"Whatever lofty things you might accomplish today, you will do them only because you first ate something that grew out of dirt."
Barbara Kingsolver

The old saying that if you did not get all the rain you needed by June 30, don't expect it until the fall has been very correct. July has turned out to be a very dry and very hot month and now we are approaching or breaking daily temperature highs. This has its negative points and advantages.

On the plus side we were able to cut and bale hay without it getting wet. A late afternoon heat shower on the bales did not hurt the hay. On the negative side, we may not get a second cutting without significant rain. We cut 170 tons of hay on 75 acres (50 of which have had cattle grazing on it part of the time) versus cutting 279 tons last year the same time off 50 acres. Our first cutting was equally bad getting 14 tons versus 60 tons last May. As a measure point, each full grown cow needs 2 to 2.5 tons of hay in the winter assuming there is no stockpiled grass left on the paddocks for them to eat. So, we are short of what we need, but we have hay stored in barns that will bridge the gap if necessary. We try to maintain an extra year supply of hay all the time just incase we have a severe drought.

We have run into a problem moving the hay from the field to the barn and outside storage area. Last week, the seal on the rear end of the one tone hay trick that pulls the hay trailer started to leak. We got that repaired on Monday. Yesterday, much more serious, the front seal on the transmission started to leak, so the truck is parked in front of the garage for service tomorrow. Our neighbor has offered to swap one of our smaller trucks for his hay truck so we can move hay tomorrow.

As amazing as it sounds, we still have a lot of blueberries to pick. A large portion of the berry patch is finished, but there are hundreds of pounds of berries yet to be picked on the bushes. We remain open for pick-your-own until no one comes to pick. We are still getting a lot of figs and have sold every one picked.

Next week starts the pruning of the blackberries. This is a terribly difficult labor intensive task. Always done in August when it's so hot you you can cook an egg in the hood of a truck. Every cane that had a berry this year has to be cut out at ground level. All the grasses and weeds will be pulled and stray trees and such that came up in the patch have to be removed. This is all done by hand and on your knees. A final step will be to top trim the new cane growth to provide more branches for berries next year.

The University of Arkansas research station has analyzed the leaf samples we sent them and have not identified anything that may have caused the early die back this year. We have now sent them samples of the canes as there may be a fungus that gets into the canes and causes. Georgia Tech has performed a lot of research on this due to a problem in Georgia. It is is the problem, it can be treated with a simple fungicide that does no harm to the berry plant and you can still eat berries right off the plant next year.

The whole month of July our lakeside log cabins remained very busy with families and couples getting away for a few days to relax on the farm. Bookings on weekend in August remain strong, but weekday rentals are getting soft. We are still offering 10% off a four day stay on a Sunday through Thursday visit. The trails are mowed and the lake is as inviting as any in East Texas. Not cold, but at least wet.

The breeding season for spring caves ended this week. This was for a set of heifers and a few cows. The main herd of cows that will calve in the fall are eating a lot of grass. It seems to me more than normal. We finished a water gate on a creek that had highway access and can now let the cattle graze in a new paddock. It had grass over belly deep just a few days ago, but is now trimmed way back. I don't think we can keep the cows there for more than 10 days more. The beef steers are doing great grazing on bermuda, bahia and our new Red River Crab Grass. They look great for a fall harvest. Our cutting of alfalfa will soon be made and we ill have in in time to supplement our grasses to finish these beef steers on grass. if you have not ordered a quarter, now is the time to contact us.

We have two billy goats from Rocky Branch ion the barn doing rehab. The somehow split their hoofs and got maggots in them. We have cleaned them out (a lovely task) and they are recovering, but I think they will be here for at least a month more. When hoofed animals have this problem, you can smell them way before you can get near them.

Things that have to be accomplished ahead of us include moving the hay, pruning and weeding the blueberries and blackberries, repair of fences damaged during the breeding season (climbing bulls), rebuilding the road side fences by the goat paddock, cutting (to be split later) trees killed by lightening near fences and a big pine killed by pine beetles near the cabins, building a new fence and water fate at Rocky Branch in a creek that we have failed to be able to control, and trenching and installing a mile of pipe for a water distribution system at Rocky Branch for the cattle. All this and maintain Eva's flower gardens, mow 17 acres a week, weed trim, handle a hundred must do things you had not planed on, and...........

On these hot summer days, as we enter the dog days of August, we work patiently looking forward to a cooler September. Live on the farm, and the cycles of life and activities focus on we continue. If it were not for work, what would we do?

All good things come to an end and so it is with our blueberries this year. These photos were taken this morning. There is a very large number of large, sweet berries still on the bushes, but the July Texas heat is going be harsh on them this week.

To show our appreciation to our customers, we are having a Gleaning of the Blueberry Patch Sale. All berries are $1.50 per pound,; you pick. No pre-picked available.

If you are of a certain age you will remember being with someone special and listening to or singing to each other Carol King's classic, You've Got A Friend. She let James Taylor record it before she did. For the first time, these two talented singers went on tour this summer and together sing it. Their tour started with the recording of a live album at the Troubaudor and a combination CD/DVD is available. It brought back a flood of memories for Eva and I.

You've got a Friend

When you're down and troubled

and you need a helping hand 

and nothing, whoa nothing is going right. 

Close your eyes and think of me 

and soon I will be there 

to brighten up even your darkest nights

You just call out my name,
and you know wherever I am 

I'll come running, oh yeah baby 

to see you again. 

Winter, spring, summer, or fall, 

all you have to do is call 

and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah. 

You've got a friend.

If the sky above you 

should turn dark and full of clouds 

and that old north wind should begin to blow 

Keep your head together and call my name out loud 

and soon I will be knocking upon your door.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am 

I'll come running to see you again. 

Winter, spring, summer or fall 

all you got to do is call 

and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend? 

People can be so cold. 

They'll hurt you and desert you. 

Well they'll take your soul if you let them. 

Oh yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am 

I'll come running to see you again. 

Oh babe, don't you know that, 

Winter spring summer or fall, 

Hey now, all you've got to do is call. 

Lord, I'll be there, yes I will. 


You've got a friend. 

You've got a friend. 

Ain't it good to know you've got a friend. 

Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.


You've got a friend.

You've Got a Friend
by Carole King
as performed by James Taylor
Copyright © 1971 by Colgems EMI Music (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

One of my most vivid childhood memories is Sunday lunch at my uncle Henry's ranch/farm and dairy in southwest Oklahoma. It was located pretty much in the middle of no where. Waurika, the nearest place to buy staples was three miles north on a straight red clay road. When it rained you could not go to town until the milk truck or mail man drove by and set ruts for you to follow. After it dried, you then had to avoid the ruts for fear of turning over the truck. My grandparents lived a mile north of uncle Henry on their farm. Aunt Ople was a hard working country wife and she and my uncle worked from 4:00 AM in the morning until 8:00 PM every day, milking twice, caring for a large number of chickens, cotton farming, truck gardening and raising beef cattle. He died at the age of 49 of a heart attack. Life there was never the same after he died. It took away a part of me that could not be replaced; even to this day.

Every day was the same except for Sunday. My uncle never would darken the door of a church, but my aunt went to the rural community of Irving where there was a very small Baptist church. That was all that was left of a rural community that at one time had a school, shops and houses. It was probably 4 miles over the red clay roads and half way to Red River where my uncle raised grain, cotton, watermelons, cantaloupe and okra on a bottom land farm. As a child, it seemed like an endless road. Church was short, a few songs sung badly, a young visiting seminary student telling everyone they were going to hell, and after tea, coffee, punch and some sweets before everyone went back to work on their farms.

Aunt Opel would come home and prepare Sunday lunch which consisted of ranch beef raised on a ground corn and sorghum my uncle grew and ground in the barn shed, fresh vegetables or canned ones in winter and a cobbler or fruit pie. I especially remember large slabs of chicken fired steak with its fat yellow from the corn the steer was fed. The vegetables always included corn on the cob and peas. Sometime there was a salad and always sliced tomatoes. There was also homemade bread and butter my aunt made. Who ever was there sat at a long table in the living room and in the summer the hot wind came in the windows behind you. In winter, you froze while trying to eat as the house had little heat; only a single floor furnace. Since my aunt only had a tiny post WW II fridge with a one foot square freezer hanging inside, there was not much room to set aside leftovers. She simply placed a clean cotton cloth over the table to keep the flies off and left the food there. In the evening after milking, we ate what was left and any leftovers were given to the dogs.

You bathed on Sunday night. The gravity water tank filled by a wind mill pump offered a very limited water supply. The ritual was to light the water heater and after an hour of so there was just enough water to get wet with in the tub. In sequence, all that were there bathed in the same water; kids last. They had a lot of water in the dairy barn and I never could understand why it was not tied to the house.

I looked forward to every visit to that farm, and my grandparent's farm nearby. I learned to drive there in a 1952 Chevy pickup with a gear shift on the steering column and learned about life in many other ways. You never needed shoes and it was the most perfect place to be a kid.

It is funny what you remember from your childhood. Kids that grow up in the city are disadvantaged in that regard. Rich rural memories will not be part of their life story. On another day, I will share some more about this place and the relatives that made it special to me. It was a place shaped by the weather; the wind, heat and cold that affected in every way the families that barely got by, but lived a good life.

This week our figs started to ripen and we have gallons picked an in the cooler for you to take home. We have one very large Texas ever bearing (Brown Turkey) tree, several LSU Gold and many Celeste. We have planted Black Mission, but it will be several years before we have production from these.

The fig is believed to be indigenous to western Asia and to have been distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean area. Remnants of figs have been found in excavations of sites traced to at least 5,000 B.C. Figs are considered one of the world's healthist foods.


Greer Farm figs picked July 15, 2010

According to Food Facts, "Figs are high in natural and simple sugars, minerals and fibre. They contain good levels of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. Dried figs contain an impressive 250mg of calcium per 100g, compared to whole milk with only 118mg. The health benefits of figs include promoting healthy bowel function due to the high levels of fibre. Figs are amongst the most highly alkaline foods, making them useful in balancing the pH of the body. They are a good source of potassium, important in helping to regulate blood pressure.

10 Tips for Incorporating Figs in your Diet

• Eat dries figs as a healthy energy snack. For extra flavour and nutrients, stuff them with nuts and a little honey
• Add figs to baked goods such as muffins, cakes and muesli bars.
• Add dried or fresh figs to porridge, oatmeal or breakfast cereals.
• Stew dried figs in fruit juice with other dried fruits to make a delicious fruit salad. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg before serving
• Poach figs in red wine or fruit juice and serve with Greek yogurt or creme fraiche.
• Add quartered fresh figs to a salad of fennel, rocket and parmesan cheese.
• Stuff fresh figs with goat's cheese and chopped almonds and serve as an appetizer or dessert.
• Make a fig butter by boiling dried figs in fruit juice until soft. When all the liquid has been absorbed, place the mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth. Use to spread on rice cakes, toast or crackers.
• Add chopped fresh figs to rice, quinoa or couscous dishes.
• Make a fig tart by grinding two handfuls of walnuts in a food processor. Add one packet of dried figs, 1/2 packet raisins, 200ml apple juice, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, 2 tablespoons honey and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Process until the mixture is the texture of a sticky paste. Press into a pastry case and bake at a medium heat for 35 minutes."

Reference: Health Benefits of Eating Figs: Nutrition Facts and Tips for Serving Figs http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/fabulous

The photos were taken today. We have many gallons of figs pre-picked and ready for you to take home. The blueberries are abundant, large and sweet. All of this will not last. Almost 2,000 pounds of blueberries were picked today and the bushes are still loaded.