#but i need everyone to know that yall water my harvest<3

[beryul-blog]

so  i’ve  reached  a  milestone .   ive  loved  luke  ever  since  i   first  watched  the  movies  when  i   was  seven  years  old  and??????honestly  my  love  for  him  hasn’t  changed?????  having  said  that ,   my   love   and   understanding   for   his   character   would   not   have   been   where   it   is   now   without   you   guys.    im  just   so   grateful   and   balled   over   at   the   talent ,   creativity ,   and   passion   of   everyone   i   follow   and   idk   expressing   emotions   is   not   my   strong   suit   so   uhhhhhhhh   yeahhhhhhhh   ilu<333   im   way   too   adh.d  for  this   i  stg ZOOM ZOO M TO  THE SPECIAL  MENT I O N S

THE BLUE MILK  (  the  duplicates  ---  some  id  consider  friends  )

ooOooOh boy .    you   guys  i  cant   even   bE  GIN  to  explain  my   love  for   y’all .     i   have   the   biggest   duplicate   angziety  in   the   world .    its   in   my   nature   i   cant   help   it   and   honestly??????/all   your   interpretations   terrify   me   bu t in a good way i promise   bc   theyre   all   so   unique   and   well   thought   out   and   amazing  and   what   makes   it   even   wor S E   is   that   all   of   you   (  even  the  ones  that  i  dont  speak  to  all  that  often  )   are   the   sweetest,   most   talented ,   sensitive ,   passionate   individuals   ive   met   online????? EV E R.   also   all   these   comments   are  genuine  not   sarcastic aslkjaksdnasl   (forgive  me  im  british  i  thin k  everything  sounds  sarcastic)

@horizonwept  :   charlie????mY. G OD.   your   understanding   and   enthusiasm   of   our   Son   is   unparalleled   and?????? ik   we   dont  speak  that   much  recently  b u  T  I  WANT  TO  MORE????? everytime   you  post   something   i   press  mah   lil   face   up   to   the   screen   and   weepe t h .   you’re   also   kind   and   funny   and   people   just????? love  u?????AND  I lov e  u  too?????  al SO   you   convinced   me   of   lukes   characterisation   in    tlj   and   tfa   and   honestly????im   so  s O   glad   u   did<3   everythign  u   post   is  just   so   thought  out   and   intelligent  and   i   just.   wish.   i   could  do   wht   u   do???   keep   being  amazing   sweaty  :’) @lstjedi  :   KAY!!!!!!!   the   founder   of   the   lu k e   slywalker  group   chat   *g a sps*   mah   love.   now   i   know   youve   been   feeling   a   lil   insecure   recently   about   ur   age   and  ur   mental   health  has   been   acting   up   (belief  me  i  know<3 )   b u T  HUN NN Y   listen   up:   you   ar e  the   symbol   of   dont-judge-by-age   policy   bc   honestly???? u   have   the   skill,   dedication,   and   maturity  of   people   who   are   twice   ur   age.   ur   passion????? unbelievable.   ur   kindness?????  one  of   a   kind.   ur  maturity?????? uhhhh more   than   me.     ur   writing???? delicious.    if   youre   feeling   insecure   about   your  age,   dont.      you   are  amazing   and   talented   and   dont   u   d  A  RE    forget   it<3   edit:   also   i   love  how   you   come   onto   the   chat   being   the  first  person  to   talk   and  ur   like  ‘hi  guys!!!’  and   idk  i   just   find   u  really   sweet   and  friendlyasjdna,nda @skyhcpped  :    ro!!!!!!!   henlo   there  my   frond.    first   of   all   wh  ERE   DO  U   FIND  ALL   THESE   MEMES??????  im loving it keep going.    we   havent   spoken   much   b U T   the  groupchat   has   brought   us   Together   and   thats   the   best   thing   ever   bc   i   think   ur   just?????? so   talented   and   ur   understanding   and   love   for   luke  (eveninmemes)  is   unparalleled.   i   love   talking   about   our   mutual  Hate  for  re/ylo   and   a L SO   i   hope   ur   not   still   freezing   on   hoth?????if  you  are cold,   wrap   up   warm,   grab   urself   a   hot  chocolate   if   u   like   that   sort   of   thing,  run  a   bath,   uhhhhhhhhh  create   a   pillow   fort,   find   a   tauntaun   and   sit   inside  it.   that   was   my   survival   lecture  thanks  for  coming  to  my  ted  talk  :)))))   also  the  fact  u  are.  literally.  daredevil???? taking  a s  hot  of  vinegar  and terrified   a   boy??? my  hero, mah idol.    i   did   a   reverse  thing  where  i  dared  (2)  boys  to  take  a  teaspoon   of   vanilla   essence   and   they  did  it   (s o empowering  ;)

@lightswept  :   riceeeeee.   honestly  how  can   anyone   ever   hate   you????    we   havent   been   talking   for   v   long   but   omgskdnf   you   are   so   sweet   and   lovely   and   u   deserve   The  World?????   haters   need   to   back  tf   up   bc   u   are   so   Pu re.    and   ur   also   really   attentive?????  your   writing   is   just   so   fluent  and  honestly??a  full   course  meal.   remember   that  i   love   and  appreciate   you   and  thats   NEVER  going  to   change<333   if  u  ever   need   to   talk,   i  am  always   here   even   tho  im   shit   at   advice   i  will   send  u   metaphorical  cake  and  hugs xoxo

@hopegave  :   mY  ITALIAN  BEAN.   look  at  us  europeans  yesiknowbrexit,   awake   when   all   the   ‘muricans   are   sleep i n g  asljdaksl   ur   honestly   adorable??????like   i   cant even  begin?????on  the  group   chat   youre   so   enthusiastic  and   capiTAL  LETTERS   and   asjaklsdlka  so   Pu re???  and  both  of   us   gushing  about   snow  ??????? iconic,  truly.  you,   being   the   first  person  to   call   ne w   york   hoth????? also  iconic.  ITALY  IS  ONE  OF   MY   FAV   PLACES   ON  EARTH  I   GO  THERE   A   LOT  IN   THE  SUMMERASFJHSD b U T  thats  off  topic.  what  i   need  to   say   is   that   ilu   and   ur   enthusias m   and  friendliness   and   yeah??????   stay  awesome

 @dualsuns   :   LIAM   IDK  WHY  IM   TELLING   U   THIS   BUT  WHENEVER   I   THINK   OF   U   I   THINK   OF   WINE???????  m aybe  its  bc   ur   prose  is   so   damn   sophistica t e d?????  its  so   fluent   and   makes  s o  much  sense???? ur  so   good   at   narrating   lukes   thoughts   its   so   obvious   you   have  this  amazing   understanding   of   his   character  its  !!!!!!!!  and   i   seriously  admire  that/?   like  your   voice   is  uhhh h   on  point .    i  can   tell   you   take   this   seriously   and   care  so   much   about   luke    (boi   me  too)  and  it   shows????  in   all   ur   hcs   and   ooc   posts   its   all   backe d   up   with    quotes,   love   and   analysis  like   damnnnnnnnn.   i   know  ive   only   really   interacted   w   you   a   couple  of   times   in    passing   but   id   love  to   more?????   ur   amazing   everythings   amazing  wow<3

 @didntturn   :    hmm mMMMM Mm   kylie.   have   we   ever  spoken?????  i   dont   think   so.   i   just   admire  u   from   afar   :’)   g U RL   first   of  all   ur   hilarious????  idk   i   think  we’ve  got   a   similar  sense   of   humour aklsdnanm  its   very   british.   also  ur   hcs   t a KE  MY  BREATH   AWAY.   so  muc h  detail   and   love?????   u   clearly   have   a   deep   understanding   of   luke  only  us   mere   mortals   can   d  REA M   of<3   hope  we   can   start   talking   bc   i   uhhhh  adore   ur   characterisation   and   id   love   to   discuss?????  idk   im   gushinggggggg

THESE  ARE  ONLY   SOME  DUPLICATES  I  COULD  GUSH  ABOUT  EVERY  SINGLE  ONE  OF  U  UNTIL  THE  DAY  I  DI  E

THE DROIDS  (  mah  main cretins  )  

@guiltslut  :   yh  idk  who  u   ar e   :/    j K  BINCH  IK  UR   WENDO!!!!!   mah  main  cretin  :’)   youve   been   by   my  side   for   8   months   (or   was  it   seven???? i cant rememberasdkajsdk)  which   is   an,, ,, ,  achievement.   your   writing  is   tasty  af   and   ur   enthusiasm  unparalleled.   i  will   always  love  and   appreciate   you<3

@smuglr  :   i   have   to   put   u  on  here   bc   we’ve  known   each   other   for   over   a  year   and   thats   kinda   mcCrazy??? im  sorry  i  havent   kept   in  touch  as   much  as  i  probably   should   have,  but  im   more  sorry   for  making  u   think  i   was   on   bath salts   when  i   was  quoting  bad  lip   reading  :/   honestly   ever  since  the  beginning   ive   admired   ur   prose   so   much???? its   so   good   and  attentive   and  poetic  and  fluent  i  just???? could   gush   about   it   all   weak   tbhhhhhh  your   graphics   and   aethetics   are   also ?????? amazing?????? im  so   happy   that  i  know  u   and  even  after  all  this  time   i  still  love   and  appreciate  u<33  Stay groovy  mah  frond

@primdoe   :    sO   ik   i   havent  known   u   for   very   long   at  all   n  this   is   probably   like?????? a  lil   Extra??????   but   im   already  in  love.   i  could  gush   about   ur   oc   for  Yonks   and   just   how   passionate  and   attentive   you   are  to  her????? shes   so   detailed   and   cared  about   by   many   and   you   inspire   me  to  put  more  detail  into  my  own  ocs askdjasmnd???? ur  graphics  and  ps  skills  are  just????? they  water  my  crops  honestly???? and the fact that you gave me one of your psds is the sweetest ilu??  

SPACE SHIPS  (  the  i-admire-from-afar-but-also-interracted-with-in-the-ims-and-loVING IT-so-far-even-tho-im-shit-at-replying????  category  )  

@aequitia ,    @astrmech ,  @awokeforce ,  @baelnc ,   @deadlymarch ,   @elanere  ,   @hopehrt ,  @rystolo  ,   @scintist  ,   @sunworn .

SUNSETS   (  the  i  admire  and  havent  interacted  with  yet  *__* )

@dynste ,  @entropiet ,  @ersoic ,  @flypulse ,   @forcebled ,  @galasymph ,  @greysistance ,  @jaigsight ,   @midlapse ,  @tiefighting ,  @resistijo ,  @roseared ,  @starkniight ,  @theforcetm ,   @rotichor  ,   @scorpyre .

[cainal]

I kinda want a steam punk au technoblade.

Hear me out.

The man's a strategist and grinder trying to have the best stuff from the others.

So steampunk version would build his own stuff like

built his flaming sword, invented the rocket launcher

After a trial and error during a festival, fireworks got banned in lmanberg, but explosions can still be heard from a distance

His armor would actually be a steam powered suit of sorts (netherite armor)

The suit is a foot or two (30-60 cm) taller than his average height

Basically a mech type suit

Steam comes out of the nose cause its shaped like a boar

Tusks and spiky metallic hair for more intimidation

Suit is bipedal when fighting but can also run on all fours

Even though suit can be taken off and dismantled, hes got another thing literally up his sleeve

He has a steampunk exoskeleton noone seen him take off

He says its fused to his skin, but the clothes under the skeleton changes every day (dont mention it unless you wanna be his Guinea pig)

It is attached to only his legs and arms which are connected along the spine

The exoskeleton enhances his movements only when powered by certain liquids ( potions)

With out them it is normal movement and in the way sometimes especially when working

Continuing with looks, he does not care when hes tinkering at home

He got the glasses that's held together with tape

Hes greased from head to toes and singed hair is not uncommon

Even though he organized his work he cant organize his wardrobe

Except his "show-off outfit"

Basically his regular skin steampunk version with the exoskeleton and a mask or helmet that is breathable even under water and pig shaped with a crown welded ontop

The headpiece could also be leather like a plague doctor mask but in pig for with aviator lenses on it for easy flight

The lenses are prescription and built into the eye sockets of the headpiece

The cape covers the exoskeleton (or does he not have it on? Noone questions it out loud) and prevent people from touching him

With all the layers it makes sense why he likes cold weather

He is the first to invent a flight contraption (trident)

The trident mechanics work like a plunger in a needle, sucks in water inside the trident to push it back out with the help of compressed air in side and shoots the trident and holder out of the water

even his own butlers (Jackolantern mobs) were made to aide in his projects

moon the skeleton would be a prototype he keeps even though moon tries to kill him every day

He spices up technos life with murder attempts

hubert is his favorite helper and aides with simple tasks like cooking and finding lost items

"Hubert where's my glasses?"

[Points to face where they are perched]

"Oh.... good job."

People will try to follow him after the trident reveal

someone tries to mass produce his works like the trident, but many fail in using it or the trident is faulty since it was not made the same way

Makes sense that he keeps to himself but likes to show off which is how people try to follow in suit and make their own products of destruction since the pig dont share secrets

Also makes sense whenever he reveals a new base, everyone steals and forces him to find a new home

Would make sense that he makes contraptions that reveal secret rooms as well

The withers would be his favorite project

Slaving over every skull necessary to start a robot of mass destruction

The skull works like a light bulb that needs all 3 screwed in to work

The totem of undying could be gears compacted that when a button is pushed, it expands into some form of a mechanical doctor with tiny arms like the davinci machine to prevent feather fix up any almost dying person like someone getting crushed by an anvil

The anvil execution could look so elaborate until the explanation comes along

"Hows this gonna kill me?"

"Well, I-its gonna start with this switch here that will trigger this part wher-"

"Drops an anvil. Get in the cage."

Would also be funny to know how hes good with machines cause he wanted an easier way to plant more potatoes

He became a mechanical genius cause he was too lazy to harvest potatoes but he wanted to show that squid farmer who's boss just cause

Hes gets interested in building even though hes been more into physical violence before and this newfound passion creates the most dangerous inventor

Who is brought to the lands of lmanberg after he receives a telegram from people looking for help in a resistance

How yall think? That's all I got so far, personality is the same and interaction with others is the same except they using steampunk based weaponry and buildings. Just thought this concept is cool.

What would the other characters be in this alternate universe?

[shadowcraftgrove]

Plant growing from seeds for urban witches

Day 2/333

#333DaysofMagick

I’m gonna start this off with a warning that I am just a baby green witch with a little green thumb. This is my first year growing plants from seed all by myself. 

Here is what I did to get started and also *try* to be cost friendly. 

1. I looked at what plant hardiness zone I’m located in. This will let you know what plants you can and can’t grow as well as when times to plant and harvest. (this was a little heart breaking for me. I’m somewhere awkwardly between zone 4 and 3 but probably leaning towards 3). 

2. I look at what plants grow well in containers. This was also pretty heart breaking, but ultimately you want what will make your plants thrive. Herbs: How to grow, use. and enjoy herbs from your own garden by Publications International, Ltd. is a book that I love to use, but always refer to your instructions on your seed packet or the guide that your seed vendor gives you. 

Here are some herbs suited for container growth: 

Aloe, Basil, Calendula, Catnip, Cayenne Pepper, Chives, Geranium, Ginger, Horsetail, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Oregano, Nastutium, Parsley, Peppermint, Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Summer Savory, Spearmint, Thyme.

Here are all of the other ones I’ve personally reasearched if they can container grow & I currently am growing. (this includes some flowers). 

St. John’s Wort, Hyssop, Wormwood, Feverfew, Borage, Rue, Comfrey, Stinging Nettle, Dandelions, Milk Thistle, Morning Glories (pink variation), Morning Glories (blue variation), Mugwort, Shepherd’s Purse, Purple Basil, Echinacea, Horehound, Black Petunas, Chives, Plaintains, Sweet Peppers, Elderberries, pennyroyal, red clovers and sunflowers. (I haven’t planted the red clover or sunflowers cause I gotta wait till May). 

Elderberries are typical shrubs--I got these seeds for free from my vendor and their seed life span is only a year so I’m growing them for family and friends that can have them transplanted in yards. 

A lot of these plants can have deep roots, and so I understand that deep containers will be needed. I understand that $$$ is going to hurt a bit there. 

3. Buying Seeds. Check MULTIPLE local stores and online to find the best prices and type of seed that I wanted. This part is fun, but I ended up with 29 different plants. Yeah I bit off more than I can chew, but I’m out of a job until further notice so I have time. :)

I ended up paying probably...60 dollars on seeds. Obviously, you could always start out with 3 or 4 plants. That would maybe be 10 dollars. 

4. Containers, soil and storage. I could only dream for a proper seedling growing indoor greenhouse equippe with lights, but i’m not about dropping 200-400 dollars on that am I. I already owned this shoe rack (hence why one row is missing). But, i did actually order another rack because my cats are messing with the bottom 3 rows heavily. 

I ordered the Mainstays 10_tier Narrow Shoe Rack off of walmart. It is only available in stores or online for about 25 dollars.  

For the containers I bought  Seedling Starter Trays, 720 Cells: (120 Trays; 6-Cells Per Tray), Plus 5 Plant Labels off of amazon. 

I also bought some labels, because with this many seeds...yeah labels are good. 

For soil, I used Jiffy Natural and Organic Seedling Starter Soil though a few of my plants did require more Peat moss, which I bought at a local nursery. I’m growing some edible herbs, flowers, and veggies so i wanted something well rounded and not geared towards one thing specific. All of the containers you see used two 12 Qt sized bags for 5 dollars each. 

5. Lighting. This one was a lesson learner for me. So, I live in nowhere South Dakota and we have had only 4 days full sun in 4 weeks. Yup. Seedlings need 8-12 hours of full sun to grow properly. I’ve had to replant a few trays because they got pale, thin, and limped over and died overnight from lack of light. I bit the bullet and knew I was going all in this year and bought some full spectrum plant lights from amazon. There are soooo many options, I would pick ones that work best for you. I bought a total of two and they cost 35 dollars each. Yikes. 

Increasing the lighting has made all the difference for many of the seeds. A lot of them require the seeds to be lightly scattered on the surface because they germinate with the sunlight. 

6. Planting your seeds. This was the hardest for me to do tbh. I wasn’t sure how compact the soil should be, how wet, etc. I also had some plants that required more steps before planting so take note of that! For example, morning glories need either a nick to the shell or to be soaked overnight before planting because of how hard the seed coat is. My comfrey was planted in cells, and put in a ziploc bag for 1 month to stratify. Stratification is when the plants need a period of coldness to emulate winter to then germinate. I also had to do this with mugwort and elderberry.

Date to Plant by: Always read how many weeks before your regions last frost you can plant the seeds. I made a chart with the plants and the dates they should be planted. Sometimes they can be 3-4 weeks before last frost or 6-8. My regions last frost is May 1st at the latest. 

Seed Depth: Pay attention to the depth of the seeds as well. Some required light soil and some require 1/2 inch and some just require to be loosely scattered. 

Number of seeds per cell: Now the spacing and # of seeds per cell is still something I need to work on. Most instructions for seed packets tell you spacing for out doors or when the seedlings get big enough and need to be separated. They also don’t always tell you the rate of germination. A long time ago when i started planting seeds, I would either only place 1 seed per cell or a shite ton. Now if you do 1 seed, and the germination rate is 75%, there is a chance it may not survive. If you do 10 seeds per cell, the plants will have spacing issues and some may die or it will be a pain to separate later. I did 3-4 seeds per cell depending on the average germination rate of the seeds. My morning glories had a really high rate so I did 2 seeds for cell. 

Soil tightness???: Early on, I used to press the soil in the containers and leave little to no air in the soil (oops). Now, how I prep my soil. I will pour the soil into a large bowl or container and pour in some water to moisten it but not soak it. I will stir it to break the large chunks apart with my hands and just pour them into each cell. Then I will take the container and tap it against the grow so that the soil will compact itself together, but it leaves space for air. Repeat. 

Watering: I personally duel wield two spray bottles of water and go ham over the cells, but it leaves so much pain in my wrists. I don’t use a watering can because it can mispalce your lightly scattered seeds or drown your really small seedlings. I even tried watering bottom up. That’s when I would dip the container in a bowl of water or even my tub (haha don’t do that srsly) and the water would come up from the bottom to water the roots. This was a pain in the booty and made a mess for me... if it was outdoors...sure. I will just spray them twice a day heavily. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is all I know for now, yall. I’ll try to keep everyone here updated on the progress. I probably spent $250 total on everything, but i’m also growing a lot. (^_^#) 

[edgewaterfarmcsa]

CSA WEEK 12

Pick List:

corn - plum tomatoes - cherry tomatoes - garlic - watermelon - candy stripe pepper -

eggplant - hot pepper - carrots - ZINNIAS!

 KITCHEN CSA:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Heading into Labor Day weekend with lots of laboring on our minds… so this week I’m drawing from Pooh Sprague’s latest blog post.  Also, for those that don’t know, Pooh you should get to know him. He and Anne started this farm back in 1974 and as a result, he is a wealth of knowledge.  Unfortunately he is hard to peg down- we’ve often thought about installing a gps tracking device in his arm as he is one to ride tractor all day, with his phone left behind on the kitchen table- it’s unclear if this move is actually an “oh whoops” moment or not.  Regardless, if you have farming on the brain or have questions about growing techniques or soil health- Talk to Pooh. For more insight on our farm from Pooh’s perspective check out the blog -Pooh's Corner- up on our website.

August 6th, 2018… he refers to lots of photos, see actual blog post for actual photos

Occasionally while racing around the farm I have to pull up and stop and stare at a vista. I refer to this phenomena as a “whoa” moment,  primarily because I get temporarily disoriented as to where I am chronologically in the seasons. This photo of the tomatoes is an example, because I took a picture of them last week and they were less than a foot high and we hadn’t staked them. “It seemed like only yesterday”, the old saying goes. But of course, it was not. Here we are in August, and we are now harvesting cherry tomatoes and the plums for canning are  ripening up.

The summer goes like that. This one seemingly more so. Alternately dragging on through the drought of the earlier part, we are faced with the struggle of balancing the harvest with the tail end of  a planting season that goes on into early September. Although the sun is back heading south in the sky, the work days are at their longest as we deal with picking fruit and vegetables and trying to find a home for them. This year we are shorthanded as 5 individuals who approached us for summer and fall employment and we hired, decided in the eleventh hour not to show up for the first day. That has put serious demands on the remaining crew and Ray’s ability to manage what takes place in the daily field activities. That said, we have a pretty good crew that seems to be working well and efficiently together, and they seem pretty happy. It would be nice to have the weeds under control and to be doing things in a timely fashion, but I will take a good working atmosphere any day.

Just want to take a minute  to recognize one of our long term employees. This relationship is so long because I first met him as a 5 year old in 1956. He had come to my Dad’s farm to work as a herdsman for the 40-50 cows that we were milking in Hillsboro. His name is George Cilley, he resides and in the house he grew up in in Bradford, NH. George commutes back and forth daily during the spring and summer and is our go-to guy for tractor and mowing work. He is one of those people for whom a good day of work and having something accomplished defines who he is. Although he is 87, he is patient, sharp, a self starter (if he breaks something, you don’t hear about it unless he can not fix it himself) and can still plow a cleaner, straighter furrow than Ray, myself or Mike. He can also fix old chairs, leaky faucets and happy to run to the Pioneer Valley for  plants or parts if need be. He has as much pride in the good works and efforts as Anne, Sarah, Jenny, Mike or Ray has he does in his own. We had another retiree much like him. Eugene “Pep “ Chabot showed up the day he retired from the Hanover road crew at 66. Put in another 26 years picking vegetables and berries for us, and it was a sad day when he said he had to quit because his eyesight was failing him. Where are these guys? What is the attraction about golf courses and the concept of formal retirement that they resist? Maybe we have just been ultra fortunate to have had the help and wisdom of these highly motivated oldsters.

In other news, The new storage and pack barn is so near completion that we are already occupying it. When the crew from Ag Structures showed up on March 1st, I had serious doubts that we would be in it by the first of July, especially when winter dragged on for extra innings.  But Jake and Jason made it happen and we are grateful. It has been a large project for us and at times a distraction from the demands of the seasonal work. When we first started on this farm in 1974, it was more about taking down collapsing sheds and buildings. It was strictly chainsaw carpentry:  a couple of guys with some old telephone poles, rough pine and no real carpentry skills When I see how much space we have occupied in the new expanse I am amazed how we were ever able to function in the other smaller barn. All this was driven by food safety mandates and the need to protect fall root crops and store them. But the efficiencies and improvement in ergonomics has definitely improved everyone's disposition. And even the little people are enjoying it as well …there are small Radio Flyers in there and you can refer to the lower photo of Admiral Hobbs, the U Boat commander, who seems to be enjoying his new ride. So far, all good….

So as we spin towards fall, we are just trying to stay in the groove. Hopefully the weather (which has been a rollercoaster of late) will not deal us any lethal blows and we can get the fall crops up and out of the field. There is some ancient machinery that needs to function to make that happen, and maybe with the help of a few extra bodies that may yet arrive, perhaps we can slide into Thanksgiving without getting spiked.  I am sure to awaken to a few more “Whoa” moments about the farm when I am caught off guard by the flight of time. At those times I often reminded of the words to a Talking Heads song……” same as it ever was, same as it ever was..”

 TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:

Serves: 4

Adapted slightly from Ottolenghi's Plenty(Chronicle Books, 2011)

Yall, i think i hook you up with this recipe year after year because i am continually shocked by the power of corn here.  It really and truly breaks down into a delicious polenta and on top of everything else, it’s just so damn easy to make and as a result, you feel like a super-hero for making an Ottolenghi dish.  

Eggplant Sauce

⅔ cup vegetable oil 1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch dice

2 teaspoons tomato paste ¼ cup dry white wine

1 cup chopped peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned) 6 1/2tablespoons water

¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

 Heat up the oil in a large saucepan and fry the eggplant on medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until nicely brown. Drain off as much oil as you can and discard it -- the safest way to do this is to scoop out the eggplant to a plate using a slotted spoon, then pour off the oil into a bowl before adding the eggplant back in. You can save the oil to fry lamb chops or eggs in tomorrow.

Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir with the eggplant. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt, sugar and oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside; warm it up when needed.

Polenta

6 ears of corn 2 ¼ cups water

3 tablespoons butter, diced 7 ounces feta, crumbled

¼ teaspoon salt 1 pinch Black pepper

 Remove the leaves and "silk" from each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels -- either stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels. You want to have 1 1/4 pounds kernels.

Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and barely cover them with the water. Cook for 12 minutes on a low simmer. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid.

Process them for quite a few minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes too dry to process.

Now return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to mashed potato consistency. (Be aware that if you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, it can take a while to cook down the polenta, and it will sputter. Consider holding back some or all of the liquid. Alternately, if you like the consistency after processing, you can skip to step 5.)

Fold in the butter, the feta, salt and some pepper and optionally cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.