Our garden has been put in; don't know when I will see any fruit from our labor. Certainly haven't had to water much so far, not with all of the rain we keep having. The weather has been something else this past week. Here it is June and we are still dealing with winter like conditions. I don't know about you, but I am ready for warmer weather. So, if the weather does decide to warm up, I would like to share a few tips from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 'Stay Healthy When Grilling'. Keep raw food separate from cooked food. Don't use a plate that held raw meat, poultry or seafood for anything else unless the plate has been washed in hot, soapy water. Keep utensils and surface clean. Cook food thoroughly to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present. Use a food thermometer. Hamburgers should be cooked to 160 degrees. If a thermometer is not available, make sure hamburgers are brown all the way through, not pink. Chicken should be cooked to at least 165 degrees. Happy grilling and stay safe.
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With the upcoming wheat harvest you will see the combines rolling across the fields gathering the grain that will be shipped by trucks to the Port of Stockton. In comparison to the way the wheat was harvested in the mid 1800's, technology has brought machinery that makes harvesting better and easier. The Farmington warehouse was erected in 1874 and completed in time to receive the grain crops of that year. It had a capacity of 3,000 tons and was 80 x 150 ft. and was built of dark red bricks which were formed and fired on the property from the wonderful black adobe that was the fertile soil of the local farms.*
The floor of the warehouse was massive planking raised off the earth underneath by twelve-by-twelve redwood girders resting on piers. In 1874, the huge virgin redwoods provided a seemingly endless supply of clear prime grade heart wood. The plank floor served to keep the stored sacks of wheat from resting on a damp masonry surface. The space underneath was a wonderful place for young children to play. It was so deep that a boy could stand up under there. Wheat was brought in to the warehouse from outlying farms by team and wagon and shipped out in boxcars pulled up to the warehouse siding.**
Grain was one of the main produce in the 1870's and George Thayer and David Wells were the first ones to raise grain in this township in the 1850's. The following shows the number of tons of grain shipped from this warehouse in 1874 through 1877. 1874: 2,889 tons of grain, 1875: 3,277 tons of grain, 1876: 1,847 tons of grain, and 1877: 2,498 tons of grain. Mr. Herbert Benton, a well-known farmer, in 1882 constructed a combine leader and thresher and cut and thrashed 700 acres of grain that year. The next year he improved it and cleaned the grain as it was being threshed. This combine was pulled by a combination of twenty mules and horses.*
*The History of Old Farmington by Ruth Hewitt and Aileen Groves.
**Doc Alders Farmington's Lone Eagle by Averel Alders as told to Sid Freshour.
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I have two favorite holidays this week. The first was Tuesday, the National Chocolate Ice Cream Day and the second one is Saturday, National Hug Holiday.
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Happy Birthday Wishes for Joey Kroon, Saturday, June 11th.
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Congratulations to all you graduates living in the Farmington area. May you succeed and triumph in all of your adventures and that all of your dreams come true.
*****
I would still like to hear from you. Have you taken a trip? Have you had out of town visitors? Let me know of family birthdays, anniversaries and new arrivals to your family. Whatever you want to add to the Farmington News is welcome.
Please contact me if you have items for the Farmington News column. E-Mail me at farmingtonnews@gmail.com or phone 896-6697.
*****
With the upcoming wheat harvest you will see the combines rolling across the fields gathering the grain that will be shipped by trucks to the Port of Stockton. In comparison to the way the wheat was harvested in the mid 1800's, technology has brought machinery that makes harvesting better and easier. The Farmington warehouse was erected in 1874 and completed in time to receive the grain crops of that year. It had a capacity of 3,000 tons and was 80 x 150 ft. and was built of dark red bricks which were formed and fired on the property from the wonderful black adobe that was the fertile soil of the local farms.*
The floor of the warehouse was massive planking raised off the earth underneath by twelve-by-twelve redwood girders resting on piers. In 1874, the huge virgin redwoods provided a seemingly endless supply of clear prime grade heart wood. The plank floor served to keep the stored sacks of wheat from resting on a damp masonry surface. The space underneath was a wonderful place for young children to play. It was so deep that a boy could stand up under there. Wheat was brought in to the warehouse from outlying farms by team and wagon and shipped out in boxcars pulled up to the warehouse siding.**
Grain was one of the main produce in the 1870's and George Thayer and David Wells were the first ones to raise grain in this township in the 1850's. The following shows the number of tons of grain shipped from this warehouse in 1874 through 1877. 1874: 2,889 tons of grain, 1875: 3,277 tons of grain, 1876: 1,847 tons of grain, and 1877: 2,498 tons of grain. Mr. Herbert Benton, a well-known farmer, in 1882 constructed a combine leader and thresher and cut and thrashed 700 acres of grain that year. The next year he improved it and cleaned the grain as it was being threshed. This combine was pulled by a combination of twenty mules and horses.*
*The History of Old Farmington by Ruth Hewitt and Aileen Groves.
**Doc Alders Farmington's Lone Eagle by Averel Alders as told to Sid Freshour.
*****
I have two favorite holidays this week. The first was Tuesday, the National Chocolate Ice Cream Day and the second one is Saturday, National Hug Holiday.
*****
Happy Birthday Wishes for Joey Kroon, Saturday, June 11th.
*****
Congratulations to all you graduates living in the Farmington area. May you succeed and triumph in all of your adventures and that all of your dreams come true.
*****
I would still like to hear from you. Have you taken a trip? Have you had out of town visitors? Let me know of family birthdays, anniversaries and new arrivals to your family. Whatever you want to add to the Farmington News is welcome.
Please contact me if you have items for the Farmington News column. E-Mail me at farmingtonnews@gmail.com or phone 896-6697.
