#FairyGarden and #Farming in the Desert

It’s not getting much cooler here in Tonto Basin, or anywhere else in Arizona. I took part in the annual Chino Valley Days a couple of weeks ago. So glad we had shade and a breeze off and on. I enjoy doing this event every year with some fellow Arizona authors. It’s small town Arizona with a pancake breakfast and parade. Of course, I don’t get to take part in either since I’m under the tent with my books, but the atmosphere is fun. When someone walks directly to me and asks to see my latest book, I’m honored. I had several repeat customers who read all my books. I wish I could write them as fast as they read them.

When I’m not writing, I like to “play in the dirt” as FDW calls it. It isn't technically farming on this scale, but I am a fiction writer! Until last spring, I stuck to potted plants at the Ranch. In late spring, I tried a small plot. It was a failure. The soil here is mostly sand, and I planted too late. Since it’s supposed to be fall, I’ve added more planting soil and tried some different vegetables. But the heat is hanging on so I’m not sure what will happen. In pots, I have sage and fennel that are two years old. I’ve got basil that is new. The rosemary in the ground is a hardy plant and still going strong after three years. In the small plot, I planted seeds of green onions, carrots, beets, chives, and dill and broccoli plants. Wish me luck. I’ll need it for my garden in the desert.

My fairy garden is to the side and a work in progress. I have more fairy additions coming in the mail. I’ll play with it over the next few months.

Do you garden? Or play with fairies? I'd love to hear your stories.

TRIPPIN' THROUGH THE ROCKIES Part Two

TRIPPIN' THURSDAY
In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share.

Nana, Sadi, and peacock

So much for it being the ugly time of year in Trinidad, Colorado. But wait...before that fateful exit day, we took a day and drove to Pueblo, CO, to go to the zoo.

Pueblo, CO, has been tagged as the worst city to live in that state. I

Sadi and otter

can't say one way or the other about that, but they do have a nice little zoo Sadi thoroughly enjoyed. The two legged creatures were also very friendly. Lunch at the local

Daddy and baby

Village Inn was mediocre with horrible service, but we got free pie. Can't beat that!

Sadi loves the stairs in this 1886 home

We awoke the morning we were to leave to five inches of snow. and it was still coming down. We had expected a little snow mixed with rain. Granddaughter was running through the house singing, "it's snowing, it's snowing! Nana, Papa, Daddy, it's snowing." Mommy was running with her. No time for tearful goodbyes. The Raton Pass is infamous for shutting down in inclement weather so we hurriedly packed the car, caught a little of

Part of the stairwell

Sadi's delight, and beat feet.

Snowy awakening

There were two accidents and three spin outs in the pass. Luckily the accidents were in the lanes heading into Colorado. It was white knuckle driving for a short while. By the time we reached Santa Fe, it had turned to rain.

I love car trips over flying, even with weather. In fact, I love riding in the rain and snow. I hate driving so I'm lucky the husband enjoys it. We drove through snow, rain, sleet, fog, sun, and back into rain and sleet, and etc. That part of New Mexico/Arizona is barren for the most

Snowy retreat

part, but it's Indian country so there are some fun sites. Love the signs claiming dinosaur bones and footprints. Not saying it isn't true...

Now, Frank and I are working hard to get the not-a-farm-anymore, spruced up to sell. No plans to go trippin' anywhere next week. For now anyway...

ONE LAST TRACTOR RIDE

 TRIPPIN' THURSDAY


In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share.

They'll miss the old tractor

Today the U-haul will be loaded. The car will be packed with boxes, dogs, and granddaughter. The caravan will head to Colorado on a two day journey.

This last week has been a hard-worked week of packing, cleaning out, and working on the land to prepare for the move and putting Tortuga

The garden zone is turned

Flats up for sale. Frank and I will head out a day later and drive straight through. We'll help get them unloaded and unpacked. Once back, we'll continue getting the property ready for sale, hopefully by the first week of May.

A year late and thriving with the weeds

We decided to not rip the garlic field...not until we can harvest the garlic that came up from last year!

The grass is green again

I'll not do a recap or sendoff until the property is in the hands of the next owners. Whoever they are, I hope they make use of the fertile ground we leave

Apple trees are blooming

behind.

The greenhouse needs love

Side note: The greenhouse was closed up and neglected this past year. When we opened the door we found a couple of herbs, kale, and chard still living!

Recipes for the End of Summer

Sunset over the orchard

Summer is grasping, not wanting to let go. Yet, in spite of her desperation, there's a cool breeze in the morning and brilliant sunsets that signal fall is on its way.

We had such a small personal garden this year, that it hasn't been hard

A pretty plant: purple okra

keeping up with the yield. Although, I don't want to can tomatoes and may still be forced into it. Christie has been gone all month which leaves me with the decision to can or not to can. She's back this weekend so maybe I can hold out!

Okra in egg

My two favorite vegetables in the garden this year are yellow crookneck squash and purple okra. Purple Okra is not a heavy producer so I'm not challenged with trying to freeze or can. I just cook

I can eat nearly all of it!

and eat as it comes. The only way I really enjoy okra is fried:

Cut into inch to half inch pieces
Dip in egg
Roll in seasoned (your choice) flour or cornmeal
Fry in oil until crispy

Yellow crookneck cooking with onions.

I like yellow squash steamed and drizzled with butter, but there's too much to keep up with so I made soup:

I sauteed sliced squash and onions (also from the garden) in olive oil

My squash soup

until done. I seasoned with turmeric, Mrs. Dash original salt free seasoning, and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. All of that went in a blender with enough chicken broth to the consistency I wanted.

As most of the veggies are winding down output, we still have potatoes, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash to look forward to. Yep, fall is on the way. 

Tortuga, Tucson, and $$ Tips

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love

A stop on the Sabino Canyon tour

Taking time to post for Tortuga Thursday has been difficult. Plus, I've discovered while in pain, I'm not much good at writing. Yep, the back is still a problem. I hoped the three days of relaxation I would be forced into when we went to Tucson would do it. No such luck. I've got an appointment at the Indian Medical Center tomorrow.

However, the time in Tucson - a gift from Lance and Christie for my birthday - was fantastic. Here's one of those living on the cheap tips: resorts in the off season can be had for a third of their normal fees.

On the resort grounds

While in Tucson, we took the tram through the Sabino Canyon. We

On the resort grounds

got the senior discount. We didn't do any hiking because of my back, but can't wait to return when I'm healthy. What a gorgeous place.

On the farm, we have soy beans, okra, crookneck yellow squash, tomatoes, onions, and zucchini harvested every day. Soy beans have about a 3-day period when they have to come off the plant. I hit it right this year. They taste wonderful.

Purple okra in a basket of soy beans

We are officially done with the farmers' markets. Although we have

Purple okra bloom

some product left, we're not vending anymore. We'll keep it and use for ourselves or give at Christmas. I'm rather happy to be done with the market which tied up every weekend for us.

One sad note, we had to euthanize Rusty. One day he was fine and the next he couldn't stand on his own. We miss him horribly. He was my other son and my baby. He was Frank's fishing buddy and best friend. We're thankful we had him for the past eleven years. He enriched our lives as only a good doggie can. 

Barrel cactus in bloom in Tucson

A Plum, Some Pears, and 2,000 Pounds of Garlic

 Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love

 

One lone plum

Tortuga Thursday snuck up on me this week. Last week, I missed it altogether. Just a little busy! I've got multiple writing projects going and farmer Lance has been off the farm which means I fill in as best I can. The orchard surprised me this week. We actually have some fruit this year. All but one of the apple trees has fruit...some only a couple but that's something. The pear tree is producing. And the big story is the plum tree with ONE

Pears

plum. LOL But it's a pretty thing.

Garlic before cleaning

We've also started the process of trimming, cleaning and boxing the garlic for market. Right now we have two wholesalers looking at our offerings. Hopefully, in about ten days we will be 2,000 pounds lighter of garlic.

Cleaned and boxed

Apples

Weeding the zucchini

Do I Smell Like Garlic?

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Helper Laura cleaning off the dirt.

As you know, for the last week and a half, I've either been pulling garlic from the field or sitting in the garage stringing garlic to hang. The garage is about two thirds full, ceiling to floor, at this point. Might be closer to three fourths, actually. My daughter-in-law, Christie, asked me yesterday if I thought I smelled like garlic. Good grief! I hadn't thought of that. I wouldn't know since I'm so steeped in the smell, I doubt I would be able to tell. I must have looked stricken, because she

Laura in the field.

blurted "but I haven't smelled you."

Today should be our last day of this stage. We're working faster and longer since rain is due in tomorrow. The relief of finishing will be

Zack pulling garlic

joyous! We have three buyers interested. Will they offer enough? Will they even make an offer? The waiting is killing me but no one else seems to be worried. Gourmet hardneck garlic has a market and we're one of the few growing it, perhaps very, very few in Arizona.

We'll have a couple of weeks before we have to begin trimming and

Frank stringing garlic

cleaning the garlic. Maybe I'll have a few days to put my author hat on. I've got the final look at Post-War Dreams in galley form. And the first round of edits for The Legacy of Love and Murder, book three, will be coming my way. I might even get to the toddler gym with Sadi. A little fun is called for!

Hanging garlic. Ribbons denote varieties.

Garlic, Cancer, Car Probs = Stress

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Oh yeah, one of those weeks.

Frank and helpers.

Harvesting continues in spite of the rain. We finally had a dry day yesterday followed by another today. Makes it much less messy and the mud is drying so the garlic is cleaned easier. BUT with the moisture and the hot weather, all varieties are ready to harvest. Trouble is, we can only move so fast. We recruited three young neighbors for help. As of

Loosen the soil.

today, Inchellium (only softneck we planted), Porcelain Music, and Purple Italian are harvested and curing. We barely got into the Red Chesnok today. Unless we can recruit some more help or we pick up speed (both unlikely), we have six more days of harvesting.

Rusty taking it easy.

In the midst of harvest, Rusty had an emergency operation to remove his spleen. If we hadn't gotten him to the vet when we did, he would've bled out within the hour. Good news is he's recovering nicely from the operation. Bad news is the lab on the spleen came back as cancer, the most aggressive kind. They didn't see any other tumors or indications when they had him open, but chances are pretty high that it could already have spread. We're going with the low chance of survival. Christie and Frank did research on cancer in dogs and came up with a diet to ward off the evil condition. Rusty is loving his new diet:

Mealtime
Fatty chicken thighs with skin, chopped
Chicken bouillon from boiling the thighs
High fat hamburger
Broccoli, spinach, and zuchinni
Olive Oil
Tumeric

Snack
Yogurt and blueberries

We're doing our best to keep him around a couple of more years at least. He'll be twelve in October. And as long as  he feels good, he'll share this life with us.

Me, stringing garlic.

When we got in the car to leave the vet, it wouldn't start. Our mechanic was shut down early for the 4th of July, so the car sat all weekend at the clinic. We had to have a new starter. Gosh, I hate car problems. But we're lucky to have found a great mechanic with reasonable prices.

Wow, didn't mean to rain down nothing but bad news. But it was one of those weeks. This time next week, the garlic should just about all be out of the ground, and we can take a couple of days off to catch our breath before we start cleaning and trimming it. That'll be good! And

Sadi loves mud puddles.

as you can see, at least one of us in the family enjoys what the rain has done to our street.

Have You Experienced (Eaten) Porcelain Music?

 Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Step 1, loosen earth with fork (Frank and Scott)

We are deep into garlic harvest in the middle of a heat wave with monsoons on the horizon every afternoon.

Garlic should be harvested after two weeks of no watering. Nothing ever works by the book in farming. I stopped watering anticipating harvest would begin the weekend of July 4th. But the heat we've been experiencing undid my plans. We were over 100 degrees for several days, yet there was some dampness when we started pulling the first row. Last night we finally got rain which made harvesting today a little muddy.

Our garage has been transformed into the garlic curing station. Depending on the variety and timing of harvest, it can take 2 to four weeks to cure.

Once we finished the one softneck variety we planted, we started on

Step 2, gently remove and clean off dirt.

the Porcelain Music hardneck. Isn't that a cool name? It's a very white, very spicy garlic. The muddy conditions make cleaning off difficult because the paper wrapping should stay intact. The top layer tends to slide away with the mud. Since we're newbies, we aren't sure how this will affect it. They appear to be okay and will still have plenty of paper, but we'll see the final results after curing.

Step 3, get garlic out of sun ASAP.

Weather forecast calls for a chance of rain every night for the next few days. What timing! We can't wait it out. When the garlic is ready, it's ready. Leaving it in muddy earth could result in rot. It's going to be a slippery, wet harvest.

Step 5, hang garlic to cure

Step 4, spread garlic

Keep your fingers crossed garlic doesn't mind.

Plentiful Bugs and the Missing Sock

 Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Bugs in the greenhouse, little girl socks sucked into the washer drain, drip lines spring leaks, trimming off garlic scapes, brother-in-law having a heart procedure, final edit on Post-War Dreams, Mom is planning to move to Prescott, veggies in the ground.

Yep, it's been a real mixed bag of events since the last post two weeks ago.

The greenhouse spawned tons of grasshoppers and what we call roly-poly bugs when the weather turned warm. As fast as the carrots came up, the bugs ate them down. We had to invest in preying mantis and nematodes to engage in combat. The good guys won. Farming without insecticides is a challenge.

We pay $61 a month for insurance on appliances, air conditioner, and the well pump. We've considered each year whether or not to drop it, but it's been worth the expense. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't canceled us. They've replaced our hot water  heater after a dozen repairs, fixed outside faucets, fixed inside faucets, repaired the clothes dryer and stove, repaired the well pump, and the latest was replacing a part in the washer because one of Sadi's socks was sucked down a rinse drain.

The garlic field's drip lines keep springing leaks. Luckily the repair parts are cheap. Trimming off garlic scapes and another round of weeding will eat up time this next week.

Farmer Lance has been involved in a project outside of  town so we were a little late getting some veggies in the ground. He planted more tomatoes outside as well as sweet potatoes, golden potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, okra, butternut squash, and bush beans. It's a smaller field this year but enough for our personal needs.

We're now doing two farmers' markets a week - Prescott and Chino Valley.

Money saving tip for the week - unplug! If you're not using it, unplug it. We did and our electric bill went down $20. Health tip for the week - take a walk or a bike ride at least five days a week.