Week 15, 2011

Things are moving along nicely at the farm. Very low humidity with 60 to 85 degrees. The plants are growing nicely. Potato tops are looking good with a little damage from some Colorado potato beetles. The Italian (Nadia) eggplants are finally putting out a crop after being in the ground for 6 months and getting frosted multiple times. I'm not sure the plants realize they are supposed to be mature at the end of 3 months from transplants...well at least they are producing. Onions are starting to swell. I ate my first almost ripe loquat of the season yesterday. Not too bad. They will be ready to harvest in a week or two. The tomatoes are starting to ripen up well. Uncle Matt's cherry tomato is ready to harvest again. They are a farm favorite. I can't figure out what the red garlic is doing. I'm not sure if it has grown too thin or if it will swell in the future. The peaches are getting bigger and I can't wait to taste them. We have a bunch of plums and nectarines that are sizing up this year as well. The beets are almost ready to pick. We will be planting corn, okra, and more basil this week.


Here is a great looking recipe from Jennifer (one of our member supporters) for a mustard, fettuccine, and mushroom dish. Just click this link http://tiny.cc/kpuai Enjoy! If you have recipes to share let us know.

Week 13, 2011

It is quickly warming up. It is unfortunate that our lettuce doesn't stick around to enjoy. As soon as it starts looking nice it gets hot and bolts (sends up a flower stalk). This has happened the last two years. I wish we could figure that one out.

We have started to harvest the rainbow swiss chard. It looks beautiful. We cooked some up, boiled first for two minutes, then sauteed in olive oil. Anna said that it tasted like corn??? I think we decided as nice as it looks, we prefer bok choy or napa cabbage as a green side dish.

The peaches are sizing up nicely as are the loquats. It looks like it will be a decent harvest this year. I kept waiting at the farm for my mulberry trees to break buds and when I checked them they were all dead. I have a tree at the house and it grew about 15 feet or more in just two years. I was hoping that it would make a nice quick fruit crop, shade and some cover for birds. I was really surprised that they couldn't handle the low temperatures. I will need to find out the temperature range for that plant and rethink my plans. I seem to do that a bunch out at the farm. As in the case of my perches for birds around the crops that have bugs. Good idea for the birds to stop at the crop. It was working well. It also worked well for the farm cat. She loved the idea as I discovered a pile of feathers near one of my perches. I will need to rethink that idea and remove cats from the farm. I am waiting to find out were her kittens are before we let her go. I discovered my annual wren nest in the shop and it made me sick thinking that the bird would have to dodge the gauntlet to nurture its chicks.

I am beginning to think that we might have a few weeks of slim pickings at the farm until the warm season crops get ready to harvest. If the fruit fill the void we will be OK. We are waiting on zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, calabasa, and watermelons. Grow! Grow! Grow!

Week 11, 2011

Its the end of February and it has warmed up considerably. The cole (cabbage type) crops are all sending up flowers (brocolli, raab, bok choi, napa cabbage, etc.). The first crop of potatoes are breaking their way up through the ground. The peaches are forming into their wonderful sweetness that will be picked in a few more weeks.

The chickens are only laying a few eggs a week. We had some for breakfast the other day and I took a picture of the comparison of ours and a nutritious vegetarian, Omega-3, cage free, store bought. Ours is the darker one. It definitely looks different and the yolk stands taller in the frying pan. I'm not sure if darker equals better but I tend to think so. Definitely prettier.

The hamlins oranges are finishing up. The lettuce are coming on great right now and look beautiful. Our warm season tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, squash and basil are sown and just starting their new little lives. I will be sowing beans and cowpeas soon and am waiting for the lettuce to finish up so I can plant the corn in their place. We will be harvesting carrots, oregano, kohlrabi, and cherry tomatoes soon.