3rd week of November 2009

Emptying Leaf Bags The pleasant fall weather just keeps on coming though this week has a little more nip in the air prompting jackets and no more bare feet for the kids. We have apples in the dehydrator which gives the house a touch of extra warmth and a delightful aroma. I'm also amazed at all the veggies I am still harvesting from the garden without protection: snow peas, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, turnips, carrots, kale, salad greens and more. There are still fresh flowers like calendula and a few stray snapdragons for table bouquets too. Our compost pile is being blessed with piles of leaves thanks to the Dalton Village truck. The boys have the jobs of emptying the bags whenever the truck shows up with another delivery. This pile of leaves and composted manure will go on the pastures to add fertility for next year's grass. I actually am backing off on using compost in my garden areas after the soil tests showed that our potassium was getting too high from an overabundance of composted manure. Sometimes too much of a good thing isn't always good...

Birdfeeder Ornament This week I need to set up an assembly line to fill an order for 150 birdfeeder ornaments. These are made from our sorghum cane tops along with rye and other dried finds around the farm and can be used as a holiday decoration before being hung in a tree for a treat for the birds. A friend who is a sales associate for Wholesome Pet is gathering items from local farms to create the Christmas baskets for their account clients. Glad I saved all those seed heads when we cut the cane! We always end up making more money from the tops than we do from the molasses.

We are very excited to have the coldframing DVD's back from the printer and are ready to sell them. They are about 1/2 hour in length and include a planting guide (ordering info). I'm planning to have a table at the Holiday Market at the Local Roots farmer's market in downtown Wooster on Saturday. In addition to the DVD's, I'll have homemade paper cards for sale, Olin's bells (made from fire extinguishers) and other goodies. Stop by and see me plus many other local food and craft vendors along with author Gene Logsdon from 10:00-3:00 on the 21st.

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