Late May Farm Report

We've learned that blogs in May - assuming weather cooperates enough for us to be in the fields - are typically just reporting what is going on.  As we get into the season, the dementia that leads to creativity occurs a bit more often.  Until we get to that point, you're just going to have to deal with this.....

so, to make things easier for you - we'll start you with....


Cute baby critters!


Yes, we've had ducklings at the farm for the past week (or so).  We're doing a study to determine whether or not the Appleyard ducks or the Muscovey ducks fit our needs better.  The hope is to establish our own perpetual flock rather than raising a flock only from chicks someone else hatches.

Appleyard ducklings

Muscovey ducklings

It is true, the hatchlings DO feel a bit like a tennis ball.  If you could just get rid of the beak...and the webbed feet... they could BE a tennis ball.  We're hoping to get these guys out into the dandelions very soon.  We've been grabbing a few here and there and bringing them in to them and they seem to like them.

Tomatoes in Pots

There is a small, loyal group of people who love to grow a Silvery Fir Tree tomato in a pot on their porch (or wherever they can put the pot).  We still have a tray and a half of these guys, so we put one in a pot and we're going to try to keep a photo journal by taking a picture about once a week.  Here is our little friend on May 22.

Our captive Silvery Fir Tree tomato

Every Year is Different (Thank goodness?)

We are grateful that this year is not exactly like last year.  If you will recall (ok, some of you are new, so you might not recall) last year forced us to start things VERY late due to saturated fields.  It just wouldn't stop raining until mid June.  Our onion crop was a complete loss last year.  Happily, we are setting up to get them in the ground next.  The field is dry enough and the beds are now prepared for them.  Hurray!

Onion Seedlings awaiting their chance to go in the ground.

And, last year, this sort of photo of our farm showed us desperately trying to find places to put the multitude of trays of plants begging to go into the ground.  In fact, we showed a bucket we kept throwing seedlings into that got too old in their trays.  It's just the way it was.

This year, if we took a picture of this area every two hours over the past week, no two pictures would be alike as we add trays and remove trays for planting.  The season DID start slow for us, so we've had to compress our planting into the end of May/beginning of June.  But, this is much more positive than last year's episode. 

The cold frame area on May 29

Raised Beds to the Rescue Again!

We had to make many adjustments last year to get anything into the ground.  One was to construct three raised beds.  And, we're using them again this season.  At present, one has spinach.  The other two have chard, kale and pok choi.  Here is one that shows a sampling of kale, chard and choi.

Ah!  Raised Beds, what would we do without thee?

Planting.... Planting....

We've been at it pretty constantly.  Some of the planting is into trays, some is transplanting into pots, some into the ground.  The picture below is symbolic for us - it shows a stack of empty trays and another tray that is largely completed.  This is a VERY GOOD thing.

The alarming thing is how little these plants look when we put them in the ground.  When they're all together in a tray, they look like something.  Move them into a single row with 12 inch spacing and you get what you see below:

Cabbage, Romanesco and Cauliflower

Even the tomato plants, with the benefit of 3 1/2 inch pots look pretty small once we get them into the ground.  Now, we have to admit this is a little unfair, since we do make them shorter by planting them deep.  But, their predecessors have managed to overcome - so shall the new crop.

They shall grow and become the Tomato Forest

And, in honor of our friends at Blue Gate Farm, we wanted to show we could plant a lettuce row every bit as straight as they can.

This one is for Jill!

If you look closely, you can see we can plant tile flags too!  Yes, those green flags out there.  What do they mean?  Well, it's a cheap way to mark rows....  Just hate it when they wrap around the tiller.

New Tools!
We added a couple of tools this Spring to address a couple of problems.  One problem has to do with our six row precision seeder jamming up more than we like.  So, we purchased this roller to help prepare the seedbed.  This is one of those cases where we *could* have figured out some sort of construction of our own devising.  But, sometimes, time is precious and it is just better to get a tool others already use and go with it.  We've tried a couple of beds with it and without it.  The precision seeder dropped the drive belt on the rows we didn't use this roller and kept the belt on for the rows we did use the roller.  Ok, sounds like a win.

Not quite a steamroller, but it'll do

We also had a disk harrow for our tractor, but it had a tendency to push all of the dirt to the outside.  So, we sold that one at auction and purchased a tandem disk harrow.  Yes, we splurged and bought a new one.  But, we did this after pursuing used tandem disk harrows at auctions for two years.  We can tell you that we didn't really spend that much more for this one if you factor in the repairs we did NOT have to make in order to get it to work for us.

Oh!  So that's a tandem disk harrow...

Planting Report

A very quick report for those who have interest on how things stand at the farm.

We have a succession of radish, spinach, arugula and mustard greens that is spotty.  We're not even sure if we're going to try another one at this point.
The tomatoes are IN - both high tunnel and field.
Peppers in high tunnel are started.  Field is coming up soon (goal is June 5 to end that planting).
Potatoes are IN!
Green been successions in high tunnel and in potato field are IN!
Dry beans in potato field are IN!
Peas and carrots are IN!
Two successions of lettuce are in the field.  GArlic is up and looking great.  Scapes should join us in mid-June.
We have the first succession of beets and turnips in.
Succession I of kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are in.  Romanesco is in.


Next up?  Onions, summer squash and zucchini succession I, cucumber succession I, short season succession II or III or IV depending on the crop.

If you're wondering about our order, just consider that the readiness of each field may dictate the order.  Normally, I'd want the onions in already and broccoli usually goes in before tomatoes.  But, the tomato field was ready, the onion and broccoli area was not (until today).

Upcoming Events and Farm News

My goodness - what a terribly uncreative bog post title!  But, since it seems to evoke a need to get to the point, perhaps I should do so.

Friday - 4:30-5:30 Plant Sale in Cedar Falls
By request, we will add a one hour plant sale at Hansen's Outlet this Friday.  Between this and Saturday's Waverly Farmers' Market, this will complete our season for selling vegetable starter plants.  Come and get them, time is right for planting.

Saturday - 8:30-11:30 Waverly Farmers Market
This will be our last Saturday market for a while until we find ourselves with so much extra produce that we have to attend again (usually August and when the heirloom tomatoes come in). 

Iris Festival at the Farm!  Saturday, May 31

http://genuinefauxfarm.com/GFFFestivals.html#iris

Iris Fest this year is a potluck affair.  Bring something to grill for your family and something to share (salad, dessert, munchies). We really encourage you to label your potluck dish so we know a) who to give credit to and b) those who have food allergies can ask about ingredients. We’ll supply plates, forks, cups and lemonade, water and iced tea.  Bring your lawn chairs.  Bring your family.  Bring your friends.  It feels like summer.  Let’s have some fun.  See below for more details.

The spring Iris Festival occurs every year at some point near Memorial Day, the time of year that is supposed to be the typical peak iris bloom. Since we have been here, there have been no typical growing years, so we get what we get with respect to the iris flowers.
Volunteer Time There has been interest in volunteering prior to the festival in the past, so we will make it official. Starting at 2 pm, we will have volunteer tasks available for those who are willing. These tasks may include setting up tables, mowing our lawn where people will gather, prepping drinks, setting up recycling and trash containers and maybe planting something in the ground if the weather is anything like 2010 or 2013. 
Festival Time The Iris Fest begins at 4 pm. People may put munchies out, but the potluck begins officially at 5pm. The farm will often provide some sort of food to supplement the potluck, but this changes from year to year. We may announce that we will provide meat for the event (like a GFF turkey!). Depending on the year, we may have a grill available to those who want it, but you should ask before you make that assumption., .
What to Bring Bring something to grill for yourself and something to pass (salads, snacks, etc). We will have lemonade, iced tea and water available for beverages. We respectfully request that you not bring alcohol or cigarettes. We strongly suggest you bring lawnchairs. We have plates and silverware to serve forty to fifty people, but it doesn't hurt if you bring your own table service in case we exceed that number.
What You Get to Do
If you have a lawn game that you wish to share, bring it along. We typically set out whatever lawn games we have. There is also sidewalk chalk for the artists and frisbees for the athletic. We also encourage other, more sedentary games if people show interest. Tours of our farm (guided or not) will be provided for the interested. Usually, we will have young birds to view and there are friendly farm cats that will gladly run away from your children. Weather permitting, we will start a bonfire and there are often s'mores if we hear there is interest from those attending (one of the reasons an RSVP helps us!).
RSVP
Please contact us if you plan to attend. Tell us how many will attend and whether you will be there during volunteer time. If there is anything we need to know to make this a positive experience, the RSVP is an excellent time to make it known.

First Week of CSA
 We are going to hold a distribution in the first week of June for the CSA.  Look for an email from us with details if you have signed up for a share.

Things are starting slow - but that's another post - but we will have enough for this week.  We may have to take a week off to let crops catch up and just extend into the Fall. 

When in Doubt - Do A "Picture This"

One of the side effects of Spring on the farm is - difficulty in finding energy to make blog posts, take pictures - and all of the stuff along those lines.  Perhaps the hardest part is figuring out a way to present what we have for you in a way that is informative and perhaps a bit entertaining.  When the energy is low, it seems that pictures often come to the rescue.  So, here are some from the latest batch taken off of our camera tonight.

PLANT SALES

Friday - 4 pm to 6pm at Hansen's Outlet in Cedar Falls.
Saturday - 8:30 am to 11:30 am at Waverly Farmers Market

The truck will be full of Heritage varieties of peppers, tomatoes, basil and maybe some eggplant and other goodies!  Come and get them.

Oh look!  Some Genovese Basil - plant some with your tomatoes!

Everything Seems Late This Year

Once again, the crops are going in late this year.  There just isn't much you can do when it doesn't get warm and the soil is too wet.  Some of the signs that this has been a cool Spring:

1. Rob noticed that he hasn't got the 'farmer's tan' on his arms yet.  Why?  He's been wearing long sleeved shirts most of the spring.  
2. We haven't managed to get the equipment and supplies lined up in the buildings for normal growing season organization.  Why?  Because we've been forced to bring things in to keep them warm (over and over and over).
3. The apple trees are just now blooming - and the two peach trees are just now thinking about blooming and opening leaves.
4. The asparagus is just now starting to hit its stride on the farm.
5. Mr Wren was late in arriving this year.  But, he's been up at 5:45 am each of the past two mornings to sing about 6 legged things he's had for breakfast.
6. The dandelions are a couple weeks late.  That's saying something.

Even the Pasque Flower is just getting going.  Aren't you supposed to bloom at Easter?

But, oddly enough some things are compressing together on their seasons.  The primroses are usually fairly early, but they don't normally peak at the same time as the Pasque flower.

Primroses - a nice, easy to maintain perennial flower.

Move 'em or Lose 'em
We meant to share pictures related to our first Tom Sawyer Day of the year earlier, but we just couldn't find the energy to follow through on it.  We had three intrepid plant diggers join us for the Tom Sawyer Day and we managed to move a number of perennials from the overrun area to some better places.  Among them is the "newish" planting we started about a year ago.  It has been home to maybe a dozen plants prior to this.  Now it is well populated.  To those that helped - our thanks!  We're looking forward to the blooms coming in this location this season.

We have this thing for daylilies and iris.  Can you tell?

Just Waiting to Go In

Once again, we have a bunch of plants in trays and containers that are started (and more being started every day).  We're now able to work the fields and just have spend the time getting the tools to do their jobs.
We're hoping Memorial Day weekend will see a great deal of progress.

Onions ready to be put in the ground.

Broccoli and lettuce and asparagus!  OH MY!

Speaking of Asparagus

I'd like to thank our god daughter Inga for pointing this song out to us awhile ago.  You'll just have to go listen to it.

And - as a bonus - you can listen to this one if you like peas.

What's All The Flap About?

We've got birds on the farm.  Lots of birds.  And the turkeys have yet to arrive.

The broilers and henlets are moving out to pasture.

And we just got baby Appleyeard ducks

and baby Muscovey ducks

And, yes, they really do feel a bit like a tennis ball.

There you are!  A blog post.  Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?

Lots and Not So Much

May is the most difficult month for us to put consistent blog posts out - even though we realize it would be nice to keep everyone updated on farm progress.  However, by the time the farmer gets back to the office, the brain powers isn't always there to accomplish the task.  So, here we are - giving it a go.  I'm not that tired since I am only seeing double right now.  So, this SHOULD work.

Dreaming Big to Grow Here - PartTwo
Many of you may recall that we participated in the Cedar Valley region Dream Big Grow Here contest and were able to win the prize.  Well, tomorrow marks the date that Rob gets to deliver his pitch for the state contest in Iowa City.  Once again, he will do his best to represent all of you in the hopes of bringing home the prize.  Winning will help us to complete a new high tunnel building on the farm so we can better serve you!

Starter Plant Sales
We are at Waverly Farmers' Market on Saturdays throughout May (8:30-11:30AM) with starter plants.  Featuring our heirloom/heritage tomatoes and peppers.  We will also be at Hansen's Outlet each of the next two Fridays (May 16 and 23) from 4pm to 6pm with our plants.  Same prices as last year, so come and get them!  We will try to have some other plants as well, but the cool weather has caused some issues with those plans.

Regardless, the plants are looking good and looking for homes!

Bathing in Style
While it is not exactly a farm thing, it does involve the farm house in which your farmers reside.  It also is taking some of your farmers' attentions.  We are trying to finish the installation of a bathroom in the house.  Happily, the downstairs bath is functional, but we're hoping to get a second floor bath up to a reasonable level of functionality very soon.  This could be especially nice about this time of year when legs are a bit sorer than usual as we get used to using them much more.  If you don't understand, then consider sore legs and having to go down a flight of stairs to use the restroom in the middle of the night - when you are half asleep. 

Ok - now you get it.

Weather Or Not
Weather patterns tend much more to the extremes than they did in years past.  We can attest to it.  For the second time in two years, we had so much rain in a 24 hour period that the high tunnel had water go through it (and soak the ground) and we had standing water in the cold frame area.  The good news?  It happened a month earlier in the year than it did last year.  The bad news?  It still gets in the way of our getting things done on the farm. 

Ok - so the weather does weird stuff.  Now we work to deal with it!

Not Bad
288 sweet peppers potted to day.  We'll take it.  And, no, that wasn't all we did today.  A little sunshine, not too much wind, reasonable temperatures.  All of that made for a better work day and we took advantage of it.  Here's hoping the trend continues.

Have a good Thursday everyone!
 

The May Blitz

Finally, the weather is warming up.  That means the farmer is outside.  Alot.  It also means he's often too tired to be all that creative with blog posts.  Of course, that depends on whether or not he actually gets around to putting blog posts out there.

However, there are a number of new CSA members this year - and thus, hopefully, a number of people who might be interested in learning a bit more about how we work.

Recent Events
The first Saturday Farmers Market in Waverly had beautiful weather.  We don't always get that, so we're grateful.  Thank you to everyone who came and visited us.  We were able to sell all of the spinach and eggs we brought along for the ride.  Even a few of the Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes found homes.

The Move 'em or Lose 'em Perennial Dig was attended by a few people and we are grateful for each of them.  We'll post a picture soon, but we were able to move a couple dozen daylilies, a couple dozen iris and many other perennials.  Some were sent to new homes, but most stayed on the farm.  I hate to say it, but I currently have three carts full of plants that still need to be transplanted.  But, to put it into perspective, most of these are divisions from things we did get into the ground already.

Potting Plants
Tammy got home from school today and we potted another 150+ tomato plants.  We'll have a decent selection this coming Saturday and an even better selection the following Saturday as we add peppers and some eggplant.  We expect to have a few broccoli and lettuce plants as well.  We're about 2/3rds done with tomatoes - so that's a good sign, especially since we've pretty much done all of the transplanting this season.

Planting Report
At present, we have all three raised beds planted and a couple rows of spinach in the field.  It seems like some of the fields are drying out about now, so we'll see what we can do before the rain hits us Thursday.  I'm guessing not too much, but we'll do our best.  The cold frames are full and the mini-greenhouse is filling rapidly.  We'll be putting another 50 or so trays onto the heat mats in the next few days.

Chickies
We have broiler chicks in the horse trailer and hen chicks in the garage.  There was a snafu in the broiler chick order, so we're only going to have 100 in the Spring batch this year.  We're not very pleased with this, but, I don't think we're willing to push ourselves on this.  If we have two batches that are two weeks apart, it just means two sets of trips to process them - and that takes alot of time we can't afford to spend.

Because some of you don't get the CSA emails, I thought I'd share the following with you as well:

It's been pretty cold the last several months.  Cold enough that we've been forced to use the furnace much later than usual (and much more than usual).  The extremes to which we have gone this Winter (and early Spring) to stay warm are best illustrated by a recent trip a couple of friends took kayaking down the Wapsipinicon River.  In case anyone cares, that river is only a little over a mile away from us. 

In any event, the river was open, but it was pretty cold.  And, of course, they hit a snag and flipped the kayak.  They righted themselves easy enough, but now they were very cold and had a ways to go to get out of the river.  So, they floated close to shore, grabbed some dry twigs and proceeded to start a fire on the kayak to warm up.

Of course, the kayak sank and they had to wade to the bank and hike to the road.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Remember - You can't have your kayak and heat it too.

Upcoming Events

In case you have missed it, we have a couple of things coming up this weekend.

Waverly Farmers' Market Opening Day - Saturday May 3

Yes, it is that time again!  The farmers' market begins at its normal location and normal times. 

200 block of 1st Ave SE in Waverly - 8:30 - 11:30
For more information - visit the website.

We will be there.  Our first week offerings will include eggs, some spinach, maybe some green onions and probably some tomato plants.  We will feature the Silvery Fir Tree tomato since we don't recommend putting tomatoes in the ground just yet.  Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes are excellent for pots.  So, if you want a patio tomato plant, we'll have them for you.

Move 'Em or Lose 'Em Perennial Dig - Sunday May 4

Our first Tom Sawyer Day of 2014!  This one has a theme and an incentive to attend (or two).  We are hoping to salvage some perennial plants that are in an overgrown area on the farm.  These are casualties from a time when our focus was shifting to the vegetable operation from the perennial flowers we focused on at the time.  Whatever we don't get moved will be tilled under so we can work to rehabilitate the area they reside in currently.  We hope to move many of these to other places on the farm.  Your incentive will be that you will be allowed to take some cuttings to your own gardens if you wish.  We'd also like to remind you that you get to place your name in our end of year drawing for each hour you volunteer on the farm this year.

What more incentive do you need?  We will be digging and moving the perennials from 1 pm to 5pm on Sunday.

Will it be muddy?  Yes.  It may even be a bit on the chilly side.  But, if we wait for it to dry out, we'll never do it.  So, let's get this done!

Please RSVP to our email address if you wish to attend. 

The Oooo Aaaaa! Bird

Every so often something remarkable happens at the farm.

Ok, ok.  Many remarkable things happen at the farm.  Some of them we take for granted.  Others, we don't recognize immediately as remarkable.  And, since I write this blog about all kinds of things, you could say my remarks make a lot of thing remarkable.

Have you ever looked at the word "remarkable?"  The "k" just makes it stand out.  It also is easy to type.  So, I like it.

Remarkable.

Much easier to type than xylophone.  But, then, I am not sure we'd be remarking about xylophones on this blog.

[ed note - we are sending the writer to the store.  Maybe he'll get to the point when he gets back...]

It is actually possible the word I am looking for is "absurd."  But, first some background.  There are standards for sizing eggs and we have a simple scale, aptly shaped like a chicken, to measure these weights should we want to size the eggs for whatever reason.  Most of the eggs we harvest would rate from large to extra large (and beyond).

One of our smaller eggs

This is a little bigger than average

As is this - it should still fit in a carton well enough to deliver to a customer

At this point, we should mention that it is not uncommon to have eggs that top out this scale.  And, we have had a few eggs that we thought were ridiculously large.  It doesn't happen very often, but we will get an egg that will get our attention because it is a good bit bigger than the rest.

I should also mention a joke I heard on an older British TV show (Good Neighbors).

"The Ooo Aaaa Bird is so called because it lays square eggs."

I think this one liner is funny.  Tammy is not as fond of it.  Alas, we can't have it all.

The Ooo Aaa Bird has taken up residence in our laying flock.  She has apparently rounded off the corners, but the size of this egg still had to make the whole laying process a bit of an adventure.

 

The scale is useless in this case.

 I thought I might take the eggs and put them in order of size so you could get a good feel for the enormity of this one.  The first egg on the left is the 'large' egg.  The second from the right is another very large egg we just picked up.  It would normally get our attention, but is not nearly as ...um... remarkable... as the egg in question.

From large, to extra large, to huge.... to OoooooAaaaaaaaaaaa!

 Of course, we had to try and put it into an egg carton.
 

Ok, that egg isn't getting packed in a carton for delivery...

 And, so, this egg was relegated to the carton in the door of our own refrigerator.  This is where the big eggs and misfit eggs go to become our breakfast, or bread....etc. 
 

Bets on how many yolks are in that egg?

There you have it.  The Oooo Aaaa! Bird is at the Genuine Faux Farm.  What will it do next?  We don't know, but we're considering trying to figure out which bird it is and offer it an icepack to sit on for a while.

Welcome to the Genuine Faux Farm Blog

The 2014 CSA season is approaching.  This often means we will have a new group of people who will need to be oriented to some of the resources we offer.  Among those resources is this blog.  Of course, some of you might feel that this isn't so much a resource as a place to get into your farmers' heads a bit.  It's up to each of you to decide if that is a good or bad thing.

First, we'd like you to note the "Follow by Email" entry area just under the Sunflower on the right.  We highly recommend that you do this if you like what you see here.  You will receive an email ONLY when a new post is made on this blog and it will provide a direct link to the story so you can view it.  We have tried other ways to get the word out, but this have proven to be the most reliable.

So - without further ado, we'll give you a quick tour of the blog:

News of the Farm
First and foremost, we try to use this blog to keep you up to date with things going on at the farm - or things that have some relationship to the farm.  Sometimes, this takes the form of an actual 'newsletter.'  Other times, we simply throw a few things out there as we think of them.  We try to take digital pictures of what is going on and will do a "Picture This" type blog post about once a month.  Once in a while, we get pretty creative with how we tell you what's up.

Our April Newsletter post is pretty typical of one of our 'full out' attempts at a newsletter. And, our March Picture This posting gives you an idea of what that sort of post is like.  And, if you want to see what a typical farm report that happens because we know something needs to be on the blog looks like - here's one for April.

A Bit of Entertainment?
We suppose that you may have a different definition of entertainment.  But, we do try to tell a few stories, show a few more pictures and lighten the mood once in a while.  In all of these cases, we're hoping it gives you insight as to who your farmers are.  But, sometimes, these posts are just as important to us to remind us of good things and to help improve our own attitudes when things are difficult.

Some examples that you may find enjoyable are linked below, but if you want to see how silly it might get, I recommend looking at the post that highlights our Best Humorous posts and lines for 2013.  If this doesn't get you wondering about how much you want to be connected with us, we don't know what will!

GFF Faux Real Stories give you some of our real life stories that we enjoy telling and hope you will enjoy reading.
Some of the animals on our farm will also contribute to the blog.  Harold, the rooster, recently shared his thoughts on Barnyard Management.   The Chicken Decoding Special Forces may make an appearance once in a while when they make a discovery.  And, our friendly feline friends will deign to regale us periodically.

We don't resort to this very often, but once in a while we get the feeling that we could all use some humor and we'll share a few cartoons that made us laugh.  And, every April 1st (or 2nd) we simply can't help ourselves.

Sharing Farm Data
We believe that it is important to provide food that is traceable (to the grower) and we also believe that the consumer should be given the opportunity to learn HOW the grower raises the food.  So, we will use our website and our blog to share information.  Sometimes, we admit, we share the information as much for ourselves as for you.  Why?  Well, reading our blog gives us that sense of history that is sometimes needed when we are faced with a new (or seemingly new) challenge.  In a way, it becomes a little bit of a farm diary at times.

We shared a final crop report for 2013 in hopes that new members (and returning members) might get an idea of what we are capable of growing and what we intend on growing.  For example, you might not see fennel on the list, so you can probably conclude that we don't grow it.  On the other hand, you might see something that happened to be a crop failure in 2013, but is on our grow list.  So, at least you know we INTEND to grow that thing.

Commentary on Agriculture, etc
Sometimes we get on our soapbox.  We do take education seriously and it is a part of our farm's mission.  Sometimes, we try to educate, other times we want to share an opinion.

We shared our own definition of Sustainable Agriculture recently and felt it was important enough that we gave it a page on our website as well.  Other times, it isn't quite so carefully planned out and refined.  But, most of the time, they fall somewhere between them with this piece on egg pricing and local poultry production. 

Pictures Are Worth 1000 Words
Digital cameras were a wonderful invention.  It encourages us to go out and record things.  Sometimes we get some really nice pictures (in fact, if you visit that post, we will still take votes for best picture).  Other times, they are decent reference.  And, sometimes we just get the feeling everyone needs something to take their minds off of Winter.

It's About Good Food
Hey, we're a farm that grows food.  So, some of it has to be about that, right?  Recently, we talked a bit about being a 'picky' eater and how we've addressed that issue in our own lives.  We're guessing there are many others out there who had a similar short list of vegetables as Rob did.  And, we aren't above telling you about vegetables that are in our future to get you to drool a little.  We'll even periodically give recipes or other advice.  There are a few posts dedicated to that here, but often they get embedded in emails, in other posts or are placed on our website.

It's About Farm Events
We try to keep you up to date on special events.  Many of these events could entice you to participate!  This year is our Ten Year Tenure Farm Anniversary, so there might be more of this sort of thing than usual.  We try to give a quick promotion or description of each event before it happens and sometimes after it occurs.

It's About the Variety
We are motivated to grow lots of different vegetable varieties and many different vegetable crops.  We share our results and opinions about what we grow.  We are happy to solicit feedback and respond.  In fact, we include as much data as we have time to provide on our website.  But, as you'll note, the website links back to certain blog posts that highlight our vegetables varieties of the year.

It's About More...
It's about telling our story.
It's about sharing resources we build.
It's about looking back.
It's about looking forward.
It's about trying to make positive changes.
It's about adjusting to difficulties.
...and having a little fun once in a while.

Is a Farm Share Worth It?

We are heading towards the end of April and we are still looking for people to join our CSA program.  So, if you know of someone - or if you ARE that someone - let us try to convince you to join us.

We've had a few people tell us they cannot afford a share.  And, we fully recognize that each family's finances are their own and every situation is different.  Things happen, not everyone has alot of money to throw around and we don't want to tell anyone what they can and cannot afford.

However, please be patient and read this.  There is a myth out there about what is expensive and what is not.  

Well - let's try CHEAP first.

You can go to a certain fast food chain and get one of their inexpensive "Smiley Meals" for something between 4 and 5 dollars a piece.  So, let's split the difference and say it costs $4.50.  A family of four eats for $18.

Once you've eaten the meal, it is done.  You don't need me to preach about healthy eating right now, this is only about cost.  One meal in a week where one expects to eat 14 to 21 meals (depending on whether you are a 2 or 3 a day meal family, I suppose).

A CSA Share is Too Expensive?

A regular sized CSA share costs you $340 for 20 weeks of produce.  $17 per week.

While we grant you that this does not account for ALL of the food you will need to get through the week, we can also tell you that you'll have product that can be a part of more than one meal.  Let's say, for the sake of argument, you get a bunch of carrots, a head of leaf lettuce, 2 summer squash, 2 zucchini, 4 cucumbers, a bag of green beans, a bundle of kale, a couple of onions and a head of broccoli for one week's share.  And, please remember, some weeks will garner you much more than this.  Some others, early in the season, may have less.  But, in general, this is a conservative estimate on a weekly delivery.

Your family could use the summer squash, zucchini and an onion in one meal, the green beans could be the vegetable in another meal and broccoli in a third meal.  You could sautee the kale with another onion for a fourth meal.  The carrots and cucumbers could be snacks for lunches.  So. let's say the cukes cover one lunch and the carrots get another.  You now have parts of six meals for the week at a cost that is LESS than a single meal at the "un-named" establishment.

Belstar broccoli, ready to pick.

Or, let's put it another way.  If you have $18 to spend per meal, then it is seems fair to say that you just applied $17 to SIX meals by doing a CSA share.  Split that evenly...well, $17 doesn't split evenly.  But,

$2.83 cents has been applied to each of your 6 meals using CSA produce.  Isn't that great?  You still have $15.17 cents left to spend on other things for your meal.  If you MUST, go get three of the "Smiley Meals" and split the fries evenly. But, you should eat the carrots first.

St Valery carrots.  Lunch time is munch time.

Other Considerations

Life is always more complicated than the scenario I've painted, of course. 

What if your family hates kale?  Ok, do the numbers over FIVE meals.  It still comes out favorably.  Consider also that a program such as ours often pairs something like kale with another vegetable in an effort to respond to things like that.

Curly Blue Scotch kale - some love it, some don't

What if your family loves beans and a single bag that weighs 3/4 pound isn't enough to make all of you happy?  Well, if we have excess, we often sell excess.  If we don't, often someone at the farmers' market has plenty they'd like you to buy.  Remember, you have an extra $15.17 to spend on EACH meal.  An extra $2 or $3 could get you those extra green beans.

Is it a time thing?  You don't have time to make the meals?  We understand.  We admit that we also eat out too often because time and energy are in low supply.  Nonetheless, you have to admit that munching on a cucumber or a carrot takes little to no time to prepare.  Broccoli tastes fine raw - and if you need it, it isn't hard to find a ranch dressing or other dipping sauce to go with it.  It takes the time to open a bottle and pour a little onto a plate or into a bowl.  Tear up some leaf lettuce and put a little dressing on it.  Not much time there.  Or make a sandwich and put some lettuce on that.  Heck, take your lettuce to the fast food place and put it on your sandwich!  It'll taste better than the iceberg stuff they have anyway.

Mmmm. Grandpa Admires lettuce

  Beans take a few minutes to steam.  If you're really pressed for time, slap a pat of butter on it in the pot and give everyone a fork and stand around the stove to eat.  Family time!

So, it sounds like you might need to do a little preparation to use the summer squash, zucchini and onions.  But, the rest is pretty easy if you need it to be.

Black Beauty zucchini.  Sautee with some sweet onions on the grill!

Will a CSA Farm Share Work for Everyone?
Of course it doesn't. 

Some families just don't fit this model.  And, that's fine.  It is important for a CSA customer to understand exactly what it is that they are getting into so they can make the most of what they receive.  It is best for them AND for the farmer if they are on board with how the program works.  Add a little bit of patience to learn how to take the best advantage of a CSA and you have a winner.  Many second year members tell us how much more they enjoy the program after they've gotten one year of experience to look back on.  In fact, some of our third year members have told us that they feel much more adventuresome than they did before and really feel like they take full advantage of their membership.

But, this is a completely different issue.  It isn't so much a matter of expense - it is a matter of how a family works.

So, if you're pinching the pennies and thought a CSA program costs too much.  Look at your budget and ask if $17 worth of produce per week fits.  If it doesn't and you're being honest with yourself about where your food money goes, then that is fine.  If it does, then we have a place for you this season.

It's April and We're Already Behind?

Here we are - April 21.  It's very early.  So, how is it we feel like we're already behind? 

We've got lots of trays on the heat mats with seeds/seedlings getting going.   Onions are in cold frames.  Hen chicks are in a brooder.  There are plants in the raised beds, there are plants in the high tunnel. 

I suppose you know farming season has begun as soon as you feel like you are either behind schedule or about to be behind schedule. 

We'll turn this blog post into a 'as I think of it' kind of post.. so, here we go!

Raised beds help us adjust yet again!

If you'll recall, we put in three raised beds last Spring/Summer in order to address the wet field problem we were encountering.  Well, they answered the call again this Spring.  Our overwintered kale and lettuce did not make it through the Winter.  This has not happened to us before, so that tells you how cold it got.  We also know that kale and chard are not good companions for tomatoes, peppers and beans.  We confirmed that last year when we left a few of those plants in the high tunnel in an area near tomatoes and peppers.  The results for those ended up fine in the end, but the intermediate period before the kale and chard were removed was not pretty.

Raised beds prepped to plant.

I tell you that to explain why it was so nice to plant kale, chard and pok choi into our raised beds.  They can still get covered, they have an adequate microclimate to encourage growth - but they are not taking a spot in the high tunnel.  That means we can sneak in our tomatoes and peppers early this year by putting them right next to the lettuce (which is a good companion).  There is an excellent chance this could result in early tomatoes for everyone this season - wouldn't that be a nice treat?

But, that reminds me...

Cool Soil

We tried the 4 inch soil temperature in the high tunnel on Saturday.  It is up to 50 degrees F, so we should be able to plant some green beans relatively soon.  But, this is still a bit chilly.  We'll check the 4 inch soil temp outside soon.  But, we can tell be observing that it is a bit cold.  The garlic is just now coming up in the mulch.  The asparagus has shown no sign of popping up.  The spinach we planted does not want to germinate at all quickly.  We'll get there eventually, but I suppose we shouldn't get too much ahead of ourselves.  Putting seed in soil that is too cold doesn't gain you much of anything.

Local Harvest

It seems to us that the best place to go if you are looking for a CSA is now Local Harvest.  And, you can see our entry for Local Harvest if you take this link.  We bring this up for two reasons.

1.  If you move from the area and you are looking for a CSA, this is a good place to look for what is available in the area.  It may not catch every option, but it is the most popular for farms such as ours to maintain a presence.  Of course, feel free to ask us if we have friends in the area to which you are moving, we can point you towards the farm or farms we'd be happy to patronize if we lived in that area.

2. There is a review option for farms that list themselves there.  We have two positive reviews for which we are grateful.  In fact, reading positive comments about our farm please and humble us (at the same time, if that is possible).  However, since we are still pushing for more CSA members this year, it would help us if a few of you would follow the link and leave positive reviews for our farm.  Of course, we don't want you to leave a positive review if you really don't mean it.  But, if you do...  here is a way you can further support what we do.

Overspray Issue Status

For those who are curious.  We are entering the filing stage for the lawsuit with respect to the chemical misapplication that occurred Summer, 2012.  We finally feel that we have enough evidence of what was lost (and continues to be lost) after this event.  We realize that Rob might have a tendency to over think things at times.  But, this is probably one of those cases where having a preponderance of data is not a bad thing. 

In any event, we are still in process and we'll be very happy when the process ends.  It is not enjoyable to spend hours analyzing what had (and still has) to be altered on the farm as a result of this incident.

Signs of Spring

One way to tell farming season has truly started

Finally - yes - finally!  It smells like Spring.  No, I'm not referring to Anhydrous Ammonia being applied to the corn fields.  I'm referring to Spring rain smell.  But, another way we can tell it must be finally changing is the appearance of the two items you see in the photo above. 

The green thermos follows Rob around the farm most of the year.  Ok... he carries it.  It's the cats that tend to follow him.  And, the lovely feel of sun tan lotion as it catches dust on the back of your neck has returned.  We've also noticed the per capita use of lotion for dry,rough hands has gone WAY up.  Rob found two bruises he can't remember earning this morning.  The chirpa chirpa bird has started singing (brown thrasher) in the morning and the robins now sing their "It's been a good day" song in the evenings.  Dandelions are up in the high tunnel, so we're looking for the great dandelion bloom on the farm about May 10.

Farm News for April

It is mid-April and you know what that means?

No?  Neither do I.  So, instead of pondering that, we'll just do a GFF Newsletter!

Spring CSA

Well, it has been a cold start to the year and you may have guessed by now that this weather has made it impossible for us to grow for a Spring CSA that delivers in April this year.  If you are signed up for Spring, we are not asking you to pay us anything in advance.  If you have already done so, we have applied the payment to the regular season.  So - as we have produce in May (maybe late April) we will contact people on our Spring CSA list and give details on what we have and how you can acquire it.  Essentially you will be able to opt in (or out) each week during this period until the regular season starts in June.

Obviously, we're not happy about this, but it is the best solution in response to the weather.  It will reduce some stress on us to simply sell on a week by week basis this Spring and work to have a strong regular season CSA.

Our soil was ready in the SouthWest plot this weekend.

Regular Season CSA Slots Available

We currently have 97 slots reserved in our CSA.  We need to get to 120 and were willing to go higher than that to support adding Tyler Albers to our growing program.  So, if you have been considering joining us, now is the time to let us know you want to be a part of the program.  If you have already joined us, many thanks.  Now, tell some friends they should also take the leap!

At present, we should be able to accommodate twelve more members at our Cedar Falls pickup and nineteen in Waverly.

Billing on its Way!

Finally!  They are in the mail and heading your way.  You will find a SASE in the mailing so you can easily remit payment.  If you see anything amiss with contact information or billing, please let us know.  Rob is a decent accountant - for a farmer - but that doesn't mean mistakes don't occur.

For those who wonder why the billing has been slower than usual, it has, in part been because sign ups have been slower than usual  We try to do the billing in one session.  So, we were waiting to hit the 90 subscriber mark to make the effort of setting up and doing make it all worthwhile.

Events Coming Up!

• April 15 - Rob presents at St Paul's Senior Lunch
• April 17 - Rob presents at Ai Wen's UNI class
• April 26 - Tammy presents at the Health Fair (the W)
• April 26 - UNI class tours farm
• May 4 - Tom Sawyer Day - Move'em or Lose'em Perennial Dig
• May 15 - State Dream Big Grow Here contest in Iowa City
• May 31 - Iris Festival at the farm

The High Tunnel build is on hold due to the weather.  We'll let everyone know when we are going to do this.  Technically, we had been hoping to put it up next week.  But, we haven't been able to get the excavation work done and have no building on hand.  so....

Listen for Us on KUNI

Once again, we have connected with Iowa Public Radio to show our support for what they do and promote our farm at the same time.  So, it won't really be US talking on the radio, but it will be a radio spot we're sponsoring.  I know, you were hoping to hear our dulcet tones.  Well, sign up for a CSA share and you'll get that every week!

No, we are not adding horses to the farm.

GFF Adds a Horse Trailer to the Arsenal of Tools

This headline seems like it should have appeared on our April Fools post.  But, it is true.  The picture above gives you the 'proof.'  It is a small trailer and it has alot of holes in it.  But, you can't have everything.  The intent for this building is to provide us with a mobile poultry building.  In particular, we're hoping it will serve as a brooder (for chicks) for our first meat chicken batch this Spring.

I hope it works out.  (How's that for a vote of confidence?)

In any event, this was Rob's gift to Tammy at a recent auction.  She said she wanted it.  So, he got it for her.  Romantic, isn't it?

Soil Workable for a Moment in Time

This past weekend when the temperatures were VERY nice and warm, we went out and checked the SouthWest field.  This area is the best drained and quickest to reach a workable state.  Sure enough, it had just reached that status, so we trotted out there and tried to prep a few beds to plant spinach, arugula, mustard and radish.  We got it prepped and got the seeder out.  And, it started to rain (and hail - more on that later).  The precision seeder we have does not tolerate wet - so we had to stop.

We *might* have gotten some spinach in.  We'll see.

Rob needs to lose some weight, the whole world tilted for this picture!

 Oh Hail!

So, we got some pea sized hail on the farm along with rain.  So, since our day outside was being terminated, we decided we should run an errand or two to prepare for some upcoming events.  We hopped in the truck and headed towards Cedar Falls at about 7pm and ran straight into a nasty cell of hail.  We estimate the hailstones were around 2.5 inches in diameter (maybe more).  The result - a cracked windshield and some sizable dents.  Our timing couldn't have been much better.  However, we are very grateful that hail stayed away from the farm.

On the other hand, we haven't appreciated another dip into cooler temperatures.  We hit 21 degrees F on the farm last night.  Booooooo!

But, that must mean....

We Have Hen Chicks!

Yes, the hen chicks have arrived.  Yes, they are cute.  Yes, we have them in the garage to keep them warm again this season.  We don't know how the weather knows when we're getting chicks.  Maybe Mother Nature reads our website and checked out our schedule?

 Move 'em Or Lose 'em Perennial Dig

We are planning on trying to salvage the last of the perennials that are in the field south of the high tunnel.  That area used to be our beautiful perennial flower beds.  Sadly, our work on the farm precluded weeding these.  As a result, there are still iris, day lillies and other perennials out there that we'd like to salvage.  If you are interested in joining us, we'd like to identify what we can and move them to other locations on the farm.  Also, we will gladly let you take divisions of some of these plants as a reward for your help.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact us so we can plan for your participation!

Looking Forward to Eating

With a couple of nice days outside (finally) we are beginning to think about things actually growing and producing vegetables and fruits for us to eat.  This, of course, got me to thinking about some of the things we're missing about now that we're looking forward to eating later this season!

The great thing about this is - we're growing each of these varieties and if you are a member of the CSA (hey!  shameless plug, we still have spots open!) you'll get a chance to eat them too!

A fresh tomato off the vine....  I prefer mine on sandwiches, but I know someone else in this house who doesn't need the excuse of a sandwich to eat a tomato.  Right now, I'm aiming for the Black Krim.  Although, I'm not sure I would say no to a German Pink.  Or a Tasty Evergreen.  Or an Italian Heirloom.  Well, pretty much any of the 30 or so varieties we grow will do.  I guess we'll just have to keep cheering the little plants on!

Black Krim tomato - YUM!

This one is a lot closer to coming to fruition!  Lettuce.  We've got some in trays that need to go into the ground soon.  All of our earliest spring crops will be late, but we can still get lettuce in May.  When I think about lettuce, I think Grandpa Admires.  I like the softer lettuces with a milder flavor.  Others will be looking forward to the Crispmint and its distinct romaine texture and taste.  I'm thinking about this just after eating our first spinach of the year!

Grandpa Admires Lettuce

But, I have to admit that the one vegetable that really makes me happiest is still the green bean.  Seriously, we can eat a whole pot of these for a meal just between the two of us.  The only thing that might get old is snapping the ends off before cooking.  But, eating them steamed.... Yep, I think we could manage that most nights when it is peak season and not grow tired of them.

Steamed with a little bit of real butter.....

The next one actually surprised me a little.  I don't usually think of zucchini right away when I think of vegetables that I am missing.  But, they represent the grilled vegetable 'medley' that includes summer squash, sweet onion and various other delicious things.  With the right balance of veg and spices, this is a slice of summer that should not be missed.  Probably the best tasting zucchini we grow is Costata Romanesco, but we've been refining our choices and feel pretty good about the taste all of them exhibit.

Costataaaaaaaaaaaaa!  Romanescoooooooo!

I don't mind dirt.  On the other hand, I don't like getting sticky.  So, the idea of eating a melon in the field without a good place to wipe off my hands isn't on the top of my list.  Except.... when I find a Ha'Ogen melon that is a bit over ripe and won't make it back to the house.  A complex melon taste that is outstanding.  I am very much hoping for a bumper crop of these this season.

Ha'Ogen melon

And, of course, I was just thinking how nice having some fresh broccoli, cauliflower or romanesco would be right about now.  Of these, I find that I will eat more cauliflower than broccoli.  And, I just learned last year that I'll eat more romanesco than cauliflower.  I'll try to save some for the rest of you.

It may look strange, but it tastes good.

So, what are you looking forward to this year?