Ripe

Two cherry tomatoes off the vine today. I ate them before I could photograph them for you!

Dry Spell

OK, it's time for me to admit why I haven't been posting much this year. It's not because I haven't had time or have been so busy with projects or anything like that. The fact is, my little homestead is quite barren this year. I have no garden to speak of this year!

It's the first time since we moved into this house that we do not have a garden. It wasn't supposed to be this way. We had great plans for this year. Unfortunately I kinda blew it. We had planned a HUGE garden with our neighbors in an empty lot next to their house. It wasn't until months and months of wet late spring weather (into the end of June) that I realized my mistake.

After attempting to till the new garden space after a few sunny days in early June, I realized we should have done this last fall.... Ugh. What a realization to have. Especially since the ground could not be worked despite the break in the weather. It was still too wet. I didn't think about the fact that most of the ground around here is really heavy on the clay side. Our own garden had been supplemented and worked for years before we got here.

Our plans had been to let our own garden beds go follow this year and to build permanent raised beds where they are. So no garden. No lovely mid-summer produce to photograph and experiment in the kitchen with.

We have been making due with an abundance of chard, gifts from the neighbor's own raised bed, and such. It has really hit home to me too how much joy I get from being in the garden too. Not just from the produce, but from just being out there and surrounded by the bees, hummingbirds, flowers and smells.

Well, hopefully soon we will get a chance to make those permanent beds and you'll get some reports from about how that goes. Maybe even some winter garden pictures. Oh, and maybe we'll get those beds prepped in the neighbor's lot too.

Volunteer for Local Food

Interesting opportunity for those interested in local food issues in the Portland-Metro area:
http://cnrg-portland.org/content/interested-local-food-food-access-enjoy-volunteering-get-involved-august

Un-Farm

Back from a visit to "the farm" for the 4th of July. It was a fabulous visit full of everything a 4th of July holiday should be filled with. Swimming, hours of fire works, home cooking, catfish, paddle boating, silliness with the kids, and even a water park excursion. Yes, it was good! Super hot, fireflies, family time.

Also while there we had the chance to tour "the levee." This is a multi-million dollar levee system along the Missouri River where my dad, brother, and others farm. This year the levee is holding back record flood waters. Not the highest waters in history, or even recent history, but what promises to be one of the longest lasting floods.

Record rainfalls and release miscalculations upriver have created flooding along the entire river system. Recreational interests compete with farming and flood control in cities. Decisions have to be made over what areas to save, attempt to save or give up on. Already waters have broken through smaller levees where my family farms. Fields planted late due to long and heavy spring rains, just starting to produce, appear to be natural lakes or extensions of the river.

The biggest threat in the levee system dad and Aaron farm in is from sand voles and other creatures that like to burrow into the levees. Day in and out, farmers scan the length of the levee for signs of damage to the earthen mound that separates them from total losses. When a lighter sand colored spot is discovered, they rush to begin the process of sandbagging the area, slowly and carefully piling them in order to collapse the burrow. Upriver there's been a break already so the National Guard is there and a twisted form of relief in an outlet for the river creates hope downstream.

In anticipation of a summer of high, unrelenting water levels made by continual water releases from reservoirs upstream, "it is only a matter of time before there's a break," they breath. My brother, along with others that have the means, has moved his entire family to higher ground. My sister-in-law swears she will never return, will never go through this again. Others wait, precious items stored at the ready to move quickly.

While I wax nostalgically about the 4th and all the comforts and serenity of a holiday "at home." While others salivate at the "downhominess" of my stories, farmers and bottom dwellers stew in an exhausting broth of anticipated disaster. There are so many advantages to being an urban "farmer."

Random Connections

Spent the weekend at the coast courtesy of my friend Nani with a group of four other women. We spent the weekend talking about our "career bliss." It was a fabulous, intense, supportive and challenging time.

Two of the ladies I got to know work for the Food Alliance. They are extremely intelligent, funny, and passionate people. One grew up on a farm in the Midwest and, like me, has maintained a strong interest in agriculture. She also has that feeling of being pulled back to the farm and calls the Midwest home still.

The Food Alliance itself sounded fascinating to me. I'm excited to look into it little more.

I am so glad Nani brought us together.

Portland Food Policy

If you are in Portland city limits, you might be interested in the comment period for the city's food policy. This includes policies related to urban gardens, chickens, and bees.

http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=53834

Last of Spring Flowers