It's true - peppers, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans... They are with us for such a short period of time. And, now we will do without them again for a while.
We do keep records of all of our crops. But, we don't have time to keep running totals of all crops as the season progresses. So, we are selective based on the usefulness of an up to date set of data.
For example, summer squash vines need to be picked regularly to keep them producing. There is no such thing as pacing the picking schedule. You just pick them when they are ready - and keep picking them. There may be a bit of scheduling within a week so all of our CSA members get similar amounts. But, that is about the extent of it. So, as long as I am aware of the last couple of pick amounts, the condition of the plants and the upcoming demand - we are fine.
On the other hand, most pepper plants have some flexibility with respect to their picking schedule. I can leave some peppers on plants longer to wait for color change. Or, I can rotate row picking to try to optimize the size and taste without giving up another set of fruit. But, working that out requires tracking as the season progresses.
Thus, I have numbers for things like peppers.
Our three year average for total sweet pepper production
4034
This year so far
3732
But, in some ways, I like this year's number better.
Now it is your turn - ask me "why?" Please... Ok, I'll tell you anyway.
In previous years we didn't govern our crop as well as this year - leaving us with very large numbers of peppers needing to be picked prior to frost. And, thus, finding us with far more than the CSA would use in a given week and a bunch of fine peppers that we didn't have an immediate market for. We have also learned better how to keep peppers in the field through a frost. Thus reducing the necessity for a 'monster' pick in the days prior. We did still pick certain things to get them out of the field - but it simply wasn't the same.
2009 - we picked over 1000 sweet peppers in the final week of September to preempt coming cold weather. We picked nothing after that - the plants did not survive. But - the point is - we should not have had that many marketable peppers still on the plants at that time.
By my calculations - if we remove the bump up in picking from the frost picks - our average would be closer to 3500. The extra peppers were still good, but they often did not bring any income to the farm, nor did they go to the CSA. Many did go to the food bank in a couple of instances. So, of course, it was nice to have them. But, we'd be just as happy donating as many peppers to the food bank over the course of several weeks.
So...average sweet pepper production with frost 'bump' removed:
3514
This year so far with adjustment for slight frost 'bump':
3682
Yep, that works.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Are we a "REAL" farm now?
Now that we have a deck on the running gear - making a functional (if not perfect) hay rack.... are we real now?
The running gear was picked up at a late summer auction. It has a few problems - one of which is the simple fact that the tongue/front wheels will NOT turn. That's the next task.
But, the lumber came from the old building that came down several years ago. The lumber has been salvaged and some of it put to use here.
While we realize it isn't a fine piece of furniture. Painting this thing *should* make it last longer. We really don't want to pull it apart and replace boards any time soon.
And it is always easier to paint lumber before it is assembled.
Ready to put the planking on the deck.
And...there it is. Okay - you might notice there are unpainted boards on the side. That's the result of an error on two levels. First, I selected a board for the deck that had a bit too much of a dogleg in it. So, I have a painted plank with nowwhere to go. Second, I can't count. An odd number of boards - you start with the center of the first board in the center of the crosspieces.... Even number is different, you start with an edge at the center point of a cross piece.
I know this. Therefore, I must not be able to count.
The running gear was picked up at a late summer auction. It has a few problems - one of which is the simple fact that the tongue/front wheels will NOT turn. That's the next task.
But, the lumber came from the old building that came down several years ago. The lumber has been salvaged and some of it put to use here.
I know this. Therefore, I must not be able to count.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Lotsa Things!
We apologize for not getting much on the blog lately. So - here's the first installment of trying to make up for it!
Announcements:
GF7 Festival: Scheduled for Sunday, October 2! Mark the calendar.
Ducks: They have been processed and are available for purchase. We do realize that some have been ordered. They are currently stored in the Fredericka Locker. We need to sell more of them to make the trip possible so we can remove all of them rather than just a few at one time. It makes tracking much easier.
Organic Inspection: Went very well (Sep 7) and we just need to pay the inspection bill and we are certified organic for yet another year.
Last Week of CSA will be week of October 18,19,20: Barring, of course, major surprises.
Chickens: Fall chickens go to "the park" on October 10. Get those reservations/orders in now!
Turkeys: Go to "the park" on October 28. Ready to take orders on these as well.
Fall Extended Season: It's on the list of things for us to do. We expect to begin signing up for this 1st week of October.
Next Year's CSA: We will begin taking $25 deposits for next year starting the 1st week of October as well.
Receipts: We printed out professional looking invoice/receipt books (thanks to the Printery in Waverly). Please humor us as we make receipts and give you a copy when you pay a deposit or pay for the fall CSA. Why? We want to make our record keeping more reliable and simple than it has been. This has helped us with our direct sales so far - it should help with the CSA tracking as well.
Hayrack: The deck is on the hayrack. Unfortunately, the steering is still frozen. Ah - more work.
Truck Barn: Mostly framed in and mostly sided - even mostly primed and first coat of paint.
Tomatoes: Shivering and struggling. We will do what we can to fill the orders placed.
Tractor: Durnik the tractor is not happy right now. Looks like the "mechanic hat" needs to be put on.
Office: See the pile on the desk? That's what I have to do. Looks like there's another hat I need to wear! Funny think about working outside so much... you don't see the paperwork - until you go into the office on a cold, windy, rainy day.
Announcements:
GF7 Festival: Scheduled for Sunday, October 2! Mark the calendar.
Ducks: They have been processed and are available for purchase. We do realize that some have been ordered. They are currently stored in the Fredericka Locker. We need to sell more of them to make the trip possible so we can remove all of them rather than just a few at one time. It makes tracking much easier.
Organic Inspection: Went very well (Sep 7) and we just need to pay the inspection bill and we are certified organic for yet another year.
Last Week of CSA will be week of October 18,19,20: Barring, of course, major surprises.
Chickens: Fall chickens go to "the park" on October 10. Get those reservations/orders in now!
Turkeys: Go to "the park" on October 28. Ready to take orders on these as well.
Fall Extended Season: It's on the list of things for us to do. We expect to begin signing up for this 1st week of October.
Next Year's CSA: We will begin taking $25 deposits for next year starting the 1st week of October as well.
Receipts: We printed out professional looking invoice/receipt books (thanks to the Printery in Waverly). Please humor us as we make receipts and give you a copy when you pay a deposit or pay for the fall CSA. Why? We want to make our record keeping more reliable and simple than it has been. This has helped us with our direct sales so far - it should help with the CSA tracking as well.
Hayrack: The deck is on the hayrack. Unfortunately, the steering is still frozen. Ah - more work.
Truck Barn: Mostly framed in and mostly sided - even mostly primed and first coat of paint.
Tomatoes: Shivering and struggling. We will do what we can to fill the orders placed.
Tractor: Durnik the tractor is not happy right now. Looks like the "mechanic hat" needs to be put on.
Office: See the pile on the desk? That's what I have to do. Looks like there's another hat I need to wear! Funny think about working outside so much... you don't see the paperwork - until you go into the office on a cold, windy, rainy day.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Shiver Me Timbers
Arrrrrrr! Or maybe just... Brrrrrrrr?
The farm was hit with the first heavy frost of the season last night (Sep 14/15) - which qualifies as a very early frost for our area. Usually earlier frosts are much lighter than this one. Some people who were in low lying areas reported temps well below freezing.
So, as a result, our plans for crops, the CSA, etc have been shaken up a little bit. We'll work around it, of course.
Things that already show they are really and truly done: green beans, cucumbers, summer squash and zucchini. I have not looked, but I expect the basil to be largely done - though some might survive if they were tucked under a taller plant. Other things that will slow or have been impacted include peppers, hot peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Time will tell how much.
The good news - we had several days warning this was coming. While it doesn't help our moods any to have a frost/freeze looming (especially an early one), it does help us to plan out our efforts. So, if we seemed a little short with anyone during the last week, you have our apologies - and an explanation. It can be rough watching the projected low go from 39 deg F to 37, to 35 to 33 to 32 and finally 31 the day before. The funny thing is - both Tammy and I saw the 39 and the surrounding forecast and said, "uh oh!" We knew as soon as that number hit the extended forecast that there would be frost and that forecast low would continue to dip. Intuition maybe?
How does farm work change with an impending frost? Well, we do a lot more picking 'ahead' of schedule. Thursday's CSA was picked on Wednesday. Much of Tuesday's shares were picked on Monday. The last picking of green beans was done by pulling plants (easier on the workers). All of the trays with seedling starts had to go into buildings. All potted plants (that were outdoors) went into buildings. The high tunnel was wrapped up tight, as were the coldframes. We put remay covers on as much crop as we had remay covers for. In some cases, we pick more of a crop than we intended because we are not sure the plants (and remaining fruit) will survive.
For those who have sensitive plants - watch tonight's weather as well. It could frost a second time!
The farm was hit with the first heavy frost of the season last night (Sep 14/15) - which qualifies as a very early frost for our area. Usually earlier frosts are much lighter than this one. Some people who were in low lying areas reported temps well below freezing.
So, as a result, our plans for crops, the CSA, etc have been shaken up a little bit. We'll work around it, of course.
Things that already show they are really and truly done: green beans, cucumbers, summer squash and zucchini. I have not looked, but I expect the basil to be largely done - though some might survive if they were tucked under a taller plant. Other things that will slow or have been impacted include peppers, hot peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Time will tell how much.
The good news - we had several days warning this was coming. While it doesn't help our moods any to have a frost/freeze looming (especially an early one), it does help us to plan out our efforts. So, if we seemed a little short with anyone during the last week, you have our apologies - and an explanation. It can be rough watching the projected low go from 39 deg F to 37, to 35 to 33 to 32 and finally 31 the day before. The funny thing is - both Tammy and I saw the 39 and the surrounding forecast and said, "uh oh!" We knew as soon as that number hit the extended forecast that there would be frost and that forecast low would continue to dip. Intuition maybe?
How does farm work change with an impending frost? Well, we do a lot more picking 'ahead' of schedule. Thursday's CSA was picked on Wednesday. Much of Tuesday's shares were picked on Monday. The last picking of green beans was done by pulling plants (easier on the workers). All of the trays with seedling starts had to go into buildings. All potted plants (that were outdoors) went into buildings. The high tunnel was wrapped up tight, as were the coldframes. We put remay covers on as much crop as we had remay covers for. In some cases, we pick more of a crop than we intended because we are not sure the plants (and remaining fruit) will survive.
For those who have sensitive plants - watch tonight's weather as well. It could frost a second time!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Experiments Galore!
We've had a few experiments running this year and we thought we share preliminary results!
Transplants vs Direct Seeding
Many crops provide you with an option. You can either put the seed directly in the ground and allow them to germinate there or you can germinate the seed in trays or soil blocks and then transplant them into the ground when they are ready. (I suppose you can also transplant into pots, then the ground - like we do with tomatoes.)
We did a trial on winter squash that was positive. As a result, we'll be doing MANY trays of melon, watermelon and winter squash. We may or may not do cucumber, summer squash and zucchini. For these last, it is more likely for the earlier succession.
Row Spacing SARE Grant
We are convinced that companion planting is good. We are convinced that we need to use some bigger equipment to stay up with things. We've been working on spacing plans to see if we can do both. The success on this for the first year is in figuring out what we NEED to have tool-wise. We have also figured out some basic spacing ideas and have identified a number of things that need to be modified to make it work. So - if success is learning better how to do it - we were successful.
Tomato Trellising
We love our tomato cages. Or at least we did. But, those woven wire cages don't Winter well and we don't have the ability to store them inside out of the snow. The amount of time spent trying to bend cages back into shape - or replacing those that broke out was not acceptable. As a result, we have purchased a couple of alternatives from Nolt's and are encouraged. In both cases, set up and tear down will be faster. Also - storage will be easier. Yields don't appear to be markedly different. We'll see.
Farm Visit Work Days
After realizing how isolated we can feel from others who have similar sized farms and/or do similar work, we agreed with three other farms to do a monthly work visit day. A different farm each month. Thus far, we have visited Scattergood and Grinnell Heritage. Blue Gate is coming up! While it may be difficult to take a day off, it has been worth it. It might actually be hardest to host. I don't think any of us has completed succeeded in not falling into the trap of wanting everything to look perfect before our friends arrive! Hint to anyone wanting to do this.... it ain't gonna happen (perfection).
Onion Varieties
Sierra Blanca - out. White Wing - in. Good deal - it's cheaper to buy seed than plants anyway!
High Tunnel Varieties
Rather than limit our choices, we've tried multiple varieties in the high tunnel in an effort to learn what will work best for us. The jury is still out on some. But, Jaune Flamme looks fantastic. Wapsipinicon Peach looks like another winner. And some of those hot peppers...wow! Beaver Dam may find a spot next year, as might the papricka peppers. We're pleasantly surprised by how the late summer squash and zucchini trial look. And, we knew late green beans were a winner from last year. We're doing that again and the plants look great.
Some not so good things? Kale through the summer - seems like a big magnet for the cabbage worms to us. Potatoes? We'll use it to plant a hill on Good Friday, but that will be it.
Summer Lettuce
We worked on cutting lettuce heads a bit smaller to catch them prior to bolt. While they are not as impressive as our Spring or Fall lettuces, they are still quite good. Biggest key was keeping the plants weeded when temps are high. A little water can do wonders if you time it right too. The other key component? Ducks. They love to eat the lettuce that bolts.
Transplants vs Direct Seeding
Many crops provide you with an option. You can either put the seed directly in the ground and allow them to germinate there or you can germinate the seed in trays or soil blocks and then transplant them into the ground when they are ready. (I suppose you can also transplant into pots, then the ground - like we do with tomatoes.)
We did a trial on winter squash that was positive. As a result, we'll be doing MANY trays of melon, watermelon and winter squash. We may or may not do cucumber, summer squash and zucchini. For these last, it is more likely for the earlier succession.
Row Spacing SARE Grant
We are convinced that companion planting is good. We are convinced that we need to use some bigger equipment to stay up with things. We've been working on spacing plans to see if we can do both. The success on this for the first year is in figuring out what we NEED to have tool-wise. We have also figured out some basic spacing ideas and have identified a number of things that need to be modified to make it work. So - if success is learning better how to do it - we were successful.
Tomato Trellising
We love our tomato cages. Or at least we did. But, those woven wire cages don't Winter well and we don't have the ability to store them inside out of the snow. The amount of time spent trying to bend cages back into shape - or replacing those that broke out was not acceptable. As a result, we have purchased a couple of alternatives from Nolt's and are encouraged. In both cases, set up and tear down will be faster. Also - storage will be easier. Yields don't appear to be markedly different. We'll see.
Farm Visit Work Days
After realizing how isolated we can feel from others who have similar sized farms and/or do similar work, we agreed with three other farms to do a monthly work visit day. A different farm each month. Thus far, we have visited Scattergood and Grinnell Heritage. Blue Gate is coming up! While it may be difficult to take a day off, it has been worth it. It might actually be hardest to host. I don't think any of us has completed succeeded in not falling into the trap of wanting everything to look perfect before our friends arrive! Hint to anyone wanting to do this.... it ain't gonna happen (perfection).
Onion Varieties
Sierra Blanca - out. White Wing - in. Good deal - it's cheaper to buy seed than plants anyway!
High Tunnel Varieties
Rather than limit our choices, we've tried multiple varieties in the high tunnel in an effort to learn what will work best for us. The jury is still out on some. But, Jaune Flamme looks fantastic. Wapsipinicon Peach looks like another winner. And some of those hot peppers...wow! Beaver Dam may find a spot next year, as might the papricka peppers. We're pleasantly surprised by how the late summer squash and zucchini trial look. And, we knew late green beans were a winner from last year. We're doing that again and the plants look great.
Some not so good things? Kale through the summer - seems like a big magnet for the cabbage worms to us. Potatoes? We'll use it to plant a hill on Good Friday, but that will be it.
Summer Lettuce
We worked on cutting lettuce heads a bit smaller to catch them prior to bolt. While they are not as impressive as our Spring or Fall lettuces, they are still quite good. Biggest key was keeping the plants weeded when temps are high. A little water can do wonders if you time it right too. The other key component? Ducks. They love to eat the lettuce that bolts.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Crop Report
It's been a while since we've done an honest to goodness crop report...
Frost Watch
Rob has had September 14 down since April as the first possible frost date for the year. He hopes he is wrong. But, watch temps as we head toward mid-week!
Tomatoes
On everyone's mind, including our own, is the slow tomato crop this season. Part of the issue is the early and prolonged warmer weather this summer. It prevented fruit set on many plants, which is why we have so many green tomatoes that need another couple of weeks to ripen. Here's hoping!
Green Beans
They've been very tasty this season - for which we are most grateful. We feel like this has been an average year for this crop on the farm. We are pleased with the addition of Black Valentine to Provider and Jade this year. The reality is - green beans are a time intensive crop during harvest - there isn't much likelihood we can find a way to do more than this. Unless we can get a picker that will *work* for green beans. We don't expect much more out of the green beans in the field - but we'll see what we can get out of them before Wednesday.
Lettuce
The next batch is starting to put on the finishing growth. We can't be sure that they'll make it for this coming week of the CSA. It would be nice if they did - but... More is going in the ground soon (tomorrow).
Peppers
It's been a reasonably good pepper year. It could have been better if the entire plot behaved consistently. But, this year, the North end has been unhappy and the South end has been happy. So - Wisconsin Lakes (red bell), Quadrato asti Giallo (yellow bell) and Tolli Sweet (red sweet pepper) have been very happy on the South end. Jupiter (green bell), Purple Beauty (purple bell) and Golden Treasure (yellow sweet) have not been pleased with the North end. As a result, we'll have an average to slightly below average pepper season.
Winter Squash
They're out there. The acorn squash varieties are likely ready and we just have to wade in and pull them out. It won't be a bumper crop. But, we'll have some. The early season issues with cucumber beetles caused havoc with the seedlings. The net result is we're going ahead with plans to start all winter squash, melons and water melons as seedlings in trays in 2012. This does cost more in supplies, electricity, etc. But, if the cuke beetle trend isn't just an aberration, we need to respond in this fashion for a more reliable crop. The one thing that worries us about this (just one?). Ok, one of the things that worries us about this - the time/timing required to transplant all of these. If we miss the timing, we have to toss seedlings and start again. Guess we'll have to make it work.
Onions
Most rows of onions did not go anywhere this year. The CSA has seen some white onions of modest size. We have already noted that Sierra Blanca will not return for next season. On the other hand, White Wing and Red Wing are ready to come in. They were put in late (in response to issues with other onion crops). So - we'll have another batch of onions for everyone. It's not a bumper crop. It's not even an average crop. But, it's a reasonable amount for our CSA members. We'll be adding the use of paper mulch in our onion rows for 2012. We just can't compete with the expanded weed germination periods we're beginning to see. That, along with some drip irrigation and maybe raised beds.... hm. Sounds like wholesale changes there.
Eggplant
The stars of 2011! Ok ok... we know many of you are getting tired of eggplant. But, let us remind you that a year is 52 weeks long. You get fresh eggplant for maybe 6-8 of those weeks. Yes, we know they are consecutive...but, that's the way of seasonal eating. And, need we say "2010" to remind you that we can have weather that shuts us out on the eggplant? We have another post coming with something we did to process extra eggplant and it is yummy! For those who care - we are 47 eggplant away from breaking the harvest record in 2009!
Cucumber
Speaking of feast to famine. We had SOME cucumbers this year. But, when you lose over half of your seedlings to cucumber beetles and then several plants to disease the beetles carry.... It's the way of things. We'll be doing some experimenting with transplants in 2012 and changing their companion planting in an effort to make it easier to work with them.
Spinach and other Fall greens
We've been putting them in the ground. The spinach is balky and we'll have to reseed. The arugula looks great. Mustard goes in this week. Pok choi plants need transplanting as do Fall kale. The Fall collards and cabbage took a hit with the cabbage worms, but we think getting them in the ground may result in something positive.
Potatoes
The process of digging has begun. We don't know what to expect this year. Some of the plants looked great, some did not. Part of it is the field they were in. We need to implement raised beds for this crop to get past the variability of drainage in some of our fields.
Basil
It's been a good basil year. Good growing degree days = good basil. Once we get a frost, they are done.
Overall
Yes, we have other crops -but that's all I felt like writing up! As far as the season goes, it has been a reasonably good season. We feel good about what we've been able to provide our CSA members. On the other hand, we haven't had the surplus we need to make it a truly profitable year. You may have noticed our absence from the Waverly Farmers' Market on Saturdays so far. We're waiting on that tomato surplus to carry us a while and it has not. On the other hand, we aren't reporting complete crop failures like we did in 2008 and 2010. That means a lot. But, our expectations for ourselves and our farm are high - we wanted so much more!
Frost Watch
Rob has had September 14 down since April as the first possible frost date for the year. He hopes he is wrong. But, watch temps as we head toward mid-week!
Tomatoes
On everyone's mind, including our own, is the slow tomato crop this season. Part of the issue is the early and prolonged warmer weather this summer. It prevented fruit set on many plants, which is why we have so many green tomatoes that need another couple of weeks to ripen. Here's hoping!
Green Beans
They've been very tasty this season - for which we are most grateful. We feel like this has been an average year for this crop on the farm. We are pleased with the addition of Black Valentine to Provider and Jade this year. The reality is - green beans are a time intensive crop during harvest - there isn't much likelihood we can find a way to do more than this. Unless we can get a picker that will *work* for green beans. We don't expect much more out of the green beans in the field - but we'll see what we can get out of them before Wednesday.
Lettuce
The next batch is starting to put on the finishing growth. We can't be sure that they'll make it for this coming week of the CSA. It would be nice if they did - but... More is going in the ground soon (tomorrow).
Peppers
It's been a reasonably good pepper year. It could have been better if the entire plot behaved consistently. But, this year, the North end has been unhappy and the South end has been happy. So - Wisconsin Lakes (red bell), Quadrato asti Giallo (yellow bell) and Tolli Sweet (red sweet pepper) have been very happy on the South end. Jupiter (green bell), Purple Beauty (purple bell) and Golden Treasure (yellow sweet) have not been pleased with the North end. As a result, we'll have an average to slightly below average pepper season.
Winter Squash
They're out there. The acorn squash varieties are likely ready and we just have to wade in and pull them out. It won't be a bumper crop. But, we'll have some. The early season issues with cucumber beetles caused havoc with the seedlings. The net result is we're going ahead with plans to start all winter squash, melons and water melons as seedlings in trays in 2012. This does cost more in supplies, electricity, etc. But, if the cuke beetle trend isn't just an aberration, we need to respond in this fashion for a more reliable crop. The one thing that worries us about this (just one?). Ok, one of the things that worries us about this - the time/timing required to transplant all of these. If we miss the timing, we have to toss seedlings and start again. Guess we'll have to make it work.
Onions
Most rows of onions did not go anywhere this year. The CSA has seen some white onions of modest size. We have already noted that Sierra Blanca will not return for next season. On the other hand, White Wing and Red Wing are ready to come in. They were put in late (in response to issues with other onion crops). So - we'll have another batch of onions for everyone. It's not a bumper crop. It's not even an average crop. But, it's a reasonable amount for our CSA members. We'll be adding the use of paper mulch in our onion rows for 2012. We just can't compete with the expanded weed germination periods we're beginning to see. That, along with some drip irrigation and maybe raised beds.... hm. Sounds like wholesale changes there.
Eggplant
The stars of 2011! Ok ok... we know many of you are getting tired of eggplant. But, let us remind you that a year is 52 weeks long. You get fresh eggplant for maybe 6-8 of those weeks. Yes, we know they are consecutive...but, that's the way of seasonal eating. And, need we say "2010" to remind you that we can have weather that shuts us out on the eggplant? We have another post coming with something we did to process extra eggplant and it is yummy! For those who care - we are 47 eggplant away from breaking the harvest record in 2009!
Cucumber
Speaking of feast to famine. We had SOME cucumbers this year. But, when you lose over half of your seedlings to cucumber beetles and then several plants to disease the beetles carry.... It's the way of things. We'll be doing some experimenting with transplants in 2012 and changing their companion planting in an effort to make it easier to work with them.
Spinach and other Fall greens
We've been putting them in the ground. The spinach is balky and we'll have to reseed. The arugula looks great. Mustard goes in this week. Pok choi plants need transplanting as do Fall kale. The Fall collards and cabbage took a hit with the cabbage worms, but we think getting them in the ground may result in something positive.
Potatoes
The process of digging has begun. We don't know what to expect this year. Some of the plants looked great, some did not. Part of it is the field they were in. We need to implement raised beds for this crop to get past the variability of drainage in some of our fields.
Basil
It's been a good basil year. Good growing degree days = good basil. Once we get a frost, they are done.
Overall
Yes, we have other crops -but that's all I felt like writing up! As far as the season goes, it has been a reasonably good season. We feel good about what we've been able to provide our CSA members. On the other hand, we haven't had the surplus we need to make it a truly profitable year. You may have noticed our absence from the Waverly Farmers' Market on Saturdays so far. We're waiting on that tomato surplus to carry us a while and it has not. On the other hand, we aren't reporting complete crop failures like we did in 2008 and 2010. That means a lot. But, our expectations for ourselves and our farm are high - we wanted so much more!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Farm Crawl
A "Farm Crawl" has been held for the past couple of years south of Des Moines, featuring farms such as our friends at Blue Gate Farm. For the first time, there will be a Farm Crawl sponsored by NIFFP (Northern Iowa Food & Farm Partnership) and the Genuine Faux Farm is a part of this event.
What is a Farm Crawl?
A farm crawl is simply a series of open houses put on by local farms. You may visit as many or as few of the farms on the farm crawl list as you desire in any order you wish. Each farm host will be ready to answer questions and show interested persons around the farm. Farms range in size from very small to somewhat larger. Each host farm may have some special feature at their farm and many may have products available for purchase or samples for tasting.
The NIFFP informational page can be found at this link.
When is the Farm Crawl?
The Farm Crawl is September 11 (Sunday) and will run from 1pm to 5pm.
Where is the Farm Crawl? Or - who is participating?
NIFFP informational page provides bios for all participating farms and includes links to different map routes. In addition to our farm, you may take an opportunity to visit the Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch (located north of us) or the Englebrecht Family Winery (also to our north). Or, perhaps you can visit Rainbow Ridge Farm (sweet potatoes, potatoes) and also take a taste of Angry Cedar's handcrafted brews. If you wish to take another route, you can visit Hansen's Dairy or one of several orchards! Go to the CEEE site and take links for the various routes.
How do I get there?
GFF is part of the "long Northern Route". You may see a map route at this link. Rainbow Ridge is omitted, for some reason from this route, but would not be difficult to add or substitute. They are on the 'short Northern Route" and a map is located here.
What is GFF planning on doing for the Farm Crawl?
We are skipping farmers' market on Saturday to prepare for this event. It is our intent to have heirloom tomatoes available for tasting. We will have heirloom tomatoes available for purchase depending on what the plants give us to pick. We will gladly give everyone the "nickel tour" and answer questions about how we grow our produce and raise our poultry. At present, we have turkeys, ducks, chickens and one friendly farm manager cat.
We hope to see you there.
Rob & Tammy
What is a Farm Crawl?
A farm crawl is simply a series of open houses put on by local farms. You may visit as many or as few of the farms on the farm crawl list as you desire in any order you wish. Each farm host will be ready to answer questions and show interested persons around the farm. Farms range in size from very small to somewhat larger. Each host farm may have some special feature at their farm and many may have products available for purchase or samples for tasting.
The NIFFP informational page can be found at this link.
When is the Farm Crawl?
The Farm Crawl is September 11 (Sunday) and will run from 1pm to 5pm.
Where is the Farm Crawl? Or - who is participating?
NIFFP informational page provides bios for all participating farms and includes links to different map routes. In addition to our farm, you may take an opportunity to visit the Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch (located north of us) or the Englebrecht Family Winery (also to our north). Or, perhaps you can visit Rainbow Ridge Farm (sweet potatoes, potatoes) and also take a taste of Angry Cedar's handcrafted brews. If you wish to take another route, you can visit Hansen's Dairy or one of several orchards! Go to the CEEE site and take links for the various routes.
How do I get there?
GFF is part of the "long Northern Route". You may see a map route at this link. Rainbow Ridge is omitted, for some reason from this route, but would not be difficult to add or substitute. They are on the 'short Northern Route" and a map is located here.
What is GFF planning on doing for the Farm Crawl?
We are skipping farmers' market on Saturday to prepare for this event. It is our intent to have heirloom tomatoes available for tasting. We will have heirloom tomatoes available for purchase depending on what the plants give us to pick. We will gladly give everyone the "nickel tour" and answer questions about how we grow our produce and raise our poultry. At present, we have turkeys, ducks, chickens and one friendly farm manager cat.
We hope to see you there.
Rob & Tammy
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Week 14 of the CSA
It's September and the CSA begins to shift to Fall mode!
As the amount of daylight goes down and the number of people working on the farm decreases, we must ask you to be patient with us as we set up for the CSA each day. We will do our best to be on time. But, as long as the summer crops call out to be picked, Rob will find himself running short on time. Things that we may ask you to indulge us on include:
- counting out separate stems of greens (such as chard) if we don't have time to bundle them. Often we may try to bundle a few at the beginning and try to stay ahead throughout the distribution
- staying out of the way when the whirlwind attempts to set up the distribution area as quickly as humanly possible. I don't want to step on you or your children in the process. Offers to help are appreciated, but I must decline. If we haven't worked together on it already, it is likely I will run over you - and that would make me feel bad.
- there may come a time when you will be asked to weigh a product out, if you need help reading the scale, please ask.
Produce this week: tomatoes, beans (Tues - MAYBE Thus), peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, summer squash, swiss chard, onion, garlic (Thus, MAYBE Tues) and whatever else we have time to pick that is available.
LETTUCE: This week will be a week off from lettuce. If you have lettuce left from last week it should still be good (with maybe some bad leaves). Store your lettuce in a plastic bag with a paper towel around it. Put it in the crisper. We have had lettuce last for up to 3 weeks in this fashion.
Eggplant: We have an educational post on eggplant on our blog at this time: http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/09/eggplant.html
You will find links to our website and its recipes and a link to another site with good information on eggplant.
Summer Fest: We had a number of people attend our Summer Festival and a good time was had by all - and lots of good food. The kids found that there was lots of grass (recently mowed) to pile up and jump into. Ah....fun. Apologies to parents who found children with grass clippings attached upon arriving home. http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-festival.html
DUCKS Available: The ducks go to the park on September 11. We are ready to begin taking reservations for these ducks. Interested? Send us a note. We are gathering information on processing cost so we can give you a per pound cost. Last year it was $6.50/lb. We expect it to be somewhere in the $6.50 to $7.00 range this season. Feed prices have gone up 25% this year. We have approx 28 birds available. Last year weights ranged from 3.5lb to 8lb
Recipes and Things Overheard at Distribution: Another recent blog post has a little bit for everyone - including recipes: http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/overheard.html
Crop Reports: For those who like to see some of the crop data we collect, there are two posts that focus on eggplant and peppers for the season. While these posts may have more information than some of you want - they do give you insight as to how we try to do things on your behalf. http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/by-numbers.html
and part II: http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/by-numbers-part-ii.html
GFF in the News: Our CSA members are GREAT! We were unaware that we were featured in two recent articles, but our members were quick to point it out to us. An upcoming late Fall project is to get all of these goodies together and linked or scanned to the web site.
Tom Sawyer Day Anyone? We are looking at this coming weekend - Sept 10 in the afternoon. We have a number of DIFFERENT things to do that include painting, gathering metal to take to a metal fund drive and other such things. If you are interested, let us know. Please do not surprise us with an appearance. We want to know you are coming so we can make this a good experience for everyone (including us!).
UNI Sponsored Farm Crawl: We are a part of the UNI Farm Crawl being sponsored for September 11 (Sunday). More details coming. But, if you wish to learn more - go to the CEEE website and read what is there for the beginning information.
See you at distribution!
Rob & Tammy
As the amount of daylight goes down and the number of people working on the farm decreases, we must ask you to be patient with us as we set up for the CSA each day. We will do our best to be on time. But, as long as the summer crops call out to be picked, Rob will find himself running short on time. Things that we may ask you to indulge us on include:
- counting out separate stems of greens (such as chard) if we don't have time to bundle them. Often we may try to bundle a few at the beginning and try to stay ahead throughout the distribution
- staying out of the way when the whirlwind attempts to set up the distribution area as quickly as humanly possible. I don't want to step on you or your children in the process. Offers to help are appreciated, but I must decline. If we haven't worked together on it already, it is likely I will run over you - and that would make me feel bad.
- there may come a time when you will be asked to weigh a product out, if you need help reading the scale, please ask.
Produce this week: tomatoes, beans (Tues - MAYBE Thus), peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, summer squash, swiss chard, onion, garlic (Thus, MAYBE Tues) and whatever else we have time to pick that is available.
LETTUCE: This week will be a week off from lettuce. If you have lettuce left from last week it should still be good (with maybe some bad leaves). Store your lettuce in a plastic bag with a paper towel around it. Put it in the crisper. We have had lettuce last for up to 3 weeks in this fashion.
Eggplant: We have an educational post on eggplant on our blog at this time: http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/09/eggplant.html
You will find links to our website and its recipes and a link to another site with good information on eggplant.
Summer Fest: We had a number of people attend our Summer Festival and a good time was had by all - and lots of good food. The kids found that there was lots of grass (recently mowed) to pile up and jump into. Ah....fun. Apologies to parents who found children with grass clippings attached upon arriving home. http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-festival.html
DUCKS Available: The ducks go to the park on September 11. We are ready to begin taking reservations for these ducks. Interested? Send us a note. We are gathering information on processing cost so we can give you a per pound cost. Last year it was $6.50/lb. We expect it to be somewhere in the $6.50 to $7.00 range this season. Feed prices have gone up 25% this year. We have approx 28 birds available. Last year weights ranged from 3.5lb to 8lb
Recipes and Things Overheard at Distribution: Another recent blog post has a little bit for everyone - including recipes: http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/overheard.html
Crop Reports: For those who like to see some of the crop data we collect, there are two posts that focus on eggplant and peppers for the season. While these posts may have more information than some of you want - they do give you insight as to how we try to do things on your behalf. http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/by-numbers.html
and part II: http://genfaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/by-numbers-part-ii.html
GFF in the News: Our CSA members are GREAT! We were unaware that we were featured in two recent articles, but our members were quick to point it out to us. An upcoming late Fall project is to get all of these goodies together and linked or scanned to the web site.
Tom Sawyer Day Anyone? We are looking at this coming weekend - Sept 10 in the afternoon. We have a number of DIFFERENT things to do that include painting, gathering metal to take to a metal fund drive and other such things. If you are interested, let us know. Please do not surprise us with an appearance. We want to know you are coming so we can make this a good experience for everyone (including us!).
UNI Sponsored Farm Crawl: We are a part of the UNI Farm Crawl being sponsored for September 11 (Sunday). More details coming. But, if you wish to learn more - go to the CEEE website and read what is there for the beginning information.
See you at distribution!
Rob & Tammy
Friday, September 2, 2011
Eggplant
We've had a very good eggplant year thus far. And, if things continue with any parallel to prior years, we should end up with a record crop (for us). But, we won't count our eggplant before they...uh...
There have been discussions at CSA distributions with several people regarding eggplant preparation. So, we thought we'd put some things out for your consideration.
Online resources:
1. Our website has some good eggplant recipes here.
2. A very good web page giving lots of information about eggplant is here.
Some eggplant myths:
1. eggplant ripeness myth - push in with your thumb - if it bounces back it is ripe, if indentation remains, it is not. First, if the indentation remains, it is more likely that the fruit is old - or dehydrated in its travels from the farm to its retail outlet. Second, with some varieties, you'll have to push really hard! Many cultures prepare eggplant when they are very small (maybe 2-3 inches long) and some prize very large eggplant. For eggplant, it is less a matter of being ripe enough (old enough) and more a matter of it being too old!
2. preparation myth - you must peel and 'sweat' eggplant. Many people still hold to the fact that eggplant are bitter unless you peel the skin off and rub the fruit with salt to sweat out the bitterness (many recommend that you thoroughly rinse off the salt after). It is true that eggplant can be bitter - especially when they are picked older *or* bigger. And, also true if you tend to purchase certain types of eggplant (usually the dark purple eggplant most commonly seen in the US). Other ways to reduce bitterness if that taste bothers you - twice cook the eggplant *or* select eggplant varieties that are known to be less bitter *or* select younger/smaller eggplant fruits *and* select fruits that feel heavier/denser as they have a higher water content.
Eggplant Varieties We Grow:
With the demise of Dusky, we realized it was time to give the open pollinated varieties a full shot at replacing the reliable F1 Hybrid. Casper, Pintung Long and Diamond were all given an increased role on the farm. We weren't just taking a guess as we've grown each of these in smaller amounts the last few years. Even so, the task was going to be difficult - with Dusky often producing 10-12 eggplant per plant in a season. And, a few trial plants can give you an idea as to what they can do - but it's not the same as growing thirty to forty of one each. We've just finished August and Casper is at 9.9/plant, Pintung is at 9.0 and Diamond at 8.4. Sold!
Pintung Long A long, thin, lavender eggplant that is one of several types of 'Asian' eggplant. The skin is more tender than most other eggplant and the fruit will bruise more easily. The flesh quickly takes on any marinade and tends to be softer. 'Sweating' the fruit of a Pintung Long is a waste of time, as is peeling. You don't need to do it. If one of these is bitter, it was bad fruit. The leaves of the plant are pretty, with some purplish veining. They are a bit more contained than many eggplant varieties, though they can still get to about 30" in hight. In our experience, Pintung Long plants like warmer weather and we notice the average quality of the fruit (especially length) goes down as the season goes on. Seven to nine weeks of production are not out of the question, with a peak of about four weeks. We easily get an average of 9-10 top quality eggplant per plant as long as there is enough growing degree days over the summer. A cool wet year like 2008...never mind.
Rosa Bianca is our gateway eggplant. Neither of us were terribly interested in adding eggplant to our diet until.... we tried Rosa Bianca. Fruit are rounded and are lavender and white in color. We strongly believe that these taste alot like portabella mushrooms - especially when sliced into rounds and cooked on the grill. We tend not to sweat Rosa Bianca and usually do not peel them, though you may if you want since the skin is a bit tougher than Pintung Long. In fact, later in the season, you may benefit from peeling as the cooler weather and shorter days slows the speed with which fruit develop. The result is often a tougher hide! The flesh is more solid than Pintung Long, so it maintains its consistency unless you overcook it (or want to cook it down - it does well if that is your goal). Rosa's tend to produce later in the season with first fruits usually 7 to 10 days after Pintung. But, they also handle a frost and late season weather better than many. We have picked decent eggplant from these as late as October (in Iowa). Plants can be on the average to larger side with only a little 'sprawl' tendency. You can expect 5-8 eggplants per plant of very good quality. As the plant ages, it may produce eggplant that split open and 'heal' over. If the fruit feels light (dehydrated) pick it off and toss it - let it work on other fruit. If you are a fan of very small eggplant for certain dishes, Rosa Bianca can be enticed to produce more fruit if you keep them picked when they reach 3-4" in diameter.
Casper - fruits have a skin that is slightly thicker than some, but not so thick that you can't cook it with the skin on. We do not sweat Casper, but we understand why a person might take the skin off. We like grilling the fruit by cutting them into long wedges. The skin helps to hold the vegetable together for serving. Usually, we're so hungry by the time food is ready we just eat the whole thing, but we've seen some just leave the skin behind. Casper has a consistency that makes it a decent mushroom substitute in pasta sauces. Plants are average size and are well-behaved. Some eggplant tend to sprawl as they grow. We have noticed that fruit tend to be smaller in dry weather. We like them best when they are about 8" long.
A note about WIND and eggplant: we tend to get alot of wind early in the year and much less during late July through August (when eggplant are at their peak). However, there are often some windy days in September. Wind will beat eggplant fruit against the plant, which results in brown, discolored bruises. The eggplant are fine to eat, but they store for a shorter period of time and they will be best if they are picked soon after the wind damage. This is where a handsome fruit like Casper can look positively AWFUL. If you get alot of wind during prime production season, you'll get alot of brown, bruised eggplant with some white on them. Not a good idea if you are selling at market. We suggest growing a companion that helps shield the eggplant from some of the wind if you can.
There have been discussions at CSA distributions with several people regarding eggplant preparation. So, we thought we'd put some things out for your consideration.
Online resources:
1. Our website has some good eggplant recipes here.
2. A very good web page giving lots of information about eggplant is here.
Some eggplant myths:
1. eggplant ripeness myth - push in with your thumb - if it bounces back it is ripe, if indentation remains, it is not. First, if the indentation remains, it is more likely that the fruit is old - or dehydrated in its travels from the farm to its retail outlet. Second, with some varieties, you'll have to push really hard! Many cultures prepare eggplant when they are very small (maybe 2-3 inches long) and some prize very large eggplant. For eggplant, it is less a matter of being ripe enough (old enough) and more a matter of it being too old!
2. preparation myth - you must peel and 'sweat' eggplant. Many people still hold to the fact that eggplant are bitter unless you peel the skin off and rub the fruit with salt to sweat out the bitterness (many recommend that you thoroughly rinse off the salt after). It is true that eggplant can be bitter - especially when they are picked older *or* bigger. And, also true if you tend to purchase certain types of eggplant (usually the dark purple eggplant most commonly seen in the US). Other ways to reduce bitterness if that taste bothers you - twice cook the eggplant *or* select eggplant varieties that are known to be less bitter *or* select younger/smaller eggplant fruits *and* select fruits that feel heavier/denser as they have a higher water content.
Eggplant Varieties We Grow:
With the demise of Dusky, we realized it was time to give the open pollinated varieties a full shot at replacing the reliable F1 Hybrid. Casper, Pintung Long and Diamond were all given an increased role on the farm. We weren't just taking a guess as we've grown each of these in smaller amounts the last few years. Even so, the task was going to be difficult - with Dusky often producing 10-12 eggplant per plant in a season. And, a few trial plants can give you an idea as to what they can do - but it's not the same as growing thirty to forty of one each. We've just finished August and Casper is at 9.9/plant, Pintung is at 9.0 and Diamond at 8.4. Sold!
Pintung Long A long, thin, lavender eggplant that is one of several types of 'Asian' eggplant. The skin is more tender than most other eggplant and the fruit will bruise more easily. The flesh quickly takes on any marinade and tends to be softer. 'Sweating' the fruit of a Pintung Long is a waste of time, as is peeling. You don't need to do it. If one of these is bitter, it was bad fruit. The leaves of the plant are pretty, with some purplish veining. They are a bit more contained than many eggplant varieties, though they can still get to about 30" in hight. In our experience, Pintung Long plants like warmer weather and we notice the average quality of the fruit (especially length) goes down as the season goes on. Seven to nine weeks of production are not out of the question, with a peak of about four weeks. We easily get an average of 9-10 top quality eggplant per plant as long as there is enough growing degree days over the summer. A cool wet year like 2008...never mind.
Rosa Bianca is our gateway eggplant. Neither of us were terribly interested in adding eggplant to our diet until.... we tried Rosa Bianca. Fruit are rounded and are lavender and white in color. We strongly believe that these taste alot like portabella mushrooms - especially when sliced into rounds and cooked on the grill. We tend not to sweat Rosa Bianca and usually do not peel them, though you may if you want since the skin is a bit tougher than Pintung Long. In fact, later in the season, you may benefit from peeling as the cooler weather and shorter days slows the speed with which fruit develop. The result is often a tougher hide! The flesh is more solid than Pintung Long, so it maintains its consistency unless you overcook it (or want to cook it down - it does well if that is your goal). Rosa's tend to produce later in the season with first fruits usually 7 to 10 days after Pintung. But, they also handle a frost and late season weather better than many. We have picked decent eggplant from these as late as October (in Iowa). Plants can be on the average to larger side with only a little 'sprawl' tendency. You can expect 5-8 eggplants per plant of very good quality. As the plant ages, it may produce eggplant that split open and 'heal' over. If the fruit feels light (dehydrated) pick it off and toss it - let it work on other fruit. If you are a fan of very small eggplant for certain dishes, Rosa Bianca can be enticed to produce more fruit if you keep them picked when they reach 3-4" in diameter.
Casper - fruits have a skin that is slightly thicker than some, but not so thick that you can't cook it with the skin on. We do not sweat Casper, but we understand why a person might take the skin off. We like grilling the fruit by cutting them into long wedges. The skin helps to hold the vegetable together for serving. Usually, we're so hungry by the time food is ready we just eat the whole thing, but we've seen some just leave the skin behind. Casper has a consistency that makes it a decent mushroom substitute in pasta sauces. Plants are average size and are well-behaved. Some eggplant tend to sprawl as they grow. We have noticed that fruit tend to be smaller in dry weather. We like them best when they are about 8" long.
A note about WIND and eggplant: we tend to get alot of wind early in the year and much less during late July through August (when eggplant are at their peak). However, there are often some windy days in September. Wind will beat eggplant fruit against the plant, which results in brown, discolored bruises. The eggplant are fine to eat, but they store for a shorter period of time and they will be best if they are picked soon after the wind damage. This is where a handsome fruit like Casper can look positively AWFUL. If you get alot of wind during prime production season, you'll get alot of brown, bruised eggplant with some white on them. Not a good idea if you are selling at market. We suggest growing a companion that helps shield the eggplant from some of the wind if you can.
Florida Highbush - is an open-pollinated standard purple eggplant with the shape so many midwesterners know. These can get very large and are very heavy. Excellent for baba ghannuj. Thicker skins may need peeling for other recipes or uses. Some people who are more sensitive to eggplant 'bitterness' may sweat these. Plants are variable in size and production. In other words, they exhibit some of the reasons F1 hybrids have been created. Commercial producers want consistent size and production. Florida Highbush gives us neither, ranging from 3 to 8 fruit per plant. Plants can get a little 'sprawly.' On the other hand, it seems like the F1 hybrids get bitter and this eggplant has a better taste - so we grow it. And, we rarely see an 'off-fruit' (splits, odd ball shape, etc) on these plants. These are much better in hot years - but what did you expect from an heirloom with 'Florida' in the name?
Listada de Gandia - has to be one of the prettiest fruits on any plant we grow. These are real show stoppers at the market. Taste is similar to Florida Highbush. Some have told us they can taste a difference between Listada and other standard eggplant, but we cannot. Fruit tend to be dense and heavy. Think of them as a pretty jacket for an eggplant. Can be harvested at many sizes, but best not to let them get too big. Dry weather results in some off fruit (dry fruit, splits, stunted fruit) that are better discarded in most cases. Plants can get pretty big and sprawl. Listada produces for a very long time and has actually bested Dusky for per plant production in a difficult weather year. Production levels often have two or three 'peak periods' rather than one. So, you ride a bit of a roller coaster with this plant.
Diamond - is a dark purple eggplant that is much smaller than Florida Highbush. It's purpose is to produce many more, smaller, fruit that are cylindrical in shape. This makes them a good choice for grilling and other recipes. Plants tend to be smaller and it can be easier to find fruit most of the time since the leaves are also smaller. One plant can have four to eight fruit developing at the same time easily. If you have limited space in a garden and want a dark purple eggplant and you want a good supply for eggplant parmesan, here is a good choice. Diamond will start producing a week to ten days earlier than bigger eggplant such as Florida Highbush, Listada de Gandia and Rosa Bianca.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Summer Festival
Saturday, August 27 starting at 4pm.
We've been warning you that it was coming in our CSA emails for the last few weeks and now it is here!
Our annual Summer Festival will be held at the farm. All CSA members are invited. It is a potluck with an available grill. We will be providing some cherry tomatoes and will likely grill some veg for everyone to try. If we can pull it together, we may have a bit of an heirloom tomato tasting as well.
Bring some food to pass and something to grill. We do have some plates, etc for people to use, but it doesn't hurt if you come prepared with your own service. You will want to be sure to have a sweatshirt or a jacket since the country can be a bit cooler - especially as the sun sets. Lawn chairs can also be of use to you. If you have a favorite lawn game or other game you want to play bring it along too!
It looks like we will be able to have a bonfire this year.
Hope to see you there.
Rob & Tammy
We've been warning you that it was coming in our CSA emails for the last few weeks and now it is here!
Our annual Summer Festival will be held at the farm. All CSA members are invited. It is a potluck with an available grill. We will be providing some cherry tomatoes and will likely grill some veg for everyone to try. If we can pull it together, we may have a bit of an heirloom tomato tasting as well.
Bring some food to pass and something to grill. We do have some plates, etc for people to use, but it doesn't hurt if you come prepared with your own service. You will want to be sure to have a sweatshirt or a jacket since the country can be a bit cooler - especially as the sun sets. Lawn chairs can also be of use to you. If you have a favorite lawn game or other game you want to play bring it along too!
It looks like we will be able to have a bonfire this year.
Hope to see you there.
Rob & Tammy
Monday, August 22, 2011
Overheard
There was a fine request that some of the content on the blog reflect what we've heard from some of our CSA customers regarding things veg related or CSA related.
Finally! Some time to meet that request:
Overheard at CSA distributions:
And this one is from Tara S (thanks Tara!)
Finally! Some time to meet that request:
Overheard at CSA distributions:
- There has been some lively trading of produce between persons picking up at the same time. Sometimes it isn't at all a bad idea to express how much you might like a certain vegetable - it just might fall on the ears of a person who likes them less than you - and may trade for something you don't want as much! We had two people make a trade because each individual was looking for just enough of X to make recipe Y. It just so happened their needs matched up nicely.
- Recipes are frequently shared. There are a couple at the bottom of this post!
- Sometimes we get persons who walk up to the distribution tables and aren't sure of what is going on. Reactions once there is an explanation range from positive comments about how it seems like a good program to anger that they are not allowed to buy what we have. Happily, most people are supportive.
- Freezing basil - We tear the leaves off the stem, put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the chest freezer until they are frozen solid. We then put them in a freezer bag for later use. A CSA member added this great idea to the process - crush the leaves as you put them in the bags - now they are ready for immediate use when you want them!
- We've actually had more than one CSA member tell us that they make a game out of trying to use every item that comes to them in the share each week. And if you win the game - what is your prize? We think it is the following week's share.....
- Splitting a share is making sense for several people this year. In several cases, two families split a large share. They alternate weeks for pickup and swap weeks if one family or the other is going on vacation, etc. Much of the produce given to you is of sufficient quality that it can last for two weeks. Remember - it's not already a week old by the time it gets to you! So, these families have found a way to make the CSA work for them.
- Many people are happy with the eggplant. Some are beginning to grow weary of them. A few would rather it were the cucumbers going nuts again. But, last year everyone got a grand total of *ONE* eggplant all season (in October) and *ALOT* of cucumbers. This year you are getting some cucumbers along with your plethora of eggplant. I think we'll all take this year's production over last... even if you were hoping for the ridiculous cucumber numbers again this season.
The following was submitted by CSA member Brooke W (thanks Brooke!):
BEET, POTATO AND WALNUT SALAD
1 1/2 pounds medium golden beets, scrubbed
1 1/2 pounds fingerling or new potatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1 to 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in top and middle. Place beets on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet. Fold foil around beets and crimp ends to form a packet. Cook beets on sheet on middle rack, 30 minutes.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes, cut side down, on sheet. After beets have cooked 30 minutes, place potatoes on top rack. Cook 15 minutes. Flip potatoes and sprinkle with walnuts (if using). Cook until walnuts are toasted, potatoes are golden, and beets are tender when pierced with knife, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Remove beets from foil and let cool. Transfer potatoes and walnuts to a large bowl. Rub beets with a paper towel to remove skin and cut each into 4 to 6 wedges, depending on size. Toss beets with potatoes, walnuts, and chives and season to taste with vinegar. (To store, cover and keep at room temperatures, up to 3 hours). Serves 6.
per serv: 227 cal; 11.3 g fat (1.3 g sat fat); 5.1 g protein; 28.5 g carb; 5.3 g fiber
From "Everyday Food" magazine.
And this one is from Tara S (thanks Tara!)
Eggplant Spread (Melitzanosalata)
2 medium eggplants, about 1 pound each
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c minced onion
1 medium ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
6 pitted black Kalamata oil-cured olives
3 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 450.
Prick eggplants in a few places and put on a square of aluminum foil in pan. Bake about 40 minutes, or until soft. Cool. Remove stems and peel eggplants, scraping any flesh from skin. Remove excess seeds, discard skin, and chop eggplant. Place in bowl. Blend in olive oil and onion well with eggplant. Add chopped tomato. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper, 3 pitted olive, sliced, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate, preferably overnight. Garnish with remaining 3 olives, sliced, and chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread or crackers as an appetizer or over lettuce as salad.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Week 11 of the CSA
Greetings everyone!
Here we are in the middle of August. A time when we expect things to be warm - and it feels alot like September. Hmmm.
We expect the following for both days in the CSA: peppers, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, lettuce, garlic, cucumbers, basil
These items will come along for the ride depending on time and availability: tomato, green bean, hot peppers, okra
News of the Farm:
Changing of the Guard:
We are entering the season where our work force undergoes a great deal of alteration. Many of our workers are students or teachers - which means they will no longer be working on the farm as much as they have been doing. We are doing some schedule rearranging in the hopes of making things work better. But, we need to remind everyone that the number of persons working on the farm goes down dramatically as August progresses. Our thanks to all those who worked through the Summer!
Lots to do and Fewer Hours to do it in:
The sun isn't getting up as early as it was. And, this trend appears to be one that will continue for a while. As a result, we have fewer working hours each day to get it all done in. On the PM side, it's nice to have a little bit of time to do other work inside before we collapse. On the AM side... let's just say that we kind of liked the sun coming up earlier.
Tomato, Tomahtoe:
Yes, we are getting anxious for them too. But, you can't force them to change and be ripe. On the other hand, many are beginning to change. First fruits are often a little less choice in looks, but usually quite tasty. Looks like our peak will be a couple of weeks late this year.
Tom Sawyer Week?
We floated the Tom Sawyer Week idea and got one nibble. This week won't work. Anyone in for the following week if we set up a bunch of times?
Summer Festival:
Remember - the Summer Festival is August 27 starting at 4 pm on the farm. This is a social event (not a work event). It's a potluck with a grill made available to those who wish to use it. If you have lawn games you want to use or share, bring them along. Lawn chairs are a good idea. CSA members are all welcome to join us as are all 'honorary' CSA members, etc etc. If weather allows, we usually have a bonfire. If it does not - well, that's what the weather can do to us.
Help at the Tuesday CSA:
Anden Drolet will be helping Tammy at the Tuesday distribution again this week. It's actually part of our reward to Anden for his hard work this year. Yes, I know, funny way to show appreciation - make him work more. Say hello to Anden this week and thank him for his efforts!
Roof Be Gone:
We've been pleased to see the remnants of the old roof from the granary get picked up and moved away from the building. Since we don't have a magic wand to clean it up we've enlisted the help of a couple of individuals who are willing to peck away at it a little at a time. It will be nice to move around that building more freely.
New Trailer - Sort of:
We are finding that one of the better ways to pick up certain types of equipment for the farm is to keep an eye out for nearby farm auctions. This last weekend (since it rained) we went to an auction by Plainfield and successfully bid for trailer running gear. This is essentially just the undercarriage, wheels and hitch. There is no deck on this thing at the time. It's a smaller hay rack (or whatever we build the deck to be). We did need another project around here you know. but, we've had too many instances where our little trailers don't serve efficiently.
Thanks:
Our thanks to the Bousqimers for their wonderful help this weekend on trellising some tomatoes. Also, a thank you goes out to Jim Faux for fixing some doors, gates, wheels, etc to help us handle all of the flocks of birds that we have taken responsibility for this season. To our CSA members who have been so kind as to give us an encouraging word when it was needed, we also send out our thanks.
Have a good week everyone!
Rob & Tammy
Here we are in the middle of August. A time when we expect things to be warm - and it feels alot like September. Hmmm.
We expect the following for both days in the CSA: peppers, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, lettuce, garlic, cucumbers, basil
These items will come along for the ride depending on time and availability: tomato, green bean, hot peppers, okra
News of the Farm:
Changing of the Guard:
We are entering the season where our work force undergoes a great deal of alteration. Many of our workers are students or teachers - which means they will no longer be working on the farm as much as they have been doing. We are doing some schedule rearranging in the hopes of making things work better. But, we need to remind everyone that the number of persons working on the farm goes down dramatically as August progresses. Our thanks to all those who worked through the Summer!
Lots to do and Fewer Hours to do it in:
The sun isn't getting up as early as it was. And, this trend appears to be one that will continue for a while. As a result, we have fewer working hours each day to get it all done in. On the PM side, it's nice to have a little bit of time to do other work inside before we collapse. On the AM side... let's just say that we kind of liked the sun coming up earlier.
Tomato, Tomahtoe:
Yes, we are getting anxious for them too. But, you can't force them to change and be ripe. On the other hand, many are beginning to change. First fruits are often a little less choice in looks, but usually quite tasty. Looks like our peak will be a couple of weeks late this year.
Tom Sawyer Week?
We floated the Tom Sawyer Week idea and got one nibble. This week won't work. Anyone in for the following week if we set up a bunch of times?
Summer Festival:
Remember - the Summer Festival is August 27 starting at 4 pm on the farm. This is a social event (not a work event). It's a potluck with a grill made available to those who wish to use it. If you have lawn games you want to use or share, bring them along. Lawn chairs are a good idea. CSA members are all welcome to join us as are all 'honorary' CSA members, etc etc. If weather allows, we usually have a bonfire. If it does not - well, that's what the weather can do to us.
Help at the Tuesday CSA:
Anden Drolet will be helping Tammy at the Tuesday distribution again this week. It's actually part of our reward to Anden for his hard work this year. Yes, I know, funny way to show appreciation - make him work more. Say hello to Anden this week and thank him for his efforts!
Roof Be Gone:
We've been pleased to see the remnants of the old roof from the granary get picked up and moved away from the building. Since we don't have a magic wand to clean it up we've enlisted the help of a couple of individuals who are willing to peck away at it a little at a time. It will be nice to move around that building more freely.
New Trailer - Sort of:
We are finding that one of the better ways to pick up certain types of equipment for the farm is to keep an eye out for nearby farm auctions. This last weekend (since it rained) we went to an auction by Plainfield and successfully bid for trailer running gear. This is essentially just the undercarriage, wheels and hitch. There is no deck on this thing at the time. It's a smaller hay rack (or whatever we build the deck to be). We did need another project around here you know. but, we've had too many instances where our little trailers don't serve efficiently.
Thanks:
Our thanks to the Bousqimers for their wonderful help this weekend on trellising some tomatoes. Also, a thank you goes out to Jim Faux for fixing some doors, gates, wheels, etc to help us handle all of the flocks of birds that we have taken responsibility for this season. To our CSA members who have been so kind as to give us an encouraging word when it was needed, we also send out our thanks.
Have a good week everyone!
Rob & Tammy
Saturday, August 13, 2011
By the Numbers Part II
It is usually August when I start playing with production and other numbers. It tells you two things about us:
1. Rob likes numbers
2. We take record keeping seriously
It's a good thing Rob likes the numbers and we keep the records, because it is an important part for our certification process *and* it is important to help us plan for production levels that satisfy our CSA customers - at the minimum.
But, numbers can lie - just as our memories can be faulty. But, if you put field observations together with harvest records and an educated 'feel' for how the season is going or has gone, you can have a powerful learning tool.
1. Peppers part II
I made an observation/educated guess that we might be on tap for a production level of sweet peppers for the season of approximately 2500 fruit.
Above are numbers for the first five weeks of 2009 and this season. It is astonishing to see harvest numbers that are exactly the same for two weeks. This might lead me to conclude that we will have a similar year to 2009 - where we ended up with over 4900 marketable sweet peppers harvested.
Behind that lie is another number:
2011 567 sweet pepper plants planted
2009 481 sweet pepper plants planted
So - does that mean we're about 20% behind the expected rate of harvest for this number of plants? And, even if this is the case, shouldn't we still land at about 4900 - with the extra plants making up for the production rate shortfall?
Tolli Sweet is an early red sweet pepper (wonderful taste and shaped a bit like a carrot). It's 3 year historical average per plant for a season is 16.4 and it's average for the first five weeks is 3.6. In the first five weeks this year, we've had 1.9 marketable peppers per plant.
This leads me to field observations. We lost more of our early peppers to end rot and other such problems than we have in the past. So, it is possible the reduction in numbers for Tolli Sweet could be accounted for in terms of the non-marketable fruit given to birds.
A second observation is that there have been more "dead flower ends" this season than other years. These are flowers that dropped without fruit set - a condition that often happens when temperatures stay hot, even at night. This tells me that I might not want to expect the same production levels in late August as I normally might expect. And, it just so happens that peak Tolli Sweet production is normally when? According to the history, half of the production occurs in the 2nd half of August. Hmmmm.
If we adjust our expectations for Tollis Sweet based on these numbers and observations, we can take our initial projection of 705 fruit (at 16.4 per plant), remove the production of 4 lost plants and make adjustments for reduced early production and reduced August production. We come up with an estimate of 350 Tolli Sweet peppers for the season.
Using similar analysis for the overall sweet pepper crop - we estimate a harvest of about 3200 sweet peppers.
We're at 700 harvested so far.
Here's to 2500 MORE peppers to share with everyone!
1. Rob likes numbers
2. We take record keeping seriously
It's a good thing Rob likes the numbers and we keep the records, because it is an important part for our certification process *and* it is important to help us plan for production levels that satisfy our CSA customers - at the minimum.
But, numbers can lie - just as our memories can be faulty. But, if you put field observations together with harvest records and an educated 'feel' for how the season is going or has gone, you can have a powerful learning tool.
1. Peppers part II
I made an observation/educated guess that we might be on tap for a production level of sweet peppers for the season of approximately 2500 fruit.
| 2011 15 | 99 | 123 | 195 | 279 | |||
| 2009 23 | 99 | 174 | 222 | 279 |
Above are numbers for the first five weeks of 2009 and this season. It is astonishing to see harvest numbers that are exactly the same for two weeks. This might lead me to conclude that we will have a similar year to 2009 - where we ended up with over 4900 marketable sweet peppers harvested.
Behind that lie is another number:
2011 567 sweet pepper plants planted
2009 481 sweet pepper plants planted
So - does that mean we're about 20% behind the expected rate of harvest for this number of plants? And, even if this is the case, shouldn't we still land at about 4900 - with the extra plants making up for the production rate shortfall?
Tolli Sweet is an early red sweet pepper (wonderful taste and shaped a bit like a carrot). It's 3 year historical average per plant for a season is 16.4 and it's average for the first five weeks is 3.6. In the first five weeks this year, we've had 1.9 marketable peppers per plant.
This leads me to field observations. We lost more of our early peppers to end rot and other such problems than we have in the past. So, it is possible the reduction in numbers for Tolli Sweet could be accounted for in terms of the non-marketable fruit given to birds.
A second observation is that there have been more "dead flower ends" this season than other years. These are flowers that dropped without fruit set - a condition that often happens when temperatures stay hot, even at night. This tells me that I might not want to expect the same production levels in late August as I normally might expect. And, it just so happens that peak Tolli Sweet production is normally when? According to the history, half of the production occurs in the 2nd half of August. Hmmmm.
If we adjust our expectations for Tollis Sweet based on these numbers and observations, we can take our initial projection of 705 fruit (at 16.4 per plant), remove the production of 4 lost plants and make adjustments for reduced early production and reduced August production. We come up with an estimate of 350 Tolli Sweet peppers for the season.
Using similar analysis for the overall sweet pepper crop - we estimate a harvest of about 3200 sweet peppers.
We're at 700 harvested so far.
Here's to 2500 MORE peppers to share with everyone!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
By the Numbers
Every year I do a few posts that talk about some of our production numbers and how it relates to growing conditions for the season.
I took a few moments tonight to look at some of our numbers and here are some interesting things I found.
1. Eggplant started 2 weeks ahead of schedule this year.
Well - we did get a very early warm spell with lots of humidity. What do eggplant like? WARM WEATHER. Ok, glad they like it. Oddly, the size of the plants themselves are really not ahead of schedule - it's just the production itself.
2. Casper and Pintung Long are producing like they never have before.
Casper is a beautiful white eggplant with a mild flavor and nice texture. It has produced nearly 4 eggplant per plant so far this season and shows signs of incredible yields this year. Pintung is at 3.3 eggplant per plant. It is a long lavender Asian style eggplant. It takes a marinade well and has a wonderful taste. We've only been harvesting these for about a month. In the past, we would have been pleased with 3-4 eggplant per plant for the whole season.
Why is this? Part of the reason has to be the weather. But, before we attribute this entirely to the weather, we need to consider other variables. And, oddly, part of it is the seed industry's decision to drop "Dusky," our only hybrid eggplant - and our usual producer of a large percent of our eggplant crop. With Dusky's demise, we needed to figure out who could pick up the slack. Look what we found!
We are pretty certain that both of these like the warmer summer - but they were already looking good before the heat wave. I suspect an average to warmer summer will do them just fine.
3. Peppers - it may not be 2009 all over again, but at least it is not 2010.
Last year - out of approximately 550 sweet pepper plants - we harvested a dozen peppers. Hey - they sat in water through much of a month. So, we're happy to have peppers this year. However, our total sweet pepper production numbers have been:
That's pretty good consistency.
We're on the normal schedule for production start and entry into peak picking. This is to be expected since the hot weather doesn't necessarily accelerate the peppers all that much. But, what it has done is cause blossom drop - so the rate of increase is not as sharp as normal. We're at 526 sweet peppers so far for the season, so things seem fine. But, we need a strong rebloom and set to get into the numbers we've seen in the past. But, given last year, we'd be happy to be sitting at 2500 for this season when all is said and done.
I took a few moments tonight to look at some of our numbers and here are some interesting things I found.
1. Eggplant started 2 weeks ahead of schedule this year.
Well - we did get a very early warm spell with lots of humidity. What do eggplant like? WARM WEATHER. Ok, glad they like it. Oddly, the size of the plants themselves are really not ahead of schedule - it's just the production itself.
2. Casper and Pintung Long are producing like they never have before.
Casper is a beautiful white eggplant with a mild flavor and nice texture. It has produced nearly 4 eggplant per plant so far this season and shows signs of incredible yields this year. Pintung is at 3.3 eggplant per plant. It is a long lavender Asian style eggplant. It takes a marinade well and has a wonderful taste. We've only been harvesting these for about a month. In the past, we would have been pleased with 3-4 eggplant per plant for the whole season.
Why is this? Part of the reason has to be the weather. But, before we attribute this entirely to the weather, we need to consider other variables. And, oddly, part of it is the seed industry's decision to drop "Dusky," our only hybrid eggplant - and our usual producer of a large percent of our eggplant crop. With Dusky's demise, we needed to figure out who could pick up the slack. Look what we found!
We are pretty certain that both of these like the warmer summer - but they were already looking good before the heat wave. I suspect an average to warmer summer will do them just fine.
3. Peppers - it may not be 2009 all over again, but at least it is not 2010.
Last year - out of approximately 550 sweet pepper plants - we harvested a dozen peppers. Hey - they sat in water through much of a month. So, we're happy to have peppers this year. However, our total sweet pepper production numbers have been:
2009 4943
2008 3158
2007 4000
That's pretty good consistency.
We're on the normal schedule for production start and entry into peak picking. This is to be expected since the hot weather doesn't necessarily accelerate the peppers all that much. But, what it has done is cause blossom drop - so the rate of increase is not as sharp as normal. We're at 526 sweet peppers so far for the season, so things seem fine. But, we need a strong rebloom and set to get into the numbers we've seen in the past. But, given last year, we'd be happy to be sitting at 2500 for this season when all is said and done.
Monday, August 8, 2011
News and Announcements
Every year, we hit a period where we're just tired of it all. As a result, we have a harder time getting fun and interesting blogs out there for everyone. We then fall back on the 'just the facts' approach to blogging - nothing really wrong with that - I hope.
Don't worry, we'll get the fire back. Everyone in every job hits stretches like this and we're not the exception.
CSA:
We were quite pleased with last week's distribution. Lots of produce went to our share holders. Thus far, the amount and quality of the produce delivered has been very good (in our opinion), which makes us happy. Of course, this is a business and we want to provide a good product. But, it is also a bit more than a business.
On another note - the Cedar Falls distribution on Thursday was 1 person away from perfect attendance! Wow!. Well done.
Tom Sawyer Week:
We are tentatively scheduling a Tom Sawyer 'Week' for the following days - August 10, 14, 15 & 19. More details coming soon.
Summer Festival:
A reminder that our annual Summer Festival is coming! Mark Saturday, August 27 on your calendars.
Signing up for Extended Fall Shares:
We are not quite ready to do this yet. But, we will begin signups in September. We'll make the announcement first to last year's extended season members, then our current CSA members and those on the wait list. Then, if necessary, we throw it open to all. We are looking at 25 slots approximately.
Signing up for 2012:
It seems early to mention this, but we have had questions regarding it. We begin signups for the following year in September as well - giving current members and wait-listed individuals first shot at slots.
Partner Farm Work Days:
We were at Scattergood in June, at GFF (here) in July and we will be at Grinnell Heritage Farm on August 17. This could very much help us get out of the "blahs" as it is always helpful to commiserate with our peers. And, it's just neat to go help someone else for a few hours. Blue Gate is scheduled for September.
Farm Energy Working Group Grant:
GFF received a grant to do research on how we can incorporate solar energy into our farming operation. We'll provide more as we work on it. The end result of this grant is hopefully to identify exactly WHAT we will do and then produce a grant application to make that happen.
Don't worry, we'll get the fire back. Everyone in every job hits stretches like this and we're not the exception.
CSA:
We were quite pleased with last week's distribution. Lots of produce went to our share holders. Thus far, the amount and quality of the produce delivered has been very good (in our opinion), which makes us happy. Of course, this is a business and we want to provide a good product. But, it is also a bit more than a business.
On another note - the Cedar Falls distribution on Thursday was 1 person away from perfect attendance! Wow!. Well done.
Tom Sawyer Week:
We are tentatively scheduling a Tom Sawyer 'Week' for the following days - August 10, 14, 15 & 19. More details coming soon.
Summer Festival:
A reminder that our annual Summer Festival is coming! Mark Saturday, August 27 on your calendars.
Signing up for Extended Fall Shares:
We are not quite ready to do this yet. But, we will begin signups in September. We'll make the announcement first to last year's extended season members, then our current CSA members and those on the wait list. Then, if necessary, we throw it open to all. We are looking at 25 slots approximately.
Signing up for 2012:
It seems early to mention this, but we have had questions regarding it. We begin signups for the following year in September as well - giving current members and wait-listed individuals first shot at slots.
Partner Farm Work Days:
We were at Scattergood in June, at GFF (here) in July and we will be at Grinnell Heritage Farm on August 17. This could very much help us get out of the "blahs" as it is always helpful to commiserate with our peers. And, it's just neat to go help someone else for a few hours. Blue Gate is scheduled for September.
Farm Energy Working Group Grant:
GFF received a grant to do research on how we can incorporate solar energy into our farming operation. We'll provide more as we work on it. The end result of this grant is hopefully to identify exactly WHAT we will do and then produce a grant application to make that happen.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Farm Report
Once again, we fall back on the farm report.... Alas!
- Our Spring chickens *are* sold out at this time. We will take reservations for our Fall batch (typically ready in October). We are still delivering some of the birds - but most are in their new homes.
- Speaking of broilers (we were?). The chicks are out of their boxes and now have a room to themselves. We typically don't move them out of boxes quite this quickly, so were a little surprised when they managed to get out of their room by getting through the crack under the door. Hmmmm.
- The turkeys got their first taste of summer squash and pronounced it yummy. Well, ok, they said something along the lines of "chiiirrruuup." Which, in turkey, means - "Oh look, this is interesting, I will eat it."
- Fields are finally drying out so we can do some of the work we need to do. We've been trying to get weeding and other things done in the mud, but it slows us down and is not as pleasant to work in as one might like.
- We are glad the heat has moved on. And, the forecast is calling for more reasonable temperatures for a while. This is good for the humans and the animals. But, it is actually *very good* for some of our crops that were suffering in the heat. While you might think of things like lettuce suffering (and it does), you might be surprised to learn that green beans also suffer in excessive heat. Fruit tend to brown or develop empty pods. In fact, the heat can reduce blooming and fruit set. As long as we can keep the plants alive, they should turn it around.
- Rob spent time answering questions on film for the Grout Museum. They are developing an exhibit on alternative farming in Iowa that should appear in 2013. I sure hope they didn't notice the pimple on my nose! (oy! I think I'm joking here!)
- Weeds. Icky! Weeds. Icky! Sigh. Oui, we weed and we weed and we weed. And they keep coming back. I think they are winning.
- We used all but three of our white nest and stack crates for Tuesday's pick for the CSA. This is good and bad. We'll let you figure out why.
- We're tossing more fruits due to mold/rot problems than we've had to in the past. This is a moisture/heat related issue and should pass as long as we can keep getting these OFF of the plants.
- We've noticed some diseased pepper plants that probably got some carry-over from last year's issues. It should not impact all of the peppers, but some varieties look like they need to be pulled to prevent possible spread. So, no record this year. But, I think the CSA will get plenty over time.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Splish Splash
We've gotten a few downpours the last few days - but last night, followed by this morning led to a very interesting CSA distribution day.
Wednesday, we did alot of work in the tomato/basil field and found the soil to be damp, but pretty good for pulling weeds. Too wet to till, of course - but not bad at all. But, Wednesday night found us being woken by some "right in your back yard" type of lightning strikes with the accompanying sizzle and boom. Cool? I suppose. It was 2:00-2:30 AM. We *were* trying to catch a few minutes of sleep. Never mind.
So, what happens to the farmers when they have less sleep than they need? They move slower than they should in the morning. Just slow enough so that they find themselves looking at a rainstorm at about 9:00 am - and we're not as far along in the picking as we usually are/need to be. Uh oh.
Sure enough, more rain and lightning. But, we adjusted and did some onion/garlic cleaning and ate an early lunch with the crew of Andrea, Anden and Denis. Then, back to the picking.
Remember that damp soil we had Wednesday? It was now SATURATED. As in, "look, there is standing water in that area - I wonder if I can walk on that to pick the produce" saturated. Oh dear.
Rob had the task of picking eggplant, peppers, summer squash and zucchini. It was about eggplant number 12 where he lost a shoe in the mud. The rest of the produce was picked without shoes. Fun! (sort of). We decided to implement a pick and toss technique that you all should be proud of. Denis is a fine vegetable fielder.
The deepest I sank into the mud? Up to the mid-calf. There was some worry that I might not be able to pull the leg out on that one. And, the 'whoa whoa whoa' dances that are usually reserved for ice rinks and balance beams were likely quite fun to watch.
Ok - we have plenty of rain now. Thank you. Please stop....
Wednesday, we did alot of work in the tomato/basil field and found the soil to be damp, but pretty good for pulling weeds. Too wet to till, of course - but not bad at all. But, Wednesday night found us being woken by some "right in your back yard" type of lightning strikes with the accompanying sizzle and boom. Cool? I suppose. It was 2:00-2:30 AM. We *were* trying to catch a few minutes of sleep. Never mind.
So, what happens to the farmers when they have less sleep than they need? They move slower than they should in the morning. Just slow enough so that they find themselves looking at a rainstorm at about 9:00 am - and we're not as far along in the picking as we usually are/need to be. Uh oh.
Sure enough, more rain and lightning. But, we adjusted and did some onion/garlic cleaning and ate an early lunch with the crew of Andrea, Anden and Denis. Then, back to the picking.
Remember that damp soil we had Wednesday? It was now SATURATED. As in, "look, there is standing water in that area - I wonder if I can walk on that to pick the produce" saturated. Oh dear.
Rob had the task of picking eggplant, peppers, summer squash and zucchini. It was about eggplant number 12 where he lost a shoe in the mud. The rest of the produce was picked without shoes. Fun! (sort of). We decided to implement a pick and toss technique that you all should be proud of. Denis is a fine vegetable fielder.
The deepest I sank into the mud? Up to the mid-calf. There was some worry that I might not be able to pull the leg out on that one. And, the 'whoa whoa whoa' dances that are usually reserved for ice rinks and balance beams were likely quite fun to watch.
Ok - we have plenty of rain now. Thank you. Please stop....
Monday, July 25, 2011
Bird Brains III
This one isn't exactly funny. Unless business is funny to you.
We have birds processed and they are ready to be sold to interested persons.
Price $3.25/lb
Average size is about 4.5# with a range of 3.5 to 6.25#
Birds are frozen and in the Fredricka locker
We intend to do our best to make deliveries at the same times as our CSA distributions. Tuesday at Waverly Farmers' Market 3:30-6pm and Thursday at Roots Market 4-6pm. We can certainly arrange for an on farm pickup. Specific dates once we have sales arranged.
If interested, send us an email and reserve birds. We don't take a deposit, but ask for payment at the point of delivery.
Our birds are day-ranged (in pasture during the day and protected at night). They are fed organic grains from a farm just north of New Hampton. Additionally, birds are encouraged to forage and are often given produce that is not salable on the farm. They are processed by a local, state inspected processor (Martzahn's Farm in Greene). They raised in a fashion that meets organic standards, but they are not certified organic.
We have birds processed and they are ready to be sold to interested persons.
Price $3.25/lb
Average size is about 4.5# with a range of 3.5 to 6.25#
Birds are frozen and in the Fredricka locker
We intend to do our best to make deliveries at the same times as our CSA distributions. Tuesday at Waverly Farmers' Market 3:30-6pm and Thursday at Roots Market 4-6pm. We can certainly arrange for an on farm pickup. Specific dates once we have sales arranged.
If interested, send us an email and reserve birds. We don't take a deposit, but ask for payment at the point of delivery.
Our birds are day-ranged (in pasture during the day and protected at night). They are fed organic grains from a farm just north of New Hampton. Additionally, birds are encouraged to forage and are often given produce that is not salable on the farm. They are processed by a local, state inspected processor (Martzahn's Farm in Greene). They raised in a fashion that meets organic standards, but they are not certified organic.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Things On Our Minds
The creativity level is not necessarily high. When that happens, we tend to do blog posts that just throw a few things together and maybe we'll hit on something!
- We're working on setting up distribution of chickens and we have many still available. If you want some, let us know. They are currently in the Fredericka Locker.
- We're a bit annoyed with Sierra Blanca (white onion variety). The seed became unavailable for last year's planting. So, we bought plants. The plants were about the only onions that matured last year because they are an early variety. But, this year, we weeded them, treated them nice....and they really aren't all that wonderful to look at. They taste fine - just small and inconsistent. Why is it a big deal? We pay alot more for plants. They arrive when we're not usually ready for them (our heavy soils are workable later than most zone 4b areas)... and we don't get a good crop. hmmmm.
- Weeds - arg.
- The "War of the Raccoon" continues on the farm. We think we're down to a couple remaining bandits. And, they still like to harass the hens. The good news is that we haven't lost any hens lately, but have lost some eggs. The critters that were enjoying trashing plants (they liked digging in the potting soil) are gone. As near as we can tell, the score is now Raccoons: 6 GFF: 13
- Our CSA members are *GREAT*. We had someone at each distribution kindly provide us with cold beverages. The ice tea and the lemonade were both appreciated. It's nice to get a little boost like that during a hot week. Don't get me wrong - we come prepared with a thermos of water and water bottles full for distributions. With this job, you have to be sure to take care of your fluid intake. But.... these kind gestures still mean alot to us. Thank you.
- Speaking of fluid... The record has been set. Rob had a six t-shirt day and a five t-shirt day this week. It certainly made me wonder why I bothered changing clothing when it seemed like it took only moments to sweat through things again. Then again, neither of us wants to develop a heat rash. So....
- On that topic: Neither of us is entirely sure what to think when clothing is tossed into the 'wash these soonest' pile and they make a resounding 'splat!' Should we be proud of our hard work that led us to sweat through this clothing? Should we be disgusted that we actually did sweat through clothing enough that you can literally wring them out? Thoughts?
- Speaking of laundry... we are noticing that our towels we use for hydrocooling and keeping things damp/cool in our containers for CSA distribution are getting threadbare. If anyone has towels that they are looking to retire, we may be interested in them. Anytime we mention things like this we wish to emphasize a couple of things. First - don't give us something you can use. After all, they are yours and you should use them. Second, please don't treat us like a trash can either. If they are already threadbare, they won't do the job any better than what we do have. Definition of threadbare - we can see many holes in them as they hang on the line to dry. Well-loved and worn is fine.
- Speaking of hydrocooling... We've added a step to the process this season. For several seasons we have been picking greens into tubs, taking them to a shaded location and filled the tubs with very cold well water. We push the greens that float down into the water and cover with a towel. This makes sure everything stays wet and prevents any of it from dehydrating in wind or sun. As a result, the greens (or other produce we do this to) will last in a crisper much longer. Lettuce treated this way can easily last 2 weeks (or more). We've been collecting the water used for hydrocooling in a tub this year (the new part). Then we transport the water in buckets to the high tunnel to water plants in there. We reuse the water (very good) but we realize it is inefficient in its current state. We'll be investigating options for next season.
- Speaking of greens... the ducks love greens that bolt and can't be sold or distributed. This is a good thing since the hot weather has sent some of our lettuce past prime very quickly.
- Speaking of ducks... we don't witness as much of the 'grab it and run' mentality we see with our chickens and turkeys. In short, ducks seem to be able to share better than other birds. Hm.
- Speaking of sharing.... we want to share the credit for the CSA distributions this week with all of the folks who fought through the heat to help us. Thank you Andrea, Denis, Anden, JoHanna, Bailey, Sally and Jeff! Well done!
- And finally, speaking of workers. For those of you who have asked or are curious - we have no full time workers on the farm, but we do contract with several people to do work for us. In many cases, they receive produce as compensation for a certain amount of work on the farm. In other cases, they are compensated with pay for contracted labor. And, we do sometimes receive volunteer work help. Usually, our labor pool dries up when school starts again.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Beat the Heat
Ok. So it IS hot out there.
This post ought to help everyone out there!
Remember this? Sundogs only appear when it is REALLY cold.
How about hoar frost on the fence. Don't you just want to jump in the snow?
This picture is currently the background photo on my computer.
And this one just looks cool.
One trick to beat the heat - have snow peas for dinner.
Another trick for beating the heat. Make a slushy.
If you are lucky enough to have a Tammy in the house, she just might make a slushy using the lemonade she makes and the peaches she canned last summer.
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups of water or 1 cup water & 1 cup canned peach juice
(you could reduce sugar if you have heavy syrup)
1-2 peaches
Approx 15 ice cubes
Place in the blender on medium (or if you are lucky enough to have an ice breaker setting, use it) until ice is broken up to a consistency you want.
Poor into two big glass mugs and enjoy. Don't drink it too fast - you'll get a brain freeze!
This post ought to help everyone out there!
Remember this? Sundogs only appear when it is REALLY cold.
How about hoar frost on the fence. Don't you just want to jump in the snow?
This picture is currently the background photo on my computer.
And this one just looks cool.
One trick to beat the heat - have snow peas for dinner.
Another trick for beating the heat. Make a slushy.
If you are lucky enough to have a Tammy in the house, she just might make a slushy using the lemonade she makes and the peaches she canned last summer.
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups of water or 1 cup water & 1 cup canned peach juice
(you could reduce sugar if you have heavy syrup)
1-2 peaches
Approx 15 ice cubes
Place in the blender on medium (or if you are lucky enough to have an ice breaker setting, use it) until ice is broken up to a consistency you want.
Poor into two big glass mugs and enjoy. Don't drink it too fast - you'll get a brain freeze!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Stream of Consciousness
It's Friday eve and time for a blog post for the farm. What is there to say or write? You want a theme? Ok, how about whatever comes to mind as I type. that sounds like a good one for tonight.
- Tom Sawyer Week: We'll term the week a qualified success so far. A huge thank you to Megan, Ben, Sam, Kory, Max, Sophie, Emma and Zeb for taking the time to come do a little work on the farm. Fabulous progress on the winter squash field and some loads of roofing materials moved. Excellent. Plusses include the fact that people were able to determine how long they wanted to stick around *and* they could get an idea of how things went on a typical farm work day with our crew. At present, we know of no one attending tomorrow - so let us know if you were going to do so. Hence, the qualifier... we thought we might open this up for more people, but only three family units were represented in this event. So, that target failed. We suspect it has a lot to do with the status of this week as prime travel time for many.
- Just Serfin': Our work crew of Denis, Andrea, Anden, Sally and Jo provide us with much needed help each week. Denis and Anden are usually out for three days of the week, Andrea two and Sally and Jo each spend half a day on the farm each week. Thanks for tolerating us and working to get things done on the farm!
- Hot Buns: The strong sun this time of year can heat up the black Iowa soil! We (everyone who worked on the winter squash field the last few days) can attest to this. Usually, we weeders will crawl, do the 'sunny-side up' or do the 'sit and scoot' in order to weed a row. Those who crawled may have noticed sensitive knees after due to the hot soil. Those who did the 'sit and scoot' probably had the hot buns.
- Gasp! Water! : It's official, plants are starting to cry at us for water. So, we're working on the irrigation thing. Please, please - do not blame us if it suddenly starts raining buckets.
- We did manage to build a new 'portable' shelter that should be the ducks' night time home this summer. We'll try to take a picture for a July "Picture This" post.
- With the shelter comes a second solar charger and electric fence set up. The henlets (baby laying hens) are in the other half of the 'figure 8' of fencing on that charger.
- With the exception of a few feet of companion flowers, the winter squash field is weeded. That's a 200' x 60' plot. Nice. We can say the same thing for the tomato/basil plot (with the exception of the outer zinnia row.
- The pea/cucumber plot is also weeded - but has a few rough spots.
- The southwest plot has had old crops removed and the ground tilled once. A second till and we plant the next succession!
- Speaking of the southwest, we put up pea fencing and did some wheel hoe work between rows. Beets can be a pain...
- We managed to order new carriers for chickens and they arrived this week. Now...to put them together.
- Speaking of some assembly required - we ordered a couple of hose reels. We are tired of the seasonal hose meets mower accident that happens this time of year. We'd like to prevent it if we can.
- Oui, we STILL weed (lots)
- Set up drip tape irrigation system and then Oui, we water.
- Broilers go to the park on Tuesday night.... uf, that's a CSA distribution day too. Oh dear.
- GFF hosts Scattergood Friends School Farm, Grinnell Heritage Farm and Blue Gate Farm on Wednesday afternoon.
- GFF hosts a local food buyer group for a tour of the farm Wednesday morning.
- Looks like some gate making and fence repair is on tap so the turkeys can begin day ranging this coming week. They're ready!
- We've got to put in a batch of lettuce, zucchini, squash, cucumber, etc etc. There will be alot of planting to do in the next week.
- Garlic digging is just around the corner!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Bird Brains II
The sequel is rarely better than the original. Unless it is Star Trek II vs Star Trek I. They had no where to go but up. It must be nice to know you can't do worse.
Nonetheless - it is summer - time for sequels, prequels and 3D versions of remakes of book adaptations. Ask me if we've seen a movie so far this summer. Ask me if I've seen Paint Your Wagon. Ask me if it's been a long day.
yep.
More bird observations and various extensions to the prior post:
Nonetheless - it is summer - time for sequels, prequels and 3D versions of remakes of book adaptations. Ask me if we've seen a movie so far this summer. Ask me if I've seen Paint Your Wagon. Ask me if it's been a long day.
yep.
More bird observations and various extensions to the prior post:
- BOD - Beaks of Doom *or* Bills of Doom. The ducks have had their first night and day in their new open-air shelter and in their pasture (during the day). They just might spell doom for flies more than the chickens.
- Ali vs Frazier rematch. Ali and Frazier were at it again. Rob approached them and challenged them. They, of course did the "I can take you! I can take you! Never mind." thing. You know what I said to that? "CHICKEN!!!!!" Ya, it didn't really have the same effect it might have on other ten year old humans.
- Broom Bird Double Header. The problem with putting more birds on pasture and day ranging them? We have to play more games of broom bird each night. Happily, the ducks will go as a flock.
- Broom Bird Rules. We thought about making some up, but decided everything involved with it would be a fowl.
- Time Square Ball. I was thinking about renting the Time Square Ball that drops for New Year's. Set it to start at the top and slowly sink to the ground as the day for taking the broilers "to the park" approached. But, then I wondered if people might think I take too much glee in that thought. The reality is - we just don't have a good place to set the thing up. If we did get it, would it be a Fowl Ball? At least you know you'd get the Chicken Dance out of it.
- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday....
- Sploooootch! Lots of people say they like ducks. Ducks are cute. They wiggle their tails, they waddle, they quack (these birds are too young, so they 'queep') and they splash in water alot. These people have never been around them long enough to know what I mean when I refer to the 'splooootch' sound.
- Turkeys on the High Wire. Turkeys like to roost off the ground, so we put up some 2x4 as roosting stations in their room. The birds are just getting big enough to get up there now. So far, about eight have figured it out. These 2x4 boards are fairly sturdy, but a turkey, once it is bigger, has enough weight to make the board wiggle a little. It can be amusing watching a bird try to walk from one end to the other without falling. Reminiscent of humans on a balance beam.
- The Tom Sawyer Week has some takers already - hurrah! We've decided that we might make the theme of this week - "Weed 'em and Reap!"
- You all realize that when you tell me you read the blog, you encourage more of this silliness. It's all your fault! Good for you.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tom Sawyer Event
We hope everyone has had (or is having) a relaxing 4th of July weekend.
Speaking of this week and weekend - we are announcing our first ever Tom Sawyer Week!
Early July is the most critical weeding time we have. If we don't get some of the weeding done now when many of our plants are small, we can lose crops. We have equipment to help us with between row weeding - but there is no substitute for in row weeding. And, even if weeding is not your thing - we have other tasks that can be done that would be equally helpful if you've a mind to do them.
How does this work?
Rob & Tammy
Speaking of this week and weekend - we are announcing our first ever Tom Sawyer Week!
Early July is the most critical weeding time we have. If we don't get some of the weeding done now when many of our plants are small, we can lose crops. We have equipment to help us with between row weeding - but there is no substitute for in row weeding. And, even if weeding is not your thing - we have other tasks that can be done that would be equally helpful if you've a mind to do them.
How does this work?
- No one is *required* to attend a Tom Sawyer Day. We realize some of you join the CSA with the express purpose of wanting to do *no* gardening. On the other hand, attending a Tom Sawyer event gives everyone some perspective as to the scale and type of work required to grow food.
- If you wish to 'attend' our week - please let us know by sending us a note and telling us who, how many, when and what you might like to do. The 'when' and the 'what' may be selected from the lists given below. Please don't just show up! We need to know you are coming so we can be prepared. If none of the times work for you, but you still wish to attend, you can make a suggestion. Just be aware that we might not be able to make the time work.
- There is no time limit for how long you work - but we ask you to consider the length of your drive and the tolerance of the people attending for doing work on the farm.
- You should bring a water bottle, wear close-toed shoes, apply sunblock and have some gloves available to you.
- Wednesday, July 6 9am to 6pm
- Friday, July 8 noon to 6pm
- Saturday, July 9 9am to 5pm
- Weeding
- More Weeding
- Moving old roofing material away from re roofed building
- scraping and/or painting
Rob & Tammy
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Bird Brains
Late June and early July gets a little crazy around the farm since we have so many different contingents of birds hanging around. All of them with their own needs and ... er... idiosynchracies.
To be perfectly blunt, it is at this time every year we begin to happily count down the days before we take the broilers (meat chickens) to the "park." Of course, the layers are still around. The ducks are ready to go out on pasture. The turkeys are nearly ready and the baby hens are now out in their own pasture (to prevent the adult layers from 'laying' into them.
But, they do sometimes lead to interesting musings and we do make some amusing observations.
To be perfectly blunt, it is at this time every year we begin to happily count down the days before we take the broilers (meat chickens) to the "park." Of course, the layers are still around. The ducks are ready to go out on pasture. The turkeys are nearly ready and the baby hens are now out in their own pasture (to prevent the adult layers from 'laying' into them.
But, they do sometimes lead to interesting musings and we do make some amusing observations.
- Not Like Clyde: We now tell our broilers to 'not be like Clyde' when they don't want to go into their shelter at night. Still, that bird had guts.
- Broom Bird. Speaking of putting the broilers in - we play a game I call broom bird. No - we do not *hit* the birds with brooms. But, we do use brooms to direct birds to their shelter. Our waving arms don't do it anymore - but a colorful broom - that's the ticket.
- Ali and Frazier. There are two birds that appear to enjoy facing off with each other more than anything else. The spend most of their time about a foot apart in an aggressive posture...giving each other the 'evil' eye. Occasionally, they'll move their heads up and down trying to get an advantage. Rarely, they'll give each other chest bump and then go eat something.
- Broiler hiccups. Ok - they are not really hiccups. But, the sound some of these birds are making as they attempt to learn to crow.... hiccups is about the only valid description we can come up with.
- I can take you! I can take you! Never mind. A couple of birds do try to stand their ground as we walk in their pasture area. Wellllll, ok, they stand there until we get within a couple of feet, then they bravely run away.
- The Beak of Doom. There aren't many flies in the broiler area. But, every once in a while there is a disturbance where many birds move quickly at once. Flying insects do cause quite a stir in the flock. Until they meet a beak of doom.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Trying to Take Over the World
Many people are starting to 'get it.' And, for that we are grateful. But, what do we mean by 'it?'
Example 1: Rob & Tammy are outside (of course) distributing produce for the CSA. Temps have been in the 80's or 90's most of the day. Someone says something about how hot it is. We respond in a way we hope is pleasant but noncommittal. Happily, more people are saying things like - "I suppose I shouldn't complain about it since you've been in this all day." Hey - we understand that the temps can feel pretty oppressive depending on who you are and how your body responds. It's even harder when you have to work in air conditioning all day, I'm sure. And, yes, there are days we get hit pretty hard by the heat (or the cold, or....). But, here's another way to look at it. 85 degrees F (and even 95) can feel pretty darn nice. You just have to get used to it. We do not want to stop you from commenting on the weather - it's perfectly fine. Just as it is fine if we disagree with your assessment. Ahhhhh perspective!
Speaking of which - sometimes our impression of the weather is what we have made of it. We worked outside fine on Friday until about 2pm. Then, we decided to go into the house and do paperwork. We both wonder if we talked ourselves into it because we had heard the forecast and warnings about heat advisories, etc. Sure, we had to watch our fluid intake and take breaks when we needed them. But, it wasn't horrible.
Example #2: "What are you doing for the 4th?"
This is a friendly and easy question to ask to start a conversation going. We know it, you know it. We *all* fall back on easy conversation starters with each other when we can't think of a really scintillating statement that drops everyone's jaws. So - it is perfectly fine if you ask us.
But, here's what we're finding to be cool. More people are making comments afterwards along the lines of "oh, yeah, I suppose you will be doing some farm work, won't you?" Thank you for realizing this. It is the growing season *and* we have animals on the farm. So, we can't exactly escape it.
On the other hand, we fully realize that we need to maintain our own well-being, so we intend on doing some things out of the norm. Just not sure what.
But - the best way to answer the question "So, what are you doing today?" is to take a page from Brain of the Pinky and the Brain fame.
"Same thing we do every night (day). Try to take over the world."
Or at least try to keep up with the farm.
Example 1: Rob & Tammy are outside (of course) distributing produce for the CSA. Temps have been in the 80's or 90's most of the day. Someone says something about how hot it is. We respond in a way we hope is pleasant but noncommittal. Happily, more people are saying things like - "I suppose I shouldn't complain about it since you've been in this all day." Hey - we understand that the temps can feel pretty oppressive depending on who you are and how your body responds. It's even harder when you have to work in air conditioning all day, I'm sure. And, yes, there are days we get hit pretty hard by the heat (or the cold, or....). But, here's another way to look at it. 85 degrees F (and even 95) can feel pretty darn nice. You just have to get used to it. We do not want to stop you from commenting on the weather - it's perfectly fine. Just as it is fine if we disagree with your assessment. Ahhhhh perspective!
Speaking of which - sometimes our impression of the weather is what we have made of it. We worked outside fine on Friday until about 2pm. Then, we decided to go into the house and do paperwork. We both wonder if we talked ourselves into it because we had heard the forecast and warnings about heat advisories, etc. Sure, we had to watch our fluid intake and take breaks when we needed them. But, it wasn't horrible.
Example #2: "What are you doing for the 4th?"
This is a friendly and easy question to ask to start a conversation going. We know it, you know it. We *all* fall back on easy conversation starters with each other when we can't think of a really scintillating statement that drops everyone's jaws. So - it is perfectly fine if you ask us.
But, here's what we're finding to be cool. More people are making comments afterwards along the lines of "oh, yeah, I suppose you will be doing some farm work, won't you?" Thank you for realizing this. It is the growing season *and* we have animals on the farm. So, we can't exactly escape it.
On the other hand, we fully realize that we need to maintain our own well-being, so we intend on doing some things out of the norm. Just not sure what.
But - the best way to answer the question "So, what are you doing today?" is to take a page from Brain of the Pinky and the Brain fame.
"Same thing we do every night (day). Try to take over the world."
Or at least try to keep up with the farm.
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