In the garden

There are not many flowers in the garden yet, but I did see this cute little visitor tonight. He stayed very still for a minute or two, but  once I started to creep closer to get a better shot, he scampered away.

Coming soon!

Gooseberries! These are the pink variety. Tart and delicious.

Strawberries! About another month on these.

Stuart wanted me to post the picture of him with his Star Wars pen.....

Tomatoes! Already looking better than last years!

Raspberries, about to bloom.

Green Gage plums! We didn't get any last year, so this loaded tree makes me very happy!

Blueberry blossoms. Lovely little things, aren't they?

Quince blossoms.

Next year's strawberries are being planted today and tomorrow, and, to add a bit of craziness, we are supposed to have more frost tonight. The boys are setting up irrigation right now, to try and keep the strawberries from being harmed by the frost. We have also hired a helicopter pilot to fly around early tomorrow morning to "move the air", which is supposed to help protect from damage as well. Once again, we have a great planting crew, and the job is going well. I am in charge of keeping the crew caffeinated and fed.

I went for a walk last night, with camera in hand to record the lovely spring evening and progress on crops around the farm. As it turned out, both my DLSR and point and shoot cameras had dead batteries, so I have no photographic record of my lovely walk. This actually turned out to be a good thing, as it was such a beautiful night that I was able to give it my full attention without being distracted by taking pictures and worrying if I lost my lens cap. I even ran up and down a large hill several times, which surely burned off all the calories I had just consumed in the form of a slice of Kentucky Bourbon Pie the Farmer made. If I had taken pictures, this is what you would have seen:
-A large pile of coats, sweaters, and shoes discarded by the farm children as the day turned warm.
-Plums trees covered with tiny, green plums! Since this crop was a total failure last year, I was delighted to see this! I have a recipe for plum cordial I want to try this year.
-The first tiny green blueberries. The bushes are still in full bloom, but one or two bushes had an actual berry or two on them!
-A beautiful sunset mirrored in the glass like surface of the lake-gold, pink, and dusky blue.
-Strawberry plants in full bloom. No fruit yet, just lovely white blooms. The field looks great this year.
-Quince and apple trees in bloom. The quince trees have especially lovely blooms. They are white with strips of pale pink on the underside, and are larger than an apple blossom. So pretty I wanted to pluck a branch to take inside, but I would rather have quince jelly and tart in the fall!
-The Farmer and the eldest farm child (who just turned eighteen and is technically another farm adult, but bear with me as he is still my little boy) trying to fix the John Deere so the field plowing could be finished. They were successful, and as the sun sunk low into the horizon, I could hear the roar of the engine.
-The raspberries, almost ready to bloom. They also look really healthy this year.
-The garden, in all it's lush green glory. Not much has bloomed here yet, as we have no spring blooming bulbs planted. A bleeding heart, a few columbines, and some Camas lilies are the only flowers right now, but the rose bushes are loaded with swollen buds, and my vases are all clean and ready for them!
-The little girls drug out the wicker lawn furniture yesterday afternoon, and spent the first really warm day of the year lounging under the hickory tree begging for popsicles. I unearthed the last bag of frozen blueberries for them instead, and with that they were content. I probably would have taken a picture of my lawn furniture, so happy was I to see it's return.

The long winter has passed, and although we may have more rainy, cold weather, (I have lived in Oregon too long to forget this fact!) it will be interspersed with beautiful, warm, sunny days. I am trying to plan a summer's worth of meals, so during the busy days of June and July I have at least some idea of what is for dinner before 4pm. sneaks up on me. I would love to hear what people's favorite cook books are, as I am always looking for new recipes to try!

When farm boys nap...

...they find the nearest tractor bucket and curl up!

The farm in spring

 I was hoping to get outside for a nice, long walk around the farm while we had a break from the rain. However, I was swamped all weekend and did not get a walk. The weekend was spent helping a friend spread gravel, going to a wedding, and supervising a crew of seven teenagers who were filming a school project on the farm. They needed food, and their parents needed tea and coffee and treats while the filming was going on. This evening, as storm clouds darkened the sky and lightning flashed on the distant hills, I took advantage of the last few minutes of light to take a few pictures and track the progress of the lovely green growing things! The Bleeding Heart plant was in full bloom, and I could see those bright pink flowers from across the yard. I never pick the first few flowers from the spring garden. They do not seem to last well indoors, and seem more suited to being in the garden and not in the house.

 The raspberry vines are coming along nicely, and I saw little flower buds when I inspected them tonight. I was given a recipe for raspberry cordial, which we have been enjoying all winter long, but now I am ready to taste the real thing, picked in the early morning as we walk down to get the store running for the day.

 This picture was actually taken Saturday morning, before the clouds burned off. I love the contrast between the misty grey background and the vibrant green of the grass! The blueberries are in bloom, not full bloom yet, but I look out and see lots of creamy white blossoms.

And, just because they are so beautiful and I am so smitten with them, a picture of the eldest and two youngest farm children. In just a week, the eldest will turn eighteen, so I will have an adult child! Stay tuned for more pictures of lovely green growing things around the farm, and, in just a few short weeks, we will be announcing the beginning of strawberry season!

while we wait.....

 This time of year is one of waiting for us here on the farm. We wait for the rain to stop so we can plant next year's strawberries and mow and cultivate. We wait for the warm sunshine to bring out the bees to pollinate our fruit trees and berries. We eagerly wait for the farm season to begin again, as we truly love what we do and are eager to get back to it. Fortunately, there is plenty to occupy us in these last few weeks before summer begins! The cherry blossoms at the Capitol Mall are in full bloom, and perfectly lovely. We go every year, and enjoy the stroll under the trees as petals drift down and the warm breeze wafts a faint scent over our winter weary senses. 

My mother always joins us for this excursion, and, as her dementia progresses, we are grateful for every moment we have with her. She was helping Stuart across the street, and he was waving at all the cars which had stopped to let them cross.

There are also Easter parties to be had, and this year, we threw a big one. Once the farm season is in full swing, our days are full and tiring. With the exception of a huge Fourth of July party, we are just too tired to entertain much during June and July. This Easter party was a great time to see all of our friends, eat some really good food, and do some dancing. Pictured above are desserts made by the farmer. From the bottom left going clockwise we have chocolate tart with candied walnuts, white chocolate and lemon tart, Kentucky bourbon pie, apple blackberry pie, and walnut cake with coffee frosting and chocolate ganache. Truly delicious stuff!

I am also eagerly waiting for the flowers to return to the garden! I miss the big bouquets of fresh flowers that grace my table and kitchen all summer long. These came from Costco, and they are beautiful and have lasted well, but by this time of year, they are an expense I just can't justify. For the party, I bought four bouquets and then broke them down into smaller bouquets. This allowed me to put bouquets on each table and on the serving table without spending a small fortune!

We also had an egg hunt for the children, and as they hunted, I wandered through the orchard admiring all of the little buds starting to form on the apple and pear trees. I also said a prayer that the rain would stop so that these trees would pollinate! Last year, we had one pear on all of our trees, and almost no plums. One variety of apples did well, and the rest were a washout.  The hoop houses are up, and the little vegetable starts will go in to the ground tomorrow. The long winter is over, and our time of waiting is almost passed. In six short weeks, the winter's rest will be a dim memory,and the days will be full and busy. I can honestly say I am looking forward to it, and am excited to gear up for another year!In the mean time, there are closets to clean out and paper work to catch up on, and a thousand and one other little jobs that need to be done before strawberry season begins. Plenty to keep me busy while we wait!

Blossoms on the plum tree

Another plum tree, almost ready to bud out

Asian pear tree

I thought this was a snake,and  it took a while to get up the nerve to walk past it, only to discover it was a coil of old rubber.

My canoe, waiting for me! I almost went for a row yesterday, but didn't want to take my camera in to the canoe!

Yesterday was such a lovely day, with warm sun and blue, blue skies. I had a chance to get out for a long walk, and enjoyed seeing signs of spring. Blueberry bushes covered with buds, a few tiny blossoms on one variety of plum, new leaves on the blackberries, and little baby ducks briefly spotted on the lake. Of course, this morning is cold, rainy, and gray, and I sit by the fire wrapped in extra blankets, holding my warm coffee cup for extra warmth. So exciting to see signs of spring, as we are all eagerly anticipating the summer's work and fresh berries and swims in the lake.