Corn Buck

Picking peppers and other things

2010-06-04T16:28:00.000-04:00

Weeding continues and has become 'mantra' like, but even my soul has difficulty being convinced that rooting out this grass is good for it. Especially as, just as you think you have it and pull up the root, it sticks a fine picker filament in your finger.

Some cocoa had finished fermenting and was put out to dry in the sun,

peppers and cucumbers were picked and beans were weeded

and this visitor stayed posing on the blade of grass, long enough for me to reach her. She has the most beautiful turquoise blue highlights which I failed to capture.

Oh, and finally....
the mango thief has taken to stealing pen manure as well!

Mango Time Again

2010-05-17T11:11:00.003-04:00

I stand beneath the big mango trees while T
goes to the highest heights to pick the half ripe
fruit before throwing them down to me. Am
always amazed at how heavy the Ceylon are,
but my heart will always lie with the Julie.

Drought

2010-03-11T09:46:00.003-04:00

Everywhere is very dry, even Job's tears have dried up.

Three of the nutmeg trees are looking very unhappy

and several of the citrus have given up trying

including the lime tree at the top of the hill and the grapefruit that bore so well last year.

The saddest sites are the vast areas of forestry that have been burnt deliberately, like the hillside behind Cornel,but T's valiant efforts at persuading 'the river that has become a stream' to pass through our lettuce, strengthens our resolve and reminds us to count our blessings.

Construction

2009-09-08T18:26:00.003-04:00

Along awaited essential piece of construction has taken place in Corn Buck this week.
Materials being at a minimum, T, as ever, rose valiantly to the occasion.
Not enough old galvanise for the door? No problem.... weave your own.

Of Food and Shelter

2009-09-02T14:19:00.004-04:00

Today was close and humid and the thunder began to roll just as I finished weeding the okra and T gave the grass to the cow and her calf.

I peeled the tania and onions whilst T went to the river to fish, returning a few moments later
with enough crayfish for the pot, which he combined with the above, together with dumplings, split peas and basil. It was delicious.
Xena, hating thunderstorms, ran for cover, unimpressed with today's menu.

Happy Days

2009-05-07T13:25:00.009-04:00

We almost finished
weeding the lettuce
and the pak choy
this morning.

I prefer to weed and mole
as I go

and T likes to weed all
and then mole.

After an early lunch,
we made the rounds
and picked nutmeg
and mangoes with our
all time favourite
fruit picker.

Whilst taking some shade
and a five under the Julie,
we sat and admired T's
ability to persuade water
to run uphill,
all the way from the river,
which is way down below
the shed, the roof of which
can just be seen below him.

The cow was happy too.

On the Mend

2009-05-04T14:27:00.001-04:00

T and 'The Back' much better today.
Three beds forked for eggplant and
lettuce weeding commenced. Lots of
rain and the river came down.

May Day

2009-05-01T11:14:00.006-04:00

T has not been
feeling too well
these past couple
of days. I think
he has been
overdoing it.
This morning
we came up to
Corn Buck just
to cut grass for the
cow and come
home.

I cutlassed below
the top nutmeg
which is bearing
now. These are
the last few remaining
trees following Ivan.
Afterwards, I went
higher up the
track and cut some
broom to sweep with.
Today was hot and sunny,
with a nice breeze,
just hope T is feeling better soon.

Good Intentions

2009-04-28T17:46:00.003-04:00

This morning,
as the sun peeped
over the mountain

and T decided
to trim the bamboo,
whilst cutting grass
for the cow,

I resolved to
weed the lettuce.

My back,
however,
had other
ideas.

So we took
ourselves
off to the
river,
and sat,
with this bank
behind us

and
contemplated
Job's Tears.

Cocoa, the love affair continues.....

2009-04-24T16:26:00.004-04:00

Me and the cocoa
from yesterday.
Of course, the big
cocoa farmers
have drying sheds
with special platforms
on wheels, facilitating
an easier withdrawal,
should a rain fall.
T gave me a large
piece of plastic that
next door's new bed
came wrapped in.
Works for me
and, best of all,
the sun is
shining.

Of Irrigation and Cocoa

2009-04-22T14:40:00.004-04:00

I have sadly neglected
this blog and am cross
with myself for having
done so. It was not my
intention, just time and
stuff, I suppose. Not to
say that Corn Buck has
been neglected, quite the
opposite in fact. We have
been able to abandon all
chemicals and now fertilize
using only the pen manure
from the cow.The irrigation
system that T set up has
been invaluable with the
dry spell that has been in
evidence this last week
or so. No real dry season this
year so far but the basil were

glad of the extra wetting.

The highlight of my week
was purchasing a cocoa knife,
something I have longed for.
Finally, I am able to pick
cocoa unaided. The trees
themselves are few and far
between, old and diseased
and damaged by Ivan, but I
am very fond of them and
love making our very own
hot chocolate.

T cut a long bamboo
and fixed the knife on
the end and reminded me
how to use it and how to
tell the pods that are ready
from the ones that are
not.
The knife has two blades,
one straight edge that you
push up to cut and one
hooked, that you pull,
depending on which is
appropriate for the
individual pod.
Sometimes a combination
of both methods.
It is also helps if you
cutlass below the tree first
in order to see where the pods
land.

Beautiful aren't they?
Just to crack and
put them to dry
tomorrow.

January to date

2009-01-24T16:20:00.007-04:00

January has been surprisingly wet, we have had a lot of rain that has
enabled us to keep planting when we may have been spending a lot
of time with irrigation , however, a main drain required re digging.
Dasheen and tannia, sweet potato, saffron, (turmeric) ginger, cocoa,
nutmeg and the first mangoes, are all ready.
A bountiful if busy month lies ahead.

We picked the cocoa that was ripe and put the beans to dry in the sun,
on a piece of galvanise that we put back in the shed if a rain falls.
I try to limit myself to one turmeric plant per day, wash off the soil in
the river, before bringing the tubers home, to scrub, chip and dry on a tray
in the sun. When they are totally dry I will grind them, a little at a time.
The dwarf beans, either from weeding or virus, have developed a similar
mildew as sometimes afflicts the pumpkin and cucumber, but we had a
good crop and they were delicious.
We have started to weed those beds now, to plant corn and

T has planted carrots were the sweet potato were and we began cutlassing below
the remaining 8 nutmeg trees.
The seed tray behind the house is full of cabbage, tomato, more lettuce, eggplant,
basil and oregano seedlings, I wonder if it matters that they are bedded together?
They should be ready for transplanting next week. The cauliflower that were
planted the other week are doing well, those that have not been eaten by a night
time visitor, and the celery and okra are fine. T went to town today and sold 50
lettuce and a box full of basil, which is really becoming popular now that people know
who he and what it is .
Now if we could just resolve the access road situation and maybe,
just maybe, buy a donkey.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T18:32:00.003-04:00

Happy New Year, especially to all small farmers,
may it be a bountiful one. Today found us restoring some order
to the bamboo that T cut last week by the river
where it was barring the light and the breeze.

Caution has to be exercised when cutting bamboo.

It likes to cut you back.

We also weeded the basil

Which will be moled and given pen manure this week.
The weather was very kind to us today, misty with drizzle and cool.

Busy

2008-12-30T10:37:00.005-04:00

This has been a very busy week, the weather was very kind and helped us by sending much needed rain. T forked the land just below the beans, for new okra. He made the holes which I wet before sowing, 3 seeds to a hole, following something I read somewhere recently

"rain or wet,
wet when you set"

The basil sold well in town, T walking and selling, in the build up to Christmas, also the beans which we sold at $3e.c. per pound. The bottles of sorrel that I made were not so popular but would have sold had I made wine, something to remember for next year, however, we enjoyed drinking them and sharing with
family.

Sunday saw us weeding and clearing close by the river, where the cive, rocket and big thyme are, we also dug up the first of the 'saffron' (turmeric) and put it to dry and T cut back the big bamboo by the river to allow more light and air to pass through.

Team work

2008-12-18T19:20:00.002-04:00

Trev cut grass for the cow and I wet the lettuce, Trev forked, made holes and wet them while I sowed, 3 seeds to a hole, we both covered them. I weeded beans and we picked them together.

Dry Season

2008-12-11T10:50:00.003-04:00

There is a change in the air
since the previous post and
the rainy seasons' grand finale.
Now the days are shorter,
the nights are cooler
and there is less humidity. T makes
preparations by putting a pipe
in the ravine that marks the boundary
at the top of Corn Buck. Using a series
of Heath Robinson pipe and hose
connections, we will be able to water
the hundreds of lettuce that we planted
in the beds that T made on the top.
Meanwhile, the dwarf beans
are bearing so I weed, mole , mulch
and pick them

together with more sorrel
and give thanks for nature's bounty.

This week

2008-11-27T14:30:00.002-04:00

This week we continued
picking sorrel and cutlassing
the land at the top, picked
limes, citronella, ripe fig
and okra, dasheen, sweet
potato weeded and 'bombed'
the basil, sowed some purple
okra and cleaned drains.

We don't know what this
vine is but it has a tuber
that looks a little like a
yam only smaller, so it
was spared.

The grapefruit are almost full,
first time this tree
has born fruit.

T forked new beds for
cabbage above the
mango trees which we
dressed with the pen
manure from the old
cow pen by the ravine.
The land is still very wet
from all the rain we have had.
The basil was not happy.

Sales

2008-11-10T17:29:00.003-04:00

T leaves for town to sell basil, parsley, big thyme,
common pork, seasoning peppers and okro.
Town is full of people selling. Cabbage, yam, sweet potato,
green fig, banana. We sell herbs. By the bag. No scale,
a lighter load and, for now, no competition.

Of Big Thyme and carrot beds

2008-10-28T14:42:00.004-04:00

It was cool on reaching Corn Buck today
and refreshingly dry following the thunderous
downpours that we have been experiencing
recently.

I planted some more beds of big thyme,
an undervalued plant, in my opinion.
I much prefer it to the traditional bushy
thyme, both for flavour and appearance.
It is also very easy to grow.

T excelled himself, as usual,
creating new beds for carrots,
sowing two varieties at the same
time,

working on the principal
that if one fails the other will not.

The importance of drains

2008-10-21T13:35:00.003-04:00

For as long as anyone can remember there have been drains in Corn Buck.
On a daily basis, they sometimes present something of an obstacle, when
passing from one part of the garden to another, their being quite steep in places,
but

after five minutes of heavy rain, we remember their importance and are glad
that we erred on the side of caution and kept them clean and, relatively weed free.

Only when the rain falls does it become apparent where a little maintenance or alteration is necessary.

The irrigation pipe looks slightly redundant,

luckily T took the main pipe out of the river,
just as the down pour started.

And as soon as it starts, it stops, but we will not be crossing the river today.

Maintenance

2008-10-17T06:58:00.003-04:00

Okra and dwarf beans being given a little encouragement after weeding and moling.

Liquid Gold

2008-10-09T17:12:00.001-04:00

The first application of our very own pen manure.
No, not a misspelling of hen, pen manure is what you get
when you have a cow tethered in your land

This morning

2008-09-22T18:43:00.003-04:00

T cutlassed and made new beds for sweet potato, while I sowed rocket seeds, sunflowers and groomed some fig trees.

Tania, turmeric and ginger.

2008-08-04T16:00:00.003-04:00

With the arrival of a friend's cow, we now have no worries regarding manure. T cuts grass for it in the early mornings and our alarm clock has been altered to 4.30a.m. We were late this morning having had a disturbed sleep due to a vehicle reversing almost into the yard followed by loud cursing and getting on, for what seemed like ages, when eventually help arrived and the cursing drove away. Pre carnival festivities. The ginger plants, that T's sister K gave us, were ready to plant out, which I did, after weeding the beds for them, next to the parsley and turmeric, (or saffron as we call it even though it isn't) but I didn't fork as the beds are still good from when the tomatoes were there and anyway I feel that rooty tubers like a less sandy soil and , to be honest, I was tired. T , who was also tired, nevertheless, cut three loads of grass for the cow and then opened over one hundred holes to plant the Tania, on the top, just by where the cow is tied. There is so much weeding to be done or as a man that was passing observed,
"The bush killing you"

Rain

2008-07-14T18:42:00.002-04:00

Rain, lots and lots and lots of rain, as I weed beans to the right of the footpath and T plants cabbage and tomatoes down in the beds where the first set of sweet potato were, the drains gush with water, a hundred little streams spring up from nowhere and the water covers the big stone ,where we have to pass to get home, in the river. T hauls me across as the torrent pours into his boots and Xena fights the current as she successfully swims to the opposite bank.
The Season is here at last.

Harvest

2008-04-29T18:56:00.006-04:00

T organised a larger

water collector for

the hose which seems

to be working

admirably.

We have had no rain

and everywhere

is very dry.

I watered the carrots,

which are almost

ready to harvest,

T the new lettuce

and okra beds.

25lbs of beans.

dwarf,

were picked, which

makes a total

of 43lbs since Saturday.

There are nutmeg, mangoes, okra, cucumber, cabbage, basil and rocket.

Monday moments

2008-04-21T19:46:00.002-04:00

T cutlassed behind the new shed
while I cleared below the second
mango tree. We have resolved to
spend the first hour of every day,
keeping the land clean.

After, I weeded and moled and tied
some more tomatoes, while T forked
some new beds for cabbage.
Some cocoa was cut and cracked
and put to dry.

This week's endeavours

2008-04-20T14:29:00.010-04:00

This week
the cive
were weeded
and moled,

and a new shed
was under
construction.
We will be
spending
some nights
here, when the
tomatoes
and beans
start bearing.

New beds were
made and sown
with lettuce,
okra and
cabbage.

The dasheen
was weeded

as was the
rocket.
Some rocket plants
were transplanted
into
the small leaf
basil bed
and the drain and
land
below the Ceylon mango
was cleaned and cutlassed.

The dwarf beans
were weeded and moled
as were the tomatoes
which
were also tied.

Now all that is
needed is a door

and
a
lick
of
paint.

This week's harvest;

Cucumber, dwarf beans, okra, Julie mangoes and full fig.

So far so good.

2008-04-03T18:30:00.010-04:00

We have tomatoes

with bamboo sticks

for support.

We have basil

and some more
tomatoes

the variety is
Heat Master
and very deserving
of the name,
having withstood
the dry season
admirably.

We have dwarf beans,

'saffron'
turmeric planted
in these new beds

two of the
purple Chinese beans
have sprouted,
( I may have planted
them a little too deep)

new carrot beds,

did I mention
tomatoes?

The siphon from
the river is working.

More tomatoes,

Oh, sorry, the
bamboo and
big stones
looked so lovely in
the late afternoon
sun,

more tomatoes,

cive beds are
doing nicely,

cabbage,

two varieties of
rocket,

Sweet potatoes,

6 week
sweet potatoes,

the original carrot beds
together with padaje leaf
as weed suppressant
and moisture keeper.

The second carrot beds
newly weeded today.

More sweet potato

cucumber growing
happily, in the ashes,

and finally,
more sweet potato.

Cabbage beds

2008-03-04T16:07:00.004-04:00

spent the day

making more

beds for the

cabbage

whilst I finished

thinning the carrots.

We are having

a back ache

competition.

Our day out

2008-02-28T20:06:00.020-04:00

We meet up
with
a farmer
from up the road,
who has kindly
offered us some
sweet potoato
slips.

He shows us
the farm
and how
he plants
and cares for
tomatoes,

cive,

supplements,

sweet potatoes,

carrot beds,

6 week sweet potato
slips,

cabbage,

beds for yam,

the view.

Our

new

sweet potato

beds,

made on our

return.

and

my alternative

weed

suppressant,

Padaje leaf,

Gramoxone.

(Paraquat)

Baby steps

2008-02-27T10:36:00.006-04:00

Yesterday we made
some more beds for
cabbage,
treating ants' nests
with 'Sevens'
when we
encountered
them.

I sowed about
80 little plants
and T cleaned
the next area.

The dasheen
he planted
is looking
very happy
after all the
rain that fell
last night.

Later, whilst
T burns old
wood from Ivan,
I get to play
in the cocoa

and
down
by
the
river.

A bit behind with the blog but not the work.

2008-02-25T17:20:00.015-04:00

February 13th 2008
T forks around the
blugga trees
above the river
where the soil
is soft and sandy
and where i make
and sow
the carrot beds.

T makes a drain
for the spring,
where he finds
a loca, a river serpent,
that I am too slow
to photograph,

before it disappears
beneath the mud.

We transfer

the tomato seedlings

to their new home

above the mango trees.

I hope they will be

happy here,

it is a bit hot

and exposed.

February 20th 2008

T cleared the vine
and bush from the
hill below the
sentinel stones and I cut
bamboo sticks for
the tomato plants.

T in his new

Valentine's

garden hat.

February 25th 2008.
We cleared this
area of stones and bush
and removed
old and diseased
fig trees.
T forked and I made
a bed for rocket.

T threw together

another shade/shelter,

planted dasheen in
the drain while I thinned
the carrots, that were planted
by the blugga trees
justbehind him
in this picture

and these strange looking
bugs
were relocated.

Will look them up here.

Update feb 7th 2008

2008-02-14T17:24:00.017-04:00

We are now at the far end
of the garden, by the river,
as it loops around to leave us
and heads off down to the falls.

I clear and clean
between the fig trees

whilst T tackles

the hill.

When he reaches

the top, a surprise

is waiting, an old iron

axe head is found beneath

a stone, in a hole

in the bigger of the two

large sentinel stones,

at the top of the hill.

So we wonder,

who it was that hid this here,

when and why?

The hole is deep and full

of water.

and the view from here

is refreshing.

First sharpen your cutlass....

2008-02-01T20:59:00.000-04:00

This is how
every day
in Corn Buck
begins,
T sharpens our
cutlasses
with his file
and I drink coffee
and look around.
It is
beautiful,
every day
brings
new surprises.

we are

below

the three old

mango trees,

we can hardly

believe.

It has been

one month,

(not including

days off

and teeth

pulled out)

since we began

this project.

So here we go again................

2008-02-01T20:17:00.000-04:00

Starting above
the pear tree
by the river

clean,
clean,
clean

across to the fig trees
before the mangoes
with the river
on the left.

T excells,
through the bush
and the vine.

A step in the right direction

2008-01-28T15:14:00.000-04:00

We reached Corn Buck
about eight this morning.
T began to clear the land
below the mango trees,
in the centre of the garden,
where the soil is heavy
and the drains are deep.
My shoulder muscles are
still a little sore and, not
wanting to strain them again, I took my paints and sat

and studied the middle mango.
While waiting for paint to dry,
I helped T remove the vine
from the coconut and fig trees
and burned, the now very dry,
bush.
We left with eight big, almost
ripe, bunches of bananas,
which T's dad suggested we
sell, together with the grapefruit,
as an income for us. Nice.
We brought the bananas home
and T showed me how to cut them from the stalk and
put them to ripen beneath sheets of newspaper. I was
delighted to see it was 'The Financial Times'. I take
this as a good omen. Our resolve is strengthened with
encouragement and approval. T is happy and so am I.
Time to come, we will build a ripening shed in the garden.

and so it goes..............

2008-01-19T12:03:00.000-04:00

We have
worked
our way
from the
big mango
trees,
to go back
to the
boundary
mangoes,
by where
the dasheen
needs weeding.

Job's
tears
conceal

fig and
orange
trees

and
finally,
the
last
day
of the
week,
gives us
vine,
over
old bush,
that grows
between stone.

We rise
to the
challenge
and take
comfort
in, finally,
sighting
the
lime tree.

Today's Challenge

2008-01-13T15:04:00.000-04:00

I
decided
to
try
and
reach
the
orange
tree
today.

Successfully.

T,
naturally,
was
far
more
ambitious

and
cleared
all
the
land
on
the
bank
below
the
orange
tree.

He also came home with a bucket of tania, a fine bag of grapefruit and a huge bundle of vine for the rabbits.

More of the same

2008-01-03T19:58:00.001-04:00

Clearance continues

2008-01-02T12:41:00.000-04:00

T reaches
the bend
in the
path
where
the river
used to pass

and I
clean
between
the
fig and
stones
above it.

Where we
will
continue
tomorrow.

T gets
vine
before
we go
8.30am start
12 noon finish
today.

New Year's Day 2008

2008-01-01T14:16:00.001-04:00

Cutlassing
continues to the
right of the
path

and to the
left

from
8.30am
until
2.00pm

when T collects
vine for the
rabbit
and fig
that
are
full
to take
back
down.

Clearing, cleaning, cutlassing and collecting

2007-12-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

An early start

saw us in

Corn Buck

for 7.15 a.m.

Occasional

heavy showers

were not

appreciated

by the

warrior

princess.

continued

clearing

the bush

and cleaning

the fig trees

until 10.30a.m

when we

went up

to collect

some

grapefruit

that

were

ready,

leaving

before

the

river came

down

too heavy.

Commitment

2007-12-29T15:47:00.000-04:00

As
2007

draws

a close,

T and I

decide

that we

will

commit

spending more time in Corn buck.

The recent news proclaiming that any lands not being worked properly by the landowner could be requisitioned encouraged us to make this decision but it is also something that we have wanted to do for some time. We have made regular weekly visits to help Mr A, T's father,bring down fig, weed, collect lime and mango etc., but it needs more than that now. Mr A isn't able to work as before and we both feel that the time has come for us to make a bigger commitment to this place.

began

today

'grooming'

the fig

trees

beside

the

river

and

cutlassing the grass.

We are trying to deter Mr A from using Gramoxone which, although makes it much easier for him to control the bush, also carries health risks and makes the garden look terrible when everything turns brown.

achieved

quite a lot

in a

couple

of hours

and

decided

make

several

similar

visits, throughout the week.

There

were

refreshments

available,

waternut

and

sorrel,

and T

searched

for fig

ready to

bring down

to ripen.

and this

is where

the real

problem lies,

to cross

the river

and climb

the bank

the road,

with load,

is hard.

took

five

and

watched

the

shadows

play

before

returning

home.