Weekly Farm Notes

2011
Early Spring 2011
Summer/Fall 2011
(Note: I didn't do such a great job with getting Farm Notes posted in 2011 beyond getting some photos up!.  From Feb on there was just way more to do than time to do it in! Hopefully, with the addition of Joe and Kelly in 2012 I will be able to do a better job!)

2010
February 14, 2010
March 26, 2010
April 22, 2010
April 29, 2010

Past Farm Notes

• March 2, 2009
• March 13, 2009
• March 26, 2009
• April 13, 2009
• April 21, 2009
• May 2, 2009
• May 18, 2009
• June 9, 2009
• June 24, 2009
• July 9, 2009
• July12, 2009
• July 28, 2009
• October 27, 2009

Prelude

For those of you who are not familiar with the farm or are new to Sanders Ridge Farms,  here's a bit of history which might put the notes below into perspective... (Written in 2007)

When time has allowed, I have included a description of some of the weekly farm activities and/or experiences with my CSA customers within an email that I send out to them on Mondays letting them know what I'm packing into their produce baskets before their Tuesday delivery...  Several have commented that they enjoy the stories as much as they enjoy the vegetables.  So, I decided to consolidate and post them into in this "Farm Notes" section (along with a few other notes I've jotted down in the course of the year on index cards that I keep in my overall's pocket...)

I met Neil Shore (owner of Sanders Ridge Farms and Vineyard) in mid-December 2005.  We decided to partner together to build the Sanders Ridge Organic Farm and began the work of restoring the greenhouse and fields shortly after that.   I commuted daily from Winston-Salem to Boonville, NC for the first 2 1/2 months.  By March of 2006, the work required to get things ready for spring planting was keeping me busy 12+hours a day, gas prices were going out the roof, and the 60+ mile daily commute was taking a toll on my pocket book (and on me and my truck!).  There is a farmhouse on the property that Neil had always intended to fix up and rent out someday  - and so we decided to go ahead and take it on - along with the other renovations so that I could live there and be closer to the greenhouse, fields and farm buildings.  Its a great old house but needs a 'right smart' bit of updating - so in addition to the farm business, I have been working on the house too (and it a toss up as to WHICH I have enjoyed most - as both projects have have provided the most rewarding work I've ever done (with the exception of birthing and raising two sons.) 

It could be the fact that I'd spent the previous 15+ years indoors behind a computer most of each day  - or it could be the classic mid-life crisis/awakening thing  (being that I am almost 50 with kids old enough to manage and nurture their own interests 24/7 - well maybe 24/5) - but, from the very first day on the farm - even on the toughest, longest days - I have felt exactly like I did in my earliest memories of say, 5 years of age or so - when most every experience, person, place, and thing that came my way - was new (and not so scary yet)... 

The work, and the people the work brings to the farm - provide something new, exciting and definitely noteworthy (to me at least...)  - almost daily.  EVERY week, I have learned some new skill or point of view, or uncovered/built/discovered some new relationship - both between and with - the people, animals, nature, environment, even machines, that pass through this farm. 

And so is the reason/purpose/motivation behind the posting of these Farm Notes...   I just wanted to try and record what I am experiencing - and the "freshness" in which they appeared or presented themselves.  Mostly, I guess I just want to hold on to the thrill and fascination as long and hard as possible - so that life never gets dull again. 

Its like a country song I heard on the radio in Neil's shop one day -   about "livin' each day like its the last one you got".  I HAVE been lately - and my notes are a reminder to me - to keep on doing it.  I think that the contemporary term for this concept is called mindfulness.  My mind is definately full - always has been  - and this place and these experience have given meaning - or at worst - given all the clutter in my busy brain - a more constructive purpose (than to simply drive me mad...!)

So here it goes...  2005 - 2007 notes have not yet been consolidated into quick links - so until I can get back to them - you'll have to scroll through them all to read them.  (sorry!)

December 16, 2005

Met Neil at Ragapple Lassie Winery, where I was helping out in the tasting room.  A tractor truck had pulled up to delivery a piece of equipment - and there was no one there at the time who could operate the forklift well enough to unload it - so they called up the guys at S & H Farm supply (the local farm supply store and THE community hangout for all of the farmer guys in this neck of the woods...) to see if one of the store hands could come over and unload it for us.  None of the guys were there so late in the day - but Bobbie (the store's book keeper and the only woman man enough to handle that crowd) said that a local farmer -  Neil Shore  - was there hanging out so she would ask him if he wouldn't mind giving us a hand (Neil - like most of the farmers around here has several other "trades" they'll work at to earn extra money during the off-season.  His is driving - anything - mainly his bull dozer these days - but also tractor trailers, dump trucks, and lucky for us, fork lifts...) Neil came on over and un-loaded the piece of equipment - and then hung out a while to talk - as we were pretty slow that day.  Michelle Crissmon, whom I was working with that day and also a family friend of Neil's.  She knew I was looking for a place to grow organic vegetables - and that Neil was looking for ways to keep his farm viable - and for someone to help him with the winery he was planning to build) so she introduced us.  We immediately saw the benefits of partnering- (he had the land and equipment, I had the background in retail management, sales and computers).   My job at Ragapple Lassie was about to come to an end for the season - so we agreed to get together to talk about growing an organic vegetable business to tide me over until work would begin  on this winery in 2007.

December 17 - 20, 2005

Things move fast on a farm (sometimes...). I visited the farm and the vineyard and then Neil went right over to S&H and ordered a new double-layer poly cover for the greenhouse.  So - I started in on clearing and cleaning.  The very first day people living nearby came to visit to see what I was up to.  Most are family of Neil's (I learned early on that just about EVERYBODY out here was either born a Shore, or married one!)   Everyone has been so warm.  Feel comfortable, welcome, and safe here - from the very start...

Spent the whole week clearing out the greenhouse.  Because it was uncovered for about 7 years, a lot of weeds, briars, and small trees took over and needed to be cut away, dug out, and removed.  All of the old wood framing that held the tobacco seedling float tray system will have to be torn out and discarded because it was made from pressure treated lumber.  I'm worried about whether or not the soil still has any chemical contaminants that tends to leach out of treated  lumber.  I decided that since I'm going to use the greenhouse this coming season to grow the seedlings on tables for planting out then right now for this growing season - and I could consult the organic certification service to see what I need to do to get it tested and in compliance if we decide to use the house to grow vegetables in the ground - next season (which is what I REALLY want to be able to do... Also need to remove all of the the old plastic from the float bottom, And - the biggest task of all - disassemble and move the old mower system and sprinkler boom that was attached to a big roller and spanned the entire width and length of the house on a track.  The bolts look tighter than a "knot in a well rope" (Neil and all the Yadkin County natives - have a whole different "colorfully expressive" language!)

What I'm grateful for:  unusually mild weather  for December this week... (temps in the 60's) 

December 29, 2005

Today we're going to cover the 96 by 30 foot greenhouse.  I drive up to see that Neil has picked up the BIG roll of plastic from S and H and has it on the ground.  His oldest brother Keith, Neil's youngest son, Joseph, and neighbor David have come to help.  Neil has a bucket of tennis balls, ropes, and a long stick with a wad of duct tape rolled up on one end like a huge q-tip.  I don't have clue what to do - or what he's going to do with all that - but he and the others get right to work (guess they've done this a time or two..) They roll out the plastic and they wrap up the balls in the plastic along the edges of the long side - buy tying them with the ropes.  Neil then threw each rope (attached to a ball - attached to the plastic - all the way over the greenhouse to the other side - where we are waiting to grab them.  Then in synch, we start pulling the ropes - which hoists the cover up and over the greenhouse hoops.  He uses the big q-tip to help un-snag the cover as we are pulling it over the hoops.  Then - as we help the cover in place, he and Joseph hammer in the metal trim that holds the edges all along the ridges of the house - and walla - we're done.  I couldn't believe how fast it went up.  The end walls and heating system was already in place and so we were immediately in business! It took only a matter of hours before the greenhouse got warm and humid on the inside and filled with that earthy moist smell that I love so much...  I am SO excited!

December 30 and 31, 2005

Moved all of my power tools to the farm so I can build (and not have to search for and borrow Neil's... One thing I have discovered is whatever has EVER come to the farm - STAYED on the farm.  There are what seems to be - never ending heaps and stashes of tools, farm machines,  parts _everywhere!  Neil never throws ANYTHING away! (You never know when you might need a hitch pin, windshield for a 57 chevy, Massey Harris tractor engine block...   You name it - its sitting there in a patch of weeds in the field behind the milk barn,  in a corn crib, or up in the hay loft!) Took the lumber that we pulled out of the bottom of the house and made 6 potting tables.  Got some wire mesh used for concrete footing from K&G Salvage in East Bend to make the tops for the tables.  It was easy to build them - as Neil has a great shop  - and if I need ANYTHING - there are lots of odds and ends just laying around to use for hardware and fastening etc...     Amazing... (and so convenient!)  I'm in heaven.  All that stuff  just sitting there waiting for me to figure out what I can use it for!  Feel like "McIver" 

January 2006
We need to turn the field area we plan to plant out this spring.  Since the fields where we plan to plant have been fescue grass pasture for over 10 years - we figure they are of good initial fertility - so to to get them ready  for spring planting we'll need to add 20 tons of aged manure to the acre this winter as well as 1 ton per acre each of colloidal phosphate and greensand.  We also need to add lime - and Neil took soil samples to S&H to get an analysis to see how much we need in order to get the PH to 6.5.  Also need to wire the greenhouse for fans and lights and build tables for the greenhouse so we can to start seedlings on.

2nd, 5th and 6th - Cut and screwed down wood side trim on Greenhouse to hold the poly side walls in place (took about 7 hours) I brought in just about all the stuff to do it with, including the electrical sub-panel - from my own little greenhouse that I had moved from Greensboro - and stored in Lenna's out-building.  Spent time drawing out how to run the wire and hooking it all up to the sub-panel.  Neil plowed up area for gardens 1,2 and 3.

8th Opened bank account in Boonville

12th Started cleaning and organizing the workshop and the church (which Neil's family has used as a pack house, tobacco barn, and currently uses as a BIG storage building.  It came from across the street - was the old Methodist church.  Neil's Great Uncle - Carl donated the land for a new church - Uncle Carl and Aunt Bea were Quakers - but the methodist chi=urch was sitting on property next to their farm and they wanted to help out -  so the congregation gave them the old church - which he moved by mule and work horse - across the street to his farm.  Its jam-packed with everything you can imagine.  Neil and I figure we can use it for the farm business (to store things and perhaps as a retail outlet)  But first its got to be cleaned up and things need to be sorted and boxed etc... (we could have one heck of a yard-sale from its contents!)

20th Drove to Check VA - Seven Springs Farm to buy potting soil for seed blocks and amendments for the gardens (Greensand, Colloidal Phosphate, and Hi-Cal lime. (Seven Springs is just outside of Floyd VA and is the closest supplier for organic inputs)

21st We need to add 20 tons of manure to the acre this winter - on the garden space to get it ready for spring planting.  Helped Neil get manure from GW's cow pasture.  Its been sitting for 2-3 years.  Rich and black - no smell.  Its in a low spot on GWs farm and Neil is having a little trouble with traction as it was frosty this morning.  My job is to stand by the gate and keep the cows from getting out.  They sure are big.  And - the younger ones act like they want to play.  Did I mention that they are really big?  We all soon got pretty used to each after the morning got on.  They are so cool to watch.  Mom cows with their young ones, juvenile caws horsing around with each other (well - "cowing" around...) Neil moved about 10 HUGE dump truck loads over to our farm and put it all in a big heap.

23rd  Neil spread the manure, greensand , colloidal phosphate and lime on gardens 1,2, &3

24th Got all the electrical wire strung and attached to the receptacles and fans  - but every time I switched on the main power - things wouldn't come on like they were supposed to.  I was totally stumped - and when Neil came in from the vineyard to check on what I was up to - and I finally had to admit that I couldn't get it to work.  Said he wasn't much of an electrician - but looked it over. As he studied the panel and followed the lines I was  telling him about what I had checked and eliminated etc.  He finally (graciously) turned to face me, pulled his glasses down over his nose so he could get my attention,  and kindly said - "just let me study on this a while - K?"  (Yadkinese translation  "shut up a minute and let me think"...)  And so I did and in less than 5 minutes, he had pulled a couple of wires here and hooked them up there -  flipped the switch and everything worked perfectly.  Pretty good electrician - for a farmer...

Things I'm grateful for:  Spare change in the couch cushions

February 2006

Started planting...  (will fill in all of the varieties and dates here as soon as I can pull all my notes into one doc.)

March 2006

Now that things are growing and the greenhouse is up and running and shop is sorted and cleaned -  I can earn some money working on getting the old farmhouse cleaned out and ready for renovations.  The commute to the farm everyday is really wearing on my pocketbook (and the truck!) - costing $50 for gas weekly.  I'm packing a lunch and snacks and working through 7 or 8 PM to conserve - but making the trip everyday is starting to not make a lot of sense.  Talked to Neil about just staying at the farmhouse 2-3 nights during the week - so I could work on the clean up -  and then get some sleep and start the next day early without having to drive so late.  He said fine - but not until he got some heat and water going in there.    So in the meantime he suggested I could stay at Kate's (his Mom) just across the street.  She lives in a nice turn of the century farmhouse and has plenty of extra room.

Got most of the upstairs packed and moved a BUNCH of things from the old farmhouse - enough to move in to the upstairs part while we start renovation work on the downstairs. It great!  The windows are all worn out and falling apart - so its a bit like camping - but with electricity.  I have a kerosene heater to keep me warm - and Neil got the water running - so its pretty comfortable.

When I first stepped into Neil's Great Aunt Bea and Uncle Carl's house, I felt like they had just left a few minutes earlier... Aunt Beatrice (pronounced Bee-AT-trice) and Uncle Carl owned the farm before Neil and they lived here for 70+ years.  It has not been lived in (by people - anyway) for the past 6 years - but other than a lot of dust and some things out of place, the house looked just about like it did when Aunt Bea left it (at 99), when she went to live in the retirement home.  It feels like she just stepped out for a spell...  Dishes on the drain board, wood and paper all stacked and ready where the cook stove had been.  Canned vegetables, dried fruits, and nuts in the pantry. 

It's a dream come true for me (have a "thing" about old stuff...)  to make it sweeter, Neil is going to PAY me for doing - what he said he had been intending to do for 6 years - but never had the time to do - which was to  sort through, organize and then pack/label all of the contents in the house so that the family can properly store (and be able to locate!) all of the interesting, cherished mementos, and family and farm documents.

Never met Aunt Bea and Uncle Carl, but in the course of sorting through and packing their things, I feel like I know the two of them pretty well.  With the restoration of the house - came the equally pleasurable experience of meeting  and getting to know so many of the local folks - both, family as well as friends and neighbors,  whom Neil also hired to do some of the more technical work needed to get the old place in working order.  (THEY were the main inspiration behind documenting these Farm Notes...   I feel compelled for some reason to share the experiences and the people I am meeting along the way with anyone who is interested in reading about them. )

April 2006

Planting, planting planting.  (Working on compiling all of my planting notes...)

May 2006
Planting, planting, more planting (and some plucking...)
Transplanted Golden and Chioggia Beets, Mary Washington and Sweet Purple Asparagus, New York Early - Lisbon Bunching - Rosa De Milano and Bianca Di Maggio onions, Broccoli Raab, Basil,  Statice and Ammi Green Mist (flowers), Lemon and Marketmore Cukes,  Sugar Baby Watermelon, Rondini Squash, Corno De Toro - Nardello - and Golden Bell Pepper.
 

Ordered chicks from McMurray hatchery, researched refrigeration and a trailer for Member deliveries.  Dug flower beds around "the church".  Sprayed Prygenic (a flower based organic pesticide) for flea beetles.   Dug up and saved more bulbs and money tree plants from Aunt Bea's yard (before the construction guys could run over them). 

On top of all that - I ended up scalding and plucking a 15 pound wild Tom turkey that Keith shot in the field right across the road...  This die hard fern fondler took issue with whole affair - at first - but after a bit of  reflection (and some prompting from Keith - who suggested  "maybe if you are gonna live out here - you mighta oughta try to get over that issue you got with huntin' ")  After careful consideration, I have to finally admit that it was probably so - the young Tom pretty much asked for it - and that Neil and Keith were just doing their part as good stewards of natural selection - you know - protecting the local turkey gene pool and all...   (AND - they DID make it painless, quick, and clean! - AND the meat WAS going to make a fine Shore family meal this fall...)   It was  - after all,  fate - that Keith would be driving by just about lunch time, right when Neil would spy it from Aunt Bea's front porch, and pointed across the road to the corn field - where the Tom - all 15+pounds of himself and fluffed up twice that size - was flirting with a nearby hen...  Keith noted immediately that the tom had "his strut on" and pulled over long enough for Neil to jump in.  He was right - the Tom didn't seem to hear or even SEE Keith's loud old  yellow chevy drive RIGHT into the middle of the cleared 20+acre field.  Watching from the porch, I didn't know what they were up to either to until I heard the crack of the rifle and saw Keith driving away from the "scene" with a grin.  So, after the feathers settled and I got over the initial horror - I decided to look on the positive - and even harvest all the gorgeous feathers to use in some constructive way...  (I like to think that the Tom might would appreciate me reusing his feathered booty creatively...  After all - he WAS pretty proud of it -  and since he wouldn't be needing it... ) 

Highlight of May 2006:

Megan Bryant...
On Sunday, while working in the big garden I noticed two woman also working in their garden next door.  One of them was slinging a heavy "mattock" (a pick ax like tool used for clawing up especially hard soil).   She was a small woman - but threw that thing for hours - all the while - watching over and refereeing two small children playing in the yard.  She dug and planted, planted and dug - and I thought - this is somebody I have GOT to meet!  Later, she and the other woman came over to the fence to say hello.  (That's the way it is out here.  There is always someone stopping in the say "hey" - and see what's new.  I've met more people on this farm than I've ever even known - my whole life - I think. ) The two neighbors were Sarah Carter and her daughter-in-law Megan.  We talked a bit and had a fun time getting acquainted and the next day Megan stopped by the house just to say that if I ever needed an extra pair of hands - she would appreciate the opportunity to work at the Farm...  Right about the time I was wondering how I was going to manage everything that was piling up on my plate - there she was.  Megan has worked with me 3 days this week and you wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of work we have accomplished!  She grew up on a farm  - can drive anything (including a mattock!)  She is bright and energetic - and not only does she know her way around farm implements and power tools, but she also knows her way around a computer, and - she is very creative (we have at least a billion ideas for things to make with the mountain of grape vine cuttings Neil has amassed after the spring pruning...)  I am feeling much more confident about being able to manage the number of Members we've accepted - now that Megan's on the scene...

Things I am grateful For

A GOOD hot water heater
Kate's homemade yeast rolls
Neil's sense of humor
Megan's wit (and upper body strength!)

June, July, August, September...

CRAZY BUSY! Got a TON of stuff to fill in here...

October 25, 2006

October 30, 2006

Over an inch of rain, daytime temps in the 40's, 50's and 70's, nighttime temps in the 30's, frost, and gusty winds up to 30mph...  We've had it all this past week, haven't we?  Everything is doing well though - even the newest transplants... (I planted 350 seedlings on Thursday - it rained an inch on Friday -  the winds kicked up to 30 MPH on Saturday!   But I planted them in the garden between the greenhouse and the barn - which provides a wonderful windbreak - so unless we get snow - I think they'll be OK!)

 The highlight of the week happened Thursday.  We were working outside in the back of the house sowing grass seed when we heard one of the hens singing the "I've laid and egg" song.   No kidding - chickens have lots of specific clucks and sounds for many different things.  There's the "here's a juicy bug" song, the "rooster, get off me " song, the "hey that's MY girl, get off her"  song, and the "we're up - so where's breakfast" song.  But the sweetest one by far is the one every hen sings when she's laid an egg.  All the other hens and the roosters get excited too and start making a lot of extra noise as well.  Then she jumps down out of the box and goes to get something to eat and drink and everything goes back to the normal chatter.

A soon as I heard her, I went in to take a look - and sure enough - there in the straw was a perfect brown egg - all clean and warm.  I put it back so all the other hens could have a look - then just before they went to roost that evening I collected it so it wouldn't get pushed around in the nightly shuffle for prime perch space.  Chickens are really cool (and very smart).  The hen that laid the first egg was one of the larger ones - but I expect all of them will begin laying sometime in November.  The greens are still growing - but I believe they will tolerate some cutting now - so I have decided to bag up a mixture of loose leaf blends for you - one will be baby salad greens, and one will be braising or sautéing greens...

Here's what you can expect: Baby Salad Greens (a mixture of Red Leaf Lettuce, a "freckled" Bib Lettuce, Arugula, Beet Greens, and Spinach), Braising Greens (a mixture of Tatsoi, Mizuna, Chinese Mustard, Red Russian Kale, Sugar Snap Peas, and Pac Choi), Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Carrots,Radishes, Herbs (Your choice of - Cilantro, Parsley, Sage, Oregano, Celery leaf, Rosemary, Dill) 

Also - on the truck I will have for sale: Red Sails Lettuce (by the head), Sweet Potatoes, Carrots

November 6, 2006  (ILean)

Its been about the same this week as last - cold nights with hard freezes, then 50's to 60's during the day.  Spent most of the week getting things ready for the (really) cold weather of winter. 

Many many thanks to the 5 members who came to help out on Saturday.  Sarah Grant and Anthony Girard,  Erin and Noah Etheridge, and Susan Perkins - all rolled in here at 9AM Saturday morning despite the cold - and got right to work untangling and dismantling irrigation tubing and hoses, pulling up tomato and pepper stakes, and taking down all of the heavy fencing we used for trellising up the peas, beans, and lemon and green cukes.  Susan Perkins spent the morning harvesting the seed from the dried pods in the okra patch.  (I now have enough seed to plant out 10 times the okra we had this year!)  And if that wasn't enough - she stayed an additional 2 hours and finished taking apart and rolling up the last 250 feet of heavy irrigation hoses and lines from the big garden.  All in all, the 5 of them accomplished in about 4 hours - what it would have taken me 3 days to do.  I thank you.  (My back thanks you!) 

The greens in the field and the ones in the greenhouse are coming along but the cold has definitely caused all to slow down - and so I will be harvesting pick and come again - again - this week for you (rather than being able to cut entire plants, I'm taking only the larger leaves and bagging them up for you.)

Highlight of the week: (other than the Fab 5's showing up to save the day on Saturday)  - Last Tuesday - after I got back to the farm from delivering to you in Winston, I went out to check on the baby chicks.  Well - chicks are kind of skitterish when they are contained - and they tend to go all nuts when I open up packhouse door...  They sort of stampede-  and cram themselves into one corner and then to another etc.  On this night, when they all rushed out of one corner into another,  I noticed one little girl at the bottom of the heap.  She didn't get up.  She just lay there -  flat as a pancake (no kidding flat as can be...)  I figured she was dead  - but when I picked her up, she wasn't cold.   I have seen this before - when chickens are little babies,  the least bit of stress  - like getting cold  - or getting crammed into a corner by 24 other chicks - and they'll sort of just give up and resolve to die...  She looked like she had resolved already and then some, and was mostly dead.   I thought what the heck -  maybe if I could bug her a little - she'd change her mind and stay on this side...  I took her into the house and put her in a box on a towel under a heat lamp with some food and water nearby.  She just lay there - flat as a pancake.  So I picked her up and bugged her a little bit (stretched out her legs, massaged her wings and rubbed the top of her head) - which seemed to really annoy her.  She fussed at me (tweeted lightly) which I took as a good sign. In the morning she was still alive - but still flat as a pancake.  So I bugged her a bit as before.  I checked on her at lunch and she was laying next to the waterier - and THAT was a really good sign.  Later in the day  she made her way over to the food and by the evening she started looking not so flat.  The next day, she managed a wobbly stand for a few seconds - teeter to one side and flop back down.  She would do that every time I would come over to her box each time standing a little bit longer before flopping down.  Yesterday - she was walking some as well.  I have an old cat ("Miss Kitty") who is going on 16 - and she has taken up sleeping next to the box (Miss Kitty LOVES the heat lamp).  This morning, while Miss Kitty slept practically in the box, the little chick had stood up and was poking her head out of a handle in the side of the box, peeing up a storm...  Miss Kitty - was hissing at her about being woken from her nap - but the chick acted fearless - like she could care less that a hissing cat was within clawing distance from her face... It was cute.  She's going to make it I think.   (If she does, I'm going to name her " Eileen")  Goodnight Eileen - goodnight...

Your shares this week will include: Red Sails Lettuce, Turnip and Mustard Greens, Radishes (I learned this week - thanks to Susan Perkins, that they are WONDERFUL cooked - sautéed in butter and salt and pepper and/or  butter and honey.  The greens are really good in soup too.  I put them in my favorite minestrone and they made it so rich and hearty...), Swiss Chard (couldn't give you a lot of chard this week - but you'll have enough for a side dish or to add to your favorite soup, stew, or pasta dish), Spaghetti Squash, Onions, Herbs (your choice of cilantro, parsley, oregano, sage, dill, chives, tarragon) Heads up: the next couple of weeks expect turnips, rutabagas and collards. I will be at West End at 6:45 PM for those of you who might find that more convenient.

More to come for 2006 (Having a little "technical" difficulty...)

November 13, 2006

This week we worked on the interior curtain system for the Big greenhouse (to help keep the veggies from freezing when the temps get in the 20's...) and we have been working on a new 11/2 acre garden space we're adding for 2007 (so that we can accommodate additional CSA memberships as well as all of the vegetable and herb needs for The Kitchen at Elkin Creek restaurant!)

The most notable activity this week has been starting the new winery! Neil jumped on his bulldozer between rainy spells and cleared the site so we could get started on the zoning and permit process. It was really exciting to site out the building footprint and to finally be able to stand in the space where the winery will actually sit. As we stood there though, and realized the 10 billion things that would need to happen between now and the day we serve the first glass of wine - the Fall of 2008 suddenly felt dauntingly right around the corner... (And I thought I was busy THIS year!) We'll have some photos for you on the web - so you can watch the progress - and you are always welcome to come up and visit and see it as it happens as well!

Remarkable Recovery
On Friday I released "Eileen" from her infirmary box - and put her back in with the other 23 chicks and I am happy to report that she is doing fine. (you would never know that just a few days ago she was flat as a pancake! ...)

Tomorrow's Shares Will Include:

Mustard and Collard Green - medley
Turnips and Turnip Greens
Carrots
Radishes (if desired - But be sure to let me know if you DON'T want any - today!)
Pac Choi
Herbs (sage, parsley, cilantro, oregano)

Special Announcement
Next Tuesday (11/27) is the last delivery date for several members (Goldsmiths, Powell's, Wakefield/Bender, Sables, Garver/Joiner, Betty T., Bennets, Madden's, and Flowers) - it is also 2 days before Thanksgiving - and I was thinking about how this might impact your Thanksgiving menu and/or travel plans... (I realize that some of you are going to be the "cookers" for others - and some of you are going to be just the "eaters" of someone else's cooking!)

November 20, 2006

Over 3 inches of rain fell this week on the farm - and the wind has been  - well, just plain brutal...  I was working indoors on Thursday when I heard a knock on the back door.  Neil was standing there with a very concerned look on his face.  (He is ALWAYS smiling - so I knew it couldn't be good.)  I opened the door and he said  "I've got some bad news for you".  Pointing over his shoulder, I saw immediately what he was talking about.  The chicken house was sitting upside down.  We ran out to survey the damage - fearing the worst.  Much to our surprise (and great relief) all of the birds were huddled into one corner of the yard and immediately accounted for.  It took us a while to wrestle the house back upright and pointed in a direction where the wind couldn't get it a second time, and were totally surprised to find it didn't have a dent or scratch on it!   Neill concluded that the wind had to have lifted it up completely (and - at a time when none of the birds were inside or under it too) -  for it to have landed on its head so cleanly.  (The tin roof could not have survived the weight of the house in a rollover...)  We were amazingly lucky.

 This week I'll be bringing turnips, and greens (collards, turnip and mustards) a speckled leaf lettuce, carrots, and pac choi.  (And I'll have plenty of extra to sell off the truck as well if you need more for your Thanksgiving plans.) 

If you need something fun to do this coming Sunday (and something different to eat than turkey!) - the Kitchen at Elkin Creek is hosting a silent picture dinner.  Chef Jesse will be serving homemade pizza and specialty burgers - along with 2 silent movies -(with a  live piano player providing background music).  It will be a casual/laid back  - starting around 5:30 or so.  I'll be there along with Neil's extended family - so join us if you can.  To make reservations call Chef Jesse Williams at 336 416-9363 or e-mail him at elkincreekwinery@aol.com  (see directions at www.elkinmill.com)

November 26, 2006

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.  I imagine that holiday leftovers might have you short on space in the refrigerator - so I am going to try to bring you veggies that can either sit out in a cool spot or at least - take up less room in the vegetable compartment... 

This week, the veggies out in the field are trying desperately to dry out from all of the rain while the ones in the greenhouse are fighting off an attack of the aphids!  Unfortunately with moisture and cool temps - come insects  - and aphids are definitely the bug of the Fall/Winter season.  They LOVE moist cool conditions.  Aphids are tiny soft-bodied bugs that are really hard to fight off. They hang out on the underside of leafy veggies, and reproduce by the billions. You can combat them by simply spraying them hard with water or using a gentle (but expensive) insecticide called Safers Soap.  But spraying the underside of leaves - where they are cleverly hiding is VERY hard to do... So - alas, they are a fact of garden life - and a good reason to always soak any leafy veggie (even store bought ones) briefly in cold water with a sprinkle or so of table salt.  (The little boogers die swiftly and drop to the bottom of the pan or sink...)

The fields are still absolutely soaked.  So saturated they are - that puddles are visible everywhere - on every farm - not just this one, causing there to be many idle hands in this neck of the woods...  Neil said that he couldn't bring himself to go up to the "store" anymore until we get a dry spell...  (The store is S&H Farm Supply and its the place where ALL the local farmers go to buy supplies and it is where you will find them ALL on rainy days  - or at noon time - when Bobbie the bookkeeper has cooked up a big pot of something good for lunch and dessert...)   Neil said that the long faces are just getting to be too much to take.  Most of the farmers make a good portion of their living off of corn, soybeans, and tobacco.  The rain has kept them from getting the corn and beans harvested - as well as the wheat planted to ready the fields for tobacco next spring...  Neil said that he can't remember a time when it was so wet in the fall that wheat couldn't be planted in time... I feel so bad for them all.  Here I am all bent out of shape because I can't get my garlic planted and these folks are worrying about making their Farm Credit payments for the rest of the year...  Its really heartbreaking.  If I had a fairy godmother, I would wish her to make a major shift in the mindset of both the local consumer as well as the local farmer...   How different it could be if the farmers could afford to diversify and spread out their risks by organizing a co-op to supply fresh produce, meat and dairy to the local cities - the way its done in Europe. It is possible, I'm certain (if only I HAD a fairy godmother - or - if only feeding people locally was as lucrative to policy makers as corn for ethanol - and sugar for everything else!)

Most of my time this week was spent doing research and planning for next season.  For many organic seed varieties and for seed potatoes, I have to budget for and place orders with suppliers within the next 4 weeks - in order to be sure to get them before they run out...  I am also having to drop back and punt with my crop planting plan - as it has not only been too wet to plant garlic - but we have also missed the window of time for my plan to plant the weed suppressing cover crop - winter rye - and the nitrogen restoring crop - hairy vetch.  I had to buy the seed in the late summer to be sure that I got the organic stock needed before it sold out - and so it is sitting here with no where to go but up in the barn for next fall...  These two crops were going to be a major addition to my farm plan for the 2007 season as I was banking on them to help to reduce my labor expense (and back pain!)  The rye was going to provide a sort of "living" mulch in which we would plant spring and summer vegetables (a trick I learned at a farm seminar I attended at State...) The hairy vetch is a legume that was going to help supply next year's veggies with a natural source of nitrogen...) Now I'll have to come up with another strategy for both needs - rats! (But that's the way it goes with farming!)

Tuesday your shares will include: Rutabagas (similar to a turnip.  See LOTS of new recipes for them on the site), Cabbage (a mild textured chinese variety that's really good in stir fry or soup), Onions

These three veggies will probably provide all the "poundage" required for this week's share.  If not, I will also pack a Pac Choy and/or some more of the freckled lettuce.

December 24, 2006

Its been another very windy week here on the farm.  Still hasn't dried out enough to get into the fields yet - but we are hoping that the winds we are getting today will make it possible to get out there with the tractor tomorrow!  If so, we are going to go ahead and plant the garlic and winter rye - even though its so late.  We've decide to gamble the cost of the seed - that the weather this winter will be mild enough to make up for the lost time.  Its a long shot - but we weighed the option of not sowing it - and it makes more sense to take the chance in hopes of reducing soil erosion over the winter.  (The Rye - if it can establish a decent enough root system before really cold wet weather arrives - will help to hold the top soil in place, and to build the microbial life within - giving us a more naturally fertile/healthy start in the spring...)

The highlight of the week was turning the new - 24 chicks - out with the older girls.  They had simply outgrown their little brooding pen (I was having to change their water 3-4 times a day - as several of the little girls had taken to "roosting" on top of the waterer - which quickly rendered the water below a bit on the "chocolate" side - if you catch my drift.)  The day we moved them it was warm and pleasant - but of course - the next day it turned wet and so windy that the poor things wouldn't (couldn't) leave the shelter of the hen house - as they would have been blown all the way to Forsyth county!  That meant that they were forced to mingle in tight quarters with the older birds who REALLY made a sport out of bullying and bossing them around.  Its been a lot of fun to watch the proverbial "pecking order" in action as the bigger birds bully and boss the littler birds around.  The real entertainment is watching the little banty chickens Until the baby chicks arrived on the scene - THEY were the lowest on the totem pole - being smaller than the big breed birds.  The new chicks are going to eventually be huge - but right now they are smaller than the Banties.  It will REALLY be fun to see if the banties maintain their dominance when the chicks grow up -  in just a few short weeks.  My bet is on the banties...  They are small - but they don't act like they KNOW it!  (You should see the little bantie rooster courting one of the large breed gals!  (He is small ONLY in size - not attitude!)  Keeping the new chicks warm out in the big yard is proving to be a challenge - as they want to roost with the bigger birds at night rather than their own little brooder.  So - I had to hook up heat lamps in BOTH houses (I dread the power bill!) and I went ahead and covered both houses in plastic too.  Also, the little ones weren't in the big yard 5 minutes - when they discovered how easy it is to slip though the mesh of the electric fence.  (The grass IS greener on the other side! And they LOVE to nibble the new shoots and chase the bugs they flush!)  The electric fence is more for deterring 4 legged predators INTO the fence - rather than keeping the chickens inside.   It was wet the day we turned them out and so I didn't turn on the electricity (didn't want to cook them!) - so they have gotten used to coming and going without consequence.  Its going to be a real shock (bad pun - sorry!) when I do decide to turn it on during the daytime...   I took some pictures of "December on the Farm"   See the chicks, gardens , and greenhouse - http://www.sandersridge.com/december_2006.htm 

Tomorrow, your shares will include the following: Braising Greens Mix (Mizuna, Red Russian Kale, Chinese Mustard, and Tat Soi), Pac Choi, Purple Top Turnips (with tops), Salad Mix (Speckled Lettuce, Swiss Chard and Arugula)

December 10, 2006

Brrrrrrrr!  Its been EXTRA cold (set a record here in Boonville) Lows dipped into the mid teens here on the farm.  It wouldn't have been so bad - if it weren't so windy AND dry too.  ( 0 humidity + 25 mpg icy wind  + 16 degrees  =  mummified vegetables!)  I was supposed to deliver some vegetables to a market in Greensboro on Friday - but I couldn't get them out of the ground!  (The turnips and carrots were frozen solid through and through...  Would have needed a hacksaw to extract them!)  I'm glad I took those pictures of the crops in the fields last week "before"  the snap.   I don't have the heart to post any "after" shots.  (a lot of wilting and limpage going on out there now.)

Other than the cold - the only other notable event was being invited over to Kate's house for "dinner (that's lunch in Yadkinland).  It was a BIG deal - because for a while there -  we weren't sure that Kate would ever be feeling well enough to fix up one of her wonderful farmhand lunches... To fill you in - Kate is Neil's Mom.  She had a bad fall back in September that put her in the bed and her recliner for weeks and weeks.  Being incapacitated is a very unusual thing for Kate and for her family - as she is so independent and self-sufficient.  She lives in the old homeplace - an 1890's farm house -  that is in the hollow down across the street from this house.  She is as active as can be.  At 86, she drives like Richard Petty and her house is the hub of Shore family events year 'round.  Every so often - she will cook up a true southern "farmhand" lunch -  and invite 2 of her 4 sons over to "dinner".  Neil (56) is the youngest of her 4 "boys" and typically,  she will invite Neil and Keith - (his oldest brother) one week,  and Clark and David (the two middle brothers) - over another week....   Back in Sept. she and her best friend Olivia - who is also in her mid eighties -  were shelling a "mess" of half runner beans I'd grown for them - for ME!  (She knew I wouldn't have time to put any up for  myself  and so the two of them had bagged up a couple of dozen freezer bags full - so that I would have my own cache for the winter. ) They worked in the shade of Kate's side porch and just as Kate was carrying a big bowl of shelled beans into the house to blanche them - she lost her balance and fell backward - "beans a' flying" she said...  Although she didn't break any bones (which is a miracle and a blessing),  she did "shake up her insides badly"  so much so - that it took 2 MRIs and weeks of physical therapy before she finally was able to get around on her own again - and - (thank goodness)  to feel up to cooking again! 

Neil called me on Wednesday to tell me I was invited to join him and Keith on Thursday.  I was so excited.   I made a point NOT to eat much that night or the next morning so I could take full advantage of her incredible cooking.  Kate knows that I don't eat meat and so she always thoughtfully serves up something meatless for the whole crew.  Thursday it was her homemade salmon cakes and milk gravy (which Keith and Neil REALLY like...) She made a double batch of her INFAMOUS homemade yeast roll/biscuits - and topped the meal off  with a homemade apple cobbler. 

Man was it outstanding!   The tradition is that everyone comes in from the field, takes off their boots at the front door, washes up, and sits down together at the big table in her sunny soft green kitchen - at noontime.  Everything is on the table when you sit down,  in pretty decorative and well worn used mix/match of bowls, pitchers, and ladles.  Let me tell you - it is a sight (and smell) to behold.  Almost as delicious as the cooking - is the company.  (I always end up laughing so hard I'm afraid I'm going to spew milk from my nose.)  Keith loves to pick at me - and I love it back - especially about being a vegetarian and my other "fern fondling" ways... On this day - he passed me the HUGE bowl of gravy and then watched as I ladled it all OVER my salmon cakes as well as the 2 rolls I had crumbled up on my plate.  (I had observed the roll crumbling trick at a previous lunch...) He was SO proud of me (that I had done right with the gravy and all) - but chided me about leaving a spot of biscuit uncovered ("have to cover them up entirely to be totally righteous with the gravy - you know")  And -  when I went for seconds - he watched every spoonful lustfully - making certain I was leaving enough in the bowl for him and Neil to have thirds!  Another usual treat at dinner - and one I especially look forward to - are the stories that Neil and Keith will inevitably tell - about things that the four brothers did in their youth.  Kate will sit there and listen, laugh and occasionally inject her own humorous recollection - - or her blanket disclaimer  "now that's the first I've heard tell of that tale".  At this lunch, Keith and Neil told about the time that the two of them, along with brother Clark and 3 other fellows,  went on a hunting/camping trip for 2 weeks in Colorado.  I won't go into detail but the story included a drafty tent, non-stop snow, infrequent bathing, bad camp food, and a very old worn down outhouse...  I ate - and laughed - until I hurt.

Tuesday's share is going to include: Green Bell Peppers!  (which were going to be delivered as a surprise in your LAST share on the 19th.  That was before the temps in the greenhouse dipped below 20 degrees!) Chinese Cabbages, Collards (a wider leafed variety than what we harvested earlier), Spaghetti Squash,Onions

December 18, 2006  Last delivery for 2006!

It was just 1 year ago this week that we put the top on the Big Greenhouse and Sanders Ridge Farm began.  I can't believe that tomorrow night is the 12th and final week for the the Fall season - and my last delivery to the West End for the year...  (The time went by faster than gravy and biscuits at Kate Shores dinner table!)  It has been one of the hardest - and one of the best -  years of my life.  I finally got to live my dream of eeking out a living with my hands in the dirt (instead of on a keyboard) but what really made the year special - was the privilege of serving such an appreciative, enthusiastic, and kind group of people.  I thank you ALL for making this first year so positive and so wonderful...  Your enthusiasm has been like Ben gay for my soul - really...  It helped me to get up and get out there and keep on track especially those days when I found myself leveraged to max in terms of energy (and self confidence!)  So - thank you - thank you -  thank you!

Between now and the start of the Spring Membership term in 2007 (sometime in March) -  I only have about a billion things I need to accomplish...  The short list includes:

Finalizing the Spring/Summer/and Fall Membership Season and getting it out to you!
I'm hammering out the costs, delivery site(s) and schedules and will let you know when it is posted up on the site  so can begin signing folks up, ordering seeds and root stock, mapping out the plantings schedules, and lining up the labor, supplies, and equipment needed for growing, harvesting, and delivering...  We anticipate doubling the number of Members for 2007 (up to 75 members  - to include a West End Food Guild, and potentially a Washington Park, Sherwood Forest, and a Mount Airy Food Guild...)

Finishing up the renovation of this old farm house so that we can provide a "Destination Rental"...
for groups and individuals needing a base camp to tour the Yadkin Valley wineries and foothill attractions and events,  and/or for company or association retreats, and/or for a personal retreat for individuals wanting a place to hide away and relax - or even learn/observe or have hands on experience -  growing/harvesting organic vegetables and herbs, growing/harvesting grapes, - even making wine! (we'll be harvesting the grapes from our vineyard for our own use this coming year - rather than selling our fruit - so that we will have our own wines available when our winery opens in 2008!)

Starting the construction of the Sanders Ridge Winery (opening in 2008)
The zoning meeting was this past Monday and went without a hitch!  Neil, with the help of his behemoth track loader - has carved the winery's footprint out of the forest beside the lake, and we are READY to build!

We meet with the architect this week to work up the final building plans.  It will be a cozy but elegant post and beam - timber frame construction with lots of glass, stone and wood.  The facility will have a wine tasting area, an intimate but comfortable restaurant featuring hearty meals made with our own organic vegetables and herbs, and a farm stand featuring seasonal fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers, and even canned and baked goods from the gardens.  The winery will also offer banquet/meeting/reception hall facilities, and small, intimate cabins in the woods for weekly and weekend rental.  Walking trails will also be carved out of the forest, wetlands, lake area, and open fields - for bird watching, nature journaling (or just plain wandering...)

Completing and submitting our Application to the USDA for "official" Organic Certification...for the Sanders Ridge Farm (and for the berries, figs, and two grape varieties in the Sanders Ridge vineyard!)

Now that we have a year's worth of growing and harvesting under our belts,  we can submit the application with actual production documentation.  Once received, the certifying agency will schedule a farm inspection and (hopefully) certification will be granted by next Spring...  The application fees will be around $850 (and the process and fee must be renewed yearly!)  and will take between 3 to 6 months from the date we submit it  - depending on the inspector's schedule.  (I am hoping that by submitting it this winter - with a full year of documentation - we'll be able to beat the spring/summer rush and move along in a 3 month timeframe - rather than a 6 month one!)

Whew! just TYPING OUT the short list was exhausting! (We welcome any input, suggestions, and ideas you might wish to offer!)

Tomorrow's shares will include (and I will bring extras of each) :Turnips and Rutabagas (they will store well - so you don't HAVE to cook them all this week!), A beautiful, juicy green "bib" type lettuce, Pac Choi, Tatsoi, Onions, Carrots

 I also have plenty of fresh cilantro and dill  - and dried basil - for anyone who would like some!

Also - one of you might not have gotten your collards last week.  (I came back with an extra bag full) - so let me know who you are and I'll be sure to bring you another bag full!  See you tomorrow night.  I WILL be on time!  (Sorry about last week!)

2007

2007 the Year of EXTREMES  - a (painful) Re-cap!   (DETAILS follow)

It all begin about this time last year - and ended - uh, well, actually,  it hasn't... (it was February 5, 2008 when I wrote this text, and 74 degrees outside.) Uh-oh.

The day I dropped the application for certification into the "outgoing" box at Boonville PO, the weather seemed to turn upside down.  Temps became unseasonable warm (about like it is this Feb - hmmm) and that's when it all began... The spring was way to warm  - with 3 weeks in March  70 to 85 degrees, then way too cold - with Easter weekend temps plummeting to 18 and 21 degrees for 3 days in a row.  Then it got way too hot for the duration of the season with twice the number of  90+ degree days and several 100 degree days.  It only rained twice.  The first rain came in June, (2+ inches in ONE hour) just hours before 100's of drop dead georgous tomatoes were ready to pick, causing them to drink themselves silly and immediately split and crack.  The second rain of the season didn;t come until August - and was only 4/10 of an inch, but JUST enough for the tomatoes to binge again - and it was swell, split, and compost - all over again.  On top of the heat and lack of rain, the WHOLE year was WAY too windy - which only served to evaporate every molecule of moisture and mummify anything hanging on a stem, vine, or trying to bloom from one.  

Despite all the wild swings in deliveries (I made the first delivery - at the spur of the moment - TWO weeks BEFORE the season was due to even start, and - I had two and three week gaps between deliveries only to dump double shares on you for three and four weeks in a row), YOU NOT ONLY STUCK WITH ME, but bunches of you sent me thoughtful emails or expressed words of kindness and encouragement when I was in town -  as well as other acts of random kindness like a $200 donation to help with farm expenses - and a hand-knitted toboggan! (The CUTEST thing, orange with a little green stem on top - like a pumpkin!)

Its all a blur to me now (I believe I have contracted farmer's amnesia, which I'm told, hinders recall of certain details about the previous season which in turn puts the farmer into a state of perpetual bliss and excitement at the beginning of each new season until he/she comes to their senses - sometime around July... I'm told its believed to be a soil born disease, because the more one is exposed, the worse it seems to get... 

Anyhow, of what I CAN recall - there were many days in 2007 when the challenges of the extreme drought and endless heat made it hard to even get up out of bed and face the day.  But like farmers do, we did.  We harvested before dawn to keep things from cooking BEFORE you got them,  tossed 1,000 of pounds of cracked, shriveled, inferior produce and plants into the compost heap, replanted when we could, and cursed the brick hard ground when we couldn't.  But - unlike Neil and other life-long farmers who seem to be able to deal unwaveringly with whatever SHE over whom we have no control tosses their way -  I couldn't have, were it not for your encouragement, patience, and mindful appreciation.   If this were any other business - I would probably be closing up shop rather than gearing up - excitedly - to do it all over again.  THANK YOU Food Guild Members and Truck and Farm Stand Customers!  YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!!  Thank you for your contagious enthusiasm and your desire to sign up again for another ride in 2008! 

For all of the weekly DETAILS of 2007 - see below...

January 7, 2007

Well, the spring-like weather has really extended the life of the outdoor gardens... Surprisingly - many of the plants that I thought were done for after the early cold snap a month or so ago - decided to stay in the game a while longer - and I have a BUNCH of nice things to harvest today... (This morning's frost is sure to make them sweeter than ever...)

I've been busy working on the house and also on my garden/CSA plans for this spring (more info to follow soon). But I miss my weekly run to Winston and seeing you all - so - let me know if you would like to stop by the truck tonight for any of the following - and I will pick and pack and make a stop in Winston - at the usual place - 1000 West End Blvd - at 6 to 7 pm tonight.

Here's what I can bring:

Collards (REAL tender - medium sized leaves... Fixed up a bunch on New Years Day - and they only took a few minutes to cook!)
Turnips (both large and small ones - and both the purple type and the white Harkruies...)
Tatsoi (greens for braising. Its twice the size it was a month ago)
Mizuna (greens for braising or for salads)
Fresh: Dill, Cilantro, and Parsley
Also - I do have broccoli and Brussels sprouts, though not a ton (probably have about 5 pounds of each to harvest today) so - "first emailed - first served"...!)
See you tonight (maybe!)

January 18, 2007

Hi Folks - and Happy New Year.  FINALLY locked myself away in my office long enough to get all my ducks in a row and write up the business plan for 2007. (Whew! I'd rather pull an acre of pigweed - barefoot and gloveless - than to sit down at the computer and do paperwork!) I will TRY to keep this short and sweet (my resolution for 2007... Briefer e-mails!) (Those of you who have been receiving my weekly ones from the farm KNOW that brevity isn't something I'm known for. - as I have a tendency to get carried away - like I'm doing right now (soorrrry) Anyhow, I've crunched every number I could scrape up from all the bits of paper accumulated over the course of this past season - and am ready to introduce the 2007 season membership options to you!

But first (there she goes again...) I just needed to tell you that the 2006 season was absolutely outstanding! The farm spent almost twice what it brought in - but that was to be expected with all of the infrastructure we needed to build, repair, or replace. You have to know that I couldn't have asked for a more enthusiastic and receptive membership and walk-up customer base - and I thank you ALL for making our first year so very worth the work, effort and expense.
Because of your enthusiasm - I actually had to turn business away this past year... As many of you "West Enders" know, I originally only planned to serve about 5 families in 2006 - on 1/4 acre of garden space - so that I could spend the majority of the season researching, getting our USDA Organic Certification, and basically just getting my "garden legs" ready for THIS year. But - by mid-May - the word of mouth exposure spread faster than chickweed in a cow-pie - and brought in so many membership inquires that before I knew it, Neil and I dug up another acre and a half and were serving almost 40 members weekly, as well as most of the produce for The Kitchen at Elkin Creek.

I just needed to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for your support. (If more farmers had this level of local support - the world would be a much safer place indeed...)

So back to the 2007 Season and Food Guild/CSA membership... Neil and I have put our heads together to try and figure out - if - (and how) - we can take on more members this season, while continuing to provide the quality produce and service you deserve - AND get the new winery built! (Yep - we finalize the building plans next Tuesday and will start construction the second we can get the crew in to pour footings this spring!)

We have concluded that with the infrastructure put into place this past year, and with the help of a couple of full time employees during the major planting and harvesting months, we can expand the CSA membership to 100 shares, grow exclusively for The Kitchen at Elkin Creek - AND operate a weekly market stand on Saturday mornings at The Wherehouse in downtown Winston-Salem. (Wheee!)

2007 Membership Options - and how to sign up...
So without without further adieu (and rambling from me) go to http://www.sandersridge.com/the_farm_2007.htm and scroll down to the bottom of the page for the 2007 Membership details and how to sign up - (while I cozy up in my big chair and start pouring over the 3 foot tall stack of seed catalogs I have been waiting to tear in to!)

Note that I will be taking the memberships on a first paid for - first served basis - so if you decide you'd like to join, print out the order form available at the end of that page and mail the info and payment to me as soon as possible. (I need to finalize my seed and supply orders and pay for them before the end of the month to insure availability as quality organic seed is in great demand again this year - especially organic seed potatoes, sweet corn seed, and greenhouse and heirloom tomato seeds...)

Planning to "put some food by" this year?
That's Yadkinese for canning, freezing or drying produce or fruit... If you are - and would like for me to grow it for you - let me know what, and how much, and when you might want it - and I'll arrange to make it so.

Possible New Delivery Locations...
In addition to the West End drop off, folks in Sherwood Forest, Wake Forest University, and Washington Park - as well as Mount Airy and Dobson areas - have expressed interest in renewing or joining, so if you live in these areas - PLEASE let your neighbors know about the CSA memberships available - and maybe give them a gentle nudge to join - so that I can establish delivery spots in these areas for you as well... (If I can get over 5 members from each area - then I feel I can justify planning a weekly stop there.) I even have 2 families driving up from Charlotte weekly - so if you know anyone in Charlotte (or points in between) tell them about us too!

How can we make the membership better in 2007
Anything you might wish to share or suggest - would be much appreciated...
For those of you who were members of our CSA this past year, tell me what would improve our service or provide even more valuable to you. For those of you who have been a member of another CSA - are there other offerings/features/products we might consider adding to our service?

Before I finalize my seed orders, it would be especially helpful to know types and varieties of vegetables you particularly liked - would want more of (or maybe less of?) You can view the list of the varieties we grew last season here: http://www.sandersridge.com/varieties.htm
That's all for now (finally!). I'll start planting seedlings Feb 1st and we'll begin selling vegetables and herbs mid-March (at The Wherehouse in Winston on Saturday mornings 9 to noon) And then - before I know it - CSA deliveries will begin May 1st- so in the meantime I'll be working to update the web site with new recipes - upcoming plans for the winery - new varieties and descriptions to the vegetable list (like TONS more sweet corn and some really cool gourmet potatoes) - AND posting ALL of my farm notes and photos from this past season...

As always, please feel free to come out to the farm for a visit. (I have PLENTY of vegetables growing this winter in the greenhouse if you need to see something green - or to take home with you!)

April 27, 2007

PLEASE forgive the lapse in correspondence. The past few weeks have been pretty full (and event-FULL)

I wasn't able to write to you earlier as planned (our cable/internet connection has been in and out the past week or so while Time Warner was doing some sort of software upgrade. And if that wasn't frustrating enough - everything got even more complicated when evidently I hit the underground cable connection to the farm with the tractor... They finally figured it out and repaired this afternoon. (RATS! It was my first intensive week on the tractor by myself - and I was SO proud that I hadn't run over anyone - or anything.)

Anyhow, a lot has been happening here over the past 2 weeks. I'm too pooped to go into a lot of detail tonight... So here's the short version (I'll fill in the details next week.)

The biggest event was (again!) - the weather. "Mother" really slammed us with the big winds - but what really caught us by surprise was the hail storm Sunday before last... Marble sized - it packed a punch when it came along with the gusty winds. (I have a photo of the swiss chard for you to see. I thought it was bug damage at first. Looked almost like cigarette burns - but Neil took one look at it and recognized it immediately as what hail - driven by wind - does to leafy things. He's seen it a time or two...)

The Bad News...
The lettuce, kale, broccoli, and swiss chard all took a pretty serious beating. I've been waiting to see what might need to be replanted and what might recover and whether or not I'll have enough ready to begin delivering May 1st.

I've concluded that it would be prudent to wait at least one week to make the first delivery... I think we'll need at least that amount of time to let things plump and bulk up... So, I'm shooting for May 8th as the first delivery day. And, rather than tacking on an extra week at the end of the season - I am going to try to make up for the delay - by simply increasing the weight of your shares during the spring and/or summer season... (don't worry - I'm not going to hit you 6 pounds of radishes one week and say we're even... We have SO MANY good things coming up - so it will be a gradual addition and will include a variety of things you will like and appreciate getting more of...)

The Good News...
If I had written to you last week - it would have been a sad email - but its amazing what a difference a week - and some decent weather has made... Much of what made it through (and there is more that DID - than didn't...) appeared to go into a state of shock. Everything stalled - like it was waiting to see what was coming next before deciding whether to grow - or just throw in the towel. After yesterday's gentle shower (and a fish emulsion, worm poop, and chicken poo cocktail) most everything looked - well, almost perky today... Even the vineyard is beginning to flush with green again. The difference from a week ago is really hard to believe and I am so relieved...

Also good news is that the warm forecast for this past week and for next week too, gave us the confidence to go ahead and plant out everything else on schedule. (our last frost date for this area is April 25th.)

In the past 10 days, we have planted and staked - 160 + tomato plants (6 varieties), 120 pepper plants (4 varieties), also, 3 varieties of summer squash, 2 varieties of cukes, some celery, 3 kinds of beets, the first planting of sweet corn (9 - 130' rows - called Sugar Pearl - can't you just taste it! ) and 325 pounds of seed potatoes (5 varieties - 9 - 80' foot rows and 4 - 120' foot rows!). We'll be starting the okra, Edamame, 4 types of winter squash, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe, 3 types of green beans - and more - next week...

So hang in there with us. It will be worth the wait. In the meantime, I'll be at the Werehouse tomorrow from about nine till I sell out - (of the last of the vegetables from the greenhouse. Juicy spinach, some red russian kale, lots of very pretty lettuce and swiss chard, and eggs!)

Talk to you later in the week!

May 4, 2007

I am SOO excited!  The cool moist weather yesterday, today and tomorrow are a sight for sore eyes (and hands, and backs) not to mention PERFECT for plumping up the lettuces and greens earmarked for your first harvest share, AND, "The stork" might possibly be making a delivery to the farm soon (No... You KNOW my "nesting" days are WAY behind me), AND, I will finally get a chance to meet you all (again, or for the first time!) - this coming TUESDAY!

First, The News From the Farm....
The forecast for the last week of April - for warm temps - gave us the confidence to go ahead and plant out ALL of the tomato and pepper seedlings, summer squashes, cukes, and direct seed the first sowing of sweet corn, and Edamame - despite the knowledge that killing frosts can still happen in the foothills up until about the 25th or so. The temps zoomed up - and stayed in the upper 80's - even 90 one day. This could have been a problem - but thanks to the drip irrigation system we have set up throughout all of the gardens here on the farm, the transplants didn't suffer from the heat and are doing well.
(FYI- 1 The irrigation system is one of our biggest farm expenses, and the biggest pain in the neck to install, operate, and work around. (the slightest touch from a hoe or harvest knife means you have to drop what you are doing and run and get a "goof plug" or another 100' of drip tape and repair the resulting "geyser"). BUT, it has proven time and again to be the single most valuable component (over worm poop and a good chiropractor) to production quality and yield. Um, well, that is - uhh, next to YOU, Mother Nature... (yeah right!)

FYI - 2 The secret to growing food sustainably, which is what "organic" is all about - is to stay ahead of the pest and disease curve... We do THAT by babying the soil AND by keeping every plant blissfully happy from seed, to seedling, to transplant, to mature productive parent stage... Little to no stress will make them practically invisible to bad bugs and disease, and very attractive to good bugs and bees. (And hungry people! And, unfortunately - hungry birds and rodents as well!) Bad bugs, molds, mildews, blights, etc, can wipe out an entire crop, and they are attracted to plants that have been weakened by stress. So, by going the extra mile from the very beginning (using the freshest seeds from reliable sources and the best seed varieties for our climate and soil types, starting them in soil blocks made from the best soil mix, and handling them very carefully from transplant through maturity, and making sure they have the right amount of water at all times), we reduce the time/money and environmental impact of applied "inputs" to fight invading bugs and disease... )
On Monday, while the tomatoes and peppers were basking in the sunshine and thriving in the heat, the cooler season veggies - the ones tagged for delivery over a WEEK away - the ones I DELAYED delivery of - so they could beef up a bit! - well THEY went into "pouting" mode (that's when a plant stops doing anything other than sit there looking wilted and inconvenienced) - and SOME of them (mostly pac choi and arugula) even went into "bolting" mode. (That's when the plant says - "That's it! Its too dang hot - I'm settin' seed and getting the heck outta here!".

This of course, put the farmer into "panic" mode. I was thinking - "Crap! Will I have to delay delivery AGAIN? Better start coming up with - Vegetable Recipes for Christmas and Hanukah Dinners" this keeps up..." But, like an answer to a prayer, Mother Nature sent this most wonderful weather at just the right time... (only I KNOW she did it just to mess with me... After all, she sent high 80's on the days I was on all 4's setting out tiny beet and flower transplants - and a blistering 90 degrees when I was lugging and hooking up miles of heavy irrigation hoses all over the place...)

Yesterday - while it was cool,we worked in hyper-drive getting all of the herbs, onions, and flower sets in the field. (my little one row seeder nearly got a friction burn as I ran down 3 - 100 foot rows trying to get the edemame directed seeded before it started raining!)

Hopefully the cooler temps and rain will last JUST long enough to get you some really juicy greens into your share boxes next week - and BEFORE stressing out the Tomatoes and Peppers!

The STORK!?
2 weeks ago, a little black bantam hen I call "Betty" ('cause she reminds me of "Betty Boop" the cartoon character. see http://www.bettyboop.com/forums/ if you are under 50...) - started brooding, meaning she started sitting on a nest of eggs - seriously sitting - like not getting up or barely moving for 23+ hours a day... Its a really neat thing to watch a hen in this mode. They take their work VERY seriously - and will sit quietly - all fluffed up (so they cover all the eggs) and they sit, and they sit, and stare, and blink, and sit, and sit. You can reach up under her and she will sit tight as can be - I've even gotten worried and tried to hand feed her some food - but she doesn't seem interested. Occasionally she'll get up, turn around, carefully push and roll the eggs over - and then fluff herself up as big as she can get and sit gently back down. I have only seen her get up once - and that was when another hen (actually 2 hens came in to join her on the nest - which was really a funny site - as the nesting boxes were made for a medium sized breed chicken, and all our hens - with the exception of Betty and 2 other bantams - are all heavy/large breed birds...) The hens have 12 nesting boxes to chose from - but many of them like this one best for some reason. I've been checking several times daily - to see/hear for peeps. I have a photo on the web site...

Anyhow, Betty's been sitting over 2 weeks now - and I hesitated to mention it before because she is a young bird (just started laying herself) and sometimes when they are young like that, they'll just lose interest halfway through the incubation period and not to go back. BUT - she's been there close to the 21 days needed to hatch an egg - so maybe...

There are at least 12 eggs in the nest - though not all will hatch as they were laid at different times by many different hens (only one of them looks like it could actually be hers. Bantams lay much littler eggs...) If she does manage to hatch some, I'll need to move them and her to a "Nursery" pen - pretty quickly, where they will be protected from snakes (as well as the electric fence, and jealous adult hens) - and so Betty can keep them warm, and get them to water, food etc. Just before she started sitting - we had moved the "egg mobile" down into one of the gardens to a place much farther from the house - so I have to trek a ways to check on them. I can't hear the peeps from the house so I'm checking on them MANY times a day... I am so excited!
Now for the part you've all been waiting for -

Tuesday's Delivery!

By Saturday night, I will have posted a detailed outline of the weekly delivery locations, directions, and times - as well as a listing of which members are assigned to what location - on our web site on this page: There will also be a list of members who have not yet indicated a delivery preference...

If you have not yet indicated a delivery preference, OR - if you would like to change the location for your delivery, please email me (cindy@sandersridge.com) ASAP and let me know where you want your share delivered each week.

Share Boxes...
I have decided rather than using plastic and paper bags to pack your shares in this season, I will use commercial waxed produce boxes. I have purchased 2 boxes for each member. They will have your name on them so that we can easily exchange empties for fulls each week.
The boxes hold up pretty well - and will hopefully last the entire season - which makes it a more sustainable packing solution. They will also help me to transport the volume of individual shares on my truck and trailer, as well as keep the contents fresh and cool.
I do need to pass the cost for the boxes on to the members. They aren't real expensive ($1.00 for the Half share boxes and $1.25 for the Whole share boxes). I would have gladly absorbed this expense myself, but with gas prices, and additional expenses for replacement seeds and re-planting veggies that didn't make it through the freeze and hail, the farm budget is stretched tighter than a well rope....
I will be collecting the cost from you individually either by check through the mail or at pick-up time during May. I'll have more on that as well as all of the delivery schedule and location information posted on the web site

What will be in next Tuesday's Delivery?
I'll update the list on Monday - but its looking like you'll be getting:
• A speckled Romaine lettuce called Forellenscluss (try saying THAT 3 times!)
• A baby variety of Pac Choi called "Shuko
• Tri-colored, sweet Radishes called "Easter Egg".
• And, as the first "installment" of the May 1st "missed share"... AND - IF it looks like there's going to be enough -
I'm going to include a blend of baby salad greens (a Romaine called Jerico, baby red and golden beet greens, baby Red Russian Kale, and Arugula)

Also, I will know by Monday whether or not I will have extra produce to sell off the truck - and what it might be.... Looking forward to meeting you all in a few days!

May 7, 2007

I wanted to give you a heads up about what to expect in your your share boxes this week and to let you know that the amount you will receive is going to be much lighter than I anticipated... (I could deliver the "weight" but the quality would just not be what I want to serve you... )

I had hoped that waiting another week and the cooler/damp weather forecast for this past weekend, would keep the majority of the vegetables from prematurely bolting, and allow them time to recover and plump up, but I was wrong.

The combination of above normal temps and the very dry, very windy conditions took more of a toll than expected and as we harvested this morning and again this evening it became apparent that the quality of what we were picking was just not going to pass muster, for me at least. (Carmen and Ramundo Rojas work with me on the farm part-time and they keep several pet "bunnies" at their home for their two little boys... Whenever we harvest or thin the vegetables, we'll put trimmings and sub-standard vegetables into a separate box for them to take home to their pets. Well, today - the "bunnie box" spilled over into 3...)

We still have some nice things to deliver, but its just not going to be as much - and I wanted to make sure that everyone, especially the new folks, understand that this is an unusual circumstance, and that we'll do our best to make it up both in warm season vegetables, and later this fall, when we can once again plant, grow and harvest the cooler crops. (Note that I also will not have anything extra to sell off the truck this week - or at the Werehouse).

I also wanted to let you know now - that I will need to "pause" the next 2 deliveries. We had to pull up nearly all of the cooler season crops - as they had begun to "bolt" (set seed). Without them in the queue, there's going to be a gap before the warmer season things are ready to harvest... THEY (the tomatoes, peppers, carrots, corn, beets, cukes, squash - and more, are looking pretty good so far - all except the basil - which didn't like the cold snap they experienced last night... (I will plant more - it grows fairly fast - so don't worry...) Honest folks - I went to feed and water the chickens around 7 am this morning and there was ice in their waterer! No Joke... May 7th - and there was frost in the lower part of the garden. I couldn't believe my eyes. Neither could anyone else up here... Neil's brother Keith lost all his beans and potatoes because they were planted in a lower part of his garden. He's just across the road from us. (Fortunately all of our tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and corn - are in the high part of our garden this year - or it would have been a much sadder day for me...)

Despite the set-backs, I'm excited about finally getting to meet all of the new members and seeing all the 2006 members again this week. It is my hope that you will take this in stride along with the rest of us here - and enjoy the season yet to come.  Warm (but sleepy) Regards,


 May 18, 2007

Before I get to what's been happening on the farm this week - I wanted to let everyone know that we WILL have a delivery this coming week - Tuesday May 22 and Saturday May 26!

Its been 2 weeks since I last wrote to you and for both weeks, I'd have to say that "water" has been the buzz word - with "not enough" - and "in the wrong places" - as the story lines...

not enough water
We have had little to no rain up this way, and that and the very windy conditions - have made the soil hard for emerging seedlings to sprout and grow through. In an effort to keep the fields and newly emerging seedlings hydrated, I spend a good part of every day (and into the evenings) adding and repairing irrigation lines as well as running from one end of the farm to the other switching and moving hoses, resetting timers, and poking a dibble in the soil to test for moisture. Our poor water pump (and I) have never worked harder.

Tuesday before last (our first harvest and delivery day!), I had 2 volunteers here at the farm helping to pack shares, 3 field helpers harvesting, AND "Handy Gal" Jennifer Joy - (home repairwomen extraordinaire) doing finish work on the farmhouse so it was a busy day to say the least... I went into the farmhouse about noon to fill up my water jug and noticed that there was no water pressure. We had water out in the field and greenhouse so it was real odd not to have any at the house as they are all on the same well and pump. I had been installing irrigation lines in the garden next to the house, so I figured a hose must have blown or (more likely) I left something open and running by accident... I dropped everything and retraced my steps - but couldn't find a leak. I needed to get the shares packed before the helpers left at 1, so I forgot about it until around 3 when I got to thinking that I REALLY ought to try and get in a shower before I came to town to meet everyone. Neil was putting out his own fires all day at the vineyard dealing with winery construction issues, frost damage to the muscadines from the day before, (can you believe frost on May 7th!) as well as an issue with the lake... (which is water story #2). I waited to call him with the news until I was about finished packing.

"water in the wrong places..."
Neil dropped what he was doing and came right over - which turned out to be a really good thing. As I pulled out of the driveway I saw water gushing out of the place where the basement sump pump discharges and I knew immediately that it wasn't going to be a pretty sight... I ran over to the basement steps, which are outside, looked down into the stairway and there was Neil - muddy, greasy and worn out from running the dozer at the winery site all day, knee deep water - boots and all - scooping out leaves and looking most unhappy. (I wish I had a picture...) A water pipe connection had come un-done under the house and water had been silently gushing freely all day. Leaves blown into the basement during one of the recent "wind events" had clogged the sump-pump and the water had gotten all the way up to the new furnace and hot water heater. He was sure that the brand new water heater and furnace were both toast. I hated to leave him there with all that - but I had to make my deliveries (and without a shower... hope no one noticed just how badly I needed one!) BY the time I got back to the farm, he had the leak fixed and had checked out the hot water heater and furnace (which were both fine) I was in awe - but he said it was nothin' - most farmers are jacks of all trades - just out of survival...

On that same day, Neil found out that the dam for the lake at the winery site might have a "major" issue. The lake has been slowly loosing water over the winter and the fellow who is doing the grading and foundation work for the winery was certain he could fix it pretty easily by fortifying the dam's core with the hard red clay they would be digging out for the barrel room/wine cellar. They had begun digging out the core that day - but water kept seeping into where they were digging. They dug and dug and dug until they couldn't dig any deeper without falling in -- trying to get below the leaky place - but water continued to seep in even though they were well below the lake bottom - and the lake was drained dry! (At about the same time I called Neil to tell him about the water pressure at the house - they had just concluded that the water at the dam's core was coming from a spring - and having a water source IN a dam's core is definitely the wrong place. Not very good news on top of MORE not very good news...) It took most of this week but they ended up digging out a HUGE hole (I posted a photo on the web site) to get around the springs. The good news is - by tomorrow (Saturday) Neil says they should have it the dam plugged AND the winery cellar and foundation dug too! As soon as he can find the time, he'll start filling the lake back up - which will be fun to watch... (He has hooked up about a mile of metal irrigation pipe and run it way up over the hill through the big woods and down to the watershed lake on the other side of vineyard. He'll run his old irrigation pump with his big tractor - and pump the water from one lake to the other...)

Two Hens a settin'
As I mentioned last time, the little "banty" hen "Betty Boop" has been sitting on her nest full of eggs for over 20 days now - with no sign of any chicks yet. It is likely that most of the eggs she has been tending to got too cold even though she worked very very hard to keep them warm and covered - (we have had several nights in the 40's and 50's and she's been trying to sit on about 12 eggs - and she's little!) She hasn't given up though. I've left her to her duty and keep checking several times a day for "peeps" just in case. Yesterday afternoon - I noticed that another hen has decided she's ready to be a momma too - but - like many of the other hens - she has a preference for that same nest (they take turns laying in that ONE nest - even though they have 12 others to chose from... I don't know what it is about it. There all the same size. The "view" is the same...) When I went last night to check on them - it was the funniest sight... The other hen, (we call her Jemmiama) is the BIGGEST hen we have on the farm, and Betty is the smallest - and NEITHER one was going to make a concession about the space... Jemmiama completely fills up the nesting box - so Betty just sits on Jemmiama! I ran back to the house for the camera and here you go. (I hope that if a chick DOES hatch under these two - one of them will notice and GET UP so the little thing can breathe!)

May 21, 2007

Saturday night, I was up late doing some work on the farmhouse.  I got hyper-focused on the shelving I was building and didn't get out to tuck the chickens in until about about 2 in the morning.  (They always go back into their henhouse - the "Egg Mobile",  just before the sun goes down and roost for the night. That's generally when I'm ready to turn in too so I always go down just after dusk to latch their "pop-hole (door/ramp) so nothing can get to them during the night...)  It was very still and quiet outside at that late hour. As I got close to the pasture where they are presently "parked" I heard a faint but distinct "peep-peep" of a baby chick.  I ran back for my flashlight, went into the egg mobile and politely parted the birds on the roosts in front of Betty Boop's nest and listened.  Betty was alone in the nest thank goodness - (Jemiamma had taken up her brooding in the nest next door... Guess she got tired of having Betty sitting on her!) I heard the peeps again, coming from under Betty - muffled but strong.  When a chick is born - it will begin peeping way before it actually hatches out - sometime 24 hours before... I couldn't tell if the chick was still in the egg or not and I REALLY wanted to take a peek  - but it would not be in the chick's best interest if I upset Betty (she could accidentally crush the egg before the chick is ready to emerge - or - do damage to the other eggs in the nest)  - so, I just kissed Betty's little head, whispered "good job" and said goodnight.  I was up at 6:30 (Sunday) to go and see.  The morning is when Betty routinely leaves the nest to take her once a day quick bite and drink.  As soon as I opened the house she came out with all the other girls and I went in for a look.   Sure enough - there was one egg that had a crack in it and a little teeny poke hole.  I could see the egg move and the chick's beak and an occasional wet feather through the hole as it stirred and worked at getting out of the shell - peeping away!  I wanted to stay and watch - but I knew Betty would soon return - and I had volunteers coming to work at 7 AM.  I checked back again about 3 hours later and the peeping was now much louder.  It was hard at first to see it but there was a tiny little bottom stirring and huddling for warmth under Betty's breast feathers.  Betty let me part her feathers just enough to catch a glimpse.  The chick was still wet - so I took a quick look and let then it get back to momma's warmth. 

And here it is... ( "Biddy Boop"!)

(Note Betty's bare skin showing  just below my finger... Hens pull their breast feathers out when they are brooding - so their skin will be next to the eggs and chicks...)

May 29, 2007

Just a quick reminder that there will not be a delivery this week.

Been working especially hard this week. Replanted okra, edemame, and corn due to poor germination (thanks to cool weather when it should have been warm), and another batch of swiss chard, (hail and wind beat the first planting up pretty good, and the planting in the greenhouse, was started back in November, so it is about done now.)

I've hooked up every last inch of irrigation hose, drip tape, and every single emitter - ever purchased in my 20+ years of gardening - in order to get water to all the plants that are growing, as well as those I'm trying to coax out of the ground. 8 hours Sunday and 6 yesterday, was spent in just hand watering-in nutrients. I use a foliar spray for most of the nutrient needs - which is quick and easy to administer. However, when things are flowering (setting fruit) - or stressed - (and our plants are doing both!) - they need an extra boost of nitrogen if they are going to produce well and stay healthy. Nitrogen inputs are granular in form and require water - which we use to get around these part in the way of "rain" - in order to work it down into the soil where the plant's roots can get to it. The potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash are all at the fruit setting stage, and some are a bit stressed from all the fluctuations in field conditions - plus, the drier it gets, the worse they need help - and, as member Bonnie Laskey's Mom put it "Boonville can't even buy a drop of rain!", so - until Mother Nature is done goofing around (again!?), me, a hose, and the well and the plump are going to have to be the rain...

Betty Boop and baby "Biddy" Boop (whoa - say that three times) are doing well and the other three
setting hens are still at it. The chickens are really going through the water too - drinking up their 3 gallon pan 2-3 times a day. They weren't even trying to get out of the fence this past week, preferring to stay under the egg mobile all day.

We'll have a delivery next week (June 5 and 9) - even if its just beets and chard! (The beets are getting big, and if the watering and feeding are successful, the chard will be plumping up - so I will need to get both to you while they are looking good.) The tomatoes are getting big too and I anticipate they will begin to ripen soon - however I will need to wait until I have enough for all - before I start adding them to the shares.

My new challenge (like I need another one!) is trying to come up with a better strategy for deterring the mockingbirds from getting to the ripe tomatoes before I can. So far, hurling rocks, screaming, and insulting their ancestry, isn't working too well, (didn't work well last year either and they did a great deal of damage to my early tomatoes), and I'm afraid they have developed quite a fondness for them. Day after day they sit on the tomato trellises literally watching them grow - until they see me coming - and we start playing dodge the rock. A few of the bolder ones even venture in to check on the greenhouse tomatoes - and all (but one) of those have figured out how to get out without getting hit by flying dirt clods.

I have officially declared war on mockingbirds, so if you have any good ideas on how to fight them (without destroying our precious tomatoes) pass them along. And - if you know a good rain dance we sure could use it. (and say a prayer for the pump and well too!)

I'm off to start up the watering (and practice my pitching!) I'll write again soon. Warm (and dry) Regards,
 

June 4, 2007

First I'd like to thank BARRY for the perfect rain he brought our way!  Everything is responding well - including many previously depressed farmers in these parts... There were happy faces all over town today!  There will be a delivery tomorrow June 5th to Washington Park (5:30 PM), West End (6PM),  and Sherwood Forest (7 PM).  The delivery for Elkin Creek will be Wednesday,   (I'll give the Elkin folks a call tonight to explain why we are needing to move the delivery day up a notch  - and make to sure its OK with all).   The Werehouse delivery will be Saturday (the 9th). Your shares this week will include: Beets (golden, Chioggia, and Red), Swiss Chard, Carrots, Basil (enough to make pesto!)  Email me tonight - or by noon tomorrow -  if you would like eggs, dill, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, or tarragon!I will also have some extra veggies to sell off the truck: Kale, Lettuce, Radishes, and Eggs - possibly, depending on how many the members order this week... 

This week I re-planted the Okra and Melons that didn't do well at first planting, direct seeded 2nd and 3rd plantings of cukes, summer squash, and cilantro, finished direct seeding all of the winter squashes and pumpkins, as well as some flowers for cutting! I mowed (and mowed and mowed) in and around all of the gardens, and I will spend the rest of this week getting the other parts of the farm - and all my paperwork - ready for the USDA inspection next week (EEEEKK!) Betty Boop and Biddy are doing well, the other 3 hens are still sitting - and one more is looking as though she might get in the act as well.  (so - more peeps are anticipated soon!) Be sure to check the web site for recipes...Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:00 - 2:00 for a Farm Tour here at Sanders Ridge and a Potluck Lunch sponsored by Slow Food. Come enjoy a day in the country.  Sample and take home farm fresh produce, watch birds, take a long walk, rub an old horse's soft nose, visit Betty and Biddy, or just sit and relax.  (I'll have more information posted on the web site later this week.) 

June 5, 2007

Just got back in and unloaded and before I turn in, I wanted to mention that today's share did not have the carrots or the cilantro as expected... (I included some additional lettuce and some baby spinach...) I have to write my weekly email to everyone a day or 2 before harvest, and what looks like it might be ready to go when sampled - sometimes isn't - quite - or not enough volume has matured to deliver an equal portion to all... The carrots could use at least another week to get to bulk up, and the cilantro decided to go to seed (cilantro is notoriously short lived...)  This has been an exceptionally tough spring but I have high hopes for our summer vegetables. I have replanted everything that was damaged by the diverse weather (that has a chance of maturing before fall frosts) - with the intention that once these summer and fall vegetables begin to produce, we can make up 100% for the slow start we've experienced so far, either by delivering past Nov 21st - or by adding more to the shares than contracted in the days to come.
I appreciate the patience and understanding expressed by so many of you - and please know that your satisfaction is my top priority.

June 11, 2007

It was very hot and once again - very dry here on the farm this past week. The inch of rain we received weekend before last was much needed and helpful - and although the high temps this past week was perfect for the squash, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, and tomatoes (and WEEDS!), it was defiantly not what the carrots, chard, spinach, and beets needed, which is unfortunately what was earmarked for this week's delivery. (bet you know where this is going...)

After picking, pulling and tasting this afternoon, it is apparent the carrots and beets have made little progress while the spinach and lettuce is looking (and tasting) pretty stressed. I could harvest the beets and carrots early and deliver them as "baby" veggies - but they just aren't as juicy and crisp as I know they could be. The cooler temps today (and potential afternoon shower) may help the spinach and lettuce - and another week of irrigation (or rain) will definitely make a difference in the beets, carrot and chard. In short, I am confident that if we wait just a little longer - we will all appreciate the vegetables much much more. So, if you can bear with us another week, we'll have a much better share to harvest for you - next week.

News from the Farm...
Everything is looking pretty good. We have continued irrigating daily, and we officially launched the season's war on pests. Horse Thistle is the main booger in the dirt (it literally jumped out of the ground all OVER the place right after the rain and has grown daily - exponentially - ever since), with the Colorado Potato Beetle and the Cucumber Beetle running neck in neck for the plant pest du jour (a little white fly action is going on in the big greenhouse too), and then there's the eye in the sky - those &%#*'ing mockingbirds, who have been watching and waiting for the tomatoes to ripen since we planted them so they can get the first taste (though - there are at least 3 fewer of them as of 9 o'clock this morning - when Neil launched his own - covert initiative "Operation Smith & Wesson"). All in all, we have managed so far to stay ahead of the bugs (and the birds) but I have learned from experience that they can appear in mass almost instantly - so I am keeping a twice daily walk-about vigil.

Last night was the first time this season - that my weekly walk-about was truly satisfying (the past weeks have been on the slightly disappointing side...) I got so excited, that I got the camera and took a bunch of pictures so you could enjoy it too.

http://www.sandersridge.com/early_june_07.htm
Have a look when you get a chance (but don't view if you are hungry! and do try to overlook the weeds... We started on them last week but it will take the better part of this week too to pull and beat back the first wave. VOLUNTEER weed pullers are welcome to join us!)

There are LOTS of tomatoes - and it looks like they are all just on the verge of ripening. I have already sampled some of the little yellow pears, the Green Tigers and Romas look like they could turn red any minute, and greenhouse tomatoes just keep getting bigger and bigger. (This variety is a good one to pick yellow and then ripen to perfection on the counter or window sill, so I may slip one in your box next week - if they aren't ripe yet.) The Jimmy Nardello (sweet) peppers are about 3 inches long now (they start turning red, yellow and sweet when they get to be about 6 inches). There are baby eggplant in the greenhouse - and the squash - well you know how squash is. One minute they are an inch and 5 hours later they weigh a pound! I had to replant the corn, okra and beans - but all have germinated and are looking good so far. They will be ready much later than I would have liked - but maybe that's not a bad thing. Melon's (cantaloupe and honeydews) look good too - with little teeny melons replacing the blossoms left and right. (I have learned not to count your melons before they hatch though, as they are real susceptible to mildews and a bug called the squash vine borer - both of which can destroy wipe out an entire crop literally overnight...) The cukes are LOADED with blossoms and bees - and just starting to bear fruit too. They - like their squash cousins can grow several inches in a day - so I have my eye on them.

Biddy Boop is getting bigger every day. Eggs might be a bit on the light side next week as I now have 4 hens sitting - and they have been playing musical nests. (I have to mark the eggs to be sure I don't grab one that's - well - lets say over-ripe - so if I forget, or am in doubt about an egg, I am keeping it here - so that it would be Neil or me who gets the potential "gross out" at breakfast time...).  Enjoy the photos and I will see you NEXT week (hopefully with VERY full boxes). PS: whichever ones of you who did the rain dance or said the prayers for rain - I forgot to say - thanks!


June 17, 2007

Just a quick note to let you know that there definitely WILL be a delivery this week! (Weee!) - and it is looking like I will be able to pack a double for all - to catch up for one of the missed deliveries (double Wee!)

I'll have some news from the farm later today. Right now - I gotta water. Believe it or not, we haven't received any of the rainfall everyone else has been getting ("and that's all I'm going to say about that...")

This week's shares will definitely include: Carrots, Beets (with greens), Patty Pan Squash, Swiss Chard

Your share might include: Spinach (been watering/feeding a new variety all month. Hopefully it won't bolt before delivery!)
Tomatoes (several varieties just starting to blush. Going to be hot/dry next 2 days so it is possible there will be enough ripening to include in your box...)
 

June 20, 2007

Mornin Folks, Just a quick note about this week's shares... I was hoping to make them a double - but they didn't quite weigh out to twice the weekly amount (just didn't get the weight on the beets and carrot as anticipated - hard to plump them up without rain!) Wanted to mention that some of you might have gotten an odd looking, round green squash and if so - that's a great little zuke called "Rondini". Cook them up just like you would any zuke. They are one of my favorite - and we grew them last year and folks loved them. For you new folks, I wanted to suggest that you roast the beets (if you've never had them that way) and also to use the greens! Most folks (including me - until a couple of years ago) toss them - but they are delicious! My favorite way to cook them is simple and quick. See the recipe here: http://www.sandersridge.com/recipes/beet_greens.htm  Notes...
I got caught in the big rain last night in Winston - and driving home I was sure that the farm was getting wet too - but believe it or not, it missed us completely. Got a little drizzle about 9:30 (of course - as I was unloading the very soggy contents of my truck. Dang!) and thundered just enough to scare Kate's (Neil Mom) dog, Ginger up the road and into the pack house here - where she scared the dickens out of me in the dark while I was putting things away. (She's an old fuzzy herding dog - and she had just had her summer buzz cut - where they shave her clean down to the bone - except for her ears and tail - which look like "fros". So she 's all eyes, ears and tail in the dark! She gets so scared when it storms that she always runs up here and hides. Kate loves her like crazy and I knew she'd worry about her being on the road at night. Couldn't coax her into the truck with a T-bone though - and she's too big to pick up - but she will follow my bicycle - so off we went. I have to say that I haven't ridden a bike at night in at least - well, 40 years, and it was really neat (well, the trip down to Kate's farm was - anyway...)

Hope you enjoy your vegetables this week. There will be a delivery next week. The tomatoes will surely be ripening, so I'm bringing 'em! - even if that's all we have coming out of the garden then!

Well, I'm off to mow and tidy up the farm (and my paperwork...) The USDA Organic inspector will be here at 9 in the morning (finally!) Wish me luck!

June 25, 2007

We got a 2 inches of rain last night - in less than ONE HOUR. (Hey, don't want to seem ungrateful or anything - but it sure was a lot...) It will be way to wet to pull carrots and beets tonight - and before I arrange to have some extra hands here in the morning to help harvest, I wanted to check with you all to see how who might be planning to come to the Farm Tour and the Slow Foods Potluck lunch on Saturday. I wanted to see how many of you might be willing to pick up your shares then - rather than at the regular day and time during the week.

Below are the details about the event Saturday... Let me know if you are planning to come - and if so, would you be willing to pick up your share then.

For you folks who get your shares at the Werehouse on Saturday - I need to arrange for another person to bring your share into town on Saturday - or for another day and time to meet you during the week (if you are not planning to come out here on Saturday - that is...)

Come enjoy a day in the country at Sanders Ridge, a 350 acre farm consisting of old growth forest, marshlands, creeks, lakes, and open fields. Explore 159 years of local history with 5th generation farmer Neil Shore and organic grower, Cindy Hinshaw. Watch birds, take a long walk, rub an old horse's soft nose, or just sit and relax. The official farm visit hours run from 10:00 - 2:00 Saturday June 30; Slow Food is sponsoring a covered dish potluck from 11:30 - 1:00. Located in the Yadkin County community of Boonville, NC, 30 minutes west of Winston-Salem, within the boundary of the Yadkin Valley Wine Appellation. (See their web site at http://www.sandersridge.com for Directions.)

June 26, 2007 A watched tomato will not ripen...

I sure wish I had a crystal ball.  Everything I was so sure would be ready for harvest this week - isn't.  I just came in from taking one last look in the garden inventory (well - just before it stormed - AGAIN, and I had to turn off my computer)  - and I don't have quite enough to harvest for all of the shares - so I'm not going to make any deliveries this week...
(Please drop me a quick email to let me know you got the word.  Otherwise I will call tomorrow by 3 PM - just to be sure you all know. )

Its been one of the hardest most hectic weeks here on the farm yet. The biggest issue has been the continued lack of rain along with above average temps and winds which have progressively stressed the gardens (and the gardener!) which in turn has begun to wear down plant health, which leads to low pest and virus resistance - which leads to getting behind the proverbial eight ball...  THAT is the place where ALL organic growers strive to avoid - because once there -  you rarely make it back to the place where there is some balance between those variables you can control, and the ones that you can't...

To put it in a nutshell, by Friday afternoon, we were pretty close to being - toast...
Even though I had watered all through the day and into the night every day with drip irrigation (over 14 hours per day), I couldn't keep up with the drying effects of the temps and wind - and things were looking like they weren't going to be able to recover.  That's when Neil made the decision to move his BIG irrigation system from the vineyard to the farm so we could pump some REAL water on everything. 

So here's the "Readers Digest" version of this week on the farm...   For a more detailed version,  see the end of this email.

Sunday (the 16th) I got a call from my part-time helper, Carmen Rojas letting me know that she had decided to take a job at a vineyard in Mocksville... (They offered her full-time hours). I am trying not to be sad or bummed - as I totally understand her need to provide for her family - but Carmen could work circles around anyone I've ever had working with me - and - she is a really delightful person to be around too...

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Carmen's departure left me solo for the watering, weeding, planting, harvesting, and packing.

Wednesday night and most all of Thursday was spent preparing for (and going through - ugh!) the USDA certification inspection. (THAT was a trip. But it went well I think. I'll have the final word in a week to 10 days).

Friday I worked the whole day watering and weeding - again.

Saturday I harvested, packed, and delivered, got back to the farm around 1:30 and unloaded the truck just in time to help Neil and the guys move the tractor, pump, pipes, and risers from the vineyard to here.

We finished setting it all up at dusk and then ran it till after 10 PM. We put at least 2 inches of water on all of the gardens -
a real nice slow soaking - and they drank it up nicely...

On Sunday morning everything was looking a lot less wilted and I was so relieved and happy to be able to take a break from watering - so I spent the day catching up on housework, and laundry!

Then Sunday night...   You know how goes.  You wash your car - or hang your clothes out to dry and...  Yep - it rains.   Last night, we got a horrific downpour of 2+ inches in about an hour. (but I'm not complaining!  Hey - no-  not me.  I wouldn't want to appear unappreciative or anything.) Needless to say - all my neighbors and Neil's Mom and brothers have stopped by today to ask me "Why didn't you set up that spray 3 weeks ago!"

All in all, I've gotten through last week pretty well - but the gardens are still on the mend.  Lots of tomatoes - but not a lot of ripening... Very few squashes and cukes as they work on trying to get over the big wilt. I am hopeful they will get revved up enough to set fruit again. (I have succession plantings of both though already coming up nicely, so we can look forward to those producing later on if the others don't make it...)  The chard, beets, and carrots are hanging in there - but could use a week to loose some wilt and gain some weight. The young beans, corn, Edamame, and okra all look really good (despite the Japanese Beetles who have suddenly - like the flies - come out of NO WHERE! and swarmed the farm... (DANG IT!)

And then there are THE FLIES. AS I SIT HERE WRITING to you - THERE ARE 2 of those BIG NOISY GREEN ONES - DIVE BOMBING and BUZZING MY HEAD AND FACE INCESSANTLY!!!! I'VE ALL BUT DESTROYED MY OFFICE TRYING TO SWAT THE LITTLE F%$K'ers and I CAN'T GET 'EM!!!   UUUGGHHH!!!!

That's it for me tonight. I'm going to bed... 

Here's the even longer version of the week's event - for those of you who might be interested.  (see photos at: http://www.sandersridge.com/june_26.htm)
The vines and the grapes in the vineyard were also showing signs of progressive decline, so a week ago,  Neil moved his old crop irrigation system into the vineyard (which he had all set up to fill the newly dug and plugged winery pond) and set about the business of getting water to the entire 15 acres pf grapes...   It took 5 men several hours each day to re-route and connect the huge 6" and 5" metal pipes and risers -  from the watershed lake down in the hollow on the other side of the vineyard, and hooking it up to Neil's old water pump and "Bessie", (a really BIG OLD Massey - Ferguson tractor with a beefy V-8 diesel engine which he salvaged and restored from a pile of junk years ago...) Bessie pumped 2" of "rain" each night - for 5 nights - out of the lake and into the vineyard. He would start her up around 6 PM each night, run her wide open till around 10:30 PM, and then move it all over to the next spot at 6 AM the next day while it was cool enough to work (and when he could get the extra help to move it...)  He had to stay and baby-sit the system and the tractor each night while it ran - in order to be Johnny on the spot in case the tractor got too hot, pump too much pressure, or a pipe blew a gasket - which I'm told will all happen at least once a watering, especially when the  lake level is down a lot - which it is presently - and Bessie sucks so powerfully that she creates a whirlpool at the intake - which in turn stirs up algae and debris that clogs up the flow of water.  The whole process and the time consumed was daunting to me but to Neil - its just like any other day... (He has spent hundreds and hundreds of hours over the years often until 1 or 2 in the morning watering crops in order to save or salvage a harvest - and still get up at dawn and go at it all day long - and do it again that night.  Amazing...)

By Friday, all 15 acres of the vineyard were thoroughly watered and looking pretty happy again. But THIS farm was another story...  Even though I've been watering constantly all week, the flow from the drip irrigation system couldn't seem to stay ahead of the heat and wind. Things would look OK in the mornings but by noon - they were limp and sad again - especially the squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers - all of which are laden with fruit...

Neil took a look at all the "limpage" going on out there Friday afternoon and said that if it didn't rain - a LOT - and in the next day or so, he was afraid that the plants would not produce much more or recover once it DID rain again.  It didn't look like rain was in the immediate forecast (its been skirting around Boonville for the past 2 months), so he decided that he would pack up the irrigation system from the vineyard and bring it over here to give all of these gardens a good soaking - and - that he would front me the money to do it - as it would require the help of "the fellows" - 5 of the most wonderful guys, all seasonal laborers from Mexico contracted by a neighboring farm. They have been returning to this area every 6 months for years. They work with Neil in the vineyard when the contracting farmer's work is caught up. I have had the pleasure and privilege work with them here on occasion too - and I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it is to have them here. Its like in the old movies when the Calvary comes to the rescue just when the pioneers are down to their last bullet, or when Tarzan showed up just in time to save Jane from stampeding elephants. I have been chin deep in weeds - or had a mountain of things to harvest (that was last year!) and there they would come, hoes and buckets in hand - and next thing I knew, the field was clean and they are driving off to the next overwhelmed farmer.

The fellows were available late Saturday afternoon and willing to help - so they helped Neil move everything over here and set up the pipes and risers. (I got to drive old Bessie the 3-4 miles to this farm.  THAT was one of the high points of my farming days so far - as it is a REALLY REALLY big tractor.  (More like a locomotive actually. I had no idea I would get such a kick out of having so much power under my feet.  But I did.  I really did...) We finished setting up everything just before sunset and Neil got Bessie down to a neighbors pond (which was closer to the fields than his ponds are) and cranked her up.  I had to run and quickly staple a plastic cover over the chicken house - as we realized they were in the line of spray.  They didn't seem to mind the water though - and stayed outside and goofed around in the spray until it got dark.  We watered until about 10:30 that night.

Knowing that I had already spent the money I budgeted for "Acts of God" (or  "NO acts of God" - as it were) as well as my emergency  "In case Cindy forgets something really important" fund - Neil stepped up to the plate and become my equivalent to "Farm Credit" - the institution that he and other farmers go to from time to time for help getting through a tough time due to weather or other conditions out of their control...  In addition to providing the tractor, pump, piping (and "know-how") Neil fronted me the wages for the 5 men, and the diesel fuel. 

July 16, 2007 Its SALSA time!

Mornin Folks,

If you didn't get a chance to make salsa or spaghetti last week, you've got another shot at it this week!.
There are lots of tomatoes coming out of the garden - I mean LOTS!

Your shares this week will include: Corn, Beets, Carrots, Tomatoes!

Also still have a bit of Cilantro (Lancasters - I promise not to forget some for you THIS week!), as well as plenty of basil, oregano, sage, tarragon, thyme, and rosemary. Email me with your herb requests as soon as possible.

No eggs to deliver this week. In addition to sitting - many of the hens are also molting and that will slow up egg production temporarily (its a normal thing - feathers everywhere - and they look kinda goofy - but they will be back to normal soon).  I will probably not have any extras to deliver this week as I will be adding extra to the member shares in an effort to get us all back on track for the season.

A few things to mention... Boxes.
A few members accidentally lost or discarded their boxes and there has been a shortage lately. We realized last week that some of you who HAVE been diligent about keeping up with yours and getting them back to us each week - paid the price and got a bag and we apologize (our bad...) I will be getting some replacement boxes just as soon as I can find the time to get to High Point to pick some up - so in the meantime, bear with us.

The season so far, and Catching up... I am working up a sort of interim assessment of how many pounds have been delivered to each of you so far this season - and where I are in terms of catching up due to the slow start as well as vacations you've taken. We're pretty close to being back on track ( - thank goodness)  HELP! Anyone with an itch to chop some weeds - I know just the place... See you Tuesday, Wednesday (Elkin), and Saturday morning!
 

August 6, 2007  Mater - Taters - n Rostinears

Hi Folks, Will try to keep this short and sweet. (right...) The weeks have been flying by - and a lot has been happening. I haven't written in so long and I apologize - but between the farm, planning the winery, and going through the organic certification process - my notes from the farm kept getting pushed back.  Here's as quick a recap as I can manage (you know I have a hard time being "brief").

The winery construction is coming a long well - NOW. Got off to a very slow start - but the cellar is just about finished (I'll be posting photos on the web site by this coming weekend) - and the first floor will soon follow! Unfortunately the production area won't be ready in time to use by the time the grapes will be ready to harvest (late August - Sept) - so we have made arrangements for Sara (our winemaker) to move all her gear over to another winery nearby to crush and start the process for our 2007 wines. Then we'll truck it all back over here to finish - as soon as our production facility is ready.

The grapes look wonderful! The hot and dry weather is VERY good for them. Mother Nature's Easter Freeze culled a lot of fruit - and Neil pulled off a lot more - from the vines that did not suffer as much loss - in order to direct as much of the vines' energy as possible to the remaining fruit (we are growing for quality - rather than quantity!) and he and son Joseph have been babying them daily... Their mission: to grow fruit that will not only release the true flavors and texture of the particular variety - but ALSO the unique twist that the Yadkin Valley soil and climate adds to it - which is something we feel will set us apart from all of the other wineries in the area (hopefully in all of North Carolina!) We have the advantage of being able to grow all of our own grapes for our wines - and since our vineyard is also one of the first planted in the region - the wines we craft will reflect a maturity that will be very unique and - we hope, very pleasing to folks who enjoy the hunt and experience of premium wines...

The gardens are doing pretty good too - its about time though - for the transition from the summer vegetable crops to the fall ones - and it is always a dance between getting the heat loving crops to last until the weather gets cool enough to get the cooler weather ones started up and producing. There might be a "thin" week or two delivery wise coming up this month. In fact - I already have snack jack pumpkins and a couple of other "winter" squashes coming out of the gardens NOW - as the heat and dry temps have caused some of them to mature faster than they are supposed to... Welcome to farming!

Organic Certification.  ITS OFFICIAL! Got the document today. Whew! (Can't WAIT to go through that again in about 10 months!)

Maters, Taters, and Roastinears...
That's Yadkinese for Tomatoes, Potatoes, and corn - which will be what will make up most of your shares this week. We'll also have Edamame again too and green beans. Because of the heat - we are picking a lot of the tomatoes just as they begin to turn (they will scald in the sun otherwise - AND if we get a heavy rain - we'll have the splitting issue again) so - if you would like extra tomatoes in your shares this week - please just let me now and we'll load you up (no charge). They will ripen on a window sill or counter top within a week or so - (and it might be better for them to be on YOUR counter top - as just about every level surface on the farm is full right now with pumpkins, tomatoes, and winter squashes!!)

Newest Arrival.  I went out to let the chickens out early this morning and as I was opening the gate I heard a lot of louder than normal commotion and jumping around coming from the coop. A bunch of hens were fighting over something but all I could see was a flash of yellow being tossed around. I realized in horror that it was a newly hatched chick (have 3 hens who have been sitting FOREVER - because they keep getting up and moving to new nests before the 21 days incubation needed to hatch the eggs. (They are not quite a year old themselves and so they are novice mommies - and not quite into what they are doing just yet...) I pounded on the side of the coop and scared them off it - just long enough to get the ramp unlocked and I scrambled in as fast as I could. The poor little thing was laying on its back - flat as a pancake (sound familiar?) and I figured it was a goner. I picked up its limp little self and saw that his/her little heart was about to beat right out its chest so I tucked him into my hat and got him inside and under a heat lamp as fast as I could. It was the "I Lean" story all over again. (I learned from an earlier experience that newly hatched chicks will croak at the drop of a hat - they just lay down and die - when they are stressed, or in I-Lean's case and this little guy's - pummeled or trampled flat as pancake...)

Anyhow I've poked the little guy all day long and made him drink some water - and though he is teeny - he's starting to get just bugged enough at me to fight for his life - and make a LOT of racket - so I am guessing he/she might make it. Neil just came in and said "he's lookin rite peart" which is Yadkinese for "He's looking better" - (which is better than "he's jus' tolrable" - which is even better than "jus common" ...) More to follow.  See you tomorrow,

August 9, 2007  (corn sorrows)
Just a quick note to send out an apology for some of the corn that might have gone out this week.  I did not pay close enough attention when it was picked and just now realized  - (when I went to make my dinner tonight) that it probably should not have been distributed...  Some of you might have gotten some real stinkers - like I did tonight and I am truly sorry.  Let me know if you need for me to add something extra in your share next week to make up for it.

August 13, 2007  

Hi Folks, As I walked through the gardens this morning, I had the profound sense that I had somehow over slept a month. The sounds of the bugs and birds, the smells of the grasses and the tobacco drying in the fields and barns nearby - as well as the stage and condition of the fruit and vegetables hanging on the trees vines and stalks were what one would expect on a September morning... As I was heading back inside to write to you, a neighbor pulled up and commented that she simply could not recall in all of her 60+ years, a time when it was so hot - and for so long. "Can you remember those 80 degree temps in March?" . "Yep", I said. "I sure can..."

In the Field...
Not much happened out there this past week. Everything seemed to go into pause mode. By noon daily, every green thing would draw up so tight - as though it was trying to hide as much surface area from the sun as possible and reserve what little moisture the morning dew had afforded. Okra and cukes - which normally have to be picked daily less they get too big and tough - have just hung out on the plants with little to no growth and I have not put on new flowers either...
I have been waiting 2 weeks for the soils to cool down enough to direct seed the late summer plantings of corn and beans. The window is closing though - and so we'll have to do it this week, no matter what the temps...

I harvested all of the snack jack pumpkins on the vines last week, as they went from green to deep orange all at once. (we'll store them in the walk-in cooler until a little bit later on in the season. Somehow delivering pumpkins in August just doesn't feel right!) The other winter "squashes" are all maturing way early too... Traditionally you leave them alone until the fall when the vines die back - so that they can "cure" (or form the hard shell that will protect and hold them in storage for months in the winter). But the vines are withering in the heat now so the squashes have stopped growing. This morning they were showing signs of hardening - so Carmen and I will harvest them this week and move them into the barns in hopes of getting them cured before the field mice and rabbits find 'em (both of which are becoming REAL bothersome and destructive.)

As I mowed between the rows last week - dozens and dozens of mice ran ahead of the mower seeking safety. Now I'm a registered fern fondler - the kind of person who even "relocates" black widow spiders when I find them in the fields rather than mashing them - but after finding chew holes in EVERY cantaloupe I picked last week - I found myself speeding up rather then trying to avoid running the little rodents down with the mower... I have never had trouble with rodents in the past - and I don't know if its the heat and drought or just the luck of the draw, but this year I am finding holes chewed all the juicy fruits and vegetables within mouse-reach. What's frustrating is that they are going after everything - and way before it reaches a stage were we might could pull and store to ripen in safety. I'm especially torqued about the melons - as I have had the best success I've ever had - in getting a good crop of watermelons and cataloes germinated and established... So far I have not been able to harvest a single one that was in good enough condition for even ME to eat (and I will eat the ugliest of the ugly)

Carmen is back and I can't tell you how happy I am. She is truly an outstanding person - so diligent, strong, and intuitive. She is no taller than me - but she has the strength and stamina of ten grinches plus two. We have been busy picking like crazy - trying to stay ahead of the mice and heat. We have been trying to start the seedlings for the fall vegetables - but it is way too hot in the little greenhouse. I weighed the risk - and decided to move the tables out under the pecan trees to try starting the seeds in the shade. I figure the risk of bad weather outweighs the risk of not getting things established in time to maintain volume harvests needed for the membership shares. (starting the seeds outside under the trees will be cooler and more productive germination wise - however they won't have much protection from the elements. A hard rain - or worse - hail, could break up the soil blocks and/or wash out the seeds/seedlings before they establish a decent root system...) Keep your fingers crossed...

The little chick has done remarkably well. I waited all last week for more eggs to hatch so I could return him/her to the care of a mother hen - but none hatched. We should have had many more hatch by now (its day 28 for at least 10 of the eggs that the hens have been tending) The heat inside the hen house was way above 102 3 days in a row last week, and so probably much warmer than that under the hens' bottoms - so it is unlikely any of the other eggs will hatch. I transferred the little peep out into a safety pen this morning - in the yard with the other chickens. At least this way - it will be able to socialize some, and have a better chance of being accepted into the flock once its big enough to get out there with them. Tonight I am going to slip into the henhouse and move one of the sitting hens in with the little peep - in hopes she'll accept and raise it as her own. It fell out of one of 3 nests - so I don't know which hen was its original "nest mom". Hopefully the one I pick will be take over the raising and protecting - so I can focus all my attention on keeping YOU folks in vegetables!

Tomorrow's Shares: Potatoes, Tomatoes (mainly the smaller red Arkansas Travelers and the little Yellow Pears), Carrots (digging up a new planting this afternoon... hope to harvest larger ones with less splitting than last harvest...) Sweet Peppers

August 20th, 2007

Hi Folks, If I could think of something light or humorous to say about how hot and dry things are here on the farm, believe me, I would. I've been trying to come up with something all day - but I guess I'll need to think on it a bit more as soon as my brain and everything else cools down. Even Neil - who always has a funny anecdote no matter how difficult or trying things are, is having trouble coming up with anything other than "Dang. Its really hot".

Even with the drip irrigation going non-stop, the high temps and constant breeze are drying everything to a crisp. You would think the breeze would help cool things but in this heat, it is like a convection oven to the vegetables (and the farmer!)

Last Monday, the big walk-in cooler pooped out. The repair guys worked and worked on it, but determined it needed a new compressor - which (of course) they had to order. They installed a smaller one temporarily, to try to help us out until the new one came in and it worked OK when the cooler was almost empty. But, later in the week, everything that was doing so well and loaded down in the field with fruit (peppers, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans) started really stressing out (lots of wilt and shrivel) and I knew the only chance I would have to save it until this week's delivery would be to harvest and try to store it. So that's what I did.

The additional activity and volume though - was too much for the loner compressor, and all weekend, it struggled - but was only able to keep the temp inside about 20 degrees cooler than what it was in the shade outside (about 70 degrees).

What teeny bit of humor I had left in me after the week of heat - and then fretting all weekend over the temps in the cooler - was whisked away Sunday morning...  All week I'd gotten up and outside before the sun to try and get in as much work as possible before it got too
@$%!ing hot, so on Sunday - after letting the chickens out I decided (well - my back decided) I ought to try and catch an extra 40 winks - and I crawled back into bed. I was in the most blissful coma when I got a knock on the back door. It was Neil. Noting the drool and my gluey eyes, he said - "Oh. You haven't seen it yet then, have you? I just blinked trying to figure out if I was just dreaming - and he said for me to meet him in the front yard. So I stumbled through the house and opened the front door. It took me about a minute to understand what I was seeing. At first it looked like it had snowed - and that someone had been playing catch with a million little colored balls and had just left them laying in the snow - all over the place... As I got the sleepy out of my eyes, I realized that someone had spread what looked like 10 TONS of shredded newspaper over every square inch of the front lawn (which is a pretty big space, 'bout 1/8 of an acre) and also had strung all the maples and a pecan tree with rolls and rolls of toilet paper (nice - expensive paper too...) But the thing that really got to me were the little "balls"... Whoever did the papering had evidently spied the crates of winter squashes I had left sitting in the bed of the truck the night before. (I picked winter squashes up until 9 o'clock Saturday night - and was too pooped to store them - so I left them in the truck bed to put away on Sunday...) They emptied all the crates - about 90 pounds - of squashes by slinging each and every one of them as far as they could into all four corners of the yard as well as the field beside the house. It took Neil and I a while - but we got it all up (I figure I'll compost the shredded newspaper - just out of spite...) Most of the squashes were ok (lost about 20 pounds that got split from hitting the ground) which the chickens were delighted to have for breakfast)

Evidently, papering yards is a favorite "yadkinese" tradition. Neil speculated that they probably mistook the farmhouse for my neighbor's house because they did another house a little farther down the road too - and both are the homes of recent Boonville High School graduates - and this is something they "give" them before they head off to college...

Hopefully that's the worst thing that will happen THIS week. They brought the new compressor today, and the temps inside now are almost frosty - but the vegetables didn't hold well and we pretty much had to toss everything. We decided to go ahead and harvest a few rows of potatoes a little earlier, and they are very nice (thank goodness!)

So, in addition to Potatoes, your shares will include Pumpkins or Spaghetti Squash (might not have 65 pumpkins, so some members will get a spaghetti squash) and Tomatoes. Note: the pumpkins are little "Snack JacK" pumpkins. Members last year enjoyed them so I decided to grow them again this year. They are famous for their seeds - which are hulless and so - easy to roast (and very tasty...) Just scoop out the pulp onto an oiled cookie sheet and roast them in the oven until they are golden (just make sure you watch them so they don't get too brown) and also roast or boil the rest of the pumpkin for muffins, pie, or cake.  I am picking up boxes this Thursday - so those of you who have not been getting a box lately - we'll get you fixed up by next delivery.

 August 21, 2007

Just counted pumpkins and I have 63! (enough for everyone to get one except for the two members on Vacation (not to worry you two... There will be a few more coming out of the garden and we'll hold them for you.)

I forgot to mention that I have a few dozen eggs. I've been turning the girls out in the fields a lot lately to clean up the gardens - and they have been having a blast. Have been laying some of the largest eggs of the season (you'd think with the heat - they would have dried up or something...) Their favorite thing though are the apples that fall off the little tree by the farmhouse. (Let me know if any of you taste a hint of "macIntosh" in your scrambled eggs!) Anyway I have a few dozen - so let me know if you'd like some - first emailed first served - and I'll put your name on 'em and put them in your share box this afternoon.

I also have a little bit of cilantro (just a bit - but I'm happy to harvest it all as it will surely go to seed today) so I will bring it in and put it on the porches in a jar of water at each of the delivery places - so you can grab a couple of sprigs if you want them. I will also leave jalapenos (if there are any out there today to harvest). See you this afternoon!

August 27, 2007

Just came in from the gardens and it is looking like we will be able to pull together another nice harvest of potatoes, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and some carrots for you this week. The carrots are big and sweet - though they are not what I would describe as all that pretty. The dry ground caused some branching on some of them and some twisting and interesting shapes - but I had some raw this afternoon for lunch and they were so tasty that I'm cooking a couple more up tonight in a bisque. They are also perfect for juicing - for those of you who have discovered the joys (and culinary bliss) of juicing fresh vegetables and fruits).

As for the news and what's been happening on the farm - well - I won't bore you with a weather report. Just know that it has rained less than 3/10s of an inch (last Tuesday/delivery day - which was fun) and so we continue to do our best to irrigate. I HAD to put out the broccoli starts last week as they were getting way too big to survive in the seed blocks any longer. Friday it was a cloudy morning - so I hurried out and got 210 seedlings in the ground - hoping it would stay overcast until nightfall - but no such luck. They are taking a beating (sun scald) but as of today - I'd say half are still hanging in there... I have a BUNCH of Asian greens and some lettuces that are now ready to go out as well - and I have been waiting for one of those "cooler" days Ed Mathews has been saying was coming to get them outside.

We have been digging potatoes in the early morning hours and so far have dug up about 300 pounds. The walk-in is working good now - so we will store them in there and dole them out in the next few weeks - hopefully tiding us over until some of the greens can get established and start producing.

I have been trying to work on an assessment of the season to date. I hope to have it all entered and crunched this week, as I need to know how best to plan for the remainder of the season. Once I ve it all compiled I will put together a brief summary for you.

I went to pick up he extra boxes last Thursday - but unfortunately, when I pulled up to the truck that was meeting me with them - the driver realized that the farmer whom he had just delivered boxes to - had inadvertently picked up my 12 too - and had already gotten down the raod when he realized it. For those of you who will get a bag again this week - my apologies. I will try to get down there again in a week or so to try again.

I have only about 5 dozen eggs this week. The girls have found a way out of the fence and unfortunately - have some of them have taken up their laying under the cool of the pack house -(can't blame them...) where I can't reach them - so until I repair the fence - I will have less eggs I'm afraid.  I also have some hot peppers (cayenne and jalapenos) too so let me know if you want some. See you tomorrow.

September 3, 2007

Hi Folks,The week has been dry as a bone (again). We had one brief spatter of rain during the night early in the week - but it didn't even register in the gauge...
Two bright notes this week are: the second planting of Edamame is ready and so we will be harvesting it today for this week's delivery (though the yield is going to be much less than the previous harvest, I'm afraid) - And, we had another little chick hatch (this is a good story too - an itty bitty little chick, with one (good) eye, and two moms. Details to follow...)

So, in addition to Edamame, your shares this week will include: sweet peppers, tomatoes, and some winter squash (butternut or acorn). I wish I had additional positive news to report to you, but the truth is there's not much else left in the gardens to harvest this season other than sweet peppers, tomatoes, and a few eggplant... I have continued to water everything in rotation - daily, as much as the well, pump, and drip irrigation system can handle - but I am sad to report that the broccoli seedlings I planted out have not faired well - with only about 1/3 of them are still alive, and I am not at all optimistic about the greens, mustards, and lettuces I have waiting in the greenhouse to be planted out. (I have been holding out on transplanting them for almost 2 weeks, waiting for rain. But the forecast this morning has us dry and above normal temps - again - for the rest of the week. I can't hold them in the trays any longer as they are way too big already - and will have to put them out this week anyhow... (Dang.)

For what its worth, and as you already hear daily on the news, practically every farmer in the state is getting similarly creamed one way or another. In this neck of the woods, tobacco tonnage will be way, way down and grain crops are almost a total loss. There won't be a soybean crop in the entire county this season. Hay and corn are in such short supply that all of the poultry and cattle farmers who can, are trying to get it trucked in from other states. (One of Neil's brothers who raises cattle called him last night at 9:30 to see if he would consider dusting off his CDL license to drive in a tractor trailer load he had located from the coast). Down by the river, we can hear the trains delivering corn for Holly Farms from out of the midwest - at least twice each day in order to keep the poultry graineries stocked right now. A neighbor brought over a photo that was in the local paper last week of the dam at Elkin Creek. For the first time in living memory, Elkin Creek has run dry enough that it no longer flows over the dam - at all....

The long and short of it folks is that the lack of rain and weeks and weeks of extreme temperatures have cut production for all farmers in the area significantly. I wish I could be more hopeful, but the reality is that after this week, we'll have enough potatoes for one more delivery, and other than tomatoes and sweet peppers, I can't say at this point what else to expect for the shares for the remainder of the season... Right now, in order to keep the tomatoes and peppers producing, and to try to save the seedling transplants, (plus a few rows of sweet corn I am insanely trying to coax a late harvest out of), I've had to pretty much stop watering the herbs, squashes, cukes, chard, and beans... As for the fall plantings, so much depends on what I can get established in the time left between now and frost. We had to replant many of the greens and lettuces early in the season - so I have fewer seeds left than I budgeted to have on hand for the fall plantings and, I have also just about reached the bottom of my labor budget.

I don't mean to be Debbie Downer. Just wanted you to know where things stand on this farm, that I've done the best I could under the circumstances so far, (have cut every possible expense and just as soon as I can sit myself down and finish entering in all the data, I'll have a summary for you of where we stand to date in terms of actual weight/volume delivered, total operating costs etc...), and to let you know that I promise to continue to do all I can to plant, nurture, and hopefully harvest enough to deliver as much of the 30 week term as possible.
Hang in there with me.

September 11, 2007

I won't be making a delivery today... I do have some tomatoes, sweet peppers, a small amount of eggplant and okra to harvest, as well as about 100 pounds of potatoes left in the walk-in, but the amount will not make a complete share for everyone for the week. With the chance for rain and cooler temps later in the week (and the increased gas prices) it would be prudent I think to focus efforts this week on harvesting and caring for what's out there, and on planting/seeding for a potential harvest of fall vegetables, rather than delivering a partial share this week...

Come and Get It
The peppers and potatoes will store well for a week or longer, but the Okra and Tomatoes will not store as long - and so I can make up a shares worth of either, or both - for anyone who would like to come out to the farm for it. Okra and tomatoes have to be picked daily and so there should be enough available to make up several shares daily. So - PLEASE feel free to come up to the farm (even if just for a visit with the chickens - or to see a drought in progress!)

Also, if it DOES actually get cooler this week, I will be planting out all the seedlings that are "dying" to get out of the greenhouse - so you could also observe that (or even get into the dirt with me and plant some!)
Just call or email me if you would like to come out and to let me know what you want might want to pick up as well.

As For Next Week (and beyond...)
I'm still not sure what to tell you to expect just yet. I can tell you that even if the weather miraculously turns around today and behaves perfectly through November, we have already spent the 2007 budget for the year and then some - so, we have fewer seeds to plant than anticipated - and I will need to do the planting, tending and harvesting without outside help - BUT - that is what I'm still planning on doing! The past week was way too hot and dry (again, again) to attempt transplanting the fall seedlings or to direct seed the turnip and other greens "patch" for fall/winter harvest. I need to conserve every remaining seed I have left in stock and will get out there the minute the weather guys up the odds a bit in our favor.

The summary of the 2007 operating expenses and budget is still in pieces on my desk - but I've hit the high points for you below. In a nutshell every season, I plan a comprehensive budget that includes all of the labor, seeds, soil inputs and materials, equipment, equipment maintenance, gasoline, diesel fuel, and electricity needed to meet the volume production for the total number of members being served for the season. Then I add 20% of the overall total to cover "contingencies" (the unforeseen and unexpected...) We started out the year ahead of the game - as I had some viable seed stock available from 2006, and - all the equipment needed for the CSA was purchased and expensed last season. But, like that Nationwide commercial goes - "life comes at you fast"... If I had known how the year would unfold, I would have added a LOT more than 20%.
Everything cost more this year - but the three expenses that hit us the hardest were:

Labor
To recover from 80 degree days in March, PLUS the infamous Easter Freeze in April, AND THEN a blazing hot and dry summer, we essentially had to plant Spring and Summer crops - twice... That meant making - nurturing - and setting out many additional soil blocks and seedling transplants than budgeted for, as well as re-preparing the garden beds between replanting, as well as installing, moving, running, and monitoring a LOT more lines of irrigation. The additional expense for contract labor for this was roughly $364, and 220+ hours for me extra ("comp" time?)
An additional $425 for contract labor and diesel fuel was incurred - to save the second plantings when the extremely dry conditions in late May and June "outran" the drip irrigation, well and pump systems and we had to set up Neil's old 5 inch metal pipe crop sprinkler system and pump water to the gardens from the farm pond... Fortunately Neil had the old system sitting in storage so we didn;t have to rent one - and the crew of fellows we had to help us set it up are "old-timers" who have the process down to a science (it was truly a joy to watch them do it). But, it still took about 42 man hours (6 fellows, 6 hours each to erect it and then another 3 hours each to remove it). I should also compute Neil's time for supervising the installation, setting up Bessie (the tractor) and her water pump, and for babysitting both of them 2 nights from 6 til 11PM, (not to mention the time he spent carving mud dobber and mouse nests out of the pipes and sprinkler heads with his pocket knife!)

Equipment Repair:
$603! (a real bummer...) for a new compressor for the walk-in cooler. Unfortunately, the one that came with the unit when we bought it just last season was too small to meet the demand and it gave up about 3 1/2 weeks ago... (the 50 consecutive 90+ degree days didn't help much either). I would have waited until next season to replace it but we still had the majority of the potatoes to harvest and store - and I couldn't come up with another space cool or large enough to store them safely in this heat. I also (still) hope to have other things to harvest and store this fall, and also, the contractor who provided the new compressor was willing to give us a 45 day term for payment (thank goodness!), so we bit the bullet and got the new compressor. (I have two refrigerators on the farm too in which to store things - but I have turned them both off after having determined that because of their age, they cost more per month to run than the walk in does.)

Organic Certification Application Fee
I was counting on a grant that was available to NC farmers to reimburse them for the pricey USDA Organic Certification application. When I went to apply to recoup the $480 fee in June, I was told simply that there were no funds left for 2007. (I am still trying to determine why)
As long as I have the seed and hope for improved weather conditions, I will plan to keep at it folks... Lettuces and greens are fast growers (available for harvest in as little as 25 to 30 days) and just as soon as I see even a glimmer of a window of cooler soils and moisture - I will be out there doing what ever I can to get a good variety of each established for you fall delivery.

A Heartfelt Thanks...
To all of you who have been sending the wonderful emails with words of encouragement and shared garden disasters and experiences, and for the many hugs and well wishes given to me last Tuesday in person! - I just wanted to say Thank you, Thank you, Thank you from the bottom of my heart...
I can't express just how much your thoughtfulness means to me. The energy I have received from serving you is simply immeasurable - makes all of the difficulties of the day and of this season melt away - and is more than worth the hours spent or any discomfort experienced. Please know that I value your confidence very much and look forward to continuing to serve you for as long as possible this season. (Work - is love made visible - Kahlil Gibran)
Come for a visit and some vegetables if you can! (Drop me an email or give me a call to let me know. And, remember that my phone number is now 336 677-1700!) Warmest Regards Ever...

September 17, 2007

Hi Folks, It RAINED! (BOY did it rain...) I still haven't emptied the rain gauge - because I have NEVER seen it that full before. Believe it or not, we got at least 6 inches! It started before sunrise Friday and literally poured down until about 4:00 that afternoon. No break. It was actually WAY too much too fast - but hey WHO's COMPLAINING... We'll take what we can get!

Its too wet still to do any planting - but at least I know I will be able to this week sometime. My plan is to mix the seeds of the fall greens I have left and direct seed a large garden plot between the church and the Big garden, where it will somewhat protected from the rabbits and deer. (Neil's dog "Shy" sleeps close by that plot at night) I will be making a delivery to you this week.  Shares will include: potatoes (I will deliver all that we have left, so I can turn off the big walk-in cooler and save some electricity) tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant, and I will bring some buckets of Muscadine Grapes - so you can take a hand full when you come to get your shares.

Neil planted 5 acres of Muscadine last year. We didn't expect to have much fruit from them the first year(especially after the Easter Freeze ) but some of the vines did manage to produce - so we thought we'd share them with you. (we've been snacking on them all weekend and they are wonderful!)

For those of you who might not be familiar with eating muscadine grapes - they are a little different from your standard table grape. They have seeds - and the outer skin is very thick and not necessarily tasty (though medicinally it is VERY good for you!) There are two techniques to eating muscadine and the flavor and goodness of these grapes is well worth the effort! (FYI Muscadine skins and pulp contains HUGE amounts of reservatrol - a rich antioxidant and the key ingredient in the "Nature's Pearl" and other popular supplements on the market...)

One way to eat them is to simply squish out the inner pulp into your mouth and chew the goodness around the seeds - and then either spit out the seeds or swallow them whole along with the pulp. The other way is to bite into the whole grape and chew lightly (like a grape press) and then either spit out the skin and seeds - just getting all the good juice and chewy pulp - or swallow everything (and get ALL the nutrients!) Or you can take them in a bunch and squeeze or juice them and just drink the juice... If you have never tried Muscadine - you really should. I will see you tomorrow!

September 25, 2007

Hi Folks, Well, its gotten hot again (like I needed to TELL you that).  Yesterday was the first day of Fall (but I guess North Carolina didn't get the memo...) The 6 inches of rain we received last week was great but it was also pretty hard on the planting beds - and we've been waiting for them to dry out enough to re-work them (again!) and get them ready for direct seeding (spinach).  Thats what I will be doing the rest of this week - along with a LOT of MOWING!  I was able to plant out the lettuce seedlings that have been waiting for ages to get out of the greenhouse and into the ground.  (see photos below).  Of course, just as soon as I planted them out, the temperature warmed up again (it has been "cooking" hot here). 

The tomatoes and  peppers are slowing down now and so there will not be enough to harvest for a delivery this week.  There are tomatoes and peppers (and EGGS!) available, so if you would like to drive out, we can fix you up with some.   Just give me a quick call or email to let me know when you are planning to be coming up and I will be sure to have it waiting for you. 

Volunteers Anyone who would like to come out to lend a hand - I will need some light labor to spread leaf mulch around the newly planted lettuces. The mulch will help to keep their roots cool in this dang heat - and help keep the lettuce cleaner (prevents soil splash when it rains - if we ever GET another rain!)  I need to get the mulching done as soon as possible - so anyone who would like to come out tonight, tomorrow night, or Thursday night, let me know and I'll hold off doing it myself (I have a billion other things that I can do instead! ) I could also use some hands taking down trellising and storing away.

I'll be back in touch next week to give you a progress report.   Hopefully these photos and the anticipation of a "greens" fall will help to tide everyone over until we can start harvesting. (I'll be posting a BUNCH more photos on the web later this week.) Warm Regards,

A picture is worth a 1,000 words...   

(I call this one "Sunflower 2007")

October 2, 2007

Hi Folks, We are still working on establishing some fall (and winter) greens for you. So far, the lettuces I planted out have all taken root without much stress. We mulched them and have been trying to keep them moist and cool as possible. (The cooler nights have helped a great deal) Other than a little sun scald - they are looking good. I also have started a couple of hundred Pac Choi in seed blocks in the greenhouse - and they too are doing pretty good. I put them in a cooler corner of the house and they germinated well there so I will probably be able to plant them out in a week or so - if the weather stays mild.

We are having to monitor the well now... We were watering the turnip/kale/mustard patch over the weekend with a garden sprinkler and noticed that the pressure would go way way down and then back up again (causing the water to pool on the patch in places - which isn't desirable) and Neil is concerned that we may have drawn the well down this year. He pretty confident that this particular well will be OK. I really hope so... (The "Big" garden's original well DID run dry last season so we have been using the well that supplies the farmhouse ever since!)

I still do not have much to bring into town - so I will not make any deliveries this week. There are some tomatoes, eggplant, sweet red peppers, cayenne peppers, and several dozen eggs (the hens are laying very very well now that they are no longer molting. (and gorging on over ripen tomatoes I've been tossing over the fence!) All are definitely available to anyone who might want to drive up for some (no charge).

Despite the disappointing harvest, this is my most favorite time of year on the farm. Everything slows down and relaxes a bit (which helps to remind me to knock it down 1,000 too...) As the days get shorter and cooler, the animals are more attentive and friendly. I've seen Josie the horse kick up her heels a couple of times in the early morning or late afternoon coolness - just goofing around - when she didn't know I was watching her... She has such an "attitude". She'll go out of her way to make you think she is all serious - all the time (and above goofing) - but I know better. The hummingbirds are gone now - even the occasional stragglers - who are just passing through on their journey south. Replacing them are the butterflies, gold finches - and the CROWS! (I can always tell when the pecans are ready!) A huge family of crows showed up over the weekend and have been spending hours in the trees cracking and filling up on pecans. It drives Neil nuts (no pun intended) He's an incredible marksman, (remember the tom turkey story?) He can pick off even the smallest target (and I'm not talking with buck or bird shot here either - but with a little bullet) clean as a whistle (they NEVER know what hit 'em) - but of course, he knows that I would have a COW - so this morning, instead of the 22 he keeps in the back of old blue, he went and got his trusty "Bird Gard Super Pro" instead, and set up under one of the trees - and the crows all very quickly (and nosily) moved to the pecan grove in the neighbors yard across the road... The Bird Gard really saved the day in the vineyard last year and this season too. It is a system of loud speakers - hooked to a car battery - that projects the sounds of birds in distress. It really clears the area of birds. The only draw back here on the farm is that it is LOUD and drives the dogs crazy - and also, because we've misplaced the manual - we can't set it for "just crows" or "just pigeons" - so it cycles through all the different birds - and there isn't a bird of ANY kind on the farm to be seen when its on!

There is one thing about this time of year that I really dread. This is the time when the farmers will often sell off the calves born during the season. And there is no doubt when they have (it happened last week) because you will hear the cows call out for their babies. It is such a woeful sound - especially at night, when it seems like you can hear every cow on every farm - miles and miles away. They will call and then wait for a response - and then call again - all night long. After a day, sometimes two, they will stop, and its such a relief...

I have really been enjoying the beautiful moon that has been out each night this week and this time of year as the air gets clearer, I rediscover the stars again. With the windows open at night I can hear the high pitched squeaks and screeches of the owls that live in the barns and the old church building - as well as the howls and yowls of the family of coyotes living in the dense woods and thickets near Neil's brother's farm, just across the highway. I am always amazed at how close they are. You never see them - but if there is a siren of any kind - they will all sing with it - and the neatest thing is they hear the siren before you ever do - so they will start up and be going at it and sometimes you'll never even hear the siren that got them started. They have never been any trouble here on this farm. They stay on the other side of the highway - and will occasionally become an issue to Neil's brother Keith - when his cows are calving.

We've been working on "unstalling" the winery construction. It came to a screeching halt 2 months ago - so that we could get a better handle on building costs. Our goal is to use a much "green" building materials and technology as possible but that is easier to do on paper than it is to do in real life - cost efficiently - anyway. It is taking a LOT more energy to research materials, techniques, and resources - than anticipated. And I have been pretty disappointed at the high cost of "doing the right thing" - but we're slugging through it. We're determined do everything we can to use local materials, and materials that will save energy in the future.

If any of you have any contacts or experience with sub-contractors who have a handle on green building and systems - please forward the information to me. Neil and I would definately appreciate it...

One cool thing that happened last week, was a visit by an avid birder and naturalist who was referred to us by one of our members (Thank you Tara!!!) Lloyd hiked the woods and fields on the farm where the vineyard and winery site are with Neil and I - to help us identify rare and interesting plants and trees as well as choice areas in which to establish the nature trails and blinds for bird watching Heil wants to make avilable to folks year-round. He noted a LOT of interesting plants and places of interest for us. The highlight of the day was seeing a great big tom turkey. We were walking over the dam of the lake Neil built next to the winery site - and had paused to look at the very dry lake bed below, when the Tom jumped out of the brush and flew off - just a few feet from where we were standing. We've been seeing their feet prints and lots of signs of them all around the winery construction site and around the big watershed lake - and have spotted hens and chicks in the open fields from far away - but I've never seen one that close up before. He was HUGE!

Well - I could go on but this email is already WAY too long (sorry...) So - I'll be back in touch next week. As always, come out for a visit if you would like to get away (and pick up some vegetables or eggs while you are here!) Just give me a quick call to let me know when.
 

October 9, 2007

Hi Folks, At 11 o'clock, the temperature on the thermometer just outside the little greenhouse read 94, and the one in the shade of the maples in the front yard of the farm house was reading 89... 

Whew! Another one for the record books I am guessing.  More unusual that the temperature, however, is what I spied growing under the tree where the thermometer is hanging.  I am certain that I have never seen one of these - in OCTOBER!

Its a crocus - usually, one of the very first bulbs to bloom each year (late January or so) often poking through snow or semi frozen ground.  I wonder what it means to see them now!  Neil discovered this apple tree - and I just had to take a picture of it too - for the record books...  (Also, as I walked back inside, I spied a clump of Lilly of the valley bulbs emerging as well as a peony!  Very Weird...

        
Tripper, keeping a watchful eye...                              

Neil spied this pear tree down the road in full (its a crocus - blooming in October?)

I have also observed that every woolly worm I've come across here on the farm has been completely black. Not a one has had any red/brown stripes visible at all...  Woollyworm.com  (yes, the woolly worm has a web site) says that although Scientists don't believe the worms have weather forecasting powers, the site claims that over the past 20 years, they've had an 85% record for accuracy forecasting the winter weather of the mountain regions of NC!  It is believed (by non-scientists) that the varying color and order of the worm's (well - its actually a caterpillar) stripes, will predict the weather in the region in which they were born.  (Scientists believe that the coloring and striping are simply caused by temperature levels and, possibly, moisture, during the early days of their life.)  There are two generations of worms each year, (June and September) and believers say that it is the second generation (which are the ones I have been seeing)  that are the "weather prophets."  I wonder what the woolly worms on this farm are trying to tell us about the coming winter?

I had planned to set out the Pac Choi seedlings by now, but decided it would not be prudent to tuck their tender little roots into such hot soil.  With the forecast for cooler temps possible later this week, I'm going to leave them in the shade a while longer until the soil cools down to a temperature they can better adapt to.  The bad news with that the longer they sit in the shade, the more "leggy" they become (as they stretch up and out in search of sunlight) and this is not what we want them to do - as they will be more susceptible to wind damage and sun scald when they do get out into the big world. 

I have also been watching the swiss shard closely.  We have been carefully weeding and working over all of the plants that survived the summer in an effort to keep them alive until cooler temps (Thanks go out to member Susan Perkins who came out weeded a LOT of them this past Friday!), and I've been in denial I think, about the spots that I have detected on them. Upon my morning inspection today, I've had to force myself to conclude that I really AM seeing spots - as I noted them on new growth today...  - and that it IS indicative of something more serious than just "cosmetic" coloring.  It is Cercospora, a disease caused by - you guessed it - extreme water and/or temperature stress.  I've been researching organic remedies all morning.  I know that the safest course to take in order to keep the disease from being a problem in future seasons is to pull all the plants up (the ones from this spring as well as the ones we just transplanted out) and thoroughly clean the fields of any plant debris...  I've written to several trusted resources though to see if there is anything I might be able to do to save a new patch.  I'll keep you posted... 

On a brighter note, while I was out fretting over spots this morning, I discovered dill and cilantro seedlings coming up in what is a now a shady part of the big garden.  At first glance, I wrote them off as just more weeds I needed to contend with - but as I moved around I detected the slight scent of dill which immediately got me down on all fours for as closer look - and there they were!  I'm tickled about the discovery, and will try to nurture the patches to harvest stage for you.   As I am sure you've figured out by now, I won't be making a delivery today...  For anyone who might want to drive up for some,  we did harvest some tomatoes, sweet peppers, and there are eggplant still to pick in the greenhouse, (as well as eggs - $3/doz)  

Wish I had more positive news to share today. It does me good to go out and look at what IS growing though, and so I took some pictures so that you could see them too. Have a look -  http://www.sandersridge.com/october_9_2007.htm.  I'll be back in touch next week...

October 16, 2007
Not much new happened on the farm this week. We did get all the Pac Choi seedlings planted and they look great! All of the other seedlings are doing OK - and the spinach seed I direct planted is just starting to emerge They must be kept consistently wet though and that is going to be a challenge - as we are rotating the watering systems between all of the gardens - all week - to try and get enough to each of them on a consistent basis... It is working OK - but a good soaking rain would make all the difference in the world in both growth and flavor.

There is a chance we'll get some rain this weekend (a little less than 30% though) if it does then maybe by next Tuesday there will be enough growth for us to harvest some of the larger leaves of the greens and get them to you. That is what I am shooting for, anyway. I took some photos this morning to share with you in the meantime (I'll post them tonight)...I'll be in touch next Monday.

October 22, 2007

Well, we didn't get more than just a brief drizzle last week - but it is looking like we can at least harvest a bag of mixed turnip, mustard, and kale greens for everyone, as well as a tomato and a sweet red pepper or two...
I also have about 10 dozen eggs available. The lettuces are looking good - but the warm temps haven't allowed them to sweeten at all (still too bitter for even for THIS fern fondler's taste buds...) Delivery this week will be at the regular times and your regular drop off places:

NUTS! For anyone who would like to try a few, I will leave a basket of black walnuts at each drop off location. I have been gathering them from the trees at Kate's (Neil Mom), which is one of the old Shore family home places. They have been gathering and using these nuts for a LOT of years and Kate had such a windfall of them this year, she asked me to come and gather all I wanted. I have several baskets all ready for the winter, and so I thought I would gather enough for you all too in case you'd like to give them a try...

These nuts are different from the English walnuts we are used to buying, as they require a bit more work to "put up" as well as crack and shell. However, the effort is WELL worth it, as the flavor of the nut meat is so much more intense and rich... (Kate made us a banana bread with them and the flavor and texture of the cake was just outstanding. Like nothing I have ever tasted.

The nuts will still have their softer outer greenish shell covering - which you will need to be peel away as soon as possible, otherwise the hard nutshells inside will rot - or allow a tiny little worms to bore a hole into the harder shell inside and spoil the nut meat...

Getting this outer layer off is easiest done by putting them on a hard surface like an old board or cement slab, and just smishing them around with your foot until the outer covering pulls away from the harder inner shell. Be sure to wear an old pair of shoes and handle the nuts and discarded shell coverings with gloves! The moist outer covering will REALLY stain your hands. It is a terrific dye though for any of you who might basket weave, dye wool or leather... The greenish shell will peel and smash away pretty well, and once you most of the coating off, just lay the nuts on some newspaper and let them dry. Then you can store them in a paper bag somewhere dry until you want to use them.

The nuts themselves are going to look way different from the English walnuts we are all used to. They'll be harder to crack and shell and the nut meat is smaller and needs to be picked out with a nut pick or dental tool. Use the nut meat in any recipe calling for walnuts or nuts of your choice - BUT - keep in mind that you only need a very small amount of these nuts. If the recipe calls for a cup, you can use as little as 1/4 cup of these guys - as their flavor and oil is so much more intense!

October 30, 2007

Mornin' Folks,We'll be picking romaine lettuce as well as some swiss chard, turnip, and mustard greens for you (just as soon as they thaw out this morning!) There aren't many tomatoes or peppers available in the greenhouse right now, so the greens will be all we'll have in your shares today. Here are some pics I took early this morning... (We got frost yesterday - and a hard freeze today...) 

November 5, 2007

I will make deliveries this week...We'll harvest lettuce and more turnip, mustard and collard greens, as well as some tomatoes for you this week.

I also have eggs, so email me if you'd like a dozen. (The cost is $3. West End folks can give the money to Becky when you pick up your shares tomorrow. Washington Park, Sherwood Forest, and Elkin folks can mail a check to the address below...) Check out these recipes - Three Ways to Cook Greens in Under 10 Minutes - at http://www.seasonalchef.com/greens.htm  Also, here are some instructions on freezing (REAL easy...) greens - if you'd like to wait and use them later on down the road - (for the holidays?)  Freezing Greens  Rinse well and trim off any large midribs or stems.
Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes - or steam for 3 minutes. Stir a few times to prevent leaves from matting, Cool and chop, if desired.
Package in a suitable container - such as freezer bags, plastic or paper containers. Remember to leave 1/2 of space for expansion. (label and date them too)
See you tomorrow!

November 12, 2007

Hi Folks, Assuming that you might be getting maxed out on the greens medley - as well as making special menu plans for Thanksgiving - I thought it might be best to hold off on delivering this week and determine what your needs might be for next week (Thanksgiving!) I would also like to gather your input on how best to wrap up the season... If the temps and elements (or lack there of! ) this season had been even remotely normal, I would be making your final delivery next Tuesday. Rather than throw in the towel in September, I've been playing it by ear - week by week - with the intention of delivering every last drop of quality produce I can squeeze out of what seeds and growing window I have left this year.

Here's where we are at...

Plants germinate, grow, and ripen much more slowly in the fall - even slower in the winter - than they do in the spring and summer months due to the change in sunlight orientation and duration - as well as the variety of plants suited for growing in cooler temps... Right now, all that will be available for the next 2 weeks will be the turnip, mustard, and collard green medley you have been receiving. Sometime in the next several weeks, if we don't have a major freeze or several nights of below freezing temps, it is possible that we will have a share of Pac Choi and Raddichio - from plantings now growing outside in the gardens. I also have a batch of asian greens and spinach seedlings sown in soil blocks - which under more normal (cooler) fall conditions would have already been planted out and ready for harvest in the big greenhouse - but they are still are about two weeks away from being ready to plant out. The tomatoes in the greenhouse are still producing - despite the recent cold snap - and will continue to produce - until we get several nights and days of below freezing temps - but they will produce and ripen very very slowly... So the long and short of it is that other than the greens medley you've been receiving (and possibly some mature turnip roots - if they will ever gain some weight!), there won't be enough of anything else to harvest consistently - most likely - to warrant making deliveries on a weekly basis - after next week.

I will have produce to offer though, and will gladly make it available to any member willing to drive out - but in order to plan accordingly, I need to know now how many members are interested in receiving the produce described - and also willing to commit to coming out to pick it up when it is harvested. That way I can line up alternatives for distributing any surplus - which will include (either/or) selling it to local restaurants or to ECO (a wholesale organic produce distributor to wholefoods and other markets) - or giving it away to local shelters or other organizations feeding the less fortunate...