please accept these flowers from us. we have been busy figuring out what our winter is to look like this year.  although we toyed with the idea of a winter garden experiment, we have decided instead to travel to haiti to do some work with ilf.  we are looking forward to working with the people of haiti to help them get back on their feet.  we most certainly haven’t chosen the easiest option (the other option was work on a biodynamic vineyard/farm in new zealand) but it is our hope that we can do some good work in haiti. we sincerely hope you like the flowers.  they are all native to the northwest and will be making an appearance in our members’ boxes this…

when the rigors of life a city starts to tax me, i often think of living in the woods with simple tools and a simpler way of life.  although the work is no less taxing, i find it to be inherently more rewarding than the work i have done in cities for the past decade.  when brian asked me to join him on the farm in the beginning of the season, i was admittedly reluctant, having never grown a vegetable in my life.  it was a true test for me: living a life that i had been longing for (one that was inclusive of growing my own food).  as it turns out, i can build, haul, saw, chop AND grow. perhaps this life in…

as we have worked our way through this first season, the first thing we seemed to have let go of was fun.  i am an active proponent of the inherent value of fun in one’s life, and was absolutely dismayed to realized that neither brian nor i had taken more than one day off since the start of the season!   with stress levels rising, and our life outside of work a bit neglected, we ventured off to the woods for two days of camping, hiking, and quiet campfire talk.  the farm was with us the whole time, and although our worries about being away for 36 hours never completely diminished, we did get to breath a bit easier and just enjoy being together.…

although brian and i arise and fall everyday very very tired, we do so with little smiles on our faces thinking about the things below: we have ceased to give weekly CSA box updates, as our members seem to enjoy our printouts much more.  if anybody would like to see our weekly offerings again, shoot us a quick email and we will be happy to re-start. in lieu of a box update this week, here is a dish that has made several appearances lately and seems to have become a new favorite around our house… enjoy! Collard Greens with Bacon Recipe Chef’s tip: don’t overcook the bacon. It should be barely brown around the edges and still somewhat raw-looking in the middle. INGREDIENTS 4…

yesterday after successfully completing our first farmers’ market, (thanks to johnny “cookie” parker for the immense amount of help he’s provided), brian and i sat down on our porch in happy, exhausted disbelief.  at the beginning of the season we were terrified of CSAs, grocery store and restaurant accounts, and farmers’ markets.  and yesterday evening, in that same state of exhausted disbelief, we realized that we have experienced all four.  wow.  it feels like this small success will afford us the right to stop for a minute and rest… and it did… for the evening.  and today we are back at it, brian to the farm to finish his monster irrigation project (thanks on his behalf to AJ from EWING, michael, and to johnny…

we just spoke with the market manager of the new boise elliot farmers’ market, and will be peddling our vegetables tuesdays and saturdays starting july 17th!  we are thrilled about the opportunity to provide fresh produce in a neighborhood in sore need of good produce (it’s my old neighborhood).  brian is jumping for joy at the opportunity to get into a new market, and i am equally ebullient about working at a farmers’ market.  i. love.  farmers’.  markets.  while living in san francisco, i had the pleasure of working for a small farm at the ferry plaza farmers’ market, and loved every minute of it. farmers’ markets are, for me, an amazing opportunity to directly interact with the community, expose people to new food…

This week’s post will be a photo montage of the ingredients included in the box. top row (l to r): kohlrabi, chioggia beets, sparkle white tip and french breakfast radishes, sweet basil (in the little brown bag with a variety of other delightful herbs) bottom row (l to r): red romaine, green wave mustard, bright lights swiss chard, esmeralda lettuce stay posted this week for recipes…! cheers, brian and james

With this week’s CSA delivery comes great excitement about its bounty.  Although the rain has drastically slowed the growth of many vegetables we have been cultivating, it has provided us with a great abundance of delicious and healthy greens. A few of our members have been asking us questions about exactly what has been included in their boxes (thanks for the questions!), and after some research, we have found a great online food encyclopedia to share with you all.  The BBC Food Ingredients page provides detailed descriptions of each item, a picture of what it looks like, nutritional information, and some great recipes (that we will be testing very soon).  We hope this provides you all with some good information about the treats that…

CSA Week #1 Hello everyone here are the goods for our first week. We hope you all enjoy them as much as we have been! Herbs: Sweet Basil Rosemary Lemon Thyme Oregano Sage Coriander Santo (Cilantro) Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Veggies: Bights Light Chard Magenta Sunset Chard Green Wave Mustard Ruby Streaks Mustard Golden Streaks Cherry Ball Radishes Nero Di Toscana Kale French Sorrel Esmeralda Lettuce Outredgeous Lettuce Fruit: Sextan Strawberries Little Fun Things: Terra cota Red Lettuce Leaved Basil plant Enjoy and lets all cross our fingers for more sunshine. P.S. Remember to bring your empty boxes back in exchange for full ones next Wednesday. P.P.S Here is a fun recipe for one of the lesser known greens we have included, French Sorrel.…

There is so much to report! Our babies have been treated to healthy doses of water with the incessant rain, thereby slowing their growth, but also hopefully storing some much needed water for the coming dry season.  Brian and I took the opportunity last weekend to sneak to the coast after we readied the babies for another few soggy days. We have just harvested our first radishes; succulent monsters whose green tops scores of cole-loving beetles have feasted upon and whose tender flesh critters have nibbled on.  After tasting one, I don’t blame the little pests.  They are spicy and delicious (and going in our first CSA box)! And speaking of CSA boxes, delivery number one is Wednesday.  To the folks at GBD Architects,…

These days have been better suited to a cup of coffee, a Steinbeck novel and a warm bed than an early morning on a soggy farm.  After all, no hurry; the babies in the green house are not in danger of overheating and there is very little watering to be accomplished.  It seems that most the farmers in the valley are expressing the same concerns.  When will we have time to plant?  Do we just keep potting our little ones up until the sun finally shows itself, drying the soil and making it workable.  It makes me both calm and anxious, like one of those bad dreams where you can’t move, like your legs are full of sand and there is some sort of…

with this week’s rain has come the great excitement of finding radishes bursting from the ground and tomatoes ripening on the vine. brian’s ebullience was enough to turn grey skies blue.  i couldn’t help but giggle as i surveyed all the seedlings sprouting and the toddler plants outgrowing their seed trays.  wandering around the farm brings endless delight as i taste succulent and spicy mustard greens, sweet chard, tender lettuce, and crisp radishes and survey the bountiful growth that spring inspires. -james

I planted these sugar ann snap peas in memory of my auntie ann, one hell of a woman in her day. On some days the idea that our loved ones, here and gone, are with us on the farm imbuing it with life and light, fills me with deep joy. their light leaves an indelible mark on the land we have the priveledge of stewarding. -james

Check out our CSA page for more information. p.s. “I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world” – George Washington

our stamps are here! look for them in a bathroom near you.

The first of our Early tomatoes have begun to flower.  We are proud of them and are encouraging them to reproduce as frequently as the desire.  We are proud parents, although at times, it is difficult to let them go out on their own.  We try to protect them, hoop houses, fish emulsion, etc… but in the end you just have to let them go.  It is in nature’s hands now. b

heartjames