Stop, Look and Grow (week 4)

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Sowing the seed, my hand is one with the earth. Wanting the seed to grow, my mind is one with the light.  Hoeing the crop, my hands are one with the rain. Having cared for the plants, my mind is one with the air.  Hungry and trusting, my mind is one with the earth.  Eating the fruit, my body is one with the earth. – Wendell Berry

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Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

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We’re a month into the CSA and we hope everyone is feeling lighter and brighter with all this farm fresh food. We certainly have been enjoying watching the garden grow and really take shape this season. We’re constantly amazed by farming.. that over 5 months ago – back in January – we began this season.. ordering seeds, planting the seeds etc and we are now reaping the rewards of all that energy, growth and time. It’s an amazing cycle that we are so happy to be a part of.

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Stop, look, grow. Farming is all about planting. From January until October we are planting. Planting, planting, planting (Farmer Brian knows I mean business whenever my farming notebook is out!) Most of our crops (from February – April) are started indoors in our propagation greenhouse. We seed in 50 cell trays and fill up the tables, then move to the floor until the greenhouse is overflowing with starts. Come early to mid-March we are able to till and transplant, transplant, transplant. This time of the year (May-September) we direct seed in the garden as well as start seeds in trays for our Fall crops. Always thinking 2-5 months ahead.. of course, every season is different (there are just too many seasonal/environmental factors that contribute) but over the past 5 years we’ve found a balance and a planting schedule that works for us. Lots of hard work, trust, paying close attention and taking risks have led to us feeling pretty confident about when and how to plant. It also helps that we make a pretty darn good team.

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Farming is a craft.. part intuition part passion part science. Each season we get one chance to grow most of our crops…such as Potatoes, Tomatoes, Peppers, Berries, Winter Squash, Sweet Corn etc. For others, we get 2-4 chances a season. Added up over a lifetime that’s about 30-40 chances to grow the best potatoes, tomatoes etc that you can grow which means make every season count!   Farming is a way of life (24 hours a day) that is full of endless possibilities, yes, but is also full of opportunities that need to be seized and paid close attention to. Your “farm” and everything else are very much a reflection of you… which reminds me of the post I made on gratefulness (Gratitude on the Farm) this past Spring.. a great reminder during such a busy time!

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Over the last two weekends we’ve seeded beans, summer squash, cukes, melons, greens etc.  They are all germinating well and loving this early summer weather. This week we’ll be seeding in our winter squash, corn & pumpkins. We’ve been catching up with the weeds, block by block and see a lot of healthy growth on all our plants.  As we near the summer solstice, the plants really do thrive in the garden with all the extra sunshine.  The bees have been busy in the garden  too and there is an endless supply of wild blackberries for them to forage on around the perimeter of the farm (the highest nectar flow for local honey bees comes from the blackberries).

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Sun up to sun down.  These longer days also mean longer hours for your farmers (don’t get us started on our to-do lists) and it feels incredible to check a few things off before the next thing sneaks on to the list… like putting the first lines on the tomato trellises or hilling the potatoes one last time. We are hoping for some rain (even just a little bit of moisture in the soil?) later this week to till up some space for new succession plantings (think: Fall) of carrots, parsnips, beets, etc.  The farm is just brimming with goodness and we love it.  It’s also been a very warm and very dry Spring this season. With all the sun and warmth it’s hard to find a balance when there’s so much physical labor to be done (not to mention all the water that needs to be hauled to thirsty animals). But we do what we can and enjoy the crisp, cloudy mornings until that hot afternoon sun makes way for a mid day respite.

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Flower Power. The onions are beginning to bulb out as well as the garlic. The potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers & tomatillos all have their first rounds of flowers as well as some fruit on the tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.  The taste of sunshine in every bite..

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 The dirty dozen. We read an article last week – that we wanted to share- highlighting the fruits and veggies found at the grocery store with the most pesticides (a single strawberry tested for 13 kinds of pesticides – yikes!) As CSA members, you know that it’s so important to know your farmers and to know your food. When buying in bulk, at the market or directly from a farm, be encouraged to ask the farmers about their growing practices (especially now that it’s veggie and fruit season) or to look for the organic label. Unfortunately, the labels at the grocery store (organic or conventional) don’t reveal all that much… but it’s important to be informed! We’re a no spray farm but not all farms are.  Here’s the Environmental Working Group’s  – Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.  And the article that sums up the list of the dirty dozen fruits and veggies.

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Remember your crates this week (berry boxes and rubberbands too)!  You guys have been doing a great job remembering!  We will have some A LA CARTE EGGS available this week at the CSA pick-up.  First come, first serve.  They will be in a red cooler if we have any available!  $7.50/dozen  Please bring checks only.

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See you all soon!

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All the best,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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