Another Gourmet Garlic Giveaway!

Last year I held a giveaway and one lucky winner won Gourmet Garlic from my harvest.   I decided this year I should do the same …

Garlic freshly grown in Illinois

All you have to do is leave a comment here or on Growing Phases Farm’s blog .  You can  leave a comment on both blogs – one winner from each will be picked and receive the Garlic as a gift to either use in your recipes, give as a gift or plant in your own garden.

Include your contact information (email address or website) so I can find you if you win.   If you rather not post your email you can send it privately to mailbox@therunninggarlic.com .   The winner will be announced and posted here on August 26, 2011 and will have 48 hrs. to contact me with their address for mailing otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Finally the Sungold Tomatoes are beginning to turn color and should be ready to EAT any day now … I can’t wait!   Also the Black-eyed Susan are in full bloom – they are biennial and bloom every other year – this is the year.
I have a few more pictures of happenings around the farm posted at Growing Phases Farm, so make sure to stop by and leave your comment for yet another chance to win the Gourmet Garlic…..best of luck to you!

Traveling back and forth

I never really paid attention to the length of the state of Illinois until I started traveling it back and forth.   It is a long state and the scenery is pretty much the same the whole ride until you come across a town along the way – then you have scenery and activity.   Of course I am referring to my travels down south along the interstate and I have become real familiar with flat lands, corn and lots of rural life!   It can be considered quite amazing …

This is a massive amount of corn … put it into perspective compared to the truck or the home in the picture.   This is last year’s harvest and right about now the farmers are either readying the fields or actually planting for the new season.

Between the fields of planted crop there are farms … some freshly painted, some with cows and many others that are just falling to ruin.   It is a great shame to see these huge buildings which were built  many, many years ago just falling to the ground.   I am, of course, making the assumption that the upkeep and repair is just too much.

Can you image the stories that these great buildings hold, the long days and hard work …..

The men, women and children who have walked among these great buildings.   The sweat and tears that have fallen among those broken boards …

 memories that we can only hope will live on forever.