On the farm....

the garlic has arrived! Vampires beware!

On the farm.

Secret strawberries! How did they survive? It's a mystery!

On the farm.

Yard to table.

On the farm.

First basil harvest - and pesto made with roasted garlic and almonds. Each almond is worth a gallon of water, so we'd better enjoy them, right? (Basil Almond pesto is really yummy.)

On the farm.

On the farm.

The robust beauty of this flower does not indicate the general health and loveliness of the farm. The rest of it is - shall we say - en travaux.

On the farm.

In spite of last week's report (Rain!) we are experiencing a slight state of emergency and a mandatory 25 percent reduction in water usage on the farm. My handsome husband has taken to wondering aloud: Why don't we move to Minneapolis? They have water.
(Winter.) (Mosquitos.) (Prairie Home Companion.)

On the farm.

Rain!

On the farm....

Guess what! (Chicken butt.)

On the farm.

Preserved lemon test.

On the farm.

Dirty gloves and dull shears.

On the farm.

Parsley! From my in-law's garden to mine!

On the farm.

It gets hotsy totsy on the farm in summer, and I'm trying to figure out how to plant the chicken yard so the hens get a little shade. So far, that involves googling things like "chicken-proof yards" to no avail. It would seem that they will eat/destroy pretty much everything. We may have to get rid of the chickens to make their yard habitable. (Photo of a super gorgeous vine canopy I hope to re-create with no help from the five Bocky Sisters here.)

On the farm.

Lots of clean-up happening on the farm these days. And looking through the seed catalog at night. Which? Is every bit as good as Downton Abby. Meaty with scant seeds and juice? Red 8 ounce slightly flattened globes? Will she? Or won't she? The drama!

On the farm.

What you can't see in this picture is that it's raining! Raining! Not a measure-able amount - maybe a teaspoon? But, we were giddy. What you can see is my new farmer boots, and what used to be my lawn.

On the farm.

This is what passes for gym equipment on the farm.

On the farm.

I want to get one of these for the farm. (Milk!) (Wanton destruction!) My handsome husband said: Oheyyllno. So maybe just a small one.....

On the farm.*

On the farm, we are suffering under drought conditions, and haven't planted much. We'll be lucky to keep anything alive. It's a disappointment - but an irrelevant one, since we don't live or die by our own agricultural prowess and meteorological good fortune.**
On the other hand, egg production is in full swing and we regard it as sort of a small, daily miracle - just look at that speckled beauty!
*It's not a farm. **We'd starve.

On the farm.

Modern Farmer Magazine? Yes, please.

On the farm.

Hopefully, we'll have blackberries this year. We've never had blackberries before - because I was cutting them back all wrong.
(Worst farmer ever. Getting better. Hopefully.)