Hickory Green Farm

2010-05-19T20:35:00.002-04:00

Yipee...rain in the barrel...of salad greens and basil, and petunias....hey wait a minute....do I see a weed sprouting too... "no fair!" Can't we have rain with out weeds germinating too.

Oh well I guess one man's weed is another man's salad, flower, or turf. After all it's only turf fescue sprouting in the chard.

2010-05-12T19:00:00.005-04:00

Lavender is in full bloom at Hickory Green Farm this week. After a record breaking snowy Winter and roller coaster weather this Spring all the plants on the farm seem to be blooming in a different rhythm this year.

Zinnias are sprouting from seed,

and a few petite tomatoes are

forming on the vines.

The emergence of plants

and burst of blooms are more

miraculous this year to me

after the snow storms of last Winter.

I bet the produce will be more

flavorful this year too.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

2009-09-16T21:15:00.008-04:00

Chefs and Growers Feast and Hoedown at Manakintown Specialty Growers

A wonderful evening of fresh local food created and shared with Manakintown Specialty Growers "groupies"

It was so nice to slow down and saver what we grow and cook with others who enjoy growing and creating good for you food too.

Thanks Jo & Robbie for mentoring & networking so many people in the local growers and creative food business in Virginia.

A Pearl View of Labor Day

2009-09-09T21:00:00.007-04:00

Pearl says, "After directing the planting of the Fall vegetable garden, chasing squirrels off the farm, and herding up the turkeys for my family I need to find some where I can chill-out. Hey... Dad... how do feel about filling this wash-tub? I need a drink .... please....pretty please...the hose is right here....

Ahhh a Mud Bath...a great way to make the best of what I have on fur.

A perfect fit for "Pearly-Locks" to cool off after a hard day of farming."

First rays of Autmn

2009-09-09T20:29:00.002-04:00

This Honey Bee is shimmering in the twilight of a Autumn evening on the rays of this copper sunflower. Autumn's new light patterns and reflection give a beautiful patina to all the colors in the garden. I feel I must rush outside as soon as I can each day to soak up all that I can of this pink and amber light of Autumn, as I know it passes so quickly, this season of patchwork mountainsides and confetti forest I love so much.

2009-08-12T21:32:00.004-04:00

Honey comb frames... so perfect, so organized, so sweet, a work of art in liquid gold. While the honey houses filled with bees are beautiful, clean, well organized homes...mine is kaos during July...The long daylight hours of summer turn my kitchen into a bounty of harvest to sort, divide, cook, freeze, bottle, can, package,... the harvest then creeps out into the dinning room, sprawls across the dinningroom table and benches ...and it comes to the point I have to get away for a few hours so I run upstairs to sew and quilt...and that room turns into a frenzy of fabric and thread. If I only had a system like those worker bees...but would I have as much summer time fun, would the creativity flow like honey?

I think it's time to make a honey cake....

2009-07-13T21:50:00.003-04:00

Sunshine floating in a milkglass bowl on the kitchen table...a beautiful bit of inspiration to enjoy while managing some of the day's duties in the kitchen.

Saturday July 11th Hickory Green Farm donated a bouquet of 15 sunflowers to the Center for Rural Culture's raffle. When the Market official drew the winning number a squeal of delight rang out through the crowd....as I looked around to see who the lucky woman was a darling little girl was skipping up to the Market official with the winning ticket. With a handsome smile the Market official's young son gave her the huge vase of sunflowers. Hugging the vase with all her heart the winner posed for the perfect picture of a beautiful sunny day at the Goochland Farmer's Market. Turning around after taking the winner's photo I noticed the whole crowd was smiling with the winner as though they had won too...sharing the joy...sometimes I think the sunflower should be the olive branch. Hummm....flower for thought...

"bee" a sunflower at the Goochland Farmer's Market

2009-06-24T21:56:00.006-04:00

Visit us at the Goochland Farmer's Market in Virginia on Saturday mornings til noon where you can shop for delicious foods, scented flowers, beautiful art, and you can become a radiant sunflower. This is my Sister in law Kate who is ever so clever and fun.

2009-06-24T21:01:00.002-04:00

"A deer" point of view from across the pasture....

"A deer" point of view from the dry creek bottom...sneaking up to the squash, gourds and cucumbers....but really looking for those delicious sunflowers....

The brazing "deer point" of view just outside the tunnel of deer netting and real close to the orchard....

Yea Pearl! Keep the deer out of the garden...Good girl Pearl! Thanks to deer netting tunnels and Pearl's vigilance the garden continues to grow and bloom for "a dear" view from my porch rocking chair.

2009-06-24T20:45:00.002-04:00

Ahhh My favorite week of the year has the longest day of sunlight. The sunflowers reflect the beautiful summer sun late into the night this time of year to give way to the beautiful twilight where the lighting bugs sparkle into the clear warm starry nights. Ahhh summer, love it, love it, love it. Let the summer sun rain down on me.

Tis the season at your local farmer's Market...

2009-06-03T22:43:00.004-04:00

Spring garden peas

Shop your local farmer's market to find produce that is truly ripe for the season. This week in central Virginia you should be able to find freshly harvested and ready to prepare for meals; chard, sweet peas, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, radish, turnips, all kinds of onions, mushrooms, carrots, sprouts, micro greens, mint, chives, oregano, parsley, lavender, sage, arugula, beets...go and visit your local farmer's market to discover the best produce at it's best in season and delicious.

Hollyhocks

When you visit your local Farmer's Market here in central Virginia you will discover all the products that are in season picked or harvested at the peek of perfection. If you want flowers you will find gorgeous specimens that are in bloom naturally this time of year in Virginia. Fresh cut and long lasting with beautiful aromas.

Visit Goochland Virginia's Farmer's Market and discover local wines, produce, bison, farm raised trout, goat cheeses, Cow cheese, local beef, local pork, fresh cut flowers, Vegetable plants and herbs, locally grown orchids, compost, fresh chicken, eggs, sorbet, all locally grown and produced.
Wonderful artist also participate at the Goochland Farmer's Market selling their handwork and craftsmanship in an array of different mediums.

Enjoy each season at the Farmer's Market.

2009-06-03T21:13:00.002-04:00

Yellow clover is in full bloom at Hickory Green Farm and waving with the weight of honeybees collecting nectar. The field of yellow clover is humming with bees working very diligently to collect all that the cover has to offer each day. It is an amazing little environment to experience. Pearl even notices the field and approaches it with interest and observation, as if she realizes it is a work zone that she should not disturb. In all it's golden beauty the field may simply and quickly be enjoyed for its radiant color...but if you slow down and really enjoy the field for all it has to offer... you will smell the sweetness, feel the swaying waves of amber, hear the hum of the honey bees, if you take the time to really understand what the buzzzzzz is all about.

So Many Shades of Green

2009-05-20T22:07:00.003-04:00

Beets, Turnips, Cabbage, Broccoli, what beautiful green "eye candy." Soon these crops will be part of delicious meals to share with families and friends.
Green energy for the body and soul.

The vine

2009-05-20T21:22:00.004-04:00

This beautiful Clematis vine and the Bittersweet vine are rampid with growth this time of year and Ross & I were admiring the architecture of the vines ....When I thought, "My that top vine section is mighty thick." Oh my goodness that's a Black Snake...darn I bet he's gotten those baby wrens in that bird house... darn darn darn...let me look in the bottle bird house.... oooooooooooooh darn...do you see what I see..."

Yea,... A Black Snake in the bird house bottle and a Black Snake on the bird house bottle ... well I guess the mouse population will be in check this season. Note to self: Pay attention when pruning these vines back, getting eggs out of the chicken coop, weeding, cutting the grass, etc. Thank goodness Black Snakes are not poisonous...

The next day I saw my barn cat, "Frederick," carrying a dead Black Snake across the side yard. Nature takes its coarse..."Let it be," and pay attention.

Visit the Goochland Farmer's Market

2009-05-11T22:24:00.002-04:00

This is the Hickory Green Farm booth at the Goochland Farmer's Market. This time of the year we are featuring; gourds for making bird houses and crafts, Bearded Iris tubers to plant in your gardens, Garden Gate wreaths made from eleagnus branches with pockets of potted live plants. "Meadow Bouquets" of fresh cut flowers and herbs, Fresh cut Iris blooms to arrange, "Pussy Willow" branches, and unique garden pillows that are beautiful botanical accents for any gardener. To see the weekly features of the Goochland Farmer's Market click on our side bar link. Each week the market vendors keep it fresh and local.

Meadow Bouquets

2009-05-11T21:56:00.004-04:00

From the fields of Hickory Green Farm we are harvesting meadow flowers. Apple mint, spearmint, chive blossoms, mustard blooms, arugula blooms, allium blooms, saliva, crimson clover, hosta foliage, and orchard grass are gathered for a mildly spring scented arrangement. "Blooming Joy in a Mason Jar."

Lucky Peppers

2009-05-06T22:34:00.003-04:00

Mini environment:
Pepper plants grown in a bed of crimson clover and covered with deer netting.
We are using the crimson clover as a green mulch and soil conditioner for the pepper plants while reducing the opportunity for weeds to grow. The deer netting is a must to reduce damage by grazing deer.
A 4 leaf clover crop is growing in the pepper garden...We are so Lucky.

Seeds, seeds, seeds

2009-05-06T22:09:00.002-04:00

This is our kitchen counter....or the seed sorting desk. 8 feet of counter under the cover of seed packets and jars of saved seeds with notes and dates sprawled 24/7 for the last 2 weeks. I try to contain the bounty of seeds in the wooden bowl in the left portion of the picture, but we are always regrouping and organizing and planning. A temporary collage of seeds for our counter...beautiful.

2009-05-06T21:21:00.002-04:00

Fresh spring greens. We use to gather these "field greens"or "salad greens" for a inexpensive accompaniment to poached eggs of any sort, duck, turkey, or chicken, when we were first independent young adults trying to stretch our pennies. A great dinner would be steamed "field greens" and wild onions with a poached turkey egg and maybe a piece of bread with wild blackberry jam. Now these tasty nutritious greens are cultivated and sold at farmer's markets and grocery stores. You can discover more about "salad greens" in this month's, "Virginia Living," magazine featuring our favorite farmer of "salad greens" Manakintown Specialty Growers. Field Cress, wild onion, and dandelion greens are pictured here on my Grama's china.
Mmmmm delicious, nutritious,
fresh...and now gourmet.

Apple Blossom Time

2009-04-13T22:41:00.003-04:00

We are grateful that last week's frost did not damage the Apple Blossoms. The bees are enjoying the nectar of these beautiful trees, and we hope to enjoy the fruit this fall. It will be Pearl's job to keep the squires out of the orchard until harvest time.

A walk through the orchard this time of year is great place to capture photos of family and friends.

Rhythm

2009-04-13T22:18:00.004-04:00

The rhythm of our daily lives is beautifully reveled all around the farm these days. Outside and inside.

Did you know....?

2009-04-07T19:25:00.003-04:00

Red Bud blossoms are yummy for people and bees. We eat them on our salad.

Lately we stroll the fields and woodlands for our daily exercise....however the pace has slowed quite a bit....Ross needs to take note of every plant that may bloom, is in bloom, or has bloomed and will it taste good as honey? In other words there is little exercise and a lot of exploration. Ross notes if there is pollen on the bees and how much, and where the is bee going, where has the bee been? Observation of what most people take for granted is amazing in the case of honey bees.

My Gramps use to dig dandelions up and out of his manicured lawn. Gramp's most hated "weed" next to wild onions was dandelions. Ross, he is thrilled with dandelions...food for bees and good for honey production. One man's weed is another man's gold. (me) LOL

Pink & Green

2009-04-05T22:06:00.002-04:00

The Dogwoods of Hickory Green Farm
were emerging from tightly formed buds in a
pastel pallet of rose, soft green, and amber on Saturday
when my mama came to visit us.
Serendipitous as her favorite flower is the Dogwood blossom.

Pink and green are my mom and daughter's
"signature colors."
Even on a very casual Saturday stroll around the farm my girl's are
" fashionistas" coordinating with the spring blooms in their beautiful
"signature pink and green."

Of coarse we shared good food and giggles while enjoying the sunshine, blue sky, rolling green fields, and blossoms.

One Spring Day...

2009-04-01T20:50:00.008-04:00

Last Saturday I saw: hope, anticipation, encouragement, compassion, excitement, determination, shear guts, humor, friendship, strength, community spirit, kindness, positive energy, exuberance…

Guess where …

It starts at 4:45 am, I prepared for year, I pray, I see: Elvis, Divas, cows, people from several nations, architecture and landscape from a 100+ years to present day, famous works of art more than a hundred years old, contemporary works of art, cobblestone alleys and brick walks, dogs of many sizes, bananas, bagels, granola, lots and lots of cups and bottles, signs and banners, Flags, band aids, & bands, dancers and cheer leaders, Parrot-heads, dancing dragons, readers, buffets, brunch, fried peppers & onions with hotdogs, birthday cards & birthday balloons, coaches, grandmothers & grandfathers, sisters & brothers, daughters & sons, aunties & uncles, friends and teams, fraternities and sororities, officers, priest, juice and water, hats of every color and style, Easter wreaths and eggs, balcony parties, sidewalk picnics, cameras, reporters, a college campus, mossy tree trunks, cranes, canes, places of worship, historic landmarks, tents, port-a- potties, philosophy, poetry, posters, flags, plus 66,000 sneakers.

Yea you guessed it…

I was lucky enough to participate in the Ukrops 10k Monument Avenue Race in Richmond, Virginia. That evening we met several friends at the White Hawk Café in Goochland County for sandwiches and some great Bluegrass music by “Maidens Crossing.” A beautiful Spring day in the heart of Virginia shared with friends old and new. A very fine day to remember.
“Zippity-do-daw !”

Hope to post a video of the 6.1 mile route soon. Stay tuned.

P.S. Seeds are sprouting! The weeding begins.

Cool season crops

2009-03-23T20:44:00.003-04:00

Hat, gloves, mud-boots, seeds, well tuned tiller, basic garden plan, hoe, rake, shovels, garden hose, string, marker, stakes, watering can, straw, bone meal, compost,...and "we'rrrrre off!" Spring gardening has begun. yeh!

" Inch by Inch row by row we're going to make this garden grow" and enjoy a day together outside. Tonight it will be aspirin for aching muscles. As the garden shapes up so does the body...I hope...LOL.

I do believe gardening is good exercise for the brain, body and soul. Gardening seemed to work well in all of these aspects for Thomas Jefferson, maybe it will do well by us too.

We are taking a different path this year with house garden.

"Busy Bees"

2009-03-23T20:35:00.003-04:00

The Honey Bees are finding every little blossom at Hickory Green Farm. All of the boxwood were humming on Saturday and when we took a closer look we could hardly "beelieve" how many bees were on each boxwood bush.

2009-03-18T21:22:00.004-04:00

"Highland Pearl of Hickory Green Farm"
explores the pasture for moles, squirrels, rabbits, deer....
Her job is to announce any intruders (human or critter) by barking loudly and
to protect plant material from other creatures (deer & moles)
Ohhhh there are just so many great smells for Pearl to hunt now that the earth is warming up!

Sharing the joy of spring.

Signs of the time...

2009-03-18T19:55:00.006-04:00

Through the brown blanket of leaf mulch ...

From earth and log new life is rising up.

Golden crowns are radiant in the glorious sunshine.

and the woodlands are carpeted in blue.

The Lenten Rose is swaying in the breeze.

Quince brightly beckons

the honeybees to collect pollen and nectar.

All of these beautiful signs

indicate that seed planting at Hickory Green Farm is immanent.

Yes! These are the signs I have been waiting to read all month.

Old Man Winter

2009-03-15T11:48:00.003-04:00

Old Man Winter says, "One more for the Road" Friday morning.

The calender and seed packs we have indicate this weekend is perfect to start planting cool crop seeds. Yes!....no not quite yet according to the wet & cold reality. So, off to the farm store on Sunday to get more chicken feed, bird seed, a new rain gage, 2 cycle oil...more preparations in anticipation of planting days. I know in my heart that spring is on it's way under this blanket of snow thanks to the determined daffodils, blooming swamp maples, winter Jasmin, and swelling peach buds. In observation there are many signs of good things emerging this season.

Weather Ballon Extraction

2009-03-15T11:15:00.004-04:00

The weather balloon was successfully removed by the wonderful Powhatan county fire dept. at the request of the National Weather Service. Thursday while at work I received several phone calls from the National Weather Service and Powhatan county dispatch letting me know the status of the weather equipment extraction from the Trees at Hickory Green Farm. All of the service people involved worked as a team with the best dispositions and professionalism. The weather is so important to many professions, but especially to farmers. We really appreciate the scientist that try to help us understand and be good stewards of this beautiful earth.

*Wish I had a video of Pearl "greeting" the fire dept. (barking her tail off) through the dinning room window on her bench. LOL She had a perfect view of the extraction from her window.

Ross and I intend on accepting the invitation to visit the weather station and watch some balloons being launched. This has been a fascinating experience for us both. Thanks to Steve & Bill at the Weather Service and to the Powhatan Sheriff's Dept., and the Powhatan County Fire Dept. there are a lot of good things happening in our community.

hummmmmmmmm ... What...is...that...

2009-03-11T21:04:00.002-04:00

Randi, "goodness that must be a new honey bee contraption of Dad's...what is next for these honey bees?"

Halsey, "Oh my I think we should call the sheriff...it has a box attached to 100' of rope 80' up into another tree and a test tube attached to a huge balloon...whats in the box....get the binoculars....Ross what do you think...?"

Ross, "Yea call the sheriff...look at that yellow stuff in the test tube...how are we going to get that stuff down...call the national weather service too....my binoculars are not strong enough to read the letters on the box...lets see what the sheriff says..."

Conclusion: after the sheriff came out he said, "hum... this is a first for me....but I'm going to call someone I know who works for a weather station .... Yea this fits the profile for weather balloons coming out of Blacksburg. We may have to help get it down with the fire dept. give the National Weather service a call and have them call the county if they need help getting this out of your trees." He left us with the NOAA number.

Of coarse we called NOAA and talked to several people and Stephen from the Blacksburg office had us e-mail a few pictures to NOAA for ID . They are working on a plan for retrieval so that the equipment can be returned to Kansas where they recondition the equipment connected to the balloon to use again. Stephen invited us the visit the weather station for a tour and observation of a weather balloon launch for our efforts.

Oh by the way the yellow stuff in a the test tube it holds a antenna in place for the balloon tracking equipment.

This is so ironic as much as Ross watches the weather.
Stay tuned to the weather balloon retrieval experience.

"Goes to show ya:" If you are observant sometimes really interesting experiences come from out of the BLUE when you least expect it.

Beauty & the Beast...Snow Storm

2009-03-09T20:14:00.013-04:00

A beautiful beast.

Crystal clear blue sky reflecting on the snow

The orchard in a vale of glitter.

Turkey Tracks.......beast

Honey bee hives....."beauties"

A new dawn.

Now come on Spring!!!

Have your Cake & Pie and eat them too.

2009-03-09T19:38:00.004-04:00

Cooking is so fun when there is no time element and because there is plenty of physical work when it snows you can eat with out guilt. You can have your cake and pie and enjoy every bite. Before we lost power I made "Ahh-ha cake" and healthy chicken pot pie from scratch. The best is cake for breakfast when there is no power. It makes no power much easier. Coffee brewed over the open fire is a little strong but perfect with cake.

Savory Chicken pot pie has the protien to carry us through all of the wood "tote-n" (Ross's slang) and snow "shovel-n". See you really need all of these calories in snowy weather to survive.

Intertaining with out electricity

2009-03-08T10:13:00.005-04:00

After enjoying the views of the beautiful snow covered forest and fields we loaded the fireplace with wood, then we needed to entertain our brains and distract our brains (AKA - attitude improvement mission) from a lack of electrical power so..... Ross had given me a hand crank sewing machine for Valentines a few years ago and we set it up on the coffee table near the fireplace and began to sew some little rectangles together. Yes I said we.....

We set up a system of me sewing and Ross clipping threads and Pearl supervising. This was my initial plan to distract us from the cold that was slowly but surely going to become hard to bear. Who new we would have a record breaking cold weather without heat in our home? I was determined to take this challenge with the best and most constructive attitude I could in honor of prior generations who had lived life in more primitive conditions than I had ever had.

Conclusion: My ancestors where better prepared than we are and I'm physically not in good enough shape to handle no power for 48 hrs+ when it is 4 degrees outside even with my best intentions.

Fooled by Mother Nature

2009-03-01T21:34:00.003-05:00

4:00 pm It is still snowing. I guess Old Man Winter is really back for a visit. I may make some snow cream tomorrow, but I will miss sharing it with Randi.

2:30 Pm March 1, 2009 Looks like a real snow for Central Virginia.

I'm going to quilt after checking on the bees with Ross and Pearl.

1:00 pm March 1, 2009

Laugh out loud! Mother Nature fooled me. We are making some "Comfort food." Home-made Chicken Pot Pie & "A-ha cake", for a big mid day dinner in case we loose power later on our bellies will be full. First we will stack wood on the back porch, build a fire in the fire place, fill all tea pitchers with water, start some laundry and check on the bees. Of coarse Pearl will assist with all of our snow preparations.

2009-03-01T21:11:00.002-05:00

Feb. 16th feels like Spring. The Pussy Willow bush is nearly in full bloom. Ross and I have been pruning dead limbs and planting little saplings. Being outside is so refreshing. Bulbs are begining to emerge from the leaf mulched earth.

The pasture is greening up with clover and you can feel and smell the soil warming up today. I've noticed a few swamp maples in thier garnet vale of Spring blossoms. Good food for the honey bees initial flights this spring.

We are anticipating our first planting and looking for signs of previously planted perrenials. Spring is near. Deep sigh.

2009-02-23T21:35:00.005-05:00

Honey bee on a apple blossom 2008.

Honey is Ross's "comfort food" He has been working since Christmas to get new honey bee hives ready for the spring. He is observing his bees all year around and calling his Bee Mentor Tom. They compare notes on weather temp, blooming plants, swarms, rain, etc. There is more work to bees than people think. Honey bees are fascinating. Some of the hives he and Tom have collected honey from have weighed as much as 120 pounds. Even our dog Pearl knows the word "bees" and where to find the hives on the farm. We check on the hives everyday and Pearl leads the way.

2009-02-20T19:23:00.003-05:00

"Comfort food"

While waiting in line at the grocery store I noticed a lot of magazine covers with the headline "Comfort food" and I got to thinking, "what is my comfort food?" Mmmmm chocolate, homemade wheat mac&cheese, ...after that I neeeeed "eye-candy"... a good mix of colorful fabrics, colorful quilts, photos, fresh flowers, and fresh produce from the garden beautifully arranged all shared with friends and family.

Another bit of comfort is this wonderful little sew machine my great Auntie Barbie left me. It has been to camps to quilt, hotels to quilt, a mountain cottage to quilt, a beach house to quilt, a lake house to quilt, each of the 8 woman's homes that I have quilted with for the last 16 years, the library to quilt, and two quilt shops to teach classes. Together we have stitched up many good times and memories.

This could be the "comfort corner" of "guest/sewing room." The fabric, patterns, sketch books, rulers, etc. start to "bulge" & spill out when I quilt. Slowly but surely the fabric pieces and parts spill into the hall and into the other bed room up stairs as designs and plans evolve for a quilt...the ironing board is in the loft, cutting mats are buried under rulers and fabric on beds. A few Hershey kisses and a cup of coffee are in the mix some where in this plan ..all the while I can smell a delicious crock of Mac&cheese cooking in the oven while the sewing machine humms. Building a quilt... this is comfort for all the senses that eventually develops into comfort for others to use and share.

"Comfort food"

2009-02-12T19:55:00.002-05:00

This is our treasured hedge of Elaeagnus. I serves many purposes here at Hickory Green Farm. In weather like this the hedge is a great host for birds, and the birds are part of the natural insecticide plan. In the spring the Elaeagnus sends out long whip like shoots which we cut and weave into wreaths and cornucopias to sell at the Goochland Farmer's Market. The hedge also makes a great wind buffer at the top of a ridge along our driveway. In September the Elaeagnus blooms a very small blossom that smells wonderful and gives the honey bees their late season nectar. Besides being beautiful and fragrant the hedge is very beneficial.

The perfect snow... Pearl and I could still walk down our road and the view was spectacular. Not quite deep enough for snow cream though.

This is February in the flower field of Hickory Green Farm. Seek and find; the clothes-line, picnic table, bench, bird bath, bird feeder, Whiskey barrel planter, Purple Martin house,
big holly, 3 little boxwood, Red bud by the stump. The flower beds are covered by snow here, but they will be evident soon. I will try to take this same picture every couple of months, and we can watch the seasons change at Hickory Green Farm.

2009-02-09T20:34:00.003-05:00

Spider-web?

This looks like the deep depths of the ocean where the life forms glow in the dark and sway gently with the currents...

but really these pictures are a Crape Myrtle covered in snow.
Who knew snow reflected the camera flash so well at 6:00 am? New discovery for me.

2009-02-09T19:37:00.004-05:00

I think the thermometer is frozen in time...It just won't move.

The orchard is a beautiful Winter Ice Wonderland after a small ice storm. Lucky we did not loose any branches due to the ice. It is hard to believe in a few weeks these branches will burst into blossom and the honey bees will be humming along every branch. I dream of spring when I am cold. BRRRRRRRRRRRR

All wrapped up in a stick of ice there are hundreds of little pink and green petals gathering up energy from the roots and waiting for sun's warmth to engage new growth and beautiful pink blossoms that will mature into delicious fruit and honey. That is amazing.

I must bee patient, tolerate the cold and enjoy the gifts each season brings.

When I'm waiting for Spring I do feel like a child waiting for Christmas.

2009-02-02T18:32:00.003-05:00

Plant protection is a year around challenge at Hickory Green Farm. Deer do not like to eat lavender.....however free range chickens like to scratch for grubs and other bugs around the low growing plants nestled in deep soft soil until the plant is dug up. Ross came up with this clever, inexpensive, reusable way to protect the perennial plants from the chickens using scraps of PVC, deer netting, & twist ties. Great invention! Plants are caged and the chickens are free...ummmm..yes that is reverse of what is usually done on most farms, but it seems to work for us.

2009-01-29T21:02:00.006-05:00

Funny I never regret early morning walks...but it does take very special gear on these extra cold mornings ..................................................................

Pearl and I walk week day mornings with friends from down the road. We walk 2miles at 6 am. When it's really cold I wear the very special gear you see Pearl modeling. My talented daughter made my garnet colored scarf. The first layer of hand warming gear are glow in the dark tropical print gloves my wonderful cousin from Florida sent me. The next layer of hand gear is a pair of apple green mittens hand knit by my Farmer's market friend "sheknits." I wear jeans, with green paint on them, and a old barn coat, that went to many of my daughter's equestrian events, a hunter's orange cap my mom made, 2 or 3 layers of socks, and sturdy pink and white walking shoes too. Pearl dances all about with enthusiasm each morning as soon as she sees me begin to pull out my very special walking gear. When we reach the front sidewalk Pearl is prancing with her nose in the air, then to the ground and then all around and the joy of our morning exploration begins. No matter how cold it is. Watching the break of day is incredible. We greet our friends in a quarter mile and down the road we all go grateful for having these opportunities to share recipes, watch the sun's light meet the horizon, see the moon's light cast shadows, watching falling stars, listening to deer graze in the pasture, visiting with friends, and so much more. By the time we return home and Pearl runs to the biscuit drawer in the kitchen, I'm refreshed and ready for the day...after I put away my very special walking gear for tomorrow's day "break."

2009-01-28T20:43:00.003-05:00

I love paper whites this time of year. They are a beautiful reaffirmation that spring is on its way and daylight is increasing bit by bit. These two photos are taken about ten days

apart. While the paper whites are growing the countdown to spring planting begins. Seed catalogs are scoured and researched, seed lists are made, and then seeds are ordered. When the paper whites are almost through blooming packages and boxes of gifts(seeds) arrive by the UPs truck. When the paper whites are ready to be compost the first cool season seeds are ready to be planted and spring's first blooms on the hardwood trees in the forest are emerging, the gift of new life. Honeybees will clean out the hives and soar to the hardwood blossoms for nectar while bluebirds scout out houses for nesting. Paper whites...the bridge from winter into spring...heaven scent...ahhh.

2009-01-14T18:59:00.007-05:00

We finally have this tree about whittled down to size....

Pearl, our westie, has been by our side for about 4 weekends while we have been cutting up this huge oak. Last summer's drought took it's toll on the big oak. The squirrels have diligently propagated many of it's acorns about the farm leaving their sent all over this log pile. Pearl believes it is her duty to send the squirrels to the tree tops and make sure that no moles have tunneled under the logs.

This pile is a magnet to Pearl, she sprints across the pasture every time we go out. She has single focus to have fun and investigate this pile of fire wood...her determination is giving me a good bit of extra exercise too. I have to cross the pasture to see what she has discovered and bring a few more logs up at least once a day. Pearl is a great inspiration in so many ways.

2009-01-08T20:29:00.003-05:00

The moon and stars are so bright tonight there is hardly a need for a flashlight. We went out to the garden shed to admire some new bee hives we received today and relish the potential honey in the season yet to come. When we could no longer bear the cold we came out of the garden shed only to look up and adjust our eyes to the night when what did we see but "7 Turkeys by the light of the moon. " Sounds like the title of a good country song.

Saturday after Christmas we decided to make a old fashion Brunswick Stew to share with our family. Bravely the Bourbon Red Turkey flock came over to investigate the recipe.

The turkey's job is to eat the June bugs off the zinnias and they do a very good job, but they are all so a great source of entertainment at Hickory Green Farm all year around.

2009-01-07T21:50:00.005-05:00