2010 olive harvest

Closing out the season, olives in salt brine with garlic and bay leaves.

Landscaping continues - olives!

 

Photo showing small olives growing on 1 of 10 trees planted along the East side of the courtyard.

Signs of Spring...

Signs of Spring - including our tractor broken down at the edge of the field.

...and, winter.

fall...

rain delay...

Almost there...

clamp record!

End of week 3, and a new clamp record!!

more trellis...

More progress, week 3...

more progress...

Trellis continues, week 2...

finally, progress...

The first of thirteen cedar posts are bolted into their bases.

Cedar soffit & cedar ledger...

Finally assembling the trellis that wraps around the inside of the courtyard. The heavy duty angles that have been bolted onto the house framing are finally being put to use.

But before trellis goes up, we had to spend a week putting up the T&G cedar beneath the eaves. Necessary, but not nearly as satisfying as bolting that first ledger on top of the angles.

Courtyard continues...

Incense cedar posts and rafters, stacked on pallets, soon to be a trellis wrapped around the interior of the courtyard.

Xeriscape...

Several pictures showing low water plantings. They're still filling in, but are thriving in the hot Rogue Valley summer.

Olives...

Arbequina olive tree with olives. Arbequina is Spanish olive and considered one of the hardiest varieties of olive tree. This guy has over wintered in a pot for two seasons without any problems. Eventually these trees will be part of a mini-grove that will partially enclose the fourth side of our courtyard.

quail!

A family of quails seems to have taken up residence close to our courtyard. Perhaps we'll invite them over for dinner...

Summer...

A brown turkey fig tree planted against the south stucco wall of our house. We're building a metal trellis that we'll put in place behind the tree so that we can espalier the tree flat against the wall. Photograph on the right shows baby figs. The countdown to bacon wrapped figs has officially begun.

Spring...

Almond trees are in flower and, below, Esme learns to garden. This morning she is discovering radishes!

Six pairs of inexpensive french doors have really worked against our otherwise high r-value strawbale walls. New thermal drapery panels can be opened now to let in sunlight then closed at night to keep that heat in. We hung the curtains on a wire cable for a cleaner look and to save money.

The panels were on sale from JC Penny. A 'wall' of panels, plus hanging hardware, for two pair of french doors, totaled 100 dollars.

pruning the orchard...

After a good solid week of fog, Sunday cleared up and we spent the day in the sun. Here Christie prunes the fruit trees 'old school'.