Silver Platter of Fresh Asparagus with Balsamic Reduction Last week brought us 2.5 inches of rain in one day. That is more than we got in the last 6 weeks. The temperatures have been warm, and things are growing great on the farm. I am excited to announce our 1st CSA share pick up date will be this Thursday. Shares will include asparagus, hand cracked hickory nuts, chives with flowers, and lavender. Shares will be light for the first few weeks and then pick up as temperatures continue to stay warm. The farm stand will have some new vegetable transplants out front, as I plant them out in our own farm and have extras. Extras will include more varieties of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, leeks, summer squash, cucumbers and herbs. When you come to visit the farm, you may see the new beehives tucked in the back of the farm. The hives are empty right now, but soon will be filled with busy honeybees working to pollinate all the vegetables. The honey from the farm will be for sale at the local farmer's market from Victory Bees. I want to leave you with one of my favorite short stories. Hope to see you on the farm. THE HAPPY FISHERMAN
The bad news is that I will be pushing back our first CSA pick up date to a week later. The last 6 weeks has only given us 2 inches of rain (in a perfect farm world, we should have gotten 6 inches), and frost hit the farm 2 days last week. The coldest night reached reached 27 degrees. This all greatly slowed the seeds growing in field a lot, and the frost also slowed the asparagus growth down greatly. The good news is there are so many vegetables that are out in the field right now growing and coming along just as to be expected. By next month we should easily be harvesting scallions, lettuce, mixed greens, arugula, spinach, and pea shoots. After that, the swiss chard, kale, bok choy, radishes, and turnips should be ready. The sugar snap and green arrow shell peas will be trellised this week. The farm is really starting to look like a farm and not just a pile of dirt. Under the row covers, broccoli, red cabbage and bok choy are hiding from the bugs, and staying a bit warmer than the rest of the crops. The greenhouse is busting at the seams. I even have trays on the floor right now. The tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash and cucumbers are growing fast inside. I am hoping to have the kitchen garden planted by the end of this week. It will include herbs such as basil, oregano, sorrel, rosemary, lemon and english thyme, fennel, dill, parsley, and cilantro. I will also be starting some rhubarb, but that won't be fully developed and ready to pick until next year. Hang in there share members, good things are coming! I will also tack on another week at the end of the season, to make up for the delay.
It's official! The farm stand is open. We will be open seven days a week, from 8am till 8pm. It is self-serve and located inside our garage. We have lots of varieties of tomatoes and eggplant and also broccoli, onions, leeks, peppers, and herbs. And if you time it right, you might find some high demand asparagus for sale. There are wildflower seed packets for sale. They are raising money for The Carriage Barn that implements therapeutic riding (hippotherapy). Our daughter, Lexi, has ridden here for six years, ever since she was 2 years old. When she started, she could only lay on the horse, now she rides sitting up on her own. This is a fantastic program, which has benefited her greatly! Thanks to everyone for their support!!!!!!! Here is a great article from a professor at Kalamazoo College. She lists some specific statistics on why we should support local organic farms. Check it out here: http://www.energybulletin.net/52697 Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Right now, everything needs to be done at once on the farm. Tilling, weeding, seeding, planting, watering, you name it, it needs to be done. Therefore, I have lots to share for an update. The electric deer fence is finally up, running and operational. Pickpocket Farm no longer has herds of deer walking through the fields. This is great news, because now I can safely plant out the seedlings without fear of them being devoured in a single night. Planted out in the field right now, we have lettuce, arugula, spinach, pea greens, spicy greens, garlic, asparagus, scallions, shell and sugar snap peas, carrots, radishes, turnips, 3 varieties of kale, cabbage, and bok choi. No so patiently waiting in the sidelines to be planted out is broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, beets, onions, and leeks. THEN as soon as those are in the ground, the hot weather loving plants will be ready to see the sunshine in the field. If anyone is interested in checking out the farm and/or helping me plant out in the field, give me a call. I think this is a fun farm activity. The bonfire was a great success. We have removed copious amounts of brush from the wind storm that covered our fields. Most of it, was from a great fir tree we lost, but we will use the trunk for firewood in coming years. We also threw last years asparagus stalks on the fire to reduce the population of asparagus beetles eating the plants. Marshmallows were roasted, and good times were had by all. We are planning another bonfire for our Harvest Party on October 9th, if you missed out on this one. In other news, I will be attending the showing of FRESH on May 12th at Brentwood Library at 7pm. This is a documentary similar to Food, Inc, but with a much more positive outlook. I will be on the discussion panel following the movie. Everyone is invited to this free event. If you can't wait for fresh vegetables from your CSA share, the outdoor Exeter farmer's market, starts this Thursday at 2:15pm on the Swasey parkway! You can even purchase fresh milk, eggs, meats, transplants for your own garden. Speaking of which, Pickpocket Farmstand should be open for business in a couple of weeks. We will also have transplants for sale, including heirloom varieties of tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, squash, etc... The farmstand will be located in our garage, open 7 days a week, from 8am, until around 8pm. It will be self-serve, but please don't hesititate to ask any questions, if we are around. |
AuthorAudrey Gerkin, is a gardener gone wild, after teaching in special education and raising 3 beautiful girls, ages 5 - 10, she has found a new calling in farming. Archives
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