Charm

Practice

TGIF and the Menu

So here we are Friday, it was a long week. At work we had inventory mid week. Ready for a week end home, and a short week.

The Menu
Friday: Cobb Salad
Saturday: Steak tips and onions on the grill
Sunday: Spatchcoked Lemon Herb Chicken
Monday: Burger night
Tuesday: Ribs and pasta Salad
Wednesday: Pesto Chicken Pasta
Thursday: Greek Salad With Ham

On the side

Burgers with pasta of home grown peas , tomatoes with frsh basil

Saved 46%

This Weeks Menu and some "stuff"

We have had three days of extreme heat, tonight we might see thunder storms.

We had planned to tear down the old chicken coop, but have instead decided to re purpose so I plan to start decorating it this week end. I'm thinking grape vine and a dutch door.

I love these little houses from http://aplaceimagined.blogspot.com/

At the moment it is
Temperature: 80.6°F


Precipitation: 0.47"

Wind: 3mph
This afternoon I plan to get some food shopping done, have the menu writen and coupons clipped.


Tonight : Pizza on the grill, side salad
Saturday: London Broil Kale and Bacon
Sunday: Crock Pot Chicken (not running the oven due to heat) Home Made Potato Salad
Monday:Burger Night
Tuesday: Crab Meat Cesar and crustini
Wednesday: Taco Salad Bowls
Thursday : Stuffed Chicken Breast Spinach and Tomato's

From Farmer's Almanac
Gardening by the Moon
June 22nd - June 25th


Poor Period For Planting. Kill Plant Pests, Clear Fence Rows, Clear Land

Hot Hot Hot

Water is life at this point. It is very hot, the animals all need lots of water.

Happy Monday From The Farm

Greetings I hope everyone had a great week end and wonderful Fathers Day. On Saturday we traveled to Massachusetts for a graduation celebration(mt nephew) and had the chance to see lots of family.
On Sunday we cought up on farm chorse and messed with the draft horses, long lining Charm and riding Nickel and Jake. we put all three drafts out to pasture together yesterday afternoon, all was perfect till dinner time. When the drafts came to the fence for dinner Nickel and Jake gave Charm one hell of a run.

The weather:


Temperature: 60.8°F


Precipitation: 0"

Wind: 0mph


On my reading pile:

Cooking Light
The Feast Nearby Robin Mather
On order we Took To The woods by Louise Dickinson Rich
On my TV:

Finishing Up Food Network Nest Star
Awaiting Big Brother
and  always GBTV with Bob

On the menu for this week

Monday - Burger Night
Tuesday -   Grilled Chicken Cesar Salad
Thursday -  Kale and carmalized onion frittata
http://www.sicilean.com/2012/06/kale-and-caramelized-onion-frittata.html
On my to do list:

Iron a load of laundry and put 4 more away, washed dried and folded over the week end

Vacuum Dog Hair

Around The Farm: Hens are on and off with egg production this week, cold (40) nights.
Pig is finally putting on the pounds, thinking harvest dinner in October.
The first peas in edable pods will be picked this week, I will be planting my new Lilac and some grape vine.
minni has a new pen that will also host the calf when it arrives.
Charm is a love and settling nice, seems very smart. Bob has started Charm with ground work for driving.
Beau (the oldest of the Hounds) is showing his age and has good days and bad. Currently I am  cleaning adding bag balm and wrap to "bed sores/ crate sores every day, and cooking his meals.

Focus

Charm with a focus on work.

Three

Working Charm

On Fathers Day

Around The Farm

Around The Farm:: Charm has proven to be a general distraction, little besides horse stuff is getting acomplished. Over the week end Bob and I managed to complete one landscape project, cleaning and edging a garden bed. Truth be told even this project was horse motivated, once we brought home the plow I wanted a pretty place to put it.

The weather::: No hay weather in sight, hay requires at least three consistant days of dry weather.


 Temperature: 64.1°F


Precipitation: 0"

Wind: 4mph

Tonight: Cloudy. A chance of showers after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows in the upper 50s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 50 percent
Wednesday: Patchy fog in the morning. Showers...mainly in the morning. Highs in the upper 60s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 80 percent
The Moon :Waning Crescent, 38% of Full

On my reading pile:::

 On my TV:::(DVR)
The Next Food network Star
Iron Chef and Chopped

On the menu for this week:::

Friday: Iceburg wedge and pizza's on the grill


Saturday: Fried Clams

Bob does not know it yet but I hope to go out for fried clams

Sunday: Chipotle Steak Salad http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/08/chipotle-steak-salad/

Monday: Burger Night Cheese Burgers with thick cut bacon and fried eggs

Tuesday: Pork chops with pineapple fried rice

Wednesday: Chicken Salad with Fresh Corn

Thursday: Turkey Sliders


On my to do list:::

As much laundry as I can manage to wash and hang between rains
Sweep and Steam Clean  floors

In the Garden:: The blue beryy bushes are loaded with berries and the rasberry bushes are loaded with flowers. I can see one jalepeno growing as well as growth with the sun flowers and pea's. I plan to add flowers out front by the sign and replace two flower boxes this week that did not take.

From The Farmers Almanac::

garden Calander
 June 2012


11th-13th Favorable Time For Planting Late Root Crops. Also Good For Vine Crops. Set Strawberry Plants. Good Days For Transplanting.

14th-15th Cut Hay Or Do Plowing On These Barren Days.

16th-17th Good Days For Planting Root Crops. Good Days For Transplanting.

18th-19th Seeds Planted Now Tend To Rot In The Ground.

20th-21st Plant Tomatoes, Beans, Peppers, Corn, Cotton, And Other Aboveground Crops On These Most Fruitful Days. Plant Seedbeds And Flower Gardens.

22nd-25th Poor Period For Planting. Kill Plant Pests, Clear Fence Rows, Clear Land.

26th-28th Favorable For Planting Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, And Other Fall Crops Bearing Yield Aboveground. Sow Grains And Forage Crops Now. Plant Flowers.

29th-30th Extra Good For Planting Fall Lettuce, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, And Leafy Vegetables. All Aboveground Crops Planted Now Will Do Well. Plant Seedbeds

Our New Plow

This is our "new" plow an antique Olive. It is currently sitting in our front yard, a thing of beauty in my opinion. My hope is to restore it to it's glory plowing behind a team of drafts. I am gathering estimates, like most things it will depend on restoration cost.

Working with Charm

It has been said that"draft horses are born to work". When I watch Nickel"working" I can see focus, drive and I would venture to say even a look of pride.
 I think draft horse, at least Belgians are born with the tools they need to be work horses. But farming with a draft horse takes time , and commitment. I think the more you work with a horse the better both you and the horse become. We have started Charm under harness, fitting the harness to his growing frame and "long lining him" .

This Weeks Menu

Friday: Iceburg wedge and pizza's on the grill
Saturday: Fried Clams
Bob does not know it yet but I hope to go out for fried clams
Sunday: Chipotle Steak Salad   http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/08/chipotle-steak-salad/
Monday: Burger Night Cheese Burgers with thick cut bacon and fried eggs
Tuesday:  Pork chops with pineapple fried rice
Wednesday: Chicken Salad with Fresh Corn
Thursday: Turkey Sliders

Hump Day

Here we are mid. week already, finally (for now) the rain has stopped.
 Yesterday after noon the rain was intermittent,the sun was  brightness at 6pm.
I did manage to squeeze in some weeding in the after noon and that was a pleasure, even under a sprinkle of rain. The herbs and pea's are thriving.
I have begun to make some pesto's including this one from http://roadtothefarm.blogspot.com/
Pea Shoot Pesto




2 cups, packed, pea shoots

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

salt



Place the pea shoots, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor. Process until it forms a rough paste. Pour in the olive oil and process until it forms a spreadable paste or add more oil for a pourable sauce. Add salt and adjust seasonings to taste.
Anne Marie over at http://nadafarmlife.blogspot.com/ has promissed a new pesto for the end of the week, looking forward to checking her recipe out.
 
Last night I made a real easy real yummy pasta salad that we enjoyed with our panini's. The spinach and tomato paninis were enjoyable, but I know they will be better with fresh from our garden tomatoes.
Hell everything is better fresh from the garden.
Little hen went for a stroll outside the barn yesterday, it was fun to watch her forage for bugs and snails. She pecked around outside the barn door for an hour then she wondered back into her stall, hopped up onto Minni's water and took a big drink.
 
Gardening by the Moon June 6th - June 8th


Plant Late Beets, Potatoes, Onions, Carrots And Other Root Crops

Rainy Mood and Strawberry Moon

So the rain has me feeling very angry, does the weather play havoc with your moods?
I feel so much better physically and mentally when I have had sun light on my skin. We have not seen the sun shine in weeks, my grass is over grown and my garden flox are laying down. Yesterday chores were exhausting due to the weight of the water. My feet sunk in the mud making every step a challenge. Collecting manure was done with a bucket and a dung rake, the paddock being far to wet for the tractor and the barn was a mess from shuffling the animal in and out. By the time we finished our cheese burgers and sweet potato chips I was ready for bed. I was looking forward to the full moon, I love the way a full moon illuminates the paddock at night. Last nights moon over the farm was covered by clouds. Tonight June 5, will bring a rare transit of the planet Venus across the face of the Sun. The planet will appear as a small dark dot moving across the face of the Sun
Today we have had intermiten rain and clouds,so I suspect Mainers are likely to miss this historic event, which is a real shame, because there won’t be another transit like this until 2117.

If you’re lucky enough to have clear weather, and you want to view the transit, it’s crucially important that you take precautions to protect your eyes.
The safest way to view the Sun, whether for an eclipse or an event such as the upcoming transit, is via a pinhole camera. A small opening, or pinhole, in a cardboard box, such as a shoebox or cereal box, can create an image of the Sun that can be safely viewed.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQQByou74TY





Full Moon Calender

July 3rd Full Thunder Moon 2:52 pm


August 1st Full Sturgeon Moon 11:28 pm

August 31st Full Blue Moon 9:58 am

September 29th Full Harvest Moon 11:19 pm

October 29th Full Hunter's Moon 3:50 pm

November 28th Full Beaver Moon 9:46 am

December 28th Full Cold Moon 5:21 am

Around The Farm

Here we are another Monday, the week end washed by in a flood of rain.Most of what we did over the week end was house keeping, ironing, eating and what I call "The Barn Yard Shuffle" . A process of shuffling animals from rain to dry , pasture to barn...

June 4, 2012


The 156th day of 2012

16 days until summer begins

The Weather : Rain, rain , rain and unseasonable cold
Temperature 50°F  Feels Like 50°F

Humidity 94%
Wind NNE 13 mph

Pressure 30 in

Visibility 5 mi



On My Read Pile: Two magazines Maine ( looking for idea's for vacation)
and Cooking Light

On My TV / recorder: Most every thing I watch is day late and recorded because I go to bed early
Today is last nights The Next food Network Star

ON My "To Do List" (always barn chores but above that)
1. hang "No Smoking" signs, I have been finding butts around the farm 
2. a new stall door sign for Charm
3. set up herb drying rack

Looking Around The House: Dog hair every where, Lager is a huge hair ball and a big time roll on the carpet dog.
Laundry in on and around the machines, I hate to use the dryer, but can not continue to wait for the rain to stop.

Garden Tip:
Thin crowded plantings of lettuce, carrots, beets, and herbs. Give them a good watering when the job is finished to help the roots of remaining plants recover from any damage your pulling may have inflicted.


Religiously patrol your basil plantings and remove all the clusters of flower buds that form at the stem ends the minute you see them forming. This will encourage nice bushy plants and a continuing supply of leaves.

In The Barn:
Baby calf has not yet arrived here from the seller, she is still with her Mom and the farm is very wet and in transition.
Charm is settling in and being introduced to the work harness, and having his feet picked up daily, he is not a fan of having his back hooves lifted.
Minni is going to be placed in a new home, we are interviewing many prospects, he is sad with Joe Jo gone and no team mate. Bob and I will be sad to see him go but it is best for him.
Nickel seems to be in his prime we found him a plow yesterday . Jake is doing well, although the mud reeks havoc with his hooves.
With the hens we are getting 4-5 eggs per day including a very small one in the barn.
Mr. Rooster is still a mean bird!

Taking On Water

This weeks menu is not at all representative of "an average June" menu. Watching the seven day out look I see rain, rain and rain.Today I have a ham and baked beans in the oven. The grass is tall and wet and the pig pen is thick with mud.I do not suspect we will be sitting on the deck using the BBQ or out by the fire. We had wanted to introduce Charm to Nickel in far to wet and slick. In place of the grill we will be making use of the panini press and rice cooker .
Spinach Panini
8 Slices of whole wheat bread
4 cups baby spinach leaves
8 tomato slices
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2Tbsp.shredded fresh basil
1/2 cub crumbled cheeses
on our farm it will be 1/4 c feta for Bob and 1/4 c blue cheese for me
spray panini pan
place 4 of the bread slices on work surface,divide half the spinach leaves among bread, top spinach with tomato crack on some black pepper add onion and basil.Top with cheese and remaining spinach. Press

Wet Hen

Ugg it has been raining for days and days. We have been doing the barn yard shuffle. Little hen is out in the hoop house today,stretching her wings a bit.

This Weeks Menu

Sunday : Ham and Baked beans
Monday: Burgers and Sweet potato fries
Tuesday: Spinach and tomato panini and tri color pasta salad
Wednesday: chicken with slaw
Thursday: Crab meat sandwiches