Thursday, November 11, 2010

Next crop?

Well we finished harvesting our potato crop about a week ago. Now they are sitting in a dark barn for a few days before they get sold. Gotta get them ready for public life.

Kind of waiting for the price to go up, too.

Meanwhile, we decided to stick cabbage where the prior squash crop occupied the ground up until May.

These plants are about 12 weeks old and are starting to form heads already. Guess I'll be making a lot of cole slaw and stuffed cabbage rolls.... That's about all I know how to make with cabbage.

Hopefully by the time they are mature, prices will be high and we may be able to bring home a few extra pesos from the bottom line.

Not to common an occurrence when you figure the cost, water, fertilizer, labor to weed, on and on....

If I could only figure out how to grow money........

In the location on the top of the property where the potatoes were, we need to figure out what to grow next season. You have to wait two to three years after each potato harvest before you stick the little tubers in the ground again.

Always on the look for something that will survive the climate up here.....last night it only dropped down to about 40. Kind of a warm spell.......
Beautiful day today, mid 70's nice and pleasant while you are in the sun, in the afternoon.

If the locals only ate more designer lettuces....we'd do that.
We grow lettuce and arugula for our own use and they think they're weeds.......

Some things you just can't change.

13 comments:

Calypso said...

You are a GENTLEMAN farmer in Mexico. That is so cool! One day we will meet (surely when it is warmer ;-)

Tancho said...

Never thought of it that way, but I guess that's correct. Got the pick up truck, boots,hat and partially empty bank account to prove it. It's definitely not a money making proposition. It does fill the bins of the fridge with lots of real fresh tasty vegetables through the year. Nothing like growing your own stuff!

Michael Dickson said...

Funny you should mention cabbage rolls. I have some cooking in the crockpot at this very moment.

norm said...

Truck farming is a rough game anywhere you play it. I went from about 4 acres down to a half acre in the last few years, next year I'm going to do a kitchen garden and spend more time in Mexico. That's the plan...

Theresa in Mèrida said...

It could be worse, it could be a horse ranch. You know how to make a small fortune in horses? Start with a big one!
They eat kohlrabi here it would thrive where cabbage grows, that's another crop for you. I want a quinta or a hectare at the most. Okay maybe 2 hectares with a home orchard, what you are doing looks like work!
regards,
Theresa

Chrissy y Keith said...

You can make some Kimchi with the cabbage.
http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/UltimateKimchi.html

Tancho said...

Norm..farming is a tough profession, I admire the farmer, I wish more people would appreciate the hard work they do to put quality food on the table. Not talking about agribusiness either.
Theresa..my wife wants a horse...I have had friends that have spent small fortunes on that luxury. I don't think luxury is in our cards presently.
Chrissy....Kimchi...never thought of that, but looking at the link, it may be something I will at least try a time or two. Either that or corner the sauerkraut business in Mexico.....

Don Cuevas said...

I would love to make some sauerkraut. The problem is where to set it to ferment where it won't stink up the house. Maybe out on the porch, but I fear that it's too cold there.

I have made kimchee. In fact, I have an excesss in the fridge right now. It's actually kkakdugi, a spicy daikon kimchee. (Pardon me, but it sounds like someone clearing their throat—or worse.)
It's quite tasty, if that's your thing.

Felipe makes stuffed cabbage rolls! Somehow, that's a scene that I never could have envisioned.

Felpe: how about a recipe for that, on your blog?

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

Mike Nickell and Cynthia Johnson said...

Tancho, the Renaissance Man.

Tancho said...

Sr. Cuevas, never tried kkakdugi, but may, never had enough diakon tor try much of anything with it.
You beat me to the mental image of Felipe, with apron, chef hat, slaving over a hot stove........ That's not an image that is easily formed.
Mike and Cynthia, Renaissance Man, hardly, it's called Desperate Man. One thing I have learned being in Mexico is that I have learned more things than I really wanted to because of necessity.

- Mexican Trailrunner said...

Wow! Beautiful field, crops, and soil. Lots of hard work tho. You ARE a gentleman farmer.
Hmmm, want to sell another crop? Better make it cilantro, onions, or roma tomatoes. The Holy Trinity. bleh How about Bloomberg Spinach? Garnet Yams? Asparagus? Blue Lake Beans? Sweet Vidalia/Maui Onions? Sweet White Corn. . .jajaja, I wish! There are always OTHER cash crops. . .
Are your crops organic? heh

Linda Lou and Senor, Too said...

goodness, is that a real photo of your fields? how do you irrigate? that is huge and i am so envious, what a lot of crop! we have 2 lemons, a grapefruit, 100 limes and a tomato. i am truly, truly in admiration. LL

Tancho said...

Marilyn, All the stuff you mention doesn't do too well at 8000ft elevation unfortunately,especially tomatoes. I long for home grown tomatoes fully developed on the vine...plucked, salt and pepper...nothing finer.
Our problem is the climate, currently we have manzana peppers which do ok, the potatoes did fine, and last year we had zucchinis. Even though locals grow corn, it's puny, because of the lack of heat.
Cash Crop....yeah...I thought of it, but I think I would have way too many partners....Not a good thing.

Linda, yep thats our bottom field, which is by the road, the other field is on the top of the property which is about 5 times bigger. Down here the water we use is gravity fed, up there it would be too costly to pump it up, so we can only plant stuff that will grow during the rainy season. I envy you, lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits....I wish we had the climate for those. I love to make juices and preserves using the citrus...even a little lemoncillo now and then.....