Hop'n Blueberry Farm News

New Video Post

2011-12-19T12:05:00.002-05:00

With the farm at rest, it is that time of the year that I try and find funding for our small farm. If it weren't for grants, cost shares, and other forms of financial aide, this farm couldn't survive. I have been working on a total of one really big grant and 4 cost share applications all at once.
Somebody said, "Wouldn't it be quicker to use a gun?"

Luckily I finished all except for the grant, where I am in the 4th week of work on it. I just finished a video that I am using to introduce my farm to the folks that are judging the grant. It ended up being a pretty good showing of just what we are all about, so I decided to post it here.

Enjoy it and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Fall Update.

2011-11-17T12:22:00.004-05:00

It has been a pretty good year. We have had more visitors than last year and a more diverse amount of people as well. We had 525% increase in school visits and a 243% increase in tours altogether. Wow, sounds impressive doesn't it? Not bad for the second year. We will just leave it at that for now.

Ira B. Jones School ,and the Evergreen Charter School brought out large groups of kids and our Hops Harvest Tour and Family Farm Tour all brought lots of folks out to see our farm as well. Everyone had a great time and we hope this trend will continue.

The farm is slowly getting bedded down for the winter. I still have quite a bit of weeding and mulching to do as well as some more plowing for some expansion of hops and blueberries. Never ending. More importantly though, I have been trying to expand new ideas into our farm.

I am excited to be a part of some new developments here at the farm as I have just finished meeting with Eric Mader, the Assistant Pollinator Program Director, and Nancy Adamson, the Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the East region. Both work for the Xerces Society For Invertebrate Conservation headquartered in Portland Oregon. Hank Henry, of the East Technology Support Center for the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), was also there.

I proposed making my farm a model for native pollination and they are going to be very supportive in this adventure by providing me with information about funding and technical advice through both the Xerces Society and the NRCS. I will be implementing a flowering hedgerow and creating a 1/2 acre native flower bed to add to the other wildflower and milkweed plantings on the farm.

The finished additions should provide an important model for the education of farmers throughout the country on the importance of the pollination of native insects and provide for the opportunity learn how to protect these species by increasing their habitat. It is all part of creating a more sustainable and productive farm.

Let's not forget that this is also grant writing time at the farm. All good small farmers are good grant writers! I am working on an energy grant and an infrastructure grant that should make the farm a true destination model sustainable farm!

School Groups Arrive For Tagging Monarchs

2011-10-13T15:24:00.004-04:00

It was monarch tagging time for the third grade at Ira B. Jones School during Sept. 22-23. They just missed the largest amount of monarchs by two days, but we had enough to tag and release them for the kids to see over the two day period.

The kids got to enjoy seeing all phases of the butterflies as we still had eggs, larva, and chrysalis for them to witness. They had a great time seeing all of these up close and seemed to be the most excited by just touching the caterpillars.

After visiting the flighthouse, they learned a little about farming as they helped pick milkweed seed pods and as a reward, got to keep plenty of seeds to plant at the school for the future.

Other things at the farm were also equally fascinating to them as they learned about alternative energy, and spent time feeding the fish and watching dragonflies at the pond.

Our next big visit was from Evergreen Charter School, where we had 48 kids at once. These kids were the fifth grade class and I don't really think there wasn't anything that they weren't familiar with here on the farm.

Not only did we have more monarchs for them to tag when they were here on Oct. 6, but they learned a lot about small farms and particularly about the history of our farm here over the past 160 years. They got to see some really old farming tools and learned about how the "old timers" were the best sustainable farmers.

These kids also helped out a lot on the farm. They even brought work gloves and helped me prepare pots for blueberries, collect milkweed seed pods, and spread mulch onto my blueberries.

What I thought was particularly exciting was to see the number of students who, when asked if they thought they would become farmers, raised their hands enthusiastically. Maybe, just maybe my little one day visit has inspired at least one new farmer for the future!!

The WLOS TV Person Of The Week Video

2011-09-15T08:42:00.001-04:00

My farm was featured in the WLOS TV news segment called the Person Of The Week last Friday during the 6 pm. news. The post all the videos on line. Here is the link to the one with me in it.
http://wlos.com/shared/newsroom/features/potw/videos/wlos_vid_117.shtml

WLOS TV Person Of The Week

2011-08-26T10:37:00.015-04:00

Larry Blunt, co-anchor of WLOS-TV newscast came out to the farm with Emmy nominated cameraman Leighton Grant earlier this week to interview me as the "Person Of The Week" to be tentatively aired on September 9 here on Channel 13. It will be available on line as well.

It was a beautiful day for the shoot and I was fortunate enough to have Agriculture Extension Agents Melinda Roberts, who was interviewed for the segment, and Sue Colucci who came along for technical support. Also on board for an additional supportive interview was my good friend Fox Watson, local celebrity, musician, and movie star.
Melinda is getting set up for her interview in this shot above as I scoot out of the scene.

They interviewed me in three of the sections of my farm, in the butterfly flight house (as shown above), at the hop yard, and around the blueberries. I gave them the history of our small farm and how we were trying to change it to survive with new alternative crops and ideas.

Here is a rare behind the scene shot of the real director of the farm and of the shoot today. None other than the famous Martha Burnette, taking a break from all of the tension of the morning!

During Fox Watson's interview, only one question was ask. Fox did such a good job answering it that Larry said, "Gosh, he just answered anything else I could ever ask!" Fox had to leave shortly after this for his movie role in the up coming independent film, "Ghost Of Old Highways".

We all had a great time as usual as any visitor does that comes to our farm. In between all of the fun, during the serious parts of my interview, I tried to let Larry know about all of the support that my farm gets from folks like the Extension Service, WNC AgOptions Grants, ASAP, a great bunch of volunteers from good friends and especially my wife, my mother, my sister and her son who have helped in just about every aspect of this adventure.

The farm's success is totally due to every single one of those mentioned above. They are all the real "Persons Of The Week" as far as I am concerned. Oh, and I do want to add one more to the list. It goes without saying that I truly do thank WLOS for choosing me to represent the small farms in Western North Carolina and giving me the air time to do so!

All photos credit to Charlene Blevins.

The Wall St. Journal and Hop'n Blueberry Farm

2011-08-22T19:55:00.008-04:00

When the phone rang, I carried on a conversation with a female that went something like this....
"The Wall Street Journal, oh yea, what took you so long!"
Turns out, it was for real. She soon realized, after talking for nearly 2o minutes, that it was just my nature to say something like that. It was published today on the "online version" enhanced article about the beer industry in Asheville and me, of course.
Here is the link:
www.blogs.wsj.com/in-charge/2011/08/22/how-a-community-nurtures-an-industry/

There are some more great media events for the farm coming up very soon.
Meanwhile, there is no stopping how much work has to be done here. It is the peak of weed season and so far it is weeds 4, van 1
We are hoping to improve!

Also, the Biltmore Estate just bought a lot of hops from me for a huge sold out "beer pairing" food extravaganza featuring world renowned beer brewing legend, Garrett Oliver. My hops are everywhere these days including some weddings.

Hop Harvest Tour Success

2011-08-07T20:42:00.005-04:00

Saturday proved to be a great success here at the Hop'n Blueberry Farm. After three years of supplying Pisgah Brewing Company with fine fresh fantastic hops and promoting their production of that fine beer made from the fresh picked hops from our farm, I decided it was time to cash in on the marketing of that success of that beer, called, non-the-less, "Burnette's Brew".

I approached Pisgah with a great marketing scheme that promoted both our businesses. I suggested that we do a joint adventure with a tour at the farm followed by a sampling of "Burnette's Brew", then letting the crowd leave the farm for a 5 mile journey to Pisgah Brewing and a tour of the their brewery and more beer.

One thing I know from the past is that folks that are interested in hops are also ironically interested in beer! I think everyone here had a great time. I could see their intent facial expressions linger on every word I said about growing hops and the struggle of our small farm.

Then I noticed one guy in the last line of the listeners that eased off toward the beer line.
I tried to speed things up, talking about my farm and all the tours and research we were doing to no avail. It was like a collapsing card house or sand castle. Slowly at first the lines followed suit leaving my hop yard and going to the beer tent.

Within minutes I had an audience of 13 die hard home brewers in front of me and a line of 60 other thirsty folks in the beer line away from me. Oh well, I had basically said my piece, and, really, I was probably more ready for a cold drink of brew than they were.

Martha taking pictures

Hats go off to my helpers for the day. Brent, my sister Vicki, wife Martha, and my mom for manning the money tent and to Seth, who took on the sole responsibility of parking cars coming to the show. There is not a day here on the farm that I don't have the help of some of these folks and I am sure it is the same of most of the small farmers in WNC. Thanks across the board for all of the volunteers that help make our small farms possible!! And thank goodness I have a wife that is most tolerant.
Mom, Seth, and Brent

One last thought, this will not be the last hop tour! Keep in touch!

Hop Harvest Tour At The Farm

2011-07-23T17:33:00.005-04:00

It is that time of the year for the revealing of this years best overall pale ale ever. The "Burnette's Brew" produced by Pisgah Brewing Co. will be available around August 1st and is made from hops picked fresh from the vine to the kettle in less than 6 hours. MMMmmmmm, it is good and good for you!

There is a limited 20 kegs produced so be sure and test it out at Pisgah or other popular establishments in Asheville. Be sure to get some this year. And one sure fire way to sample this brew is to come out to our farm on August 6 at 1 pm. and join me as I give a hop harvest tour of the farm. You will learn just about anything there is about growing hops and be able to sample that delicious aromatic fresh beer.
Here is a press release for the occasion:

Grand Hop Harvest Tour and Sampling --showcasing hops from the vine to keg.Hop’n Blueberry Farm and Pisgah Brewing Company invite you to experience a dual hop tour on Saturday, August 6, 2011.

Arrive at the Farm (24 Middle Mountain Road – Black Mountain) by 12:45pm for a 1:00pm tour. Then take a short drive down the road to Pisgah Brewing Company (150 Eastside Drive – Black Mountain) to continue your experience. Tickets are $8.00 per person and include a beer sample (or two).

Pisgah Brewing Company has been producing a “wet hop” beer with fresh hops grown at Hop'n Blueberry Farm for the last three years. This unique beer only happens once per year when hops are picked and added to the brewing process at the brewery within hours after leaving the farm.

The tour will start at the farm, where owner Van Burnette, will share information about growing hops from the ground up going from the vine to the kettle. Van will also talk about the many other things his farm is producing including the new butterfly flighthouse and exciting new crops for Western North Carolina.

The farm tour will end with a sampling of Pisgah’s wet-hopped beer, appropriately named "Burnette's Brew". According to Burnette, “This is the best batch yet with a fresh aromatic taste that will delight anyone. With an addition of more fresh hops obtained from Blue Ridge Hops in Madison County, the flavor is even more pronounced.”

After the farm tour, participants will leave for Pisgah Brewing Co. where they will enter the brewery to hear about hops from the kettle to the keg. Once the tour is complete, participants are invited to the taproom to purchase other great Pisgah beers along with more “Burnette’s Brew.”

Tickets are limited so be sure to get over here to secure a place for the tour!

Life After Harvesting Hops

2011-07-21T20:13:00.004-04:00

Life does not stop after the first hop harvest. It is business as usual because I don't cut down my vines. I allow them to produce cones again for a 2/3 smaller second harvest. These hops are for friends, and other home brewers.

Check out the latest YouTube video here.

Black Mountain Primary School Summer Camp Visits

2011-07-14T17:16:00.004-04:00

It was a cool day for a change here. Temperatures were in the range of what I would call comfortable, average. And what was even more comfortable here was a fantastic visit from the Black Mountain Primary School's After School Care and Summer Camp Program that came out to see and learn about butterflies.

The first group were the first and second graders. Cindy Debrull, the camp director warned me that this group loved to get their pictures taken and it was easy to see.
After a session of butterfly lifestyle with some videos that I have produced in the study area, the kids were eager to get to the butterfly house to see the wonders of the butterflies up close.
We had just missed seeing two monarchs hatch out from their chrysalis and also had just missed a caterpillar changing into a chrysalis. Both of these events are going on now for the next week or so.

Some butterflies landed on our visitors and the kids were awful excited to feel the butterflies on their hands. They didn't want to leave but finally had to because they stayed passed their lunch hour.

In the afternoon the third through fifth graders got to come out and had just as good of time as the earlier group.

I am always amazed at how much these young folk know about butterflies and farms. It makes me glad to see. Maybe there is hope for the small sustainable farms and the insect pollinators that make them work!

Our First Hop Harvest For 2011

2011-07-09T22:07:00.006-04:00

Our hop harvest was completed on time Friday in conjuction with Pisgah Brewing Company's beer kettle boil. The fresh hop beer, called Burnette's Brew, will be available in about two weeks.
This is the special brew done by Pisgah for the last three years that features hops that are picked from my farm fresh and put into the beer making process within six hours after the pick. Called a "wet hop" beer, this brewing technique has to take place within 10 hours after hops are picked.
This year I was able to get Blue Ridge Hops, located near Marshall, NC. to bring in an extra 10 pounds of their certified organic hops to add to recipe with my 12 pounds of chemically free hops, making for a nice hoppy aromatic pale ale that taste really good and is probably good for you as well!
Watch the process below from my post on YouTube.

New Sculptures Arrive At The Farm

2011-07-04T18:27:00.003-04:00

My friend, Dan Foy, landscaper and lawn care specialist, is also a very unique garden sculpturing master. Today, the 4th of July, he brought a new addition to the farm. A unique red, white, and blue butterfly on a sunflower. Dan's talents are really spectacular when it comes to unusual one-of-a-kind yard and garden art.
We already have one of Dan's replicas of a Native American grain grinders that not only looks like a part of real American history, but also serves as a bird bath/or in our case a butterfly bath!

I pondered a while on where to put Dan's five foot high work of art. Then it came to me as I was looking at my hops that I am going to harvest this week. What a perfect location. High atop my 18 foot trellis pole for the cascade hops!

Here is a shot of the new art on my slanted hop poles down near the Collins flighthouse. I was able to frame Dan's butterfly with one of the many blooming sunflowers on Nectar Lane, the walkway up to the flighthouse.

It is a great time to visit the farm and the butterflies and hops are at their peak right now. There are many, many, native butterflies and flowers in bloom at this time. The start of the most active butterfly season will be this week. Make a date to visit.

Three New Events To Talk About!

2011-06-30T17:27:00.005-04:00

Yes folks, we welcome the Hop Rod to our marketing campaign. Thanks to a matching grant from ASAP and initial design from my nephew Charlie Cort with final design and assembly by Precision Graphics in Black Mountain, we proudly unveiled the creation today on my vintage 1960 Volvo 544 that originally belonged to my Grandmother with 53.000 actual miles.
This vehicle is as unique as our farm is, no question about it.

The sleek design and Swedish integrity made this America's first truly compact car for the market. It's own marketing featured this car as the best floating car on the market if it fell into a lake or the ocean (go figure)! More pictures will follow.

The second thing I wanted to talk about was ASAP's Family Farm Tour. This seemed to be a great success to our farm. We increase visitation by about 30% from last year. Most of the time it was non stop and I was able to get the point across about our farm to about 130 people. Exhausting, but most beneficial.

Here is a quote for Beth who emailed just after her visit. She bought one of my native blueberries and wanted to know how to care for it.

"Your tour was great! I LOVE the butterfly house, and I knew absolutely nothing about hops before yesterday. What an operation! We only went to 2 other farms yesterday & none were as good as yours....Anyway I really admire your trying to preserve your families farm land as well as taking some really big risks while working really hard, I'm sure, & even maintaining a great sense of humor! Hang in there!"

Now that was the only email that I have gotten so far from the tour, but she said post it by all means. How could I not!

The third and final thing on the farm is our first hop harvest coming up next week. I have been in contact with Pisgah Brewing and they are ready as well. My harvest will not be as bountiful as last year, but the "wet hop" beer will happen again with this organic and locally active brewery.

Don't miss their wet hop beer, "Burnette's Brew", named after me of course. Coming later this month.

Why We Call It The Hop'n Blueberry Farm

2011-06-17T19:19:00.007-04:00

There is a reason we call the farm Hop'n Blueberry and that reason does happen now. In these two pictures you can see some Jersey Highbush Blueberries (what few I have) and Cascade hops. Both are getting close to harvest. The hops are unusually early, and there aren't that many. Let's look at them first.
I think, the early warm spell, the low latitude, and varieties are a major factor about how hops are going to do in this area. In my opinion, it doesn't look good, but I am just one of a growing number of those studying the possible next replacement crop for tobacco in Western North Carolina.
North Carolina State University has taken some major interest in this crop and have started hop yards in both Raleigh and at the Mountain Horticultural Experimental Station in Arden. Being in at the ground level, my small hop yard has had close scrutiny by those involved in the experimental project.
Here is my summary:
I think that the day length is a major factor in early cone production. That is an unconfirmed observation. Vines are producing cones before the mass of vine growth is finished. Every since my plantings, cone production has remained the same or has decreased.
I have pulled every Centennial vine up and replanted with Nuggets that I root pruned this year. The variety that I thought was doing the best in my yard. So far the new plantings are at best 4 feet high compared to, lets say, the cascades that I bought 3 years ago from Oregon that reached a height of 20 feet the first year.
I could go on, but for now, lets see.

Mrs. Hall's Fourth Grade Returns

2011-06-02T16:41:00.006-04:00

My sister brought out another one of her fourth grade classes to visit the farm today. There were plenty of butterflies to be seen in the flight house and plenty of fish, dragonflies, and other pond animals to see at the pond.

My mother came out to help once again as the senior chaperons along with three other men who either taught at Ira B. Jones Elementary School in Asheville, NC., or who were parents of kids there today.

We really like these eager young people when they come out and explore the farm and learn about the monarch butterflies and farming. They seem to know about as much as I do at times. I hope that they get the chance to come out this summer with their parents and learn more.
Watch the video here:

Monarchs Are Emerging From Their Chrysalis

2011-05-27T17:28:00.003-04:00

Yesterday 7 monarchs emerged from their chrysalis. They remain in the usually green chrysalis for 11-14 days. Sometime during the end of this period, the chrysalis shell clears up and the butterfly can be seen tightly wrapped inside, as seen below

Then, after waiting patiently, the shell cracks and the emerging butterfly pulls itself out into the world. The whole process takes about two minutes.

Once the monarch has completely emerged, the swollen abdomen starts pumping fluid into the stunted looking wings.
It will hang upside down for several hours until the wings are hardened off.

Then it flies off, generally in a northward direction looking for food, a mate, and milkweed. This generation will only live for about two weeks as an adult.

Ira B Jones Elementary School Visits The Farm

2011-05-25T19:26:00.013-04:00

Vicki Hall's 4th grade class arrives for a tour of the Hop'n Blueberry Farm and butterflies

The kids get to see freshly hatched monarchs in the caterpillar house.

After listening to my monarch metamorphosis and migration, and seeing videos that I have made for U-Tube with caterpillars and chrysalis' hatching, the kids were eager to visit the fight house that now has 6 species of native butterflies in it and is loaded with flowers and plants that have eggs and caterpillars on them.

The butterfly house offers a close encounter with the butterfly

The farm really enjoyed these eager-to-learn students and we hope that they can take back with them some reason to help keep butterflies and other pollinators free from insecticides. This is a must for small farms across Buncombe County that are dependent on this process to keep native plants ready for the next generation.

And, we hope that the plight of the migrating monarch will have some support in future with this next generation of learned scholars.

We offer tours regularly from now until October of the farm. Bring yourself, your family, or your friends out to learn about butterflies, alternative crops like hops, milkweed, or ramps. The farm itself is just a magnificently scenic place to visit if you just want to enjoy a family farm that is located in one of the most picturesque spots in Western North Carolina.

Very Busy Time On The Farm

2011-05-21T18:41:00.004-04:00

I have recently declared all out war here on the farm against all predators. Seems I have all kinds of problems, least of which are weeds! I have been on constant weed pulling patrol lately, tending each plant separately. Lets see, that's 250 blueberries, and 140 hop plants, and, 500 feet of butterfly nectar plants! My hands and knees are never without dirt on them.

I recently noticed a new problem with my new blueberry starts that I rooted from soft stems last year. They were whacked off at the base. I quickly contacted both Bill Cline, NCSU Blueberry Expert, and our very own Sue Collucci, dual Ag Extension agent for Henderson and Buncombe counties and small fruits and disease expert. Now these are people we can be proud to have as part of our agricultural community. Contact your state representatives to keep these jobs from being lost!

Yep, both agreed that varmints were to blame. Rabbits in particular. I got tons of rabbits. Seems that they just love to chew on soft hardwood tissue, just to piss you off it seems, cause it appears that they even leave the leaves? The incriminating evidence is the angular cuts on the stem as these two photos show.

Now, I will have to either cage the plants as they are put into the field, or, it's rabbit stew at the farm!!

My next varmint seems to be my neighbors now. They have increased traffic on my property and have diverted water breaks that lead to my irrigation system without my permission. It has caused me much headache and damage. They are city folk that don't realize what farming is all about or respect private property. I now have to repair my system and seek some retribution from these irresponsible actions. If I don't already have enough to do!!!

My first school group arrives this week. I will post the news from that later this week. Then the farm is booked for the most of June during the weekend, which is a good thing. I will have my annual family reunion, followed by a booked party, then the Family Farm Tour at the end of the month sponsored by ASAP.

Whooo, if you read all of this, think of how I must feel!

Hop'n Blueberry Farm in Mountian Express Magazine

2011-05-11T21:39:00.000-04:00

Cinthia Milner did a very accurate article on the farm this week, May 17, 2011. Check it out at the news stand now or online at www. mountainx.com/garden/2011/051111a-hand-in-every-pot

Oh yes, and the monarchs are coming again. I have my 5 instar caterpillars changing into chrysalis for the last few days. I have 30 in the house and 100's in the milkweed field. Can't wait for the grand opening on May 20, 2011. I will have a very large selection of all phases of butterflies at the butterfly house.

Come see us!

A Farmers Life

2011-05-04T19:32:00.004-04:00

I really want to know if there is a farmer out there that doesn't know as much about the weather, or better, more, than our local news forecasters do? If you don't, then you better try and find yourself another occupation.

Thankfully, weather has been a hobby of mine since I was around 7 years old. I have been keeping weather records for 35 years every day. I am just about as aware of what is going to happen as Ben Franklin flying kites, but yesterday fooled me.

We had a storm roar through here that gave me about a 45 minute warning. I had just listened to the news and there was no indication of an approaching storm, but I could plainly see the shift in wind direction, temperature, and cloud formations to know that I better get moving.

I had just finished winding some of my hops and stopped winding the rest, knowing a wind was coming and could easily break the delicately wound vines. I turned off my gravity feed irrigation system from the creek by the house, and barely got my wheelbarrows turned over when the storm hit with fury.

Lightning the length of the state of Florida streaked form cloud to ground, winds briefly topping 45 mph, and pea size hail along with 1.1 inches of rain in 35 minutes hit the farm taking a toil.

Damage was moderate here on the farm. All the remaining blooms on my blueberries were knocked off and 15 hop vines were broken off of the twine. Oh well, I have lost approximately 10 pounds of blueberries ( I didn't have that many here that I allowed to bloom) and probably about 20 pounds of hops were lost--new hop vines will come back, but will cone up before full growth of the vines.

I am showing a picture of my blueberry bush damage with some blueberries present and some with flower damage.

There is crop insurance that you can get on some of your crops. If you are in full production and have substantial investment in your crops, you may want to consider getting some. Be aware of the weather, and by all means listen to what is going on out there. Severe weather is on the increase, don't think for a minute that this will change. There is even a possibility of frost tonight!

Monarch Eggs Hatching

2011-05-01T19:02:00.005-04:00

I do believe that I work harder on the weekends than I do during the week, which means only one thing--I get no rest. This weekend was no exception, especially with the giant honeydew list my wife Martha had for me. Actually, it was OK with me.

Have you ever heard of the saying,"the shoemaker's daughter goes barefoot"? For me, it is a common occurrence. There is so much weeding and fixing and cussing going on here at the farm, that I have little time to do those things right next to the house. Martha strongly suggested that we do them today, and how could I resist her puppy dog pleas.

So, I put off working on stringing up the hops, at least for the first half of the day , and got busy on her list. All was not that bad. As I was watering the milkweed seedlings I have growing here, I was able to get some really good shots of some monarch eggs and caterpillar hatching.

The monarchs, during the last two weeks, have laid hundreds of eggs on my milkweed and the cats are emerging and eating there way to wings. I got some good still shots of them emerging from the egg. The first meal they have is the egg shell.

I am showing three pictures here, the first on is of a monarch egg close to hatching, note the black head at the top of the egg sack. The second one shows the newly hatched caterpillar after it has eaten it's way through the egg shell . Red arrow is the egg shell, yellow arrow is the newly emerged caterpillar. The third shot shows just how small the caterpillar is. I am looking forward to opening the butterfly flight house in a couple of weeks, with butterflies, caterpillars, and eggs galore. Be sure to come and see us.

Stringing Up Hops

2011-04-27T16:34:00.007-04:00

It is finally time to get the hops off of the ground and wound up the twine. I have been waiting for this, but have also been a little behind in getting it done. The weather has been somewhat wet and I have had other pressing projects at the farm that have needed attention all at once. But at least I have gotten to the first step-----"getting started!"

I use round bail bailing twine that I get from local farm supply stores for my twine. It seems to hold up through the season and is cheap. You get something like 15,000 feet of it for less than 40 bucks. Looks like for me, it is enough for 4 years at my current production of 135 vines.

Cutting the line to lengths takes some time, a good project for beer drinking friends one afternoon. They feel like they are doing something yet not stepping on anything! All kidding aside, I have had some really good help over here this year from friends at work, like Brent and Phil. I have another friend, Seth, who is also young and very energetic and who is going to grow some hops himself. They have saved me countless hours.

Once the lines are cut, I lower the main line and tie them to my permanently mounted hooks and raise it back up tying up the bottoms on my stakes at each plant. For stakes, I have made them out of pressure treated wood. They last and work well. I don't tie too tight, it is all tricky, but works so well.

Now comes decision time, picking my strongest looking vines to be trained clockwise up the twine. I usually pick three of them and cut out all the rest. This time next week, I will be back there cutting all the little ones trying to come up and maybe stripping the leaves off of my main vines up to around 18 inches to allow for air circulation.

I'll tell ya, these things are worse than having a house full of babies! From here on out, I will have to be tending to them every day and taking care of them. Make a man thirsty!

First Monarchs Sighted

2011-04-16T16:08:00.007-04:00

The weather broke this afternoon after cloudy conditions for 2 days and a heavy 2.4 inch rain. I went down to the milkweed patch to check on the condition of my plants and saw at least 3 female monarchs laying eggs.

My plants range from 1 inch to 7 inches tall. The Monarchs chose the smallest to deposit their eggs. The plant should be around a foot tall when the caterpillars hatch out and have plenty of tender leaves to eat.

These monarchs are pretty worn looking indicating that they have traveled far and are at the end of their short life. Monarchs in general left the Mexican forest three weeks ago. It is conceivable that the really worn butterfly that I took a picture of could actually have been one that overwintered in Mexico. She seemed to respond to me when I said, buenas dias!

The first picture is the freshly deposited egg next to my finger. You can enlarge the image by clicking on it. The second picture is the female laying an egg on a young plant. I expect caterpillars in time for the opening of the flight house in May. Come see them!

Ramps Are UP

2011-03-31T18:12:00.002-04:00

The ramps are looking good now at the farm. They first started breaking ground around the 15th of March. It looks like they are all in good shape with all of the rain and cooler temperatures lately. It was actually warmer in February than March by 5 degrees!

The picture above is my two year old ramp seedlings. Even though they are still small, they are almost ten times taller than their first year. It takes 18 months for the seeds to germinate. This means that I planted the seeds of these ramps over three years ago.

This is the reason that many of our native wild herbs and medicinals are so fragile. It takes so long for them to mature and when they are harvested and poached illegally, which is happening more and more, they are susceptible to becoming extinct.

Folks, if there is one thing I can say about all of our native plants, it is to only take what you need and plant a seed in its place. If it is a root crop like ramp, you can harvest them sustainably by leaving most of the bulb in the ground. The stem and leaves have just as much taste and it will be there next year!

Help save our native populations of plants. Ask me how you can help.

More Hop Pruning

2011-03-21T19:54:00.008-04:00

hop shoots

It is the third year of my hop crop and I am still spending time in the hop yard root pruning. Well, what that really means is this. It is the hardest job, so far, of growing hops, as far as I am concerned. It is back-breaking and time-consuming! Once again, I picked the wrong decade to start farming. My standard reply to anyone that wonders what in the world is a 59 year old man doing two jobs that require physical and mentally exhausting labor!

Now, don't get me wrong, I have had some excellent and most rewarding volunteers over here helping me. For example, the folks that I featured last week in my blog, a good artistic friend that works in landscaping and who has brought in some fantastic artwork for the butterfly tours, and ironically, my good friend Brent, who is actually my boss at work. It feels especially good when I can tell Brent what to do for a change!

These folks have called me and ask me if they could come over and help!! I didn't call them. What more could a farmer want, well, unless he married young and had 12 kids! The only compensation they required was the enjoyment of getting your hands dirty while learning something and good companionship.

One of the most rewarding and under emphasized parts of this whole task, however, is the benefit of enjoying what the Romans called "Poor Man's Asparagus". That is the mostly underground shoots from the rhizomes. They are white and only about 3/16th of an inch in diameter, but have a most delicate taste. Somewhat similar between a cross of asparagus and cucumber. MMMMMmmmmmmm! You can pickle them too!

Hold on, I having them for super tonight and will let you know how good they were.

Root Prunning

2011-03-12T19:20:00.011-05:00

Once in a while, a real farming moment happens! Like in the classic painting by Grant Wood, the "American Gothic", Rich and Jen Orris posed for today. Yep, this couple, newly planted in Western Buncombe County, are destined to be our next future of the small farmer in North Carolina. Why, because they believe in saving the heritage and necessity of creating and sustaining small farms in Western North Carolina.

I met Rich and Jen at a recent hop's growing workshop sponsored AB Tech. This is the AB Techs BioNetworks second year at this sponsorship and over 70 folks signed up and learned a great deal about hops in Western North Carolina. After teaching my segment of the two day seminar, Rich, Jen, and their friend Gabe Landas all wanted to learn more and I invited them over to my farm for real time sweat equity into growing hops.

The day was fantastic after several days of cold and heavy rain. In fact it was T-shirt weather. Our objective was the root pruning of my three year old hop vines. I couldn't have had a better more productive and learning happy crew than the three of them.

Rich, Jen, and Gabe showing giant Centennial rhizomes

Now for more good news. For the first time in Western North Carolina history, there are local, disease free, fresh hop rhizomes for sale. If you have thought about growing hops, no need to order your root stock all the way from Oregon. I have them right here at the farm. Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, and Nuggets. All on sale now and all can be planted right now. Call us at 828-664-1166.

New Seed Starting House

2011-03-05T18:08:00.008-05:00

With my south facing deck on the house attracting plenty of sunshine, I decided to gather up the a lot of reclaimed lumber, glass, and some store bought 2x4's and built a greenhouse under the deck to start seeds and for some passive solar gain on a 8 inch concrete wall.

The project started as usual with my good friend Tony and his wiliness to help me dig out a few dozen wheelbarrows of dirt. I then measured out my glass panels that various folks have giving me from other remodel jobs and planned out the pattern between the 10 foot span of deck post.

For the roof, I used left over pond liner on the above deck and covered it with outdoor carpet. It works really well. Down below, with the low angle of the winter sun, the concrete wall will serve as a thermal mass for heat gain.

Once all materials were in place I used a gravel floor and built steps and added a nice glass door that I had already on the property. Total cost was less than $75.

The largest expense was the grow lights, seed flats, vents, fan, heating mat, and thermostat which raised the total price to a whoping $200! I didn't have a single one of these items floating around the farm.

I plant 300 butterfly nectar and host plants tomorrow to add to the on farm experience.

Sundays Front Page Asheville

2011-02-27T18:11:00.003-05:00

Well, seems we made the front page of the Asheville Citizen Times paper today. John Boyles did a great article about the status of the small farm in Western North Carolina. I just happen to have the front page picture and opening paragraphs for the 3 page column. He did a great job in exposing the dilemmas and struggles of the small farmer. Find it at the following link.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011302270056

Saturday found me at the MOFF conference at Warren Wilson College, a marketing opportunity for local farmers. I was not alone, well over 200 farmers from 5 states met with all kinds of potential buyers. Wholesalers, restaurant owners, grocery chains, farmers markets, and all kinds of other contingencies were present as well as highly educated and informative classroom and workshop individuals. I think everyone there learned very valuable information about marketing. Hats off to ASAP (Agriculture Sustainable Agricultural Project) for putting it on. They are such an valuable resource and we farmers are lucky to have them.

Calm Before the Storm?

2011-01-08T17:25:00.005-05:00

Wow, what a season so far. Our snow yesterday and most of the day today produced maybe 3 or 4 inches but who knew with the gusty 30 mph. winds. Here the pump house is barely visible from the warmth of the farm house. My wife calls the snow a waste coming on the weekend. If it were on the weekday she would miss work. Remind you of your school days?
Well, she may get her wish as a major south rising winter storm is forecasted for Monday. Will I ever get anything done other than stoking the stove and watching snow fall?

The blueberry rows are just waiting for the next storm to come as well. Who knows, I might get finished mulching the last few bushes by the time the snow melts--next spring?

This final shot of the flight house looks cold doesn't it. I have been working hard to expand the marketing for the butterfly flighthouse this coming spring. I am hoping to get some more publicity published in some of the local tourist magazines and news periodicals. I am also considering joining the Black Mountain Chamber of Commerce.

Christmas Snow on the Farm

2010-12-27T17:05:00.004-05:00

Our Christmas day was indeed white here on the farm. It literally snowed all day Saturday the 25th starting at 6 am. and lasting until 7 AM. on Monday. We got around 9 inches of snow and it provided for a good blanket of insulation on the blueberries above.

The butterfly flight house and milkweed field blanketed by snow.

Here are the blueberry starts under cover of landscape fabric behind the pump house. I put the fabric down earlier this month due to the harsh and cold temperatures this month. I believe that it will go down as the coldest December on record for this part of the county. The temperature has only reached an average high two days this month.

Luckily, most of the time the plants have been covered in snow providing some relief to the below average temperatures. It has been 9 degrees twice and we have had over 16 inches of snow to boot. Looks like we will be breaking out the short sleeves soon however, as the forecast calls for 55 degrees on Dec. 31st.

Hop'n Blueberry Farm in Back Home Magazine

2010-12-10T17:38:00.002-05:00

Wow, we are excited to be in the latest issue, Jan-Feb 2011, of Back Home magazine. This is a really great magazine that I have subscribed to for quite sometime. It is all about sustainable living and is a must for the farm as far as I am concerned, and not just because they have an article about my farm in it( although that makes em pretty cool!)

It was written by Jennifer McGaha whose daughter volunteered at the farm for this years Family Farm Tour. Jennifer came out later and spent a few hours with me on the farm. I have not yet read the article, but it is on page 40. I think there are even some good ole color photos in there as well.

I am currently trying to thaw out some ground and mulch here on the farm and am working on trying to secure some more funding for the farm for 2011 when it is too cold to work outside. The funding will be crucial to the survival of the farm in the near future and it sure consumes a lot of time, but hopefully it will pay off and I can really get to work expanding the farm.

If you can't find Back Home magazine, by the way, look on line at www.backhomemagazine.com
You can order it there.

Winter Blues

2010-11-27T16:03:00.004-05:00

Did I ever say that weeding was fun? If I did or ever do, shoot me. I have still been working on weeding and bedding down my three field crops. Let's start with a blueberry update.

The good news is that I only have 6 more blueberry bushes to weed. Well, that's good news to just one farmer in the world anyway. My only problem now is finding enough free suitable mulch for them. I am looking hard to find old pine sawdust or fine chips to finish three 250 foot rows of blueberries. That's about 9 pickup loads. Anybody got a source?

I have recently finished mowing out my hop vines and I am looking forward, like a condemned man looks forward to the firing squad, to start weeding them and laying down the mulch for them. I have some composted cow manure that I am going to put down on the plants before I mulch them. I have to get on the stick, the really cold weather is yet to come.

I started tackling the insurmountable task of cleaning up my 1/8 acre of weeds that contain one weed that I want to keep, the milkweed. Man, that has been a real challenge. The use of chemicals might just be an alternative to this mangle of tangled vines, stickers, and stringy contagious assorted other rhizomes. I must say, the other day it was weeds 1, Van 0.

Next year, I will have an opportunity to get my milkweed in the production stage and try to keep up with keeping them a bit more organized in defense for the aggressive weed attacks.

I got my last installment on my AgOptions Grant last month and I am now working on another grant to help finance my last phase of the expansion here on the farm. It will be for the picnic shelter and bathroom facility. I am a firm believer that this is going to be the most critical part for the survival of my small family farm here. It will be the make or break it part of the puzzle. Ah, if it weren't for stress in my life where would I be. ( Without shingles for one thing!)

Grant for School Tours Available

2010-10-22T09:00:00.004-04:00

I just saw some good news from ASAP in Asheville. They have grant money available for school tours to farms. Although my butterflies are now gone, we still offer tours here for learning experiences on the farm, including conserving natural resources, composting, recycling, and alternative energy.

Check out the following and be sure to say you want to tour the Hop'n Blueberrry farm if you are a teacher! Call Molly Nicholie at Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project for more information on the Farm Field Trip Mini-Grant Program at 236-1282 ext. 102 and hurry, deadline is Nov. 5. If chosen, you can use this into next year.

Lately I have been in anything but heaven doing the two things I hate more than raking leaves, and they are paperwork and weeding.

The paperwork has to do with the financial statement needed for my AgOptions Grant, due in a few days. Problem is the I first had to clean up my desk generating two full trashcans of accumulated old notes and papers. I am still working on it.

The weeding I figured will take me 28 more hours! I don't think I can make it through that one without going bananas. Oh well, a little at a time.

Marion 4th Grade Arrives

2010-10-01T15:47:00.005-04:00

Susan Childers, former National Teacher of the Year, brought out her fourth grade class from Marion, NC today and they spent almost three hours here in the clear blue skies of autumn in the mountains.

While here, her kids learned about medicinal herbs and why it is important to save our native species. Then they learned a great deal about conserving energy and natural resources here and at their homes. We looked at my solar panels and at the gravity feed drip irrigation system. We also looked at the benefits of composting with compost bins and talked about vermiculture.

Then it was off to the butterfly flight house. Along the way we looked at nectar plants and saw some swallowtails sipping nectar. We also visited the milkweed experimental patch and collected monarch caterpillars.

The kids took a few caterpillars back with them to school.

Then we went inside the flight house and captured four monarchs to tag them the Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. The kids did a countdown and released them for their trip to Mexico.

I also was able to recruit 7 future crop scientist from the group. They were all given a newly rooted blueberry bush and each was given a task of using different techniques for overwintering the plants. They will all get back to me next spring with their results.

One thing I did learn was that these kids were really smart and very interested in the farm. I was amazed at how much they knew already. I only hope that a few of them will carry on and become our next modern farmers. Thanks again to Susan Childers for helping stimulate their learning abilities.

More pictures can be seen on our Facebook page for the Hop'n Blueberry Farm

Last Monarch Generation, Blueberry Weeding, and Hops U-Pick

2010-09-05T18:44:00.004-04:00

Here is a young monarch Caterpillar not more than a day old. Note the size of the pencil lead next to it. It is the last generation of monarch locally and should be the generation of monarchs to fly back to Mexico. It is amazing how fast and large this little dude can get in just a week. From this point, it will progress to an adult butterfly in about one month and have to scurry on down to our southern border.
A second grade teacher from Ira B Jones Elementary School in Asheville, NC came out Saturday with her husband and triplet boys to view the fight house and possibly set up my first school tours of the butterfly flight house. We are currently working out the logistics. It is a vital first step to the sustainability of the farm.
I have spent this weekend taking advantage of weeding. It is the first break in the heat wave all summer long as far as I am concerned. I was able to work 10 hours each day and not faint from heat exhaustion. Lots of opportunities for recreation were forfeited, but, believe you me, it was a welcome relief to get this job started.
On the hops front, I have had two local brewers come out and take advantage of my U-Pick hops adventure and will have two more this week. If you are a home brewer and read this, come on out and get your own fresh hop brew going.

Caterpillars Are changing To Pupas

2010-08-29T21:01:00.003-04:00

The butterfly flight house is experiencing the third generation of monarch butterflies. I just happen to be in the house to film the caterpillar changing into a pupa. The whole process took about 30 minutes. See the time lapse of it by clicking on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFA-C3HbonE

Hop Harvest Goes to Pisgah Brewing and Hops U-Pick

2010-08-19T16:17:00.019-04:00

Pisgah Brewing Company and the "Burnette Brew"

Nuggets on the vine

My hop harvest, all 18 pounds of it, went to Pisgah Brewing company last month. After 3 years of talking and working with them, and after their initial experimentation last year with wet hops, we finally got it together!

They have named the beer Burnette's Fresh Hop Pale Ale and let me tell you, I may be a little prejudice, but it is really good tasting. It is available now in the Growler or tap at Pisgah and is on tap at places like Barley's in downtown Asheville.

Let me tell you how it came down. First I had to let them know that I was ready to harvest and second, they had to get the ingredients and the boil ready. It takes a little coordination, but they have the act together over there.

Next I incorporated the help of my good friend Tony and we begin the harvest. It took us 5 hours to harvest the hops and only 7 minutes to drive over to the brewery where they dumped the 18 pounds of fresh picked hops into the kettle.

This is what fresh hop, or wet hop beer is all about. Right off the vine and into the boil. The flavor takes on a truly fresher more aromatic flavor. If you like pale ales, this is one of the best in this part of the country.

My second harvest is happening now. I have been picking and packaging the dry hops now and anticipate only about 6 ounces of Cascade, Chinook, and Nuggets combined. But, I am offering to any home brewer a chance to make their own wet hop beer by contacting me now and coming out to pick them yourselves and add them to your brew! Hurry, they may not last!

Now on the the butterfly house. The monarchs have completed one complete cycle and are now working on their third cycle of metamorphosis. I already have chrysalises forming along with eggs, and caterpillars of the third generation of Monarchs.

Outside the flighthouse, the milkweed is attracting wild monarchs and the butterfly attracting flowers on the walkway to the house are hosting hundreds of swallowtails, buckeyes, sulphurs, and fritilaries. It is a great time to schedule a tour to see all phases of the butterfly metamorphosis.

Monarch laying eggs

Inside the butterfly fighthouse

Monarchs Hatch

2010-07-29T21:49:00.002-04:00

It has been one month since I received monarchs for the flight house from Fla. The life cycle has done the complete metamorphosis. I have fresh, bright, magnificent Monarch butterflies in the house. So far there are 15 newbies. I have pictures to follow.

Crop Mob Invades The Farm

2010-06-13T20:27:00.011-04:00

Wow, what's it like to have a controlled mob at your place? Usually the term mob is associated with chaos and destruction. Well, that's not entirely wrong when it happens at your farm. Only, the destruction is usually done to weeds and to the mental stability of the farm boss, me! And, the chaos is present only when the farm boss, me, leaves the mobbers to free will resulting in mass exiting of the fields to the surrounding cherry, mulberry, and blueberry plants.

No, really, all kidding aside, the crop mob is a free membership of those that are mostly city dwellers that have little or no opportunity to work at a farm and learn about all the aspects of what it is to be a farmer/producer of one crop or another.

I usually try to tell people it is the modern day version of an ole fashion barn-raising. A time when people of varied interest just get together, and put in a good half-day of hard work to get a job done at a farm with the only reward being the camaraderie of others and of course a home cooked meal at the end of the work period.

I went to the initial crop mob meeting early this spring to help get the idea going, but missed the first 2. It was like a "catch 22" for me. I had so much work here on the farm that I couldn't get away. I finally realized that I needed to get away for a half day to get involved with the mob. Besides, you can only get a mob at your farm until you participate in a mob. That's how it works.

It was fun from the start. My first experience showed me that these "mobbes" worked rain or shine. I also met a bunch of folks that I had something in common with. A great way to tangle with a bunch of folks and enjoy an ole fashion spirit of community, which sadly, is so lacking in today's society.

What I didn't realize was that it is a lot more fun to have them over to your farm. The amount of work that gets done with everyone seemingly having a good time is something that I rarely, if ever, see over here for sure. It was great. And, if I must say, so was the food.

My wife, Martha, fretted forever about this thing for two day, but ended up putting on the best show of the day with a dinner ( southerners eat dinner usually on Sundays in the afternoon) that was spectacular if I must say. A fresh ham, greenbeans, corn, pasta salad, green salad, fresh fruit, rolls, spinach dip, cut vegetables, and cookies. Nobody complained, even after a thunderstorm cut us short for the day.

My advice. Join a crop mob and have some fun, we sure did. To get in touch with our mob go to

cropmobwest@googlegroups.com

North Carolina State University Article

2010-06-12T09:43:00.002-04:00

This is a posted article in the NCSU Perspectives On Line about my hops farm. http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/magazine/latest-news-spring-2010/hops.html

My farm continues to be envolved with as much reseach as we can get our hands on. I am very excited to be a part of what may be a new and upcoming food industry here in the state.

Beer City Festival Was A Hopping Success!

2010-06-06T21:13:00.002-04:00

It was amazing how the scene at the newly renovated Asheville City County Plaza transformed. What started out as a scene of 20 some white tents spread out over the commons in front of the Buncombe County Courthouse and the Asheville City Building with people busily setting up kegs of beer and children playing in the fountain, quickly grew into a mini-city of wall to wall people smiling, talking, listening to music, and of course, sampling some of the finest brews in the country.

The Hop'n Blueberry Farm was there with hops on. Our farm, along with the other 3 farms that are part of the Southern Applachian Hops Guild, set up shop along with the brewers. With our new banner flying in the hot afternoon breeze, folks started noticing and coming up to our tent to learn about the mysterious flavor ingredient of their favorite beverage in between filling their cups with fresh beer samples.

Pictured above with our new banner are John and Rita Pelczar with Blue Ridge Hops Farm, yours truly, and Scott Grahl and Stephanie Wilis of the Winding River Hops Farm.

Stay tuned for more about this festival and pictures coming this week.

Scientist Envade The Hop Yard

2010-05-28T19:45:00.008-04:00

On Wednesday, five scientist came to the farm and spent a couple of hours working in my hop yard taking leaf samples for tissue analysis. In the above picture from left to right are Rob Austin, Jeanine Davis's assistant Tyler, Bill Yarborough, Scott King, and our very own Sue Colucci.

Rob and Scott are soil scientist at North Carolina State University and have received a grant along with Jeanine Davis at the Mountain Horticulture Experimental Station in Fletcher to study the nutritional aspects of hops.

Bill Yarborough is the soil expert for Western North Carolina and works with the Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District in Waynesville. Sue Colucci is a dual Area Specialized Agricultural Extension agent for Henderson and Buncombe counties and is our regional pathologist.

There are four farms in the area that are presently being studied. A complex soil structure analysis has just been completed and this tissue sampling will complement that report. We should be able to determine more accurately the nutritional needs for the plants.

I am very excited to be a part of this study and hope that these folks get more funding to continue studying the feasibility of growing hops in Western North Carolina. You can see more about this project by going to easternhopsguild.blogspot.com and reading an article about this project in detail.

Raleigh News and Observer Article

2010-05-15T20:00:00.005-04:00

Jay Price, staff writer for the Raleigh News and Observer, recently interviewed me about the Hop'n Blueberry Farm's adventure into hops farming. You can check out the article online at

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/15/483234/brewers-have-high-hopes-for-nc.html

The butterfly flighthouse is still a work in progress. The frame is up and much detail is being planned for the eventual finish. I am so tired, that you will have to come back to see pictures and find out all the progress.

The above photo shows Tony shooting grade on the greenhouse site. It is 40 x 16 and will be covered in shade cloth. More pics to follow.

Cascade Hops Flowering Now

2010-05-08T19:58:00.006-04:00

Cascade Hop Flowers

I noticed the burs of the Cascade hops yesterday. Almost all of the plants are simultaneously flowering at the same time. I have allowed 4 vines to climb and they are at around 15 + feet in height now.

I have been pruning and weeding and have a lot more to go. My experimental project with cover crops is now out of control! I am far behind on getting rid of the cover crops of Crimson Clover and Winter Rye. It is going to take some real time to catch up.

One reason I am so far behind is the construction of the green/flight house. I have been working full time on this project now for 7 days. I hope to get gravel on the base by Monday. Then start putting up the frame work. I laid out the final foundation grading and drainage for the house and waterfall were done today as well.

You Think You Had A Bad Day?

2010-05-04T19:15:00.004-04:00

Really now, how many things did you have go wrong today? Well, I am here to make you feel better about your rotten day, if you are in that category. And if your not, then just read this and see how good your day was comparatively!!!
This was the first day for the actual construction of my greenhouse after all preliminaries were completed like grading, receiving and unloading the greenhouse kit, purchasing and hauling the concrete and wood, getting my good friend Tony over here to help me, and calling up my part-time employer and telling him I would not be in this week.
Right off the bat, within 15 minutes after Tony arrived at 8 AM. trouble started. I had borrowed an 3-point hitch auger to help me drill the 22 holes I needed for the greenhouse/butterfly flighthouse, each of which was 30 inches deep.
I had never hooked one up and had to go through a learning curve which cost me a snapped 3/4 inch 5 inch pin that nearly hit Tony in the brain! After I wiped the sweat off of my brow and continued on, finally getting the device to work, the tractor broke down. The transmission froze up. I worked on it for 2 hours almost burning out the clutch in my truck as I tried to haul it up to level ground.
Meanwhile, Tony worked on digging the first hole for the greenhouse post by hand. He hit a rock, believe it or not, here at the North Fork Rock Nursery, at 12 inches down and had to dig out the hole twice the diameter in order to get it out. I still was having the stress of my life trying to free up the transmission with bolts, steel plates, oil soaked hands, and a lot of cussing.
When I finally got the tractor moving, I realized that I still had work to do on it and had to take the plate off again and beat things with a hammer. 20 minutes later, I ran out of gas before I could dig the first hole.
Before that, I realized that the grade was off where the greenhouse site was and I had to grade it with the tractor. A process similar to brushing your teeth with a shovel. In other words, something that takes a lot of practice and luck and shouldn't be done in the first place.
It was getting late in the afternoon by this time and I started noticing that my neck was burning. Yep, I had severe sunburn going on. Not having a minute to myself, my exposed skin to the clear blue, 80 degree temps, had played havoc on me, burning me to a crisp! Plus, I was getting dehydrated and not thinking straight.
Now comes the fun part. The second hole I was to dig with the now working tractor and auger, I hit a rock again. It cost us another hour of digging, pounding, and cussing. We finally got it set and called it a day at 7pm. this evening.
There is always a silver lining and I am still trying desperately to figure out what it was today. Maybe it was the fact that Tony helped me and didn't expect to get paid. Maybe it was that it didn't rain on us. Maybe it was the fact that if I didn't have a bad day, I wouldn't have any day at all!

Hop Pruning

2010-05-02T16:35:00.004-04:00

It has definitely been a pruning time here. I am playing catchup with the hop vines. Check out the video that I posted on YouTube about that. It is best to double click on the video to watch it in wide screen on YouTube. Also click on the 780p to watch it in higher definition. It is located just below and to the right of the video where 360p is located. Put your cursor on it and you can then select 780p.

I have been busy finishing putting in the water lines for irrigation of my milkweed and for water supply for the butterfly flight house that will be erected this week. The site has been graded and a 160 foot row of butterfly attracting flowers has been planted next to the fight/green house.

I am expecting to open the butterfly exhibit by July and possibly earlier. I will be focusing primarily on Monarch butterflies, but will have other native species in the house for observation including Swallowtails, sulphurs, and painted ladies.

Plants inside the flight house will be host plants for these butterflies and I should be able to get several generations of these butterflies for the rest of the summer. There is a lot of work and planting to be done before all of this happens, so stay tuned for the grand opening.

Hops Prunning Begins With a Final Note on Ramp Harvesting

2010-04-27T17:23:00.006-04:00

It is time to start pruning my hops. I have started with Nuggets which are now 9 feet tall. The vines are about 3/8 in. in diameter at the base. I have stripped out leaves and lateral shoots for the first two feet of the vine. I have also clipped any new vines coming out of the ground. The object is to allow air flow in and around the base of the vine.

This is the same process I did last year to my bines. It allowed me to keep the yard neat and also helped prevent the possibility of disease around the base of the plant due to high humidity and possible harboring of any diseases.

Note in the picture the before and after shot of the vines. It has been almost a month since my initial selection of 4 of the best bines to train up the sisal twine. It takes me almost 6 hours to prune and weed 35 bines. It is a work in progress from here on out!!

Finally, I know that there will only be about a handful of folks that read this, but I have seen some real devastation going on with ramp harvesting this year. I am afraid that the native populations of ramps have hit a new high in harvesting this year.

Let me explain. Ramps take an estimated 6 to 7 years to mature into a harvestable size. For hundreds of years, the native populations have always been aware of this. They have always, at least in the past, harvested just what they needed and left the rest.

Now, more and more, harvesting is being done on a massive eradication style of "Leave No Plant Standing"! Wow! The all-mighty dollar in tough times means that we need to feed the family and rape the land to do it. The heck with the future. Ah!, so is devastation that is now wrecking our fragile environment.

That used to be never the case. In the past, our indigenous populations and, later, the European settlers were in tune to what nature has provided for us. They took what they needed and looked after the generations of plants and people that followed.

Now, we have new populations of settlers. Those that have no idea of what it takes to sustain native populations of plants and traditions. All they are concerned about is getting as much as they can from nature to translate into cash. They poach, prey, eradicate, and destroy everything they can.

I was alarmed to find recently about ginseng arrest being made. Hundreds of pounds of illegally gathered roots. I know, it has always happened before, but now, it seems that there is no limit to what these scum bags will stoop to. Excuse me for being belligerent, but I have had all I can take.

I have recently been buying ramps from the middle man. It is my way of sacrificing what little money I have to help save what little we have left in our mountains. Through my little efforts, I have been able to talk to 10 other folks into buying up ramps and re-planting them instead of eating them.

I encourage each and every one of the few folks that read all the way to the end of this post, to do the same. I know it encourages the middle man to buy more because of increased sales, but I thing that if everyone would at least plant a little to save a lot, it would make a difference. Please do your part, however you can.

Let's save our heritage plants!!!

Hops Have Reached New Heights!

2010-04-18T19:18:00.002-04:00

Well, really, the hops reach a new height every day. I started training the bines about the first week in April. Now my Nuggets are over 6 feet tall, closely followed by Cascades, some of which are 5 feet tall. Then the Chinooks are closing in with 4 feet of height and Centennial are struggling to get enough height to start training on the twine.

I have been a bit overwhelmed by everything here on the farm, being the only worker. I have been laying out my irrigation for the past 4 days. I have about completed all of the tasks associated with putting down the old drip lines from last year

Some of the emitters have failed and must be replaced. The line itself has stretched somewhat and has to be cut or added for length to match plants. I have laid out a new 5th row of blueberry line today and will punch in the emitters tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow. Rob Austin of NCSU, will be visiting my farm tomorrow, April 19th. It is part of a new study being done by the university on growing hops. He has started a test plot in Raleigh and will be visiting a couple of hop yards here in the mountains tomorrow. I am excited to be a part of new research being done here in the state.

I noticed today that my Goldenseal is up and starting to bloom. I have also started to irrigate my woodland herbs as the rain is still eluding us here. So far, we have had only 1/2 inch of rain here and I noticed this afternoon that a forest fire is in progress just on the the north side of the Craggy Mountains, not less than 5 miles from the farm.

I have finished planting 11, 175 foot rows of Milkweed last week. It took a very long time. I have had to put the water to them and hope that after the 4 days of planting, that at least some of the milkweed will germinate. They are closely planted at one inch spacing and 30 inch row separation.

I will be ordering my greenhouse/butterfly flighthouse tomorrow as well. I have been laying out the foundation and getting things ready for this incredibly expensive endeavor. I hope to have it completed by the end of May, in time to order butterflies to fill it up!

Ramps Are UP!

2010-03-26T13:52:00.009-04:00

For a few weeks now, I have moved leaves and have seen the little ramp stalks breaking ground, but just two days ago, the whole leaves have pushed out through the leaf mulch and are taking in the sun! The first picture shows just that.

The second picture is one that really excites me. It is a picture of new ramp seedlings. It's been a long time coming, but they are up and growing. I harvested the seeds myself and planted them in the fall of 2008. They were covered in screen wire to protect them during that time.

After winter stratification that first year, they remained dormant for the next year finally breaking ground this year. That's a long time to wait to see if a seed will sprout isn't it?

These new seedlings should increase my ramp production another 1000 plants.

Interrested in learning more about hops?

2010-03-14T09:48:00.003-04:00

There is a seminar coming up in April that should answer a lot of questions one might have about growing hops. It is being put on by the BioNetwork at the Enka campus of AB Tech. It is part of the Natural Products Seminar and is being coordinated by our own Hops Guild. It is the brain child of Chris Reedy and will cover growing, pest management, soils, brewers perspectives and an optional brewery tour.

I am one of the speakers on the first day with the topic title "A year in the life of the Hop yard".

Other prominent speakers include Bill Yarborough, NCDA&CS reginonal agronomist, Sue Collucci, NCSU Area Specialized Agent for Commericial Horticulture and plant pathologist, Andy Dahm, brewmaster and owner of Asheville Brewing Supply, and of course Chris Reedy the coordinator of the seminar and the Hops Guild.

Below is a posting for this event:

Learn about successful business and cultivation strategies in the
developing hops industry. You will explore issues from economics
to integrated pest and disease management and gain insights and
resources to further your business idea. Day one topics will
include Economics of the Hop Yard, “A Year in the Life of a Hop
Yard” which will provide you with a simple step-by-step guide to
the seasonal processes of hop cultivation followed by Nutrient
Management Programs. On day two we will cover Integrated Disease
and Pest Management followed by the unique perspective of
a local brewer addressing the industries processes, quality needs
and concerns. Following the close of class there will be an optional
brewery tour on Wednesday, April 7th from 3:30PM –
5:00PM. Transportation not provided. Instructor – Chris Reedy.
ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASSES
Hops – Series for the Prospective, Beginning and
Intermediate Hop Growers
Tue, April 6 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Wed, April 7 10:00AM - 3:00PM
127 Haynes, Enka Site Course #: SEF 2039-100
For More Information Contact
Sarah Schober
sschober@abtech.edu

Organics Growers School Special

2010-03-07T17:20:00.003-05:00

Hello to any of the attendees of the Organic Growers School held in Asheville. If you attended my Hops Growing presentation that I did Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, 2010 I have a special offer for you. I just wanted to let you know that I do personal and group tours here at my farm. Please call if you are interested. Generally I charge $20 for a power packed educational tour for groups 1-10, and $2 for each person over that amount. If you were in my class, consider the price of $10, get together, and come on out.

There is nothing like an on-hand observation of the whole setup, and if you bring your own beer, you can share it with me at no additional charge!!

See you soon.

Organics Growers School

2010-03-06T17:57:00.003-05:00

If you are not familiar with the Organic Growers School, then, by all means, please look them up and try to make an appearance at this conference. It is a power-packed, fun-networking, all inspiring opportunity to learn about everything from growing hops to making goat cheese.

I was one of the speakers there today talking about growing hops with a general population of 1300 eager folks wanting to learn as much as they could in a two-day span. My class was full, and I presented my first PowerPoint presentation and video combination with what seemed to be accurate precision, ending my allotted 1.5 hour talk with no time to spare.

I will be presenting the same presentation tomorrow, Sunday March 6, at 2 pm. It is held at UNCA and very convenient to folks in the area. Come on out and see it if you can, but beware, it is suppose to be 60 degrees tomorrow, and playing ho0key from such an event is a good possibility for most of us that have been cooped up!

Hop'n Blueberry Farms Recieves Grant

2010-03-02T12:33:00.009-05:00

The Hop'n Blueberry Farm

We wanted to take this time to let everyone know that we have received a WNC AgOptions grant for 2010. This is exciting news indeed. The grant is funded through the NC Tobacco Trust Fund and was open to 17 Western North Carolina counties and the Cherokee Reservation. 120 applicants were received and 42 grants ranging from $3000 to $9000 were awarded.
check in hand of Van
We received our grant to expand research on commercial production of common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca) and adding a butterfly ranch to our farm. Now, I know what you are thinking--it is the same question that everyone has when they hear about our new project--"Your going to grow what and raise what?"

Here is the scoop on milkweed so listen up. For one thing, it is the host plant for the migrating Monarch butterfly caterpillar. The Monarch as you may well know, migrates from Canada to Mexico in one breed season. The milkweed is the only thing that the caterpillars eat and is responsible for the bad taste that protects the butterflies from predators.

Milkweed seed floss is also used as a non-allergenic insulator used in pillows and comforters. It was used in WWII as the filler for the life-vests in the Navy. The seed is used in the cosmetic industry, as a native soil stabilizer for the highway department, in the plastic industry, and as an oil absorbent to name a few of its potentials.

I am working closely with Dr. Winthrop Phippen of Western Illinois University to find other low volume high dollar uses for the plant. In the mean time, our farm will start the seasonal raising of the Monarch and offer tours to the public and county schools where they will be able to literally enter into the world of the butterfly through the "flight house".

Our "flight house" will utilize a greenhouse with netting where the public will be able to see these magnificent insects as they land on their hands and see all the other stages of the insect's metamorphosis from the egg to the caterpillar to the pupa and finally, if they are lucky enough, to see the emergence of the butterfly from the pupae or chrysalis as it is called.

We will also be offering an educational and entertaining background of the life cycle of the butterfly with an interactive response from the tourist. Here, all will learn about all of the stages of the butterflies life before they actually see it for themselves.

During the off season, we will be transitioning the flight house back to a high-tunnel to aid in our propagation of blueberries, tropical milkweed, and native wildflowers as well as some food for our own table. There will be only two or maybe three months of the year where we will not get some value out of our greenhouse structure.

Be sure to keep an eye on our new year and come out for a visit this summer.

A Warm Day, IE--Sping Fever

2010-02-20T18:09:00.003-05:00

53 Degrees today! It's like spring. There is still snow on the ground in the shade, but I bet I was not the only farmer in Buncombe County that was out today assessing and addressing the farm that has long been hidden under a layer of snow.

Yesterday we had a hop tour of the farm from a small group from Durham, NC. They were bundled up as I talked their ears off for over an hour. I thought it was a glorious day with the 43 degree temperature, but it was not that warm I guess for them.

Our average temperature range for the first 19 days of Feburary here at the farm was 30.8 degrees. I dread the big thaw that is coming. Mud, mud, and more mud with little chance for pl0wing or working the soil for some time I am afraid. Oh well, let's just take it one day at a time.

2010-01-31T13:15:00.003-05:00

The blueberries are snuggled once again in a blanket of snow. Our snowfall here was somewhat less than some of the Asheville area. We had 8.5 inches of snow covered in 1/2 inch of sleet. Today, Sunday Jan. 31, we are experiencing 39 degrees and the sun is shinning as bright as it can possibly be. I expect a faster melt than the 25 days that the last snow hung on the ground for.

One the closing for the day, the Hop'n Blueberry Farm was again selected for an AgOptions Grant. Was I ever so pleased to read that acceptance email yesterday. Our objectives for this year are going to focus on milkweed production and butterfly farming with a heavy focus on Monarch butterflies.

Stay tuned for more on our latest project as the new month begins!!

First winter thaw

2010-01-15T09:54:00.026-05:00

................................................click on picture to enlarge

We will remember this winter storm for a while, much like remembering the blizzard of '93. The picture above, showing the Craggy and Black Mountain Ranges just above our farm here says it all. There was a lot of snow, and it stuck around for a long time didn't it?

Although my tractor did look like this for a while, it doesn't anymore. We have finally had a temperature above 50 and it was a welcome for sure. Since our 13 inches of snow fell on Dec. 18, 2009, I still have snow on the ground in places around the farm. With an average high of only 36 degrees for 27 days and an average low of 22, the overall daily average was only 29 degrees, hardly enough for a good melt.

The blueberry beds had a nice warm? blanket over them for quite sometime, about 20 days as the temps dropped to the single digits. I was still waiting though, and anxious to get some more mulch on them and I knew a good opportunity was staring me in the face as soon as a big ice storm hit the area around Christmas.

There were a lot of white pine limbs that broke out from that and coupled with the snow storm, I knew there would be a lot of chipping of the tree litter. Luckily, I was able to get some of those chips at Blue Ridge Assembly where I am working part time during the winter. A chipper was on sight and I just parked my truck right in front of the machine.

I loaded up with chips and managed to so far add around 4 inches of pine chips on 20 of 50 new plants that were added last fall. I anticipate to have enough for the coverage of the remaining 30 with no problem.

I believe that with the anticipated 50 degree weather that we are going to have today, that most of this snow will be finally out of here. I don't know about you, but I have been ready for it for a long time already.

Fall Crop Preperation

2009-11-07T19:32:00.010-05:00

I have started doing another weeding project on the hops today on Friday, Nov. 6. All of the bines have been cut down and because of the potential of spider mite eggs overwintering, I burned them instead of composting them. It was then possible to wind up the irrigation line and start to weed out the remaining rows.

Then I over seeded in winter rye and crimson clover and top dressed with wheat straw for a mulch. As you can see, the crimson clover I had planted earlier between the rows is coming in fairly thick, hopefully thick enough to keep out weeds. Note Sept. 2 blog

Here is a picture of my other experiment in two other rows using landscape fabric between the rows. Note the first picture has sawdust placed over the fabric and the second picture shows a thick crop of wheat that sprouted from the straw that I used. It was full of wheat grain that sprouted on top of the fabric!

Blueberry bed preparation began as well today in anticipation of around 75 replacement plants due to winter injury from the nursery this spring. In addition to the soil that was originally incorporated with 4 inches of sawdust, I have added about 5 gallons of pine bark mulch to each individual hole. This was a recommendation from Bill Cline, Extension Horticultural Specialists with blueberries in North Carolina. Since my soil is fairly heavy in clay content, he thought that this would help keep the soil drier. However, with abundance of rainfall this year, I am not sure anything would have done that.

Hopefully the new bushes will arrive within a few days. I will call the nursery Monday to check on the arrival date. You can just spot the misting bed in the background of this photo. I currently have frost cloth over the rooted blueberry sticks. I plan to remove the cover tomorrow as no frost is forcast for the next few days to finish hardening them off.

I am wondering--When is the off time for farming?

Hop Pest Problems

2009-10-30T11:54:00.014-04:00

I have just got back my latest report card from the Plant Pathology Lab in Raleigh. They are a little slow getting things done down there so by the time I got back my report, the bugs had already destroyed my entire crop! Whoa there, just kidding, but they are slow. I would assume that they have a large volume they are dealing with?

What I have found from this report and one submitted previously about two months ago is that I have no plant disease problems. This was good news of course on that front, but I did find some bad news as well. Seems that I have spider mites and leaf hopper infestations.

To keep myself informed on the disease and pest problems that can affect hops, I bought the "Compendium of Hop Diseases and Pests". The book is expensive, but worth it if you are going to be involved with this crop. I was able to get it on Amazon for $65. Compendiums are available for many different crops as well, full of slick pictures and info.

The Hops Compendium

So, back to the problem at hand. I have decided to look at biological control methods, keeping my production organic so far. After doing research on the two-spotted spider mite, I was able to find some beneficial mite predators listed. After a quick trip to the hop yard, I brought back a couple of samples of leaves for inspection.

To my surprise, I don't think I found any spider mites. Instead, I found what I think is one of the beneficial predators called a Phytoseiulus Persimilis. This guy feeds on all stages of the spider mite and consumes 2-3 adults or several dozen eggs a day. It is also suited to the cooler and wetter climates that we have here.

The "Mighty Mite" Phytoseiulus Persimilis

So, get out your hand lenses and start looking. This photo was taken with a hand lens. P.Persimilis is about the size of the tip of a very sharp pen. Remember, be careful if you are going to spray for spider mites. That spray may also be killing the "good guys" as well.

My trip to Washington

2009-10-13T12:14:00.003-04:00

I recently went to Washington to discuss my hop operation with some of the officials there.

Blueberry maintenance

2009-10-12T11:16:00.007-04:00

I have started my winterising of the irrigation for my blueberries and hops. The rainfall we have been getting for October is about average and I would say that our first freeze is not that far down the road. I drained all lines except for my misting station where I will continue misting at a reduced misting rate of five seconds every 25 minutes for 4 hours to help harden off the plants. I have rolled up my drip lines and labeled them for next year.

I also started my final weeding for the blueberries. Hopefully this will help keep any weed seed from being directly seeded into my beds. I am currently taking an organics workshop at the Buncombe County Extension service taught by Sue Colucci. Our next class Tuesday night is all about weeding so I will come in with good experience and dirt under the fingernails.

With fall upon us, my favorite time of the year, I have played hooky a couple of times recently and have taken a tour of the high country above me. I have included one shot taken at Craggy Gardens that shows the brilliant Mountain Ash berries in full display.

. Looking north from Craggy Pinnacle

Mountain Express Has Expressed Their Interest

2009-09-30T15:49:00.001-04:00

This weeks Mountain Express has done an article on hop growing in Western NC featuring none other than my farm and Landfair in Buncombe County. You can check out this article by going to http://www.mountainx.com/dining/2009/093009hopping_along

Hops on YouTube

2009-09-29T14:01:00.004-04:00

I have spent the last two days creating a two part video of harvesting hops on YouTube. Yesterday I filmed me picking cones and explaining my trellis system. After picking the hops, I then taped the weighing, drying, and packaging of them.

Here is a sample of what is available now on YouTube:

Both of the video's will be available through the following YouTube addresses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxEDb7rTJk0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNows9rMT58

It has been nice to finally finish harvesting the hops and due to the windy and dry weather, it has gone without a hitch. It appears that I will have harvested about 10 ounces of dried Cascades for the second harvest. I am hoping that the home brewers market will be an outlet for these.

Water table blues

2009-09-21T09:25:00.003-04:00

I have found it really hard to get anything done in the past 5 days. It has been too wet to harvest my remaining Cascade hops. We are approaching 6 inches of rain for the period and with humidity levels staying above 80%, the cones are not staying dry. One does not want to harvest wet cones. It is the same reason wet birds don't fly at night.

Harvesting the 2nd crop of Nuggets.

2009-09-17T17:40:00.009-04:00

Even though there was some rain today, I found a window of a few hours and decided to harvest 30 bines of Nuggets for the second time this season.

Previously I had done an alpha acid analysis on these first year cones and found them to come in at 13.4% , which seemed to be right around the middle range.

The first harvest also yielded 98 ounces of wet cones. The second harvest only yielded 20 ounces. Whether or not harvesting the second

crop with a 75% reduction will prove economical in the future will have to be determined. One thing for sure is that I am not cutting any vines down, allowing them to die naturally this first year to help establish the root structure of the plants.

I still have a harvest of Cascades coming up and will see if the 75% reduction rule still holds up for this variety as well.

The First Hop Harvest Party Sept. 12, 2009

2009-09-15T16:41:00.014-04:00

Well, Saturday was truly a time to celebrate here at the Hop'n Blueberry Farm. Around 60 people showed up for a pig-pickin, covered dish, and wet hopped beer tasting party. All went as well as can be expected, considering that I spent the better part of the week doing a general all out war on sprucing up the place.

I had some good folks helping me out. Steve drove all the way from Wilmington to bring in a 100 pound hog and cooked it on Vaughn's cooker for 9 hours. There was only one pint of meat left after the pickin had been done on it. There had to have been at least 40 different covered dishes of all kinds to supplement the smoked meat.

Jody had been working diligently on brewing up the "Burnette Brew" down Charlotte way. I had picked some Cascade hops, which incidentally came in at 8.4% alpha acid content, on a Saturday morning while Jody was preparing the brew down east. His girlfriend, Wendy, met me in Morganton, the half way point, after I had collected my hops and called to let them know I was leaving. The hops were added to the boil in about 4 hours. Talk about fresh!

Jody, Joe, Steve, and Wendy sample the brew

I gave a couple of tours of the hops yard while the appetites were mounting as the weather held out for a spectacular late summer day.

The beer was very fine indeed. Everyone was as impressed with it as they were with the pig. Most said it was some of the best beer they had ever had, and was perfect for washing down the delicious pork. If you are interested in more about how to brew with wet hops, contact me at hopnblue@yahoo.com and I can get you in touch with Jody.

I got the 8N blues

2009-09-07T16:48:00.003-04:00

Seems like when it rains it pours, as a matter of fact, that's exactly what it is doing now. That gives me a chance to write about the troubles with the ole tractor. I have it up again for sale in various listings and decided to lower the price. It is currently lower than any 8N out there and I have had a few calls on it.

Since the tractor was up for sale, I decided to dress it up. Washing and cleaning it for the first time since I have had it. I also adjusted the brakes and put in new spark plugs for the first time also. Wow, it's nice to have brakes and 4 cylinders to run on. She is purring like a kitten now.

I figured since the bush hog was still mounted, I would start to mow down the summer weeds around the farm. All was going well, when all of a sudden I hit, of all things, my other bush hog and poked a hole in the side-wall of the rear tire.

What a disaster that was. I already had the lowest price I could possibly go and had several people lined up to look at it. Now she is jacked up and tireless. Those tires ain't cheap! I am also dealing with 25 gallons of antifreeze in the tire that I have drained out of the tire for added weight.

Well, at least it will have new tires all the way around and maybe I will just keep it since it is running and looking better than it ever has. Hopefully, if bad things happen in three's, all of my mechanical woes are over with for now.

Sept. 4, 2009

2009-09-04T09:08:00.005-04:00

I have come to find out the hard way that there is always something about farming that you never plan on that always comes up. Yesterday it was all about mechanics.

First my tiller just quit. I worked on it long and hard using a lot of four letter words but just couldn't seem to revise the 25 year old machine. With a big cloud of white smoke, the old girl just let out what seemed to be a final breath and would not respond to any artificial respiration. She died right there in front of me.

Then it was on to my other girl, the 58 year old 8N Ford tractor. The ole steady and reliable beast always has managed to perk up after just a few cranks and eagerly get going to tackle whatever hellish job that I had lined up for her that day. Well, yesterday she gave no indication that she was ready to start. She just labored groggily trying her best to start but never taking the task to heart.

I charged the battery with hopes that induction of higher voltage would spark her into action, kind of like using a defibrillator on a human, but was myself shocked to see no response. I had just sunk into mechanical despair. What was going on?

Just about that time, a neighbor came by and said that Ford was now producing a 50 hp. diesel "Boomer 8N" to play on the nostalgia of those that had worked with the old steady machines in the past. The old reliable 8N, HA! But suddenly something happened that has happened in the past with me when it came to frustrating mechanical moments. "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance". A book that I had struggled with trying to finish for years.

It was a passage in the book that forever has stuck a chord with me. One that dealt with solving mechanical problems. It had to do with starting with the most simple of things first. In other words, check the essential things that make a motor run, even if it is ridiculous.

Well, the conversation with the neighbor and the new diesel tractor reminded me of fuel. I had looked in the gas tank before and saw the shinny reflection of fluid near the bottom of the dark tank hole and figured it was fine. But was it? I decided to add more fuel. I screwed the cap back and sat down in the tractor seat and pushed the start button. Three seconds later the happiest sound a frustrated mechanic can hear hit the air waves. The sweet hum of success. The purring of a machine as old as I was running smoothly.

It was now to late to do any work with her. I turned off the motor and walked away. Lesson for the day. Start earlier!

Sept. 2, 2009

2009-09-02T11:24:00.004-04:00

Hey, all of this blogging is new to me so don't get lost, I think.
I bought Crimson Clover seed yesterday at Southern States. The seeds need to be inoculated with a bacteria to make the plant fix nitrogen from the air. I didn't know that, but thanks to our extension agent, Amanda Stone, I found out that fact. That process use to mean that you had to buy the inoculant and seed separate, but now the seeds come pre-coated and all you have to do is plant them.

It is my plan to plant the clover between my rows and carefully monitor the progress of the plants and not allow them to go to seed. The last thing I want is to have to "weed" them out. I also am worried that if they get to thick, that they could in fact shade out the new vine growth in the spring.

The weather is co-operating today in that it is cool and dry allowing me to till up the inter-rows without loss of a lot of body fluids, ie.--sweat. I've lost enough of that this year already!

News for Sept. 1, 2009

2009-09-01T11:55:00.000-04:00

The Hops Tour of Western North Carolina was a great success. There were 90 plus people who attended the Landsfair Farm and my farm here, the Hop'n Blueberry Farm. Of course, I think the highlight for most was the final visit of the day at Pisgah Brewing Company where samples of their beer were handed out.

Pisgah purchased one pound of my Nuggets to be used in conjunction with some other locally grown hops this week in a special brew. Get in touch with them to see when this brew will be ready for consumption. Their phone number is 828-669-0190.

This week I am experimenting with inter-row coverings. I have two inter-rows covered with landscape fabric. On top of that I am trying sawdust on one row and wheat straw on the next.
I will be trying Crimson Clover on the third row and fourth rows.