Week 25 September 24-28

Harvest

Jalapenos, Shishitos, and Habaneros

Greens Galore! Broccoli Raabe, Kale, Collards, Choi Sum, Tokyo Bekana, Pac Choi, Purple Choi, and Okinawa Spinach. We are still harvesting Peppers and Eggplant, Winter radishes, Hakurei and Purple Top Turnips, Arugula, Okra, Tomatoes and just got the first of the newest plantings of Squash and Zucchini. 

Greens Galore!

Winter Radishes: Watermelon, Green Luobo, Manhontong and more

Production and Distribution

Fall CSA Week 6

Tokyo Bekana

Turnips

Apples

Okra or Squash

Winter Radishes

Sweet Potatoes

Apples

Kale or Collards

Popcorn

Arugula

If you ever need to remove the kernels from a lot of ears of popcorn, just tape some of those ears together and use the rough ends to help scrape the kernels off. 

Corn tool made of corn cobs

Maintenance

We borrowed this Manure Spreader to apply horse manure to a few fields. All was going well until the second when a bump in the road caused the axle to bend. They really should put a weight restriction on this thing. Farming involves a lot of machinery and tests your level of handy-ness constantly. We took the axle off and are trying to straighten it out because the manufacturer of this fine piece of equipment has gone out of business (surprise!).

Manure Spreader up on Blocks

Bent Axle 

Planting

Finally! We had enough time and man power this week to get some more things in the ground. We transplanted onions, chicory, fennel, cucumbers. and lettuce in the hoop houses.  Lots of Brassicas got transplanted in Jeff Cook Field (Broccoli, Collards, Kale, Cabbage, Joi Choi, Kohlrabi and Brussel Sprouts) and we direct seeded the Burge Heirloom Elephant Garlic there too. 

Onion transplants

Volunteer lettuce growing in the onion trays

A full Crew! Volunteer Darcy, New Apprentice Claire
and part timer Ivan knock out some transplants

Transplants and a barrel o fish guts

More transplants

Field full of Brassicas

Farm Life

This week was a relief after weeks of working too long and too hard. We hired a new apprentice who arrived Monday and got to work on Tuesday. Her name is Claire and she is my roommate now at Fred's House. We also have a volunteer coming a few times a week named Darcy and an exchange worker from Spain who is helping out most morning. The extra hands make things move a lot faster and we finally feel like we are getting our footing. 

Another reason why I want to be a real farmer:

Not hard to believe

And here is a creepy looking spider eating a grasshopper for you:

Farm Visit: Tewksbury Good Groceries

Thursday we visited a neighboring farm run by Tate Tewksbury. He moved here years ago from Pennsylvania with his parents to raise and sell sheep. He now grows a few acres of vegetables using organic methods but choses not be certified. He runs the farm mostly on his own with his father pitching in on his pet projects. Example; his father grows Red Dent Corn which is a variety that is harvested dry. You know it's ready because the kernels dent in. He uses the corn to feed the pigs and also grinds his own cornmeal and grits with it. Instead of a tractor he uses a team of English draft horses to pull plows and other implements. 

Rosemary Roots and breaks up the soil and
also provides piglets each year. She is a permanent fixture. 

Dent Corn

Corn Stalks in the fog

The animals all live across the street at Tate's parents' farm/homestead, Tinker Farm. There are the brother and sister team of draft horses, another beautiful and friendly black horse, sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys and an awesome farm dog. Tinker Farm is about as idyllic as you can get. They grow their own vegetables in about a 1/4 acre garden, preserve, raise their own eggs and meat and try to stay away from reliance on machinery. Once we got there I really didn't want to leave. 

This guy should have 4 horns but the upper right is broken off

Corn storage

Horse drawn implements

Personal Garden Green House

The Family Garden

Puddy Time

Supervising transplants

Harvesting Tomatoes