I skipped a week. Did you miss me? Mostly it just rained the week of October 14th so I was decked out in rain gear and not trying to take a lot of pictures. Also the dogs stayed home most days so there weren't even any cute puppy pics to post.
 |
| Rain coat, boots and pants... |
But I'm back now. Today may be the last warmish day. Yesterday was the official frost date and it will be in the mid 30s later this week. Things have slowed down a lot which means harvests are a bit less with more recovery time in between. It also means that everything that still grows tastes a bit sweeter. In defense against the cold lots of roots and greens create more sugar which acts as a sort of anti freeze. The delicious side effect of that is sweeter Kale, Beets and Carrots. :)
Harvest
In the harvest bins these past two weeks:
Sage, Lemon Grass, Thyme, Mustard Greens, Arugula, Romaine, Red Sails Lettuce, Kale, Chard, Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Tomatillos, Spinach, Turnip Greens and Hakurei Turnips, Peppers, and Shiitake Mushrooms.
 |
Hakurei and Scarlett Queen Turnips harvested for the greens
to thin out the very thick planting |
 |
| Yaya Carrots! |
 |
| Chard- the fall weather does it good |
 |
| Stocky Red Roasters and Orange Bell Peppers |
 |
| Shiitakes |
Production and Distribution
I am only delivering once a week now since things are growing so slowly.
 |
| Washing Watermelon Radishes |
 |
| Watermelon Radishes |
 |
| Logan Tavern Delivery: Spinach, Beets, Radishes |
 |
Logan Tavern Delivery: Chard, Peppers, Arugula,
Romaine and Mustard Greens |
 |
Delivery to The Heights: Kale, Arugula, Peppers, Turnips, Beets, Lemon Grass
Chard, Watermelon Radishes, Carrots |
Cultivation and Maintenance
I did a little self cultivation over the last two weeks. A sweet perk of being involved with
EatWell DC is that I am already plugged into some of the local food here in the DC area. I was invited to attend an intro barista class at
Ceremony Coffee Roasters in Annapolis, MD where I learned (in theory) how to pull the perfect shot of espresso. EatWell offers this local roastery's coffee at
Commissary,
The Pig and
The Heights.
 |
| Commissary's New Brunch Barista Chris soaking it all in |
 |
| Practice, Practice, Practice |
 |
| Lessons in caffeine |
 |
| Zoe is really excited about espresso |
The following week I took a trip down to
Slade Farms in Virginia. Clifton Slade is a farmer and Vegetable Produce Specialist with the Virginia Cooperative Extension. He took some time out of his day to give me and my part time helper Andrew a tour of his vegetable operation and talk about his hoop house production. He grows a lot of vegetables and is also transitioning into growing organic seed for
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. It's always good to get off your own farm and see how other people (especially those with more experience) are doing things.
 |
| Cliff's Hoop House, Clean and ready to plant |
 |
| He sent us home with some huge sweet potatoes |
 |
| Mr Slade talks Sweet Potatoes |
 |
| Mobile Chicken Coop cleaning the Asparagus |
 |
| Tractor set up for Garlic Planting |
Maintenance also got done back at the EatWell Farm. Lots and lots of weeding this week. Here is some beautifully weeded Red Sails and Romaine Lettuce.
 |
| My sister Katie dumping the compost from Commissary |
Eating Well
My sister Katie is in town and came over one night to make farm pizza with us. Lane made the crust and we topped it with peppers, spinach and mushrooms from the farm.
 |
| Hand made Meatloaf with EatWell Mustard Greens at Commissary! |
Puddy Time (and all things Adorable)
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love feedback! Let me know what you liked about this entry or what you want to hear more about. Tell me what you're growing in your garden and which veggies you love the most. Anything goes!