Busy Time

It may not look it from the lack of posts, but things are happening pretty quickly at BWF now.  Just wrapped up adding another 6 acres with a house, a shop and a huge barn.  Much underway sprucing all that up and hoping to add a corral for cattle, a roadway and crossing down to the rest of BWF and fencing.  All intending to add Grass Fed Beef to the BWF product line next year.  Before that though is planting the next crop of garlic and that is happening next weekend. Keep dropping by to see how its all going--or coming together in the days and weeks ahead. I'll keep you posted... better than I have thus far I promise.

News Coming

Lots happened in the last few days. Come back soon for an update.

01-15-12

Just back from a couple of days at BWF checking its pulse, seeing if the garlic is up yet ~ much is, just barely- and to get started on the Farmhouse Project.


Since the last post in September so much has happened.  The biggest news of all is that in late December BWF grew from 15 to 34 acres with the purchase of a beautiful, isolated 30-acre pasture completely surrounded by the riparian vegetation of two sloughs --East and West Sturgeon Sloughs -- and a couple of drainage ditches.  Every walkabout encounters blue herons, widgeon, teal, mallards and about a dozen or so Columbia White Tail deer, a distinct white tail deer species native to the Columbia River that is now endangered.


Another way cool part of the deal is a 1906 or so fixer-upper balloon framed farmhouse with strong emphasis on the fixer-upper as you can tell from the picture. 

The Farmhouse Project will be to restore this diamond in the rough to the gem she no doubt once was in her Glory Days.  I'll be hoping to do so in a way that stays true to the house's Victorian lines, but with new bones, ideally completely off the grid using captured rainwater, solar & wind energy, high efficiency windows, etc. The house will be moved to the pasture sometime in the next little while.


And that's what this blog is really going to be about: the evolution of Backwater Farm from its travel trailer, shipping container and a lot of bare pasture present into a fully operating farm with a substantial post and beam barn, outbuildings, a completely cherried out farmhouse, bees, fences, cattle, maybe goats and of course garlic.  Our garlic roots run deep, as they should.


Check back to share in the learning process, the bumps in the road, the smashed thumbs and all the joy this type of effort is sure to offer.  Be careful though... there might be a barn raisin' in your future.

9-9-11

OK then.  I'm heading to the farm later today to finish up with the garlic cleaning, rototill next year's beds, clean up and generally start getting ready for planting next month.  Much to do, so little time so I'd better get going.  Stay Tuned