April 2008 Archives

Remember those 865 tomato plants in the greenhouse?  Our goal for 2008 was to get all our tomatoes transplanted into the ground by May 1.  In past years, we have lagged behind that date, sometimes by as much as two or three weeks.  Waiting later causes the plants to bloom later and set fruit later, and later is not what we want when it comes to tomatoes!

So, how does one get that many tomatoes planted in such a short time frame?  One leans on friends and family.

Fifty people converged on farm on April 26 for Planting Day and the party that follows.  This is our fifth year hosting such an event, providing us with an opportunity to see our friends from this area and Atlanta before things really get into full swing here at the farm.  It's a great time of socializing and eating some great food that we prepare (no catering allowed).  In addition, the food editor and a staff photographer from Taste of the South Magazine helped with the planting that goes on before the eating happens.

What?  Planting?  Yes, before we load everyone we know up with hickory smoked pork bbq, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, chocolate chip cookies and all the sweet tea you can drink, we make them WORK for the food.  Here is friendship and devotion in action:

 

Work started about 10:30am and after a brief orientation and tutorial on "how to plant a tomato plant", everyone was digging and tamping down.  200 plants went in on April 19, when most of the Atlanta crew came up for the day.  Another 500 or so plants went in on April 26, plus the T-posts needed for the trellising system we'll use in a few weeks when the plants get big enough to need support.

 

And then, there are the desserts.  Kym Yoder, fiancé of JC Groves (the luckiest guy around, IMO) made the cheesecake, banana pudding, chocolate pie, and the most delightful coconut cream pie I've tasted in a long time.  The chocolate chip cookies are mine, and they are also pretty tasty.  I'm humble- r eally.  

Seeing so many people working on our fields, planting a crop that will define a large part of our summer season, all because they want to help us succeed at this farming operation, is a seriously humbling experience.   There would be no way we could do this ourselves.  

 

 

 

Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. Proverbs 24:27.  Thanks to all who helped get our fields ready this year.

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That is the total number of tomato plants we've started in the new greenhouse.  I just did inventory of each variety and I have 18 plants with no name tag to identify them.  We are heavy on the purple color category, with green and white also making a strong showing.  Yes, there are white tomatoes, and they are quite pretty.  I haven't ever tasted one, as this is our first year growing those varieties.

Let me leave you with a picture of what I am now calling "the obligatory tomato".  Michael Pollan, if you're out there reading my blog, you have to attribute this nameage to me.  This particular tomato came on a chicken sandwich from Hardee's (long story) but it could be any tomato, on any sandwich, sliced and served in any restaurant in America, especially between November and May. 

It is the tomato that the chain restaurants all over the country are obliged to serve year 'round, irrespective of season and distance from tomato-growing locales.

It is tasteless, pale, pasty in your mouth.  It has no value whatsoever, except to keep Big Ag in business and Big Immigration continuing to bring in illegals to pick it, pack it, and ship it.

It is the tomato I will not eat and I refuse to buy.

 

 It is also NOT the tomato we grow here.  The tomato we grow is worth the wait.  And for that I am truly thankful.

 

My Jayhawks are National Champions!

It is now 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday and on the twentieth anniversary of our last National Championship, we have done it again!  Zta Kate did not make it to tipoff.  Eston made it to halftime.  Cooper, William and Denise made it the entire game.  For the last 15 minutes of the game, William sang the KU Fight Song in a continous loop.  What a great night!  I went out front and yelled in excitement at the end of the game - you can do that in the country instead of a subdivision with nobody thinking you're nuts! 

How sweet it is!  I have called my fellow Jayhawks to say Rock Chalk Jayhawk - Ray, Phil, Mom, Dad, David & MK, Jim and Karyl Lynn and a long distance shout out to the Reads.

 

 

"... Got a beak that's big enough to twist a (Memphis) Tigers tail...."

This is a snippet of the KU fight song - modified for Memphis, of course.  My boys and now girl have all learned this song along with the Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant from the time they were infants.  I'm not a fan of the lullaby.  Hey... if they can listen to Elmo and Veggie Tales, why not Dad?

Yes, It's the time of year here at the Burns household when Daddio wrestles control of the remote from the boys to watch college basketball.  I'm a big college basketball fan.  Denise likes college hoops - this is good.  If you go to the University of Kansas it's pretty much a requirement.  I have some great memories of watching games with friends at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.  It's probably one of the best venues for college basketball in America.  The pundits usually give Duke's gym the edge, but only because it's smaller. 

Twenty years ago, I was a sophomore Journalism major at KU when Danny Manning led a rag tag team of Jayhawks to the National Championship against Oklahoma.  Several of us made a trek to Kansas City where the final was played for no other reason than to see the team off to Kemper Arena from their hotel.  I recall sitting in the back of my good friend, Ray Myers, Toyota Celica Coupe.  It was cramped but it didn't matter because we were college kids having a fun time.  We got to the hotel about the time a big "alumni" pep rally was ending in the ballroom.  The crowd cleared out and probably headed to the game and courtside seats.  The hotel had one of those huge screen TV's playing the game and they allowed us to sit in the ballroom with a small crowd and watch the entire game.  They played a great game mainly carried by Danny Manning.  Larry Brown was the coach at that time.  We stuck around in Kansas City until the team returned and celebrated for a while.  When we left for the hour drive back to Lawrence we had the radio tuned to the campus radio station and they had three songs playing in a loop - "We Are the Champions" by Queen, The School Fight Song and some other song I can't recall.  We got back to find Jayhawk Boulevard Closed and the celebration continuing.  School was cancelled the next day.  This was good.   

Tomorrow night KU will once again play for the NCAA Tournament Championship after beating North Carolina, led by former Kansas coach Roy Williams.  For last nights semi-final I drove the 1-2 hours to Atlanta to watch the game with fellow alum Phil Kopf.  I'll probably be watching the game here at the farm tomorrow night with Denise, but one thing is certain, there will be Jayhawk fans all over the world watching the game.  I received a congratulatory email last night from the Reads.  Mark and his wife, Amy (KU Alum) have been friends for years and are currently on a sailing adventure .  A Burger King in Costa Rica was their found venue for watching the game last night (probably a local alumni group meeting place).  And so, my fellow Jayhawks, there is only one thing left to say........

"Rock Chalk Jayhawk.... GO KU!"

Let's cut down the nets! 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

....if you go metal detecting after supper with no pants on.

 

Thankfully it was still in the 60's when he wandered outside to dig for treasure.  And there is Elmo underwear beneath the tunic top!