a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

Author: theMan

  • Whole Wheat Sour


    The days are woolly and windy. Leaves are everywhere. Branches, whole trunks at times litter the ground. “Go inside, you old fool,” they yell. “You can sweep us up when the sun comes out.”




    Inside, it’s a chance to experiment. A time to wonder how to give whole wheat that special something. Give whole wheat two full days to rest and rise, and you have Whole Wheat Sour, whole wheat bread with a pleasing kick. A possibility for next year’s farmers markets, or if you’d like to try it, let me know.

  • Fall Madness


    The cooler weather has encouraged the stinging nettles to send out fresh shoots. Their bright green could fool one into thinking it is spring.


    Leeks are in bloom. Before they bloom they spin fantastical caps. Maybe not as amazing as gravitational waves, but mesmerizing still. It wouldn’t surprise me if medieval jesters conjured up many of their costume designs from observing blooming alliums.



    And after they develop their seeds, onion and leek flowerheads sway in the breeze, looking like long-haired professors gone mad.


  • Yesterday was the last regular market for the season at Mt. Vernon Farmers Market. Thank you for making this summer’s market such a great one. It was a wonderful summer. If you need any tofu, soy milk, okara, or fresh bread this fall and winter, feel free to contact me. The Anacortes Food Coop is carrying my tofu and soy milk, and I deliver to them every week too. 配達もしますのでご気楽に連絡してください。豆腐や豆乳を前日注文すれば当日配達出来ます。一丁でもよろしいです。


    Without markets to prepare for, it’s time to relax and enjoy the growing chicks. Grow produce and raise animals, and you appreciate that food is all about life.







  • The Bags Have It


    Back in June, I mentioned using fruit ripening bags from Japan for our nashi 梨, Asian pears. You use them by covering the developing fruit with them when they are still small. The bags protect the fruit as they develop, and help them ripen. The results are in, and they work.



    This pear which I picked this evening weighed 450 grams, almost a pound, 15.9 ounces. And it was juicy and sweet. I bagged half the fruit on the tree, and left the other half unbagged to see if there was a difference. The bagged fruit are larger and sweeter. We will be picking them tomorrow for Saturday’s Mt. Vernon Farmers Market, the last market for the season. It’s nice when simple things work.

  • Golden Fall Day


    How many people get to pedal past scenery like this on their way to the post office? Chuckanut Mountain is so serene on a day like this.


    Maples along the way are on fire. Trees have it all figured out. They know it’s pointless to go to all the effort of making leaves that last forever. Nothing lasts forever. Spring for a new set every year at least, and when this year’s set is wore out, let the wind drop them to the ground.



    Back home, Claire and her ducklings are helping me plant garlic. Actually, I’m doing all the work. They’re just waiting for me to uncover some insect morsel for them to savor. Though it is a mystery what it is they are often eating. They see things my eyes, don’t, and when they spot it, it’s in their bill or down their beak before I’ve had a chance to see it.

    I did see a duckling sample a garlic glove. After squeezing it between it’s bill a few times, it decided there are better things to eat, which means I probably don’t have to worry about the ducklings eating the garlic. I’ll sleep well tonight knowing that.