June 25, 2011
This week's harvest:
Lettuce
Carrots
Swiss Chard
Garlic
Broccoli (the last taste until fall...)
Yellow Squash
Cucumbers (medium shares this week)
This week's farm news:
The week started out stormy and wet. The garden is plenty saturated at this point. The remainder of the week was intermittantly stormy but no storms yielded that much rain and by Friday the gardens were ready to be cultivated - which is an enormous task right now because there are so many young plantings and most of our cultivation is done by hand.
On Monday (conveniently when the farm was saturated!) the crew took a field trip to Emerald Glen Farm in Munfordville, KY for a farm tour. It's a beautiful, well-managed farm which produces a variety of pasture-raised meats. (These are available at the Metro Farmers Market every other Saturday.) Good folks to support if you're in the market for some high-quality meat from a small producer.
We harvested our garlic crop this week. We clipped all of the stalks from the bulbs and placed the bulbs into baskets to then be hauled up into the barn loft. Next we'll spread them all out so they have ample ventilation while curing. So, this week's garlic in your basket is super fresh and juicy. Enjoy it and our amusing story of the week...
About a month ago the crew inadvertantly scared a turkey hen off of her nest while moving the animals. We happened to have a relentlessly broody hen so Jesse thought he would give her a project. He set those eggs under her about a month ago and lo and behold, this week four of them actually hatched!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
2011 Season, Week Seven
June 18, 2011
This week's harvest:
Carrots
Lettuce
Broccoli
Swiss Chard
Garlic
Shelling Peas
Summer Squash
This week's farm news:
We enjoyed a few days of cooler weather this week interspersed with brief rain showers. Altogether we received a little less than one inch, but it was all so gentle and slow that the crops were able to take full advantage of every drop. Good thing, too, because the gardens were getting dry. All the young crops received a cultivation and now look fantastic! In the garden, we set out our 4th planting of tomatoes for fall harvest. We seeded pumpkins, blue Indian corn, cucumbers, gourds, and a buckwheat cover crop anywhere that we intend to plant fall crops. We also started a late crop of basil, dill, and more lettuce. Our garlic crop is nearly ready to be harvested, which almost always coincides with the summer solstice, so my guess is next week the smell of garlic will be wafting through the air here in Bugtussle! Yum yum!
This week's harvest:
Carrots
Lettuce
Broccoli
Swiss Chard
Garlic
Shelling Peas
Summer Squash
This week's farm news:
We enjoyed a few days of cooler weather this week interspersed with brief rain showers. Altogether we received a little less than one inch, but it was all so gentle and slow that the crops were able to take full advantage of every drop. Good thing, too, because the gardens were getting dry. All the young crops received a cultivation and now look fantastic! In the garden, we set out our 4th planting of tomatoes for fall harvest. We seeded pumpkins, blue Indian corn, cucumbers, gourds, and a buckwheat cover crop anywhere that we intend to plant fall crops. We also started a late crop of basil, dill, and more lettuce. Our garlic crop is nearly ready to be harvested, which almost always coincides with the summer solstice, so my guess is next week the smell of garlic will be wafting through the air here in Bugtussle! Yum yum!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
2011 Season, Week Six
June 11, 2011
This week's harvest:
Broccoli
Lettuce
Shelling Peas (medium shares)
Summer Squash (small shares)
Carrots
Swiss Chard
Garlic Scapes
This week's farm news:
Other than a brief rain shower last Sunday, the week was hot and dry. The crew endured the heat and had another productive week of planting and garden work. The sweet potato crop is in the ground, the tomato patch is mulched, and many, many more seeds and transplants were planted. Now, we would be so grateful to get a nice rain to settle everything into the soil... At least we can dream, right?
We want to thank all of you that have already voiced your opinion to the powers-that-be about today's farmer's market location and we strongly encourage everyone to let your opinion be heard to the farmer's market organizers (who are working so hard to make this market enjoyable!) to help them to make their case to the Parks Commission. We hope that next week we will be back in our nicely shaded market location!
This week's harvest:
Broccoli
Lettuce
Shelling Peas (medium shares)
Summer Squash (small shares)
Carrots
Swiss Chard
Garlic Scapes
This week's farm news:
Other than a brief rain shower last Sunday, the week was hot and dry. The crew endured the heat and had another productive week of planting and garden work. The sweet potato crop is in the ground, the tomato patch is mulched, and many, many more seeds and transplants were planted. Now, we would be so grateful to get a nice rain to settle everything into the soil... At least we can dream, right?
We want to thank all of you that have already voiced your opinion to the powers-that-be about today's farmer's market location and we strongly encourage everyone to let your opinion be heard to the farmer's market organizers (who are working so hard to make this market enjoyable!) to help them to make their case to the Parks Commission. We hope that next week we will be back in our nicely shaded market location!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
2011 Season, Week 5
June 4, 2011
This week's harvest:
Lettuce
Cilantro
Swiss Chard
Beet Greens
Garlic Scapes ("pigtails")
Red Russian Kale
This week's farm news:
We had sunshine every day this week. And, boy, was it hot! Quite a stark contrast from last week. So the pendulum swings again and your farmers worked their tails off because of it! Thousands of transplants were set out in the garden - lettuces, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, watermelons, muskmelons, tomatillos, & fennel. Thousands of seeds were sown also - peanuts, sweet corn, butternut squash, etc.
Eric spent hours on the tractor taking advantage of the (finally) dry soil conditions. We have lots more ground ready and awaiting more planting in the coming days... That's why farmer Eric stayed home from Nashville today. There's just so much on his plate and the time to get it done is now!
Also this week we welcomed our third intern, Lena. She jumped right in with the crew, worked hard, got sun-burned, and basically embraced life in Bugtussle!
This week's harvest:
Lettuce
Cilantro
Swiss Chard
Beet Greens
Garlic Scapes ("pigtails")
Red Russian Kale
This week's farm news:
We had sunshine every day this week. And, boy, was it hot! Quite a stark contrast from last week. So the pendulum swings again and your farmers worked their tails off because of it! Thousands of transplants were set out in the garden - lettuces, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, watermelons, muskmelons, tomatillos, & fennel. Thousands of seeds were sown also - peanuts, sweet corn, butternut squash, etc.
Eric spent hours on the tractor taking advantage of the (finally) dry soil conditions. We have lots more ground ready and awaiting more planting in the coming days... That's why farmer Eric stayed home from Nashville today. There's just so much on his plate and the time to get it done is now!
Also this week we welcomed our third intern, Lena. She jumped right in with the crew, worked hard, got sun-burned, and basically embraced life in Bugtussle!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
2011 Season, Week Four
May 28, 2011
This week's harvest:
A few varieties of lettuce
Cilantro
Garlic Scapes
Swiss Chard
Beets & Greens
This week's farm news:
It was another gray, wet, & sometimes stormy week here in Bugtussle. The crew & I held down the fort while Eric was away at an animal grazing seminar in Pennsylvania. The timing of Eric's absence worked out well because, once again, the garden was too wet to do much work. The potato patch got a nice blanket of hay mulch but otherwise the week's work focused mostly on animal chores & maintenance. Whew, this spring has been a challenging one! We just can't get into the garden when it's so wet. It's very easy to get caught up in the springtime rush to get crops in the ground but working the soil when it's too wet can do long-term damage to the soil's structure - which can take years to recover. And that just isn't part of our holistic goal. So lovely, supportive vegetable eaters, despite the fact that your baskets aren't overflowing yet, you can rest assured that we are being good stewards of this land. May your bodies not only be nourished by the vegetables that you do eat, but also by the love & care that we put into growing them.
Thank you for supporting environmentally reponsible farming!
This week's harvest:
A few varieties of lettuce
Cilantro
Garlic Scapes
Swiss Chard
Beets & Greens
This week's farm news:
It was another gray, wet, & sometimes stormy week here in Bugtussle. The crew & I held down the fort while Eric was away at an animal grazing seminar in Pennsylvania. The timing of Eric's absence worked out well because, once again, the garden was too wet to do much work. The potato patch got a nice blanket of hay mulch but otherwise the week's work focused mostly on animal chores & maintenance. Whew, this spring has been a challenging one! We just can't get into the garden when it's so wet. It's very easy to get caught up in the springtime rush to get crops in the ground but working the soil when it's too wet can do long-term damage to the soil's structure - which can take years to recover. And that just isn't part of our holistic goal. So lovely, supportive vegetable eaters, despite the fact that your baskets aren't overflowing yet, you can rest assured that we are being good stewards of this land. May your bodies not only be nourished by the vegetables that you do eat, but also by the love & care that we put into growing them.
Thank you for supporting environmentally reponsible farming!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
2011 Season, Week Three
May 21, 2011
This week's harvest:
Swiss Chard
Red Russian Kale
Green Garlic (use like a green onion)
Tatsoi
Beets
Strawberries
A sprig of mint
This week's farm news:
Well, we burned firewood this week like it was the middle of March. The week was remarkably gray & cool! If I didn't know better, and if the trees & pastures weren't so green, I could have easily convinced myself that it actually was March!
Early in the week not much happened in the garden because of the cool wet weather. That was OK, though, because we had plenty to do welcoming all sorts of new arrivals on the farm. On Monday we set up a beehive to house a new (package) swarm of Russian honeybees. We installed them on Monday evening & so far they seem to have accepted their new home in Bugtussle. On Tuesday our new bull, a Red Devon, arrived on the farm - from Virginia! Eric purchased him about a month ago but has had to wait for a cattle hauler to be available to bring him here. Once he arrived, Eric was very anxious to get the poor traveller back on the grass and integrated with our herd. You never know quite what to expect, especially with a bull, but all seems good so far. On Wednesday we went to a farm just outside Carthage, TN to purchase about 30 young pullets (to make up for all the ones a wily fox has been snagging - Eric even witnessed an attack in broad daylight while working in the garden!) They were raised by a 12 year old boy much in the same manner we raise our own chickens. We were pleased to help support & encourage a young entrepreneur.
This week's harvest:
Swiss Chard
Red Russian Kale
Green Garlic (use like a green onion)
Tatsoi
Beets
Strawberries
A sprig of mint
This week's farm news:
Well, we burned firewood this week like it was the middle of March. The week was remarkably gray & cool! If I didn't know better, and if the trees & pastures weren't so green, I could have easily convinced myself that it actually was March!
Early in the week not much happened in the garden because of the cool wet weather. That was OK, though, because we had plenty to do welcoming all sorts of new arrivals on the farm. On Monday we set up a beehive to house a new (package) swarm of Russian honeybees. We installed them on Monday evening & so far they seem to have accepted their new home in Bugtussle. On Tuesday our new bull, a Red Devon, arrived on the farm - from Virginia! Eric purchased him about a month ago but has had to wait for a cattle hauler to be available to bring him here. Once he arrived, Eric was very anxious to get the poor traveller back on the grass and integrated with our herd. You never know quite what to expect, especially with a bull, but all seems good so far. On Wednesday we went to a farm just outside Carthage, TN to purchase about 30 young pullets (to make up for all the ones a wily fox has been snagging - Eric even witnessed an attack in broad daylight while working in the garden!) They were raised by a 12 year old boy much in the same manner we raise our own chickens. We were pleased to help support & encourage a young entrepreneur.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
2011 Season, Week Two
May 14, 2011
This week's harvest:
Strawberries
Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Beet with Beet Greens
Radishes
Tatsoi
Arugula - small shares this week
Sage Flowers
This week's farm news:
This week was a week full of strawberries! We harvested berries left and right. We had them in some form for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Strawberry pie, cobbler, and shortcake. Strawberry viniagrette on salads. Strawberries & cream, and just plain ole strawberries by the handful! We froze a bunch, too, and we still couldn't keep up with all of the berries. Rough life, huh? It's been several years since we've had such an abundance of strawberries so we feel pretty blessed. We hope you enjoy them, too.
The crew accomplished an insane amount in the garden this week. They spread over 10 tons of compost, worked up 1.5 acres of ground, cultivated all of the crops that were already in the garden, transplanted lettuce, summer squash, basil, parsley, cucumbers, and our main season tomato crop, and direct seeded yellow bush beans and zucchini. Eric was on the tractor just finishing the ground work for our sweet potato patch as the rain started pouring down on his head. We knew rain was coming and it was finally dry enough after a very wet spring to get some major work done. That's just the way it goes, little windows of opportunity. Always be prepared! Now we can envision very bountiful summer harvests because of this one short window of very serious work. Yeah! The harvests over the next few weeks, though, are probably going to be skimpier than we would like...that's just the way it can go. Especially when the spring was wet and wet and wet! There's a lot of crops in the ground that are so close... Thanks for your patience. There's so much goodness just around the corner!
This week's harvest:
Strawberries
Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Beet with Beet Greens
Radishes
Tatsoi
Arugula - small shares this week
Sage Flowers
This week's farm news:
This week was a week full of strawberries! We harvested berries left and right. We had them in some form for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Strawberry pie, cobbler, and shortcake. Strawberry viniagrette on salads. Strawberries & cream, and just plain ole strawberries by the handful! We froze a bunch, too, and we still couldn't keep up with all of the berries. Rough life, huh? It's been several years since we've had such an abundance of strawberries so we feel pretty blessed. We hope you enjoy them, too.
The crew accomplished an insane amount in the garden this week. They spread over 10 tons of compost, worked up 1.5 acres of ground, cultivated all of the crops that were already in the garden, transplanted lettuce, summer squash, basil, parsley, cucumbers, and our main season tomato crop, and direct seeded yellow bush beans and zucchini. Eric was on the tractor just finishing the ground work for our sweet potato patch as the rain started pouring down on his head. We knew rain was coming and it was finally dry enough after a very wet spring to get some major work done. That's just the way it goes, little windows of opportunity. Always be prepared! Now we can envision very bountiful summer harvests because of this one short window of very serious work. Yeah! The harvests over the next few weeks, though, are probably going to be skimpier than we would like...that's just the way it can go. Especially when the spring was wet and wet and wet! There's a lot of crops in the ground that are so close... Thanks for your patience. There's so much goodness just around the corner!
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