We were so happy to see Alisha drive up Monday evening. David, Ashley, Will, and I were all waiting anxiously for her to arrive and couldn’t wait to have her see everything from the new pullets to the flower beds getting ready to bloom which she had cleaned and mulched so well. What a fun reunion.
Will had tilled our main garden by the house and as we rotate our crops yearly, he and David had moved both our hoop houses onto fresh ground. We can’t get over how wonderful the soil looks in the garden. We can still remember how it was from the beginning, with sand and rocks everywhere — big rocks! So if you should be thinking “Well, I could grow a nice garden if I had soil like theirs,” just read my book Starting Over for a glimpse at how it used to be.
Yesterday Alisha and I planted peppers in both hoop houses then when Will was setting out big round bales for the cows, he waved Alisha up onto the big Oliver to try her hand at tractor driving. I’ll admit that Oliver is intimidating. But she was game, and before long was getting the hang of it, bringing the horses a bale with Will sitting on the fender, holding on well — just in case.
Then he decided to till the North garden as it is fairly dry and all of the other gardens were all tilled up nicely. So Alisha went along on the four wheeler and before long was up on the Ford, tilling garden. She was so happy to be learning how to drive different tractors as she’d only driven her grandfather’s John Deere in the past and every tractor is really different from the others.
Our asparagus is coming up great. Last fall Will spread six inches of rotted manure on all the beds as they hadn’t been fertilized in a few years. And boy, do they like that! The asparagus is big, fat, and purple. What nice spears! We’ll be having fresh asparagus for dinner this week and probably a rhubarb pie to go along with it as the rhubarb is beautiful too. — Jackie
Absolutely LOVE your enthusiasm, willingness, and hard work to gain experience and knowledge, Alisha! I appreciate you enjoying these outdoor experiences. (I’m an indoor type lol)
We love them too; the two heralds of true spring. I have those memories too and they’ll last a lifetime. It’s important that we make them for our kids, grandkids and neighboring children
Welcome back Alisha! It is wonderful to have such great help. I hope you can stay all summer. Jackie and Will sure can use the help on their large homestead.
I am jealous of everything being rolled. I have our one green house tilled but need to get the outside garden tilled as well. We are trying to finish a big chicken coop to move all our egg layers and then the gardens get done. Your asparagus looks wonderful. Cant wait until ours is big like that. Maybe this summer my husband and I can make a trip to see your homestead. I would enjoy seeing all you have accomplished.
We always enjoy having visitors, so come if you can.
The asparagus looks wonderful, and so much better that the thin spindly stalks the stores sell. I remember good asparagus from my youth and none of what you can buy measures up. Thank you for sharing you life with us. I really appreciate it.
It’s amazing at what some simple rotted cow poop can accomplish! That’s why our homestead motto is “Mo’ Poo Poo!”. Chemicals just don’t cut it.
Rhubarb and Asparagus! Two of my absolute favourites and so many wonderful memories of spring from my childhood. My mom use to take us out to collect wild Asparagus when I was a small child. I have vivid memories of collecting it, the picnics she would make and playing with sticks in the nearby stream. Stewed rhubarb reminds me of my beloved Grandmother. She always had it for us for breakfast in the spring. Good seasonal food- you can’t beat it!
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