Dogs Run Farm

05/31/2021

Time to plant the tomatoes. These look fabulous this year and some already have fruit.

08/21/2020

I used up all my pectin and every pint jar I own, and I'm finally done with making jams for 2020. I went a little overboard, but they make nice presents. I made the following jam varieties:

apricot
blackberry (wild & farmed)
sour cherry
sour cherry-vanilla
frutti di bosco (blackberry/blueberry/strawberry/raspberry)
nectarine-plum
peach
stone fruit (nectarine/plum/peach)
raspberry (black and red mix)
strawberry-lemon
strawberry-rhubarb

By far the best is the frutti di bosco, although they're all pretty good. Just ripe fruit, pectin, and organic sugar.

04/22/2020

Got onions, shallots, leeks, and raspberries in the garden, and a mix of lettuce and Italian arugula into the ground. Still need to get blackberries in, and to repot the very overgrown tomatoes into 1 gallon pots.

These early morning freezes need to stop. It’s been 25-28 °F several nights in the last two weeks, and I’ve already lost at least one each of plum and cherry. The apples are barely doing anything.

11/02/2019

Five Praying Mantis egg cases found in the clearing around my house. Each sac contains about 300 eggs, of which perhaps 10% will survive to adulthood. The females who laid these eggs were gigantic, 5-6” long. I’m going to take a few and put them in the garden to hatch next Spring. The others I’ll tie to a tree to keep them from being trampled by my dogs.

08/03/2019

Freshly dug Red Pontiac potatoes.

07/25/2019

05/02/2019

Potatoes, peas, and fava beans are in. Rain please.

08/05/2018

The very best thing about August.

05/28/2018

Busy weekend on the “farm.” Planted 23 tomato plants in the garden under biodegradable paper w**d barrier with cages made from rebar mesh. Planted acorn and butternut squash plants, cantaloupe, pumpkins, and cucumbers. Still need to get the hot peppers in the ground, then plant green bean and soybean seeds.

Weeds are under control with help from my flame w**der. I’m paying the price for neglecting the garden last July and August. Grass shoots everywhere.

Asparagus is nearly finished, and peas and fava beans are well up and looking great. Brassicas are all doing great. I’ll be picking baby kale and collards in a week.

I already picked 12 lbs of rhubarb, and sold six to Tiffany at Farm Up Truck, who caramelized it with strawberry jam and served it and the juices over cheesecake. The sourness of the rhubarb was the perfect foil to the sweet cheesecake.

The apple trees set an enormous amount of fruit, so that will need to be pruned in 3-4 weeks. One apple per branch.

It’s a very warm and green Spring after such a cold winter. I love living in a locale with four real seasons, although we went from snow to sun overnight this year.

I’m feeling very lucky to have such a beautiful place to live. You are welcome to visit anytime.

05/17/2018

This is the first perfect spring for apple blossoms. My trees were covered with flowers and there are already miniature fruit. Perfect temperatures, balanced soil because of soil analyses and subsequent modification, lots of rain, and so I’m expecting a great harvest. Cherries, too. Check back in August. I might have some apples for you.

04/07/2018

Improving the view across the hollow. Slo-Mo chainsaw action.