Strange Bird Nest

I found this bird nest hanging in the big pepper tree when I was hanging lights for the Dinner in The Grove which is happening tomorrow night.     I am not sure what kind of bird made this nest, but amazed at the work it must have taken to create it.   There is a hole in the top of it and it looks like some type of basket.   I am not sure if there is anything inside of it, but didn't want to disturb it if there was.

Tree's Full of Fruit! - Orchard update

The trees in the orchard are all carrying fruit as we move into summer.  Some are more productive than others.   Some of the older trees are showing their age - in lack of production.    Here is a photo tour off all the types of fruit in my orchard.


Here is the apple tree.  Although I planted a couple trees this winter,  this is the only one that is bearing fruit.

Black walnut -  The orchard was a walnut farm in the 1930's.    This is one of the few original trees that are left.    Its an old tree but still produces quite a few walnuts.

Blackberry -  Here is a blackberry bush - that is growing on the property.   There are quite a few of them that are ripe.

Mandarin orange.   This is the only Mandarin orange in the orchard, but its very productive and is loaded with fruit.   This is the type of fruit that is also sold as the cuties in the grocery stores.

Strawberries - These are the strawberries that we planted a couple months ago. The fruit is small, but will be bigger next year.

Apricot - This apricot tree is an older tree and production has dropped off dramatically.  There are a few apricots on the tree, but not enough to justify the water used to keep it alive and it may be time to replace it with a younger tree.   They are ripe and they taste very sweet.

There are 4 avocado trees on the property and this one has quite a few baby avocados on it.   I am not a fan of Avocados but they are a great cash crop and very popular.

Fig- Here are some figs on the tree.  There are 3 fig trees and they are generally very productive.  

They mature at different times, so it will produce all summer.  There is a large one and some younger smaller figs.

Here are some oranges that are growing nicely.   There are 4 orange trees on the property.  Two aren't producing that well and others are producing nicely.

This is one of the peach trees on the property.   This is one of 4 peach trees.   They fruit is still young and green, but the biggest problem is that as the fruit ripens, its a favorite of the squirrels.

Plum - this a tree with some plums that are still green.   There are 3 plum trees in the orchard.

Pomegranate -   There are a couple pomegranate trees on the property.   This is another tree that ripens at various times.   There are larger ones and smaller ones.  

Sapote or Mexican Apple Trees.   This is a very unusual fruit  -  The fruit is an ovoid drupe, 5–10 cm in diameter, with a thin, inedible skin turning from green to yellow when ripe, and an edible pulp, which can range in flavor from bland to banana-like to peach to pear to vanillaflan   The pulp can be creamy-white in green skin varieties or a beige-yellow in yellow skin varieties and has a smooth texture similar to ripe avocado. It contains from one to five seeds that are said to have narcotic properties.  Several recent in vitro studies have shown that zapotin has potential anti-carcinogenic effects against isolated colon cancer cells.  Eating the fruit has long been known to produce drowsiness.   There is one tree on the property its a very large tree. 

This is a grapefruit tree that produces a nice pink grapefruit that will grow quite large.

Macadamia nut.  This is what little macadamia nuts look like before they grow larger.   There is one tree and the squirrels love em.  We generally don't get any because they are all gone by the time they are ripe.

Finally- some persimmons that are starting to grow in size.  These are very young and will be mature around October.

Kickstarter Campaign

I started a kickstarter campaign to fund a new chicken coop for the farm.  Its basically pre-selling vegetables because anyone who donates to the campaign will receive that amount in vegetables this summer.

The current coop is in terrible shape and chicken will help me become completely organic by providing a cheap source of fertilizer, and also use them to keep weeds and bugs under control.

Here is the link for the campaign.   Your donations are appreciated and I have some nice rewards in exchange.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1235544127/fox-farm-chicken-coop-fox-and-chickens-dont-mix



Here's some pictures of the current coop that has been eaten by termintes.

Hapeman Ranch - Before and After!

Hapeman Ranch is  where Fox Farm is located and where i am growing my vegetables and tending the orchard.   The property is a true urban farm and its surrounded by houses on all 4 sides.   Its a 2.5 acre ranch, orchard, and farm stuck in between housing developments.

There was a 5 acre parcel beside Hapeman Ranch, and was a chicken ranch.   The property was sold to a developer who promptly built houses.


Here is a picture of the corral before the housing tract was built

And here is a picture of the corral and housing built by the developer.  The walnut tree is still (now surrounded by white corral fencing) there as are the Pear Cactus towards the back of the corral where the white fence meets the block wall..    There was a nice view of the mountains in the distance.

Final part of Corral tilled!

I tilled the last part of the corral this morning.   This will be the final 7 rows of vegetables.  I will need to add compost to the rows and till again.   The rows will be about 50 feet long and 3 feet wide.

There will be a total of 21 rows along the back wall of the corral.

Prickly Pear Cactus Blooming

The prickly pear cactus is blooming at my farm.   The cactus is quite large and looks old.   The prickly pear cactus is native to this area and this one looks very old.   The prickly pear is a edible with two parts that are eaten.  The flowers will form a pod that is sweet and used to make prickly pear nectar.  The paddles or main part of the cactus are used to make hispanic dishes.    They are called Nopalito's

Here are some images of the flowers and also the entire cactus.  It looks like its about 10-12 feet tall.

Harvest - Spring Onions

I harvested some spring onions for the Riverside Food Cooperative Crop Box.   Spring onions are the regular type of onions that you buy in the store, but they are picked after the bulb has started forming but before the onion is mature and dried for storage.   They will only last 4-5 days in a refrigerator because they haven't been cured.   The greens will have a stronger flavor and the onions will be tender and have a mild flavor.  

They were planted last fall and are doing very well, but decided to harvest some as I need to make room for summer vegetables.