Fall Roundup!

Hi Everybody!

Remember me? The author of this blog?  I know it's been a while. A long while, actually. But here I am again after about a month-long blogging hiatus.  What can I say other than, well, I was busy and updating the blog was not on the top of the priority list.

That being said, I am setting out now to write what may turn out to be quite a long overview of our recent and upcoming activities. I am calling it the Fall Roundup!  Yeehaw, and here we go!

1) Harvest is Over
Harvest began on July 25, and the las day was August 25.  That's 31 days, folks.  Thirty-one consecutive days of grind-it-out harvesting.  The combine was running at some point on each of those thirty one days, I believe, except for one.  On that one day, harvest operations were briefly suspended due to weather.  It was a lot of long days and a lot of hard work by everyone to keep machinery, operations, and personnel functioning smoothly and without too many hiccups.  Everyone agrees it is a good feeling to have the crops all cut and in the bin.  A portion of the harvested crop has already been taken to the local elevator(s) and is on its way to end-use: feeding people all over the world.

Though much of the state and the country experienced moderate to severe drought this year, our area of Montana actually did pretty good.  Our region, sometimes referred to as the Golden Triangle, received rain when it counted.  In fact, the harvest in our area brought the statewide numbers up closer to average for overall harvest. Check out THIS ARTICLE FROM THE GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE for a great synopsis.  The article even includes a quotation or two from someone you may have heard of... Check it out!

2) Where's the Beef?
No, I'm not rehashing soundbites from politics past. I'm talking about our cows. During the busy time of harvest, maybe you forgot we have cows, too? So what is going on on the ranching side of the equation, you ask? Well, the cows have been happily grazing at pasture all summer long.  Maybe you've seen those television ads stating Happy Cows Come from California?  Well, Happy Cows come from Montana, too. They come from right here:

Look at that landscape and tell me what's not to love if you're a cow? There is easy access to fresh flowing water, plenty of room, lots of tasty, tasty grasses, and of course, there is a lovely view! Ok, so cows may not care about the view, but the family ranchers who care for them DO appreciate the scenery, and happy ranchers definitely contributes to happy cows.

Responsible grazing management dictated that the herd be moved to a different pasture more recently.  On the morning of the cattle drive, Jeff, Tom and I got up early and rounded up the heard.  We drove them to a new pasture a few miles away. Oh and by "drove them" I do not mean we piled them all into the family suburban.

So there we were, moving the cows across the road and across a little bit of country to their latest pasture, where they are now happy once again. The afternoon after the move, the guys were back in the combine harvesting.  Talk about a full day.

3. Garden Harvest
The raised bed and expanded garden experiments have been successful. We are still harvesting the bountiful peppers and tomatoes, as well as cucumbers, carrots, onions, and zucchini, and a few straggling green beans.  Even the short season corn variety we planted did well.

I have been hoarding tomatoes, especially the small yet prolific fruit of the Ponderosa variety we had planted.  They are like Roma tomatoes, only a bit smaller.  As for now, I have simply been blanching, peeling, and freezing them. Once the season is over, I am planning to process the tomatoes into a marinara-style tomato sauce.  There will probably be at least one more batch of salsa in there as well.

Other more recent solo canning adventures include pickled cherry tomatoes, and a batch of peach salsa.  Thanks to one of my readers who supplied me with an unexpected case of peaches at work recently! I love talking/thinking/planning/writing about food, so chances are high there will be future posts about how we are putting up the harvest from this year.

4) Extracurricular Activities
In between farming and ranching, Jeff is now also staying sufficiently busy as a part-time Assistant Football Coach for our local high school, the North Star Knights. He helps with practice two days a week and will attend games when he can.  I can't speak for Jeff, but it seems like he is enjoying it for the most part.  I think his favorite part is getting to know the boys, and when he gets to play on the practice field with them.  From my perspective, just knowing Jeff and the type of man he is, I think he is probably an excellent coach in any capacity.

As for me, I am pretty busy right now with a pile of sewing projects.  I have been altering bridesmaid dresses for for friends and working on creating some household items as well.  My biggest project now is building a flower girl dress for the wedding of a co-worker's daughter.  It will be quite a bit of work, but it is really interesting to me, and fun.  Perhaps after this bigger project is complete, I can get back into making some items to post on Etsy and make a little extra money that way, too.

I am also on the substitute teacher list at North Star again this year and already have two upcoming sub days schedule: kitchen aid, and math!

4) Bobcat  Born
As we were last year, this year Jeff and I will be traveling to Bozeman frequently for Bobcat Football home games.  We renewed our season tickets for the 2012 season. It is always great to see friends and family in Bozeman on Bobcat weekends, and of course, to watch the team take the field.  We are expecting another great year for the Cats and are hoping to be making weekend pilgrimages to Bozeman well into December for FCS Playoff games.

So what's next for us?

• We are hoping to seed some winter wheat soon (some rain would be nice!)
• The calves have been sold and will be shipped around Halloween
• Jeff and I are planning an upcoming vacation to Iowa... and bringing the dog!

And...

• More frequent blog posts!

Thanks to everyone who is still hanging in there! I am going to try to keep the blog updated with our goings-on.  

Until next time! :)