Goodbye Barn!

Our remaining barn pieces

Several years ago we pulled down a dilapidated barn on our property, fearing that it might fall down. (As difficult as it was to take down we doubt it would have ever fallen over.) It sat in a pile until recently when we had the remaining materials taken away.

Pushing and hauling away the barn

And now there is not a pile of old barn pieces blocking our view of the pond! The soil where the barn was is also very rich from all of the hay and likely manure that was stored in the barn. We are planning to expand our asparagus bed into the former barn's location.  We've removed a lot of rocks from the soil and planted cover crops in preparation for planting asparagus.

No more barn! 

Fig Recipe

Figs cut on the top, ready to be stuffed with cheese

Last year we did a post about collecting figs with a few links for recipes but did not take any photos to show how we use figs in recipes. This year our fig harvest has been late because of heavy frosts in the spring.  Compared to last year, the trees are producing fewer figs and we suspect the two late freezes could be the reason.

Figs cut and in the pan

 Our favorite recipe is to stuff figs with goat cheese or cream cheese and then roast them in the oven. You simply cut a cross-shape in the top of the fig (where the stem has been removed), place them in a greased pan, and then put small dabs of goat or cream cheese (or both!) inside of the figs. We roast them at about 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes until bubbly and they are DELECTABLE!

Figs stuffed with cheese

Surfing Heron

Small green heron floating on the island of debris

We had a lot of rain the other week and it seems to have churned up debris from the pond that has settled on the surface. This has created a few small islands that our resident green heron has taken to surfing on! It will ride on the small islands and the wind pushes the island of debris and the heron around the pond as the heron hunts for fish! Seems like a relaxing way to spend your day, floating around on the pond.

New Chickens!

Newest baby chick

We recently had five baby chicks hatch under the care of Harriet, a Buff Orpington hen determined to be broody so we set her on some fertile eggs. Here's a photograph of one of her babies, enjoy!

Broody mama hen sitting on all of the babies.  
Notice how fluffed up she is as she tries to appear formidable lest we dare take away one of the chicks.

Green Heron

Heron on left side of photo along the bank of the pond

We have a small green heron living on our pond. It is likely living a pleasant life feasting on the bounty of fish and frogs in and around the pond.  Occasionally, Sofie has chased away the Great Blue Heron with its loud call but she doesn't seem to perceive the green heron as a threat.

Closer view of the heron

It is hard to see sometimes when it is crouched along the bank as its neck is not usually outstretched as it is in the photo. It uses its long neck to snatch fish or frogs out of the water. Check out this link to learn more about green herons and their long necks!

Roasting Peppers

Roasting peppers

When blessed with a bounty of produce, one has to find a way to process everything that does not sell. Processing in an efficient and less time-consuming method is greatly appreciated when there is too much going on! We hunted down some recipes for roasting peppers in the oven, but many of them specified that when broiling peppers in the oven they should be split in half and the seeds removed. However, recipes specified that when roasting peppers on the grill the peppers can be left whole. So we decided to go with broiling the whole peppers, which worked out fine.

Blister forming on a pepper below the broiler

We placed the peppers stem down on a tray and put the tray below the broiler. After about 5-10 minutes we flipped the peppers over with tongs to roast on the other side for 5-10 minutes. The entertaining part that is perhaps missed when you split the peppers before roasting them is watching the skins blister and pop beneath the broiler.  Fun to hear and see! Some of the peppers were charred on all sides after this, so we placed them in a pan with a lid, then flipped the remaining peppers until all of the sides were charred. When the peppers were sufficiently charred we placed them all in the lidded pan for an hour or so until cooled, rubbed the skin off and removed the seeds. Having the hot, charred peppers in a lidded vessel seems pretty important because they retain a lot of moisture, and this helps with rubbing the skins off. Our modified method worked out really well and we made delicious pimento cheese with some of our freshly roasted peppers!  Some went in the freezer.  The plants are still producing so there will probably be more pimento cheese very soon.

Water, water everywhere

Thunderstorms this afternoon have brought a lot of rain in short periods of time--a total of 3 inches so far.  Here's what some of the farm looks like.

 Normally this is a small wetland area from which peepers sing in the Spring. 

This is the outflow through 2 culverts under the farm road.  It is roaring!

This side is the inflow for the culverts.  The water is running so quickly that it created a whirlpool.  See it swirl!

Here's the view up the hill of the path we take to reach hen-a-bago 2.  Wonder when I'll get those eggs gathered today?

Below the solar charger mounted on the fence post in the center of the photo is a green box containing the battery.  It's all underwater.  Hope the box is waterproof.  Fortunately the fence is not carrying a charge right now.