albemarle, nc

Occupational hazards.

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Getting the field ready for sweet potatoes! But first, we added lime, manganese sulfate, sulfur and boron. AND a deer fence. After they ate all 2000 sweet potato plants in 2 days last year, I’m not taking any chances. Then I gathered up my hubby’s dirty work shirts and hung them on the fence posts. Plus the one he was wearing. I demanded he remove it and put it on the fence. Deer deterrent. He wasn’t enthusiastic about me taking all his favorite work shirts but reluctantly agreed since I promised it was for just one night. And by one night I mean until October.

Anyway my sister came to help plant them and we rode on the 2 seat planter and Shane drove the tractor. Then afterward: strawberry ginger margaritas, Boston butt from the crock pot, fresh slaw and   homemade pickles. Thank goodness Sister works for food and drinks 🙂

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Freshly dug, uncured garlic. Susanville – a super flavorful variety

I’ll be at the Charlotte Regional Farmers’ Market tomorrow 6/4 until 1pm:

broccoli, green cabbage, some Bloody Butchers, the fresh garlic, cukes, squash, 3 kinds of kale, probably the last or next to last week of chard, lots of basil including Thai basil, mint, onion bunches, sweet potatoes, wheat berries and our grass fed Angus beef in these cuts:

whole ribeye and strip loins, ribeyes, NY strips, sirloins, flat irons,  ground beef, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, oso bucco, short ribs, brisket, soup bones, liver, sirloin tip roasts, eye of round and bone-in chuck roasts, and hot dogs and andouille sausage made from 100% grass fed beef without any nitrates/nitrites.

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That happened. Was not expecting to find that when I reached into the nest box.

The day before, I had gone to the storage building, flung open the door and went FACE PLANT into a big black snake hanging on the inside of the door. I don’t mind them, but that was WHAAAA! and I screamed (sheepish face).  Shane came flying over on the Gator to see if I was being murdered. Sorry! He loaded up my stuff (score) and when I got home I ripped open a bag of potting mix and ARGH! snakes in the mix. Snake face plant numero dos. Thank goodness I didn’t slash the bag with a knife like usual!! So I got her on the broom handle and carried her to the woods. Next day…she’s eating my eggs.

So I guess she just lives there now. I try to get eggs before she can steal them and she’s always there in her “apartment”. I guess I don’t mind. They eat mice, and have a shy personality, pretty much just slowly sneaking away and hiding unlike the encounters I’ve had in the past with rattlesnakes, who are super mean and just glare at you aggressively like they can’t wait to fang your eyeballs out.

THEN when I was loading up the hi-cal lime there was a black widow on the bags, and her 2 egg sacs. She also got relocated to the woods. This place is a death trap.

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Does anyone know about these turtles? I got questions. I’m really hoping for baby turtles in the tomato hoop house!! Could it happen??

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Thankfully not our tractor, but another farmer who was I think baling hay. No one was hurt.

See you tomorrow!

2 Comments

  1. mary powers

    I enjoyed this newsletter -especially the photos. We just saved a large black snake 3.5 -4 feet long, trying to cross a busy road. Slow moving and heavy creature… Those box turtles are endangered due to being hit by cars and or captured as indoor pets. We have a largish female in our back yard who happily munches grubs and checks out the compost pile from time to time. I think its a sign that you don’t use a lot of pesticides to have a box turtle around. A blessing. I’ve read that the females have dark or gold eyes, the males usually have red eyes. Also females are slightly roundish on the belly, males are slightly concave to help with mating.

    • Poplin Farms

      Thank you for that! This one is a female then and she just keeps showing up everywhere.

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