April Calendar of Events
- April 5: Hen Chicks arrive at the farm
- April 6: Wartburg ID Class at GFF
- April 6: Cedar Falls Egg Delivery
- April 8: Wartburg Service Trip at GFF
- April 11: Waverly Egg Delivery
- April 13: Broiler Chicks (Flock 1) Arrive
- April 22: Health Fair at the W (Wartburg College)
- April 27: Anticipated Delivery 1 Cedar Falls
It has begun.
Best Laid Plans
It has begun.
Hey, I started the last feature with that same statement. What could I possibly getting at here?
Every season, things happen - and they happen in ways we didn't plan for them to go. Some who have worked with us in the past are very aware of how many adjustments we end up making on the farm every day of the growing season. Case in point, those cute little baby birds arrived on Wednesday, but we had anticipated a Thursday arrival. What's the issue? Well, when baby birds arrive, you have to deal with baby birds - period. Never mind what you had planned for Wednesday, Thursday is upon you - even if it is really Wednesday.
Maybe that was the jolt we needed to remind us to be prepared to have our plans changed.
CSA Signup 2017
It has begun - and it continues. We are in the midst of our 2017 CSA sign up. We have several CSA options this year. There are STILL plenty of spots open! If you need convincing - please consider the value you get with our programs.
Contact us if you have interest and we'll get you started.
Plant Starting 2017
It has begun.
The seedling tray dance is beginning to take on some steam. The tomato seedlings are beginning to look a bit like tomatoes - they certainly have added the fragrance that tomato plants have! The pepper plants are showing signs of wanting to grow up some day and we've got onions popping up in the trays everywhere. And, the next HUGE seeding session is coming up in the next few days.
For those who are interested in plants - things will be different this year. For details, please view this prior blog post.
Volunteer Groups and Tours at GFF
It has begun.
It is Spring, which means groups from schools are beginning to show interest in coming out to the farm and seeing what we do here. We are very happy to host this sort of event and have often had these groups lend a hand with a task for two. It's all part of trying to be a positive part of the community and fulfilling our desire to make a connection between people and the systems that grow the food they eat.
There are some issues with this, of course. First, it is April. There isn't a whole lot to see in the fields at this time. Second, it is April. It can be a bit chilly and windy out here! But, for the most part, people seem to enjoy their time out here.
Song of the Month
A song titled Spring. In April. By our favorite band. Life is good.
Recipe of the Month
kale quiche
kale, spinach or collard greens
onion
spices of your choice
pastry shell
shredded cheese
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
Chop kale or other greens and saute with onion and spices. into pastry shell layer shredded cheese, then vegetable matter. whip sour cream with eggs and pour over vegetables. Bake at 350 f 'til set.
Field Report
We are very much looking forward to a big planting push in the high tunnel buildings right now. The time is right. The early spinach planting FINALLY set it's first true leaves and the komatsuna and tatsoi are beginning to look like real plants. The start was extremely slow with the high percentage of cloud cover for the past six weeks. If there's no sun, they won't grow. We have a batch of nice kale seedlings we need to spread out as well. Instead of starting these plants in trays, we decided to try direct seeding in the high tunnel. The idea is that we would dig up seedlings and spread them out to proper distances once they got big enough. It looks like they are very nearly ready.
The rhubarb is coming up and looking very strong. We managed to get the last of our plants moved to their permanent location (most were moved last Fall) and we are hopeful this will work out well for us. One of our three asparagus plantings have been cleaned up in anticipation of harvest starting late April. The other two are on the docket if weather allows.
We have our seed taters and we plan to put them in at the end of the month. Late April and early May is also when we typically seed out field carrots, peas and beets. Onions will go in the ground as soon as the field conditions allow AND the onions are big enough to put in. Now that they are up, it shouldn't take too long.
Picture of the Month
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| Sometimes, the chicken decides it wants to lay an egg NOT built for an egg carton. |
Farm News Shorts
- We are trying a new feed supplier for our hens. Earl Canfield of Canfield Farms in the Dunkerton area uses his own field crops to create various field mixes. He is closer to us than our other options and we like the model he and his family use for their farm.
- It's amazing how much happens in one week. We usually tell people things start to really get rolling in April. The truest test we know for this is when Tammy and I look at each other and say, "that was only yesterday." It's a testament to the number of things going on that time seems to both stretch AND compress all at the same time.
Rob is considering whether or not he should continue to shower on a regular basis. We figure the combination of his penchant for wordplay added to an increased likelihood of body odor would make him a....
PUN GENT.
Ya, ya. I had to stretch a bit for it. Maybe I'll go take a shower now.
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