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What Having a Christian Mother Meant . . . At Grieb Ranch

Mother Daughter painting

 

Written by Margie Grieb Runels and read in church Mother’s Day 1980.

Proverbs 31:28-29 “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ “

 
Having a Christian Mother meant . . . having to go to Good News Club or Sunday School when you would rather be out playing and always being encouraged to learn new Bible Verses.
It meant . . . going to Bible Camps and Daily Vacation Bible School in the summer and maybe even getting stuck with your mother as a teacher .
It meant . . . helping around the house instead of watching cartoons on Saturday morning.
It meant . . . getting up early to feed animals before school, in order to learn responsibility.
It meant . . . being punished when you did something wrong and always being expected to tell the truth.
It meant . . . sharing your food and especially the cookies with every Tom, Dick or Harry who lost a loved one, had surgery, or just was having a hard time.
It meant . . . not knowing if your friends liked you for yourself, or because your mother was the best home room Mother, 4-H leader and Sunday School teacher around.
It meant . . . saying grace even when you thought you were starving to death, and having family devotions when you would rather be sleeping.
It meant . . . always having a clean house and being expected to keep your room looking half way decent.
It meant . . . having parents that loved each other and who were still sitting by each other in the front seat of the car when you were a teenager.
It meant . . . being kicked out of your bed for every missionary or singing group that came along -and having to share the bathroom with several foster kids and exchange students over the years.
It meant . . . praying for a safe trip and then singing gospel choruses all the way to your destination, instead of listening to the latest songs on the radio.
It meant . . . being always expected to do your best.
It meant . . . being told corny things like, “I love you” every day and always having her around when you got home from school, wanting to know all about your day.
It meant . . . having someone praying for you all the time, even when you didn’t think you needed to be prayed for.
It meant . . . having someone around smiling, praising God and even sharing Bible verses when you felt like just being a grump or feeling sorry for yourself.
Having a Christian Mother meant growing up and suddenly realizing you have the BEST MOTHER in the World.
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A loving heart is the truest wisdom-Charles Dickens

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A Grove of Giraffes?

A Grove of Giraffes?

A Grove of Giraffes?

“What’s going on with those trees?” That question runs through the minds of the causal observer and the agricultural enthusiasts who drive by the citrus tree grove operated by the Ikeda family off Lopez Drive in Arroyo Grande, CA – Neighbors to Grieb Ranch. Sections of rows of citrus trees have been pruned back to three or four main branches, with one branch reaching to the sky, and a trunk that is painted white. These trees are in stark contrast to the lush full sections of orange trees that have been part of the citrus grove for 25-30 years. The resulting “trees” do not look much like trees at all, more like an orchard of giraffes.

Brysen

Brysen Ikeda in the becoming-lemon grove.

Brysen Ikeda works this grove and has answers to what they are doing to those trees. The short answer from Brysen is, “We’re changing the orange trees to lemon trees.” The reason behind the effort is market demand. The demand for lemons is year round. The packing house, Bee Sweet Citrus – where the Ikeda family sells their fruit through – is located in the San Joaquin Valley. The citrus growers in the valley, due to the climate, can only grow one crop of lemons a year. Here on the coast the moderate climate, combined with the right variety of lemon (Eureka and Lisbon), can produce lemons year round. “Our trees can set fruit 4 or 5 times a year. The lemon tree varieties we choose are constantly flowering and blooming to grow fruit year round,” remarked Brysen.

Orange trees with orange becoming lemon trees.

Orange trees with orange-trees-becoming-lemon trees.

So why not just pull the orange trees and plant lemon trees? The difference is time for the tree to produce fruit. A new bare-root lemon tree will set fruit in 4 years compared to a grafted tree that will set fruit in 18 months. So that is what the Ikeda family is doing; converting 25 acres of orange trees into lemon trees. They are leaving 35 acres of orange trees and have 10 existing acres of lemon trees presently in this location. The Ikeda family currently has 4 generations of vegetable row crop farmers farming in the Arroyo Grande area where the family has worked the land for decades. Citrus is a new venture for the Ikeda family and Brysen spearheads the citrus operation, learning much about citrus as he goes about this conversion process.

Three lemon bud grafts.

Three lemon bud grafts.

Horizontal cut above graft to pool energy to graft.

Horizontal cut above graft to pool energy to graft.

Just how does an orange tree become a lemon tree? First the orange tree is pruned back to three main branches plus one reaching to the sky as the “nurse” branch. This promotes growth response in tree, as it sends its energy and sap flow up to feed the 3 main branches. Near the top of the branches that stop short two vertical notches are cut into the tree. A lemon bud is then inserted into the vertical notch as a graft. If the nurse branch is one of the remaining branches used for the lemon grafts, a horizontal cut is made above the lemon grafts to pool the tree’s sap and energy at the lemon grafts, instead of going up the limb to the oranges. The orange tree will continue to put out orange branch suckers which need to be knocked off so that only the lemon grafts will become new branches.

graft branches and nurse branch

Orange nurse branch will be cut off soon.

About a year after the lemon grafts are inserted the nurse limb will be cut off. The lemon tree grafts will then be cut back to 6 or 7 leaves of eyes to produce thicker growth and the top of the remaining limbs above the lemon grafts will be cut back to encourage the lemon branches to grow up and out. Because the tree no longer has the protection of its foliage the tree trunk is painted white to protect it from sun exposure. However in time, as the trees continue to grow and the lemon grafts take on their new life as lemon tree branches attached to an orange tree trunk, a beautiful grove of citrus trees producing lemons throughout the year will be present.

 

Lush grove of lemon trees.

Lush grove of lemon trees.

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Letting Go

Chickens

Chicks ready to leave the nest.

Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear I will help you.”

On the ranch we are always growing and raising things, but the most important item is our children. I had to claim his verse and many others as my beautiful daughter left the country life to move to the city.

There are times in life when one must learn to let go: of loved ones, of possessions, of control. In order to let go of something that is precious, you need to rest in God where you are complete. Take time to bask in the light of His love. As you relax more and more, your grasping hand gradually opens up, releasing your prized possession into His care.

One can feel secure, even in the midst of cataclysmic changes, through awareness of God’s continual presence. The One who never leaves you is the same One who never changes. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As you release more and more things into His care, remember that God never lets go of your hand. Here in lies your security, which no one and no circumstance can take from you. Adapted from Sarah Young-March 24
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“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots (in Christ); the other, wings.” Hadding Carter
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Dear Lord may I release my cares into your hands. Thank you.  – Connie Grieb W.

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Mud Slides are Fun!

Mr. T's covered in mud.

A very muddy Mr. T.

Getting ready to take a trip up the hill.

Getting ready for a bareback ride to the top!

“Any amount of rain is considered a blessing for this ranch,” says Connie of Grieb Ranch. 2013 was the driest year in local history and the driest one Carl Grieb has experienced in his 85 years. SLO County has been declared a natural disaster area due to the horrific drought that we are in. Here on the Grieb Ranch we are usually blessed by green hills by Thanksgiving and rain that continues to fall so that we can usually sustain the herd to produce grass fed beef with out supplementing them until February – since December is usually too cold for the native grasses to grow. Otherwise we have a “Feed Year” where we have to supplement the cattle more than usual if the rains don’t come.

This is our second major “Feed Year” in a row, so to adjust to this new way of life, we have managed our cow herd by selling off older cows and open cows (ones not pregnant). Fortunately cattle prices are high, but that reduces the stock to build next year’s herd. So with only a few cattle held back we stored hay at the top of the hill to feed them.

Recently some much-needed rain has fallen, turning the hills green again but the cows still need to be fed, even in the rain. Rain also makes the very steep hills of Grieb Ranch impassable with anything but a horse. So Connie got to ride bareback on a very muddy Mr. T who took her to the top of the hill where the hay was stored so that she could feed the cows. Once the cows were fed she turned Mr. T loose and then walked or slid down the steep hill home to tackle the next chore. Connie described her experience of sliding home like this: “Most of the time the walk/slide was a beautiful experience of sliding home except for the day of high winds – that was not so beautiful. I only had to ride up the hill to feed for 3 days, just after we got our first big rain in March. Being wet and muddy made feeding the 100+ pound bales of hay a real challenge!”

Keep praying for rain! “Even though we have had some rain and the hills may be green for the moment, we are still in desperate rain for the ground water supply,” writes Connie.

I think she just wants to go mud-sliding more often!

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“Walking” Tacos

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“Walking Tacos” are always appetizers at our yearly branding events, just like the one held recently at Grieb Ranch. We also treasure the special memories at Grandma and Grandpa Grieb’s house on Halcyon which included eating “Walking Tacos” as we enjoyed BBQ’s under the huge avocado tree. Of course we use avocados grown on the ranch, just like the one pictured.


Recipes for: Guacamole & Walking Tacos

From the Kitchen of: Grieb Ranch – Barbara Grieb

Guacamole Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados (peel and mash with fork)
1/8 tsp. or to taste garlic salt
1 TBL sp lemon or lime juice
½ tsp chili powder
¼ cup fresh salsa

Instructions:

Blend first ingredients well.
Then stir in the salsa.
*Cover with plastic wrap directly on the top of the guacamole with the seed in the mix – this keeps mix from changing color so quickly.

Servings: 6

Recipe for 5 Layer Walking Taco

1 bag of Tortilla Chips
2 large flour Tortillas laid out on a flat plate
Spread the following in layers on top of tortillas:
1 can re-fried beans
½ cup fresh salsa
1 cup sour cream
½ cup guacamole
Top with grated cheese

To eat: Scoop the layers onto tortilla chips. You can eat this appetizer while walking around . The remaining empty flour tortillas can be rolled up together and enjoyed.

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Round ’em Up!

Round ‘em up! Have you ever used that phrase? Well that’s exactly what happens every year at the Grieb Ranch when it’s time to “work” the calves. Preparation for the day begins with inviting friends and family to come be part of the work crew for the event. The number of hands needed depends on the number of calves that need to be “worked”.  The day begins with the hands mounted up on a horse and the group heads out to gather the cows and calves out of the hills. The cattle are found and then using dogs and horses the cows and calves are encouraged to make their way down the hill into the working pen.

Dogs help gather the cattle.

Dogs help gather the cattle.

Here the calves are tallied, branded with the ranch ID and they get several shots to keep them healthy.  Everyone at the round-up has a job. One person ropes the calf’s head and then another ropes the hind by catching (hopefully) the two hind legs which helps the ground crew. Next a strong, young man tips the roped calf to the ground, putting the calf in a position to be safely worked. In a matter of moments, the calf is branded, vaccinated, ear-tagged if needed, given a copper bolus to balance the lack of that element in the soil, and the bull calves get castrated. This process is the fun part as all the generations of Grieb family and friends work together to get all the tasks done.  This year it was a small round-up as the drought has forced a smaller herd so the focus was on giving the youngest generation more of the work to develop their cowboy skills. Grieb Ranch had four generations working together to finish the job in a few hours one afternoon.

Josh getting ready to rope.
Roping the head.
Roping the heel.
Calf gets worked.

Once the work is done the cowboys gather at the house for a meal. Traditionally a round-up meal at the Grieb Ranch starts chips and onion dip or guacamole (made with avocados from the ranch) and walking tacos (more on walking tacos in a coming post) and is followed by a full-on Santa Maria style BBQ tri-tip with all the traditional trimmings of beans and toasted butter-soaked bread, potluck salads and finished off by scrumptious desserts. As long as cattle roam the hillsides of Grieb Ranch the cowboys and cowgirls will come lend a hand to work the calves every time there is a round-up in years to come.

The younger generations got to use their cowgirl skills

The younger generation developing cowgirl skills.

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Welcome to Grieb Ranch

Welcome to Grieb Ranch on the beautiful Central Coast of California. Come alongside us and our various activities by keeping up with the happenings this blog “The Story of Ranching on the Grieb Ranch”.

Grass-fed cattle and horses have roamed the hillsides of Grieb Ranch, in Arroyo Grande, CA, since it was established in 1878. Yoada goats make the lower hillside home while chickens peck, roam and lay eggs. In addition, fruit trees bear delicious fruit, vine-ripened vegetables provide a bountiful crop and flowers bloom decorating the landscape with bright, cheery color. Grieb Ranch is a working ranch and all these elements have enabled the Grieb family to live off products of their own land for six generations. The Grieb family continues to be dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and wildlife on the ranch that has kept the family connected to the land since 1878.

Bringing ’em in
Cattle
Mmmm . . . oranges
Ranch-fresh eggs
Dogs
Chickens
Horses
Doc
Goats
Avocados

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Winter: The Time for Planting Fruit Trees

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Winter is not a time of rest in the Grieb Ranch family orchard of 60 trees. Winter means preparing for Spring, which in turn will bring the buds on the fruit and nut trees that eventually result in a bounty of fruit or nuts for the family to enjoy. A secret to an enjoyable family orchard is to plant a wide variety of fruit and nut trees with a wide expanse of ripening dates in order to eat tree-ripened fruit through the Summer and into the Fall with last apples coming off at Thanksgiving.

There are several winter tasks for the Grieb family to carry out in the family orchard that will yield fruit in the proper season. First off, is winter pruning of the fruit trees.  Pears, apples, peaches, and the like, each have different ways to be pruned, so it is important to know what kind of tree you are pruning in order to be prune appropriately. Then it is important to know how that particular variety of fruit or nut tree likes to be pruned.

Secondly, is the replacing and planting of new bare root fruit or nut trees.This year in the Grieb family orchard, two trees were replaced. One was replaced due a bear damaging a young tree and another small tree was run over by a vehicle. The Grieb family has a tradition of dedicating new trees to immediate and extended family members. One of the new trees, a Florahome Pear, has been dedicated to the newest Grieb family member, Payson. The other tree, a Santa Barbara Peach, is dedicated to his mother, Jessica.

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Fences . . . There is always something to fix with the fences

Electric Fence post

Fences . . . there is always something to do with the fences.  A few weeks ago I had to move the cattle from one pasture to another because there was a short in the electrical tape. The cattle are used to this drill, as all I had to do was call them.  I was on foot and the herd moved into the next pasture as I called them in. Fortunately, I keep the electric line tester handy in my purse which was with me in the truck. That way, it’s available to me when I come across a down fence while on my rounds on the ranch. Really, it is amazing how one little strand of electrical tape keeps in a whole herd of several hundred pound cattle!

Today there are more fences to fix on the ranch so I have loaded up the whole fencing kit – this one I can’t keep in my purse! Fence pliers, staples, clips, post-pounder, some fence stakes all travel with me now as I make sure the fences are in good repair so that our cattle stay home and not stray away.   – A day in the life of C. Grieb W.