About Dayphoto

My name is Linda Brown. I live on a farm on the western slope of Colorado, in the high mountain desert. I’ve lived here all my life, hailing back four generations on my father’s side. Today I blog about our farm, the everyday activities that keep the farm going. I also write about my thoughts and dreams and goals. On Friday’s I always write about TLC Cai-Cai. Our sweet kitty who helps keep the farm safe. And Boo Berry Betty, a breeder dog learning to be a Farm Dog! The lovely thing about blogging it opens the world up for all of us to reach out and meet people from many different cultures and different ways of life. You can find me every day (but Saturday) at https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/ Your Friend on a Western Colorado Farm, Linda Brown

Maraschino Cherry Recipe–Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Dayphoto

This is my grandmother, on my father’s side, recipe.

If you make this in a small batch they will store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

My grandmother always water bathed, but the process does make them soft. (they will darken and get softer). I’ve even tried soaking the cherries in slack lime (like you do for pickles), although I still didn’t really like the results.

Today I rarely can them.

This recipe is for one pint-sized jar. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you wish to make more at a time.

Makes just 1 pint-sized jar

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups fresh cherries

To each jar you may add:

1 small (or piece of) cinnamon stick

4 whole allspice

I always add:

1/4 tsp. almond extract

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring gently.

Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Add lemon juice and vanilla and stir again.

Wash cherries, leaving on the stems, if you like. I usually don’t since I never pick the cherries with the stems. I have to hurry to beat the birds.

Pit the cherries by hand. A cherry pitter will destroy the whole look of the cherry.

Add the cinnamon, allspice and almond extract to each jar, if you are using. I have made them all ways, but always love have the extra almond extract.

Fill your jar with the pitted cherries, leaving a 3/4 inch headspace.

Pack the cherries in tightly without smashing—you want the cherries to stay whole.

Pour in the flavored syrup, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.

Use a knife and VERY gently go around the edges of the jar to dislodge any bubbles

Wipe the rim and place on the jar lid.

At this point, you can store the cherries in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks or water bath process them for longer storage.

Either way, the flavor will take at least 3 days to soak into the cherries and then they are ready to eat.

Water Bath Processing: For long-term storage, process the pint-size jar(s) in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. I don’t know how to adjust for your altitudes.

If you want me to email you the recipe, let me know.

As always your friend,

Linda

The Cherries are Turning—Monday, June 15, 2015

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Dayphoto

My Sour Cherry THICKET (yes, I have a thicket—I made one on purpose. You see we need to keep the sides of the canal from eroding—lots of trees create lovely roots that hold the bank together.) is starting to produce.

Lovely sour cherries! Perfect for pies and homemade maraschino cherries, sauce for ice cream and jellies and jams.

I must pick a little every day, since that is how they ripen.

I try to pick first thing in the morning. Then those, which ripen during the day the birds may eat. I have to be fast…very fast! The Robins and Red-winged black birds and all the hordes of little brown birds, the Starlings and doves sit in the the pear and apple trees screeching at me telling to me to SCRAM!!!

I talk to them as I pick…’settle down. I won’t be here long. Just long enough to get some for us—it’s polite to share, you know…’

They share, but grudgingly, very grudgingly. The second I pick up my two buckets and head to the house the call goes out—SHE IS LEAVING! Hurry, we have to get as much as our tummies can hold! The tree limbs shake and shiver as the masses descend.

I won’t get tons and tons of cherries, because I do have tons and tons of birds. But what I do get will be just enough for Terry and I, and to serve for special meals come winter.

Your friend,

Linda

Maybe Today—Nope!—Sunday, June 14, 2015

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Dayphoto

Conversation Saturday morning….7:00

Terry-“What does the weather people say about the weather today? If it’s going to be nice for a week I really need to cut the alfalfa.”

Me–“Hummm, a slight, chance of scattered thunderstorms.”

Terry–“Okay, I’ll get ready and then go out this afternoon. First I need to haul some dirt.”

Me–“Sounds Good!”

2:30 p.m.

Hail, rain, thunder, lightening, flooding.

Terry, after coming in soaked, —“I guess we were in the path of the SLIGHT chance of a thunder storm.”

Me–“I guess so.”

Your friend on a very wet western Colorado Farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—About Mom

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

Mom is doing better! She says she still has a dull nagging headache, but the arm/elbow pain is gone.

We took several naps yesterday. I slept right on the floor next to her…she says I snore…look who’s talking. Humph!

Then in a tiny break in the rain, Mom, Dad, and I all went for a short ride. We went to the Rocky Point on our farm.

Dad says… ‘Let’s all go up to my place’, so we did.

We saw some deer.

And Mom saw some yellow Iris like flowers growing along the Canal Bank,

back home we all sat outside and watch the hummingbirds.

Mom said she needed a day like this.

I licked her hand. I think we all needed a day like this.
Boomer

I Fit the Weather—Thursday, June 11, 2015

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Dayphoto

Sorry, today I am a tad under-the-weather. I woke-up with a bad headache and a bad arm ache. I can’t seem to shake it.

Even after taking a short nap I’m still a wee knocked out. I hope to get better today. I better, since our Craig kids are coming on Saturday. 🙂

They are coming to take Linkin to church camp for a week and to bring us Blade for the week. It is also Linkin’s 11th birthday. The whole family will only be with us overnight—but I do want to feel well enough to enjoy them.

I plan on being back in good shape tomorrow. After all it’s Friday with Boomer AND I need to bake a gluten-free birthday cake for a special little girl.

Your friend,

Linda

It’s Raining Here—Again—Wednesday, June 6, 2015

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Dayphoto

Sure is good for the weeds and the flowers, not so good for my working in the weeds and flowers.

It’s also hard to irrigate.

I worked in the sunshine (really the shade of the sunshine) all day yesterday.

The weeds I jerked out won’t get to rejoice in all this moisture.

Oh, well…the rain is here today and gone by the weekend.

Your friend,

Linda

Sunshine on my Shoulders Makes Me Happy—Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Dayphoto

Who doesn’t like John Denver?

I have ALWAYS like John Denver.

I so feel like this song…

This a poor little Black-Chinned Hummingbird sitting in the rain this weekend…he was just like me…waiting for the sun.

“If I had a wish I could wish for each of you I would make a wish for you I would wish for Sunshine for all of you!”

Your Friend here on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

A Walk in the Desert—Monday, June 8, 2015

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Dayphoto

We had a small treat yesterday…our kids, who live in Grand Junction, Colorado, arrived with our granddaughter, her best friend, and their three fur children…”Would you like to go for a hike”? They asked!

“Sure” we replied!

Loading up Boomer, Terry and I followed them onto SawMill Mesa Road, past the Correctional Facility, then onto the old road to Escalante Canyon. Turning off we all parked and started hiking up a dry wash. They day wasn’t too hot and the bugs were still stunned from all the rain we had the two days before.

The desert wildflowers were stunning! But (to me) the most beauty came from those fleeting papery flowers of the cactus…

There were many different colors

Scattered here and there

Delighting in the recent moisture

Followed by warmth

and sunshine

A rare and lovely Gift!

Your friend,

Linda

Peacefulness—Sunday, June 7, 2015

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Dayphoto

Gradually my yard is evolving into the warmer colors

Yellow, pink, orange

With a dash of a brighter purple thrown in here and there.

What I really want to share with you is this darling little bird

I happened to be looking out the upstairs window at a Hummingbird (he/she was sitting on a branch peering into the window) when I saw hidden deep within the tree this precious site.

She is still there this morning, calm and peaceful…waiting and keeping warm those little eggs. I guess you know I’m going to be very discreet; keeping my eye on her. 🙂

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday— A Routine Day on the Farm

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Dayphoto

Mom hollered at me saying: “It’s your turn to write, Boomer. Today is Friday.” Then she walked upstairs to turn on the computer. As soon as I heard her voice I had already scrambled up from my dead sleep ready for action.

I wagged my tail and bounced up the stairs beating her by three steps! I might be 10 ½, but I’m still fast!

Tee Hee

I waited with Mom while the computer turned on and warmed up. Then I had to sit down for a spell, because Mom wanted to check out the news and a few things.

“Be thinking about what you want to say, Boom. I’ll look at the a few blogs, then when you are ready the computer is yours.”

I sat there watching her move the mouse around, click a few things…stop and stare at the screen…I guess I’ll just lay down here and put my head on my paws; looks like she is going to take forever!

Geez, my eye lids are getting heav…y…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

“Okay, Boomer, your turn,” mom announced as she got up from the computer chair.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmph! Znort! HUH!? Oh, My turn.

Let’s see-what was I dreaming thinking about? Oh Yes! What we did yesterday. Yesterday was a typical day. A day just like any other day. I like days like that they are FUN!

Mom and I took the finished siphon tubes out to the dirt ditch at the pinto bean field.

We irrigated the corn and the pinto bean field. We are watering the BIG corn field now…it takes a week to get across to get all the rows wet…I explored while my folks worked. Sadly I found out that one of the porcupines died over on the sagebrush hill. It’s always sad when something like that happens. Mom and Dad had a wee flood from the large cornfield into the little corn field…they were scrambling pretty fast to get the water back into the big corn field’s cement ditch. I thought it was pretty neat since several mice had to scamper very quickly away from the water. I didn’t chase them, but I did give some of them a couple of good sniffs.

Then Mom loaded me up…I don’t jump up any more, ever since I tore my knee Mom lifts me up and takes me down. My knee is better but she doesn’t want “another hurt knee”.

Then we moseyed on down past the alfalfa field … Dad says he will cut hay next Wednesday; it’s starting to bloom. To the pinto bean field. Mom told me to stay that this wasn’t going to take long.

It didn’t…22 set siphon tubes later and we were back on the 4-wheeler heading home. HUH!? Not home!

We were going to the Rocky Hill…Dad’s favorite spot on the farm. Then we rode through the pasture between the Rocky Hill and the Coyote Hill…it’s a good thing I was on the 4-wheeler the grass was over our heads!

We saw three doe deer…Mom told me today she and I are going out to put corn on the ground so the deer won’t eat the new baby corn plants. COOL!

After that we headed home. See. Not much happening. But it sure is fun.