A Season for the Books! (week 27 & 28)

Posted on 18 Nov 2014

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– Hi Friends & Farm-ily, –

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We’ve made it to week 27 & 28 of the 2014 CSA.. which means it’s last pick-up of the season! We can hardly believe it has been 28 weeks since the start of 2014 harvest season. We are proud to say that this season was our best season to date and that we grow better and work smarter (not harder) 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. –

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2014 was one for the books! And we think you’ll be amazed at our total CSA numbers this year…

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We hope you all had an inspiring journey during our 28-week CSA season. Whether it be your first, second, third or even fourth 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 farm fondly come the middle of winter… we’ll all be dreaming of tomatoes and freshly picked goodies come the middle of January <sigh>.

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

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– This week there will be a “Week 27″ share table and a “Week 28″ share table in the greenhouse for pick-up – be sure to check off your name and grab both shares! In the center there will be a cooler for turkey orders, chicken orders and a la carte egg orders.

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– “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.” The snowmageddonocalypsevortexplunge definitely came through these parts for the past week and left most of the garden in a puddle of mush and black. When the cold weather hits, all of the tender crops (i.e. peppers, tomatoes, squash, tops of radishes, mixed greens, chard, beet greens etc) turn into slime- from freezing and thawing- and whither away. But, because of our mild Fall, the root crops actually fared well since the ground temp was still over 50 degrees. 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, during the busy bitter cold harvest week, your farmers worked extra hard – to ensure that our members had the best possible CSA experience – to cover crops with row cover, mulch roots and even began harvesting crops over the weekend before those 20 degree nights hit. <phew> –

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These farmers work hard for your food.

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– 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 4-6 layers, a wooly cap, warm gloves and insulated boots can’t fix! It’s not to say we’re not down right chilled or sleepy from a long day in the wind and cold… but we suppose that’s what a night by the wood stove and a warm meal is for.

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So, without further ado, the final numbers are in for 2014..

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These two farmers provided…

60,000 lbs of produce!

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

1,000 dozen eggs!

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Over the course of our 28-week 2014 CSA season your (two) farmers have harvested and distributed 60,000lbs of freshly picked, beyond organic, nutrient rich, grown with love produce to our CSA members.

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That’s 675lbs of produce per share which means our share members paid $1.74/lb for all their produce this season.

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

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This is a number that we’re super proud of (and more then we initially projected..) as it’s a lot of food being produced on 6 acres of cultivated land (and 40 acres total) by two people! Cheers to our biggest (and best) year yet. – From Spring to Fall, the shares averaged 24lbs (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 recipe page. We have enjoyed this year’s CSA so much and feel great about ending the 2014 season on such a high note! –

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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. –

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Mark your Calendars! Our 2015 CSA sign-ups will begin on January 1st. Our 2014 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! –

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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. –

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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 (of the high quality sort), thoughtfulness, motivation 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. Let’s cultivate community! – We will miss seeing you all from week to week. After 7 months (!!) of CSA pick up you have come to know and trust your farmers – we never missed a CSA share, always opened our CSA share pick ups right at 4pm, always ensured a brimming bountiful share, always were there to greet members with a smile on our faces, and always worked our hardest to ensure that our members had access to healthy food choices and the best possible CSA experience. You were there every step of the way and we appreciate all your support and thoughtful communication. We look forward to sign-ups in January and to begin the 2015 season! –

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Winter Veggies & Eggs. We’ll keep everyone updated about any veggies we may have available during the month of December. Eggs will be available for purchase during the Winter and Spring months and we will be taking orders via email! –

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We look forward to seeing you all soon! We hope you have a great start to the week. Don’t forget to bring extra bags, boxes, etc for all your goodies this week! –

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All the best, –

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your farmers –

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Jess & Brian –

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dirty hands, clean hearts –

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts (week 26)

Posted on 11 Nov 2014

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“Maybe what cold is, is the time

we measure the love we have always had, secretly,

for our own bones, the hard knife-edged love

for the warm river of the I, beyond all else;

maybe that is what it means the beauty of the blue shark

cruising toward the tumbling seals.” – Mary Oliver

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These photos were taken during the last week of the CSA last season… we had some extremely cold temps that week (in the 20’s/30’s)

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Hi friends and farm-ily,
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Brrrrr… it’s time to get the long johns out and get that crock pot going.. it’s gonna be a cold one this week with an extreme cold front that’s rolling across the U.S. (some places will be experiencing 30 degrees below the average temperature)!

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We’re in for a brisk week on the farm with really cold nights, pretty chilly days and high winds which should make for some interesting, slow harvest days (bring on the soup, ginger tea and hot toddies). We’ve done the best we can with buttoning up things around the farm and we’re hoping for the best – come on veggies! With only two weeks left of CSA harvest we are making the most of this up and down November weather!

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2,500+lbs of Fall veggies have been distributed each week during the Autumn months!

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Regardless of what mother nature has in store this week, it has been a great harvest year for us throughout all the seasons – spring summer, fall. Our fall season shares have been averaging around 28-30 lbs with 16-18 different items in the share which means we’ve had quite the bounty! And at 85 shares per week that means over the Fall months we’ve been distributing 2,500+ lbs of produce per week. We’re really looking forward to adding up our 2014 numbers for next week’s newsletter… here we grow!
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The days sure have been getting shorter but we’ve been able to get a lot of work done with these sunny but crisp fall days ..we weeded all the garlic in preparation for mulching, we moved the pigs and made sure all the animals are nice and cozy in anticipation of the cold weather, we harvested the remaining storage crops and covered the more tender plants in hope of saving some of them from the frost, we insulated our beehives, cleaned out our woodstove pipe etc.. lots of laborious tasks but in a time where everything is slowing down it sure feels good to be outside working our muscles and moving our bodies (even if it is just to keep warm!)

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Giant stalks of celery, my favorite chimney sweep and our morning commute to work..

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Although we can recall so many detailed memories from the 2014 season when we sit back and let it all sink in we think, “whoa! where did the time go?” From opening the 2014 CSA registration last January to all the planning and hard work and long days and harvests… we somehow have made it to November. It all flies by in an instant, doesn’t it? Thank goodness for the seasons.. otherwise we would never know which way was up! But one thing is for sure – we’re impressed by you all. Your commitment to the farm and eating the best possible, nourishing, fresh food is the best reflection for these two farmers. It’s like playing for the winning team.

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We’re a community and a team and our success (both in the field and in the kitchen) depends on each other. To grow the food, develop the tools, run with it and live happy and productive lives. Each week we see, hear and witness the impact of eating seasonally, fresh and beyond organic.. which means more meals at home, stocking up the freezer, cooking meals with friends and family, feeling energized and maybe coming in a few notches on the ol’ belt . Eating good food is a way of life… something that we believe in and we wanted to thank you for believing in us and the food that we grow here on our farm. Thank you for your dedication and commitment – you’ve been coming to pick up you share for the last 25 weeks on your pick up day and every week you are inspired, challenged and ready to bring it all home and make glorious things happen. Thanks too for sharing bits and pieces of your food journeys along the way. You guys rock and we feel so thankful to have you as part of the farm-ily!
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Gloucester has a few roles here on the farm and keeper of sunbeams aka guardian of the eggs is one of them. And behold! Our freshly weeded garlic!

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Turnip the beet! Next week’s “double share…” Next week you will be picking up shares for week 27 & 28. Shares will be organized in the greenhouse on two separate tables that will be marked week 27 & week 28. This is a great way to spread the love during the Thanksgiving holiday! Most of the veggies are storage crops and can be kept for weeks and weeks (some even months). Storage onions, potatoes, winter squash will all keep in a cool place. Root veggies such as carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, rutabaga etc will all keep in the fridge (when preparing to store carrots, beets and other root vegetables in plastic bags in the refrigerator, sprinkle in a few drops of water as you pack each bag. Ideally, a few drops of condensation should form inside the bags after they have been well-chilled in the fridge.) Blanching and freezing is also great for any extra hardy greens, carrots etc.

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Be sure to bring a big enough vessel or enough bags to carry all your goodies home in.

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November sunset panorama on the farm..

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Extra Eggs. We may have a few extra dozens available for purchase during the last CSA share pick up – and we’ll keep you posted! We will also have eggs available through the winter and early Spring months (December – April) through email reservation.

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The Organic Life. Over the weekend we enjoyed watching the documentary The Organic Life (here’s the trailer:.. it’s currently streaming for free on hulu) The synopsis: “A year in the life of an hopeful organic farmer and his skeptical girlfriend reveals that a changing climate, financial insecurity, demanding physical labor, and corporate agriculture threaten the sustainability of one of the world’s most traditional livelihoods in modern-day America.” A farmer friend and I both laughed and appreciated that the film started with the idea that farming looks so romantic because farmers are stoics. Too true.

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A weekly fly-by from our neighbor and close friend.. must be a nice view from the clouds!

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From the Organic Life website, “Most documentaries, films, and news stories present new farmers either as happy, well-meaning people for whom eating healthy produce is satisfaction enough, or as ex-investment bankers who are taking on second careers with an already sizable nest egg. In reality, many new farmers fall somewhere in between, and Austin is one of them. These farmers face increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, shifting markets, pests, and poverty. They work, rain or shine (or in hail or furnace-like conditions), year-round. It’s no small wonder why so few would want the job, and it’s clear that passion alone cannot sustain them. The Organic Life will uncover both the challenges and the rewards of the farming life and will investigate what drives young farmers to take the job.”
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We’re getting our farming ninja skills on this week to get through these cold harvests. *fingers crossed*

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Due to the cold weather your farmers will be available at the pick up from 4-5pm this week. Normal pick up hours remain the same from 4-7pm. The greenhouse lights will be on, but the doors will be closed to try and keep things at a moderate temperature! Wish us luck, stay warm out there and we will see you all soon!

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With fond regards,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Losing Daylight (week 25)

Posted on 4 Nov 2014

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“Home is the nicest word there is.”— Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

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Happy November! ‘Tis the season of chillier mornings and gray days… the days grow shorter now that day light savings has come to an end. By 5:20pm it is pitch black and we are making dinner and hitting the hay (hopefully) by 9pm. Evening farm chores need to be finished by 4:30pm as the chickens and turkeys go to roost, the piggies pigpile in their straw nests and the cows need their share of hay before sunfall calls. We welcome the morning light though – having the sunrise at 6:50am vs. 7:50am is just so much better for our farmer minds. Really makes you understand the phrase “carpe diem” or “seize the day” since we seem to be running out of daylight hours. Chasing the sun.. always and forever…

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We’ve had a lot of busy weekends/non-harvest days here on the farm. Getting our ducks in a row and buttoning up the farm as we get closer to the winter solstice…

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The remaining tomato trellises and t-posts are coming down, storing drip line/irrigation, bucking the last of the winter hay, cleaning coops, winterizing piggies for farrowing in the next few months, finishing the end walls on the greenhouse, winterizing bees, trenching lines for irrigation (in the garden and pasture) are among the list for the beginning of November. We’re hoping for a few dry days to till in last of the summer crops to seed over with rye and oats. The end of this week is looking pretty promising (with highs in the 60’s?) Although the days do grow shorter there is never a shortage of things to do on the farm.

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Although October proved to be quite a wet month we have been experiencing a very mild Fall.. what with peppers still growing and we still have yet to have our first light frost! The warmer temperatures have surely helped us to get some things done around the farm as if to have a bit of an extension on the ol’ growing season. So, we’ll see what the end of Autumn and November will bring us all!

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Come December we begin planning for our 2015 growing season. It’s an exciting time to sit down, evaluate, communicate and regain strength (physically and mentally) for the next season. March may seem like a long ways away but it always sneaks up on us. In January we open up our CSA sign ups, put in all our seed orders for the year’s crops, pick up organic soil amendments and potting soil in bulk and even begin seeding the first of our onions and leeks… BUT, before we get too excited about a new growing season we will continue to ride the wonderful wave of 2014. After all, there are still 3 pick up weeks left before the end of our 2014 season. It really has been a really incredible growing season (our best harvests to date) and we have been enjoying every second of it.

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A special note: The members CSA recipe page has been real fun to participate in. Thank you all for your daily/weekly contributions. Keep up the great work! It’s inspiring to hear and see all the ways you are preparing our farm fresh goodies. We love it!

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A reminder about the last CSA pick up: On the last CSA pick up week, you will be picking up a double share (week 27 & 28) which will mostly be storage goodies that will keep nicely for Thanksgiving etc. Be sure to bring a big enough vessel or enough bags to carry all your goodies home in.

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Egg shares. Thank you to all who emailed in regards to November Egg Shares! We are in awe as we sold out of shares in under an hour (must be a new record!) The ladies of Chateau Poulet truly appreciate your support as do your faithful farmers. An egg reminder for winter: We will have eggs available through the winter and early Spring months (December – April) through email reservation. If you are interested in picking up a few dozens at a time please keep us in mind (since our eggs are extra fresh – only a few days out of the coop – they easily keep for up to a month in your fridge). Send us an email during the winter months and we will be happy to let you know our availability.

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In honor of a new month, we’re sharing another one of Mary Oliver’s beautiful poems Song for Autumn. It makes us feel extra cozy and present in the wonderful seasonal changes. Enjoy!

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Song for Autumn

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In the deep fall
don’t you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
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of the birds that will come — six, a dozen — to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
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Mary Oliver

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We’ll see you all soon! Enjoy the week and stay dry out there…
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All the best,
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Your farmers
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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Feeding the Farmer (week 24)

Posted on 28 Oct 2014

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“Know your food, know your farmers, and know your kitchen.” – Joel Salatin

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Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

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Can ya believe this October weather? Lots of rain this past week but still very mild temperatures for this time of year. We are a bit surprised every week when looking at the 10 day and we don’t see a light frost in the forecast. We’ll see how some of those roots and brassicas will fair without it (remember a frost makes the Fall veggies sweeter because in order protect their cells from bursting they produce more sugar… mainly we’re thinking about those parsnips – we don’t think our carrots could get any sweeter!)

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We hope you all faired well in the storms over the weekend. That wind was something else. Most of the farm was accounted for by the end.. all the animals were safe and sound, all the tools and equipment were put away, the greenhouses and their covers were safely secured, we didn’t lose power etc – There were fly away harvest bins and flipped over tables and the worst of it included a torn up ridge cap on the shade structure roof but it’s fixable! We’re grateful that that was the extent of the damage and all critters and farmers were accounted for!

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Broccoli shoots begin to form after the main broccoli heads have been harvested, winter storage onions and some cucumber volunteers making the most of this mild Fall weather!

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Feeding the Farmer.

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We found inspiration over the weekend on NPR (Terry Gross’ Fresh Air) and in a documentary called American Meat…. And it got us thinking about our own story involving all the animals on our farm.

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Vegetables are the heart of our farm. They are the bread and butter and usually make up at least 75% or more of our meals 3x a day. We love our seasonal veggies and find them to be delicious and versatile!

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Having grown up on a homestead where we had our own veggie garden and my dad – the commercial lobster fisherman – brought home the day’s bountiful catch (fish, lobster, scallops, tuna, clams… you name it) in the summer and fall and stocked up our freezers for the winter with venison, pork, chicken, turkey all from our own back yard. I learned a lot about where our food came from and knew all too well that the food from the grocery store was not at all like the food I grew up knowing. Once I left the nest for the city I realized just how good I had it growing up. The lack of amazing ingredients I could find in the city really encouraged me to play around in the kitchen with the best possible ingredients I could find which most of the time (nearly 100% of the time) did not include meat. I picked up the Moosewood Cookbook and began my journey in the kitchen where I really fell in love with vegetables. Cue in the Omnivore’s Dilemma and in 2007 that’s where I was at.

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Bunching onion tops, the Celosia flowers are the only flowers left in the garden & some frisee endive…

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In 2011, when Brian and I met and partnered up we were both veggie farmers who decided to take on a few extra acres and a barn.

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More space meant farm critters!

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It started with a flock… In the Spring of 2012, we invested in our first flock of chickens. Having grown up with a family flock and after paying for the most expensive eggs at the grocery store – that left much to be desired – we were inspired to do better. We knew we wanted to offer the best possible product to our members and sought after the best possible feed we could find locally – which ended up being Scratch and Peck Feeds out of Bellingham, WA. We love having fresh pasture raised eggs to offer our members and the taste is beyond compare to that of store-bought-far-from-farm-fresh eggs.

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And then dairy.. Ellie was our first big investment that Brian and I made together. When we first met each other in 2011 it seemed like a really romantic idea to have our own dairy cow but it didn’t take long to find our sweet jersey cow after the first idea was planted… in the summer of 2012 we brought Ellie home where she soon calved and freshened and we were the two newbie dairy farmers hand milking two times a day, every day (which meant 6-8 gallons a day). It was our first time cooking and baking with real, raw milk. We made butter from scratch, which meant the most glorious buttermilk pancakes and homemade béchamel sauce for dinner dishes. Rich creamy yogurt by the gallons and ohhhhhh, the homemade ice cream….

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We love big beet and we cannot lie, at the end of a CSA pick up, our first harvest of Romanesco Broccoli…

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After several months of hand milking (on top of vegetable farming) we realized the milk was probably the only thing keeping our hands and bodies strong. (Trigger finger, sore wrists and back problems seemed to be plaguing us during that growing season). It felt really good to incorporate more protein in our diet with the long, labored days that vegetable farming brings.

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During this time and the years prior – vegetables were our primary source of nourishment! Mostly, because that’s what we grew and that’s what we could afford to eat but also because our options seemed limited for the quality of meat we were looking for.

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So, why not grow it ourselves?

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After forming a bond with our dairy cow and really learning a lot about animal husbandry, Brian and I decided to invest in a breeding pair of pigs. Yes, this was definitely a much bigger investment than just buying a couple of feeder pigs to trial but we’re so glad we did it this way. It was important to us that we always have animals that stay – all our mama pigs and mama cows… they continue to grow, thrive and raise their babies on the farm – season to season… we grow in a circle. With each season we’re all growing better than the last and we’ve learned so much. In January of 2013 Truffle and Otis the young American Guinea Hogs came to live with us at WHF. It would be 6 months later that Truffle and Otis would breed for the first time and 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days later that Truffle would farrow with her first litter.

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Joan Rutabagas, Braising Mix and some fennel that has gone to flower…

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This past summer was our first experience trying the meat we had spent over a year and a half raising. This included pork and chicken. There was so much build up, and time, and tears and work and love put into raising these animals… and we had finally come full circle on this idea that started 2 ½ years ago. Needless to say, upon trying the farm fresh fare, there were many fist pumps and high fives and life felt different on the farm. We had come full circle. It felt purposeful and productive. And we felt stronger.

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This season is the strongest we’ve ever felt. Physically, emotionally… you name it. But most obviously would be the physical part. Both of us feel like the strongest versions of ourselves. Incorporating high quality, pasture raised meat into our diet has really changed our capabilities on the farm for the better. We haven’t had one physical injury or any pain this year (knock on wood). Our diet still remains 75% or more of veggies but to have access to the best possible meat products makes all the work worth it (not to mention the taste and quality) and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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It’s been 2 ½ years since we first began our journey with animal husbandry and we’re now expecting our third and fourth litters of piglets and our first pair of angus calves over the next few months. We’ve raised 200 freedom ranger chickens, 15 turkeys and 150 layer hens. All of them on pasture, rotationally grazed, in harmony with nature and fulfilling these two farmers experiences on the farm exponentially.

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Delicious Fall celery, Ahab finding his sea legs and rainbow lights chard…

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We love our connection and commitment to this farm, these animals, the vegetables, to the consumers and to ourselves. We really do feel like all things on our farm continue to move in a circle, the same way things do in nature.

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It’s not always easy but we’re constantly learning.

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We’re learning and even re-learning how to cook again as adults with amazing farm fresh meat products. We find so much inspiration in our members (who are learning right beside us), Americas Test Kitchen, our own kitchen trials, farm cookbooks, fellow farmers raising pastured livestock and their recipe successes, local chefs, etc We are all growing better together.

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Thank you for supporting us and for being a part of our story on this farm. Know your farmer, know your food.

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At the beginning of a Fall CSA pick up…

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Here are the two inspiring factors for this week’s newsletter from the farm:

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Test Kitchen on Fresh Air. For all our CSA members who purchase our pasture raised meat or consume/cook with meat in general – this This Fresh with Terry Gross interview is a great listen! It’s about The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book that just came out – that gives tips on how to shop for, store, season and cook meat! Very inspiring for these two farmers as we are constantly trying to grow, cook, feel better and really savor all these wonderful fresh ingredients!

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Here’s the interview: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/10/23/358101692/test-kitchen-how-to-buy-the-safest-meat-and-make-the-juiciest-steaks

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American Meat. We really enjoyed watching this great documentary over the weekend called American Meat. It’s a very balanced look at the American Meat system and “explains how America arrived at its current industrial system, not through hidden cameras but through the eyes of the farmers who live and work there. The story shifts to the burgeoning movement of farmers, chefs and everyday folks, influenced by Salatin’s ideas, who might just change everything about the way meat reaches the American table.”

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Here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knNLZvphhfs

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We love our WHF cedar crates, an afternoon scape on the farm and some more celosia..

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And one fun tidbit worth sharing: Someone brought this to our attention at the beginning of last week…Brian and I made the Buzzfeed List for top 25 “farmstagrams”! If you enjoy following our farming adventures this is a great round up of farms on instagram to check out… http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliegerstein/farmstagrams-you-should-follow-right-now

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We’ll see you all this week!

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With fondest regards,

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Your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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’tis a Season (week 23)

Posted on 21 Oct 2014

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“Recall that whatever lofty things you might accomplish today, you will do them only because you first ate something that grew out of the dirt.” – Barbara Kingsolver

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Hey Friends & Farm-ily,

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‘Tis a season for tea, hunkering down, eating dinner before 9pm, and starting up the ol’ woodstove. ‘Tis a season for reflection, for putting things to rest and looking towards the future growing season. A limbo between summer and winter.. a gentle dance that has us trotting down hill for the remainder of the 2014 season (but, oh, not too fast, winter thoughts.. there are still a great many things to do on the ol’ farm list..) Harvesting in the rain, double washing roots, packing on the layers, and cold fingers are upon us. ‘Tis a season for hot tea (or even ginger toddies), that’s for sure.

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All the animals have been moved to higher ground in preparation of wetter, colder weather in the coming months..

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But, oh, the change of seasons feels so good.. right down to the bones. Everyone on the farm seems to be acclimating to the gradual shift in seasons… the garden, the plants, the animals and the farmers… hopefully you guys are too with the shift in farm fresh produce. We know we’ve been enjoying a lot of homemade, hearty Fall meals in the comfort of our kitchen. Curried veggies, soups, roasted medleys, crispy salads, noodle bowls… it’s that time of year! We’ve come a long way since the Spring and we’re feeling full to the brim. Each season that passes we love farming more and more and we feel as though it truly shows through the variety of our products and the love and care that go into growing all of those farm fresh goodies…

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A season of rainbows, dark skies, and sunburst sunsets… all is dewey and green now on the farm!

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‘Tis a season of reflection and inspiration especially on our misty morning walks. On a walk yesterday morning with our pups, I looked around and took it all in, and jokingly said to Brian, “have we even learned anything in the last 3 years farming together..?” Brian replied, “Yeah, just a few things…” Never mind the last 3 years we’ve been farming together (or the 3+ years before we met), we’ve learned a lot since this past Spring. We’ll never forgot “you only get 30 chances to plant your crop of potatoes..” These seasons pass too quickly and farming ain’t for the faint of heart. We are constantly on our toes, making spur of the moment decisions amidst all the thought-out long-term decisions all in hopes of working towards a model that helps us to grow better.

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We wake each morning more eager and excited for what the day may bring.

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These are the things that we get to do.

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We pulled the greenhouse cover over in an afternoon over the weekend… Ahab sure loves the cooler weather..

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We find inspiration in our peers from all over the country and all over the World. There are a handful of “small” farms that are really paving the way for young farmers. We share our daily activities on instagram and facebook not only to give insight in the day to day of a young small scale farmer but we also use the images and words as tools, references and resources for ourselves, fellow farmers and consumers. Like we always say, farming has a steep learning curve so any information, advice etc that we have to share or glean from others is of most value to us. If we can save someone money, time, frustration etc we are happy to do so! If we can show people a glimpse into all of the hard work, thoughtfulness, time, money etc that goes into small scale organic farming we are happy to share that as well. These outlets help keep us connected to friends, fellow farmers, family, CSA members etc…

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Brian and I tried our hand at AI-ing our gilt, Rosie, 21 days ago. She didn’t come into heat this past weekend so we’re hoping it took!

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But most importantly, ‘tis a season where we take more opportunities to move slow-er than we have since the Spring. To invest in those close relationships that got buried in all the long harvest, transplanting, weeding days of the season. To invest in yourself, to take good care and find a balance suitable to the new season… with the shorter days means greater opportunities for moving slowly.. for sitting and taking care. *And makes up for those 14+ hour days on our feet – when our summer energy was never wavering – but always wanting more!

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There’s a lot one can learn over the change of the seasons and there’s also a lot to be grateful for. Every Monday evening I get the chance to sit, reflect and share little snippets from the farm… it is my opportunity to take it all in cause in real time it just goes too fast (even when the days do grow shorter…) Here’s wishing you a few moments in this week to really take it all in, to reflect and enjoy all that life and the seasons have to bring!

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The last hurray for the pasture before the short, cold days freeze it in it’s tracks. It’s had a wonderful start though and can’t wait to see what it looks like next Spring!

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We’ll see you all soon!

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Your farmers,

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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The Farm’s Farmer (week 22)

Posted on 14 Oct 2014

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A view of the farm last Spring. Notice the partially constucted house, the not-yet planted pasture, the not-yet built barn, veggie processing structure, fences, chicken coop, greenhouses…… busy bees!

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The Farm’s Farmer. “Over a long time, the coming and passing of several generations, the old farm had settled into its patterns and cycles of work – its annual plowing moving from field to field; its animals arriving by birth or purchase, feeding and growing, thriving and departing. Its patterns and cycles were virtually the farm’s own understanding of what it was doing, of what it could do without diminishment. This order was not unintelligent or rigid. It tightened and slackened, shifted and changed in response to the markets and the weather. The Depression had changed it somewhat, and so had the war. But through all changes so far, the farm had endured. Its cycles of cropping and grazing, thought and work, were articulations of its wish to cohere and to last. The farm, so to speak, desired all of its lives to flourish. Athey was not exactly, or not only, what is called a “landowner.” He was the farm’s farmer, but also its creature and belonging. He lived its life, and it lived his; he knew that, of the two lives, his was meant to be the smaller and the shorter.” ― Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow

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Hello friends & farm-ily,

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After a wonderful extension of summer it looks like some Fall-like weather and the change of seasons are upon us with rain set to hit in the wee hours of Tuesday morning and “cooler” days in the 10-day forecast. The cover crop, the soil, the Fall veggies, the farm critters and your farmers are all ready for the shift in weather. With the excellent season we’ve had so far it feels like a long time coming and a long exhale when it rains after such a dry period.

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A view of the Fall garden in 2013. We were washing and packing boxes at our old farm down the road and we’re harvesting from two different farms – lots of driving to and fro. We moved all the critters over after we finished the barn in November 2013.

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This time of the year there is a lot of winter preparation as well as seasonal cleanup in the garden. The barn is filled with hay and the critters have all been moved to higher ground in anticipation of the coming rains. It is beginning to be a time of “resting” on the farm. The pasture is put to rest until next Spring when all the lush grasses return. We have a sacrifice area for both the cows and pigs on the south side of the farm. An area that will surely take the brunt of hooves and long stays in the same area but in order to preserve the integrity of your pasture you must do this in the wetter, cooler months. It’ll be in a blink of an eye when Spring starts to show itself once again and all the critters will be back out on fresh pasture. For now, their local, organically grown hay will have to do in the comforts of their winter home – the barn.

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This time last year the barn roof was going on, as well as your two farmers building, designing and constructing the new chateau poulet.

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It’s also time to start cleaning up the garden and to get everything tucked away before the coming of winter. We’ve sown in cover crop on all the tilled areas of the farm. We’ve begun pulling out t-posts in the tomato field and t-tape (irrigation). Next weekend we’ll get all the agribon row cover on our tender crops in preparation of our first frost which usually happens in this area around the 21st. Hard freezes that come later will mean draining pipes and getting everything winter ready.

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We’re hoping to put on the greenhouse cover this coming weekend and put that to bed. The crops that we seeded inside are doing well and we look forward to extending the season in the greenhouse. We’re also hoping to trench irrigation lines in the pasture and in the garden once the soil gets soft enough (it’s been so dry in the pasture – like a brick in some places). If not this Fall.. there’s always Spring!

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From Last Fall…Snuggling piglets in the barn, garlic planting and a foggy morning porch view of the garden…

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GARLC! We planted all our garlic this past weekend which means we have officially begun the 2015 growing season! It’s the first season that we planted all our own garlic seed (we’ve been saving incrementally over the past 4 years). We planted 3,000 ft of 7 of our favorite varieties which means if all goes well over the winter and spring with the seed then we will have lots of delicious garlic to enjoy in the 2015 season. *That’s 900ft more than we planted last Fall* Garlic is the gift that keeps on giving and we can’t get enough of it!

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2015 Sign Ups. Some members have been asking about our 2015 sign ups. You guys will be the first to know when we open up the CSA for next season! Over the summer months and through the Fall our waiting list has been growing but all our current members receive a two-week priority before we open it up to everyone else. We can hardly believe there are only 6 more pick up weeks left! Let us all savor what the glorious autumn bounty has to offer us… we love this time of year!

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We hope you all stay cozy and dry this week. Take this opportunity to enjoy your time in the kitchen. If you’re a 2014 CSA member and you haven’t yet joined our 2014 CSA member recipe facebook page check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/696698667079657/?ref=br_tf. Thank you to all those who have participated thus far. We love seeing the pictures and reading all about what you’re whipping up in the kitchen. It’s inspiring to your farmers and fellow CSA members!

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Fall 2013 veggies! We love this time of year…

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Also, of note…
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Attention: Beginning Farmer and Ranchers! Our dearest friend Beth has been working incredibly hard to put together the Farmers Rising! Oregon Beginning Farmer and Rancher Convivium this Friday-Sunday. She says, “It’s a packed weekend with more than 20 awesome trainers teaching sessions on everything from marketing to farm construction, PLUS: good food, farmer yoga classes, social time, and an honest to goodness hoedown (string band & dance caller!). It’s not your run-of-the-mill farmer conference.”
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Check out http://farmersrising.brownpapertickets.com/ to purchase your tickets and spread the good word to any fellow farmers or interested folks you might know!

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See you all this week!

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All the best,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

The Bounty of Fall (week 21)

Posted on 7 Oct 2014

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“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

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Hello Friends & Farm-ily,

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Are you all getting ready for a true change of season? Cooler nights and shorter days are just the tip of the iceberg… change is a-comin’! October on the farm means the growing season starts to “wind down” but hasn’t actually wound down if you know what I mean (especially with all this summer like weather we’ve been having as of late). Our garlic seed goes in on Friday so it looks like the 2015 year is about to start sooner than we think (always thinking months and months ahead)!

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Thanks to that burst of rain last week our grass is turning green again and everything feels a touch more settled. With proposed rains coming back at the end of the week it will begin to feel more and more like Fall yet and we’re loving every second it.

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Lush greens are happy and growing on the farm. The whole farm took a deep sigh of relief with the rains..

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And can you believe there are only 7 more weeks left in the CSA season (the last share being a double share of storage goodies the week before Thanksgiving…) What a season it’s been! We’re having so much fun growing a bounty of food this season… we’ve got pages of notes and cataloged information in our heads about our favorite varieties (what grew best and what didn’t), row spacing and farm layout, cultivation equipment and bed prep, fertilization and compost, pasture rotations and seed starting… we can’t wait to sit down in December and January and hash out some really groovy stuff that we’ve learned this year. As any seasoned member will tell you… each year we grow better as farmers (and they do too as members!) Both farmers and members alike! We all love our veggies (and all the other goodies we grow too – farm fresh and seasonal beets all the rest)! It’s such an inspiration to grow, live, and eat better together.

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Succulent spinach, The king of the farm and best kitty we know, Sir Gloucester… tilling and prepping beds in the evening sun…

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The cooler weather and change of season means a change in the weekly rotation of veggies. Those hot weather crops get fazed out with the hardier crops of fall – broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, Brussels, cabbage, greens, carrots, beets, winter squash… you name it. It also means seeing more Fall bugs – like pesky aphids – that thrive in the damp, cooler weather. We’ve had far less aphids this season than any other (thanks to all the dry weather) but we still expect to see more of them as the Fall season goes on. We do our best to clean up and pay attention but encourage you not to fear but a mere cluster of aphids (they particularly love the underside of brassicas – kale, collards, broccoli etc)! Once you get the produce home and get ready to clean and store it in all in the fridge, use those opposable thumbs down the length of the stem – with running water from the tap – and that seems to do the trick! After 21 weeks you got this.. you guys are pros and care about the food that you eat and the sign of a few little buggers being there is important and shows you what’s not on it!

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A few of our hives were robbed over the weekend but things seem to have quieted down since then. Everyday is a learning experience and although it hurts, if you pay attention to it, you learn from it.

Dried wedding flowers & an almost finished stack of wood for winter…

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Later this month we’ll have our first frost… and just you wait to taste those root crops and hardy greens when it does. The frost sweetens all those crops in the garden – producing sugar is a plants way of protecting itself from the extreme weather and we get the benefit of extra sweet carrots, kale, broccoli, beets etc. Embrace the seasons of change in the garden and on your plate and get excited to explore a whole new way of cooking – for Fall! Bring it on!

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The cooler weather also means more opportunities for getting immersed in the kitchen and utilizing all the rich, deep goodness of our root crops, brassicas, and hardy greens in soups and roasting and baking etc. It’s such a wonderful time to nestle in and experiment! The days are getting shorter (that’s for sure!) which means taking more opportunities for creating in the kitchen. After 20 weeks as a 2014 CSA member you have been through our Spring, Summer and now Fall bounty. Your confidence and skills in the kitchen are growing and you are feeding yourself and your household unbelievably well. It’s impressive and inspiring to us, your farmers, as we put many dedicated hours into the dirt and you all put in the dedicated hours at home to create beautiful nourishing meals at your own table.

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Turkeys and the almost-full moon, beautiful Chateau Poulet eggs and Mr. Curly awaiting a sweet snack…

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So, share your CSA recipe success!… Invites (emails) have been sent out to our members to join the Working Hands Farm CSA Group on Facebook. A place for Working Hands Farm CSA members to share recipe ideas, kitchen prep successes, food preservation ideas etc! Check your email or visit this link to join the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/696698667079657/ Participation is highly encouraged as we know you all have been whipping up quite the veggie feasts at home! 🙂

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6 Things You Learn About Food, After Cooking on a Farm is a great article that a farmer friend sent me recently. I haven’t read Rochelle’s book yet – The Call of the Farm: An Unexpected Year of Getting Dirty, Home Cooking, and Finding Myself – but I thought the article might inspire you all on your kitchen journeys. Start small and use less to make a beautiful home grown meal. Having fun in the kitchen starts small and you taste the subtleties in the finished produce which reminds me of my favorite books about cooking – Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal. 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!)

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Curing winter squash, the pasture returns and amazingly rich celery – perfect for soups and roasts!

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We look forward to seeing you all soon and hearing all about your latest recipe successes!

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Enjoy the week and see you soon!

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All the best,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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Carrying it Forward (week 20)

Posted on 30 Sep 2014

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“The farmer’s labor circles back on him

As the seasons of the year roll back around

To where they were and walk in their own footsteps.”

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– Virgil’s “Second Georgic”

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Hello friends & farm-ily,

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We hope you are all doing well and are enjoying this beautiful start to Fall! A friend sent me the quote from Virgil’s “Second Georgic” over the weekend and how suiting it was to receive it as I had just tilled the area that was first to be tilled in the Spring. But instead of planting beets, or broccoli, or mix, I was getting ready to seed in our winter cover crops. I found myself here – in these same footsteps that I had walked not so long before – very vividly in my mind. I remember the tilling, the bed prep, the transplanting, the weeding, the abundant harvest, the re-tilling-in of plants… it’s amazing how connected we are to each season, each week, each day here on the farm. It didn’t seem so long ago when we had planted winter squash and corn here in this same place in 2013… our first trial year on this farm.

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We’ve come a long way since Working Hands started in 2009 and even more so in the past 2 years! We’re coming up on our 2-year anniversary of serendipitously discovering this piece of earth that wasn’t even listed yet for sale. And we’re coming up on our 1-year anniversary of officially moving the farm and ourselves over to the place we had spent so many hours and days dreaming, building and becoming…..

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2 years ago, an older gentleman stopped by our farm stand at the old property to buy tomatoes and asked if we owned or leased and if we’d be interested in seeing a property just down the road from us that hadn’t yet gone on the market… little did we know…

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19 months ago, we broke ground on this piece of dirt after months of sketching, planning and getting permits through the county. Starting with the house foundation and squaring off our garden blocks… the vision started to take shape!

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18 months ago, we began tilling the back 20 acres of the property in anticipation of planting pasture (for the first time!) Which took us 2 months to make a first pass, working into the late of the evening on our little John Deere.. and another 2 months to till it again! and fences! can’t forget fences…

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16 months ago, we planted our first crops at the new place.. and kept on planting… working the field at two different farms all while building a new place for Working Hands to call home.

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13 months ago, we began construction on our gambrel style barn. We also seeded in our pasture before the rains returned in hopes of having food for our critters in 2014!

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1 year ago, we began our official move from one farm to another… including storage crops, tools, animals, and everything in between (in 4 years of farming you can accumulate a lot of stuff!)

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It’s crazy to think that in the past 2 years so much has changed for us and for Working Hands. All the hard work, work shopping, critical thinking, blood, sweat and tears, and intentionality gave us the solid foundation that we needed in putting our dreams into application. We kept the big picture in mind but focused mostly on each individual step as to not become overwhelmed. We had each other, our amazing families and friends who helped guide and encourage us every step of the way and the support of our CSA members to lay the foundation for what is now the permanent home of Working Hands. So much good energy has gone into this place and we’re just getting started… !

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In farming, everyday can truly feel like an adventure into the unknown. *I s’pose this is true for most things that you LOVE to do* You just never know what to expect and in trusting in that (and yourself) you can learn so much. We gain so much inspiration from other young, first generation farmers, books, documentaries etc but for us (like most farmers) first- hand experience is everything. You must try and fail and try again until you succeed. And that all might change depending on the weather, seed vitality, and all the other variables we compete with. And we love that challenge. For some, it would make them anxious and cause them to sleep restlessly (trust us, we’ve been there too!) but as we grow better – we feel better.. more confident, more sure.. despite any variables that present themselves.. we are up for the challenge and are ready to meet them head on. You only get one life… which doesn’t leave much room to be too scared to try!

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So, as we stand here in this garden, on this farm, remembering the string and stakes that first marked these beds, or the first Fall crops of 2013 that we harvested from nourished soils, or to the first full season here on the farm (yeah, 2014!)… We feel blessed and we feel grateful (and, maybe, just a touch pooped).

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So, here we grow.. moving in our circles and remembering and carrying it all forward, season to season.

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We look forward to seeing you all this week.

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All the best,

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Your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Fall Song (week 19)

Posted on 23 Sep 2014

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Fall Song

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“Another year gone, leaving everywhere its rich spiced residues: vines, leaves,

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the uneaten fruits crumbling damply in the shadows, unmattering back

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from the particular island
of this summer, this NOW, that now is nowhere

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except underfoot, moldering
in that black subterranean castle

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of unobservable mysteries — roots and sealed seeds
and the wanderings of water. This

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I try to remember when time’s measure painfully chafes, for instance when autumn

flares out at the last, boisterous and like us longing to stay — how everything lives, shifting

from one bright vision to another, forever in these momentary pastures.”

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poem written by Mary Oliver

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Harvesting winter squash before the rains with a lightning filled sky and a huge feeling of relief! Bring on the rain. Our dear farm needs it.

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A big, wonderful welcome to Fall and Happy Autumnal Equinox to you all! Also, RAIN! (thank you all for your rain dances over the weekend – we sure do need it!) Now, if it happens to actually rain this week (we’ve become skeptics) it means that we will be having CSA pick up in our propagation greenhouse next to the parking lot. That way you, the produce and your farmers stay nice and dry!

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Enjoy the week and we’ll see you all soon!

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With regards,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Sun-Fall (week 17)

Posted on 9 Sep 2014

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Honey truly is the nectar of the gods…

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Hello Friends & Farm-ily,

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September sure has panned out to be a lovely extension of summer. We’ve been eerily dry this year through every season but we know the rains will return soon enough. Every week I catch myself looking back at last year’s weekly newsletter and it’s crazy how similar and different each season can be. Some crops that started to peeter out this time last year are still going strong in this year’s garden while others have come and certainly slowed down in comparison to last year (due to all the consistent heat). But some things are exactly the same.. it looks like we’ll be harvesting and curing our winter squash this coming weekend as well as our sweet potato crop. It’s nice to have some consistency when many things in farming show you there’s so much learn!

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Two proud guys that I am so happy and proud to know. Here’s to keepin’ warm over the winter!

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Over the next month we will be slowly transitioning into our cooler weather crops. The summer crops are still performing with all the heat and sun but as the days get shorter and the nights get cooler the Fall veggies will start to shine. The summer harvests have been so plentiful… we’re looking forward to the shorter days, to give these farmer bodies a little bit of re-coop time. This is the time of the season where our backs feel it the most – 50 lb harvest crates x 3 days (and 85 shares) can add up to a lot of pounds of produce being harvested and carried around the farm… Not to mention the walking. We haven’t put a pedometer on in a while but we’d bet we’ve been easily walking 20+ miles each day. Morning and evening chores will surely seem a bit easier when all the critters are moved up closer to the barn over the winter.

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Farmer Brian has made great progress this weekend on our 100ft greenhouse (and has the blisters to prove it). We plan on doing some seeding and transplanting in there throughout the week and will put the poly top on after this string of hot, hot weather. This will extend the season of our more tender crops as well as the first round of Spring crops (i.e. Spring Carrots!) – always thinking ahead….

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Can’t wait to see the barn filled up with curing winter squash this weekend!

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Over the next few weeks we’ll be filling the barn with hay for the critters, squash & sweet potatoes for curing etc. We’ve been busy harvesting wood from the recently cleared out creek area (thanks to our cows) and filling up the pantry with canned goods! And next thing ya know we’ll be planting garlic for next season! Crazy how times flies…

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Honeybee Appreciation. Did you know… to make one pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit 2 million flowers, fly over 55,000 miles and will be the lifetime work of approximately 768 bees? And that a single honeybee will only produce approximately 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime… amazing! Every ounce of it truly is gold!

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Honey! Honey will be available this week for members! One of our members suggested calling it an elixir – as it’s the purest form of honey you can find and from a most trusted source! It’s raw, unfiltered and comes in an 11 fl oz. jar. Your farmers will be available from 4-7pm so come prepared for sweetness!

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This very old compost spreader is going to change these two farmer’s lives for the better! No more hauling by hand… workin’ smarter..

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Bulk Tomatoes. Thank you all for your interest in our bulk tomatoes. The season continues but we know these cold nights will soon slow down production so send us an email if you’re interested in picking up 25lbs or more this week!

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Pork shares. We sold out of pork shares within the first 72 hours of having them available! We love that folks have been so excited about pasture raised pork and we look forward to having more available in October.

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CSA Member Pick-a-Pumpkin-Day! Mark your calendars. Our CSA member pick a pumpkin day is set for Saturday, September 20th from 11am – 1pm. Members will have the opportunity to pick out one pumpkin per share between the hours of 11am-1pm. This is a weather dependent event with more info to follow!

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CSA Member Movie Night on the Farm. Fried Green Tomatoes is on the bill for movie night this Friday! We will be starting the movie around 7:45pm so come 10 minutes early to set up your chairs! Bring your own chairs, a few extra layers or a blanket for when the sun goes down, and some snacks!

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Fried Green Tomatoes is about a housewife who is unhappy with her life and befriends an old lady in a nursing home and is enthralled by the tales she tells of people she used to know. Most definitely one of the best films ever! Come watch Idgie the beecharmer do what she does best. Towanda!

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The almost full harvest moon making it’s appearance beyond the brassicas..

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We’ll see you all this week! Happy harvesting for Week 17…..

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All the best,

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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Short n’ Sweet (week 16)

Posted on 2 Sep 2014

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“A farmer’s shadow is the best fertilizer” – an old chinese proverb

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Hi Friends & Farm-ily,

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Happy September to you all! We had the ultimate labor day weekend this year… with the help of our two favorite farmer friends (and our trusty tractor) we were able to harvest and store 3,000lbs of potatoes! It really has been a plentiful year in the garden and this season’s potato harvest is our best to date. (Purples, Yukons, Gold Rushes, Reds, Kennebecs and French Fingerlings to boot….)

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As it’s been a busy start to the week for these two farmers already, we are keeping it short n’ sweet this week. We’ll be back next week with more farm-y updates! Until then, be sure to follow along on our daily adventures on facebook and instagram. The summer harvest continues on with these shorter days as we draw nearer to the autumnal equinox (on September 22nd)!

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We look forward to seeing you all this week!

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All our best,

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Order Up (week 15)

Posted on 26 Aug 2014

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“The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams” – Thoreau

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Hello Friends & Farm-ily,

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‘Tis the last week of August.. where did the time go?! In the heat of the day it feels like summer but these crispier nights sure do feel like a change of season is on the horizon… The days are getting shorter and at 9:30pm – we find ourselves just coming in from direct seeding a few more beds for the day. It’s crazy how you go from hiding from the sun to chasing it as the days get shorter (every minute counts!) The past month had some long days in store for us so we’re ready for a change of pace.. but for now we’re enjoying these heavy, productive harvests and enjoying the fruits of our labor. (We have high hopes of beginning our potato harvest this week!) It’s a giving time after all the hard work and we enjoy sharing the grown with love bounty with all of you.

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The Return of the Crates. Thank you to everyone who brought back their WHF CSA crates last week! We have received half the missing crates which means we are halfway there! Thank you all for your understanding last week. It feels good to be a part of a community who is open and willing to help out .. “whatever is easier for you guys” was a phrase we heard from our CSA members often last week and we couldn’t feel better about your support.

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The warm colors of summer.. ’tis the season to soak in all that vitamin D! Baby Nugget was introduced to the herd and our barn is being swallowed by tomatoes!

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Market Style CSA. The verdict is in… members love the market style CSA! We have to admit it was absolutely beautiful to see all the produce laid out on the table awaiting our members to “eat with their eyes” and pick out the produce that best fit their households needs. It was also great to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one and to try something new. In farming you don’t get too many opportunities to spontaneously try something new (it usually takes a whole season to see the results) but with the willingness of our members and your farmers we got to try something new and it was fun. We will be keeping on with the market style this week so remember to bring your bags (folks were averaging 3 bags total for all their summer goodies). We also saw folks bring laundry baskets, boxes, etc… to put their goods in. Whatever works best for you!

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Always chasing the sun this time of the year.. never enough time in the day it seems!

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It’s time to ‘order up’ at WHF! Everything on the farm is grown with love (and beyond organic methods) and we encourage all to inquire about our amazing goods that we offer at the farm… A lot of hard work and love have gone into producing these goods and we are so proud to offer the following products…

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Bulk tomatoes – you can never make enough salsa! Thank you all for your interest in our bulk tomatoes. The season continues so send us an email if you’re interested in picking up a bushel or two of tomatoes. Remember.. for the average quart of sauce it takes 3-7lbs of tomatoes so plan accordingly! A good canning tip would be to decide how many jars your household would eat in a 52 week span (there are 52 weeks in a year). This has worked for us in regards to the items we use most (i.e. salsa, sauce, soup etc) and a bit less for ketchup. Oh, the possibilities are endless…

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WHF Honey. We were able to get a honey harvest in this past weekend and we are happy to say that we will have WHF honey available for purchase. The girls have been hard at work this season and are more productive and thriving compared to our hives last year. Yahoo! Emails for details if you’d like to purchase honey!

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The herd has been busy maintaining the back 20 by the creek. It’s amazing what they’ve accomplished in the last week or so. It’s also amazing that the grass down there is still green. What a gift!

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WHF Pasture-Raised Pork. We are proud to offer our first taste of WHF pork. The taste is the truest representation of the glorious life they live on the farm as well as all the love and thoughtfulness it takes in raising them on pasture (with a supplemented diet of organic, certified non-gmo feed from Scratch & Peck). We will be selling our pasture raised pork in 10 lb shares (a mixed variety of individually wrapped cuts from a certified USDA facility).

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AGH are known for their incredible taste and were nominated for the Slow Food Ark of Taste, where it was readily accepted for it’s outstanding flavor, sustainable husbandry methods and important agricultural heritage. Email us for more information regarding our pasture-raised pork and we will get back to you by the end of the week!

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It may still be the height of summer in the garden but the seasons are a changing quickly…

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WHF Organic Pasture Raised Chicken. Time to make a deposit for our delicious pasture raised chicken! Orders will be ready for pick up the last week of September/first week of October. A $10 deposit per chicken will be due to reserve your order. This deposit will go towards the balance due upon pick up. We have a limited quantity and expect them to go fast! These are perfect for keeping in the freezer for a delicious Fall and Winter meal.

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For more information on the most delicious pasture raised chicken you can buy please visit our Organic Pasture Raised Chicken Page here. Please fill out the order form at the bottom of our Chicken Page to submit your order! Let us know how many you would like and what sizes are preferred (they range from 3.5-5.5lbs). Once we receive your order we will email you with confirmation by the end of the week.

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We hope everyone has a great week and a wonderful holiday weekend! See you all soon!

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We’re getting down to our last planting pushes! And broccoli/brassicas for days… Here we go week 15!

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with regards,

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Your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Growing Better (week 14)

Posted on 19 Aug 2014

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“We walked always in beauty, it seemed to me. We walked and looked about, or stood and looked. Sometimes, less often, we would sit down. We did not often speak. The place spoke for us and was a kind of speech. We spoke to each other in the things we saw.” – Wendell Berry

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Hello Friends & Farm-ily,

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We hope you are all enjoying the last few weeks before school starts up again or enjoying a getaway or two while the weather is gorgeous! Can you believe we’re at the half way mark of this year’s CSA? It’s amazing how fast time flies (especially in the summer). We wait all winter to eat fresh fruits and veggies and then here we are… knee deep in the bountiful harvest of summer! It’s time to enjoy!

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The numbers are in… after 13 weeks of harvest for our 2014 CSA we have distributed (drum roll please…) 24,000lbs of produce! Which means we are on track for distributing close to 50,000lbs for the entire CSA season. The average box over the last 13 weeks has weighed 22lbs (with the summer boxes averaging around 25-30lbs.. soon to be more) which means that our CSAers have been paying $1.90 per pound of produce. An unbeatable price for fresh, picked that day, beyond organic practices, grown by farmers you know and trust!

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Pie pumpkins and corn have been spotted this past weekend in the garden…

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Each year we grow better. In 2012 we had 50 CSA shares and distributed 25,000lbs. In 2013 we had 75 CSA shares and distributed 36,000lbs and this year we have 85 shares (feeding aprox. 300 individuals) and at an estimated 50,000lbs of produce distributed it is undoubtedly our best year yet…

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We’re on a mission to grow the best possible produce for our community so that our community can live long, healthy, and productive lives and be productive members of society! So, thank you all for supporting our small farm whether it be your 1st or your 5^th season. We aim to grow better each year and love the highs, lows and everything in-between, every step of the way! Let us be thankful for the incredible bounty this season, the fine weather and the hardworking hands of two farmers that you have come to know and trust.

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Fall crops and summer crops all look amazing.. August is one powerhouse of a month on the farm…

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Keep chuggin’ along… The days may be getting shorter but the lists this time of year grow bigger each day. There are never enough hours but we are workin’ it as always.. with Fall on the horizon we know some respite will come. For now it’s seed and plant and weed and dig… feed and milk and water and cover… build and fix and service and maintain… can and store and harvest, harvest, pick… sort and pack and wash, wash, wash… never a dull moment here at the farm! Be sure to give your farmers a high five or some words of encouragement. We know it’s a busy time of the year for everyone! 🙂

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Bulk tomatoes – time to think about canning! Every year we set aside capital to invest in a garden in order to offer bulk sales of certain items. This portion of the garden is not funded by the CSA but generates its own capital for the following seasons investment. So… due to the amazingly hot and dry summer we’re having we currently have tomatoes available at a bulk price. Think canning…whole tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, roasted tomato sauce, sundried tomatoes, salsa, ketchup.. you name it! Tomatoes really are the best treat during the gray days of winter.. Email us for more information.

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Mama and baby have an amazing bond. Ellie’s calf is very healthy and thriving and Ellie is feeling much better these last few days. We’re always alert and aware of how our animals are doing. Even the slightest change and we’re there.

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Important change for pick up this week! We are operating with a major deficit of CSA crates (we’re missing close to 40 crates) and don’t have enough to pack all the CSA shares this week. So… without further ado, we will be changing up the CSA pick-up format until we get all of our crates back and do a much needed crate inventory.

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This coming week we will have our first “Market style CSA pick-up.” “What is that?,” you ask. The CSA drop will look like a typical farmers market stand and you get to pack your own share with the allotted amounts of vegetables written next to each varietal. It will be very user friendly and a fun change of pace due to the given situation.

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So, it’s important to bring back your crate(s) and 2-3 reusable bags to put your produce in. We appreciate your understanding and assistance. Let’s have fun with it!

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Our morning and evening ritual with the dogs and animals is a peaceful, enjoyable time to catch up, be in the moment and talk about what we’re having for supper..

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Enjoy the week and we will see you all soon!

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All the best,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

A Growing Maturity (week 13)

Posted on 12 Aug 2014

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Howdy Friends & Farm-ily,

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These days it’s certainly the height of summer with a taste of Fall… meaning summer harvesting is in full swing and the last of the Fall crops will be planted during the course of the next two weeks. We’re seeing green as we moved all our transplants from the greenhouse to the shade of the barn in preparation for all the HOT weather. We look forward to planting everything when we can and are really hoping the forecast rings true with some rain headed our way on Wednesday.

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In the height of summer the harvest days are longer (lots of heavier and more tedious items that take longer to harvest) and the last successions of crops get planted in the ground… all to be done in the dead heat of the day. August always has us anticipating September when most everything is planted and things start to tidy up a bit and you’ll see your farmers more often 🙂 For now, send your best farming thoughts our way as these next few weeks will be a big final planting push for your farmers!

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Photo credit: Meaghin Kennedy, These Salty Oats

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In the midst of the height of the summer season, our dear sweet Ellie girl gave birth to a sweet chocolate brown bull angus/jersey calf. It’s been incredible having a new babe on the farm but as farming often does it has come with it’s own set of challenges (farming really has the steepest learning curves.. reading this old blog post of when Maribelle was born reminds us that you can never be too sure about anything..) Due to Ellie’s older age and genetics she’s had a tougher go-around with the milking. Ellie is suffering from Edema (water retention in the utter) which has made it difficult to milk and for Ellie to get around as well as a too far gone ligament in her utter that makes it hang far too low and the teats too wide. We’ve made accommodations though (milking one side at a time), milking several times a day (to help with the edema), and treating some of Ellie’s ailments with homeopathic remedies.

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Photo credit: Meaghin Kennedy, These Salty Oats

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She’s one tough cookie though and so is her little man. He’s been helping mama along and is healthy and active and we’ve been doing our best to aid in relief and the health of our sweet mama cow. It’s been so lovely to see them together in the pasture roaming freely about and gambling along. Send both these incredible creatures your love and to your farmers too as we take heed milking our sweet girl morning, noon and night….

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A Growing Maturity. Meaghin of These Salty Oats has done it again… she has a gift for capturing words and images that ring true to how it is perceived in real time. After the first article Meaghin wrote about us (Cultivating Community) we truly felt understood, listened to and even received insightful feedback and reassurance. Meaghin knows her stuff and she should as she’s done many interviews around food culture with farmers, tea makers, beekeepers, activists (to name a few) to her own adventures in the kitchen and in the dirt at her home in Portland proper.

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Photo credit: Meaghin Kennedy, These Salty Oats

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When Meaghin contacted us about doing a follow-up article we were pumped but also wondered if anything had changed. Sure, we moved to our new property and have been busy building infrastructure and the land, taking on new livestock and increasing our membership to 85 shares. But, had we changed? We still believed in everything that this farm was built upon as much as we did before and after these two farmers met (after all, it’s what brought us together). And it felt like that foundation was even stronger coming into the 2014 season.

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With the repetition of thoughts, passions and daily chores you sometimes fail to realize all the little things that add up over time to bring confidence and maturity to everything that you do. Looking at things, I mean really looking as if under a magnifying glass is now something we do without a second thought. It enables us to see ourselves clearly, the health of our plants, animals, ourselves and even our members. We always strive to grow better and we feel honored that we’ll have the next 20+ years to do just that…

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Photo credit: Meaghin Kennedy, These Salty Oats

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So, as we sat and read the article over the weekend we were overcome with emotion and joy. Meaghin did it again.. we felt understood and felt like we have grown a lot (as people and farmers) this past year. We also gained a bit of outside perspective. With farming you spend a great deal of time talking to yourself and your partner (and the animals too) that it’s important to check in with others to be reminded of where you are and what you’re doing when you feel most like yourself. To make sure those inner thoughts and productivity are still working together harmoniously.. that the heart, sweat, tears and love are there and the driving force of the things that you do. We don’t claim to know much and as we grow older we know less and less all the time.. but we do know that we love this life and farming teaches us so much about the sweetness, the hope, the productivity and the tough stuff too in this all too short but very sweet life.

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We invite you to check out the article and to learn a little bit more about your farmers… click here to read the article written by Meaghin Kennedy : A Growing Maturity.

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Photo credit: Meaghin Kennedy, These Salty Oats

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Potatoes. Due to last weekend’s potato harvest postponement we will now be harvesting potatoes this Saturday and invite those who like to get their hands dirty to come out to the farm and lend a hand. Come out for an hour or stay a few – we appreciate any help we can get. Send us an email for the details and if you’re thinking about joining us!

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Remember your crates, berry hallocks, rubber bands etc! We’re almost half way through the CSA and want to keep the spirit alive! Yeah, summer! *due to the heat and long days ahead your farmers will most likely be taking respite during the hours of 4-5pm. Send that rain your farmers way!*

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Photo credit: Meaghin Kennedy, These Salty Oats

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Thanks as always for all your support and encouragement!

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All our best,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Planting Roots Together (week 12)

Posted on 5 Aug 2014

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Good mornin’ friends & farm-ily,

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Well, we did it! What a week/weekend it was… we made it through a succession of 90+ degree days and managed to pull off a beautiful farm wedding with the help of all our amazing family and friends. We thank you all for your well wishes and endless support. We’re so thrilled to be where we are – together – as hubby and wife.

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It was incredible to celebrate with friends and family on the days leading up to and at the wedding. The community that surrounds us is one that fills our World with love, kindness, and inspiration. We are absolutely amazed (and thankful) at what a group of very willing & motivated friends and family can accomplish when love is the driving force. The farm has never felt so full and warm. It truly feels more like home after so many familiar faces left an everlasting imprint on our hearts and in the dirt.

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After a week in the presence of those we love most we feel truly grateful and very ready (and in love) for this new adventure. Endless possibilities….

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Your farmers clean up nice. I don’t think we’ve ever felt so handsome. Thanks to Meaghin Kennedy of These Salty Oats for this beautiful picture!

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We will be back soon with our farm newsletter with lots of happy updates from the farm!

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Many Hands Make Light Work – Potato Dig. Nothin’ like a big potato harvest after your wedding (someone told me it’s not the 16th century and I don’t have to dig taters the day before my wedding ha!) We’re so excited to harvest these gorgeous gems. Please let us know if you are interested as we’ll begin (and hopefully finish) it all over the weekend and we’ll need helpin’ hands. We plan on harvesting potatoes starting on Friday or Saturday and invite those who like to get their hands dirty to come out to the farm and lend a hand. Come out for an hour or stay a few – we appreciate any help we can get. Send us an email for the details and if you’re thinking about joining us!

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Please remember to bring your crates this week. We look forward to seeing you all soon and enjoy the week!

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Your Farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

Gettin’ Hitched (week 11)

Posted on 29 Jul 2014

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Hey Friends & Farm-ily,

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We hope you all are enjoying this beautiful summer! As many of you know your farmers are gettin’ hitched this weekend which means that your farmers won’t be at your CSA pick ups this week. We will be harvesting some gorgeous CSA boxes for you all over the next few days and we are happy to say that our family will be lending that extra needed hand. Enjoy the glorious summer bounty and we’ll catch up with you all next week!

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Also of note: please bear with us as our computer crashed last week and we are depending on our smart phones to communicate with you all (i.e. newsletters, emails, recipe print outs etc). Hopefully (fingers crossed) it will back up and running in the next week or so.

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Please remember to bring your crates this week and any crates that may be hiding out in your homes as a handful are still missing.

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Many thanks and we’ll see you soon!

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

With A Little Help From My Friends (week 10)

Posted on 22 Jul 2014

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“Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and crotchety–

best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light–
good morning, good morning, good morning.

Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.”

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– Mary Oliver, Why I Wake Early

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Hello Friends and Farm-ily,

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We have made it into the double digits.. here we are at Week 10. As the box transitions out of Spring and into Summer we can look back and appreciate all those luscious, mildly spicy greens, first roots plucked from the soil and the cool brassica crops like broccoli, romanesco and cauliflower. The carrots keep coming and the maters are ripening by the dozen each and everyday. The gods of cool weather are even blessing us with two days of 70 degrees (fingers crossed for a touch of rain, please) and we will relish in the mid week cooling off.

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In 9 weeks we’ve distributed 14,500lbs of produce to all of our members (and we haven’t even had our heavy end of summer/early fall CSA boxes yet)! Let us all be thankful for the bounty this year, the fertile soils of the Willamette Valley, and the farmers who love to toil the soil. ‘Tis a place of bounty and beauty where we can successfully grow a large array of produce that we should always be grateful for (we know we are).

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Friends have the magical ability to simultaneously ground us and lift us up when we need it. It’s the best.

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We had an amazing weekend with friends and farm-ily members who volunteered hours of their time to help these two farmers conquer a harvest of 12,000 onions (with 8 wonderful sets of hands) on Saturday as well as planting 3,200 ft of our Fall Crops with the help of two fellow friends and farmers on Sunday. It’s amazing all the motivation, support and encouragement that these people bring with them to the farm. The can do attitude even through the hottest of weather… no matter what the task it seems that these folks are always game. We appreciate it so much – without it we surely wouldn’t be as efficient or have as much fun or get the chance to listen or chat or discover something new about the folks who believe in this farm, these farmers and themselves. These moments – when shared – offer just the right amount of reflection, productivity and encouragement that make you feel good about where you’re at. It makes the trust you have in yourself, life, nature and other people that much stronger… which is oh-so-important especially when you work 100+ hours in the company of animals..

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Truly a great opportunity for dirty hands, clean hearts.

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Our Fall Bearing Raspberry Polana (usually ready in August) is almost ready to pick for members! Our goldens will be worth the wait as they should be ready in a week or two

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So a very big thank you to those that were able to come out and to those who were there in spirit! Your “likes” on facebook or kind emails detailing recipes you really enjoyed, produce that rocked your world, or thoughts of feeling hungry for knowledge, of eating well and contributing to your community means the most to us and motivates us to do better.

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We hope your food journeys are serving you all well as we make our way into Week 10 of the CSA…

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Training pups amongst the bees, trees, and flowers of summer… Oh, the many different hats you wear as a farmer!

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Please return any crates that you may have this week! We are starting the week over a dozen shy so remember to help out your farmers and return them this week.

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All the best to you and yours,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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What the C Stands For (week 9)

Posted on 15 Jul 2014

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“When the community is connected to its soil the plants are not the only things to grow roots.” – Farmer B

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Hey Friends & Farm-ily,

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Whooie! What a weekend. Full of excitement, appreciation, long- hard working days and even some clouds (THANK GOODNESS) during the early part of the day on Sunday. We have been calling it “the best day of the summer!” A wonderfully cloudy start to our Sunday morning also meant a whole morning to harvest all our glorious garlic (with the help of a handful of friends and members) where it is currently curing in the barn loft. It feels so great to have the garlic out of the garden… this weekend we shall pull the storage onions…. all 6,000 ft of them (see below for more info on volunteering!)

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Our CSA Member Farm Day on Saturday was a big success and we have all our wonderful 2014 CSA members to thank. It’s truly great gift to share with everyone first hand what we do and believe in (especially since moving to our new farm full-time). A lot of forward momentum has happened over the last 20 months and it felt great to share it with our members. Since the Farm Day we’ve had some time for reflection and we wanted to share some of our thoughts.

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What the C stands for. The acronym is CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) but for your farmers that C can stand for so much more. It stands for commitment, as in the incredible commitment that our members make to support our small farm, to eat a healthy diet, to visit the farm once a week and greet your farmers and pickup a box packed full of veggies, to experiment with an open mind and try new recipes. And as you well know that commitment goes both ways, the commitment from the members to their farm and their farmers to their members. As your farmers, we are committed to excellence. To producing the most delicious and nutrient dense produce we can to meet your household’s needs. To hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards of organic food production. To ensure that the veggies are washed and packed at the CSA pick up every week three times a week without fail. (Did you know that in 5 years of business we have never missed a CSA drop?) And we are committed to growing better, not bigger.

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The C can stand for Culture, as in investing your dollars into a culture of food that is thoughtful and sustainable. A culture that teaches its young people to eat a balanced diet that gives a young person the best possible chance to succeed in this life. Whatever that c might stand for, for our CSA, the community is at its core.

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C is for Community. During Farm day this past weekend, we were overwhelmed with gratitude, inspiration and appreciation by the community that visited our farm. Many of our members (1/3 of our shares) braved the heat and were introduced to the vegetable garden, to the fall crops coming up in the propagation house, to the chickens, honey bees, cows and pigs. They learned about our rotational grazing methods and about our ethical standards of growing safe, nutritional and well loved/grown produce/fruits. They were able to chat about food, recipes and seasonal eating with their farmers and other members in the community. To top it off, everyone brought fantastic potluck dishes that were enjoyed amongst good company in our new shade structure. It was surely a great feeling looking around and seeing all the different people in the community being brought together by food….

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It’s a powerful reminder that food has brought so many people together over the centuries and it’s brought so many people together here on our farm over the past 5 years. Wherever you may be in your food journey there are kindred spirits here. Our farm is a place to discuss all sorts of things from seasonal eating to sustainable growing practices, to inspiration in the kitchen & new favorite foods and varietals or to changing lifestyles/habits – and feeling good about yourself – to be happy and productive members of society. All these things are part of it and we welcome you to share a little bit about your food journey over the next 20 weeks of the CSA. You are all doing a fantastic job and by doing so it’s the greatest motivation these two farmers could ever have.. here we go Week 9!

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Onion Harvest This Weekend! Many Hands, Make Light Work… This coming Saturday morning we will be harvesting our storage onions! We are hoping for 10 or so people to come and volunteer to get the job done. Please send us an email if you are interested in coming to help your farmers and we will let you know the details!

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WHF Organic Chicken. We have a handful of WHF pasture-raised chicken available for our members. Email us to make your order.

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Remember to bring back your crates, berry hallocks, rubberbands and egg boxes. Keep up the great job and we’ll see you all this week….

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Stay cool out there,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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Staying Cool (week 8)

Posted on 8 Jul 2014

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“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Hi Friends & Farm-ily,
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We hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July weekend. We’re still feeling hot-hot-hot and hope everyone is staying cool out there! July has surely got your farmers scratching their heads with highs in the 90’s, humidity and lots of sun. We’ve been getting up before the sun to balance out the extreme mind melting heat come the 2-6pm hour range. It’s a hard balance to find with lots of Fall transplants needing to go in the ground but finding the time to do it to minimize stress on those little plants (and your farmers). Things just seem to take twice as long when the heat is oppressive like this. It’s got us wondering what August will bring…. we’re thinking lots of tomatoes!
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Farming Together. We’re doing our best to stay cool out there though – as best as we can. The cows have access to the barn, the turkeys have the trees, the chickens have the coop and the pigs have nice big wallows to cool off in. We’ve been checking all the waterers 2-3 times a day to make sure everyone is staying hydrated. It’s days like these (or, it’s that time of the season)where it’s a blessing to get a chance to sit down and reflect on the long days… and even better when you have someone right there with you to love and commiserate with. With each season we grow to love and trust one another even more than the season before. As the seasons pass we grow stronger together as a team and better within ourselves. We love farming and we love farming together.

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We welcome the quiet mornings and evening summer skies and the chance to check in with each other, to be still and to listen. We’ll remember these crazy summer days fondly in the dead of winter when all the canned goods are lined up on the shelf once again….. We hope that you all have been feelin’ the love (22+lb boxes last week!) and have been braving those kitchens and eating well since we saw you last. Keep those recipe suggestions coming. We love hearing what some of your favorite varietals have been so far this season… never cease to be inspired or to share the love with your farmers!

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Farm Day for CSA Members this Saturday (July 12th)! Farm tour will begin at 11am sharp and a potluck lunch at noon (12pm). Please bring a potluck dish, your own plates & forks & protective sunwear! Your farmers will be making a small presentation of sorts and there will be plenty of time for good conversation, good food & meeting fellow members in your community! If you haven’t RSVP’d please let us know if you’ll be attending. We look forward to seeing you there!

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WHF Organic Chicken. If you’ve confirmed your chicken orders they’ll be ready at this week’s drop. We’ll be available from 4-6pm for pick up. Send us an email if you’re interested in making an order!

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We hope everyone is doing well… see you soon! With our hearts full of love and our minds on motivation…. it’s back to the mind melting heat we go…

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Stay cool out there,

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your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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Here We Grow (Week 7)

Posted on 1 Jul 2014

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The bees have been busy pollinating our raspberries and blackberries and the green fruit is as endless as the eye can see….

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– Hi Friends & Farm-ily, –

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It’s the 1^st of July and it’s feeling hot, hot, hot! Talk about a great growing season thus far… the tomatoes are all 4 ft tall and covered in fruit! The bell peppers, hot peppers and even the eggplants are on there way to producing which means the weekly shares will be changing in just a matter of time… green beans with flowers, cukes with baby fruit… it really is summer! Let us enjoy and relish in all the greens and last of the Spring crops as we won’t be seeing some of these until September! My-oh-my how time flies…. –

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There is just so much growing and happening on the farm these days it’s hard to keep up. I swear the corn has grown 2 inches in 2 days and the greens are ready to harvest in just 2 weeks time. When you’re growing produce in one season it’s almost as if you’ve put a magnifying glass on life as a whole. From the start to the beginning – full of purpose and vigor – these plants grow, produce and nourish until they decide it’s their time to make their seeds and turn it over to the next generation. We learn a lot from watching the plants grow, taking the time to hand weed, observe and get to know all of the 60 + varieties of veggies and fruits that we grow. –

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Summer crops are coming.. with all this hot/dry weather it may be sooner than later!

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– We can’t say enough how grateful we are to live in such a place where we can grow such variety and for the amazing community that supports this small little farm (just a little blip on the old map).. it’s just too cool. We hope you are all enjoying your weekly bounty and taking a moment to pause and be mindful of your own food journeys. Be happy and proud for you are eating the best possible food you can eat! Keep up all the great work and never cease to be inspired in the kitchen and when you need us – let us know – because we’re here to help along the way! –

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Catchin’ Up in 2014. Meaghin Kennedy of These Salty Oats will be stopping by this week to catch up with us and see how the year of our big transition- from the old farm to the new – is going. She wrote an article about us last year – Cultivating Food and Community (if you haven’t read it yet be sure to click on the link)– and did a beautiful job capturing the essence of our little CSA farm and is a truly gifted writer & photographer! Don’t be surprised if you see her wandering about at one of the CSA pick-ups this week… –

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The turkeys are growing up fast! Their funny antics, quirky turkey noises and sweet personalities make for such a fun addition to the farm-ily…

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– Farm Day. July 12th – Farm Day for CSA Members! Farm tour will begin at 11am and a potluck lunch at noon (12pm). Please bring a potluck dish, your own plates & forks & protective sunwear! Your farmers will be making a small presentation of sorts and there will be plenty of time for good conversation, good food & meeting fellow members in your community! Check your inboxes for an RSVP! –

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Volunteer Work Day. Many Hands, Make Light Work… It’s July which means in the next week or two we will be harvesting all our garlic and storage onions (all 6,000ft of them)! Please send us an email if you are interested in coming to help (it will be sweaty, hard work) and we will keep you updated with all the details! Here’s hoping for a few cloudy days in our future… –

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We’ve got the (flower) power! Thanks to all the hot/dry weather the flowers are beginning to pop a few weeks earlier than usual…

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– WHF Organic Pasture-Raised Chicken. Thank you to all those who have placed orders for our first batch of pasture-raised chicken. For those who have not yet placed an order, we have just a handful of fryers (whole chickens) left that will be available for purchase from 4-6pm during the weekly pick-ups this week and next. –

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Fun fact about pasture-raised chickens (brought to you by Greenbow Farm): that chickens raised on pasture have a higher amount of Omega 3 fatty acids compared to chickens raised in a factory farm that only eat grain. In addition chickens ( like ours) that are fed a soy free diet have an even higher amount (they have an Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio of 3:1 vs 8:1 that soy fed chickens have). According to the US National Library of medicine, “a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today’s Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects.” Yeah, for grass fed healthy producing fats!

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A sea of green has taken over the farm! This year we’ve grown our best onions to date… we can’t get over the size of some of our walla walla sweets…

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Final CSA Payments are due today! If your payment is still due please remember to drop it by the farm stand today (from 4-7pm). Send us an email if you have any questions! –

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Crates, Rubberbands, Egg Cartons, Berry Hallocks etc. It’s that time of the week to bring back your empty crate in exchange for a new one full of goodies. Thank you all in advance and we look forward to sharing Week 7’s bounty with you! – Be happy and well and we’ll see you all soon! –

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Taking a few minutes in the shade before we gear up for another round of evening chores..

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– Stay cool out there, –

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Your farmers –

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Jess & Brian –

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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Posts tagged “dirty hands clean hearts”

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