SHARE # 3 - May 31, 2012 (Still just Full and Half Shares)

May 28, 2012

Hello people,

Another sunny, hot day.  I am looking forward to a bit of rain, for me and the plants.

PICK UP NOTES:  Pick up went very smoothly last week and I will once again use the system of putting each share in its own bin.  It occurred to me that if you happen to have an extra cooler that you would like to leave here for your share for the summer, I would use a cooler for your share instead of a bin.  It might keep the food even better, especially in hot weather.  Just an idea for you!

FARM NEWS

Mini Shares start Thursday, June 7.  You can pick from the Extras list and/or look forward to kale, chard, salad greens, radishes, flowers and more, until then.

This week is one of my stay-at-home-and-farm weeks.  I am making good headway on the planting and it feels great to be here.  There is still plenty of planting of seeds and seedlings to be done.  And the weeds are growing like weeds!  This coming Saturday is our Farm Work Bee so if you feel like coming by to help out, you are very welcome.  There is a wide range of tasks to choose from to suit everyone.  Bring water, gloves, favorite weeding/planting tools, your weed wacker, whatever you think would be handy.  I'll make a big salad for our lunch.  Rob and I will be here doing our thing.  Come join us!

The ducklings are here!  We have a total of 12 little ducks, 4 each of Cayugas, Welsh Harlequins and Blue Moscovies.  They seem to be doing just fine and getting along fine too, even though the Moscovies are older and bigger.  Robin recently bought a new lawn mower and a tractor!  The tractor is not here yet but the mower came on Saturday and has already been doing its job (with Rob's help).  

Other poultry news:  We have a broody hen.  I am saving up eggs to put under her.  In the meantime, she is devotedly sitting on some golf balls.  Another hen is acting like she might go broody as well, so in time we may have two families of chicks.  That is so sweet to watch.  And maybe we will have more dark brown eggs with spots and olive green eggs next spring!

The fava beans in the hoophouse are growing so tall and the beans are about 4 inches long already.  The early sunflowers are starting to bloom.  There are small heads of cauliflower!  The hoophouse is full of surprises.  Some vegetables are moving on.  The early spinach is bolted.  I need to pick it today or tomorrow.   The hoophouse kale is just starting to bolt while the kale in the garden is nearly big enough to eat.  The hoophouse mesclun has one more picking and then it will be chicken food.  (bolting and bitter)  I keep planting more of everything so hopefully, the greens and salad will keep coming from somewhere on the farm all season long.  Good news:  There are lots of little peaches on the trees this year!

MORE SHARES AVAILABLE:
I would be happy to sell a few more shares.  If you know someone who may be interested, please let them know. Thanks!  (I will prorate the share cost for late starters.)

CALENDER:
Home all week farming - 5/26 to 6/2, feel free to stop to visit, plant or weed!

Shape note singing - Thursday, 5/31 - pot luck at 6, singing 7-10, all are welcome.
Farm Work Bee - Saturday, June 2, meet the ducks and your fellow farm members, eat soup & salad, get grubby!
Mini Shares start - Thursday, June 7 - Hurray!
Farm Picnic - Saturday, August 18 - Farm Tours, pot luck cookout, visit with your fellow farm friends.


THIS WEEK'S SHARE

Pick Up 1:00 - 7:00

Kale
Radishes

Head lettuce

Mesclun
Pak choy
Sorrel
Scallions

Sweet Cicely buds (Just chew on the green pods for their sweet, licorice flavor.)
Flowers  Sunflowers, Centaurea, Peonies?  Dogwood?  Iris?

See you Thursday!
Laura

Laura Timmerman
910 Greenfield Rd
Leyden, MA 01337
413-773-8325
laurat-at-crocker.com
Sweet Morning Farm on facebook

Share # 2 - May 24, 2012

Half Share

Today's Share:

Half Share -
Kale - 1 bunch (1 #)
Radishes - 1 bunch
Pak choy - 3 (1 1/4 #)
Mesclun - 1/2 #
Rhubarb - 1 #
Garlic chives - 1 bunch
Wild peppermint - 1 oz.
Head lettuce - 1
Arugula - 1 bunch

Full Share -
Twice as much except the same amount of peppermint and the addition of some snow peas.

Flowers: Doronicum, wormwood and amsonia

For pictures go here.

(All amounts are approximate.)

SHARE # 2 - May 24, 2012 (Still just Full and Half Shares)

May 21, 2012

Good morning!
It's another beautiful day after a fantastic weekend of sun and gardening.  Later on the rain will water all our little seeds and seedlings.

PICK UP NOTES:  I'll be trying out a different plan for setting out the shares.  Your items will be in a separate bin labeled with your name.  You still need to bring bags, etc. to carry your share home.  (Leave the bin.)  I think this will be easier for everyone.  Let me know what your think.  Thanks, Marie, for the idea.

Also, the swapping went pretty smoothly last week.  I think the key is making a note of what you swap. Assuming that there are extra items, swapping will be an option this week as well.

Swamp Azalea
The scent is even more awesome than the color!

FARM NEWS

Mini Shares start Thursday, June 7.  Until then, you can pick from the Extras list and/or look forward to kale, chard, salad greens, radishes, flowers and more.

It was a busy weekend here at the farm.  We set out corn, basil, hot peppers and some of the tomatoes, including 18 varieties for the pick-your-own tomatoes.  These will be extras that you can add to your share if you are a farm member and I will offer the option to the Extras folks as well.  18 different kinds of cherry, paste and small salad tomatoes.

Robin tilled some of the spots that needed a second time and, bless his heart, started cleaning the chicken coop.  We also got ready for ducklings, that we expect to arrive tomorrow!  Exciting.  We opened up the sides of the hoophouse for better ventilation.  It's nice to have the air moving in there and to be able to see in and through the tunnel.  Luckily, the new chicken fence is keeping the hens in their pasture and out of the garden and hoophouse!

Winner Pak choy

The Swiss chard and the second planting of kale getting bigger and looking very healthy.  The snapdragons and Sweet William are budding up.  Garlic looks strong and there are more small heads of lettuce about ready to pick. The next batch of pak choy looks big and juicy, so expect a fair amount in your share this week.  I happened upon the website for Fine Cooking this morning and found some nice sounding pak choy recipes.

MORE SHARES AVAILABLE:
I would be happy to sell a few more shares.  If you know someone who may be interested, please let them know.  Thanks!  (I will prorate the share cost for late starters.)

CALENDER:
Home all week farming - 5/26 to 6/2, feel free to stop to visit, plant or weed!
Farm Work Bee - Saturday, June 2, meet the ducks and your fellow farm members, eat soup & salad, get grubby!
Mini Shares start - Thursday, June 7 - Hurray!
Farm Picnic - Saturday, August 18 - Farm Tours, pot luck cookout, visit with your fellow farm friends.
Be Nice to Nettles Week - happening NOW!  I plan on weeding my nettle patch to celebrate.  Also, eating more nettles!  And drying some for winter tea.

Stinging Nettles

THIS WEEK'S SHARE

Pick Up 1:00 - 7:00

Kale
Radishes
Pak choy, probably lots
Mesclun
Rhubarb  (Thank you, Karen!)
Garlic chives
Wild Peppermint
Head lettuce  Most likely there will be some small heads.
Arugula?  A bit small last time I looked but coming along nicely.
Flowers  Peonies?  Dogwood?  Lady's Rocket?  Not sure of the mix but many things are in bud.

See you Thursday!
Laura

Laura Timmerman
910 Greenfield Rd
Leyden, MA 01337
413-773-8325
laurat-at-crocker.com
Sweet Morning Farm on Facebook
(If you are on facebook, please Like my page.  It makes me feel good.)

Share # 1 - May 17, 2012

The shares were ready by 1:30, which is not bad considering the amount of porch clean up I needed to do to be ready.  Next week that will be easier.

The picture shows a Half Share (without their flowers)
The Full Share got twice the amount except the same on herbs.

Half Share #1 (amounts are approximate)

kale 3/4 lb
spinach 3/4 lb
salad turnips 4-5
radishes 1 small bunch
mesclun 6 oz
romaine lettuce 1 head
herbs 1 mixed bundle - sorrel, dill and cilantro
flowers: tree peonies, doronicum, centaurea and lilacs

FULL AND HALF SHARES STARTING THIS THURSDAY! - May 17, 2012

Farm Member Linnie helping us move and admire the chicks.

May 14, 2012

Hurray, the farm shares are starting!
There will be plenty of good food ready this week, thanks to gentle weather and the amazing hoophouse.

Contents of this long email:
Reminders
What's in your share
Farm news

SOME QUICK REMINDERS:

1 - Please bring/return clean, dry bags and containers.  I will leave a box or bag on the porch to put them in. Some people like to provide a double set of their containers and just switch off each week.  Basically, I try to reduce farm costs and plastic waste while still packaging your food so it stays fresh.  Your help is much appreciated!

2 - Pick up between 1:00 and 7:00, although it's easier for me if you can come by 6, in case I am going out.  I will send an email on Thursday when everything is ready.  Some weeks, I can't help being late.  Some weeks I will be done early.  Most items will be in coolers and if I know that you aren't able to pick up that day, I will refrigerate them for you, if at all possible.  I have some flexibility on this; just let me know.  773-8325

3 - There will be flowers for make-your-own bouquets.  Bring a jar or bag and I will have water handy so you can bring them home.  Just use your judgement about how many flowers to take.  I'll let you know if there is something in short supply.  It always seems to work out.  One person prefers a certain color or flower and someone else likes something different.  Some people love flowers and some just want their vegies.

4 - There will be sheets set up with a list of everything that you should take for your share.  I will do my best to label items so you can tell what is what.  Just ask if anything is confusing.  There will be a list of all the people picking up shares.  Please check off your name as go.  That way, if I am not here, I can tell who has their share. And you can tell how many bouquets still need flowers!

5 - I am probably forgetting lots of things I could be telling you so feel free to ask.

6 - If there are foods you don't like or are allergic to, please let me know.

7 - I am hoping to set up an area for Trade-Ins.  If there is an item you don't want, you can put it there and if there is something in that area, you can take it instead.  I've never done this before but I know some farms do. If you have suggestions about it, please let me know.

THIS WEEK'S SHARE
This is always a bit of a guess but this is what will probably be in your share:

Kale
Spinach
Romaine lettuce
Mesclun
Green garlic (like scallions but tastes like garlic)
Salad turnips (mild and sweet, fine for eating raw)
Radishes
Herbs - dill, cilantro and sorrel
Flowers - Peonies and yellow lilacs and ?

FARM NEWS
Follow this link for May Photos:

Robin and I have been very busy around here, having a blast!  Lots of seedlings being planted.  Lots of tilling. The house for the ducks is nearly done.  The Cayugas and Welsh Harlequins are coming May 22.  The chicks have been moved out of the garage and into the chick house.  They have been enjoying the grass, scratching and pecking like big birds, and last night, (their second night in new quarters), they went inside all all their own. Hurray for that because chasing 30 little birds around their pen gets old fast.

The snap peas are growing up their fence, the next batch of mesclun looks bigger every day, the tree peony is opening!  Keep your fingers crossed that the blooms don't get ruined by the rain we are having today and tomorrow.  I transplanted 33 rhubarb plants to a new bed.  Some day we'll will have a Whole Lot of Rhubarb but it won't come into full growth until next spring.  I am looking forward to making some rhubarb wine with my new wine making kit.  The fava beans in the hoophouse look amazing!

The first round of spinach is still producing nicely but more plants are starting to bolt.  I have a second batch coming in a few weeks.  Would you folks prefer more spinach in the summer or more beets or potatoes?  Or something else?  Just curious.  Figuring out the space in the garden is sort of like doing a jigsaw puzzle, with a few other factors besides shapes thrown in, like time, weather, and what do we all like to eat.

The next Sweet Morning Farm Work Bee will be Saturday, June 2 but we are usually here on Saturdays, doing what needs doing so if you get the urge to plant and weed or just visit the farm, come on by!

See you Thursday!
Your farmer, Laura

Sweet Morning Farm
Leyden, MA
Farm on Facebook 

SHARES START NEXT WEEK!

May 7, 2012

Hi folks,

I just thought I would practice sending out a message on Monday morning as a warm up for next week.  Amazing, exciting and true - the Full and Half Shares will start on Thursday, May 17!  You can look for an email about what to expect in the shares next Monday and usually I send a quick message out on Thursday when everything is picked and prepped.

There has been lots of delicious eating coming out of the hoophouse for over a month now and the plantings outside get bigger every day.  Most likely, the first share will include kale, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and maybe more.  Pak choy, arugula and salad greens will be ready soon.  Early shares tend to be smaller than the ones later in the season; the cycle of the shares reflects the cycle of the harvest.

Pick Up is Thursday afternoon to early evening.  It's best if you can get your share before 6.  Please let me know if you will be later or if I need to refrigerate your share.  I wish I had enough refrigeration space for all the shares all the time but I don't, and so I use coolers and coldpaks.  I like to keep your food in a really fresh and nutritious condition so that means shifting to the frig if needed.

Most items will be in bags or plastic containers.  Please wash and dry and return your bags and containers.  If possible, bring your own bags for your share items.  I am trying to switch to a distribution method that uses less packaging but it's a slow process.  Until then, I need your help keeping up with the need for clean containers.

Flowers:  Once again there will be flowers for Make-Your-Own bouquets.  There will be more and more as the season progresses.  I pick the flowers and put them in containers of water.  You can then choose what appeals to you and bring them home.  I suggest that you bring a big jar or vase to transport your flowers.

Mini Shares start Thursday, June 7.  Eggs & Extras continuing all season.  If you want to be added to that email list, let me know.  And if you don't want to be on this list, let me know, although one person per household needs to be getting these messages.

That's all I can think of at the moment.  I am looking forward to sharing the garden with you!

Back to planting,
Laura
Sweet Morning Farm
Leyden, MA
Sweet Morning Farm on Facebook

Buttercrunch Lettuce

Red Russian Kale