Farming in the shade

The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. --Psalm 86: 12

Today The Farmer was greeted by two escape artists as he stepped out to do morning chores. We've had some terrible winds the past two days, and one of the (poorly-secured) gates blew down. The rams, who would rather be with the ewes right now, took advantage of the opening and spent some time outside their pen. The rams are right--it's about time to join the rest of the flock so that we'll get spring lambs. The Farmer decided that since they were half-way to their destination, we'd just help them along. This involved a complicated dance of moving two separate flocks to new pasture. And then adding the rams to one of the flocks. All hands were on deck, and all paws, too. Our border collie is moderately helpful, at best, and sometimes downright unhelpful. Today was one of those unhelpful days. She snuck off while our attention was elsewhere and got tangled (oh, goodness) in an electrified poly fence . She received repeated shocks from a fencer designed to keep sheep (with...

In the interest of full disclosure, this is not and never will be a food blog. I am not a great cook. No one will starve in this household, but neither will they become accustomed to fussed-over meals. It's just not in me. The proof is in the pudding--a true "foodie" writing on her food blog would not wait until AFTER the meal is mostly consumed to take a picture of the leftovers resting in a plastic storage container. So now that we have the disclaimers out of the way, I'd like to share a favorite recipe. It's for a side dish (watch below for how to make it a main dish) and feeds a crowd. I made it most recently for a church potluck. Apricot Barley Casserole 2/3 cup slivered almonds 4 Tbsp. butter, divided into 2 equal parts 2 cups pearl barley 1 cup sliced green onions (optional) 6 cups chicken broth 2/3 cup diced dried apricots 1/2 cup golden raisins In a large skillet, sauté nuts in 2 Tbsp. butter untjil lightly browned; remove and set aside. In the same skill...

Shady Side Farm is now certified organic. Woo-hoo! Disclaimer--there are still parts of our operation that are not organic. Some things will never be organic, and some things we just need to work on a bit more to get there. But as of Saturday, The Farmer was selling organic pinto beans, organic edible soybeans and organic corn at a nearby farmers' market.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For "all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. --I Peter 1:23-25

Two types of mint--Peppermint and Spearmint--are grown commercially in the U.S. California, Florida and North Dakota are the U.S. states that produce the most honey. Wheat was first planted in the United States in 1777 as a hobby crop.

How does time pass so fast? Wasn't it yesterday when they were small? (Cue "Sunrise, Sunset" music.) This is a photo of my youngest child. Perhaps, at 15, "child" is not the word I should be using. The grain leg needed greasing before we ran corn through it. Used to be The Farmer would climb right up there and git 'er done. No fear of heights. I wasn't in on the conversation, but I was around to see the results. The Farmer was on the ground, looking up. The Boy was the one way up high doing the greasing. Enough to curdle a mother's blood!