Buying Big Equipment

 

Thursday, January 30, 2014

 

 

Ever so quiet here on the mountain this morning. +1°  which is such a pleasant surprise after so many days in the seriously minus range. Karl the Wonder Dog snores by the wood stove after his first walk of the day and I am settled in with another cup of Dark Magic from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. If Karl stays quiet for a while I can get some work done.

Today is the final day of the Vermont Farm Show in Essex and if you haven't been yet, it's worth the trip. All states have spring garden shows and farm shows and if you are contemplating an equipment purchase or just want to fend off Seasonal Affective Disorder a little longer, get out and see what's available. The Vermont show gets bigger each year and they really do a great job. Just because it's billed as a farm show doesn't mean you have to be a farmer to go and see lots of neat things, meet some great people, see some animals--and bees this year-- and leave with smiles and lots of information.

Pictured up above is a New Holland tractor I bought 7 years ago from the Greenwood boys down in South Royalton, Vermont. I have +800 hours run time on it which isn't much for a farmer but for me and our flowers, that represents a lot of new gardens, a lot of lawn care, a lot of moving things around. I settled on this particular tractor after  looking at a number of similar tractors and talking with 3-4 vendors. I bought this one because I felt the best about the answers and the price. I always measure big purchases as "number of returns to the vendor for problems" because a two-person operation affords absolutely no downtime trying to get someone to fix something again and again. Knock on wood but I have not had a single problem with this tractor and the only time I had Greenwoods return to see me was three years back when I had a cruise control added to compensate for a right knee problem on the operator--that would be me! Love it!

I bought this tractor with the front bucket, a 5 ft rototiller, and a 3 bladed rotary mower. I have picked up a York rake and a ditching blade since and have added a brush hog,  a commercial sprayer and a wood chipper to my collection of add-ons. The tractor/bucket price is the big part followed by the chipper. Nothing is cheap so some things I buy used, somethings only new. I never buy anything without talking with current owners including people who might use a similar product commercially.

So if you are thinking that this is the year you absolutely need a tractor, look around at farm shows and make the rounds to vendors. Oh yes--one more thing. When you think you have settled in on a choice, do something that may not come to mind at all. Check out how to service the machine. Begin with the filters and the oil ins and outs and see if these are easy things to get to. Sometimes in today's world, the person creating that new wiz bang design has never climbed aboard the thing that will mean so much to you. Think about it all. Then  buy what will handle your needs, and then just a little bit bigger if you can afford it. You'll smile!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the juncos are coming out of the forest darkness to clean up sunflower feeds and speak enough birdish to lure in chickadees and blue jays and other birds of the morning.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Itchy Bug Thoughts

21.9 degrees this morning on the mountain with a 3 mile per hour breeze and falling snow. Perhaps three inches on the ground since I left yesterday afternoon and a little more on the way today. The bad part of today is that it is the start of a week of frigid temperatures and wind which will have us seeing our breath for nights to come.

January is not the time to think about insects but this article from The Smithsonian seemed worth sharing to me. If you live in this part of New England or farther north, spring brings an assortment of not-so-good-critters and they bite and drive us crazy. When Vermont Flower Farm was located here above Peacham Pond, spring meant mosquitoes and black flies. The flies were often so bad that visitors and customers would get out of the car, get attacked, and turn around and leave all within half a minute. Gail and I were always happy when July arrived because we knew that even though there would be about two weeks of horse flies and the smaller deer flies in early July, insects would be about gone by mid July.

I remember so well the day when we walked the land that we bought on Route 2. The first walk was after a rain and since the land borders the Winooski River and has a lower section that is half surrounded by the river, we expected insects to be a problem. They weren't. We were surprised and happy and thought not-so-positive-thoughts about what might happen come spring. Nothing. The way the land sits, the wind blows almost every day from the west. There's just enough wind to keep insects away so for most of us, there's never a need for bug dope.

The Smithsonian article http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others-10255934/ is excellent and you should probably read it to improve your understanding of who bugs love to eat and how to avoid them. It's a good article. Perhaps the biggest thing to remember--and the article echoes our 30 years of gardening experience, outside spring through fall- is the issue of clothing. Dark clothes, and I don't care what fabric they are made out of, are a bug magnet. I have always told people that dressing in dark clothes makes bugs think you are a big animal like a bear, deer, or  moose. I know I am correct on this. Lighter colored clothes make all the difference in the world! That's why you will always see me from spring through mid July wearing white t-shirts. I agree, they may be t-shirts from Vermont artist Phyllis Chase  but they will be white.

Read the article and make your own decision. My guess is you will agree with the article and me. In the meantime, get a chuckle out of this t-shirt that Phyllis did one year. Yes, life in Vermont is priceless but there are some expenses that come with living here. One is bug spray. I'm not sure about the $1000/year but am sure you'll be buying some.

 

 

 



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where we are in a big snow squall right now. The snow is falling so fast that the smaller birds at the feeders are waiting for the blue jays to use their beaks to push snow off the feeders. Helping others is a good thing to do, with or without snow!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!



HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE RECIPE

 

 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

 

 

 

Here is the recipe for Hot Milk Sponge Cake that everyone should have. It's an old recipe and as the picture of our recipe card shows, it has been used a lot. The card is written in Gail's mother's handwriting but Gail went over some of it in a marker as the ink faded. It is listed as coming from Etta's mother. Etta was a friend of Gail's mother. Etta would be in her mid to late 80's now if she was still alive and cooking. The recipe was likely already within her family when she started using it so yes, it is old! We should probably copy it over some time soon but when you have made something as much as we have, most of the recipe sticks with you.

 

 

Scald 1 C milk

Beat 4 eggs til thick

Add 2 C sugar (slowly)

2 tsp vanilla (beat in slowly)

Add hot milk

Combine and add 2 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

 

Mix, pour into 11X14 pan or Pyrex, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

The original recipe came with one for a white frosting. That recipe on the back of this card is no longer legible and Gail says it was too thick and not that tasty. As I am sending this along this morning I cannot find the frosting Gail makes but there are a lot of recipes. Your choice. We have had it with several different flavors but usually Gail leaves it plain which is how Alex always likes it. This was always a hit with his friends when he was growing up. It makes good cupcakes too. The consistency is different than modern day soft cakes but I'll bet you won't care. It goes well with fresh berries or other sliced fruit or with ice cream. I never have seen it refused. Never. Let me know what you think if you try it.

 

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa

On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

 

 



COLD BUGS NOT THE ANSWER

 

 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

 

 

27.5 degrees here on the mountain this morning. No wind at all and the moon is reflecting nicely so my vision to the edge of the field and into the softwoods is clear right now. There's a chance of some snow flurries today as it will remain a little colder than the past three days but it will still be warm enough to work outside comfortably. This time of year I am in the woods as much as possible, widening roads and cutting out new trails. It's a bigger job than some think but for me there is a sense of peace when it's just me and the critters of the forests. It's nice to stop and sit on a log, pour a coffee and watch curious chickadees come in or red squirrels approaching with cone in mouth to join me for a snack.

 

I have heard for years that cold temperatures during the winter kill certain insects. In recent years the summer time temperatures have continued to exceed anything on record and as such the influx of new, never-seen-by-me-before-bugs continues. To think that cold temperatures might put the damper on some of these was somewhat comforting but today I find that is not true.

 

When you get a chance, take a look at this piece from the Entomological Society of America. It will answer some questions but still probably leave you in doubt until spring arrives and you get to make your own observations. The example of the emerald ash borer is clear and easy to understand, just not very encouraging. If you have any personal observations, please share.

http://entomologytoday.org/2014/01/13/falling-temperatures-do-not-necessarily-mean-fewer-insects/?blogsub=confirming#subscribe-blog


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the temperature remains the same as when I started writing but the moon light was replaced by falling snow. Wow! Karl the Wonder Dog and I walked carefully as snow covered ice is tricky. Be safe. Travel well.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa. Take a look!
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



GARDENS OF POETRY

 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

 

A strange morning here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. Since 4:30 AM the temperature has been dropping slowly and the wind has been blowing stronger as a new front comes in. The rain of two hours ago has shifted to snow flakes and the ice on the paths and driveway is buffed so smooth that even with ice creepers, walking presents a challenge. Winters in Vermont have certainly changed in recent years and I really do miss the snow that was so common. I know I am not alone!

 

 

I start each day with a walk with Karl the Wonder Dog and then I check my email and find out what is new in the world of gardening. Lately I have been checking Gail's mail too as she handles much of the plant orders and business mail. She has been dealing with several medical issues lately and has enough to contend with so I have been trying to be helpful there. I have a number of garden blogs that I like to read each morning and one I started with earlier has put me on today's course.

 

 

 

I have been reading a blog titled Gardening Gone Wild for several years. It is really nice because there is more than one blogger involved and they are all very talented. This morning's piece was titled Probing Beauty by Saxon Holt. The tag line tells it all:  "Garden photographers look to capture beauty with a camera.  Poets use words."  Give it a read and you'll see why this struck an idea with me.

 

 

 

Poetry has a way with gardens. It's as if every garden deserves a poet and much of the words that are thought or spoken in a garden are some form of verse. They could be something abbreviated in comparison--something like haiku or  could be some lengthy English work that goes on and at times requires one to think and think to process the inherent message. It could be something as easy as the way Robert Frost used to write..... but regardless..... the garden is the home of much poetry and when I read Holt's presentation this morning, I thought of myself and some ideas I have had for some time.

 

Over twenty years ago, actually more I think, some folks in Middlebury added an interpretive feature to the Robert Frost Trail on Route 125 not too far from the Breadloaf campus of Middlebury College. This is where the annual summer writers conferences take place. The interpretive feature always impressed me, partially because of my love for Frost's writing but also because of the way the posted poetry slowed my walk along the trail and made me think of things differently. A piece of poetry can do that to anyone. I thought I had a folder someplace on my computer to serve as example to what the trail was like but I can't find it now. This piece by blogger Erin Florence will serve the need and give a good idea of what this trail looks like. Try http://cocoaandchinwag.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/point-of-interest-robert-frost-wayside-trail-2/

 

As I travel throughout New England, I am finding more and more interpretive trails, each different but each very interesting. Last November I found my way to Sterling Falls Gorge Natural Area outside Stowe, Vermont and I found a different sort of interpretation. No poetry here but plenty of great information along the way. Here's an example from Stop 5.

 



 

 

As I think about the beauty of the gardens we all create, I wonder if we should consider poetry again. Maybe we need to market the beauty of our gardens through our words as much as our pictures. Maybe??

 

 

 

 



Just leaving a thought while writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond in Marshfield, Vermont where the snow if falling off and on and the birds of the forest have appear at the feeders for a morning buffet. Best gardening wishes for the new year!

 

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

Writing on Facebook at my personal George Africa page & our Like page, Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens

On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

And of course, always here to help you grow your green thumb!