09.27.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:00 pm by Administrator
Fall, State Fair weather is officially here when you see the Hickory Horned Devil crawling on the ground. If you see him before October, it’s going to be an early Winter. This week end marked the first sightings of the Hickory Horned Devil crawling on the ground in Cherokee County. It’s only September, so you’d better dig in; between all the persimmon seeds saying spoons forever and the Hickory Horned Devil crawling, looking for a borrow before the end of September – LOOK OUT! In Cherokee County, we’ve gotten a little over a foot of snow in one storm pretty regularly every ten years since 1967. In March of ’67 it snowed a foot during the school day. In January 1977 Tahlequah set a State record in one night, with a 20 below zero morning and 14 inches of dry snow. In 1987 we had another 12 inch snow just after we came back from a construction job in Malone, New York. That was the year a man from Texas won the Hulbert Tough Man Contest, because no one else was stupid enough to sled down Boston’s Hill naked. It’s been a long time since we’ve had another snow like that, the nearest thing to it was in 2000, but it was only 8 inches deep and melted quickly. We are WAY!!! over due for a big one!
READ ALL ABOUT THE HICKORY HORNED DEVIL ON ANIMAL PLANET.COM or just Google – hickory horned devil. It’s really cool; the Hickory Horned Devil is a little known, local resident of Tahlequah, who is only about 45 days old right now, but he’s big as a hot dog and blue green, with two to five sets of black tipped, orange, spiked, barbed, horns. He lives in a tree, but in the Fall he crawls on the ground, looking for a burrow. He looks terribly mean, but he can’t really hurt you. If you see him, try to make sure he finds a soft, leafy place to dig a hole for the Winter and maybe you’ll see him again next year. Remember, October 3rd, 2009 is the
Tahlequah Farmer’s Market Fall Festival. I would like to hear your family’s version of the persimmon seed Winter weather forecast and hear some good caterpillar stories too!
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Posted in Uncategorized at 2:10 pm by Administrator
We just got back from a family reunion at Wildwood. We always crack persimmon seeds this time of year to see what Winter is going to be like. We cracked ten in a row and they all came out SPOONS.
In our family, Spoons mean: a lot of snow – cold wet Winter. Some of the old timers call the spoon a scoop shovel because you’ll be shoveling a lot of snow before spring.
Forks mean: It’s going to be a cold, dry Winter, drought conditions, like pitching dry hay.
Knife means: December will be so foggy that you’ll have to cut through it with a knife, then in January the cold winds will cut through you like a knife. From what the persimmon seeds say, “It looks like we’ll be in for a lot of heavy snow this next Season”.
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09.24.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:41 pm by Administrator
September 24th 2009,
All this rain (15 inches in three weeks) and cold temperatures
(52 degrees in the mornings and 72 at noon) have made the Hen of the woods mushroom come out a month early! Every year about the first hard rain in October, there is a big mushroom hunt up and down the Illinois river where we live. This year, we were kind of wondering if this early cool weather would change things in the mushroom cycle. and as we soon found out by going a short ways into the woods at Dry Creek Farm, IT DID !!! My youngest Son; Joshua, who is going to be eleven in two weeks was soon yelling, “Dad! Dad! Come here!” Josh had found two huge Hen of the Woods Mushrooms within 100 feet of our house. We live right in the edge of the woods, where deer, squirrels, turkey, and rabbits, really play havoc with our gardens, but on the other hand, it sure is peaceful to walk out the back door and right into nature. Our Dry Creek is running clear and pristine this morning. It is fed from a huge spring about a half mile from here and has washed away our foot bridge again. I had to salvage the remains of the sawmill 2x12s to cross the creek to see where Josh was. The Hen of the Woods he had found were about ten pounds each. They are a mushroom delicacy that grows in the Fall of the year. They are ruffled like the feathers of a mad hen with baby chicks. The Cherokee call them Weshi, some people call them Hickory Chicken, Some call them Hen of the Woods. This mushroom is very large and grows on dead and rotten hard woods like oak and hickory. These two were growing on the floor of the woods in the long rotted remains of many oak and hickory trees that have washed up into drifts along the Dry Creek. Chert and flint rock are more common than dirt in this area, but the mushrooms are about twice the size of football helmets! If you are a mushroom enthusiast, don’t wait until October this year, because Hen of the Woods is here a month early! For some good pictures go to Mushroom Hunters Club. com
Fall is definitely Here, see you at the Tahlequah Farmer’s Market Fall Fest – October 3rd
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09.23.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:51 am by Administrator
We were blessed this afternoon by the arrival of a guest from the State of Arkansas; Roy Ratliff came to visit today. You may have seen him on the road on the way to Moody’s, he drives a homemade wagon, painted on all sides with the words, “ROY’S STAGE LINE”. It took Roy 5 days to get here from Arkansas, as one of his horses threw a shoe and he needed repairs. We put him up at Bill Trammel’s place and went right to work. He also needed a new front window; a dump truck with a limb hanging out had gone by him and the hanging limb broke Roy’s window Payne, windshield out. We fixed him a new one from Plexi-glass. Since he was staying near by, the folks at Dry Creek Farm fixed him up a road trip basket of goodies for his horses, and his three Bantam chickens. Around here; you can’t just drive five days from Arkansas in a wagon without stopping by a Tahlequah Farmer’s Market Vendor for a road trip basket of fresh okra, radishes, turnip greens, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and a complimentary bottle of “GREAT BALLS OF FIRE” pepper sauce to wash it down. This is the second time Roy has visited this year; he was here back in June. We really enjoy his visits. We are so blessed by God with his abundance, that we are able to bless others with the over flow!
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08.27.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:36 pm by Administrator
August 27th, 2009
Pepper pickling time!
The Habanero, Serrano, Jalapeno, cayenne, Chili, Cherry, Tabasco, and varied color
bell peppers are at the height of ripeness today! I’ve spent most of the day, hand selecting and sorting a variety of peppers; each for their unique, characteristic color, and flavor. The peppers are hand picked, then sorted, by variety, onto a long oak table, and hand packed into bottles that bare names such as; “SWEET SURPRISE!” A concoction of every sort of sweet, and mild pepper, packed on top of a single red Habanero!
Each bottle has a unique bouquet and distinct flavor, as white or blush wine is added to a freshly gathered wood sorrel, mint, or garlic and herb base. Peppers are added one at a time,
individually bruised to inhance flavor, and carefully considered, as to their impact on the final
outcome of the product. Only the finest apple cider vinegar is used, with just enough salt to
countervail the tanginess, giving it a perfect, Old World, pickled flavor.
Such is the life of a sustainable farmer; gathering harvests from the gardens at the peak of ripeness, packing and preserving them, still fresh, with the morning dew, and enjoying the fruits
of one’s labor, at the table, surrounded by family and friends.
August 27th, 2009
Pepper pickling time!
The Habanero, Serrano, Jalapeno, cayenne, Chili, Cherry, Tabasco, and varied color
bell peppers are at the height of ripeness today! I’ve spent most of the day, hand selecting and sorting a variety of peppers; each for their unique, characteristic color, and flavor. The peppers are hand picked, then sorted, by variety, onto a long oak table, and hand packed into bottles that bare names such as; “SWEET SURPRISE!” A concoction of every sort of sweet, and mild pepper, packed on top of a single red Habanero!
Each bottle has a unique bouquet and distinct flavor, as white or blush wine is added to a freshly gathered wood sorrel, mint, or garlic and herb base. Peppers are added one at a time,
individually bruised to inhance flavor, and carefully considered, as to their impact on the final
outcome of the product. Only the finest apple cider vinegar is used, with just enough salt to
countervail the tanginess, giving it a perfect, Old World, pickled flavor.
Such is the life of a sustainable farmer; gathering harvests from the gardens at the peak of ripeness, packing and preserving them, still fresh, with the morning dew, and enjoying the fruits
of one’s labor, at the table, surrounded by family and friends.
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