State of the Fields (July 18th)

 I am sure its much like most people, I have troubles drawing the lines between my work and the rest of my life.  I even tell people my job isn't a career its a lifestyle.  Even when I get a the occasional day of from the farm, if I don't leave town I'll end up there a couple times that day.  With the best intentions to focus on me and the things I would like to get accomplished in my yard, work beckons. 
Yesterday, started as a rain day, which can truly be glorious.  We received some much needed rain and I got a chance to sleep in.  Goals for the day were simple... write, garden and take some pictures in the yard.  Time allowing, go to the gym (didn't happen) and then dinner in the Cities.  I needed to tend to my tomato plants, they look the best that they've ever looked in my backyard.  Is it appropriate to look to plants with pride?  They've all been caged but needed some additional tomato clips to reign in some stray branches (this required a drive to the farm for supplies).  I also had to work on a "new" grape arbor that I just added to the yard (will share more details another time).  And through this process I brought along my stills camera to document the Joy in the Garden. 

Indigo Rose Tomato: Purple on the outside, will be red on the inside.
Bred for having the highest concentration of anthocyanins which have great antioxidant capabilities.

 

Red Zebra Tomatoes: Still green but looking pretty.

Striped Caverns: When the show some red, I'll be ready to stuff them for a delicious dinner.

More fruit to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Redbor Kale: Tasty and Beautiful.

Alma Paprika: I started growing this one for an appetizer dish involving cream cheese and bacon bits.... mmm.

Garlic: Hung out to dry, in a good way.

 This is where my walk around my back yard came to an end, and work blurs with play.  When your backyard over looks this, its hard not to take a stroll.  Through the deer gates, I continued my photo survey and decided to document it as a State of the Fields: July 18th.

Through the gates we can see low ground fields, a place mother spent most of her childhood summers and where we grow the best cucumbers for pickles around.

Kohlrabi: a tasty treat.  Hard to believe that his sister is a cabbage. 

There is dill in many stages timed out for season long pickling.

Bees can be found all throughout the farm, with thirty-six hives we know someone is always tending the crops.

One of our apiaries overlooking the a wildflower meadow and a cucumber patch,
I sure hope all that clover doesn't distract them from those cucumber blossoms.

 

Pumpkins growing for fall.

This one seems to be running a bit early?!

There is wagon-fulls of pumpkins out there!  Just beneath the green canopies.

Seems the 10 foot fence wasn't enough, this six inch one should keep them out. 
Electrified to keep the raccoons from harvesting the sweet corn before we can.

Four varieties of corn to ripen throughout the summer and fall.... I could eat it for every meal.

The rain has transitioned to overcast leaving a moist breeze in the air and lasting droplets on most everything. 

Squash.  Squash leaves, hope there's tasties beneath those.

This is a good sign, the curly-q marks the ripening melon.  Three dry pig tails and the right vibrations after a tap will let us know when to pick them.

Red hot chilli peppers: I hear they're hot and red.

Banana peppers can be both hot and sweet, both tasty.

Eggplant; blossoms present, and fruit coming along nicely.

A sea of peppers. 

Tomatoes. Staked and growing nicely.

Looks like a field of corn... but the Corn Maze is taking shape and is taller than me in places.

There is red and ripe tomatoes at the stand from the High Tunnel providing us all with delicious tomatoes. 

Many beautiful plants throughout the Garden Center.

Foliage plants can bring some of the tropics right to our Northern part of the world. 

The fresh rain has left it's mark in the soil.  And my day.

This concludes my State of the Fields walk, apparently the pull of the fields drew me out of my own yard once again.

Hops 'Cascade' Up

Three years ago I was given a few sprigs of a 'Cascade' hops plant from a good friend, a brewer and a farmer.  I began growing them in pots at the Garden Center.  At that point I began daydreaming of trellis systems and where the best place would be for one in the yard. 

My thoughts were to build one more for aesthetics than utility, there are many system designs online for trellising hops, but I wasn't drawn to the metal poles and cables that most suggested.  I had come across some old 6x6 timbers, and decided to re-purpose them.  Along with that I found an old wood & chain conveyor belt at the Farm and the materials designed themselves into a trellis.

Rough sketch of trellis, simple and rustic.

From then it was still a process to build and implement.  Assembly went well, though it was too big for one to install on their own.  Last year, at the same time as when I dug the holes for the posts, the power went out in the barn.  This put an hiatus on the project until the power could be restored to the barn.  A slight relief was gathered when it was determined to be gophers and not my shovels that took out the power.  Though my battle remains with the yard varmints. 

This spring, the power back on, nothing was going to stop me from getting my trellis up and my hops in the ground.  Heck, I was already getting reports of batches of beer made from offshoots of my original 'Cascade'.  And here I was still watering mine twice a day in a container. 

Potted plant ready for planting.

Finally, one Monday (April 23) this spring my hopes for hops had been planted. Lets just hope its not another three years before I get to the next step with these vines, brewing. There has been much progress since the planting and before the post.  Here's a few photos of my trellis being filled with the vines of 'Cascade'. 

The Hops climbs trellis' chains with ease.

Old chain and wood rungs add to the aged look of trellis.

Little fella found the leaf tasty, don't he know the flowers are where the flavor is?

Hops have nearly reached the top, have have just begun to grow side shoots..

A Kitchen is a crucial part of a Garden.

In all honesty I've been a bit neglectful towards my yard this summer and fall.  It is not as if I've been avoiding everything on my list of outside projects I set forward for myself this year.  I am told it is alright for one's perspectives and priorities to change.

In the wake of factors that shape a man's life and direction; I deemed it high priority to remodel my kitchen.  This was an undertaking I do not take lightly, when it comes to my home there is a slight internal battle between the need to preserve the history and feel of the house while adding the functionality and openness I desired.  The main conflict was a simple one: this home was good enough for Grandma and the strong need I had to take a sledge hammer to the kitchen wall.

As a farmer and a gardener I tend to view the kitchen as an extension of the garden.  It becomes the destination for the garden's bounty.  Whether its simply making daily meals, preserving the harvest or ultimately used for the gathering of friends centered around the shared purpose of food consumption; I wanted this to be a place in my home where these activities could take place and feel natural.  The original layout made a man feel isolated as he prepared a meal for friends or brothers.  The gathering place was in the living room, obscured by a wall, one could easily hear the fun that was taking place but had to keep stirring dinner.  In those countless evenings preparing dinner alone in my kitchen, I began to day dream of a kitchen without a wall.  To allow for interaction with the living room; what a break-through that would be.

I never put a timeline on this day dream.  I had my vision set, though in my view there are certain decisions that need to be shared, and until then; what grandma had was good enough for me. Yet through life's journey I was given  the opportunity to empty the living room, paint the walls and buy new couches... a subtle reboot to the living quarters.  Though the fresh paint looked great it wasn't enough of a facelift I wanted.  So, even before the fresh paint had even dried, I decided one of the walls had to come down.

There may have not been as much jubilation as the tumbling of the Berlin wall, but the overwhelming sense of freedom and progress rushed over me as I stood back and looked past where my range would be through the old stud wall, into the living room and out the window to my yard. This was excitement I had yet to feel about my home, I could feel it becoming mine.  What was just a barren studs holding up my ceiling had already transformed my living space into a new hope.

There needed to be balance to the project, I couldn't go through and update everything and rob this 1950's home from its thrifty beginnings.  My main objective  was removing the wall  and replacing it with a high bar counter top to serve as a peninsula.

I opted to leave the existing cabinetry alone and after removing the dated wallpaper, I'd add a fresh coat of paint.  I had read in a food magazine outlining thoughts on the color choices for kitchens, look for inspirations in the kitchen.  The spice rack to be exact, the your color choice be influenced by your favorite spice. I, myself fine excuses to add a bit of chili powder into as much as I can.  This thought brought me into the reds and orange hues.

Though I arrived to the colors of my living room and kitchen through my rational thought processes, subliminally I believe Lucille may have been guiding my choices, the piece of wall paper I framed complimented the paint on the walls quite nicely.

New light fixtures were a must, for one my main grievance with the kitchen was the fact that I was always cooking in the shade.  The solitary light fixture in the center of the kitchen cast my shadow directly across the stove.  I needed addidtional light form above.  One that would compliment and work with the breakfast bar that will replace the wall.

To keep the orginal cupboards, counters and hardware I chose to have my counter for the bar to be cut out of butcher block.  The natural maple finish was a light enough color to compliment the wood features in the kitchen and living room both, yet classic enough to maintain my country home feel.

Replacing my electric stove had to be done.  It still worked, but I needed one with a lower profile that would fit under the bar.  I couldn't have a range with the standard back splash with the dials on it.  I found one the spoke to me, it was simplified and elegant and felt industrial enough for a man's kitchen.  A perfect compliment to my garden's kitchen, sure to be able to handle a fair amount of canning.  It also brought me back into the world of gas cooking which I've always preferred.

The final touch was a floor upgrade, durability and functionality was a must.  I wanted a floor that would utilize and tie in the colors in the kitchen.  The wall color, cabinetry woodwork,  and even the new stainless steel stove.  The existing floor was probably twice my age, probably could last another sixty years....  but no.  After removing the wall, there was a spot of floor exposed without carpet or linoleum.  Sure the piece of barn wood I put there may have sufficed, but I guess I've become classy through this process.

 

The project has been mostly finished for a few weeks now, and already I have had the opportunity to make dinner for some groups of people.  To see this space function exactly how I had dreamed has given me a fresh excitement for my home and helped transform my vision for the future. Though this will always be the house that Dan & Lucille built, through time I truly can make it mine.