Thursday, June 26, 2014

Farm Update

Here's what's happening down on the farm.


It's a shocking thing when customers come into the market and ask , who ever is working at the time, if he or she is my son or daughter! It happened again today. When someone asked if Annabel, our morning shop keeper, was my daughter. Annabel is a lovely English woman with a daughter in college and two high school kids. We all laughed, guffawed, chortled, snickered, chuckled, giggled and there may have even been a titter. I was caught off guard with the question, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized my surprise shouldn't have been a surprise at all. I guess, in my mind, we were around the same age. Thus the laughter when someone suggested that she was my daughter. Imagine my devastation when I came inside to type up this newsletter and suddenly realized...the laugh was on me, she could be my daughter!! I hate surprises like that. There's nothing good that can come from them. That's why, after I'm done writing this, I'm going to take a bath in Epsom salts, try to avoid looking at my naked body in the bathroom mirror and lay down for a while.

On a happier note...

More good veggies are coming in at the farm. This week we have:

Cucumbers
Carrots
Cabbage
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Kale (curly and red Russian)
Radishes
Bok Choy
Turnips
Leaf lettuce
Garlic scapes
Purple heirloom cauliflower

I'm off to check my AARP card for benefits.













Locally Yours,
Vicky and Steve

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

CSA Week 3

Hi Everyone,

As I sit here sweating all over the keyboard, I keep reminding myself how much I love this life. 92 degrees at the moment here at the farm and most of your CSA share is being sorted and bunched or bagged by Tina and Ginny with some help from new farm helper Annabel. I, on the other hand, am planning to sneak off to the farm pond as soon as this email is complete for a nice soothing dip.

I have to make a Cauliflower statement..... When the heads of the cauliflower get sun on them they start to turn slightly purple. This would be the normal cauliflower color if it were not for the leaves curling up and around the heads to blanch them white. Many of our head's leaves did not cooperate in the blanching department. Thus a purple cast to your cauliflower. It has been tested in the Rousedale test kitchens and has been deemed to taste just like cauliflower. When you cook it, it turns a little gray. Some have roasted it where there is no color variation. Some have just cooked it their normal way and gone with it and some have made a delectible cheese sauce to mix in with it. Just want you to know it's fine and taste good. I could make up an incredible story about the heirloom purple cauliflower grown on American soil for the first time since 1754. The most nutritional vegetable ever and blah, blah, blah. I'd rather go with the truth.

In your bags this week:

The incredible heirloom Purple Cauliflower
Bok Choy
Summer Squashees (little)
Leaf Lettuce
Spinach
Curly Kale
Spring Onions
Radishes (they are big, but still excellent)
Perpetual Spinach (chard type green)
Garlic scapes
Turnips

Don't forget the availability of our herb garden as well!

See you tomorrow,



Steve

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Farm Update

Here's what's happening down on the farm.


Wow, what a soggy week! Sloshing around this week I noticed a couple of things. 1..Things were really starting to take off in the fields. Potatoes, tomatoes, beans, greens etc. And 2.. Our honey bees were missing pollinating the squash flowers all together. I felt that since I single handedly pollinated the squash myself last year, the bees felt that they may not be up to the pollinating standards that I achieved. As I was pontificating on the subject, Vicky said that she would help pollinate if she didn't have to listen to any more "of this!". Well, she ended up doing all the pollination and must have done a great job because we may have some yellow squash and zucchini for the weekend. She asked why I hadn't helped with the pollination this year and I told her years ago I could pollinate 15, 20 or 30 plants at a time, now after one or two I feel like I need a nap.

Available at the farm:
Summer squash
Zucchini
Kale
Leaf lettuce (variety)
Iceberg Lettuce
Radishes
Spring onions
Strawberries(call first)
Sugar Snap Peas
Honey
Eggs

We are looking for a couple of things: Growers of organic produce and workers.

Demand is growing all the time for clean, healthy, organic produce. We would love to have a group of community folks contributing to the farm. Let's us know if you're interested.

We are also looking for people to help around the farm. Looking for: Bright eyed, bushy-tailed, self-starter, eager-beaver, situationally aware, go-get-‘em, teachable, positive, non-complaining, grateful, rejoicing, get’erdone, dependable, faithful, perseverant, and take responsibility types of individuals. With an interest in organic farming, self sufficiency and sustainability. Could be field work. Could be work in the market.

Check out our face book page for "Pet of the Week"

Hours:  Tuesday-Sunday 10-7.  Open at 8am Saturday.  Closed Monday









Locally Yours,
Vicky and Steve

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

CSA Week 2

Hi everyone,

Week two is upon us already! Hope you feel so much healthier with all the greens you ate in the past week. I also hope you realized that you have to wash everything. I always seem to forget to tell you all to "wash everything!" when you pick up your share. Many of the greens will need a REAL good washing after the rain last night.

Many of the same items this week in your share. Asparagus is really slowing down at this point, but we should be able to get a bit to you. Turnips will be added this week. The Hakura white turnips you'll get are my favorite. Mild taste and solid. A sugary glaze. like glazed carrots, sliced and fried can't be beat!

This week:

Broccoli
Radishes (wow, they're getting bigger)
Turnips
Leaf lettuce
Iceberg Lettuce
Spinach
Red Russian Kale
Spring Onions (red and white)
Garlic Scapes
Asparagus

See you tomorrow 9-8!


Steve

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Farm Update

Friday already??

Wow, where did the week go....Let's get right to business.  Well, let's not immediately.  Let's talk about farmhand Harvey who was helping me with morning chicken chores yesterday.  It had rained Tuesday night and I warned Harvey to watch his step around the outside feed barrel as it was slippery.  He was bringing in two heaping scoops of chicken feed, one in each hand, when I heard this sliding sound and then a muffled word or two.  I turned around and Harvey had righted himself from his fall, but his face looked like it was hit by a powder puff.  I've never seen a man spit so profusely in my life as he attempted to dislodge all the chicken feed that ended up in his mouth.  I asked him how it tasted, as I hadn't yet had the honor of tasting chicken feed.  He said it really didn't taste like much of anything.  So now we know.

The greens are coming in at the farm this week.  Available:

Arugula
Iceberg Lettuce
Leaf Lettuce-a romaine type
Red Russian Kale
Spinach
Garlic Scapes

Also:
Radishes
Spring Onions
Asparagus(slowing down)
Strawberries(call first)
Eggs
Chicken
Herb Plants(last week for them)

Remember if you would like honey, other than a honey bear, bring you own container and we will fill it up.  It's a little cheaper that way too!


 




 

Locally Yours,
Vicky and Steve

Sunday, June 1, 2014

CSA Week 1

Hi Everyone,

And the journey begins!! This is week one of our 17 week CSA. We are so happy that you have joined us this season and hope that you find our offerings to your liking.

A couple of things before we get started:

If you ever have a problem with ANYTHING concerning the CSA please tell us!

If you ever would like more of some item, let us know. If we have extra you will get it.

Pick up day is Wednesday 9-8 at the farm.

You can use our crates for your produce or your own container or bag. Our wooden half bushel crates work well. You will have the responsiblilty, however, to bring the crate back each week. There will be a $25 deposit for the use of two crates through the season that will be refunded to you at the end.

Your week one shares should (anything can happen between now and Wednesday) include:

Broccoli
Spring Onions
Radishes
Young Red Russian Kale
Spinach
Iceberg lettuce
Snap Peas
Chives
Arugula
Asparagus

We're looking forward to a great year!



Vicky, Steve and our farmhands Ginny, Tina, Amber, Abigail and Harvey