Rain and Ants... An Irratating Stew

Well,

The past couple of days have been pretty much steady rain. That's the beginning...

Well, last night, around 7PM, as I'm lazily wandering down the stairs from my bath, I realize that the area by the door out to the veranda, has a few, perhaps 30, flying ants. Not a big deal, I figure they've come in out of the rain and such...

Well, I holler down to Rhubarb, 'Babe, I think we have an infestation of some sort.' While I'm saying this, my eyes start to trail to the upstairs ceiling...and in that moment, a moment of doom, Rhubarb and I realize our ceiling is covered with thousands of Carpenter Ants. They are coming in out of the attic, and other various holes in the thousands...I mean horror movie proportions!!

The exterminator came today. His words upon looking at the situation were "wow, oh wow!" Apparently... according to him, we have the most ants he's seen this year. Too bad we can't win an award for that!

They're dead now... thousands of black corpses littering the white carpet that covers the upstairs hall... and a few lingering bodies in the bathroom and in our bedroom. The picture above really doesn't do the situation we were in justice, but it is a very small glimpse of what we had. What fun it will be to vacuum them up tomorrow!!!

On a positive note... Gigi was very cute hiding behind the laundry on top of the dryer!

Tomorrow brings baby chickens. They will be housed in Rhubarbs office. The lingering smell of cat 'incidents', now gives way to the smell of straw. I suppose one is better than the other.

That's all for now.

CIAO

Goonie

Early radishes

While taking an evening stroll through the garden I decided a bit of radish thinning was in order...these four little beauties definitely beat the root maggots and will make their final appearance atop our salad tomorrow. With hundreds more in the ground...looks like radishes will be firmly ON the menu in the coming weeks (perhaps making their way into one of several crock-fermented pickling endeavors just around the corner....hehehe)

That's all for now

Rhu

Tini Pot Pie

Well,

Sushi, or more commonly known as Tini, deserves a bit of a glamor shot. Here she is, in all her small glory, taking a break from the 100 degree heat the other day.

That's all for now...

Scintillating post I know!!

CIAO

Goonie

Glorious Air Conditioning...

Well,

With the temperatures down here spiking up near the upper 90's, it was time to get both the air conditioners up and running. And that they are! Tomorrow is predicted to reach 103 degrees..ICK!!

And now that the nighttime temperatures are cooling off my brain, I feel I can write something actually worth reading.

Everything in the garden is loving the new hot weather. The lettuce is bolting, the basil is inching it's way towards summertime pesto production, and the corn and beans are starting to rear their heads! Everything is coming together quite nicely! The apple trees have little baby apples, and the strawberries that were a wedding present are in full blooming mode! The picture above, well one of them, is of the pole bean trellis that Rhubarb salvaged out of the brickyard on our property. And, well, the other picture, is of moi, venturing off the farm on some endeavor.

I'm afraid the past week on Goonie Rhubarb Farm has been a week of limbo. Toiling with, and installing new air conditioners has been a feat that neither one of us anticipated. And as far as in the garden and other such things are concerned...it is a slow chug towards results. But, this new weather, and the impending arrival of chickens, will bring many new stories to tell!!

That's all for now...

CIAO

Goonie

And Then There Was Bread...

Well,

A wonderful 1st batch of homemade bread was had by all. Served warm and buttery, alongside a hearty bowl of Minestrone, eaten under the big oak tree...it was perfection! I would say Rhubarb pulled off his first batch of bread quite splendidly indeed!

Today was an 'overalls' day. Meaning Rhubarb wore his overalls...with extra flare that is! Many starts were put at home into the ground this evening by both Goonie and Rhubarb.

So far, the planting of little beings is looking like this...

In the herb garden we have: Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley, Chives, Sage, Lavender, Cilantro, a row of poppies, a lilac bush, rhubarb, and a few squash that survived their move from inside to outside.

In the garden we have: leeks, onions, garlic, shallots, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, Brussell's sprouts, lettuce, corn, carrots, radishes, bush beans, melons, greens, yams, sunflowers and pole beans.

In our homemade lettuce box, which is very bling, we have: lettuce and stir fry greens.

In between, we have: parsley, cilantro, and strawberries.

In the ground, but we did not plant, we have: mullein, dandelion, and miners lettuce.

So, as the season progresses, that list will get larger and larger! And with that, our fridge and pantry, stockier and stockier.

Seeing as the end of this week may bring temperatures up to 90 degrees or more, we look forward to the jolt of sunshine and warmth for the plants, and dread the all encompassing heat that will indeed infiltrate our old farm house! Air conditioners are on their way!!

Well, there it is...

CIAO

Goonie

Warning...

Well,

All to be said for today is...

TO BE CONTINUED...:)

Native...Naturally

Well,



Today was mostly spent in Medford...always a consumerism, nasty joy. Sarcasm notwithstanding, it is fun in a strange way to take a break from the glorious green of our beautiful piece of land, and chug some Starbucks, take in an OK at best movie, and to realize once more how truly lucky we are to live where we live. Not that there isn't merit in adulterated and overpriced, corportate coffees, but the ease of it is rewarding on occasion.

Coming home is always ultimately more satisfying on a level incomprehensible, but deeply felt.

Bogart in all his pitifulness was let outside this evening with instructions from me to Rhubarb to keep an eye on him. Not that he'll get very far with a Victrian collar and a bell on, but hey, I worry about my Schmoegy.

Quesadillas, in all their quick and tasty starch goodness were on the menu for dinner tonight. Simple and efficient.

Tonight will be more devoted to getting some more starts in the ground, and a thorough watering of the garden tonight, as well as in the morning. Goonie and Rhubarb will be departing the farm for a couple of days to assist on a farm to the west. That is that.

That's all for now...

CIAO

Goonie

Cone Head...

Well,

Today was the day of procuring Bogart's collar. Rhubarb calls it his satelitte dish that can pick up numerous Xm, fm and am stations.

After a tick 'incident' that just wouldn't heal, the Schmoeg was taken into the vet's, where they prescribed antibiotics and a locally administered cortisone shot. Well, after a week of that doing literally nothing, I've resorted to closing him in in plastic for his own good.
The collar that the vet's office gave me was obviously for a small DOG, seeing as it was called a BUSTER collar, so that needed some definite tampering with; duct tape and scissors. The finished result is that of beauty. As pictured above...he is not a black furry vampire, but an unamused yawning toady. But, on a positive note, his scab is finally starting to actually scab, and his walk/waddle has a certain Elvis like distinction to it.

Speaking of worms...
Rhubarb purchased a small clan of Red Worms at the Saturday Market in Grants Pass. Scheming of having thousands right away...he settled with a dozen or so, that by December...as he puts it..."I'll have maybe 10,ooo by Christmas." Definitely a Christmas present I hadn't anticipated! :)
But until the time is right for them to make their home in the great wide open of our garden, they are being housed in a small blue tub in Rhubarb's office...in the house.

Dinner this evening on the farm:
-Fresh Cauliflower...steamed
-Fresh Bok Choy...sauteed
-Fresh Turnips...sliced
-Feta Cheese...crumbled
and maybe a boiled egg or two.
-Tossed over fresh greens, and eaten in salad form.

That's all for now on Goonie Rhubarb Farm.

CIAO

Goonie

MAY 6TH, 2008


Well,

Here I am writing a new blog on our new website.

What have we been doing since I wrote last?

Well, I guess you could say we've been settling into our first spring on Goonie Rhubarb Farm. The corn was planted today. Bodacious, and a certain someone's favorite...Golden Jubilee. The green beens will be going into the ground very soon, and as with the Golden Jubilee, we have a certain someone's favorite in pole beans also...Blue Lake!! According to that certain someone, they are the only beans worth growing. :)

The construction for a lettuce cold frame is well underway, and more importantly, the outhouse birdhouse is now perched high above the kitties reach, and has an extra ounce of safety ( take a gander at the included pic of the day) ...brought to you by Rhubarb's keen morning mind! :)

The kitchen at Goonie Rhubarb Farm is starting to fill with the veggies of spring; provided by the local farmer's market. And the excitement of the steadily imposing summer is beginning to tease our appetites for tomatoes and peppers. From our own dirt naturally!

Goonie's tummy is really starting to bulge now, and it is obvious that there will soon be a new workhand on Goonie Rhubarb Farm! Well, at least in the next 5 years or so...:)

Thunderstorm clouds are circling above us, and Rhubarb is watering our newly sown corn. Dinner is near...so I'll be getting to it. Home made pizza and leftover asian noodle salad. It's a quiet May evening meant for making a spot of dinner, and gettin' to reading the book from our family bookclub.

CIAO

Goonie

A Brief Intermission to a Spring Afternoon

APRIL 17TH, 2008

Well,

The sun is shining, the men have cozied their beverages in the warm sun of midday...all is right with the world! The new patio furniture is waiting anxiously for a good meal and a beautiful sunset, and the sprouts that once were mere seeds...are readying themselves for the exciting shock of true earth!

The future chicken run is what is being pondered and put into production by the men on Goonie Rhubarb Farm. Leveling and anchor points are the key words right this second...but soon...varieties of chickens will be the topic of conversation! Favoroulle, Fayoumi, and a chubby looking English named one. As you can see, we're quite technical and anal with are chicken breed terms. :) We're going to try and get chickens that really aren't the run of the mill chicken varieties. Many of these unusual or uncommon varieties are quite resilient and wonderful. As an example...most are resistant to the avian flu whatnot. Mostly, we just like the 'old world' appeal of variety and heirloom. Photos coming soon of our peeps...once we get them.

On the plate today: Tacos. Ground Beef from Deck Family Farm in Junction City Oregon. Organic veggies from the natural food store in Grants Pass, and corn tortillas that aren't made with GMO corn.

An update on the tomato planting. We're expecting as many as 40 tomato starts from an organic and bio-dynamic farm in Bandon. I guess someone will be making tomato sauce this year! ME!...Probably with a little help, or a lot of help from Rhubarb, Mama Goonie and maybe I could wrangle Mama Rhubarb too! I need her to teach me her yummy squash relish recipe anyways!

Well, I can see the men are starting the chicken run. One, barefoot, in his swim trunks, a t-shirt, and his reed hat from Kauai. The second, in denim jeans, cowboy-ish work boots...and a slew of levels. The third, a small gray tabby cat gleefully 'helping' the other two!

All and all, a beautiful day on Goonie Rhubarb Farm!

CIAO

Goonie

Little...

APRIL 13TH, 2008

Well, today on Goonie Rhubarb Farm was a day of perfect weather. Wind, warm and succulent, blowing through the valley on it's way to us...as if traveling from Hanalei Bay itself. It couldn't have been more lovely.

Rhubarb spent a large portion of his day collecting the rocks in our newly rototilled garden. No small task. Afterwards, with the rocks neatly placed in little mounds throughout the garden...it looked as if we had our own little England of cairns.

Bolognese is on the menu for tonight. The trick to a truly yummy Bolognese is a handful of grated carrots. They have the perfect hit of sweet without adding a bunch of sugar. I used hamburger from Deck Family Farm, a family ranch in Junction City, OR, that uses no hormones, no antibiotics, and feeds they're cattle grass from the land instead of GMO grains. They also have an assortment of other meats. To compliment the sauce, I have also added frozen Chantrelles from last autumn's mushroom harvest in Bandon. To serve, I am using organic pasta, made locally by Wolf Creek Pasta Co..

At this point, we're trying to eat and use as much of our food from within a 100 mile radius. Granted, at this point it only makes up about 1/3 of our total consumption...but it's a good start. And starting is what it's all about.

The mushroom hunt from yesterday resulted in one mushroom, that vaguely looked like a morel, but after careful identification, turned out to be a Coniferous False Morel...a deadly version of the scrumptious mushie.

No morels yet for Goonie Rhubarb Farm!

CIAO

-Goonie

Summation

APRIL 12TH, 2008

Ok, the ravioli's turned out a little 'rustic' if you will. The filling was quite good...even as a dip when I got sick of rolling out the ravioli's with the rolling pin (never my favorite part of baking). All and all, an OK attempt at my first ravioli's.

HOT is the operative word for here today. The temperature reading for Central Point, which is 15 minutes away, reads 81 degrees. The first REAL day of summer and naturally I'm already burnt like toast.

The cats aren't exactly crazy about going out into the great wide open on a day like today. Naturally since 2 out of 3 are jet black...I see their point.

My man has headed off into the westerly woods wearing the same pair of 'kung foo' pants as the first day we met. He carries a small knife and a plastic bag, kitty litter bag...which is their designation when you live with 3 cats indoors and outdoors. Apparently, Morel season is in! So he's off into the woods in his black kung foo pants...to karate chop some mushies!

Dinner of choice tonight is Salade Nicoise. Tomatoes which really aren't in season, and are actually pretty nasty, and disturbingly orange store bought, are not going to make an entrance in our salad tonight. But some wicked Tuna; caught off the Oregon Coast by some family friends, some green beans canned by ma mere and ma demi-pere, and the rest of the medley can be found in my kitchen.

Hopefully tonight I won't daudle until 8:30 to whip up a meal. Or, perhaps we'll just be eating mushrooms...one never knows one Goonie Rhubarb Farm!

-Goonie

TILLIN'

April 11th, 2008

Today, was a tillin day. After much exertion trying to hand till a fairly large area, over the course of a few weeks, we finally came to the steady conclusion of renting a power rototiller. With the full intention of only doing it once in our garden's life.

Rhubarb...who in the past, informed me that he had rototilled a large area of earth completely barefoot...well...hmmm....I strongly discouraged that idea.

And henceforth, he is tilling WITH the shoes on. I have christened the new clothes line with it's first load of wash. Normally, I'm not a line dry type of gal. Once they're dry they seem to feel stiff and kind of nasty. Yeah yeah, the smell is nice...but we'll see. I'm a cynic when it comes to clotheslines. If there is such a thing.

Dinner: I'm attempting homemade ravioli's, stuffed with a mix of goat cheese from the Lane county area, Asiago cheese, a wee bit of parmesan, and a wee-er bit of lemon zest and fresh Italian parsley. Steer away from lemon juice...from a lemon...the soggy effect isn't the exact effect desired. We'll see how this works...seeing as I SUCK at rolling out any form of dough...and I don't have enough eggs for the recipe that I don't really know.

Tillin' day is almost concluded...

-Goonie