'The Property'

Over the past year I've had a few questions about 'The Property' in Alabama. Who owns it and why we are there so much. Why we work so hard there and why we call it 'ours'. So this post is all about the property. I have some aerials (luck you!) taken about 2 or 3 years ago - courtesy of Google!

This is the property:
It is located in Barbour county. Southeast Alabama. It's over 100  acres and it's an old peanut farm. I wish the picture could show the real terrain. It's hilly and craggy and just beautiful... but I do have some old pictures I can dig up somewhere to show you those. Of course it would help if some maniacal beast hadn't broken my external hard drive (TWICE!) but, I digress. I'm sure I can find SOME photos. ;-)

Anyway. the outline in orange is what our family owns. That doesn't mean me. That means my parents. I don't stand a chance at inheriting a dime, but this - this is worth far more than money to me. AND - this year (OK -2011) my parents and I made sure that was taken care of. The property is now entirely mortgage free and in the will to myself and my children, and their children. THAT means no one can turn key it. No one can turn around and sell it in 300 individual plots to the highest bidders and make it some development. Not in my lifetime, and not in my children's lifetime.

You know what that makes me? HAPPY! :-D SOOOO HAPPY!  *Doing the happy dance* 'Cause I just hit the frikkin lifetime Lotto. The Lotto for my kids- and their kids!

OK back to the property. The swirly patterns are the areas that have been planted (6 or 7 years ago now) in trees. This has been turned into a tree farm. The easiest type of farm for my parents to take care of going into their retirement. A wise decision if you ask me. Not only for them, but for us as well. It allows us to continue to be able to care for the land and the fields on a nearly quarterly basis when we can get there.  They just need to do a few things here and there and hire someone monthly to run out the tractor and either till or spray. (fields only, not the trees) Low cost and low upkeep.

LOVE IT!

There are several key features here I'd like to point out so I'll do some close ups...

This is the homestead. The silver building with the brown stripe is the barn... hmmm - Let me pull this into photoshop. I'll be right back.............................................................

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                          Bet you didn't even miss me, did ya?
OK - so This picture might explain things a little better. The Barn, the Main House is my parents place. It was built in the late 1800's. They revamped it about 2 years ago. I posted some pictures about it. They did a great job on the place and literally went board by board so they could keep the majority of the same wood original. They did replace the glass but kept a lot of the old doors and locks (they don't REALLY lock but you can see by the aerials it's not like there are many people around to worry with. LOL. Our place is a trailer that we've put a real roof on and siding over the front so it looks, well - more like a house. But, lets get real it still looks like a trailer. Our intentions are to keep it for as long as it last being shut up all summer the way it is. We'll then build a small cabin with a loft for the kids to sleep in. Meanwhile we'll be doing some repairs to the trailer as the first signs of deterioration are fast approaching from the heat. The cheapo particle board cabinets that came with it are warping and will need replaced soon, and that is only the first of the repairs that will start.

Anyway-  The purple circles are the main pecan trees. There are several more- but those are not harvested regularly as they are too far towards the woods or in a gully, etc. These trees are the ones we get our pecans from. We only get our pecans AFTER the harvest. We don't take from the main harvest as it isn't our property and there are usually plenty that come down after the main harvest. This year we got 72 pounds!!! There is still 2 of the trees that are usually our late trees that have nuts on them that will continue to provide for the them if they want to get out there and make a few more dollars. ;-)

The blue fluerdelies? (Oh, WOW I butchered the spelling)They are the areas for open foraging. Blackberries, plums, persimmons, and a few other things like may haw and huckleberries. We used to hay in here but with no livestock any more it just doesn't make sense. Besides I really enjoy the berries there and now that we go and package for the freezer when we are up in the summer my parents are glad to have them too.

Other points of interest that help manage our herd and our/our parents lifestyle:

Of course when the picture was taken the fields weren't fully in. Right now the corn is all down and the wheat is all bent. The rye is brilliant colored and the brassicas are just happy to be cool. 

Adjacent to our property is 300 acres that belong to a generous man who also believes in managing land for wildlife and replanting when possible. We lease his property from him for a minimal amount each year and in return he allows us to use some of his trails and streams and to hunt during season. Its a win-win situation as he needs access to his landlocked property and the easiest access is from our entrance.

So the areas you see shaded in pink are the areas that we 'lease' from him. Once a year we have a meeting sign a paper and shake hands. he hands 'us' money for use of the road, 'we' hand him money for use of his fields and all is right with the world. I love neighbors like that. Additionally, he doesn't even live there. Gotta really like that! So, in the entire picture you see is my place, my parents and one other home that belongs to a military guy. He's quiet and rarely seen, if he's ever home. He's got 3 horses.

The cows that resided across the way on the old Peel farm recently moved. I miss them. When I'm there that is. I loved hearing them and seeing them. It's kinda lonely with no 'neighbors' mooing from the front door or while I'm making dinner. (across the street)

Random pictures:

 





As for those 72 pounds of pecans? (massive subject change because I ran into the pictures) They have completely and thoroughly taken over my life and my kitchen... UGH. I'm about SICK of them. Not sick of eating them (yet) but sick of seeing them and of cleaning up after them. Sick of cracking them, picking them, roasting them and picking up after them....

My husband is completely obsessed and won't stop. I see his point. I do. I mean, I don't want to waste them either but - REALLY - there isn't even room to eat dinner on the table any more. And my counters are covered, too. I'll save that picture for Harvest Monday since it's been so long. Off to try to make a birthday cake for my honey - Guess I'll sprinkle some pecans on top!

'Till next time!

Barbie~

Herd Management (Or HUNTING)

There are pictures - be warned.

We processed 4 more deer. My freezer is officially stuffed. It's a great feeling to have so much food waiting for us. Oh, and a brand new freezer so we should have no problems with losing anything this time!

Ode to the deer that shall feed us - and OH DUDE to Mr Snuffy himself. The man that is so awesome at making so many of these cuts taste more like food found in fine meat markets all over the world. That man knows his stuff. Summer sausage, Italian sausage, Savory sausage, smoked sausage not to mention the regular cuts of cubed steaks, back straps.... Our family will be well fed.

First a nice strapping young buck - I believe this is the deer that we erroneously thought was a barren doe. We do get barren does and they need culled from the herd. I took one last year - but this year it turned out to be a strapping buck with a bad temperament for fighting. He broke one antler off entirely and the second antler was shattered and only had about 2" left. This is my son's second deer - and the first deer that he took by himself. It's a pretty big step, and a VERY big responsibility. One that I know he's a bit young for, but so far he has done well.

This very small doe was taken late on a warm morning.

And this older doe has served our herd well.

While it was a bit of a shame to see that buck didn't get to fully mature, it was a good lesson for my son. Mistakes are easy to make. He'll be more cautious in the future when he takes an animal. One thing that he sees during the management of the land and herd(s) is the continuous cycle and how difficult it can be. It's taken us a full 8 years of hard work not only putting out food for them, but plowing the fields and maintaining water sources and protecting them from predators (as much as possible) as well. Our initial herd was a minimal 2-3 does and whatever buck would wander onto the property. Holding them was near to impossible, especially the bucks. Now we see them (20-30) every trip and know without fail that they are raising their young here. Our fields now also hold fowl, and with good game management we've also come up with a system to feed the pigs - AND keep them away from the deers main food source as well. Very important. Turkey have moved in as well and provided us yet another food source for the Spring. It's been a rough road but one worth traveling and we are so glad that we've been able to share our management skills with our son and now our daughters as well.

The people that owned the property just 10 years ago over hunted it, over farmed it and nearly decimated the land entirely. They left it with trash piled everywhere. It took a full year to remove the trash alone. We still find odds and ends of trash here and there (in the deep woods) each trip. We have reclaimed the land for the wildlife and for ourselves! I am so glad for this. Our entire family is now benefiting. I'm able to give meat to my brother and to neighbors who are in need. To my parents who purchased the land but are unable to keep up with it, and for friends who say 'Eww, I wouldn't eat deer' and then gobble it down. :-D (I really love that part!)

Top off great hunting with good farming and WOAH NELLY! I'm in love. So my resolution for 2012? To set my goal for retirement and get some plans in place for the land. Nothing more. Nothing less. Live cleaner - Live towards my goals. :-D

'Till next time!

Barbie~

BRRRRR.....

Well, THAT just really sucked. (Pardon me, but it did!)

I spent an hour and a half last night twining lights around plants and trees. Trying desperately to save my beautiful Barbados and Brazilian Cherry trees, Strawberry guavas, Pineapple guavas, tomatoes, the yearling avocados, mango..... and sometime between 1am and 6 am (the only hours I slept) the breaker popped. Yup. No joke.

Not only that, but we went from 'Frost' to -get this - SEVEN to ELEVEN hours of HARD FREEZE. Say WTH? The temperature plummeted even 3 counties SOUTH of me. That never happens. OK, well it rarely happens. That is about as rare as snow in Miami.

*GROAN* I may as well kiss it all goodbye. Hundreds of dollars of tropicals are giving up the ghost as I type. The sickest part is that I kept these plants alive last year and now they are out there with BUDS on them. It made me sick to my stomach to see all the buds on the cherry trees and the orchids last night as I was preparing them for what was surely going to knock most of the buds off. Now I'll be more than lucky, I'll be a Lotto winner if they live.

As for tomatoes, and peppers and such that I expect to be gone. I'll pout when I have to pull them up knowing how much life they had in them just yesterday but it's expected when you garden in January that you'll lose those things some times. I'll simply restart my tomatoes and peppers and start preparing for the first Spring planting this weekend.

Off to sulk away the rest of the day. If you need me I'll be curled in a ball until Spring. Someone wake me when it's time for the next tropical plant show and I can go spend more money trying to grow things that don't make it past 2 years around here. *sigh*

'Till next time.

Barbie~

HARVEST TOTAL FOR 2011

Just a side note- my Harvest Total for the year of 2011 is complete at 315 pounds.

I'll be taking down all the stats to start over next week with the next Harvest Monday post. (I WILL post, I promise!)

Garden Tally 2011

• Basil 1lb 5oz
• Bell Peppers 3lb 15oz
• Blackberries 2lb 6oz
• Blueberries 6lb 3oz 
• Brocoli 4lb 1oz
• Cabbage 19lb 2oz (5 heads)
• Carrots 8lb 7.2oz
• cilantro 4oz
• Citrus 36lb 10oz
• Corn 4ea 
• Cow Peas 1lb 5oz 
• Cucumber 15lb 8oz
• Dry Beans 2lb 3oz
• English Peas 3lb 10oz
• Figs 4ea
• Grapes 1lb 2oz 
• Green Beans 19lb 11oz
• Greens 7oz
• Herbs asst 1oz
• Hot Peppers 5lb 15oz
• Lettuce 4lb 14oz (6 heads +baby greens)
• Lima Beans 4lb 8oz
• Mulberries 2lb 6oz
• Okinawan Spinach 5oz
• Onion 6lb 13oz
• Onions green 2lb 1oz
• Peaches 6lb 3oz 
• Pecans 72lbs 
• Radish 2lb 6oz
• Rosemary 9oz
• Snow peas 9.9oz
• Spinach 2lb 4oz
• Strawberries 2lb 14oz 
• Sunflower Seeds 14oz 
• Tomatillos 7lb 13oz
• Tomatoes 25lb 12oz
• Watermelon 3lb 
• Winter Squash 15lb 14oz 
• Zucchini 20lb 14.4oz 
• ZZGRAND TOTAL FOR 2011 ** 315lb 12oz

No meat is included in this- only veggies and fruits!

Oh- and the nursery in Alabama also supplied a few new trees for the property up there as well - incuding 2 Granny Smith trees for my girlies. They are my favorite apples, and well - we just hope to get a few off the tree each year. I can't wait to watch the trees grow and mature with the kids. I know we have apple trees here, but we don't have the intention of keeping this property long term so it's a pipe dream that we'll see any REAL crops from these trees. Besides apples just grow better up there.

Barbie~

Decembers Garden state...

Seeing that the first Frost is upon us I thought I'd show you what the garden looked like - in December. These pictures are now fully 2 weeks old and it's time for new pictures only now i"ll need to wait for the poor plants to recoup from the aggressive pruning. :-)
So here is where we stand with what is (or was directly before going on vacation) going on:
The basil has gone insane (but was pulled last night after the final cut.)

Carrots are up and romaine is looking nice!                 the Anunue lettuce is looking good as well, albeit crowded.

Strawberries have fruit setting now! Early but Oh so delicious. These are some of the best I've had yet. They seem to really like the slightly acidic soil with the blueberries. :-D *BONUS*

Cabbage are absolutely beautiful, if a bit cramped.

Alliums are wet, but looking good still for both the garlic

And the onions as well.

Daikons are coming along nicely. Rich says they taste like waterchestnuts, kinda. LOL

Spotty germination on the snowpeas, don't know why - and the spinach is a little light. I think it's time for some fish emulsion. The babies look a little hungry!

  The garden peas are coming in droves. This is good because they are our evening snack. We eat these like popcorn while watching TV at night. Also in our salads. I don't think they've ever made it into a side dish. Teehee.

Since the freeze warnings are up- we are officially loaded with - TOMATOES>..... Wahhhh... I'm all but crying at the thought of losing these sweet gems. I did pull in about 10 pounds of ready to turn maters. I'll weigh them and put them up on Harvest Monday soon. I feel like a slacker, but on this Monday I spent the whole day IN the garden getting ready for the freeze and taking out anything I could to save in the kitchen. *sigh* The tomatoes with size where one of my main goals. I also dug up 2 plants and potted them to bring inside as well. Young plants that just bloomed. I don't expect to keep the fruit, but will be happy if they bloom again in a couple weeks and hold their own long enough to get me some new fruits by spring! 

 

Pomegranate tree is in full bloom right now. Not sure what it will do to the tree- but this single fruit was taken in for consumption prior to the freeze degrading it as well. I was a busy gal yesterday I'll tell ya!

Found these little critters in my garden, too!

Oh, since I was taking out so many things from my garden - I finally did take out the hot pepper plants I felt the need to put something back into the garden as well. I found a fantastic nursery in Alabama while we were gone and I wasn't brave enough to bring back much, but blackberries are so strong I just knew they'd make the week long trip and be OK. They are dormant now and are bare root anyway, so I am hoping for the best. 3 thornless canes are being planted and I'm digging up my existing 3 thorned canes. Wish me luck! I'm thinking about putting them OUTSIDE the fence! (shhhh) Oh, they are Ouichita and Triple Crown. I'm suddenly looking forward to Summer, and that is not something I do very often!

On to the next set...

'Till next time!

Barbie~



A few quick post for catching up.

A citrus problem.

I think I have a major problem and I think it's 'Greening'. At this point I believe only part of my tree has it and that I might solve the problem by getting rid of the infected part of the tree. It is after all a "cocktail" or grafted tree and only one type of the citrus has the infection. At least that's what I think. I could be completely wrong, but it's doubtful.
Here's the evidence:
Mottled/Yellowing leaves

 

Lopsided fruit:

Fruit not ripening entirely: *sniff*

This just completely and thoroughly breaks my little bitty heart. I love citrus, and my kids adore the stuff. It's taken 9 months for these beauties to turn orange and in that time we've waited with anticipation for the day we'd taste their sweet nectar. Now it seems we'll be lucky if they even taste like oranges, mush less if we'll ever get any more fruit off the tree.

So, if there are any experts out there - Please weigh in. I need more info. What are the chances if I take these few limbs off this tree of saving the rest of it from nearly certain demise? So far the rest of the fruit is unaffected. Limes and lemons are growing with no problems. Only the oranges are affected. Unfortunately this is the ONLY oranges we have, so I'll need to do something about replacing them in the spring. I sure wish we could plant citrus in the front. Guess I might have to plant a tiny one just to see what happens. LOL. Might be worth it if I can get away with it long enough it would get grandfathered in. ;-D

Anyway... more posts to come this week as I catch up. There's much to post about. Our first frost is here for the winter and the last harvest oft he year... not to mention some hunting and gathering....

'Till next time!

Barbie~



Meat

Just a simple post dedicated to the meat in my freezer.
Thank you deer and pig. You make my family satisfied and my freezer full.
You make me happy and well, you are yummy.

:-)

I realize that we are very lucky that we can harvest these animals the way that we do. We give to the hungry most of the meat, but these two we kept for our family. The hog meat we kept and gave most of it to my brother. He's on disability and this will help his dollar go a lot farther for the next few months. Don't get me wrong, we still have quite a few packages of sausage in our freezer as well. There is still more biscuits and gravy in my future yet!
We'll try to harvest another doe (hopefully a barren, older doe) out of the herd that needs to be taken and with any luck we'll be able to also take another boar as well. It's possible but not as likely as when it's warmer.

So - here's my post for thanking the harvest.

'Till next time!

Barbie~

Harvest Monday 12.19.11

With so much going on right now, it's hard to believe I haven't posted since last weeks harvest!
We've gone to parties, and thrown our own. We've baked cookies, and eaten quite a few as well. We've shopped and decorated, and gone for walks. We've watched it 'SNOW' in Florida, and we saw Christmas trees dance to music as well. This week has been active to say the least!

The harvest came, but the camera was shy. The nights were busy so the seat of our pants, we did fly -
(Ever get the feeling you've told the Christmas story one too many times?)

Anyway here are the few pictures I DID get of our harvests this week!

There were probably a half dozen tomatoes. but the counter isn't full. Oh no! We had lettuce and radishes and peas and a few green onions to make a nice complete salad for a change! This doesn't happen often here so we are taking full advantage while we still can!

On Sunday morning we decided to take some of the 55 pounds of meat we just put in the freezer and make one of my favorite treats! MMMMmmmmm...... Biscuits and sausage gravy, with 2 runny eggs right in the middle.

That's the kind of breakfast that means I WONT be fitting into my Holiday gown again any time soon! Guess I'll have to slow down on that.Teehee.

Well, Linking in with Daphne's Dandelions for our weekly Harvest Monday PARTY! This week addition is sure to be full of Christmas and other assorted Holiday Cheer!

I hope that you are staying warm and cozy with your loved ones. See you soon!

'Till next time!

Barbie~

Harvest Monday 12.12.11

Linking in once again to Daphne's place for Harvest Monday!

This Monday features our normal December fare of citrus! We got lots of citrus this week, and some tomatoes (red, orange and yellow, too!) Bell pepper, broccoli and hot peppers of course. Not pictured are the peas and radish and a salads worth of lettuce as well.

Also harvested was one sow. We split the meat with our parents so 55 pounds of pork to the freezer. Yippee! :-)

Sown this week: Oregon Snow peas, Kuroda carrots, Little Gem lettuce (thanks Daphne for the lettuce seeds!)

Till next time!

Barbie~

Such a Card

Sending best wishes to each and every person who stops by this time of year. Tonight begins the festive cooking with the late night/all night cookie fest! Bring it on!!!

Barbie~