FARMERS ALMANAC

Tygh Valley Micro Barley Farm Almanac

No Matter What The Groundhog Says, We’re Getting Ready For Spring

Doc McAllister just got back from check of the Risk™ winter malting barley and says everything looks good. The shoots are healthy and green; the soil is nice and moist. We’re still working at scaring off the Canada geese that seem to think the barley field is some kind of buffet dinner. One of our farm hands and his dog are out there every day chasing them away.

The Risk™ winter malting barley on a frosty morning.

Work on the Barley Farm is picking up as we get ready to plant the Dare™ spring malting barley in late March or early April. We’re servicing the equipment, including the discs, harrows and planters so that they’re ready to go when the time is right.

A lot will depend on the weather. Doc wants to plant early enough so that the Dare™ malting barley gets started in cool and moist conditions.

Elsewhere, we’re still pruning trees in the fruit orchards.

Canada Geese when they’re not trying to eat our barley.

Wildlife On The Barley Farm

These new photos from Barbara show a herd of deer moving through the farm. In the first photo, we can’t tell if they’re keeping an eye on Barbara, or a nearby coyote. Either way they decide it’s best to move back into the safety of Badger Canyon, as seen in the second photo.

Mt. Hood: Oregon’s Mellow Volcano

Mt. Hood, a mere 24 miles west of the Barley Farm, stands out from the rest of the Cascades for several reasons. One of them is its history of “mellow” eruptions. Unlike Mt. St. Helens which blew its top in 1980, or the explosion of Mt. Mazama that created Crater Lake, good old Mt. Hood is more likely to ooze lava rather than burst.

Geologists have known this for some time. But it wasn’t until recently that they figured out why.

When Mt. Hood gets ready to erupt the hot lava that rises mixes with cooler lava closer to the surface. And that takes the explosive punch out of a Mt. Hood eruption. The new lava mix is thin enough so that it takes less energy to release it. 

It’s kind of like the difference between using a straw to blow bubbles into a glass of soda versus a milk shake. One is a lot easier than the other. Try it and you’ll find out.

Tygh Valley Hunting And Fishing

Hunting
Cougar season remains open. Look for areas with recent deer and elk activity, especially migration routes with fresh tracks.

Coyotes are most likely to be found in open areas near the White River Wildlife Area just west of the Micro Barley Farm.

Fishing
Fishing for redband trout and winter steelhead is good along the lower Deschutes near Maupin. During winter, there’s a good chance you’ll have a long stretch of the river all to yourself.

Weather Forecast

Moon over Tygh Ridge. Photo by Barbara Miller

Saturday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10am, then rain showers likely. Snow level 1800 feet rising to 2800 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Southwest wind between 17 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. 
Saturday Night: Rain and snow showers likely. Snow level 1800 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 30. West wind between 11 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. 
Sunday: A chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 1700 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. 
Washington's Birthday: Partly sunny, with a high near 44. 
Monday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. 
Tuesday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46.
Tuesday Night: A slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. 
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. 
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. 
Thursday: A slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. 

February at the Micro Barley Farm
Average high: 45 degrees
Average low: 28 degrees
Monthly rainfall: 1.93 inches

Rogue Lamb, Beef And Bacon Chili

Depending on your preference for bitter-sweet or nutty, either our Chocolate Stout or Hazelnut Brown Nectar will taste great in this recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb. lamb stew meat, cubed
1 lb. beef (eye of round or stew meat), cubed
4 slices of bacon
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 poblano peppers, diced
2 red onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
3 jalapeño peppers (fresh), diced
3 serrano peppers (fresh), diced
1 habanero chili (fresh), finely diced
2 (16 oz.) cans of stewed, diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce
2 (8 oz.) cans of tomato paste
12 ounces Rogue Chocolate Stout or Hazelnut Brown Nectar
1 (15 oz.) can of kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained
1/4 cup of chili powder
3 tsp. black pepper (or to taste)
3 tsp. of kosher salt (or to taste)
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Directions
In a large pot, fry the bacon over medium-high heat. Remove the bacon and add the red onions, bell pepper, poblano peppers and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent, about five minutes. Add the lamb and beef, and cook for five minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste and stewed tomatoes. Then add the chili powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne, jalapeños, habanero, and Stout. Put the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low. Allow the chili to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

After an hour, crumble the bacon and add it, as well as the kidney and black beans to the chili. Taste and adjust the heat and seasoning to your liking. Cover the pot and allow it to simmer another two hours, stirring occasionally.

At this point, the chili is ready, but two more hours of simmering will make it taste even better.

From CraftBeer.com

About Rogue's Micro Barley Farm:

Photo by Barbara Miller

In the shadow of Mt. Hood, Rogue Ales is leading the next revolution in brewing.

Rogue grows nearly 900,000 pounds of malting barley on 200 acres of dry land farming. The rain shadow of Mt. Hood creates a terroir of cool winters and dry, sunny summers - perfect for growing Rogue Dare™ and Risk™ 2-row malting barley. The free range water for the farm comes from Badger Creek. Fed by snowmelt and rain, Badger Creek begins at an alpine lake and tumbles down the slopes of Mt. Hood through 22 miles of glacial valleys and narrow wilderness canyons before flowing to the farm.

Other crops include hay, apples, pears, cherries and blueberries.

The farm is the life's work of Bill “Doc” McAllister, a thyroid surgeon and third generation farmer. Over the past four decades McAllister built dozens of ponds and streams, turning the farm into a sanctuary for deer, elk, antelope, black bear, cougar, bobcats and other wildlife.

History was made here when tens of thousands of pioneers came through on the Barlow Road, the last overland segment of the Oregon Trail. The road was built in 1846 by Sam Barlow who wanted a safe route into the Willamette Valley from the Columbia River. 150 years later and you can still see the ruts left behind by wagon wheels on the south side of the farm.