BENCH AROUND TREE INSPIRATION THURSDAY

Every Thursday we like to post a picture of something we've found online that inspires us to do something similar at the farm.  

Sort of our own blog bulletin board so that we can eventually look back and someday, hopefully anyway, recreate it...enjoy!

Tree Bench, image via Pinterest.com

We've always liked the these benches that go around trees.  Wouldn't it be a relaxing place to sit and rest in the shade?  We've got some new areas I'm clearing that will have some places that would be perfect for this.  We know they can be built, out of chairs and pallets and such, but realistically, I'm not sure if I have that in me.  It might be easier to find, perhaps anyway, an affordable one online, even if some assembly required, ha.  

Just such a nice space to sit, it lets more people sit without having to have a dozen chairs.  A place to enjoy the shade and a place to put items as well.  Veggies after harvest maybe?  A book and a glass of tea?  A blanket on a cool Autumn day?  

Be inspired!

FARM FRESH EGGS WITH BONUS PULLET EGGS

Farm fresh egg variety

2nd Family gave us a couple dozen more eggs from their hens.  They have more than they need.  We of course LOVE LOVE LOVE to have them as there is just no comparison to store bought.  Of course, it's a random variety of eggs from their random variety of new and older hens, ha.  In this batch though, we noticed the small, tiny eggs.  What the heck?  

We had to do some research on them.

Regular egg vs Pullet egg

Turns out, they are called "Pullet Eggs".  See the photo above, they are tiny when compared to a regular egg.  Almost a third smaller in size.  At first we thought "well those are just too cute" and didn't think much more about it.  

Pullet eggs

After some more research, it turns out that pullet eggs are A THING. 

Here is an article about them:

PULLET EGGS

Pullet eggs are the first few eggs of a hens lifetime.  This makes them rare.  The flavor is more intense with the yolk being rich and velvety smooth.

Pullet eggs and ham

We fried some up (with slices of ham) and the flavor was amazing.  Like the richest egg you can imagine.  You can see on these over easy eggs, the yolk takes up more volume than the white.

We won't get these treats again as their new hens will begin laying regular (but wonderful) size eggs.  For a few brief meals, we had a rare treat!

Who knew?  

Have you heard of/eaten Pullet eggs?

HARVEST MONDAY HITS AND MISSES

 It was a pretty good weekend at the farm for harvesting.  

We got a lot more jalapeños, four eggplants, okra, and a few more tomatoes (harvested a couple of green ones to try some fried green tomatoes later this week).

More cucumbers of varying sizes (as usual) though the harvest seems to be slowing down.  Not sure how long the vines will keep producing but we've been enjoying them so far this season.

Here are zucchini (a few of the ones harvested).  One, perhaps two, got VERY large.  I showed 2nd Man and he goes "what the heck!  Is there a nuclear power plant nearby?", ha!

We have read that large zucchini are still OK to use, in fact they are good for shredding to use in baking.  Will have to read up on that before it goes bad.

As for the misses this weekend...Here is one of the garlic plants.  They are all about the same size.  I would chalk this up to a failure.  I'm not sure what the deal was.  Maybe not enough water?  I did read that you could water them until they sprouted and then not worry about them until Spring.  Maybe we just didn't have enough rainy days during the Winter?  I don't know but we'll try again this Fall (when you plant them) for next Spring.

And in other hit and miss news, here is the apple tree.  BOTH of them look like this.  Dead.  We had a Golden Dorsett and an Ein Shemer, both varieties best suited for our region.  The rest of the fruit trees are doing great.  Same soil (all raised beds of course) same watering, same conditions.  It's possible these two trees didn't make it from the Winter.  When I planted them, I thought they were still dormant just like the other trees but the others all leafed out and these two did not.

We're determined to have some apples, because they DO grow here, so I will remove these soon, change out the soil and try again.  Trees are on sale now at most nurseries and I think we will try the Dorsett again but switch to Anna, another variety that is good for our region.

You win some and you lose some but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, right?

SUNNY BUNNY AND FEATHERS, WEEKEND UPDATE

Today is scattered showers, glad for the watering but that only gave me one day outside.  I made the most of it though, edged a LOT (did the entire driveway fence line) and of course mowed.

Then I was in the garden working and harvesting veggies.  I was in the cucumber vine that is ginormous and was moving things around looking for hidden cukes...

Hidden Bunny

...then I saw something move! It startled me thinking it was a rat or something else, and then I saw it. See it there hiding under the vines and leaves?

It hopped out under the shade of the vines and there he was.  The most adorable little bunny!!

Baby bunny

It was SO cute!  Yes, we know rabbits and gardens don't mix.  I could have scooped him and relocated him elsewhere or at the least I could have run him off, but you know, I looked at that little fuzzy face, his adorable little white cottontail, and I just left him alone.  It's not like he couldn't just come right back in if he wanted to (between the fence pickets, I need to work on that next season).  So of course I harvested around him.  

More on harvest Monday update! 

Chicken and Alfredo pasta

For dinner it was an Alfredo pasta with chicken.  Pasta and chicken, two of my most favorite things.

Feathers in yard

And in the odd events category, TWO MORE feathers were laying in the yard upon arrival.  These are different than the last one.  I'm going to get a box and keep them, it seems the right thing to do.  

Hope you are having a great weekend!

CAT TELEVISION FELINE FRIDAY

It's an episode of CAT TV!

Starring Hobart (left) and Brisbane (right)!

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This is when the dove showed up and was pecking around eating the seed we had put on the balcony.  You can see it scattered around.  Notice the cats positions. 

Here it is after she had eaten up most of it.  The cats had not even moved.  They were enthralled and focused...and apparently immobile! 

SECRET GARDEN DOOR INSPIRATION THURSDAY

Every Thursday we like to post a picture of something we've found online that inspires us to do something similar at the farm.  

Sort of our own blog bulletin board so that we can eventually look back and someday, hopefully anyway, recreate it...enjoy!

Garden door, image via Pinterest

OK...there are so many places on the farm property that we could do something like this and so when we saw these images online, we fell in love with the idea.  The one above is pretty neat...

Garden door, image via Pinterest

...but this one is really awesome.  It's like the doorway to another realm, ha.  Best of all, you can let it get as worn or weathered as you like.  It can be like this or cleaner and newer like the first one.  

How neat would it be to have something like this, where you can't really see what's on the other side and then when you open the door, a flower garden.  Sort of "Wizard of Oz"ish.

Be inspired!

VITAMIX FRESH TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE

Good old fashioned tomato soup and grilled cheese...though we do it a bit differently.

Tillamook grilled cheese

Grilled cheese sandwiches. We use two slices of sharp Tillamook cheddar on each sandwich and salted butter spread on the outside.  Of course, we cook it in a hot skillet until toasted and browned on each side. Nothing much different there.

Vitamix soup

Here is where we make this soup a bit differently.  We use our Vitamix blender.  First we put in 16 oz of cherry tomatoes, these are two varieties (sold to us like that, two mixed together).  

Then we add 1 tsp dried basil and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp dried minced onion to the tomatoes.  We also add 1 clove of garlic for that great Italian flavor.

Cherry tomato soup Vitamix

Lastly, we add 1 TBSP olive oil and 1/4 cup water or broth (we used chicken broth) and put the lid on.  

Vitamix Tomato soup

We blend it for about 7 minutes.  Here is the thing with a Vitamix that's very unique: the longer it goes, the centrifugal force begins to heat up the contents.  Believe it or not, it comes out scorching hot.  When you take the lid off, steam actually comes off.  It's pretty crazy but also really convenient.  

Almost instant hot soup!

We pour it in a bowl, swirl in a bit of balsamic vinegar, cut the grilled cheese in half and enjoy.  It's a very "fresh" tasting soup.  You get the pure flavor of the tomatoes and of course the olive oil, basil, dried onion, garlic and vinegar all add a bright finish to it.  

It's not old fashioned Campbell's tomato but it's pretty darn good!

OKRA FLOWERS

Do you know what these beautiful flowers are?

They are okra flowers!

They only bloom and open fully for about two days before they start turning into okra pods...

Okra flowers

Aren't they beautiful?

Do they remind you of hibiscus flowers?  That's because I found out okra is in the hibiscus family.  Who knew?  It's fascinating how similar plants can be yet so completely different in use.  Hibiscus flowers, hibiscus tea, okra flowers let them become pods.  

We are growing two okra plants this year, they are starting to produce and we've missed a few and they are too big to eat but I'm saving them to dry out and use as a Christmas craft suggested by one of our blog readers.  But until then, we'll enjoy eating some as well.  Last year, I turned 2nd Man into a fried okra fan.  This year I hope to figure out some other okra dishes that might not gross him out, LOL. 

DAD'S HOMEMADE WORKBENCH

For those who missed it yesterday (since I usually post it Monday), here is the latest GARDEN UPDATE.

OK, so last weekend, we had stuff moved to the barn from a storage unit.  You can read about the other things we moved out there by CLICKING HERE.  I mentioned my Dad's workbench and promised pics so here it is, a treasure for sure.  

My Dad built this from scratch.  No plans.  He just looked at some pictures in various magazines and decided to design and build his own. He spared no expense on this either.  The best wood and hardware, even going so far as to get special wheels that cost something like $50 each so that it would roll smoothly with the total weight.  You can actually push it around with one hand (they do lock in place too).  He wasn't a woodworker or carpenter by profession, this was just a hobby that he got into and he truly enjoyed it.    

Workbench top with bench dogs

The top is 8 feet from end to end. Those holes in the top are called "bench dogs". They use brass posts that go into the holes when you need them, acting as stops or guides to handle long or oddly shaped pieces of wood or whatever you are working on.  

Workbench end with shelf

On one end, he put this shelf with heavy duty support braces to hold a small tool chest or other boxes as needed...

Workbench with pegboard end

And on the other end, just to be different, he put pegboard so he could hang small woodworking tools.

On one side of the shelf end is a clamp for holding pieces of wood or other items...

And at the pegboard end is another heavy duty clamp going the other direction for the same thing.

Workbench cabinet

There are two cabinets with magnetic latching doors and adjustable shelves...

Workbench drawers

And five drawers of varying sizes to hold tools with many of them still inside as he left them.  

Since the drawers and cabinets on this side are deep (about 2/3 of the width of the bench) and wouldn't allow for the same on the other side, he did this...

Workbench shelves

Open shelving for more storage!  No space went without purpose.

He really crafted an incredible piece of furniture, something more than "just a workbench". It was finished less than a year before he passed away and when we were selling stuff in the house before my Mom moved to her apartment, a neighbor offered us $2500 for it.  It was tempting, especially at a time of loss like that, but even my Mom said no, he put a lot of love and time into this and we needed to keep it.  

We almost used this in the kitchen at the house in town but it was a tad bit too long for the space.  It would make a great kitchen island in the right kitchen for sure but thankfully, now we have the space for it in the barn to be my very own workbench. 

It will of course be the centerpiece of the workshop/barn area.  Now we just need the weather to cool down a bit so we can get out there and work on getting things arranged and put up. 

Thank you Dad!  

We'll put it to good use!

VEGETABLES AND STORMY SKIES SUNDAY UPDATE

Well, I got things done yesterday, more on that in upcoming posts. It was overcast yesterday but hot.  Oh my it was so hot and humid...

We left at about 5pm because there were big storms moving in from the West...not to mention I was about as worn out as I think I've ever been out there.  At 5pm, the "feels like" was 99 degrees.  During the afternoon it was over 100.  No wonder I was worn out so quickly.  Have a feeling it's going to be a long and hot Summer.

Vegetable harvest

We got a great harvest.  And look, our FIRST TOMATOES OF THE SEASON!  A nice haul of jalapeños, okra (saving the big ones for a project), eggplants, and a couple of zucchini down there in the bottom.

Cucumber basket

But wait, that's not all!  

Cucumbers too!  Big ones,  small ones and everything in between!

Stormy skies

And here is today.  I asked 2nd Family to take a pic out there and "J" went up to our house and snapped this.  We've had about an inch with more coming today and possibly tomorrow.  The fruit trees and flowerbeds are getting a nice watering.

Rustic Fresh Bread

Today we are in town, it's rainy and 2nd Man is baking bread.  I may just do some canning too!

Pulled up to the farmhouse yesterday and this was laying in the grass in front of the porch stairs.  Hawk feather I presume?  I wonder if that's a sign of something?  Hopefully good luck, LOL!

SATURDAY UPDATE

Pictures were taking forever to upload for some reason but just as well, it's off to the farm day and once again, beat the rain day.  2nd Family said it's been hit and miss at the farm with no major rain the last couple of days so it should be dry-ish.

But it looks like our luck is running out. Heavy rains are in the forecast for later today and all day tomorrow and Monday.  We'll see how much we can get done before it's a washout.  

Wish us luck!

Hope your weekend is off to a better start!

BLUEBERRY HARVEST

Albeit a REALLY small one, ha.  

Couldn't resist this...

Remember late last year, I found some great deals on blueberry bushes.  Well they've been on the porch since then.  A few weeks ago, the bushes started putting on a few berries.

Ripening blueberries

Mind you, these aren't yet planted into clay pots.  We've been watering them while sitting on the porch, but they are still in their black containers and now popping out with blueberries.  Not a lot of course, there were only two that were ripe enough to eat.

Brought them back into town, washed them and popped them in the fridge for a bit.  Then we each got one, LOL.  Wow, the flavor was SO much better than from the ones we buy at the store.  

I really need to get them into the larger clay pots. There is no way we can plant them in the ground, our soil just won't ever let them grow, and they do require a more specialized soil.  But hey, if they can be in a large container and still produce berries, we're OK with that.  I think they require a more acidic soil, will need to get the details on a proper blend or maybe there is an already blended bag soil that would work.  

RUSTIC DECOR FLOWERBED INSPIRATION THURSDAY

Every Thursday we like to post a picture of something we've found online that inspires us to do something similar at the farm.  

Sort of our own blog bulletin board so that we can eventually look back and someday, hopefully anyway, recreate it...enjoy!

Rustic flowerbed, image via Pinterest.com

With the recent flowerbeds we're building around the house, we're thinking of what to put around the two outbuildings (at least on the two sides that face each other).  Seems like flowerbeds will just be more work maintaining "remotely" and with plans for others around the yard, something else and less labor intensive might be nice along the sides of the barn and shed.  We like the flowers and greenery around the house but this really piqued our interest.

Just clearing a couple of strips, putting down our weedblock fabric (which we still have plenty of) and some gravel in nice colors.  Of course then we'd need some great decor like the ones in this photo, but I but we could find all sorts of fun stuff at the local flea markets and side of the road sales.  It would be nice to look for these types of things instead of new plants and flowers.  

Be inspired!