Check out these two radio spots we're running on a local station. It's kind of cool having your own radio ad! The second one is a little saucy, and a little silly... but that's just fine with us.

Greer Farm 1

Greer Farm 2

Only two things that money can't buy,
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes.

- Guy Clark, full lyrics

courtesy of Microjones, my shiny shirted lawyer friend

It's raining again.

June weather

Ok, this is it. Absolute perfection. Having somewhat tired of the plain jane tomato sandwich, for lunch today I thought I'd spice things up with a little help from my porcine friend... that lovable swine... the freaky streaky bacon.

Yes, I'm talking about the ultimate bacon, lettuce, and don't forget the tomato sandwich.

This Brandywine tomato was damn near the size of my three-month old's head! Notice that the tomato is larger than the bread. This is a good sign. And talk about some serious tomato flavor. Mmmmm...

When a BLT dies and goes to heaven this is the form it will take...

Couple slices of toasted bread, bacon, lettuce, an inch-thick slab of salted and peppered tomato and a plethora of mayo. It's only downhill from here.

I'm sure most of you have heard of the theories espousing solar intensity, rather than carbon dioxide, as the major factor in climate change. I just read an article on this subject in Canada's National Post newspaper.

The mud at the bottom of B.C. fjords reveals that solar output drives climate change

Essentially the idea is that solar output (which is correlated to # of sunspots) directly affects the Earth's temperature. Turn up the heat you get hot. Turn it down you get cool. When there are lots of sunspots the sun emits more energy. This energy arrives at 111 Main Street, Planet Earth and has a direct effect on our climate. In times of high solar output the Earth is warm and in times of low solar output the Earth cools.

This article goes further with the idea that cosmic rays from deep space affect cloud cover on Earth. When these rays enter our atmosphere they increase cloud cover, eliciting a cooling effect. The rays are inhibited by the solar wind during periods of high solar activity. This means less clouds and more solar input, which amplifies the temperature change that would come from solar input alone. During period of low solar activity, more cosmic rays pass into the atmosphere increasing cloud cover. More clouds, less sun, more cold, Little Ice Age.

The authors use core samples from coastal ocean inlets to examine the climate of the last 5000 years in 11 meters of ocean mud. The winter and summer seasons are clearly visible in these samples. In the winter when there is more rain the samples contain dark layers from the mud that washes off the land. In the summer when ocean life activity is high there are more organic remains. In the warmer years they can see much more organic matter than in the cooler years. This data gives a fairly clear picture of the climate over this time period. The gist of which is that climate can change drastically and quickly. Today's global warming is tomorrow's global cooling. The authors also were able to correlate their data with sunspot records of the last several hundred years.

Interesting stuff. Give it a read. Always good to hear other viewpoints on a matter as center-stage as climate change.

This chart shows the estimated sunspot count (via carbon-14) for the last 8,000 years. As you can see, we are currently at a very high level of sun activity.



This article explains the study that came up with this sunspot history. One juicy quote from the article, "Sunspot activity has been more intense and lasted longer during the past 60 to 70 years than at anytime in more than eight millennia." Hmmm...

The author also says, "a firm connection between sunspot numbers and climate remains elusive." The article, however, is three years old...

Blueberries are officially ready. They are ready to be picked now. Both thornless and jumbo thorned blackberries are ripe. We've had lots of pickers so call for up-to-the-minute availability. 903-645-3232 or 903-452-9738.

Article in this week's Daingerfield Bee. May not be archived there so I've made a copy here.

Seasonal fruit is ready to pick in Daingerfield



Eva and Sid Greer show off the thumb-size blackberries
raised on the Greer Farm. The berries are ready for picking.

By Marlene J. Bohr

Spring provides a smorgasbord of goodies to eat, and included in this array are blueberries and blackberries. Due to the diligent planning by Sid Greer and his son, Karl Greer of Daingerfield, the literal fruits of their efforts are ready for enjoyment by area residents.

“The first blueberries and blackberries were planted on the Greer Farm in 2005,” Mr. Greer said. “We planted five acres of blueberries with 4,000 plants. We have an acre of blackberries with 800 blackberry plants. The variety of blackberries planted are thornless and those with thorns. The blackberries are the jumbos that are the size of a thumb.”

According to Mr. Greer, after they planted the bushes, they installed drip irrigation. “Drip irrigation consists of black, plastic pipes that run along all the rows so that each plant is watered all the time,” Mr. Greer said. “Things were difficult with the drought we experienced last year. We lost about 10 percent of the plants, but they have been replaced.”

Growing the berry plants has not been easy, according to Mr. Greer. “The learning curve on how to grow the plants has been steep,” Mr. Greer said. “It has taken awhile to learn how to do it. You would think it would be very profitable for a small acreage, but it is very intensive as far as work. “The work is year round. There is pruning to be done in winter and some organic sprays that also need to be applied in the winter. So, in the winter you are shaping the plants for their production in the summer.”

Blueberry bushes get in full production in about six years, so the bushes at the Greer Farm are about at half production. “There are numerous berries already at this time of year,” Mr. Greer said. “We have picnic tables, little red wagons for kids and adults, and restroom facilities. You can pick your own berries, or we can pick them for you if you call ahead at 903-645-3232, or contact us through our Web site at www.greerfarm.com.”

Blackberries are available around Memorial Day, and blueberries are ready shortly after. Both plants will be producing until mid-July.