a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

  • Olympia Farmers Market

    On a drive home from Vancouver, WA, we stopped in Olympia for a break and visited the Olympia Farmers Market. It wasn’t our intention to go to the Olympia Farmers Market, but when we drove to the bottom of Capitol Way, the main street of Olympia, we discovered the market and had to explore it.

    The Olympia Farmers Market is the second largest farmers market in Washington State. From April through October it is open Thursday through Sunday. November through December it is open Saturday and Sunday.

    It is housed in a large, wooden building, and has vendors selling produce (really great produce), meat, dairy, condiments, homemade crafts, nurseries, fresh flowers, artisans and restaurants. It’s amazing that a small town like Olympia has such an outstanding farmers market. In 2016 it will be forty years old.

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    With all the fresh produce we grow, I don’t need to buy vegetables, but I did get some plump kohlrabi which were very sweet and delicious. I also picked up a variety of unusual beans to plant for late summer picking. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, markets such as these will be the norm everywhere.

  • On the Trail

    This Barred Rock mother is watching over her chicks as she takes them along a garden path. They are 25 days old and are confident enough to venture a ways on their own. But, she is always watching out for them. With eyes on the sides of her head, she can see nearly all around her without moving her head. So she can see what chicks to the right, chicks to the left, and chicks behind her are doing.

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  • Out of the Garden Today – June 10, 2014

    So what should I make for supper tonight? It’s an answer we all answer day after day. For some it’s going to a restaurant. For others, it’s take out. For others, it’s what is in the fridge or in the cupboard. For others it’s what they picked up in the grocery on the way home from work. For me the answer is in the garden.

    Tonight I found raspberries, Chrysanthemum greens, garlic scapes, shallot greens, arugula, choy, sage and rosemary. Everything but the rosemary is going into a stir fry. The rosemary is going into rosemary crackers.

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    After “grocery shopping” out of the garden and making meals with just-picked produce for years, I’m spoiled. It’s nearly impossible to find food so fresh when we eat out. Very few places have gardens full of produce, which the chefs can go into and gather the produce they need to make your meal.

  • After a Morning Shower

    The Stewartia 夏椿 is opening its flowers this dewy morning. This is a tree that is beautiful year round. In the fall, the leaves are a dazzling red. In the winter, the silvery bark stands out.

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    The Styrax (Snowbell) エゴノキ is also opening up its fragrant flowers.

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    And the Iris are always spectacular, especially covered with drops of rain. It’s a great morning to do chores like scooping duckweed out of the pond for the chickens, planting beans and corn, weeding, and just being outdoors.

  • Eggs Are Art

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    I see eggs like this every day. Still, I have to stop and take pictures of them from time to time.