Finding Treasures in Nature

      I am an expert in digging holes. That I can do. There is no shovel Olympics but if there was I could at least bring home the silver. Every hole I dug began with a certain anticipation of what I would find. There would be dirt and rocks and sometimes a few …

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One Farmer-One Mission-One Goal-Oaks

When I started my farm after college in the early 80’s I soon found out that my limited resources was not going to allow me to plant a typical orchard of grafted fruit cultivars let alone a barn to work in or irrigation. (That took me another decade to accomplish.)  I began to look for …

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The Last Great Hur-rye

Not too far from this wonderful slippery elm tree on my family’s farm was a great field of rye my father and I created. Like this tree, the rye field idea was latent and was not discovered until later in life. Who knew it was there all along? The field was the last thing we …

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The Musical Fruit Tree

To grow a pear tree as a source of wood for musical instruments seemed like a long shot when I first started. I got the idea initially from a Hohner pear wood recorder I purchased in high school. I had quit playing trumpet and needed another avenue. Please note I was not aware of Miles …

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Soilicious-Not Just Another Pretty Face in the Soil Amendment World

Is it time to make the donuts of the soil amendment world? The right mix has a positive effect on establishing woody plants. Is it healthier than a donut? We think so.

The Yields of Acorns and Friendships

When I first purchased my land, I needed a lot of seeds.  Acorns were my first seed obsession. You could find me in parks, strips of land along busy roads and front yards meticulously picking acorns one by one and taste-testing them.  When I asked my brother Chris and my ‘agri-buddy’ and musician Jesse to …

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Farm to Table Part III: Dryland Blueberry Pie

One of the draws of the wild blueberry is a flavor that can only be described as “true blue.” This certainly describes the flavor of the Dryland Blueberry, recently harvested on our farm and currently in production for fall 2017. These bushes are self-fertile and very productive, with loads of smaller-sized fruit growing in clusters. …

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Farm to Table Part II: Thimbleberry Scones

Thimbleberries are interesting to harvest. You have to have very light fingers to not smush the fruit. The proper picking motion is almost like peeling a sticker off a bowling ball. After an hour, it will seem like you hardly have any in the bucket, but the fruit is dense. I was happy to harvest almost two …

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Farm to Table Part I: Raspberry & Mulberry Syrup

Is there any greater joy than harvesting fresh fruit or veggies, making a delicious dish and enjoying it with friends? Last week we harvested a batch of Japanese Mulberries, Northern Red Raspberries, Wild Black Raspberries and Yellow Black Raspberries at the farm. Picking Japanese Mulberry It was a hot day, and the bees were out, but …

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Shining a Light on Blight: PART 2

More on the people behind the plants and the origins of blight  and a series of solutions that develop as a result… (To read Part 1, click here). The Plum Guy The Story Behind the Plant:  Ralph loved the idea of a tree crop farm. Having worked in the paper industry his whole life, he …

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