Monday, October 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
LAST SHARE OF 2008 - Delivery #21 - October 17, 2008
Hello friends,
Well, this is it, the last delivery for 2008. You all have been wonderful. Thank you so much for being part of my little farm! I have really enjoyed sharing the harvest with you. Year 2 for the farm has been great for me. It's a ton of work but I love doing it so it doesn't feel like work at all. It has been terrific to have Karen as a working member, scheming and drudging and chattering along side of me. Thanks, Karen!
Next year I plan on selling 2 or 3 more shares plus a few mini-shares. And just as important to me, I will be doing my best to add in some crops that just never got planted this year due to lack of prepared ground and will be working on my replanting schedule so we can have larger and steadier supplies of our favorites.
Right now my focus is on preparing the garden for next year, expanding, planning, prepping some of the beds for early planting, planting garlic and tulips, and thinking and evaluating. Yesterday I bought 2 huge bags of gemination mix potting soil so I can be ready to start my seeds in January and February. Next weekend I hope to put up the hoop house so the extra hardy greens will be protected. Some of the chickens have a date with a butcher in a few weeks and the others need me to work on the chicken house some more. The farm never really shuts down but the chores change with the seasons. I'll be in touch with you in January to see if you are interested in being part of the farm in 2009.
COMING THIS WEEK
beets
chard
mesclun
NZ spinach (One member reported this as being very astringent when eaten raw this time of year. I haven't found any information about that yet. It might be that as it ages, it's better cooked.)
Any other greens I can gather.
Baldwin apple drops and Stayman Winesaps (the winesaps are good keepers and tasty eating apples; you might stick them in your refrigerator or any cold, moist spot)
floral decoration
surprise item
Have a great fall!
Laura
Well, this is it, the last delivery for 2008. You all have been wonderful. Thank you so much for being part of my little farm! I have really enjoyed sharing the harvest with you. Year 2 for the farm has been great for me. It's a ton of work but I love doing it so it doesn't feel like work at all. It has been terrific to have Karen as a working member, scheming and drudging and chattering along side of me. Thanks, Karen!
Next year I plan on selling 2 or 3 more shares plus a few mini-shares. And just as important to me, I will be doing my best to add in some crops that just never got planted this year due to lack of prepared ground and will be working on my replanting schedule so we can have larger and steadier supplies of our favorites.
Right now my focus is on preparing the garden for next year, expanding, planning, prepping some of the beds for early planting, planting garlic and tulips, and thinking and evaluating. Yesterday I bought 2 huge bags of gemination mix potting soil so I can be ready to start my seeds in January and February. Next weekend I hope to put up the hoop house so the extra hardy greens will be protected. Some of the chickens have a date with a butcher in a few weeks and the others need me to work on the chicken house some more. The farm never really shuts down but the chores change with the seasons. I'll be in touch with you in January to see if you are interested in being part of the farm in 2009.
COMING THIS WEEK
beets
chard
mesclun
NZ spinach (One member reported this as being very astringent when eaten raw this time of year. I haven't found any information about that yet. It might be that as it ages, it's better cooked.)
Any other greens I can gather.
Baldwin apple drops and Stayman Winesaps (the winesaps are good keepers and tasty eating apples; you might stick them in your refrigerator or any cold, moist spot)
floral decoration
surprise item
Have a great fall!
Laura
Delivery #20 - October 10, 2008
Hello farm members,
Here we go again. It's so amazing to me how the garden keeps producing. It is getting cold and it's starting to feel like time for me to wind down and prepare for winter so this will be your penultimate delivery. (Wow, I don't think I have ever used that word in my entire life!) I have already started looking at seed catalogs and dreaming and planning for next year.
I have a fair amount of the garden under cover and plan on covering more, just to see how long things can go. Keep your fingers crossed and we may have some more tomatoes and peppers for the last delivery.
THIS WEEK'S DELIVERY
kale
turnip greens? (The chickens got into these a bit.)
Baldwin apple drops
radishes
beets
bok choy
bouquet - Karen and I keep adding more and more wild things lately. Look for Kousa dogwood berries and wild rose hips in this week's bouquet. --As it turned out, I couldn't find any rose hips but found other bright red berries - NOT edible though.
See you Friday,
Laura
Here we go again. It's so amazing to me how the garden keeps producing. It is getting cold and it's starting to feel like time for me to wind down and prepare for winter so this will be your penultimate delivery. (Wow, I don't think I have ever used that word in my entire life!) I have already started looking at seed catalogs and dreaming and planning for next year.
I have a fair amount of the garden under cover and plan on covering more, just to see how long things can go. Keep your fingers crossed and we may have some more tomatoes and peppers for the last delivery.
THIS WEEK'S DELIVERY
kale
turnip greens? (The chickens got into these a bit.)
Baldwin apple drops
radishes
beets
bok choy
bouquet - Karen and I keep adding more and more wild things lately. Look for Kousa dogwood berries and wild rose hips in this week's bouquet. --As it turned out, I couldn't find any rose hips but found other bright red berries - NOT edible though.
See you Friday,
Laura
Delivery #19 - October 3, 2008
Dear farm members,
We made it to October! Yay!
The garden is slowing down and yet there are still things to pick. Every time I pick for the shares I am surprised by how much is there. The Farm Stand is closed, so the garden is now just for you and me. My expectation is that we will have a few more deliveries but they will get smaller each time. I wish I had potatoes and winter squash and many, many roots to share with you. Next year!
Every time I visit the green house I feel the extra warmth in there and it's starting to feel really nice. A friend told me that his greenhouse, of the same type, had 70 degree temperatures on sunny days last February. That reminds me, I need to leave space in there for a chair... It all seems amazing to me but I am prepared to be delighted.
Generally this spot does not get hit by the earliest light frosts so the pole beans may still be producing this week. The greens are slowing down their growth rate but there will be some. The chickens are out of the garage at last. Some will be butchered in a few weeks and the rest are supposed to start laying in December. I will have extra eggs for sale, if you are interested. Raised organically, of course.
Horseradish: The best way I know to keep horseradish (and ginger root) is to wash it and stick it in the freezer. Then when you want some, just grate off the amount you need and put the rest back in the freezer. The horseradish you buy in the store is basically grated root plus vinegar so that's very easy to make. No more moldy horseradish or shriveled ginger! See the recipe blog for an easy recipe for beets using horseradish.
COMING THIS WEEK
mesclun
chard
beans
a few tomatoes
red onions
beets
carrots
horseradish root
bouquet
Laura
We made it to October! Yay!
The garden is slowing down and yet there are still things to pick. Every time I pick for the shares I am surprised by how much is there. The Farm Stand is closed, so the garden is now just for you and me. My expectation is that we will have a few more deliveries but they will get smaller each time. I wish I had potatoes and winter squash and many, many roots to share with you. Next year!
Every time I visit the green house I feel the extra warmth in there and it's starting to feel really nice. A friend told me that his greenhouse, of the same type, had 70 degree temperatures on sunny days last February. That reminds me, I need to leave space in there for a chair... It all seems amazing to me but I am prepared to be delighted.
Generally this spot does not get hit by the earliest light frosts so the pole beans may still be producing this week. The greens are slowing down their growth rate but there will be some. The chickens are out of the garage at last. Some will be butchered in a few weeks and the rest are supposed to start laying in December. I will have extra eggs for sale, if you are interested. Raised organically, of course.
Horseradish: The best way I know to keep horseradish (and ginger root) is to wash it and stick it in the freezer. Then when you want some, just grate off the amount you need and put the rest back in the freezer. The horseradish you buy in the store is basically grated root plus vinegar so that's very easy to make. No more moldy horseradish or shriveled ginger! See the recipe blog for an easy recipe for beets using horseradish.
COMING THIS WEEK
mesclun
chard
beans
a few tomatoes
red onions
beets
carrots
horseradish root
bouquet
Laura
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