Milkweed Season

Solid wood sign made by Merril Iverson

   It hasn't been too long since Craig's grandpa died and we are seeing signs of him everywhere - literally, signs!  This is one that he made that hung outside of a church in Altdorf - just down the road and around the corner (technically a part of Vesper).  There is another sign somewhere that says "St. Joseph's" naming the church where his wife and he are now buried.

Jona - master mower

Flapjack 

   I like to take time each year to acknowledge some of the "workers" we house here on our farm.  Firstly, here is Flapjack.  She was a rescue that used to be an indoor cat until Craig moved in with his allergies.  Now, though she is declawed, brings us a mouse or mole nearly every single day.  She has battle scars on her nose but is a most loving feline. Jona Cash is our guinea pig - she tractors the lawn and loves to eat mullein!

Milkweed

 

This time of year the milkweed forms pods.  You can collect these pods if you promise to disperse the seed.  The monarch butterfly needs all the help it can get and you can learn how to propagate their main food source here!  We haven't seen many monarch here on our farm, just a few but we are seeing many milkweed being enjoyed by others.  

 Remember how I want to make sure to share the ugly along with the ornate?  Well, note to the sensitive...I have learned, again a hard lesson.  Never do any farm work in flip flops.  NONE.  Not even if you think you are just going to go do something mundane quick because you will get distracted by other chores and get too busy to change your shoes.  This weekend I dropped a sheet of aluminum siding right on my big toe slicing it in half horizontally.  I went to grab something then got distracted by our old chicken coop that needed to be further disassembled.  Well long story short - I needed to do a partial toenail removal by myself after 2 days of strapping it on trying to avoid the unavoidable.  I did it, it wasn't pretty and it still isn't - won't be for a while.  Don't let the polish fool you; it is there because it hides the dirt you can't get rid of when you are barefoot too much outside :)
  We will hopefully see you tomorrow at the Peach Street Market where we will be offering FRESH SWEET CORN!, garlic, basil and cabbage.  Tomorrow's farm fresh box will include those 4 delicious items PLUS tricolor beans and peppers.  Limited availability for market or farm pick-up or Rapids/Vesper delivery.  Please call to reserve yours 715-572-3813

We are excited about next week's event because it has been in the "dream works" stage for over a year now.  We welcome you to the farm.  You will spend an hour doing yoga in the field taught by Heidi Goodreau, a good friend of mine.  She has a special interest in Nutritious Movement so her yoga style is different than any other experience you may have had!  This will be followed by a sit down on the ground style smorgasbord of Vespertine Garden eats and treats along with our signature blend of tea grown right here!

Limited spots available in order to keep event quaint and engaging.

WHAT YOU NEED:
yoga mat
comfortable clothing - that can get dirty :)
a place setting (plate, spoon, fork glass and mug) cloth napkin if you have one

The event fee is $30.  You can reserve your spot using pay pal to account 715-572-3813

Weed Policy

"Who can save the most blueberries from the hornets?" a fun farm game that gets the kids picking
also known as "who wants blueberry crumble?"

  Oh the dog days of summer.  It. Is. HOT.  The tomatoes and peppers are finally in their sauna of sweat and we grudgingly put our window AC unit it which averages about a week a year.  I can just see the bill writer at Alliant laughing like Dr. Evil as the heat takes a bite out of our energy credit.  Ho hum, first world problems.
  Weather update: we did get hit by some gusty winds but guess what????  We are on a record year so far in that we haven't made any insurance claims...yet...from weather damage to property!  Yay, so when does our premium go down?  The tomatoes did take a hit but since we quadrupled our efforts in their department, you won't even notice : )  and the corn that went horizontal is again upright at 90 degrees with some browning silk as we speak.  My kids jump at being the corn testers in the field (what's better then sun warmed corn fresh from the stalk?) almost as quick as they do for noodles.

  Market update:  The Peach Street market in Rapids on Tuesdays from 7 to 1 has been our market so far this season though you'll see Craig in Marshfield on upcoming Saturdays with our mega heirloom tomatoes!  Highlight of the market for us has been enjoying a delicious, locally sustained lunch created by Great Expectations.  Bacon devlied eggs?  Apple butter?  Yes please!

  This week, I had some of my favorite ladies come visit with their littles.  I think there were a few moments of uninterrupted time around a table talking about all sorts of stuff - work, dreams, food, all of it.  After lunch we found ourselves looking for blueberries.  Where DID we plant them?  I know they are here somewhere?  And there they were, smothered in weeds 3 - 4 ft tall in places with barely a berry showing. How on earth could we ever let this happen?  Oh no, and right next to them is the asparagus patch.  Luckily their gigantic stalks make their own weed problem look small.
  There were a few grumbles from the crew until we launched a game of it seeing who could save them from the hornets and who can save the bushes from the weeds ( I ROCKED this game, in fact I think I may have been the only one playing...huh!)  I think Arlo just laid there looking at the clouds in a standard 8 yr old fashion until I mentioned blueberry cobbler to which he jumped up and started picking double time, frequently asking if he had enough yet.  :How about now?  And now?"
The cobbler was amazing and tasted better with friends.  Now I can even see my bushes but the birds can suddenly see the berries...maybe we were onto something :)
  I remember one of our very first farm tours.  We asked every friend and relative to come out and help us weed everything and get the farm pretty for the visitors and local paper.  There was a mom and daughter at the tour talking softly to eachother and in a not so positive manner.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong when suddenly the daughter raised her hand sharply and said that basically she could not believe that we didn't use any chemicals because there wasn't a weed to be seen.  Ever since then, we have made it a policy around here to never leave any area weedless in case we would be charged with not practicing organic methods.

From the Roots Up

Merril Iverson "this soil grows the best tomatoes in the land!"

  Craig's grandpa Merril died this past week.  He lived well into his nineties and was sharp as ever right until the end.  He spoke of this amazing tomato before his death.  It was 7 inches wide! Flash forward a few decades, and the backdrop of this photograph has dramatically changed.  Interestingly, this year we have quadrupled our tomato efforts and now have his blessing from above on this crop.

My little market helpers

First thing is first:  what will we have at the market tomorrow?

cabbage   broccoli   cauliflower  garlic   basil   dill

BONUS:  take home growing salad bowls and the new  Market Fresh Box!

growing salad bowl 

  The growing salad bowls will give you a home cut, fresh salad 3-5 times right in your very own home!  Two sizes are available.  Receive 1$ discount when pot is returned or choose to keep the biodegradable bamboo pot :)

  What is the VG MARKET FRESH BOX?  Well, it contains everything you see for sale at our market stand PLUS a few bonus items not available on the tables.  This week's box will have the following bonus items:  mint and anise tea mix bunch ready to be dried in your home and a bunch of kale and or chard.  There will be a limited amount of boxes available so come early and grab yours!

 WOW, "summer is flying by" has become just as common as "how are you?"  We are all feeling it; the rush of time beneath our feet as our full summer calendars get heavy with ink.  This is a time when the work of the spring really rewards us farmers.  We have had great germination rates, super weather - rain exactly when we need it!  We haven't watered our 4 main gardens once!  The hot crops (tomatoes and peppers) did get a slow start with the cool early summer we had but they are well on their way now!  Here are some beautiful photographs of what is happening here on our farm!

raised beds of cabbage and basil

our very own chicken whisperer!

finished beet hummus and basil pesto - easy freezing for winter enjoyment

  Social media uses LOVE to paint everything sunny because it sells - though there is a dirty side of life and in farming sometimes that is even more messy.  To balance out the beauty I shared above, here are some of the farming realities we are facing!  Eagles love to eat chicken.  So do farm cats, racoons, weasels and foxes and we are surrounded by all of them this year.  Apparently the word is out that we are offering fresh, free chicken for the wild.  Caution: the following picture is not dreamy and perfect as those above-it is a reality of ours!

chicken dinner, no gravy

Unfortunately, this means that we are not offering meat birds this year.  This was a HUGE deal for us to realize and it is even harder to tell our customers and family/friends that.  The pressure is probably on us from our own making though it is hard to not do something that we always have done.  That being said...WOW does not having meat birds change the amount of free time we have for the summer!!!  We have now had the openings of time we haven't had in the past which we are really happy about.  Now, the work it underway for building a totally different coop AKA "chicken vault" that ONLY chickens and humans are able to come and go from.  It involves Craig's hops project, a window and 2 chicken ladders...stay tuned.  

  Another reality?  The kitchen aftermath from a beet hummus and basil pesto frenzy.  Sure, the pretty jars ready for freezing shown above are beautiful but there is a big mess where those came from!

perfect day for the dishwasher to take a time out

  We hope to see you at the market tomorrow, and if you can't make it to see us, go visit a farmer near you.