Wednesday, June 29, 2011

HOUR OF RECKONING!!!! WHAT IS IT?


Every year, as we are making plans for the seasons crops, the Farmer offers the same suggestion. "Let's plant just a couple of varieties of each vegetable, make a note when it is harvested, if it was a good choice or a BUST, then we will know what to plant the next year!" Every year I wholeheartedly agree, until I immerse myself in page after page of seed catalogs from countless seed companies. It is just too tempting to order burgundy okra, purple tomatoes, or banana melons. I convince myself that if it is in a seed catalog, then maybe I should order it, try something new, be adventurous, Needless to say, our basic variety of melons has become  an assorted variety of melons. As the Farmer was determining the ripening status of the melons, the gig was up! He has most certainly figured out that I have more that two types of cantaloupe and watermelon. I wasn't smart enough to order those with similar characterics, I had to order completely different colors and sizes! Just what they are, I am not so sure. To me there are really just two types, good ones and bad ones. The melons are being harvested, I have yet to determine the yays or the nays!  The corn is ready, we are picking this week and will have lots of sweet corn in the market this weekend. Nothing says 4th of July BBQ, like corn on the cob! We are still getting a few blackberries for the market, some peaches, plums and some summer pears! The only thing growing on the okra are the pods, the plants aren't any taller than they were when the first blooms appeared. I am still scratching my head about that one! It has been so hot and dry, the black eyed peas are having a struggle, they like the heat, but this may be a bit much! For some reason, my tomato, cucumber and pepper plants are faring pretty well, I am sure that watering twice a day doesn't hurt, either. MARKET HOURS: Friday, Saturday from noon until 4:00pm. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

KAPUT, EL FINITE', NO MAS!!!

The final curtain is closing on the blackberries. It was such a good performance, we hate to see them go, but with the promise that they will return bigger and better next year! Saturday will be our last picking day. There are still a few berries on the bushes, so we are TAKING APPOINTMENTS for pickers, as we want to make sure all who come to pick will be able to pick their fill. E-mail or call  by Friday, we will respond and confirm your appointment. Picking will start at 8:00 AM and will continue until 10:00AM. The MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00. Big news for the home canners and bakers, as the governor signed the Cottage Food Bill, which allows me to sell my canned goods and baked goods in the market legally. No more worries that I will get sent to the pokey for my pickles! The dab of rain we got gave the corn and the field peas a new burst of life. Irrigation is good, but there is just something about thunder, lightening and rain that rejuvinates the crops. What does not kill us, makes us stronger and all that! Summer is here, the farm is shifting into low gear, just watering and harvesting for the CSA and the market. For some reason, the goats have not been effected by the heat. Usually the milk production dwindles, as the temperature rises, but the girls are holding steady. The cows are a different story. Lulu just looks at us and smiles, as she loads up on sweet feed and alfalfa at milking time, and gives us a few squirts, here and there.  The sweet corn should be ready by the 4th of July. We are harvesting a few cantaloupe and melons. Time to break out the new pea sheller, as the black eyed peas are starting to bloom. We are dumbfounded at the production of our midget okra! It is not 12 inches tall, and all the plants are full of pods! Will wonders never cease! Speaking of wonders, The farmer has planted a very special melon species, that should be ready in about 2 weeks. I am sure no one in the state of Texas has ever seen one, let alone eaten one.  If the plants produce, they will be featured here at R&C Farmstead. We will keep you posted! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

HONEY, AS PROMISED!!!!

The honey is starting to flow, there is not a more perfect food. Right now after the pollination of the wildflowers and fruit trees, it is light and slightly fruity. We will be harvesting through August, and because the Farmer tended to the hives with extreme diligence, the honey crop is plentiful. We learned our lesson last year, he left the hives with a surplus of pollen and honey for the winter and the bees fared very well, even through the frigid snaps we had. Our honey is not heat treated, only put through a series of filters. There may be an occasional wax bit, or some bees knees, but not to worry, that is just part of raw, untreated honey! The honey is $6.00 for an 18 oz. container. We do have some comb honey for $10.00 per pt. BLACKBERRY UPDATE!!! It has been a stellar year for us with the u-pick blackberries. All who have came have been able to fill their buckets in no time at all. Thank you for supporting our venture into early morning berry picking. We will probably have just one more Saturday of picking, and will start at 8:00 AM. picking out at around 10:00AM. We will provide the buckets and the take home containers. Due to the relentless heat wave that we have been experiencing, our days constitute continuous watering of animals and crops. If we can stay a jump ahead of the grasshoppers, we should have sweet corn by the bushels. MARKET UPDATE: Our market hours are Fri. and Sat. from noon until 4:00 pm. Special appointments can be made for dairy pick up through the week. What we are harvesting at this time are, summer squash, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, black eyed peas, potatoes, onions, garlic, some peaches, (due to the untimely death of a certain squirrel in a motor vehicle accident), some apricots, green beans, cantaloupe, not soon enough, watermelon, eggplant, sweet corn..........., lots of good eatin'. The baked goods are minimal, as there is not much baking going on around here, right now, as the stove is covered up in jars and lids for canning. A special thanks to the special fathers in my life, my dear sweet Father, who helped to give me life, the Farmer, for taking in a woman with four little children, calling them his own, and setting such a good example as to what a father does for his family. And to my Father in Heaven, for all the the blessings he has given to us and our little farm, as we venture from one escapade to the next, in our sojourn into sustainable living. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Monday, June 13, 2011

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME, SUM, SUM, SUMMERTIME!!!!!


Nothing says summertime, like sweet corn on the cob and watermelons. Of course the 95 degree days are also a dead giveaway. Springtime was lost somewhere along the way, but we are making the best of it, preparing for the hot, dry days of summer. The okra loves it, the black eyed peas love it, so we just buck up and water on! I capitulated and turned on the air conditioner in the house.... it was so hard to close everything up, as I love the night breezes and the sounds of life outside the kitchen window. The farmer patiently waited until I gave him the signal to clean the air filters and batten down the windows. As I spend most of the day outside anyway, it is tolerable to be a shut in at night. I have been known to get up in the night, sneak outside in my gown tails, drag a lawn chair out near the kitchen garden and fall asleep listening to the crickets and the bull frogs. All is well here on the farm, we have had great success with the blackberry pickers. Every one seems to be getting the amount they need, the berries seem neverending, but that is a good thing! Some of the varieties are nearing the end of their production, as new growth is starting for the next year. We will be harvesting through June and possibly the first part of July. We will have OPEN PICKING on Saturday, starting at 8:00 AM. and will pick until around 10:00 AM. as that is the time the heat starts to set in. Special appointments can be made for other times. We have had pickers come as early as 7:00 AM throughout the week. Just call a day ahead and let us know you are coming! We are just starting the summer crop harvest, summer squash, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, still have beets, potatoes, onions and garlic. It will be a couple of weeks for the tomatoes and melons, closer to the 4th of July. The canner will be going, so will have pickles and preserves in the market. The hens have decided that it is entirely too hot  to go to the effort to lay an egg, so the egg supply is zilch! HINT! The Farmer promises some honey in the next couple of weeks! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

BLACKBERRIES APLENTY!!!

The blackberry bushes are loaded back up with ripe berries, in preparation for open picking on Saturday AM. We will start early, to beat the enevitable heat that will overtake us before noon. 8:00 AM will be the target time we will start picking.Pickout time will probably be around 11:00 AM.  Picking containers and take home boxes will be provided. We haven't had problems with chiggers or skeeters, but dress comfortably, We charge by the container pt. $3, qt. $5 gallon box $15. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

BOTTOM'S UP!!!

With the nectar in full flow, the bees are keeping long hours gathering nectar and pollen. Everyone has been so patient as we wait for the Farmer to start harvesting this years crop of honey. We will need to check all of the hives to make sure that there is plenty of reserve to feed the new brood that are hatching every day. It is easy to harvest the honey when the weather is warm, as honey flows much easier when it is around 90 degrees. We will have regular honey and some comb honey in the market. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Monday, June 6, 2011

JUNE NEWS !!!!

New updates for farm goings on! Blackberry picking is trucking right along, we are open this week for special appointments. If you want to get up with the chickens and pick, just give us a call to make an appointment, we will let you pick. If you want to come early in the evening as it cools off, just let us know you are coming, we will be here! We will have open picking again on Saturday starting at 8:00 as it is getting hot by mid day. We will pick until around 11:00. Market hours this week will be Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 pm. Special appointments can be made for dairy pick up throughout the week. The spring produce is nearing its final hoorah, and the summer produce is in wind up mode to hit us full force in a couple of weeks. I am so ready for sweet corn and tomatoes. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

VAMPIRE FREE FARMSTEAD!!!

It's a sure bet that a vampire can not be found within a 10 mile radius of our farm! We also have plenty of  the Old World remedy for dropsy, hysteria, the vapors, and consumption! Not to mention athletes foot! I had no idea garlic was so versatile, and all this time, I was just smearing it on bread and tossing it in my pasta sauce. It definitly goes without saying that eating garlic is a group effort, if one in the group eats it everyone in the group had better eat it........ Well, we got lots, once again the Farmers concern that "maybe some won't come up, so lets plant a bunch" was unfounded. Gratefully enough, we should have enough cloves left over to plant for next years crop. All of you CSA members, better get ready for 101 ways to use garlic! From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!