Nuts!

So I'm cheating a bit but the title really sums up how I feel about this post!

I'm using my N  post to talk about nuts or actually nut trees that you can grow at home. Depending on where you live you have all kinds of options in what to plant and how long it will take for them to produce. Just think of planting a Nut or Fruit Tree as planting for your future or your kids future. Even small amounts of area can produce a good harvest of nuts, some can be quite profitable. And add to that general low maintenance, what's not to love! Once your stand is established the most work you'll have to do is the harvesting.

The first thing to do when considering what kinds of trees to get is to have your soil tested. Then you'll need to plan for the amount of space you'll need in the future. Then is your climate correct for the trees you want? Some varieties have to have a more temperate climate such as California for Pistachio, these are E's favorites and I imagine she would try if she thought she could grow them in the green house..lol.

 Pecans are a staple of the south and we are lucky/unlucky enough to have 9, 7 very old and 2 relatively in tree terms younger. When we first moved into this house I was thrilled with the trees, then after a relatively busy storm season, pecans turn into missiles in high winds and the wood is soft, so be prepared for lots of downed limbs, I was a little less ecstatic. I do enjoy having pecans available at the holidays for baking and such so I guess it's worth the trade off. Plus we do crack many pounds while we watch TV and sell them at the markets around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Leaves are just coming out good on one of our pecan trees.

In the first couple of years, trees like Pecans and Walnuts, have a  tap root that grows downward at a rate of least 2 or 3 feet, then they can continue to grow upward up to 100 feet over many years.

If you are on the West Coast of the US then you get the opportunity to grow more exotic trees like  Almonds and Cashews. Almonds can be grown anywhere that peaches are grown, the only problem is that they are often effected by late frosts, so they are generally grown in the more temperate climates of California.

If you aren't in the south or the west coast and still want to grow nut trees, there's still hope. As long as your area doesn't fall below 20 degrees below zero then you should be be able to grow Hazelnuts and walnuts. 

Nut trees don't need much in the way of pesticides or trimming other than when they are very young. You'll want to make sure that you have a straight strong trunk to ensure the tree is strong as possible. Pest such as squirrels can be thwarted by something as simple as a dog that runs the area periodically. You'll want to make sure that the orchard area is kept mowed low to help ensure there isn't competition between your trees and other shrubs for available water and resources.  

If you have a large or small area and some time, consider some nut trees for the future. The initial input will pay off multiple times in future harvests.

The crud has put me a bit behind but I'm going to try to finish out the A to Z Challenge before the end of the month, so post will be appearing randomly over the next week. Check back often to see what happens!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the garden! or Orchard...

New Years Resolutions from the Farm

I'm having a really hard time believing that it is already a new year. Last year really flew by, and I know all about that ugly saying that time flies as you age, I'm doing my best to ignore that!

So to help me get on track for a New Year I thought I would share some of the resolutions from the farm. I hear that if you share them, there is a better chance that you will be able to stay on track.

1. I'll start with the Chickens, They decided that there maybe a couple of people out there that don't realize that they are tough totally free range chickens. They don't need a sissy coop, they are only partially domesticated anyway. So if you'd like to visit them they'll be right here in the magnolia tree,

Unless the weather is bad then we'll just migrate to the carport..

2. We've heard that we are called Easter Eggers so we promise to make every morning as fun as Easter with an egg hunt. We'll make sure to move to an new spot once you find the old one..

3.  The Dogs promise to ramp up the household protection by keeping the strange guy in the jeep away from our mailbox, let you know if a strange cat wanders into the yard, or a leaf might be out of place in the yard. Just one of the three amigos, she looks like a great watch dog..right..

Watching the yard is a tough job.

4. The cats promise to help me get keep my heart rate up by leaving half eaten moles directly on the top step, right where I'll put my barefoot in the morning as I go out to feed them and the chickens.. but hey, can you resist that face..

5.The humans are working on all kinds of things like getting more organized, being a bit more proactive and working on growing  a larger selection of unusual vegetables for the market, like Kohlrabi, Radicchio and Goji berries, (we planted those last fall!)  The catalogs have come in and I'm working on my order! I might have to scout out a bit more garden space..

6. I'm also pledging to explore the idea of using beets and carrots in jams to give it natural sweetness and make them a bit healthier. I'm always looking for ideas for new flavors, so pass your new ideas along!

I hope this finds you having a really great start to 2016! We have so much planned and we can't wait to share it with you. Thanks for stopping by!  

Figs are on!

And they are taking up all of my spare time. Not that I normally have much but I do have a couple of other projects I'd like to work on this week.

And I'm not the only one who has realized they are on.Anyone have a good recommendation for getting rid of June Bugs or Japanese Beatles for those of you not in the south?

These monsters have found the fig tree and are swarming. The tree is rather huge and I really don't mind sharing a fig or 5 or 6 with them but when you are below them picking and you wiggle the branch they all fly out and inevitably some will run into you and at least once during each picking, one will get into my hair and I'll just say the outcome isn't pretty for either one of us..They all bunch up on one fig, which I should be grateful for since there are so many hanging around this year. I have those bait bags but they have an attractant in them. I don't need to attract any more. I wonder perhaps if my neighbors down the road would mind if I put a few bags up at their house? 

June Bugs aren't our only guests, we have plenty of crows, wasps, spiders, and butterflies. Some of these I mind more than others. 

This guy is okay, I think he wanders back and forth from the front yard butterfly bush to the back and the figs. Maybe I should put out one of those shallow basins for butterflies to drink from. I have seen quite a variety of them but only when I don't have a camera handy. Of course.

This is one of the nasty visitors, I'm hoping the birds won't fill up on fruit and decide to have a bit of a wasp side dish to round out their dinner.

This guy I saw last night and he is always welcome! 

In fact this is an open invitation to bring his friends!

So I'm going from this to..

This.. Strawberry Fig Jam among other flavors. So I guess it's almost worth bugs in your hair..

Hope you're having a really great week, check back soon for Duckling Updates, Fall Garden ideas and an easy fruit butter recipe!

Cute Overload

As you know we are fostering four baby ducks, well Matilda the hen is doing the real work,we are just enjoying them.

They are two weeks old and I'm a bit behind with the pictures but I wanted to share their first adventure outside. She's being a really great mom, teaching them to scratch, watching nervously while they splash around and keeping them in line.

Check them out. They are super cute. Chris and E as well as Matilda would love to keep a few but we don't have a pond and I've done the kiddie pool routine before..We do not have time to do that and everything else that is going on around here. So we'll enjoy them for another couple of weeks before they move back "home" and become ducks again instead of Chickens..

You've been warned, the cuteness is almost too much to handle...

In case you missed the earlier post. this is what we started with ..

That's food in the water Matilda was teaching them to scratch and the food bowl went flying. They'd rather splash than eat anyway.. She'd rather they get out of the water!

Mom's version of a bath.. they don't understand dust baths either..

Hanging out with Mom

They got a bit dirty during mom's bath so they got one of their own. She was not a happy camper that we left her outside while they took a dip in the sink. I should have gotten a picture of her giving me the stink eye through the back door..

I have a video but I can't seem to get it to play. Hopefully I'll be able to load it and you'll be able to see how much they enjoyed their swim.

Check back for more details and fun. We're in full canning and gardening season so more of that is coming up soon too.

Thanks for stopping by!

F is for Figs!

So I may have mentioned this before, Figs are why the farm is what it is today. We bought a piece of a former farm and one of the remainders was this HUGE fig tree. That's it in the picture below, (please ignore the weeds, June Bugs and I do not get along and I refuse to mow under it), it's crazy huge. You can just see a bit of barn poking out behind the right side, it's easily 20 feet high and twice that across. I personally had no idea that fig trees got that big. If you'd like to try to grow one this size, I recommend planting it next to an animal barn and wait 30 years!

We had so many figs the first year we ate till we were sick of them, shared them until our friends begged off of figs, dried them and then we made jam. Plus we shared with the birds, wasps and june bugs, they get the top half.

Surprisingly enough, the jam was a huge hit. (We have a secret ingredient you see) People told us to sell it and lo and behold people bought it! We tried again next year and added peppers to the recipe, and it sold faster than ever. Forward another year and we added a few more flavors and veggies and Our Greene Acre was running at full speed. So I credit this tree and it's wonderful fruit as the catalyst to all of those long nights canning, long days in the sun selling at markets and for all of the wonderful people we've met along the way.

We are located in North Carolina and when you hear about figs they normally come from California but we are proof that they can be grown in other places. We've been told that winter around us is what normally kills a younger tree. We've had good luck in over wintering our offshoots by covering them with tomato cages packed with straw or mulch. Unlike California we have a shorter season and only get a month or two of fruiting.

 We are fairly sure we have Celeste Figs, they are on the smaller side but have a thin skin and sweet tender inside!

I'd had fig newtons and my Father-in-law had a small bush in his yard and that was about the extend of my fig experience. I reached out to Google to learn about figs and I learned a lot of amazing facts. Here's a few

• Fig Newtons were introduced back in 1892!
• Figs are low in calories and high in Calcium as well as other vitamins
• They have no bloom since the "fruit" is actually an inverted "flower"
• They have a short shelf life but are easily dried and retain their positive health benefits

If you are looking to add fruit to your garden Figs make great additions. They are relatively easy to grow, they like rich organic soil, don't necessarily take up a huge amount of room but give a large harvest, Many types of Figs are available but as a rule don't need another for pollination, unlike plums, peaches and apples.

Look around at your local garden centers for a fig tree and start your own micro farm!

Since you're surely contemplating which fruit tree is best for you check out the A To Z Challenge for more great ideas! Then come back tomorrow to see what starts with "G" and is another great addition to your garden...

How much is that ... Chicken?.. in the window..

You know you live on a farm when this is what you see first thing in the morning..

That window's not dirty it's our Dogs Artwork!