The wonderful Kiwi!

Ah, the Kiwi. This Asian fruit holds the honor of being my daughter's favorite. I swear, she could eat a dozen of these things and not even think about it.

According to the California Rare Fruit Growers (http://www.crfg.org/), there are seven main species of Kiwi: Chinese Egg Gooseberry (Actinidia coriacea); Kiwifruit (A. deliciosa); Hardy Kiwi (A. arguta); Super-hardy Kiwi (A. kolomikta); Red Kiwi (A. melanandra); Silver Vine (A. polygama) and Purple Kiwi (A. purpurea).

Kiwifruit in the store is typically from a cultivar or hybrid of A deliciosa. While this Kiwi typically requires a long frost-free growing season of about 240 days, there are hybrids and cultivars of the Hardy Kiwi and Super-Hardy Kiwi that can survive and grow in the midwestern states.

They may not thrive, but they will survive and bear fruit. According to the University of Illinois, the Hardy Kiwi will grow in most gardens and produce large grape-like fruit that can be eaten, peel and all.

from the University of Wisconsin-http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/fruits/kiwi/kiwi.htm

1. A. rufa
2. A. melanandra (red kiwi)
3. A. glaucophylla
4. A. chinensis
5. A. latifolia
6. A. indochinensis
7. A. chinensis 'Hort16A'
8. A. macrosperma
9. A. arguta (Hardy Kiwi)
10. A. fulvicoma
11. A. deliciosa 'Hayward'
12. A. arguta var. purpurea (purple kiwi)
13. A. guilinensis
14. A. setosa
15. A. chrysantha
16. A. eriantha

Oh, and what a variety of fruit. The Kiwi found in grocery stores are huge in comparison to the fruit from the Hardy Kiwi.

Originally from the forests of China, this plant was brought to New Zealand for commercial cultivation. The Kiwi typically grows as a woody, twining vine. They are dioecious, meaning there are male and female plants. The viability of the female and male flower is rather short and as such, is very dependent on bees or other insects for effective pollination.

While there is little commercial cultivation of Kiwis in the states, outside of California, given enough work, I think these could be a nice, much sought-after specialty crop. For me, it is certainly one to watch and do more research.

A subject very important to my daughter, is how to store or preserve them. According to what I have found on the internet, there are three basic ways to preserve Kiwi: freezing; drying and mixing with strawberries to make a strawberry-kiwi jam or jelly. I have frozen them before and while the flavor remains, they do get to be a bit squishy. As for the strawberry-kiwi jam, I have ever made it, but have enjoyed it once or twice on hot toast. Mmmmm...... yummy...

Internet Kiwi References:
Kiwi information from the University of Wisconsin: http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/fruits/kiwi/kiwi.htm

Kiwifruit and Hardy Kiwi info from the California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/kiwifruit.html
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/hardy-kiwifruit.html

Kiwi information from the University of Illinois
http://www.solutions.uiuc.edu/content.cfm?series=4&item=436&Parents=0%7C70

Nutritional data on the Kiwi
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20VC.html

North American Fruit Explorers – Kiwifruit Interest Group
http://www.nafex.org/kiwifruit.htm

Tractors and Books...

I got me a pick-up! It is a nice, white, rust-free 1996 Chevy S-10. Comes equipped with a five-speed transmission, beautiful full-size bed, 2.2 liter four cylinder carburated motor, manual transmission, a completely inoperable air-conditioner, a heater that could keep a person warm in the darkest of antarctic nights, mag wheels, and the prerequisite minor oil and fluid leaks.

So, if you don't mind a little trip down my recent memory lane... Get a divorce; daughter starts getting A's in school; daughter gets a job... that she LIKES; ex-wife totals my car (luckily, aside from a few bumps and bruises, she is OK); I buy a motorcycle and pickup.

I'm thinking that things are starting to look up. LOL

I am now the proud owner of the foremost iconic farm vehicle in North America. A truck. It brings to mind that song by Joe Diffie, “There's Something Women Like About a Pickup Man.”

Wonder if I will get a few dates from this? Hmmm...

That started my brain thinking about other farm vehicles. What other things would a farmer need? I have a pickup for farm chores and necessary commutes when raining, snowing or when I need to haul something. I have a motorcycle for regular commutes into town or work. Both are equally good for going out, just depends on the situation and partner.

Tractors, of course! Now I am thinking of another song, this one by Kenny Chesney, “She Think's My Tractor's Sexy.” (LOL)

Well, I do like tractors & once in high school, almost completely rebuild a John Deere Model A with my dad. It wasn't to make it look all nice and shiny and green, but rather to repair a broken gear. Started innocently enough with a transmission repair and shortly went to a complete rebuild.

There are quite a few tractor books out there and almost all of them make me drool just a little. The Big Book of Farm Tractors by Robert Pripps is a beautiful review of tractors from 1895 to present.

From the book description: “The Big Book of Farm Tractors is the first large-format volume to chronicle the entire time line of American farm tractors, from the steam power of the 1850s to the current offerings from New Holland, AGCO, John Deere, Caterpillar, and more. Detailed descriptions of tractors especially significant to the period, short essays on events defining the times, personal vignettes, collectibles, sales memorabilia, ads from old farm magazines, and old black & white photos of farm scenes make this a complete look at one of America’s greatest innovations. Whether you’re someone who has farmed, or someone simply with a love of the land, this book will give you a new perspective on the enormous influence of the tractor upon the American farm and culture.”

John Deere: A History of the Tractor, by Randy Leffingwell is a nice historic review of the company, in his own storytelling style. With over 300 pictures and details from the company's own archives, this book looks to be a great winter read.

A book that I think is nearly invaluable to anyone who owns older tractors or who are interested in restoring them is How To Restore Classic Farm Tractors: The Ultimate Do-It-Yourself Guide to Rebuilding and Restoring Tractors, by Tharran E. Gaines. Older, smaller tractors are perfect for the smaller farm and, well, they don't make them like they used to. Not only does this book have repair and rebuilding details for many models, but is also chock-full of pictures and diagrams. Park that tractor in the machine shed, fire up the wood burning heater and enjoy the winter working on your little iron work-horse.

Farming on a Shoestring

“Farming on a Shoestring”
“Living on a Shoestring”
“Flying on a Shoestring”
“Gardening on a Shoestring”
Google any of these and you will likely see hundreds of hits.

Now, google some of these...
“Motorcycling on a Shoestring”
“Milking Cows on a Shoestring”
“Worm Farming on a Shoestring”
“Wine Making on a Shoestring”

Don't find many, do you? So, does that mean you can't make wine on a shoestring? You can't motorcycle on a shoestring? You can't do worm farming on a shoestring?

Ah, this is all just for fun!

Seriously, though, isn't this what being successful at farming is all about? Living on shoestrings?

I have been thinking about just how one can successfully start a farming venture on a shoestring. This morning I was tying my shoestrings and I had an idea. Starting anything with a single shoestring means that if that string breaks, you are basically screwed. Taking a page from some things I have read about investing, I though, 'I must diversify'.

Diversify on a shoestring? Absolutely. How? Shred that shoestring! Take it apart, one thread at a time. You will end up with twenty or thirty little strings. NOW, if one or two or ten of these break, the others will still likely hold.

A small farmer needs to do something similar. Farming is that one big shoestring. Small faming ventures that rely on one source of income are just asking for trouble. Relying on a single crop (in accounting terms this is called a profit center) gives any venture a huge exposure to failure.

What to do? Split that shoestring into as many threads as you can handle. Diversify the farm. Do a little of this and a little of that. Intertwine them together, not so that if one fails the others will, but rather so they will co-exist, regardless of success or failure. Like raising organic chickens, free range eggs and a nice patch of garden. There. You have three threads, or separate profit centers that inter-mesh. If one fails, you have two other.

That is a simplistic example, but one that works. Some small and new farmers may wish to grow corn or beans or wheat or raise cattle or hogs, and that is fine. Those farmers may succeed, but it is the farmer who diversifies their venture who will likely be more profitable and less prone to failure.

Growing a Farm

Off and on for the past two years or so, I have been sketching and planning the farmhouse I want to build. I pull bits and pieces out of my brain and scribble them on scrap and notebook paper. The bits and pieces look fine but when they are together I am never satisfied.


I literally spent a week sketching out my perfect kitchen. The cabinets will be made from inexpensive, maybe even free lumber from old farm houses or barns or other out buildings. The cabinet doors will be reused wood, cut to size with small panes of glass. The oven, stove, refrigerator and dishwasher will all be conventional, low energy appliances. There will be a stone island with a large cutting surface on top.


The layout will be large and open and have a small table and wood burning stove in one corner, right next to a large pantry fashioned from the same type of lumber as the rest of the room. The floors, as with most of house, will be hardwood. A bar will separate the kitchen from the dining room. Above the bar will be an overhead cabinet held in place by rough 4-by-4 wooden pillars.
All of the counters will be smooth, dense concrete. In short; this is a functional kitchen, made to stand the test of time.


As I assembled the other rooms in my mind, discouragement set in. How would this or that fit? How would I ensure a good southern exposure to the living room and eastern exposure to the master bedroom?


Continuing to the out buildings, uncertainty raised its head. How would it all fit together? A million “what if's” rang in and out of my mind.


Then, about three weeks ago I read this: http://www.angelicorganics.com/Stories/storiescontent.php?contentfile=barn It is all about how farms and farm buildings, not to mention the farmers themselves should be individualistic.


Farms and their supporting buildings should not be preplanned to the last nail or brick. Each one should grow from the surrounding environment. Specific bits and pieces, like my kitchen, are perfect building blocks, but only the surrounding environment can determine how the pieces fit together.


Yes. I get it! A farm and its buildings must organically grow from the land, not just propped up there. Perhaps that is the same with people. A person can't simply be plopped somewhere and expect to be functional or individualistic or unique.


Yes, yes. I get it now.

Factory Food

DATELINE: OCTOBER 11, 2007 – ConAgra Refuses to Recall Potpies. Is this what our food is coming to? Why should I place my health in the hands of a large corporate conglomerate who's only interest is profit? What about the other large food conglomerates? Do they care more about the safety of their food or profit?

Even after Oregon and Minnesota health officials pleaded to have these items recalled, ConAgra refused. According to the food conglomerate, only the poultry products were contaminated with salmonella.

Over the last several years there has been an outcry to make business and government more opaque, letting the public see through the morass of red tape and piles of reports to see through to the truth. Perhaps it is time for food processors to do the same thing. Maybe they need to let the pubic see behind their curtains.

There is a wonderful organization called SlowFood USA. Here is a snip from their website:

“Living the slow life with food as the focus is as rewarding as it is easy, and it can be done daily by each one of us. Ultimately, it is about pleasure and taste, knowledge and choice. Once we begin to take an interest in the enjoyment of food, and in finding out where our food comes from, we can begin to see the effects of these choices. When we shorten the distance—both literal and figurative—that our food travels to get to us, we are participating in the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is about coming together as a food community—connecting producers and co-producers, coming together on the farm, in the market, and at the table—to create and enjoy food that is good, clean and fair.”

This means Farmer's Markets. This means CSAs. This means removing the curtains of food processing conglomerates. This means increased safety and security of the national food supply.

If I go to a farmers market in the midwest, there is a good chance I can speak with the person who actually grew the produce. Can I trace back the food items in a pot pie and speak with those farmers? Probably not.

On a related topic, there is a strong link between food and sex. No, I am not making this up. Food anthropologist Margaret Visser describes a meal as a ritual in which "desires are aroused and fulfilled." How can one be aroused with a pot pie from ConAgra? Maybe its just me, but it's a turnoff.

Maybe that's why I am newly divorced. She likes fast food. I like it slow and sensual.

www.slowfoodusa.org

Food and Sex at answers.com

A Little Gamble

That! Yes, THAT is what I used to classify myself as. Typically, the comfortable and familiar were most agreeable to me. Not any more. And I can prove it!

I recall reading an article wherein a farmer made a rather interesting comment about gambling. It has been quite some time since reading this, so I am paraphrasing only.

“I don't have to go to Las Vegas to gamble! I am a farmer. I gamble every day.”

How true! Farmers gamble every day, week, month and even year. But then again, life is one big gamble. Everything is one big toss of the dice. No guarantees, no certainties, no black & whites. So, Embrace it!

If I can embrace uncertainty and learn to gamble a bit, then most others can!

Gambling money, to me, is against my morals. Perhaps that is too strong a word, 'morals.' I would rather use my time and money for more productive purposes. Give me a $20 bill and I am off to the book store, browsing the farming/gardening/rural life/construction sections.

Why in the hell would I stick $20 in a slot machine for a slim chance to win a little more money, when I can buy a book that will last a LOT longer than the same money would at a casino.

Anyway, my distaste for casino gambling aside, I took a HUGE gamble yesterday. In true self-reliant, true 'farmer' style, I took a chance. I bought a motorcycle. It is a big gamble. Cost me a little over $3,000 and I don't even have my license yet! I trust in myself enough to know that I WILL follow through now and take care of the paperwork; practice; get that license.

If I don't, that will be one large, very expensive paperweight.

Why did I take this gamble? Well, primarily I need new, inexpensive transportation. Secondarily, I have always wanted to ride again. No, this is not a 'midlife crisis' bike, as some call them. It isn't a Harley or BMW or anything like that. Just a small Honda Rebel. Perfect for my commute. Minimalistic. Just right.

I am considering this my first real step into taking risks. Hope this experience serves me well when I take the jump and start farming again. This really does feel good!

A Little Research

Over the last decade I have tinkered off & on with different business ventures. Well, whether it was not enough money or legal complications or not enough time or support or lack of persistence or maybe... not enough guts. Nothing really came together. Perhaps I just never put everything together.

Well, that is all water under the bridge; nice, muddy, stinky Mississippi River water.

For the past two or three years I have been searching the Internet for information on farming. Well, glory be! There is a TON of information about farming there; not only about biology and the horticultural sciences, but the business side as well. Agricultural professionals, well, generally farmers, not only need to know their art and science, but to succeed, really need to have a firm grasp of business.

Purdue University offers a nice functional site at https://www.agecon.purdue.edu/planner/ . Here, users can use their tool INVenture to enter and manipulate multiple business plans.

One of my favorite places to go is ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service) at http://www.attra.org/ . They have a HUGE amount of documentation about all aspects of sustainable agriculture, including lifestyle, business planning, alternate crops, livestock, and just about everything I may have not mentioned. This is a great resource.

SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) at http://www.sare.org/ can provide not just a wealth of information, but also money! Yes, SARE does offer grants. It is a great place to check out.

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) at http://www.ncat.org/ offers programs and information for rural development and sustainable agriculture.

Growing New Farmers is a great informational group at http://gnf.bigmindcatalyst.com/cgi/bmc2.pl?tset=std1204&page=pubpg2.html&node=1009 . (Yes that is a long and confusing web address!) GNF is a regional group from the North Eastern United States, focused on helping new farmers start and succeed. They have a great amount of information. Definitely worth checking out.

There is plenty to read and a lot of support out there on the Internet. Whether you are a new farmer, a more experienced ag professional, or like me, someone who wants to farm, there is a ton of information just waiting out there.