Backyard Farmgals

This week's snippet is really exciting: I graduated with my bachelors degree, summa cum laude, in plant science, cropping systems!   WooHooooooo! It was a perfect day, minus the hot stage.  I was absolutely thrilled to walk across that stage; it was so much better than when I got my nursing degree.  Plus I got to walk with two great friends.  I have made two of the best friends a person could ask for.  These two guys have been my support, my shoulder to cry on, my hug when I need one, my study group, and are always a great laugh.  We walked together, one right after another, with our families and professors cheering us on. The best part of the day was when they asked us to recognize those in our lives that have been so supportive of our journey through school.  I have the most amazing hubby!  He comes home from work so I can run to school, he listens to all my frustrations, he helps me when I need it, and makes the stress melt away...

Happy Cinco de Mayo.  Because it is a Mexican holiday, we are celebrating with taco night.  My kiddos love taco night, but I really think it is because of the rice, not the tacos.  I make this really yummy red rice that is packed with flavor and is super easy and fast to make, it is always a favorite.  I recently took it to a Mexican fiesta party at my son's class and all the kids were happy about the red rice.  I heard about it for days from all the moms.  Let's face it, it isn't easy to please an entire room of 7-year-olds, but I think this rice came close to pleasing everyone. I think this rice has made me a people pleaser.  I can't decide if that's a good thing... Arroz Rojo backyard farmgals 12 ounces Tomatoes, very ripe and cored - or 1 can stewed tomatoes 1 medium white onion 2-3 medium jalapenos 2 cups long grain white rice 1/3 cup canola oil 4 minced garlic cloves 2 cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon tomato paste (only if...

A little snippet from the past week.  I was cleaning up the raspberry trials at the Extension Research Farm and stumbled across an albino mutation.  I was completely boggled, after a quick e-mail to someone who knows a lot more about berries than I do, I learned that this is caused by herbicide uptake.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the plant won't live long, it should be very vulnerable to sunburn.  Chlorophyll, which is what makes plants green, acts like sunblock in a sense, it reflects some of the light that hits the plant.  Also, I don't think this plant will be able to make enough carbohydrates to support the plant appropriately.  Albinism is a likely death sentence for this plant. We put down a pre-emergent herbicide in the rows last fall because our berries have some serious problems, and weed pressure adds to the problems.  Signs and symptoms equivalent to that of a virus (curling, margin burning, stunting, poor fruit formation, yellowi...