Sunday, August 21, 2011

Almond Harvest

and that is what a year's worth of work looks like. Pretty isn't it? And tasty too!

The first variety of almonds are up and on their way to market. The next variety will be shaken on the 29th. In the meantime we are sneaking a shot of water on the trees to keep them going.

This week we will work in the shop. No irrigating on the cotton. Next week we will put the last irrigation on the cotton.

Before I sign off, here's my recipe for roast almonds.

Roast Almonds
4 cups of almonds

1/8 cup of olive oil

2 tbsp salt

12 minutes and check

350F
Note- you can use any type of oil, I use olive oil
Also, be creative and try different types of salt. Garlic salt is yummy. I think I have tried Pappy’s. Zatarain’s Cajun salt is very zippy. I have my own creole salt I use also. Have fun.


Mmmmmmm. Yes, that is a yummy sound.
Fresh almonds taste great, but a can't eat too many. Maybe that is a hint.
Roasted almonds taste fab-u-lous, and I can eat them all day long. Again, maybe that is a clue of some sort.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Monday, August 15, 2011

We're shaking my nuts,

that means it's harvest time! [What  were you thinking?]
The little brown flecks are the almonds being shaken to the ground.

The old joke is Al-monds on the tree and ah-monds when they are on the ground. Because they have had the 'L' shaken out of them. OK, corny, sometimes we get a little silly when we have been in the sun too long.

The nuts will lay on the ground for a week to dry out. Then they will be picked up and sent to the huller to be hulled and shelled. Then off to Blue Diamond for packaging. Remember, a can a week is all we ask.

Elsewhere on the farm-

We are starting our last irrigation in the cotton. We'll be done watering the end of the month.

The bugs got sprayed over the weekend. I hated the expense, but those bugs won't die by themselves. The crazy thing is the new generation of bug killers are softer on the environment, but they are much more expensive and don't last as long. I am left with this dilemma- do the right thing and pay through the nose, or go cheap. We do have good commodity prices this year. I hope it is enough to cover fuel, fertilizer and chemical prices. There is always something to worry about.

My radio work continues to go well. Last week the station posted MP3s of my pieces. You can find them at- http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=68
   I do appreciate the words of encouragement some of you have sent along. Radio is a different critter. It is hard to create a conversation when I am in the studio by myself. Glad to know some of you like it.
I hope y'all have a great week.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

The Plants Will Tell You...

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I have been busy. I'll explain later.

Plants will tell you when something is wrong. The corn leaf on the left is not lush and green. The yellow streaking tells us something is missing. Soils and leaf samples confirm the field is short of potassium. A friend who is a retired agronomist tells me the plant wants potassium, but there isn't enough in the soil. So it picks up the sodium in the soil which burns the leaves. I need to get some potassium out there so we can have healthy, happy plants. Of course, the corn plants can't be all that upset. You can see two healthy ears of corn in the background.

OK, like I said I have been busy. We have a new project. Those of you in the Fresno area can now hear me on KYNO 940 radio weekdays. They have asked if I do a little radio work for them. Eventually the owner at KYNO wants to do a full Ag news show, but we are not ready for that yet. So we have started with one minute spots about life on the farm. You can hear me 5:30. 6:30, 7:30AM, 12:30 and 5:30PM.  We are also tyring to link this blog with the station web page. We are being sponsored by a local fertilizer company, Actagro. Thanks guys.

Next week- almond harvest! We start shaking trees on Monday. I'll report back to you.

I hope y'all have a good week.

P