Pics from the wheat harvest

Our town can be accurately described as a small green oases in a sea of wheat.    Wheat for hundreds of miles and little else because this is dry land farming.  And the moisture that does fall here will only support the wheat.  If you let the land revert back to it's natural state its nothing but scrub grass and sagebrush.  Not very pretty.  Most people never realize a large part of Washington state is desert.  But through farming the land of eastern Washington in some of the most productive in the world.  We produce winter wheat by the ton here because there is no irrigation available as it is in the Columbia Basin.  In other parts of the dry desert like eastern Washington all manner of produce, vineyards, and orchards abound because of the widespread irrigation available from the Snake, Yakima, and Columbia rivers.

Right now is harvest season so everyone  (even those who are not farmers) are keeping an eye on what.s going on.  All of us depend on our farmers to keep thriving.  This harvest has been the latest on record due to a cold wet spring and cool summer.  But soon all the wheat will be in and the farmers can breath a sigh of relief.

Half harvested wheat

A combine hard at work

Huge wheat pyramids outside of town

It makes our town dust though.   All the combines working from dawn till dusk turns up huge amounts of dust.  So I have to clean even more often and allergies are running high.  A small price to pay for such bounty.

Someday I'll get to go here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQa2nu66vek

The Local Farmers Market

I don't know if I can call this a "Farmers Market" because it's only one farmer.  She brings in fresh fruits and veggies every Thursday at amazing prices.  Better than the best grocery store.  So I stock up on everything I need for the week.  Up the road is another farm stand by the highway with "cough" less competitive prices.  But they sell the best raw local honey around.

One truck attracts the whole town

Yellow and purple plums

cauliflower

new red potatoes

early apples

glowing sweet apricots

Of Potatoes and Tomatoes

Well it looks like many things in this years garden are a bust.

Bummer

But on the upside the tomatoes and potatoes seem to be doing well.  The fruit trees are growing up.  The grapevines have a few grapes on them (this is their second year), and the new strawberry bed is still alive which I count as a victory.  My blueberries are still small little shrubs.  I think they get too much sun? 

Here are some picks of how things look.

My basil is doing good at least

some tomatoes

My little sad beet patch

The very verdant potato patch

My grapevines and strawberry patch

A place to relax

Hubby next to the tarragon, which we have had to cut back.  It's as tall as most adults!

The nesting box I built

We have been needing a new nesting box for our chickens for awhile.  Husband threw together one a year ago but it had many faults.  The chickens pooped in it.  It was too big for the need and it just didn't work.

So today I decided to re purpose a piece of broken furniture to make a better box.  We recently had to remove an old dresser that was falling apart.  The drawers however were still in good shape and I thought "Hey!  If I put a piece of wood across the front it would make a perfect nesting box. 

Nothing like fresh eggs!

So out the garage I go and about a half an hour later BAM! I have a new nesting box.



The chickens seem to like it too!