EatWell Natural Farm Week 26

Harvest

In the harvest bins this week: Arugula, Red Sails Lettuce, Romaine, Beets, Tomatoes, Green Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans, Chard, Peppers, Purslane, Oregano, Sage, Basil and the first Shiitake Mushrooms!!!!

Andrew and Gayle harvesting Arugula

Red Sails Lettuce

Beets and Purslane

Red Sails Cut

Tomatoes

Our First Shiitakes!!!

Production and Distribution

Sweet Thai Basi

Many of the herbs get bunched in the field. Basil is very delicate and can wilt quickly. It has to be harvested when it is dry but not too hot. We make small bunches and wrap rubber bands around the end then put them in vented harvest bins. We have to be careful not stack them too high or the bunches on the bottom can get crushed or get too warm without airflow. Care is always taken to keep them out of direct sunlight. 

It's really neat to be delivering in our nation's capital. I see monuments, the Capital Building, Memorials, Politicians and some times cars with pink mustaches....

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Cultivation and Maintenance

Friendly Amish Farm where I got helpful hoop house tips

I took a road trip into Amish Country in St Mary's County to the Loveville Produce Market. While I was there I spoke with some local Amish folk about High Tunnels and where they are getting them from. They have a few Amish suppliers in Lancaster County, PA who I plan to visit next week. 

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes still blooming

Latest Arugula coming up nicely

Finally got some rain after a couple of dry and warm weeks

Eating Well

The Pig was featured on the Cooking Channel's show Chuck's Eat The Street this week. There are reruns and I'll keep an eye out for it online 

Roasted Tomatillo and Poblano Salsa

Guardsmark Beets

Cherry Tomato and Beet Green sauce with Feta on Angel Hair

Roasted Baby Beets (Upper Left) at The Pig

Puddy Time

Puddy in the stables

Tilford hang in the stables while we wash

EatWell Natural Farm Week 25

The weather this week was incredible!

Harvest

These tomatoes have character

In the harvest bins this week: Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Leaf Lettuce, Squash, Beets, Chard, Kale, Sugar Baby Watermelon, Purslane, Green Beans, Peppers, Arugula, Choi, Basil

Our neighbor farmer also harvested his hay this week. He cut it on Thursday and left it on the ground to dry in the sun. Friday he came by and turned it over and fluffed it up to help it dry all the way through. Sunday he bailed it. This neighbor is a real asset because not only is he super neighborly and helpful, this land used to belong to his family so he has lots of stories about it. This week I learned of how he and his brother used to drag race their motorcycles through the rows of tobacco in this field. That is, until their dad caught them and made them quit. 

Hay just before cutting

Just after being cut and left to dry

Eventually we plan to farm this whole field!

Cutting the hay also made room for our new field. The same neighbor has a big tractor and lots of implements and is going to plow the new field for us and it will go into cover crop this winter to be ready for production in the spring.

Production and Distribution

This week my sidekick Gayle did all of the harvesting, washing and packing on Thursday so that I could work with a small crew to get a few big project done. She was completely self sufficient and awesome as usual. Thanks Gayle (and Chip!)!!!

Sugar Baby Watermelons to Commissary

Cultivation and Maintenance

Trellised the Shelling Peas

 

Peas and Spinach

Our mushroom Guru Jillian called to check in on the mushroom logs. We are looking for the ends to turn white with mycelial growth, which is happening. She plans to come by soon to soak the logs. I got impatient though and threw one in the pond over night. As of yesterday some of the holes where we put the inoculate in are swelling, which hopefully means mushrooms are fixing to pop out of them.

Mushroom logs

Mycelial Growth

Soaking a small log in the pond

 After 1 1/2" of rain on Sunday and a humid Monday, the rest of the week has been dry and sunny so I've been doing a lot of irrigating for the newly seeded and transplanted crops.

I had a crew of 3 extra helpers from the restaurants on Thursday. We pulled some old crops, cleaned and prepped some beds and tamed the strawberries.

Pulled out the Sunflowers

Cleaning and Mulching Strawberries

Cleaning and prepping beds

Planting

Direct seeded Spinach, Radishes, Arugula and Lettuce

The 1x4 and String help me lay out my beds for planting

Eating Well

Check out this article featuring Chef Bonk of The Pig on dehydrating as a way of preserving summer produce and meats.

"At the Pig — where they buy whole animals and try to avoid waste — Bonk dehydrates skin to make cracklings. “The process is pretty straightforward,” he says, “but it took me several attempts to understand the nuances of pork rinds to get consistent results.” Unlike produce, meats need to be first cooked to a temperature that kills bacteria and then kept at a certain temperature for drying safely."

Puddy Time

Puddy brought a friend to the farm this week. Tilford had a blast running really fast in laps around the farm and learned pretty quickly to stay off the food. 

Headed to work

Run, nap, repeat.

Tilford thinks he is a duck hunter

Yin and Yang

EatWell Natural Farm Week 24

Wow. 24 Weeks. That's 6 months. It's hard to believe I have been in Maryland that long. Time flies when you're living the dream. Summer is certainly winding down and there has been a hint of fall on the breeze. There are still hot, humid, hazy days, and there will be a few more I'm sure, but there is the promise of cooler dryer air and it occasionally whispers softly at the back of my neck promising some relief.
While it is more pleasant to work in the fall than the summer I am already noticing production slow slightly on a few hardy crops. The Chard, which I harvest relentlessly, needs a few more days between pickings. The shorter days are slowing it down. Unlike in the spring where things start slow and ramp up, the fall seems to just keep insisting on slowing you down. I can't say I mind that too much. That's one of the true joys I have found in this new career, being in touch with the rhythms and cycles of the seasons, it feel right.

Harvest

Rainbow Chard

In the harvest bins this week: Tomatoes, Arugula, Chard, Squash, Peppers, Green Beans, Beets, Basil, Lettuce, Choi, Purslane and a few melons.

Beets, Red Ace below and Guardmark above

Sugar Baby Watermelon

Lots of Peppers

Tomatoes, Kellog's Breakfast, Zebra, Iron Lady, Eva Purple xBig Beef

Production and Distribution

I deliver twice a week to all 5 restaurants in DC. 

Logan Tavern loves the Purslane

Delivery at The Pig

Fresh food at The Heights

Cultivation and Maintenance

While the shorter days seem to be slowing some crops the weeds don't seem to mind at all. That or I've just gotten behind.  There was a lot of weeding and bed prep to do this week to make way for more fall crop successions.

Planting

 Here is the Kale that I transplanted last week with drip tape running along side. We had a pretty dry week so I have been irrigating all of these transplants and any seeding to give them a good start.

Direct seeded this week; more Carrots, Mustard Greens and Easter Egg Radishes.

Seeded Mustard Greens and Radishes this week

Eating Well

Some kind of sandwich at The Pig, possibly Brain?
With my lovely Arugula

Tomato Salad at Grillfish

This dish I actually got to try. It is house made pasta at Grillfish with my Baby Carrots, Baby Beets and Tomatoes. On the top is a foamed cheese. So fancy and oh so delicious. This really hit the spot on a late delivery day.

Puddy Time

It doesn't matter how much work I have to do, I can always count on finding Puddy passed out in the field at some point in the day. If it's hot she lays in the shade, if it's cool she warms herself in the sun. Above all she seems to prefer bare ground so that she can lay directly on the dirt.