tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91214330627345139422024-02-19T00:37:34.982-08:00Sunny Slope OrchardThrough this blog we share farm news with our customers: What's ripe, orchard operations throughout the year, an appreciation of nature's beauty, and delicious fruit-centric recipes! This is our 42nd year in operation.Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-38698671424614025442017-06-03T19:49:00.000-07:002017-06-09T13:50:30.799-07:00June 2017 Harvest<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>UPDATE: Peaches are sold out for this year. Thanks to everyone who came out.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hello fruit fans. First, our apologies for the year long break in posting. Long story short we've been very busy, and also experiencing the limits of endurance as we approach our seventh decade of life. But all is well here, especially with the past drought-breaking rainfall year that has provided plenty of water for our orchard and garden.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sadly, heavy spring rains ruined our apricot crop, but our Spring Crest peaches are now ripe and waiting to be eaten. Sweet and juicy, these are great for eating fresh, over ice cream, or sliced and frozen to enjoy all year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Peaches come and go quickly, and will likely be finished by June 10 at the latest. Please call or email for availability to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sunnyslopeorchard@gmail.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">707-448-4792</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3Aa90O1Msv1M-093KYTZngX0dYuz1TFCLitZ_EdA1OlEP-ZHFGiCJuzF-yiCJrB-R4vIhteOJIUjMZ-36AQNU04iX9BpN0QwCkA7DlvENqJMibPeF4rEmwr-gYMviKdhyphenhyphenpxCkxLxXJo/s1600/peach1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="1000" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3Aa90O1Msv1M-093KYTZngX0dYuz1TFCLitZ_EdA1OlEP-ZHFGiCJuzF-yiCJrB-R4vIhteOJIUjMZ-36AQNU04iX9BpN0QwCkA7DlvENqJMibPeF4rEmwr-gYMviKdhyphenhyphenpxCkxLxXJo/s320/peach1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-78200075701398835602016-05-30T16:00:00.000-07:002016-05-30T16:00:42.446-07:00Cots and peaches are done for this year!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We can hardly believe it, but after little more than a week we are already sold out of peaches and apricots for the year. The peaches all ripened within a very few days, beating all previous records. So instead of having at least two weeks to gradually pick and slowly sell the fruit, we had only days. We were able to get some into a few customers' hands, but ripe fruit can't wait around so we had to sell most of it in bulk to a produce store and restaurant. But at least we made good use of the fruit and little went to waste.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The apricots are another story. They began ripening gradually as usual, and we were picking a few boxes every day as they ripened up nicely in moderate temperatures. Then this week hit, with temperatures in the upper 90's and expected to top 105 in a few days. High heat slows down photosynthesis, especially when the soil is dry as it is again this year. The leaves turn away from the sun, hiding from the heat, and stop transpiring moisture to the air. This slows down nutrient flow in the tree and fruits, and if the hot spell lasts more than a few days, the fruit stops ripening and begins to decay inside. Apricots are especially prone to this problem. So sadly we can only look on as the 80% of our cot crop still on the trees deteriorates. It is too green to harvest and is unlikely to survive until cool weather returns, so this looks like the end of our apricot season. We're sorry for all our customers who will miss their annual batch of cots for eating, jam, and canning. We were hoping for a reasonable apricot year, but it is not to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>-Bill</i></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-87618380502606329192016-05-26T20:14:00.001-07:002016-05-26T20:14:56.631-07:00Harvest time is here!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-eghNv8EXcQONED1RKEtnQWNI8CG_wpvZeDeB8oJewjJAHCbDS4Y-H38bwyNOJQeFQ4jj7tExSNCDyD6PHpz3qPW-ZXrNLNVT3cMBIhMOPIj54RpAZIIBbUQgQt-f31qPj3kPfffOPQ/s1600/DSC01916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-eghNv8EXcQONED1RKEtnQWNI8CG_wpvZeDeB8oJewjJAHCbDS4Y-H38bwyNOJQeFQ4jj7tExSNCDyD6PHpz3qPW-ZXrNLNVT3cMBIhMOPIj54RpAZIIBbUQgQt-f31qPj3kPfffOPQ/s1600/DSC01916.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A ripe Springcrest peach meets the sunrise</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the past 11 months of irrigation, weed control, cover cropping, pruning, pest control and fruit thinning behind us, it's show time as we are now literally enjoying the fruits of our labors. Cots, peaches, and a few plums are ripening and we will be picking daily for the next few weeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harvest is rewarding, but is also the most stressful and exhausting season for us. Since individual fruits ripen over a 2-3 week period, each tree must be picked 10 times or more. That way we can allow near-complete ripening on the tree for maximum flavor, rather than picking green and letting the fruit "ripen" off the tree (think flavorless grocery store fruit). The difference in flavor is dramatic, the difference in labor is also huge. And we lose a lot to birds, insects and wind fall the longer it hangs on the trees. But to us, flavor is the whole point. Our loyal customers seem to agree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The season is short, with peaches lasting barely two weeks, cots maybe three. Plums are in limited supply and will only be around until mid to late June. So an intense few weeks awaits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27qaYHjxy_W-RgpA999f0pmBdtgSzGQVs_iNXjIC7ZOomD31tejaZKP9gattVEWwiF6OSK__BggVJgmK4-CWnxA8zKwR1e7QZUvuQJsb3ooz66SjeFUpG-F2GhGnCoXEByaN3RSNhHv0/s1600/DSC01914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27qaYHjxy_W-RgpA999f0pmBdtgSzGQVs_iNXjIC7ZOomD31tejaZKP9gattVEWwiF6OSK__BggVJgmK4-CWnxA8zKwR1e7QZUvuQJsb3ooz66SjeFUpG-F2GhGnCoXEByaN3RSNhHv0/s1600/DSC01914.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Royal Blenheim apricots</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For our drive-in customers, please email ahead before coming out, to sunnyslopeorchard [at] gmail [dot] com.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Bill</span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-14374893281595159932016-05-16T13:43:00.000-07:002016-05-16T13:45:07.347-07:00It's beginning to feel a lot like summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNCjJzQtjbYIrSo5h1PQLptV6MZdxQgJj6X8ZQKZdqtrM2qZYNkaixh8SXuNlbuV3KhyphenhyphenTKiX7nlkRG0WY9P0pTgVDln_xwXrikRSRKC7Am6tdWydiKuo4BIpqC0zsdUjesS19ZhQC3H4/s1600/DSC01872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNCjJzQtjbYIrSo5h1PQLptV6MZdxQgJj6X8ZQKZdqtrM2qZYNkaixh8SXuNlbuV3KhyphenhyphenTKiX7nlkRG0WY9P0pTgVDln_xwXrikRSRKC7Am6tdWydiKuo4BIpqC0zsdUjesS19ZhQC3H4/s640/DSC01872.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Springtime's green hills are quickly fading to brown</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here we are in mid-May, a time of quickly changing seasons. The vibrant green hills of spring are fast turning dry and golden. Temperatures are rising and most likely we have seen about the last of this season's rain. All manner of plants are doing their best to produce seed, especially thistles and other invasive pests that require constant mowing and hand pulling to control. But our focus is mostly on the ripening fruit crop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year we stripped just about all the fruit from our drought stressed trees, thinking this would help them endure that fourth year of drought. That seems to have payed off, as this year the trees are showing great vigor despite getting only 85% of average rainfall. After winter pruning to ensure plenty of space between trees for ladder access and light penetration, the strong growth has just about filled any empty space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1HEhqdubPhESMcbuC2xzxYZ0HKyeyBdKiHyJlHBpCY3rba8qLA6EwOz8cAbY46UMyHSPXlAujr5ztXT8EDua_5-SWIxiCZ4m89_V-Y_DQMX-GR8XnXQ5wD8mSCDFUUF5mLvvRVcmXBg/s1600/DSC01898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1HEhqdubPhESMcbuC2xzxYZ0HKyeyBdKiHyJlHBpCY3rba8qLA6EwOz8cAbY46UMyHSPXlAujr5ztXT8EDua_5-SWIxiCZ4m89_V-Y_DQMX-GR8XnXQ5wD8mSCDFUUF5mLvvRVcmXBg/s640/DSC01898.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Vigorous spring growth in apricot trees </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile the fruit is showing good color and sizing up nicely. The peaches are looking gorgeous, but are still small and hard. We guestimate the first picking will be around the first of June.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRVIhhi7MwAaVosKUmKDACK_8hm9e2D_4HsQwzp-TVVs5bUcsuWhobhQ2zpp2XjPc_aHgkh3-8c1o1iLH1cHZZMZgoMpVgmSKtLO687DeCA_CCYr6Em7SGzUdKvjc9C6LZwtEz9lkyBI/s1600/DSC01867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRVIhhi7MwAaVosKUmKDACK_8hm9e2D_4HsQwzp-TVVs5bUcsuWhobhQ2zpp2XjPc_aHgkh3-8c1o1iLH1cHZZMZgoMpVgmSKtLO687DeCA_CCYr6Em7SGzUdKvjc9C6LZwtEz9lkyBI/s640/DSC01867.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ripening peaches tease with their vibrant red color, but are still hard as baseballs</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we mentioned in the previous post, our cots suffered a lot of cosmetic damage from untimely rains in March. We stripped off the worst affected fruit, but there will be quite a bit of speckled skin. Still, many are looking quite good and the size is impressive. We are just now starting to see the first hints of yellow among the green cots. And like the peaches, we project our first pickings will be around Memorial Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHXTfft7xu2eFOWs912ysfAOPSyqrjDo5kU_aXTsCj_iwfBYd4iQh09exvNIjMZsooCzo9CczzMWE7GrpKfHNjpKhNPTHxC9ECNegTbuyUJ8DW7UhpKb2vEliqb-3Bctbml2k97AlS3g/s1600/DSC01871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHXTfft7xu2eFOWs912ysfAOPSyqrjDo5kU_aXTsCj_iwfBYd4iQh09exvNIjMZsooCzo9CczzMWE7GrpKfHNjpKhNPTHxC9ECNegTbuyUJ8DW7UhpKb2vEliqb-3Bctbml2k97AlS3g/s640/DSC01871.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A few cots are just starting to change from green to yellowish</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So for now we are feeling the familiar excitement of a fast and furious harvest season racing toward us. We are busy weeding, propping up heavily laden branches, banding tree trunks to protect against ants and earwigs, and setting up our famous <a href="http://sunnyslopeorchard.blogspot.com/2013/05/our-orchard-bird-scare-machines-dont.html" target="_blank">bird scare machines</a>. The shade cloth has been suspended over the citrus and figs to protect them from summer's heat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LiszkF2gw9Nq2nWJiKmnu_yIxkf1E-jqaNvRxYIHPArOmJAiHYMClkMQ-g_2Gs0oPaSPfbw8HH1O-iKFENn2hqYPiXsuP3vwmuZE8cSi3xCFjsv4sCH0C-qxlDiTcMF6jg5B5wuBohc/s1600/DSC01881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LiszkF2gw9Nq2nWJiKmnu_yIxkf1E-jqaNvRxYIHPArOmJAiHYMClkMQ-g_2Gs0oPaSPfbw8HH1O-iKFENn2hqYPiXsuP3vwmuZE8cSi3xCFjsv4sCH0C-qxlDiTcMF6jg5B5wuBohc/s640/DSC01881.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Shade cloth helps shallow rooted trees like figs and<br />citrus cope with summer heat and limited water</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As soon as picking starts in earnest we will be sending out an email to our regular customers letting you know what is ripe. Anyone wanting to be on our list, please email your contact information to sunnyslopeorchard [at] gmail [dot] com. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bill and Fern</span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-5589263249885844142016-04-14T16:57:00.000-07:002016-04-14T16:57:34.081-07:00Springtime update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBx223kcuev9FGby9XrFgjHFSSjJe0d81yD5EYL3U0A6gLTBZaVZzxuhxkqFW4fcoafuM1cPJFgPlRRC007Sw0FmMh5q3Qu4gJ6N9zClxPLwmrFOvX7Pg4Pm2TP1q6mrfiVroqEsOlAM/s1600/DSC01065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBx223kcuev9FGby9XrFgjHFSSjJe0d81yD5EYL3U0A6gLTBZaVZzxuhxkqFW4fcoafuM1cPJFgPlRRC007Sw0FmMh5q3Qu4gJ6N9zClxPLwmrFOvX7Pg4Pm2TP1q6mrfiVroqEsOlAM/s1600/DSC01065.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After months of high hopes for a bountiful rainfall year to break the four year drought, mother nature has once again disappointed. So far we have received only 85% of our average rainfall to date. That is an improvement over the past four years, but we really needed an above average year to get ground water levels back to what the orchard and native vegetation need to get through the coming hot summer without stress. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still, we did get to enjoy a few heavy rains, and have been feasting our eyes on emerald green hills. And unlike last year, we have decided to go ahead and leave fruit on the trees rather than stripping it off. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bloom time was warm and dry, resulting in a heavy fruit set on most trees.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhLo3gZuOLQG0t8d6ayx0kc2qeh4O-KYOAt1HnucVeAOLY46wjNag7RXSIwMhSARVuwVlnx3r5oxEK1RfwM93CYoaqbsDYdc6Xd5BwRMZkv9uVa7JYf3a7Rl7JUT8vebeKIJcyGq4J8Q/s1600/DSC01502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhLo3gZuOLQG0t8d6ayx0kc2qeh4O-KYOAt1HnucVeAOLY46wjNag7RXSIwMhSARVuwVlnx3r5oxEK1RfwM93CYoaqbsDYdc6Xd5BwRMZkv9uVa7JYf3a7Rl7JUT8vebeKIJcyGq4J8Q/s1600/DSC01502.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">An apricot tree bristling with fruit</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately for the apricots, a week of constant wet weather in March set off a raging infection of shot-hole fungus. Shot-hole is one of several fungal diseases affecting cots, leaving brown speckles on the fruit and "shot holes" in the leaves. Many small fruits shriveled and dropped off, some were just too ugly and had to be stripped, and some had only moderate spotting and will be usable. The spots do not affect taste, but this year's cots will not win any beauty contests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWewD4L7U5m0F_lbWAp1A8858D3kN6gDm8_o96AFE5SRX1x0PGHxT_sa64Y7OkC8xnEonGklHhgqRN_bMkn_VmSZ-5Ey1QdmEyV6Blbt-FSE9W-aGCjYKPUx_2M-rowWIl83Jp8UcZKs/s1600/DSC01509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWewD4L7U5m0F_lbWAp1A8858D3kN6gDm8_o96AFE5SRX1x0PGHxT_sa64Y7OkC8xnEonGklHhgqRN_bMkn_VmSZ-5Ey1QdmEyV6Blbt-FSE9W-aGCjYKPUx_2M-rowWIl83Jp8UcZKs/s1600/DSC01509.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Shot hole damage to apricot fruit and leaves</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">One regular spring activity is mowing down the legume </span><a href="http://sunnyslopeorchard.blogspot.com/2011/02/bloom-time.html" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">cover crop</a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">. The mowed debris protects the soil from erosion by wind and rain, helps retain soil moisture, provides food for soil-feeding microorganisms, and shields shallow roots from the heat of summer sun. Timing the mowing is always a compromise: I want it to grow as long as possible to maximize the volume of mulch and to provide habitat for </span><a href="http://sunnyslopeorchard.blogspot.com/2011/04/promoting-balance-in-orchard.html" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">beneficial insects</a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">. But the longer the cover crop is allowed to grow, the more soil moisture it consumes, leaving less for the trees to use in summer. So this year I mowed a bit earlier than usual to save as much rainy season moisture as possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPR0_npyWFyCy2lhFqhRV2ZbOyoQB841JvqI0JjlMUsNaT8eN1sabJ43JGbEEzr9ec9D4qx0NPGYoSF7XFxM8ihnNWXV5edqOXqWueG06VAeQwpb10-cQ4gohu3RTnlfgm8SUBw1acLdI/s1600/DSC01432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPR0_npyWFyCy2lhFqhRV2ZbOyoQB841JvqI0JjlMUsNaT8eN1sabJ43JGbEEzr9ec9D4qx0NPGYoSF7XFxM8ihnNWXV5edqOXqWueG06VAeQwpb10-cQ4gohu3RTnlfgm8SUBw1acLdI/s1600/DSC01432.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">My walk behind sickle bar mower cutting down the cover crop</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another essential spring chore is fruit thinning, which is removing excess fruit from the trees. After lack of pruning, failure to thin is probably the most common chore that backyard fruit tree gardeners neglect to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But don't we want as much fruit as possible? Well, not exactly. We would like as much good sized and healthy fruit as possible, within the limits of what the trees can support. With favorable weather conditions during bloom, most stone fruit trees set way too much fruit. So our goal in thinning is to leave some space between each fruit so that insects and fungus problems do not easily move from one fruit to another. Also we want to limit the weight of fruit so branches will not break during a strong wind. And we want the fruit to attain the biggest size and develop the best flavor. Since each tree only has so much energy to put into its fruit crop, an excess fruit load reduces both size and flavor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />As the newly set fruits begin to grow, many will fall off or "self thin" on their own. So it's best to wait until that happens before doing your thinning. But to get the most benefit from thinning, it should be done before the pits harden. That way the fruit left on the tree will continue to expand to the largest size and reach maximum flavor. Test by cutting open a green fruit as shown below. If the pit is soft and jelly-like and no hard shell has developed around it, the time is right. But late thinning is better than none at all, even if done after pit hardening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSwF8kHY3LVn4TD8cuXgVmsUqG_-bPrp4mB2OcMS32R9RBET10khxyhZo0VjzIOkzhdnWdJXuVJWXPByeI82oafXFakITZpeeg4fQIVSxhgYu2-_KuK2BVZG9lXg-GgIzuhL6257BsUw/s1600/DSC01511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSwF8kHY3LVn4TD8cuXgVmsUqG_-bPrp4mB2OcMS32R9RBET10khxyhZo0VjzIOkzhdnWdJXuVJWXPByeI82oafXFakITZpeeg4fQIVSxhgYu2-_KuK2BVZG9lXg-GgIzuhL6257BsUw/s1600/DSC01511.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This apricot pit is very soft, indicating an ideal time to thin</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">How much fruit to remove is the next question. Cots should generally be thinned so they will be at least 3" - 4" apart <i>when they reach full size</i>. That means if they are 3/4" size during thinning time, they should be left no less than 5" - 6" apart. On thin weak shoots even more drastic thinning is needed to prevent stem breakage as the fruit sizes up. Below are before and after shots of a section of apricot branch. The original 25 cots were thinned down to 7. This seems brutal when you're doing it, but once the fruit grows to full size we invariably feel that we were not ruthless enough when thinning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KzkfzZR-F9GooOEcS-vC6ro3zGSWrUnr6gcxSUNVdrj24wCe2RZ9CimfGBjPC2ewNI1xIzZH24gKd1s4_pog7mc3Dd8TRaoM1LJJiNOqTOIMfD7WUTRag1Il2MVn6wT8GdR_AxGr8VY/s1600/DSC01500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KzkfzZR-F9GooOEcS-vC6ro3zGSWrUnr6gcxSUNVdrj24wCe2RZ9CimfGBjPC2ewNI1xIzZH24gKd1s4_pog7mc3Dd8TRaoM1LJJiNOqTOIMfD7WUTRag1Il2MVn6wT8GdR_AxGr8VY/s1600/DSC01500.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Apricot branch before thinning, with tight clusters of small fruit crammed together</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HVCinxQkHlng3t4SoH2-iTL-ZJAZsWxU2igRUJzOcDALPH3KGw0hQMoUmx36G9FRQXXf5fug3C9tMcEaW-zFyCHRFtJHGl7gKE5Hro2xzyEHniEUgkBvKq4ZLNlO4Z3nKWeDrpvp15U/s1600/DSC01501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HVCinxQkHlng3t4SoH2-iTL-ZJAZsWxU2igRUJzOcDALPH3KGw0hQMoUmx36G9FRQXXf5fug3C9tMcEaW-zFyCHRFtJHGl7gKE5Hro2xzyEHniEUgkBvKq4ZLNlO4Z3nKWeDrpvp15U/s1600/DSC01501.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>After thinning, no fruits are left touching, they will grow to much larger size,<br />and the chance of branch breakage is much reduced</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Peaches are about the hardest to thin, since they are tightly attached plus we have to imagine the little almond-sized baby peaches growing to baseball or even softball size. In the before and after shots below, 13 peaches are thinned down to just two. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">After thinning,</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> t</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">he ground under the tree is almost covered solid in tiny peaches, but by the time the remaining fruit grows to full size the trees will still have a heavy crop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOZAoCgicl6TrUcdyeCPMGGYwgeAvJlNaiuxslsLvugHVKlhrWtHRAvQ_MToKAaNTHsaJ0njSTkmfyheZdNT_R-kqVBcUoSCkOYKAnn98xYpStSdg0x8CPsdMjKqHz5FN_uxfs3jQ3PY/s1600/DSC01684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOZAoCgicl6TrUcdyeCPMGGYwgeAvJlNaiuxslsLvugHVKlhrWtHRAvQ_MToKAaNTHsaJ0njSTkmfyheZdNT_R-kqVBcUoSCkOYKAnn98xYpStSdg0x8CPsdMjKqHz5FN_uxfs3jQ3PY/s1600/DSC01684.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Thirteen 3/4" peaches are jammed together on long skinny stems that are<br />guaranteed to break as the peaches grow to baseball size</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaOtLSJwoaeOl8937L9JPI4YvGN8xjPhpA-6KmRmroknrveEbEkSmcGzn3HkYyzszETEdTZv9HoYhfdL988MhB0ujBx35MrJrPKVZICJuXS40tMM-MEAnJ584GWk9gSDrou1peXhARg4/s1600/DSC01685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaOtLSJwoaeOl8937L9JPI4YvGN8xjPhpA-6KmRmroknrveEbEkSmcGzn3HkYyzszETEdTZv9HoYhfdL988MhB0ujBx35MrJrPKVZICJuXS40tMM-MEAnJ584GWk9gSDrou1peXhARg4/s1600/DSC01685.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>After thinning only two peaches remain</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">So we are busy preparing for the hectic season ahead, excited to taste the first apricot, peach, plum and fig, hoping for kind weather but knowing that mother nature has her own plans. No problem, we know our place in nature and are just happy to be here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">-Bill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-11732200843291636642015-11-16T15:11:00.003-08:002015-11-16T15:15:11.297-08:00Welcoming Fall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESX7Fk_oh1xKy0mvZ7h37tWFm5rddfTtoVZVaOBmmHaBioOHXu8xr9AlfFrnZHxImowpLnjrwrK2bBF-wkmbi4te_ABR_wTaEpDAZt7mVSJD0bmajJs8vR1m6Ve-HxpNFR7JoL28AFHA/s1600/DSC00494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESX7Fk_oh1xKy0mvZ7h37tWFm5rddfTtoVZVaOBmmHaBioOHXu8xr9AlfFrnZHxImowpLnjrwrK2bBF-wkmbi4te_ABR_wTaEpDAZt7mVSJD0bmajJs8vR1m6Ve-HxpNFR7JoL28AFHA/s640/DSC00494.JPG" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After endless hot summer days with hazy cloudless skies we are reveling in the cooler air and beautiful clouds of fall. And while the rumored El Nino-fueled heavy rains have yet to arrive, we have at least received enough light rains to begin seeing a slight green tinge to the golden hills. I planted our annual legume mix cover crop a few weeks ago and it is sprouting nicely.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcFuBwygetjmIrgN1Gp3Vq8HSLjes73Sou5sW1T4xgfGHEiSmEM8yn7CUrLpKkh5v1hs_mvpgQlfFGO5dIUqWTckcItpqgpF_9aKYQw-4gJvwV8hPwD2czcOUgcP1iIImB4b85Ur0UTk/s1600/DSC00702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcFuBwygetjmIrgN1Gp3Vq8HSLjes73Sou5sW1T4xgfGHEiSmEM8yn7CUrLpKkh5v1hs_mvpgQlfFGO5dIUqWTckcItpqgpF_9aKYQw-4gJvwV8hPwD2czcOUgcP1iIImB4b85Ur0UTk/s400/DSC00702.JPG" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've also begun the annual orchard pruning. It's a tedious job involving hundreds of cuts per tree. But it is not without its pleasures: being up on a ladder, enjoying the fresh air and sky, watching hawks and other birds go about their daily search for food, and admiring the sculptural look of a nicely pruned tree. With a birds-eye view of the upper branches it is also reassuring to see some of our valuable partners in pest control - predator insects, the good bugs that eat the bad ones. Below are shots I took just recently while pruning an apricot tree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNELu1nf6z3y7v9HSbb3H13G2AFCJEeN7xiV6fF7qSXLxCL6UDLn5CDbhN_RHZzWVQZ3c6vjuGGPU5pXDmCv48GNPaOSCZ6Vjr02TNRzyDluEuySzULX8f0DaHKdhRtbm6nA8ZMg707Zg/s1600/DSC00549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNELu1nf6z3y7v9HSbb3H13G2AFCJEeN7xiV6fF7qSXLxCL6UDLn5CDbhN_RHZzWVQZ3c6vjuGGPU5pXDmCv48GNPaOSCZ6Vjr02TNRzyDluEuySzULX8f0DaHKdhRtbm6nA8ZMg707Zg/s400/DSC00549.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Green Lacewings are a common and welcome sight in the orchard. They, and <br />especially their larvae, feed on a wide range of pest insects such as aphids.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH191_TdR7Ct4YNLRAE4hPQiCwu_VYMdXn1ew9RQJdm5IpYV8hId4FYA6pA4IH80LIQ-K2YOrXFYf5JgHLzlq6mdiiHfywzc-0KNGa70uuMwbD777p5EcNZuoOz6hf_XmQMFuxcHaCYek/s1600/DSC00545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH191_TdR7Ct4YNLRAE4hPQiCwu_VYMdXn1ew9RQJdm5IpYV8hId4FYA6pA4IH80LIQ-K2YOrXFYf5JgHLzlq6mdiiHfywzc-0KNGa70uuMwbD777p5EcNZuoOz6hf_XmQMFuxcHaCYek/s400/DSC00545.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">A praying mantis egg case stuck to an apricot shoot, waiting until spring to hatch.<br />When I see one of these I either skip pruning that shoot or cut it off and tie it <br />to another part of the tree.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCSqF2Yz5Lu-wucZf-YnuKwFv52bpplV_77cCCLwEwEo3RNOZPQrZwukGDvZ2-3DuUdB_ylGLTziOnHqaxjXMAYUNs6PhSw6hibGtrgbfbIo-Fj8a15C7o7EfnPHORylXDxUGcsHFl8A/s1600/praying+mantis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="671" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCSqF2Yz5Lu-wucZf-YnuKwFv52bpplV_77cCCLwEwEo3RNOZPQrZwukGDvZ2-3DuUdB_ylGLTziOnHqaxjXMAYUNs6PhSw6hibGtrgbfbIo-Fj8a15C7o7EfnPHORylXDxUGcsHFl8A/s400/praying+mantis.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>An adult praying mantis waits to ambush a passing insect</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Of course fall is also persimmon time and despite the drought our trees are bearing a good crop of fuyus. Right now we only have enough to supply our main restaurant customer, but by Thanksgiving the fuyus should be ripening in good numbers. When more are available we will email an announcement to our fruit customer list. In the meantime, below is an artsy shot I took using a creative "watercolor" effect I've been playing with on a new camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK68nC78fKwHSD5WbddEpBfCRN7x7MUQ5JtIioubYief5t1BLa4lKh6H20NztJxgEkNMYUBTBq2fXKwC5TTs9akA14ohKyfOj72ti6I59-jaCZd7CbgWxMsRk7MkgFuC4ixqLnuiKxiAE/s1600/DSC00467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK68nC78fKwHSD5WbddEpBfCRN7x7MUQ5JtIioubYief5t1BLa4lKh6H20NztJxgEkNMYUBTBq2fXKwC5TTs9akA14ohKyfOj72ti6I59-jaCZd7CbgWxMsRk7MkgFuC4ixqLnuiKxiAE/s400/DSC00467.JPG" width="500" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Thanks,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Bill</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-73600145018244932402015-08-19T16:58:00.000-07:002015-08-19T17:07:07.778-07:00Neighborhood Watch<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Living as we do, beyond the sidewalks, there is a fair
distance between houses. So the neighbors we see most often are the "natives," those who don't live indoors. Over the years we have grown fond of many (but certainly
not all) of these natural visitors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take the deer, for instance. We constructed an 8’ high fence
around our place specifically to keep the deer <i>outside</i>. We had to protect the trees: deer love to eat foliage and
they damaged a lot of new grafts on young trees. Plus, the bucks would use the tree
trunks to scrape the velvet off their horns, thus rubbing off the bark and
girdling the trunks. So with our deer fence we can now admire and appreciate the
deer…at a distance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAwtRGbnov1hDpjZDAQU2rScw9GHp-fq6YG4Malfmqx79IqZ4xbisJ6PUsYQXftuBKQi1yAX6rZJUJdJDXcstzlsoFqqNzp4AkMZCh7djHGi5t3kUG3kbA7aj7ODcvUZ60vQM8q0l3JI/s1600/IMG_8874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAwtRGbnov1hDpjZDAQU2rScw9GHp-fq6YG4Malfmqx79IqZ4xbisJ6PUsYQXftuBKQi1yAX6rZJUJdJDXcstzlsoFqqNzp4AkMZCh7djHGi5t3kUG3kbA7aj7ODcvUZ60vQM8q0l3JI/s400/IMG_8874.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A big buck looks down on our orchard from outside our fence</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the other hand, the deer fence serves to attract some valuable
neighbors. Our homemade birdhouses, mounted along the fence, offer sustainable,
affordable housing for Western Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, and other insect
eaters. Their help is always appreciated in keeping the insect populations in
balance.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHdaDMhDX8fNqoABxKShaMbIpVOrFYDUDb5e6KeHIhfK6ZUNyPt2xWAND_jHre0m-reNcY1cgag2aV3cdxBA-TmTMoRrOfEZpNXJC5fwHa_aw6Onl0lW3UghShOk9CcpsmTFuh38HMDs/s1600/tree+swallow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="513" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHdaDMhDX8fNqoABxKShaMbIpVOrFYDUDb5e6KeHIhfK6ZUNyPt2xWAND_jHre0m-reNcY1cgag2aV3cdxBA-TmTMoRrOfEZpNXJC5fwHa_aw6Onl0lW3UghShOk9CcpsmTFuh38HMDs/s320/tree+swallow1.jpg" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A tree swallow stands atop a nesting box</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also this past winter we had a sizable bat colony living in a
sheltered spot on the south wall of an outbuilding. The hot summer sun drove
them away for now, but we hope they will return in the fall. They sleep all day
but take the night shift for local insect patrol duty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAJDb7rKGjs7wKTi8EKEGzKCr6DNiF2xmIYf_b4aljKt8kN69HPTBT72i3vj9f0h5qomG6yNwPr4vsdfuOvHrVN67C11MJXlu0fYtxhTC3Wvovbf9ldmjBnt9bxo7LxZJu43BWxCmE9s/s1600/IMG_8942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAJDb7rKGjs7wKTi8EKEGzKCr6DNiF2xmIYf_b4aljKt8kN69HPTBT72i3vj9f0h5qomG6yNwPr4vsdfuOvHrVN67C11MJXlu0fYtxhTC3Wvovbf9ldmjBnt9bxo7LxZJu43BWxCmE9s/s320/IMG_8942.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Bluebirds, a Linnet and Lesser Goldfinches gather</i><br />
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">at the birdbath to discuss the drought</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we work in the orchard each spring it is always fun to discover bird nests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EfEG9SmkpzEtJiuPzRRorqWuSlchvJ9i4SnqvT5pg7uBV4mrfB94yL7yZx-wCmZP3-7f3EVqEfQr7VJO42I7YsB0zWU4WFJ7KsD9mNHuFC_IM4TKGQ2t7qgEAxIix4s7xNq8siP9vNk/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EfEG9SmkpzEtJiuPzRRorqWuSlchvJ9i4SnqvT5pg7uBV4mrfB94yL7yZx-wCmZP3-7f3EVqEfQr7VJO42I7YsB0zWU4WFJ7KsD9mNHuFC_IM4TKGQ2t7qgEAxIix4s7xNq8siP9vNk/s320/IMG_0238.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Lesser Goldfinch eggs in their tiny nest</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukO1CLNcD0agzFgGc1r7kjjx7yQuoxh9UmgEj5UGvuJ8OYzXItJBEJAvf8PNM1nqp9UjwlMR3EWZzeRlqrcgbAUcS0a7pQ9qX7dcIr6VKtCRwXiz83l4XeYSXPa2cwGDjLWd7MikNdIM/s1600/IMG_0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukO1CLNcD0agzFgGc1r7kjjx7yQuoxh9UmgEj5UGvuJ8OYzXItJBEJAvf8PNM1nqp9UjwlMR3EWZzeRlqrcgbAUcS0a7pQ9qX7dcIr6VKtCRwXiz83l4XeYSXPa2cwGDjLWd7MikNdIM/s320/IMG_0309.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>And a few days later . . . </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On one epic day last winter we had a two-eagle day. While
walking with friends in our orchard, we looked up to see a bald eagle, an
unusual sight in our dry area; possibly the drought forced him to seek food
outside his usual range. Then, an hour later, walking on a nearby ridge, a
golden eagle glided above with his huge wingspan. It was unforgettable to be
visited by two rarely seen birds. However, hardly a day goes by that we don’t
see at least one majestic red-tailed hawk overhead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4fIhhJMAYXB3GAzgUt6lBfMwrfrYm2ZLah3aE_cHCxGqH7U20wCkh4e6ZJPxr4YYOjsUyUN6h4r9bxEY4vbtWU2hgsSilyK5lrq_THacdzTqXSanWXLrv_g2ENO_SVhYrVkcXiSld-Q/s1600/red+tail+hawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4fIhhJMAYXB3GAzgUt6lBfMwrfrYm2ZLah3aE_cHCxGqH7U20wCkh4e6ZJPxr4YYOjsUyUN6h4r9bxEY4vbtWU2hgsSilyK5lrq_THacdzTqXSanWXLrv_g2ENO_SVhYrVkcXiSld-Q/s320/red+tail+hawk.jpg" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Red-Tailed Hawk</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the hummingbirds are our favorite and most faithful
visitors. Their flyway takes them up and down the west coast annually and we
delight in watching them at our feeders. Their numbers vary, depending on the
season, ranging from a couple dozen in the winter to over 100 in the summer. The sugar water disappears rapidly year-round, since the Anna’s and
Rufous hummers are incredibly active. They dine on local flowers as well as the
fuel we supply but also eat small insects for protein. And they dazzle us with
their aerial acrobatics and flashy feather displays.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZGkdAQu_s3PhsrOSwjq5qQg_97qxawg64abHvmdwv0SUc7Fghkda5Sd55-b0Aghh7YsgquMOyqRyDXlV8IMcQ9WCudvuebE_z_0EBew_bZsmiz1oNh9_pkQo2743m58gx5YdjscRMfU/s1600/hummer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZGkdAQu_s3PhsrOSwjq5qQg_97qxawg64abHvmdwv0SUc7Fghkda5Sd55-b0Aghh7YsgquMOyqRyDXlV8IMcQ9WCudvuebE_z_0EBew_bZsmiz1oNh9_pkQo2743m58gx5YdjscRMfU/s320/hummer1.jpg" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A little hummer tanks up at the feeder</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amphibians can be fun and even funny. We have singing toads living
in our downspouts; they enjoy serenading us with a Three Stooges-like chorus of
“Whoop-whoop-whoop.” It is the most
cheerful sound to hear after a rain! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN64Fzqz2mV9Jgu-gCeTggxfUBxB-CQsdxf-s3vRc5Z6p0y3Ihx7GBYGwRAuQE3lytbleqeH4M7RiYkelJYQydyEY3ncQ3LwsyRnazCuTCocgHC20Ts-twSAOPLaTNiImfgdMqPQwV1Dw/s1600/IMG_0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN64Fzqz2mV9Jgu-gCeTggxfUBxB-CQsdxf-s3vRc5Z6p0y3Ihx7GBYGwRAuQE3lytbleqeH4M7RiYkelJYQydyEY3ncQ3LwsyRnazCuTCocgHC20Ts-twSAOPLaTNiImfgdMqPQwV1Dw/s320/IMG_0596.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"><i>A gorgeous Praying Mantis warming in the morning sun</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our neighborhood is packed with variety and beauty. We feel
privileged to live here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-32785070054510690462015-07-30T18:02:00.001-07:002015-07-30T18:02:45.471-07:00An extra dry summer fosters extra bad fires<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaepTW3z1fcp3Q04vCNP6fN1jh1xVlWEvjPLGCh7DBj_pkBpWmnUM8t5mTxcAAX6N_QXftHfR46ns1BcxX1WxJ2apoPYSKR0GpqtmEtJFh_M3mT8Gy0ZbQjE8CjeHBxQwoe5bpHhaQV68/s1600/IMG_8976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaepTW3z1fcp3Q04vCNP6fN1jh1xVlWEvjPLGCh7DBj_pkBpWmnUM8t5mTxcAAX6N_QXftHfR46ns1BcxX1WxJ2apoPYSKR0GpqtmEtJFh_M3mT8Gy0ZbQjE8CjeHBxQwoe5bpHhaQV68/s400/IMG_8976.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>View from our orchard as a fire rages 5 miles north of our property</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here in mid-summer the dire warnings of severe fires have come to pass. After four years of drought, vegetation is extremely dry and more flammable than ever. So it has been no surprise that in the past few weeks we have had a couple of major blazes nearby. First, a fire in nearby Mix Canyon caused evacuations there and burned considerable acreage before being stopped. Then eight days ago a major wind-driven fire erupted near Lake Berryessa, burning 6,500 acres in three days as it raced through remote canyons. Just when it seemed to be well under control, a wind shift ignited still-smoldering trees and sent the fire jumping containment lines to scorch another 1000 acres.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our property was never in danger since we expect fires and prepare accordingly, keeping our ground closely mowed and clear of debris, trimming trees up away from the ground, and mowing wide barriers on adjacent properties if the owners don't. And we make sure to keep large hoses and full-flow valves in key spots around our property and buildings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first evening of the fire I took the time lapse video below from our porch. This really shows a fire with a life of its own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DJ3jRDY335Y/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="324" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DJ3jRDY335Y?feature=player_embedded" width="525"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amazingly no homes were destroyed in these local fires, only a couple of outbuildings. This is a true testament to the expertise and hard work of firefighters. But though homes escaped it is always painful to see the damage to native vegetation. Huge areas of oak and pine woodlands have been incinerated, and as we've seen in past years, Manzanita and other low growing brush tends to then take over, leaving the hills even more prone to future fires.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg5yDZM_esfEssfcvQ8L-_UX4_OFwudQTlFxyP2Ak3VMnHQ4_Z_O5WN5TLg3BBSmcwUg_1DJhXvMWUSmbL2SwwCxx2fs6sy56Em7xU1BZLs07AT45eXVwVZ0dCJjyJ9FfZssR84jlq2c/s1600/IMG_0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg5yDZM_esfEssfcvQ8L-_UX4_OFwudQTlFxyP2Ak3VMnHQ4_Z_O5WN5TLg3BBSmcwUg_1DJhXvMWUSmbL2SwwCxx2fs6sy56Em7xU1BZLs07AT45eXVwVZ0dCJjyJ9FfZssR84jlq2c/s400/IMG_0542.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A canyon near the start of the "Wragg fire" is left completely barren </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t4IaRMSr8XMV-VdSCtW9TiS2FdvKkTmjbIRLP1PSuxqolL4g8jP1a19Qb__-RBJPdM_AtHwGVRKvusH2jcaHGFCfwqGI2k481j_R3CVarBgq7Fk188bwNWQQXX6l-Wajjs_M5Wkoqvg/s1600/Four+winds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t4IaRMSr8XMV-VdSCtW9TiS2FdvKkTmjbIRLP1PSuxqolL4g8jP1a19Qb__-RBJPdM_AtHwGVRKvusH2jcaHGFCfwqGI2k481j_R3CVarBgq7Fk188bwNWQQXX6l-Wajjs_M5Wkoqvg/s400/Four+winds.jpg" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Scorched trees - some will survive, many will not</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been fascinating to watch the firefighting and learn how their technology has advanced over the years. In these rugged and inaccessible areas, air drops of fire retardant and water are the most powerful tool. This has long been the case but the technology seems to have become more refined.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My fireman neighbor described watching the air drops from a ridge top while listening to the fire fighters' radio channel. A small spotter plane flew along the advancing fire line, in radio communication with the bomber pilots and dropping white powder markers to indicate where the retardant drop should start and end, and recommending the rate of drop and warning of air turbulence and other dangers. Meanwhile the bombers would circle the area getting in position for the drop. When all was ready the spotter pilot would radio, "OK follow me" and lead the bomber along the drop path.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlurKLM0uPlVBEVWeg65CA8NOc5Es94jRTjePY-r46CFM-pcTnjyoFyMRU1qWthHPrbjXoxwgzJB_9rvaaCSFbeqN5E_gAc4dXrKcMbkO0YUaPJXa1lQjz1Q-KWx96IUG225r9Xhra7yA/s1600/IMG_9066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlurKLM0uPlVBEVWeg65CA8NOc5Es94jRTjePY-r46CFM-pcTnjyoFyMRU1qWthHPrbjXoxwgzJB_9rvaaCSFbeqN5E_gAc4dXrKcMbkO0YUaPJXa1lQjz1Q-KWx96IUG225r9Xhra7yA/s400/IMG_9066.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>An air tanker drops retardant along a fire line</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIKs3rsk_-nYojHmyIzGS_bsOvu0G_h8VHN7moLH06fWi1RrjwxToTC1_SofxmFesrakV5HIKqFOhFjEGR3RreL5uTUc7hJ0Vp45Qd-yveb3n9I97ciaKYKHKklK49czTFgjKhtJSTbM/s1600/IMG_9074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIKs3rsk_-nYojHmyIzGS_bsOvu0G_h8VHN7moLH06fWi1RrjwxToTC1_SofxmFesrakV5HIKqFOhFjEGR3RreL5uTUc7hJ0Vp45Qd-yveb3n9I97ciaKYKHKklK49czTFgjKhtJSTbM/s400/IMG_9074.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I watched several drops and was amazed at the accuracy and the skill with which pilots flew heavily loaded large planes very low to the fire, seemingly barely clearing ridge tops at times. We saw a "VLAT" (very large air tanker, a converted DC10 jetliner) used for many drops. It was startling to see a big jet flying so close to the ground.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbfBVzdHklXelkS3XPn5YyC8II43ymAjtwavx3_uFBIgn_UH2fcNs9RJzMI5ZW9rHR9UC72g8HivvVes_RMYFfL0O2Tgr3WxbjRrjxdMnXTUspkQQhWXAlF0Ffy0RbjLQuxxjz6cqvIw/s1600/IMG_9086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbfBVzdHklXelkS3XPn5YyC8II43ymAjtwavx3_uFBIgn_UH2fcNs9RJzMI5ZW9rHR9UC72g8HivvVes_RMYFfL0O2Tgr3WxbjRrjxdMnXTUspkQQhWXAlF0Ffy0RbjLQuxxjz6cqvIw/s400/IMG_9086.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Equally impressive was how the pilots were able to fly in such close quarters with so many other planes and multiple helicopters, all the while flying in very smokey skies.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsjZ1E_qlxF30vdBJIMCkee6yzJoNkkuQKPjZ3OqaUlGEKmZfRRUxV9P6ShVUZ-ChoLNNhurgGqAe_Flc1gm3x7qkhBcM7eVkiUbqchSu1nmY9b1xsVTxHlsx9JA8OkAnSM4yFtMSUl8/s1600/IMG_0545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsjZ1E_qlxF30vdBJIMCkee6yzJoNkkuQKPjZ3OqaUlGEKmZfRRUxV9P6ShVUZ-ChoLNNhurgGqAe_Flc1gm3x7qkhBcM7eVkiUbqchSu1nmY9b1xsVTxHlsx9JA8OkAnSM4yFtMSUl8/s400/IMG_0545.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A helicopter dips water from lake Berryessa to drop on a hot spot</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And not to give all the credit to the air drops, the hard working and dedicated ground crews are equally impressive. Bushwacking up steep hills in 100 degree+ heat wearing protective gear and carrying heavy equipment, often through heavy brush, these "boots on the ground" do incredibly hard work. They labor to hand-cut breaks to contain fires and to save structures. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what are the lessons here? First, fires are a fact of life in California's dry areas, so we should expect them. Second, we are lucky to have such skilled and dedicated firefighters. But here's the thing I just don't get: Why do so many rural property owners fail to take basic steps to protect their properties from fire? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPHqJ334cknRET16A-8f_bLrzAyxetfT4TR88aTAi0T2e4yQMledcEzO5LEmrHJ4dnxBfKdcghO_wq_U9uTM6EtpZ4sXtcZjWC2ZMGKEFxmMNDDF93lEWw6a2gsEsh92GcXhJeqEC0ok/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPHqJ334cknRET16A-8f_bLrzAyxetfT4TR88aTAi0T2e4yQMledcEzO5LEmrHJ4dnxBfKdcghO_wq_U9uTM6EtpZ4sXtcZjWC2ZMGKEFxmMNDDF93lEWw6a2gsEsh92GcXhJeqEC0ok/s400/IMG_0582.JPG" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This house is practically asking to burn up in a grass fire, an all too common sight</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why leave thick bushes, low hanging trees and tall dry grass around buildings? Sure firefighters are tasked with stopping fires, but w</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hy make their job tougher rather than easier?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Why expose them to more personal danger than they are already in? Why not secure one's own property so when the inevitable fire approaches, the firefighters can put more manpower into stopping it from growing and threatening others' property? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When seconds count, firefighters are minutes away, so why not give yourself every advantage? I just don't get it. End of rant, thanks for reading.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Bill</span></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-43473659341895245932015-04-26T12:08:00.000-07:002015-04-26T12:08:57.227-07:00Ready for a long dry summer<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESvxu8-fT600wtuz44yZPsLyayAOQzyJ8XjFJxnhl2lfNY-xBq5GcbdfW3fnz1jkOQ6ZZM1Ft393tongxG_g7lfE8j_CRBU15Iaxcwz7qBEf2GliGm6OpLbfRZb8Ij-bmJXNFoOHHTSs/s1600/IMG_8728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESvxu8-fT600wtuz44yZPsLyayAOQzyJ8XjFJxnhl2lfNY-xBq5GcbdfW3fnz1jkOQ6ZZM1Ft393tongxG_g7lfE8j_CRBU15Iaxcwz7qBEf2GliGm6OpLbfRZb8Ij-bmJXNFoOHHTSs/s1600/IMG_8728.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Stripped of its fruit crop, this apricot tree puts all its energy into foliage</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The deed is done. For the first time ever, we have taken the
green fruit off the trees and will have no stone fruit crop to sell this year. We
chose to favor the health of the trees over our desire for a bountiful harvest.
And, right now, the trees are looking good; so we are satisfied that we made
the right decision.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since the long term forecasts indicate that droughts here
will be increasingly common, we also took a hard look at all the plantings on
our parcel and did some tree removal too. Some of our Santa Rosa plum trees
were in bad shape, damaged relentlessly by aphids and stink bugs; so they
yielded gracefully to the chain saw. Also seven black walnut trees are now
neatly cut and stacked up as firewood. We will not miss the thousands of black
walnuts that had to be picked up and disposed of each year. And those “weed” trees will no
longer compete with our fruit trees for nutrition and water. And while the chain saw was close at hand, the
oak trees we have planted got a major pruning. Between that work and the regular
mowing of the orchard floor, our place now looks tidy and well-groomed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we are as prepared as we can be for the long dry summer. In
the years ahead, we will gradually increase our water storage capacity and fine
tune our systems to use every drop to best advantage. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauwLqxm7ZPwV37ousxU5ZNbr3oVz7doP85fgWGQHVDKdLDVAA0pHZpzWjPK2B_qoRxSmukj_peIfWq9lsT4017r7sCg-zl-z_YGei0O_KYRSzrot1bhew_d0yyS0yUEsFuUoxleuZBHY/s1600/IMG_8721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauwLqxm7ZPwV37ousxU5ZNbr3oVz7doP85fgWGQHVDKdLDVAA0pHZpzWjPK2B_qoRxSmukj_peIfWq9lsT4017r7sCg-zl-z_YGei0O_KYRSzrot1bhew_d0yyS0yUEsFuUoxleuZBHY/s1600/IMG_8721.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The hills are well on their way to summer's dry and golden look</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spring is winding down now, but the wildflowers have been a
delight this year. Overall, there were fewer than usual, but scarcity made each
survivor more welcome. At Easter we took our annual walk on the ridge to the
north of us and captured the photos below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7BwnQkuCLZ4vQkBh7JjRy-SIQvbmtjmLpagtNBzocjkCN5JhIW6HhZFGQT8uML1QeWvV7zgTi9viUjotS8z-Vx0lrU-0I0Ny0g4lMLQWY50brSou0sSwxsz07GdNGdzBF6lPBfV2DvM/s1600/IMG_8689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7BwnQkuCLZ4vQkBh7JjRy-SIQvbmtjmLpagtNBzocjkCN5JhIW6HhZFGQT8uML1QeWvV7zgTi9viUjotS8z-Vx0lrU-0I0Ny0g4lMLQWY50brSou0sSwxsz07GdNGdzBF6lPBfV2DvM/s1600/IMG_8689.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Owl's clover and miniature lupine grace a March hillside</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOmSKkuXnG-M0q6DuazqanzRNpu1sX0ppCqss-z0sTEHJX-zyU3DqsOZ_sEDanq_HInp4xv0xS7HBpJwu-0Gy0lejbRqHYHmfBMXhRuU_ZkvEvtefIVkfDweDdo60EOc1sPx4ANqsjj0/s1600/IMG_8571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOmSKkuXnG-M0q6DuazqanzRNpu1sX0ppCqss-z0sTEHJX-zyU3DqsOZ_sEDanq_HInp4xv0xS7HBpJwu-0Gy0lejbRqHYHmfBMXhRuU_ZkvEvtefIVkfDweDdo60EOc1sPx4ANqsjj0/s1600/IMG_8571.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Poppies</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx989za64H3DYUiMq0CyWgYkDahioTjA5BFhlkSvC_MfTFSBOiSUwhesz0GOyElufx6deSFaVjJXe2778EbblHY0sN0lkFulUr8TRbrPGXO76qpBjLRCTTUT3orYYU1hwiaqrVuaboxQ/s1600/IMG_8705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx989za64H3DYUiMq0CyWgYkDahioTjA5BFhlkSvC_MfTFSBOiSUwhesz0GOyElufx6deSFaVjJXe2778EbblHY0sN0lkFulUr8TRbrPGXO76qpBjLRCTTUT3orYYU1hwiaqrVuaboxQ/s1600/IMG_8705.JPG" height="500" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Diogenes Lantern likes secluded shady areas</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFgCn2vlV-HxfZIulq9CdAEVdJSYIOezF_MryfWQh3E0joqScqJrKZSHBU-PRFrvHGZggAzEP7jGedYEj4c_H_PTnERqdQH6s2hG3DCTouLqaWrc4K1K5OFzNBSHv4lnzc24VuHiJPFI/s1600/IMG_8575b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFgCn2vlV-HxfZIulq9CdAEVdJSYIOezF_MryfWQh3E0joqScqJrKZSHBU-PRFrvHGZggAzEP7jGedYEj4c_H_PTnERqdQH6s2hG3DCTouLqaWrc4K1K5OFzNBSHv4lnzc24VuHiJPFI/s1600/IMG_8575b.JPG" height="376" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>An Anise swallowtail butterfly sips nectar from Brodiaea flowers</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrvui9HeAw3Q7fowdkyFS8peulawRcjt5kFQnLJdQXnBDwEjMEDQwxfgQvXZ8vDQGPDA8XrpGRUAJSEKM23BT-WGdq3CivefbAODZpozz0-Fm7wY3pmnyN1At_JJ1OsRPyIz2qKWvlME/s1600/IMG_8709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrvui9HeAw3Q7fowdkyFS8peulawRcjt5kFQnLJdQXnBDwEjMEDQwxfgQvXZ8vDQGPDA8XrpGRUAJSEKM23BT-WGdq3CivefbAODZpozz0-Fm7wY3pmnyN1At_JJ1OsRPyIz2qKWvlME/s1600/IMG_8709.JPG" height="342" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A Monarch butterfly caterpillar dines on milkweed leaves</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, last year there was a huge fire up by Lake Berryessa
which burned thousands of acres. But the lupine and poppies signaled their
intention to live on with this extravagant display of color.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVm6Hxcgb-Sk4pmx3Gq_Zvf121pAEAI5-0kDbSACqusmc6SlmvskV07omX-S3py3lb9osCkK_a46sS1GBdet9EoAUWfOjVObKNW_frmnfEVf6kCmB7EES1LnYj4F-NK9d7hTgGUUkgtI/s1600/IMG_8605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVm6Hxcgb-Sk4pmx3Gq_Zvf121pAEAI5-0kDbSACqusmc6SlmvskV07omX-S3py3lb9osCkK_a46sS1GBdet9EoAUWfOjVObKNW_frmnfEVf6kCmB7EES1LnYj4F-NK9d7hTgGUUkgtI/s1600/IMG_8605.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Huge carpets of poppies and lupine dominated the roadsides of</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Putah Creek Canyon, stimulated by last summer's fire</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-11730995747694356452015-03-08T20:41:00.005-07:002015-03-08T20:41:55.134-07:00Making some tough choices<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL-uYp5SUBbMNK4E3R6ZP5oAETPOtADswqZkTpvDAtU9h740nNBE7JOKiJB1bDQh4-N9ucKQ0Q4GUywu7UDi9eJRDczLGioOLKrJD-V5_ZvjmTlU8uhXxYj93S8JY6WTEdYUDmTTWbNI/s1600/IMG_8556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL-uYp5SUBbMNK4E3R6ZP5oAETPOtADswqZkTpvDAtU9h740nNBE7JOKiJB1bDQh4-N9ucKQ0Q4GUywu7UDi9eJRDczLGioOLKrJD-V5_ZvjmTlU8uhXxYj93S8JY6WTEdYUDmTTWbNI/s1600/IMG_8556.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This March our hills look more like late April conditions</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here in early March we've grown weary of the continual waiting and hoping for more rain. We've had a couple of good storms so far this season, but then weeks go by with nothing more than a few clouds or worse yet, days of drying north wind. And temperatures have been way above average through most of the "cool" season. Storms appear regularly in extended weather forecasts, then vanish like a mirage as the days get closer. So the ground is drying up just as the trees begin to leaf out and the blossoms set tiny fruit, right when the roots need to start taking up moisture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_PoLXufedMHihAQpaRkjUxklqtF5gcLkSrP2XktZWJriG9PGQinEGREYIDIevo0ZywWXLYLZ1-9bS1YXsnGx_VNxLeeb6O9iiYPnOYL4LLOhccCI_CfD-HmAc3SIfNCC06STnIFoz6Y/s1600/IMG_8583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_PoLXufedMHihAQpaRkjUxklqtF5gcLkSrP2XktZWJriG9PGQinEGREYIDIevo0ZywWXLYLZ1-9bS1YXsnGx_VNxLeeb6O9iiYPnOYL4LLOhccCI_CfD-HmAc3SIfNCC06STnIFoz6Y/s1600/IMG_8583.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Peaches in full bloom, early March</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The orchard cover crop is only half as tall as usual, stunted by lack of moisture. Normally we want the legume and mustard cover crop to mature until it is in full bloom to provide habitat for beneficial insects. And we want the plants to get as tall and thick as possible so when mowed down they provide a thick protective summer mulch on the soil surface. But lacking more rain, the cover crop is using up moisture that will be needed by the trees. So hard choice #1 was mowing down the cover crop a month early. This saves some soil moisture but leaves less residue to protect the soil and destroys habitat for beneficial insects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI2cheHVKgfKBa0x_3cuUBcksfXzSQn_JGAuOLhFXD9IHguN381qklrMnKJw6zB5LdF0ya78lF4NYShFp-bbZMN859Z9qY7ueEzkJHLAc4Rfdh5fru78CF8mR7aG_QlS9umhgUCEFcRU/s1600/IMG_8591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI2cheHVKgfKBa0x_3cuUBcksfXzSQn_JGAuOLhFXD9IHguN381qklrMnKJw6zB5LdF0ya78lF4NYShFp-bbZMN859Z9qY7ueEzkJHLAc4Rfdh5fru78CF8mR7aG_QlS9umhgUCEFcRU/s1600/IMG_8591.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Our BCS sickle bar mower</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've just finished the first round of mowing, using a sickle bar mower that cuts the tall stems once at the base but does not grind them up. This leaves the material mostly intact for a longer lasting mulch through the coming summer. As I walked behind the mower green lacewings and other beneficial insects constantly flew up around my face. It felt counterproductive to destroy their breeding and feeding sites, but it had to be done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lacking significantly more spring rain we will be facing hard choice #2: stripping off all young fruit to reduce stress on the trees and give them the best chance of surviving the fourth dry year in a row. It's a drastic step and one we hope we don't have to take. But we have to think of the long term health of the trees. All the juice, sugar and fiber in fruit comes from the stored energy in the tree's roots and from the current season's photosynthesis, and both depend upon water uptake through the roots. But those same energy sources also maintain the growth and health of the tree itself. So when trees are drought stressed, fruit production actually competes with tree health. We considered taking this drastic step last year but decided instead to leave the fruit on and dole out our meager water resources to the trees as efficiently as possible. The harvest was good but the trees were badly stressed in late summer. So if this turns into the fourth year of drought we will sacrifice the harvest in hopes of helping to relieve some stress on the trees this summer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Scaling back our home garden was another unhappy choice. A nice February rain storm encouraged us to risk small spring plantings of carrots, cabbage, broccoli, onions and potatoes. Normally we would do succession plantings for continuous harvest through early summer, then transition to tomatoes and other summer crops. But we'll not be planting anything more this year. As it is we are already having to irrigate our winter vegetables when they would ordinarily get by fine on spring rains. And tomorrow I will begin doling out water to the orchard trees so there will be even less to spare on the garden.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0V3Pp7FkFn5VHJscT3G-7lLkWnBtghXQbk6YFmEJuP9tW7ORWp2y5ts-cVt1DKqnKvoLVb8X2qFjfzcHjVfrPoR3Q4N8volcfF1OikdocroisHT3nxXHA6upxz-470y8Z0DrLvJfcD4/s1600/IMG_8592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0V3Pp7FkFn5VHJscT3G-7lLkWnBtghXQbk6YFmEJuP9tW7ORWp2y5ts-cVt1DKqnKvoLVb8X2qFjfzcHjVfrPoR3Q4N8volcfF1OikdocroisHT3nxXHA6upxz-470y8Z0DrLvJfcD4/s1600/IMG_8592.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Small carrots under row cover cloth, protected from birds and wind</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRARSHZjRenFF63URcJvAiYVRMio9pmB_f5fvvWBuybOZChIuHlm-xMu-rgesq3PLR9KnakYcXY4zw2RDd1xBXqn_7o8Tb4WDnLvG5UdLC6PN-rqlsNxx4h3Hz2uG3w7MD2x0PFTGi0AY/s1600/IMG_8596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRARSHZjRenFF63URcJvAiYVRMio9pmB_f5fvvWBuybOZChIuHlm-xMu-rgesq3PLR9KnakYcXY4zw2RDd1xBXqn_7o8Tb4WDnLvG5UdLC6PN-rqlsNxx4h3Hz2uG3w7MD2x0PFTGi0AY/s1600/IMG_8596.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Our garden onion plot is scaled back to half size</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But enough doom and gloom. We'll get through summer and pin our hopes on next rainfall season to break the drought. Meanwhile we feel privileged to enjoy sights like this double rainbow that appeared a few weeks ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXzsaEOGjLTh9T9EZqH0X21EXm1C1kzW2LinTUFZ8j4u_KbWf5p2AL7SixLmxML-URlX4aXscjZ9vTuw7SMiUmznrWoDOuJpKZEoIkHRVlfSbDPY8KQbwOb-7TzRuhNnMRY5MfTegIvg/s1600/Rainbow+2-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXzsaEOGjLTh9T9EZqH0X21EXm1C1kzW2LinTUFZ8j4u_KbWf5p2AL7SixLmxML-URlX4aXscjZ9vTuw7SMiUmznrWoDOuJpKZEoIkHRVlfSbDPY8KQbwOb-7TzRuhNnMRY5MfTegIvg/s1600/Rainbow+2-9.jpg" height="332" width="500" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-12607341870858974932014-12-03T09:11:00.000-08:002014-12-03T09:11:25.977-08:00Rain, sweet rain!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPTWVYsf2pL1-NigOapsw4oKzPFcLl8r-hGMbDQZzhUZHtrBJKQzI0K4wA8xBxeimTwhjRbk9MLxCFpcdmY97Ko2s_9hdCkhqDHDgNs0MFNsUhVFrdQfWEgpXSWhdqMov-w5xHgNQdM4/s1600/IMG_8167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPTWVYsf2pL1-NigOapsw4oKzPFcLl8r-hGMbDQZzhUZHtrBJKQzI0K4wA8xBxeimTwhjRbk9MLxCFpcdmY97Ko2s_9hdCkhqDHDgNs0MFNsUhVFrdQfWEgpXSWhdqMov-w5xHgNQdM4/s1600/IMG_8167.JPG" height="1052" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I write this we are in the middle of a wonderful rain storm, a <i>real</i> one with the rainfall measured in inches instead of fractions of an inch. The </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">feeble and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">disappointing showers of October and November dropped only tiny amounts which barely wet the soil surface, doing nothing to quench thirsty plant roots. So after a solid inch of rain a week ago, 1.35" yesterday and 1.3" so far today with more expected tonight and tomorrow, we are practically euphoric!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, such excitement over rainfall statistics may seem odd to city dwellers but it is the norm for most rural folks who depend directly upon life giving rain for growing plants, crops, raising livestock and replenishing aquifers. This time of year typical conversations between country neighbors include such statements as, "It looks like we should get some rain next Tuesday, what have you heard?" Or, "I got six tenths of an inch out of that last rain, what did you measure?" I can always count on a couple of neighbors to phone or stop in </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">after a rain</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to compare notes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the rain gauge pictured above is the essential tool of the trade for tracking progress during the rainy season. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've maintained rainfall records here every year since 1971. During that time we have averaged 35" of rain per season, with the wettest year getting 65" and the driest only 11". Multiple dry years in a row, such as we have had the past three years, are what really cause problems. Deep soil moisture diminishes, stressing trees, and shallow wells go dry as aquifers dry up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sometimes have to shake my head at the inane comments of TV newscasters, who, after a small storm will announce that "experts say this will not end the drought." Gee, do you think? Let's see, after three below average rainy seasons, with lake levels and aquifers drastically low and farm fields withering they conclude that a couple of early small rains did not fix it all? Who knew? When water always appears reliably at the mere turn of a faucet, I guess people lose perspective on where it really comes from.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So to put rainfall amounts into context, what does an inch of rainfall accomplish? A good rule of thumb is that an inch of rain will wet the soil 6" deep. Our first four tiny storms were only about 1/4" each and weeks apart, so their meager moisture only soaked in for an inch or so and quickly evaporated. Finally we got a 1" storm followed quickly by 1"+ a week later. So that 2"+ was enough to soak down about 12". I took the picture below just after that second inch had fallen, and sure enough the soil is wet about a foot deep. But notice the dry soil at the bottom of the hole. Even though the top of the ground is plenty damp and the cover crop is growing nicely, moisture has not yet reached the root zone of the orchard trees. So despite a verdant green orchard floor the trees still suffer from bone dry soil.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRYNsZHmUTgJ0IS-KCdcKQBqii7KDhF4kmJUkGPwtDcEu_9d12zir7PdCX_R5x8vQNGCeqfG3IqvCCxFA5iV7m47UntfBU3nu99jsfYVKbn2PTgYxQLBMWPAWXuslBygIcUXVlo_DG3U/s1600/IMG_8140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRYNsZHmUTgJ0IS-KCdcKQBqii7KDhF4kmJUkGPwtDcEu_9d12zir7PdCX_R5x8vQNGCeqfG3IqvCCxFA5iV7m47UntfBU3nu99jsfYVKbn2PTgYxQLBMWPAWXuslBygIcUXVlo_DG3U/s1600/IMG_8140.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>2" of rain has wet the soil 12" deep, but here<br />the soil is bone dry below that</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After this current storm drops another couple of inches, moisture should finally reach down fairly deep into the root zone for the first time in many months. That should keep the tree roots well hydrated and the cover crop growing well through the next few weeks. But in terms of year long water needs we will need many more storms to saturate deeper soil strata and to recharge the aquifers that feed our wells. Our old hand dug well is just 36' deep and has been almost dry for months. Over the years I've observed that the water level in the well only recovers after we receive 20"-25" of rainfall. On an average year that happens by February or March. But after three below average rainfall years we likely will need 35"-40" of rain this season to really bring the old well back to good production that will hold up through next summer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so the cycle goes: we're hopeful for early and ample rainstorms through fall and winter, we celebrate each additional inch measured in our gauge like some people cheer on sports teams, we hope it keeps coming well into spring, then we endure another long dry summer and start the cycle over again. But for the moment we are happily breathing lungfuls of fragrant moist air and relishing the beautiful music of rain pounding our metal roofs. Our faith in the weather is temporarily restored.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some sights we're enjoying lately:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpKWZAP8YnFeCac8-IjNXzOaIX2I5DTWIA2SVJ6i4Q6ovb5bZykjKPZjqg9sVNBE18o8pg9r2SYwncto_mcnj1wNu-L-ZLGKsK-KIGYql2YPVBbMRILCO-5txsp7N2O4BBD38Sm6tPgo/s1600/IMG_8144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpKWZAP8YnFeCac8-IjNXzOaIX2I5DTWIA2SVJ6i4Q6ovb5bZykjKPZjqg9sVNBE18o8pg9r2SYwncto_mcnj1wNu-L-ZLGKsK-KIGYql2YPVBbMRILCO-5txsp7N2O4BBD38Sm6tPgo/s1600/IMG_8144.JPG" height="337" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The last of our fuyus are picked and in the cooler for sale</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tNlMOwvE3t7rZbEkPI7CKGHdY8-6i4Bzh2hyQIoPbtJQdZucPnKl_7Lk9z2YpjBAL4McT6uzKCu3_3J6TBM5kdFvTNMNoLkJADWJmKv9gaX874JGXPPHtz72IoOeVAYeJXsu1wkyZX4/s1600/IMG_8139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tNlMOwvE3t7rZbEkPI7CKGHdY8-6i4Bzh2hyQIoPbtJQdZucPnKl_7Lk9z2YpjBAL4McT6uzKCu3_3J6TBM5kdFvTNMNoLkJADWJmKv9gaX874JGXPPHtz72IoOeVAYeJXsu1wkyZX4/s1600/IMG_8139.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Dripping branches give me a break from pruning until things dry out</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79kksh4W-jnVRVfdwz-N272JCy8SajnSin4ZK_zwJBnnIoE5t5pDtPdmkO80ogK_9WAzDtTeFCM4rn26TmyQsTEqHq5XX_FGSNOY0epi9Ls0L_z74ZSJWgxBTA0RXl5WcLVxnTzq7Q44/s1600/IMG_8153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79kksh4W-jnVRVfdwz-N272JCy8SajnSin4ZK_zwJBnnIoE5t5pDtPdmkO80ogK_9WAzDtTeFCM4rn26TmyQsTEqHq5XX_FGSNOY0epi9Ls0L_z74ZSJWgxBTA0RXl5WcLVxnTzq7Q44/s1600/IMG_8153.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The legume-mix cover crop is jumping out of the ground</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwEzRPgZptab1Ap3SPqJXtam3i-cyYTnIrGI11Ictun8puuScziHT7AKZTLtnQUTNnHym_AxXnyPUWCjS1HSU5HN_JqZd73y5WvkK5BC2A4cMpJ1bIIWUDXfbTfegpR2RAQJYCBkWfdg/s1600/IMG_8158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwEzRPgZptab1Ap3SPqJXtam3i-cyYTnIrGI11Ictun8puuScziHT7AKZTLtnQUTNnHym_AxXnyPUWCjS1HSU5HN_JqZd73y5WvkK5BC2A4cMpJ1bIIWUDXfbTfegpR2RAQJYCBkWfdg/s1600/IMG_8158.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Apricot leaves decorate the orchard floor </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIbjKrJuDknYV1v8WoU2kza9BCc_Z1KBuivahZH6UF-hP6mDkDMbu44qN0ukWRQivr3d60M15EI9C47xzb5P-afRmWIM4fScihYZCHYCCxt2cd4NHYyeIz4MQX0Kw8CWnTl11kDmLHoc/s1600/IMG_8105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIbjKrJuDknYV1v8WoU2kza9BCc_Z1KBuivahZH6UF-hP6mDkDMbu44qN0ukWRQivr3d60M15EI9C47xzb5P-afRmWIM4fScihYZCHYCCxt2cd4NHYyeIz4MQX0Kw8CWnTl11kDmLHoc/s1600/IMG_8105.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Approaching storm clouds give us beautiful sunrises</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-42317612528072896852014-11-03T08:44:00.000-08:002014-11-03T08:44:14.218-08:00It's Fuyu persimmon time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlhttADaWS92Mau3HYsIt-kqyKk4bXjKoXs3IyaF_Pg9Cn2kx5FFuHuNRgnmF1AI73i0a7cr7VTxutfmGbJGCFIddVKxrNCsKvLJmP7pkV_b0e8CfP1dUBpxCMFQlzcQqcpSk-ry4SpA/s1600/fuyu+rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlhttADaWS92Mau3HYsIt-kqyKk4bXjKoXs3IyaF_Pg9Cn2kx5FFuHuNRgnmF1AI73i0a7cr7VTxutfmGbJGCFIddVKxrNCsKvLJmP7pkV_b0e8CfP1dUBpxCMFQlzcQqcpSk-ry4SpA/s1600/fuyu+rainbow.jpg" height="332" width="500" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our Fuyu persimmons are now ripe and plentiful. They are wonderful in
salads, sliced with a sprinkling of lime for a fruit plate, or just
eaten like an apple. Sold by the pound at $2.00/lb. Please call ahead
for availability. We should have them through at least mid-December.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecnX10gYuNs4nn3L3CHP_CVJoV8w0naYA8da3NhCUi1F_hT_yk0q8K4CLqwZMnbWIXJ9LRF5aEl_iF5WZjnTDHlG9UKJRzfrEvyvxi4SRK27fvGqgRfqzPwI8FwvklH4pQSoyACeux1Y/s1600/fuyu1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecnX10gYuNs4nn3L3CHP_CVJoV8w0naYA8da3NhCUi1F_hT_yk0q8K4CLqwZMnbWIXJ9LRF5aEl_iF5WZjnTDHlG9UKJRzfrEvyvxi4SRK27fvGqgRfqzPwI8FwvklH4pQSoyACeux1Y/s1600/fuyu1.jpg" height="355" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Fuyus peeled, sliced and drizzled with lime juice make a<br />knockout appetizer</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also have Meyer lemons available at $1.50/lb.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgucypLnwwoaKPSGoOoVRtW0uYvViYU3bc401Od3e5GUnx9kdQEQLNSJiiVMkjjE_Oop8wdywtNgHmb9vYVse5d1gE_82pEudIOP35muyIenxrNt7V1_aEAbY-3fokP_rfRO1E2ImPAYg/s1600/IMG_7329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgucypLnwwoaKPSGoOoVRtW0uYvViYU3bc401Od3e5GUnx9kdQEQLNSJiiVMkjjE_Oop8wdywtNgHmb9vYVse5d1gE_82pEudIOP35muyIenxrNt7V1_aEAbY-3fokP_rfRO1E2ImPAYg/s1600/IMG_7329.JPG" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-16900043052159745912014-10-08T12:41:00.001-07:002014-10-08T12:45:49.596-07:00Summer 2014: Feeling the drought<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiios86d7X3h-dWXheg_W1h__c9fkJodoe9pDozci_RDLZd5lM7choAFsPttAAPndESxjU1gz7qtTbH3ETLKPfabOZwHvU8offJK7ZhUi82SmItaaKsJmv2oUy4LyKrf-h1L5fCy2yP_ss/s1600/IMG_8042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiios86d7X3h-dWXheg_W1h__c9fkJodoe9pDozci_RDLZd5lM7choAFsPttAAPndESxjU1gz7qtTbH3ETLKPfabOZwHvU8offJK7ZhUi82SmItaaKsJmv2oUy4LyKrf-h1L5fCy2yP_ss/s1600/IMG_8042.JPG" height="332" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>The
ponds in our hills are mostly dry now, so many cattle herds have been moved<br />elsewhere. And the local wildlife must travel further to compete for drinking
water<br />in the few remaining water holes.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Persistent drought has now established itself as one of the
organizing principles of daily life here at Sunny Slope Orchard. We see its
effects everywhere in this third dry year. As we have mentioned before, our orchard has always been dry farmed since water resources are historically
scarce here. So conserving water has always been our habit; but now it is a true
necessity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since last November we have been watering the fruit trees,
in rotation, via drip irrigation to give them some moisture to replace the winter
rains that never came. These periodic sips of water helped them but the stress
was obvious. Our apricots, peaches and plums arrived earlier than usual this season and the
peak harvest time was quite compressed, lasting only 3 weeks instead of the
usual five. The trees clearly wanted to drop their burden quickly. To reduce their
stress, we thinned all trees heavily this spring. So most trees survived, but some
suffered major branch die back and leaves are dropping earlier than usual now. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmEI0_VihlluZ75nOY2k8QwDA9vw9pBVBsrmF9LkQ9SiASBxSTd5WZW3LzSds_9mNtu0_ADITL7Jdwk2HM_VQjGA8-0fMwJigW6MnIfaU7Lj2lVkxPVFJa7PM53M-oz3JODTpMtjYoCA/s1600/8032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmEI0_VihlluZ75nOY2k8QwDA9vw9pBVBsrmF9LkQ9SiASBxSTd5WZW3LzSds_9mNtu0_ADITL7Jdwk2HM_VQjGA8-0fMwJigW6MnIfaU7Lj2lVkxPVFJa7PM53M-oz3JODTpMtjYoCA/s1600/8032.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Borers are always present but are expelled<br />by good sap flow during normal years. But<br />during dry years infestations can get the<br />upper hand in weaker branches.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvwdHKShpd3FBfPEjogMOfSWUiDHemCrowIt-6-qDCoROpf7ZzbGXQPJyfe1ucX15mGjuuJh5-BJAPlC3AxbtNu0NIzh66az9qym8I13kLcZdDJk1IQtZlQww21KQD5WlYXBn3YfauZc/s1600/IMG_8037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvwdHKShpd3FBfPEjogMOfSWUiDHemCrowIt-6-qDCoROpf7ZzbGXQPJyfe1ucX15mGjuuJh5-BJAPlC3AxbtNu0NIzh66az9qym8I13kLcZdDJk1IQtZlQww21KQD5WlYXBn3YfauZc/s1600/IMG_8037.JPG" height="316" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>Fuyu persimmons are not yet ripe but are more sunburned than usual<br />since the
stressed foliage is not providing enough shade</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs100WI1mvBJCvJ8GybX8nXaYGj5i6i-y-92wtSBGL2JnHaL7gN-1VV0VGPV_pGmukOCOknJLYpyUyOtG2urVzJytiPxXeDmK_hfQoZ9mynzeES7i5b6r8upbyK5A4sBnKUnWnlpBjWE/s1600/IMG_8038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs100WI1mvBJCvJ8GybX8nXaYGj5i6i-y-92wtSBGL2JnHaL7gN-1VV0VGPV_pGmukOCOknJLYpyUyOtG2urVzJytiPxXeDmK_hfQoZ9mynzeES7i5b6r8upbyK5A4sBnKUnWnlpBjWE/s1600/IMG_8038.JPG" height="325" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Weaker branches, like this walnut limb, succumb to drought</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>stress </i></span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and have to
be removed.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcu5NIzFioZCUpqPfWyQRPqDABREO7Fc2bUfHjcZ-Yo78Bp8JEsb2lan7Q0l_pi_pC1FPNl66NTSTM2mKmudNKdzb-nsMXrvg09StZeNLm_zHGJGuTbdaBMf2HQvhjQFagHRoBIWkIjU/s1600/IMG_8049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcu5NIzFioZCUpqPfWyQRPqDABREO7Fc2bUfHjcZ-Yo78Bp8JEsb2lan7Q0l_pi_pC1FPNl66NTSTM2mKmudNKdzb-nsMXrvg09StZeNLm_zHGJGuTbdaBMf2HQvhjQFagHRoBIWkIjU/s1600/IMG_8049.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>We
ration out precious water supplies to all our<br />trees in turn, but the flagging leaves of this apricot<br />beg for more.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To reduce competition for orchard water we recently removed some "weed" trees, ones that might give some useful shade but that produce no useful crop and send their roots to rob from the fruit trees. Many were black walnut trees with invasive root systems that feed heavily on water
and soil nutrients. Plus the nuts they drop are a real hazard underfoot. So, we successfully removed
eight mature black walnuts, one of which was right next to our oldest well.
Luckily, the right tool for the job came our way at the perfect time. A
neighbor sold us his old pruning tower, an Afron Mechanical Ladder, made in
Israel; and it made the job possible. And as a bonus, the chickens have a huge
supply of black walnuts for the winter!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/s_vi/uOLRw6tMQJ0/default.jpg?sqp=CIyf1qEF&rs=AOn4CLAyY1tQIiq1VrTnYjLdOicAP-TDkw" height="466" width="560"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/uOLRw6tMQJ0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="560" height="466" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/uOLRw6tMQJ0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our new "old" pruning tower helps with trimming tall trees and</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>harvesting big nut trees</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Naturally the animals around us are
also constantly looking for water. Birds rank high among our favorite neighbors
and we take great interest in their daily lives. Dozens of hummers flock to our
hummingbird feeders and bird baths; but now the honeybees from neighboring
hives have taken over the bird baths entirely. The incoming and outgoing bee traffic
is so intense that no birds can make an approach. The hummers can still drink
sugar water at their feeders, but we are left to wonder where the other birds
are getting water now. Most ponds in our area are dry, so all local wildlife
has to travel further to drink.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIEALzJPV0l5kuVo-MFXTIKfEXnVCe_1fWz7aWkCyfxElhEiA9zyxAO3fdz2SNwUBh1xrg5lXidZnZpOKrPuO_tdSVDn3sXzwtmf5N2AXeWVSA3k7bnk2infYTJO2pOS3QLDRlTSjXcA/s1600/Oct.+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIEALzJPV0l5kuVo-MFXTIKfEXnVCe_1fWz7aWkCyfxElhEiA9zyxAO3fdz2SNwUBh1xrg5lXidZnZpOKrPuO_tdSVDn3sXzwtmf5N2AXeWVSA3k7bnk2infYTJO2pOS3QLDRlTSjXcA/s1600/Oct.+blog.jpg" height="217" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The honeybee swarms achieved a hostile takeover of the</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>birdbaths. </i></span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even large birds like the acorn woodpecker don’t</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">manage to </i><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">penetrate
their ranks.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-19660194775868041222014-06-30T17:08:00.000-07:002014-06-30T18:28:56.730-07:00Santa Rosa plum Galette - Possibly the best dessert ever!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPG0dXFqEmj0HzOHbxaNb6xidUJ5ctG8q78xS57th7TwacuSiU176hBl_WSN09EMfQ824wIbwjubPmFs_NC0MolvnfAX8XweiCUh0ssCcVDOvDEmTAKQ8aA7XYYjYM89BPj3SkibqFmM/s1600/sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPG0dXFqEmj0HzOHbxaNb6xidUJ5ctG8q78xS57th7TwacuSiU176hBl_WSN09EMfQ824wIbwjubPmFs_NC0MolvnfAX8XweiCUh0ssCcVDOvDEmTAKQ8aA7XYYjYM89BPj3SkibqFmM/s1600/sunset.jpg" height="226" width="500" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the very last of our Santa Rosa plums off the trees, we're enjoying a break from the frantic pace of picking, sorting, selling and processing fruit. The bird scare machines are taken down and stored away, windfall fruit has been cleaned up and discarded, and we're back to our normal summer routines of irrigation, summer pruning, canning and freezing for our own use, and even taking a little time to relax on the porch to enjoy sunsets like this gem above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have long enjoyed making simple rustic tarts (galettes)in <a href="http://www.oprah.com/food/Fig-Galette" target="_blank">fig</a>, <a href="http://sunnyslopeorchard.blogspot.com/2013/07/after-successful-harvest-time-to-catch.html" target="_blank">apricot</a>, and plum varieties. So with plums winding down and a bit of time on our hands we</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> decided to reward ourselves with our favorite, Santa Rosa plum galette. This amazing dessert is quick and easy to make and can even be frozen for baking later (think a cold winter day where you long for the fresh fruit taste of summer). We provided a link to this recipe in a <a href="http://sunnyslopeorchard.blogspot.com/2011/07/santa-rosa-plums.html" target="_blank">2011 post</a> but that link no longer works. So here are instructions below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rVGm_V0Z46ow1EHYL2vW4xsuuIxJ3QhfFRmACH29UtaOqqsbfKrjmgLd2_V_lLgnCNgYj8s8Zm1IhlYZNKlAEXSU0cXUELaTCpG1nPaHd8DsKEzOoii-QwBJJghKj0DZSQCrdlD_Hyk/s1600/IMG_7832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rVGm_V0Z46ow1EHYL2vW4xsuuIxJ3QhfFRmACH29UtaOqqsbfKrjmgLd2_V_lLgnCNgYj8s8Zm1IhlYZNKlAEXSU0cXUELaTCpG1nPaHd8DsKEzOoii-QwBJJghKj0DZSQCrdlD_Hyk/s1600/IMG_7832.JPG" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Making the crust</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the crust, you can use your favorite pie crust recipe. Here is our current version:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1+1/2 cups flour (we use half whole wheat pastry and half white flour)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp corn meal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Combine the above in a bowl and chill the bowl in the refrigerator.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prepare:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1+1/2 sticks unsalted butter cut up into tiny cubes; keep very cold in the refrigerator.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup of ice cold water (For a flakier crust, you can substitute cold vodka for up to half of the water.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This recipe yields enough for two crusts, each of which rolls out to about 10" or so in diameter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxc1hdxf46tjaEXIOzzL92s5CA-9l6l2bcP7Jaw_-lIS5DkBzQoKeZv_3sw1m3GM0qcIpCVbavuNqN6EDgxV_w8hIW6tgm-MRpBorUEpaxP_JVk-KQ7VXKPsh1K5NHRqx1i2OXkfBcUVY/s1600/IMG_7836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxc1hdxf46tjaEXIOzzL92s5CA-9l6l2bcP7Jaw_-lIS5DkBzQoKeZv_3sw1m3GM0qcIpCVbavuNqN6EDgxV_w8hIW6tgm-MRpBorUEpaxP_JVk-KQ7VXKPsh1K5NHRqx1i2OXkfBcUVY/s1600/IMG_7836.JPG" height="262" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To absorb excess juice from the plums, spread 1 T. sugar and 1 1/2 T white flour evenly in only the middle of the rolled out crust, leaving a 2"-3" rim around the edges alone. Slice the plums into thin wedges and arrange them in the floured area, then add 2 to 3 T. more sugar. Lastly fold the edges of the crust inward partially covering the filling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52qc6Q5RfVLph3qoxWFftj2He3PWJV34CJ4WFLuTTKdMsPJ4-HBVK7QWDUvKuEXJfYvo838omoCNzGloSDcQAnv2oAugJodHr5ikGeAw2_NWgFkX3abgZm885X7HxWexoy5rqLxGxQJU/s1600/IMG_7837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52qc6Q5RfVLph3qoxWFftj2He3PWJV34CJ4WFLuTTKdMsPJ4-HBVK7QWDUvKuEXJfYvo838omoCNzGloSDcQAnv2oAugJodHr5ikGeAw2_NWgFkX3abgZm885X7HxWexoy5rqLxGxQJU/s1600/IMG_7837.JPG" height="246" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Ready to bake</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bake in a 400 deg. oven for 40 min. or until nicely browned. For added decadence serve with vanilla ice cream!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5piuI3eI6fce1omqiaNqaTEbWDiHNpljo3Hh0jqctV6kpV23S_GktRFOFeUn6HMAehvdjvXPeUnBJ9PoPu_S1l7F8TIZokqmtWYPA2NRHW8gMa3onXLUF2EapeiJVq3kGAT2IUslUJp8/s1600/IMG_7829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5piuI3eI6fce1omqiaNqaTEbWDiHNpljo3Hh0jqctV6kpV23S_GktRFOFeUn6HMAehvdjvXPeUnBJ9PoPu_S1l7F8TIZokqmtWYPA2NRHW8gMa3onXLUF2EapeiJVq3kGAT2IUslUJp8/s1600/IMG_7829.JPG" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>We had to eat some right out of the oven.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The inspiration for this came from Mary Jo Thoreson, pastry chef at Chez Panisse Restaurant. For more complete instructions, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">her recipe is on page 3 at <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/GLORIOUS-FRUIT-Veteran-pastry-chef-whips-up-a-3304257.php#page-3" target="_blank">this link</a>.</span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-32182735863427566012014-06-09T16:11:00.001-07:002014-06-09T16:11:09.885-07:00The heat is on, the cots and peaches are off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyf3Wz0ZRPCcqSTQ7dKZcMZGhTYnSHO31m4tvjYNW34QXRSIHFczPfvjQtDBFDoPZATx03BYp391tNLflOcmEh68-C4uAOwLOJWm2DygMT3_Tp-mgkDJzHK-LIT9vaJc7qVK4I5q9tTI/s1600/IMG_7732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyf3Wz0ZRPCcqSTQ7dKZcMZGhTYnSHO31m4tvjYNW34QXRSIHFczPfvjQtDBFDoPZATx03BYp391tNLflOcmEh68-C4uAOwLOJWm2DygMT3_Tp-mgkDJzHK-LIT9vaJc7qVK4I5q9tTI/s1600/IMG_7732.JPG" height="400" width="205" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've put in long days the past week as the cots and peaches came on fast. The good news is that temperatures were mild so both we and the fruit held up fairly well. The bad news is that we are now in the middle of a multi-day hot spell that will likely ruin any cots still on the trees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apricots, especially our Royal Blenheims, are very delicate and prone to damage from heat. This is often a problem since our hilltop location tends to stay warmer than valley areas at night. And since Royals ripen first from the inside, when we get several days of high heat the apricots build up too much heat inside and suffer from "pit burn," decay around the pit. Heat and drying winds also cause the skin to shrivel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are still trying to salvage some cots still on the trees, but with each additional hot day more are damaged and unsaleable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb44J9V8peeQbR1kNNevnAS2m5V-4SAOqmeX4xYyyfR5EBt_yG4ZpXFQM6luDhQF5pPZyAyMkIF7LuDvIcEBPyjcFDNDYA2aNnH5bPp7Uq0rKd2uv77z8Sv4ojQsv9r9LckpTEksTcwjc/s1600/IMG_7738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb44J9V8peeQbR1kNNevnAS2m5V-4SAOqmeX4xYyyfR5EBt_yG4ZpXFQM6luDhQF5pPZyAyMkIF7LuDvIcEBPyjcFDNDYA2aNnH5bPp7Uq0rKd2uv77z8Sv4ojQsv9r9LckpTEksTcwjc/s1600/IMG_7738.JPG" height="335" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Shriveled apricot skin caused by 100+ degree<br />temperatures and dry north wind</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peaches set a new record for a short season, ripening so fast that we got them all off in only three pickings over one week instead of the usual 6-7 pickings over two weeks. Despite the loss of some cots we are feeling satisfied that we've made good use of most of the crops so far, filling orders for many appreciative customers and restaurants. So we are now moving on to picking plums and figs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One pleasant surprise is how well the trees appear to be holding up to their third dry year in a row. I know they will be looking stressed in another month or so, but for now their leaves are open and full even on this 103 degree afternoon. Despite very dry soil and having only very limited drip irrigation available, they have put on near normal (which is to say explosive) growth and are a vibrant green. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We hope for early fall rains to bring them relief.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lLInhTicbqbNhkMDr9ZtVqQEpt4f3m4gZWHONux3syWCSpmMsyP76051Zd15_bn1I7B7j8ec5wTXp49d8qZC74L4IhJwsdV2UCJjMRreXyKNX2WXZoPGYzjSv1_zdP75a-8-6_x_SlY/s1600/IMG_7723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lLInhTicbqbNhkMDr9ZtVqQEpt4f3m4gZWHONux3syWCSpmMsyP76051Zd15_bn1I7B7j8ec5wTXp49d8qZC74L4IhJwsdV2UCJjMRreXyKNX2WXZoPGYzjSv1_zdP75a-8-6_x_SlY/s1600/IMG_7723.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Apricot trees show 3'-4' long shoot growth despite the dry winter</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXKuxVglSUByY2goSpIGj9BDGTu7P5aBvsQW1-Dh0DcbiyWxWp2ogGik1bsLfA9POBeDAPcZasSD6Ms4dXyIgMYTrSTygMApz889-tBdYmd1HCq4q1aDXKbPOlkocAJB8rqg1WGRx-ow/s1600/IMG_7730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXKuxVglSUByY2goSpIGj9BDGTu7P5aBvsQW1-Dh0DcbiyWxWp2ogGik1bsLfA9POBeDAPcZasSD6Ms4dXyIgMYTrSTygMApz889-tBdYmd1HCq4q1aDXKbPOlkocAJB8rqg1WGRx-ow/s1600/IMG_7730.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Peach trees are thick with lush growth</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-89332287547254394992014-06-03T06:54:00.001-07:002014-06-03T06:57:29.453-07:00Harvest has started!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a quick announcement here to let everyone know we have begun picking our Royal Blenheim apricots and Springcrest peaches. Beauty plums will start around June 6th and Santa Rosa plums around mid-June.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our cot crop this year is much lighter than average and many have cosmetic defects due to untimely spring rains (but flavor is outstanding as usual). From what we have heard most growers have few to no cots on their trees so we may not be able to satisfy everyone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be sure to email or call us before driving out, especially if you want a large quantity. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We will open our gate for sales each afternoon from 2pm until 7pm
starting Wednesday, June 4.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Bill Spurlock and Fern Henry<br />
Sunny Slope Orchard<br />
3574 Cantelow Rd<br />
Vacaville, CA 95688<br />
707-448-4792</b></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-45166798505032544652014-05-10T16:55:00.000-07:002014-05-10T16:57:03.922-07:00When will our fruit be ripe?<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Ripening time</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the past few weeks we've had several people ask when our peaches/cots/plums will be ripe and our answer so far has been, "We have no idea." Typically we will see the first ripe cots and peaches in the first week of June with the main pick around mid-June. Recent years have been quite variable from two weeks early to almost two weeks late. But as I write this on May 10th I can at least say that the harvest is not likely to be early.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We check the green fruit daily, watching for signs of pest damage and just to monitor their progress. Right now the cots and peaches are still smallish and very green, and have not yet begun the rapid sizing that happens in the last three weeks before ripening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-14Am-9VUtW5HHtzcM3tpan3gYLwEYjERNOSRuz-6uBWT4OkBTCiFJrM3B2uYqOR2xkMzZj8tg2Ak29DgNDBWw25VVCz3xxnMHBPzfapBHJFIAhauhip2uBqr7T1c41BCowmZA73mRA/s1600/east+peak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-14Am-9VUtW5HHtzcM3tpan3gYLwEYjERNOSRuz-6uBWT4OkBTCiFJrM3B2uYqOR2xkMzZj8tg2Ak29DgNDBWw25VVCz3xxnMHBPzfapBHJFIAhauhip2uBqr7T1c41BCowmZA73mRA/s1600/east+peak.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A recent mixture of sun and thunderstorms produced<br />this partial rainbow</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ripening time is determined by </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">temperature and rainfall amounts</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> throughout the winter and spring. Given that, all bets are off since this past winter and the current spring have been the most erratic I can recall. Winter gave us weeks of above average temperatures punctuated by a couple of brutal cold spells. Rainfall was completely absent for many weeks, then finally arrived in good amounts in March and April. Meanwhile the temperatures continue to yo-yo up and down between the 60's and 90's, with next week predicted to approach 100.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Rain damaged fruit</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are thankful for the better-late-than-never rains we received this spring, but the downside was bad timing. Wet conditions during bloom and early fruit stage promotes fungus, so many apricot blooms rotted and fell off while the fruit that did set ended up with a fair amount of cosmetic damage from shothole fungus. This is a very common problem in apricots that causes spots on the fruit skin and holes in the early leaves. And this year the Santa Rosa plums even suffered the affects, something I have never seen before. Happily there is no effect on taste and no need to trim away the damaged skin unless perfect appearance is necessary. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8703u1L2eHteh8Y_dHDCa2-ZV8X9ofXj7NbOdte3D5dxln8TEPswDlKGgwKCxjqLr-2QFboE4Bx8SYqHo78YnBgeN0xPyNRAdn_GakdQZnCRSlulRqJYGCovQVCRtl2mYJbuBaeCmZRM/s1600/IMG_7663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8703u1L2eHteh8Y_dHDCa2-ZV8X9ofXj7NbOdte3D5dxln8TEPswDlKGgwKCxjqLr-2QFboE4Bx8SYqHo78YnBgeN0xPyNRAdn_GakdQZnCRSlulRqJYGCovQVCRtl2mYJbuBaeCmZRM/s1600/IMG_7663.JPG" height="257" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shothole fungus spots on apricots caused by spring rains</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkWlfwZanoYxlo0bVZ-tMhMAOndB3yphGwIZtHilW39fNA892QYhLrtji-GH10T7_XP0yDDmHT6ZC8pTM8Yy2O39QCjlZOGD4Xn2r3z3uHre56lPlFvclDC_VYfzWNoReCl-yUBUzwns/s1600/IMG_7672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkWlfwZanoYxlo0bVZ-tMhMAOndB3yphGwIZtHilW39fNA892QYhLrtji-GH10T7_XP0yDDmHT6ZC8pTM8Yy2O39QCjlZOGD4Xn2r3z3uHre56lPlFvclDC_VYfzWNoReCl-yUBUzwns/s1600/IMG_7672.JPG" height="270" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Peaches were unaffected by the rains, and </i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">are now </i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>golf ball size</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Tree vigor looks good</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">During the record dry spell before the March rains we had all but resigned ourselves to stripping all fruit from the trees to save them the double stress of growing fruit while suffering extremely dry soil. But with the minimal rainfall we finally got plus meager but nonstop irrigation starting last fall and continuing to the present, the trees look remarkably vigorous. Leaves are glossy green and shoot growth is only slightly less than during a normal year, so we are now confident that the trees will have no problem putting the needed energy into good sized tasty fruits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9AnMZECsSez_J8aHGg1lx7SheqTQH6ORg5FsAjJ1hlL4HU7CqPc_n4RfOlRqxZ7P7FchHYTOCJICwQ-drKkf5h7rWJKLpriDyEbb7aI0fZ8CVFmJvJvcxFbdjonpSx0zNhMjqtFB5vo/s1600/IMG_7667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9AnMZECsSez_J8aHGg1lx7SheqTQH6ORg5FsAjJ1hlL4HU7CqPc_n4RfOlRqxZ7P7FchHYTOCJICwQ-drKkf5h7rWJKLpriDyEbb7aI0fZ8CVFmJvJvcxFbdjonpSx0zNhMjqtFB5vo/s1600/IMG_7667.JPG" height="260" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Fast growing new apricot shoots show their characteristic red tips</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So for now we wait and watch, and will post again here when we start seeing ripening fruit. To be notified of new posts just enter your email address in the "Follow by Email" box at the upper right of this page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the meantime we're busy mowing, hoeing, and weed eating trying to keep things neat and prepare for the coming fire season. The hills are still green but the first signs of brown are showing on the knolls and ridges. Summer is getting close.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAo5rZ1fE8PibSEhrFEuVHxvlsC3GnV6YKRiFqPwg2sIVD9L3SYP3CsH9wsd2nYQqjgIIyHwgbBATbr4bzC9xUi5oL9EUYCA7pyaKco-I8AqlZ55TmNz_V4Bl9zWY8nRinoQdfhogGy0/s1600/IMG_7669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAo5rZ1fE8PibSEhrFEuVHxvlsC3GnV6YKRiFqPwg2sIVD9L3SYP3CsH9wsd2nYQqjgIIyHwgbBATbr4bzC9xUi5oL9EUYCA7pyaKco-I8AqlZ55TmNz_V4Bl9zWY8nRinoQdfhogGy0/s1600/IMG_7669.JPG" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-85538946947601952592014-03-14T17:33:00.002-07:002014-03-14T17:33:51.737-07:00February rains deliver spring beauty<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSANXlduh3ck3QOxATT-CGtlT6gbC2bZlblBn9WLLEcSgRmEQlsEvlkss_U-P4h07wT3d6qUAeXu4E970KfZnCLRqfSf8HOAZpjNe9XfhUyzIJigDFb3L8oLp6m2BnXuDMTrwvuFxW8s/s1600/IMG_7546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSANXlduh3ck3QOxATT-CGtlT6gbC2bZlblBn9WLLEcSgRmEQlsEvlkss_U-P4h07wT3d6qUAeXu4E970KfZnCLRqfSf8HOAZpjNe9XfhUyzIJigDFb3L8oLp6m2BnXuDMTrwvuFxW8s/s1600/IMG_7546.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Rain runs off the shop roof during a downpour</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two strong rain storms last month finally brought us some drought relief. Our rainfall total is still only about 30% of average and is not nearly enough to replenish aquifers. But finally, for the first time in almost 10 months, the soil is damp from the surface on down and life is springing forth. The transformation in the orchard and surrounding hills is dramatic. After months of dry days we are now savoring a green spring we thought might not even happen this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwhnTCFc9cWUkEGoVNKEXIVrndUcfpJoLNbnqCPB8jeG9kMHfd2wiDvzzQA7EBboaW4EJgz4S94sRT5OmKrNIW0rzrNVRDrkiDueZBiohmiBmLWtkBqwkw6DqNfXYqLaaKxW1iStwM-w/s1600/IMG_7521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwhnTCFc9cWUkEGoVNKEXIVrndUcfpJoLNbnqCPB8jeG9kMHfd2wiDvzzQA7EBboaW4EJgz4S94sRT5OmKrNIW0rzrNVRDrkiDueZBiohmiBmLWtkBqwkw6DqNfXYqLaaKxW1iStwM-w/s1600/IMG_7521.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The orchard cover crop is suddenly almost knee high. On a<br />normal year it would be double that, but we are glad for<br />at least some growth that will provide soil protection this<br />summer after mowing down.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPLQLgjGRd7fHPYavFNw1KFpTxVmbZS0vrnQHawMICOy-5qE37guKeU5UbXuZtQ3not3tFBYvsnAULVXZ7nEibGk8LaL085J-3t9fOthBWUlM0a2yvPDJepaI1PodhDzA-BLdWYn82H8/s1600/IMG_7610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPLQLgjGRd7fHPYavFNw1KFpTxVmbZS0vrnQHawMICOy-5qE37guKeU5UbXuZtQ3not3tFBYvsnAULVXZ7nEibGk8LaL085J-3t9fOthBWUlM0a2yvPDJepaI1PodhDzA-BLdWYn82H8/s1600/IMG_7610.JPG" height="256" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Peaches are in full bloom</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPitNLyekWfbSLxGE146DbLw8_YdiHbjSoy6joNdq462cn8W3k_snSR_4olnLgm1pcRuvlGb7bAl8L_4XFVYhc07u39cdkAQo3PIlSBNYcKS56qwG3OAFNIZM3SzT7v9wNYNbiDtqUVLw/s1600/IMG_7572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPitNLyekWfbSLxGE146DbLw8_YdiHbjSoy6joNdq462cn8W3k_snSR_4olnLgm1pcRuvlGb7bAl8L_4XFVYhc07u39cdkAQo3PIlSBNYcKS56qwG3OAFNIZM3SzT7v9wNYNbiDtqUVLw/s1600/IMG_7572.jpg" height="321" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Apricots had a heavy bloom and are now bristling with pea-sized fruits</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-A-v-N6QRuQPVFi0-NswhYuGpC5POMn6drngi7RnvHVqeJCYc_CN953kcs18Y-Ceg6aaEaQ7-nXJUqumLFpW2st-iUJKHDf4jVjFVKxM3l72p-jF2SDU3Nfs6PQ7op75pyv-oc4MYyt0/s1600/IMG_7527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-A-v-N6QRuQPVFi0-NswhYuGpC5POMn6drngi7RnvHVqeJCYc_CN953kcs18Y-Ceg6aaEaQ7-nXJUqumLFpW2st-iUJKHDf4jVjFVKxM3l72p-jF2SDU3Nfs6PQ7op75pyv-oc4MYyt0/s1600/IMG_7527.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our native Western Redbud trees are ablaze in bloom and<br />pushing out new foliage</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC70MAqcJUFunqCt3va54p7G1BZ-zcUGjstFoCh5xlUktQt0O60fTCu_w0DJYFwhB7Z4T4Zl_YHazHbSFoUJLJu1QrVWWGrOwy1R89R1En7CxEsif7bkfUGU2bivNCQsfekPZNfEynZE/s1600/IMG_7535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC70MAqcJUFunqCt3va54p7G1BZ-zcUGjstFoCh5xlUktQt0O60fTCu_w0DJYFwhB7Z4T4Zl_YHazHbSFoUJLJu1QrVWWGrOwy1R89R1En7CxEsif7bkfUGU2bivNCQsfekPZNfEynZE/s1600/IMG_7535.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our Valencia orange trees are loaded with ripening fruit<br />and ready to burst out in blooms that will form next<br />year's fruit</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wAlTTKjwb7orxm6BHtibsQHG33Mvbvk1xX2U0tOsPODowWI3eabm-heVpEmSlfRrbrZ2Ogdqu2VEddrA6a5N4EdCMKZhmX2PKDOJFW3i9n-6ZC7cmhCUoh4mDnjfqO35YUZ4-CRQ8oQ/s1600/IMG_7616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wAlTTKjwb7orxm6BHtibsQHG33Mvbvk1xX2U0tOsPODowWI3eabm-heVpEmSlfRrbrZ2Ogdqu2VEddrA6a5N4EdCMKZhmX2PKDOJFW3i9n-6ZC7cmhCUoh4mDnjfqO35YUZ4-CRQ8oQ/s1600/IMG_7616.JPG" height="291" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>After months of scratching in dry dirt the chickens are glad<br />to have lush green grass and worms on the menu again</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjqCQkW5n6m4mIPKXdzazFMg4qQyH3KesTETovItgA9H3dz52l4RAAHDvSsvlmaQ9LSsTuwqcR9Ygu9QxxBEVBiltTjqyXbvUqwjYrq5x9sgrnZlPERultir8kOnO1OpTyApmG7PLYjk/s1600/IMG_7604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjqCQkW5n6m4mIPKXdzazFMg4qQyH3KesTETovItgA9H3dz52l4RAAHDvSsvlmaQ9LSsTuwqcR9Ygu9QxxBEVBiltTjqyXbvUqwjYrq5x9sgrnZlPERultir8kOnO1OpTyApmG7PLYjk/s1600/IMG_7604.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Every day the hills turn a bit more green as the fresh grass<br />slowly grows up through last summer's dry weeds </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We know we have a long dry summer to get through, so for now we are taking every opportunity to savor the beauty of a green spring that almost didn't happen. And we're still hoping for a bit more rain.</span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-40820991895369753652014-01-27T18:15:00.000-08:002014-01-27T18:15:01.262-08:00Pruning citrus trees<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcYwP7PtsXg7p_qwZ9gqqbrDXePFrJmcjYZWiShcfAguCGdrji7NFrYS0TjoyVkD-TqLG7kvoJIsQamyFFTtCW1BtHUrVdQYkxF1NyVgaGEachMVuZ3c_PCI3m0m1pwN200GJLiwMBfU/s1600/IMG_1482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcYwP7PtsXg7p_qwZ9gqqbrDXePFrJmcjYZWiShcfAguCGdrji7NFrYS0TjoyVkD-TqLG7kvoJIsQamyFFTtCW1BtHUrVdQYkxF1NyVgaGEachMVuZ3c_PCI3m0m1pwN200GJLiwMBfU/s1600/IMG_1482.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A well pruned citrus tree has open space inside</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As with all fruit trees, citrus benefit from regular pruning. Though they require less radical work than many fruits, regular pruning provides several benefits:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It maintains the tree at a manageable size. Left unpruned a citrus tree will continue growing higher and wider each year until eventually reaching 20' or more. It is common to see unpruned citrus trees hanging over neighbors' fences and rubbing</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> on roofs. Even dwarf citrus will easily grow too tall, they just take a bit longer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pruning allows light and air inside the canopy, improving fruit quality and quantity and reducing pest infestations. Left unpruned the foliage becomes so dense that deeply shaded areas stop bearing and small branches die back. Mites and scale insects thrive in the dark crowded spots that tend to stay damp. A well pruned tree is a healthy tree.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pruning makes harvest much easier. Over time small dead twiggy branches accumulate, making picking difficult and painful. Cutting out the dead and thinning the crowded shoots really improves access and visibility. I like to maintain big enough openings around the canopy that I can step inside.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keeping branches up off the soil prevents fruit mold and limits access for ants and other pests.</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtzID97yKGUssJTLr-BUHenpG6Z4Ed_bc1cr0bV8NohVb_W1Lo2aIeif-1wF9gv8upOPFS7p4lcZay55iR4xCgxo853D__tsKmhCoCGI8TCtPJjiUoShPku_yp2GbU9aGgneWKYphAXg/s1600/IMG_7120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtzID97yKGUssJTLr-BUHenpG6Z4Ed_bc1cr0bV8NohVb_W1Lo2aIeif-1wF9gv8upOPFS7p4lcZay55iR4xCgxo853D__tsKmhCoCGI8TCtPJjiUoShPku_yp2GbU9aGgneWKYphAXg/s1600/IMG_7120.JPG" height="262" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Dead shoots clutter up a grapefruit tree</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSkSGBafSZWKvOIDHlrcnwKMlYFYCQY74mH3lXElips9EcgHx9Q4P2_yNGg6tPUwjFeX8j5n2IpHQ2J69kGcIdDLYeCEGz7RmbfmTIOgZLPKHx-LITGkUkbk3Q5bdJavHXN2TSGJE1R8/s1600/IMG_7123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSkSGBafSZWKvOIDHlrcnwKMlYFYCQY74mH3lXElips9EcgHx9Q4P2_yNGg6tPUwjFeX8j5n2IpHQ2J69kGcIdDLYeCEGz7RmbfmTIOgZLPKHx-LITGkUkbk3Q5bdJavHXN2TSGJE1R8/s1600/IMG_7123.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The same view after pruning out dead wood and crowded<br />branches</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mt3vlhoac4QSvLKK6PHBRE4U8V-hwtkh1vDRJYRSVXlO-S2g6l_XTg8cwmJeKc5DLOYqOhqRY_RNFZJVfNgyUC6NJcm6jTW10gfkBACVHV53-jCg1cbMZvyBx64IBSiibqYWHIXp2v4/s1600/IMG_7126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mt3vlhoac4QSvLKK6PHBRE4U8V-hwtkh1vDRJYRSVXlO-S2g6l_XTg8cwmJeKc5DLOYqOhqRY_RNFZJVfNgyUC6NJcm6jTW10gfkBACVHV53-jCg1cbMZvyBx64IBSiibqYWHIXp2v4/s1600/IMG_7126.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Before pruning . . .</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuA3hWSiWvMrLukXc6BRW0Kc3W6vjVDcYrdCSgWhuatKB-nH8DDCXzljS2OnSm9AdqjQzfHneW6vpKwtW7CAH-oGRBJvXG-nJU2IZTYawsONwGkdDdEUXZHZPaP2ePkb8er2NLDJ-0h8/s1600/IMG_7130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuA3hWSiWvMrLukXc6BRW0Kc3W6vjVDcYrdCSgWhuatKB-nH8DDCXzljS2OnSm9AdqjQzfHneW6vpKwtW7CAH-oGRBJvXG-nJU2IZTYawsONwGkdDdEUXZHZPaP2ePkb8er2NLDJ-0h8/s1600/IMG_7130.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> . . . and after</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNwuRmn-xkpbllyK8Ojhx0gG5PlqP8mMBZNNO1oRW0BYCkHbdXrup8wTncTrLh3MvxyS53SBRO1LPxCnaiTirgVpERCIHk1oa2xuPxZFaulLOvWnsNW6GphOknTSHDKW8Schsyx33rnI/s1600/IMG_7134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNwuRmn-xkpbllyK8Ojhx0gG5PlqP8mMBZNNO1oRW0BYCkHbdXrup8wTncTrLh3MvxyS53SBRO1LPxCnaiTirgVpERCIHk1oa2xuPxZFaulLOvWnsNW6GphOknTSHDKW8Schsyx33rnI/s1600/IMG_7134.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Vigorous upright shoots called "water sprouts"<br />should always be removed. Left alone they quickly<br />grow right through the top of the tree and they<br />seldom produce decent fruit if any.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3uBpe4qz8Frkr2UPiGS5Krwk4sp7ObX705uFTuoTMH2PahE0vmpHBX2gMfdclEoMBWDhadh6s64J6v8bFFL_ifPboHwiLAeULmFb7GpZXrsfcCjfmKRFufEvIst7z-bRQ-jg9p8S22c/s1600/IMG_7136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3uBpe4qz8Frkr2UPiGS5Krwk4sp7ObX705uFTuoTMH2PahE0vmpHBX2gMfdclEoMBWDhadh6s64J6v8bFFL_ifPboHwiLAeULmFb7GpZXrsfcCjfmKRFufEvIst7z-bRQ-jg9p8S22c/s1600/IMG_7136.JPG" height="400" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Water sprouts can be recognized by their<br />flattish shape and are often thorny</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDFdQfyJFwrek9SFVveMayrAis1OjN1gp8cgmc6M_fT11SaAndY55Z1VtoaxmAE1fgketMfVqsO741aLt969LaICb7Wf3j35MlK69snJYTzHNub5zbb-CLo90eabv5weR7Aolm6cZWXk/s1600/IMG_7145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDFdQfyJFwrek9SFVveMayrAis1OjN1gp8cgmc6M_fT11SaAndY55Z1VtoaxmAE1fgketMfVqsO741aLt969LaICb7Wf3j35MlK69snJYTzHNub5zbb-CLo90eabv5weR7Aolm6cZWXk/s1600/IMG_7145.JPG" height="210" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>These naval orange trees maintained at no more than 7' high<br />can be picked without a ladder. Lower branches are pruned up<br />off the ground so the lowest fruit will not touch moist soil<br />and get moldy.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhJGtOloXt8s5KRGw0ma_TlMfXLcIGsaqTxgqWttcGKeMAnXUHMX7P9seZntryaf8DO0elcXB54UIudevjYnuNNu4wUlOcR9wfE7Nqd0T0y8I1vni09XXgKnZO8KS4lqFynTx9x7Se4s/s1600/IMG_7491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhJGtOloXt8s5KRGw0ma_TlMfXLcIGsaqTxgqWttcGKeMAnXUHMX7P9seZntryaf8DO0elcXB54UIudevjYnuNNu4wUlOcR9wfE7Nqd0T0y8I1vni09XXgKnZO8KS4lqFynTx9x7Se4s/s1600/IMG_7491.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The view from inside shows the open spaces created by pruning.<br />These oranges can be picked without getting scratched hands.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>When to prune</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heavy pruning on a neglected citrus tree is best done in the late winter/early spring before the spring growth spurt. Then strong spring growth will nurture the tree to recovery. I</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f topping the tree to reduce its height exposes bare bark to the sun, be sure to paint those areas with 50/50 white </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">interior latex paint and water to prevent sunburn.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But for trees that are regularly maintained, pruning time is not so important since little growth is removed each time. I normally do touch-up prunings twice a year, in late winter and again in mid summer as needed to control height. Since pruning promotes new growth, l</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ate summer pruning should be avoided since the new growth could still be tender in early winter and easily freeze damaged.</span></div>
<br />Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-36914253928907767072014-01-20T13:25:00.003-08:002014-01-20T13:28:02.839-08:00Drought times four<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXAoZBVsU_4HF3IK2hG0SDviDowzvEpOEDqlaj1EiGLBk7Fgu8UHOhIfMZ4HRe1tZu6FnSrCbYkOUPEYTig8v9Veq0yXtqFExe_aWp74R4fNfeh30WsWDBiJI29srivQRBESvZFZI5iM/s1600/IMG_7483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXAoZBVsU_4HF3IK2hG0SDviDowzvEpOEDqlaj1EiGLBk7Fgu8UHOhIfMZ4HRe1tZu6FnSrCbYkOUPEYTig8v9Veq0yXtqFExe_aWp74R4fNfeh30WsWDBiJI29srivQRBESvZFZI5iM/s1600/IMG_7483.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A bone dry pond and parched hills on a nearby property. The<br />pond normally fills by December, providing water for grazing cattle.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, these past few days the media has suddenly awakened to the fact that California is in the midst of a drought</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Stories of low reservoirs and dry river beds abound. But to those of us who depend directly upon the annual rainy season to fill our wells and irrigate our crops, this is old news. For us every fall begins an anxious time of hoping for rains, preferably in the form of generous storms at regular intervals. But this season's weather has dashed our hopes early, often and cruelly, not just from lack of winter rains alone but by four compounding factors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>First</b>, s</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">o far this year we have had barely 2" of rainfall, and have had none at all since December 6. That is the longest mid-winter dry stretch in the 150 years that records have been kept. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At our 800 ft. elevation we normally average 35 inches of rain per season, most falling between October and April. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what should be emerald green hills saturated with water are instead still golden and parched. Our ground is bone dry except where we can manage some minimal drip irrigation from our low-producing wells. And those wells, which would normally be recharging this time of year, are continuing the drop that started at the end of last year's rains. Long range weather models predict little chance of significant rain this spring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Second</b>, t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he previous two seasons have been quite dry so we started out this season in the hole. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons gave us only about 60% of average, so we entered last fall with a two year deficit. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have been through droughts before, notably three years in the mid-70's. But then we got </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">at least 10"-13" of rain each year. Right now 10" would seem like a bonanza.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Third</b>, except for one very cold week most of our fall and winter days have been unseasonably warm and sunny. Temperatures have regularly reached into the 70s. While the tropical temps are pleasant for working outside they </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">quickly </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">dry out plants and soil, requiring us to winter irrigate, something the rains normally do for us. And even that freezing cold week hurt, since cold air is very dry and pulls moisture out of everything.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And <b>fourth</b>, we have had an unusually high number of days of north wind, including several multi-day episodes of horrendously strong blasts. As anyone who lives in northern California knows, north wind is a fiendishly dry, irritating weather occurrence that desiccates plants and people, often blows with destructive force, and makes us all grumpy. In addition to sucking away any moisture we received from our measly rains, the strongest windy spells scoured the floor of our orchard, clearing off most of the fallen leaves and other mulch that normally provide protection for the soil surface.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we are hoping for the best but preparing as well as we can for the worst. I spread compost and planted a legume cover crop as usual last fall. A couple of light rains were enough to germinate the seed, but since then it has been barely clinging to life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzpvVAkocU4E5GjMUJ7ftGstq1LrtecmKqjYDyUYMpb8fVgQ06p1N3LEY1t2hHQxUVZmA3lsn5RjVKycbe82CRmd1V_Ng-x6LMzbI_Td7J6KuPibZfSDYoxW6Xl2MuBzGHF0JT5jZIGY/s1600/IMG_7471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzpvVAkocU4E5GjMUJ7ftGstq1LrtecmKqjYDyUYMpb8fVgQ06p1N3LEY1t2hHQxUVZmA3lsn5RjVKycbe82CRmd1V_Ng-x6LMzbI_Td7J6KuPibZfSDYoxW6Xl2MuBzGHF0JT5jZIGY/s1600/IMG_7471.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This legume cover crop would normally be waist-high<br />and lush by now</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is important to keep the orchard trees' roots hydrated even during the dormant season, so since early December I have been moving circles of drip tubing from tree to tree. This boosts the cover crop directly under the trees, but more importantly helps to store some water in the soil for even drier months ahead. With our limited water supply I can only afford about four hours of soaking per tree, three trees at a time. This means each tree gets this tiny ration only once every 20 days or so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRDfO9zZNr_MccNEC3yjlVyJQtCIIFhvQeX8Sl7K8XJsJNpL4aCOeZbWPFRJItFoA7Zfx-FQfao-VLAy4dG0jlHdypzY92KCqCryj9vGijcy6ZmeE7PcaiUfzi-1OHQi41Zxe76mQVlk/s1600/IMG_7464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRDfO9zZNr_MccNEC3yjlVyJQtCIIFhvQeX8Sl7K8XJsJNpL4aCOeZbWPFRJItFoA7Zfx-FQfao-VLAy4dG0jlHdypzY92KCqCryj9vGijcy6ZmeE7PcaiUfzi-1OHQi41Zxe76mQVlk/s1600/IMG_7464.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Drip irrigation tubing circling a tree</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ground water is notoriously short in our area, and the aquifers that do exist mostly flow through small cracks in sandstone or shale. So although there is some water underground, it cannot flow quickly into a well. This means that water has to be pumped slowly from the wells into large storage tanks above ground. That way we can accumulate it while we are not watering and have a temporary supply for fast use when we need it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4VNG-WOsWjcjqJ1MuC9bYRC7y5WyhUUcWFmYRUsBxmV6hj_7wt7xwFsq7aWPbzgQ2UQVioPudGCDAkxu3jyOiK4zGbIwYq4FVqRxXeacj8lA3slZ7PXJuP9CDqhIQcqVNy7aXMSwZjo/s1600/IMG_7465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4VNG-WOsWjcjqJ1MuC9bYRC7y5WyhUUcWFmYRUsBxmV6hj_7wt7xwFsq7aWPbzgQ2UQVioPudGCDAkxu3jyOiK4zGbIwYq4FVqRxXeacj8lA3slZ7PXJuP9CDqhIQcqVNy7aXMSwZjo/s1600/IMG_7465.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>One of our four water storage tanks sits on the highest spot<br />on our property, providing gravity pressure for drip irrigation.<br />A rope and float system indicates water level in the tank.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have four wells, all low producing. Together they produce around 1000 gallons per day. While that might sound like a lot, a single inch of rain falling on our 4 acres would deliver 110,000 gallons!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our original well is pictured below, an old hand dug hole in the ground that is only 36 feet deep, 4 feet in diameter at the bottom and lined with random sandstone rocks placed without mortar. It is likely over 100 years old, and one has to marvel at the immense and dangerous labor required to construct a well like this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The beauty of a dug well is it's volume - it acts as a storage tank in the ground, accumulating water whenever we're not pumping. We have a solar powered pump in this well, and since it only pumps during daylight the water level recovers overnight. Surprisingly after an average rainfall season this is our best well, holding a steady 12 to 15 feet of water inside. Sadly, during dry years the water level falls sharply and is now only about 2 feet deep in the mornings before pumping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoTXoB5cgvBsxHD-gasOIX9HCvnmXR63Y0S5XIeTzv8yoWVr76z2QIhH2a2Yzckl4a9_lGChuqSFPH5mkJ1DT6pMZghK5XAqigJlwYLueopwwwCyD3jNQHZMw171_AQXN2wmopcz0fvU/s1600/dug+well2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoTXoB5cgvBsxHD-gasOIX9HCvnmXR63Y0S5XIeTzv8yoWVr76z2QIhH2a2Yzckl4a9_lGChuqSFPH5mkJ1DT6pMZghK5XAqigJlwYLueopwwwCyD3jNQHZMw171_AQXN2wmopcz0fvU/s1600/dug+well2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our old hand dug well</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So for now we search the long range forecasts daily for signs of hope, trying to stay optimistic but knowing we are experiencing a drought unprecedented in California recorded history. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-22260237344221628622013-12-18T16:46:00.002-08:002013-12-20T06:19:06.428-08:00Our mobile chicken coop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5mE482MFmSbANOg1GT6xup9LFWA2OGhKDXHv6KhbaEA96jOo5TSdqKTUVhkO0BX5HNmhRMuYf4rI86TYxqQEvZJyDU-WgyILzNL66uIk4f5Mn2jw9oR7Fe7LdLeqUJWvqmXYWHTf3Cw/s1600/IMG_7068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5mE482MFmSbANOg1GT6xup9LFWA2OGhKDXHv6KhbaEA96jOo5TSdqKTUVhkO0BX5HNmhRMuYf4rI86TYxqQEvZJyDU-WgyILzNL66uIk4f5Mn2jw9oR7Fe7LdLeqUJWvqmXYWHTf3Cw/s400/IMG_7068.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chickens are wonderfully peaceful, productive and amusing animals to have around. Their gentle clucking and enthusiasm for all things food add a wonderful presence to our farm. And their talent for converting kitchen scraps, worms and bugs, and feed into fresh eggs while adding fertility to the soil is recycling at its best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But these busy eaters need to be contained and also protected from predators. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">About a year ago I built a mobile chicken coop, often called a "chicken tractor." This pen on wheels is a 5' x 10' cage with a secure roosting and nest box space above. The wheels allow easy moving so the hens can enjoy fresh ground to scratch for worms or eat fresh greens while staying safe from hawks, raccoons and other predators. The mobile coop makes it easy to use the chickens' scavenging and fertilizing skills to good advantage in the garden. After digging potatoes, I move the coop over the spud plot and the hens dig and scratch for slugs and wire worms, cleaning out pests while leaving their fertilizer behind for the next crop. Prior to planting broccoli and carrots, I roll the coop over the plot to pre-weed, de-bug and fertilize the ground. And when a garden plot is to be fallow for a season I plant it with a chicken-friendly cover crop and when seed heads mature, roll the chickens in to feast on seed heads and bugs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NgRCoS8rElwOWs5TzlfdjJnzOh4s4n6b8fI7yFew8zytwZrkh6eQbb1Ed_IgKrZsDZ2pYkMDf1_yAHIWKQoybeqPZ-QKULSRNVy-QqdbbfRjeALAZ5dqQ1ydDEm2G33AAQSnkroNXRo/s1600/IMG_6780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NgRCoS8rElwOWs5TzlfdjJnzOh4s4n6b8fI7yFew8zytwZrkh6eQbb1Ed_IgKrZsDZ2pYkMDf1_yAHIWKQoybeqPZ-QKULSRNVy-QqdbbfRjeALAZ5dqQ1ydDEm2G33AAQSnkroNXRo/s400/IMG_6780.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our mobile chicken coop, made from 2x2 redwood and plywood</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Retractable wheels</b> raise the coop 4" off the ground. The wheels are just behind the balance point of the coop, so after lowering the wheels it is very easy to lift the front handle and pull the coop around. The video below shows the lifting mechanism: a steel lever (1" x 2" channel iron) pivots on a shaft running through the coop. The wheel axles are offset 4" behind the shaft, so when the lever is rotated 90 deg. the coop lifts 4".</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/U_7LoO6GzXw?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNggxb1etXiy_dz4tu4drXI-BIfLj7gBbwQjzwh8HwPGJnEVrI3R9Z1JedZRfRjXPGgnLterkNlAHBg_dJ4Kwcx2dhhjZE0PKGpH1S_7c3YPACSxg9DEHT0FaH31YZtMSACTGjhyD-EIs/s1600/IMG_7424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNggxb1etXiy_dz4tu4drXI-BIfLj7gBbwQjzwh8HwPGJnEVrI3R9Z1JedZRfRjXPGgnLterkNlAHBg_dJ4Kwcx2dhhjZE0PKGpH1S_7c3YPACSxg9DEHT0FaH31YZtMSACTGjhyD-EIs/s400/IMG_7424.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The nest box lid opens for easy egg collection</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot4I4EgjV3WqG6FxbgncjAx_jvR2CQAemYcyK6INEK7ZegTy-NbTFooN1fKa7nc8VDGRXCh-OqTer_C0FfpyyyUZUWShc3VzN6zWcrkMHAedhxwNsXp-m8ghpZS8-MLRYgQVg2sBnnrM/s1600/IMG_7412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot4I4EgjV3WqG6FxbgncjAx_jvR2CQAemYcyK6INEK7ZegTy-NbTFooN1fKa7nc8VDGRXCh-OqTer_C0FfpyyyUZUWShc3VzN6zWcrkMHAedhxwNsXp-m8ghpZS8-MLRYgQVg2sBnnrM/s400/IMG_7412.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Nest boxes inside view</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TJWH-4ojInScn6Kd4D_hr9BlhkJp2tmDln8Q1ZkAFBO1VMVxI67v7QwsVOABXuxza1RsnjOEJ7jfEBAJ75daFvHupBVFUFrrMLAHIp7MMqvnVOYzEAsm8Oo37cC8UmUeeYrb8OmRbwQ/s1600/IMG_7423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TJWH-4ojInScn6Kd4D_hr9BlhkJp2tmDln8Q1ZkAFBO1VMVxI67v7QwsVOABXuxza1RsnjOEJ7jfEBAJ75daFvHupBVFUFrrMLAHIp7MMqvnVOYzEAsm8Oo37cC8UmUeeYrb8OmRbwQ/s400/IMG_7423.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The side door opens for cleanout of the roosting area</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>A sliding door</b> keeps the hens extra safe from predators that might dig under the coop at night. I added a mechanism to automatically open the door at dawn for those times when I might not get outside bright and early. It is operated by a used automobile window motor I found on ebay, powered by an inexpensive gate opener battery, a timer and some switches. I designed it so that I must manually close it in the evening since I want to check that the hens are safely at roost before closing. A cheap 1/2 watt solar panel keeps the battery charged at all times.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhXHdRA3ymIS3BWTB6onm57cT_ltKaKNYuY14NEQHw9lTQdrlfURPIIQVKQzBX0IjbxZFyRZjaCuEVzVMUSTwyMV3O6DbIgKgPIJaQSn7nIstCVHaYV9ku4kgRqozrhuVWihLfj1G2Eg/s1600/IMG_7419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhXHdRA3ymIS3BWTB6onm57cT_ltKaKNYuY14NEQHw9lTQdrlfURPIIQVKQzBX0IjbxZFyRZjaCuEVzVMUSTwyMV3O6DbIgKgPIJaQSn7nIstCVHaYV9ku4kgRqozrhuVWihLfj1G2Eg/s400/IMG_7419.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>An </i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">automotive </i><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">window motor operates a door that automatically</i><br />
<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">lets the hens out of their roosting box each morning</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkz055vOvYWJejAIEJywWZ3VC3VkSYqAImJXJZ_Io0raRpoXXIQMeX6CvQPr0XKpxdcAKHBTTzgjMBg-7_Crf4aMlIvtXf-bg8Tm4prNqFec9khPsgd34Tr_WwXtWVc322vXoKyyRM7B0/s1600/IMG_7417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkz055vOvYWJejAIEJywWZ3VC3VkSYqAImJXJZ_Io0raRpoXXIQMeX6CvQPr0XKpxdcAKHBTTzgjMBg-7_Crf4aMlIvtXf-bg8Tm4prNqFec9khPsgd34Tr_WwXtWVc322vXoKyyRM7B0/s400/IMG_7417.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>A battery, timer and switches operate the automatic door. A 1/2 watt<br />solar panel keeps the battery charged.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The video below shows the door being operated manually. The mechanism contacts switches at the fully closed and fully open positions, to interrupt the current and stop </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the motor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/74X6ivN0xFc?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Recipe: Sweet Potato Frittata</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With our steady supply of fresh eggs, one of our go-to meals is frittata, a baked mixture of vegetables, potato, onion, cheese and eggs. The recipe link below containing butternut squash is a great variation. The creamy squash blended with the eggs really covers up the "eggy" character of regular frittata, making a slightly sweet rich body for the dish. Since we grew sweet potatoes in the garden this summer we have started substituting them for the butternut squash and can report that this version works equally well.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.healyrealfoodvegetarian.com/butternut-squash-frittata/" target="_blank">Link to Butternut Squash Frittata recipe</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-84451209987462215792013-11-10T18:23:00.001-08:002013-11-10T18:56:21.603-08:00Indian summer views, and a book report<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here on November 12th we are enjoying beautiful T shirt weather, perfect for working outside. Unlike in the heat of summer or the usual November cold, we have been able to tick off projects comfortably and in good time: knocking and shelling walnuts and pecans, weekly harvesting of persimmons and lemons, spreading compost and planting the winter cover crop, and much more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only thing not to like is the lack of rain. After the previous two low-rainfall years our wells are barely producing and the trees are stressed. So we wait impatiently, eagerly checking long range forecasts for some sign of relief. So far every projected storm has been a mirage, but we keep hoping. In the meantime there is nothing to do but enjoy the beauty of fall. Here are some recent orchard views:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYlFiQdfJLe7ysO0hZp2NHqXEB7Xey1-Dl9byqM-_lV7uyahN_6krqFz7MkvFWySg1rIYDlhJ48nVjoejjxHxLu0nf2UXBRxqvos9K_V_UW8ZLIOmsMntvlFs8WP0h85olOj119gOy0g/s1600/IMG_7318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYlFiQdfJLe7ysO0hZp2NHqXEB7Xey1-Dl9byqM-_lV7uyahN_6krqFz7MkvFWySg1rIYDlhJ48nVjoejjxHxLu0nf2UXBRxqvos9K_V_UW8ZLIOmsMntvlFs8WP0h85olOj119gOy0g/s400/IMG_7318.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Apricot trees are a blaze of yellow</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs_qJRpmCuxMdY-6Z36hZ4h0KnT0H6zfXEfFscqIi_0VOXuligeK5knCHAcxLle5b36Ko-3jYz3OOzzkBlO0ETa0Ljb4K64tpun2gOxI-XWdneH9gmHU8EKdy0U9_Dkkp1p2Zxo9s6As/s1600/IMG_7327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs_qJRpmCuxMdY-6Z36hZ4h0KnT0H6zfXEfFscqIi_0VOXuligeK5knCHAcxLle5b36Ko-3jYz3OOzzkBlO0ETa0Ljb4K64tpun2gOxI-XWdneH9gmHU8EKdy0U9_Dkkp1p2Zxo9s6As/s400/IMG_7327.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Peach trees combine red and yellow</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityD8aicWGorhJoS7WZPcGxix6OApbiuI4_APp0mV-d0B367E7KASYATSqYZFSbwdp-zB17rpYgjZMJpZ_AUV-JM4xNGrByHc4MN0q0teW0inf8XcgZ77hrRLBjp8QG4rSMNGd-nADTtU/s1600/IMG_7334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityD8aicWGorhJoS7WZPcGxix6OApbiuI4_APp0mV-d0B367E7KASYATSqYZFSbwdp-zB17rpYgjZMJpZ_AUV-JM4xNGrByHc4MN0q0teW0inf8XcgZ77hrRLBjp8QG4rSMNGd-nADTtU/s400/IMG_7334.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Persimmons leaves go all out to capture "best of show"</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0ygHWBclMUBRC769vSAySe5dtDDzKn5Ay4gMUIfd6_fFh9wduZhPCOqmosIOGNOqHXD33kNMIPIp5Z_y_U1m4b1vdt9LZs353S901gnCFh7PdLb6H7ELi-WBFtzgjYtSp3nfwAgbyCA/s1600/IMG_7323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0ygHWBclMUBRC769vSAySe5dtDDzKn5Ay4gMUIfd6_fFh9wduZhPCOqmosIOGNOqHXD33kNMIPIp5Z_y_U1m4b1vdt9LZs353S901gnCFh7PdLb6H7ELi-WBFtzgjYtSp3nfwAgbyCA/s400/IMG_7323.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>We are picking Fuyu persimmons weekly for restaurant<br />and on-farm sales</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMGPtF4eVEP1HAMfY0woq3UhXnO9KQBfywRHmzgzOXo8u5YiR8mn1B1APLx3nE2ku81pvEnaqwBlGZLFU-V0AjRu2ICuggTG7fVRoZzN8MJaL3GQpcjCwLHAU5CTInEIyqzQEtGPuWpk/s1600/IMG_7329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMGPtF4eVEP1HAMfY0woq3UhXnO9KQBfywRHmzgzOXo8u5YiR8mn1B1APLx3nE2ku81pvEnaqwBlGZLFU-V0AjRu2ICuggTG7fVRoZzN8MJaL3GQpcjCwLHAU5CTInEIyqzQEtGPuWpk/s400/IMG_7329.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our Meyer lemons are showing their appreciation for the<br />compost, kelp and minerals they received this year with<br />great size, color and flavor </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiadm4HIpVw5CzRhNv7gYKK4Vv3BLsKlE4EPjqJJ4JXMJclXi0h0pPd9nD6dsha4PFiHgAjGs65I2P0nAmj6dKspoI-V-lGE-Q-CITm0kWBU68FvQZrrFKFDWj-NidVmBYyqLZhU8j0CU/s1600/IMG_6522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiadm4HIpVw5CzRhNv7gYKK4Vv3BLsKlE4EPjqJJ4JXMJclXi0h0pPd9nD6dsha4PFiHgAjGs65I2P0nAmj6dKspoI-V-lGE-Q-CITm0kWBU68FvQZrrFKFDWj-NidVmBYyqLZhU8j0CU/s400/IMG_6522.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our winter wheat plot is off to a great start and we look</i></span><br />
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">forward </i><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to many </i><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">great loaves of bread next summer</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A great book for the home orchard enthusiast</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For anyone wanting to grow backyard or small scale fruit and nut trees, the book <i>The Home Orchard, Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees</i> is an invaluable resource. Published by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, this book offers a wealth of information from choosing the best varieties for your climate, to soils preparation and planting, to growth cycles and tree care, through cultural practices such as irrigation, fertilizing, pruning, thinning, harvesting and pest control. I recommend it highly, available here:</span></div>
<div>
<a href="http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3485"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3485</span></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNzbNaE6yd-fss1p1KpKjNgy39f1Q5lhDcgS4OLWeeIDvoclqicTAdNm5HG6oHTItU7N_B6cSXsMQphRYWN_uasSxGcgKrrCpazLhRp1CHiMKs-RvogDVYkQAHaF32Z7Rdz6IfQVu3vQ/s1600/IMG_7337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNzbNaE6yd-fss1p1KpKjNgy39f1Q5lhDcgS4OLWeeIDvoclqicTAdNm5HG6oHTItU7N_B6cSXsMQphRYWN_uasSxGcgKrrCpazLhRp1CHiMKs-RvogDVYkQAHaF32Z7Rdz6IfQVu3vQ/s400/IMG_7337.JPG" width="347" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-36376758984999425112013-10-08T11:57:00.000-07:002013-10-08T15:12:29.640-07:00Homemade Bread from Home Grown Wheat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEWqgqMPUEEF57zvjy7sfdEPVO3Whq0CBHDGKXxX-TO-aDkyi3czL2wnkIEKja91OfMZbR55ZcUNolLGXAg0Oa51ChqIHPx1Zbk62Ycri_KZj1FpvySEQ2RAs4NdXJ7PN-KFsVNcJvUY/s1600/IMG_7021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEWqgqMPUEEF57zvjy7sfdEPVO3Whq0CBHDGKXxX-TO-aDkyi3czL2wnkIEKja91OfMZbR55ZcUNolLGXAg0Oa51ChqIHPx1Zbk62Ycri_KZj1FpvySEQ2RAs4NdXJ7PN-KFsVNcJvUY/s400/IMG_7021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Why grow your own wheat?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With bread flour being inexpensive and easily available, why would anyone want to grow their own wheat for flour? Certainly not to save money, since small scale grain growing is a long and labor intensive process. The ground must be prepared and planted, the crop needs to be tended for many months, then harvested and the grain threshed from the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">heads and cleaned of chaff, and finally ground into flour.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For us there are two reasons to grow our own wheat: First there is flavor. A wheat berry is a complex, nutritionally dense seed that will keep very well when stored whole and dry. But once ground </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">into flour, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">oxidation</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">begins to degrade </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">flavor and aroma. Taste a nut right out of the shell compared to chopped nut pieces from a plastic bag on the store shelf, or fresh squeezed orange juice compared to that from a plastic bottle and you get the idea. Fresh baked whole wheat bread made from just-milled flour is an experience in taste and aroma that makes pre-sliced store bread seem a very sad imitation.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course one can easily buy wheat berries from a food coop and eliminate all the work of growing and harvesting, so reason #1 is not critical. But another reason to grow grain might be for the satisfaction. Just as someone might grow a vegetable garden even though great produce stands abound, or raise a few laying hens even though eggs are cheaper at the store, growing grain can be as satisfying as growing anything else. Since wheat is such an ancient and basic part of agriculture and a fundamental part of the human diet, growing our own feels an important way to connect to something greater than ourselves. So despite the fact that it doesn't "pencil out," it seems important and we really enjoy it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>What to plant</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are many varieties of wheat: high and low protein, winter or spring grown, white or red, modern hybrids or heritage varieties. Because I use wheat for yeast-raised breads, I want a high protein (high gluten content) wheat. And because I want maximum yield for my trouble, I want a high-producing modern hybrid. And having little water for irrigation, I plant a winter wheat, sowing in the fall so it can be watered almost entirely by rainfall. For the second year I am using <a href="http://www.hearneseed.com/product-info.php?Organic_Triple_IV_Wheat-pid105.html" target="_blank">this hard red variety</a>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>TIP</b>: When buying wheat berries at a coop or such to mill your own flour for yeast breads, you will want to know that it has a high gluten content that will produce a tall, light loaf. A simple seat of the pants test is to put a dozen or so berries in your mouth, lightly mouthing them until they soften enough to be chewed. Once they begin to break down keep chewing but do not swallow the grain. A nice high gluten wheat will soon transform to the texture of chewing gum. In fact you can easily continue to chew it just like gum. You can be sure that that wheat will have good yeast bread rising qualities. But if the wheat just becomes mush then it will make loaves the texture of bricks unless a high proportion of white bread flour is added.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Preparing the ground for planting</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will plant the wheat in rows about 8" apart, giving enough space to run a wheel hoe down the row while the wheat is small, but close enough together so that the tall spring growth will help shade out weeds later in the season. But the most important weed control strategy is to first pre-irrigate the plot to cause existing weed seeds to sprout. Then after a couple of weeks I spread compost and any needed amendments and lightly till the plot, killing all of the initial weeds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQANbEJ4Kq-Ybg09ZxaHZw_OWQKQc5bA_ReUalo1GbflljtKCgiaB9NXknuxISPWAlaCHuLXaht2XCHKaknc9APf0uzDT3scjqJBetwwR1g2EAeWT2K4TNtNX-Iq7Iumh4fNYYzX73rM/s1600/IMG_7279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQANbEJ4Kq-Ybg09ZxaHZw_OWQKQc5bA_ReUalo1GbflljtKCgiaB9NXknuxISPWAlaCHuLXaht2XCHKaknc9APf0uzDT3scjqJBetwwR1g2EAeWT2K4TNtNX-Iq7Iumh4fNYYzX73rM/s400/IMG_7279.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This year's wheat plot has been irrigated to sprout weed<br />seeds, then for two weeks our mobile chicken coop is moved<br />across the plot for some free fertilizer and chicken feed.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlF37Ne1WmVGWX8_KzHR3qm0ZxLBSZsxn8n3LOCwk0CbJVaOKybl7dlWuM9Tys9iXQP37e4GhsbMsHsKr6Ywc3RsGBIGzaLqdOdrtu3VceEw8L1zT7WXTU5-mT_l4SeaTxQpWU4iiyao/s1600/IMG_7295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlF37Ne1WmVGWX8_KzHR3qm0ZxLBSZsxn8n3LOCwk0CbJVaOKybl7dlWuM9Tys9iXQP37e4GhsbMsHsKr6Ywc3RsGBIGzaLqdOdrtu3VceEw8L1zT7WXTU5-mT_l4SeaTxQpWU4iiyao/s400/IMG_7295.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Compost has been spread and the ground is lightly tilled</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Planting</b></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I use a simple <a href="http://www.groworganic.com/earthway-seeder.html" target="_blank">Earthway seeder</a> set up to drop about 16 seeds per foot with rows 8" apart, at a planting depth of 1-1/2". Another planting method is to make shallow grooves with a harrow or by hand with the corner of a hoe, then dropping the seeds in by hand and covering with a rake. In any case it is best to keep the depth between 3/4" and 1-1/2", and to firmly press the soil over the seeds to ensure good seed/soil contact.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQz4ORXcqlRRYfMKgPUFWRHXqi8h5m1-YQLdti9vgUTkRtQAc95tZO7ijeKifRA3iJF_W40RVXslrwajuEofU_2gxuowhB2HkCGDc-JO_Cp0Suu35aZeijgcORD8BMFohpL22ehdC1RU/s1600/IMG_7297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQz4ORXcqlRRYfMKgPUFWRHXqi8h5m1-YQLdti9vgUTkRtQAc95tZO7ijeKifRA3iJF_W40RVXslrwajuEofU_2gxuowhB2HkCGDc-JO_Cp0Suu35aZeijgcORD8BMFohpL22ehdC1RU/s400/IMG_7297.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Earthway seeder has a variety of seed plates for<br />different sized seeds, and a scribe to mark the location<br />of the next row. </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Growing</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ideally enough early rain will fall (or irrigation is available) to germinate the wheat by mid November so it will achieve some good growth before the cold weather of December - January. Then as spring days warm and lengthen, growth will jump and form many large grain heads for a high yield. Weed control and adequate nitrogen, phosphate, and water are key needs in the spring. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7LhJiNvyBBGwkR7YKtYJy64wheVp_4gyT2Urp4Llw5QPGHWBALfbHBKCLC0dG3YpX3jebNMwptRri0MKn3_kSljO646gAkqTFI3Fjwv_7knAiV0OzL8s04OOtwwtBeBL5FKP0ix7UoM/s1600/wheat+&+barley+dec+29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7LhJiNvyBBGwkR7YKtYJy64wheVp_4gyT2Urp4Llw5QPGHWBALfbHBKCLC0dG3YpX3jebNMwptRri0MKn3_kSljO646gAkqTFI3Fjwv_7knAiV0OzL8s04OOtwwtBeBL5FKP0ix7UoM/s400/wheat+&+barley+dec+29.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the end of January</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> 2012, last year's wheat plot was off to<br />a good start. Growth will stall over the coldest months,<br />then take off in February.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBKWHY8O6Gu1_PNXON9AXQpogJRy39butZXTaFGtyNkceuy9JF2k4DDbD3KfeBtWYKiFDr4iQAoV4f9kfG19LZzlkf8AY4SkOnBsa2EU-tRfkYxoJxqCei-JgYPPhGs5TOVa06tzVAOE/s1600/wheel+hoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBKWHY8O6Gu1_PNXON9AXQpogJRy39butZXTaFGtyNkceuy9JF2k4DDbD3KfeBtWYKiFDr4iQAoV4f9kfG19LZzlkf8AY4SkOnBsa2EU-tRfkYxoJxqCei-JgYPPhGs5TOVa06tzVAOE/s400/wheel+hoe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A <a href="http://www.valleyoaktool.com/" target="_blank">wheel hoe</a> is a real labor saver for weeding between rows,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">possible only when the wheat is very short. </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The stirrup part</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">available in different widths to fit row spacing.</span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWHH8u8TVGqgxsphIjdZqZ6DO0ye4VqCzm5z__8A8_MjOxp8I2bJOyUwM3uXrs_E3StTrTXwiyvQE3roI34MF9YGidxzq4Je6GQ_PB3ybpVW7BVEOTlJjktthSbwlTWegCUZXFEE16r8/s1600/wheat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWHH8u8TVGqgxsphIjdZqZ6DO0ye4VqCzm5z__8A8_MjOxp8I2bJOyUwM3uXrs_E3StTrTXwiyvQE3roI34MF9YGidxzq4Je6GQ_PB3ybpVW7BVEOTlJjktthSbwlTWegCUZXFEE16r8/s400/wheat1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>In spring the stems are tall and the grain<br />heads emerge from the terminal leaves</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLddpFU3xcBTUgh3xSHL1M4qeH5cRwBrJ90vkpC4hQewsZApPI78SQ3FHIDIQfm_mRJak35f6bcyZ3l1FuE0ca7JUM146w0-trimpIsLD6HrWlbsdelAEjIxEmSgPFodghnNde8_Gt9MM/s1600/wheat+&+barley3-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLddpFU3xcBTUgh3xSHL1M4qeH5cRwBrJ90vkpC4hQewsZApPI78SQ3FHIDIQfm_mRJak35f6bcyZ3l1FuE0ca7JUM146w0-trimpIsLD6HrWlbsdelAEjIxEmSgPFodghnNde8_Gt9MM/s400/wheat+&+barley3-30.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Barley (left) and wheat (right) later in spring, with heads<br />well filled out and starting to lighten in color</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harvesting</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the crop matures the leaves and stems will turn dry. At that point it is time to test the grain by picking individual grains from a head and squeezing them. First they will have a milky liquid inside, then progress to a doughy consistency, and eventually the grains become very hard. The wheat should be harvested as soon as it is completely dry and hard. It will then be fully mature and will store without molding. But waiting too long will risk loss to birds or heads shattering during harvest.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKyzUA3GBDpRWDIf4-l5hFlteZbfeuS7qNM4jkFPvd5HVf_RKGK0-MYmpSHgkQENJ4QyVickw2w-8zlEW-LZ3aDDeRG2uNeG5hqnZuXG1vFmfNllONNcwH1UCM_U_wdiQ2P37BaTFcA0/s1600/IMG_7022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKyzUA3GBDpRWDIf4-l5hFlteZbfeuS7qNM4jkFPvd5HVf_RKGK0-MYmpSHgkQENJ4QyVickw2w-8zlEW-LZ3aDDeRG2uNeG5hqnZuXG1vFmfNllONNcwH1UCM_U_wdiQ2P37BaTFcA0/s400/IMG_7022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The grain is ready to harvest when all leaves are dried and<br />the wheat berries can no longer be dented with your teeth</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For our very small plot we have found it easiest to walk down the rows with fruit picking buckets and snap off the heads at their base. This avoids dealing with all the straw during the threshing step.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Threshing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Youtube search on 'threshing grain" will provide many methods of small scale threshing. We have found that dropping the heads into our chipper/shredder (with the engine just idling slowly) works well. This knocks the wheat berries out of the heads thoroughly but damages almost none. We then winnow using a fan to separate the wheat berries from the chaff. The secret here is to drop the threshed grain and chaff in a slow stream like a waterfall, starting the drop well above the fan. The grains, being heavier, separate and fall faster than the lighter chaff so when the mix enters the air stream the chaff is easily blown away. Shown below, two large bins and a trailer catch the material. the first bin catches almost all grain, the second a few grains and some chaff, and the trailer all chaff. The first two bins are then winnowed a second time and finally the grain is poured into shallow trays and any remaining bits of straw are pulled out.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmPVRO7IuYLC9cqY8fxMTPuI3QgdFzCxOAdrWXm64eCa235ziG_e9c4MxDQ4luzOT1sJjTsFyZfoYbfehe-mxYk56TgTSaWdnG6q6WzBK-lH2QARukYl2js_GFzm9Ub1TcGfcBx2_RI0/s1600/IMG_7025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmPVRO7IuYLC9cqY8fxMTPuI3QgdFzCxOAdrWXm64eCa235ziG_e9c4MxDQ4luzOT1sJjTsFyZfoYbfehe-mxYk56TgTSaWdnG6q6WzBK-lH2QARukYl2js_GFzm9Ub1TcGfcBx2_RI0/s320/IMG_7025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Winnowing the grain after threshing in a<br />chipper/shredder. Dropping the grain from a bit<br />above the fan works best</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Final drying and storage</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once clean the wheat needs to be more thoroughly dried before storage. We put the grain into a tub with a screened bottom and set it over the fan inside our solar fruit dryer. Other methods are to build a wooden box with screen on the bottom, set it up off the floor on blocks and attach a fan to the bottom to force air through. When thoroughly dry the grain will store well in an airtight(and bug tight) container in a dark place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Yield</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As with any crop, yield varies widely depending upon plant variety, growing conditions, soil fertility, etc. An average wheat yield could be about 5 lb./100 sq. ft. with reasonable growing conditions. Last year despite very low rainfall we were right on average with 35# of wheat from 650 sq. ft. and 39# of barley from another 650 sq. ft. We grew the barley for chicken feed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Milling flour</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have used three different grain mills and are totally sold on our latest, the <a href="http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/index.aspx#Nutrimill" target="_blank">Nutrimill</a>. It is extremely fast (4-1/2 cups of flour takes just over one minute), dust free, simple to use, and is adjustable from medium to very fine flour. We normally mill the flour just before making bread so the flour is still warm from milling and is as fresh and aromatic as possible.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WmA2tIpKUgzknadXB9c7iYWw97CqnwtiYQnyXVQ0kvI5e4JaR8FqzKak-e4Lwl1eO4ahwAGwc50WNzhNbTcZQ68FMal_KzfbKrJESGO4fzMTpzIJdPaRYB75T1Cu-3R7h9VXbORWPTk/s1600/nutrimill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WmA2tIpKUgzknadXB9c7iYWw97CqnwtiYQnyXVQ0kvI5e4JaR8FqzKak-e4Lwl1eO4ahwAGwc50WNzhNbTcZQ68FMal_KzfbKrJESGO4fzMTpzIJdPaRYB75T1Cu-3R7h9VXbORWPTk/s320/nutrimill.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Nutrimill grain mill</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Baking bread the easy way</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To simplify the process we use a bread machine since they do a wonderful job of kneading. But few do a great job of baking. We used to use an older machine just for mixing and kneading, then we would remove the dough, form the loaf, let it rise and bake in the oven. Results were g</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ood</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">but it took lots of baby sitting the dough through all the steps. Recently we've upgraded to the </span><a href="http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/zojirushi_bread_machine_bread_makers.aspx" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Zojirushi Virtuoso</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and can report that it does the job start to finish perfectly, turning out beautiful loaves just by adding the ingredients and pushing a button. It's expensive but worth it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul3TFOy4U2kN1xY4-wpfb2XMyq6zXATpenygaUJ_-f1hwtb4mZN97eeDDAOqeYprIAeW77bBwi7YIsj3NWsGP3v_xbgou8iUVucp-zHnr7saxcWRcKayUUvn_Tcq1uKQhH2u2voKoSe0/s1600/zoji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhul3TFOy4U2kN1xY4-wpfb2XMyq6zXATpenygaUJ_-f1hwtb4mZN97eeDDAOqeYprIAeW77bBwi7YIsj3NWsGP3v_xbgou8iUVucp-zHnr7saxcWRcKayUUvn_Tcq1uKQhH2u2voKoSe0/s320/zoji.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Zojirushi bread machine</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV4lQQdGWCvdNahqp_ZiqvP2pb1SQnjtT4uT9zFRdmTVVUhmvIDi6f68QOFD7AxpPRDWB7hsF6EEDjEiU5Q2jKfWMcm8IADi5lA59sv4HmoLasLvt0wlVPIdBLKJ0DtRcr4mkJ1UQVvo/s1600/IMG_7037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV4lQQdGWCvdNahqp_ZiqvP2pb1SQnjtT4uT9zFRdmTVVUhmvIDi6f68QOFD7AxpPRDWB7hsF6EEDjEiU5Q2jKfWMcm8IADi5lA59sv4HmoLasLvt0wlVPIdBLKJ0DtRcr4mkJ1UQVvo/s400/IMG_7037.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The finished product, 100% whole wheat bread from<br />home grown wheat!</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-60982937128673783582013-09-04T19:15:00.000-07:002013-09-04T19:15:06.617-07:00Tomatoes on My Mind<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Hh8uZuAOAbfLkB2BP5q7pS3ras06Fqix533yDrp_TLmsSPP0O3W1NL0TMib64jFaFmcXjc6PnfMmx0z4A0hAVdvUmz5sc70_QImWKTdcCadyn8xav8UdmVU3JgFyiUbeyxLCB87e1Co/s1600/IMG_7245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Hh8uZuAOAbfLkB2BP5q7pS3ras06Fqix533yDrp_TLmsSPP0O3W1NL0TMib64jFaFmcXjc6PnfMmx0z4A0hAVdvUmz5sc70_QImWKTdcCadyn8xav8UdmVU3JgFyiUbeyxLCB87e1Co/s400/IMG_7245.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>From our pantry, L-R: Whole canned Juliet tomatoes,<br />tomato soup, pizza sauce, tomato puree, and tomato salsa</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the summer days grow shorter, it is comforting to gaze at our pantry shelves weighted down with jars of garden produce. For us, tomatoes are
a sturdy </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">year-round </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">staple, so we preserve them in several ways. Here are two
of our current favorites:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-canned-pizza-sauce-58708" target="_blank">Homemade Canned Pizza Sauce</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cesanjoaquin.ucanr.edu/files/35412.pdf" target="_blank"><b>Tomato Salsa</b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Both of these are tested recipes which can be canned safely
at home with a conventional water bath or steam canner. We recommend them highly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, for years we have also </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">successfully </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">canned a friend’s delicious
tomato soup recipe, even though it hasn’t gotten an official seal
of approval from a university or government testing lab. Our research into food
safety gave us confidence in this recipe. Here are a few of the resources we found
very helpful in our research:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=ball+blue+book&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4342110059&hvpos=1o2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4277791692110071561&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7yf1nrqgwi_b" target="_blank">Ball Blue Book</a></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
was introduced in 1909 and is still a must-have for every home canner, even
those of us who grew up canning with our mothers.</span></li>
<li><a href="http://nchfp.uga.edu/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b>The National Center for Home Food Preservation</b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is another invaluable resource.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In California, contact the </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">University
of California Cooperative Extension office to find food preservation classes in
your home county. The Extension classes are taught by trained Master Food
Preservers.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, back to our untested
recipe: to can or not to can was the question. Traditional wisdom (Mom) always
held that botulism cannot grow and form toxin in acid fruit. Tomatoes are an
acid fruit. Ergo, there is no botulism toxin in canned tomatoes. However, in
recent years many low acid varieties have come onto the market. In addition,
non-acid additions like onions or celery reduce acidity of the recipe. Several
lessons that we learned helped us decide how to safely can and use our soup
recipe.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">First, at the recommendation of
a Master Food Preserver, we now use a digital meter to test the pH of every
batch of tomato soup and all other tomato products before processing. The readings
we get are consistently between 4.0 and 4.3 depending on the recipe.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: #333333;">Any tomato product over 4.6 is too low in
acidity to be canned safely without the addition of bottled lemon juice, citric acid or vinegar. When measuring pH, we always test the tool with the correct calibration
solutions before using it. The soup (or other product) should be tested at
room temperature, not when it is too hot or cold. As with any tool, it is
important to read the instruction manual and follow the directions.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLaXsY5eCfx9h55EvJ9UuMjIVgQJCdCyyFDpFF6t9vYg4PqzW4u4HA9vPO9pnahBwVqE_UfGrbEBdl-_SkkP1QHK5OTsr4-SCHLegmqCc7jk872UsYx_9cX29JOg5bMajXMuQutpJ0t4/s1600/IMG_7238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLaXsY5eCfx9h55EvJ9UuMjIVgQJCdCyyFDpFF6t9vYg4PqzW4u4HA9vPO9pnahBwVqE_UfGrbEBdl-_SkkP1QHK5OTsr4-SCHLegmqCc7jk872UsYx_9cX29JOg5bMajXMuQutpJ0t4/s400/IMG_7238.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Digital pH meter for testing acidity</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Secondly, the bacteria
Clostridium botulinium itself does not harm humans and is in fact widely found
in soils. But it produces a toxin under anaerobic, low acid conditions
that is potentially fatal. However, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, “Despite its
extreme potency, botulinium toxin is easily destroyed. Heating to an internal
temperature of 85° C [185° F] for at least 5 minutes will decontaminate
affected food or drink.” See </span><a href="http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/botulism/clinicians/control.asp">http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/botulism/clinicians/control.asp</a></span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 8.4pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Further,
food-borne botulism poisoning is rare in the US. The CDC reports that In the
United States, an average of 145 cases are reported each year. Of these,
approximately 15% [22 cases] are food borne. And the mortality rate for these
cases is 3 to 5% [one death].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/">http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/</a>
for more detailed data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div 0in="" 8.4pt="" background-position:="" background-repeat:="" class="MsoNormal" initial="" margin:="">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since traffic accidents kill
over twenty thousand each year, it would seem that driving to
buy your canning lids is actually much more hazardous than eating carefully-preserved
home-canned tomatoes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div 0in="" 8.4pt="" background-position:="" background-repeat:="" class="MsoNormal" initial="" margin:="">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, a
pressure canner raises the internal temperature of the product higher than the
boiling point, which will kill botulism spores. So, a good pressure canner
might be a wise investment for the serious food preserver.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div 0in="" 8.4pt="" background-position:="" background-repeat:="" class="MsoNormal" initial="" margin:="">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes
though, the simplest methods are the best. Our fast and easy way to can
tomatoes is to run them through our <a href="http://www.championjuicer.com/" target="_blank">Champion Juicer</a>, a sturdy workhorse from the
1970s. The juice oozes out of the throat of the machine and is captured in a
small bowl. We save this juice to freeze for risotto or soup stocks. The pulp
is thicker and extrudes through the mouth of the juicer into the larger bowl.
Nothing is wasted.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGM6MD6PmBWqt7ff26BgR1GBmToXBsqfCpHGgNFiIk5cZdfbar97B7eJLY3vr3dylyQXoYu_Gp33-W_6O3xLZJ_ZKx6tetJtNkjf1gg2A7Ss-j_rPZSjpVZ6atqMhhyphenhyphenKhSPyjunbj-bE/s1600/IMG_7235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGM6MD6PmBWqt7ff26BgR1GBmToXBsqfCpHGgNFiIk5cZdfbar97B7eJLY3vr3dylyQXoYu_Gp33-W_6O3xLZJ_ZKx6tetJtNkjf1gg2A7Ss-j_rPZSjpVZ6atqMhhyphenhyphenKhSPyjunbj-bE/s400/IMG_7235.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Our trusty Champion Juicer</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div 0in="" 8.4pt="" background-position:="" background-repeat:="" class="MsoNormal" initial="" margin:="">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div 0in="" 8.4pt="" background-position:="" background-repeat:="" class="MsoNormal" initial="" margin:="">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pulp
is heated to the boiling point, poured into jars and canned either in a
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_15?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pressure+canner&sprefix=pressure+canner%2Caps%2C342&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Apressure+canner" target="_blank">pressure canner</a>, boiling water bath or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=canning+steamer&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=30929646505&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=21196629711816805031&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_60l5zdcaod_b" target="_blank">steam canner</a>, following the directions for timing as per
the relevant manual. We abandoned the boiling water bath in favor of a steam canner years ago; the water bath kettle full of water was heavy to lift and slow to come to the boil. And the
steam canner uses far less water and thus require less
energy to heat.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUu9RBbqw2F65pQhMYuElbF8xhpESsoLMXwdXW0kSZjoOkrLezOMZTfXWN_OHCUEEwXl3K4nts8bydGkLkuJ3GIs00bVMH45DafYwE_fenFgZodpn7Hy-iMEeqB4jKj2HfAoFjvlOJMW8/s1600/IMG_7243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUu9RBbqw2F65pQhMYuElbF8xhpESsoLMXwdXW0kSZjoOkrLezOMZTfXWN_OHCUEEwXl3K4nts8bydGkLkuJ3GIs00bVMH45DafYwE_fenFgZodpn7Hy-iMEeqB4jKj2HfAoFjvlOJMW8/s400/IMG_7243.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The steam canner is fast and energy efficient</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilxh6aDhHPJb8sx3TuQeFhThEJROL_5g391-BWd-XSxYx1w4p8-Z2KbIyb99hzcLu0ln0NLbU6uzS2y_zn1ewK-A5s9SKP9elZrx9EltPfGo7U-knBb2wuBOYG4XaNSt0_munDPWFL3A/s1600/IMG_7244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilxh6aDhHPJb8sx3TuQeFhThEJROL_5g391-BWd-XSxYx1w4p8-Z2KbIyb99hzcLu0ln0NLbU6uzS2y_zn1ewK-A5s9SKP9elZrx9EltPfGo7U-knBb2wuBOYG4XaNSt0_munDPWFL3A/s400/IMG_7244.JPG" width="391" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">So we encourage everyone to do a bit of research, sharpen your knife, and get in the habit of home canning to bring year round nutrition, economy and above all home grown flavors to your pantry. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9121433062734513942.post-9131343267757492552013-07-02T13:51:00.001-07:002013-07-02T13:51:19.476-07:00After a successful harvest, time to catch our breaths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXUkcb9C3eGjQD2L-9srhjK8Ubeg_McqqRaBkfGQ29yUQK1OqxYJItpmm6UUvmpT0WhIjBcmYxSrCKKqpcuJ8KtRNlRRh0BivbKIkIn0IPWFayMRljOdQJBhK15TZGTwq62qFZYtOTJM/s800/IMG_7143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXUkcb9C3eGjQD2L-9srhjK8Ubeg_McqqRaBkfGQ29yUQK1OqxYJItpmm6UUvmpT0WhIjBcmYxSrCKKqpcuJ8KtRNlRRh0BivbKIkIn0IPWFayMRljOdQJBhK15TZGTwq62qFZYtOTJM/s400/IMG_7143.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're enjoying a slower pace after one of our busiest harvest seasons ever. Cots and peaches ripened 2 weeks earlier than usual, then plums and figs piled on soon after instead of waiting their turn. And except for plums, the harvests were close to record setting size. But we managed to get it done, picking, sorting and selling over 5,000 lbs. of fruit plus canning, drying and freezing lots more seconds for ourselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now the picking buckets and ladders are put away, the bird scare machines are taken down, and we are back to setting our own pace instead of answering to the schedule of quickly ripening fruit. One important post-harvest chore is cleaning up all remaining fruit from the trees and orchard floor. Fruit hiding among the leaves or fallen to the ground due to wind can harbor insects and fungal diseases that cause problems the following season. Apricots and peaches are especially prone to brown rot and unless cleaned up can become fungus bombs when the fall rains come. So we scour the trees for any remaining "mummies" caught up in the branches, then pick up all traces of fruit we can find on the ground.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdvAT5yfI70-6cSS6_AFVMgkEMjdnHAKAHbEmWCGyeO1Xg9WEbXXVsxfl0t93-MPLMyQxm9-NY9MJLbJvPI0rMr8w_h7Y_yJO5kqN5hxiwcY13fdG0esT55JymehLCwvddQL1hjDqX4Y/s800/IMG_7118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdvAT5yfI70-6cSS6_AFVMgkEMjdnHAKAHbEmWCGyeO1Xg9WEbXXVsxfl0t93-MPLMyQxm9-NY9MJLbJvPI0rMr8w_h7Y_yJO5kqN5hxiwcY13fdG0esT55JymehLCwvddQL1hjDqX4Y/s400/IMG_7118.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Apricot mummies like these can broadcast fungus</i><br />
<i>spores if left on the ground during winter rains</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another chore coming up is removing the sticky crawling insect banding from the trees. After major earwig problems last year, we banded all the cot and peach trees this spring with Tanglefoot. This was a time consuming job involving first smoothing the rough bark on the older trees, then filling in remaining crevices with latex caulking, then wrapping the trunk with soft foam rubber. All of this was to prevent earwigs from crawling under the banding to avoid the Tanglefoot. Next we added a couple of layers of plastic stretch wrap, and finally painted the wrap with <a href="http://www.groworganic.com/tree-tanglefoot-pest-barrier-15-oz-tub.html" target="_blank">Tree Tanglefoot Pest Barrier</a>. (Because it can soften the bark, this goop should not be applied directly to the tree.) Happily this work reduced our earwig damage to near zero.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIM2537TxONQ5NvF6nc3FqBfPKEDeeVbO9saHi6WBgD9Fjquv8zqdNuEJqWawKCyPSU9qXnfQDeThlF_AEP3Bc5Lp7qEVNbfEoK9kmywEJMMdrw5-MPIaNIjJC7f3oAPdzCyxFS8KtxKQ/s800/IMG_7139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIM2537TxONQ5NvF6nc3FqBfPKEDeeVbO9saHi6WBgD9Fjquv8zqdNuEJqWawKCyPSU9qXnfQDeThlF_AEP3Bc5Lp7qEVNbfEoK9kmywEJMMdrw5-MPIaNIjJC7f3oAPdzCyxFS8KtxKQ/s400/IMG_7139.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Earwig barrier of foam rubber, plastic stretch wrap<br /> and Tree Tanglefoot sticky pest barrier</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But earwigs are one of those critters that are both good and bad: bad when they eat fruit, but good in that they can be valuable predators of other pest insects. So now that harvest is over we will remove the outer layer of stretch wrap, leaving a non-sticky layer that the earwigs can cross as they forage the trees for aphids, borers, and other pests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Apricot Galette</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ADUJ59-PWN2_Dpbbzxbnv30P3dI5K7LbvUtGoRrvBdYvOJOA-eqYT_Y_P2Ot39X_RlGWwRp_wRH-czzLNRkdGNZp7zKNKWoEbmXjV1hAa4o-R0SpCg1kwRcZfqafCKTGImpCopTBjX0/s800/IMG_7085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ADUJ59-PWN2_Dpbbzxbnv30P3dI5K7LbvUtGoRrvBdYvOJOA-eqYT_Y_P2Ot39X_RlGWwRp_wRH-czzLNRkdGNZp7zKNKWoEbmXjV1hAa4o-R0SpCg1kwRcZfqafCKTGImpCopTBjX0/s400/IMG_7085.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Lay the sliced fruit out in a single layer, sprinkle<br />with a bit of sugar and chopped nuts if desired</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Galettes are rustic pies that are super simple to make and delicious when filled with good fruit. We recently used some of our last apricots to make this beauty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can find an easy recipe for <a href="http://www.oprah.com/food/Fig-Galette" target="_blank">fig galette here</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just about any fruit can be substituted. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For juicier fruit like cots or peaches just sprinkle a bit of flour onto the crust before adding the fruit, to absorb the extra juice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEdktvKj7ikEdxVQfaga59kOMZK0uScTxUExmadADo60q5YKbdAkzboX4G7KlUsVwzhH0ny9wrNRVY4iqsVCFE0QYszWACauW-PGvsz_fycAKftcg4sEWcW5BS43swJclUtxX1rUojnQ/s800/IMG_7086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEdktvKj7ikEdxVQfaga59kOMZK0uScTxUExmadADo60q5YKbdAkzboX4G7KlUsVwzhH0ny9wrNRVY4iqsVCFE0QYszWACauW-PGvsz_fycAKftcg4sEWcW5BS43swJclUtxX1rUojnQ/s400/IMG_7086.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fold over the edges of the dough </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9AcXNOhiLyQCFciQXbpnD2FRPzoYaUzBIDM2_uKa5WgDzEetF-5oSppakedIQ5GFXgnGPIGE2tx3YxveM9DSWMt2BbQPoJzKbAQG6TEv3vIHBSroHu-ls2d-J82q6YzXk-NK8JPZs5Q/s800/IMG_7089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9AcXNOhiLyQCFciQXbpnD2FRPzoYaUzBIDM2_uKa5WgDzEetF-5oSppakedIQ5GFXgnGPIGE2tx3YxveM9DSWMt2BbQPoJzKbAQG6TEv3vIHBSroHu-ls2d-J82q6YzXk-NK8JPZs5Q/s320/IMG_7089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bake 45-50 min until the edges are golden</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx_xBzyIoVKruaqzYupb9DlD2phUmdbdMMxrf8mlJ9q9fwiv7EN3DzbyvroabkRUyPt7q54CEQ0IEY7rfUpa_7l11fCYkb-I0PbozrEQ8HpQmEYNtJHr4ydjpxGH7tJT0xuw61HU737k/s800/IMG_7091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx_xBzyIoVKruaqzYupb9DlD2phUmdbdMMxrf8mlJ9q9fwiv7EN3DzbyvroabkRUyPt7q54CEQ0IEY7rfUpa_7l11fCYkb-I0PbozrEQ8HpQmEYNtJHr4ydjpxGH7tJT0xuw61HU737k/s320/IMG_7091.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Serve it up!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>Bill Spurlock, Fern Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457450385634235371noreply@blogger.com1