Vacuum Seeder

Last year we planted each seed with a chopstick (instead of a glass of water, use a wet sponge to keep the chopstick moist and clean).  This was a method I used when I taught horticulture to high school students. With a class of 25 students, we had enough hands to plant a greenhouse full of flower seeds without the need of a vacuum seeder.

The vacuum seeder has a plate with pin sized holes drilled in the same pattern as the plug flat I grow the seedlings in. After the vacuum seeder is filled with seeds, turn it upside down and shut off the vacuum to release the seeds into the flat. A 5 to 10 minute job with chopsticks is a 1 minute job with the seeder.

We start our seedlings in the basement on heat pads.  I will move them out to a cold frame or hoophouse after they germinate to make room for the next flat on the heat pads.

Bedder

Some tools, like the Jang Seeder, are great investments that have dramatically cut down on our labor.  I am hoping this is one of them.  The Bedder-Layer is used to raise the soil to create a bed that is even in height and width.  As the tractor pulls it along a tilled field, the Bedder section will gather soil from the wheel tracks of the tractor.  The soil is pushed to the center of the row where a shaping pan will form an evenly shaped bed.  The Layer part of the implement will place drip tape under a plastic film.

I am hoping that this will save time weeding and keep the plants cleaner during harvest.  When I use the bedder without the layer, a consistent bed to plant on will make tractor cultivating for weeds more precise.

Outbuildings

One of the hardest things about farming on this property is the lack of infrastructure.  Anyone looking to purchase property doing small scale farming should really consider the infrastructure that might already be in place.  Buildings, roads, water and electricity are a necessity and are very valuable and deserve great consideration.

We have been needing a dry place for storage and a work area out of the weather.  We found a building for sale that the owner needed to remove from the property he has sold.  They are just under 400 square feet, this is largest you can build around here without a permit.

We had a break from the rain in the first week of February.  The neighbor Andy helped us lay a concrete pad for the building we purchased in December.

Pieter and Vince are very excited watching the reassembly of the garage.  

The garage needs a bath but it looks pastoral in its red siding and white trim.  Now to fill it up with stuff to the point where it is impossible to actually use it as a garage.

Beet Bundt Cake

The beets were so pretty pureed, I had to take a picture

I did it! I made a cake with beets! Since it wasn't very difficult, I think I am more proud of the fact that I actually did it after talking about it for weeks. First the beets had to be harvested from the garden, washed, cooked, peeled and pureed. Baking the cake was the easy part. Yeah for baby and toddler nap time!
We were very impressed with how moist the cake was. You can definitely taste the beets, but we like beets, so that was fine with us.

The finished product. I am not a food photographer, apparently

Here is the recipe I used - I got it from allrecipes.com and then, of course, in true Anna fashion, made some of my own alterations. Maybe some day I'll follow a recipe exactly. I usually have to allow extra time for using fresh produce instead of canned. That definitely extended the 15 minute prep time. When you have a choice, though, fresh is so worth it!

BEET BUNDT CAKE

1 cup butter softened, divided
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
2 cups pureed cooked beets. (I used 5 medium sized beets and had just a little left over)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
confectioners' sugar
 
In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 butter and brown sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Melt chocolate with remaining butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla into the creamed mixture. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 10" fluted tube pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack. Cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Julia loved the left over beets. Now I know were the original idea for lipstick came from.