Greetings for the Garden! This week’s CSA box has salad and braising greens, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots or beets, celery, winter tomatoes, and herbs Field Notes. What a season! We have had such a beautiful fall. Ken has finished digging potatoes and is wrapping up field work. The forecast is for cold weather later this week, so we will be getting the squash and onions to inside storage, hoopettes up over some …
Monday evening Ken fed the pigs for the last time. Tuesday morning, Election Day, was the last day for the pigs. Early that morning Chris came and slaughtered on farm. We believe in on farm slaughter as the animals appear to have no stress, and all waste stays on the farm. We choose that time of year as the meat is processed before deer hunting season. Pigs here are a valuable …
Greetings from the Garden! this week’s CSA box has freshly dug potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, leeks or red onions, garlic, salad and braising greens, winter tomatoes, and herbs. Field Notes. The field is, unfortunately, too wet for Ken to use the tractor to dig the potatoes. So, he is digging some every day by hand. Today you get some freshly dug potatoes – when they taste best. And let us know what you …
Friday I took a social media marketing class. Although I can limp along on some venues, I wanted to learn the strengths of various options. I also wanted to learn how to improve what I was already doing. I enjoy posting quotes from various favorite authors. Sometimes they echo my thoughts, and often they say it better than I would. Judging by people’s reactions they also like when I post favorite quotes. I learned about …
Each fall we move produce from the field, sort and store several crops for winter use: potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, kohlrabi, rutabagas in the root cellar, and squash, onions, and garlic in cool, dry storage. Yesterday I started burying roots in sand. We find they store best if taken from soil, trimmed and placed in barrels with sand as quickly as possible. When we dig them out each winter harvest day they as close to …
Leaves form one part of Ken’s compost. Ken mixes several components; it all depends on what is available. He always has poultry bedding, leaves, and hay or straw. Some years he has used horse manure, rabbit manure, and parts of lake bogs or weeds. He puts up his sign and people can bring leaves and empty bags for reuse or leave us leaves in the bags and Ken can use them that way. Most people …
Growing in a greenhouse often presents unexpected problems. One is the vole; they are often called meadow mice. They like to eat plants. Once they move into a greenhouse the living is easy – shelter, warmer location and a ready food source – the greenhouse crops! One year Ken lost most of a fall planting of spinach. Voles don’t take the usual mouse bait of cheese or peanut butter, so trapping them presents a real …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has the last of the summer tomatoes, peppers, onions or leeks, garlic, sweet potatoes, winter squash, potatoes, salad and braising greens, radishes, and parsley. Field Notes. Monday morning Ken made a wooden box trap for voles. Voles can move into a green house and wipe out an entire crop. Think of it – a warm place to live and a salad bar to boot! A well …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, onions or leeks, garlic, salad and braising greens, sweet potatoes, squash, and herbs. Field notes. This unusually warm weather has enabled Ken to catch up on some outdoor tasks – chimney cleaning, opening up spots in the field for green manures, etc. We took a morning off – together ! – to pick up some grain for the animals. It was …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has salad and braising greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, tomatoes, peppers, red onions and leeks, and herbs. Field Notes. We had frost, so Ken has brought in the winter squash and set it on the racks – temporary storage until it is so cold we move it inside for the winter Yesterday Ken moved both portable coops. I helped him catch some turkeys to clip wings – …
