Saturday, December 21, 2013

Not here today

[Again, so sorry for the late posting. Hopefully this will still be useful, somehow... -Liz]

Howdy again, friends,

We are so sorry for stringing you along with promises of our coming to town with vegetables and eggs... but, much to our dismay, we can't economically justify a trip in to Nashville. So, so sorry. At this point, with the hustle and bustle of the holidays upon us, we really don't know when we will next come to town! We just hope y'all stock-piled enough sweet potatoes to make it through!!!

We wish you all a fabulous holiday season filled to the brim with warmth and light...

Best,

Cher & Eric

Sunday, December 15, 2013

2014 Shares Available

Hey friends! Cher just got finished updating the website with the new Share Form. There is a slight price increase on all shares. It's been about 5 years since we've had to make an increase. It's only about $1/week more. Our input costs have been on the rise. Thanks for your understanding!

We're sending this out now as a reminder that from now until February 15 we offer the "early bird" discount. Click here to download a Share Form.

And it's a great time to purchase a Share as a holiday and new year's gift for a friend!!! If you would like Cher can custom-make an official Bugtussle Farm Gift Card to present to your lucky recipient. Just let us know! (Secretly, I think she's excited about the little project!)

Miss you all and hope you'll join us for another season!

Eric

Not here this Saturday (yesterday)

[So sorry to be getting this posted late, but it has good information, so I'm still posting it:]

Sorry folks but no vegetables again this week. Here's why. We really only have our storage crops: butternuts, sweet potatoes, & yukon gold potatoes. The greens in the garden, which we just spent time assessing in the garden, are looking too wimpy due to the below 20 degree nights that we've been consecutively having.

Long story short: it's not looking like an economically sound decision this week.

Hopefully, by the time we actually do make the journey you all will have run out of your taters and squash and will be REALLY hungry enough to buy a quantity of them!

We'll update next week...

Friday, December 6, 2013

Not at the market this Saturday

Just a quick note that we will not be attending the indoor farmers market this coming Saturday the 7th. If all goes well we may come on the 14th. If so, we will let you know.

We miss seeing you all! If ever you just can't take the Bugtussle munchies any longer you're always welcome to come out to the farm and stock up. We have butternuts, sweet potatoes, potatoes, kale, collards, and arugula.

Your farmers and friends,

Eric, Cher, Ira, Opal, Olivia and Jesse and Hannah

Monday, November 25, 2013

2013 Fall Season, week 8

November 23, 2013

This week's harvest:
Butternut and/or Acorn Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Celery
Kale
Leeks
Onions
Garlic

This week's farm news:

Well, folks, this week wraps up this year's fall season! Thank y'all so much for your support throughout the season! We appreciate you and your hearty appetites more than you know!

And a great big Happy Thanksgiving to you all! We hope your hearts and bellies get filled to the brim with love and nourishment. Thanksgiving is such a special celebration for us - as we reflect on a bountiful season and really indulge in the fruits of our labors and give thanks to abundant nature. We feel so blessed by so much and all of you are such an important part of that picture... So thank you, thank you!

With great appreciation,
Eric, Cher, Ira, Opal, and Olivia

2013 Fall Season, week 6

November 9, 2013

This week's harvest:
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Kale
Butternut Squash
Potatoes
Celery
Lettuce
Sweet Peppers

This week's farm news:

The strong winds in the week shook lots more leaves from the trees. The landscape is beginning to have the feel of winter. We dug the remainder of our fall carrots (which are in your baskets today) and they are awesome! We were kind of blown away by their size! These are our winter storage carrots, so we put most of them into our cellar in bins of sand. Our children love fresh carrots so we love having them available for fresh wintertime snacking!

Otherwise the week was spent keeping up with chores, adjusting to the time change, keeping the fires going, and cooking lots and lots of amazing food... the fruit of our season's labors. It feels so good to be winding down and restoring our bodies with nourishing food and ample rest. These days are good. We hope you, too, are enjoying the season, keeping warm, and eating lots of hearty meals...

2013 Fall Season, week 5

November 2, 2013

This week's harvest:
Sweet Potatoes
Butternut and/or Acorn Squash
Potatoes
Daikon
Celery
Kale
Sweet Peppers
Greens choice: Chinese Cabbage, Arugula, Tatsoi, or Kohlrabi
Carrots

This week's farm news:

The week was just glorious. The autumn foliage seems to be in the height of its glory right now. While finishing up the garlic mulching project with Eric, Jesse, and Hannah, I just kept finding myself staring at the colors and the trees dancing in the breeze and leaves setting sail on their twisting, twirling journey to the ground. It's amazing I was able to get any work done at all! But we did finish the mulching so now the garlic is all tucked in under its blanket of hay for the winter. Hooray!

The weather turned turbulent and unsettled for Halloween with rounds of misty rain and lots of howling wind. It was kind of perfect. The kiddos always enjoy dressing up even when their trick-or-treating circuit only consists of two other houses. They still have a grand time of it!

And just so everyone knows, this farmer's market (here in the park) will continue for the remainder of the CSA season in the same location. Starting in December, the market will move to the indoor "Love" building (which is just across Charlotte Ave. and behind/across the street from McDonald's). We are planning to continue coming to the market in December so we'll keep you posted about that.

We can really feel the growing season winding down now. The forest floor is covered with leaves and the blue sky seems so much bigger. We are ready for a pause and a few deep breaths. Ahhhh...

Sunday, November 24, 2013

2013 Fall Share, week 3

October 19, 2013

This week's harvest:
Kale
Butternut Squash
Pumpkins
Ginger
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Red & Yellow Peppers
Hot Peppers
Cilantro
Daikon Radish
Celery

This week's farm news:

The garlic planting was completed this week. We still need to lay a blanket of mulch on it for the winter but the biggest amount of the work is all done. There should be no shortage of garlic next year, as we planted a whopping 7,000-9,000 cloves. Hooray!

We also dug all the rest of the ginger this week, too. It looks like enough to see us through this fall season as well as give ginger beer making a whirl. And crystallized ginger... and very gingery kimchi - which was another big project for the week. We made our first batch of kimchi which will probably yield 8 gallons or so. Yum. The house is already permeated with the mingling smells of ginger, Chinese cabbage, carrots, daikon, onions, garlic, and hot peppers. It's making my mouth water! One of our favorite winter-time meals is a baked sweet potato with lots of butter and a big scoop of kimchi!

2013 Fall Season, week 2

October 12, 2013

This week's harvest:
Celery
Sweet Potatoes
Acorn Squash - "Thelma Sanders"
Daikon Radish
Kohlrabi
"Hakurei" Salad Turnips - medium shares
Cilantro and/or Basil (medium shares)
Onions
Tomatoes
Ginger
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Greens choice between: Tuscan Kale, Flat-Leaf Kale, Arugula, and/or Mizuna

This week's news:

The week started off with a big rain, all day long, last Sunday. It was welcome... More for the sake of having a day of rest than for moisture in the garden! Our whole crew was pretty tired after last week's sweet potato harvest.

After the rain, we had a few nights of the coolest temperatures we've had thus far this season. A lovely shareholder family came up to the farm for a few days of camping during those coolest nights, but a nice campfire and still warm autumn sunshine were just the ticket for warming up. One of their little boys and Ira are good buddies, so we had him stay with us the rest of the week. Since most of Ira's days are filled with little sisters, it was great for him to have some quality boy-time: fishing, riding bikes, racing cars, sleeping in a tent. What fun! Otherwise, this week we all got sore thumbs from "popping" garlic (breaking apart the bulbs) in preparation for planting. And yesterday was dry enough in the garden to get a good start on that project!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

2013 Fall Season, week 1

October 4, 2013

This week's harvest:
Butternut Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Ginger(!)
Kale
Bok Choi
"Hakurei" Salad Turnips w/Greens!
Daikon Radish
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Sweet and Hot Peppers
Onions and Sage

This week's farm news:

Welcome to the fall season, friends! There's so much to harvest in the gardens right now, especially since we are still harvesting from some of the summer crops, that we hope your appetites are big!

The big project of the week, and it took most of the week to complete, was harvesting the sweet potatoes. And oh, my! There were lots. We estimate about three thousand pounds were lifted from the garden soil, hauled out of the field, down to the hill to our homestead, and tucked away under blankets into the warmth of our greenhouse for curing. They look fabulous, too! This is our family's staple winter food so having them all harvested and stored and safely protected from the coming cold weather feels just right.

Next on the list is getting our garlic crop planted and sowing the last round of cover crops on any open ground, and that will pretty much wrap up this busy and productive growing season!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

2013 Season, Week 20

September 28, 2013

This week's harvest:
Cut Lettuce Mix
Choice between: Kale, Bokchoi, Arugula, Collards
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Eggplant and/or Patty Pan Squash
Watermelon - medium shares
Muskmelons - small shares
Hot Peppers
Potatoes
Onions
Spaghetti Squash - free choice

This week's farm news

Well, we are so happy to be back in Bugtussle! We had a fabulous vacation at the beach, packed full of fun in the sun, but there's no place like home. Jesse and Hannah took care of everything at the farm splendidly and we're so proud of all of our critters for being on their best behavior while we were away, and not giving Jesse and Hannah any grief - like last year!

It's very evident that the season has shifted to autumn. Having been away these past ten days, it is especially apparent - with so many leaves on the ground and so much more light filtering through the canopy of the trees. And it's so much cooler here than it was at the beach! This is just such a lovely time of year.

And now that we're back, we are going to get busy harvesting crops that need to be brought in before frost (sweet potatoes, ginger, acorn squash) which is surely just around the corner! And it's time to get the garlic planted and to also put many garden beds to rest for the cold season. Another busy growing season is coming to a close...

Sunday, September 22, 2013

2013 Season, Week 19

September 21, 2013

This week's harvest:
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Tomatoes
Spaghetti Squash
Garlic
Collards
Choice of: Cut Lettuce/Kale/Mustard Greens
Onions
Green Beans
Hot & Sweet Peppers
Eggplant

This week's farm news:

Well, we haven't heard a peep from the Smiths, so they must be having a blast on vacation! So far, (and I am KNOCKING ON WOOD as I write this) everything has gone very smoothly. We are hoping for so repeats of the last time we watched the farm - when the pigs escaped into the woods and complete chaos ensued, ending with a ram smashing his head against an iron gate and cracking his horn off. Oh my.

This year, all has been quiet and peaceful, if not a bit busy. We have filled the days mostly with animal chores - moving the sheep and cattle in Eric's rotational grazing program, bottle feeding a calf, giving Ira's rather large avian menagerie food and water, collecting eggs - not to mention our own homestead critters! Still, we have had time to do some garden work as well, including hand-weeding the fall garden - and let me tell you, it is looking DELICIOUS.

Like always, things aren't the same without Eric, Cher, Ira, Opal, and Livi on the farm. True, we do love the normally absent QUIET, but we are looking forward to the family's return, screaming children and all.

- Hannah and Jesse

Sunday, September 15, 2013

2013 Season, week 18

September 14, 2013

This week's harvest:
Tomatoes
Potatoes - Yukon Gold
Garlic
Onions
Lettuce
Red Russian Kale
Muskmelons - medium shares
Watermelons - small shares
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Okra
Eggplant and/or Patty Pan Squash

This week's farm news:

It was a very busy week. There was so much to do, especially since the Smith Family will be heading south for the beach following market today! Hooray! We are all very excited and looking forward to a little fun in the sun. Jesse and Hannah will be navigating "Ship Bugtussle" for the next 10 days. Eric and I did our best to leave the farm in a state that won't make all of the extra chores overwhelming for them... So that maybe they can even have some peace and quiet on the farm without our wild family! Jesse and Hannah are pros at this point anyways, and we feel so blessed to have them here and confident all will be fine and dandy when we return home!

So all of this busy-ness in the garden this week came from setting most of the remaining transplants, weeding, harvesting the pumpkins and spaghetti squash, sowing spinach, and just generally getting everything in a state of order before our departure. So Jesse and Hannah will be on their own at market next week, and we'll see you in two weeks!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

2013 Season, week 17

September 7, 2013

This week's harvest:
lettuce
tomatoes
kale
sweet peppers
hot peppers
okra
potatoes
onions
garlic
basil
summer squash and/or eggplant

This week's farm news:

It was another glorious week on the farm. The weather was pleasant and the days carried with them the dry, crispness of autumn. Early in the week, we had a few small rainshowers. They were very isolated little pockets of rain that we were thrilled to receive. Even though not much rain fell, it was still adequate for germinating lots of the seeds that were sown last week. Hooray!

The big project of the week was harvesting the butternut squash. Now we have it stored in the barn's loft for curing. The crop looks so much better than last year's, so our mouths are watering for butternut squash pie. And squash soup. And squash porridge... Divine. Watch the farm's blog (www.bugtusslefarm.com) for more about the squash harvest accompanied by some photos.

And finally, I wanted to put out the word that we are now signing folks up for THIS SEASON'S FALL SHARE. Most of you current shareholders are already aware of this, but those of you who haven't been part of the summer season this year might like the details, as we should have a little extra space in the CSA. The fall season will begin Saturday, October 5th and last eight weeks until Saturday, November 23. The price will be $175 for a small share; $275 for a medium share; and $375 for the family share. The fall garden is looking great. In fact, we are beginning to harvest from it already! Last week's arugula and this week's lettuce and kale were harvested from the very eager fall crops. (We are so happy to have more greens entering our meals once again!) Also in the fall share you can look forward to sweet potatoes, winter squash, a wide variety of greens (lettuce, kale, arugula, chinese cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, etc.), carrots, hakurei salad turnips, cauliflower, celery, and a continuation of the summer crops up until frost. We are very hopeful about a great fall season. Let us know if you are interested!

Cheers!

Cher, Eric, and the Bugtussle crew

Saturday, August 31, 2013

2013 Season, week 16

August 31, 2013

This week's harvest:
Arugula
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers and/or Eggplant
Hot Peppers
"Patty Pan" Summer Squash
Okra
Basil
and a big hunk of Watermelon!

This week's farm news:

The weather this week was hot and dry - but it felt pretty normal for the end of August. In the garden this week, more areas were prepared and sown to mixtures of fall greens and cover crops. Ira has been a huge help to Eric with of this planting. He's been driving the tractor while Eric rides on the harrow to give it some extra weight. As they go along at a slow pace, Eric can hop off of the harrow to uproot any grasses that the harrow's tines have missed, and then hop back on. Ira never has to slow down or stop. If Eric were doing this by himself, he would have to constantly stop, get off the tractor, pull weeds or unclog the tines, and then start up again. By doing this together, the work is so much more efficient and the teamwork makes it so much more enjoyable for Eric. And I think Ira feels good to be really helpful with something so important. So when you're eating your greens this autumn, you can say a little Thank You to Ira and all of his hard work! Hooray!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

2013 Season, week 15

August 24, 2013

This week's harvest:
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Potatoes
Hot Peppers
Onions
Garlic
Patty Pan Squash
Sweet Potato Greens
Basil
Okra

This week's farm news:

Just a reminder that fall share signups are happening now. If you have any questions, or need more information - just holler at us!

This week finally felt like summer. It's the most summer-like weather we've had since June, I think. The hotter days coupled with lots of sweat and dirt made the creek feel divine. In the garden we got a lot more seeds sown for our fall crops and Eric's frenzied pace and strong instinct "that it's time!" was rewarded with a very isolated and gentle rain. We sowed arugula, hakurei salad turnips, kale, cilantro, daikon, etc. In soil blocks we started Swiss chard, mizuna, more kale, and more lettuce. We also sowed about 600 row feet of Walla Walla onions with the hope of over-wintering them. And Eric corralled and sorted the sheep and pulled out about 20 (mostly young rams) which we took to a livestock auction in Bowling Green. Some of our dear fellow farming friends were doing the same thing so we met at the auction facility and then went for coffee at a lovely locally owned coffee shop in downtown Bowling Green - "Spencer's". It was a fun treat.

And finally, Farmer Cher is taking a little break from market this weekend to celebrate her big 4-0(!) birthday! Oh my! See you next week a little older and hopefully a little wiser...

Saturday, August 17, 2013

2013 Season, week 14

August 17, 2013

This week's harvest:
"Sangria" Watermelons
Assorted Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
"Patty Pan" Summer Squash
Basil
Okra
Garlic
Onions

This week's farm news:

First off, we want to announce this year's fall share. The fall gardens are taking shape nicely. All of the transplants are looking good. We see lots of butternut squash, just beginning to blush a bit. The sweet potato vines are a rampant carpet of vines which we project will yield abundantly. Pumpkins and other winter squash are setting lots of fruit. We have ample onions and potatoes in storage. And Eric stayed home from market today to broadcast-seed more fall greens and turnips in with our cover crops. He finished the ground work on Friday and wants to sow the seeds before more rain. And with the fall share, we will continue to harvest the summer crops until frost. So if all of this whets your appetite, please join us for this year's fall share! It will last 8 weeks: from Oct. 5 - Nov. 23 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving). The cost will be $175 for a small share and $275 for a medium share. The fall season is typically abundant and is our favorite! Just let us know if you are interested!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

2013 Season, week 13

August 10, 2013

This week's harvest:
Assorted Tomatoes
Assorted Sweet Peppers
"Patty Pan" Summer Squash
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Sweet Potato Greens
Assorted Hot Peppers
Okra
Basil

This week's farm news:

Another rainy and mild week. Remarkable! Soil conditions were dry enough on Tuesday to get some garden work accomplished. We set out hundreds of fall transplants: Chinese cabbage, Bok Choi, and collards. We direct seeded some cut lettuce mix, and more Tuscan kale. Tatsoi, lettuce, and cilantro were started in soil blocks. We cultivated thousands of feet of fall crops that are doing so nicely! We weeded the ginger and eggplant (by hand) that were in some pretty serious need of attention. Now they seem much happier.

Eric spent a good deal of time on the tractor turning under all of the sweet corn stubble and many other early summer crops that were finished. Once the soil has time to digest all of that plant matter, we will be ready for planting more cover crops and fall vegetables/greens. The season is moving right along!

And finally, Farmer Eric isn't with us at market today because it's his birthday! He and Ira are going to a local auction to look at some fishing poles and hand tools! So a big happy day to Eric!

Sunday, August 4, 2013

2013 Season, week 12

August 3, 2013

This week's harvest:
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Basil
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Choice between: Patty Pan Squash, Okra, Eggplant, and/or Carrots

This week's farm news:

The season thus far has been remarkably pleasant. Last week after market, we hustled home and Eric hopped right onto the tractor to get some ground ready for a round of fall transplants. We knew rain was coming (again!). We were able to set lettuces, cauliflowers, loads of celery, and leek transplants, as well as direct seeding 3 types of kale, arugula, more carrots, & Roma beans. And then it rained... hooray! Some of these seems have already germinated and the transplants look fabulous. We also started more seeds in soil blocks for later transplanting Chinese cabbage, collards, Pac Choi. Eric also seeded the potato patch to a cow pea cover crop, and it, too, is already germinating. And while the rain was coming down, and gardens too wet for tending, we spent time in the kitchen putting up some of the bounty for winter.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

2013 Season, week 11

July 27, 2013

This week's harvest:
Assorted Tomatoes
Sweet Corn
Green Roma Beans
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Potatoes
Basil
Onions
Garlic
Carrots

This week's farm news:

The cooler weather this week made for very pleasant days. And the abundant rain we've had made for some very happy garden weeds! So there was a bit of crop rescuing that had to be done this week! Eric tackled his precious fall carrot crop, tediously crawling along to remove the carpet of weeds from the young carrots. He is determined to have abundant carrots for the fall and winter. Jesse and Hannah made the strawberry patch shine. They weeded the entire patch and then laid down a layer of straw mulch, so it looks lovely. Now, if we can just get the deer to leave it alone, we'll be in good shape for next spring!

Other garden work of the week was hilling up the acorn, spaghetti, and patty pan squashes, and the muskmelons. Eric planted even more carrots (I'm telling you, he is determined!) and he turned under a big patch of cover crop in preparation for fall gardens... We'll be setting transplants within the next few days!

And, finally, we had a new calf born this week. That puts the count up to 7 heifers and 2 bulls for this year. Pretty exciting.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

2013 Season, week 10

July 20, 2013

This week's harvest:
Potatoes
Onions
Tomatoes
Green Beans
Cilantro
Basil
Cucumbers
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Rainbow Carrots
Choice between: Zucchini, Lettuce, Eggplant, or Okra

This week's farm news:

First of all, don't forget that tomorrow is our swimming/potluck party here at the farm between 1-6 pm. We hope you can make it! See our website for directions.

On the farm this week, two very big projects were accomplished. First, we harvested our onions for storage and have them curing in our greenhouse. Second, we dug our potato crop. And we were kind of in a hurry to get them out of the ground because rain was headed our way. So Eric and I, and Jesse and Hannah, grubbed and sweated and got really dirty and sunburned and grubbed and sweated some more. We did have the new potato plow on the tractor this year, which made the whole process much more manageable. But if you happen to catch us yawning and looking a little bleary-eyed, you'll know it was for a very good cause... Ahhh, potatoes!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

2013 Season, week 9

July 13, 2013

This week's harvest:
Sweet Corn
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Cilantro
Basil
Green Beans
Choose between: Squash, Eggplant, and/or Zucchini
Garlic
Onions - free choice
Rainbow Carrots
Cucumbers

This week's farm news:

What amazing weather we're having. I can hardly believe it's July. I'm sitting on the deck right now and almost have a chill. Wow. The rain this week was something else. Several intense storms rolled through the farm, leaving the streams and creeks high and, at times, raging. But no damage, thankfully.

Let's see... This week in the garden Jesse & Hannah caged and staked the late tomatoes. Eric had a tiny window of time in the garden to get some tractor cultivation accomplished. Otherwise, we kind of had to stay out of the mud and watch the rain come down.

And I want to remind all of you CSA shareholders that next Sunday, July 21 (from 1-6), will be our CSA potluck (& swimming party) here on the farm. We'll give a little tour of the gardens, visit the chickens & livestock, and this year, Jesse and Hannah are eager to show off the beginnings of their quaint little homestead. For more info, pick up a flyer from our market table! We hope to see you here!

Sunday, July 7, 2013

2013 Season, week 8

July 6, 2013

This week's harvest:
The first Tomatoes of the season!
Basil
Yellow Beans
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Eggplant
Red Cabbage - medium shares
Dill
Cucumbers
Garlic
Onions - Walla Walla Sweet
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
And a Peach as a treat!

This week's farm news:

The farm is completely and totally saturated right now! The rain just keeps coming and coming! My goodness! We did manage to get a few things seeded in the gardens before the deluge... We planted a couple of different varieties of winter squash (Thelma Sanders Acorn & Spaghetti), muskmelons, and parsnips. Jesse and Hannah were able to get some cultivation work in before everything turned sopping wet. They cultivated the butternuts, Indian corn, and pumpkins and also hand-weeded the ginger. In the greenhouse, we have started the very beginnings of fall crops: celery, leeks, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. It's hard to believe fall planting is already upon us! The seasons just go right on by!

Because of the very wet soil conditions in the garden, we spent a good deal of our time indulging in the fruits of our labors... Fresh peaches and tomato sandwiches were the favored foods of the week.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

2013 Season, week 7

June 29, 2013

This week's harvest:
"Indy Gold" Yellow Beans
Yellow Summer Squash
Zucchini
Garlic
Baby Onions
Basil
Dill
Cucumbers
Lettuce
Hot Peppers
Elephant Garlic
Swiss Chard - free choice

This week's farm news:

First of all, I'd like to say a word about the elephant garlic that is in your CSA baskets this week: we've been saving this seed for several years now and this is the first time we've had enough to give all of you. However... even though it is impressive to look at because of its size, we are undecided about continuing to grow it because we are not sold on the flavor - which is much more like an onion than garlic - since in all of our taste tests it gives a slightly bitter aftertaste. The most appealing way we've prepared it is roasted and then mashed with olive oil & salt (served on toast). So, we want your input! Please tell us how you prepare yours and if you like it or not. We don't really want to grow a crop that isn't good to eat! If you give it a thumbs up, we'll keep on growing it! Have a fabulous week and enjoy this week's harvest!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

2013 Season, week 6

June 20, 2013

This week's harvest:
Cabbage
Lettuce - "Jericho" and/or "Pablo Batavian"
Swiss Chard
Yellow Squash
Green Onions
Garlic
Basil

This week's farm news:

Happy Summer Solstice!! As we officially enter into the summer season, you are going to see a shift in what you find in your CSA baskets each week. There's going to be a lot fewer greens now (which prefer the cooler weather of spring). Soon, soon, soon we'll have tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, and lots of other crops that love summer heat.

This week in the garden, we planted our butternut squash, Indian corn, and pumpkins. We transplanted more summer lettuce and our late tomato crop. Many helping hands worked together on erecting a 300' trellis for our lima beans. Eric also put up a small trellis for our (supposedly) "bush" beans that are developing runners. The seed source said "a small percentage may develop runners." About 85% of ours are! That's not just a small percentage! Oh well, now the beans have the support they need and should do just fine. Otherwise this week, we are still having lots of fun with our Nashville friends that are visiting. Eric & I were even able to slip away from our farm duties for a day to have a little date. It's been a good week! To see photos from the week, visit our blog.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

2013 Season, week 5

June 15, 2013

This week's harvest:
Lettuce - "Deer Tongue" or "Jericho"
Carrots
Beets
Kohlrabi
Swiss Chard
Garlic Scapes
Green Onions
Yellow Summer Squash
Broccoli

This week's farm news:

We had our first real taste of summer weather this week with a few days of heat and sun. But it felt good to sweat and get a little kissed by the sun. And now we're back to mild breezy weather. Not a bad spring at all! In fact, the solstice is just around the corner... Summer's officially beginning. We'll see what's in store for the summer season's weather!

In the garden this week, there was a lot of cultivation work accomplished. (Did I say a lot? Yes... A lot!) Pretty much everything that was cultivate-able got cultivated... Either by hand or by tractor (and sometimes by both!)

Jesse and Hannah were mulching heroes this week, unrolling big bales of old hay throughout the garden and generally getting absolutely filthy and itchy. Bless them.

We have some fabulous visitors with us here on the farm. For the next few weeks, our dear friends the Stewart family, will be calling our barn "home". Hooray! It's such a pleasure to have them here. All of our children have formed quite a posse and are fully living each day. So, so much fun!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

2013 Season, week 4

June 3, 2013

This week's harvest:
Lettuce - "Sweet Valentine" or "Red Deer Tongue"
Swiss Chard
Kohlrabi
Broccoli
Kale - "Red Russian"
Carrots
Beets - medium shares this week, much more to come!
Garlic Scapes
Green Onions
Hakurei Salad Turnips - free choice

This week's farm news:

We've had rain practically every other day this week and we are sure not complaining! It's amazing! We were comparing this growing season to last - and what a difference! By this time last year, the rain had stopped and the heat was intolerable!

This week in the garden we got our sweet potatoes in the ground. We seized a moment when the soil was just barely dry enough to fiddle with and voila! That's a big deal for us as sweet potatoes are our family's number one staple food. With Eric and myself, and Jesse and Hannah (Livi was a good helper as well) the planting was swift, efficient, and wonderfully pleasant. Hooray!

The okra was also planted into the garden this week and Eric potted-up our late tomatoes to bigger soil blocks. Otherwise, our greenhouses are practically empty right now - everything is in the garden soil now! (Except, of course, lettuce - we are constantly starting that crop to try and have it all season long.)

With so many days of wet gardens, Eric moved on to some building projects and finished our kiwi trellis. For the first time ever, our kiwi vines have set fruit!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

2013 Season, week 3

June 1, 2013

This week's harvest:
Mixed Lettuce
Swiss Chard
"Red Russian" Kale
Cilantro
"Hakurei" Salad Turnips
"Easter Egg" Radishes
Garlic Scapes ("Pigtails")
Spinach - free choice
Broccoli or Kohlrabi

This week's farm news:

The week was a busy one. So many things happened this week that I probably can't fit it all here. But the highlights of the week were a new calf, which we are bottle-feeding because the mama caw failed to bond with her. The calf seems healthy & strong, thankfully! We moved the two-month-old pullets (female chicks) "up on the hill" to be integrated with the older birds. We raise our poultry near our house so we can keep a closer eye on them at first... But our yard is small and with those 100-plus chicks, Ira's 40-plus ducks, 4 bottle lambs, a dog, & 3 children running around, our homestead was turning into a funny farm! So I was particularly happy to get the chicks on the pasture.

In the garden, we transplanted cucumbers, melons, and basil. We sowed lima beans and a cover crop of soybeans & buckwheat in prep for the fall garden. We started our late tomatoes, okra, and more summer lettuce in soil blocks. We mulched down a thick cover crop of vetch for those late tomatoes - giving the green matter time to decompose before we need to set out the plants. Jesse and Hannah staked and caged our main season tomatoes and, boy, do they look awesome! And Farmer Eric spent countless hours on the tractor this week cultivating and doing lots of ground preparation. He was pretty relieved for the Friday afternoon rains, giving him a forced and necessary rest! To see photos from the week, visit our blog!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

2013 Season, week 2

May 25, 2013

This week's harvest:
Lettuce (Cracoviensis or Bronze Oakleaf)
Spinach
Cilantro
Garlic Scapes
"Easter Egg" Radishes
"Hakurei" Salad Turnips
Baby Broccoli
"Red Russian" Kale
Swiss Chard
Arugula - free choice

This week's farm news:

The busy-ness of spring and being back in the swing of the harvest/market rhythm made for a very quick week! The farm managed to be out of range of the intense storms that moved through the region earlier in the week, and for this we are very thankful. We saw a few heavy downpours, and a little thunder and lightening but that's about it. And now what amazingly cool weather! And it's nearly June!

Just before the first round of rain, Eric & I hustled to plant some cilantro, zucchini, and more beans. We also transplanted a bunch of lettuce - which is unfortunately getting nailed by some rabbits. Ughhh! These timely rains are keeping the gardens growing so nicely... The tomato crop is outgrowing the little bits of frost damage from the Mother's Day cold snap, the corn stand looks good, and the potato crop looks awesome! If you're interested in seeing photos of all that's going on, please check out our website's blog - or better yet, come for a visit!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

2013 Season, week 1

May 18, 2013

This week's harvest:
Lettuce
Spinach
Swiss Chard
"Easter Egg" Radishes
Green Garlic
Mint
Lemon Balm

This week's farm news:

Welcome friends - new-comers & old-timers, young & old, and all of you in between - to another season with Bugtussle CSA! This spring has been a little slower than usual, with consistently cooler temperatures. We have not minded too much, really. It helps in keeping the pace of spring somewhat more manageable. The rain has been pretty consistent this spring as well, which has been a blessing... Especially when we feel like we have thoroughly taken advantage of dry spells in the garden!

This season at market, look for the friendly faces of Jesse & Hannah (former interns, new neighbors, dear friends & overall fabulous folks!) at our front market table each week. They will be managing the farmers' market side of Bugtussle (with goodies from their own farmstead as well) while Eric & I give our attention to all of you lovely shareholders. We are anticipating a great season! So glad to have you along!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

News about 2013 first pick-up!

Greetings CSA friends! We are having a great and productive spring thus far. Presently we are enjoying a rest as "dogwood winter" keeps us closer to the house. It's been a nice slow progression of the season. It gives us hope for a more gentle year than the last.

The gardens are just beautiful right now. The rich brown earth freshly turned up against verdant cover crops of rye and vetch with striking crimson clover in full bloom. Neat rows of baby lettuces, cabbage, broccoli, onions, spinach, and many others all adding delightful texture and color. Stimulating our appetites for the coming salads!

It's always a time of eagerness and anticipation.

We are aiming for May 18th as the first delivery. So mark your calendars. We will let you know as soon as possible if that date needs to change. As always it depends on mother natures mood between now and then. We are still planning on attending the same market in Richland Park.

We still have shares available for any of you that would like to join in. And Jesse and Hannah will be with us again this year helping us set up and also selling "market style" at our front table. We're thankful for their help and tickled to help get them some farm related income. Look for various goodies from them.

If you want to have a peek into the farm and family's happenings check out both our websites frequent blogs at www.bugtusslefarm.com and www.radicalfarmwives.com where Cher, Robin(Hill and Hollow Farm), and Coree(Red Springs Farm) share their stories.

We miss you all and can't wait to see you and bring you fresh green goodness....

Cher and Eric and the Bugtussle family

Friday, February 1, 2013

Earlybird Reminder

Hello there friends,
Well, the winter is just sailing past. We sure have missed seeing all of you, but have also really been enjoying some Bugtussle-style rest! We have a mountain of parsnips and sweet potatoes, and a little bit of kale, that we keep hoping to bring to the market some Saturday, but the stars haven't aligned yet, I suppose! We have placed our seed order and are actively planning the season's gardens. Planting will actually begin very soon!
We just wanted to put out a friendly reminder that our earlybird CSA share discount is available until February 15. If you plan on signing up for the season's share, it's a pretty good discount. Please visit our website to download our share form and to see prices and other information. We've also been trying to keep up with our blog on our website, so check that out, too!
If you do not plan to participate in the CSA season this year, please let us know so that we can make your share available to someone else.
Blessings and health to you,
Cher and Eric