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Daffodails brighten the high dessert
| Posted on March 18, 2013 at 10:40 AM |
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During spring time, Daffodials come up and brighten up the dessert. The flowers remind me of the ranchers inhabited the land before. I spent the whole day pulling weeds, mulching and planting more seeds. Ana keeps me company.
Spring in Tehachapi
| Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:50 AM |
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The cherry and almond trees are the first to bloom in Tehachapi. I hope the weather stays stable so we don't loose the fruit like we did last year from the late snow.
Pruning old vines & Sowing wildflower seeds
| Posted on January 28, 2013 at 11:00 AM |
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There is always work waiting for us in Tehachapi. If we could be there everyday to attend to the ranch, it would be an ideal situation but at the moment, more than half of our time is spent in Los Angeles. Coming to Tehachapi is a getaway.
This time of the year is especially quiet and the weather is always changing. We had light rian the whole time and the temperature was in the 40s. Unlike Los Angeles that has been on the 60s, it's winter here and some of the rain turned into snow in the hills behind us, giving it a light white coat.
I decided to plant some wild flower seeds. I have accumulating a collection of seeds - poppies, lupine, mixed wild flowers. When we first bought the land nearly 18 months ago, we saw a lot of wildflowers in our fields but last season was dry and hardly any wildflowers in sight. This year, we may be lucky. The hills are getting greener and we may get a few more showers and snow. The high dessert is unpredictable. I hope my wild flowers bloom. I planted them near the mailboxes so people can enjoy them as they are driving down Balducci Road.
Wild Parrots - Pasadena
| Posted on January 28, 2013 at 10:30 AM |
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Today, I counted 21 wild parrots on my neighbor's maple tree. I meet the wild flock up close during the last week of our year in Pasadena. We are moving to Highland Park. The parrots' screaming voices wake you up in the morning like a noisy dream. In the afternoon, you hear them again, but it's more of a yearning to get home, wherever that maybe. They remind of me of the crows in Japan and how my mother used to sing crow song whenever she saw a flock. 
Fall in Tehachapi
| Posted on October 31, 2012 at 6:10 AM |
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Back at the ranch for a couple days of rest. I have been working 24/7 since August on Common Grains. My blog got completely neglected. Fall is a good time to begin again. I worked hard pruning the old grapes vines and apples trees past spring in hopes to bring them back to health. Healthy they became but the wild animals feasted on most of the fruit while we were absent. I walked along the grape vines and couldn't find a single grape on the vine. We hope to spend more time on the ranch, after we finish restoring our house in Highland Park. I am happy to just be in Tehachapi, whenever I can.
I love our trees. We walk around the property and visit each tree everytime we are here. We have lots of mature trees and about 50 new trees that we planted this year. Popular, sycamore, maple, apricot, persimmon, walnut, ash, cherry... Half of the new trees were damaged by the critters but those that survived the ordeal are doing okay. Sakai's mended the broken branches and put in an irrigation system that is working, finally. We want to plant more trees next year. Figure trees take about 15-30 years to mature. if we could stick around for awhile, this ranch is going to look amazing.
The apricot tree is particularly gorgeous in red.
The old walnut tree gave us so much joy this year. We didn't even know what kind of tree it was for a long time. It produced tons of nuts. The green fruit cracked open and some of the nuts had fallen on the ground. The critters ate about 1/3 of the harvest but there were plenty more to be had so Sakai brought over a ladder and we spent the morning picking the nuts. Ana and Kurokin came along and sat under the tree and kept guard. I'd never seen walnuts this big.
Mission Fig Tree - Tehachapi
| Posted on July 13, 2012 at 5:20 PM |
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Since we bought the farm (Sakai and I have decided to start calling it a farm instead of a ranch, as it once used to be a berry farm), we have planted many trees. Oak, maple, poplar, cedar, cherry, plum, lilac, yuzu, persimmon, etc. The tree we planted most recently is a fig tree. It was a gift from my friend Marissa. Initially, she wanted to give us three trees - two in memory of her deceased parents and one for herself to remember her ife in California since she will be moving permanently to Vancouver in the Fall. By planting the trees, she would always have a place in Tehachapi with family roots.
When we visited the local Tehachapi nursery to buy the trees, we came upon this attractive fig tree. Marissa saw three brown figs growing on it. Figs is an ancient tree with european roots like Marissa. It was an elegant tree. We decided this was the tree to get for the farm and did not look further. We ordered the tree and planted it.
Marissa has called to find out how the tree was faring. During our effort to plant new trees at the farm, we lost have lost some. It's tricky when you are going back and forth between LA and Tehachapi. Some trees failed because they didn't adjust to the change. Some needed better irrigation. A couple of young trees were snacked by deer and cows. But the fig tree is doing fine. Marissa picked a sunny spot for it where it can be safe from the occasional strong winds of Tehachapi. We can admire the tree right from our porch every day. It is already shooting off new leaves. I can't wait to try its fruit. It would be fun to have Marissa back on the farm when that time comes.
Cherry Picking - Birds of a Feather - Tehachapi
| Posted on July 9, 2012 at 11:35 AM |
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When it comes to fruit, birds can detect what's ripe faster than any other creature on earth. For two seasons in a row, our cherries have been eaten by a flock of black birds before we could get to them. We were waiting for the optimum moment to pick, and of course, so were the birds. In only a few hours, every single cherry on our two trees were gone, pit and all. But that's okay, there is still plenty of fruit in the valley. On Saturday, we went picking for cherries at the cherry farm nearby. For $3 a pound, the branches of the cherry trees were drooping from the weight of the fruit. The cherries were ripe and juicy but not too sweet. They had bing and queen ann varietals. I ate about fifty cherries while picking and we are still enjoying the harvest. Next week, I am going to get some olilaberries and rasberries at Tangleweed Farms.The berries should be ripe by then.
Tsu La La - Icycles
| Posted on April 15, 2012 at 11:25 AM |
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Long icycles formed by the doorway of our ranch. I was singing Tsu la la, Tsu la la. It means icycles in Japanese.
Too much excitement going on here with all this snow. But this morning, the Tsu la la was all gone and the sun came out.
A Deer Moment - Tehachapi
| Posted on April 13, 2012 at 1:45 PM |
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Our two feral cats, Chibi and Kurokin, were neutered at the Tehachapi Veterinarian Hospital this month. Chibi's left ear has been clipped for identification purposes. Kurokin, Chibi's mother, didn't get her ear clipped due to an oversight by the vet's office but her surgery was a little more complicated than Chibi's because she had a hysterectomy. Despite their respective surgeries, the two cats are pretty much back to their old selves. They are back to catching gofers and mice, which is what we want them to be doing. I don't like it when the cats bring their catch into the studio, but I like seeing them playing out in the fields.
This afternoon, we had five deer visit the ranch. It was the first visit of 2012. It almost felt like alien landing. We all came out to greet the deer, including the cats. I have never seen so many deer on our ranch. The deer were as curious as we were but maintained a safe distance. They were nibbling on grass and looking around to see what's new this season. Soon, it was time for them to move on, and they did.
Songs of Spring - Tehachapi
| Posted on April 7, 2012 at 3:15 AM |
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There were a few days in March that Tehachapi suddenly warmed up and felt like ealry summer. But then winter came back and temperatures went down to a record 28F. The ranch was covered in snow. The fruit trees were confused as I was about how to deal with this climate change. Some lost their blooms from the sudden drop of temperatures. Others perservered. When the warmth returned, a number of fruit trees turned out to have some spring left in them. They began blooming again.
Buds of cherries and of a tree I don't know.
The young leaves of peonies.
The yellow of daffodails
The cedar trees waiting to be planted.
The crow in the sky.
Ana at the ranch.
Bareroot blueberries.
The peach trees in full bloom.
Assures me that spring is here, at last.
Boy cat looks after Mother cat - Tehachapi
| Posted on March 25, 2012 at 4:25 AM |
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Chibi is one of two feral cats that was living with underneath our ranch house in Tehachapi when we bought the property. Chibi, means little in Japan but he has outgrown his name and his mother, Kurokin.The black cat curled up next to Chibi is Kurokin. Normally, Kurokin will not let Chibi near her but she is recovering from surgey and feeling either too weak to shoo Chibi away or in need of tender, loving care. After a whole year of trying to catch these feral cats, I finally trapped Kurokin yesterday, and took her to the vet to get her spayed. She appeared pregnant and sure enough, she was. I am sorry about the abortion but we had to do it.
Chibi and Kurokin last spring. They were living underneath the
ranch house. Chibi didn't not make an appearance until
a few months after we bought the ranch. Kurokin was
keeping her in hiding. Chibi was a complete surprise.
Chibi missed his mother a lot while she was away. I could hear the sadness in his meow. Now that they are back together, they are inseparable. Kurokin is doing everything a cat can do to comfort his mother. He licks her shaved tummy and holds her lovingly. In just a a couple days, Chibi appears to have matured and learned to show compassion. In fact, he acts like the mother cat. We had to leave them both in Tehachapi like we always do. It's good Kurokin has company. Two is better than one. People and cats, we are all the same.
Kurokin - the feral cat that used to bark at us.
Now she lets us pat her on the back if she feels like it
and follows us around but always keeps a safe distant.
A pack of new friends - Our Neighbors in Tehachapi
| Posted on January 3, 2012 at 10:20 PM |
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Happy 2012! Tehachapi Ranch
| Posted on January 2, 2012 at 8:20 PM |
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It's nice to start the new year in Tehachapi with our routine morning walk. Our neighbor, Michelle, stopped her truck to wish us a happy new year on her way to work. "Your field is so nicely mowed, I see you decided to take a walk," she said.
I love watching Ana dash through the field. You tell her to go and she shoots off like a bullet. She's really turned into a ranch dog. She loves digging the mole holes, too. One day, we will plant something or bring in some farm animals but for now, we like this empty field.
Fall - Tehachapi ranch
| Posted on October 26, 2011 at 4:10 AM |
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A male deer sits under the apricot tree of our backyard. This is as close as I have seen a large wild animal make himself at home at our ranch in Tehachapi.
Grape Harvest - Tehachapi
| Posted on October 10, 2011 at 2:55 AM |
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One of the things our new neighbors on Old Ranch Road pointed out when they stop their trucks and suvs to greet us was our grape vines. "Your concords are very good," they all said. This was back in April when the vines had barely any fruit. I counted close to fifty mature grape vines on the property. I decided to water the thirsty looking vines periodically and give them some food to see what happens. Even though they had been neglected for sometime, maybe two years, they produced tons of fruit. Sweet, juicy and fragrant fruit. And I found out we not only had concords but also muscat grapes. The birds and deer were trying to get to them before us but everyone got a fair share of the harvest.
I picked the grapes right before leaving for Japan and took them back to Los Angeles to give to my friends. The grapes contain seeds and their skin is on the thick side but they have darn good flavor. It's hard to go back to eating industrially grown grapes again. The muscat is the sweetest of the bunch. Look how fat the fruit is. I wonder what will happen when we give the vines proper pruning.
The grape vines are growing along the fence. There is a row of blackberries growing parallel to the grapes but they need some serious love and care to bring them back to health. That will be my job.
Growing Buckwheat #3 - Tehachapi
| Posted on October 9, 2011 at 5:45 PM |
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The buckwheat farm is slowing coming together. We have no tools, except a few shovels. The patch of land has been plowed entirely by hand. Man power can accomplish a lot. Of course, I eventually want to get a tractor but I don't even know how to drive a lawn mower so we will see.
The weather is definitely getting cooler but I am going ahead and sowing the seeds to see which buckwheat grows best. I have never done any planting of this scale so I was intimidated by the sheer possibilities that this land offers but once you get started, it's all about making plans and putting them into action.
The land is very hard and dry because it's never been irrigated before. I have plenty of well water to irrigate the land. With some water, it will get a nice makeover. The rains helped loosen up the soil. It was a blessing.
I sent pictures to my advisor Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills. He liked the look of the soil
One small step in growing food, feels like one big leap in life.
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