Farm Update...

It is dry... our upper reservoir is very low. We will have enough water for frost control but not enough to flood for harvest. That means we will have to pump all the water for harvest. We have a lift pump that will pump 45,000 liters per minute but it still takes a long time to flood.


We sure could use more rain. The berries are starting to size up and color up. We are irrigating but its not the same as a good rain. Some of the fruit may be smaller because of this but we will be ok. With a larger crop in some beds I worry about color. (but that's what I do I guess...worry)




Our new interchange at Iroquois Cranberry Growers Drive *grin* is almost complete (Aug '08 *goan*).

We will be on the new road for harvest so as not to confuse truckers and customers.




hmmm.... progress... :-/

Here it comes...

You can see it...here and there in amongst the green... little patches of color... not the yellow of brown of out drought but the oranges and reds of autumn. The days are noticeably shorter. We have seen some cool mornings... the fog on the lake sucking out that summer warmth signals August to me. I think fall is my favorite season... and I like the variety of the seasons we have here. I dislike the darker days that late fall and early winter bring. I do, however, look forward to cooler weather. Cold sterilizes our soils and helps keep some pests out of control. I do hope we get more precipitation over the next few months... Lake effect snow like we used to receive. I think we are in store for a fairly harsh winter... starting in November or December NOT January 15th as we had last year.

Shift Change

You may remember that buggs bunny cartoon when the sheep dog and the coyote punch the time clock goin into work and leaving...

Its funny... at the farm.. after 1700h (5PM, we use metric time - long story) when we have left work all the animals come out. I am sometimes at the farm after 1700 of before 0700... it is amazing what you can see. I saw an otter crossing the dike in front of the truck. Late July while working on the RFL, a bear came by to see what was going on. I never seem to have the camera handy at these times... so no pix...

I often wonder what really goes on when we go home and when the shift changes...

Young Moose

On my way to the office from the farm I came across a young moose. It is not uncommon to see wildlife on the farm but we usually only see moose tracks.

It is uplifting to see animals around the farm. To know that the land that supports my livelihood also can support so many animals in a sort of harmony. This is the way it is supposed to be but sadly...much of the world does not work in this way...

Troubles

Well.. we did have some problems getting the juice to our farm... They are building an interchange at Iroquois Cranberry Growers Drive and detour thru the farm... Our juice had a bit of a ride... but all bottles made it safely to the farm... after the help of a crane to lift the truck out...

Juice!!

We made juice.... with our own cranberries... we just freeze them.. then squeeze them... well then we bottle... I follow the process from tempering the berries... to bottling... it is important that we maintain quality. We use no press aids or enzymes. We believe less processing is better.

We have the berries pressed then tanker it down to the bottling plant then back to the farm. Hey! there is that yellow truck again...

Sounds simple... but like any endeavor it is a BIT more complicated...

Lots of things went well... there were a few problems but we got out juice... and it is safe, quality, simple food...

Thats what we do with all the products we produce. Why complicate (i.e. additives, over processing etc) our food?

I guess sometimes it makes it cheaper. It gives it longer shelf life if it has to be transported across the ocean.

In the ideal world, your food should come from your back yard.... hmmm how do you treat YOUR back yard??