Snowed in!!!

here is the sunset from a few nights ago...some snow...



then today..snowed in!

homebrew batch #1 continued

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homebrew batch #1 in fermenter #2

more snow, bigger garden, improvements all around

pulled up thirty feet of chainlink to make garden bigger...small break in the snow to get something done on the days off

feels really nice to just walk in the gate and be able to walk halfway down the hill to the garlic and shallots. hopefully benefiting from the snowmelt under the straw mulch...soil i dug up today looked rich and black with a good ratio of manure and straw

snow!!!

usually there is a nice view of the mountains from these windows...but today just snow...lots of it

homebrew IPA on it's way!!

all the equipment and ingredients


my homegrown Chinook hops (4 Oz.) plus corn sugar on the left

snow in the mountains!

here is the garden in snow this morning

window birdfeeder/thermometer

december

mulched and extended garden beds...ready for spring to come!

productive Sunday off

I could have gone into work today and used one less vacation day...but that's no fun. So instead i stayed homeside and worked on a fence for the other part of the garden where the shallots have two rows already ..probably more plants to go there that are less drought tolerant...like corn or maize. the quinoa will most likely go on the other side of the road where the compost is now. Along with possibly some winter squashes and whatnot.


new section of garden all mulched with straw and fertilized with alpaca manure

post holiday weekend

firewood stacked and covered

pre-thanksgiving fire pit

getting ready for turkey day 08

first off a few shots of the two best dogs ever!




strummer only loves us.

melons and stuff

last of the crimson reds...nicely cured and sweet as ever

remaining romas and shallots that i'll plant tomorrow.

chainsaw is back in action!

frozen romas

aluminum racks with small wooden pallets attached to the sides. stacks the wood well.

Election day off from work

kefir operation:


11/1
kefir "grains"

busy preserving and whathaveyou

basket of ripe romas i think its the third full one

Garlic is in!

garlic was all planted yesterday and then today I watered it and mulched with straw bales

tomato canning

ended up with two and a half gallons of canned roma tomatoes (ten quarts)

just a quick update from your two busiest farmers

chimney sweep before winter

misty mountain top

harvest and snow

very local dinner last night...except the multi-grain pasta.. but everything was from the garden except onion and garlic, from the farmer's market.

busy busy bees

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aphids! they have dominated a few corn plants, but nothing we can't use to our advantage for next year's crop. plus we have dried a bunch of our sweet corn

5 Gal. of lemon pickles, a dehydrator and firewood

chainsaw maintance

more drying and the internal debate over a dehydrator in the high desert.

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BBQ with friends and a full Hop harvest

also chopped down all the mammoth sunflowers. we are drying five or so heads for seed. it is a little immature but we'll see. we needed to make room for the squash and beans. they were being overcast by the overcrowded giants.


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pickle blog #3. ...plus FINALLY a new ceiling fan!

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SAT: dill pickles; about nine quarts altogether ..two or three with some of our sliced jalapenos.

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SUN: fan and moving around all the drying herbs...including basil, dill, and the squash slices. Salted they should be a good snack, like a chip but healthier.

needing to be harvested and dried: sage, oregano , more basil, chives (although most of these are in containers.)

tomorrow: hop harvest, drying somewhere, nae anywhere.

coming soon...summer squash bread for the freezer! also roasted chiles and probably more corn, jalapenos, tomatillos and possibly a watermelon or two. complete with hollow sound and yellow spot. just a few more harvests to try 'n' keep up with. this tuesday off to the farmers market to get toes and backs/ necks from tom.

experimental squash drying and a pizza!!

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drying summer squash and basil for the spice rack. annie took a few pictures of us below our mammoths. pizza for dinner!
the farmer's market is moving into it's permanent location at the rail yard tomorrow and i'm gonna go to get some chicken frames from tom at Pollo Real and some dill flowers for pickling tomorrow! look forward to the pickle blog #3. coming soon. i think we harvested something like thirty to forty med-large lemon cucumbers earlier. placed in bread bags in the fridge until tomorrow afternoon wi
th some (hopefully) farm fresh dill. (on the growing list for next year.)

axe repair and some exciting purchases

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after speaking with a few quasi-experts about hops, i've decided to harvest some soon..(next day or so) and the rest as they come. Pick, dry for a few days, then package in vacuum sealed bags and frozen. this new freezer couldn't have come at a better time, just as we;re harvesting enough food to preserve. now I may need a lesson in home-brew before using these awesome chinook hops. also I will need various home brewing supplies. maybe i should check out the local home brew supply shop. then i'll probably end up at the hardware store seeing how i can make the same thing for less cost. defiantly back burner material with the hops being froze and all.








general garden views ,some pics becke took and weird beetles on a cholla cactus.