......farewell, it's been eight years

What began as simple postings for my grand kids to follow the progress of a new project—building a farm from the ground up... and then became a popular blog within the Sacramento Bee online newspaper is quite amazing. The time has come to stop writing the stories. The farm is basically finished now. Instead of blogging, I will be fishing.

This coming year—2017—all the hard work of eight years will finally pay off. The orchards have grown from 3-foot tall "whips" to trees that are now 10 to 14 feet tall. Fruit is borne in vast amounts. All the mistakes of caring for orchards have passed....and boy, were there ever a lot of mistakes! We did, however, make the right decisions about what type of fruit to produce. Plant produce that one normally never finds at the local Farmers Markets.....the supermarkets, or the local fruit stands.....thus having zero competition. Blood oranges sell out in a matter of weeks. Pluots....the demand just keeps getting humongous. The figs draw buyers from the Bay Area... and our peaches are snapped up almost immediately after they are set up on the sell tables! Boysenberries, of all berries....proved to be the best seller on the farm. We have 25 solid crops that yield a lot and are in high demand.

Our ground crops over the years were plagued with the learning curve of irrigation systems and those damn jack rabbits....all which were resolved with higher education :-) Rabbit-proof fencing... and three Aussie Shepherds who enjoyed the occasional meal.Time taught us that growing "salad" vegetables and most squash.....was time consuming and hard to compete with local store prices.... which are much lower from cheaper countries such as Mexico. Most of the squash we grew required too much time educating clients on what it was and how to prepare.

Now we specialize in melons. Black Mountain and Orange Glo watermelons and Hayle's Best cantaloupes that have old-time flavor.....huge in size. Our specially selected tomato varieties ....have become very popular since we harvest only when they are absolutely ripe......and that is our secret to why our produce has so much flavor...we harvest ripe. Everything on this farm is ripe for harvest. Oh....the lessons we have learned over time.

Social networking, internet use such as Craigslist, blogging, and participation in local events are all essential for business promotion.I was fortunate to have a business background as well as experience working on the web. Much of this is time-consuming...usually at night after a full day in the field. A great web page had to be created and maintained, and great advertising took time—and even more time.

Much of the infrastructure work has been completed, and the farm house has been upgraded. Fruit stand and the chicken coops are up. There are only a few things left to do, such as finishing the upstairs of our barn and erecting a large greenhouse.The installation of a white fence around our barn, pastures, and grow fields... to make this joint look more "farm," has begun.

So... was it worth the hardships....stupid mistakes, ....chasing three horses down the street whenever they broke a fence....covering citrus trees at two o'clock in the morning from frost, .....?

Hell yes.

.....those attacking glochids

 This post is solely dedicated to the victims of a glochid attack. That's right...I am referring to those tiny, invisible thorns that are on a so called "thornless" cactus pad. During the harvest of prickly pears, we always get a few of those embedded in us.

Forget the tweezers... and the magnifying glass with the glochid extraction attempts that fail. Spread rubber cement over the injured skin; let it dry. Peel the glue off the spines with it. Don't like that glue idea? Then use a strip of duct tape....place it over the area of attack, and then pull it off.

It works like a champ!

....is it merely another chimera?

GreenWorks 22342 40V 20" Cordless Pole Hedge Trimmer......just saved me a few days of work......and saved me from having to hire some help.

 

One of the biggest seasonal jobs here at the farm has now become topping off the fruit trees. Weeds are still in first place for the worst job. We have over 500 trees on this farm....so one can imagine dragging a tall....heavy...bulky fruit ladder around. Not a lot of fun......and now there is no need for it.

 

More light....more fruit......is the reason why the trees get topped. However..... my real reason is this: keep the trees no taller than 7-8 feet to make harvesting fast and easy. Those monster 3 - legged.... 12-foot-high fruit ladders shall not be used on this farm. It takes a lot of energy to step up and down all day long......and it takes time to maneuver around each tree. In reality, many farms have begun to plant trees much closer together while keeping them shorter. All in the name of saving money and possibly reducing the risk of injury.

 

I know what you're thinking: "That junk trimmer wouldn't cut a piece of butter on a hot day. Well.......it does! The buzz goes to the 5/8 branches with no trouble. This tool has a reach of 12 feet.....and as seen in the posted picture...a flexible arm. Battery life is a an hour......and which is why you buy an extra one or two batteries. Charge up time is 15 minutes.

 

For a guy that absolutely hates hard work (me), this equipment delivery is love!

.....The Legend of "Stingy Jack"

   

    

So.......why do we carve pumpkins...ever wondered that? Farmer Deno had to know...and here is scoop:

 

The Legend of "Stingy Jack"

People have been making jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

 

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

.......Insanely fabulous

 

This month is harvest season for our prickly pear. Don't think for a second that this fruit is "weird." This weekend.....we start making hotcake/waffle prickly pear table syrup. It's like a mild honey flavor. Insanely fabulous. When you try real pancake or waffle prickly pear table syrup, you'll never go back to fake maple syrup again.

 

Available in March... through our new online store. There will be prickly pear rock candy, soft candy, concentrated juice, and much more cactus products, such as our jelly. If you think this is a low end money crop....think again. I encourage small farmers to conduct online research on the products made from prickly pears and the rest of the plant.

 

Oil from the seeds......hand lotion from the green pads....burn remedy (like Aloe).... pastries. Much more.

.....should had done this years ago

If you have followed this blog over the past years.....you would know that we use riding lawn mowers for getting out in the fields. Yes....we have a tow trailer behind us for carrying field tools....needs for crop harvesting, transportation of harvested crops....and so much more.

The mowers may not have the speed of a quad runner....but they do have the power to tow. Also...riding mowers are far cheaper to repair. Not to mention, a quad-runner costs around $8000.00, whereas the Cub Cadet costs $2200.00.

Perhaps the biggest advantage is that the visiting family members don't want to go "off road" on a riding mower :-) Another advantage of the mower is that it actually mows! Many times, heading out to the fields.....or returning.....we will mow a strip between the orchard trees (or berries). Time saving.

I should have added a tool box and an open carry crate to the top of the hood years ago. The tool box is needed.....for the tools slip out of the crate. The crate is great for housing mosquito spray and irrigation repair parts. Life becomes so much easier.

......siesta time for the employees

It's been a tough work day for the K9 kids. Their job is to chase off the wild birds that fly into the farm to munch on our fruits. Running off those weird looking cats that sport big ears....aka jack rabbits. Lucky, Black, and Number Four. They do great work here at the farm.

I suppose their favorite job here is to be the farm ambassadors. We occasionally have farm tours for groups.....and the K9s treat the folks with wagging tails and licking tongues.

No farm should be without a dog or three. Of course, until last summer, we had five.

.....making a gizmo

If you grow any type of vine-type crop, such as berries or grapes, you'll immediately understand the functional purpose of this homemade gizmo.For about $4.00.....life becomes so much easier on the farm.

Each and every year......farmers train their vines to grow. It's a process that requires lots of pruning and/or tying the vines to a trellis line. Snips and stretch tie vinyl tape is usually used. Snips has a belt holster....the tape has no real good solution to hold it.

By welding a piece of steel re-bar that was bent into a "J" shape...... to a spring loaded one-way latch, you make a perfect tape hanger. Simple snap onto your trellis line (steel or other) as displayed....you are now freed to use both hands....and there is no fumbling around looking for the tape. Significant time savings. I did after the picture was taken...painted it orange. It was getting "lost" in the vines.

.....we have the best cactus eggs

Our special crop........very special indeed........has doubled in size/yield this year.It's a crop that requires very little labor and.......very little water. The thorn-less prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is the perfect plant. You don’t have to water it after the third year......it flowers..... you can eat the pads and the buds..... and it’s evergreen. Plus, if a piece of it falls off onto the ground, it will grow you another plant.

It's harvest time here at the farm.....for the prickly pear fruit. How do we determine when the fruit is ripe? When the birds start pecking away at it! 

 In modern holistic medicine..... prickly pear cactus extract and supplements are used to treat type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, colitis, diarrhea, and benign enlargement of the prostate gland. Prickly pear lollipops are occasionally used as a weight loss aid in the treatment of obesity. The natural extract is a useful remedy for alcohol hangovers, and the plant's gel-like sap is often used as a hair conditioner.

It's amazing that we seem to be the only farm within Sacramento County that grows this perfect crop. Besides all the uses talked about above.......the older ...more mature green pads are processed into chicken feed. That's right....chicken feed!

We have the best eggs.......hands down!

......the farm is already at work for the Spring 2017

Fall is coming and the farm is already at work for the Spring 2017! Farmer Deno is preparing ground for a new orchard....of a old Turkish variety of "Smyrna" Quince. Makes delicious jellies and pie fillings. Most of you probably never even heard of this fruit. Sort of tastes like a pineapple/pear.

The boysenberry patch is bigger than ever......and it too is expanding. Our fruit stand ran out of berries each weekend (that is good)!

The Blood Plums planted last year produced a few boxes of fruit recently......and according to the folks that were given sample bags of fruit....they were simply the best plums ever! 

Yes....we closed the farm sales a bit early this due to repair all the damage from the broken water piper that bled sand into out driplines, sprinklers, timers, and valves. Two months of repairs....now fully operational. Whew!

....being stuck in an office cubicle

You may think that this post will be about our harvested bounties of each day....the figs...peaches...plums...and so many other items that we produce here on our farm. You thought wrong.

This is about the time spent with the fruits that are not sold. There is the thinning of the trees in the early of the year....to promote larger fruit and to discourage deformed shapes by the overcrowding. These green "thinnings" are run through our shredder for chicken feed. Hundreds of pounds. Yes.....I said hundreds.

Then comes along a natural process that we call "fruit drop". One tree may have 300 peaches on it....but it will drop fruit for whatever reason. That fruit is collected off the ground......to not only promote a healthy soil environment from mold and bacterial nuisances.......also for chicken feed.

Next in line is the actual harvesting for sales. It's a day to day harvesting schedule as we pick only ripe fruit......not the entire tree crop as so many other farms do. This is extremely time consuming .....but we do have a grand reputation for having the best tasting fruits (it not harvested green)!

Finally......towards the end of the harvesting of orchard(s).....we take in hundreds of pounds for processing. We create jams and jellies during the slow months on the farm....with the summer's fruits. All this has to be cleaned......seeded....and flash frozen.......packaged. This past 10 days had been about 150 pounds per day of preps. Pluots.....figs...and peaches. Oh.....tomatoes too!

With all this going on.....Farmer Deno still has to do the regular farm chores.....about a 12 hour day. Is it worth all this  you may ask? Better than being  stuck in an office cubicle with those florescent lights beating down depression all day long :-)

.........borers keeps us from being bored

Trees get weak from a lack of a drink.....just like us humans. Get weak and then one seems to contract sickness more often....as a tree will also. If you have orchards as we do...or if you are a simple homeowner with a tree (can be Pines to Birch too)....take a look at the trunk of your tree(s)....looking for little holes....or sap piling up......even sawdust. Look as often as every other month especially from May forward.

The immature or larval stages of insects, particularly beetles and moths......that feed on wood rather than leaves or plant juices are referred to as borers. All the woody parts of the tree from the buds and twigs to the trunk and roots are susceptible to borer attack. Most borers are attracted to trees that are weakened through drought, injury or disease.
 
Keep all trees growing vigorously. Healthy trees exude resin, which usually kills shothole borers before much damage can be done. If the tree is weakened, this resin buildup, or gumming process, does not develop.

In addition, promptly prune and burn dead or badly infested trees or weak and dead limbs. Piles of pruned limbs and branches left in or near the orchard may serve as a breeding place for the beetle. Infested wood should be destroyed before adults emerge. Wild fruit trees and other potential breeding sites should also be removed.

Painting tree trunks with whitewash paint may help repel the adult beetles, especially on young trees. Insecticide leaf sprays are usually not very effective.

...I am fig itching to teach you a trick

I was doing some reading on history the other day.....and I came across a picture. It was truly amazing. There were two Egyptians harvesting Figs without gloves or long sleeve shirts......

Oh.....I suppose I need to fill in the reader here about harvesting Figs. It's a tough deal to do. Fig trees have a residue that seeps off the leafs and the figs.....which becomes a real issue on your skin. The itch is just as bad as bad can be! A prolong itch. Soap and water.....baking soda.....itch creams....will not stop the itch that leads humans into a world of insanity!

I am still in the harvest season of our figs. Each day I get to the trees...it's a little hot outside and one can work up a real sweat when doing this job. ....then that darn itch is right back again to play havoc.

Jumping off this topic once again......I had read a farming book last week.....the author was writing about  cactus.....just like ours.... here the Natomas Farm. There was a statement there that the author wrote....."pick the  (noh-POH-lays) in the cool of the mornings"......because the plant changes to a slightly higher Ph in the hot day. This higher Ph results in a NOT as sweet Nopales............that is gained by picking in the cool.

Bingo!

I wondered that if I picked the figs in the cool of the day...would that haunting itch be waiting for me .....because the Ph of the tree might be different? After all......the Egyptians in that painting above had no clothing protection.......

Double bingo............ no itch!

...........we offer free harvesting

We have three grow seasons here at the farm. At the end of each season....we offer free harvesting to all....of what is left on the ground. This past few days....has created many happy folks as they carried out the found treasures. Special thanks to the Whites....for making me the BEST peach cobbler!....and to Nichole French for the cool note she sent: "Just wanted to say thank u again for letting us come out! My boys absolutely loved it. They want to go live on your farm lol."

If you operate a farm....I strongly encourage you to so the same. There is nothing worst than having food rot on the ground. 

.........just how many do we harvest?

I get the question often. The answer is different each year....and the answer is always not always quite the whole picture. Of course.....the question is this: how many peaches do we harvest each season.

This year I say "15 baskets each morning". Folks comprehend that type of answer better.....We harvest each day for our fruit stand. Then we harvests for the farm to home clients. Then it gets really nutz when we have to harvest for the Farmer's Market...up top of the fruit stand and farm to home business.

Last year we didn't do much harvesting of peaches....the orchard being a little young. Each year as the trees get stronger to hold larger loads of fruit...and as the trees grow larger.....I imagine the daily harvest next year will be at least 45 baskets per morning.....an easy hundred down the road.

So.............our harvest has been going on for bout two weeks with no let up in sight for the fruit gathering. This is not as good as our 5 varieties Pluots that runs for three months. I can tell you this much.............it's way greater than 15 baskets a morning!

Next year we will be hiring harvesters......there is no way that Farmer Deno can do the job by himself.....and that is good news!

......hot chicks at the beach

It seems that our hens have gone on vacation. The decrease of eggs tells us this. While there could be many reasons for this production loss that happens routinely.......it's really boils down to a few reasons here at our farm.

Chickens love routine... habit and a coop that is not too hot..... and not too cold..... changes to any of these will stress out your hen and cause disruption to their laying. Change of habitat such as construction or loud nose .....as power equipment and hammers.......will not do well with the hens as well.

Occasionally a hen will go broody. This means that she wants to try and hatch those eggs she’s just laid. When a hen “goes broody,” she stops laying eggs and starts sitting on the nest day in and day out.

Just like us humans.....the ladies need a balanced diet. Poor nutrition = poor laying = poor egg quality. It takes a lot of energy to produce those eggs and if you’re hen isn’t getting enough requirements ..........she will stop laying. To produce 1 egg your hen will use up 10% of her body's calcium. Water supply is also a source of a decline in eggs.... make sure your hens have constant access to  a clean water supply.

So if you sell eggs to a weekly clientele list ........you should let the clients know in advance.....that there will be several interruptions of deliveries each year....due to the natural nature of chickens.

You should also make sure that the ladies pack sun block.........

.......being very diversified

I had a thought.....years ago....about making jams from our farm's fruits that we grow. Just another simple way to make a buck or two. One must diversify.... if one is to succeed ....on a farm. Goat milk soap....dried fruits...perhaps making pies. I had many thoughts in fact.

One thought was to plant many types of fruiting trees. From Blood Oranges to the Pluots.....what a smart decision that was. We have fruit sales 10 months out of the year. One must learn about the fruit tree before digging a hole and throwing in a young whip (a single branch-less starter tree)....more to it than you might think. We have eleven types of trees...being very diversified..

So.....I decided to produce jam and jellies....to be even more diversified (there's that word again!). Making fruit into jams should be easy I assumed. Oh no no no!

I did have a question or two about all those fruit filled glass containers that one will find at the higher end stores...or the local Farmer Markers. What the heck is fruit butter to conserves? Preserves is not jam? Fruit spread ? They all look the same....... fruit crammed into a glass jar. Tall jars. Fat jars. Fancy and the not so fancy jars. They all tend to taste the same when spread on toast or a bagel. But there must be a difference between them all........... right?

The difference between these many fruity accoutrements lies in the form of the fruit contained.....as I finally educated myself ....after days on Google. After a few headaches.....

The real point of this post is is this: to make your farm more than just growing a few tomatoes.....corn... some squash perhaps. Get some smart diversification going. Grow what others don't. Create what others don't. This way of thinking has been extremely successful with us....but with the price of a whole lot of time researching before pulling the trigger.

Oh.....we have our jam and jelly business nearly ready to start....this fall. A full diversify (there's that word again!) of flavors such as Prickly Pear jelly....Boysenberry-Fig jam....Cherry-Fig jam....and 7 other flavors.

Dried fruit is next on our diversity list (there's that word again!)

........about those green waffers

First thing that came to my mind when Professor Jeanette and Farmer Deno bought this farm some eight years ago.....was this above image. The intensity of this part of the 1973 movie....played out by Edward G. Robinson and Charlton Heston eating delicious food that was virtually non existent......left me a deep image not to be forgotten .

"...We will grow food as good as that dinner they had" .....I was in a state of being pleasantly lost my thoughts eight years ago.

...and now we do. .....eight years later

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQQ6wNfkcmc
Name of the movie? I shouldn't have to tell you!

....the key to get out of Hell

I have been working this farm for nearly eight years. We've had our ups and downs such as frost damage......fireblight......leaf miners....and a few more headaches that would fill up an entire page here. It can't get much worse than the above mentioned....right?

If you noticed...my blog has not been active for quite a spell. My personal computed died.....and if you don't know your password to Blogger.....you died. It can't get much worse than the above mentioned....right?

Two months later (last week)....I found the password. Now for the hell on Earth story.......

This story starts back some 6 years ago.....laying underground main line pvc lines here on the farm Job went well....and worked out great. Well.......turns out that the glue used with the PVC was factory recalled....defective. Yes.....nearly all the glued components came apart after a year or so. All had to be redone. Except for the section under the dry creek.....and this is where this story really begins......

It took too long to see a water issue....damaging the crops. Having spent too much time trying to locate the break in the pipe.....sand got into the entire watering system. Timers......valves....drip tape....the entire system got damaged. The moment the underground pipe got repaired......it was discovered that our water well was now pumping in sand! Over used well that was putting out 30 pounds pressure of water 24/7 for about three weeks. Thanks to a great neighbor.... Mark Newman....the issues with the well was a easy fix. Without Mark....we would had to call a well repair company at a cost of hundreds of dollars.  It can't get much worse than the above mentioned....right?

Yeah....our farm truck decided it's radiator was going bad. It's all about water this month!

The real lesson to learn from my post here....for the new farmer to be.....check that existing water well for a filter! $100 fix. I also installed smaller filters out in the fields. Still in repairs of our irrigation systems after all this time. .......and the farm maintenance to the farm's tree orchard care has gone to hell. Do I still recommend getting a farm........and mental health insurance?

Yes.

.....not even heros could help me

Where in the hell has Farmer Deno's http://thenatomasfarm.blogspot.com been? It's been offline for two months!

Due to a idiot (me) not backing up his files.....due to a idiot (me) waiting for his PC to die like a fly on a Mac truck windshield.....due to a idiot (me) believing in Unicorns.....my pc died with my passwords. I just now was able to come up with the password for my blog. My farm blog continues on.....tomorrow.