Summerberry Organics

I’m sooooo sick of mowing lawns I could just cry!  Lesson learned = make sure you have a ride-em mower PRIOR to planting 180 trees!

We will be back at it today.  Pushing mowers and weed-wacking until we vibrate.  My mentor (and most awesome supplier) Dean has advised that putting down landscape fabric will help out with the grass issues.  I’ve also heard that once the trees are established and much larger, I will be able to let the smaller livestock animals wander the orchards to maintain the grass.  It will be interesting to see if it works.

However, at this point, I’m not quite willing to take the chance.  The only livestock we have on site are the horses.  And frankly, if they decide to EAT my trees, that would NOT be a good thing!

I would add photos…however, I have no clue how to swipe them back from my facebook page and the data recovery from the great computer incident is still in the works…

Hopefully, I’ll have everything under control soon!   We’ve had lots of comments, but since I’m not real UP on the technorati scale, I haven’t got the spam/not spam thing figured out yet.  If you want to leave a comment, PLEASE do so – I’ll figure this out eventually!!

If you’ve noticed we haven’t been around much lately, it’s because my computers QUIT!!  Yes, both of them.  Total hard disk failure on one, and a blown mother board on the other.  A most interesting month July has been…

I’m eternally grateful it’s over!!

Since the “Great Computer Incident” and the subsequent funeral for FRED (F*king Ridiculous Electronic Device) we have managed to plant 140 Carmine Jewel cherry trees, mow the lawns in the orchard, wait for the rain to quit, mow the lawns in the orchard, wait for the rain to quit….you get the idea.

Many of the photos of the burgeoning orchard were loaded onto FRED so it will be a while before the data recovery is complete and I actually have some decent photos to post.

In the meantime…at least my cell phone still works!  This tiny little noisemaker that inhabits my pocket (most days) brought me some good news (for a change!).  Tomorrow I have an interview with the administrators of a government program that with any luck will get us rolling a little faster!  I will keep you posted on this.

I have discovered that the Contact Us e-mail forms are not working on either of my sites. SO, this frustration having been voiced, please just pop me a comment if you need to get hold of Summerberry Organics.
I am working on the issue, and once I’ve figure out what the problem is, I will get this under control!! In the meantime, we’re off to plant more trees! We have 60 in the ground….only 240 left to go

For the millions of Monty Python fans around the world, this line has comical notions.  It’s always been a favorite line of mine, and as many things tend to happen – be careful what you wish for, you may get it!!

We have SHRUBBERY!!

Today is the first day I can confidently call myself a farmer!!  Sort of.  Today we picked up the first of our Certified Organic cherry trees from Over The Hill Orchards in Lumsden, SK.  Dean and Sylvia Kreutzer are the owners of a fabulous orchard as well as the Prairie Cherry line of (to die for!!) organic products.  Their link is on the right for those that would like to surf around some more.

Dean was kind enough to take James and I on the grand tour before we got down to the business of stuffing 300 (yes, three hundred) cherry trees into a Dodge Caravan.   What a wonderful place they’ve built up in Lumsden.  A little hilly for my taste, but hey, I’m lazy.

Over the Hill wintered the trees for me at their facility because I did not have the time to get them planted last year before it got cold.  Following our tour and a few questions about the best way to plant and space, we got down to the task of loading…

The varieties that we’ve purchased as orchard stock for Summerberry Organics consist of Carmine Jewel, Romeo and Juliet.  All three types are cherries that are lightly sweet, suitable for table or preserving and VERY hardy to the harsh (and world famous) winters.

So we loaded, and we loaded and by the time we were done, there were more little trees than I’ve ever seen stuffed into a mini van. 

After a treacherous trek down Over the Hill’s nasty driveway, our new babies made their way back to Summerberry.

This weekend, we plant!!

Wow, is all I can say. I have just finished watching a couple of YouTube videos that (as far as I can tell) EVERYONE needs to watch. The first is called A Farm for the Future.

A Farm for the Future

It’s a BBC documentary on the standard agricultural methods dependence on fossil fuel, and ways that we can get around it. Well done, easy to understand and without a doubt, anyone that likes to eat needs to watch it.
The second is a USA Today segment on Polyface Farms. A US based father and son team who have become leaders in community supported, local and environmentally intelligent agriculture.

Polyface Farm

These are eye opening productions that anyone who has ever stood in the corner grocery store and complained about the price of a tomato needs to see. If you didn’t take your daily bread very seriously before, you certainly will after watching these.
It’s VERY much time to wake up, smell the chickens, and learn how small, intensive production on a local scale could potentially save the human race from disaster when oil and fossil fuels are such a rare thing that driving into the city becomes out of the question. Permaculture, traditional farming methods and soil stewardship are not new topics, but there are a lot of people that think this is a NEW thing.
The corporate giants would have you believe that you can’t live without their products. Here’s a unique idea…try it. Healthy food is grown, not manufactured (ask any Hippie…).  It is common knowledge that a healthy diet will save you a lot of health problems and so forth.  Well, take a look at this and then decide if MANUFACTURING your groceries is a really good idea?

Healthy food consequences?

I can hardly contain my excitement! I was asked to pen a quick article on the subject of Permaculture. Well, I did, and well – hang on to your hats! I think we may have an avalanche in the works. Be sure to surf through, and support, thegoodhuman.com
Permaculture – can one thing really lead to another?
“Permaculture is a system of design, to enable us to grow the maximum amount of food in a given area. Permaculture employs techniques which maximize efficiency and promote interconnectedness between human needs and nature”
Olds College, April 2009 – 2nd Edition ENVI715

The word “permaculture” is derived from “permanent agriculture” and “permanent culture”. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren are credited with formalizing the methods and structures involved with this amazing theory. It has evolved into a course of design that will enable people to create increasingly self-sufficient settlements. This in turn will reduce our reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution.
I, personally, am new to the whole affair. I was working in a health food store in a small Western Canadian town when a customer I knew well asked if she could put up a poster promoting the “Introduction to Permaculture” course being presented at the local agricultural college. It caught my attention, was reasonably priced, and seemed like a really good idea. So, I signed up. A good way to get out and meet like minded people, talk tomatoes and beans, and generally enjoy a weekend away from the usual. Or so I thought.
Have you ever stood somewhere and had the unshakable feeling that all the planets, forces of nature, and karma have conspired to make sure you are precisely where you are supposed to be? This was the second time this had happened. The first was when I bought my 40-acre parcel in rural Saskatchewan (Canada) and decided that I’d like to go farming. But I digress…
This small, introductory, course has brought me more inspiration and excitement than I could ever achieve with a $50 bill and a corner Starbucks. It opened my eyes and my mind to an achievable world.
Permaculture can be customized to fit the smallest or largest spaces. Urban dwellers can learn to make the best use of any available space to grow vegetables and fruit. Inner city groups can use their “community gardens” ideas and design them for maximum production of food. It’s all a matter of studying your immediate surroundings and learning the ebb and flow of nature.
The permaculture methods are organic by default. Every bit of it designed to take full advantage of “the way nature intended”. There are sections on zone design (Zone 1 being immediate needs, closest to the dwelling), soil amendment methods, weed control without the use of noxious products, water collection and direction. The list goes on.
It is a perfect blend of sense and science.
To minds like mine, that view common sense as a necessary thing, it’s perfect. It’s a way to design my “rose colored world” that I like to live in to my exact specifications.
To the scientific mind (which I am not) it is an opportunity to study the balance of this planet in action. The science-minded can enjoy analyzing the benefits of composting in their personal laboratories. They can study the effects of pollination patterns from their own backyard while enjoying a handful of cherries produced on their own tree.
You can complicate it, or un-complicate it as you see fit.
There is a great deal of discussion in the media surrounding food security, food safety, local production, and the plight of farmers. What’s more secure, safe and local than produce from your own backyard? There is no disputing that organic produce is healthier for everyone including our planet. Go ahead and prove me wrong on that one!
Now imagine how much happier the farmers would be if we took away the little things (like tomatoes, beans, apples, etc) from the list of MASS PRODUCTION items needed. They could go back to doing what they do best. They can produce the crops that we CAN’T grow in our own backyards. There will always be a need for orchards and vineyards, but MOST of our daily snacking and feeding requirements can be grown within arm’s reach.
It may seem like a bit of a Utopian theory, but it’s a good one. It’s an idea and a course of study that, with the right direction, will teach our children to nurture this rock we call home. It will teach humans that we can survive without “Snackables”, “Ritz”. Meats don’t come in boxes like Cargill and Tyson, and of course everyone’s flavor favorite – Monsanto would have you believe.
Take a few minutes, hit YouTube and search things like “Permaculture in (whatever part of the world you dwell in). You will be astounded at the volumes of region specific information that is out there. Go one step further and search “Polyface Farms” – Joel Salatin is a farmer (mostly meats) who is turning upside down the notions of food safety and security in the US. Mr. Salatin is a successful farmer, published author, speaker and an all around Good Human.
Watch Food Inc. (a documentary) and then decide if your daily bread is REALLY the best thing for you. Take your next meal seriously.
If a little theory like Permaculture can take hold and grow into a daily reality, imagine the possibilities. And they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on…

The computer work continues. I’m finally getting right down to business here – learning how to work the software is a big part of it. I have now updated the photo of our little strip of land (along the CP line) showing where we are exactly. It’s funny how when you look at some place on Google Earth and you know what you’re looking for – you actually see it right away. However, to those eyes that know NOT what they seek, they don’t see it at all.  I felt it prudent to correct the situation.

We’re going to go out and check on our wonderful mudpit today.  To see what the Mustangs are up to, check on Luke (my sexy boy) and just generally wander around a see what sort of wonderful mess has surfaced with the passing of our first winter in Saskatchewan.  I’m sure there will be all sorts of bits and pieces that have come to the surface.

For the most part. The loss of the snow has now resulted in gale force winds and the province is now a complete and utter MUDHOLE!! So, this complaint having been voiced, the mud and wind gives me an excuse to not leave Base Camp and just park my arse and work on the websites!

We are officially frozen out for the winter here.  It’s been -18C and we’ve about 8 inches of snow, give or take enough to irritate two small dogs.  Clean up on our little adventure has pretty much come to a halt for now.  I think the worst we’ll have to deal with is burning off the excess brush piles and stockpiled (unsaveable) lumber.  Day to day, we’ll just be looking after the Mustangs.  The Clydesdales will be going home soon to Sanguine Clydes (just down the road a bit).  Harvey wants them home for the winter.  So, I’m goint to take a bash at mastering WordPress and all that goes along with building a website…wish me luck!!

Very pretty in the winter

This is going to be interesting.  With the gracious (and pro bono) assistance of my dear friend Laurie Ashton Farook I’m going to learn how to blog.  And build a website.  And do it all without Advil or any additional gray hair!  We’ll see what happens.