Gophermatic.comDigging the earth!

January 10, 2010

I went out today on a Sunday afternoon and braved the cold to begin prepping a dirt garden as I call it.  I really like self watering container gardening much better as I have had better luck with the Texas heat using this method in the past.  I guess it is still habit though and I do prefer the dirt for the winter and early spring crops and we had a nice wet spring last year also. The only time we watered was at planting time if I remember correctly.

I began by hoeing off all of the dead grass and winter green cover as I call it. I could have just tilled this in, but I prefer to do it this way. It is less of a problem when tilling and I will use this cover material in a compost pile. It is just much better when you are in a hurry to get your ground ready too. I will use this to set up a compost bin as it is both carbon (dead grass) and nitrogen (green grass) and I will add some leaves to that also.  I prefer to start at one end and go backwards across it. That way I only see the part  I have cleaned mostly. It’s a psychological thing for me.  Every now and then I will grab a rake and rake what I have hoed into a pile to haul to the compost bin later.

Once I had cleaned all of the grass and vegetation cover down to mostly bare dirt, I got out the tiller and tilled it one time without the bedder attachment.  The ground was just a little too moist but I got through it without too much of a problem. After this first pass, I put the bedder on the tiller and made some really nice deep beds.

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I am going to let this set until Friday when the next above ground planting times are good according to the almanac. I used to not take much care about this, but I had an eye opener many years ago about this and I will make a special post about this when I get a chance. Really a unique story and it actually happened to me.

I will coat this entire area with about a half inch to an inch of compost from the compost pile after I plant also. Keep watching and I will post again after planting time.  Last year we had cabbage, onions, radishes, greens, brocolli, and brussel sprouts in this garden area. I have include some pictures from  Spring 2009 below.
:B

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What to Do If Attacked By Africanized Honey Bees

IMPORTANT NOTE: African Honey Bees are attracted to CO2, which is expelled naturally while breathing. AHBs will aim for the mouth and nose first. Often people and animals die of asphyxiation when the nose or throat swells shut from the stings. More deaths occur from suffocation rather than from the venom itself. —Jerry Hays, apiary inspection chief, Florida Dept. of Agriculture

Remember these important steps:

1. RUN away quickly. Do not stop to help others. However, small children and the disabled may need some assistance.

Africanized Honey Bees

Photo: Closeup of Africanized honey bees (AHBs) surrounding a European queen honey bee (EHB), marked with a pink dot for identification. Since AHBs arrived in Texas in 1990, they’ve mated with EHBs and spread throughout the Southwest. But rather than commingling, AHBs tend to replace EHBs, partly because EHB queen bees mate disproportionately with African drones. (by Scott Bauer)

2. As you are running, pull your shirt up over your head to protect your face, but make sure it does not slow your progress. This will help keep the bees from targeting the sensitive areas around your head and eyes. (They are attracted to the CO2 expelled from your nose and mouth during normal breathing and will target those areas first.)

3. Continue to RUN. Do not stop running until you reach shelter, such as a vehicle or building. A few bees may follow you indoors. However, if you run to a well-lit area, the bees will tend to become confused and fly to windows. Do not jump into water! The bees will wait for you to come up for air. If you are trapped for some reason, cover up with blankets, sleeping bags, clothes, or whatever else is immediately available.

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate morsels
1 (7 oz.) coconut (optional)

Combine butter and sugars, beating well at medium speed. Add eggs; beating after each addition. Add vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture; mixing well. Stir in oats, pecans, chocolate chips and coconut. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350* for 15 minutes. (12 minutes without the coconut.)

This recipe has been in our family for years. I have received many, many compliments and requests for these delectible little goodies. It was handed down to me by a wonderful friend!

For years now we have fought a never ending battle with the mesquite tree here on the farm in Central Texas. They are very hard to keep out of the fields here. It is a constant chore and I even carry a grubbing hoe in the back of my pickup now – standard equipment!

Several years ago, I learned something new about this wonderful tree. Native Americans had used this tree for a food source. The beans can be ground into a flour. The leaves can be used to make a tea.

Mesquite Tea
Strip off handfuls of leaves from several trees and place them into a gallon zip lock bag. Every day fluff this a couple of times, until the leaves are dry. When the leaves are dry, they can be brewed and make a good green tea.

Mesquite Flour
Once the beans have matured they will fall off the tree and can be harvested. They can then be ground into flour which can be used for fry bread, pancakes, cookies, etc… I heard that some sites that sell it for as high as $15.00 per pound on the internet.

Other Uses
One person cooked the beans into a syrup and they claimed it was equal to log cabin syrup in flavor. I have also heard of people making wine from the beans. Mesquite wood is a very good for barbequeing. Save your trees and just pickup the dry or dead limbs. If you throw the dry beans on your charcoal in the pit, you will also get that great mesquite flavor.

Mesquite is truly a tree with many uses!

Check back often for we will be posting some mesquite recipes in detail under our recipe section.