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.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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
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
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