Yesterday in the squash field we were cooled by a breeze that felt and smelled, suddenly, like fall. Though my body felt relieved and refreshed, my stomach tightened into an involuntary panic. Obviously my feelings are quite mixed on the incipient end of summer. continued »
Such a delightful and delicious week we’ve had here on the farm. The cooler temperatures we enjoyed early in the week gave us all a new lease on life in the fields. After months of sweltery heat it was hard to imagine finding the energy to clear the gardens of summer’s debris and to fill them up with fresh seedlings. But clear we did, like crazy while the days were easy. And now we’ve got tiny little plants lined up in dark brown dirt to give us something tidy and inspiring to look at while we continue to pick the hot season crops. Of course the thing that always inspires us the most around here is eating. And we had a great week for that – many thanks to the members and neighbors who stopped by to bring us dishes and recipes to try. We’ve passed a number of those on to you below. Here’s what’s in the box: continued »
For those of you following the milkweed saga, I’m pleased to report that all three of the caterpillars we watched pupate inside the house made it to the butterfly stage as well. Two popped out of their shells while we weren’t looking, but one emerged right in front of my eyes! continued »
A few weeks ago I posted a picture of our broody black duck nested up in a patch of hollyhocks. Unfortunately, when we checked on her a few weeks ago, she got up to scare us away and we saw she was actually sitting on 10 black rocks! We’ve used some smooth river rocks next to the house to diffuse run-off from the roofs, and poor Mama Duck mistook them for eggs. Cayuga duck eggs are grey and just about the size of the rocks, so she gathered them with her beak into a soft bed of twigs and her feathers. She reminds me of the very worried Jemima Puddle Duck from a Beatrix Potter book who spends all day looking for the egg she lays and loses each morning. Of course, the farmer takes the eggs to eat, but Jemima has no clue and just keeps laying and looking. Confused like our little mama, who is going on three weeks of sitting. continued »
We’re excited about so many things this week – the start of tomatoes, cukes, zucchini! – but the most exciting finds for the boxes weren’t in the gardens. Oddly enough it was the swamp that brought me the most delight! Those of you who live near some of Madison’s many marshy areas already know that in the past few days the native flowers have hit a high point. continued »
Boy, we needed this rain! Even though we all love a string of hot dry days in the summer so we can get out and enjoy the sun, when you garden for love or a living all of your best laid plans and crops can be laid waste by a few weeks without water. There’s a popular country music song right now called “Rain Is a Good Thing” which captures some of what farm boys feel about it (lots of which has nothing to do with plants!) but the video is really adorable and has some wonderful footage of old farmers talking about rain. Sort of like a very modern take on a Wendell Berry poem. continued »
Farm friends! Please accept my apologies for the late list – we find ourselves this week long on work and short on workers. Some weeks are just like that! We’re on the cusp of summer eating here with this box – just now enjoying the baby leaves and fruits of every good thing that will take us through ‘til fall. continued »
I ate my first tomato of the year today – a red zebra, right out there in the garden. Yum! Then I went and picked another near it that was slightly underripe. Too pushy. But, hey! After a year without tomatoes (last year we lost our entire crop to late blight) I’m a little over-zealous. These tomatoes are the most pampered plants on the planet and it’s about time they gave back!
Things in the garden are finally starting to get fun. Tomatoes, squash and beans are doing their rampant rush up trellises and across fields, filling up every available space with green, green and more green. Shiny fruits peek out from under bushes of eggplants and peppers, while flowers of every sort, cultivated and weedy, are open everywhere with bright faces to the sun. The air on the farm is laden with fragrance these days – sweet clover in the pastures, dill in the herb garden, mint and lilies in the perennial bed. The boxes are full of color and scent this week, too: pretty rainbow chard, Red Gold potatoes, butterfly bush bouquets. continued »
What a tough month in the gardens – the heat made our spring crops bolt and the water made the grass grow faster than the seeded-in crops. For both reasons, we’ve spent a lot of time on our knees in June! Weeding and praying. I’m pretty darn glad it’s about over. The payoff for the rain and heat will soon be in tomatoes and peppers, though, so we don’t complain too much. Plus, who can be miserable with a little guy like this to keep us company out there? continued »
