CSA Pick up Nov. 17, 2011

This is the last pick up of the 2011 Season. There are a lot of lettuce and greens, Kale and chard. The Brussels Sprouts while small are good because they have had a frost on them which makes them sweeter. The same is true for the carrots in sweetness. The snowstorm knocked over the Brussels sprouts so I had to stake them up i think the snow storm also slowed down their growth. There will be a little celery in the pick up it seems to have rejuvenated from the summer insects so there will be a little stalk for you to put in your stuffing of your bird for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the sweet potatoes suffered too much from the ground hog who ate all their leaves off while also eating the Broccoli this summer and even though they tried to come back there was not enough growing season for them to make big enough tubers :( .
The gardens are almost ready for winter the oats cover crop has grown nicely and the landscapers are delivering chopped leaves to cover the beds that held the late season plants. The garlic is all planted and ready to start sprouting next spring. We are also getting contracts for our NRCS grant approved High Tunnel and hope to get it installed before the snow flies again. We will see. This will give us a jump on the 2012 spring growing season and also help us extend our growing season into the fall. I am putting together information about or plans for the next year and hope to be able to give it to you when you come for pick up tomorrow.

NOTE: I have posted 2 new recipes on the blog one is for preparing Horseradish and the other is a delicious recipe for Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Nancy

Weather and the Farm

WOW! it has been a long time since I wrote on the blog mainly because we have been through a winter storm starting Saturday night October 29th that blanketed the earth with over 7" of snow. The poor trees, shrubs, and plants were so waited down with Ice and snow mainly because they still had all their leaves on them that a lot of trees, big branches and limbs were touching the ground if not uprooted or broken off. Of course this led to massive power outages as well and we were with out power for 8 long days. At first if was fun being part of what was it like in the olden days cooking on our wood burning stove. Using my mothers cast iron chicken fryer and learning how to regulate the wood burning stove to keep it stews cooking and not burning but then the excitement wore off and we learned to cope. Thank goodness we had a generator so in the morning we could make coffee, cook eggs on the grill then in the evening have light and water to see and brush our teeth before going to bed. The other clincher was the Internet, cable and phone lines were also out and we did not get service until yesterday Tuesday Nov 8th at 5:00pm. So that is why you have not heard from me in a long long time.
The gardens survived as best they could. The lettuce, Kale, Chard, Brussels Sprouts. Greens, carrots and celery are all OK an hopefully will be in good shape for the last CSA Pick up on Thursday Nov. 17th.
As life on the farm continues now the hawks are attacking our meat birds. With only one and a half weeks to go before processing they have attacked and killed 5 birds. Soooo we are scrambling to get them under more permanent cover so we don't loose any more. It is a sad thing but part of farm life.
I will confirm the CSA pick up veggies next week.
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather now that we have had a taste of winter.

Nancy

Last CSA Pick up Date Changed

The last CSA pick up date has been moved from today to Thursday Nov 17th from 4 to 7pm. The reason for the change is the Brussels Sprouts are not ready. They are growing but ever so slowly. Also it they go through a frost they will be sweeter and taste better. speaking of frost that is suppose to happen tonight. The Kale and Carrots will also be sweeter to the taste and be bigger.

All the greens, lettuce, carrots, and chard are covered to protect them from the frost. I guess we are truly getting to the end of our growing season. I have cover cropped all the beds with oats and some with a combination of oats and Buckwheat. The picture shows the oats on the Garlic beds. Yes, I planted 1200 cloves of garlic in amongst the Oats. 600 Rieslig Hard Neck and 600 Italian Red Soft neck (good for braiding) I think I will be up to snuff on the garlic share next year provided everything grows without a hitch. The rain today will help get them nestled in for the winter. Why plant the cloves in with the oats? Well, the oats provides a winter protection for the garlic and the soil while nourishing the soil. Then in the spring the oats have died down forming a nice mulched bed for the garlic to grow up through and this helps to suppress the weeds. It is so exciting to think about how the plants survive through the cold and wake up in the spring and provide us with yummy food.
Well I have to go out in the rain and feed and water the chickens.
Have a fun Halloween.

Nancy

CSA Pik up 19 October 20 2011

This is the next to the last pick up. There are not as many vegetables this week because we are coming to the end of the growing season. The cover crops are doing well because of all the rain. Speaking of rain, I could not get into the fields to dig the Sweet Potatoes yet. That is on the job list for this weekend because it is suppose to be sunny. They then have to cure for 2 to 3 weeks. I just hope the voles have not devoured all the potatoes. That is the gamble I have to take.

I planted all 1100 cloves of garlic in amongst the Oat cover crop this week. It is so exciting to be thinking about Spring and new garlic pushing its little heads up through the Oat mulch.
The Brussels sprouts are starting to form which is really exciting. With them being late I am moving my last pick up to November 17th which is the Thursday before Thanksgiving. I will also have the horseradish dug and there will be greens, Kale, like I mentioned above Sweet Potatoes if the voles save us some.

Looking forward to seeing you

Nancy

CSA Pick up Oct 13, 2011

CSA Pick Up Oct 6

Happy New Month!! Fall is definitely upon us. I can hardly believe it is October already. It has been a cool damp week with all the rain, rain, rain. The tomatoes are at the end of their season. The rain made them split more. There maybe a few to choose from this week but you will be lucky to find one good one to take put in your bag. :(. The Eggplant is also tired and at its ending point. The Broccoli did not like all the rain so after regrouping from the attack by the ground hog and trying to rebound, the rain said "I got you again". Such is life on the farm.

The Beans are doing well and the Chard is really happy. I know some of you are about full of chard. I have started blanching it in boiling water for 2 minutes and then cooling it down in ice water. Draining it and putting it in freezer bags and in to the freezer. This winter Chard will be a nice addition to a warm soup or stew.

We have winter squash this week too . A lot of them are small because the cool weather in combo with the rain was perfect for the downy mildew to take over. A little is better than none so enjoy.

The rain beat down on my lettuce and tore it up. So there will not be lettuce this week. I am trying to revive it by covering it with the white remay. We will see.

The Brussels Sprouts have little babies so I am hoping the sun the next couple of days will help them get bigger.

See you this afternoon
Nancy

CSA Pick up Sept 29

Fall is definitely upon us. The shorter days and longer nights, all the rain, and the cooler days. This changes the garden quite a bit. Everything slows down in growing and maturing. The warm weather plants - Tomatoes, peppers, Eggplant are slowing down. It is a different story for the cool weather plants. The Chard looks gorgeous, the Kale is coming into its own. The Brussels Sprouts are finally making their little appearance on the stem. I sure hope they continue to grow so I can share them with you by the end of October.
I have been busy weeding all the crab grass out of the beds and planting Oats, buckwheat and field peas in the beds among the vegetables. This will give a blanket to protect the soil over the winter.
The second crop of pole beans are up to the top of the netting and looking good. The cucumbers on the other hand are really struggling with Downy Mildew. I am trying to keep them alive but only time will tell.
The Bees are busy getting ready for winter also, I have been feeding them sugar syrup and they have been devouring 2 quarts of syrup every 5 days. The North hive is small and needs lots of help or they may not make it. The South hive is strong. They should not have any trouble making it through the winter.
Looking forward to seeing you this week.

Nancy