Autumn Sunset

A Perfect Day

Today was a very good day to be on the prairie.  I had fresh spinach from my own garden with my breakfast.  I was able to get quite a bit of cleaning done in the house (and it stayed clean).  I made buns from scratch to go with barbequed brisket for lunch.  My kids took at nap at the same time, which allowed me to nap as well.  My mother-in-law worked her tail off in the garden, weeding and tilling and planting new things (celery!) and now it looks so much nicer.  I learned how to use the weed-eater (sort of) and cut lots of weeds.  In the afternoon I was able to mow the lawn in front of the hired man's house, a chore I really enjoy (it helps that we have a riding lawnmower I think).  My kids played with their cousin outdoors, and for the most part they were content.  The weather was gorgeous- sunny, not too hot, and hardly any mosquitos.  Pretty much a perfect day on the prairie. 

Gardening With Baby

We had a cool day after some extreme heat last week.  We jumped at the chance to garden.

There's something for everyone in the garden.

Nice kitty.

 Now let me examine your teeth.

Oooh, there's a paw!

Hee hee!



I'm so funny!



Spring Happenings on the Ranch

Just thought I'd give you a peek at some of the goings-on around here.

We've planted carrots, spinach, peas, cosmos, kale, lettuce and broccoli in the garden. 

That's a brussels sprouts plant that overwintered.  I'm hopeful but not too optimistic that we'll get any sprouts.

That's dirt on her face, not freckles.  She loves being outside in the garden.

We bought 50 pounds of Kennebec seed potatoes.  It was very sunny when we planted the potato patch, so we tried to protect the baby's head. 

Our potato patch consists of 4 rows of potatoes, each about 100 feet long.   We planted them in the middle of a field to be farmed. We are hoping to grow enough potatoes to feed us all winter, with plenty to spare.

We have lots of baby chicks growing.  Most of them are for meat, just a few are for eggs.  This picture was taken 2 weeks ago, and they are already alot bigger.

Most hatcheries sell Cornish Cross for meat chickens.  They are bred to grow really big really fast.  They are ready to butcher in 6-8 weeks.   Many die of heart attacks before they are ready to be butchered, especially if they have access to chick feed at night.  Their legs can't support the weight of their bodies, and it's just gross.  This year we decided to try Araucana chicks instead. They won't be quite as big as the Cornish Cross, and they should be ready to butcher in 12 weeks.



We've started branding our calves and hope the weather cooperates so we can finish this week (but it doesn't look promising).  We've done some farming, trying to grow our own cow feed to save money. 

What are your spring happenings?

An Icy Prairie Morning

These were taken Christmas Eve, 2010.

Sunrise

Here's the view from my house this morning:



What a Cattle Drive Looks Like

I love going on cattle drives.  The fresh air, wide open spaces, watching the cows run, checking out the scenery and wildlife, I just love it all.  So much so that I've even been known to bundle up my babies, slip them in the baby carrier, and go! 

Laugh all you want, but that hat is VERY warm, and the big glasses cover lots of surface area on my face, protecting my eyes from the wind.  (Yes, my in-laws laugh at my glasses).

To get them to move, we yell, "BOSSES", but we pronouce it, "BOOOHHH ZEHS."  My husband also likes to yell, "Yeoooohhhhhhhh  Nellies!"  (Actually, he really likes to yell curse words, but I'm trying to wean him off that now that we have kids!)

 Cattle on the move!  That big guy in the midle was watching me!

Ollie likes to watch the cows too.  He prefers to ride on my 4-wheeler instead of chasing the cows.

My son prefers the motorcycle to the 4-wheeler.



Bet you thought all ranchers rode horses and wore cowboy hats!

That's my husband.  I love watching him ride the dirtbike.  He makes it look so easy!

While waiting for the cows to all get through the gate, we usually recap the cattle drive.

Last one out.  Git 'em Silas!

Gardening Resolutions for 2011

For me, one of the greatest Pleasures of the Prairie is having time and space to grow a garden.  There are lots of reasons I love gardening.  I love the sense of pride I feel when I tell people I'm eating something I grew myself.  I love having a hobby to share with my children (and they say your kids are more likely to eat their veggies if they've helped grow them).  When it's the dead of winter and I'm longing for warm weather, I love thumbing through the garden catalogs and dreaming of how I'm going to plant things the next summer.  Having fresh vegetables right here pushes me to eat them, and when I can't get to the store, I know I've got fresh produce.  But most importantly, my homegrown veggies taste DELICIOUS.  

Here are some "resolutions" for how I'll do things next year:

1) Plant broccoli again
This year I added broccoli to my garden.  It was the sweetest broccoli I've ever eaten.  This is definitely a keeper!   You might notice the holes in the leaves, which are caused by the cabbage worm/ cabbage butterfly.  It's very important to soak your broccoli in lukewarm salt water before blanching to kill the little green worms.  Yuck!  Thanks for that tip Dad!

2) Get my soil analyzed

I started all my tomatoes from seed in my garage.  I planted 19 tomato plants. Okay, so maybe I went a little crazy.   I still have about 10 plants.  Unfortunately, alot of those tomatoes were ruined by "blossom end rot," which looks like this:

I think I can avoid this by a soil analysis, which will tell me what nutrients my soil is missing or getting too much of.

 

3) PRUNE THE TOMATOES!

One thing I learned this year is to PRUNE THE TOMATOES.  Otherwise they fall over like this:

4) Plant a zucchini hill
Last year we had 2 hills, and way too much zucchini to eat.  I made lots of chocolate zucchini bread.  But I swore I would not plant any more zucchini.  This summer I really regretted that!  Next year I'm definitely planting a hill.

Speaking of squash, I am really excited about my butternut squash.  I absolutely love to make it into soup, and this is the first year I've successfully grown it!  Can't wait to eat it!

5) Plant marigolds again

Here's my organic pest control.  Not sure how well it worked, since I still had potato bugs and cabbage worms.  But the burst of color really catches your eye as you go by, and the colors do double duty as fall decoration.



 How did your garden turn out this year?  What will you do differently next year?

A Pleasure of the Prairie- Space to Climb