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“There are moments when the heart is generous, and then it knows that for better or worse our lives are woven together here, one with one another and with the place and all the living things.” – Wendell Berry
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Hello Friends & Farm-ily,
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your enthusiasm and encouragement last week! After only a week of harvest we are feeling GREAT about all the hard work, thoughtfully built infrastructure, love and sweat that has been put into the dirt in preparation for feeding our awesome members. This is what it’s all about! We feel like the luckiest farmers ever and think our farm-ily is the bees knees.
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We are ready for Week 2 of harvest here at the farm and we are seeing RED (lots of it) – did somebody say strawberry season? Well, in case you didn’t hear… the season is here! And what crazy weather we’ve been having… not so much rain this Spring and lots of sun. We’re seeing flower buds on the peppers as well as our first tomatoes forming on the vine.. it’s true! And it’s only May 26th? We’ll take it!
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The freedom rangers out on fresh pasture and red berries for days…
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The farm is looking great! All our fruits and veggies are growing, growing, growing and loving these longer days. We hope you’ve been enjoying the tender greens that only Spring brings. Your farmers have sure been eating a lot of fresh salads for breakfast (with a couple hardboiled eggs), lunch (as a side or right on a sandwich) and dinner (sometimes just a touch of olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, salt, pepper & parmesan will do the trick) with some of those delicious radishes too! YUM. We’ve been busy seeding in successional crops of greens, brassicas, melons, squash, cukes, beans etc.. with corn and winter squash on the horizon… (these farmers are already thinking Fall crops). This time of the year is amazing for planting/growing as things start growing like weeds (just so different from early Spring.. when you’re waiting, waiting, waiting, sooo patiently for things to sprout!) It’s amazing to think how many hours, days, love & light it takes to produce vegetables. From the seed starting process, to transplanting, weeding & tending, to harvesting.. it can be anywhere from 2-5 months before a veggie is brought to your home. What an incredible food journey!
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‘Tis the time of the season for Brassica crops.. beautiful kohlrabi and kale. The flea beetles have been doing their best at getting the first few bites of the leaves.. pesky little guys..
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Though it’s our busiest time of the year of the farm, these hardworking farmers have had an extra set of hands this past week – my amazing Dad! But – in reality – when my dad is around it’s like having a whole team of hardworking folks by your side! We’ve accomplished an incredible amount in the 7 days that he’s been here.. and the farm has never looked better! In the weeks leading up to his trip out here he was working real hard on finishing up all his lobster traps and getting his gear ready for the beginning of his lobster season back on Cape Cod. He put his stuff on pause to give us a hand and spend some quality time on the new farm – his first time out here – and it has been amazing having him here. We’re surely going to miss him…
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My dad is someone who knows a lot about all sorts of things… from gardening and beekeeping, to fishing and hunting, machinery and tools etc, he’s a pretty talented guy with a fine attention to detail and basic understanding of most things. It’s amazing that with almost all things he knows, he knows the most efficient way possible to get the job accomplished. He’s like the ultimate puzzle solver and I’ve never met anyone else quite like him. And for those who have had the chance to meet him.. I think they’d say the same. He also has endless energy and it’s easy for us to work the long hours (5:30 – 9) and have fun doing it. Sometimes I realize the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree…
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Gloucester follows us everywhere on the farm… even during egg collection. We’re not sure how we managed it but we hit the kitty jackpot upon taking him home!
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My dad and the tractor have been getting to know each other pretty well while he’s been here (after all.. we’re the young farmers who should be doing the heavy lifting!) and he’s managed to mow a good 20 acres + which hopefully means encouraging the grass to grow and outcompete any pesky weeds. Having a third person around the farm helps to move projects forward and to always have an extra set of hands to help if you need it. Plus, Brian and I both love being around my Dad. We learn so much from him and he’s funny to boot. He loves us and believes in us and it feels great having him here. Now we just have to get him to retire and make him the official grounds keeper at Working Hands Farm. (THANK YOU DAD for all your help!)
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Bees. One of my favorite moments of his visit was going through and inspecting /cleaning the hives. We added a second medium to all the hives as they already have one deep and one medium full of healthy brood and even capped honey! It was amazing. It helped that we started this year with equipment left over from last year’s hives with lots of happy built up comb to give these new bees a nice start as well as some saved honey frames for food. It also helps that we’ve had a very sunny Spring which has led to 9 thriving hives! My dad and I were in awe of how well all the hives were doing. The hive that survived the winter last year is going just as strong (if not stronger) than the new hives. The blackberries and raspberries are flowering and those little buggers couldn’t be happier…
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Poultry. After finding 8 little eggs a few days ago our little layers have been moved in with our big layers. So far, so good in the hen house… The freedom rangers are also moving up in the World and have happily relocated to their spacious moveable chateau. We’ve been enjoying the Freedom Rangers a lot and are very pleased with our experience thus far! The little turkeys are almost feathered-out and ready for their own brooder expansion in the coming week… they certainty have minds of their owns and are making trouble already. So far we’ve found 3 little turkeys upstairs in the barn. They jump from stair to stair and perch amongst the stored bee equipment.. we have to admit.. they are pretty darn cute.
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The first tomatoes are appearing… and are the best looking maters we’ve ever seen! The turkeys have won over our hearts the past month and can’t wait to see them out walking about..
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Cows & Pigs. The Angus herd has made friends with Ellie and Maribelle and are enjoying the sunny days in the never-ending pasture. They’ve been eating an incredible amount of Spring grass and are doing a great job maintaining our new pasture and there’s no better feeling than that. All the pigs are back at the beginning of their pasture rotation. So much lush, green grass! Those little American Guinea Hogs are just the coolest. Truffle and her little piglets have successfully been moved to fresh grass where they are now all enjoying the green stuff! As for our trio, they continue to grow at an exponential rate. They are fast and curious creatures who are getting more and more used to us all the time…
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A few reminders… please remember to bring back your empty crate this week in exchange for one full of fresh, delicious produce. Your farmers thank you in advance. If you are sharing a share and you are unable to coordinate returning your crate each week, the best way to ensure a crate is always being returned to the farm is to transfer your weekly share into a couple of reusable bags and to leave the crate at the CSA Pick-up. Also, any rubber bands or berry boxes may be returned as well!
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Artichokes and sweet potatoes… it’s gonna be a great season!
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The CSA recipe books were ordered last week and we expect them to arrive sometime this week. With the holiday (and them being such a small company) we imagine we won’t have them until later this week… but if they miraculously appear we’ll have them at the drop with folks names on them!
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Keep being awesome and stay inspired in the kitchen.. there are lots of new goodies on the horizon that we’re getting hungry for already…
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All the best and see you all this week,
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Your farmers
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Jess & Brian
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Dirty hands, clean hearts
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working hands farm 