BLACKBERRIES JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!

After the very abbreviated strawberry season, the anticipation for blackberries is mounting. The early varieties are at the red, soon to be black stage in their development. Their will be a few blackberries to pick on Memorial Day Monday, so if you have a small group that would like to come pick, let us know.  All of the blackberry information will be posted on the following blog. The late spring produce is making a tentative appearance. The market will have carrots, beets, new potatoes, onions, garlic, a few straggler strawberries, some rhubarb, and making their debut soon will be green beans, summer squash, cucumbers. Lots of green tomatoes, so the tomato harvest looks promising.  CSA members, remember Thurs. afternoon pickup. 3:00 - 6:00 PM. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

TRIBUTE TO A GREAT LADY!!!

There are not many people in the world today that can boast of a perfect childhood. One that is full of all of the ingredients that make life full of pure Joy. Yesterday, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, and all of its complications, one of the persons instrumental in creating that perfection, left this world and passed through the veil into the joyful arms of all of her loved ones that had passed before her. There is not a Mother on the face of this earth that was more loving, generous, patient, full of wisdom and wit, making life with her an adventure. Fond memories of days past, bring to mind, a home that was open to all who needed a safe haven..... foreign exchange students, unwed mothers, missionaries, a pit stop for weary travelers, always plenty of room, and a full refrigerator. Her relationship to the Lord was one on one, always seeking spiritual guidance in her everyday decisions. Her energy during her healthy years was endless. She raised seven children and taught them all to live righteously, and raise there own children in the ways of the Lord. As she knew that her days on this earth were coming to an end, and she made preparations for her final arrangements, she would joke about giving door prizes at her memorial service, to entice people to come. " Sis, go to Sam's and buy a bunch of smoked hams, then put stickers under some of the seats, at the end of the service have everyone check under their seat, to see if they won a ham!" Because of all of the lives that she touched, it is very doubtful that we will have to give away a ham for people to remember her. To the Wheat and Beet day Queen of Tremonton Utah, you were the best Mother a girl could ask for!

PRESS FORWARD AND DON'T LOOK BACK!!!

Well the strawberry season was a bit short, but we are not hesitating one twit, and are moving forward to what is just over the horizon. Namely, carrots, beets, rhubarb, peaches, which are just the tip of the harvest iceberg. The much needed rain put everything in the fields in a very good mood, crops and animals alike. With the green beans, cucumbers and melons starting to bloom, it looks like a very promising spring. With the strawberry stragglers, we will have some berries in the market for a couple of weeks. The gleaners are going to come in and work on the rest, as they are not too particular of the shapes and sizes of the berries. The upcoming week is the first week of shares for the CSA. All members will be notified directly to make sure that your are aware of the day and time. The market is bustling with weekend activity, as the milk supply is keeping up. The blackberries seemed to sustain very little damage, so we anticipate a great blackberry crop that should be ready for u-pick the first week of June. From our farmstead to your table thank you for all of your support!!!

SHORT BUT SWEET!!!

Alas, relating to the adage that you cannot get blood from a turnip, we have realized that you cannot harvest boxes and boxes of strawberries from damaged and dying strawberry plants. We give them credit for their struggle to produce what they could, and accept that sometimes you cannot beat the elements. 900 lbs. seems like a lot of strawberries, which is about what we have taken from the field in the last couple of weeks, but the number should be around 3,000. What the freezes and hail did not destroy, are now being attacked by leaf beetles and choked out by fast growing weeds, brought on by the warm weather. Since we do not use chemicals on our crops, it is difficult to treat each plant by hand. The Farmer is already planning next years planting agenda, which will include a large hoop house with grow bag rows and sterile soil. We cannot control the weather, but we may be able to protect our strawberry plants a little better. For those who have made appointments to come pick, the berry selection will be very light. There will still be berries for a few more weeks, but just a smattering here and there. There will be room for a few pickers throughout this time, but we will wait until there are sufficient berries so that those that make the trek will get enough to make it worth while. If walking through a strawberry field just for relaxation and ambiance, is your forte', this is the place to come. Turning the page to the chapter on blackberries, the prognosis is much more hopeful. The blackberries sustained very little damage during the harsh winter. The blooms are numerous on the bushes, we look forward to a great blackberry harvest this year, which should begin around the first week in June. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM. The spring produce is starting to trickle in. This week we had a little spinach, lettuce, asparagus, onions, spring garlic, rhubarb. The milk and meat supply has been sufficient, as is the honey. The Farmers Wife goes on her daily hunting trip down to the potato patch, armed with a tin can and a wooden spoon, whopping the potato bugs into the can, to be given later, as a snack to the laying hens..... all the while muttering to herself, that she hopes that the people wanting pesticide free produce, understand all that it entails. The potato plants are starting to bloom, so there should be new potatoes in a couple of weeks. The cucumbers, squash, melons, corn, are all doing well, fortified by frequent watering and irrigation, due to the lack of rain. We will be glad when the drought is over, and are forever grateful that we put in the water wells. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

UPDATES AND FORECASTS!!!

Weekend picking went without a hitch, albeit not all were able to come and pick that were wanting to, but those that came went way with plenty of berries in their boxes. We are just getting started! Monday and Tuesday are full, and we will give the berry patch a rest on Wed. and Thurs. to recoup for Friday and Saturday. It will be apparent by Thurs. how many pickers will be able to come, so requests for reservations can be made on Thurs. for the weekend. UPDATE FOR CSA members: Our first share will be ready on Thursday May 15. Pickup will be at the farm between 3:00 in the afternoon until 6:00 in the evening. We anticipate the share basket will include, carrots, beets, spinach, mixed salad greens, kale, onions, garlic, new potatoes, strawberries, rhubarb, herbs, asparagus. More information will be posted as we near the CSA starting date. On a more tragic note, we lost a dear member of our farm family this past week. If you recall Bitty Kit, the calf snuggler, and her litter of kittens, her son Samson was the only offspring that we did not give away.  Samson was at the top of his game at nighttime prowling and hunting, keeping the farm free from rats, mice, squirrels, gophers, and whatever else he could flush out in the wee hours after dark. He must have been sidetracked the other evening and had his mind on hunting something other than food. He was getting about that age when puberty was approaching, and hanging out with his mother at night was probably a drag. Most likely got the itch to do a little exploring and check out the felines in the barns across the highway. Well, needless to say Samson was found in the middle of the road, a good part of him, anyway. A wise word from a Mother who knows best. Take heed from the short life and wild times of Samson the barn cat, " When a son feels like Tom Cattin' around in the middle of the night, thinking about wild oats and not corn and potatoes, chances are he will get hit by a truck, and end up as buzzard poop, and his cattin' around days will be over!!!"  From our farmstead to your table thank you for all of your support!!!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, RHUBARB PIE !!!

Lots of berries picked this week, and a little rhubarb for strawberry rhubarb pie. The weather has been ideal for picking, and visitors have been very appreciative of our efforts to give them a pleasurable strawberry picking experience. We realize this is a first for many, and want all who come to the farm to have fond memories of picking strawberries. For those that were not able to come, or asked to come, and we were booked for the day, we will be picking for another three or four weeks. The production will be a little slower, as the weather warms, but there will still be berries. We will continue with appointment picking, to assure that all will go home with plenty. Today, Saturday is fully booked, as is Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, we will determine how many pickers will be able to come next weekend. As the weather is not real hot, we will continue to pick in the afternoon. Adult pickers that want to come in the morning, can contact us and we may be able to make arrangements for you to come. We are usually not available, but can give you specific instructions and information. Requests for evening picking, would be futile, as the berries are usually picked out each day. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM.. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!

PLANT THEM AND THEY WILL COME!!!

There must be a strawberry picking network, or maybe it is the aroma of fresh strawberries that wafts in the air, blanketing the surrounding area alerting strawberry buffs that it is time. We have had a good turn out of pickers this first week, and all seem to be able to find more than plenty of ripe berries to fill their boxes. We will be picking every afternoon at 1:00 and will pick until we get tired of picking.  Contact us and we will put you on the list for the day that you would like to come. There have been requests to come in the mornings or in the evenings for visitors that work or have school.  Just give us a shout, and if we are here we will accommodate your schedule. We anticipate the picking season to continue for at least 3 more weeks, maybe more, then the blackberries will be just about ready. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!