Monday, September 24, 2012

Yes Sir!

Jalapeño harvest



Jalapeño


Drying apples, we processed approx. 150 lbs in the last two days into pie filling, sauce and jelly, going tomorrow to pick more for pressing cider from 150 year old trees in Tesuque.

Sixty one, thirteen day old chicks.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Life on the Farm

Cisterns 
One of our longest beds at forty five feet.

A planting of mustards with calendula at the ends for pest control
A decent harvest of yellow and red potatoes 

We planted mizuna and bunching onions in the bed where the potatoes were. 

Small 425 gallon water tank with our A-frame greenhouse under shade cloth. 
Solar Panel used to charge a battery to power the farms irrigation pump. 

Popcorn with grapes and marigolds.

Arm yourself for the revolution!

Making hot sauce with some freshly harvested red cayenne peppers.


Brooding Pullets

The chicks are now five days old and doing great!
The sixty pullets are ten each of these six breeds:
Dark Rhode Island Reds
Production Reds
Buff Orpington
Black Australorps
Golden Sex Links
Dominique
They live in this brooder. Cost to build: $0

Modest exterior



We have not lost one yet. 

Farmers Market


Carrots

BEETS!

Washing Greens for baby salad mix

Harvesting Baby Red Mustard greens

Baby Salad Greens washed and ready to go to market.


Carrots and Beets

Chard and Baby Salad Greens

Kale, Scallions and Chard

Homegrown Pickles

Dill fresh from the herb garden

Grape leaves from our mountain grape vines and garlic peeled, cayenne peppers and dill heads.

A nice harvest of pickling cukes. 



Water bath

Monday, September 3, 2012

Energy Independence

here is the test run of the complete system. Having a little trouble with the charge controller but everything is compatible so we are looking a-ok.

More posts soon on the revolutionary farming front.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Solar Power Water Pump

We just did a demo of how the pump can work directly off the panel without a battery. We pumped water from one tub to a plum tree. This is so exciting. Everything is beginning to come together beautifully.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Fermenting Food

African Daisy 
The harvest: Pickling Cucumbers and Purple Pole Beans


Wild fermentation

Pickling cucumbers in hot water bath

Grape leaves keep the pickles crisp

Cucumbers chilling in ice bath before processing for ten minutes.




Finished product

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Revolutionary Agriculture

 Revolutionary Agriculture means we are trying to change the food system, from agricultural practices to the way people think about where their food is coming from. The current agricultural food growing system is severely flawed to say the least. We see people using centuries old acequias that divert river water to crops which affects both wildlife and everyone downstream, or farmers irrigating blindly from aquifers that are being drained possibly forever. We are in the midst of a devastating drought but we do not have to make things worse for ourselves, we can make a change for the better. By using water we catch from our roof we can grow a revolution.We grow food in a forest in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Range, specifically the Sangre de Cristos. We are located in a valley that gets significantly more precipitation than areas a mile or two away. We take advantage of this and capture as much as we can. With a 30x30 foot roof and a 16x16 foot portal we can catch most of the water we need for irrigating. Utilizing micro sprinklers under shade cloth or row cover we can have more control over soil moisture and using frost blankets we can extend the growing season. Utilizing knowledge of plants environmental needs we can grow at least ten if not twelve months of the year. We refuse to use coal burning electric power to pump water for irrigating or any purpose.  By not using tractors or tillers we are starting a revolution in the way food is grown. No longer does my food come from a corporate goon in a million dollar combine, we are taking back our consumer rights.This week we have some connectors and cables coming in the mail as well as a small pressure tank for irrigating. Our 12 volt system is totally off the grid and self reliant from oil, petroleum or coal burning power. Petroleum free farming. People don't actually believe you can farm with a shovel and a hoe, but if it worked a hundred fifty years ago why can't it work right now?
Garlic braids, tomatillos, taxi tomatoes, carrots, tarragon 
Scallions and beets sell always 
Lettuce mix including some new red lettuces we are trying out: Lolla Rossa, Marveille de Quatre Saisons, Redina, Red Oaklaef, Red Salad Bowl, Rouge d'Hiver, Garnet Rose Romaine and Ruben's Red  
Chard, purple basil and rosemary