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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| raised beds of cabbage and basil |
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| our very own chicken whisperer! |
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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.
