Planting an Apple Tree

Dogwood in full bloom today, March 29th!

I try to do something in the garden every evening. The weather is just too perfect and with daylight savings time so early this year, I have no excuse to stay in the house.  This evenings list included planting peas and an apple tree.

I'd had my eye on a little McIntosh apple tree at the Big Lots store in Lebanon. I finally purchased it on Monday and it sat here near the dog wood all week.  It's suppose to rain this evening so it was the perfect time to plant.

I'm ready to plant. Hole is dug, bucket of water at the ready. With our heavy clay soils I make the hole wide and not too deep so the tree doesn't sit in water.

Here's a hole, it is no deeper than the root ball of the tree is tall.


A shovel full of well composted cow manure will help it get a good start.

I remove all the wrappings from around the "root ball" which is really just a lot of black potting soil pressed around the roots. It falls apart as soon as I take all the wrapping off. That's ok. It fills the hole and I plant the tree in that nice black dirt. Zeke wants to help.  Next I pour some water all around the roots.

Zeke says,"I helped!"

Last, I heap crumbled garden soil, which is mostly clay, all around, tramp it in gently and water some more. I'll keep it watered and with luck in about three or four years I'll have apples!  Gardeners are always hopeful of the future.

Night Sky So Beautiful

I've really been enjoying the night sky this month. The moon and planets have put on quite a show in the Western sky. From my family room window, while I lie on the couch and watch television, I can see the moon and Venus and Jupiter.  It's just beautiful and one of the things I really appreciate about living in the country.

If I turn my view to the northwest, I see the lights of Lebanon, but if I stay focused west, the night sky is still dark and beautiful.  East is great as well, and there are plenty of stars and constellations to try to pick out of the sky, but the western sky has been the best.

The fall heifer calves that I'd put in the back paddock to wean are now out with their mothers again. One of them was a first time calf and that little cow wasn't going to put up with her calf not nursing her. After two days and nights of continuous hollering, she broke open the gate to the paddock and freed her calf. I happened to look out the bathroom window yesterday morning as I stepped out of the shower to see them racing down the hill to the "back 40" pastures.  Oh, well. I'll peel them off in the next pasture rotation and lock them in the barn this time. The calves were on pasture and grain and really didn't complain about the lack of cow's milk, but the cow's were bitter!  They will get over it!.

Farm Chores

A day spent doing farm chores.  Last Thursday I moved the four yearling heifers from the bull pasture to the west barn pasture expecting them to join the herd in the south pastures.  For some reason, they went north instead and ended up hollering across the fence to the herd.  I went looking for them and led them back and around so they finally joined with the cows and other heifers in the south pastures.  It had taken a while to move them from the bull pen because it was late evening and the west sun was in their eyes.  I had to wait until the sun was set to move the last one. My Bramble went along nice and easy with some grain to coax her way.  The shorthorn and the bigger Angus finally figured it out, but the little Angus that I bottle fed all last Spring was very confused by the sun. I'll take a good Limousin or Limi-cross animal any time over these Angus. Too  much in breeding in the breed, I think.

Coming back from church this morning I noticed the cows were eating the south pastures  too close. Though I'd been bringing the herd to the barn for grain and had given them access to both the north and south pastures, they have continued to return to the south pastures all last week.

I was determined to move them to the north or back pastures and woods.  I moved the feed bunkers to the entrance to the north pastures, filled them with grain and called the cows.  They all came except the two fall heifers and one cow, but that was OK since I want to wean those two heifers anyway.  This time the cows moved out and up to the north pastures with no problem and I shut the gates to the south pastures to keep them out.  If all goes well, the north pastures will hold up for about three weeks. Then I can move the herd back to the south pastures for three weeks.  This pasture rotation works well and helps extend the time I can keep the cows on pasture.  My goal is to keep the cows on pasture through November with a minimum of hay fed up to that time. 

The bull pen pasture has been empty since Thursday.  I'm giving it a rest before I move the two yearling bulls there for the spring.   If all goes well I will summer my yearling heifer, Bramble with the yearling bull Bobbi while Thor is busy breeding cows. 

I have been working up the garden beds for the last couple of weeks and today I planted four kinds of lettuce and a couple of rows of spinach.  Some of the lettuce seed was from 2010.  I always seem to misplace seeds and then find them a year or two later.  I planted them along with some 2012 seeds so hopefully I'll get some lettuce out of it.

I'm on the look out for straw to cover the strawberries.  The feed store is out, but expect more soon.

For the first time in my memory I mowed grass in March!  There was no help for it. In the last 48 hours the grass has taken off and I had to mow now before it got any worse.

There was some asparagus up Saturday evening when I checked the garden.  I ate the first two spears I picked  raw, right there in the garden. They were so good and sweet - green sugar.  I picked about a dozen spears all together and simmered the rest on top of the stove in a little water.  They just needed a little salt and pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to make them heavenly.

Weeds are everywhere.  Nothing seemed to die off this winter. There were not enough continuous days of hard freeze. The asparagus bed was nothing but weeds, so I picked all the spears and mowed the rows close. I've never done that before and I am hoping the asparagus will be all right.  It is colder today and no asparagus had come up since yesterday, so I'm thinking the mowing won't hurt and the spears will have a chance to grow again when the temperatures get back in the seventies.

And that was my day of chores on the farm.  When I shut up the chickensthis evening I collected 11 eggs. Not bad. They should average 10 a day.  Yesterday I only got three but the nest boxes were all messed up which makes me think something - raccoon probably - stole most of those eggs. I've not had that happen since last Spring.

More Biscotti

One of the things I like about biscotti is that they are fairly low in calorie for what you get. If you cut them long on the diagonal, one piece of biscotti is very satisfying with a hot drink and comes in at under 120 calories.

So here's a chocolate version I like very much, and again, the calories are under 120!

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

1/3 cup soft butter (5 1/3 tablespoons)

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup roughly chopped whole almonds

Cream the butter, add the sugar and beat, add the cocoa powder, baker powder and eggs and beat. With the mixer on low add the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in the almonds.

Shape into a 9 or 10 inch log and bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 20 to 25 minutes at 375 degrees or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on the sheet for one hour.  Cut log into 1/2 inch pieces on the diagonal. Place with a cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes. Turn the biscotti over on the baking sheet and bake the biscotti 8 or 9 minutes more. Do not over bake. Cool on wire racks and enjoy.

Biscotti Today

I've had a craving for biscotti.  I found a basic recipe in my "Better Homes & Gardens" cookbook and adapted it to my tastes.  Biscotti are easy to make, but like all cookies, time consuming.

Orange and Pistachio Biscotti

5 1/3 tablespoons butter at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

zest from one medium orange

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup pistachio nuts, hulled

In an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the zest, baking powder, soda and eggs. Beat well. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time mixing on low and stir in the pistachios. 

Form the dough into a 9 or 10 inch roll, place on parchment lined cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on the sheet for one hour.

Cut cooled, baked roll into 1/2 inch slices on the diagonal.  Place slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 8 or 9 minutes, flip and bake 8 or 9 more minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.





It's A Boy!

Violet tending to her new born calf. She licked him until he was clean and also to stimulate him to get up and nurse.

I came home from work on Thursday about 6:00 pm to find Violet in labor but making no progress. By 9:00 the vet had arrived and determined that the calf was backwards - that is hind feet first - which is not normal.

I'd spent the time from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm getting a halter on Violet and securing her in the barn which did not make her a happy 1800 pound animal.  After reconfiguring the barn three different ways, I finally decided to put her in the cattle chute - at least half way-  so I'd have better control of her.  The vet had suggested earlier that I feel around inside her and try to find the nose and hooves which would mean a head first birth.  I couldn't feel anything - but, oh well, we won't go in to that!

Anyway, Dr. Gano and Dr. Coe from Orchard Veterinary Care in Wilmington arrived and got right to work "pulling the calf".  This involves affixing chains to the calves hocks (ankles) and pulling the calf from the cow with a come-a-long device.  Time was important if the calf was going to be born alive.

Fortunately, the doctors were successful and an 85 pound bull calf was delivered alive. The doctors immediately hung him upside down, hooking his hind legs over a gate so they could clear his lungs. This is not needed in a head first normal birth.  Then they drug him to a relatively clean dry spot and we turned Violet loose to tend to him.

Poor Violet had such a bad time.  She managed to stay on her feet until just as he came out, then she collapsed in the chute - which was a tight fit.  I got her loose and out of the chute as soon as the calf was breathing well.

Violet's bull calf Saturday morning, born Thursday night. This is Tommy Boy's last calf before he was killed.

I call this their "show" pose.  Violet was a show heifer, and I'd love to take them to the State Fair to compete as a cow/calf pair.  Violet loves to go to shows.

Things went pretty well after that except Violet has not been able to deliver the after birth.  That will probably mean another visit from Dr. Gano, but in the meantime, I'm keeping close watch on the calf.  He seems a little congested, but he is nursing. He's also a bit wobbly and his hocks seem a little swollen, not surprising considering what he went through to be born!  He and Violet will stay in the "maternity ward" for a few more days.

If the little guy is doing well tomorrow, Sunday, I'll see what name comes to me. I've already had some suggestions. Tom Tom seems to be popular.  He will be registered and hopefully have a career as a herd bull. He certainly has the bloodlines for it.

Too Quiet

Violet in full communication mode

It's been a quiet few days. I've been on baby watch since Saturday morning.  Violet should have calved by Sunday night but nothing has happened. This makes me very nervous.  I let Violet and the herd out on to the south pastures. They are starting to green up, are clean and flat and easy going for a very pregnant cow.  Today it was warm and sunny, a good day to have a calf. Tomorrow should also be a good day. After that the weather man says rain. Not so good. 

The cats clawed a big hole in the screen on one of the French doors to the back porch.  I've been keeping the door open and they go through the hole in the screen like its a cat door.  They think its great and it does keep them out of the house most of the time, which is good cause they are starting to shed!
This evening they found a little garter snake - about a foot long  - on the porch. They played with it for about 10 minutes and then I rescued it.  I'm not sure what it was doing on the porch but I'm pretty sure it won't be coming back. 

Tomato seedlings didn't make it!

leafless tomato seedlings

I am not sure what happened but my lovely little tomato seedlings are loosing all their leaves! The plants themselves seem to be strongly rooted, but I imagine the 55 degree temperature in the basement was too cool for them.  The broccoli seedlings growing right next to them are just fine. The herbs in the tray behind them are just fine. So, I conclude it was too cool for them.

I've started a few more Romas and some sweet peppers and I'm keeping them upstairs near the AGA to keep them warm.

Seeds Started for the Garden

I can't resist those displays of vegetable and flower seeds at the Lowe's and Home Depot and Ace and TruPoint. All those packages with pictures of lucsious veggies and beautiful flowers are too much to resist. And the prices are so much less than buying them in the catalog.  I have discovered one however, the cheaper seeds in the stores cannot be purchased in the catalogs - that is the exact variety of seed. But that's OK. That just gives me an excuse to also buy from the catalogs.

Week old broccoli and tomato seedlings. Roma and Burpee Big Boy tomato, Waltham 29 broccoli

Last weekend, that is the last weekend in February, I started two big flats of seeds. Pictured above is the flat of broccoli and tomato seedlings one week later.  They were covered most of the week with one of those clear plastic dome lids to keep the moisture in and the cats out!  Both of these types of seeds sprout very quickly and grow very big.  I kept them on the kitchen counter under these reading lamps for about two days until I had a chance to set up my grow lights in the basement.  I didn't start them in the basement because its too cold down there to start the seedlings (about 55 degrees) but now that they are up and growing, the cooler temps will be all right.


Broccoli on the left and tomato seedlings on the right under florescent lights in the basement,

Sunday I finally had time to set up the fluorescent lights and move the plants to the basement. As you can see the seedling had started to lean looking for more light than those two reading lamps could give. By nightfall all the seedlings were standing straight and loving the light.

I also started a flat of herb seeds - which you can see behind the flat of broccoli and tomatoes. In that flat are parsley, Siam basil, sweet marjoram, chamomile, and thyme.  They are tiny little plants, not half an inch high which is not surprising since the seeds were all but dust, they were so small.  I will keep them in the light with their clear plastic lid in place until they are too tall for the lid.

As you might expect, I will have way too many plants from this small amount of seeding, but not to worry.  My garden club has an annual plant sale to raise money for the Lebanon Station.  Hopefully about half of these plants will be transferred to individual pots and become donations to the sale.  The rest will go into my garden.