Plot Tour

This year the company that hosted our corn, soybean, and cover crops plots hosted a tour with dinner as well.  Phil had a lot of work getting the fields ready (and just having a plot is more work than one’s normal field) but he enjoys this so much.  The company brought in the canopy tents, did the advertising, and brought the food!

Brand and variety signs along the corn.

Proud parents enjoy the party.

Huge cooker for boneless pork chop sandwiches.

Corn anyone?  Bright & golden down the straight rows.

Soybeans and corn.

Soybean plot.

Cover crop plot.   (we really had hoped for rain before the plot to help these fledglings along.  In the end, they did well.)

Our cover crops are planted into the ground where we had harvested wheat in July and we let the straw stubble (after baling) remain.  It all provides nutrients to the soil.

The chief.

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Words, Words, Words on Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday.  I don’t have any days that are wordless.  Maybe another reason I have a blog.  I like talking!!  🙂     The question is…. is anyone listening?

Today the men are harvesting the corn plot so, for me, that is like having 6 for lunch.  But it is all to-go in the field.  I guess that keeps me from having to clean the house and do dishes.  They don’t even use napkins there!!  *gasp!*

I used the same menu as the bean plot a few weeks ago…. ham & cheese  bunwiches, chips (if they desire to get them out; last time left in the truck), Outrageous Cookies (pb, oatmeal, ch chip), and pumpkin bars.  I packed a cooler with drinks.  You’d want a drink stored on ice today…. choose water, or root beer or pepsi.  How cozy on this 40′ day, high winds, and a thick blanket of clouds.

When I pulled up to them, I saw equipment and no workers!  All were hiding out of the wind.  :shiver:

I’m making my own beef stock and I’m so excited for it to finish.  I have 2 1/2 hours of simmering to go.  I plan to make Beef Vegetable Soup either tonight or tomorrow with it. Plus I’ll freeze more of it for soups throughout the winter.

Other pointless information…. while I’ve been typing, 6, (yes, SIX) birds have hit the window beside me.  ???  Or is it one that keeps trying?  I don’t know but it sure is odd.

I’ve been struggling with how to quilt the raffle quilt for our guild and have mostly made up my mind.  Trying to brush off comments made by non-committee members, too.  But today I feel better about it so I think all will be fine.  🙂   Last night I pressed the backing so today I’ll get it loaded.

I bought a 4 pound roast yesterday so am cubing it to freeze for future pots of soup.  I thought it would be hard to cut so sharpened my knife.  Then started sawing across my thumb.    Not much but enough that I quit cutting for a while since blood from me was getting flung around.   Oh brother!  It was all going so well.   ETA: 6 p.m…. it hurts. 😦

I would also like to make these pumpkin muffins as I opened a BIG can of pumpkin for the bars for the field today.  I’m going to use fresh ground wheat and about 1/4 the amount of sugar in the form of splenda.  It will be a cheat for me but not so much to make me sick.  I think I’ll have a few to share this weekend too.   ETA: 6 p.m…. not sure they are worthy of sharing.  I have nibbled on one.  Bleh.

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Corn Plot Finished

Phil had the corn plot harvest scheduled for Monday.  Nothing like hitting the ground running after the holiday!  But the forecast included rain & snow but thankfully that didn’t happen. So on with the show!

I started my morning early with making their beloved pans of cinnamon rolls.  The plot was smaller so JP got to stay home.  I did cave in and give him a roll before I took the pans to the men.  (good thing!)

It was sunny but COLD and WINDY!

He didn’t have many helpers this time either.  Maybe because of the smaller amount of seed varieties or the men who do the scheduling have figured not so many are needed.

The front strip of the plot had wheat (harvested in summer) so he had also planted radishes here.

Some of the radishes are sticking up quite a bit so a great place to break your ankle…. !

Currently, he has our fields that are 100% Phil’s completed.  We are working at Mike’s field that we crop-share with him.  He gets a wagonload, then we get the next wagonload.  However, Mike has a smaller bin & smaller dryer so today they can’t run while his bin dries.   Once he hauls some out, we can go back to work.  Hopefully, that will be Saturday.

After that is complete, we have a field we custom plant & harvest for Mike.

This morning we had a dusting of snow but it is mostly in the pockets, not a complete coverage.

The tax man cometh this afternoon so Phil & I have been busy making sure all our numbers are in the proper rows.  whew!

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Corn Plot Harvested

Phil scheduled the corn plot harvest for Wednesday, Nov 19.   It must have been the coldest plot day ever with being so late in November.   

It is a slow afternoon as the combine dumps the load after just one pass through the field.   The corn is weighed and tested for moisture before being dumped into a main wagon.   Men from various seed companies are rallied to come help by the men from the County Extension office who keep the tallies.   

Since our plot is sponsored by the Extension and not an individual seed company, the seed companies are interested in our results that aren’t biased.  

Because we are thankful for their help, I provide snacks during their work time.   This year I made cinnamon rolls.  After all these years, they look forward to my homemade goodies.   It seemed they were especially happy for the warm-and-fresh-from-the-oven rolls on the cold day!

Thankfully it was sunny!

A view from my window:

 

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