Wednesday, September 19, 2012

A Collective Sigh of Relief

Have you ever felt like life is on fast forward???  Since Labor Day it seems like I have been on a fast sprint with all the activity going on....  So first things first, we finished harvesting garbanzo beans yesterday and once all the crops are safely in the bins, we heave a collective sigh of relief.
Harvesting garbanzo beans is a dusty job
click here if unable to view the video



Mother Nature's packaging, a bean in each pod

Out of the pod, this is what they look like
So what have we been doing besides harvesting?  Well here is a quick update,  the Friday after Labor Day I picked up friend and reporter Pam Fretwell from Farm Journal Media  who spent the week-end with us.  Pam came to report on our Dinner on the Farm, and also incorporated a few more stories around our area which I believe will be showing up on her AgWeb Radio show in a  few weeks.  Pam is used to a fast pace, so when I picked Pam up at the airport,  we were on a sprint with not a down-time moment, plus I drug her around to family events as well (she was a very good sport about it too - but then again, I supplied beer and she supplied the laughs!).  And here is what I mean being busy.... 



As we drove around our area, the rolling hills were fascinating to Pam, who refers to herself as a "flatlander" and could not imagine farming on these hills as we do.  In our travels, Pam would have me pull to the side of the road so she could take copious amounts of pictures -  of which by now have found their way to her staff  back in Illinois.

With harvest over, we are now wanting some rain to soften the fields as we have not had any moisture since July ( I'm hoping Mother Nature reads my blog so she will take the hint and send some moisture our way). We have begun the process of getting the fields ready for the Fall planting by chopping up the wheat stubble with our "stubble-buster" which basically breaks down the straw.  The straw residue will protect the new crop that will be planted by helping  keep moisture in, controlling erosion and the straw nutrients are good for the soil health (think of it as mulching on a really large scale).

Come October 3 we will be hosting the Japan Trade team  in our home for dinner.  The buyers love connecting and meeting some of the growers and it is equally fun for us to meet those who buy what we grow.  So make sure and come back to read about that event.  =)

Well take care and send me an email if you have questions or leave a comment too.  All my best, Gayle  idahofarmwife@gmail.com.