To Market

After much toil and anxiety we've completed the circle and taken a harvest to market. On Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market with a load of spinach, lettuce, radishes, mustard greens, swiss chard, mint, and rhubarb. Harvesting spinach.
Really wasn't sure how it would go. We didn't have a lot of stuff and the competitors from the front range and Junction are way ahead on the harvest schedule. Here's our booth. Sponsored by Deep Roots, a local non-profit food awareness group.
At the end of the day... we were a success! We sold out of everything! Well almost, we had a couple of bags of mustards left and maybe a dozen radishes. In total we sold 26 gallon bags of greens, 10 lbs. of rhubarb, two bushels of radishes, and two pounds of mint. A big thank you to Lisa from Deep Roots, and Tracy at Mainstreet Steamboat Farmer's Market. In the garden things are really growing. Looks like a bumper crop year for stawberries.Which the deer and birds would just love to get at, so Barney the scarecrow is keeping a watchful eye on them.Our other big project this week was the the chicken coop. After pricing out the lumber it looked like it was gonna cost about $1000 for materials plus the time to put it all together. We were all set to make it happen. Then we spotted a classified ad that read: Large chicken coop for sale. 12'X12'X6'. $500. Funny how things work out. We called up the number and went out and had a look. It was a little dirty but solidly built. The owner said they had it built last fall for a cost of $1700 but decide to keep their birds in their barn as it would be more convenient and and they had the space. We were gonna put it on a trailer to bring it home but their tractor couldn't lift it. So we called up a towing company and they came out, loaded it up, moved it across the valley, and unloaded it in about an hour. I must have bumped the easy button.
It arrived with only minor damage. After a solid day and a half of scraping, shoveling, spraying, scrubbing, and bleaching, it was move in ready.
Now those are some happy chickens!
Whew! What a week. Happy Fourth.

Summer... Finally

"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it." -Russell Baker
Lost some squash this past week. It frosted on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th.

The greens and peas are loving the hot days and cold nights.
Happy chickens. That's our ameraucana rooster in the bottom right hand corner.
Wild flowers are kicking. False Salomon's Seal.
Whale rocks on thunderhead hiking trail.
Columbine.
Another rough day in paradise!

Self Reliance

Hermit Jim posted this essay this morning. I thought it was well worth passing along.

American Self-Reliance

by J. Ollie Edmunds

This country was not built by men who relied on somebody else to take care of them. It was built by men who relied on themselves, who dared to shape their own lives, who had enough courage to blaze new trails with enough confidence in themselves to take the necessary risks.

This self-reliance is our American legacy. It is the secret of that something which stamped Americans as Americans. Some call it individual initiative, others backbone. But whatever it is called, it is a precious ingredient in our national character, one which we must not lose.

The time has come for us to re-establish the rights for which we stand, to re-assert our inalienable rights to human dignity, self-respect, self-reliance—to be again the kind of people who once made America great.

Such a crusade for renewed independence will require a succession of inspired leaders, leaders in spirit and in knowledge of the problem, not just men with political power, but men who are militantly for the distinctive way of life that was America. We are likely to find such leaders only among those that promote self-reliance and who practice it with strict devotion and understanding.

There are very few who could provide for themselves. We've become spoiled brats. A far cry from what we we once were and what made us great. Put on your boots and work gloves cause we've a lot o' work to do!

New Old Watering System

Revived the old gravity fed watering system for the gardens. Diverted a little irrigation water from our upper hay meadow.

Into an old catch basin,
that funnels into a pipe which fills a stock tank.
Down the hill in our new lead free hose to the splitter. one line for the back garden, one for the front.
And presto! Happy plants without relying on pumps. Happy gardening!

Blessed Rain

It's that time of year again when things really start growing. First poppy of the season.
Peas climbing and lettuce leafing out.
Got a good soaking rain on Saturday and showers on Sunday. Look like we'll be getting some typical afternoon build-up all week.Still a little snow on the mountain.Looks like it dumped up there Saturday night.
We received over two inches of rain and it was just what the doctor ordered as thing were starting to get mighty dry.Taters up and exploding.
A little moose damage out in the market garden. What, am I in Alaska or something?
Never seen a moose here at the Barn before. After he wandered though the garden, he passed though the hay shed. He then crossed the drive way where he charged the sheep sculpture. Here he is moseying on up the hill.

Dry and Breezy with a Chance of Summer

Has been awfully dry and breezy in these parts for the last while.


Well sure am sorry not to have posted in a while but working full time and starting an organic farm doesn't leave a whole lot of time for chit chat. Gains are sprouting.
onions are planted. All 2500 of them!
carrots are up.
Potatoes are in.
Working out the wrinkles in the new ditches.Out back things are starting to pop.Early broccoli loving the out of doors.Lettuce peas and radishes sharing a row.Freshly watered rows of greens.Remember the fallen. Building walls for the flat bed.Chickens are fully feathered and enjoyin the sunshine.
Dig dirt all weekend in the garden and then go to work and dig dirt all week. trail work is always fun. More to follow.

Ubaldo Jimenez

If you are a baseball fan you may be aware of the rare talent that is on the mound in Colorado, Ubaldo Jimenez. With a fastball ranging from 95-101(fastest in the bigs) mph that he can throw with sink or run, a nasty breaking ball, an impossible to lay off of slider, and a change up that still breaks 90, he is undoubtedly the the best pitcher in the game right now. After last night's win over the the Padres, giving up just one run with thirteen strikeouts and an r.b.i. single, he leads the major leagues with a 0.79 e.r.a. and six wins. Oh yeah and don't forget the no-hitter vs. the Braves on April 17th. Even if your not a baseball fan it is worth the price of admission to see this guy throw. He really is once in a generation talent, think Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, and Randy Johnson. If the Rockies are in your neck of the woods and Jimenez is slated to start, get down to the ballpark.