In the Share: Week 3

STRAWBERRIES F2/P1  We thank our 2015 crew who planted the new patch just in time for the 2007 patch to dwindle out.

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE F/P  Here is Tom's yummy recipe for strawberry garlic scape dressing for your butterhead lettuce salad.  Highly recommended.

RED LEAF LETTUCE F

BROCCOLI F/P

TAT SOI F  Tat soi is bok choy's thinner-stemmed, darker-green cousin.

SPINACH P

KALE F

GARLIC SCAPES F/P  The young flower bud of the hardneck garlic plant.

HERB CHOICE F/P  Cilantro, mint, tarragon.

NEXT WEEK:  Lettuce, swiss chard, strawberries, broccoli, sugarsnap peas and herbs.

FARM REPORT:
With the third week of the field harvest season upon us we are happy with how it is going.  The lettuces continue to be huge and beautiful.  There is nothing quite like a blushed butterhead that is just as heavy as it is delicate.

Expect another few weeks of Spring greens before we transition to the summer fruits and roots.  The weather has given the crops a nice amount of rain and sunshine.  We missed the five inch downpour on Sunday and count ourselves lucky.  Fourteen years of experience plus good weather equals healthy plants and happy farmers.

We are up to 129 CSA members and counting.  We have had a string of new memberships coming in.  I want to welcome all the newbies.  We don't have as much time to get to know folks this time of year, but I hope you stick with us and we look forward to seeing you out at the farm this season.

The new Crossroads site at Lifted Spirits is working out great.  We are so very grateful to Michael, Darren and Kyle for letting us take over their space for a few hours every week.  Here's the haul from last week along with the very pretty sign courtesy of distribution coordinator and artist, Stacey Cook.

In the Share - Week 1 (extended season)

EGGS  This week only, we have enough eggs to add to the shares.  Our hens have been busy fertilizing, weeding and eating bugs for us, when they aren't sitting in the coop laying their healthy and colorful eggs. (eggs will be offered on the bulk list for the next two weeks.  Egg shares start the first week of the regular season in three weeks.)

LETTUCE  From the high tunnel, butterhead or red leaf varieties.

FRISEE ENDIVE  Add to your lettuce for a frilly salad.

SPINACH  We may be out of spinach after this week, it had a long run from its original seeding in September 2015.

GAILAN  Also planted back in September, broccoli's more slender cousin.

ARUGULA OR SWISS CHARD  More greens from the high tunnel.

CARROTS  From cold storage of the fall 2015 crop.

POTATOES  Ditto on these.

HERB CHOICE  garlic chives and/or tarragon

NEXT WEEK:  Lettuce, green onions, hakurei turnips, radishes, and bok choy

FARM REPORT:

Welcome to the first week of the CSA! The harvest has begun just in time for Earth Day.  Organic farming and community participation is what sustainability is all about.  Thank you for caring about your Mother Earth!

The planting of the Spring crops is all but complete.  The fields are full of peas, potatoes, onions, broccoli, cabbage, kale, chard, carrots, beets, spinach, leeks and loads of lettuce.  Here we are last week putting the finishing touches on the leek planting.

 The rain has given us a temporary break from planting work.  Instead we filled our time giving the packing room and wash area a good Spring cleaning.  We adhere to and train our crew in good food safety practices.  This includes cleaning and sanitizing all of the crates and tools that we use for harvest.  It is a big task, but well worth the effort.

Up until two days ago, the fields were very dry.  Dry weather has its pros and cons.  Last year during the torrential rains I told more than one person that it is much easier to bring water to the plants than to take it away.

Other pros of dry weather: it was dry enough to kill lots of weeds!  Here's me and the cultivating tractor, our Allis Chalmers G, getting things tidy.

However, there is a big con of dry weather:  it was necessary to walk out irrigation tape in April, which is not always necessary but was very necessary two weeks ago.  This takes time, but was totally worth it.  All of our transplants look amazing after a nice drink from the pond followed by a good bath from the sky.

So, I'm sticking to my assertion that a dry year is better than a way-too-wet one.  Although this week's rain was tremendous and impossible to duplicate.  Thank your Mother Earth!

In the Share - Week 22

O'HENRY SWEET POTATOES F/P  We love these sweet buttery beauties.

BROCCOLI F  A short harvest this time around.  We will get some to the partials next week. 

LETTUCE P  So, we had a little break-in with a deer last week, hence the paltry supply of lettuce.  We have the area they didn't find well-covered now and hope to have more lettuce for you all before the end of the season. 

SMALL CABBAGE F  Read all about our stellar fall cabbage crop below.

BOK CHOY  F  I recommend stir-fry with the hakureis.

SWEET PEPPER F/P  Cooler temperatures means less ripening, so expect more green and purple ones from now on.

EGGPLANT or BEETS F/P The first of the fall beets (no tops, just roots) and nearing the end of the eggplant.

HAKUREI TURNIPS F/P  Salad turnips that we rarely cook and instead prefer straight out of the field.  Exception:  stir-fry with bok choy.

TOMATOES F/P The end of tomato season is coming soon, but here's a few more.

HERB CHOICE F Sage, cilantro, dill or hot peppers

NEXT WEEK:  Sweet potatoes, carrots (finally!), tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, garlic, broccoli, lettuce, greens and herbs.


FARM REPORT:

The small cabbages that are in the full shares this week are the best of the fall crop.  Our favorite fall vegetable, the one we hope to depend on for income in our old age, failed.  At the time that we planted them we knew we were taking a risk.  We had waited as long as we could before preparing the soil for planting.  After the seemingly never-ending rain, we didn't know if we would have another chance.  We ended up with cloddy soil, but we were able to get the plants in and thought the transplants would be able to handle it.  Two months later it is clear that no such handling took place.  A good half-acre of crop including cauliflower, broccoli, turnips and radishes- is a bust.  Luckily we planted in other areas after the soil conditions had improved so that we have enough of other crops to get us through the end of the CSA season. 

On a brighter note, we put the roof back on the high tunnel this week.  It was a team effort and a success.  See Tom's post for a view from the top. 

In the Share - Week 12

 

Basil

TOMATOES F/P  It is tasting like summer now!

CHERRY TOMATOES F/P  The perfect summertime snack.

CARROTS F/P  The last of the Spring harvest, sadly.  Enjoy them now, we won't have more until Fall.

BASIL, MINT OR HOT PEPPERS F/P  We grow jalapenos,  Anaheim and banana hot peppers which will be a choice with the mint and the lemon and Genovese basil this week.

SQUASH OR CUCUMBERS F  Still not much of either.  The second planting is succumbing to bacterial wilt spread by the cucumber beetles.

SALSA PACK OR SWEET PEPPERS P  The tomatillos have started to really kick in so expect more salsa packs in your future.

ONIONS F  An assortment of some of our sweet varieties.  The onion harvest is in full swing now. 

SWEET PEPPERS F  The peppers survived the wet weather in good shape and making some nice early peppers. 

EGGPLANT F  Ditto on the eggplant.  Our black Italian variety is putting out lovely fruit right now.

NEXT WEEK:  tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers and potatoes and garlic.

FARM REPORT:
Finally it is starting to feel like a normal summer on the farm.  The heat is high, the tomatoes are ripening and we are in the middle of the fall transplanting.  

 

With nothing but sun and heat in the forecast the broccolis got irrigation tape laid next to each row as soon as they went in the ground on Friday.  For the first time this year, the irrigation pond is put to work.

 

Back at the greenhouse shade structure, there are many more plants awaiting the same treatment.

 



In the Share - Week 4

BROCCOLI F/P  A favorite crop of mine.  It can be challenging to grow and so it is extra nice when it does as well as it is now.

LETTUCES F/P  Everyone is getting two lettuces this week:  butterheads, red leaf and romaine types.

STRAWBERRIES F/P  Even after a swarm of u-pickers descended on the patch last weekend, there are still plenty of berries.  Everyone will get a quart this week.  By next week there will be less.

KOHLRABI F  See Tom's post for some helpful hints on preparing broccoli's space-age cousin.

GARLIC SCAPES F/P  The young flower stalk of the garlic plant.  See Tom's post on this one also.

RADISHES F/P  Pink radishes from the second planting.  It may be the last of the radishes until fall.

PEAS F  The first picking of sugarsnap and snow peas, with hopefully enough for all by next week. 

BOK CHOY F  The last of the Asian greens until fall.

NEXT WEEK:  Lettuces, kale and chard, peas, kohlrabi, turnips, and strawberries. 

FARM REPORT:
One benefit to living on the farm is the steady stream of fun and interesting people who visit us.  Mostly these folks are CSA members along with their children, parents, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, etc. in tow out to complete their work shifts.  With the u-pick strawberry option this past weekend we had quite the crowd. 

This past Thursday we had a visitor of a different sort, Tara with Fermentation on Wheels.  She is driving a 40 ft. bus across the country to spread knowledge about fermented foods.

The bus serves as her home and classroom with a long two-tier countertop of krauts, misos, kefirs, kombuchas, beers and meads.  Fermentation on Wheels came to the Bad Seed last weekend and was a success until her bus had mechanical problems.  Lucky for us Tara needed a place to park while some parts were replaced.

During her stay she enthusiastically joined us in our daily work and has generously shared her knowledge and precious ferments.  Tom and I have enjoyed her visit and wish her well on the rest of her journey.  Next stop:  Des Moines, Iowa. 

In the Share - Week 21

BROCCOLI F/P  Partial shares get a choice with cauliflower.
 
POTATOES F A mixture of Desiree (pink) and Bintje (yellow) varieties

SWEET POTATOES F/P  The sweets did not do well this year.  We can only figure our cool summer stunted their growth.  What we have is nice, but in limited supply. O'Henry (white) and Beauregard (orange) varieties.

GARLIC F/P  More softneck Artichoke

CHOICE F/P  Sage, tarragon or radishes

TOMATOES F  A mixture of a few slicers and cherries

SWEET PEPPERS AND EGGPLANT P 

KOHLRABI F/P  Plenty of members mention their disinterest in this vegetable.  We usually eat it raw after peeling it well.  A yogurt or peanut dip makes it even better.

GREENS CHOICE  F  Swiss Chard, bok choy, or rapini (our rapini has no broccoli florets but we are picking it anyway as it is huge and won't fit in the crates if it grows any more)

HOT PEPPERS F  jalapenos, anaheims or hot wax.

NEXT WEEK:  More broccoli, cauliflower, greens, peppers and eggplant.  Carrots and onions

FARM REPORT:

This has to be the best time of year to be a farmer.  The harvest is in,  the days are getting shorter,  and the weather is perfect.  As if it wasn't nice enough, we were graced by a beautiful rainbow at sunrise the other morning.

Another benefit on the farm has been the arrival each week of the cheese share.  This week our cheese shares will feature the award-winning Franklin Island feta from Ken and Jen Munro at Goatsbeard Farm.  Back in August this very cheese was awarded a Silver from the American Cheese Society.  Read all about it here.

In the Share - Week 18

YELLOW ONIONS F/P  We are very proud of our onion crop this year.  This week we begin to share with you these big beautiful yellow ones, which are also our best keepers.

CARROTS F/P

GREENS F  Turnip greens, kale or maybe some rapini (broccoli raab) by Saturday. 

SWEET PEPPER F/P

EGGPLANT, SALSA PACK OR GROUND CHERRIES F

TOMATOES F/P Just one or two or some cherry tomatoes

HOT PEPPERS F/P  See Tom's post on roasting the Anaheims

HERB CHOICE F  Chives, parsley or a dried herb

NEXT WEEK:  A few more summer fruits:  peppers, tomatoes, eggplant along with potatoes, garlic, bok choy, kohlrabi and lettuce.

FARM REPORT:
The summer harvest is dwindling and the fall crops are just starting to produce.  During the transition from one season to the next, the shares will be lighter.  Less time harvesting means more time to tend to the crops.  Today we tackled the broccoli and cauliflower beds. 

On Monday we pulled the chicken coop down the row a pace to some fresh crabgrass.  Unfortunately, we are really good at growing crabgrass.  Lucky for us the chickens love it and it is fun to see them stripping the stems of those pesky seeds.  You can see in the photo that they did a fabulous job of cleaning up their old spot in just three short weeks. 

In the Share - Week 4

SUGARSNAP PEAS F/P  If you are new to these, pinch off the stem and pop the pod in your mouth. 

BROCCOLI F/P  Whoa, nelly!  The Spring broccoli crop is off the charts!   Everyone gets a good amount, full shares more than partials.  If you want to freeze some for later, order off of the bulk list as it won't be around much longer. 

STRAWBERRIES F/P  The patch is loaded with more berries than we can pick.  We will be opening the patch for U-pick for this coming weekend if not sooner.  An email will go out soon with more info.

LETTUCE F2/P  The butterheads are heading out, but the leaf lettuce and romaines are holding for awhile longer.

GARLIC SCAPES F/P They only appear once a year!  See Tom's post for thoughts on uses. 

KOHLRABI F2/P1  I think one trick with kohlrabi, turnips and other mustardy root-type vegetables like radishes is to not let them dry out after cutting them.  They are great raw, but must be eaten immediately after being chopped before they get dehydrated and bitter.  Or store them chopped up in a bowl of water.

PARSLEY, OREGANO or GREEN ONION F/P  A sprig for the partials, larger bunches for the full shares.

HAKUREI TURNIPS F/P  Not your grandmother's turnip, these are sweet and juicy and best eaten raw or lightly cooked.

NEXT WEEK:  More lettuce, broccoli, turnips, peas and greens.  Perhaps the first zucchini and baby beets.

FARM REPORT:

The Spring Field

The farm is bursting with crops for harvest.  The strawberries continue to ripen while we harvest hundreds of pounds of broccoli.  The lettuces response to the heat is to all be ready at once and the turnips and kohlrabi are begging to be picked. Thank you to those who have time to come out to help with the harvest tomorrow. 

today's broccoli harvest

The fields are glowing in shades of green thanks to a little over an inch of rain last week.  It came at a good time as we were starting to be concerned with the peas, onions and other early crops that we usually don't need to irrigate.  Instead we could turn our attention from irrigation to the crops and the weeds that are growing vigorously. 

weeding and pruning the summer crops

In the Share - Week 2

ASPARAGUS OR BROCCOLI F/P  The freeze slowed the asparagus harvest to a non-event, luckily the broccoli is starting to mature.

RED LEAF LETTUCE F/P  We love these red ruffley lettuces.  Half green & half red they make a beautiful salad all by themselves.

BUTTERHEAD OR ROMAINE HEIRLOOM LETTUCES Full shares get one of each.  Partial shares get a choice.  The heat is kicking in and we have a lot of lettuce in the field, so we are picking extra this week to keep ahead. 

ARUGULA  Full shares get both an herb choice and arugula, partial shares choose.   Add to your salad for a nice kick.

HERB CHOICE  Cilantro, dill, tarragon

BOK CHOY/TAT SOI  Add to some fried rice with farm eggs and you have yourself a meal!

GREENS CHOICE  Kale, Gail lan, Swiss Chard.  Partial shares can also choose the bok choy

GREEN GARLIC  the same concept as green onions, the young plants.  Use it fresh in salads.

NEXT WEEK:  More lettuce, broccoli, greens and herbs. 

FARM REPORT:  All hell broke loose after we last reported.  Two nights of freezing temperatures threatened to stop the harvest when we had barely begun.  In preparation, we covered the fields including the strawberries with their flowers and young fruit and the newly transplanted tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cukes and tender herbs. 

We thought we were prepared for the forecasted 36 degrees F Friday morning.  Unfortunately, it was much colder than that.  We registered 32 on our temperature gauge behind the greenhouse.  Out in the far field it must have been even colder.  Under the row cover the tomatoes were hit hard. 

Surprisingly, the plants without mulch fared better, including the peppers, eggplant, squash and cucumbers.  The potatoes lost much of their foliage but were better by yesterday.  After some time to evaluate, it looks like the damage is temporary and many of the plants will grow back with good health.  We have replaced the worst of the tomatoes with extra plants from the greenhouse.  We also send much appreciation to the fine folks at Gibbs Road Farm (KC,KS) for giving us extra plants. 

Meanwhile, the chickens were oblivious to all the plant drama this week.  Instead they are happily exploring their new home in the spring-planted cover crop of oats and peas.  

In the Share - Week 22

BROCCOLI (F/P) We have picked most of the first heads and now are picking the side shoots.  Full shares get broccoli and a choice of more broccoli or cauliflower.

SWEET POTATOES (F/P)  big, beautiful orange-fleshed Beauregards

LETTUCE (F/P)  A mix of varieties from the field.

BULB FENNEL (F/P)  Whoa there, the fennel has grown fast and large.  See Tom's post for some culinary suggestions.

CHOICE OF GREENS (F) Bok choy, tat soi, kale or arugula

BEETS OR SWEET PEPPERS (F/P) 

KOHLRABI (F)  These are the larger, fall season varieties.  Don't let their size scare you, they are tender and juicy.

GARLIC (F/P)  We are saving all of the rest of the garlic for planting later this month. 

TOMATOES (F)  We picked green tomatoes today.  Expect them in your share next week.  Until then enjoy the last of the ripe ones.

WATERMELON RADISH (F/P)  See Tom's post for more on this vivid fall treat.

HERB CHOICE (F/P) Cilantro, dill, thyme, or rosemary


NEXT WEEK:  Broccoli, green peppers, green tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, lettuce and leeks.

FARM REPORT:

The farm crew gave up a day off last week to take advantage of the beautiful weather for re-siding the back of the barn.  Thanks to a good platform designed by my dad, we had a sturdy work area.  The old lumber came off quickly in the morning and the boards went up in the afternoon.   

The end result looks pretty nice if we do say so ourselves.

With frost coming any day now, we have been very focused on harvesting the tender crops.  The sweet potato harvest continues with 400 feet left to dig.

In the Share - Week 20

BROCCOLI (F/P)  The broccoli packs a flavor punch this week.  We are blaming those hot days in our recent past.  Steamed with some butter and lemon is all the help it needs.

TOMATOES (F/P)  The harvest is about over, so enjoy them while they last.

CABBAGE (F/P)  Choice of Chinese (Napa) or standard cabbage.  See Tom's post for some helpful hints for making slaw.

SWEET PEPPERS (F)  Ripening is slowing down considerably.  Expect green ones soon.

SWEET POTATOES (F/P)  O'Henry are creamy yellow sweet potatoes.  These are the first of many yellow and orange sweet potatoes out in the field waiting to be dug.  If you still need to punch in your hours, come out on a harvest day and more likely than not we will be digging the sweets! 

BROCCOLI OR CAULIFLOWER (F)  Full shares get a choice of either more broccoli, or a cauliflower.

ARUGULA (F/P)  Our second planting is coming on well and the lettuce isn't quite ready, so enjoy an arugula salad this week.

RADISHES (F/P)  If the heat of the radish is too much for you, try lightly steaming or dressing with a honey vinaigrette.

HERB CHOICE (F/P)  Sage, cilantro and basil

GARLIC (F/P)

NEXT WEEK:  More peppers, broccoli and cauliflower.  Leeks, carrots, beets and lettuce return.

FARM REPORT:

What a whirlwind of a week it has been.  Thursday we replaced the plastic on our 30 x 96 ft. high tunnel.  It was quite the job for six of us and luckily we didn't rip it in two, but we sure tried!  It went better than our first attempt a year ago and we have new ideas for improvements in 2014.  Today we put the ends and doors back on so she's ready to be buttoned up when frost threatens. 

This week we also began to break new ground in the far field below the grapes.  In 2012, sheep on loan from the Parkers grazed.  This summer the chickens ran through.  Now it is our turn.  Tom took out Grandpa, the family's 1962 International 504 bought used by John Graff, Sr. in late sixties. The discs are of a similar vintage. After several passes the ground is chopped up a bit and ready for spading.

Add in the regular harvest routine and then, by some miracle, Tom and I escaped the farm for a full 48 hours.   Between the Saturday rain (very nice!) and Monday afternoon we lounged at a B & B in St. Joseph, Missouri.  It was a welcome rest after the normal rollercoaster of a season we get here on the edge of the prairie.  Besides napping and eating too much pizza, we also managed a walk along the river, 3 antique malls, and several museums.

In the Share - Week Four

Broccoli side-shoots

SUGARSNAP PEAS (F/P) These are edible-podded peas. Just snap the top, pull any strings that may come with it and pop it in your mouth.

KOHLRABI (F/P) Introducing the kohlrabi – We have enough for everyone to get one. More are on their way.   Peel it well and eat raw or cook lightly.

LETTUCE (F2/P1) Too much lettuce in your fridge? Check Tom’s recipe for wilted lettuce salad. 

STRAWBERRIES (F/P) A quart for all. What a great crop this year! We are glad so many of you came out for u-pick and ordered bulk. Who can say n"No" to a fresh, local, no-spray strawberry? Non-organic berries, as a picker on Saturday said, are “chemical sponges”.

GARLIC SCAPES (F/P) The hardneck garlic’s flower stalk. Very edible and tasty. Great with the creamy garlic dressing we make at the farm with our fresh eggs. A different version than last week’s yogurt-based recipe, Tom's got a link this week.

BROCCOLI (P) We are happy to get the partial shares their “fair share” of broccoli. It has been a disappointing harvest and this is the last of it.  Luckily the plants made one last dash and made lots of side-shoots after the main head was picked.

HERB CHOICE (F) Rosemary, taragon, garlic chives or a dried herb

SPRING ONIONS (F)  A bit of a bulb on these, but still with fresh tops.

KALE OR CHARD (F) The greens love all of this moisture. Expect more in the weeks to come.

NEXT WEEK: More peas, lettuce, strawberries and kohlrabi. Cabbage and spring turnips.

FARM REPORT: The fields were filled this past weekend thanks to an amazing strawberry harvest. The weather was perfectly pleasant and lots of you came out with family and friends in tow.

u-pickers

As the berry harvest winds down, our CSA harvest mornings will be given over to the pea patch, which is looking great. Peas have a short season here in the southern Midwest, but our healthy plants this year remind me of our beginnings back at Peacework Organic Farm in Newark, New York. Tom and I met in the spring on the farm.  Western New York has beautiful farmland, well-drained soil and good people.  Congrats to all the farmers there and the Genessee Valley CSA - 25 years and still going strong: www.gvocsa.org  .

pea patch

In the Share - Week One

Asparagus

Butterhead LETTUCE (F/P) The May Queen gets here just in time. It’s about time since it is almost June!
Red leaf LETTUCE (F)
ASPARAGUS (F/P)
LEEKS (F/P)
BROCCOLI (F): A much smaller share than we were hoping. In a better Spring, the plants would have waited longer to send up their flower stalk, the broccoli.
BOK CHOY (F/P): Also having some flowering issues. We are harvesting lots this week to nip them in the bud.
GREEN ONIONS (F/P)
RADISHES or ARUGULA (F)  Partial shares get a choice with herbs
HERBS (F): Chives, mint, tarragon

NEXT WEEK: More lettuce, bok choy, radishes, broccoli and herbs. Green garlic, kale, chard and spring turnips.

FARM REPORT: Howdy, this is Rebecca wishing you all a happy start to the 2013 season. I give you what is in the share each week along with a farm report. I apologize in advance for typos, after farming all day one doesn’t always have the mental alertness for the task. We like to keep you all in the loop and we hope that it is helpful.

A few hours ago our trusted produce-delivery vehicle, Sweetpea, returned to the farm from an extended stay with our VW mechanic. She is 42 years young thanks to good engine maintenance and a shiny new paint job. Danny Brown, of Brown’s Automotive, is a good soul and his crew worked some magic removing the rust that was eating her alive.  Thanks guys!

Danny and Sweetpea

It was a perfect afternoon for a drive in the van.  It has been lovely weather all week, especially compared to our neighbors in Oklahoma. The crops appreciated the .75 inch of rain that came with the storms last weekend. It was a perfectly-timed addition of moisture after the farm crew spent a frantic week planting.

The Spring crops are beginning to mature and we are seeing the results of way-below average temperatures in March and April. The broccoli is maturing weeks early because it was stressed early on, but most other crops have fared better.

buttoning broccoli

We have the majority of the summer crops in and over the last few days have managed to tidy up the place in preparation for the first week of the CSA. Everyone likes a clean and tidy workplace, and farmers are no different. Our expanded packing room is quite comfortable and bright.  The new cooler is on and working well.

the packing room

2011---Our Eighth Season

Impression of Rocky

By 2011 we had experienced eight years of farming in the same spot and seen how the land responds to just about every weather condition.  We continued to work on systems that could keep our farm resilient and sustainable for the future.

We were helped along by a principle promoted by Dr. W. Edwards Deming to "improve constantly and forever"... something I had learned in engineering and Rebecca knew inherently. It is an axiom that is in concert with the idea of sustainablility. We felt that we had a firm foundation to now build for the long-term future of Fair Share Farm.

The first couple months of the year were as busy as ever. We had one last area of the house to gut, insulate, re-wire, re-wall, re-window and re-door. We got it mostly done before things got too hectic and are enjoying the fruits of this labor to this day.

Only a memory now

The previous November, Lucas Knutter joined the farm team, house-sitting the apprentice house for the winter and joining us as a full-time apprentice in March. He had just finished a 27-month stint in the Peace Corp working with farmers in Senegal, and returned ready to start a farm of his own.  He went straight to work in January, joining us to repair some problem spots on the greenhouse.

 

It was a great year for the soil. Our Spring plantings went as smooth as ever after a quick cultivating pass with the G.

 

The Summer cover crop of sudan grass and cow peas grew 7 feet tall and was our best yet. Between the top growth and an extensive root system, the soil was given a feast.

Mowing down the cover crops before turning them under

Weather played its usual good guy/bad guy role, threatening tornados in the Spring, baking us silly in the Summer, and providing for a robust harvest in the Fall.  Kim Conrads joined us for the summer right after high school graduation and spent one of her first hours at the farm in our root cellar with the farm crew of CSA members, workers, farmers, a dog and two cats. Luckily no funnel stopped by.

Safe in the root cellar

August 2, a record high.

Among the standouts that year were our record snap pea (400+ lb), tomato (5,600+ lbs) and sweet potato (2,100+ lb) harvests . Other crops did excellent too, as the almost 2.7 lb head of broccoli pictured below can attest.

The tomato share during Week 11

CSA morning in the packing room

Colorful carrots

Head-sized broccoli

Fall share

July 25 was a unique day for us as we hosted Justus Drugstore and Outstanding in the Field for an al fresco dinner on the farm. It is tough to describe in one paragraph what a wonderful event it was. The food was unique and satisfying, the crowd happy and boisterous, and the presentation professional and artful. The whole story is in our July 26 blog.

The long table on a hot Missouri day

By August, Kim had headed to college and we had a new apprentice in Dani Hurst. She was ready to put the homesteading and farming skills she had learned about as a writer for Natural Home magazine into practice.  Her energy and good nature was appreciated for the next 1-1/2 years she spent with us.

Dani mulching leeks


Another group that has helped out over the years is my family. The road Rebecca and I took to where we are right now was not a normal one. While no doubt skeptical at first, their love and support for us over the years has been true and real. My brother and five sisters have all done a stint or two at the farm, visited during unique events like OITF, and otherwise used their talents to help us out. It has been a fun family affair.

My brother Bill juicing pears with our great-grandfather's press

Autumn 2011 was warm and the crops thrived into early winter.  The fields were plentiful past the end of our CSA season and for our annual night at the Bad Seed pre-Thanksgiving Market.

October

A rarity for us, the hustle and bustle of running a market table on a busy night is a lot of fun. So is catching up and bartering with all the other vendors, seeing our big city friends and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

Fall bounty

Next up...one year ago and a new high tunnel, more record harvests, the drought, OITF II, and back to the present.