2011 In Review

We received some positive feedback that end of year "top 10 lists" are fun - even if they are done by everyone who can count to eleven.... er... ten.

Our 2010 year in review can be found here for those who have interest: 2010 in Review

And now for the very thing everyone has been waiting for!  Ok, maybe just what some of you has been waiting for...  Well, maybe just a few of you... 
Fine - maybe it's just that kid in the back.  This one's for you "kid in the back," we hope you enjoy this list!

10. See-through Barn

 

 If you've been reading the blog lately, you'll know we're taking down our old barn.  At present, it is still standing, but you can see right through it. 
 

9. Tom Sawyer Week

We've done our best to incorporate events known as "Tom Sawyer Days" into our farming.  The idea is to give CSA members and other interested parties a chance to be involved in the farm.  Of course, getting help completing various tasks is part of the goal here, but the primary focus is to promote a connection to growing food - something we feel is being lost.

This year, we attempted a Tom Sawyer Week -where we gave a set of optional times.  Our hope was that this would allow more people to find a way to work a trip into their schedule.  Attendance was moderately higher, but we also found that it felt less like a burden to us using this format.  And, several people got to help free up winter squash.  Our winter squash harvest was reasonable this year thanks to this group's efforts.

8. Barty 

Our new BCS walk behind tractor with tiller was a major purchase for the season.  We planned the purchase carefully and debated relative merits for weeks.  After an early false start, Barty did an admirable job for us.  It was a good purchase and we are grateful that we took the leap to get him.

7. Truck barn gets a facelift

We've always just called this building the 'Truck Barn.'  We don't know why.  So, if you think the name is silly, deal with it, because we are unlikely to change that part of it.  On the other hand, we've changed most of the rest of the building.  We still need to put up a door, put in a walk-in cooler, paint the rest of the building and do a few other things.  But, it really has come a long way.

6. Implements at auction and in action.

 We became a "very real" Faux Farm this season with the purchase and integration of several larger pieces of equipment.  Yes, I suppose we are still a "fake farm" according to many since the "big" equipment is typically older, castoff items that are no longer used on conventional farms.  But, they are exactly what we need, so no apologies there. 

We've learned that used equipment comes with their rewards and their perils.  The hay rack at left works well enough, but one of the front wheels still does not turn left or right.  The two-bottom plow at right helped me to break ground in an effort to square off a plot, but it took some learning time to figure out the right depth and angles to make it work well.

5. Granary-Leaks (not quite wiki-leaks)

This should probably read "NO MORE granary leaks."  The problem with buying a farm with several 'older' existing buildings is that you have to repair all of the buildings.  And, the roof is the number one priority if you hope to save the building at all.  Well, the granary makes the cut and the barn does not.  On to the next steps - putting on better doors and painting the building!

4. Huge Boids!

The truck was riding pretty low when we pulled into the parking lot with the processed birds.  You can imagine how much lower the truck must have been riding on the way to the processor.

2011 was a great year for our poultry.  The only thing we feel was really different in 2011 from 2010 for our birds was the weather.  But, then again, maybe we've improved the pastures and the pasture rotation?  There were more veg thrown to them this year?  Whatever the case may be, they were happy and they were healthy.  We'll take it.
 

3. Walk This Way....no... I said *THIS* way.

There were so many changes to our farm this season, we actually found ourselves having to re route our normal walking routes.  In fact, it can be a bit disturbing when you find yourself walking somewhere (with mind on something else) and realize you can't get through to where you are going the way you are walking. 

Major changes included moving the hens from the area east of the barn.  Now that they are in the Poultry Pavilion, we find ourselves treading new paths in the snow.  We rearranged some fields (turning triangles into rectangles), removed some fences, put up other fences, took out a large tree and blamed Gilder for all of it.  Who is Gilder?  Even if you watch the Princess Bride you will only know that it is the sworn enemy of Floren.  So, I guess that may not help you all that much.

2. Gang of Four

 It was a big deal for us, at least.  Four Iowa farms agreed to share work days (a different farm each month from June to September).  And, simply put, we felt it was a success.  There is something about having a chance to share time with people who do the sort of thing you do.  You find out that you are not so special in ways you may have thought you were - and special in ways you thought you weren't.  (Take that any way you want)

But, the most positive thing we got out of the experience was that we are not alone in what we do.  Support groups can go a long ways towards helping you get through a growing season.  Well, that was the second most positive thing.  The first was the opportunity to get to know a really cool group of people better!

Scattergood Farm - West Branch

Genuine Faux Farm - Tripoli

Grinnell Heritage Farm - Grinnell

Blue Gate Farm - Chariton

1. Spinach and a Sunburn...on February 28.

 Yes, you read that one correctly.  We picked spinach and found the sun to be strong enough in the high tunnel to result in a slight sunburn on February 28 in 2011.  Not only did the spinach taste great, it looked great.  And, it did us both some good to do a little bit of work outside/inside. 

While this event might seem a bit small in comparison to the others, consider how different this was from prior years on the farm.  A major change for us in a year full of changes. 

Veg Varieties of 2011

Here it is!  Our 2011 Veg Variety Winners!   We know some of you enjoy this every year, so we feel like we should make sure to get this out there for you!

First off - here are links to prior awards and variety reviews you might find useful:

• 2010 Veg Winners
• Prior Years Winners - Where are they now?
• Highly Recommended
• Move Veg Recommendations

 Drumroll please.......  Ok, you can stop now.

10. Purple Majesty (at right)

This is a major breakthrough for us because we had decided to drop All Blue from our production list and we were unsure if a blue/purple potato would replace it on our grow list.  The problem with All Blue on our farm is that it produced ALOT of small potatoes that were the color of our soil (approximately).  It was a nightmare to pick, even if people (including ourselves) enjoyed eating them.  Purple Majesty helps to bring more diversity to our potato crop as it is a mid season bulking variety versus early (Yukon Gold) and late (German Butterball, Rio Grande).  The taste is fabulous (better than All Blue), they are far easier to pick as the potatoes stay 'closer to home' and the size is generally larger.  High marks were given for Purple Majesty this year by our CSA members and we agree with them, so we will grow more this season.

9. Pablo

Pablo was #2 in 2009 and just missed in 2010.  It has not disappointed since we added it to our grow list in 2008.  This lettuce is dangerous for dinner planning.  There are many reports of 'nibblers' getting to this lettuce during preparation and finding most or all of it gone before dinner is served.  Pablo is a Batavian type and will form a loose head as it matures.  It can be picked prior to that stage (especially in mid-summer) as a loose leaf.  The only knock on this lettuce is that the transplants can be fragile, easily breaking at the stem.  But, once you get used to it, you can adjust your transplanting methods and they do quite well.

8. Music garlic

Another veg variety with a history on our list.  Music was #2 in 2010.  It drops a bit this year only because we had a more successful growing season in 2011, so it had more competition.  Music is an all around winner for garlic.  We have others we like nearly equally well, but Music wins with the consistency it shows beyond the other garlic varieties.

7. Wisconsin Lakes

Another new entry to the list, Wisconsin Lakes finally came into its own this season.  If you want a reliable early red bell pepper with very good taste, this is our recommendation.  The three-lobed and thinner fleshed Wisconsin Lakes exceeds most grocery store and hybrid reds in taste (our opinion) and they are not as tough as some of those can be.  These grow well in our fields and not much differently in the high tunnel.  A joy to pick and a fun plant to grow. 

6. Redwing onion

And here is a rarity for our lists.  Redwing is an F1 hybrid, and we tend to prefer open pollinated varieties.  The only other F1 to make our lists was Kolibri in 2010.  We still have a half dozen or so storing in our root cellar in January and they look great.  Production was generally consistent for a late season trial in 2011.  Size did have some variation depending on weed control nearby, but that is not uncommon for onions.  We've been hunting for a red onion we like best for a while - and I think we finally have a winner.  But, the best aspect of these onions is the taste.  We find that they sweeten up nicely when cooked.  I wouldn't say no to a nice grass fed beef hamburger on the grill with some Wisconsin colby and a grilled Redwing onion.

5. Misato Rose fall radish

Some people call this type of radish a 'watermelon' radish.  We just call it our pleasant fall surprise.  We added Misato Rose, Nero Tondo (black Spanish) and Miyashage (daikon) to our grow list this year in an effort to provide something new to our CSA members at the end of the season and into our Fall shares.  All of them did well and converted fans.  But, the one with the most converts and with consist growing success was Misato Rose.  We always wonder a little when when we choose something we've grown one year for our top 10.  We can't vouch for consistency just yet.  And, one has to consider the 'newness' factor.  Did we choose this because we didn't know what to expect from it?  Maybe that's part of it.  After all, you don't want a copy paste of the same group from year to year do you?

4. Bronze Arrowhead lettuce

Number 1 in 2010 and second in the lettuce category in 2009 to Pablo and 2008 to Crispmint.  This lettuce is so good we are tempted to remove it from the competition altogether next season.  In fact, Bronze Arrowhead and Pablo may just get put in a 'Perpetual Top 10" list so we can review new things for you each year. 

3. Pintung Long eggplant

This was the year of the eggplant, with our farm setting records for production this season.  One of the things Tammy remembers about this season was how Rob would drape a pile of 10-12 Pintungs over his forearm as he picked them - before transferring them to a tray.  These are some of the prettiest eggplant you will find.  You need not worry about bitterness, sweating or peeling them.  These plants favor warmer weather and took off after our June hot patch.  We planted 30 plants and harvested 1.5-2 per plant each week for 5 weeks through August and into September.

2. Bloomsdale spinach

You have not tasted *really good* spinach until you have some in March or December.  We've always had trouble having spinach for long in our regular season CSA because it tends to bolt quickly in June.  The reality is that spinach just likes cooler weather.  And, it gets sweeter in colder weather.  Bloomsdale isn't anything new, and it is a fairly common type for growers to use.  But, there are many good reasons for it.  Bloomsdale overwinters well and resists bolting longer than most varieties.  And, last season our extended season CSA members got a fair amount of spinach in their shares.  And, a tribute to this success is the fact that our additional sales of spinach nearly caught up to our additional sales of lettuce.  I am getting tempted to go pick some spinach in the high tunnel as I type this!  There should be enough for one or two salads.

1. Black Valentine green beans

We've been big fans of Provider and Jade green beans for a long time.  And, of course, we still like them very much.  But, we learned from the loss of Benchmark, a green bean we had come to rely on a bit too much.  A seed supply can disappear, so you should make yourself aware of viable options.  Well, it turns out our little experiment with Black Valentine paid off.  The motivation here was that Black Valentine could be a 'dual purpose' bean.  We can pick them as green beans or let them mature and harvest them as dry beans.  It seemed like a good idea - if we can't keep up with the green bean harvest, you don't lose the crop.  We kept up with the crop this year and had some very heavy yields off of these plants.  And, of course, they tasted very good (a necessity if we're going to grow a green bean).  We entered this experiment not expecting much and got something we intend on using regularly from here on out.  Plants had good vigor, showed no tendency towards disease and were great companions with eggplant.  We had two consecutive 'peak picks' off of the same 100 foot row.  Since we planted these as a later succession, we can't yet speak to how long these will go in a season.  But, we're more than willing to see in 2012.

The C in 'CSA' - Favorite Faux Phauxtos #5

Fifth in a series of favorite photos.  This one comes from our high tunnel build in 2010. Unfortunately, I do not recall who took this one.  I just know it wasn't me.

The high tunnel build was a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day and we had several people attend and work on this project.  We remain grateful for all the help we received and would like to report that the tunnel continues to do well despite many strong winds.

This photo reminds me of the "C" in "CSA" - Community. 

The work on our farm falls primarily on Tammy and I, but we are very sensitive about making inaccurate claims about our accomplishments.  We could not be where we are now without a long, long list of people who have supported us in our endeavors.  This includes persons who are members of our CSA program, people who buy our plants in the Spring, persons who get eggs, chickens, turkeys or ducks from us, farm workers, Tom Sawyer Day participants, family members, schools, institutions and retail outlets who buy our products, and even people we hire to do work we cannot find time to do - like putting a steel roof on the granary.

Our success is tied to our links to the community.

Life on "Plan it GFF"

Ah.... real Winter has arrived.  We *really* don't have a need to work outside today.

So... we plan.

A number of people tell us they like getting insights as to some of the things we do for our farm that might not be as apparent on first glance.  So, I thought a quick look at planning for the 2012 CSA might be interesting.  At least it might be as long as I don't get too long-winded.  And, if you read this blog, you know the risk you are taking by starting to read this post!

CSA planning is a backward/forward process.  We start with our goal numbers for members and figure out how much of each crop we want to set as a goal to distribute to those customers. 

For example:
We would like 100 standard shares and 20 large shares during the regular 20 weeks season.  We hope for 20 Spring shares and 25 Fall shares (all subject to adjustment).
We can do some forward projection on our lettuce crops (for example) so we know our capacity for growing lettuce in our current field plans.  But, for now, we'll stick to backward planning.
We want a head of lettuce for every week of the Spring and Fall shares.  We also want 2 heads for each large and 1 head for each standard share for 15 weeks of the regular season share.  So, we need approximately 2400-2500 heads of lettuce just for CSA demand. 

Now we shift to forward planning!
We look at our historical crop records and use them to project what we can expect for lettuce production assuming that we grow what we grew last season (approximately).  Why last season?  Well...if the numbers work out, we don't have to adjust our field plan.  We keep the plan the same - even though the crop is planted in a new plot.  That's why we try to have similar sized and shaped plots.
Prior records show a capacity of 4000-5000 heads.  These records also remind me of variability in size.  In particular, head size is smaller in the Summer, when we pick heads younger to prevent bolting.  We also see that we have been able to provide lettuce in the regular season for 14 to 17 of the 20 weeks each of the last three seasons. 
What does this mean?  Our field plan is close.  We will now need to look and see if we can optimize the successions in hopes of targeting sales in addition to the CSA. 

Do this for lettuce.  Rinse.  Repeat (for many of the other crops we grow).

Mr. Sunshine - Favorite Faux Phauxtos #4

 

 In honor of what looks to be a sunny and warm January day, we give you exhibit D - a daisy on our farm..in July.

We both like looking at this picture.  And, this is especially true in the Winter months.  We've nicknamed Rudebekia flowers "smiles" because it is hard for us to see these flowers any other way.  These plants are short-lived perennials, but they are also quite willing to set seed and start new plants.  We welcome new plants wherever they pop up - even if we feel a need to transplant them.  

Our only complaint about them might be that they don't flower long enough during the year.  But, we say the same thing about most things we like.  We enjoy iris flowers and we both agree that season is way too short.  Same thing for day lilies, hibiscus, zinnias, etc etc.

  

The lesson we take from this is that we need to learn to see different kinds of beauty and enjoy different tastes and smells.  As gardeners, we re-learn this every season.  With our CSA, we encourage participants to learn and re-learn these concepts with us.  Green beans may be your favorite vegetable (Rob will possibly agree), but you can't have them all season.  What if you tried kale?  It doesn't taste like green beans, but it has its strengths.  

We also remember that we need to take the time to enjoy the things each season brings.  These daisies do not bloom all the time.  So, I try to slow down a bit as a walk by on a farm task just to appreciate their beauty.  And, in seasons where we get an abundance of one particular crop, we remind ourselves not to waver in our enjoyment of them.  For much of our year, many of these vegetables are not in season.  A short term bounty is an opportunity!  Remember this the next time you see four zucchini in your share... again.

Break Time III

Likely the last in the series for some time and we'll get back to farm related posts.  We are now back from travels away from the farm and it was a good thing to be off farm for a while. 

This cover is one of my favorites because there is so much going on!  Let me explain.  No, there is too much.  Let me sum up.  

Essentially, this letter was sent to London from Worcester, Mass in early 1866.  Evidently, the addressee was from Worcester and was traveling to London.  Baring Brothers & Co provided services to many travelers to accept mail on their behalf while they traveled in Europe, which included forwarding mail back to the US if they concluded their travels.  This was the case here.

Postage was paid to get this envelope to England (24 cents) and it was received by Baring Bros.  But, since the recipient was no longer in Europe they sent it back.  Remember, it was still possible to send mail 'collect' (no payment of postage).  And, that is exactly what they did for the return trip.  No British postage was paid by Baring Bros.  That means the recipient, Mr. Bacon, had to pay for the privilege of receiving this piece of mail.

The cost was 24 cents = 1 shilling.  But, you might notice a bold "US Notes 32 Cents" marking on this cover.  At this time, there was a difference in value between US paper currency and the gold standard.  Currency had a 'depreciated' value for some time after the Civil War.  Thus, unpaid mail could be paid either 24 cents in coinage with appropriate valuable metal content OR it could be paid in US currency (notes) at a different ratio to maintain the real value needed by the postal service.  At this time, that ratio came out to the recipient needing to pay 32 cents if they opted to pay in currency.  

Clearly, I could give more accurate detail on this, but I suspect this is enough for most of you.  But, the real reason for showing this is to illustrate what I like about these kinds of items.  They give me a view into the story of the times.  And, the best part is that the story can be about individuals, groups, governments, places, events or daily chores.  Sometimes, the story includes parts of all of these.    The challenge is reading them so you can see what the story is.

Hope everyone had a good holidays and that you've set yourselves up for a good year!

Break Time II

It's still break week.  And, I'm trying not to think about things farm related.  So, here's another interesting item that I have enjoyed researching.

For the most part, this item is fairly typical of mail from the United States to the U.K. in 1865.  The treaty still called for 24 cents per half ounce, so a 24 cent stamp is used to show payment of that rate.  It entered the mail at Street Road, PA and then was placed in a mail bag to cross the sea in Philadelphia.  It was taken out of that mailbag in London and delivered.

The cool thing about this cover is the adhesive on the top left.  Westtown school and farm was around a mile away from the rail station, where the nearest post office was established.  At that time, it was illegal to have a private mail carrying service on any road that was designated a 'post road.'  However, there was no such service to the school and farm.  So, a service was provided for 2 cents to carry mail to the station.  The adhesive (or stamp) at the top left indicated payment for this service.

Westtown school is a Quaker school that still takes boarding students and the section of the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad around the old station now runs a historical/tourist train through this area.

Like history?  You can read more about each of these here:

http://www.westtown.edu/about-westtown/history/more-history/westtown-train-station/index.aspx

Break Time

You might have noticed that we are not doing so much on the blog, email, the website or facebook the last week.  And, just so you all know.  It's because the farmers are taking a break from farming for a short while.  But, not to worry, we'll be figuring our seed orders next week, attending a farming conference and making our year plan.  Not to mention farm tasks like putting electrical in a couple of buildings.

But, until then, Rob intends to work with things like this:

Yep, as strange as it might sound.  Rob is a postal historian (on top of whatever else he might do) and he enjoys old envelopes and learning about where they come from, what the postal rates were and other fun stuff.  And, about once a year, he allows himself to post something on it.

The envelope shown above (usually referred to as a 'cover') is a cool example of a postal agreement that might seem a bit unfair to us now.  But, let me give you a brief summary.

In the 1840's, England and the United States made an agreement (a treaty) to exchange mail at the rate of 24 cents (1 shilling) per one half ounce of weight.  This cover was posted in the 1860's, with that same rate intact.  There are three 24 cent stamps on the envelope, so you would expect that the envelope with contents must have weighed between 1 ounce and 1.5 ounces.  Which it likely did.  But, the envelope was treated as unpaid and 4 shillings were collected from the person who received the envelope in Falkingham.

The treaty did not allow for odd rates except for a single rate.  So, it was 24 cents for the first 1/2 oz.  24 cents for the second 1/2 oz.  Then, it was 48 cents for each ounce after that, with fractions (no matter how small) rounded upwards.

So, here is the kicker.  The treaty also stipulated that underpaid mail should be treated as UNPAID.  That means the sender spent 72 cents that did nothing toward sending this letter.  The recipient spent 4 shillings (96 cents) for the honor of receiving this mail - so the cost to the participants was $1.68.

Now, before you get too upset that the postal agencies were ripping people off, consider this:
It was common practice for people to send mail unpaid for collection of the due amount from the recipient.  It was also common for recipients to refuse delivery.  Thus, the service of delivery was rendered for FREE in those cases because no one would pay for it.

Either way.  Next time you are unhappy about paying 44 cents for a single envelope to go through our current day mail system, think about this envelope.  And, if you want a very brief editorial on this - think about how inexpensive it is to use a very complex and expensive system of delivery.  'Nuff said.

Who Thinks This is Cool?

We do!

We consider this a great Christmas gift - a very rare sighting of a Snowy Owl in Iowa.  This was located on Highway 9, just east of Armstrong on the morning of December 24.  We have been told there are 63 snowy owls documented in Iowa of which this is one, so it is not a 'new' discover.  They have come further South due to food shortages in Canada. (Thank you Kip for the info!)  To give you an idea of the rarity, we lived in Duluth for a year and were told seeing snowy owls there was uncommon.

Snowy owls are diurnal, so it was not necessarily odd to see this one in broad daylight.  Descriptions of this bird also indicate that they may let spectators, such as ourselves, get relatively close.  Prior to the sighting, neither of us had those facts in our personal databases, so we were even more amazed by its presence.  Apparently it is perfectly normal that it should size us up in broad daylight.

Tammy was driving and saw the bird first.  She slowed and did a U-turn - not telling Rob why.  Her reason was that she didn't believe what she thought she saw and didn't want to say what it was until she could confirm it.  Rob's excuse is that she had asked him a question that involved looking at a map (otherwise he would also have seen it the first time...... HA!  Ok, who knows....but it sounds like a good excuse).

An additional bit of irony for the sighting:  We were listening to a book on tape at the time.  Harry Potter (book 1).  But, prior to Harry getting his Snowy Owl, Hedwig. 

Promises of a New Year - Favorite Faux Phauxtos #3

Third in a series of photos we like with various and sundry attached musings.

This installment features some of the wildflowers on the farm.  The area pictured below isn't quite as big as it looks and its origins were not nearly as wild or wonderful as it is now.  But, the Rudebekia, Shasta Daisies, Coneflower, Blue Flax, Monarda and Gaillardia are enjoyable nonetheless.

Tammy and I were avid perennial flower gardeners in addition to our vegetable garden prior to our starting the Genuine Faux Farm.  In fact, we moved multiple truckloads of perennials down to the farm from our prior home when we moved.  We also had a penchant for buying seed for various perennials and trying to start them (both in pots and the ground).  The humble beginnings of this area on our farm was as a nursery area where we direct seeded a bunch of perennial flower seed just to see what would happen.

Many of the seed packets were old and we didn't expect much.  We set out neat rows, put in row markers and hand seeded into the soil our first Spring on the farm.  The initial intention was that any plants that started successfully would be integrated into our carefully laid out and cultivated perennial gardens nearby.  I guess we thought that any plant that survived in this area deserved graduation to our featured garden areas.

Sure enough, many of the seeds did nothing.  But, those that came from 'wilder' stock did better.  It was a good lesson in seed viability.  And, as you can likely surmise, we never did get around to transplanting those plants that got a start in this area.  Instead, it was one of those tasks we never quite got around to.  As a result, the plants that took produced their own seed.  Suddenly, we had a patch of wild flowers.  Every year it changes a bit.  Every year we think we might wade in there and yank the weeds that inevitably incorporate themselves into the mix.  But, despite our intentions, we do a little with it and then let it be what it is.

Our farm is, at many levels, alot like this perennial bed.  We went through the process of creating a business plan and working hard to prepare ourselves prior to our first year of running a CSA.  We had an elaborate set of documents.  We had big ideas.  We set about to make them happen to the best of our abilities.  We laid out the rows.  We set out markers.  We planted.

We had intentions that we never quite got to.  We had others that we did.  And, there are others that we still intend to get to.  Our initial plan called for us to stop at a 40 member CSA.  We had 100 members this year and have had as many as 120.  In the beginning, we didn't have a vision that had Rob working on the farm as his full-time job, we planned that he would work part time doing other things.  There were no thoughts of high tunnels, Ford 8n tractors, eight sandpoint shovels or summer workers beyond a few volunteers or periodically hired kids from the community.  Chickens, turkeys and ducks?  Are you kidding?  Why would we do that?  Ironically, some of the best things that have happened on the farm came from events, choices or plans that seemed most difficult, least clear and most risky to us at the time.

There are still vestiges of that first set of plans that are the underpinnings of what we do today.  And, much of those foundations are solid points from which we could begin our journey.  Like this wildflower bed, it became something more than we envisioned.  We still plan great things and we accomplish as much as we are able or are allowed each year.  Yet in the end, we still have to stand back and realize that our farm is what it is.

Every year, there is beauty, there is change, there is success and there is failure.  While our wild flower patch of a farm takes a rest this Winter, there are dreams of how next year will be.  There are new plans and new ambitions.  We will accomplish much, we will fail often (even as we strive to fail less often than we succeed).  Yet, there will still be something wonderful that comes of it.

May there be wildflowers for all of you in the new year!

White Christmas - Favorite Faux Phauxtos #2

Part 2 of a series where we feature photos we like. 

We just got a quarter to a half inch of snow on the 22nd of December. The likelihood that it will stay until Christmas this year is low.  So, here is one of our favorite snowy/frosty day pictures to help you get into the seasonal mood.

We've found a good hoar frost is a great opportunity for pictures on the farm.  And, this is one that has grown on me over time.  This picture was taken (we think) in 2010.


One of the best things about living on the farm is the requirement that we go outside frequently.  Of course, we spend much more time inside during the Winter months, but we still get out there.  And, because we do, we don't miss the wide variety of clothing nature gives our surroundings.  That is, we don't miss it as long as we take a moment to stop trudging to the barn or compost pile or wherever the poultry are right now and raise our heads for a good look around.  Yes, sometimes that means wiping the tears from our eyes that a strong North wind can cause in cold weather, but we still do it.

A hoar frost, like the one above, comes when there is an ice fog, which implies little to no wind.  While pictures of hoar frost in the sun can be amazing, this one reminds me of the feel of that day better than many.  The stillness, the silence and the beauty made it difficult to want to do more than turn in circles in a single spot.  Why would you want to infringe on the silence by taking a step?

This picture, and the day it was taken, reminds me to think about things I like.  Textures, sounds and colors that I find fascinating.  It also reminds me to be calm and remember people, places and things I am fond of. 

We hope everyone can find a moment of peace to reflect on what they love.

Again, Merry Christmas.

Hope for a New Day - Favorite Faux Phauxtos

Like many things we might like to do, this mini-project may end up being only one blog post long.  Or, it may become a small series if the mood strikes.  Every once in a while, the creative bone my body wants to do something.  In this case, we've recorded some nice pictures of the farm (and elsewhere) that we enjoy sharing.  And, many of those pictures make us think things that might also be worth sharing.

So, here is our first offering of what we consider to be excellent pictures.  Remember, we are not trained photographers, nor do we claim to know anything about composition, etc etc. 

If you want to get a better view, click on the picture and view it at a larger size.

This picture was taken in mid-July of 2010, in the evening after a rainy and stormy day.  We don't recall if we got more rain right after that or not.  But, the background story here is that we had been getting lots of rain at the time.  We were watching plants die as they drowned in standing water in our fields.  And, there wasn't a single thing we could do about it.

Normally, at this time of year, we're beginning to ramp up the quantity of vegetables in our shares.  We should have been looking forward to the increase in crop availability and diversity - and worrying about how we would pick and distribute it all.  But, instead, we were dreading having to tell people that we'd lost more crops.  We did not look forward to going to CSA distributions feeling like we had to apologize for less than stellar amounts of produce.  On top of it all, we'd just invested a huge chunk of money in putting up our high tunnel.  Doubt, fear, worry, stress and fatigue were all appropriate words to describe our state of being at the time.

You might figure a picture of a dark, stormy or brooding sky would be appropriate for how we felt at the time.  And, perhaps it would be.  Except I remember how we felt when we saw this evening sky and how beautiful it was.  It was the end of the day.  We were tired.  We were depressed.  And, we still ran to grab the camera in order to take a couple dozen shots.

Soon after that, things began to dry out and we started to shift our focus to growing lots of short season fall crops.  We fought through the adversity even though we were sorely tempted to tell everyone we were finished for the year.  And, best of all, we reminded ourselves of our blessings and the positive things in our lives - including the ability to recognize and enjoy nature's beauty.

Lest you think that the trials of 2010's growing season ended when July did, we can truly say that we are still fighting battles that began during that difficult time.  But, we can also point to dozens of innovations and alterations in what we do, how we do it and how we think about it that came as a result of the struggles we went through at that time.  And, we can also tell you how valuable these changes have been for us.

Perhaps this sky reminded us to hope.  And in doing so, it gave us something more.  A will to persevere and live life.  And...

It's just a darned good looking picture.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Rob & Tammy

Meals on Wheels?

Wednesday is going to be an interesting day.  Please note, this is where you are supposed to say...

"Really?  What's so interesting about Wednesday?"

Why, thank you for asking.  We're ever so glad you did and we'll do our best to be polite and keep it brief and interesting.   After all, we are aware that we normally have trouble with the first and sometimes wonder if we can achieve the second.

Let me open by saying that we picked 89 eggs yesterday from our hens.  Granted, we picked a little later than usual, so this is going to be high for a daily output anyway.  But, suffice it to say that the hens are doing what we *knew* they would do.  They somehow realize when our CSA deliveries are done and when it becomes less convenient to get eggs to people.  So, they increase production.  We've already moved 16 dozen this week and intend to deliver another 18-19 dozen tomorrow.  Yeek!

On another front, the twice a year event of getting pork from the Berlage family has its Winter iteration.  The pork is ready to be picked up and we will be doing so tomorrow.  Normally we do two hogs with them, but they asked if we could help move a third hog this Winter.  We were, happily, able to help them do this by arranging a cooperative buy (we pool resources with other people since we can only eat so much pork ourselves).  There are fifteen families involved in this purchase and we intend on delivering tomorrow.

Then there is the matter of the last duck and one of the last few turkeys available for sale (hint hint, we still have 2-3 turks).  The duck will be delivered with a pork portion.  The turkey goes somewhere else.  But, you had to know there was more poultry involved somehow.

Then, there is the issue of an electronics purchase that didn't have all the parts, some brochures that need delivering and two humans that intend on riding *inside* the vehicle.

Do the math....

Two humans, three pigs, nineteen dozen eggs, a twenty-six pound turkey and a duck - all in one car.  Yes, we intend on putting all of this in the Honda.  Yes, we may change our minds and go in the truck too. 

I don't know if we've had this much fun putting alot of odd stuff in/on a subcompact vehicle since the day we put a buffet (piece of furniture) on the trunk of our Saturn.  That, as many might say, is another story....and maybe we'll tell it. 

Best Posts for 2011

A jury of one has selected what were thought to be some of the best posts of the Genuinely Faux blog for 2011.  You can help us select the posts from this year that go onto the left side bar of the blog (where we put our best posts all time).  Give us some feedback here or via our email address.  And, hey, if you think the jury of one missed a better post, tell us!

February

There's Snow Business Like...
Vocabu..?

March

Traveling for the Amused
Talking the Talk (more vocabu...)

May

Black and Blue Division
New Lyrics by A Man With a Hat
Mad Dash

June

Infectious
One for the Record Books
The Day of "No Rain"
All We are Saying...

July

Bird Brains
Bird Brains II
Splish Splash

September

Not So Marigolds

October

Dusty Roads and Other Adventures
Bugga Boo!
The Fried Egg Fairy

November

Box of Maple

December

Irony and Other Cool Words
It Really Shouldn't Be This Hard

It Really Shouldn't Be This Hard

There it is.  The hose reel.  Doesn't seem like a terribly complex contraption.  Also, it seems like a pretty good idea on our farm when we are often dealing with 300-400 feet of hose at a time.

Since I am also an academic (read in, thinks he has to know more then he should before he acts and believes such information is findable), I had to do some reading and researching to find the best made hose reels for 400+ feet of hose.  All this within, of course, normal monetary and time constraints.  We settled on a particular model with "no-flat" tires and heavier gauge steel construction.  It seemed pretty good on paper.  So, we made the order.

First thing of note - we made this order early in the growing season so we could put them together and get used to using them throughout the growing season.  Every tool has a learning curve, even something as simple as this.  For example, if all 400 feet are 'played out' and you want to roll it all up, you would do well to drag it back towards the reel *first*.  Why?  You're trying to pull *alot* of weight otherwise and the cart is not heavy/stable enough to stay still while you try to turn the wheel.

But, that's not really a part of the story.  The real story goes something like this:

Early May: We make the order with a company that shall remain nameless but will (in the future) be orderless from us.

Mid to Late May: Two boxes (with two reels) arrive two and a half weeks later.  Allow 10-14 days delivery.  Ok, we can forgive that.  Boxes look a little rough, but it is the contents that count.

early to mid June: We were ready to put these together  about a week prior to their arrival.  Now, other things are taking our time.  So, it is two+ weeks later when we have a rainy day and time to put these together.
Box #1 is opened.  Instructions are found.  I begin to lay parts out and compare to the parts list in the instructions.  I give up when I realize the small parts do not match the list.  But, it seems like the parts do match the instructions for assembly.
Assembly begins.  The base is assembled, wheels put on .  The hose reel drum is assembled.  The handle is assembled and put on the base.
Now, to put the reel drum onto the base you need the handle that serves as the crank.  The picture doesn't show it well, but it is on the right end of the pictured item.
Where is the crank?  What?  Really?  No crank?!?
Really.  And no way to put the drum on the base without it.
Box #2 is opened.  All parts removed and inspected.  No crank.
Right.

Next Day in June:

Phone call made.  We request cranks.  Two to be exact.
"Sorry, the cranks are on back order.  But, we will ship two more reel kits.  You can take out the cranks and then have the remainder shipped back to us. "
We suggest they just take the cranks out themselves, save on shipping and just send those cranks.
"No. We can't do that.  It's the whole box or nothing."
We suggest they OPEN the boxes before shipping to be sure there are cranks in each box.

Mid to late June: Ten days later.  Two boxes arrive.   Better timing.  Boxes still look pretty rough.
We open one box.    There is, in fact, a crank.  We finish the first cart.
We open the other box.  There is no crank.  But, the packing list *does* say "open boxes to make sure crank is in the box."  Before you say someone only opened one of the two, consider that this packing list with the instruction  to open boxes was INSIDE the box without a crank.

Next Day: Phone call #2.  We inform them of our case number and ask them to arrange to pick up two boxes.  We also inform them that we are still short one crank.  So, maybe they could either:
a. open a box and send us a crank
or
b. pick up three boxes and leave us alone with only one working hose reel and refund our money for one of the two reels.

They choose option c - pick up two boxes and send us another full box with the whole assembly.

Some point in July:
Two boxes go away and a new one appears.  It is immediately opened while the UPS guy watches.  It has a crank.  We suggest he can take the other crankless one too, but he cannot do so.  He only has an order to ship two.
Cart #2 gets put together at some point thereafter.

We also were good people and made a call to get the company to arrange another pickup for the 3rd box with a crankless reel.    We kept the box where we could get to it easily and, in fact, put it prominently in front of the garage when we went somewhere so UPS would see it if they came when we were not around.   I think I only tripped over it a few times.

It's December.  I moved that box into the granary for the Winter.   I suspect they have enough inventory on hand for the crankless hose reels already. 

Irony and other Cool Words

Irony

Back in March of 2009, we used the title "Irony" and my brain had some memory of it.  So, I hunted it up and you can feel free to take the link if you are curious.

Tammy and I have one smallish television in the house.  We do not have satellite tv, we can't get cable, internet is too slow and the bandwidth isn't there and we don't have a converter box.  In short, the tv is there to watch dvd's.  That's all there is to it.

So, what should appear in our mailbox yesterday?  A large envelope from the Nielsen Ratings.  Yes, they want our household to tell them what we watch on television.  We realize they use a random sampling technique, so we should be just as likely as anyone else to be asked our opinions.  But - if they only *knew*!

We were just going to toss the envelope, but for some reason I opened it.  What should fall out but two crisp one dollar bills.  Fresh from the printer (hmmmm).  They also included a SASE.  So....why not?  How do we answer the "What are your three favorite TV shows?" question?  Or the one about our normal TV watching time?   What we probably should have done was select some of the long since terminated shows we have watched in the past, or bother to see on DVD.  Maybe I should have said "Sesame Street."  You can't go wrong with that show.

Fortuitous

We haven't, according to my memory, focused on this word before - so you'll just have to deal without a link to another post!  And, if you are on limited internet time, that would be fortuitous for you.

For each of the past three seasons we have worked hard to figure out our field plans and our seed orders.  But, for some reason, we always seem to be ordering our seed in February - March.  This can be a bit late if you want to order the bulk amounts of certain seeds that our farm requires.  As a result, we find ourselves looking for substitutes in a few cases.  Not the end of the world, but a bit of a pain.

So, this year, we are looking to get our seed orders in earlier.  We received our Johnny's catalog at the end of last week and Rob has already gone through the whole thing from front to back.  Evidently in the mood for this sort of thing.  Now that we have an idea of what interests us in the Johnny's catalog, we need some of the others to arrive in our mailbox.

What should arrive today? The Seed Savers catalog.  Now, if we can get another one on Wednesday and the next on Friday, we'll be in great shape!  In fact, that would be fortuitous.  (note: Tuesday's mail brought us the Fedco catalog!)

Perspicacity

Now, here's a word I've always liked.  But, I can't always get my voice to say it without messing it up.  So, I'll type it instead! 

Every so often, it seems like one or both of us pick up on things much quicker than normal.  In other words, we exhibit a higher perspicacity at those times.  Last week was not likely one of those weeks for me.  So, if I came across as a bit thick....sorry.  I got better (I hope).  At least I'm trying to refine my vocabulary....whatever that is.

Ostentatious

The word is, in itself, what it is.  So was that sentence.  But, other than enjoying writing big words in blogs, it is something neither Tammy nor myself wish to be.  But, because we run this farm business, we have to call attention to ourselves to make sales and promote what we do.  And we are finding there is a fine line between honorable self-promotion and being ostentatious. 

Case in point #1 - we set up a trifold display with pictures and information about our CSA and our farm at the Harvest Market on Saturday.  We both agreed that it was probably a good thing to do, but part of me wondered if it would not go over well with the other vendors who were there.  There is always a fine line to walk between attracting customers and belittling others who are also trying to attract customers.  And, if we go too far over the top with our own self-promotion, we wonder if they might conclude that we *are* ostentatious. 

Case in point #2 - Facebook.   If that web application doesn't invite one to try to call attention to oneself, I don't know what does.   For those who only have a personal page and no business page, they might not be aware of the 'metrics' Facebook tries to use to indicate your 'success' at reaching people.  We continue to do our best to use Facebook as a communications tool, but we're not always sure it is the right tool.  On the other hand, so many people we are trying to reach seem to be using it right now, it is hard to ignore.  So, forgive us as we attempt to integrate Facebook into our farm communications system.

We hope you had the perspicacity to enjoy this attempt at irony with respect to the ostentatious premise of this blog post.  We trust that its timing is fortuitous in that it will allow you to read it and....

Post your favorite big words as comments to this post!  Challenge us to try to use each word in a future (January) post.

Word Association

Somebody saw me today and said "Hey!"  I nodded in greeting out of habit, but my brain was thinking "Hay!"

Why was I thinking about hay?  Well, we had two large bales of hay in the field next to the garlic.  We'd spread about 100 row feet already, but still had alot more to go.  We're trying to not let ourselves hibernate and we forced ourselves to go out each day this weekend and do a little work (perhaps more on that later).  But, the effort today focused on spreading the two bales onto as much of the garlic rows as we could.  The good news is that we accomplished spreading the two bales.  The bad news - there is still about 400 feet of garlic to cover.  But, it just so happens a lot of hay was pushed down from the hayloft in the barn.

Oh, did you mention the barn?  Well, of course you did.  That reminds me of something else going on here at the farm.  The barn is on its way out.

The pictures are not quite up to date with the current situation, but it gives you a feeling for it.  While the demise of the barn is planned and necessary, we still feel sadness about it.  But, perhaps more important, it has added additional work for us on the farm.  Yes, someone else is taking the barn down but....  that barn did provide shelter for a number of things.  And, if we're going to salvage lumber and put our new tools under cover for Winter, we have to do alot of moving.

So, we've been trying to get things moved into the poultry pavilion (PP), the granary, truck barn, garage and house so they have shelter for the Winter.  And, we mentioned that we are trying to get some outdoor work done each day.  Well, we gamely went about doing outdoor work on Saturday.  In that nice cold rain (it certainly dampened our spirits - or at least we were dampened).  We managed to move some lumber and some of our cold frames into the PP, more old windows and hoses into the granary and some sundry other things into the truck barn.

Speaking of Saturday, the Waverly Harvest Market did occur Saturday morning in the Civic Center.  We were pleased to have a good turnout.  The good news?  Higher turnout means sales were fairly good for all vendors.  It also means the likelihood that we will try to continue to make the Harvest Markets continue in 2012 went up.  If this market were as dismal as November's market, we would have dropped the idea for a few years (at the least).  We are hoping that this turnout will encourage other vendors to take it more seriously next year and we can provide all you with even more variety and opportunity!  But more than that, we were impressed and humbled by the support shown to us by our friends, acquaintances and customers at this market.  We are fully aware that many of you made an effort to be there, even if you had much to do and, perhaps, no specific need of any of the items at the market.  You told us you liked having this option available to you.  And, so we will do what we can to keep it coming.

The support we have received over the last year gives us much to be thankful for.  I just realized that we had missed our traditional Thanksgiving post.  If anything on this blog can be said to be 'traditional.'   Our families and friends have been amazingly supportive to our endeavors.  There are many jobs and tasks that have been completed over the past year that could not have been done without their help.  If we find some time, we'll try to show some pictures that show the amazing transformations this farm has undertaken since we have been here.  But, left on our own, these changes would not be so dramatic.

And, speaking of change.... it is hard to comprehend the number of things we've been able to address in the last couple of months.  It also illustrates how things on the farm work (or fail to work).  We've been without a working dryer since some time this summer.  It's not a big deal when we hang our clothes on the line to dry.  Until one gets to the point where clothing freezes on the line.  This is now fixed.  We've also dealt with a kitchen faucet that, for lack of a better description, left much to be desired.  That has been replaced and is working well.  What do farmers do in Winter?  Everything they couldn't get to in Spring, Summer and Fall!

Veg Variety Quiz

At today's Harvest Market, we put out a quiz asking people to try to match vegetable variety names with the type of vegetable.  We grow all of these and they are all open-pollinated and most are heirloom/heritage varieties.

Our winner got 9 of the 12 correct!  Congratulations Sophie!  Sophie will get a 2012 GFF T-shirt once the order is made in January/February.

Napolean Sweet    d- Pepper
Grandpa Admires  h- Lettuce
Costata Romanesco l- Zucchini
St Valery's              j- Carrot
Marina di Chioggia  i- Winter Squash
Black Valentine    c- Green Bean
Pintung Long       b- Eggplant
Sweet Genovese   e- Basil
Helios                   k- Radish
Boothby's Blonde a- Cucumber
Gigante                 f- Kohlrabi
Nebraska Wedding  g- Tomato

The most common correct answer was Sweet Genovese Basil, most likely because it is still an industry standard variety.  Next most common correct answers were Napolean Sweet Pepper and Nebraska Wedding Tomato.  Also not a surprise since heirloom varieties are better known for these crops. 

Somehow, Black Valentine Green Beans managed to evade everyone who participated.  We'll work to remedy that.  The great thing about Black Valentine is that the plants can be very productive with beans that are a little 'crisper' than other varieties.  But, what makes them standout is the dual nature of these beans.  You can eat them as snap (green) beans or you can let the pods dry and use them as a dry bean.  We like that because we can grow more of these and when the green beans overwhelm the amount of time we have to pick, we can let them go and still get a useful crop out of them.  With other green beans, you could save the pods for seed, so not a complete loss, but they are not so good if you want to eat them.

Thank you to all who attended today's harvest market - we appreciate the efforts you made to come visit us!

Rob & Tammy

December Harvest Market

There will be a harvest market in Waverly this Saturday morning from 8:30 - 11:30 am.  We will be indoors at the Civic Center at 200 1st Street NE. 

We have recruited Hansen's Dairy to join us (check out their cheese curds and milk).  The Vegan Baker will be there as well.

The Genuine Faux Farm will have eggs, winter squash, perhaps some potatoes, maybe some greens like arugula and lettuce, turkeys and ducks available for sale.  We will also have our organic cotton bags with our logo available for those who might like to give a gift for Christmas that is a bit different.  But - even better - consider giving a regular season CSA share to a loved one - or put it on your wish list!

For those who visit us at the market and sign up for 2012's CSA, we will give you one of our organic cotton bags as a thank you for placing a deposit with us.  Deposits are $25 and they hold your spot for the following year.

If you have already given us a deposit, our thanks!  We look forward to serving you again in 2012.  For those who have let us know that you are moving on, we wish you the best.  We will miss seeing you, but we know life brings about changes that require people to move away or make purchasing decisions that do not include our farm shares.  But, if you have been considering joining us for next year and have not done so yet, now is the time!  Anyone who reserves a spot for next year prior to December 31st will receive their share at 2011 prices.

We hope to see you or hear from you soon!

Our best wishes to all of you for a wonderful holiday season.  We count ourselves lucky for having met and interacted with so many fine individuals!

Rob & Tammy

Unsquished Squash Part II

If you want to read more about our winter squash crop in general, you can go look at Part I.

Galeaux d'Eysines 

(we call it a Bumpkin)

The Bumpkin is one of those winter squash we've had a 'love-hate' relationship with.  They are ever so cool looking when they do their thing.  They are ever so frustrating when they do not.  This year, they did their thing.  We classify these as a pumpkin and consider them to have a great texture for pies, breads and soups.  Excellent taste and a smaller seed cavity.  We've found that these suffer terribly from cucumber beetle attacks if you direct seed them and very few plants tend to survive.  They don't care for cooler years either.  On the other hand, start them in trays and transplant them in a normal to warm year and you'll get a decent representation.  Vines can wander a bit.  Fruit size is anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds.  Averaging around 8. 

Musquee de Provence

Yet another French heirloom winter squash.  We grow these primarily for the fabulous taste these bring to pies, breads, muffins and any other baking we might want to throw pumpkin into.  You might find yourself putting in less nutmeg and other spices when you use this pumpkin because it does have a great taste.  Squash tend to be larger (the one above weighs 18 lbs).  Don't expect very many per vine.  They do seem to do something for us every year as long as the season is long enough.  In other words, don't miss your planting date!  The pumpkin above is pretty typical for what they look like when ripe.  Smallish seed cavity.  The biggest issue for us with these is weed control.  So, we recommend starting in trays and transplanting to get a good full season.  Then, some good mulch will go along ways to helping you get some trophy squash out of this variety.  We have noticed that a higher percentage of these will succumb to a rot issue around the stem.

Thelma Sanders

This is, in fact, a blond acorn squash.  We love the production levels and the consistency this variety gives us and were dismayed when the seed supply was not available this year.  We are hopeful it will rebound.  As it was, we grow what we had left from the year before.  Less grainy and stringy than a standard dark green acorn squash and often a bit bigger on average.  We think it has a slightly nutty taste as compared to the standard acorn squash and would pick one of these to eat first. 

Marina di Chioggia

And now, an Italian heirloom squash.  This has been one of our favorites since we started growing heirloom winter squash.  Rob was not a fan of squash until this one and Burgess Buttercup came along to our grow lists.  Dryer texture and bright orange flesh.  These can be anywhere from 5 to 18 lbs in size.  Pick them when the stems are "corky."  You won't get as many fruit on these as others, but the size and taste tend to make up for it.  Cook one of these up for dinner and then have good leftovers for several days.  Or cook it up and freeze it for later use.  Benefits from having companion flowers, so put some nasturiums and zinnias nearby.  If we had to pick ONE winter squash for ourselves, we would pick this one.  If we had to pick one for farm/CSA production, we'd probably have to be less creative and go with Waltham Butternut.

Waltham Butternut

Since I mentioned it.  Waltham Butternut is the most reliable producer we know.  Many people identify the butternut as winter squash and are unaware of other types of squash.  Flesh is orange and wetter than buttercup types (like Marina di Chioggia).   Stems are solid, so they are not susceptible to vine borers.  Even in a rough cucumber beetle year, a decent number of seedlings survive.  Resistant to most blights or diseases.  Stems are tough, squash store very well (we've had some last easily to April).  Pick them when they are a rich tan color and preferable without a green stripe running from the stem (though these will be fine if you are forced to bring them in, they just aren't quite as rich in taste we think).

Stay tuned for Unsquished Squash Part III

A Dull Roar

It is November, and things are quieter than they have been for some time.  Unless, of course, you count the windy days and combine that with plugged up ears from a head cold.   Then, things can seem pretty loud.

Probably the nicest thing that happens for us in the Fall is the reduction in daily chore work load as we take the various birds to the 'park.'  At this time, we only have our egg laying flock to care for on a daily basis.  It's amazing how easy that work seems when you compare to dealing with what was essentially six different flocks not all that long ago.

Some of those flocks are still with us, but they are pretty quiet at the moment.  Sitting in freezers, waiting for homes.

Hey!  We still have a few turkeys left, looking to join lucky families at Thanksgiving.  If you hear of someone looking, send them our way.

We now have two roosters in our laying flock.  Harold is the senior partner now and Fu (the Barred Rock) is our new "Junior Barnyard Manager."
At present, the flock is larger than desired and we need to retire some of the ladies.  So, if someone out there has an acreage and wanted a few laying hens to wander around their place, let us know.  These birds may not lay eggs regularly, but they should lay some once in a while.

Blog Newsletter #2

Welcome to our 2nd edition of the new format newsletter.  Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback on the last.  It was nice to hear from some of you and reconnect.  If something here gives you the urge to get back in touch with us, post a comment in the blog, send an email or otherwise reach us!

If you wish to simply read our blog posts from most recent to least recent, scroll down!  Otherwise, you can take links to the parts you want to read about.  We send this note out to people who have asked to be kept on an email list to be notified periodically about these newsletters.  Genuine Faux Farm is also on Facebook.  You can like/subscribe to us and get a Facebook notice when we post to the blog - we put a post out there most times when something new occurs.

==================================
October Starts with a Bang
We had an amazing start to the month of October.  Rather than give you the details here, you should go here and you'll get some idea as to many of the "bigger" things that we dealt with then and continue to influence us now.  We call it "Dusty Roads and Other Adventures".

Farm Reports
If you want to get the 'digest' version of events on the farm, you can check out our farm reports.  Rather than link each one separately, I'll link you to the topic and you can read through them until you feel caught up.  Farm Report Topic.

A Sighting of the Fried Egg Fairy!
Tammy was home during Fall Break and there was an appearance of the Fried Egg Fairy.  You're just going to have to read it to get more.

The season for reviewing our vegetable varieties is here. 
1. Winter Squash (part I) is out there now.
2. Peppers is a three part post!  Lots of good information there. 
    Part 1
    Part 2 
    Part 3

Durnik the Tractor
For those who are curious about why our auction trip in early October was a big deal.  Or for those who want to know what tools we're looking to use with Durnik - you might want to see the pictures on this post.

On the Philosophical Side
If you are interested in more serious musings, you can check out our thoughts on the dust in the country during harvest season.  Or, perhaps you can read about conflicting feelings once our flocks are taken to 'the park.'  Or, you can read about our feelings at the end of a good CSA regular season.

Want a Laugh or Two?
We've got a little bit of everything here.  Some featured cartoons, a reprint of a GFF Story and even a HALLOWEEN story (GFF style).

Unsquished Squash

We managed a few pictures of some of our winter squash this season.  While it was not our best winter squash year, we managed to get a reasonable crop.  Earlier in the year, we had a much higher population of cucumber beetles than we've seen in the past.  As a result, a significant percentage of the seedlings perished as the beetles girdled the plants.  If that isn't bad enough, these insects are a vector for bacterial wilt.  So, if the plants survived being munched on, others died from disease.

Hayrack with 2011 Winter Squash

An average year on the farm has us pulling in approximately 2000 winter squash of a range of varieties.  This year, we were happy to land around 900 squash.  Like many of our crops this season, it is enough to give our CSA members some decent squash, but it does not give us the excess we plan on in order to make additional sales.  It is hard to complain.  Last year we lost our entire field of winter squash in standing water (July 2010). 

A nice mix of winter squash

Experiments in 2011
We tried a few new approaches this year (some of which were tried last year, but heavy rains 'washed' them out).

1. Starting seedlings and transplanting
We've resisted this process for a few reasons.  The extra cost is actually the least of our worries here.  It has more to do with space and time.  If you direct seed, you plant once.  If you transplant, you plant twice.  If these are in trays, you have to water daily.  But, we found the transplants did significantly better because the plants were out in the field after the stage that cucumber beetles normally girdle the plant.  (Girdling essentially happens when a critter gnaws around the stem of the plant, cutting off the vascular system)  The result?  We'll be transplanting many more of the squash, with some exceptions.  Acorn and spaghetti squash are already shorter season and seem to make it through things well enough without the extra help.

2. Squash and flower spacing
We're working on optimizing our squash and flower spacing.  We have found that nasturtiums are great to repel vine borers and it seems like our vine crops do much better with zinnias, borage, bee's friend and marigolds nearby.  We are also trying out Four O'clocks as a companion.  No solid conclusions yet, but the ideas to fine tune are coming.

New experiments for 2012

1. Mulch trials

We have ideas about weeding in between rows.  And we know where we made mistakes on that this year.  However, keeping things weeded IN ROW can be pretty difficult.  The weed pressure is way up after our last few years of difficult weather.  We will be trying paper mulch to keep weeds down for the first several weeks of growing. 

Similarly, we will be trying a green mulch (cover crop between rows).  Essentially, a green mulch is where we select our weed and cultivate it like another crop.  It is critical to select a cover crop that is a good companion for the cash crop. 

And, of course, the old stand-by for mulching is straw.  But, the issue here is sourcing the straw.  We don't have land to grow our own.

2. Row Cover Trial?

This one makes our list every year and it never does get high enough on the priority list to get done.  The biggest issue?  Wind.  

3. Variety Simplification with a Twist

We like having a wide variety within a crop and winter squash is not an exception.  However, our diversity is causing issues with crop and time management.  Simply put, we can't do it all.  We'll still have diverse crops, but we'll stop working with a few varieties we might like to grow, but have not shown the resilience we need.  We're sure we *can* grow them.  But, we're going to drop them until we have an improved system that works for us.  Then, we'll consider reintroducing.  

So, what's the twist?  A couple of these seem to really attract those cucumber beetles.  We might consider using them as a catch crop.  The idea of "sacrificial plants" is not new.  But, you have to ask whether the catch crop draws more critters to the area *OR* if it attracts the critters that are already there.

In our next installment, we talk about some of our winter squash varieties.