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