For the Love of Berries!

For a few short weeks in June, our lives here on DewKist revolve around the berry - the strawberry, that is. 

This is actually a huge exaggeration when you take a moment to remember the history of our acreage.

In the past, our farm was the original U-Pick strawberry farm in the area. The original owners, a lovely older couple who live on the other side of the creek, grew ten acres of these garnet, bit-sized fruits. For years, they enjoyed families who returned every summer to take advantage of the beautiful strawberry crop - my own family included.

There's so much history here. So many stories were shared. It's an honor to live here for sure.

One of the previous owners of DewKist decided they couldn't keep up with the amount of work necessary to keep this place running, so they plowed under the strawberry fields. I wonder if that lovely couple who started it all felt just as crushed as the strawberry plants did that day. It must've been sad to witness.

In comparison to what the farm used to be, our little personal strawberry patch seems small, but for a family of five, it seems quite large. It consists of four twenty-foot rows, giving a grand total of 80 feet of berry picking. We chose the "Jewel" variety, and they've become our favorite. The plants stay compact, growing up more than out, and the berries are large with high-rise stems that are easy to cut. The fruit is dark red and extremely juicy and sweet. 

Berries, however, don't wait for a convenient time; they ripen whether you're ready or not. That means, we have to pick them on Monday... 

Tuesday...

This year, we planted the "Jewel" variety. It's our favorite.

Wednesday...

and Thursday...

Of course, our family is eating up all the fresh strawberries we can, and we put them in cereal, ice cream, quick-bread loaves, etc. Pinterest has been quite helpful as well, when it comes to finding recipes. I added strawberries to this banana bread recipe I found on  the Shockingly Delicious website. I gave some away, and the family ate the rest...all except for our youngest, who somehow never claimed his share.

We also gave away strawberries to friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Hubby and I decided that this was our favorite thing to do with our surplus of berries. I mean, what's better than sharing parts of the farm, right? Sometimes we both wish it was still an operating U-Pick farm. It would've been fun to watch families venture out between the rows of plants, while toddlers stain there chubby hands with berry juice. :)

Year after year, however, my husband and I make strawberry freezer jam.  That's what we did this evening. I picked them. He mashed them. We both measured and stirred. I heated the pectin. He stirred it into the berries. I filled the jelly jars. He sealed them up. Nineteen jars later, we were finished for the night.

We'll probably make more jam later in the week, as we typically have thirty jars in our freezer.  Or perhaps we'll find a few people who would like to stop by and pick some berries for themselves (hint, hint).

Now...I think the raspberries are coming next...sigh....

Sharon

Just Another One of my Crazy Ideas!

I confess. When I'm given time to think, I come up with ideas. And when my husband is on a business trip, I've been known to execute some of these ideas.

Like the time he was in China, and I took the kids to the Humane Society for our first indoor pet...I remember him calling home to see how we were. "We're good," I said, "Matt's team won the baseball game, and we bought a cat." I mean, what could he say? He was in China!

Two years ago, when hubby was out of town, I couldn't resist the purchase of our chicken coop. Now, before you all go jumping to conclusions, I want you to know that my husband is always okay with what I choose to do...in the end...once the initial shock wears off. Hahaha. But really, he's a good sport. 

That's why, when I told him I'd like to move the coop to a new location, he went right to work. Before we remodeled our horse barn, we had placed the coop alongside it. With the new look to the barn, it became clear that the coop didn't fit in.

The coop was originally where you can see the dirt alongside the barn. As you can see, the chickens had no shade. :(

So, because our new flock of chickens is to arrive in about one week, I thought the coop should be moved somewhere where its rustic appearance would make more sense. AND it needed to be in a place where there was shade. Gotta have happy chickens!

It sounds easy to move a small building to a new cozy location...

But then it needs electricity, which means digging a trench (courtesy of our oldest son)....

And then a fence needs to be constructed, which means digging holes. (My arms are STILL sore.) Nine holes were dug...I think. I really can't remember because I only helped dig four. :)

Because shade was needed, a nice space under the pines needed to be cleared.

That's my hard-working husband, chainsaw in hand.

It was a full day's work. Our muscles were sore, and most of the day, we nibbled on strawberries from the garden and iced tea, all while spraying ourselves with vanilla-scented spray to keep the ten billion gnats away.

Our efforts paid off, I believe. The coop is now nestled beside some white pines at the end of our garden. It should be an ideal place to watch the chickens while I play in the garden, and maybe they'll even get to sample some of the garden produce.

Everyone seems to be happy. The chickens will be too.  That being said, I will NEVER do this much work again....

...until the next crazy idea. 

Sharon

See you on Vine

Ok....does anyone out there have the Vine app on their iPhone? I love it!

It's so fun to create little videos of the farm happenings. Like the other night when we were playing a very rustic game of horseshoes in the barn....it's fun to have a way to share it with you all. :)

Just hover over the image below, be sure to click the volume button on the top left of the image so you can hear the sound, then click on the image.




Anyway, if you have a Vine account, I'd love to have you follow me at DewKistGirl so I can follow you back.

Meanwhile, enjoy the next clip I recorded during tonight's feeding time.

Searching for Used Saddles on eBay

Over the winter months, I spent some time searching for a new dressage saddle. Years ago, I had purchased a "synthetic leather" brand that just never felt right. Rather than feeling like I was sitting on a horse, I felt like I was sitting on plastic. So, it became my goal to look for a Stubben saddle.

My budget didn't allow for a new Stubben, but eBay was full of used ones ranging from very worn to gently used condition. The price range varied too, from $400 all the way to $1300. Because I had already measured my horses for the correct size, I was certain that what I was looking for was a Stubben Tristan 17.5" dressage saddle with a 32 cm tree.

After a few minutes of looking, it became clear that photographs made it very difficult to determine the condition of a saddle. By the end of the night, I felt comfortable about one in particular and purchased it. At the exact moment I completed the purchase, I worried that I had taken too great a risk.

But all was well. The saddle arrived at the post office in just a few days, and the fit was just what I had hoped for the horses.

Interestingly enough, I called Stubben with the serial number of this particular saddle in hopes of discovering its age. The Stubben representative quickly contacted me with the news that it was over nineteen years old. The previous owner must have taken great care of it, as it looks like its only a few years old. 

I took some time last weekend to clean up all the tack in the barn. With country music on the radio and my favorite leather conditioner in hand, it made for a very nice day. 

Don't be too leery of purchasing a used saddle online. As long as you do adequate research on what you need and take measurements of your horse(s), the purchase should be a good one.

Sharon

More Sugar. Less Sugar

It was warm.

Now it's cold.

Mother Nature appears to be menopausal this spring.

But for the few days of heaven that we experienced less than one week ago, I was able to work with the horses. I feel bad because I seem to only photograph my own horses, and I rarely photograph my son's horse, Sugar.

Truth is...

She's obese.

So I seem to take pictures of my fit horses. Shame on me. :(

The good news is that we've been working with Sugar for a couple of months now. She's on a diet and exercise program.

Here's the transformation. Pay special attention to her belly.

Before

More Sugar

I find it funny that in the picture above, Sugar is eating. Then, in the picture below, she's exercising. We could all learn something from this. :)

After

Less Sugar

I'll try to take pictures of Sugar a little more often. She really does like the attention, and she'll make a great halter horse for the show ring.  I've bonded with her over these past few months, but you'll never see me riding her. You see, Sugar only allows men to steer her from above. She's put me in my place. Apparently, my place is on the ground. 

More pictures of Sugar to come.

Sharon

The Beautiful Forest

Mitch is twelve, and, in honor of Earth Day, he wrote this lovely thought about the forest. Enjoy.

I could smell the fresh air and taste the sun that was gleaming so beautifully through the trees.

When walking around, I can hear the underbrush crunching like cereal beneath my feet.

I can see the birds flying, the monkeys swinging from vine to vine.

Oh, how beautiful the forest is. 

I look around me and see the world in its best dress.

I see the streams of crystal clear water and the creatures that lie within it.

I think to myself that God is a painter. He paints every day of our lives, and sometimes we smear the paint and mess up.

When I go back to reality, I see that the forest is not just nature; it is God's home - the jagged bark and moss on the trees, and the weightless water, and all the creatures.

The world is not just a place to live. It is God's home, so we need to treat it with respect.

A Weekend on DewKist Farm

Our oldest son graduates from high school in just a few weeks, making family moments that much more special.

So, when last weekend started out with a mid-morning family breakfast, I knew good things were to come.

Fresh fruit (and yummy fruit dip) on a warm spring day...makes a girl wish her garden was ready! 

Of course, bacon makes everything better!

The chickens begged me for a wind chime on the front porch of their coop, so I caved. 

The boys enjoyed tearing up their 4-wheeler track....

...and taking time to rest.

It was while I was hanging with my boys that I had an idea! Why not start making a fairy garden? Thanks to the hundreds of ideas on Pinterest, I felt inspired to start my own. Now, don't expect much. I have no intention of making this anything extravagant, but I do plan on having some fun walking through the woods to find little treasures that a garden fairy would find suitable for her home. So far, I've made a pebble path that leads to where her front door will be. 

While I was scouting around for fairy findings, I noticed Toby, our younger collie, had found his own little place under some white pines. It looks like everyone enjoyed the day!

Loving the country, from our place to yours.

Sharon