Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Slept long and hard... we were getting some rain when I finally got into bed. It only got down to 58 last night so warmer. We wound up with only .3 inch but it seemed to be a pretty decent rain. Looks like it soaked in real good.

Dishes in soaking for a few minutes so I can wash them. Needed to come in here and get some sort of lunch. Then I think I will go out and see what is on the tomato vines to salvage. Since it is more partly sun/clouds, than the cloudy/rainy forecast I thought we would have, may as well take advantage of the nicer temps.

 

[farmerjan]

Came in a little bit ago for a late lunch.
We had .3 inch rain last night. Not as much as I thought. Temps stayed up. Hit 70 today and was partly cloudy all day. Thought we might get more but it broke up and sorta "petered out" coming across the mountains.
I decided to dig potatoes today. Figured the ground being a little wet would help not being so hard. It was actually a little muddier than I would have liked but they are all dug. Did 2 rows about 50 ft... one I had gotten about 10 ft dug earlier this month. This is one hill at a time as I do not have a potato plow and there were too many weeds anyway. I will bet there is at least 1-2 bushels... since it is the first time here, and I did not do as much mulching as I wanted... I am pretty pleased. They are nice potatoes, not huge but many are 2/3 the size of the palm of my hand. Sure is alot more than I had.... I will let the dirt dry off them and hopefully get them cleaned up more tomorrow. Sort out the ones I knicked the skin and such so they can get eaten first.
The forecast is not for it to be as cold as they had originally said so I didn't get to the tomatoes. Tomorrow is the plan for them. I see some nice green ones and some nearly ripe ones down low under some of the vines. No frost in the forecast tonight now.

Dishes done and I am going out to put the chickens in the crate, shortly. Legs were aching from standing and bending over in the potatoes so needed to take a short break.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

Came in a little bit ago for a late lunch.
We had .3 inch rain last night. Not as much as I thought. Temps stayed up. Hit 70 today and was partly cloudy all day. Thought we might get more but it broke up and sorta "petered out" coming across the mountains.

It didn't do much over here either. All the weather guys warned about high winds, heavy downpours. Was supposed to be cold Sunday morning, that's now Tuesday or Wednesday.
Not complaining, didn't need raincoat, heat or ac today .

 

[Baymule]

I made dehydrated hash brown potatoes one year and kept them in quart canning jars. I put them in soups and stews too. They kept a long time. I cut them using a mandolin cutter, dropped immediately in a pan of water. When I got them cut, i blanched them, and drained on a towel. Then I dehydrated them.

You were talking about putting stuff up on the shortages thread, there ya' go.

 

[Ridgetop]

I bet you could do other veggies like that too- maybe carrots and tomatoes.

 

[farmerjan]

I made dehydrated hash brown potatoes one year and kept them in quart canning jars. I put them in soups and stews too. They kept a long time. I cut them using a mandolin cutter, dropped immediately in a pan of water. When I got them cut, i blanched them, and drained on a towel. Then I dehydrated them.

You were talking about putting stuff up on the shortages thread, there ya' go.

That's an idea for the potatoes. Have to see about doing it a little down the road here. Get some more things put together, cleaned up in the garden... in the next few days. Next week is 3 days straight of testing.... 200 cows, 90 cows, and 275 cows. But the potatoes won't go bad in that amount of time. It's a good idea. I have never dehydrated potatoes.
I plan to plant more of them next year. Try a couple of other varieties too. Just for fun. I like doing potatoes. I want to have sweet potatoes next year too. I like sweet potatoes. As the knees get better, I will be more active and flexible too....

Time to quit for the night. I need to take the bale truck and move hay bales tomorrow since the raking was the priority Tuesday. DS missed 2 short rows that I had raked here at the house as it was getting dark...and he was in a hurry to get down the hill. Guess I will just gather it up and put in the garden area for mulch next year. It got wet so not going to be edible hay at this point. I could take it up to the nurse cow pasture and see if the calves will eat it but that is really too much trouble since he moved most all the heifers up there, they are mostly his heifers; only a couple are mine in those 2 groups, not going to do that extra for them. I think he is talking about selling some of them anyway.

There are several that are smaller, off first calf heifers, some of the bought ones... they need to start getting fed some grain anyway. 2 cows up there to get sold for sure... my cow that just calved with the huge udder, and his cow that has had the limp for several years and has big teats this year. Then I need to get in a couple others to preg check... 2 of his and 3 of mine... mine have calves on them... one of his does not and I don't think she is bred, could not get her in the last time we checked them... the other is supposed to be bred but doesn't look it. She might have slipped it. Mine are; one that is real nervous in the barn...will go over a gate if pushed, but raises a whopper of a calf so if she is bred she will stay... the others are my nurse cow and my longhorn.... the bull was in there with them for about 2-3 months after they calved so should be bred back I hope.
My other cow there calved yesterday or early today. Call her "Brat" because DS had one named "pet".... she is always there in the way wanting some grain and stuff. Big baby..... had a nice bull calf. That is okay. So she will go with the bull this winter... have his first calf heifer and her calf and this cow and the new calf...to go out to get bred with the rest of the fall calving cows.
I guess he is going to keep these heifers there this year. If the nurse cow is bred she will stay there and so will the nervous cow and the longhorn since she does just fine there. If we lose this place then I guess the longhorn and nurse cow will come home to my house.... nervous cow can go to another pasture... she will come in for grain... just HATES to be in an enclosed place.... worry about it when the time comes. Her heifer calf was pretty wild but is calming down and comes in and doesn't pay much attention to me now so I will keep her; especially if the cow is open... heifer will probably do better once she gets weaned and away from her "nervous nelly" mother too.
I need to get the clipboard and start checking off the heifers, and who had them and all to determine who is "better" and out of better animals too. There are a few that are "just heifers" and can be sold. I only saw one that I know is mine but I wasn't really looking close.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday morning. Going up to see if the bale truck is at the barn and spend an hour or 2 moving the hay bales off these fields here close. Will do the ones at the fields he just baled after these are done and he decides where he wants them.
Down to 44 last night but not too bad. A cooling off a bit then some showers Sat night/Sunday/ into Monday then a BIG CHILL coming...

Colors on the trees getting nice if we don't get too much wind to take them off in the next week or 2.

Getting the tomatoes off the vines the project for the next 2 days before the cold hits as we will definitely get a frost/freeze. Will get the potatoes into a couple of boxes for now and get washed off and sorted.
Going to broach the subject of the Explorer with DS and the other friend that was interested. Then am going to get with GF sister and get it detailed (she is out of work so will get her to do it) and get it listed and sold one way or another. Apple Butter festival at Wade's Mill where I used to work, tomorrow. Ought to be a nice day. I will go as they get alot of crafters there now.
Gotta get going.

 

[farmerjan]

Friday eve. Dark at 7 pretty much now. Chickens in the crate and I had worked on some of the tomatoes for awhile. There are quite a few where the tops had fallen over and the stupid deer did not "dig" into the vines for them. I will go over them better tomorrow in the better light.
Weather forecasts north and south of here, are pretty much in agreement; tonight and the next 2 nights in the mid 40's; Sat nice, 60's and low 70's, Sunday with some showers and then more on Monday and Mon night temps dropping. Expecting a frost/freeze Mon night AND possible snow showers in the Alleghany highlands mon night or tues. That is just to the west, Highland county and into WV..... Days dropping into the 50's for a couple of days then moderating again.
Glad I dug the taters while it was still warmer and more comfortable. There is about a full bushel in the 2 1/2 boxes I put them in , not counting the ones I had already dug.... I figure about 2 bushels total. Not bad for just some leftover potatoes that sprouted, this spring. Maybe 5-7 lbs if that to start with. Still need to wash off the worst of the dirt and sort... got them out of the garden and on the wagon.

Going in to find something interesting for supper. Been eating eggs at night a couple times. Might be again tonight ?

Think I might watch a movie tonight (at home... it's "spooktacular" at the drive in and all that stuff). Gonna have to turn up the heat or get a sweatshirt.... I still have it on but keeping it low. 60 for the most part.

 

[Ridgetop]

I read in my old gardening magazine (years ago) that you can pull the tomato bushes up before the freeze with green tomatoes on them and hang the bushes in a cool place (cellar?) and the tomatoes would continue to ripen. Anyone ever tried this?

 

[Baymule]

No, I've never pulled the plants and hung them up. What I have done is pull all the tomatoes and we ate fried green tomatoes until we were about to pop, then let the rest ripen.