Green Hill Farm

2011-07-11T08:09:00.000-05:00

Strawberries are done here come the Raspberries!

STRAWBERRIES ARE THE BEST EVER!

2011-06-28T19:25:00.002-05:00

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

2011-06-23T10:36:00.001-05:00

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

OOPS!!! RAIN DELAY

2011-06-22T10:10:00.002-05:00

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

2011-06-20T09:10:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-06-20T09:03:00.002-05:00

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!

2011-06-15T15:20:00.002-05:00

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!

2011-06-11T10:01:00.000-05:00

2011-06-11T09:47:00.003-05:00

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!

2011-06-11T09:43:00.000-05:00

2011-06-11T09:39:00.001-05:00

2011-05-29T15:20:00.001-05:00

2011-05-29T15:16:00.000-05:00

2011-05-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

2011-05-29T14:09:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-05-17T11:13:00.001-05:00

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

2011-05-16T10:27:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-05-11T15:49:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-05-06T14:42:00.001-05:00

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

WATCH FOR MORE TO COME!

2011-05-04T14:28:00.004-05:00

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.

2011-05-04T14:09:00.003-05:00

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.

2011-04-25T17:25:00.003-05:00

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................

2011-04-17T16:12:00.003-05:00

2011-04-17T10:16:00.002-05:00

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!

2011-04-15T15:08:00.003-05:00

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!

2011-04-07T13:32:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-04-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

2011-04-03T13:46:00.001-05:00

2011-04-03T10:50:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-07-11T13:48:00.003-05:00

Finally! We have a flag pole with a flag flying on the corner! Grandkids were here and help Grampa get the pole painted and up. He put large pink trashbags on them and said they had more paint on the bags than on the pole. Then they all went out and raised the pole - looked just the like photo of Iowa Jima! I'm not sure who is more proud of it - me or the grandkids!

2010-07-11T13:46:00.000-05:00

Gals from Heritage of Elmwood Nursing Home

2010-07-11T13:41:00.001-05:00

2010-06-28T07:45:00.002-05:00

Great weekend! Had grandson, Kal, overnight and some old friends from Illinois here on Sunday evening. In between raindrops we went through a lot of raspberries. We watched a lone turkey wandering up and down one side of the patch eating berries as he went. Attempts to discourage this pesky bird probably won't work - a turkey is too dumb to be intimidated!

2010-06-25T14:37:00.002-05:00

BURGUNDY CREAM PIE
In sauce pan mix the following:
1 cup each of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar mixed with 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
Bring to a boil and cook until thickened. Cool.

In small bowl mix until well blended and smooth:
3 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar.

Spread cream cheese mixture on bottom of 9" baked, cooled pie crust.
Carefully spoon cooled berry filling on the top. Chill.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries.

2010-06-25T14:31:00.002-05:00

Strawberry season is over...so short...so fast. We had about 1/4 of the usual amount of berries as so many were lost to cool, wet weather. Kal & Kade picked 7 pounds of red raspberries this morning so we are going into full swing with them. So many of our usual customers didn't get any strawberries or got just a few so we are hoping we can make it up with raspberries.
Tom just finished planting the last round of sweet corn so summer is officially here. Well keep you posted on what we have and when.

2010-06-22T09:32:00.003-05:00

We're into the second week of picking strawberries and are quite amazed and pleased with the berries since it was so cool and rainy. There have been lots of berries that spoiled but we've tossed those and found plenty of beautiful ones. The season will not last as long as usual; we anticipate picking through the middle of next week. Grandkids picked red raspberries over the weekend - a least 3 weeks earlier than normal! Raspberries will definitely be a bumper crop. There are a few blueberries ripened but they are always slow to start. Back to the patch...more later...

2010-06-17T06:12:00.002-05:00

Day 4 of picking; however today looks like we will pick in the sunshine. All the promises of a warm sunny day yesterday didn't come true until mid-afternoon. The berry patch is so wet. The kids have managed to pick plenty of berries in spite of it and the berries are beautiful. Hopefully the next week will be better and the U-Pick folks can get their share. Our pickers are about the same age - all will be freshman except one. It is so good to see young people who really want to work and can have fun at it.
Potato bugs have invaded the potato plants. They can eat the leaves in a flash. No telling what will happen there. This seems to be developing into an annual curse, not just here but all over. I think it's related to the locust plague. Fortunately the bug is not bright and eats only the potato leaves.
Megan (Jane's oldest) has been here all week. What a delight she is. We took berries downtown yesterday and she enjoyed selling them and figured out the counting change part. I think she was pretty hard to resist for some because she got a few tips. She does like the $$$$$$$$$.
Tomorrow evening we are hosting the rehearsal dinner for Erin Klatt and Bill Burns. Erin's parents are among our best friends. It will be a small group and should be lots of fun. Bill chose Mexican food with related beverages (sangria and dos equis). Saturday is the wedding. Hope it's a nice warm, sunny day.

2010-06-12T20:08:00.003-05:00

Rainy week but we are ready to begin picking strawberries on Monday. We could use some sun and warm but won't complain as we needed the rain so badly. All the garden looks wonderful. No matter how much watering is done, none makes the difference that a good rain can make. Raspberries are blooming again (the second bloom?) and look like they will make a bumper crop. The grapevines are loaded with little green grapes. Blueberries are loaded - hope the turkeys stay out! We're anxious to dig that first hill of baby red potatoes and are waiting for our friend, Kai, to bring some fresh peas. The next few weeks will be very busy but so much fun. No more snoozing after the alarm goes off, at least for a while. (Retirees aren't supposed to use alarm clocks. Someone forgot to tell that to Tom!)
Hope to see you in the patch!

2010-06-01T08:46:00.003-05:00

June 1 and it's a beautiful day. Garden is planted. Corn is up. Strawberries are blooming. Raspberries are just beginning to bloom. Blueberries are loaded! Had an inch of rain Sunday. Patrick and Jaime are officially engaged. To quote a little Robert Browning:

The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn:
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled:
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his heaven-
All's right with the world!

2010-03-26T15:46:00.003-05:00

It's official!!!! Spring is here. Just finished planting tomatoes (4 kinds), peppers (3 kinds), cabbages (red and kraut), brussel sprouts, basil, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, lemon grass, leeks, and repotted some herbs I had in the window of the sun room. In 3 weeks I will plant cucs, squashes, and the rest of that family. They will be moved to the green house shortly and the fun begins again. It's totally rejuvenating to plant the seeds, watch them grow and know that we will enjoy the "fruits of our labor." Sounds kind of corny but to this city kid, it will always be a thrill.

2010-03-24T08:53:00.003-05:00

Back to that cottage cheese. Somehow not everyone found that to be a great event. One son thought it was rather funny, the other asked if there was a shortage of cottage cheese at the store. One daughter can't wait to try it herself, the other just smiles and knows Mom is having a good time. Seriously, there are so many things in this world that I want to do and try before I die. Later this week we are making butter. I remember doing that at Grandma's when I was a kid. Brother, Mike, always got to churn more than Gerry and I. Come to think of it, Gerry probably got to churn the least. Oh, well. And, I didn't mention that Lisa and I made mozzarella when she was here. It was delicious. Come on over and I'll give you a lesson.

2010-03-24T08:32:00.002-05:00

March 24 - four days into spring - about four weeks from our first asparagus cutting. So far we have been unseasonally warm and sunny. March has always been wet snow and awful wind; maybe there is some truth to global warming!
The kitchen cupboards, floor and counter tops are in and beautiful. Tom did a super job finishing the wood-it's like satin. There is still a lot of trim work to finish but that will have to wait until a rainy day. Right now Tom is up to his ears in lambs, maple syrup, and garden prep. The next 4 months will be hectic but we are looking forward to it.
I spent a week in Feb. at the Mooses while Mike and Lisa took a cruise to celebrate his milestone. The boys and I spent every minute we could wrapped up in the Olympics or going to their basketball games. Fortunately, a friend of Lisa's, Kathy, was my guide. Nice week.
Mike and Lisa then came up here for the weekend of the 14th to begin my birthday celebration and leave the boys while they were on spring break. This week we got wrapped up in March Madness (not with very good bracket picks!) although the boys spent a lot of time in the woods with Grampa setting up sap lines or in the barn with the lambs. It was a good week.
Convincing my children that I did not want a big celebration for the big 7 -0 was a trick. They settled for grilling at the Duvicks with tiramisu for dessert - perfect! While Mike and Jenny were in Florida, Jaime and Pat in Portland and Mike Moose at work, the rest of us had a wonderful evening. Be watching for a picture of my birthday present! More on that later!
The 22nd finally arrived and surprisingly it didn't hurt a bit! Neighbor, Joe, and I made cottage cheese for the first time - it was delicious! Tom and I went out for lunch at our favorite German restaurant (wish I had that meatball recipe with caper mustard sauce) and then bought the flag to go on our flagpole in the front yard. So many emails with good wishes arrived during the day that I had to wait until later in the evening to enjoy all of them!
Plan for the day is to start planting tomatoes, etc., and get the green house ready to go. I already have lettuce ready in the sunroom and lots of herbs about 3 inches high. Spring is here. The winter was hard but somehow we forget that when spring finally arrives.
Enough for now. Someone told me blogs were supposed to be short and concise. Ha!
More later.

2010-01-21T11:11:00.002-06:00

Some one once told me that wisdom comes with age. That is not guaranteed! Here we are, tearing up the kitchen (again) to add new cupboards and countertop. And, I find it amazing how many suggestions and criticisms one can get without ever asking a question! My favorite comment is "I'd never do that!" Anyhow, it's exciting to know that the kitchen will have a facelift and that it will be done before asparagus time! Now if we can just work on facelifts for the two old folks that live here, we will be in great shape!

2010-01-16T09:48:00.000-06:00

2010-01-16T08:40:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year! A little late but still well meant! Our holiday season was wonderful - we spent Christmas in Kansas with the Mooses and enjoyed a TranSiberian Orchchestra Concert and delicious baby back ribs from Mike's smoker. New Year's was actually our family Christmas at the Duvicks with all but Patrick and Jaime (that's a tough season for them to travel.) One of the highlights of the whole 2 weeks was a sleigh ride as you can see from the pictures. It was so cold but such a beautiful day and truly an adventure for all of us - one we hope to repeat next year.
We spent the weekend after New Year's at the annual Berry Growers Conference at Chula Vista in the Dells. As usual, we learned at lot, ate way too much, met some really nice people and caught the spring fever virus! Our seed order has arrived, the new strawberry and blueberry plants are on order, the garden plan is determined, and if the snow would go away and the weather would warm up, we would be outside right now! Two months and a week and spring will actually be here; however, spring in Wisconsin is hardly ever predictable. We do know that by the end of April, first of May, we will be enjoying asparagus, and I will be looking for new recipes. After that the fun begins with the strawberries and trying to stay ahead of the vegetable garden.
There's still time left before gardening to finish lots of projects - knitting, kitchen, shelving in the shop, lambing - enough to keep us busy and make us wonder where the time went!
Be watching for the annual newsletter in the mail, email, or here.
Back later!

2009-09-21T07:44:00.003-05:00

Grapes are ready to juice or make jam. Picked a 5 gallon bucket last evening in about 10 minutes from the arbor by the house. The garden grapes are just as thick! The juicer will be steaming until there's about 12 quarts ready for juice or jelly. Last year a lot of grapes simply fell off one day and that was the end of the season.
Tomatoes are finally getting ripe but not in the abundance of last year. Seems like we just didn't have enough really hot, sunny days to give them the boost they need. But, there will be salsa and juice and plenty of spaghetti sauce. Carrots are the best in years. Friend, Paulette, and I canned about 40 pints of carrots and 50 pints of potatoes. It was a new venture for us and one we just had to try. The jars of orange and white look gorgeous! Such fun! Beets are just waiting to be pickled and canned. Too bad so much produce comes at one time.
Sauerkraut is on week 3. We did some regular kraut and then some with caraway, mustard seeds, and green apples. We are anxious to see how it turns out. One cabbage weighed 17 lbs. We sliced it in the food processor, and Tom stomped it with his homemade stomper. It's a lot of work but doesn't take long. It's another one of those processes we had to try a few years back and just can't quit!
Apples on the old tree are beginning to fall - nature's way of saying "get out here and pick me!" We have 4 bags of dried apples ready for the grandkids and 6 quarts of apple pie filling. We need to do lots more but that will have to wait until mid-October. There just aren't enough hours in the day!
Neighbor, Joe, is chopping corn so we know it will soon be time to pick the small field we have. Seems like it was just planted. Where did summer go?
Belle is growing - she's into the adolescent stage right now. We had forgotten what a puppy can find to chew. She loves ice cream pails and carries them by the handle in her mouth - looks like she's really on a mission. Learning not to jump on people is a really hard lesson. She knows what we say and will stay down but it is so hard when you are so very happy to see everyone! Casey is still ignoring her as best he can. That still makes Belle stand back and give him a look like, "what is your problem?"
We had a funeral on Saturday - Tom's cousin, Bob. Once again we have to stop and take a good long look around us. We know that things will never be the same again, the lesson we learn each time someone dies. And, once again, we are overwhelmed by how very fortunate we have been over our lives with family and friends. We will miss him.
Take care, all of you.

2009-07-23T09:33:00.001-05:00

Let's go

2009-07-21T08:11:00.000-05:00

2009-07-06T07:31:00.002-05:00

Weekend of the 4th is over and back to business. Strawberries are winding down, this will be the last week we pick. Tom will mow them off in another week. It always looks so awful with the plants mowed but they soon come back with new growth for next year. Berries were so good this year, thanks to Mother Nature's cooperation and lots of hard work. The new patch of trial strawberries is coming along well. We're already anxious to see what they bring next summer.

Mike, Lisa, Kyle and Cody spent the holiday with us; the boys stayed and Lisa will be back to get them this week. She has to get her "berry picking fix!" Yesterday morning she picked 6 quarts of red raspberries to take back to Kansas. As usual, Lisa made jam - she loves to give it to her friends and the teachers as gifts.

The boys and I are planning to get dozens of little chores done that have been ignored the past 3 weeks. We saw "Ice Age 3" last night and enjoyed it immensely. Even they are fascinated by the fact all 4 of us can go to River Falls for a movie, popcorn and a soda for about $15. They love it!

Jane and the girls will be back on Thursday so we'll have a busy house for a few days. Such fun! Hopefully Mikes' family can join us somewhere in there. Kids, bikes, picnics and just being outside - isn't that what summer is all about! (and don't forget the berries!)

2009-06-30T11:14:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know, that last picture is son-in-law, Mike Moose at the Kansas City Barbeque Contest with Guy Fieri from Food Network. Not sure how he does it but Mike meets some really neat people!

2009-06-30T11:06:00.001-05:00

2009-06-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

OOOOPS! Grandma's shortcakes need a fourth cup of sugar!

2009-06-30T07:45:00.002-05:00

Grandma's Shortcakes
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
Mix dry ingredients until crumbly (can use fingers or food processor)
Gently stir in 3/4 cup milk or light cream, stirring until just blended.
Lightly roll out to 1/2 thick, cut circles and place half on oiled baking sheet.
Spread small amount of soft butter on each circle on baking sheet and top with the rest of th e circles. Bake about 10 minutes at 450 or until golden brown.

My grandmother made these shortcakes - they absolutely melt in your mouth. The two layers of cake with the butter in between make them easy to separate and beautiful to look at. Margarine can be used but the results are not the same. She always sliced the berries and sprinkled on very little sugar, just enough to make juice. Next to her chicken and biscuits, this was a favorite with my brothers and me. More on here chicken and biscuits later.

2009-06-30T07:42:00.002-05:00

Jane and the girls were here over the weeked. Those little smiling faces were constantly smeared with strawberry juice. Not sure which of them could eat the most! Between running from the patch to the house and riding bicycles back and forth, they were exhausted at bedtime. Meg ate two huge bowls of strawberry shortcake! Jane made 4 batches of freezer jam - one large container is gone already!

2009-06-30T07:40:00.000-05:00

2009-06-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

2009-06-30T07:35:00.000-05:00

2009-06-26T06:34:00.002-05:00

Berries, berries and more berries! Yesterday was day 8 of picking and the strawberries haven't even begun to slow down! We started the day with an inch of rain in about an hour - then came the sun and the heat. Surprisingly, it quickly dried off and the berries were wonderful. It's to be another hot day today and lots of "U-Pic" folks have called to say they will be here. Tom needs to invent a strawberry picker that can go down a row, single out the ripest berries and put them in a basket. That's the only way all the berries will ever get picked.
Raspberries are coming in about 2 weeks. The briars are loaded with green berries. We are guessing that they will be huge since the weather has been perfect for them. They are the only berry on the place that turkeys don't bother!
The blueberries are growing daily. The bushes suffered some from the winter but there will still be lots of them if the turkeys stay away. We are going to try some mylar ribbons to see if that will scare them away - not counting on it!
The rest of the garden simply jumped this past week. I think everything out there doubled or tripled in size. We laugh when we say it but we think we can hear the corn grow and are sure if you stood there and watched, you could see it grow!
Jane and the girls are coming today. It's rodeo weekend and a pancake breakfast for June Dairy Days in the morning. It will be busy but lots of fun. The drive way has several puddles; Alex is now riding her bike without training wheels so........ And it won't be just Alex! Katie is going to have a lemonade stand. Megan will probably be in the barn with the cats or on Grampa's heels. Jane is certainly a busy mom!
Well, it's out to the berry patch. Hope to see you there!

2009-06-22T20:09:00.002-05:00

Berries are incredibly good! Had some more rain, solid gold it is, and the patch is just bursting with those lucious berries. Decided today I would freeze them in 4 cup mashed portions for freezer jam and worry about making the jam later. Just not enough hours in the day. The humidity and heat today were not the usual Wisconsin type of weather - hope it is not a taste of more to come!

2009-06-20T13:57:00.003-05:00

What a difference a good rain makes! This is day 3 and picking is going well, getting better each day. We were sold out of picked berries each day by noon. That's good but we hate to disappoint folks who call later in the day. Not many "U-Pic" folks yet, probably because yesterday and today were so hot and muggy. We started right at 7 am this morning and the patch was really dew soaked. However, that didn't slow anyone down.
The photos of the Lindquist girls, Jenny, Ellen and Gina (from left to right) were taken about 8 am. (I am still working on writing in blog style so bear with me and the confusing caption on the photos). They arrived bright and early for their first strawberry picking venture. Their parents, Dave and Linda, have purchased an orchard and have planted an orchard on their farm. We are anxious for their apples to ripen! It's certainly another great addition to the Glen Hills area.
Lots of conversation this morning about the amount of sugar in jams and jellies. Ball makes a freezer jam pectin that takes only 1 1/2 cups sugar to 4 cups crushed berries. Our family thinks it is excellent. It has to be since they are great jam eaters and very choosy about it! The regular Surejell recipe calls for 5 cups sugar and another calls for 3 cups. Undoubtedly, the lower sugar has to be better for all of us!
Tom is off to cut hay for friend, Bob, who took a dive off his hay rack and fractured some vertebrae in his back. He's a lucky man to be able to tell the story!
It's chicken on the grill tonight with some strawberry shortcake for dessert. Just might have dessert first!
I am off to finish mowing. That is the only drawback to rain - gotta mow more!

2009-06-20T13:10:00.002-05:00

2009-06-16T12:12:00.002-05:00

Strawberry picking begins Thursday. The Annapolis berries are ready. These berries are medium sized, sweet and juicy, good for freezing, jam or just enjoying! The Honeoye are slower and not as large as we would like -they need a good rain! - but they are still good and will be ready early next week. It's a good idea to give us a call or an email before driving too far.
Happy Picking!

2009-06-12T10:45:00.002-05:00

Looks like there will be ripe strawberries about the middle of next week (if we can keep Tom out of there). Be sure and call or email us to know for sure. Bring your own bucket and save a dollar! Or pick in one of ours and put them into your containers. We will have quart containers at no charge. See you soon!

2009-06-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

Tom just ate the first ripe strawberry! Keep watching for picking day!

2009-06-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

On the average there are 400 tiny seeds in a strawberry!

2009-06-09T15:58:00.002-05:00

Rain! Finally! When everyone around was getting some of that precious rain, we were green with envy. We means us and not our garden! After a couple of weeks of watering we had an inch of rain over the weekend. What a difference it makes.
Asparagus is coming to an end. I pickled 7 quarts yesterday, probably my last. This week will definitely be the end of the cutting. There's lots of asparagus soup in the freezer so keep that in mind next winter. The end of the asparagus season is always sad but it means strawberries are just around the corner. We are still predicting picking to begin around the 20th.
Strawberry season is such fun. We see our "seasonal friends" and enjoy their yearly visit. There's a picnic table available under the maple trees. We've a cooler with water and soda; if it's a cool morning, we might even find a coffee pot! This year we are having a coloring contest for kids 8 and younger. Our artist friend, Paulette, will be the judge! There's a prize for the winner! We have an abundance of kittens this year for anyone who's looking for a pet. (No, that is not the prize!) Be sure to sign our guest book at the farm. We want everyone to get a newsletter and had many undeliverable ones this last time. Berries will be available by the quart for folks who really can't use a full bucket. We have some great new recipes and would love to have any recipe folks want to share with us.
We'll be seeing you soon!

2009-05-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

2009-05-17T15:16:00.003-05:00

Some new pictures of life on farm. And, I need to learn how to delete doubles! The greenhouse has been so much fun this spring. Don't come if you don't want a tour because I am very proud of everything that's in there. Cilantro has always been hard for us to grow but it has just exploded in the greenhouse. We're enjoying the Mesclun mix lettuce and need to plant another container. The green onions are peeking so it's time to get another container of them going. We are not sure if the tomato plants can wait until another week to get into the ground. Tom's rule is never plant a tomato until after Memorial Day and definitely not a pepper until after the 5th of June. Must be a good rule 'cause it sure works!
The violets outside the kitchen window are simply gorgeous. I think they are one of my very favorite flowers and definitely one of the loveliest signs of spring. The lilies of the valley are just beginning to bloom and the aroma there is heavenly.
Mike and Jenny seem to think that cat belongs where you see him. Not being a cat lover, he is really challenging my patience. We have had bluebirds, indigo buntings, rose-breasted grosbeaks, gold finches, orioles and some other birds I can't name at the bird feeder. Tom moved it last fall during the construction so it's still on a temporary post. However, I don't think any of that has to do with the fact that cat is there and doesn't belong there. If he isn't harrassing the birds, the crows are. We will see what happens this week!
Frost missed us last night. From the comments of others today, we were very fortunate. The potatoes are up, the fruit trees are blooming and the magnolia tree and flowering crab are in full bloom. Last year so many fruit trees lost their blossoms to frost. Hopefully this will be the last time it gets that cold!

2009-05-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

2009-05-17T15:08:00.002-05:00

2009-05-17T14:59:00.003-05:00

2009-05-12T21:01:00.004-05:00

Last camera class tonight - learned so much - now to find time to practice and use it! Instructor was very good, patient and very knowledgeable - makes learning fun. Sad part of this class is that the Olympus we bought 6 or 7 years ago is probably obsolete. We may need to get a new camera to show off our new-learned talents. We are definitely downloading Picasa for photo management. And, we will be looking at Epson and Kodak for photo printing. Class may have cost us $4 each but that is the "tip of the iceberg," so to speak.
Asparagus sales are going well. We turned over more than 70 pounds during the first week (last week) with more going to Jane and Mike and what I used for soup. If the temp stays above 65 this week, we should do more and still have 5 or 6 weeks to go. We will never get rich on asparagus but we certainly enjoy the harvest. Our radio ad brought in 6 orders in the first week. Not bad for beginners!
Mother's Day was wonderful. We enjoyed a superb brunch at Bungalow Inn with Mike's and Jane's. Phone calls from Kansas and Seattle topped off the day. I could get really sentimental and sloppy about how great our kids are but will leave that to another night and a good bottle of wine!
Seems like we live wishing our lives away. We looked forward to the Mother's Day Brunch. Now we are looking forward to the end of the month when Patrick and Jaime come for a few days. Life would be horrible if we didn't have special times to look forward to but I worry a little about wishing it away. We may be lucky enough to have Kyle and Cody here the last week of the month. Now that is a good time to make time stand still. Then we will look forward to Labor Day and the Fesler family get-together.
May is a big month for birthdays. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE, KYLE, WAYNE, AND MIKE F.

2009-05-08T10:01:00.002-05:00

Mounds of asparagus! This week we have cut about 40 pounds and the peak is yet to come. Warm days make such a difference with asparagus. If it's cool for a few days, it will quit growing. Then all of it needs to be cut or it will turn woody and curl over. There are 6 rows over 100 feet long so it will be interesting at the end of the season to add up what they produce. So far it's looking like a good year.

2009-05-08T09:54:00.001-05:00

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

Great pictures from our basket weaving adventure with the Cub Scouts. The boys were really very good (not sure how the one girl got in there) but the dads were another story. Focus, focus, focus! We spent about an hour and a half weaving. It was really a pretty successful effort considering these boys had been at school all day and it was time for them to just be boys. I'm not sure where that enters into today's parenting techniques.
I was so pleased with the respect they showed toward the baskets I've woven. I planned to let them pick them up and look at them - which they did - and it was a good move. Everyone of them seemed to appreciate what the basket was. I was also amazed at what they knew about how baskets were such an important part of early cultures.
On the way out of the school, we noticed a poster that said "46% of the students believe abuse is emotional" and the power words are "you are great." Times have changed so much over the years. I think we had the easy days in raising children and truly admire the parents of today. Fathers are so much more into parenting in the present generation; that must have a tremendous impact on the future.
Lots of asparagus went out today. The rain we had this evening will really make it grow so the next week will mean lots time spent cutting and packaging. We had quite a mixture of rain and hail!
Had our first camera/computer class tonight. One of the real perks of being a senior citizen is the $4 tuition fee at WITC. Imagine 9 hours credit for $4!!!!!!! Wow! Times have really changed. Makes the years over 65 a lot nicer to handle!

2009-05-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

2009-05-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

2009-05-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

2009-05-04T16:33:00.000-05:00

2009-05-04T16:22:00.001-05:00

2009-05-04T11:40:00.003-05:00

Big day at the farm! We aired on the radio this morning - LIVE!!!! - and the website is now available. We had to add "Knox" to it but it's a good thing. Tom is helping bottle maple syrup at school and will plant the field corn when he gets home. (Just a small patch since Joe plants the rest of it.) Sweet corn goes in tomorrow. We've had several nice days so I am headed to the greenhouse to water plants and then to the asparagus patch to see how many pounds I can pick. This evening we are teaching a basket class to Mike's scout troop - 18 boys around Kal and Kade's ages. Might be a challenge but it will be fun. The JD 730 decided to take a vacation so we had to borrow Bob Keil's for the day. As old as the 730 is, it may take a while to restore it. Good friends and neighbors are hard to beat! Tuesday and Thursday evenings we have computer classes for camera and photos. This is a busy week. Retirement is so good. Have a super day!

2009-05-03T08:38:00.001-05:00

Kade may have found his calling. He's been the kid who loves dinosaurs and pirates and the world of make believe. He was totally into planting potatoes and helping Grampa. When it was time to go home, he wanted to stay and work some more!

2009-05-03T08:34:00.000-05:00

2009-05-01T09:34:00.002-05:00

Sunrise comes earlier every morning. It's getting harder and harder to sleep much past 7 am when we are getting 14+ hours of daylight. I wonder if it confuses the roosters? However, it's a beautiful day. Tom has gone to get bottles for maple syrup. I need to get to the greenhouse to water all the plants that Paulette, Lisa, Kyle and I planted. We have way too many plants for what we need and hopefully will resist the temptation to put every single one in the ground. After all our talk about cutting back, we will undoubtedly have way more vegies than could possiibly be consumed! Tom, son Mike and his sons, Kal and Kade, planted 6 rows of red and Yukon Gold potatoes the week after Easter. Kade was so into farming - you can see his pictures on the website (www.greenhillfarm.com) that should be up and running on Monday. We asked Curtis Doornink, a high school junior, to design and build our website. His mom and Jane went to school together - still good friends. We think he did a great job. Tom's collecting eggs to hatch in the incubator. The lambs are out of the maternity pens and into the north lot jumping and running - too much energy! Daffodils are in full bloom. The bluebirds are back. Jenny Wren is fighting with the yellow tomcat. Grass will need mowing in about a week. Magnolia tree is overloaded with buds. Once again Mother Nature has proven she knows what she's doing!

2009-05-01T07:53:00.001-05:00

2009-04-30T20:10:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day of a new world of blogging to us. Curtis was here this afternoon and showed me how to access the blog and what our website would look like. Hopefully, it will be up on Monday so I can send the address to all our family and friends. It was a warm and good feeling day - lots done and lots accomplished. Oh, for more days like that. Asparagus is up and the season has begun. "all's right with the world." (our world, anyway). Judy

Welcome

2009-04-29T19:33:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Green Hill Farms