My in-laws came for a visit the last week in September and brought with them EIGHTEEN enormous vine ripened, home grown tomatoes. We already had a gallon bag from my mom in the fridge and my neighbor asked me to take pity on her and pick hers as well. For a person not terribly fond… Continue reading Yes you CAN make home made tomato sauce!
I steal other people’s apples
Let's be clear. While I love and admire the movement, I am NOT a Portland new-age, city-type, backyard gardener. Even though I'm not on a farm right now, I still consider myself to be an honest-to-goodness real-time farmer. So it's hard for me to comprehend fruit tree ownership. In the country if it looks like… Continue reading I steal other people’s apples
Stolen Applesauce
Okay, your apples don't have to be stolen. But mine were so here we go: Take a walk on a late summer/early fall day. Pull your stroller, shopping cart, colander, or reusable grocery bag up to an apple tree. Alternatively, go to the store or farmers market. Look for 10-12 large apples. They should be… Continue reading Stolen Applesauce
Tomato Tart Fanciness
Only a few of you know this, but I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes. I've kept it a secret because I'm a grower and seller of a many varieties of tomatoes. Over the years I have acquiesced to eating cooked tomatoes, but I'm still developing a taste for the raw ones. This summer I… Continue reading Tomato Tart Fanciness
How’d we get here from there???
When I bought my farm 8 acre farm many years ago, I thought that was the last place I would ever live. I loved it there. I bought my chickens six weeks before I moved in (visualize: 12 fast-growing hennies roaming around my rental house). Later that summer I bought my first goats and… Continue reading How’d we get here from there???
Quotes from the Farm
Lately I find myself and my guests saying things I never would have thought would come out of our mouths. Here are a few that came up this week "There is no fence that can contain a horny goat.""Ever since I hit that waterer with the truck, its been nothing but trouble.""Well at least there… Continue reading Quotes from the Farm
Favorite Farm Tools
They aren't what you'd expect. I mean, I love my big-boy tractor and the power tools, but my absolutely favorite farm tools are: A 12-foot length of chain with hooks on either end.This is a marvelous little goodie I found half buried in a burn pile. When attached to either the bucket or the tow hitch is… Continue reading Favorite Farm Tools
Goat Resurrection
Drenching a goat is like giving a cat a pill. Only harder. So last weekend my clever goaties found an un-latched gate to the front yard. I knew goats couldn't eat rhododendrons so I pulled them all out in the fall, but I didn't realize DAPHNE is just a small, fragrant rhodie. Poor Carmen had… Continue reading Goat Resurrection
Concrete RULES!
For whatever reason, my garage floors were half concrete and half gravel when I bought the place. Since the farmstand is getting a little more attention this year, I decided to bite the bullet and finish the job. You may know this already, but concrete is EXPENSIVE! The only way I could afford to do… Continue reading Concrete RULES!
Sisu
"Sisu is a Finnish term that could be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. The equivalent in English is 'to have guts', and indeed, the word derives from sisus, which means something inner or interior. However, sisu has a long-term element in it;… Continue reading Sisu
Art Farm Oregon 