Buddha Pears

This is a new one for me. A man in China grows pears shaped like the Buddha. The article about this man says he inserts the tiny developing pears into a Buddha shaped mould. Apparently, he gets a good price for them too.

Wild Sunflowers

Kansas is, without a doubt, the sunflower state. At this time of year the bright yellow discs cover the landscape. Particularly good sites are those that have been disturbed, like this fill area. What was once a road scar is now a beautiful field.

Good Friends

Here's my two good friends - Dianna and Kathy. Make that three good friends. Meet Mr. B the pig. He was rescued from the median of the highway. How he got there is a mystery, and how on earth they caught him is an even bigger mystery. Pigs are fast. That dude can tear off through the woods like a wild stallion. And with those big, floppy ears you can't help but smile. Oh, and the 'b' in Mr. B stands for bounce - not bacon like first crossed my mind. And no he will not become bacon either. He's living the high life as a pet at their farm. I'll bet he gets huge on his diet of pig feed, hickory nuts and whatever else he catches or roots up.

Good Signage

I was really impressed with the way Wagon Wheel Orchard displayed tree varieties. 'Yarlington Mill' apple is shown here with a nice, big, bright, black on white sign. It's real sturdy too being that it's a piece of plywood zip tied to a steel t-post. Me likee.

Wagon Wheel Orchard

Just outside of Gardner, Kansas, is the farm of Rick and Susie Godsil. Along with their four children, they run Wagon Wheel Farm. It's a u-pick operation with quite a bit of biodiversity. There may be more apples varieties growing on their place than in all the rest of the state. And what makes a visit to their farm so special to me is (not just the good fruit) but that Nick Botner and I sent a huge order of scion wood to them this spring. Imagine that. Not only did I get to send them grafting wood but I also got to see it happily growing. It really makes all that work in the spring seem worthwhile. Way to go you guys. Keep up the good work.

Made It

Back in the land of big sky and sunflowers. After traveling for six months it feels good to be home. I hope all those who have been following this blog found it to be a fun, interesting and enjoyable read. It was a real pleasure to be able to share it.

Ode to Corn

I just couldn't pass up this photo opportunity. Check out the following post to learn more about Mitchell, South Dakota and the WORLD'S ONLY CORN PALACE.

Blogging Gold

Just off I-90 in eastern South Dakota is the town of Mitchell. There you will find the world's only corn palace. From a distance it is hard to see, but the outside of the building is decorated in a mosaic of multi-colored corn. The designs are first sketched onto roofing fabric, which is then applied to the building. This guides workers as they nail on the split cobs of corn. I have to say this was a real treat. Way to go Mitchell.

Biker Rally

It's that time of year for Sturgis. Bikers everywhere. It's really cool when a whole throng of Harleys goes thundering past. And check out that beautiful South Dakota prairie in the back ground.

They Do Exist

See, the Jackalope is real. Found this one in the tiny town of Wall, South Dakota. Yee haw, ride em cowboy.

Above the Clouds

This is Mount Rainier. It's beyond huge. It's beyond massive. It's undescribably gigantic. Only the experience of being there can one even begin to appreciate that. And it being the middle of August, the mountain meadows were in full bloom. Stunning.

Wakeena Falls

After 24 hours in Portland, it was nice to hit the road. Heading east through the Columbia River Gorge, we stopped at Wakeena Falls. Even though it was smaller, I thought it was much nicer than Multnomah Falls, as it is much less crowded. And standing there long enough, I guess one could get a bath from the spray. Now we are just down the road in the town of Hood River. Very much looking forward to a good nights rest.

Keep Portland Weird

Dad and I made it over to Voodoo Doughnuts today. Apparently, it's quite to happenin' place, as evidenced by the long line down the sidewalk. To sum it up, Voodoo specializes in the unusual. Doughnuts coated in Tang breakfast drink powder, or coated in maple glaze with bacon, or shaped like a doll with raspberry filling with a pretzel speared into its belly or even one called the cock-and-balls. Not your typical doughnut shop - helping to 'Keep Portland Weird'.

Me and Dad

After leaving the Botner's farm in Yoncalla, I headed north to Portland. There I met up with my Dad, who had flown in from Kansas City. We hit the ground running - well actually biking. Here we are pictured by the Willamette River in our stylish helmets with Old Town Portland in the background. Five stars to the bike tour. The ten mile circuit we rode really gives one a sense of the town. After all, Portland is a bike town so what better way to see it.

The Best of Friends

Yesterday, the 11th I said my goodbyes to Nick and Carla. After working for them for nearly six months, it was time to go. I left with a tear in my eye. They are my very good friends. I am eternally grateful to them for adopting me and for sharing their wealth of knowledge. I miss them already. They are truly great people.

Watering Wand Update

Well, my opinion of which watering wand is best has changed. My previous favorite has sprung a leak. To no surprise the plastic parts have begun to fail. As a result, I now prefer the red one pictured here. It's all metal and it's design is simple. A solid, non telescoping shaft. And the on-off mechanism seems indestructable. Also, pictured are the 'carpets' we use under most plants. They are a thick synthetic fabric designed for use around newly planted trees. But they work quite well in the garden to keep water in and weeds down. I like them. They work.

On Safari

Ahhhhhh. Watch out. Angry ostrich. Fortunately, a car window was between my nose and that pecking beak. And this was just one of many up close and personal animal encounters at the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. On two occasions I could have literally touched a giraffe or buffalo. And on top of that there were elk, lions, bears and a host of other strange, bizarre creatures from all corners of the globe. Highly recommended day trip.

A New Home for the Chickens

What amazing luck! To start I should say that I will be on the road once again, and I desperately wanted to find a good home for my chickens. Here at the farm Carla simply doesn't have room for them. So I was thrilled to meet Dakia - pictured here to my right. She along with her husband Cooper very graciously offered to take them. What a relief to find a good home for them. I hope they will get many eggs in the not too distant future.

Peaceful Pullets

Look at those fat and happy chickens. They've had a good life here at the farm. Fresh pasture every day. And an all-you-can-eat buffet of layer feed, apples, and garden weeds. They're gentle to handle too. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction into raising poultry.

Garden Number 3

Here's Nick picking green beans in the lower garden. It's the third garden we've planted. Look at that beautiful corn starting to tassel. And out of frame to the right are the cucumbers - which are finally producing bucket loads. Nothing beats home grown.

Happy Goats

So, what happens to all the scraps and weeds from the garden? The goats get it. Oh, and they love it too. They will actually run over to the fence with excitement. I'll never forget 'Friendly the goat' munching an old cabbage leaf and looking so contented.

Elk Encounter

On this past Sunday, I got to see my first wild elk. The picture doesn't do the animal's size proper justice. It's big. And really beefy too. Or should I say elk-y.

Blueberry Biodiversity

On this past Saturday, the 17th, the National Germplasm Repository in Corvallis hosted an open house. There I had the opportunity to sample fruits from their collection of blueberries. Incredible really. Hundreds of different varieties were available to taste. Most were actually not what I would call choice. Some were down right bad. But a few were standouts. One comes to mind: 'Magnolia'. An excellent variety possessing both large fruit and outstanding flavor. Another accession known only by its identification number (125.001 Row 09-25) produces a raspberry-flavored fruit. Overall, a great time had and, yes, I did get a blue colored tongue from tasting all those blueberries.

Yoncalla Celebrates the Fourth

For a small town, Yoncalla puts on a great Fourth of July. Had a wonderful block party-type dinner. Then went to the high school fields to listen to a really good fiddling show put on by a local family. And then watched an excellent fire works display. My camera phone just doesn't do it justice. It was awesome.

A Beautiful Thing

On Friday on the way back to Yoncalla from Corvallis, I stopped at Sarah and Andrew's farm. After a few remaining kinks were worked out, the farm's irrigation system is now flowing full force. It's all above ground aluminum pipe. A large electric pump siphons water from a creek on the property and then moves it maybe a quarter mile. Pictured here are the five sprinklers that water the corn, beans and winter squash. Irrigation in Oregon is required during the growing season. Believe it or not it doesn't rain for 3 to 4 months in the summer/early fall.

Meet Peace Seeds

On Thursday I made it up to Corvallis, Oregon. There I met Alan Kapuler. Pictured here from left to right is Adam, Alan, Mario, and Dylana Kapuler. They, along with Alan's wife Linda and two other daughters, run Peace Seeds. It's a small seed company with a BIG impact on the seed saving movement. The amount of diversity that they steward is incredible. I had the good fortune to tour the seed house. It's unbelievable. There are probably more varieties of soybeans there than are grown in the entire state of Kansas. And that diversity extends to so many other vegetables and flowers. I felt quite blessed to volunteer my time and efforts for a day towards their noble work.

My Cherry Amore

Ah, summer. Warm breeze, blue sky and succulent cherries. My favorite are the yellowish ones on top. They are a variety called Yellow Spanish. So sweet and juicy.

Wonderful Watering Wand

Yes I'm a dork for noticing but this is the best watering wand design I've come across. So what makes it so good. Mostly it's the pull trigger on/off mechanism. It allows for one handed operation of the wand. (My other hand is busy pulling the hose as I walk down the row.) Also, the telescoping shaft is nice. I can reach out further - almost twice as far. So it takes less trips through the garden to water all the rows. Better yet would be an all metal design. The plastic parts I know won't last long.

Going to Auction

Loaded up are fourteen lambs bound for auction. It's a job to get the flock rounded up, and sorted. When cutting out the lambs I found it easiest just to grab them up one by one. Each was about one hundred pounds. We got a good price for them too - above a dollar a pound. Anything over a dollar Carla considers good.

Meet Nick Rutledge

On last Saturday I went up to Springfield, Oregon. There on an urban farm lives Nick Rutledge. He's quite an interesting man. A plant man like myself, he's a fun conversationalist - especially with his English accent. On that day, Nick was co-hosting a discussion of winter gardening. And being new to the Northwest, I was excited to attend. Of particular interest to me are the 'grex' mixes Nick is working on. Essentially, a 'grex' mix is a grow out of many different varieties of the same plant. When they flower they cross pollinate. And when that seed is grown out over a few years, many interesting new varieties emerge. Nick shared some kale seed with me that originated from a grow out of fourteen different European varieties. I'm interested to see what will emerge and I'm glad to call Nick Rutledge my friend.

Grapes, Old School

Here is a nice shot of a fraction of Nick's grape collection. I find what makes them interesting is the way in which they're raised. Rather than using modern trellising, these vines are trained to a single post. That's it. No wire. It's the way the Romans did it - old school. Every spring, the canes are cut back to two buds. And every year the trunk gets a bit thicker. Also, pictured are some cabbages to the right and some tomatoes in the two rows off to the left.

Wild Hogs

Got to host a work party today. What a good group of people. All hard workers. Hey, even got to hang out with a fellow Kansan. At far left, Patrick hails from the town of Courtland, Kansas. Grade A marks to him. We were literally running to get the last two runs cleaned of blackberries. Can't speak highly enough of his effort and the efforts of all the rest. The orchard looks so much better. Actually, it looks like a bunch of wild hogs went through it - in a good way. All around what a beautiful day.

Chicken Tractor

After a few late nights working once up till one in the morning (in a soaking rain no less), there is now a new coop for my ten chicks. It is called a chicken tractor. It has no permanent foundation. Everyday it is pulled ten feet to a new spot. The chickens get new grass to eat and I don't have to scoop poop. In all the structure is 10 ft x 5 ft x 2.5 ft tall. It is framed with wood 2x2 that I ripped with a circular saw. Actually, the whole thing is built with found scrap from around the farm. So the cost was a refreshing $0. Well, I guess it cost me some sleep, but it was worth it. The chickens are much happier.

Crash

Rain. Rain. Rain. Nick said two inches fell on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. And with all that water softening the soil and coating the leaves, two massive oaks fell slicing the old chicken coop neatly in half. Now five days later 10 of 13 chickens are caught, quite a bit of firewood has been cut, and what remained was pushed into a pile and burned. All that is left is a big pile of ashes.

How Does the Garden Grow?

It's finally warming up a bit. That means the vegetable garden is starting to grow. Cabbage, chard, turnips, and peas and lots of other stuff seen here. And there's more out of picture further to the left. The turnips in particular are heavenly - so sweet.

Overview of Grafting Tools

Here are the tools Nick and I used to graft this year. From left to right is an Omega grafting tool (blue handle), a Bench grafting tool (orange handle), and a grafting knife. The main one used is the one I've got my hand on. The reason it is superior: it's much faster to use than a knife and the blade design is more useful than the Omega grafting tool. Simply put the Bench grafter has a triangle shaped blade as compared to the Omega grafter which has a blade shape like the Greek letter omega (which kind of looks like a horseshoe). A triangle blade is better because a much wider size-range of scion wood can be used. Anything from 1/8 inch up to an inch. The Omega blade is limited to something in the range of a pencil. Also note that a grafting knife is different than your average pocket knife. The blade is beveled on one side only. Even with a grafting tool it is still handy to have the knife as occasionally an imperfect tool cut needs a bit of detail trim work. And not pictured well is the second blade on the grafting knife. A sharpened bump on the back of the blade is used for summer bud grafting. Oh, and I forgot to mention the best grafting tool of all: a good teacher. Many thanks to Nick for his time and patience showing me the tricks of the trade. In all we made somewhere around 1400 grafted trees - maybe more. And most of them seem to be taking well.

What A Week

Started out the week bottling the remainder of last year's wine. And finished out the week doing plumbing work. In between it was: planting tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, peppers, and grafted trees, digging blackberries, mowing, helping repair the tracker, helping catch sheep for the shearer, and visiting the sea lion caves over in Florence, Oregon (which is pictured and which is supposedly the largest sea cave in the world.) What a week.

Chicken Run

Here is a better pic of the chicks. They are inside one the welded wire vegetable cages. They have plenty of room to run, which is hilarious to watch. Were one goes, they all go. Also, you can also see their waterer and feed. They eat a lot, which makes sense since everyday they seem to get bigger. And they nibble the grass as well. It's amazing to see how fast they go from fuzz ball to adult. I think their feet have grown the most. At night, because it has been in the thirties, they are rounded up and put inside. A light bulb keeps them warm. And on a somewhat related note, a bald eagle visited at breakfast and ate one of the ducks. We saw the whole thing from the house. Sobering thought. It has me re-evaluating just how 'free range' I'll let the chicks be.

Chickens!!!!!!!!!!

Look what I got. Chickens. 5 barred rock and 5 rhode island red. How cool? Got em today at a feed store in Eugene. Everybody is asleep right now after a stressful ride in the truck back to Yoncalla. I'm so lucky to have Carla here at the farm to teach me how raise them.

Older Nursery Rows

This is what the nursery rows look like after a few years. Hundreds upon hundreds of trees are there. If I had to guess there are probably 500 plus different varieties. And that is a conservative guess.

How Bizarre

Look at this. This is a pear. Can you believe that long, narrow leaf shape. It looks like a willow. Just by chance I saw it in one the nursery rows. The leafs appear healthy and fully open. Also, I recall a fuzzy texture to them. The variety is Penouka. This is but one example of the amazing genetic diversity that is represented in Nick's orchard.

Cool Tool

This is by far my favorite pruning saw. It's a full length axe handle onto which is mounted a curved saw. What is hard to see - and what makes the saw so useful - is the curved hook on the very tip of the blade. With it I can grab the branches once they're on the ground and drag them to the center of the row. The hook also makes a nice scion getter as I can easily bend down an out-of-reach branch. Additionally, this tool works wonders to hack out bramble patches. It's a multi-use tool. That's a good thing. Carrying multiple tools with oneself is a hassle. To note, the black area is a repair job. The wood split but with some electrical tape it's good as new.

Well, it was raining today. So back to the shop to do some more grafting. I believe we've done more than a thousand grafts at this point. And every once in a while we have to get creative such as with this plum. There was a distinct kink in the stem. Something like a 45 degree jog to the right. So to bring it to a more upright position (which is desirable) the stick on the left was added and secured with three twist ties. It works remarkably well. Just to note the roots on the right of the picture should have been trimmed to match those on the left. That way the tree would be easier to plant in the trench.

Easy Like a Sunday Morning

Here is the Nick Botner method of planting grafted trees. Start with a ditch witch to make a fifty foot trough about 2 feet deep. Then while standing in the ditch mound enough soil to support the rootstock. And then rake in the loose, crumbly dirt on either side. If there are two people to do the job, one will help shovel in the fill dirt while the other holds onto the trees. To note, each tree is placed about 4 inches apart - sometimes closer.

Overview of Tags

With over three thousand different varieties of apples, pears, grapes, etc., one really needs a good labeling system. Nick has tried quite a few of them. What is currently used is pictured. At far left is soft plastic (nylon?) labels. They come in bulk rolls of varying colors. On top of them is a Sharpie Rub-a-Dub pen. According to Nick this is the only type of ink that works outside for any length of time. A regular permanent marker won't do. By the way Rub-a-Dubs are also known as laundry pens. However, two years outside is about as good as you get for the ink and label both. The ink fades and the label gets brittle. Even so this is what we use to label our grafts. It works well enough. The second one from the left is a hard plastic that kind of clips onto the plant. They work ok but aren't as good as the soft nylon labels. The middle tag is made of aluminum. I don't like them. Yes they are cheaper than other types of metal and can easily be marked. But they will eventually break or get chewed on by rodents or covered in green algae. Worst of all is the tiny little wire that is supplied with them. It will fail. What I prefer is the last two. One is copper plate and the other is made of stainless steel. They require a stamp set to apply the letters but they hold up extremely well, resist corrosion and are generally awesome. They also have thicker wire - 14 gauge on the last one - which won't let you down. I also have a suggestion about flagging tape. Don't use it. There is some on the aluminum tag. But like most plastic things out in the sun, wind and rain it disintegrates. Also, don't bother painting the labels to make them more visible. It will flake off.

Oregon Rain

It rains a lot in western Oregon. I thought I should say that because looking back through the posts on this blog I have come to realize that I've uploaded only sunny pics. However, sunny days are not the norm. Rain is. I believe it has rained to some extent 25 of the last 30 days. Maybe more. It rains so frequently I have stopped counting the days. Lightning is rare though. I have seen it only once.

Tons O Fun

Check it out. Using the tractor to remove tree trimmings from the orchard. Without it I don't think we could tend to as many acres - as it is just Nick and I plus the occasional volunteer. Remember nine acres of trees and vines make lots of wood. I guess a chipper would also work but we don't have one large enough. Plus there is some anthracnose infection. Therefore all wood is taken away to the burn pile. I also have to say that on the bucket up front there is a row of forks. They really help grab all that brush when it's piled up at the end of a row.

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley. Except for the mountains in the distance it sure does look like Kansas.

Firewood Storage

This is how the Botners store firewood. The round metal things are decommisioned gas station fuel tanks. Work really well

Tractor

Nick is showing me how to operate his tractor. Tons o fun.