After some intense weeding over the past couple of weeks, the garden is looking great. We already have some grass and other weeds creeping into areas – but for the most part, things are as green as can be. Like green green. Super green. Everything is fresh and growing awesome. The lettuce, arugula and radishes are ready for harvest as we …
Bringing in the Equipment
The time has come to cut and bale hay. Suddenly, we’re looking like a shockingly legit operation. My dad Dave and his friend Duane have all the right equipment after decades of family farming. Not to say that we would have never tried this flying solo with the Allis-Chalmers. We certainly would have given it our best shot – but all …
We Needed Groceries and Gas
Do you ever have those nights where the house needs things but the less-responsible voice in your head is like “nah, let’s not?” It happens right? That was us. We needed groceries for dinner. The cats needed more cat food. We needed fuel for the lawn mower. Generally, the to-do list was about as long as it could get and …
Cedar-Apple Rust
A couple of months ago, Aaron noticed some globs of weirdness on some of the Cedar trees in our wood line. The bronze-colored dusty knots, it turns out, are the first signs of cedar-apple rust. Cedar-apple rust is a disease that requires two hosts to complete its lifecycle – in our case, the cedar, apple and crabapple trees. An alternative version …
Myrtle – the Roots & Fruits & Flowers Cart
In college, I worked at one of those seriously hip stores in the mall that sells all the hottest clothes and blasts obnoxious music the entire time you shop. I loved it. So much so that a few years ago, I even got a part-time job working in a retail shop just to fold and organize and work on shop …
Evening Rides in the Side by Side
The newest favorite family pastime involves cruising in the side-by-side. The Honda Pioneer is still new to the farm, but it’s getting a workout while proving to be the best investment we’ve made so far. It’s no shocker that Aaron still has to run into Kansas City for home showings now and then. Instead of wandering around the house with …
Chicken Sandwiches
…sound pretty delicious. I’m not going to lie. The chickens have officially been here for about two and a half months. Since it feels like years have passed (a day in quarantine time must count for about 3 months), we’re feeling the itch for our egger babies to start laying. We’re guesstimating the bulk of the flock is about 12 …
We Grew a Salad and Then Some
Despite a few hurdles and a slow start at getting seeds into the ground, the garden is flourishing. Tonight, a basket loaded with lettuce, arugula, nasturtium, radishes and walking onions made its way to the kitchen for dinnertime. The comfy early summer evenings on the deck have been our favorites lately. While the grill does its magic on one end …
Our “Chunnel” Chicken Tunnel Prototype
Aaron and I have been on a “let’s make these chickens work for us” kick ever since we moved to the farm. Building them a happy chicken palace was only step one. Now, we want them to be able to clean clover, insects and ticks out of the garden. Originally, we hoped to build a long system of chicken tunnels …
This Week on the Farm: May 25 – 31, 2020
Farm life is keeping us busy and distracted from the chaos of the world. This week, we’ve not only continued to keep eyes on the Coronavirus evolution, but we’re also watching protests of the George Floyd murder from a distance. The heartbreaking events of the last week have weighed on me more than I can really describe. I’ve been sad, …