Merry Christmas Y'all!

That isn't Kerman. That is Maria Kyrka, 13th Century church in Sweden in the town where my Grandmother was born. Mom and I were able to go there a few years ago and meet the cousins. Samkta Lucia Day, on December 13th,  is the beginning of the Christmas season in Sweden. We were able to worship in this church for the evening service on Sankta Lucia Day on that visit. A very special night.

We hope you all have a very special Christmas, full of faith, family and good food.

Work goes on at the farm. There is always something to do. But, it is nice to be able to stop once in a while and put things in perspective. I'll check back with you after the New Year.

Until then I'll leave you with my recipe for Christmas cider and Swedish Glogg-

In a large crock pot add

2parts apple cider

1 part cran raspberry juice

2-4 cinnamon sticks

4-6 cloves

a dash of allspice

and let simmer for hours

Swedish Glogg

Glogg

1.5l port wine
1/4 cup honey
2 sticks of cinnamon
8 cloves
2 pinches coriander

heat in a saucepan, bringing it nearly to a boil.
Serve hot with blanched almonds and raisins.
Makes a wonderful after dinner drink on a cold winter night.

You can serve the hot cider to the kiddies. Obviously the Glogg is for the grown ups.


And a Merry Christmas to All!!

Winter on the Farm

The wheat has already started to sprout. There is nothing like seeing a new crop come out of the ground. There is always that uncertainty as we wait, and then...here it comes. By the ed of February you can here the wind whistle through the leaves. Later the Tri-color blackbirds move in. All Spring you can here them warbling in the field if you slow down and listen. I hear them when I and waling and checking fields.

It has been unusually warm for December. The upside is that cleaning equipment in the shop wasn't the finger freezing chore it usually is. The temps were up to 72 on Friday afternoon. Some years it hovers in the 40's. It is a lot more fun too run the pressure washer when it is 70 that 40, you'll just have to take my word on that. The tractors and equipment are all cleaned, serviced and parked. We survived the demolition derby.

   As you can see above the wheat is off and growing. We'll have most of it watered and sprouting before Christmas. We have started pruning the almonds. We should finish that by mid-January so the pruning scars can heal in the cold weather before the trees start blooming in February.

I got a live ware comment on how last week's blog posting was kind of self-exposing. Well, the whole point of this blog is to share about life on a farm. Economic reality is part of life on the farm. I enjoy sharing about the work we do. I hope you have enjoyed seeing the progression of work during the year, the little tidbits of family life and the recipes. But, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Farming is a brutally tough business. I can do everything right and still get my clock cleaned by the weather, global markets or other forces outside my control. There are a lot of us licking our financial wounds this year. Some of us won't make it. Others will shake it off and carry on. This is a reality every farm family lives with. I don't mean to be maudlin, I just want to share all the ups and downs of farming. I appreciate your reading along.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Changing Gears with the Seasons

Well, the tractors are parked. We have finished harvest and the winter ground work. The Wheat is planted. All the furrows are pulled and the ditches are up.

Of course the work never ends on a farm, we just change gears. We began irrigating the wheat this last week. In the shop we are cleaning all the equipment. Next week we begin pruning the orchards. The pace is slower and the stakes are lower than harvest time, but there is still plenty to do.

Begging worked, the bank lent us more money to for another year. But, 2010 was brutal. It will take me three to five years to make up the loss. I probably would have been better off if I just stayed hope and left he tractors parked. Of course, buying groceries would have been difficult. This can be a tough sport. Still, I would rather be here, now, with our little problems than anywhere else at any other time in history. These may be difficult times, but we still live in the Land of the Free, thanks to the Brave.

I hope you are all getting in to the holiday spirit, in spite of the traffic at the malls.