Oh Annie, I am so jealous. My soil is just too awful and acidic. I have all but given up. We did a few tomatoes, but they are doing so-so. The potatoes and onions did well. The basil did well. The strawberries and raspberries got eaten by the birds three years in a row! The peppers are ok, not that many on each plant. The banana peppers did a little better. That's all we did here. We planted down at Roger's fathers house cause he has lovely black rich soil. We will see how the garden down there fares. Yours is gorgeous!

I am reading your post. It reminds me of a restaurant named Blue Hills Farm at Stone Barns here in NY.

http://www.bluehillfarm.com/

It is a restaurant with an attached organic farm which supplies all the ingredients for the restaurant. It is a very expensive eating place started by David Rockefeller. I know many people have very high praise for Blue Hills. To me, even though the food is organic and natural, its menu is too pretentious, too artificial and too dictatorial. They dont even ask you how would you like your meat cooked. Yet you have to wait weeks to get a reservation.

I think with your farm you should open a restaurant and serve real food and take away their business.

dcarch

Annie, if you like sauted cabbage..try adding a thinly sliced leek to the saute "fat" and soften them before adding cabbage...

They go perfectly together!!

Your garden is lovely, Annie, but your horses look very healthy and supremely happy. Enjoy the bounty of your hard work!

Lovely and luscious looking garden. Beautiful horses that look so well kept and happy.

I second what Dcarch said about opening a restaurant. You and Elery would have one teriffic restaurant using the veggies and meats you have grown.

sherry, good luck on your garden at your FIL's house. You have way too much shade, I think, at yours, but it sure makes for a nice, comfortable backyard to sit in, all those trees!

Terri, I love sauteed cabbage, so thanks for that idea. My use of leeks has been limited to potato and leek soup, since they are very expensive and not commonly grown here by anyone I know. They aren't found at the farmer's markets either, but clearly, they CAN be grown. Now we'll see about those sweet potatoes, also not commonly grown in northern Michigan. (grin)

dcarch and Beverly, thanks for the vote of confidence, but the ex and I had a restaurant/bar for somewhere just south of 15 years. I found out that if you own a place, you get to pick the 80 hours a week you want to work, LOL. Besides, I'm a long way from NYC, I have a feeling I wouldn't be much competition for anyone there. (grin) We have talked about doing some catering when we "retire". We'll see. And the girls tell me that if I'm ever going to get rich and famous, it'll be for my salsa.

Beachlily, the horses are happy all right. They ought to be, they are useless bums, doing nothing more strenuous than walking in a circle with a kid on their back and taking me for an occasional trail ride. King doesn't even do that, he's broken to harness only and we sold the buggy at the farm auction, so his only function is to be petted and fed treats. Elery says we're going to buy a buggy and put him back to work.....

This has been a very unusual garden year, better than any in my recent memory (which isn't as good as it used to be). I'm just waiting for ripe tomatoes and tonight I'm making a batch of Linda Lou's sweet pickle chunks, my favorite. Maybe some zucchini candy for the kids too.

Annie

Okay, so what I see is that you are perfectly equipped and experienced to have a restaurant like we found in Switzerland. From the B&B (zimmer) we were given a buggy ride to a neighboring chalet where the farmer and his wife fixed dinner 5 nights a week for the neighbors (for a fee of course).

Cathy, now THAT I might try, except that 5 nights a week business. Heck, when I retire, I don't want to work five days a week anymore, I plan to be lazy and only work maybe three days a week. (grin)

The rest of my time will be spent farming, which isn't really work from my perspective.

Annie

Annie, I am wondering is the garden is living up to it's early promise?
Some crops here are better than wonderful...but those that need well drained soil like root crops are rotting in the ground. We lack that sandy well drained Michigan soil....but the corn is gangbusters....but for that which is rained out.
My tomatoes are not much either.
So what kind of a year is it, garden vegetable wise for every one?
Linda C

LindaC, everything is exceptional this year, except that it's been so hot that the cucumbers are already kaput and the pumpkins are already orange.

I've been canning salsa, I've got corn in the freezer, the pink half runners are already done. Beets, turnips and carrots are really good, and the fingerling potatoes are ahead of schedule, they've already made an appearance on WFD, along with leeks and tomatoes.

I'm making myself wait to dig those sweet potatoes...

Annie

We just had our first baby zucchinis. We picked blueberries yesterday and the grower said they were 2-3 weeks late.

Heck, when I retire, I don't want to work five days a week anymore, I plan to be lazy and only work maybe three days a week. (grin)

Annie, one of our all-time favorite places to go for a special dinner was The Wikel House. Mrs. W was retired and made her living and dining rooms into a restaurant. If you were the first to reserve, you got to pick the entree. She served umpteen courses, family style, with plenty of time to walk down to the river or enjoy some more wine in between. Dinner was at 7 and you waddled out at 11. She only cooked on Fridays and Saturdays and was booked months ahead. You could throw in a hayride, hehe.

Geez, thanks a lot, Katie, just what I need, something else to do. (grin)

Hey, the girls' friends always lined up for my cooking, does that count?

Annie

Yes, Annie it does. Unfortunately it gives validity to Katies suggestion. LOL.

[say hi to all the animals for me]

Annie -

As I was revisiting your farm through your pictures, I remembered that Copenhagen foundered a few years ago. He certainly looks fat and happy in the photo, were there any lingering side effects?

And thanks for sharing :-)

Alexa

What a sense of pride you must have after doing all that yourself. All you are missing is that "idyllic farmhouse" (wink!)

coconut, I'll give Bossy Cow an extra donut and tell it's from you!

Alexa, he's not the athlete he used to be, but maybe it's because he's 17 now. King is 20. The most strenuous use he gets is an occasional trail ride from me and some work in the training pen from Makayla. Poor creature, what a life, just wandering around the pasture being a completely useless bum...

Cookebook, the farmhouse will happen. Eventually. (grin)

Oh yes, it was sure a great garden year, and I have turnips, carrots, collards and about a million habaneros yet to harvest. Oh, and eggplant, cabbage and brussels sprouts.

Annie

there is a woman in my town who was always known as a good cook. A friend of mine was in a position where she had to entertain a lot because of her husband's position. she was a good cook but more was expected of her than she could do. so she asked the good cook if she would make several dishes for her. That led to Julie coming and serving, which led to her having several signature items that she made to sell, on special order, which led to dinners at her farm house on a reservation only basis....which led to a cook book...and now she only serves meals on Saturday's....and is booked a year ahead.
You could to that Annie!...And Elery could help!
Linda C

LOL, and here I thought retirement meant I wouldn't have a job. Silly me....

Annie

Whatever you say, that garden looks like a job to me! That said, it's a beautiful garden and takes me back to my own farm days. Your relish looks fantastic, and I can already taste the dill pickles. What variety of corn did you plant?

I love everything you're growing, especially the leeks. I have a fantastic recipe for using leeks with a pork roast which makes the most divine gravy, which I then serve with home-made noodles. You're not raising pork are you?

*THUD* Wow Annie, ya think you could be any busier? Beautiful garden and the horses look great! I love your life :-)

Claire, I planted Kandy Korn and a bi-color called Bodacious. I'd love the pork recipe, I have pork left from last year's pig still!

Karen, I love my life too. most days. (grin)

Annie

Lovely garden, Annie! And here I was so proud of my four tubs of tomatoes, beans and squash! LOL

Ah well... I'll just dream about picking fresh veggies with you!

Linda

It has been an incredible gardening year here too, Annie. I've never seen things grow this way in all my life. Nevertheless, I am highly envious of your garden. Mine is just a small plot in a community garden which, although it has a lot of advantages, is very limiting.

I've been retired for a few years and, believe me, retirement is a time for scaling back, not ramping up.

Jim

Annie, here it is. I changed the name of the recipe to Pork Roast Divine, because it is! It's written for the pressure cooker (if you have one of those), but could easily be made traditionally. You know what to do! The gravy is incredible. I always thin it with chicken stock before adding the home-made noodles. It used to be one of my Dad's favorite dishes.

Pork Roast Divine
Recipe written for the pressure cooker

3 lbs. pork loin (boneless)
3 Tablespoons olive oil (for searing pork loin)
2 cups leeks, chopped
1 onion, minced
1 clove minced garlic
3 Tablespoons olive oil (for cooking leeks, onions and garlic)
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups water
1 (15 ounces) can chicken broth or 2 cups homemade chicken broth

Sear the pork roast until nicely browned on all sides.
Set aside to cool.
Pour olive oil into the pan and cook the leeks, minced onion and garlic until done, (3-5 minutes).
Add 2 cups of water and the chicken broth to the pot to heat.
Rub the roast with the spice mixture (sage, mustard, salt, paprika, thyme & pepper).
Put the roast into the liquid in the pressure cooker and bring to pressure.
Cook the roast for 45 minutes.
Add vegetables if desired and cook 15 minutes longer.