Spreading compost and wood ashes on the beds in the big hoopy.
Photo Gallery
Folks!
We've been incredibly busy here at the BZ farm, naturally, but we have some pictures to share.
We want you to be able to get a sense of what's going on here.
Remember, you are always welcome to arrange a visit and we are looking for folks to move to the farm, join the collective and share in the beauty and bounty this land offers.
Chrys
(I'm the one who's always hidden behind the camera)
Collecting last year's compost from under the snow.
Spreading compost and wood ashes on the beds in the big hoopy.
BZ is doing major surgery on our 1958 International Harvester 330 tractor.
Dianna at the Seed Sawp Feb. 4, 2023 at the Colville Public Library.
Gabe at the Seed Sawp Feb. 4, 2023 at the Colville Public Library.
BZ (right) at the Seed Sawp Feb. 4, 2023 at the Colville Public Library.
Sixteen pages of germination test results to guide our seed packaging.
Here are the onion sets that we grew last year, cleaned and sorted. These will be this summer's onion crop for the farmers' market.
Seed Sawp Feb. 4, 2023 at the Colville Public Library.
Photo by Kelly Rainbow Butterfly.
Seed Sawp Feb. 4, 2023 at the Colville Public Library.
Photo by Kelly Rainbow Butterfly.
Seed Sawp Feb. 4, 2023 at the Colville Public Library.
Photo by Kelly Rainbow Butterfly.
Seed Sawp Feb. 4, 2023 at the Colville Public Library.
Photo by Kelly Rainbow Butterfly.
Germination tests in jars with screen lids. Good for peas, beans, corn, small grains, etc.. Soak 50 or 100 seeds in labeled jars overnight. Rinse daily and drain. Go through the jars each day, sometime twice a day, and carefully empty the seeds on to a surface, being careful not to break any baby roots. Remove the sprouting seeds. Put the rest back in their jars and repeat for 10 days. After ten days, count how many have not sprouted, subtract that from the original number (50 or 100, 25 sometimes if you have very few seeds to spare) then divide the difference by the original number to get the germination rate as a percentage.
For exapmle, I start with 50 peas. After ten days I have six peas left. So, 50 - 6 = 44 (in other words, 44 peas germinated). Then 44 divided by 50 = 0.88 which is the same as 88%.
Maybe this is how Red Top Mountain got its name.
Here's where the cleaned corn seed comes out of BZ's vacuum-cleaner winnowing machine. We have lots of corn seed available. Some in online at https://bezaleel-israel-farm-collective.square.site/ or contact us.
This is corn seed going into the vacuum-cleaner seed cleaner.
Here we're doing germination tests into 3" pots. 50 seeds go in each pot in three neat little rows (makes it easier to count the shoots when they emerge). Seven to ten days on these usually. We keep them fairly warm and don't let them dry out. Count the shoots, divide by 50 to get the germination rate.
Seed of "BZ Buttercup" squash drying.
Germination tests just starting to pop up.
A truckload of solar energy. Grateful for its warmth this long winter.
BZ's home-made backhoe-mounted log splitter helps the task go faster.
Having a sturdy set of screens of many different sizes greatly facilitates home seed cleaning.
Dried carrot seed heads. Next step is to crush them up and screen them. Use heavy gloves, otherwise the dry stems will poke.
Despite having a powered log splitter, doing it by hand can be very satisfying. It's good exercise and improves hand-eye coordination. Very zen.
Visited by a grouse this morning. Later there were three up in one of our pear trees.
Pears in January!
Germination tests for squash and pumpkins can be tricky. You can do them in pots, but don't overwater them. Keep them fairly dry or your seeds will rot. Lay a sheet of plastic over the top until you see the first emerge (a piece of sheet metal would work too if you want to avoid plastic).
Here's BZ using a small corn sheller to remove corn seed from the cob.
A view of Red Top mountain on the far side of the valley at sunset.
One of many snow storms we've had this winter. Freezing weather came on so suddenly in November, the orchard tress hadn't yet shed their leaves.
The ducks don't mind the snow and spend a lot of time outside. But when it gets really cold (we have had -10 during the day and -24 a couple of times during the night) they stay in their houses most of the day.
Germination tests underway.
Germination tests underway.
In the foreground is snow that needs to be dug away. The middle has been dug away at an angle that will allow the remaining snow to be bumped off from the inside. At the far end is the snow that has been bumped off. When it's all bumped off, it's time to dig it away from the sides again to make room for the next snow storm.
Down on the lower section, early morning.
Down on the lower section, early morning.
After knocking snow off from the inside, now it's time to dig it away from the sides. Great wintertime exercise.
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Moonrise.