8/31/14

Quite a while back, Ted predicted September 1st as the day that the sunflowers would be in full bloom.

I believe he hit the nail on the head, as this is what the field looks like today.

My current favorite zucchini cake recipe

This cake is super simple and is from a recipe I found on Allrecipes called "zucchini brownies."  I would be really sad if I were expecting brownies because I've made it multiple times, and it is definitely a cake.  Still delicious, but a cake.

For the cake:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F and spray a 9x13" baking dish.

Combine oil, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl.  Add dry ingredients and stir well.  Stir in zucchini.  Spread in the pan and bake 25-30 minutes (I use the toothpick method to see when it's done.)  Let cool and spread with frosting.

Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

6 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

2-3 Tablespoons of milk

Mix all ingredients (except milk) with an electric mixer.  Add enough milk to get the consistency you want. 

Pics of my process:

 

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This morning! 8/30/2014

 It's amazing the difference a day and a little rain makes.  This was the field earlier this morning.

The next few days will get better and better. 

Just a reminder:

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS:
-We are a row crop farm and just happen to plant a few sunflowers. 
-We have neither business hours, nor a store front.
-We do have a field. The closest address is 14754 243rd street, Lawrence, KS 66044.
-The field is NOT at our house. It happens to be around a neighbor's house this year, so PLEASE be respectful and stay out of his yard. We like our neighbor and want him to continue to like us.
-We allow people to stop at the field and take pictures.
-We allow people to cut sunflowers if they wish. We have two "donation" boxes located at the field.
-We do allow professional photographers access to the field. Remember that if you're making $ off of our field, a donation in the box is a lovely and much appreciated gesture.
-If you haul it in, haul it back out. (Last year we almost combined a metal chair that was left in the field. Combines are not cheap, and being without one because of repairs during peak season is very costly.)
-The field will (most likely) be hot and buggy. Be prepared for both.
-There are no restrooms!!!!!!!!!!!! (It's a field.)
Okay! Now that I think I have the rules for engagement covered, I'll just say ENJOY! (And please be careful.) A field of sunflowers truly is a thing of beauty...for about two weeks. 

.-The farmer's wife.

Sunflowers 8/29/2014

The field is still pretty green as of right now, but more flowers are opening up daily.

The few that are open look lovely.  We anticipate that by the end of the Labor Day weekend, the field will look pretty good.  Mid next week is when I'm GUESSING that everything will be yellow.  The sunflowers got a nice bit of rain tonight (4 tenths of an inch).  Any rain in August is a good rain.  Enjoy your weekend!

You Always Remember Your First!

I will never forget this sunflower...actually, I probably will.  But yesterday, I would have bet that there was NO WAY that a sunflower would be blooming today.  I would have lost that bet.

Enjoy, my friends!  This is the first of many.

This bud's for you

For the most part, every sunflower right now looks like this. We still can't promise that they will pop open by this weekend, but we think they will because it is just so darned hot. I'll do more updates at this point, so check back. Especially check in if you intend to make a visit. We would hate to have you make a special trip for a green field.

Some have asked for additional information about the field, so...

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS:
-We are a row crop farm and just happen to plant a few sunflowers. 
-We have neither business hours, nor a store front.
-We do have a field. The closest address is 14754 243rd street, Lawrence, KS 66044.
-The field is NOT at our house. It happens to be around a neighbor's house this year, so PLEASE be respectful and stay out of his yard. We like our neighbor and want him to continue to like us.
-We allow people to stop at the field and take pictures.
-We allow people to cut sunflowers if they wish. We have two "donation" boxes located at the field.
-We do allow professional photographers access to the field. Remember that if you're making $ off of our field, a donation in the box is a lovely and much appreciated gesture.
-If you haul it in, haul it back out. (Last year we almost combined a metal chair that was left in the field. Combines are not cheap, and being without one because of repairs during peak season is very costly.)
-The field will (most likely) be hot and buggy. Be prepared for both.
-There are no restrooms!!!!!!!!!!!! (It's a field.)
Okay! Now that I think I have the rules for engagement covered, I'll just say ENJOY! (And please be careful.) A field of sunflowers truly is a thing of beauty...for about two weeks. We think next weekend (August 30th) is when that two week window will START. I'll stay in touch.-The farmer's wife.

Next Weekend!

The sunflowers are heading out and will be starting to bloom next weekend.  So, the weekend of Aug 30th and Sept 6 should be the two weekends to view them.  (Hopefully)

Thigh high

The sunflowers are now thigh high.  They have had a good amount of rain (especially for August) and are growing like weeds.  As a matter of fact, there are plenty of weeds growing in the field, too. 

This is Farmer Ted out standing in his field.  Unfortunately for him, he made a face when I took the photo, so that is the one that gets posted.  (He said he couldn't believe that I would post this particular photo...but really?  He should know me better by now.)

Still projecting a couple more weeks until they bloom.

Patience!

As things stand

The sunflowers are planted and are popping up.  Most are currently around 6 inches tall.

A rain would help things greatly, but this is KS in August, so chances of getting any are pretty slim.

Our best guesstimate of bloom time is September 1st.  Keep checking back or visit our Facebook Page.

I'll post field location later on.