Strawberries are done here come the Raspberries!

STRAWBERRIES ARE THE BEST EVER!

Started picking in earnest over the weekend. These berries are the best we have ever had - dark red, juicy, sweet, perfectly shaped. They smell sooooooo good!
We're open every day now until the end of the season. The kids start picking about 8 and berries are available shortly after that. YouPick is open whenever you want to pick.
Plans are coming to a head for the Strawberry Festival on Saturday. Hope to see you there!

PICKING UPDATE

We will pick Saturday unless it is raining. Call for more information.

OOPS!!! RAIN DELAY

Picked one bucket this morning - rain is really slowing the berries down. We will not complain but it sure makes us anxious! Hopefully we will pick on Friday - all it will take is a day of sun. If that happens, we could stand there and watch the berries ripen. Be sure to call before making a trip out here. We will keep you posted.

OPEN FOR PICKING THURSDAY

Tuesday, June 20, Charlie and Bailey will do the prepick which should make us open for picking on Thursday, Friday for sure. Might want to give us a call before coming or check back here Thursday morning.

Happy Father's Day it was! The Mooses had dinner at Lake Tahoe, the Duvicks at Mt. Ranier, Mike Knoxes here - quite a day! Yesterday was also Kalvin's 12th birthday. His choice of birthday dinner was pretty simple: ribs, corn, Gram's bread, red velvet cake and neopolitan ice cream! We tossed in some salad, asparagus and baked potatoes and all of us ate until we were more than stuffed!
Kal and Kade picked about 2 quarts of red, juicy, delicious strawberries and took home the few they didn't eat and could keep away from mom, Jenny. Those first berries are sooooooo good. Summer is here!

Meg, Kate & Alex picked a few red berries yesterday. Look for us to start picking next Wed. or Thu. We will post it as soon as we know for sure. The girls all said the strawberries are delicious! Wonderful rain last night and today. Berries should be the best ever!

Suddenly there are berries! More berries than we have ever had! Tom guesstimates that we will have about 800+ buckets of picked berries which translates to about 6000 pounds of strawberries which is around 3 tons! Pretty hard to imagine? Well it's hard for us to imagine, too! With the .4" of rain last night, the berries should about double in size in the next day or so. The cool weather is probably good for a day or two and when it warms up next week, we should start finding a few ripe ones here and there. The field looks wonderful; it should be a good year.
The Strawberry Festival plans are all set. We put ads everywhere we could and are hoping that not all of our friends/family/customers will head north to the lakes. The highlight will be a chocolate fountain. Sis-in-law, Judy Fesler, is the chocolate fountain guru and is bringing it from Danville, Iowa. We encourage everyone to wear a bib!
Daughter, Jane and her daughters are ready to do face painting and nail painting --- all in strawberries of course. There will be lots of fun at their tent.
Some of the craft tents will be "barn quilts," ceramics, jewelry, lawn art, soaps, jams and jellies, honey, breads from Kate's, and much more.
We will miss the first weekend of picking but have folks who will handle it all. We will be Seattle at Patrick and Jaime's wedding - a short trip out and back but what a wonderful time it will be.
Updates will follow on berry status and wedding fun!

Memorial Day Weekend - a memorable weekend indeed! Lisa, Jane, Mike and all the grandkids here. Thanks to all of them, tomatoes, cucs, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, brussel sprouts are all in the ground. Just a few squash and pumpkins are left for Grampa to plant plus the onions and seeds (beans, carrots, beets, etc.). Potatoes made it into the ground last Thursday with Charl and Alex's help; sweet corn and field corn are planted. The deck is clean and the furniture is out. The screen porch was perfect for the kids - it's their outdoor restaurant. The outdoor shower is complete with soap, shampoo and scrubbies just waiting for a warm afternoon. The pond has close to several hundred less tadpoles after umpteen trips with a jar full by wide-eyed, grinning, muddy little people. A few baby kittens were found and quickly hidden again by their moms. Plans for a campfire got rained out but burgers and hotdogs are still good when everyone's been outside all day. Not sure whose fault it is but somehow a bucket and a half of ice cream disappeared! Chocolate chip pancakes are really the breakfast of choice for the kids; their parents didn't fair badly with omelets and sausages! A brew and a glass of wine are so much better shared with people you love.
Just 4 weeks from today we will all be in Seattle for Patrick and Jaime's wedding along with some of our favorite people. Although it will be a short week, we are all excited and so happy for them.
This coming week is to be warmer so the asparagus may really be at it's peak. Strawberries are blooming and the fruit trees have all bloomed. We think there are many less blooms on the fruit trees than in years past but we will see.
So much to be thankful for.

STRAWBERRY
FESTIVAL
KNOX GREEN HILL FARM
SAT. - JULY 2 - 10am-2pm
FAMILY FUN - GAMES - PRIZES
TASTING - EATS & TREATS
U-PICK & WE PICK BERRIES

Just back from Tom's 55th high school class reunion. Amazing how people change/don't change/think they haven't changed/still need to make some changes! I even had a great time meeting some new folks and visiting with some I've met before. It's also amazing how 500 miles south can make such a difference in spring; trees were completely leaved out, lilacs blooming, flowers everywhere, corn up about 6" (not much even planted around here); the whole drive is one change after another. Over the years we've always tried to make a stop at Mona's Restaurant in Toluca, Il. for lunch or dinner. We made it there early afternoon. Tom had his usual tortellinis with sausage; I had mostaccioli; salads are simple and covered with creamy blue cheese and topped with grated blue cheese. Throw in a glass of red and heaven is here. Anyone travelling down I-39 should make a quick turn to the west at Illinois 17 for a taste test. It's well worth the trip.
Today is errands and mowing. Spring truly has arrived with the feeling we are already about 3 weeks behind.
Asparagus is growing - seems to taste better this year than ever.
Our morel mushroom friend, Tony, hasn't had much luck so far so it may be a mushroomless house here. Heard they were thick in Illinois and Iowa.
Plans are growing for the Strawberry Fest. More on that later.

Picked 2 baskets of asparagus this morning - we will founder tonight!
Watch the finches, indigo buntings, rose-breasted grosbeaks, orioles, hummingbirds, chickadees and a few I can't name (probably sparrows) - all the bird feeders this morning. Such beautiful little creatures!
Need to mow the alley-ways in the garden tomorrow. Spring really is here.
Daffodils are beginning to fade. Magnolia tree has virtually exploded with blossoms. Violets all over the place. Love this time of year!
Any ideas for the Strawberry Festival are welcome.

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
SAT. JULY 2, 2011
10am - 2pm
PRIZES
GAMES
TASTING
CLASSES

WATCH FOR MORE TO COME!

On a very sad note, we lost Casey on the Saturday morning before Easter. We knew he was old (14x7=98yrs)but were far from ready to lose him. Casey, like most border collies, was never a bother. He was always glad to see you, rarely barked, stayed his distance, protected little ones from geese or ducks or whatever. One afternoon he stood between Gracie Draxler who was about 3 and a menacing goose. He knew when and where he was needed. During the winter he usually slept in the basement (the floor is cool and it's not too hot down there.) In the morning he was always quiet until we were up; after wiggling and "talking" to us he was ready to head outside to inspect the farm and make sure every critter was still there and where it should be. He hated storms and loud noises; somehow he learned to open the front door and became our best weather predictor. If he came in, we knew there was thunder somewhere and, sure enough, it would soon be audible to us and headed our way. Hunting season was hard for him; he wanted and needed to be outside working but gun shots made it very difficult for him. We could see he slowed down and decided to get Belle. She was good for him; he would run with her and romp around like a pup. He began to slow down again and now he's gone. Katie said through her tears that he was her very favorite dog and her best friend. She said it all. We will miss him. He lies between the maples in the spot after Sanford. He left a warm spot in all our hearts.

Just spent a wonderful week in Solvang, CA with friends, Paul & Frances. Tom and Paul lived together their first years of teaching so there's always lots to reminisce and talk about. Frances & I just laugh and listen to them. Paul taught across the hall from me; for some reason my desk was usually rigged to scare the devil out of me. Wonder who did that? Had lunch on the ocean at Moro Bay and at Santa Barbara. It all looked just like the pictures in a travel magazine. Weather was in the 80s with clear blue skies and flowers blooming everywhere. The area is gorgeous, Solvang is charming beyond words. Being in Solvang, one would expect everyone to be speaking in Danish; it looks like a Danish village, the pastries would make a believer out of anyone! The wine culture has invaded the area; grapes are growing everywhere. North of Solvang are acres and acres of fresh veggies and strawberries. We went to a strawberry festival at Santa Maria and brought home lots of fun ideas. A visit to our patch this year will have some games and prizes! We ate fresh berries and greens, fresh seafood and lots of pastries. P & F could not have been more gracious hosts! We came home with the "I could live there feeling." Sorry the weather was so horrible here but not sorry to have missed it. An overnight in Las Vegas (our first) was fun but it's way too busy for these old folks. There's a lot to be said for the midwest!

The asparagus is still struggling to come up. At this time last year, we were picking 50+ pounds a day. The strawberries are coming up through the straw; Tom will rake the straw ASAP and hope for the best. Perhaps this next week will give us the warmth needed. The plants in the greenhouse look great. Thanks to our friend, Bonnie Cronk, who watered and babied them while we were gone.

A few green tops of asparagus trying to peek through! We forget how beautiful daffodils are and how green grass can be. Snow flurries predicited for tomorrow. This has to end soon.
Wonderful Easter at Duvicks on Shell Lake. Saw the first boat of the season on the lake. The drive up there really felt like spring. The girls played outside in the sun and loved it.
Soon................

April 17: cold, clear blue sky with a few puffs of clouds, windy and a couple of inches of snow on the ground. We've decided to plant the cucs and squash regardless of Mother Nature and just hope for the best!
Kal and Kade came yesterday morning. They are growing up. Kal has made a meatloaf; Kade has fixed taco meat; all with the intent of helping Mom and Dad out a couple of evenings next week. How well I remember what a chore supper could be after working all day or all night or going in on an evening shift and wanting to leave something good for supper. Both boys enjoy cooking - not much for clean up but who is?
Tom installed a water softener yesterday after long discussions about the pros and cons. The challenge was keeping the cold water in the kitchen (love the coffee it makes) and the outdoor faucets. Houses built a 100 years ago never planned on any type of modernization.
Off to the greenhouse!

A week and a day from my last post and it's still nasty outside. Wind gusts to 45mph today, cold and piercing, coming from the north. Weatherman said this storm began in sunny California. Now that's a joke! So much for their sun!
Oh, well, it's been a fun day and we are looking forward to a fun weekend. Kal & Kade are coming tomorrow while Mom works and Dad is at a German immersion weekend with some students near Bemidji. Our good fortune! Kade will probably help Grampa and Kal will help me finish planting cucs, squash and those kinds of veggies plus get him a container of green onions (he loves green onions!) that he can take home and watch grow. We'll make tacos for Kade and meatloaf for Kal.

I ordered "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" and finished the first 6 chapters today. Instructions are to read the first 6 and master that before attempting the rest of the book. I have bread dough in an ice cream bucket on the counter; after it rises and begins to fall, it will go in the fridge. When I am ready to make a loaf of bread (boule, baguette, whatever) I will take a grapefruit sized piece out and shape it, let it sit about half an hour and bake it. The dough will last up to 14 days and can be used for quite a few different kinds and forms. Lynn Betker tuned me into this with her whole wheat bread. Tried that, it was very good, and got hooked on this bread baking process all over again. Her recipe makes 3 loaves which lasts quite a while for us (unless we have visitors); it makes wonderful toast. (Lynn & Ernie have a vineyard north of Hudson; he brought a bottle of his special wine to dinner one evening; I am sure it is one of the very best red wines we have ever had!) Today is the kind of day when we want to do something warm and comfortable - bread and soup, that's about as good as it gets. The boys and I will give it a try tomorrow. Probably will need to do it again Sunday for them to take home!

Asparagus is cleaned off - just needs to come up so we can pick it. Strawberries are all covered with fresh straw waiting for them to peek up through it. The yard has been rolled, raked, thatched, fed and has begun to be really green. The geese are in heaven with the pond open. Only Belle would chase a goose running clear around the pond while the goose swims lazily around in the middle!

It's Friday night fish fry - our big night of the week!

Thursday, April 7 - SUNSHINE 60+ DEGREES! Do we dare believe that winter might really be over? Took all the plants back to the greenhouse, healthy and looking good. Cucumbers and squash will get planted next week. Herbs are beginning to have an aroma; lettuce is getting tall; onions will be ready next week. Best of all, the air actually smells like spring!
Tom is spreading gravel (3+ tons in this load) into the holes in the driveway. A couple more loads and we should be good. He and Charlie rolled the lawn yesterday after picking up all the pine branches and winter junk. It really looks good and has just a tinge of green.
The pileated woodpeckers are beginning to come around 9 am daily. We are hoping they will keep coming during the summer but are afraid there will be too much traffic around here for them.
The horses are losing their winter coats and look pretty shabby. Casey and Belle will need haircuts soon. The geese know it's spring and have paired off leaving a couple of loners who really don't know what to do. Asian beetles and boxelder bugs are awake and moving. (Yuk!)
Cleaned the desk and file cabinets. Why do we keep all the junk we keep? Look out closets, you're next.

April 3 and still not great evidence of spring. The snow is melting slowly, it's mud and more mud, the pond has a circle of water around the edge to tease the geese, and we are getting very anxious! It has been the longest, coldest, most difficult winter we can remember. Some of the misery may be attributed to age but deep snow, ice, and bitter cold are hard on everyone and everything! The last storm blew the horses' shed over so they need spring more than we do!

Lisa, Kyle and Cody were here over their spring break. We planted tomatoes, herbs, cabbage, brussel sprouts, pansies, petunias; had to bring them into the sun room after they sprouted because it was impossible to keep the greenhouse warm enough when the temp was around zero. Yesterday the flats went back to the greenhouse so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it will be ok this time. My usual lettuce box and onion box are doing well; we should have salad in a couple of weeks and green onions about the same time. Fresh produce in the market is so expensive as well as not top rate so we are really anxious for a good, fresh salad!

Lambing is done for the first group, an average year, not the worst and not the best. The market has been up for so long that we are wishing we had lambs for the Easter market. But, we will have to wait until August to deliver our orders and have some for ourselves. Tom belongs to the WISBA, Wisconsin Indianhead Sheep Breeders Association; this year they sponsored a recipe contest and guess what!? I am published! My recipe for Lamb Shanks was one of six chosen for publication in the brochure/booklet to be used for marketing/publicity. I won a copy of the booklet, $10and a year's membership! I have lots of copies of the booklet (yes, I know you aren't' surprised); if you would like one, let me know. I will even autograph it.

Tom as survived his total shoulder replacement extremely well. He can now put his wallet in his back pocket. That may not sound like much but it's a real accomplishment. He is more than ready to get back outside and play in the dirt!

The whole family is headed to Seattle in June for Patrick and Jaime's wedding. We are all excited and so very happy for them. The nephews will be ushers and the nieces will be flower girls. Needless to say they are feeling quite good about that! Alex is most concerned, wondering what shoes to wear and how to fix her hair and so on and so on.

If you've never seen a pileated woodpecker, google it. We have 2 that come to the bird feeders in the front yard. They may not be as rare as they used to be but are very elusive. I have tried to get photos of them but they aren't cooperative. All winter a male pheasant came to scratch around under the feeders; he is the fattest pheasant we have ever seen. Thankfully we have had any turkeys there yet!

Keep checking back. It's been too long since we've been in touch. Think SPRING!