Author: Sam Lucy

Swallows have gathered and gone, as have the bluebirds, hummers and meadowlarks while the sun lowers and days shorten with the autumn equinox already past. Although there may be a certain melancholy to the fading of summer, some of us are glad the smoke has finally cleared and the temps. have moderated and, truth to tell, this final week of September could not have been more mellow and lovely with clear, sunny days in the 70’s and star filled, quiet nights – some with lively northern lights bouncing across the heavens. Ahh… a relief and sanctity to a summers end indeed.

It couldn’t be better harvesting weather for us to gather the last of this year’s crop. For whatever reason, our latest planted field and last to come in, ended up being our best. Unfortunately, this likely will not compensate for the well-below yields of the fields combined. We are getting good results when we de-hull the ancient grains from this year’s crop. This means that during the de-hulling process our loss-rate of whole grain is lower than average. There often is quite a fluctuation between different lots and what we actually end up with as #1 grain varies based upon the idiosyncrasies. That said our raw volumes were down some thirty percent.

As the years go on, I’m more amazed each season that we ever pull off a crop. Tinkering with Mother Nature is precarious business to be sure and as we’ve been reminded lately, she can throw some awful tantrums whenever she sees fit. What we lacked in production this year, we were blessed with excellent weather for harvesting. Not one of our fields took any weather during the ripening stage. The quality of this season’s crop by and large is attributed to this.

As my favorite season descends on our little mountain valley here, so grows my appreciation for the end of another crop cycle. Our winter rye is drilled and up. As well, I’ve put in a couple trials of 2 different winter wheats: One hard red that I got from WSCIA in Pullman, and one variety of hard white that I received from Steve Jones over at the WSU research station at the Port of Skagit. Both of these grains are up and green and it will be interesting to see how they winter in our “wintry” climate.

Other fall work includes applying our microbial digesters to better break down all our grain straw. After watering this in we’ll allow it to sit a couple weeks, then likely hit the fields with the heavy off-set disk.

The granary has been busy with fall orders as the heavier cooking season cranks up. Here’s hoping that many of you get out to enjoy the changing colors and to see the migrations of birds that surely will be on the move. Right now, the last of the cicada and katydids form the perfect chorus to this mellowing of seasons. I can think of no better song but theirs to fall asleep by…

Yours, Farmer Sam

August: Dust, heat, smoke and a full eclipse. Swallows gather; bluebird families frolic in the birdbath. Hummingbirds take their last nourishment from our flowers and feeder before heading out, while the yellow jackets thicken. As wet as the spring was, summer has been ever the drier.

Not uncharacteristically, August has been a struggle to work in. Prime harvesting weather but for reasons unknown to this farmer, not prime yields on our earlier grain that had looked strong for so long. One never knows the crop until they drop the combine header and begin to reap. And weep…? Not that bad, yet. And hopefully the later plantings, soon to ripen, will strengthen our overall numbers.

A look at our first runs of grain so far makes me think we’ve hit good quality once again. We ran the first of new-crop emmer yesterday and got good results on clean-out. Also, we ran some of our rye a week or so ago and it tests really well in the flour mill.

Overall word is the Northwest has survived the heat and mild drought better than many inland states. Major drought hit parts of Montana, the Dakotas and other grain states. And once again several large wildfires are burning throughout the West. Then there is Texas! Our hearts go out to all those suffering there, including the animals. An awful, awful situation. Throw in the eclipse, and as stagnant as the dog-days of summer can sometimes be, lots of “stuff” went on this August.

Through this all, the granary has been quite busy! We’ve been running a myriad of orders and even in the heat Bluebird grains and flours are being consumed all over judging from the steady flow of finished product. I’d say we’ve had our busiest summer season to date, and as we lean toward fall, orders generally increase thanks to all you devoted fans!

I’ve been changing irrigation the past few mornings where we’ve mowed off our buckwheat cover crop and are prepping for fall grain and I’ve had to wear gloves it’s so cool. Then by noon it’s in the 90’s! Wild climate this is. But daylight is shortening and the cool nights are growing slowly longer. With that surely comes a sense of relief, but a mild sense of urgency also knowing how quick Mother can change. We’ll stay busy prepping and planting our fall/winter grains beginning with our rye next week. Any fall cover crops will also go in and we’ll be working in the grain stubble as we finish harvest.

I love fall as I’ve mentioned 1000 times. I hope we get a chance to do more fall work than we have the past couple falls when we were shut down early due to moisture. That said, if it begins raining after the last of the grain is in, let it rain!

Another year of school with lots of little ones on the roads, sidewalks and elsewhere. Please be extra careful as some of these children are not that big! And enjoy the last month of summer – upcoming.

Cheers, Farmer Sam

Glory be… we’re having an ole’ fashioned summer here in the Methow. Which means nothing but high pressure: Days in the 80’s and 90’s, zero precipitation, on and off wind, very “stable weather.” This is not something we take for granted. Although working day after day in the intense sun and afternoon heat is trying, it is nice not to be looking over one’s shoulder and bracing for the next violent storm, wildfire, and various other shades of uncertainty.

Well, some fires have actually been a factor and just recently we had a bad scare in the middle valley. Thanks to great fire suppression efforts, this nearby outbreak was put to rest very quickly. It served as a sober reminder, however, to all of us who get jumpy as the hillsides dry out and summer winds sometimes rave.

The young birds of all shapes and sizes are out and about – some second clutches. Mornings and evenings really are what mid-summer is about and I so enjoy watching the young hummingbirds, flycatchers, and bluebirds get their wings and try out being birds! To be sure, a family of young blue grouse has enjoyed the moister climes of our lawn and garden, as have a nice covey of Hungarian partridge. And the house wrens seem to keep the chatter going when all others are quiet.

The wild emmer moves river-like in the summer winds. That fast, the early fields have reached their peak growth and already are beginning to set seed and cure. After a cold, wet spring when I wasn’t sure it wise to get some crop planted first thing, these are the fields that seem to be heavy in the heat. I shut off the water on the early plantings entering the second week of the month, and the crops here really look strong. The later planted fields got hit with July’s heat a little harder, but with the supplemental water and nutrients still seem to be grooving. By the month’s end, all irrigation will be off and the rest is “wait and see.”

Here at the granary there has been a steady buzz. All of our customers seem to want to eat our grains and flours even when it’s 90 out! We’ve had strong sales and the crew in processing and packaging have been doing a swell job keeping up. I feel very fortunate to have such great help. Busy indeed this time of year running two businesses, instead of just one which we get to do beginning about November.

After our initial fertility that we drilled in with the seed, all we’ve put on the crops is sugar and liquid, cold pressed fish. Timing is everything, but these applications seemed to have been well received. We use them as a foliar in that we let this combo sit on the plant for a day or two, before turning the water back on. Anything that is left, goes right into the root zone.

I had a fun time re-connecting with an old acquaintance Dr. Steve Jones over at the Bread Lab at the Port of Skagit last week. We didn’t have near enough time to discuss all we wanted but he’s always done great work with wheat breeding and I’ve supported his efforts since he spoke out against GMO wheat 20 years ago. I hope to do more work with Steve in the future. And keep him from forgetting completely about us eastern Washington guys!

The old N-6 Gleaner fired right up after I did a basic, annual service on her.  This week I’ll roll her out, give her a good dusting off and probably go harvest our killer winter rye as a warm up to real harvest which likely will begin mid to later August.  Until then, stay cool and enjoy the richness of deep summer.

Yours, Farmer Sam

That fast it seems a couple months have passed since I last wrote Farmer Notes. By golly, it is true! I last wrote in late April when we were just getting rolling on the fields and here we are in the last week of June. Ahh, sweet, sweet June. Seldom a month that disappoints!

What began as a cool and mostly wet spring held true right thru the early part of this month. I believe we had a frost or two early this month, and certainly some frost in May. Alas, June has not been the wetter of the spring months, although it remained cool. Now that summer is “officially” here, temperatures are on the rise. Truth to tell, we had our first day of 90 degrees just yesterday. Even though we’ve seldom had more than a couple days in a row of clear sunshine, over all it’s been a good spring for grain.

We began planting our first fields the last couple days in April and finished our last grain field June 6th. We’re just now watering the later planted crops and on our early fields we’ve already applied organic fish fertilizer twice and are into deeper watering cycles. I’m always impressed how fast the grain grows once it kicks into gear around 4 leaf stage. Our first field of emmer is actually reaching boot stage and will be full on boot by the beginning of July. This is an important time to apply more nutrients and give water before the emmer gets too towering to water any longer.

Meanwhile, the last of our spring planting is almost finished as I’ve only a few acres left of buckwheat to drill. We’re putting buckwheat on fields that we hope to seed our winter grains in. Buckwheat loves heat and water, grows very fast and puts out a bunch of green manure in just a few weeks. Also, it is a great soil cleanser. Our hope is to use the moisture from growing out the buckwheat to seed our winter rye, and possibly some winter wheat late August.

Our Austrian winter peas planted last September loved the cooler, moister spring. We mowed them off a week or so after flower and hope to grow them out a bit longer before turning them under and fallowing that acreage the rest of the season.

The long light of June gives amazing energy. As well, it kicks off my favorite month of the summer wherein I can concentrate primarily on just growing… As I mentioned, it is all about managing moisture right now, and giving the crops supplemental biology and food as they grow. Hard to believe it will be all over in another month – the growing cycle of the spring grains that is, but no matter the weather, it is basically a 60 day cycle from beginning to finish.

The activity up here at the mill has been very steady! Sometimes we begin to see a lull as things heat up but orders have kept on a comin’ and Kevin has been plenty occupied cleaning and milling as well as the rest of the granary crew here. I’m looking forward to spending a day or two in the mill myself this week after I wrap up planting. Spending a day or two filling orders always reacquaints me with some of our great customers.

The bird-watching has been fabulous every day. Fledgling bluebirds and tanagers and flycatchers can often be seen dousing themselves in the birdbath just off our sipping porch.  So interesting how they invigorate themselves. Little strikes me as more fascinating than birds. We’ve got a Kingbird that loves to make a racket down by the creek each morning, and of course the meadowlarks and robins and wrens and humming birds. One Sunday we hiked up the Butte and delighted in watching a flock of black swifts work the bugs – hopefully mosquitoes- in the upper drafts. Such elegant and agile birds with a name that speaks volumes about this bird. I’ve seen the earlier hatched ducklings now 2/3 the size of Mumma! And a few young grouse and at least one clutch of partridge.

These are the growing days: For birds, for grains, for Mother Earth. With some trepidation, I look to July. July, we know, can be a great growing month; it also can be a month of violent weather in the form of thunderstorms, heavy showers, wildfire and the H word…. We certainly hope we have a “nice” July. That said, I can’t begin to understand the things Nature does and why she does them but just have to believe it needs to be the way it needs to be.

Here’s hoping you all enjoy some swimming, boating, hiking, EATING and whatever summer fun suits you best. Until next month, when I can give you a better summary of our Bluebird crops, Cheers….

Farmer Sam

To be sure, my prediction last month of a later start to this year’s farming has come home to roost. We’ve just begun in the last week or so, making this the tardiest beginning to the farming season in 25 years. With an already full soil profile at the beginning of “spring”, we’ve had several rains since and many nights around or below the freezing mark. An early fall last – a late this spring… Who knows what this means?!

Alas, the birds do not seem flustered and many a pair has also come home “to roost”, as others continue to pass north. A late push of both Lesser and Canada Geese filled the sky for a couple days last week, taking advantage of southerly fronts coming up from the Columbia Basin. Joining them, the rarer flights of Speckled Belly Geese as well as several flocks of Sandhill Cranes. Meanwhile, back down here hummingbirds flood the feeder, bluebirds joist about our fence post houses, blue grouse thump morning and evening, snipe trill up by the ponds and the on-going sweet song of the meadowlark is never far away. Even with perpetually cold hands and wind-blasted ears , these birds seem to warm the heart.

We began field work by cultivating the fields we had in 2016 crop that are now slated to come back into spring emmer. After a couple rounds of cultivation the soil is drier and warmed a bit now, even though temps remain cool. After a few days rest,  we go in and firm up the seed bed again, spread our minerals, and plant. We’ve established our primary fertility needs and a lot of them will be taken care of at planting with our calcium and phosphorous rock blend that comes from scarcely 100 miles east of here.

This year, we will both top-dress our minerals onto the field, as well as put some in-row with our seed through the amendment box on our new grain drill. My hope is to address both the very top layer of the soil while giving the actual seed row a boost at the same time. With our higher magnesium soils, this mineral blend helps to ease the tension in the ground and thus frees up some of the goodies already present but less available due to the heavy Mg. We will then begin to feed our soil biology through the pivots beginning with our first cycle of irrigation.

Having been on these fields a number of years now, I’m beginning to see the tilth improve by addressing the tension with both mineral and biology. During cultivation this spring, we didn’t have near the rock-hard clumps that we’ve seen in years past, and the soil seems to flow better through our implements. I have to hope this will give us better productivity as well as high quality grain, with both attributes becoming more consistent the past two or three years.

Of course, MN decides all in the end! Trying to work with her while ultimately taking from her always is a precarious dance. A dance, however, that I’m beginning to feel the mo-jo to partake in once more!

We’ve had a bit of a slow down in the granary this month, which enables us to catch up on a few things AND run our seed stock. Fact is, Kevin is running emmer seed as I write, and despite the late start, we may even get some planted before the months end which, given the early shut-down last fall, was one of my hopes. Earlier planting equals potentially earlier harvest?!

Our crops will be spread out in planting as they are most years, with our Big Valley field in winter cover crop going in last. We want to give the peas plenty of time to bulk up before turning in.  Then, we’ll be onto a summer cover crop in the fields that get a rest this year.  So…

Plenty to do in the next 6 weeks! But not so busy, I hope, to take in a few more local baseball games, track meets, and to walk these green, green foothills. That fast, the aspen are leafing out; the balsamroot has begun to blossom on south slopes and bluebells and yellow bells are everywhere. When we do finally get some warm, sunny days, this place is going to explode!

I wish our dear elders Rayma Hayes and James Donaldson, leaders in both education and the love of place, were still here to enjoy another Methow spring, as they have so many years in the past. I like to think that they are even more a part of this beauty now… a much deeper and farther reaching beauty, and a sanctified act to follow without question. Peace to them.

Peace to all of you, in hopes you get to enjoy some of springs richness all of your own. Farmer Sam

According to the kitchen calendar, the first day of spring has arrived. The chorus of birds each dawn, starting down along the creek then spreading up through our meadows, is proof that they too trust this date to be so. Robins, finches, juncos, towhees, sparrow, chickadees, a meadowlark and already thrumming blue grouse add to the choir. And geese along the river. Yet as I look out to the back garden and orchard, all remains white – a solid, crusted white with more snow coming down. As “they” say… “go figure.”

One can predict that lack for moisture we shall not! Thinking back 6 months to the soaking fall we had, and now the slow-to-leave snow pack, I’m guessing the soil profile is set to be very damp for some time to come. Foolish as it is to predict a farming season, I wager this year’s will begin late. Most years we can begin some field work either side of April 1.  This year I believe it will be closer to mid-April, even if the weather turns warm and dry like the previous two springs.

Other noticeable signs that spring isn’t far off are the very occasional windy afternoons, and bluebirds!  We’ve seen both western bluebirds and the shockingly blue mountain bluebirds, whose wonderful blue is made all the brighter against the snowy hills. Our new little friend, Danner, helped me clean out our boxes just this past weekend. We’d seen what I presumed to be last years adults or possibly the babes that were raised here, checking out the very box a family was successful in last year.

Kevin has been doing a great job in the cleaning/milling line here at the Bluebird granary. We had a pretty heavy month of orders this last, and freight issues remained in place as our road didn’t melt off until about a week ago. Although trucks aren’t coming down to the granary quite yet, we’re only having to run pallets up to the top of our drive. Big advantage to be sure.

Once things dry out we’ll be able to move the rest of last years crop up to the granary from our field storage site. This way we can run all our seed stock as we begin to prep for planting. I’m hopeful that we can begin to line up our fertility program soon and that by the time the next “letter” goes out, we will be rolling in the fields?!?

Another thing we look forward to: The wild and crazy spring here in the Methow, where the flush of wildflowers promises to be glorious given all the moisture.  Freshets will be bubbling along and the wind should be perfect for soaring hawks and the occasional wayward snow-squall as winter truly wanes.

Here’s to a healthy and rejuvenating spring!

Yours, Farmer Sam

By now you readers may know I tend to gauge the season by birds. At present, chickadees have shifted to their more springy song. At least they’ve shifted octaves and I’m calling it “springy.” That said, to date I’ve yet to hear or see the redwing blackbirds down at the pond?? Without fail, regardless of severity of the winter, they’ve always returned by the 17th. This makes it their latest arrival which means…???

What does any of it mean? Everything and nothing I suppose. Given the healthy sustained cold that kept well into February, and additional snow, I will not fault the blackbirds in their hesitation. The cold remained through both the wax and wane of the month’s full moon, with a week of powdery snow. Just in the past few days has it begun to loosen, and now the snowy roads are rotting out, things are soggy and as daylight gathers, I’m beginning to wonder – not speculate but wonder – just what the soil profile is going to be come April? Certainly could be a delay in field work. Then again, the past two springs have been very dry and warm. And this is a semi-desert climate with intense sun at times, and fairly light, porous soils. Indeed, I do think a lot of the moisture is already going down and in. Which is ideal.

Hold on; winter isn’t over, even though the back of the old man may be bending. Owls and coyotes still own the nights. February is a wonderful month for coyotes; it is their “courting” season. In their mating up they certainly have been vocal! We’ve had the same bunch around the creek and right outside here fairly regularly. I’m sure they are partially responsible for thinning down our quail covey that loves the grain hulls in the lower pasture. And this past week we’ve had a few remaining Hungarian partridge visiting at twilight for grain scraps and pebbles now baring up in our driveway. I suppose the owls may be responsible for the rest of the disappearing birds…?

The granary has been very lively here despite the wintry weather and on-going freight issues. I’m impressed with the volume of orders from both our local accounts and with our distributors. The grains are running well, milling well, and I believe tasting well! The crew is doing great and I almost hesitate to think that within the next 6 weeks, farming season will be here to interrupt the flow!

Being a producer/processor we have both businesses running for 7 months of the year and only one of the businesses (processing) in the winter. All hands on deck for the winter time, or maybe time to swap out ski runs from time to time!

I’m thinking that with the new tools we bought last year for the farming – the tine-weeder and the minimum-till drill, we will be able to save some tillage steps in the fields this spring and therefore may not need quite as much time to get planted. Of course, that is always the hope, and Mother can always change any of that at any given time.

So many different factors play out to make or break a crop that we can only plan and know that planning will likely change. It more is a matter of how much does it change? The next month will perhaps be the last chance to not be thinking farming full time, but the planning will begin. Because it could be today that the blackbirds return!  Oh, and did I mention the other true sign of the seasons change?  Wind.  Adding another bite to these 10 degree nights…

Yours, Farmer Sam

Juncos and chickadees and our annual flock of brilliant Bohemian Waxwings ring in the New Year here at Bluebird. These little birds indeed seem to be the lively “icing” on an otherwise cold, white countryside cake! Just in the past few days the temperature has moderated from a sustained stretch of below zero nights and days barely in the teens. Alas, cold is what makes winter so pure.

Bit by bit our snowpack is adding up and, on top of our very wet fall, the soil profile I’m thinking is going to be plenty moist once the longer light of April is upon us. Meanwhile, we’ve been having fun redistributing the snow and entertaining ourselves with trying to get orders out in a timely fashion. During current conditions, this means ferrying pallets 2.5 miles down to pavement to meet freight trucks.  Chad, our UPS driver has been doing great navigating what the county calls a road out here, and has no problem once he hits our driveway.  And so; we’re hoping you all have not seen a drop in our service.

We had a great holiday break and came back to work exhausted after the first. After a mellow week or two, we seem to be back to busy and enjoy the fact that there are so many out there loving our products. What better thing to ward off winters’ chill than fresh bread or some hardy grains in any form!

Already, our afternoons are brighter as the days lengthen. It is flabbergasting how fast it all happens each year! I’ve not pondered too many farming thoughts yet, but they will rise up by the next letter I’ve little doubt.  We’re never very far away from farm thoughts when we run the grains each week. I must say, the emmer we’ve been running from this year’s crop is really nice stuff. Cleans well, mills well, tastes well. As well, we’re finding the wheat to be very consistent, too. Still and all,  my new love is the Einka farro. Really a fun grain!

For this farmer, winter passes too quickly. Seems like the time for reflection has been all but lost in some ways. And yet, winter is the time for this, if no other. We’ve got a good crew on board right now, and I feel like we’re entering a very good year here at Bluebird. Given these uncertain times, I like to think that consistency and intent are ever more important. Eating well, and supporting healthy farming may be a good way to keep from easily being pulled down. To that end, I encourage all of you to gather round and stay healthy.

Welcome to the New Year! I count my blessings most every day and we are glad to have this “organic” relationship with so many over these years. Let’s keep on keeping on…

Yours, Farmer Sam

The gray and withered countryside of November has given way to a brittle and whitened landscape in these Rendezvous foothills, with sharp, cold Cascade peaks beyond. Perfect for the Winter Solstice here, just 30 miles south of ‘ole Canada… And as the snows begin, we are heartened by the fact that sleigh-bells, indeed, will ring!

Finches, chickadees and nuthatches frequent the feeder, while barred and great horned owls can be heard at dusk with sawets during the day. We’ve had 3-4 coyotes hanging about perusing for possible tid-bits and reminding us that meals are a bit harder to come by for many when temps drop below O. It is this time of year when the deer and quail and other creatures likely appreciate the grain tailings we scatter down along the lower field the most. Small offerings for the season…

The Bluebird granary has been abuzz with holiday orders and even more so with our year-round local wholesale accounts here, and our distributor accounts elsewhere. Scheduling has been tight, but thanks to all the good help here we’ve been able to maintain a timely flow for most all orders and appreciate that our customers understand the solitary week of the year Bluebird shuts down; Christmas thru New Years.

Often I’ve felt that the silence of winter solstice is the perfect silence. When one stands outside at twilight and hears only the owls, or perhaps a tree crack or, on occasion the sound – “of easy wind and downy flake”- one might think of perfection.  As I’ve come to learn through a fortunate life spent largely in the wild, and 25 years farming in the wild, only Nature is perfect – as good or terrible as we may perceive her at any given time.

While we are not nearly as efficient at Bluebird as Mother Nature is, we do try to deliver our goods in a proficient manner. This time of year this includes having to meet freight trucks almost 3 miles away. And one thing we also have come to realize is there is a certain amount of proficiency in knowing what we grow and having partners that know what they grow as well because in turn, this helps us better know how to finish and mill our grains. Bluebird’s ‘reputation has been built on knowing our grains from plow to plate and this standard is the one we will continue to keep. After 12 years now, we realize this not only is what still feels good to us, but is what our customers most like! So…

First, I want to thank all you loyal customers for another successful year for Bluebird. Secondly, I want to thank all our staff for delivering such a great product to all of you. I have no idea where 2017 will lead us, but I can say that we will stay as true to our mission as we’ve always been: Delivering organically grown fresh milled, high quality grains and flours from our farm directly to you. It is a circle we will try our best to keep unbroken.

Please circle round during these holidays, and think and give peace. To this wonderful land that sustains us. To each other; both past and present souls that also sustain us.

This Christmas I feel grateful to my mother’s cousin Oakley Goodner and my mother’s brother ” Uncle H. ” Thorne  for being such wonderful people and great influences in my life. As well, remembrance goes out to my “second mother” of sorts, Janet Nagy and  her great wit, humility, and beautiful, knowing smile. We also send blessings to Scott, Amber and Jade Grant and think of them during their first Christmas without mother Darlene. We love you all and none will ever be forgotten.

As for the rest of you? See you next year, by Christ!

Yours, Farmer Sam

Opening stanza from Robert Frost’s My November Guest :

“My Sorrow, when she’s here with me

Thinks these dark days of autumn rain

Are beautiful as days can be;

She loves the bare, the withered tree;

She walks the sodden pasture lane.”

The wettest October we’ve seen here in the Valley has now run clear up against Thanksgiving! Snow-line has just begun to touch the foothills, but almost every day the main word has been rain. It is hard to be frustrated with significant rain in a semi-desert climate. That said, I surely was hopeful of getting more fall field work done and harvesting the rest of our crop. Not to be, on either account. I believe the last time we were in a field doing anything was over a month ago.

Mild, too. Hardly a flight of southbound geese and the local ponds we skated across on this date last year all remain wide open. Without a question, our fall planted crops are digging this different type of mountain autumn. Our cereal rye is cranking and winter peas are into their 4th leaf stage. This should give us a hefty nitrogen boost come spring planting. Oh, we should have plenty of moisture, too! However, finches and chickadees and a few buntings remind us winter will actually arrive some day soon. Ahh, Mother never ceases to surprise…

Good news for Bluebird is that the granary has been bustling and I’ve been spending a bountiful amount time running grains, sacking grains, mixing flours and reconnecting with some of you customers. As I’d hoped, the grains are of very good quality and are finishing nicely whether as flour or as whole grain. Nutrient dense kernels give us many more #1 berries from a given lot as our gravity table stratifies the heavies and lights.  As with combining, the heavier the grains, the better “processing” job we realize in the end.

One thing I’m reminded of while cleaning our hulled, ancient grains each day is the way in which we have chosen to extract the the outer hull. Because we run the emmer and einka through an impact huller to do this, our ratio of whole grains to splits is not near as high as if the grain was pearled. Pearling is the process of removing the outer hull or husk, as is traditionally done in Italy, by running the emmer or einkorn over a set of scarifying stones wherein the hull is “skinned” or peeled off instead of fractured off. This method leaves many more of the grain kernels intact. However, during this process some of the actual kernel or “berry” bran is removed as well. As a result, what is left is a “semi-pearled” berry which no longer is a true whole grain. Semi-pearled farro cooks much faster, but also breaks down much faster. Think pearled barely.

From the beginning, Bluebird made the easy decision to only offer true whole grains and whole grain flours. All the goodies we work hard to give the crop during their growth stage we surely want to pass along in the finished product. We feel that by keeping all the trace minerals and proper amino acids within the finished grain, our grains and flours not only deliver more nutrients but, perhaps more importantly, deliver more flavor as well. Many of you seem to agree!

Speaking of taste, yes, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and boy do I love to eat! Fact is, November hosts two of the most significant American holidays in my mind: Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Both are times to reflect, count our blessings, and gather round. At times I believe Thanksgiving should be once monthly, and not just for the food. We have a great, great deal to be thankful for in this country to be sure. At the same time, there are too many who do not have as much. Please keep this in mind as we kick off the holiday season.

And last:

“Not yesterday I learned to know

The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow,

But it were vein to tell her so,

And they are better for her praise.”

Sit, hold hands, and break bread in peace.  Very best, Farmer Sam

A cloudy day from the porch….

Beginning here by following up on the end of last month’s Farmer Notes…The weather has been far more conducive for eating than ‘being out on the land.’ If not the wettest Methow October to date, it has to be close. I’m sitting here in the kitchen listening to the rain pour trying to remember if we’ve had 2 consecutive clear days or not this month? Two days I believe, because we had two mornings of 22 degrees FH just prior to the full Hunter’s Moon this past weekend. So I’ve had few mornings on the porch sharing coffee with the birds. That said, I can report there’s been a large gathering of robins this month, who undoubtedly have been enjoying easy pickings when it comes to worms. I’ve seen flocks of 30-40. Also, various hawks, a few chickadees, finches, and yesterday the first fall flight of south-bound geese.

What began as a very strong harvest has ended on a lower note.  Gone are the crisp, dry days of mid September and now we are faced with the prospect of not reaping the last 15+ percent of our crop.  The late ripening due to the cooler, moister summer pushed harvest just late enough so the last planting never got time to cure, only because October has been nothing but wet. The up-side of this is that our winter peas and rye are thriving. Happy to report the no-till drill worked well. Although in retrospect, one could have just broadcast peas onto the ground’s surface and gotten a stand this fall. Here’s a poem I wrote called Hunter’s Moon:

Fresh-turned November field
Swollen and pliant;
Southerly rain drenching
These tired hills
Skipping days weeklong.
Morning mist hugs the river
Trailing a full-moon
Chopped stubble caught
In chunky disc lines-
The pungent odor of decay
Delighting this farmer’s mind.

When at once I see
My prints are not all
Nor the biggest-
Nor the most
And surely the least sure.
From the by-gone orchard they climb
Big in front, two behind
Winding a curious path:
Deep, slow, commanding-
Claw-marks inches long
Pads worn smooth to shine

With warm familiarity I follow
Childhood wonder not lost
On dozens of encounters now;
Steeped in gratitude
If not haunting kinship-
A gypsy-wind longing
Just shy of understanding
Full of compassion
For old she-bear.
Whose kind has run
Charged me, studied me
And finally been disgusted
In all make-ups of
Damp woods; wild tundra streams
Snow-patched mountains or
This luxury of field.

Yet just last night I missed
Her non-chalant mosey
To this center-field rock
For a contemplative look
At the awkward world she’s captive to
Day-long, before now
And her quiet stepping out.
Stout legs plodding
Heavy, apple-filled belly
Swaggering
To visit the view-
As if age could be suspended
Before one more winter’s nap
(Would this be the last?)

Stars so cold
Mountains like a saw
Cutting the white moon
The silence of fall night
Embracing only those now awake-
That other nation whose land
This can only be…
Through her sunken eyes
Oh, if I could only see
At best I would see
A most untidy harmony.

Yours, Farmer Sam

The hot days of August faded fast with September’s arrival, which was ushered in by a bit of moisture and 40 degree nights. Not exactly the change one likes to see when beginning grain harvest, yet I recall it is not uncommon for September to begin rehearsing fall “fits”. The swallows are long gone and most of the blue-wing teal have left the pond while robins re-gather. Migrating hawks fill the skies and our family of bluebirds have grown up right before our very eyes. We’ve enjoyed watching them dunk and flutter in our bird-bath.  As their departure nears, I can’t help but wonder how many, if any, will return? After dusk and before daylight I have been hearing the poorwill, and the meadowlarks but they, too, will soon be gone.

Alas, as we worked into September and the true Harvest moon ripened, the heat did return! Oh what sweet days we had the week proceeding this years plump Harvest Moon. Eighty degrees and sunshine with slight breezes; perfect harvesting weather. And harvest we did. As of this writing, we’ve taken in two-thirds of our crop and so far it has been running a little above average volume and is of excellent quality. Combining has been fun! The heavier the crop, the more one can keep the ole’ Gleaner maxed and the better job it likes to do threshing when all chambers are constantly full.

This year’s Einka actually came in a good 15% above our average and really seemed to do well. One field of emmer was also up bout 10 % with another right about average. We’ve already begun running some of this new-crop emmer and it is cleaning quite well, as is the Einka. This is Bluebird’s biggest Einka crop to date, so that is good news for all you Einka flour fans and for folks like yours truly who sometimes like to simmer the Einka berries in broth the same way as with emmer, and serve up with sea salt and butter.

Tom and Jay, our two wheat growers, are all finished with their  harvest and have great reports on the hard white and hard red that they grew for Bluebird. They have excellent test weight numbers and good protein on both lots, with a higher yield than they anticipated. This, hopefully, is a good start to a longer relationship with both the Stahls and Goldmarks. (Good job guys!)

With the coming equinox so come the shorter growing days and this week we are going to try out a new tool. After much consideration, we decided to swap out our current grain drill  for a true no-till drill. One of our main reasons for doing so is that this allows us to sow our winter pea cover crop right into our grain stubble post-harvest, without having to work up a seed bed. We are planning to do this this week, in and around the rest of harvest. After putting in the peas, we’ll do one last watering for the season with another dose of biology and carbohydrates (fish and sugar).  This will aid in straw decomposition, plus kick off the winter peas. This way, after the winter snows go to work, spring time will give us some heavy green goods and fiber to turn in before coming back with grain. Already working on next year!

Our only other fall crop – our northern rye – I planted at the beginning of the month and it is up and running. I look for it to be stooling out here by late October, and am planning to foliar feed on some biology before we put this crop to bed for winter, too. But hey… winter is a ways off yet, no? And my favorite of favorite seasons – autumn- stands between now and winter and I surely hope to enjoy a long autumn in the fields, and elsewhere in the now-turning countryside.

We’ve eaten a couple meals of fresh mountain grouse (thanks dogs!). I love to sear them in an oil/butter combo, after dressing them with salt and pepper and rolling them in emmer flour. Any day now I’d expect to hear the sandhill cranes passing over from the north. This happens here in the valley almost always right on the equinox. We hear and sometimes see them high, high up going over the valley even if just for a couple days. Oh, the timelessness of it all! Nothing like a stiff autumn breeze and the sounds of migration to awaken the soul.

And so here’s to fall!  As fine a time to be out on the land that I can think of.  Also, a good time for eating…

Cheers, Farmer Sam