Winter Festival at the Brookside Market this Saturday

 

Season’s Greetings, Fair Sharers!

Tom and I hope that this message finds you well.  The farm crew is staying healthy while preparing for this Saturday’s Holiday Market. 

We hope to see many of you there!  It will be a festive and safe spot to stock up for you winter meals and holiday celebrations.  The work that each producer puts into this event is substantial -somehow bringing a bounty of fresh produce, free range and natural meats, plus an array of preserved and artisanal products including vegan spreads, sprouts, coffee, vegetable juices, artisan crafts, soaps and skin care products. For all the details on vendors: https://www.brooksidefarmersmarket.com

We will be bringing a limited supply of spinach, sprouting broccoli and eggs, along with our ferments and ferment juice. We are sorry that there will be no bulk list this week, as our current on-line ordering system is about to be replaced with a yet to be determined new one for 2021. You can pre-order ferments in jars and bulk however, through our Square store at fairsharefarm.square.site. With health and wellness in the forefront of everyone’s mind, consider giving the gift of a healthy microbiome this holiday season! 

Whatever your holiday celebrations are this strange and socially-distanced year, we wish you joy and wellness.  Here’s hoping for a better and brighter 2021. 

See you Saturday!

Rebecca and Tom

In the Share: Week 16

In the Share: 

CELERY: A new crop for us! Our farmer friend Liz grows some spectacular celery and we decided to try to follow her lead. Celery’s long growing season means we start it in the green house in the summer, and plant it in the high tunnel in September so we can harvest it in November. It is doing great so far!  We are cutting the outside stalks from the plant so that it will continue to grow. Eat it while it’s fresh for a crunchy treat. Let us know what you think. 

SPINACH: Big, dark green leaves! 

LETTUCE: Butterhead and red leaf varieties. 

SALAD TURNIPS: While you can cook these turnips, these babies are great just raw and naked. 

WATERMELON RADISHES: A beautiful storage radish with a pink interior. They will store for a couple months or more in a crisper, so you can save it for when you want an especially colorful dish. 

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: Chop and cook with some spinach, garlic and oil, and you have a delicious and savory dish. 

GARLIC: We dug these heads in July, cured them in the barn, and have been storing them in the cooler to keep their freshness. Enjoy. 

PEA SHOOTS: Straight out of the cover crops, these shoots are sweet and fresh. The leaves are tender, while the stems are a bit tougher and are best chopped. Enjoy the same meal that we feed our soil! Can you spy the pea shoots?

Farm report: 

The last week of the CSA season is here! We hope you all enjoyed your shares this season. The farm thrived in the midst of a pandemic, thanks to the support from you!! THANK YOU!! 

In a year like no other, the farm pivoted from a participatory CSA model to one that relied on a small crew of trained staff to deliver on our promise to feed the community. Since March, we have been big on social distancing and safety protocols to the point where perhaps some CSA members thought we were being overly cautious. But in the end we got through the entire season with no exposure to the virus on the farm. PHEW!! 

Of course, the virus remains a threat and we are determined to stay vigilant through the coming winter. What is in store for next season is yet to be determined. As usual for us winter is a time for reflection and tinkering with things, so no doubt you will be hearing from us in the not-too-distant future with more thoughts from us and a survey for the membership. 

After a week off for Thanksgiving, the farm crew will return to a full cooler of cabbages and radishes to be chopped and fermented. The fermentation kitchen allows us to provide work for our crew year round, which is critical to keep trained staff. Live culture ferments feed our guts with healthy microbes and provide winter salads in a jar during the dark side of the calendar. We encourage you to ask for Fair Share Farm Ferments wherever you shop. 

The last two weeks gave us great weather to wrap up the field work. On Election Day, the crew planted the first 20 chestnut trees on the farm. Our theme, "A New Hope".   

The trees are all enclosed in tubes made from recycled milk jugs to protect them from deer. The tree planting was the latest step in the project that we began last fall, using permaculture principles to manage water on the farm. In the Spring we built berms that allow water to slowly move through the farm instead of rushing down our sloping fields. The next step is to create an alley-cropping system where trees are planted along the berms for perennial food crops and eventually shade for grazing livestock. Chickens, for instance, descend from forest dwelling birds and prefer the shade. Here’s the latest drone shot showing the berms and you can see the tree tubes on the left.

We are still working on the final layout and how many trees we will plant. We will keep you posted, of course.  Until then, we wish you a safe and healthy Thanksgiving.  We are very thankful for the land that sustains us and the community that supports us! THANK YOU!!

In the Share: Week 15

 In the Share: 

GREENS CHOICE: CHARD, BOK CHOI, TAT SOI OR KALE* CHOICE: An asterisk on the kale because what we are calling kale is actually the luscious leaves of the sprouting broccoli plants seen above growing luxuriantly in the high tunnel. For all the kale lovers out there, these leaves are just as delicious… perhaps even more tender and sweet. 

 LEEK/BULB FENNEL: We harvested all the remaining fennel and leeks from the field before the snow and will distribute what we have to the shares this week. They are a great combination to flavor any dish. Add them to a soup or stew or roast. 

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE: Straight out of the high tunnel, these heads are full, tender and buttery. We like to mix some yogurt, mayo, olive oil, vinegar and grated cheese to dress these beauties. Blue cheese is a favorite in our home. 

RED LEAF LETTUCE: Also out of the high tunnel, the red leaf is at its peak. 

SWEET POTATOES: This year’s crop was among our least productive ever, but we do have a mix of orange and white ones for the shares this week only. The skinny ones are perfect for this spiced sweet potato recipe from our 2012 blog https://fairsharenews.blogspot.com/2012/11/what-to-do-with-your-share-week-27.html 

RADISHES: Crisp and clean, these red radishes are sweet and juicy. Slice them thin to add to a sandwich, or grate onto a salad. 

ENDIVE: A versatile green for a fresh salad, or to add to any cooked dish. 

LAST OF THE SUMMER FRUITS: We have some tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapenos and other harvest items that need a home and will be distributing them in the shares this week. Enjoy this final taste of summer. 

Farm report: 

A rollercoaster of weather it has been these past two weeks. We hit 85 degrees last Thursday before dipping into the upper 20s yesterday morning with snow falling. 

 

Thanks to the hard work of our awesome crew, we were prepared and were able to enjoy the snowy morning and doing a bit of "farming the desk". The high tunnel crops were warm and cozy with their rebuilt side wall, the last of the field crops tucked a full cooler, a big load of well-rotted hay delivered for mulching, and our first fire of the season in our woodstove. 

The field work for 2020 is far from complete.  Stakes, row cover and irrigation tape need to come in for the winter.  The garlic will be planted on Friday and hopefully mulched soon after.  Plus, just in time for election day we will be planting 20 chestnut trees.  

The high tunnel will continue to provide for the last week's shares and intermittently throughout the winter.  We should have a nice share of leafy greens and hopefully some salad turnips and celery for the final week. 

In the Share: Week 14

In the Share: 

LEEKS: Last night we sautéed leeks with garlic and fennel, added canned smoked clams, and served it over lentils which turned out to be a really quick, nutritious and delicious meal. 

BULB FENNEL: Along with using it in the recipe above, it is great chopped into a fresh salad. 

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE: Lots of fixings for a great fall salad. I can’t get enough butterhead lettuce. 

RED LEAF LETTUCE: These heads are sizing up as the days shorten and cool down a bit. 

GARLIC: A head of storage garlic. Keep it in your crisper between uses as garlic wants to sprout this time of year.

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: This has become such a staple in our kitchen from now through to Spring. 

SPINACH: We had our first harvest this week as we thinned the plants to six inches apart. 

KALE/CHARD/BOK CHOI CHOICE: Many greens are at their peak right now. Tonight a fried rice stir fry with bok choi makes a hearty meal out of our veggies and eggs. 

Farm report: 

We are making the most of the dry, warm weather to wrap up the end of the outdoor season. A freeze is in the forecast for Friday morning and the harvest is in earnest. We have filled the walkin cooler to the brim with Napa cabbage, daikon radishes, green cabbages and bok choy. The last of the outdoor CSA lettuces, fennel and bok choy are coming in and going out in this week’s shares. After this week, the bulk of the harvest will be coming from the high tunnel. 

Sprouting broccoli, spinach, Swiss Chard, lettuce, bok choi, tat soi, celery, turnips, onions and radishes are thriving inside. At the moment, inside is not so different than outside as we have a pretty big remodel going on. 

Nine years ago when we built the high tunnel we used the standard Douglas fir boards for the bottom and top of the side walls. Sadly, with continual exposure to weather and constant humidity, it did not take very long for the wood to rot. When we looked at replacing the boards, we decided to spend more to get steel boards that have a longer lifespan. While we are happy with our decision, the work of attaching the steel to the structure has required some brute strength to drill countless holes through the steel. Luckily the crew has some muscle and after a bit of trial and error, we should be wrapping up the project tomorrow with time to spare before the freeze.

The plants inside will appreciate cooler weather.  They have quickly grown to a hefty size and need to slow down if we hope to hold them until the last week of the CSA in November.  We don't begrudge the end of summer, but look forward to the crisp days to come as life retracts towards our winter rest. From here onward we must soak up the sun while we can and enjoy the beauty of the natural world around us.

In the Share: Week 13

In the Share: 

NAPA CABBAGE: The heart of a good kimchi, these are the ones in our ferments. You can make your own with ingredients from the share. A nice mix is to have your kimchi be about 75% napa, and 25% root vegetables and spices. Check out the blog from October 2008 for a recipe https://fairsharenews.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-to-do-with-your-share-week-22.html 

ONIONS: Beautiful red onions. These onions store well and are multi-purpose. 

BOK CHOI: Fresh from the field, it will complement the napa in a kimchi. We used it in a nice stir-fry tonight. 

 GREEN PEPPERS: The last of the season. Good addition to the potato salad recipe below. 

POTATOES: German potato salad always goes good this time of year. Check out our September 2009 blog for a recipe. https://fairsharenews.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-to-do-with-your-share-week-18.html 

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: This recipe http://www.fairsharefarm.com/archive/info/Newsletter/2006/v3%20I18%20September%2013.pdf from our September 2006 newsletter for a curry might also help you use up any eggplant or peppers you have on hand. 

PURPLE DAIKON RADISH: A great addition to a kimchi recipe. It is also wonderful and colorful when grated into a salad. 

HERB: We will be harvesting the last of several herbs before the frost hits this week. Selection will vary. 

Farm report: 

Fall is officially here! The sun now begins its retreat to the darkness of winter. 

 

 Fall brings frost and one may come as early as Friday morning. Amongst the many preparations for frost , we continue to care for the last of the monarch nursery. Several have made the transition in the last few days including both of the chrysalis that attached to our dining room chairs. 

The fields that were in crops this year are now blanketed in their winter cover crops. Rye, vetch, peas and oats are growing despite a lack of rain for most of September. We have missed most of the big downpours and are very dry at the moment. Luckily we continue to irrigate and the fall crops are doing well. 

In the Share: Week 12

 

In the Share: 

LETTUCE: We’ve been looking forward to the return of the lettuce harvest. This week’s varieties are crisp and crunchy. 

KALE: Such a versatile vegetable.  This week we have been enjoying kale as a green addition to vegetable stew of potatoes and carrots. 

SPROUTING BROCCOLI: The crop is looking great, so expect broccoli in the shares for the rest of the CSA season. 

SWEET PEPPERS: We grilled out this past weekend and were reminded of how great these are off of the grill. 

EGGPLANT OR OKRA: The okra is waning with the recent cool down. Eggplant is also great on the grill. Marinate an hour or more with salt, vinegar and oil. Cook until charred and soft.  

CARROTS: Out of cold storage from the July harvest, they are sweet and were great on our fresh lettuce salad tonight. 

GARLIC: Chop it and add to some roasted eggplant or peppers. 

DAIKON RADISH: The CSA is getting the more petite variety we grow, not the foot long ones we use in the fermenting kitchen.  To temper the heat of fresh daikon chop it up, add salt and let it set a bit.  We like to cut the daikon into matchstick shape for raw snacking or as part of a stir fry. 

Farm Report: 

Today there was haze in the sky from the cataclysmic wildfires in the west, almost 2,000 miles away. I guess some of us needed a reminder of how interconnected we all are on this small planet. No wall can keep out the impact of global climate change. The longer we delay and deny in the face of overwhelming evidence, the more we will all suffer. 

Farmers have a front row seat to the changing climate as we work long hours in the open air. Extreme weather is an occupational hazard.  When we see photos of farm workers harvesting under orange skies we feel that the debate should be over, it is time to get to work fixing the problem. 

One way we combat climate change on the farm is by growing cover crops that increase the carbon stored in our soil’s organic matter. Pictured above is the beautiful crop of sorghum Sudan grass and Crotelaria that we incorporated into the soil this week. As it breaks down it will feed the garlic crop that we will plant in a month’s time. 

Our monarch nursery continues. Right now we have five caterpillars still growing, with twice that having transformed into chrysallis. It is amazing to watch the transformation which we have had the good fortune to catch twice. It is over in just a few minutes.

One managed to escape the nursery and set up shop under one of our chairs!  I guess when the time comes, the chair will have to move to the porch for awhile.

By next writing, we should have had several emerging as butterflies.  Fingers crossed!

In the Share: Week 11

 

In the Share: 

TROPEA ONIONS: The venerated onion from the ancestral home of Farmer Tom's family.  The Calabrese know how to grow some onions! We use the small ones when a recipe calls for a shallot. These are sweet, not storage onions, so use them up soon! 

TOMATOES: Enjoy these fruits of summer, as their harvest is slowing down. We have been topping our cooked dishes with a healthy garnish of fresh tomatoes. 

SWEET PEPPERS: There will be lots of ripe sweet peppers in your share this week. The Italian bulls horn type we grow are especially great in a fajita. http://www.fairsharefarm.com/archive/info/Newsletter/2005/v2%20I21w%20Oct%205.pdf 

KALE: Greens are back! Chop some thinly into a chiffonade https://themom100.com/2019/02/how-to-chiffonade-basil/ and toss it with some cooked potatoes, which is a great way to get your greens. 

POTATOES: A mix of Kennebec (white flesh) and German Butterball (golden). Cooking with a mix of the two adds a depth of flavor and beautiful color. 

CUCUMBER: A few more of these before they end as summer winds down. 

 ZUCCHINI/ZEPHYR SQUASH: Last week for these.  Our meal for tonight was fried rice with onions, garlic and squash zoodles, a filling dish for hungry farmers.

GARLIC CHIVE FLOWERS: Pull the white flowers and buds off of the top of the stalk and finish off your plating with a crunch. The green buds are full of fresh garlic flavor and are peaking right now. 

Farm report: 

What a nice break from the humid heat of the last few weeks! My favorite month, September, arrived in fine form with some rain and clouds for the thousands of little plants growing for fall. Last week we planted these overwintering onions next to the napa cabbage. 

We’ve always overwintered garlic, but overwintering onions is a more recent addition. Variety selection is key. If they survive the winter, they will size up early before the ones we start in the greenhouse in January have a chance. In the next month we will give them a blanket of hay mulch, but for now they are off to a good start. 

September is the month for monarchs as they fly through our fields of habitat on their way south to Mexico. The family farm has alot of milkweed of many different species:  butterfly, tall green, spider, common and even one rare purple milkweed.  The butterflies are everywhere right now flying by, mating, laying eggs on all the milkweed that they can find, and hatching caterpillars. 

If we pull a milkweed plant out of the field while weeding, honeyvine milkweed is pretty common here, we inspect it for monarch eggs. If it has an egg, we place it in our makeshift caterpillar nursery.  So far the baby monarchs are doing what all babies do best: eat, sleep and poop. But these babies also shed their skin four times, before creating a chrysalis and emerging a butterfly. Pretty cool. 

Our other nursery on the farm is going well. After the first week indoors, the new flock of laying hens  got their first chance to walk on the grass and peck for bugs.

Seems like everywhere we look there is new life, just in time for the end of summer, time to grow big and strong before winter arrives.  The saying goes that "the farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn't still be a farmer."  Yep, and same for the farmhers by the way!  Who knows what insanity 2021 has in store for us all, but here on the farm we are nose-down raising next year's egg-layers, planting next year's onions and helping next year's butterflies along besides.  Here's to a better tomorrow for all of the Earth's creatures!    

In the Share: Week 10

 In the Share 

MUSIK GARLIC: Our hardneck garlic is at its peak right now. Use it fresh in the purslane salad recipe below. 

TOMATOES: A continuing mix of colors and varieties. 

CARROTS: These carrots are nice and sweet after a month in storage. Grate them fine into a salad, or snack away. 

SWEET PEPPERS: The August ripening is bringing red, yellow and orange sweet peppers to the shares. 

ZUCCHINI AND YELLOW SQUASH: With these cooler days a casserole is in order for those summer squash. Here is a recipe from our 2017 newsletter http://www.fairsharefarm.com/archive/info/Newsletter/2007/v4%20I7%20June%2027.pdf OKRA, 

EGGPLANT, SALSA PACK OR BEANS: Depending on your distribution day and our harvest, you will have a choice from this list. 

PURSLANE: Rebecca has been snacking on this in the field and now’s your chance. Check out Wiki for some great recipes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea. 

BASIL: This herb keeps coming back. Enjoy the taste of summer 

Farm Report

The last two weeks have been a blur. It is peak farming season with the summer harvest coupled with planting and tending the fall crops. The purslane in your share is a byproduct of how busy we are. The fall cabbage was almost engulfed in what is often identified as a weed. 

Treating it as such, the crew tackled the field one morning and now it has since doubled in size. 

However, not all the cabbage survived the foot of rain back in late July, but in its place grew the purslane. Purslane is often disregarded, yet its roots go back to ancient human history. The Greeks, Native Americans, many have enjoyed its succulent, tangy flavor and spoke of its curative properties. 

The monarch butterflies are a common site at the moment. The last generations are underway as the southward migration has begun. We’ve been able to see a few cocoons hatch in person. One we rescued from the tomato patch and held in our house until a thunderstorm could pass. We feel fortunate to work in the fields as they flit by. Double so, when there are two. 

We encourage everyone to plant native flowering plants that provide nectar for the monarchs, and plant milkweed species especially since it is the only family of plants on which they will lay their eggs. 

Speaking of eggs, this morning, 88 new fuzzballs arrived via our dependable servants at the US Postal Service. The day old chicks spent their first morning out of the shell in transit, but today they moved into their cozy brooder coop. 

These little girls will hopefully be laying lots of eggs come February and March 2021. Until then, they lift our spirits with their cuteness. 

In the Share: Week 9

In the Share

ZUCCHINI and YELLOW SQUASH: Our second planting of squash is quite happy at the moment. Everyone should get both types in their share. We fry them up with sweet onions and sweet peppers for a really flavorful vegetable side dish. 

TOMATOES: Peak season is here and the selection is also at its finest. We find there is no better time to enjoy a fresh tomato than right now. Panzanella is a great way to have them, or in a gazpacho. 

POTATOES: Mainly red potatoes this week. We will be digging some white and yellow ones as we clear out the patch too. My Cincinnati roots will give me a hankering for German Potato Salad. 

ONIONS: This will be the last of the Walla Walla’s. They are quite sweet and go well in all the recipes noted above! 

EGGPLANT OR OKRA: This has been a week of baba ganoush making. I made a large batch and froze it in pint containers. It is a really good, and quick, farm lunch. We use it as a spread on a sandwich that you can jazz up with whatever is seasonal. 

SALSA PACK: Fresh salsa is hard to beat and these ingredients are always a good combo. 

PEPPERS: They are starting to ripen and bring out their sweetness. Fry them up with some squash and onions. 

HERBS: Basil along with some rosemary sprigs. The fresh rosemary is especially nice on steamed potatoes with a little butter and salt. 

Farm report 

What lovely weather in which to work.  Every time I curse our midwestern weather, it goes and changes.  It's a very pleasant change both for all of us who work outside for a living and the plants and other animals that live on the farm.    

We have been happily planting the fall crops in this weather.  The last big rainfall was on the way as we finished putting in a big planting of kale, sprouting broccoli and napa cabbage. 

A pretty heavy downpour came and watered them in for us!

After a few days of dry weather, we were able to mulch the patch.

The last three days have been perfectly beautiful for outside work. Today we collected the tarp from where it has been killing fescue for the past month and placed it in the high tunnel. The dark, humid environment the tarp creates forces weed seeds to sprout and die while at the same time encouraging healthy soil life and decomposition of the cover crop. It will stay in there for the next month, until we are ready to plant for the winter season. 

But let’s not talk of winter now, enjoy being outside and soaking up the sunshine. I think that’s what this guy has in mind (or, it might be a female, hard to say).

In the Share: Week 8

In the Share 

EGGPLANT  These purple beauties are in abundance right now. We think the wind storm the KC area had several weeks ago rustled the flowers at just the right time and set a lot of fruit! If you are cooking out you can marinate them in oil/vinegar and grill them until browned and tender. Toss with some fresh onion slices, garlic and crushed nuts to make a tasty pasta topping.

TOMATOES A good amount this week as the patch is coming in nicely. We have had some cracking on the thin-skinned heirlooms. We plant many different varieties: heirlooms of all colors and plus red, yellow and pink hybrid varieties. Sometimes the shares may have tomatoes that are not yet ripe. Leave tomatoes that are still hard and green on your counter and wait for them to ripen.

CARROTS A one pound bunch of freshly dug carrots with a nice crunch and sweetness.

CUCUMBERS/SUMMER SQUASH Our first planting of these cucurbits are fading, but a second planting should be coming on later this week. Depending on your pickup day, it may be a choice or you might get some of each.

GARLIC These hardneck heads have been curing for a month and are at their peak. Enjoy some raw, chopped up in a fresh tomato salad.

SALSA PACK Chop the ingredients along with a medium tomato and you have a pint of fresh salsa to snack on before dinner, or add to your morning eggs.

GREEN BEANS The bean patch has produced quite well the last several weeks. Enjoy these hand-picked fruits for the last time this season. We like to sauté them in oil with garlic, and then turn down the heat to let them simmer and caramelize.

HERBS Summer savory, parsley, basil and fennel flowers are all ready for picking this week. Expect a mixed bunch with a selection from what is abundant. Tom says fennel flowers are the perfect remedy for “mask breath”.

Farm report

The summer went from the beginnings of a drought to flood warnings since we last wrote. Almost ten inches has fallen less than one week’s time. We were gladdened by the needed moisture. It appears the fields drank all of that rain in. Here’s one of our spots we’ve been preparing for fall at 11 am yesterday.

 Here’s the same field at 3pm, just four hours later.

Hooray!!! That’s what I call, a well-drained soil! Before the rains came we had been rushing around the fields planting for fall and then laying lots of irrigation tape.

We also managed to haul in the last of the spring onion crop, which is now drying well in the upper barn.

We continue to hope for a time when we can welcome the community back to the farm. Who knows when that will be, but in the meantime the fields continue to thrive with your support. Thank you for allowing your farmers to share air space with more bees than people for now.

In the Share: Week 7

In the Share 

RED POTATOES: “New”potatoes are dug fresh and the skins have not yet cured. They aren’t for keeping, but man are they tasty.

ONIONS: These Desert Sunrise red onions are well cured and ready for all your allium needs. An overwintered onion, it can be strong.

CUCUMBERS: You might see a variety of cucumber types in your share, regular slicers and picklers.
SUMMER SQUASH: Tonight our vegetable side dish is zucchini and onion with garlic and tomato sauce garnished with basil. It is a yummy addition to any meal.

BASIL BUNCH: This year we bought several basil varieties that are resistant to a mildew that has plagued our basil the last several years. This year’s crop is healthy and green. Some varieties are small leafed and others are large. All have a great basil flavor.

SALSA PACKS, GREEN BEANS OR OKRA: Most all of the summer crops are beginning to kick in this week at various stages of harvest.

GREEN PEPPERS: A green and a purple pepper to start the harvest. Grilling them with some onions and garlic creates a great side dish, omelet stuffing, meat topping or burrito addition.

TOMATO: These fruits of summer are just starting too. We grow a wide variety of hybrid and heirloom in a rainbow of colors.  Enjoy!

Farm report

It is the busiest time of year for us as we juggle all three seasons of crops in the field. The potato harvest today was a beautiful thing. The old timey plow opened the hills like a zipper. The soil was loose, dare near crumbly. This is remarkable given that all too often the potato harvest on our upland soils end up breaking plows in the hard dry ground. Instead, it was like buttah…

Nothing lifts a farmers spirits more than a good harvest.   A second planting of cucumbers and squash should be coming in as the first one is tapering out.

The plants are producing well, but the pest pressure is getting to be too much. Hopefully it will take them awhile to find the new crop on the other side of the farm.

So far we have been keeping on track during this strange season. The month of July is long days filled with the summer harvests and plantings for fall. It is a lot to juggle in a normal year. Our strategy remains to stay focused on our work, keep social distancing and stay healthy and as sane as possible. Progress continues on the preparations for fall. First step, back in March, plant a cover crop. Several steps later, we have incorporated the cover crop, spread compost and minerals, shaped the beds and subsoiled.  Now we are ready to begin planting.

With a little sweat and toil, this area and several others around the farm will be transformed into roots and greens for the fall harvest.