Backyard Farmgals

Here's a little snippit from my Monday this week: There are some pretty wild and fun things that I get to do as a master's student. This one was so interesting and I enjoyed it greatly because I got to drive the tractor and hedge trees at one point. The best part was that the trees are in full bloom, and as I drove, petals were falling like snow. Best. Day. Ever! It is really difficult to be a tart cherry grower. Trees go in the ground and they are not typically harvested for 6-7 years after. Waiting for a crop can be financially difficult. We are trying to find ways to help a tart cherry tree reach production maturity a little faster. By doing this, the investment return would happen sooner, and it would give growers a few extra harvests from their investments. Sustainable agriculture is so important. To help us reach this goal of faster production, we are hedging trees. We are hopeful that by hedging the trees, there will be new spur growth that will form flower bu...

These will make your butt big!  I'm just putting that out there now so we don't have a problem later.  These are a fabulous special dinner.  I always make this when someone in the neighborhood has a baby or surgery and they need a meal to help them get going again.  It is always a hit, thank you Giada!  This is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, I think the heavens parted and gave her inspiration because it is pretty, not too technical, and it makes you look like a domestic goddess when you take it to someone (and don't we all need a moment like that every now and then?).  Plus, it is really tasty. Aren't women awesome?  We do stuff like take in meals for each other just because we can.  Women rock!  When I had my babies, there was always someone that was sweet enough to think of how hard it is to care for a new baby and make dinner too.  Bless those people that helped me.  I was on my own with my first baby, no mom or mom-in-law to...

Crabapple. My tree is blooming.  I walked out to it today to smell it and looked up to see and hear more bees than I could count humming away gathering pollen and nectar.  I inhaled and smiled, this tree is so fragrant.  I almost ripped out this tree when we first bought our house.  It had more suckers than tree and was scraggly and undernourished.  I think you would agree that it is a good thing we decided to keep it.  People drive down our road to see it every spring.  It is absolutely beautiful and all it needed was some pruning and fertilizer.  Like most things in life with a little love, ugly and seemingly lifeless things can become the most radiant.   This will be my last bloom with this tree because we just sold our house.  It sold really fast, the first day we put it on the market, to the first person who walked through.  So fast!  I am not quite ready to say goodbye, I love my house and I adore my gardens. ...