And the Beet Goes On (CSA week 6)

Posted on 21 Jun 2016

–

Hello Friends & Farm-ily,

–

Happy Summer Solstice everybody! It’s the first official week of summer – hurrah! And it was also a full moon last night – the strawberry full moon – such magical mystical happenings all around.

–

Jackson update: He’s separated from the herd and doing much better! Last week we had the vet as well as the local hoof trimmer. He’s basically been on bed rest and we’re seeing some signs of improvement – much more solid movement. Keeping our fingers crossed. It’s looking like a long road ahead but he’s mobile and we couldn’t be more thankful.

—

This time last year farmer Brian was building our coolbot cooler and with the crazy list that June brings we can hardly believe that was actually happening. Necessity is the mother of all invention though and when you’re experiencing the hottest spring and summer ever you do what you gotta do. Now we can’t imagine farming with out it! This summer we have a few pretty big projects lined up. Our first on the list is to build two 30×96 high tunnels. Earlier this Spring we received a grant through the NRSC’s High Tunnel Initiative that will fund this project and will allow us to grow even more through the winter months under covered space which is coveted on the farm. Having any bit of insurance when you’re working with nature, the elements and everything in between really helps to mitigate risk. Exciting times! The materials arrived last week so we hope to start putting posts in the ground in the next few weeks.

–

–

In the meantime, our propagation greenhouse is filling up again! Over the weekend we began seeding kale, collards, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, romanesco etc for the Fall season. As well as transplanting another round of broccoli, lettuce, onions, pac choi etc. Farmer Brian has been busy prepping beds for fall and winter carrots and other root crops.

–

We’ve had a lot of success with carrots this year mostly in part to integrating new systems on the farm (#growingbetter). One of our biggest variables on the farm is weed pressure. It’s hard to keep up with the newly germinating weeds (especially with direct seeded crops) which lead us to flame weeding last season. Stale seed bedding and flame weeding have been integral to our success with direct seeded crops like carrots. Carrots can take 8-21 days to germinate (i.e. emerge from the soil) and in that time 4-5 successions of weeds have already emerged and have a jump on the carrots. This is where the two methods come in to rescue us from a lifetime of hand weeding and sadness and lots of carrots for our CSA members.

—

We start with stale bedding:

amending/spreading fertilizer and compost, tilling the soil and making the beds,
setting up overhead irrigation and watering the beds to germinate weeds
Wait 5-10 days
Seed carrots into the weedy beds – plant a handful of beet seeds at the top of the bed. Since beets always germinate a few days before carrot seeds you use the beets as your sign to flame weed. Once the beets come up it’s time to flame the bed before the carrots emerge!
Flame! It is not necessary to burn the weeds. The flame only needs to overheat the tissues and rupture the cells of the plants (weeds).
Carrots emerge and they have way less competition to grow up and be delicious carrots!

–

–

So far we’ve had success with these two methods! Before we incorporated this system into our direct seeding plan the newly seeded bed would turn into a carpet of weeds (pigweed, amaranth, grass, bind weed, thistle) before the crops even had a chance. Now that we’re flaming, a little handweeding/wheelhoeing once a week on these beds and we will be able to keep up with the crops. In new (sometimes scary or overwhelming) situations, when it comes down to it, you just have to trust yourself and try something new and trust that it will all work out for the best! For those interested, here’s an article on Flame Weeding from Growing for Market

–

There are many steps to getting any projects done on the farm but we’ve found the more thoroughly and thoughtfully you go about it the less backbreaking work you have to go through in the end. When you have many stones in the fire though it’s easy to miss a step (and instantly regret it). It’s a fine balancing act! These steps definitely give us hope though that things will only continue to get better as we work smarter, not harder.

–

We’re excited to say that we’ve harvested most of the garlic out of the field. We have 1,200 bulbs to go and we’ll be finished for the 2016 season. All of the garlic is curing in the barn (proper curing is integral for long term storagability!). As some of you may remember the rust came through last year and stunted our crop of garlic leaving us with pretty puny bulbs and no seed garlic to plant in the Fall. This year we utilized the stale seed bed and flaming methods mentioned above (farmer brian actually flamed the beds multiple times over a 2 month period) ensuring that we would keep the beds free of weeds and healthier garlic! Sure enough this season they were a lot happier. The rust still came in on the breeze but it was far later this year well after they sent up scapes which meant they were way more established and well on their way to being harvested!

–

Hurrah! Growing better for the win!

–

–

Pastured Pork! With the coming of summer it’s officially grilling season! We have over 10 different kinds of pastured pork sausages available on the WHF Online Farmstore as well as many other beautiful cuts of pork. We slow cooked some pork shoulder butts over night and had the most amazing pulled pork sandwiches the days to follow. Be sure to check out our farmstore here: http://workinghandsfarmstore.com/collections/all! All orders can be conveniently picked up on your CSA pick up day.

–

The sowing, flaming, prepping, weeding and seeding continues this week… not to mention the harvest – ohhhh the harvest… all 3,000lbs for our amazing members! Here we grow week 6! Keep cool out there and enjoy the first official week of summer!

–

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

The Summer Day (CSA Week 5)

Posted on 14 Jun 2016

–

the first tomatoes are forming, all the different varieties of garlic that we’re growing this season & the first basil!

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

We hope you all have been enjoying the delicious Spring veggies as we roll into our second month of harvest! We can hardly believe how quickly the time passes between one harvest week to another. We’ve been extra bee-zy this weekend taking care of the farm and have been gearing up to ceremoniously begin sowing seeds for our Fall succession of crops. Does anyone else think June is just flying by… ?

–

Two farmers, One farm. In 4 weeks of harvest we’ve distributed 9,600lbs of produce to our members! All of that produce has been grown thoughtfully and prepped, seeded, transplanted, weeded & harvested by 2 sets of hands (each and every berry was picked by farmer Jess or farmer Brian). With the shares getting a touch more bountiful with summer crops, that puts us on track to grow and distribute over 80,000lbs of produce for the Spring/Summer/Fall season. It’s a pretty amazing number and we look forward to harvesting the bounty over the next 6 months. **Last year on Week 5 we had distributed 8,400lbs of produce, two years ago at this time we had distributed 6,800lbs of produce and three years ago at this time we had distributed 2,100 lbs of produce to our members which means your farmers are growing better with each passing season. This is our 7th season running the CSA and every year it just gets better and better.**

–

–

The new pole barn is getting close, the summer squish have arrived and the potato patch looking good!

–

Since our last harvest day we managed to plant another ¾ of an acre! A few miles of melons, winter squash & pumpkins. We even managed to plant a third succession of corn. We sure were bushed at the end of the day on Friday and Saturday – even more than normal. I think we headed to bed around 9:30pm which was amazing. We also begun harvesting our garlic crop and it looks amazing! We’ll get the rest of it in the barn this weekend so it can cure and dry in order to enjoy it all season long! Wahoo!

–

We’ve been making major progress on our new WHF wash, pack & storage building! Concrete is going in this week and insulation the following. This building will enable us to expand our winter CSA by providing us with temperature controlled environment for long term storage of root crops. Our ultimate goal is to offset our summer work load by increasing our revenue in the winter. Maybe with time we can have an equitable distribution of work throughout the year. You know, cool it on the workends and tryout a weekend every once and a while. ‪#spaceisthefinalfrontier

–

WHF Share 4, some beautiful romaine lettuce heads, and fennel starting to bulb out!

–

The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is just a week way and we certainly feel all the energy as we’ve been up with the sun at 20 past 5 and heading in at sunset around 9:30. We’ve been getting better at taking breaks during the hottest times of the afternoon/early evening to make dinner and get back out in the fields at 7 for a few hours. We call 7-9pm the “magic hours” here on the farm… from the low, glimmering sunlight to the cooler breeze – it’s just such a joy to be out in the garden. The animals love it too – they’re all out there filling their bellies – in the settling of the day – before perching or laying down for the night. On the farm, we’re all ready to hit the hay hard by the end of the evening.

–

Besides the long days, June is also an incredibly busy time in the garden (perhaps one of the busiest of the year). It’s a balancing act between maintaining Spring crops, weeding, sowing summer successions, watering, weeding, preparing stale seed beds, trellising tomatoes and beginning to seed all our fall brassicas (kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower etc) and root crops (carrots, parsnips, storage beets etc) to name a few. There is much to be done and the list is ever long but we are focusing on the daily tasks at hand. We are being mindful and supportive, patient and encouraging. The simplest thing we can do for each other as farmer’s (and as a husband-wife team) is to remind each other of all the things we have accomplished and try not to worry too much about the things that remain on the list. The balancing act continues..!

–

garlicpeppers –

Garlic harvest commences, checking in on the pepper patch & Rosie cools off in the heat by wading in her wallow..

So, happy early summer solstice to you all. We hope you all find yourself enjoying all that summer has to offer. Take time for yourselves, keep being inspired in the kitchen and filling your tummies with delicious food.

p.s. Thank you all for returning berry hallocks and rubber bands. Online WHF Farmstore. Thank you for your orders at the WHF Farmstore! Here’s the link: http://workinghandsfarmstore.com/collections/all The online farmstore features NEW and improved USDA recipes and cuts that make our pastured heritage pork shine! Wehave products available by the share and by individual cuts.

–

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

We leave you with one of our favorite poets.. Ms. Mary Oliver and ‘The Summer Day’…

–

The Summer Day

by Mary Oliver

–

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean—

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

–

Beat the Heat – Part II (CSA Week 4)

Posted on 8 Jun 2016

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

We hope you all made it out of the blistering hot heat wave we’ve had the past 4 days. PHEW… we almost forgot what 100 degrees feels like! The sun was so oppressive and we were in full triage mode just trying to keep everything (the farm, the critters, the veggies) happy. Sometimes I look back on newsletters from years past to see what was going on at this time the previous year. Last year’s week 4 share newsletter was called Beat the Heat. . featuring the abnormally hot temperatures we had during the start of June (sound familiar this year?) Overall, it’s been a much more ‘mild’ Spring season (and a lot more precipitation) than last year but the hot Summer season’s do appear to be coming earlier and earlier in the Pacific Northwest.

–

The Spring avalanche is challenging for small farmers everywhere and when you add extreme heat it feels like you’re in full survival mode. Like you’re not really even a person anymore – just a hot sweaty ball of a human, with heavy legs. We’ve been running (in my mind.. but slogging in real time) around making sure all the crops have cool roots and are well watered. Same for all the critters. We are also adjusting to our summer schedules to begin work by 5:00am and come in during the hottest part of the day to reenergize, hydrate, prepare dinner and maybe even take a 15 minute recharge nap (or, write the newsletter!) – it’s just too darn hot from 3-5pm to be doing manual labor. If there’s a lot of planting and tilling and seeding to be done we’ll often go back outside after 6 and work until 10:00pm or so. The hours in the day when the sun is the least oppressive. That can make for a pretty long work day – upwards of 15-16 hours. In these temps everything is serious. If you want to keep a crop you make sure it has what it needs or you lose it. If you don’t want to finish a task well too bad, you get it done because the heat has no sympathy for the garden. –

—

In the midst of this last heatwave I started to have flashbacks to last season. As many of you know, last season was our hottest we’ve experienced to date (The Only Way Out is Through, When the Farm Farms You, The Hump, Variable Quandary) and even though most of the time spent outside in the oppressive heat was truly a grin and bear it type situation we also learned a lot through that experience. Since then, we’ve implemented better irrigation systems, weeding systems, planting systems in order to minimize plant stress and have worked hard at establishing better time management … with the heat you have a much smaller window to get done everything you need to get done so it forced us to really begin exploring better systems and ways to manage all the things that the two of us manage. We also launched our first ever Winter CSA which gave us a much greater perspective on the growing season as a whole. We’ve seen plants live through deep freezes and 110 degree day heat – the extremes – the highs and lows – and the resilience and adaptiveness of both the plant and the farmers. Necessity is the mother of invention. It took a lot of effort and time to see these successes through and we’re learning all the time. Some risks are bigger than others and we feel more prepared than ever – if it turns out to be another scorcher of a summer – we’ll be way better prepared than we were last year and have a much better expectation and healthier way to manage it all.

–

Adding to the heat wave chaos, Jackson, our bull/sire was badly injured earlier this week. After being separated for months (in order to keep a strict breeding schedule), Jackson finally met up with the rest of the herd a few days ago to begin the breeding with our mama cows. In the midst of all the excitement (the mounting, the reintroductions to the herd, the jousting etc) within 24 hours or reintegration, he has badly injured his back. A completely freak accident that puts a knot in our stomachs. Our Vet believes he has nerve damage and most likely fell while dismounting one of our cows. At the moment he can barely walk and when he does his hind legs give out. It’s heartbreaking to watch. To see an animal that is so emblematic of power become so weak is heart breaking. Not to mention that we have come to really care deeply for this animal, he’s become part of our farm-ily. It’s a time will tell type of situation. He’s young and virile enough that he might have a full recovery. It took all afternoon yesterday but we’ve separated him from the herd (to prevent further injury) and he is now in a safe place where he can rest and hopefully get better. Send good thoughts our way and we will keep you updated on the situation.

–
In times like these I’m so happy to be farming with Brian. In good times and in bad, we really do make such a good team even when things get stressful or we’re both exhausted from the sun. We check in with each other and bring each other water. We commiserate at how much the heat sucks, encourage each other to go in for a break and know ourselves well enough to know our boundaries and limitations. Most times, on the farm, we go to work on one project and a bunch of mini projects pop up aka “mini fires” that must be put out immediately. It’s not always easy to switch gears but we’ve been doing this for so many years together now that we often times can get it done without saying too much.

–

The ten day looks very promising though and seems as though there is a reprieve coming our way starting today! 70’s and mixed clouds and sun (our favorite!) It’ll make farming that much more enjoyable. So send some cool thoughts our way – we’ll take all we can get!

–

We’ll be planting out our melons, winter squash, pumpkins, lettuces, onions, third succession of corn and broccoli this week. We’re also beginning to seed, plant and prepare for our Fall and winter crops. So, keep your eyes open for details about our 2016/2017 Winter CSA in the coming weeks!

–

corn1 –

–

Online WHF Farmstore. Thank you for your orders at the WHF Farmstore this past week. We’ve added even more fresh pork items this week that we’re really excited about. Here’s the link: http://workinghandsfarmstore.com/collections/all The online farmstore features NEW and improved USDA recipes and cuts that make our pastured heritage pork shine! Wehave products available by the share and by individual cuts.

–

Exciting New Uncured & Nitrite-Free** Items!

**No Nitrites/Nitrates Added except for naturally occurring nitrates in celery powder and sea salt

◦ Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon

◦ Applewood Smoked Uncured Shoulder Bacon

◦ Small Boneless Uncured Hams (2-4lbs)

◦ Canadian Bacon Uncured

◦ Smoked Pork Chops

◦ Spare Ribs

◦ Baby Back Ribs

◦ Pork Tenderloin

–

Over 10 different kinds of Fresh & Smoked Sausages!

◦ Fresh Bratwurst Sausage Links

◦ Fresh Country Breakfast Sausage Links(sugar free too!)

◦ Fresh Spicy Italian Sausage Links

◦ Fresh Hot Italian Sausage Links

◦ Fresh Sweet Italian Sausage Links

◦ Fresh Linguica Sausage Links

◦ Smoked German Sausage Links

◦ Smoked Kielbasa Sausage Links

◦ Smoked Bratwurst Sausage Links – Your Farmer’s Favorite!

◦ Ground Sweet Italian (no links)

◦ Ground Pork Sausage (no links)

◦ Ground Hot Italian (no links) – Your Farmer’s Favorite!

◦ Ground Pork Sausage (no links)

–

Spread the good word and forward the WHF online farmstore link: http://www.workinghandsfarmstore.com to friends and family! Help us to build a great customer base full of folks that want to invest in sustainable agriculture and reach out to family and friends about our amazing pastured pork.

–

–

Enjoy this week‘s veggies! There are many new amazing items in the share this week and we look forward to hearing and seeing what you all come up with this week!

–

With kind regards,

–

Your (sweaty) farmers,

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

The Spring Avalanche (CSA Week 3)

Posted on 31 May 2016

–

Reminder: Final CSA Payments are due by tomorrow, Wednesday JUNE 1^st !Please see email “Final CSA Payment Due by June 1st” for details.

–

The Spring Avalanche.

–

It’s that time of the year where all the things on the farm must be done. Tending to early Spring crops, harvesting, preparing beds for mid summer crops, seeding, transplanting, weeding, flame weeding, watering and irrigating, filling trays and starting seeds for Fall crops and thinking of all the things to be started later in the month for over wintering/the Winter CSA. And then there’s 3,000lbs of produce that we harvest each week for our amazing CSA members. Rotating the livestock, building fences, irrigating the pasture, loading and stacking the first of the hay… Some farmers call it the Spring Avalanche. Now it feels like it’s turning into the Summer Tsunami. Where the lists keep growing and you hardly have time to cross something completely off the list without something else quickly taking its place. It’s kind of insane and a whole lot of crazy. We must be crazy, right? The good kind? It’s a pretty darn productive kind of crazy.. but crazy nonetheless. And we love it (that must be the crazy part). Makes us think of this quote,

–

“‎A farm is a manipulative creature. There is no such thing as finished. Work comes in a stream and has no end. There are only the things that must be done now and things that can be done later. The threat the farm has got on you, the one that keeps you running from can until can’t, is this: do it now, or some living thing will wilt or suffer or die. Its blackmail, really.” -Kristen Kimbell

–

trifecta -=

The most important thing we can do is eat well because that’s what keeps us so darn productive – gotta take good care of ourselves. Farmer Brian wanted me to mention that his favorite kind of cookie is oatmeal raisin if any of our members happen to be baking near or on their CSA day.. who’s he kidding.. he likes all kinds of sweets 😉

–

It’ll probably be another long week for us with the 10day forecast (98 degrees?!) The days always start out with taking care of the livestock followed by early morning harvest, irrigating and other random things that need to get done followed by some planting, seeding or weeding after early dinner (have you seen the video of the new Stand ‘n plant we bought last week? It’s been a game changer for planting!) We’ll be busy prepping new ground over the next few days with compost, fertilizer and lime for our winter squash, pumpkins and melons. An acre of delicious goodies all ready to be planted! There is too much to get done, as we ease ourselves into 16 hour work days, so we probably won’t be at pick ups this week but do cheer us on and send us some of that awesome energy you all are storing up from the tasty veggies. We always appreciate a friendly wave if you see us bouncing along on the tractor or hoeing the fields!

–

Our 10,000^th CSA Share! We figured out that this week marks harvesting our 10,000^th CSA share! Two farmers, one farm… that means we’ve each harvested roughly 5,000 shares each and it also means by the end of this year we’ll have harvested and distributed over HALF A MILLION POUNDS of produce total over the last 7 years! Crazy sauce.

– onthefarm

–

Learn a little bit more about your farmers…. Last Fall your farmers had the amazing opportunity to be interviewed for the Farmer to Farmer podcast with Chris Blanchard. Chris asked us about the start of the farm, how we manage the farm as a couple and we even take a trip to Uganda. The Farmer to Farmer podcast has been a huge inspiration to us and many other farmers and we couldn’t have been more excited to participate! Have a listen at the link below and enjoy.

–

Podcast Link: farmertofarmerpodcast.com/episodes/powers or look up the Farmer to Farmer podcast episode #40 on iTunes.

–

Last October I reflect on how farming brought Brian and I together and you can read more about that here: https://workinghandsfarm.com/2015/10/13/to-adventure-week-22/
–—

Words of Encouragement. We wanted to give a shout out to all our members for their amazing feedback and slurry of food and recipe related posts on the WHF Members Page of Facebook. You all have been killing it. SERIOUSLY! It’s been such a huge source of inspiration for us – we eat a lot of vegetables (as you can imagine) and it’s been SO fun to cook and prepare some new things! Thank you all for sharing. It’s really such an amazing resource for members both new and old. And as we’ve said before it completes our food journey here on the farm to hear and see how the hard work is being utilized and enjoyed! We love it so so much.

–

–

Online WHF Farmstore. Have you visited our online farmstore recently? Here’s the link: http://workinghandsfarmstore.com/collections/all We have updated our online farmstore featuring NEW and improved USDA recipes and cuts that make our pastured heritage pork shine! We now have products available by the share and by individual cuts.

–

We are thrilled to be working with a new USDA certified processor who is also a lady farmer and has been selling custom cuts at the Beaverton Farmers market for the past 16 years. Her and her husband have built a beautiful new facility and proudly provide a completely allergen free environment (for those concerned about peanut, gluten and dairy allergies). Between their knowledge of providing the finest uncured/no nitrate added options and our unbelievable heritage pork we couldn’t be more excited to offer these new products to you.

–

Exciting New Uncured & Nitrite-Free** Items!

**No Nitrites/Nitrates Added except for naturally occurring nitrates in celery powder and sea salt

Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon
Applewood Smoked Uncured Shoulder Bacon
Small Boneless Uncured Hams (2-4lbs)
Canadian Bacon Uncured
Smoked Pork Chops
Spare Ribs
Baby Back Ribs
Pork Tenderloin

–

Over 10 different kinds of Fresh & Smoked Sausages!

Fresh Bratwurst Sausage Links
Fresh Country Breakfast Sausage Links(sugar free too!)
Fresh Spicy Italian Sausage Links
Fresh Hot Italian Sausage Links
Fresh Sweet Italian Sausage Links
Fresh Linguica Links
Smoked German Sausage Links
Smoked Kielbasa Sausage Links
Ground Hot Italian (no links) – Your Farmer’s Favorite!
Ground Pork Sausage (no links)

—

–

And we’ll be adding a few more items next week! Spread the good word and forward the WHF online farmstore link: http://www.workinghandsfarmstore.com to friends and family! Help us to build a great customer base full of folks that want to invest in sustainable agriculture and reach out to family and friends about our amazing pastured pork.

–

Enjoy this week’s veggies! We look forward to hearing and seeing what you all come up with this week!

–

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

Bringing It Home (CSA Week 2)

Posted on 24 May 2016

–

Reminder: Second CSA payments are due by June 1st (in one week!) Check out the email ‘Final CSA Payment Due by June 1st’ for more details!

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily

–

CSA Week 2 is here and over the next few weeks everyone will be getting into the groove of the CSA (including your farmers!) Making more home cooked meals, feeling more confident in the kitchen, being open to trying new veggies! We decided to keep the encouragement high with some helpful tips for CSA success. These aren’t all the ways to be successful as each person’s journey is there own but eating well, preparing food at home, being conscious of our own food journeys, and staying inspired and curious about nourishing ourselves, our families & friends is what it’s all about. If anything, reading through these should encourage you and make you feel great about the choice to sign up for CSA and be a part of your local farm!

–

Newsletter & Recipes. First and foremost, read the weekly newsletter and emailed recipe pdf each week! There are lots of farm updates that you don’t want to miss out on.. as well as some tried and true recipes and suggestions from your farmers on how to prepare your weekly share. We love growing the food but it’s just as important to us that you are eating and preparing the food and therefore have a life changing and positive experience!

–

Meal planning. This is a great way to utilize each week’s bounty. For those who have their meals planned each week you know that planning goes as follow: collect your CSA, pick recipes, make a list and then purchase complimentary groceries. With CSA the idea is to start planning your meals after you pick up your share. If meal planning seems overwhelming, start with just a few planned meals a week. This change in the process means cooking with what’s in season, and it’s a good habit to get into to eating better and feeling great. Pro tip from farmer Brian: Try preparing a meal that will provide sufficient left overs the night before you collect your CSA. This way when you arrive home with your share you have time thoughtfully break everything down and store it without anyone getting hangry!

–

How to stride ahead. This is a great video showing the simplicity and ease of processing veggies when first bringing them home. Oh, the practical pleasures of eating.. of just how washing or soaking the greens, pre-roasting/cooking, & storing veggies can make for many more homemade meals in a busy week, increase the longevity of the produce and make cooking enjoyable (as it should be!) And as one of our tenured CSA members said last year, “Make friends with your knife, cutting board, sink, dish towel, salad spinner, stove, and oven. They aren’t instruments of drudgery, they are keys to liberation. The time you spend prepping and cooking food is time to think and be present in the moment–“mindfulness” is a free benefit of CSA membership, so take advantage and enjoy it!”

–

Storing the veggies: Root veggies (beets, carrots etc) and other bulb veggies (radish, turnip, kohlrabi, onions, fennel etc) all have leafy greens attached. Make sure to cut the greens right where they meet the root and store them separately so that they stop drawing moisture out of the veggie through the process of respiration (if your carrots, radishes, beets etc get floppy.. now you know why).

–

Our bagged greens should keep wonderfully during the week in the “Bio-Bags.” One feature of the BioBag is that it “breathes” without leaking. This unique benefit allows excess moisture to evaporate, which keeps fruits and vegetables fresher, longer. For other items, it’s important to prep bunched greens and lettuce heads by washing, chopping and storing them in a tightly sealed container with a moist paper towel or try washing them wrapping them in a moist towel/paper towel and putting them in a bag. Otherwise the refrigerator has its way with them and sucks out all their moisture… leaving much to be desired.

–

–

Getting your fridge ready for fresh goodies! Take the time the night before to make space for a new box of goodies, and to take inventory of any veggies that would love to be used up in a ‘end of the week’ stirfry, curry, soup, roasted veg, kale chips, smoothies, or green pesto! Making vegetable stock is always a happy solution for extra veggies – rough chop them, simmer them in a few quarts of water (a cup or two of veggies to one quart of water) for 30 – 40 minutes, and you have stock. Strain it, freeze it, and so versatile! Flavorful, rich in vitamins and minerals..

–

Save those “scraps”! Save the stems from the kale, collards, chard, spinach, the thick stalks from the broccoli, the ends and peels of carrots, tops of peppers, radish stems etc… Wrap up the scraps as you accumulate them (a pyrex or a bag with a moist towel works) and stash them in the fridge. At the end of the week you can make a delicious stock. Some folks make a gallon sized bag of “stock items” and freeze it for later… Check out this helpful blog post with all the details! Or, try out this recipe by Tamar Adler for Garlicky Leaf Stem and Core Pesto! Or, as one of our awesome members pointed out – make a quick pickle out of the stems (chard, beet, kale, collard stems etc)! Pickled stuff is delicious with all meals.

–

Eat More Veggies! Add or double the amount of vegetables in your meals! See how many different vegetables you can pack in to what you’re already cooking. Eat the most tender greens and veggies first! For breakfast try a simple sautee with greens & garlic, biscuits, with eggs, in a quiche, simple salad or veggie pancakes. Drink your veggies! There are so many great veggie smoothies out there – whatever you have give it a go!

–

share1 =

Enjoy eating new vegetables! One of our greatest examples of this is the amount of people who grew up on boiled to death beets.. or worse, canned tasteless beets. When people try the beets from the farm in a new way (roasted, in a salad, as burgers or even in brownies) they change their minds and there are so many things that contribute to that. Mostly, it’s the openness of trying something new or trying something in a new way. Branch out and explore your palette and see what tastes great to you. You have your farmers to consult and a wealth of resources at your fingertips so don’t hesitate to be inspired!

–

Join the Working Hands Farm CSA Member Group on Facebook. The WHF Facebook Group is a safe place (a private group) for Working Hands Farm CSA members to share recipe ideas, kitchen prep successes, food preservation ideas etc! Check your email (titled, ‘WHF Member Page’) for the link and instructions on how to join!

–

Get inspired by Seasonal Cookbooks & Recipe Blogs. Check out our Farmer Approved List here: https://workinghandsfarm.com/2016/05/16/whf-farmer-approved-cook-books-food-blogs/

–

Freezing and canning. Our Week 4 newsletter from a few season’s ago is full of helpful information and places to start. Some suggestions include: The Fermentation Bible: Wild Fermentation – by Sandor Ellix Katz, Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round, Ball Blue Book of Preserving etc. Don’t forget that although you’re enjoying your veggies now there’s something satisfying about saving your extras for later in the year! We are on our last dozen jars of homemade tomato sauce and can’t express how lovely it is to pop open a jar of our summer tomatoes!

–

–

Eating in season! We live in such a fertile part of the US and should relish in all the wonderful things that grow where we live. Waiting for those first seasonal crops can be hard after a winter of root veggies, brassicas, soups etc but everything tastes that much sweeter (because it’s fresh, in season and grown just down the road in the dirt & in the open air!) It’s easy to enjoy the conveniences of the grocery store (that’s what it’s there for) but we tell ya that waiting all winter and spring for that first seasonal vine ripened tomato is the best thing for ya!

–

As your CSA farmers, throughout the 28-week season we provide you with the most nutrient rich, organic, thoughtfully-grown, fresh picked & seasonal produce! We strive to grow produce according to the seasons and to the best of our abilities. To introduce you to new varieties of veggies & include delicious ways to prepare them! To encourage you to enjoy your time in the kitchen, be playful and to have fun. Each week that you pick up your bounty we pass the torch to you. We’re a part of each others food journey and we look forward to hearing week to week about what you’re cooking, what was eaten first and what you really enjoyed. It completes our food journey here on the farm to hear and see how the hard work is being utilized and enjoyed!

–

Thanks again for all your support and we look forward to sharing in the bounty with you this season. We leave you with some of our tenured member (Hazy Katz) tips for CSA success!

—

With kind regards,

–

your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

It’s Go Time! (CSA Week 1)

Posted on 16 May 2016

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–
Let the 2016 Spring harvest season begin! We are so happy and appreciative of all your support and encouragement over the last 5 months (since our 2016 season started). Our Spring, Summer and Fall CSA has been months in the making and we look forward to the season beginning and to celebrate with a bountiful harvest this week!

–

Flow of the CSA. Over the next few weeks we will all begin to get into the flow of pick ups, harvests, seasons, you name it. Spring is a great time to adapt-to and learn new habits, to eat seasonally and fresh. We remind you to be patient, to be excited and to enjoy the ride. There are so many decisions that one person must make everyday – a daunting task at times – revel in those food choices your farmers and the changing of the seasons are making for you each week. Get creative & be inspired. Ask questions & be open – you’ll be surprised what you might find as the season unfolds.

–

Enjoy all the benefits of eating fresh (picked THAT morning), eating seasonally (sorry, no tomatoes in May), and local (your local farmer, Brian and I, need the support of our community)!

–

Safety note on pick ups: We are putting up a new pole barn near the pick up area (check out our post from Sunday for the details). Please watch your children and keep them away from the heavy machinery. The project is set to finish in early July so we will keep you all posted with updates. The wee-farm goat greeters! The goats should be back upfront after the building is finished. The “Lost Boys” are currently mowing our backyard and eating back the Himalayan blackberry hedgerow around the farm’s periphery. *It’s also important while the pole building is going up that folks do not arrive early so that the building crew can tidy things up before members arrive. *

–

Farm Pick Up Time. Farm Pick Ups take place on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 4 – 7pm (please double check on your assigned day). Note: Bi-Weekly share members pick up their produce every other week throughout the course of the 28 week CSA season (a total of 14 shares). Bi-Weekly members will pick up their share on weeks 1,3,5,7, etc… or 2,4,6,8, etc… depending on your assigned CSA start date.

–

It’s important to pick up between 4-7pm on your assigned day (and not a minute before) as it’s just the two of us and we harvest most everything fresh that morning so your farmer’s need the time to harvest, wash and set up the pick up area. *It’s also important while the pole building is going up that folks do not arrive early so that the crew can tidy things up before members arrive.

–

week 1 d –

Parking. There is a nice big parking area for a convenient and stress free pick-up. Please park facing the new pole barn as this will help to keep a consistent flow of traffic which will help to keep children crossing the parking lot safe. Park thoughtfully as folks tend to come in waves and the parking will fill up fast! There are also children and families who will be moving from the pick-up area to the parking lot so please drive slowly. We are located on a busy country road so please be patient coming and going from the farm (oh the pros and cons of living on a main country road!)

–

Pick-Up Area. We are breathing new life into a very old and forgotten farm property so you will see it become more and more beautiful as the seasons and years go on… over 4 years ago all that remained on this property was a dilapidated old barn that was covered in 12ft tall blackberries and the old farmhouse by the road. The CSA Member Area is now located on the side of this original farmhouse (“Freda’s House”) built in the early 1900’s. Thank you for growing with us and for being a part of this process.

–

–

The Pick-Up. Please sign in before grabbing your goodies. You will enter the member area and move counterclockwise, packing your own share with the allotted amounts of vegetables written next to each varietal. Please bring 2-3 reusable shopping bags, a crate or some members even use a laundry basket to put your produce in. It’s nice to have a few bags for heavier items and a bag for bunched greens/more fragile items etc.

–

Pick-Up is also a great opportunity to meet other members and share over the common bonds of food, health and community! If you are unable to come pick up your share from 4-7pm on your assigned day, you can either arrange for a friend, family member, colleague etc to pick it up for you. If you cannot find anyone to pick-up the share on your behalf please give us 48hr notice (emails are best).

–

Be sure to visit our FAQ’s for any other questions you may have: https://workinghandsfarm.com/q-a/

–

–

WHF Pastured Pork, Grass-Fed Beef Shares & Pastured Eggs. All available items are updated on our Online Farmstore! You can make an order there and we will have your order ready to pick up at your next CSA pick up day. We will be updating the online store this weekend with even more selections of ham, new blends of sausage, smoked pork chops etc! Our Grass-Fed Beef shares will be available at the end of this summer/early Fall. For egg orders, we are sold out of egg shares for May & June but expect to have more shares available when our newest layers come in to egg production in July. Please send us an email with your interest and we’ll add you to our waiting list! To learn more about our golden yolked eggs rich in color, flavor and nutrients: click here.

–

CSA Recipes. There will be 2-4 recipes emailed to you with each weekly share. These recipes have been tried and tested (and doubly approved by your farmers)! If you happen to try a different recipe with some of the veggies from that Week’s Share feel free to send it our way so that we too can try it and share it with others! Click here to check out your farmer approved cookbooks and food blogs!

–

Egg cartons, Berry Boxes, Rubberbands etc. For all those who purchase eggs, please save up your WHF egg cartons for us and return them. We also reuse all berry boxes (1/2 pints, pints, quarts) and rubberbands so you can return those as well. We are a thoughtful farm in terms of minimizing waste and reuse what we can! There will be a place to return these items by the sign-in sheet.

–

–

Working Hands Farm CSA Member Group on Facebook! An email has been sent out with instructions to join the Working Hands Farm CSA Member Group on Facebook. It’s a safe place (a private group) exclusively for Working Hands Farm CSA members to share recipe ideas, kitchen prep successes, food preservation ideas, articles, resources etc. Check your email to join the group. Participation is highly encouraged!

–

Farm livestock. All of our members will have the opportunity to see/visit the livestock on our farm during our to-be-scheduled CSA Farm Day. Keep in mind that almost all of our livestock are kept inside of electrified fences so parents please keep a close eye on you children during this day.

–

CSA Farm Day, Pumpkin Day, Newsletters etc. Throughout the season we offer opportunities to enjoy a CSA Member Farm Day, pumpkin pick day etc all on the farm. Also, to keep our farm-ily connected to the farm, the seasons and what it takes to grow food locally we send a weekly farm newsletter so be sure to read the whole thing through! We post frequently on instagram, facebook to share in our day-to-day and to stay connected with people (as you can imagine we spend 99% of our time with vegetables and 2-4 legged critters ha!) All of these opportunities are a great way to see the farm, chat with your farmers, meet other CSA members in the community and enjoy the seasons on the farm.

–

–

Thank you again for all your support! It’s been a busy Spring and there is much anticipation to get this season started. We have another exciting season ahead with over 70 different types of vegetables and several different varieties of each (it’s never a dull moment on the farm!) Your farmers have been working harder than ever to get the season started early and have more variety in the shares early on!

–

Enjoy the leafy greens and cool weather brassica crops that you will find in the first few week’s of the CSA (the Spring seasons natural cleanse… after a Winter full of root crops and heavier foods). The greens will be tender, delicious and untouched by the heat that summer brings. Enjoy them while they are here! The bounty will continue to grow and grow and grow as we near the longer, warmer days of Summer! Thanks again for all your support and we look forward to sharing in the bounty with you this season.

–

With kind regards,

–

Your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

WHF Farmer Approved cook books & food blogs!

Posted on 16 May 2016

–

Joshua McFadden’s Book, Six Seasons a new way with vegetables (one of our recent favorites): https://www.powells.com/book/-9781579656317

–

Dishing Up the Dirt & Let Them Eat Dirt: Recipes created from an Oregon Farmer for the whole family to enjoy! https://www.powells.com/book/let-them-eat-dirt-9781645679608 https://www.letthemeatdirtkids.com/

–

Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables is not your typical cookbook–it is a how-to-cook book of a variety of vegetables. Author Abra Berens–chef, farmer, Midwesterner–shares a collection of techniques that result in new flavors, textures, and ways to enjoy all the vegetables you want to eat. From confit to caramelized and everything in between–braised, blistered, roasted and raw–the cooking methods covered here make this cookbook a go-to reference. https://www.powells.com/book/-9781452169323/

–

Tenderheart Heritage and food have always been linked for Hetty Lui McKinnon. Tenderheart is a loving homage to her father, a Chinese immigrant in Australia, told in flavorful, vegetarian recipes. Growing up as part of a Chinese family in Australia, McKinnon formed a deep appreciation for her bicultural identity, and for her father, who moved to Sydney as a teenager and learned English while selling bananas at a local market. As he brought home crates full of produce after work, McKinnon learned about the beauty and versatility of fruits and vegetables. Tenderheart is the happy outcome of McKinnon’s love of vegetables, featuring 22 essential fruits and vegetables that become the basis for over 180 recipes. https://www.powells.com/book/-9780593534861/

–

From Asparagus to Zucchini – This is a great guide to cooking farm-fresh seasonal produce made just for CSA members. 420 original recipes written by farmers, members & cooks who love veggies in Wisconsin. As well as tricks and tips for utilizing & storing your veggies in the most optimal way! Click here to learn more..

–

Farm-Fresh & Fast – From the makers of From Asparagus to Zucchini. Providing easy to create recipes using common ingredients from CSA shares and farmers market stands. This is a great companion book to From A to Z! Click here to learn more..

–

The Moosewood Cookbook – The Moosewood Cookbook has inspired generations to cook simple, healthy, and seasonal food. A classic listed as one of the top ten best-selling cookbooks of all time by the New York Times written by Mollie Katzen. Click here to learn more..

–

The Book of Greens – “From one of Portland, Oregon’s most acclaimed chefs comes this encyclopedic reference to the world of greens, with more than 150 creative recipes for every meal of the day. For any home cook who is stuck in a three-green rut who wants to cook healthy, delicious, vegetable-focused meals, but is tired of predictable salads with kale, lettuce, cabbage, and the other usual suspects The Book of Greens has the solution.” Click here to learn more…

––

Dishing Up the Dirt – A fellow farmer in Oregonian just came out with a brand new cookbook! :For Andrea Bemis, who owns and runs a six-acre organic farm with her husband outside of Portland, Oregon, dinners are inspired by what is grown in the soil and picked by hand. 100 authentic farm-to-table recipes, arranged by season.” Click here to learn more..

–

The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest – This second volume in Mollie Katzen’s classic cooking series features over 200 vegetarian recipes and a bounty of kitchen guidance from one of America’s dearest cookbook authors. Click here to learn more..

–

An Everlasting Meal Cooking with Economy & Grace – I love this book written by Tamar Adler. It breaks down cooking and preparing foods in the most simple and delicious of ways. Great recipes for using what you have, wherever you are. From how to properly boil foods to ‘suggestions for what to do when cooking seems like a chore, and strategies for preparing, storing, and transforming ingredients for a week’s worth of satisfying, delicious meals.’ Here’s a little video that reminds us of the practical pleasures of eating – of just how washing or soaking the greens, pre-roasting/cooking, & storing veggies can make for many more homemade meals in a busy week, increase the longevity of the produce and make cooking enjoyable (as it should be!) Click here to learn more..

—

Vegetable Literacy – A beautifully written and compiled book by Deborah Madison featuring over 300 vegetable recipes. “Destined to become the new standard reference for cooking vegetables, Vegetable Literacy shows cooks that, because of their shared characteristics, vegetables within the same family can be used interchangeably in cooking.” Fascinating and inspiring (both in written and visual form) for the cook in the family! Click here to learn more..

–

The America’s Test Kitchen Complete Vegetarian Cookbook – ATK’s cookbook with 700+ recipes in this comprehensive collection show you inventive and uncomplicated techniques for making boldly flavored main dishes, appetizers, soups and stews, pasta, pizzas, and more. With over 700 recipes you’re surely never to run out of ideas! Click here to learn more..

–

Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes – Discover the fascinating history and lore of 29 major roots, their nutritional content, how to buy and store them, and much more, from the familiar (beets, carrots, potatoes) to the unfamiliar (jicama, salsify, malanga) to the practically unheard of (cassava, galangal, crosnes). The best part? More than 225 recipes–salads, soups, side dishes, main courses, drinks, and desserts–that bring out the earthy goodness of each and every one of these intriguing vegetables. From Andean tubers and burdock to yams and yuca, this essential culinary encyclopedia lets dedicated home cooks achieve a new level of taste and sophistication in their everyday cooking. Click here to learn more..

–

Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables – In Six Seasons, his first book, McFadden channels both farmer and chef, highlighting the evolving attributes of vegetables throughout their growing seasons—an arc from spring to early summer to midsummer to the bursting harvest of late summer, then ebbing into autumn and, finally, the earthy, mellow sweetness of winter. Each chapter begins with recipes featuring raw vegetables at the start of their season. As weeks progress, McFadden turns up the heat—grilling and steaming, then moving on to sautés, pan roasts, braises, and stews. His ingenuity is on display in 225 revelatory recipes that celebrate flavor at its peak. Click here to learn more…

–

Brassicas: Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables: Kale, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts and More – A cookbook showcasing 80 recipes for the most popular of the world’s healthiest vegetables–kale, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, leafy greens, and more–tailored to accommodate special diets such as gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Click here to learn more..

–

River Cottage Veg A comprehensive collection of 200+ recipes that embrace vegetarian cuisine as the centerpiece of a meal, from the leading food authority behind the critically acclaimed River Cottage series. Pioneering champion of sustainable foods Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall embraces all manner of vegetables in his latest cookbook, an inventive offering of more than two hundred vegetable-based recipes, including more than sixty vegan recipes. Having undergone a revolution in his personal eating habits, Fearnley-Whittingstall changed his culinary focus from meat to vegetables, and now passionately shares the joys of vegetable-centric food with recipes such as Kale and Mushroom Lasagna; Herby, Peanutty, Noodly Salad; and Winter Stir-Fry with Chinese Five-Spice. Click here to learn more…

–

Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces from the author of Food in Jars – Preserving by the Pint is meant to be a guide for saving smaller batches from farmer’s markets and produce stands—preserving tricks for stopping time in a jar. Click here to learn more..

–

Love Real Food The path to a healthy body and happy belly is paved with real food—fresh, wholesome, sustainable food—and it doesn’t need to be so difficult. No one knows this more than Kathryne Taylor of America’s most popular vegetarian food blog, Cookie + Kate. With Love Real Food, she offers more than 100 approachable and outrageously delicious meatless recipes complete with substitutions to make meals special diet–friendly (gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free) whenever possible. Her book is designed to show everyone—vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters alike—how to eat well and feel well. Click here to learn more…

–

The Love and Lemons Cookbook: An Apple-to-Zucchini Celebration of Impromptu Cooking – Sometimes all you need is a little spark of inspiration to change up your regular cooking routine. The Love & Lemons Cookbook features more than one hundred simple recipes that help you turn your farmers market finds into delicious meals. Click here to learn more..

–

Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*&% – Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular website to inspire people to eatsome goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Intheir first cookbook, they’re throwing down more than 100 recipes fortheir best-loved meals, snacks and sides for beginning cooks to homechefs. (Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos? Pumpkin Chili? GrilledPeach Salsa? Believe that sh*t.) Plus they’re going to arm you with allthe info and techniques you need to shop on a budget and go and kick abunch of ass on your own. Click here to learn more..

–

–

Food Blogs:

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Green Kitchen Stories

It’s not the end, it’s just the beginning (winter csa share week 17 & 18)

Posted on 13 Apr 2016

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

Whoo hoo! We’re officially SOLD OUT for the 2016 Spring, Summer & Fall CSA Season! If you’d like to be added to our waiting list please fill out the sign up form here: https://workinghandsfarm.com/signupform/and we’ll email you should a share become available! We can’t wait for the 2016 CSA season to start! Thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old who have signed up for the 2016 Spring and Summer CSA season!

Winter CSA Success! This week is the final pick up week of our inaugural Winter CSA season and I know we’ve said this before but we LOVE the Winter CSA! We didn’t know what to fully expect back in June when we began planning, prepping, seeding and transplanting for the winter CSA but are so pleased that all the planning turned out even with the wettest winter weather ever – the vegetables proved just how resilient they are and how much we’ve learned over 7 years of growing. It’s given us a whole new perspective on farming and we’ve never ate so good through the winter! Thank you for being willing to experiment with us over the course of this inaugural Winter CSA.

–

–

The Winter Bounty. We started our Winter CSA journey on December 2^nd and we’ve made it all the way to the middle of April! Our expectation for the Winter Shares were 5-10 items (dependent on weather) in each weekly share. Over the course of 18 weeks we had 11+ items in each weekly share. We were also impressed with the variety of veggies we harvested through the winter months – most weeks we had more fresh picked produce than storage veggies which is amazing! To top it all off, it was an average of 400lbs per share which comes in under $1.50 per lb of produce.

–

So many different kind of goodies in the winter shares…Asparagus, arugula, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, cilantro, collards, garlic, greens mix, italian dandelion, kale, kohlrabi, komatsuna, leeks, lettuce heads, onions, herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano), pac choi, parsley, parsnips, pumpkins, radish, rapini, radicchio, rhubarb, romanesco, rutabaga, shallots, spaghetti squash, spinach, sprouting broccoli, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, storage tomatoes, turnips, winter squash and more!

–

–

We are so excited to learn and grow for the next winter season! Keep your eyes and ears open when we launch the 2016 Winter CSA Sign Ups later this summer! We’ll be starting Fall and Winter veggie starts in the coming months (we’re always thinking ahead…!)

–

A wonderful family visit. After an amazing 2 week visit my folks headed back east to their home in Massachusetts. I can’t express just how much their visit meant to Brian and I. The last time they were able to visit was at our wedding which was almost 2 years ago! It was amazing spending the days together – eating three square meals, talking, working side by side and just enjoying each other’s company. We accomplished so much in just a few weeks time… we were like loaded springs waiting for the turn in the weather and finally, when my parents arrived, there was sun (and even some 90 degree weather!) All the composting, fertilizing, liming, tilling, and planting began! The start of the 2016 growing season had officially begun and it felt right to have them there with us by our sides. They brought their A game and it felt great to reconnect with them as if a day never passed since the last time we saw them. It’s amazing how much we miss them already and hope it’s not too long until we see there faces again. Love you guys!

–

After my folks left Brian worked extra hard into the evenings to disc and seed the lower pasture with our old-but-new-to-us seed drill. The extra soggy el nino winter left that bottom acreage under water for a few months time. We talked to a handful of farmers near by and our local forage land specialist at OSU extension and we came up with a pasture mix that we hope will thrive in wetter conditions. It will be amazing to turn those 4 acres into productive ground to graze the cows through the drier part of the season. Fingers crossed this little bit of rain moving through the valley helps germinate all those seeds!

–

Calf Update! The last calf, a beautiful (and giant) heifer calf was born to our mama 1047 last week. She has been warmly taken in by the herd and has been running around the pastures with her other two calf buddies. They are so animated and light on their feet, drinking out of the water trough and getting their fill at the milk bar. All three calves take after their sire Jackson, with the British White markings which makes them easy to spot in the pasture and are pretty darn cute to watch!

–

–

The planting and seeding continues.. we’ll be starting our first curcubits (cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini) in the propagation house this weekend as well as a bunch of greens, flowers and other goodies! We have some cippolini onions, cauliflower, pac choi, greens, herbs etc that will be planted this weekend during the forecasted sunny stretch. It’s hard to believe it’s already the middle of April! Pretty soon harvest will begin again and a whole new adventure awaits! #keepswimming #endlesspossibilities

–

We look forward to seeing and meeting all our Spring/Summer/Fall CSA Members next month! We’ll be in touch with updates about the start date etc. In the meantime, follow us on Instagram & Facebook to keep in touch with our daily happenings on the farm. Here we grow! Whoo hoo!

–

With kind regards,

–

your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

A Planting We Will Go (winter csa week 15 &16)

Posted on 30 Mar 2016

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

Let the planting season begin! This week marks the first week all winter and Spring that we are able to get into the garden and plant and seed like mad farmers. Onions, kale, broccoli, collards, chicory, chard, lettuce, kohlrabi, peas, cabbage and more will all be transplanted this week! Carrots, turnips, cilantro, peas, favas and more will be direct sown in the dirt! Yesterday, we were able to get in 9,000 onions with the help of my parents who are here visiting all the way from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and our wonderful hardworking friend Meaghin. With their help we were able to lime, fertilize and compost half the entire farm (usually a task that would take at least a week or two). For the next 4 days we will have our heads down and our hands full of dirt.. planting, planting, planting!

–

It surely is an exciting time on the farm! An thank you for all your sun dances – they worked!

–

Two out of the three calves due this season were also born last week. One bull calf and one heifer calf. The British White genes are strong with them and they look a lot like their dad, Jackson. All the cows were turned out on pasture over the weekend for the first time this Spring and it sure is one of the best sights to see. They jump and kick and frolick through the grass. The baby chicks are now 6 weeks old and have gotten most of their primary feathers. The piglets are little muscle machines enjoying their time with mom in the sun… once the bottom land dries up a bit they will be moved to the lower pasture where it’s a touch cooler for them in the late Spring and Summer months with plenty of high protein forage to munch on.

–

Know your farmers, know your food! The Spring, Summer and Fall CSA is drawing near and we only have 2 shares left for the 2016 CSA season! Help us get there by spreading the good word because it makes all the difference. As a farm-ily member once said, “keep your friends close and you farmers closer.”

––

3 Steps to Signing Up:

–

1 Read all about the 2016 CSA season

2 Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement

3 Mail or drop off a Check or Make a Payment Online to reserve your share

–

We can’t wait for the 2016 growing season to start! Thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old who have signed up for the 2016 Spring and Summer CSA season!

–

REMINDER: that first CSA payments are due by this Friday, April 1st!!

–

–

The WHF Farmstore is full stocked with new nitrite and sugar free items (bacon, fresh sausages, canadian bacon, hams etc), an amazing Winter Pork Sale & individual cuts for purchase! We also have a some fresh Spring Pastured Eggs available too from the Ladies of Chateau Poulet! #dirtybeakscleancrops

–

Visit our online WHF Farmstore here: WHF Farmstore

–

Be well, enjoy the sunshine, and root your farmers on! It’s officially game time! *And there’s just two weeks left of the Winter CSA!*

–

p.s. You Winter CSA-ers will notice that the goats have moved! They are currently in our backyard eating back the ever-growing Himalayan blackberry! They say hi 😉

–

With kind regards,

–

your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

The WHF Ark (winter CSA week 13 & 14)

Posted on 16 Mar 2016

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

Well, we’ve loaded up the ark and are ready to set sail! Just kidding.. (kind of) but the flood is back! After 7+ inches of rain in the valley last week the rushing rivers are cresting as we speak. El nino certainly has had other plans for us this season compared to last year. Last year it was sunny and 70 and we were able to get in our strawberry and onion plantings. This year, we’re waiting out the rains and testing our patience, as these two farmers are ready to go! Our first plantings of chard, kale, broccoli, beets, lettuce etc are all ready to get in the ground too. The 10-day looks promising as the rains begin to taper off. We’re gonna need a week of sunshine to dry out the soggy fields before we can plant. We’re keeping a close eye on things though for any opportunity we might get! We’re ready to get our hands dirty. #dirtyhandscleanhearts

–

It’s crazy to think that we have just a month left of harvest for our first ever Winter CSA. Crazy! The Winter CSA has been a blast and we are so excited to reflect on the successes and to do even better next season. In just 4 months time we’ll be planting for winter harvest. Time sure is a funny thing on the farm.

–

Some excellent news! Remember when we asked you guys for a little good luck a few months back? Well, we have some good news: we received the funding through the NRSC’s High Tunnel Initiative and will be putting up a few new high tunnels this Spring and Summer!!! WHOO HOOO! This will allow us to grow even more through the winter months under covered space which is coveted on the farm. Having any bit of insurance when you’re working with nature, the elements and everything in between really helps to mitigate risk. Exciting times!

–\

–

New Nitrate Free Products & Winter Pork Sale! We are excited to share that the WHF Farmstore is fully stocked with new nitrite and sugar free items (bacon, fresh sausages, canadian bacon, hams etc), an amazing Winter Pork Sale & individual cuts for purchase!

–

We are thrilled to announce that we are working with a new USDA certified processor who is also a lady farmer and has been selling custom cuts at the Beaverton Farmers market for the past 16 years. Her and her husband have built a beautiful new facility and proudly provide a completely allergen free environment (for those concerned about peanut, gluten and dairy allergies). Between their knowledge of providing the finest uncured/no nitrate added options and our unbelievable heritage pork we couldn’t be more excited to offer these new products to you. –

Visit our online WHF Farmstore here: WHF Farmstore

As you all know, our pigs live a wonderful completely stress free life and are raised in the sunshine on pasture. They are fed a supplemental diet of certified organic/non-gmo grain that is grown locally by farmers in the NW and vegetables from our organic garden. And as they are raised on pasture they have more heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids and are higher in conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat that’s thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks. As with all of our livestock our animals are raised without use of antibiotics or hormones.

–

–

Know your farmers, know your food! The Spring, Summer and Fall CSA is drawing near and we have a few shares left for the 2016 CSA season! We are really excited and are waiting patiently for the CSA to fill up this year… help us get there by spreading the good word because it makes all the difference. As a farm-ily member once said, “keep your friends close and you farmers closer.”
––

3 Steps to Signing Up:

–

1 Read all about the 2016 CSA season

2 Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement

3 Mail or drop off a Check or Make a Payment Online to reserve your share

–

We can’t wait for the 2016 growing season to start! Thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old who have signed up for the 2016 Spring and Summer CSA season! Reminder: First CSA payments are due by April 1^st!!

–

So send some dry and sunny wishes our way… as we are eager to get our hands dirty. Thankfully there are always things to do on the farm so we will be keeping plenty busy in the mean time.

—

With kind regards,

–

your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

In Like a Lion (winter csa week 11 & 12)

Posted on 4 Mar 2016

–

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” ― Henry David Thoreau

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

—

Welcome March! Spring is certainly in the air and March has definitely lived up to the whole ‘coming in like a lion.’ Hopefully the ‘out like a lamb’ rings true too. The 10-day is looking awfully soggy and we keep crossing our fingers for a dry stretch at the end of it. There are strawberries and onions to plant in the next few weeks followed by our first crops for the Spring/Summer CSA season. The soil has to be dry enough to plant so keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer to the sun gods above!

–

In between the rainstorms we continue to push things forward in the field. The cover crops have been mowed and disc-ed. Brian spent a few solid days drop spreading lime and compost. We picked up our custom fertilizer blend yesterday from Marion Ag. Step by step, now, we wait for the sun so the soil can dry out and become workable (and practice patience!) If we work the soil when it is too wet it will become cloddy and more difficult to transplant, cultivate and weed. But some years you have no choice otherwise it will push back the start date of the CSA too far! Fingers crossed for 3-4 days of solid sunshine!!!

–

Besides getting our ducks in a row with our fertilizer order we’ve also been busy researching pasture grasses to seed in the lower area of the farm. With all the flooding and rain this year most of the bottom pasture was under water for 2+ months – December and January. We’ve talked to a handful of farmers near by and our local forage land specialist at OSU extension and have come up with a mix that we hope will thrive in wetter conditions. Now we just gotta wait until the sky clears and the rains wane so we can get out there to seed! Everything seems to be waiting on the sun…

–

–

In the meantime, we will be turning up soil in our 100ft high tunnel/greenhouse and transplanting a few crops and seeding in a few things. We are on week 12 of the Winter CSA which means we have 6 more weeks to go (18 total). We didn’t know what to expect back in December when it started but are so pleased that all the planning turned out even with the ups and downs and slog that the winter weather brought our way. It’s given us a whole new perspective on farming and like we’ve said before… we’ve never ate so good through the winter!

–

The true test of a winter CSA. The winter CSA has been filled with new challenges that we have faced for the first time and it has also been filled with incredible unforeseen successes. This period in the season will prove to put your farmers through the ultimate test! We are coming up on a challenging time for harvest. The hunger gap. It’s very much an in-between time where the crops that were planted last fall are beginning to bolt (i.e. rapini) and go to flower. The soil is still too wet and cool for things to really germinate quickly which is why high tunnel/greenhouse space is so valuable this time of year. Many of the storage crops are on their last hurrah (onions, garlic etc) who are all starting to sprout as the longer/warmer day are upon us (they say, let us grow!) This part of the season is the true test of a winter CSA. Thank you for being willing to experiment with us over the course of this inaugural winter CSA.

–

–

New life! The propagation house is really filling up with Spring and Summer starts. We have eggplant and peppers on the heat mats waiting for germination (they like the soil to be hot, hot, hot) and in the next few days we’ll be seeding tomatoes, leeks, onions, etc.. The fun never stops.. whoop whoop! It’s crazy to think that in 4+ months we will be enjoying the bounty of summer – tomatoes, peppers, eggplant etc…

–

The trials and tribulations of garlic! Every Fall we plant a significant amount of garlic (this year we planted 3,000 ft/6,000 cloves) that over winters and gets harvested June-July. As past members might remember, our 2015 crop of garlic was hit with the awful Rust fungus which lead to significantly smaller bulbs, smaller yields, less storability and buying all new garlic seed since ours didn’t size up enough. 80lbs of garlic seed x $20/lb adds up quick but we love garlic and are hopeful that this years yield will be better (we buy all our organic garlic seed from a local Pacific NW company – Filaree Garlic Farm)! There’s so much to learn all the time especially with the changes in weather and seasons.

–

Beds are prepped and ready to irrigate (before flaming!), planting garlic and mulching with straw

–

Garlic can be a tricky crop to grow. It seems easy for the first few years but after that your weed seed bank gets churned up and you have way more competition to deal with from weeds come Spring. They are also in the garden growing for 8 months which is a pretty long time! We usually plant in October and this year we wanted to do better so we decided we would prepare the beds in August (compost, fertilize, till 2 months before planting) and lay irrigation to germinate weeds and put our trusty new flame weeder to good use. After a few weeks (once the weeds were established) farmer Brian went through all 10 beds and flame weeded the germinating weeds. It takes about 15-30 minutes per bed to flame them. Once flamed we watered them again. Waited a few weeks and flamed them again. By October we were looking at some pretty weed free and perfect stale seed beds for planting garlic into. We were hoping all that pre emergence flame weeding would really cut down or eliminate or need to hand weed it in the Spring (ouch my back!) In October, after we dibbled the beds (made holes for the cloves to go into) Brian flamed the beds again while I planted behind him… ensuring once and for all (3 times a charm) that weed issues of the past would be a distant memory. To top off all our hard work we put a nice thick layer of organic straw ontop of the beds. This is where things get hairy….

–

–

Our nice thick lawn of straw popping up in the garlic (center) and (on the R & L)removing all the mulch and cleaning it up last month!

–

In October & November, the rains came back which was great because the garden loves the rain. A few weeks after we planted the garlic and mulched we noticed there was a lawn growing – a nice even layer of grass coming up in the whole garlic patch. Our hearts sank. We did not know that the straw was full of viable seed as we bought it from a trusted local source who failed to inform us that the ‘straw’ we purchased was in fact not ‘straw’ at all as it was full of seed (that the grains had been lodged while being harvested.. so they knew, they just didn’t tell us). We had a perfect stand of straw growing where we had just invested so much time, labor, resources and energy into. Would we be able to save the crop? How many hours of labor would it take to remove all the straw and weed the new thicket of rye we had growing (not including all the labor we already put into it). It was crazy. So, for the past month Brian and I have each spent about 40 hours each removing all the straw and pulling out the grass/weeds. It was such a bummer but after all the hard work we have successfully rescued the garlic. We have also decided to go sans-mulch on the garlic this coming Fall. It’s really hard to find an organic local source of straw (especially straw that isn’t full of seed apparently…) so we’re gonna try not using any after seeing the success other fellow farmers have had without mulching. We’re hoping that the worst is over and that any weeding needing to be done from here on out can be done with our Allis Chalmers G cultivating tractor. Onward and upward!

–

Spring Piglets! Tami decided to celebrate #nationalpigday on Tuesday by having her first litter of piglets and she did great! She had seven piglets in the wee hours of the morning. This is her first litter and she’s showing a strong maternal instinct and is keeping her little ones close. We are amazed at how different our two mama sows are – as Rosie (Tami’s mom) has a much more relaxed mothering approach. Tami who is 300+ lbs moves slowly and carefully around her 1-lb piglets – lifting a single leg if she hears a squeal or grunts until everyone is on one side of her before she lays down. She has also positioned her body in such a way to keep the piglets in their house so she can easily watch them. Rosie lets you come in and give her a pet and observe the piglets – no problem.. Tami on the other hand seems to like it better when no one else (including other pigs) is around. Her litter is a cross of a few different heritage breeds – LargeBlack/Tamworth/Berkshire x Duroc.

–

This year’s newest layers arrived last week so there’s a lot of peeping going on in Chateau Poulet They grow so fast and in 20-24 weeks (4.5-5months) they will be integrated with the rest of the flock and laying their very first eggs. It’s amazing though how quickly they imprint and discover how to eat and drink for the first time. Watching them scratch and dust and fan and do all those chicken things right off the bat is amazing.

–

–

2016 CSA Spring & Summer CSA! Thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old who have signed up for the 2016 Spring and Summer CSA season! There are less than a dozen shares available for the 2016 season so be sure to sign up quickly! We are really excited and are waiting patiently for the CSA to fill up this year, more so than ever, as a full CSA and a tight finanical projection means we will be able to hire our first employee! Help us get there by spreading the good word because it makes all the difference. As a farm-ily member once said, “keep your friends close and you farmers closer.”

–

3 Steps to Signing Up:

–

1 Read all about the 2016 CSA season

2 Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement

3 Mail or drop off a Check or Make a Payment Online to reserve your share

–

We can’t wait for the 2016 growing season to start!

–

–

So send some dry and sunny wishes our way… as we are eager to get our hands dirty. Thankfully there are always things to do on the farm so we will be keeping plenty busy in the mean time.

–

p.s. Has anyone watched the Cooked series on netflix with Michael Pollan? Check out the trailer here. We’ve begun it this week and encourage you all to watch it too (as Farmer Brian said, “finally, something worth watching!) Here is the write up: “Explored through the lenses of the four natural elements – fire, water, air and earth – COOKED is an enlightening and compelling look at the evolution of what food means to us through the history of food preparation and its universal ability to connect us. Highlighting our primal human need to cook, the series urges a return to the kitchen to reclaim our lost traditions and to forge a deeper, more meaningful connection to the ingredients and cooking techniques that we use to nourish ourselves.” Check out the book too!

–

With kind regards,

–

your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts–

The February Fly By (winter csa week 9 & 10)

Posted on 19 Feb 2016

–

“A seed is small but rich with possibility, like love, which is as humble as it is powerful.” —Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

February is just flying by and your farmers are keeping pace as things keep moving right along here on the farm! The first seeds have sprouted in the greenhouse and are even forming their ‘first true leaves’. We worked extra late on Tuesday and Wednesday night to get the first seeds in the ground (outside in the field) and to beat the rain and stormy weather that was headed our way. Hence, the tardiness of the newsletter… one step at a time.

–

We’ve had a blast figuring out stuff this month. So many projects to begin and so many fun things to check off the list. We got our soil test results back a couple week ago and our soil is looking healthier than ever! Soil Organic matter is up almost 2% over the last couple years! Based on the this years test results, we’ve just about finalized our 2016 custom organic fertilizer blend, which means let the bed prepping begin! Liming, composting, fertilizing, tilling all that in and getting the ground ready for the first transplants in March. Hopefully we have a nice long stretch of dry weather coming up so we can work the soil. The few days of dry followed by a few days of wet doesn’t allow the soil to dry out quite enough to the texture and consistency that we like to plant and seed into. Fingers crossed!

–

–

The custom cover crop we seeded in late September – of triticale, peas and vetch – has really taken off with the mild temperatures and soon we gotta get that tilled in too. It takes about 6-8 weeks, depending on the weather, to fully incorporate it, break down and let the soil dry out. Cover cropping is so important in our long term fertilizer program as it’s nitrogen-fixing, soil-conditioning, erosion-preventing & bio-mass-building. Since we officially turned ground on this property in 2013 the soil’s health just keeps on getting better (before that we were farming just few miles down River Rd. from 2009-2013). It is because of our CSA members investment and our methodology that we can improve the soils on our farm! And it is working! We have the tests to prove it! We have really enjoyed learning about the history and the soil here and making improvements from season to season. It’s amazing that we get to invest only the best into our soils in order to produce healthy, organically grown, fresh, nutrient rich produce! “If I grow good soil, I can forget about the vegetables.” – Nigel Walker Here’s to another season of growing and learning and everything in between!

–

–

This poem fits. Not Anyone Who Says by Mary Oliver. photo taken in 2011 at the Nile River

–

In the midst of the February projects and excitement, Valentine’s day had me looking through some old photos of Brian and I when we first met. Some of you already know the story (if not, you can read about it here) It doesn’t feel like time passes by too quickly while you’re living it but looking at those old photos… it’s crazy to see just how much time has passed or how many things have happened in between. It’s really nice to remember where you were and how far you’ve come and to appreciate the person who’s been there with you through it all.

–

Brian and I have both grown a lot as individuals and as husband and wife, as friends, farmers and business partners. Through it all we both feel grateful that the universe brought us together. Together we thrive and we absolutely love what we do every single day. We bring out the best in each other and it’s not always easy – the farm being a manipulative creature and what not – but every day we give it our best shot. Farming is the reason we met and were brought together. We had a good chuckle and a bunch of smiles while looking through those old farm photos. All the hand dug beds, hand seeded crops, city deliveries, extra back breaking labor etc.. that this farm was built upon – the work – the challenge – the risk – the excitement – the bounty – the stick-to-itiveness – the ‘growing’ better from season to season – and the deep satisfaction of providing safe, delicious, fresh produce to our community with a connection to the farm and it’s farmers. In our infancy as farmers these are the things that brought us together and helped us to build upon that foundation and really see it thrive. Those smiles that seemed to go on for miles without a dime in our pockets but plenty of dirt under our fingernails (and vegetables in our bellies). We definitely don’t have it all figured out but looking back on earlier farming days I’d say we have figured out some things… 😉

–

–

2016 CSA Spring & Summer CSA! Thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old who have signed up for the 2016 Spring and Summer CSA season! There are only a dozen shares available for the 2016 season so be sure to sign up quickly! Keep spreading the good word because it makes all the difference. As a farm-ily member once said, “keep your friends close and you farmers closer.”

–

3 Steps to Signing Up:

–

Read all about the 2016 CSA season
Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement
Mail or drop off a Check or Make a Payment Online to reserve your share

–

We’ll be spending a lot of time in the propagation greenhouse the next few weeks seeding a lot of our first successions of crops (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, chicory etc.. the list goes on..) Pretty soon the greenhouse will be brimming with starts and as the end of March approaches we will be putting plants in the ground. Exciting times!

–

–

With kind regards,

–

your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

Winter Momentum (winter csa week 7 & 8)

Posted on 3 Feb 2016

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

Welcome February! The ol’ groundhog – Punxsutawney Phil – did not see his shadow yesterday which means an early Spring is coming. And ol’ El nino ,with it’s crazy winter weather all around the states, seems to be telling us that is bringing an early Spring too – we shall see! (Did you see that 2015 was the warmest year on record?!) All we know is that it sure has been lovely weather of late with some extra spring-like weather on the horizon (60’s and sunny next week?!) A break from the rain sure has been nice.. and just in time it seems as we’re all geared up to start the first of the 2016 seedlings in the propagation house in the next few days. Whoo hoo! Let the sowing begin! We’re so excited for the 2016 growing season!

–

February really is an exciting month on the farm as it’s a time for pushing many things forward on the farm. It’s a month when we bring out ‘farmer ninja mode’ to the max. A time where we’re feeling rested from the change of physical pace that winter brings and feeling extra inspired by the momentum of CSA sign ups, seed orders, planning etc…. and there’s oh-so-much planning to do!

–

Soil tests, crop planning, seed starting, tractor tune ups, building projects and more, oh my! One of the first things we like to do in February is get our custom made fertilizer for the garden all set to go. The first step to soil success is submitting our yearly soil test to A&L Labs which we happened to get back last week. Next to seed orders this is seriously up there with Christmas! How did we do? What can we do better? The challenges and possibilities that farming brings starts right here in the planning stages. Our custom made organic fertilizer mix paired with the omri certified garden compost we’ve been using has really improved the soil over the past 3 years and it’s fun to see those previous seasons soil test results change in a positive way! “If I grow good soil, I can forget about the vegetables.” – Nigel Walker It brings a big smile to these farmers faces to see the land become more productive over time and to see things truly thrive (it’s members and farmers included) from season to season. This week we are working with a local lady soil guru on organic soil recommendations specifically for veggie production on our farm and look forward to feeding the soil and all of our wonderful members through our 7^th growing season! Whoop whoop!

–

Feeding and building the nutrition in the soil and rotating all the 70+ different kinds of veggies we grow around the farm is so important (in order to combat disease and pests etc and make sure there is the right amount of nutrition to meet the needs of the many different crops that we grow). We also need to plan out our successional crop plantings in order to have food for our members each and every week! It seems like a crazy amount of information to grow so many different crops for over 120 households for 7 months (+ 5 months of winter CSA) of the year which is why the systems we’ve created are so important for the two of us to run this ship smoothly. We’re buttoning up the crop plans for the season and are really excited about the crops and varieties of veggies that we’re growing this year. With all the hot weather 2015 brought we feel better prepared (mentally and physically) for whatever 2016 will throw at us. Nature waits for no one and the more experience we take on (high fives!) the better prepared we will be.

–

–

Tuning up the tractors to make sure everything is in working order is also at the top of February’s list. Brian has been having fun tuning up and tending to the old 1953 Allis Chalmers G to get it in tip top running order as it won’t be long now before we’re spreading compost, making beds, and cultivating! We even worked on it together one day and it was fun to problem solve with such an old piece of machinery (they definitely don’t make em like they used to! and there sure isn’t a lot of helpful information to be found on the world wide web!) Strawberry and onion plants will be here before you know it and although these two farmers might be a little soft and out of shape it’s nice feeling to know the tractors are rearing to go!

–

Farmer ninja mode begins when we’re bringing all the plans together. In any given day you might start 5 different projects and finish one… the work is “never done” as we say but we’re also never bored.. so there’s that 😉 We are multi-tasking extraordinaire’s (or, trying to be!) Starting seeds, prepping ground, mowing cover crops, prepping beds and setting down occultation covers in the garden – where weeds germinate in the warm, moist conditions created by the tarp but are then killed by the absence of light. Thinking weeks and months ahead so that when May rolls around we are greeted with the first bountiful harvests of the Spring season.

–

And what kind of Spring would it be without anticipation of new life? We’ve got a new batch of layer chicks heading to the farm later this month as well as Tami’s first litter of piglets. It sure will be a sweet way to welcome the coming of Spring with new life.

–

–

And in the midst of the season that lies ahead, we are just a week away from the halfway point of the WHF Winter CSA! We can’t believe that this is the first season that we’ve grown through the Winter. We are seriously loving it and already talking about growing and making plans for next winter. We really do feel that it’s an amazing addition to the farm to provide produce through the shorter days of the year all while providing supplementary income to the farm that will help us achieve some balance in the crazy months of summer. We are big fans all around – eating delicious farm fresh veg in the winter – yes please! We definitely set a low expectation when we embarked on this journey last fall as the winter weather is more variable than other times of the year. Crop losses can happen from a hard freeze, disease pressure, bugs, etc… and many of these things are out of your farmers control. Also, keep your fingers crossed we applied for a grant through the NRSC’s EQUIP program for a couple new green houses for next winters veggie production! We should find out if we will receive the grant in the next couple of months!

–

And we’ve had a pretty up and down winter as far as weather goes – we’ve had cold, and warm, sunny, and frozen, windy and rain – record breaking – rain. Despite the variability in weather we have experienced many winter farming successes and has given us a greater perspective when it comes to growing in extreme conditions! The shares have been larger than we expected – with 11-12 items in each week’s share – as opposed to the 5-10 that we were hoping for (whoop whoop!) It’ll be fun to see what the rest of the Spring will bring! It is February which is also the beginning of the “hungry gap” in the farming world. “The hungry gap” is the “gardeners’ name for the period in spring when there is little or no fresh produce available from a vegetable garden or allotment. It usually starts when overwintered brassicavegetables such as brussels sprouts and winter cauliflowers and January King cabbages “bolt” (i.e. run up to flower) as the days get warmer and longer.” We assure you, as always, that no one will go hungry at WHF as we have some amazing “over-wintering” crops that are just now beginning to produce after 200+ days of growing (so cool) among other fun things. And as we’ve said before, you have gotten to know Brian and I, and our work ethic over the course of this season (and for the majority of you over several seasons) and you know we will do our very best to ensure you have food on your table all winter long!

–

2016 CSA Spring & Summer CSA! Thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old who have signed up for the 2016 Spring and Summer CSA season! We have just a few dozen shares available for the 2016 season so be sure to sign up quickly! Keep spreading the good word because it makes all the difference. As a farm-ily member once said, “keep your friends close and you farmers closer.”

–

–

3 Steps to Signing Up:

–

Read all about the 2016 CSA season
Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement
Mail or drop off a Check or Make a Payment Online to reserve your share

–

All the best

–

your farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

The Muck & Mire (winter csa week 5 & 6)

Posted on 20 Jan 2016

–

Mire definition: n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. v. 1. To cause to sink or become stuck in mire.

–

Hi Farm-ily & Friends,

–

Ohhh January and the moss that is beginning to grow behind our ears… We hope you all are keeping busy and enjoying the slower pace that the winter season and rain brings. We had a few days of sun a few weeks back (remember..?) and it appears that the rain is back. Between the overflowing creek and the rising ground water the lower pastures are flooded out again. The Tualatin is just beginning to break it’s banks to join the party. Such a different winter than we’ve had the past two years – both which were a lot drier. They are saying that El Niño is having it’s second peak currently through the early part of the year and we should have higher than average temperatures Jan-March. We shall see!

–

We’ve said it before that we are constantly amazed at the resilence of the plants growing in the garden with all the weather we’ve been experiencing (mostly wet, along with a few weeks of freezing temps and some bone chilling winds). We’ve been through it all in the past 12 months – extremely dry conditions and excessively wet… all of it feels like we’ve gained a greater perspective and new found respect for each season. Each one comes with it’s challenges and successes and we welcome the opportunity to grow better through them all and to have the experience and the confidence to know better the next time around.

–

–

We’re still hoping for a little winter sun here in the 10-day. We just need a few days coming up to give the garden and the pastures a moment to drain and feel the ol’ sun on our faces. It’s amazing what a little sun will do! When it graced us for several days in a row Brian and I couldn’t believe the difference it made in our energy level and excitement to be outside. It felt like a renewed sense of vigor! We’ve been making progress though – both inside and outside. Two weeks ago we finally hit send on our big 2016 seed order and are busy making the crop, field and planting plans. A few days ago we headed down to Concentrates in Milwaukee to pick up a few 6 cu ft. totes of organic potting soil and a whole pallet of organic amendments for the garden and minerals for the cows. We spend more time off the farm this time of year (than any other) preparing for the season to come. Once the end of February comes along we seldom leave the farm except when we need some diesel for the tractor or need to restock the pantry with the food items that we don’t grow. My Dad came to visit a few years ago for 10 days in May and still jokes that he didn’t see me leave the farm once… haha. It’s a different kind of lifestyle that’s for sure… that always manages to keep us busy and able to grow amazing, fresh, nourishing food for our community!

–

There is plenty to do on the farm too. One of my next projects is to get the propagation house all ready for the first vegetables seeding of 2016.. it’s less than a month away! We’re also getting the tractors all tuned up for another season of growing… so many things to maintain during the winter months and opportunities to improve upon the systems that are already in place. All day long while we’re working we talk about how we can improve the systems on the farm to make the work load easier, more efficient, more enjoyable and more balanced. It seems impossible to talk about farming as much as we do… but somehow there is always something to talk about (and get started on…) 😉

–

–

The Winter CSA has been one of those opportunities that means finding a little bit more balance on the farm. Giving us the ability to spread out some of the workload throughout the year. . which could mean some pretty exciting things for us moving into the future. And can we just say that we have been loving the Winter CSA! The best perk so far is having access to so much delicious fresh food in the winter – with the Winter CSA it means that we (the farmers and the farm’s members) have eaten better than ever before. It’s been a truly enjoyable addition to the WHF CSA growing season and we’d like to extend a big thank you to all the first WHF Winter CSA members for joining us on this new journey! We’ve got some yummy winter goodies coming your way this week and look forward to hearing all the delicious home cooked meals you’ve prepared with them. Keep up the great work!

–

And…. a big thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old who have signed up for the 2016 Spring and Summer CSA season! We have just a few dozen shares available for the 2016 season so be sure to sign up quickly! Keep spreading the good word because it makes all the difference. As a farm-ily member once said, “keep your friends close and you farmers closer.”

–

3 Steps to Signing Up:

–

Read all about the 2016 CSA season
Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement
Mail or drop off a Check or Make a Payment Online to reserve your share

–

–

Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. We hope you all have a great week and stay dry out there!

–

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

Ready, Set, Go! (winter CSA week 4)

Posted on 6 Jan 2016

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

Wow! What a whirlwind of excitement it’s been since our last Winter CSA distribution – between the holidays, the weather and the 2016 csa sign ups! We hope you all had a healthy, happy holiday and New Year! Although the winter has its perks with the shorter days, your farmers are feeling inspired and excited for Spring and another year of farming ahead! Thank you for all of your support this last season – we couldn’t be more excited for what is in store for 2016. Because of you and your investment in our farm it continues to thrive and get better and better with every passing year. The learning curve is becoming less steep, and we are feeling more confident no matter what ol’ mother nature throws at us.

–

As most of you know sign ups for our 2016 CSA Season began last week! You can read all about our 2016 CSA here – for the Who, What, When, Where, Why & How (much).

–

–

3 Steps to Signing Up:

–

Read all about the 2016 CSA season
Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement
Mail or drop off a Check or Make a Payment Online to reserve your share

–

If you have any further questions be sure to check out our FAQs section or send us an email. We look forward to seeing you all at the start of the season! Here’s to good food and the amazing community it brings together!

–

–

2016 was our best opening CSA day to date! We are just 6 days into January and we are more than halfway there to being full for the 2016 season. A big thank you to all of our amazing CSA members both new and old! Keep spreading the good word because it makes all the difference. As a farm-ily member once said, “keep your friends close and you farmers closer.”

–

And how about that snow, huh? The crazy cold winds and brisk weather before the snow left a lot of crops looking a little lack luster and dried out in the field at the end of last week. But it seems as though the snow and the milder weather that January has brought in has reinvigorated all the veggies that remain in the field. Vegetables really are incredibly resilient! Being a farmer is all about keeping the faith and being willing to take risks (and like it, to boot!) On a personal note, the snow was a warm welcome as it has this way of slowing everything down. The roads get a lot quieter and everything looks peacefully tucked into a giant blanket of white. The crunch beneath your feet.. all of it allows you to be exactly where you are and appreciate nature and the seasons. Change is a welcome thing.

–

–

It seems we went through it all in the 2015 season… after experiencing our driest Spring/Summer CSA season to date ol’ December was the wettest we’ve ever experienced here on the farm. The record breaking rain last month brought the biggest flood we’ve seen as well.. the pigs and cows have had a nice waterfront view for over 3 weeks and we’re happy to see our pastures again.

–

As always, we are taking advantage of the mild days and are plowing ahead with projects and are VERY excited for the coming season on the farm. Spring is just around the corner (thank goodness the days are now getting longer). Winter can be a time of rest and recuperation for farmers but it is also a time for planning, revisiting notes from the previous year, solidifying the crop plan, ordering soil amendments, getting the propagation house up and going for the start of seeding, submitting the seed order, going over financial projections, figuring out ways to manage workflow in the busy season better etc, as well as some winter projects outside. This week, we’re buttoning up the rest of our seed order (we’ve made it to Peppers in the ol’ seed catalogues!) and are in the midst of our crop plan in anticipation of our greatest year yet!

–

We’re so excited to continue on in this farming journey and to share it all with you.

–

Stay warm out there!

–

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

Working Hands Farm CSA 2016

Posted on 1 Jan 2016

11057768_899376986813892_6468487014775088774_o

–

Happy New Years Friends & Farm-ily!

–

CSA Sign-Ups begin TODAY – January 1st! We hope the winter and holiday season is treating everyone well. Although the winter has its perks with the shorter days, your farmers are feeling inspired and excited for Spring and another year of farming ahead! Thank you for all of your support this last season – we couldn’t be more excited for what is in store for 2016. Because of you and your investment in our farm it continues to thrive and get better and better with every passing year. The learning curve is becoming less steep, and we are feeling more confident no matter what ol’ mother nature throws at us.

–

As for this year’s winter (so far), it’s surely been the wettest we’ve ever experienced here on the farm. The record breaking rain this month brought the biggest flood we’ve seen as well.. the pigs and cows have had a nice waterfront view for the past few weeks and we’re happy to see our pastures again. As always, we are taking advantage of the mild days and are plowing ahead with projects and are VERY excited for the coming season on the farm. Spring is just around the corner (thank goodness the days are now getting longer) and we’re in the midst of our seed order and crop plan in anticipation of our greatest year yet! We’re so excited to continue on in this farming journey and to share it all with you.

—

–

A great many thanks for all your appreciation, support and encouragement through the most productive CSA season we’ve experienced to date! Over the course of our 28-week 2015 CSA season Brian & I harvested and distributed 81,000lbs of freshly picked, organic, thoughtfully grown produce to our CSA members. From Spring to Fall, the shares averaged 27lbs (with lighter shares in the Spring and heavier shares in the late summer and Fall) and included 12-20 items with a great variety of crops and delicious tasting veggies that have inspired many fantastic home cooked meals. That’s 771lbs of produce per weekly share which means our members paid $1.52/lb for all their fresh, local, organic produce during the 2015 CSA season.

–

By investing in the CSA we are able to invest in you! Every year we perform a cost comparison by adding up the cost of the produce in each weeks CSA share and comparing it to our local organic markets and in a typical year our members save in excess of $400 -$500 on their produce. Not that we think our produce can be compared to that of the super market as ours is harvested by either farmer Jess or farmer Brian and given to you the very same day – you can’t beat the freshness of our produce! Also, a store can’t give you the sense of adventure and community that a local farm can. With that being said…

–

CSA Sign-Up Starts TODAY!

–

2015 was not only our most challenging season (due to the extreme weather) but it was also our most productive year yet (over 80,000 lbs of produce harvested and distributed) and we have a feeling that 2016 will be even better! As you know, our 2016 sign up starts TODAY January 1st with a 2-week priority sign-up for our previous 2015 CSA members. We will be limiting our CSA so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible.

–

2016 CSA Info. You can read all about our 2016 CSA here – for the Who, What, When, Where, Why & How (much). As farmers we’ve really come to love the CSA model as members share both the risks and benefits of food production. That by supporting our farm their understanding of nature, the seasons, the bounty, the loss …all of it brings them closer to their own place in nature with the added bonus of supporting a farm that they can get behind, know, trust and thrive with. That together we can live more productive and healthier lives and feel connected to the piece of dirt that nourishes us all. Together we are investing in the future… one that we believe in!

–

Two types of shares: Weekly & Bi-Weekly

–

Weekly CSA Shares (our best value CSA share!) We estimate that our Weekly Shares feed 2-3 adults (or a family of 4) that enjoy eating their veggies! Starting in May, for 28 weeks you will pick up your share of seasonal produce each week at the farm. Shares are 8-16 different items depending on the season and average to be 26lbs per share. With every Weekly CSA you will be emailed a detailed list of vegetables and 4-6 recipes that correspond with the veggies in that weeks share.

–

Bi-Weekly CSA Shares (for individuals or small households that are learning to love their veggies!) This share is ideal for individuals or for small households that are, shall we say, learning to love their veggies! With the Bi-Weekly Share you are investing in exactly half the produce of the Weekly Share as you will come and collect your bounty every other week (a total of 14 shares). Shares are 8-16 different items depending on the season and average to be 26lbs per share. Starting in May, members will pick up their share on weeks 1,3,5,7, etc… or 2,4,6,8, etc… depending on your assigned CSA start date (the farmers assign the start date, you choose your pick up ‘day’). With every Bi-Weekly CSA share you will receive recipes and tips on how to store, prepare and fall in love with vegetables! Note: Our expectation is that each Bi-Weekly share will contain enough veggies to meet the needs of an individual or small household for one week per pick up.

–

Market-Style CSA Pick Up At Working Hands Farm we use a Market-Style CSA Pick Up to display our weekly bounty that is reminiscent of a beautiful farmers market stand! During CSA pick up you get to pack your own share with the allotted amounts of vegetables written next to each varietal. It is very user friendly and FUN! Members bring 2-3 reusable bags to put their produce in.

–

Over 70 different crops (and even more varietals)! After many seasons of trialing a diverse selection of veggie and fruit varieties we are feeling more confident than ever in our experience – which plants grew the best, produced the most, tasted the best and survived throughout all the seasons! The varieties chosen this past year were some of our most productive to date! We have selected the very best from the past 6 seasons and are excited to incorporate a few new varieties, from local seed companies, that we know our members are going to love. There isn’t much better than fresh-harvested the same day-produce & the first Spring Strawberries! To see a list of crops that we grow click here.

–

CSA Member Benefits:

In addition to your weekly fruits and veggies you will receive a weekly newsletter full of beautiful photos and updates about the farm.
Over the course of the season you will have the opportunity to visit the farm at our CSA Member Farm-Day & our CSA Member Pumpkin Day set for late September!
Exclusive access to our Working Hands Farm CSA Members page to share recipe ideas, kitchen prep successes, food preservation ideas etc. You have permission to get creative in the kitchen! Now go for it!
WHF Grass-Fed Beef, Pastured Pork, Pastured Eggs! As CSA members you will have the opportunity to buy our 100% organic, grass-fed black angus beef, pasture-raised pork, pasture-raised chicken and pasture-raised eggs.

–

–

Pastured Eggs. After 4 years of raising laying hens, 2015 was the first year that the egg enterprise on the farm paid for itself! The ladies of Chateau Poulet appreciate all the love and support this past season. They are raised on fresh pasture as well as an organic, non-GMO feed (no soy, no corn) made in the Pacific NW by Scratch and Peck – a local feed supply that we are proud to support and share the goal of feeding our communities the best possible product (their tag line is “you are what your animals eat!”). We believe in our farming practices and in offering the best possible product to our members and community – a product that you simply can’t find in the store. Everything we do on the farm, we do it out of love for nature, the animals, our environment and the health and safety of our community.

–

Grass-Fed Beef & Pasture Raised Pork. As CSA members you will have the opportunity to buy our 100% organic, grass-fed black angus/british white beef and pasture-raised pork. We will let you know when these products are available throughout the CSA season and we sell them on a first come, first serve basis. Currently, our online Farm Store is stocked with Winter Pastured Pork Shares (12-13lbs)! Check out the details here: WHF Farmstore.

–

–

3 Steps to Signing Up:

Read all about the 2016 CSA season
Fill out the CSA Sign Up Form & Member Agreement
Mail or drop off a Check or Make Payment Online to reserve your share

Pay by Check: Make checks out to ‘Working Hands Farm’ and send it to 7705 SW River Rd. Hillsboro, OR 97123. If you would like to drop off your payment in form of a check on the farm, there is clearly marked white CSA lockbox located to the right of the greenhouse. We check it daily. Checks only! Please make sure to put the shareholders name & type of share in the memo.

–

Pay Online (new option!) Visit the WHF Farmstore to pay for your share online. Please note that the online payment option includes the 3% + .30 online processing fee. If you wish to avoid this online fee you can pay by check.

–

In order to reserve your share we require a $250 deposit that is non-refundable and is applied to the total cost of the CSA. The deposit is due within two weeks of submitting our online CSA form. Once your deposit of $250 is received we will send you a confirmation email welcoming you to our CSA program. We encourage those members who can, to pay more than the deposit upon signing up as this helps your farmers absorb the initial expenses that happen at the beginning of the season. Our farm is a livable wage farm and by being part of our farm-ily you are directly investing in a sustainable agricultural model that doesn’t make compromises! Because of your investment we will be able to provide safe, delicious and nutritious food for many years to come. Remember that our CSA operates on a first come, first serve basis so sign up ASAP!

–

–

Quick Links: 2016 CSA Season (the Who, What, Where, Why, When & How Much) & our 2016 Sign-Up Form. If you have any further questions be sure to check out our FAQs section or send us an email. We look forward to seeing you all at the start of the season! Here’s to good food and the amazing community it brings together!

–

And a very important favor to ask of our members… word of mouth is the best way to help us grow and sustain our small farm. Please share the link, forward this email and encourage interested friends, family, neighbors & community etc… in signing up for their CSA share. Many thanks for your help from all of us at Working Hands.

–

Check out this link to our favorite photos from our 2015 season: it’s amazing how much can happen in a year and there’s so much to be thankful for! Enjoy this compilation of our best shots of the year.

–  

Happiest of days to you all!

–

Jess, Brian & the rest of the farm-ily…

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

The Crest (winter csa week 3)

Posted on 16 Dec 2015

–

“The leveling of the water, its increase,

the gathering of many into much:

–

in the cold dusk I stop

midway of the creek, listening

as it passes downward

loud over the rocks, under

the sound of the rain striking,

nowhere any sound

but the water, the dead

weedstems soaked with it, the

ground soaked, the earth overflowing.

–

And having waded all the way

across, I look back and see there

on the water the still sky.”

–

– The Winter Rain, by Wendell Berry

—-

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

It’s been a crazy week in the ol’ pacific northwest hasn’t it? Or, atleast perhaps the rainiest December on record! Thank you all for your good thoughts the past week. The flood waters are receding slowly but surely after the major flooding and we’re happy to see the pasture reemerge after being under water for so long.

–

The crest of the flood was last Thursday afternoon at 134.2ft. Major flood stage in our area is at 134 ft and above. Since then it has been receding slowly. The Tualatin River in our location typically moves at 4600 cfs and is currently moving more than 3x the normal speed at 15000 cfs. The rain has been off and on, heavy at times… It’s been an extra soggy week everywhere on the farm. The flood came up about 15ft from our high tunnel but that’s as close as it got to our main garden area. We did lose fencing and a few beds of trial crops that were planted in the lower sections. Hydrology is such an interesting thing. We now know more than we did before and will be better prepared in the future.

–

–

We feel thankful.. even with the long nights and anxiety we know we are the lucky ones. So many farmers in Tillamook County had to evacuate their animals in the middle of the night. Driving tractors with stock trailers full of animals through standing water. We really can’t imagine how scary that must have been. We continue to keep those farmers in our thoughts. The farmers and critters here at WHF were safe and sound during this extra stormy week.. should be just another week or so before this here lake/moat turns back into our unnamed creek and the Tualatin River.

–

Historically, the largest flood this area has seen reached 137ft. which would be just to the barn area. The house and garden are set at 140-145ft which is well out of harms way. Fingers crossed we never see a flood bigger than that in our lifetime. We did get quite a bit of rain though and are hoping for some drier days ahead to give the ol’ garden a break from the slog (and the slugs and slime that follow such wet weather).

–

–

During the rainier days we spent time looking through our 2015 CSA season photos and updating ol’ WHF website. There is so much excitement and anticipation surrounding a new growing year. So many opportunities to grow better and new veggies to try (let the seed catalog ordering begin)! Brian and I are getting really excited to begin sign ups for our 2016 CSA season on January 1st! So mark your calendars and stay tuned for another year of endless possibilities.

–

And a friendly reminder that this week is the last CSA pick up of 2015! There will not be a CSA pick up next week – the week of Christmas (12/23) or the week of January 1^st(12/30). The Winter CSA will resume on Wednesday, January 6th!

–

WHF Pastured Pork! Just a few more weeks left to celebrate the holidays ahead with our sweet offer of 15% off all orders of our Pastured Pork Shares with the discount code STOCKTHELARDER. Click the link to our Online Store to purchase.

–

You will receive 15% off your pork order when you type in or copy/paste the discount code: STOCKTHELARDER during check out. Discount code will be valid through January 1st. Help us spread the good word and share the link with family and friends! #buylocal #knowyourfarmer #knowyourfood

–

Stay warm and dry out there!

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

The Slog (winter csa week 2)

Posted on 9 Dec 2015

This picture was taken after the first day of rain on Monday. Paints a much more peaceful picture than Tuesday night’s torrential rain..

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

Wow! We hope you are all safe and dry this week. December started out extra cold and now ol’ el nino is throwing us some rain – and not just any rain – record breaking rain! With over 6 inches in the last 72 hours, our little ‘unnamed creek’ that runs through our riparian area has turned our pasture into a lake.

–

This perennial creek runs down to the Tualatin River which borders the most western part of our farm. The Tualatin floods out annually but has yet to breach it’s banks. This flood is all from rain water. Our bottom land floods out annually but typically not until February. After a very dry year the cup seems to be filling up rather quickly!

–

–

The lake was a touch unexpected and happened rather quickly. We spent the entirety of Monday moving animals and equipment to high ground. It was definitely a mad house for most of the day. Everything is safe and secure now but more record rainfall has fallen and is expected over the next couple days and we hope everyone is staying safe out there.

–

Needless to say, it’s been a Slog. verb \ˈsläg\: To work diligently for long hours. To make (one’s way) with a slow heavy pace against resistance.To strike with heavy blows. A long exhausting march or hike. A long session of hard work.

–

You just never know what to expect when you wake up in the morning. Especially when the water is rising so fast like that. Farmer Brian even threw on his trusty old wetsuit at some point to retrieve a few things from an area that had flooded too quickly. His surfboard was waiting in the wings just in case – remnants from a “past life”… you just never know when it might come in handy.

–

–

We’re keeping our chins up and hoping for the best. It definitely felt good to have the cows all safe and sound in the barn, the goats in their dry hut, the chickens in the coop etc. The piggers were moved to higher ground and given giant beds of dry straw in their pig huts. They are such hardy creatures they barely seemed to notice the gusty winds, constant rain and MUD. They probably found us pretty entertaining frantically running laps in our head to toe rain gear over the past few days. Oy. (Or, Oink…) And by the looks of it this morning, it looks like we might be moving everybody once again.

–

We also had a few record breaking high temperatures as well – 60 degrees in December. Needless to say it’s been a balmy slog out in the garden. Crazy. Feels like ol’ mother nature it toying with our emotions.. just when we’re ready for cold and dry it’s sopping wet and warm. We shall see what the rest of the month will bring.. <fingers crossed for a drier weather stretch>

Keep the farm in your thoughts. The rain continues to fall and the water continues to rise. We are hoping for a break in weather so the lake can get a chance to recede a bit. It’s already higher than we’ve ever experienced! We’ll just continue to do the best we can in keeping all the critters and equipment safe.

–

–

Before the weather came our way, we sat down and did some 2016 financial projections with our secret weapon… Papito (aka Brian’s dad). It doesn’t sound like fun but we absolutely love it! Our favorite quote from Brian’s papa, “if you torture the numbers they will confess” For the past 3 years Brian’s dad has been teaching us the mystical ways of excel and how to build sophisticated financial models for each of the farm’s profit centers. We love having him on our team and figuring out how to make the farm sustainable in the long run. Every year we get closer and we appreciate all the time he puts into helping us grow better. ‪#‎growingbetter ‪#‎familyfarming

–

We’re just 3 weeks away from launching our 2016 CSA season on January 1st… so stay tuned!

–

And just a reminder… to celebrate the holidays ahead we are offering 15% off all orders of our Pastured Pork Shares with the discount code STOCKTHELARDER. Click the link to our Online Store to purchase.

–

–

Be happy, be well and do your best to stay dry out there!

–

with kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

The Beginning of Something New (winter csa week 1)

Posted on 2 Dec 2015

– farmersnovember

––

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

Happy December! We hope the Thanksgiving holiday treated you all well. It was a chilly end to November and we hope you kept warm by making many delicious homemade meals in the warmth of your kitchen. It’s been extra frosty in the mornings here on the farm which has us all (the farmers and the critters) hunkered down in the warmth of a house or a cozy bed of straw for a few extra moments before the morning light .. as we wait for the sun to thaw the ground and warm up the crops and our faces.

–

To prepare for the cold snap (2 weeks ago) we decided to continue working and harvesting full-time after our epic double-share harvest for the last pick up of the Spring/Summer CSA season (whoo hoo! 5,500lbs in one week and 81,000 lbs for the whole Spring/Summer season!) This time of the year that quote, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes” rings true. With our long johns on, wooly layers and Grundens rain gear we were good to go. When the real cold weather hits, all of the tender crops (i.e. fully mature romanesco/cauliflower, tops of radishes, mixed greens, chard, beet greens etc) turn into slime- from freezing and thawing- and whither away. The sun definitely helped to warm up the soil during the day to endure those freezing cold nights. Some of the crops we grow actually taste better when they go through a freeze (turnips, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, etc) because of all the sugar they create in order to protect themselves from freezing. To find a balance and to protect some of the more tender crops listed above, before the bitter weather hit we kept busy and worked extra hard – to ensure that our winter CSA members had the best possible CSA experience. We covered crops with row cover, mulched roots and continued harvesting crops over the weekend for storage before those 20 degree nights hit. <phew>

–

harvestj –

One of our members commended us for our stick–to–it·ive·ness. noun \stik-ˈtü-ə-tiv-nəs\. : the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult or unpleasant. This is farming and the weather, may it be good or bad, is all part of it. Besides, we’d rather work in cold weather than extra hot weather any day. Nothing that 3-4 layers, a wooly cap, warm gloves and insulated boots can’t fix!

–

We have also been fueled by our excitement! It’s exciting to grow through our first Winter for our members. We’re used to growing for ourselves but really love a new challenge and there’s no better place to try than in the Willamette Valley. For those of you who are joining us for a winter growing season we think you are the bees knees. You understand that the winter weather is more variable than other times of the year and you haven chosen to support the farm and these two farmers through the winter months. Crop losses can happen from a hard freeze, disease pressure, bugs, etc… and many of these things will be out of your farmers control. This season perhaps, more than any other, speaks to the nature of CSAs shared risk. You invest in the farm and the farmers and we do our very best to provide you with organic seasonal produce that is sure to inspire. We have taken measures to give the Winter CSA the best possible chance at success like building a 96′ x 30′ greenhouse, building a storage cooler, researching specialty winter hardy crops, etc… All that being said, you have gotten to know Brian and I, and our work ethic over the course of this season (and for the majority of you over several seasons) and you know we will do our very best to ensure you have food on your table all winter long! Thank you for supporting our farm through this time of exciting ‘growth’! We grow better each and every year with the support, encouragement and inspiration that our CSA members bring. It’s a mutual admiration society around here!

–

radicchiofrench –

–

Aside from growing winter veggies, we’re just plugging along on the winter projects… cleaning up, organizing, little building projects, packing and storing, planning, scheming etc and staying hot on these cold days i.e. by moving several hundred bucket loads of cow pies from the barn to the compost pile to get the herd into the dry barn for the winter. We’re still chippin’ away at the ol’ to-do list but we’re also taking time to rest and recuperate (thanks to the growing darkness that winter brings). The days are growing shorter and we are just a few weeks away from the shortest day of the year – the Winter Solstice. It doesn’t feel like the summer solstice or autumnal equinox were that far away. The seasons they go by in an instant. As we near the holidays and the new year we’ll be spending the longer evenings inside, brainstorming and dreaming about the future and pulling out all of our inspiring seed catalogs to begin our adventure for the 2016 season! January marks the beginning of our season as we open up registration for the main season CSA, order our seeds, fill the propagation greenhouse with soil amendments, and begin this exciting process all over again! We have some exciting plans and ideas to make 2016 our greatest growing season yet – so stay tuned 😉

–

–

Pastured Pork Shares! And to celebrate the holidays ahead we are offering 15% off all orders of our Pastured Pork Shares with the discount code STOCKTHELARDER. Click the link to our Online Store to purchase.

–

Be happy, be well and stay warm (or, in this week’s case – stay dry) out there. We’ll leave you with this beautiful poem by Mr. Wendell Berry entitled, “The Cold”…

–

harvestgogogo –

“How exactly good it is
to know myself
in the solitude of winter,
–
my body containing its own
warmth, divided from all
by the cold; and to go
–
separate and sure
among the trees cleanly
divided, thinking of you
–
perfect too in your solitude,
your life withdrawn into
your own keeping
–
–to be clear, poised
in perfect self-suspension
toward you, as though frozen.
–
And having known fully the
goodness of that, it will be
good also to melt.”
–

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

The Season Finale (week 27 & 28)

Posted on 17 Nov 2015

–

Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

–

We’ve made it to week 27 & 28 of the 2015 CSA.. which means it’s last pick-up of the Spring/Summer CSA season! We can hardly believe it has been 28 weeks since the start of 2015 harvest season. We are proud to say that this season was our best season to date and that we grow better and work smarter each and every year. As farmers, every season that we farm proves to be an incredible journey with so many things to learn and many delicious homegrown goodies to grow. Thanks for believing in your farmers every step of the way and for being a constant reminder of why we do what we do each morning when we rise. We look forward to serving this community for years to come. We think y’all are the bees-knees.

—

Exciting news for your farmers! Your farmers had the amazing opportunity to be interviewed for the Farmer to Farmer podcast with Chris Blanchard a few weeks ago. Chris asked us about the start of the farm, how we manage the farm as a couple and we even take a trip to Uganda. The Farmer to Farmer podcast has been a huge inspiration to us and many other farmers and we couldn’t be more excited to participate! Have a listen at the link below and enjoy.

–

Podcast Link: farmertofarmerpodcast.com/episodes/powers or look up the Farmer to Farmer podcast episode #40 on iTunes.

–

–

2015 was one for the books! And we think you’ll be amazed at our total CSA numbers this year… (keep reading for the total lbs produced as well as CSA cost breakdown below..)

–

We hope you all had an inspiring journey during our 28-week CSA season. Whether it be your first, second, third, fourth or fifth season at WHF we hope many meals were shared and enjoyed in the warmth of your kitchen, that you enjoyed expanding your veggie horizons with new varieties, flavors and methods of preparation, found inspiration in becoming a more confident cook and feel really good about where you’re at in your own personal food journey. We hope you will be thinking of the Spring and Summer goodies fondly come the middle of winter… we’ll all be dreaming of tomatoes and freshly picked goodies come the middle of January <sigh>.

–

–

This week there will be a “Week 27″ share table and a “Week 28″ share table in the Member’s pick up area for pick-up – be sure to check off your name and grab the appropriate share(s).

–

Weekly CSA Members will receive a double share (shares 27 & 28) to better prepare you for the Thanksgiving holiday (think storage crops!) Be sure to bring a big enough vessel or enough bags to carry all your goodies home in.

–

Bi-Weekly Share Members All Bi-Weekly Share members will pick up on that week. Depending on your assigned weeks, you will pick up either Share 27 (weeks 1,3,5,7 etc) OR Share 28 (weeks 2,4,6,8 etc)!

–

Thank you for being part of this farm, and the WHF farm-ily!

–

–

So, without further ado, the final numbers are in for the Spring/Summer CSA Season..

–

Over the course of our 28-week Spring/Summer Season these two farmers provided…

81,000 lbs of produce!

3,000 lbs of pasture-raised pork & beef!

500 dozen eggs!

–

–

Over the course of our 28-week 2015 CSA season your (two) farmers have harvested and distributed 81,000lbs of freshly picked, organic, thoughtfully grown produce to our CSA members.

–

That’s 771lbs of produce per weekly share which means our members paid $1.52/lb for all their fresh, local, organic produce this season.

–

(Some high fives- all around -are definitely in order!)

–

–

All while supporting the ecosystem of this farm, two full time farmers by ensuring a livable wage, and the best possible produce you can find…Amazing! FYI: the total lbs of produce per weekly share in 2014 was 675lbs @ $1.74 per lb. Your farmers are getting more efficient (especially since it was the hottest and driest farming season of our farming careers) and learning quickly which contributes greatly to the lower price point this year!

–

From Spring to Fall, the shares averaged 27lbs (with lighter shares in the Spring and heavier shares in the late summer and Fall) and included 12-20 items with a great variety of crops and delicious tasting veggies that have inspired many fantastic home cooked meals. Thank you all for your recipe contributions, affirmation & excitement at the CSA pick ups, through emails and on the members facebook page. We have enjoyed this year’s CSA so much and feel great about ending the 2015 Spring/Summer CSA season on such a high note!

–

–

We love our little corner of the World, our community that surrounds us, our friends, family and farm-ily members that all believe in us and the food we work hard to provide. We’ve been enjoying the variety (over 70+ different kinds of vegetables and even more varieties) and bounty these 28 weeks. We feel blessed as farmers in the Pacific NW to be able to grow such a beautiful array of vegetables for our community. From berries to brassicas to winter squash and tomatoes we can grow just about anything here! Every season we try out a few dozen or so new veggies and varietals. Making our seed list in January is one of our favorite things to do in the winter… checking our notes and remembering which varieties grew the best, tasted the best etc. In the coming months we look forward to sitting down and beginning that process all over again.

–

Mark your Calendars! Our 2016 CSA sign-ups will begin on January 1st. Our 2015 members will have the opportunity to sign up for a share before we open it up to the public. Whoo hoo! Until then, keep in touch with your farmers through our website, facebook and instagram!

–

A BIG thank you! Thank you all for being a part of our story, for supporting your local farm (and farmers), for buying direct, for believing in the small farm and for choosing to feed your household with the best possible farm fresh produce, meat and eggs that you can both know and trust.

–

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We are just so proud of our members and are constantly inspired by all that you accomplish from season to season! Your commitment to eating well and nourishing yourselves and loved ones takes time, thoughtfulness, motivation, energy and inspiration. We are only as successful as the community that surrounds us, so, thank you for all your inspiration, dedication and commitment in being a part of our CSA. We look forward to cultivating these relationships into the future by growing the best possible products for you, your family and friends. Know your farmer, know your food.

–

–

It’s gonna be a wet and windy slog this week with our big double-harvest share so send some good (and warm and dry) energy our way!

–

After 8 months (!!) of CSA pick up you have come to know and trust your farmers. We never missed a harvest day and always worked our hardest to ensure that our members had the best possible CSA experience. You were there every step of the way and we appreciate all your support, the time you took to share your food journeys, the little notes of encouragement and everything in-between. We look forward to sign-ups in January and the start of the 2016 season!

–

Happy Holidays to you all! Our 18-week Winter CSA begins after the Thanksgiving Holiday so to our die hard winter veggie eaters this is not the end! 😉

–

With kind regards,

–

Your Farmers

–

Jess & Brian

–

dirty hands, clean hearts

–

Posted on 21 Jun 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 14 Jun 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 8 Jun 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 31 May 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 24 May 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 16 May 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 16 May 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 13 Apr 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 30 Mar 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 16 Mar 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 4 Mar 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 19 Feb 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 3 Feb 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 20 Jan 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 6 Jan 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 1 Jan 2016

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 16 Dec 2015

—-

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 9 Dec 2015

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 2 Dec 2015

Support your local farm by sharing!

Posted on 17 Nov 2015

Support your local farm by sharing!