EatWell Natural Farm Week 11

There was lots of pink this week. It's not usually my favorite color but it looks good on the farm...

Clockwise from top left: D'Avignon Radishes, Roses, Watermelon Radish

Rainbow Chard. One of the prettiest veggies in my book.

Harvest

There was a lot to harvest this week and on Friday I even had help. Robby and Kyle from The Pig came out Friday morning, braving the sun and the heat, and helped me harvest and clean everything for Saturday's delivery. They were amazing and, I think, had a great time.  We harvested Turnips, Radishes, Strawberries, Mustard Greens, Broccoli Raabe, Lettuce, Arugula, Kale, Pac Choi, Shelling Peas, Sage, Thyme, and Mint. 

Tons of Turnips

D'Avignon Radishes

Pretty Pac Choi

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Production and Distribution

I didn't get many good production pictures this week. However, we have a neighbor who cuts our lower field for hay and I got a few shots of that.  He cut the hay on Wednesday and left it out to dry until Saturday when he bailed it. Below you can see the bailer which scoops the hay up off the ground and rolls it.

Finished Bail in the distance. He got 6 out of this field.

Cultivation and Maintenance

Emil, our Bee Keeper, spent a lot of time with our hives this week. He felt that one of the queens wasn't strong enough so he brought a new one over and replaced her.

Our 3 Bee Hives

Queen Bees

Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers and WEEDS

The squash and cucumbers were ready to uncover this week. They have spent the last three weeks under a floating row cover and have now formed flowers and even a few small Zucchini. 

While the Floating Row Cover created safe and ideal growing conditions for the cucurbits, they did the same for the weeds. This is two beds with solid weeds in between. :( I know what I'm doing tomorrow.....

Tiny Zucchini and flower (and weeds)

"Ribbit"

Planting

I tilled 2 new beds in the orchard and amended them with composted manure and some liquid fertilizer. Then I seeded Watermelon, Honey Dew and Cantaloupe.  They should be a good match for the orchard while it is still young and not shading things out. The melons will spread and up here they won't be in anybody's way and their extensive leaves will help the orchard in the summer acting as a green mulch, shading the soil to help retain moisture, and minimizing weed competition for the trees. 

Adding composted manure

Seeded Melons

Volunteer Allison and Lucy helped spread manure.
Thanks Allison!

Eating Well

Robby, Kyle and I harvested a big delicious salad of Spinach, Arugula, Mustard Greens, Red Sails Lettuce, Romains, Radishes, Turnips and Strawberries with a Mint Dressing. It was perfectly refreshing after working in the 90 degree sun. You can be a volunteer too and enjoy a delicious seasonal lunch and home made popsicles. Come on out and get some fresh air!

Volunteer Lunch

Farm Fresh Salad

I also made us some popsicles with Strawberries and Mint
from the farm, mango and lemonade. 

Bread Pudding from The Pig with our Strawberries

Arugula Salad at Grillfish

Mustard Green Salad at The Pig

Strawberry Gazpacho, Logan Tavern

Our Arugula and Strawberries star in this salad at Logan Tavern

Puddy Time

Puddy enjoyed spending an afternoon with Lucy. Also, Puddy and I would like to officially endorse Advantix over Frontline for Tick prevention. We switched this month and have had far fewer ticks. 

EatWell Natural Farm Week 10

This week's post is going to be abbreviated because it is already late and if I wait any longer it will be time for next week's already. So here you go. A week in pictures.

Let's start with a little time lapse. Here is the main field right after I tilled it and what it looks like now. What a difference a couple of months make.

Harvest

The big story this week was Strawberries. I harvested and delivered 100lbs of Strawberries. 

Rhubarb

33lbs of Strawberries

Red Sails Lettuce

Mustard Greens, Kale, Spinach, Choi, Arugula

Pac Choi

More Strawberries

Still More Strawberries

Production and Distribution

My wash station up until this week has been an improvised combination of buckets and bins.

Double washing Mustard Greens

But this weekend David and I built an outdoor washing table which will be great for all kinds of roots, anything durable and big. Inside David put together a few sinks and a washing machine that I can use to spin water off of greens. He even did the plumbing. The stable is slowly becoming a real packing house. 

David tacking down the mesh

Finished wash table

Cultivation and Maintenance

I transplanted the last of our tomato seedlings this week and covered the smallest ones to give them a chance to get bigger before the flea beetles find them. This is agribond floating row cover. It allows light and water to get through but keeps out the creepy crawlies.

Compost pile is getting bigger

Planting

We had a little mix up with our last delivery of tomato seedlings and they ended up sitting in a box inside the postoffice for a week. Once we realized they were there I went to get them, fully expecting them to be dead. Well, they were alive. They had gotten quite leggy but were decidedly green and not dead. So, I planted them along with a few more that I bought from a neighboring farmer at Radix Farm.

Tomato and Tomatillo seedlings

Seeded bed

I also direct seeded a bed of lettuce and arugula with the four point seeder and the help of my friend and all star volunteer, Kathy.

Eating Well

Strawberry, Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad-Grillfish

Bread Pudding with a Strawberry Sauce at Logan Tavern

Grillfish featuring Hakurei turnips and radishes with crab

Spinach and Strawberry Salad at Logan Tavern

The Pig's take on Kale topped with Sardines

Strawberry and goat cheese salad with pea tendrils, The Pig

Puddy Time

Wet Dog

Puddy is really into the Strawberries

And now for something Completely Different

I attended the March against Monsanto last Saturday. We met in front of the White House and marched to Monsanto's Office building where they run their lobbying from. Here are a few pictures and a link to some coverage including an interview I gave. 

If you watched the video you may have noticed the misspelling. I blame Lane. Here he is, eating Face Bacon from the pig.

"I don't know how to spell 'Afraid' but I like Bacon"