Sunday, March 31, 2013

APRIL SHOWERS....A LITTLE EARLY!!!

With the much needed rain, we don't mind the fact that the every day chores involve wet animals, mud, soggy clothes and rubber boots. As we are well into the Easter weekend, there is a sense of fresh and new on the farm, with the trees all leafing out, the bees emerging daily from their hives, the spring grasses and wildflowers poking up from the dormant soil in the pastures. The girls make a beeline for the open gate at first light, hungry for a tender salad for breakfast, walking past the large rolls of dry hay in the hay rings, not even giving them a passing glance. As we patiently await the first of the goat babies,( yes, our vigil is ongoing) we are grateful that the weather has warmed somewhat and we can say with confidence that it is certain that none of the newborns will freeze to death. We are also playing the waiting game with seed planting. Next week it will be time to plant the warm weather crops. Watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, summer squash, black eyed peas, etc. Our first assessment of the strawberry field after the hard freeze last week was overly optomistic. A good share of the little green strawberries that were doing so well, suffered as the frost and cold creeped in during the early morning hours. It is a sure thing that the little black nubs on the edge of the stems are goners. Not to worry, there are lots of new blossoms that should replace what was lost, and just like everything else this year, the season will be a little later than expected,  although maybe not as abundant as it could have been. If nothing else, the Farming profession is never ever boring and predictable, with more ups and downs than a Six Flags roller coaster,  and this is one of  the reasons we are Farmers..... this is our walk on the wild side! Our thanks to our Father in Heaven for sending His Son, our Brother, to make a huge payment for our sins and misbehaviors. May we walk this Earth with a consious effort to try and make it a much better place to live for all of those whose lives we touch. I just want to make sure He feels that the sacrifice was worth it.  From our farmstead to your table thank you for all of your support!!!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

DODGING THE BULLET!!!

As we scrambled through the garden books and scoured the internet to find out how cold it could get before the fruit trees were nothing but a fond memory, the temperatures slowly dropped below the dreaded freezing mark. As with everything else in farming the stakes are high during the inbetween days marking the end of winter and the beginning of Spring. Will the blossoms survive the dip or will they succumb to the harsh bite of the last of the last frost days of the year. I read where some " know it all"  claimed that because of global warming, that the last frost date in our area would be at least a  week earlier than the accepted date of March 18. One word.... HOGWASH. There is another frost warning next week, well into the month of April. Upon inspecting the blossoms following the bitter cold morning, only a few seemed to have been affected by the freeze. Always the optimist, I rationalized that this is natures way of culling the fruit, so that the trees would not be overburdoned. Time will tell. If each peach tree has only 3 peaches, we will be grateful for those, and hope for a better season next year. The strawberries seemed to have accepted the cold with bold resiliance, as they continue to produce the soon to be ripe, little green gems poking out from the greenery. The fingerling potatoes have fallen over and are playing dead. Hopefully, with a little warmth and sunshine they will make another effort to sprout a little further through the ground, shaking off the shriveled tops that did not stand a chance against the sweeping cold. The corn and beans knew better than to poke their heads out of the ground until the danger had passed, and for once we were grateful that they had not yet sprouted . Thankfully, we did not give in to the temptation to plant melon seeds.  In the mean time, we trim back the frozen asparagus tops, snip the black tips off the berry bushes, remove the frost cover from the tomatoes in the greenhouses, which by the way, survived the cold with blooms in tact, and thank the good Lord that we don't live in the Midwest where ice and snow blankets the ground. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Friday, March 22, 2013

WEEKEND UPDATES!!!

The latest and greatest theory on the dairy goats, due to the heat and drought last fall, they did not cycle until a month later than expected, so that would put the start of the milk production a month later. Makes sense to us! The strawberries are in full bloom and are making berries, hoping to start u-pick the second week of April. Will follow this week with more information and details. The Market hours will change the first weekend in April to FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM. Picking hours and days will be announced as the picking season begins. The corn and green beans are planted, as well as more greens, onions, and we have finished off the orchard with the planting of more peach and apple trees. We are anxious to plant the cucumbers, squash, eggplant, melons etc. Contact us with questions concerning availability of products. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

CSA INFORMATION.....FINALLY!!!

As we prepare for the 2013 growing season, we are anticipating another sucessful year sponsoring a CSA on the farm. We have many of our participants from last year, that have already comitted to a share spot this year. All of our delivery areas are full, but we will be accepting applications at this time for picking up weekly shares at the farm . Our website has specific information on what a CSA is, and how our CSA is implemented,  for those that are wondering what in the world I am talking about. We have allocated so many shares for pickup on Fridays from 3:00PM to 6:00 PM. Contact us by e-mail or telephone if there are questions or more information is needed. There have been numerous calls wanting to be included, but we were not sure until this time, how many we could accomodate.  We will proceed with a first come first serve basis, until all of the share spots are filled. If you are not able to commit to a share, not to worry. Produce will still be available to purchase in the market on the weekends. For those who want to be included in our CSA family, fill out the application, and send or bring to the farm, a check for the said amount. This will not be cashed until the week that we begin the first share. We anticipate the target start date to be during the second week of May. More specific details will be given as we get closer to that date. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

WISHFUL THINKING!!!

It was extremely painful having to go to the grocery store and purchase strawberries for this cake order when we have the prospect of hundreds of pounds that will soon be ready to pluck from the plants, a few hundred feet from the back door. We retire in the evening with me wishing the strawberries were ready, wishing the goats would start having babies, wishing it would rain, wishing the cold weather away, after hearing me bemoan all of my wishes, the Farmer wishes that I would be quiet and be patient. For some reason unbeknownst to us everything is late this year. I am sure that the old timers know the reason, I just have not been able to find one to spell it out for me. Some of our dear milk patrons explained about the Spring equinox and the full moon that will follow, setting the seasons back a bit. I like that explanation the best. All of our breeding theories and planting schedules just flew out the window, back to following the moon, watching the birds and insects, as it has been decided by all here on the farm, everything good happens in God's own time, we are just here to facilitate all of the possibilities! Spring is coming, the fruit trees are starting to bloom, the bees are out full force. The Farmer has made inventory of all of the hives, adding some supers for the production of honey. We left plenty of food in them last fall to make sure they would not go hungry during their winter hibernation. All 18 hives are doing very well. The cows are finding the first Spring grass sprouts so the milk is going to start to change color, turning a little more golden as the grasses come on. Same with the chickens..... the yolks will vary. We promise goat milk is coming.....we just don't know when. We see saddlebags and waddlers, but have decided what will be, will be. The U-Pick strawberry season will be late this year,( what a shock!) We are anticipating the target date to open will be the second weekend in April. Next week the information will be posted here on the blog. The CSA  will resume in May this year. The Sherman group is full, the Colony group is full, There will be available shares for pickup at the farm on Fridays. Applications will be taken next week, more information will be posted here, also. NEWS FLASH!!!!!!! MARKET HOUR CHANGES: STARTING APRIL 5, FRIDAY NOON UNTIL 4:00PM AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM. We will be picking strawberries in the mornings, hopefully.  From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

TOAST TOPPER!!!

Honey has been found in the burial tombs in Egypt, still edible, most likely a little chunky. As the last of the precious honey buckets are opened, the natural process of raw honey is revealed. If honey has not been heat treated, it will crystalize and solidify. In some honeybee circles this is known as creamed honey. More often than not, the creamed honey you see on the store shelves has been man made through a process of introducing a bit of pure creamed honey crystals to flowing honey and stirring until all of the honey is light, creamy, and thick, speeding up the process. Very few things that you put in your mouth will elicit the sensations that you will experience when you wrap your lips around a spoonful of natures perfect food. A little heated water in a pan on the stovetop will return it to its original flowing form, but why bother when it can be spread on toast, bagels, spooned in tea, or just scooped out of the tub and eaten as is. AS OF APRIL 5, NEW MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM. No goat milk as of yet, the strawberries are blooming, the next couple of weeks will be spent planting transplants in the fields, and planting more seed trays for replacements as those are harvested.  From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

BLOOMIN' BERRIES!!!

The Farmers Son and the Farmhand have been working their magic on the strawberry field. The plants are coming out of dormancy and are putting on new growth and blooms. All of the dried, shriveled leaves have to be trimmed and weeds need to be pulled, so that the precious new greenery and blossoms will have room to thrive. The target date for the start of berry picking season will be the first weekend in April, give or take a week. ( a crystal ball would make it so much easier) It will be announced as we get closer to that time. The information, pricing, and guidelines will also be posted. We have all but given up on the momma goats. Each night as the rounds are made during the wee hours, they all raise their heads and look at us, as we disturb their cozy slumber, ( have I mentioned that goats snore?). With glaring eyes they speak volumes." CAN'T YOU SEE WE ARE SLEEPING???" On a positive note, if they freshen a bit later in the Spring, they will milk into the winter and we will have some milk on the latter end of the yearly milk cycle. Our only explanation for the delay, a young buck .... never been in the same pen with a girl, so a bit gauche and a little timid..... turned loose on a herd of lusty ladies.... all vying for his attention at once.... butting each other in fits of jealous rage as he runs around in circles wondering who to attend to first..... with no one getting any of his affections as he is befuddled with all of the attention and running for dear life as he waits for the "cat fights" to subside. How in the world  can he concentrate on his" blissful purpose for living?" as the Farmer puts it. Whew!!! I see a reality show in the making! We know he finally got results, as is evident in the pooching tummies and swollen udders, but WHEN is anyones guess!!! ANNOUNCING NEW MARKET HOURS: AS OF APRIL 1, MARKET WILL BE OPEN FRIDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM AND SATURDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 4:00 PM.  Special appointments can be made throughout the week for dairy pickup. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

Friday, March 1, 2013

R & C DAIRY AND POTATO FARM!!!

Needless to say, if each potato bit makes 3 potatoes, a root cellar under the entire farm will not hold all of the potatoes that will be harvested. It is a sure thing what will be in the bottom of all of the grandchildrens birthday goodie bags this year! The Farmer and Son and the new Farmhand ( yes, help has arrived, a true testament that all things come to he who waits. A new daughter in law should be just around the corner.) planted 37 looonnnnggg rows of tators. Next step...... a tator digger. I see something blue in color, bright, shiney, sleek, and of European,( Italian, if I am not mistaken,) design, perched on my doorstep on Mothers Day. You can bet your bottom dollar it will not be a Ferrari. The Farmers Son would disappear, never to be seen again if he had to dig all of those new spuds with a shovel. The carrots and beets are planted. Next project is to get the hoop houses filled. The tomatoes and pepper plants are ready. The barn has been prepared for the impending births of the kids. The stalls just need fresh water and hay for the new mommas. Lots of calls this past week for goat milk, it should be here soon. Meanwhile, the sun rises and sets on the farm, the days are getting a little longer, the chickens have decided to start paying for their keep as the egg production increases each day. The cows are keeping us in milk, and my stingy heart has been softened and it has been decided to share the last, which was the first harvested, bucket of honey. More on that later. The much anticipated strawberry season should start the first week of April. Exact dates will be posted as we draw nearer to that time. Number of shares for the CSA will be determined as we finish our planting in a few days. We do not want to overextend ourselves and promise what we cannot deliver. A word to all those who want to participate, be sure your family likes potatoes!  We will announce more information and when applications will be taken for the 2013 season on the blog. The MARKET HOURS: Friday from noon until 4:00PM and Saturday fron 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!