Before August has faded away I will add a garden update for two catbirds, or just to log that we're still doin' it, despite the odds. On the weekend I made some tomato sauce and froze some corn. The corn has been magnificent--especially the SUGAR PEARL variety. <br />
Here's my technique:<br />
<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKofQiSaa2akwdLETfJPj8RyCcn-bPApZ576Bl4s8RlRbze7dOcakX4JtQjEIsBjjejO85tjO8Q1qwYH9rC8NWSnWqTJ7l14efHgmnRwo-pS2DHtRjHrJ3fDtHLWH9ka8APg1r7W4izA/s1600/to+compost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8z55fdlA6iHCeTDfFOvelNDHyTHqVJvfxVts6v8auHnElyMalYjM-DhWUZn0eFR5-sISYkv1DkhoqpX3X6rVFvxQnrzE9FErqfD3z_5SKfBrFsAkj-_BZIj8AvpA5R8HqxT-MrYRKzhM/s1600/corn+prep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8z55fdlA6iHCeTDfFOvelNDHyTHqVJvfxVts6v8auHnElyMalYjM-DhWUZn0eFR5-sISYkv1DkhoqpX3X6rVFvxQnrzE9FErqfD3z_5SKfBrFsAkj-_BZIj8AvpA5R8HqxT-MrYRKzhM/s200/corn+prep.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><li>Pick corn.</li>
<li>Shuck corn. Deposit husks immediately into compost.</li>
<li>Wash corn and use the little brush that's made for the strings. They really work!</li>
<li>Having a good work space is important, although it can be small. Having a clean work space is important too. For me this means sweeping the floor and eliminating whatever the contamination of the hour is.</li>
<li>Here's my set up: a banking sheet with a small cutting board to slice the corn off the cob. </li>
<li>Dump the corn in a bowl as needed. </li>
<li>Freeze in bags, preferably heavy-duty ziploc gallon-sized freezer bags. Skimping on the plastic can age the corn faster. Don't forget to label the bags first with date and variety of contents. </li>
<li>Give the cobs to the chickens or the worms. They'll love you forever.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKofQiSaa2akwdLETfJPj8RyCcn-bPApZ576Bl4s8RlRbze7dOcakX4JtQjEIsBjjejO85tjO8Q1qwYH9rC8NWSnWqTJ7l14efHgmnRwo-pS2DHtRjHrJ3fDtHLWH9ka8APg1r7W4izA/s1600/to+compost.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKofQiSaa2akwdLETfJPj8RyCcn-bPApZ576Bl4s8RlRbze7dOcakX4JtQjEIsBjjejO85tjO8Q1qwYH9rC8NWSnWqTJ7l14efHgmnRwo-pS2DHtRjHrJ3fDtHLWH9ka8APg1r7W4izA/s200/to+compost.jpg" width="200" /></a></li>
<li>When it's time to cook, just put whatever amount of corn you want in boiling water enough to heat. Welcome August all winter long. </li>
</ol>I did an experiment with spreading the corn on a cookie sheet to flash freeze it separately before putting in the bag, but it didn't seem worth the trouble. If the corn is sticking together, just chisel or gently break off the piece you want from the bag. <br />
<br />
whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-23967940691475556812011-07-06T06:39:00.001-06:002011-07-06T06:41:21.173-06:00Live from CroatiaI realize as I look at this that much has happened here since our last post. Most notably the Great Memorial Day Chicken Massacre. Maybe we'll go back or perhaps we'll just go forward from the present.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj109dk0kPos_gN96wg3g23NBtE5wEYTnnfpWmnktr4gBAjMy8RBIeRV_p4PVnUqb0lAoOBK6kKVzf2vSJVWyqdZ4d7calmWPJQKnXWtLhEfQRMcSQ1rzuQqLHcWiWQLlW-cIRP1SfCGhA/s1600/july5+2011+155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj109dk0kPos_gN96wg3g23NBtE5wEYTnnfpWmnktr4gBAjMy8RBIeRV_p4PVnUqb0lAoOBK6kKVzf2vSJVWyqdZ4d7calmWPJQKnXWtLhEfQRMcSQ1rzuQqLHcWiWQLlW-cIRP1SfCGhA/s320/july5+2011+155.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from olive grove at Domigoy and Sanya's house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We've been traveling in the former Yugoslavia, in an effort to understand what happens when war intrudes in life. Students were supposed to learn about justice and reconciliation, but when we got to this land, our first contact was interested in everything except his extremely personal experiences with the wars of 1992-95. He had found his peace in living well in a Croatian family home on a map from 1000 years ago, and working an organic vineyard and making wine. Domigoy and Sanya's place was the epitomy of grace and peace, with good food on top of it. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDWnWeSVT-IvsimeWBSGdfeU-zN2559ufBA1NYBDweYUWpqAcykNn-Vj9WKHs5xmC6N9i1M21KTdlDo4MuH4DGeR7ovBAzNEGcdUm0GL5PKyZ-Sw50BmVfICSwR25YrsEAV9szEQqnLs/s1600/july5+2011+138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDWnWeSVT-IvsimeWBSGdfeU-zN2559ufBA1NYBDweYUWpqAcykNn-Vj9WKHs5xmC6N9i1M21KTdlDo4MuH4DGeR7ovBAzNEGcdUm0GL5PKyZ-Sw50BmVfICSwR25YrsEAV9szEQqnLs/s200/july5+2011+138.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>So here's what I learned. Avoid wine with sulfites added. Domigoy explained that the chemicals used on vineyards are so toxic that they have to "peel the grapes before they use them". But the tannin in the peels is what makes the wine, so mass producers add other things instead to make it happen. Needless to say we came back with 2 bottles of their vino sans chemical additives, and a bottle of myrtle grappa "for the stomach". <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/wine/sulfites-in-wine-necessary-or-not--100878">This pos</a>t tells a little more about the sulfite issue--that being said, sticking with organic and local products is always a great idea. We would never buy grapes grown with toxic chemicals. Similarly we should also avoid the wines made that way.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-49656522513168989742011-05-17T23:18:00.000-06:002011-05-17T23:18:16.484-06:00Bee BonanzaSo many good reasons to support bees, but in the end, it's all about the honey.<br />
Do you know where your honey comes from? More and more of the product you think is coming from local bees is adulterated. It may be cut with honey from China, or with corn syrup. A young girl selling her father's honey at a local farmer's market reluctantly told me about the honey I had been buying-- thinking it came from a town near us-- which fits this bill exactly. The company's website advertises pure honey (OK, if it is cut with honey from China and Argentina it would still be pure honey). Raw and unfiltered? How come it never gets cloudy?...<br />
Today we got some honey the bees shared with us.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKColkDZMjTMBdsVP3_LPjfMmadr13w6lUMECO0U51a-h71HgitCf9mqpC97KZcGM9MLGoFVgqWMnv__nN0JzHD68bqNqveJlAMCgxy2-MrLq_1LZbeWEjDPNZUhCFls7Du-cjXU4XW2k/s1600/may+17+2011+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKColkDZMjTMBdsVP3_LPjfMmadr13w6lUMECO0U51a-h71HgitCf9mqpC97KZcGM9MLGoFVgqWMnv__nN0JzHD68bqNqveJlAMCgxy2-MrLq_1LZbeWEjDPNZUhCFls7Du-cjXU4XW2k/s320/may+17+2011+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The only way to REALLY know where the honey comes from, is to remove it from the hive yourself, or know your beekeeper personally. Another way is to buy honey in the comb, where the bees seal it. <a href="http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/pure-honey.html">This site </a>has other tips on how to test honey's origins. It notes that a “pure honey” label merely promises that there is real pure honey inside, and need not say how much, or whether the honey is cut with water, corn syrup, or other sweeteners.<br />
Here's an interesting article from <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100429154003.htm">Science Daily</a> which reports a test to determine pollen sources and locate a honey source. whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-13936541069567583252011-04-18T22:17:00.000-06:002011-04-18T22:17:21.849-06:00Chicken Rustlers, part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbY7DhqZKq8bq0NoUsqLt-soG1M3xgNNEymzjjSy5DHREAslAneRHIH0yV4v7Al9t4be1No8vwRDRIRm_QsqAXTl0RJg2jg8e0QQxhAl86n8XWm8BsiogdLTM7q7v2b9XNyOoBnnoqsM/s1600/april+17+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbY7DhqZKq8bq0NoUsqLt-soG1M3xgNNEymzjjSy5DHREAslAneRHIH0yV4v7Al9t4be1No8vwRDRIRm_QsqAXTl0RJg2jg8e0QQxhAl86n8XWm8BsiogdLTM7q7v2b9XNyOoBnnoqsM/s1600/april+17+2011+024.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbY7DhqZKq8bq0NoUsqLt-soG1M3xgNNEymzjjSy5DHREAslAneRHIH0yV4v7Al9t4be1No8vwRDRIRm_QsqAXTl0RJg2jg8e0QQxhAl86n8XWm8BsiogdLTM7q7v2b9XNyOoBnnoqsM/s320/april+17+2011+024.jpg" width="320" /></a>I rode my bike past a nearby neighbor's house Saturday and observed a raised-bed building project. The new neighbors weren't ready to move into the house yet, but knew it was time to be about gardening. As we compared notes, they haltingly shared a dream of becoming an urban farm. They also stated that they had just spent $450 for dirt, which causes the conservative urban farmer to balk a bit, but anyway...<br />
They mentioned they were interested in chickens. I said, "we've got some chickens." <br />
"Are they easy?" <br />
"Unbelievably so." <br />
But then there's that problem of going missing.<br />
The last Sunday in March, a colleague of hubby's brought us 3 chicken sisters. We put the 3 immediately into the confined area, where we thought we'd let them get used to things for a few days before letting them out.<br />
The very next morning, hubby came in and choked, "there's only two chickens out there." No clue to how one could have disappeared.<br />
Later that afternoon, a tour of the perimeter revealed a headless chicken in the back 40, feathers showed a sign of struggle, mainly by the fence. We have been told a missing head is the sign of fox-action, but how could this be? The fox would have had to open and close the gates into the chicken house, and remove the chicken without any struggle at all. We were immediately convinced that human action removed the girl from her perch, and maybe human dropped it and fox picked up later.<br />
All this is to say, well, raising chickens is easy, but not without its challenges.<br />
Elizabeth Giddens wrote about it in the New York Times, Feb. 2 of this year in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/garden/03domestic.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1">her own version of chicken-rustling</a>. How a loss can unify a community. <br />
Anyway, we're glad to be in the chicken business again. Those girls are just funny to watch. And they love us so much. whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-5467107244629124652011-02-27T09:55:00.000-07:002011-02-27T09:55:29.992-07:00Save Water, Shower with a Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWI8bl6A9hYUkTWC47juRzTna22b4JP7X0Giffa9Cc6VhV3zskua0z_vZ-mVOoiI2zkZQB8IaIIHEHT09pzGQmMf3Hc0LI2zjKvINggxOZONPJeBF4stKgKDu0nXcjr6RhJBjJhJCYFo/s1600/rebates+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWI8bl6A9hYUkTWC47juRzTna22b4JP7X0Giffa9Cc6VhV3zskua0z_vZ-mVOoiI2zkZQB8IaIIHEHT09pzGQmMf3Hc0LI2zjKvINggxOZONPJeBF4stKgKDu0nXcjr6RhJBjJhJCYFo/s200/rebates+001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>First the washing machine died. I was excited about buying the front-loader on craigslist almost 2 years ago, but I understand why the repair people counsel against buying used machines.<br />
We went to the Sears crash and dent store, where appliances that have a little paint chip or a dent, or have been purchased and returned. I knew I wanted a machine that maximized use of water and electricity.<br />
Come to find out, the water department had a rebate on these machines, and a soon-to-expire electric rebate too! I got $225 in rebates on a $340 maytag frontloader. Forget<a href="http://whiteplumfarm.blogspot.com/2009/04/craigs-list-shopping-at-its-best.html"> craigslist</a> for now! <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmp5SjxcnJzhJNaukiwb-zh73z-X6QKtLItoMWCSsTzWUxRz7Z7UNnrD5_S4CbDN5I72sTqp9oeq-AUtltNTfae39lmq2YVABtmTziwqTFoCZsXOQNDSmQBoIWr-uZDHs76391wjMfqcA/s1600/1.28+g+flush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmp5SjxcnJzhJNaukiwb-zh73z-X6QKtLItoMWCSsTzWUxRz7Z7UNnrD5_S4CbDN5I72sTqp9oeq-AUtltNTfae39lmq2YVABtmTziwqTFoCZsXOQNDSmQBoIWr-uZDHs76391wjMfqcA/s200/1.28+g+flush.jpg" width="200" /></a>Caused us to go out and buy a new toilet too, before those rebates expire March 15. We did some research and got one that's working great and came with its own $125 rebate. (This is a Kohler Cimarron comfort height elongated bowl from Home Depot. Our research found that the elongated bowls were the power players in the low-water flush). Flush once, or flush once in awhile. It's amazing how toilets have advanced to do their jobs more efficiently.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-58281378717221423682011-01-30T14:25:00.000-07:002011-01-30T14:31:22.550-07:00Save the Bees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6hFjlEgAQwZjzr5nt7TxWdhbccTyWay8LJRkWCwQgmd1yqP89gdVeg3M39MeAP8z6gAEUjlP_QY76swVotFNq50_ftjXszHtbhKrQWslvg5GZ1kpqjJNhFtTlilUGCyXzQQkeolh9OU/s1600/may9+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6hFjlEgAQwZjzr5nt7TxWdhbccTyWay8LJRkWCwQgmd1yqP89gdVeg3M39MeAP8z6gAEUjlP_QY76swVotFNq50_ftjXszHtbhKrQWslvg5GZ1kpqjJNhFtTlilUGCyXzQQkeolh9OU/s200/may9+036.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Avaaz, a global network that opts for the planet and for the poor, is trying to "build a buzz" around the world's disappearing bee populations. Their<a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_usa/?vl%20"> new petition campaign </a>aims at a particular group of pesticides used in the U.S. Strong independent evidence suggests that neonicotinoid pesticides disrupt the central nervous systems of bees, causing their inability to navigate back to the hive, and quite possibly explains the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the sudden and alarming disappearance of U.S. bees which began around 2005-6. <br />
Here is a six and a half minute video about the EPA awareness of serious flaws in the study supporting the use of this pesticide clothianidin, yet its conditional approval has allowed its use since 2003. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_0Mrm9Y6khk/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_0Mrm9Y6khk?f=videos&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_0Mrm9Y6khk?f=videos&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: left;">The video includes other helpful sources of information, as do the citations on the avaaz petition site. One of the sources, an article in Business Insider magazine from October 12, 2010 notes the connection between Bayer (German company exporting large amounts of the suspicious pesticides to the US), and a key bee researcher, regarding another Bayer neonicotinoid called Imidacloprid. </div>The USDA estimates bees' value at $15 billion, extending to about 130 crops. We need the bees, and they need us! Not just for the fabulous sweetness of honey, but even more importantly for our entire food supply. <br />
<a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_usa/?vl%20">Take action today</a>. whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-38054576861417423362011-01-01T21:49:00.004-07:002011-01-01T22:13:57.756-07:00My uncle the pig farmerBemoaning misguided city folk who don't care where their food comes from, Uncle Dale says they should take stock in Monsanto, DuPont, or Mosaic (formerly Cargill), whose aim is to feed a growing world population.<br />
I love my uncle and I gotta agree with his assertion that too many people do not have regard for where their food comes from, but this <i>particular</i> misguided city person is hyper-aware that knowing where it comes from is a most desirable goal. Truth be told, knowing Monsanto <i>et al.</i> have their fingers in it, gives me absolutely no sense of security. Hey! I could make money on stocks from a company that is polluting the carefully developed rice strains in India, China, <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/021683.html">or Missouri</a>, with genetically modified experiments? Count me out.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GYaRdu6Qmm6hdYAPlD9RxfxnU2u8iidCaqVTPkx91H7ibiWAkup06yafeTgfNeQz_l9mdHWvSjTWvYM6M9iLMTyEbwfJrMFczWqtewx4pMPowYPCn5rN1D0MqTLkfMZJAT4WX9NMNmM/s1600/monsanto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GYaRdu6Qmm6hdYAPlD9RxfxnU2u8iidCaqVTPkx91H7ibiWAkup06yafeTgfNeQz_l9mdHWvSjTWvYM6M9iLMTyEbwfJrMFczWqtewx4pMPowYPCn5rN1D0MqTLkfMZJAT4WX9NMNmM/s320/monsanto.jpg" width="240" /></a>Whether these types of products are healthy or not, aren't we awake enough to recognize time-and-time-again that the interests of multinational corporations are primarily in generating profits for their shareholders? Naturally they would not favor an accident happening--eek the lawsuits--so of course they would do research and make an effort to keep any negative effects on the down low. The hairs on the backs of our necks have cause to rise in instinctual caution.<br />
About testing the GM food for safety, Monsanto <a href="http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/food-safety.aspx">(on their website)</a> poo-poo's any reason for that,<br />
<i>There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans. So long as the introduced protein is determined safe, food from GM crops determined to be substantially equivalent</i><i> is not expected to pose any health risks. Further, it is impossible to design a long-term safety test in humans, which would require, for example, intake of large amounts of a particular GM product over a very large portion of the human life span. There is simply no practical way to learn anything via human studies of whole foods. This is why no existing food--conventional or GM--or food ingredient/additive has been subjected to this type of testing</i>.<br />
This is the same company which explains on their own website how <a href="http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/agent-orange-background-monsanto-involvement.aspx">damages caused to soldiers exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam</a> (manufactured by Monsanto and other chemical companies) wasn't their responsibility, because they were just giving the U.S. government what they asked for. So if the U.S. government finds GM food to be unhealthy for the environment, would their response be to reject it? Wouldn't matter, because it's the fault of the farmers who had to have it to keep up with the trend of ridiculously high yields, despite potential of danger to health of children and other living things. Monsanto?..shoot, they're just giving us what we "want". <br />
<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barcode-world2_nevit_122.svg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpn1X3gMTG6FIc7pDL-rQTcQbxuN1ip3B-NpqN20eVkKBJRAkM7w0aDMlQSmCxDr2vFUFZU8aaviabmUAzImv0VN-xyEZod1xu3jGGacEIqwmsBw4uPUwWvxVTeKMcYm6XAM0GFs6we0M/s200/barcode+world.jpg" width="200" /></a>This is the same company who declares their product, Roundup, to be safe, despite studies indicating genetic damage, endocrine disruption, environmental damage,... (See scientific journal references from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_%28herbicide%29#cite_note-44">this Wikipedia article</a>, including the journal <i>Toxicology, Chemical Research in Toxicology, Contemporary Endocrinology, and Environmental Health Perspectives</i>, among others). Where does your food come from? Is it trucked at great expense across thousands of miles of land and sea? Does its growth disrupt local crops and previously balanced ecosystems in other communities? Has the technology creating the corn, rice, or soy product you use been tested for consumption safety? Are the chickens, cows, and pigs that bring you dining pleasure genuine living creatures, or miniature toxic companies? The price is more extensive than what shows up on the scanner at the supermarket. But could it lead to talking produce?...<br />
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/cL_qGMfbtAk/0.jpg" height="266" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cL_qGMfbtAk&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cL_qGMfbtAk&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>While you're surfing the internet, have a look at <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/a-month-without-monsanto">this article by April Davila</a> about going "Nonsanto" for a month.whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-71100253105115399732010-12-18T19:10:00.000-07:002010-12-18T19:10:06.493-07:00Living off the fat of the landI love winter. I love the shutting down, the darkening, the silence of it. <br />
So right now, from the gardens, we are only eating potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, garlic and onions. In the freezer and in jars we have tomatoes, beets, applesauce, raspberries, peaches, basil pesto, sweet corn, green beans, grape juice, pickles, sauerkraut, and plum jam . Not bad for part-time gardeners. Arugula and spinach are sprouted outside, but who knows if it will make it. We didn't exactly get an early start.<br />
In the spirit of supporting family and trying to be more socially interactive (soon! tags! maybe!) I will add my nephew's youtube video about their darling cat, Truman. Merry Christmas.<br />
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</div>whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-77693089997064268492010-11-24T22:59:00.002-07:002010-11-25T12:40:59.614-07:00Not just an ordinary carrot<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaelF8v7hyphenhyphenhN8Ip-NQf7qy4QKNDzLzFOkXIv5crJVE-EuLwvmu-M_XqprY0R7DDpuMERTf65uXinj8sJPbLa4-NHP6p8xIjwK2GhtGF1BwfGbxNZx8KfeQ6Gl1w-6OYHI_ErobKlbtN0w/s1600/nasturtium.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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Yesterday we dug up the carrots still in the ground. We wrote off the disappointing germination to not enough water, too hot early in the spring after planting, and unknown elements of gardening. Digging them actually produced some results. What standard do we gardeners place on our harvest, that every crop look like the pile of vegetables at the Pike Place Market? THIS IS NOT A HELPFUL ATTITUDE!<br />
A half of a storebought carrot in the crisper drawer provided contrast for the latest harvested jewels. NO COMPARISON can be made. Every single post-frost carrot exploded with sweetness. I wanted to sing! To celebrate the noble carrot and all gifts of creation!<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Dolly Parton sang a song on Sesame Street once about 14-carrot love.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaelF8v7hyphenhyphenhN8Ip-NQf7qy4QKNDzLzFOkXIv5crJVE-EuLwvmu-M_XqprY0R7DDpuMERTf65uXinj8sJPbLa4-NHP6p8xIjwK2GhtGF1BwfGbxNZx8KfeQ6Gl1w-6OYHI_ErobKlbtN0w/s1600/nasturtium.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaelF8v7hyphenhyphenhN8Ip-NQf7qy4QKNDzLzFOkXIv5crJVE-EuLwvmu-M_XqprY0R7DDpuMERTf65uXinj8sJPbLa4-NHP6p8xIjwK2GhtGF1BwfGbxNZx8KfeQ6Gl1w-6OYHI_ErobKlbtN0w/s320/nasturtium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placeholder for the carrot picture not taken</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">14 carrot love!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> That is what we got here -</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> 14 carrot love!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> It`s better than some flowers</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Or candy on a ring...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://saucyvixen.blogspot.com/2008/01/ode-to-veggies-or-saucy-vixen-writes.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ode to the Carrot</span></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The carrot has an orange hue,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So lovely and so bright.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Seeing it, I take my cue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And gobble every bite.</span><br />
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</span>whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-39654737834839067032010-11-08T07:03:00.000-07:002010-11-08T07:03:41.510-07:00The Last Pear<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">"OMG" I'm about to eat the last wonderfully succulent sweet pear. It came from a tree that some construction worker building a house next door to us gave us, when he observed our planting trees, among a collection of tiny unidentifiable saplings he had. Already I can't wait until next summer to see if they come again. In this post, I will officially give all credit to the bees.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2ZGJsyLgZiZFqcGjCFc1j6oCQLDc2peLv2RiQ4bTa0oe-JXWsVZBpgXVH7JDClbEVSz8LUdU7WV7QZ_5C0Fh8XdUeLcwQ-q9PAVSUic2xI5rcVroJHMVJqgJFpX48UFDOmfGeom0Sp0/s320/bees+on+sign.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got this picture from our BeeQueen Kathleen. It shows the high intelligence of a healthy swarm, waiting for their green light.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></div>whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-41287589707841477372010-11-07T20:54:00.000-07:002010-11-07T20:54:25.281-07:00Autumn Reigns<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76n59RvU-t7Y_Vw47cUG3SPbrc5AXteOwU0aqBrrhvpLnj1fi6YQBZils7tU6fcLcfNxtRqCv4V3OI_7Z65G3QDhkGQqwZJAEblhNnGd3HkUrJ2fFagKIUzBsRXsUEEiGhJg6hMRRCgc/s1600/July+24+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76n59RvU-t7Y_Vw47cUG3SPbrc5AXteOwU0aqBrrhvpLnj1fi6YQBZils7tU6fcLcfNxtRqCv4V3OI_7Z65G3QDhkGQqwZJAEblhNnGd3HkUrJ2fFagKIUzBsRXsUEEiGhJg6hMRRCgc/s320/July+24+002.jpg" width="320" /></a>Beautiful summery fall days have nearly given way to the snow that's forecast for Tuesday. We drained the water lines for the well today. <br />
This week I finally planted some arugula, red spinach, and maybe lettuce --although I can't remember--in a grow-box. Today I noticed they had sprouted. Also I finally planted the garlic. I tried to choose the nicest heads and planted a nice selection of Chesnok, Oregon Blue, and Susanville, which is what we had last year. The Chesnok is a hard neck garlic, and has a nice full spicy flavor. I confess I've only been using the hard neck because I understand it has a shorter shelf life. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4zOtzrZ47yJHhwdo4ayTrZQLJlUGd0FWS_2V5uUZA4ocKJGbuFxCiB274Pm2F8oXN3H6M4fgdyznNA8DwPvzroroH1WSehKs_0GJz66zXPWbz_dzVZ8HtvJwpnue-Vfth-IWGBvjDY0/s1600/sept10+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4zOtzrZ47yJHhwdo4ayTrZQLJlUGd0FWS_2V5uUZA4ocKJGbuFxCiB274Pm2F8oXN3H6M4fgdyznNA8DwPvzroroH1WSehKs_0GJz66zXPWbz_dzVZ8HtvJwpnue-Vfth-IWGBvjDY0/s200/sept10+015.jpg" width="200" /></a>The potatoes and sweet potatoes have been dug. Sauerkraut is fermenting. We've had a good crop of onions--can you ever have too many onions? The black beans are finally shelled and in jars. Pumpkins have been harvested and we cooked the first one tonight because I have a hunger for pumpkin pie.<br />
The earth cries out for moisture, which we hope does come soon. whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-72704884283965723272010-11-01T22:06:00.012-06:002010-11-01T22:10:26.303-06:00Value-Added<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqBUcYjdpuzvaNW65Zm_rxJ4Jh1uxt1ALv7PIJllifgGpcTzIgKXn-urWW3klqgmx3pJMK0zFb9fi2RCLabjrx9gCJBmOCTztHe_XxxsvjsLaNBQxM7QMhg9PypJFrHP7Jhtbn1reXgA/s1600/nov1+001.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqBUcYjdpuzvaNW65Zm_rxJ4Jh1uxt1ALv7PIJllifgGpcTzIgKXn-urWW3klqgmx3pJMK0zFb9fi2RCLabjrx9gCJBmOCTztHe_XxxsvjsLaNBQxM7QMhg9PypJFrHP7Jhtbn1reXgA/s320/nov1+001.jpg" width="320" /></a>On the best kind of recent fall day, I was out picking through the black beans we planted this year. No wind, bright sun, the red oak tree in front looking as good as she ever does. Planting things like shell beans-- which come cheap to buy and take awhile to come to fruition, and some work to make usable--are one of my favorite things to plant. Kind of like our potatoes this year. B came home from the store the other day and said, "You wouldn't believe how cheap potatoes were at the store!" I do believe it, but I replied that we were not planting a garden because it saves a lot of money. It's a value-added kind of thing.<br />
Reasons to plant potatoes (or black beans, or an apple tree):<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ2AH5-V0GF_o-AEWVcu4oLMmH_EUCU0iN2G4ex3AsdAoTfbZBuA03XXjwWoBQH0Q0gMLyLpVyxVx18BxmsedipcR3VJQTpyKsktcmUVmNSrnZp9EtldY6gO2sPowV6m_T8-oW-U3-RI/s1600/swiss+chard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ2AH5-V0GF_o-AEWVcu4oLMmH_EUCU0iN2G4ex3AsdAoTfbZBuA03XXjwWoBQH0Q0gMLyLpVyxVx18BxmsedipcR3VJQTpyKsktcmUVmNSrnZp9EtldY6gO2sPowV6m_T8-oW-U3-RI/s200/swiss+chard.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqBUcYjdpuzvaNW65Zm_rxJ4Jh1uxt1ALv7PIJllifgGpcTzIgKXn-urWW3klqgmx3pJMK0zFb9fi2RCLabjrx9gCJBmOCTztHe_XxxsvjsLaNBQxM7QMhg9PypJFrHP7Jhtbn1reXgA/s1600/nov1+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>
<li>The mailing from the <a href="http://www.ufw.org/">United Farm Workers</a> this week included pictures of worker housing. Since most produce harvested in the U.S. is harvested by the kind of folks this union represents, it's good to pay attention to their working conditions. The photo that caught my attention more than people sleeping in their vehicle or in old motels, was the one with 6 people in a one-room shack with no utilities. Each person who lives there pays $180 a month rent. Knowing where our food comes from helps us know the real price, beyond $0.99 for a 10 pound bag. </li>
<li>I read a book once by the brilliant science-fiction writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Sower_%28novel%29">Octavia Butler</a>. She writes into a future where people are surviving drought and the state of California is burning. Survival is the name of the game; the protagonist making it, in part because she knows something about seeds and growing food. Older people in our contemporary society often speak of surviving the Depression because they lived on a farm and "we were never hungry". Not to cross over into the survivalist mentality of those storing up food in Montana, but then again, they may be right about some things...</li>
<li>Just take a bite of a peach or an ear of corn that you grew yourself. Taste how much spicier the arugula is. How much juicier the pear. How much better the salsa is when it's made with genuine vine-ripened tomatoes.</li>
<li>It's a matter of pride. Or is it humility, because one never really knows how it works...or doesn't. All this life and nourishment is merely a miracle.</li>
<li>Caring for the earth and co-creating beauty makes the world a better place for the whole.</li>
</ol><ol></ol>whiteplum farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034186339836447889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7473029914015490111.post-84793356558644020232010-10-13T22:05:00.000-06:002010-10-13T22:05:16.318-06:00Grape Juice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aLBqxpnYn5KzMa7hjyr6qqmKoPfAFvQD0sRzdEYxce0J7yIUGMWARRqcYJun7idB53nOtv6f90dsPnm5uaxwSaa5ui5G9AJRdPGY9Xi8XQB0dYUYTs4uRcjNhuSe1XbYrnlR5kmhHMo/s1600/oct+13+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarAmyXrmtEy3k0dLPwIodm_sMpTZ02eCKCsM09WSp8rtKuz_11qIfEhItX3bK4WxbM56ijvitu7U8BQBAQWBvGN8XwkDNKu9wlV9x0GogTwvtswXqAcnRtTWYJMF2SxOXW2qDEJuwyKw/s200/grapes.jpg" width="200" /></a>All over town established grape vines bulge with unappreciated grapes. At our place, we didn't inherit much in the way of landscaping, but a lovely white grapevine, probably planted in the 1940's or 50's, survives even the deep drought of this place--its roots surely tap the water table twenty feet down. A purple grapevine grows on our west fence, choked by junk elm trees and Virginia Creeper; but between the two of them we have no shortage of grapes. Sometimes I like to imagine that Italian immigrants planted them to put wine on their table. In any case, undoubtedly they were used well. Here at Whiteplum they mostly go to juice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aLBqxpnYn5KzMa7hjyr6qqmKoPfAFvQD0sRzdEYxce0J7yIUGMWARRqcYJun7idB53nOtv6f90dsPnm5uaxwSaa5ui5G9AJRdPGY9Xi8XQB0dYUYTs4uRcjNhuSe1XbYrnlR5kmhHMo/s1600/oct+13+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aLBqxpnYn5KzMa7hjyr6qqmKoPfAFvQD0sRzdEYxce0J7yIUGMWARRqcYJun7idB53nOtv6f90dsPnm5uaxwSaa5ui5G9AJRdPGY9Xi8XQB0dYUYTs4uRcjNhuSe1XbYrnlR5kmhHMo/s200/oct+13+005.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20f1IAFx_9_4nRoUNx9fWerNO65Y1MJGKKGmyXSxVYbc7VXWrGM5RpMcrzIIQV-EURdHo-CqHT5gTOkOUeRyno2238JfbW5eEJi46OE8UaJTe4H5fvW8zfAXciBptkUl4Ab_XJ39Xh1s/s1600/oct+13+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20f1IAFx_9_4nRoUNx9fWerNO65Y1MJGKKGmyXSxVYbc7VXWrGM5RpMcrzIIQV-EURdHo-CqHT5gTOkOUeRyno2238JfbW5eEJi46OE8UaJTe4H5fvW8zfAXciBptkUl4Ab_XJ39Xh1s/s200/oct+13+011.jpg" width="200" /></a>Here's my recipe:When stemming the grapes, remember acid-etched fingers last a long time and gloves really make a difference.Cook grapes until the skins pop. I add about 2 cups of water to every lettuce spinner full (maybe 14 cups) of washed and stemmed grapes. I strain the resulting product through a few layers of cheesecloth in a strainer, and refrigerate the resulting juice overnight, or longer. Strain the juice from this product into a pan, heat it to boiling, and process it in a water bath. In the past squeezing out the most possible from the product makes the juice too cloudy. I never add sugar because it's sweet enough without it. The recipe (Better Homes and Gardens cookbook) is for a grape juice "concentrate" which calls for sugar and to which one adds water to serve. Skip it. Just drink juice. If desired, water down when serving.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7SOjQXzJNt7nA5qiYazRl6yxVyjLqlSoTLBQUdDnUKBCuIYLg5OgLeShUjC1XsokEEbmK-C6ihqNRdghFIWTfyCNZqAsCKUNgDuE-KbWzXN3ftsSNZITtgpMOsrYzhNZuMgranxeCA4/s1600/oct+13+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7SOjQXzJNt7nA5qiYazRl6yxVyjLqlSoTLBQUdDnUKBCuIYLg5OgLeShUjC1XsokEEbmK-C6ihqNRdghFIWTfyCNZqAsCKUNgDuE-KbWzXN3ftsSNZITtgpMOsrYzhNZuMgranxeCA4/s320/oct+13+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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