What's Next for the Genuine Faux Farm Veggies?

On Monday, I shared a blog that discussed some of our options for poultry at the Genuine Faux Farm.  As I think I stated in that blog, none of this is set in stone and it's all still being negotiated and considered.  After all, it is only November.  The planning processes have only just begun!

Adaptation IS figuring it out

The current phase of the existence of the Genuine Faux Farm started a few years ago, as a pandemic was altering everyone's lives and I was considering working "off farm" for the first time in many years.  It was a big shift, going from weekly deliveries of veggies and poultry products for most of the year to a model that had to integrate new responsibilities to an outside employer.

I would like to say that we've figured the transition out by now, but the truth is that we haven't.  It certainly is not for lack of trying.  The reality is that the Genuine Faux Farm is in transition every year, all year.  From season to season, things change and if you want to be successful farming, you must navigate your way through it all constantly.

It is also true that we haven't had the smoothest sailing the last few years too.  There have been some health issues that made working on the farm AND working off the farm difficult.  Each time we think we're going to be given the opportunity to really "figure it out," something pops up to remind us that adaptation IS figuring it out. 

Looking for positives over the past 3 years

Despite the challenges, we do have several successes that we can hang our proverbial hats on!  We have successfully grown out heirloom peppers (Napoleon Sweet and Quadrato asti Giallo) for seed each of the last two seasons.  We've made some significant produce donations to the food bank.  And our freezer and root/squash storage areas have been full each Winter.

And, because we still have our egg and veggie email list, we have been able to sell some of our produce to interested people.  While it is not what it was, it still means we maintain contact with a group of people we enjoy and we can provide them with some quality produce.  The additional positive is that we simply offer what we have, there isn't the additional stress of feeling we MUST have a certain amount of product to fill a contract, like a CSA farm share.

I have been privileged to have moments each season where I could look at what was growing and feel good about it too.  I've enjoyed some excellent harvests of squash, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes and numerous other crops during this period of time.  Never anything quite like what we were doing when the farm was my full-time job, but it would be silly to expect that.

Putting joy and satisfaction at the top of the list

I took joy in harvesting what was probably "too many" onions this fall.  We've discovered, over the years, that our farm has excellent soil for raising high-quality onions and that is hard for me to ignore.  But, the number of onions I planted clearly indicate how hard it is to scale down, once you're scaled up.  When you have a history of planting thousands of onion plants, it doesn't seem like much to plant just ONE thousand.

Certainly, there was a little stress trying to see that many onions through the processes of seeding, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating and harvest (and then cleaning and delivery).  But, I found myself remembering that I actually do like doing some of this work.  I just need to allow myself to put that attitude up-front rather than the "oh no!  I've GOT to do X with the onions or else!"

And maybe, I won't do one thousand onions next year too.  How about nine hundred?

Preliminary 2024 plans

I am looking at the coming growing season with the realization that we have done a better job with what we call "one and done" crops than we have "multiple harvest" crops - in general.  And, by doing better, I mean we've derived more satisfaction from those crops.  We love our green beans, for example, but they become a source of distress if we don't keep them picked.  Perhaps we can address situations like that by changing our attitude and our plan for those crops?  We shall see.

For example, we could intentionally plant green beans and harvest them during their first peak only.  We could then allow them to go to seed and harvest that seed for future season's planting.  It's not quite one and done, but it does manage our expectations.

The root of our plans comes form the food we want to feed ourselves and our families.  We love having corn, peas, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, tomato sauce, and even some zucchini/summer squash stir fry in our freezers - ready to go for meals.  We also appreciate storage crops like butternut and buttercup squash, potatoes and onions.  I find myself missing Golden Beets this year, so they go onto the list as well.

We have taken great pleasure in eating melons and apples from the farm this year.  And Tammy likes some fresh cucumbers and cherry tomatoes (Black Cherry, thank you very much), along with her Golden Treasure peppers to snack on through the Summer and into Fall.

And, we love our flowers.  They're great for pollinators and they're good for habitat.  And.... they're good for us too.

So, for now, our preliminary plans are to try to execute the plans we've had for the last few seasons - with adjustments based on what we've learned since 2020's big change.  There will be excess produce - so interested persons should take note.  The Genuine Faux Farm isn't done yet.  It's just adapting.