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.