Winter Activities on the Farm

As I write this, it is cold and very windy outside and I am grateful that many of my winter chores require me to work indoors.  On the occasional lovely day though, I resent being “chained to the desk”.

So, what does a farmer do during the winter months?  Mostly, catches up on all the things that didn’t get done during the growing season, mostly paper work.  Last year, just as the busiest part of the season was approaching, I had a major computer crash.  It took more than six weeks to get my system up and running and Quickbooks operational again.  By that time, I was hopelessly behind.  I did just enough to be sure that any Statements I generated would be accurate and left the rest to pile up on my desk.

Now, after about 60 hours of consistent work, I am coming to the bottom of that pile.  Just in time to begin preparing for tax time!

I have spent another 40 hours working on crop planning for the coming season and I have another full week of work to go.  When I am finished, I will know exactly how many seeds I need to plant, in how many flats, and what week to sow them.  I will know the week the seedlings will be ready to transplant and exactly which bed they will go in.  I began this work by developing a Proposed Harvest Schedule for all of 2010 and early 2011.  This Schedule details all of the crops I want to have available to harvest and when.  From there, I work backwards to figure out what needs to be done when to meet that schedule. Once I am finished with the entire Crop Plan and feel confident that it is feasible, I will post the Proposed Harvest Schedule on this blog for your reference.

So what’s in store for 2010?  First, I’m planning on planting three kinds of beans…. and double fencing them to keep out the deer.  I am also going to be trying a few crops that are new to me, including one from the Slow Food Arc of Taste.  We will also be doing a formal research project on farming tomatoes, potatoes, and winter squash without irrigation.

Other big news, we are going to be moving in to a new field in 2010.  The horses have left the property, opening up the former horse pasture for our use.

This move is going to be much healthier for our land.  The soil type in the former horse pasture is actually more suited to vegetable production than it was for livestock.  And, it’s better for vegetables that the fields we have been using in the past.

My first order of business will be to correct the soil compaction, nutrient imbalances and weed problems that were caused by poor pasture management.   For this reason, I will not begin planting crops into the new field until mid-July.  I will harvest out of our old fields from June through the end of September, then harvest out of the new field in October, November and December.

Once the move is completed, I will be renting the same number of acres as I did in prior years, but I will have more usable land.  This means that I can make a lot more use of cover crops and green manures to maintain and improve the health of our soil.  I can not tell you how excited I am at that prospect! Maintaining the health of the soil is the crux of farming sustainably.  This move will make that so much easier!

In addition to being better for the land, this move will be better for your farm, and your farmer.  Once the move is completed, our fields will be physically contiguous, making for a much more efficient operation.  And, there will be no need to drive the tractor on Davis Road.  I had two near misses in 2009 so I will be grateful to be off the road.

Another exiting new event for 2010 is the unveiling of a formal Internship program.  This program will provide learning opportunities for two students interested in careers in agriculture.  If you know of someone interested in becoming a farmer, please refer them to this blog for the complete program description and application information.

And, on a slightly different note…. are you looking for a local source for items not available at Artisan Organics?  Perhaps you’re interested in locally grown, grass raised beef or even local milk.  If so, visit the web site www.localharvest.org.  This web site is easy to use, and it’s maintained by a bunch of great folks.  While you’re there, how about writing a review of your very own farm?  Doing so will help increase our visibility, both in the on-line community and in our real-world neighborhood.  It’s amazing how many of our immediate neighbors still don’t know we are here!

Weekly Abundance, Vol 09-27

This Week’s Share

Leeks – Harvested Sunday before the freeze.

Braising Greens – From the Field House

Radishes – From the Field House

Acorn Squash

Farm Life

You can see by the above short list that the cold has impacted our farm.  I had planned to harvest cabbage and a couple of other items but they are frozen.  The freeze will not kill them.  In fact, it will improve their flavor.  However, they can not be harvested until they defrost, which will not happen before share delivery.

You will also notice that your vegetables are not washed this week.  Our water system has been frozen since Sunday night.  And, if it weren’t frozen, I wouldn’t be able to wash your veggies any way.  The air temperature has been so low that the rinse water would freeze on the vegetables before they dried.

The cold has been so deep that all of the Butternut, Delicata and Sweet Dumpling squash stored in the Propagation House has frozen.  It is supposed to be a bit warmer on Wednesday so I will cut in to a few of them then to see if any of them are salvageable.  I suspect they are not.

Unfortunately, this means that I will not be able to include lots of winter squash in this your last share of the 2009 CSA season. My intent had been that you not loose your relationship with your farm during the winter months. Rather, you would be able to re-connect each time you made a pot of squash soup or a nice stew.  Hopefully, you have a few items from the summer shares stored in your freezer and will be able to recall the source of your food in other ways.

On a more positive note, the greens growing in the Field House have come through the cold weather without damage.  In fact, it has been quite comfortable to work in there on these cold days.  Before I leave in the evening, I cover all of the beds with floating row cover to keep the warmth in the soil from dissipating.  This keeps your greens toasty warm during the long cold nights.

(My thanks to my friend, Sara, for braving the cold on Sunday to help harvest leeks and cover the Field House beds.)

Several of you have wondered why you are receiving radishes in your share this time of year.  The short answer is because I wanted to grow carrots.

What do radishes have to do with carrots?  It’s a long story.

Carrots only grow well in light, well drained soil that does not form a crust when it dries.  Carrots also will not develop a mature root if they are over crowded.

Our soil is rich in nutrients but heavy, poorly drained and prone to crusting.  In order to successfully grow carrots, I needed to take several measures to improve the growing conditions.   The first step was to amend selected beds with lots and lots of compost.  I chose to do this in the Field House so that I could grow carrots in the winter and spring when they are the sweetest.  During September, we spread 7.5 cubic yards (15 pick up loads!) of compost in the Field House and mixed it with the native soil.

The next step was to sow carrots intercropped with radishes.    Radishes germinate quickly, produce strong seedlings, and are ready for harvest when the carrots are still tiny.  So I sowed the carrots and radishes together knowing that the emergence of the radish seedlings would break up any crust that might have formed on the soil.  As the radishes were harvested they would leave open spaces, ensuring that the carrots were not over crowded.

Unfortunately, I discovered that the compost I had purchased was badly contaminated with chick weed seeds, probably at the yard where I purchased it.  The cool, but not too cold, temperatures of the Field House are the perfect growing conditions for chickweed.  The radishes have been able to out-compete it but the carrots have not.

Still, all is not lost. The addition of all the compost did lighten the soil considerably and I have seen no sign of crusting.  I will spend the winter working to rid the field house of chick weed and in the early spring I will re-sow the carrots.  Perhaps you will see carrots in your share next June.

Speaking of next year, there are still 2010 CSA memberships available.  I would love to fill them with members from 2009. If you would like to remain a member and have not already submitted your Registration Form, you may still do so.  You can find the form at our website, www.ArtisanOrganics.net.  Remember, if all that is keeping you from joining is the $250 deposit due with your form, please let me know.  I am happy to work out an alternative payment plan for returning shareholders.

Also, if you enjoyed knowing exactly where your food is grown and by whom but found it to be too much food, let me know that as well.  I have several shareholders that would love to split a share with you.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Holiday Season. I look forward to seeing you again in June, 2010.

Weekly Abundance Vol 09-26

This Weeks Harvest

Radishes – Cherry Belle, French Breakfast and White Icicle

Leeks

Chard

Acorn Squash

Delicata Squash

Plus, German Butterball potatoes, yellow and red storage onions,  garlic

Farm Life

Last week, we welcomed our newest shareholder, Simone.  She was born to Gerry and Janelle of the North Portland pick up site on Saturday November 21.  I had the good fortune of getting to see her at the pick up site last week.   She is a beautiful baby girl.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I certainly enjoyed the time with family.

I’ve also enjoyed the beautiful weather.  We’ve been several days without rain.  I can not tell you how much more pleasant it is to harvest your vegetables when the days are sunny and crisp.  It is a joy to be outside.

I am hard at work on a grant to expand our experiment growing tomatoes without irrigation.  I received a lot of positive feed back from you this summer about the dry farmed Early Girl tomatoes.  They were every ones favorite, hands down, and I was able to grow them with no water.  So myself, April Jones from Gus & Co. Farm in Ridgefield, WA., and Nick Andrews from the OSU Extension want to try a larger, more formal trial growing tomatoes, potatoes and winter squash without irrigation.  If we are successful, we will pass on what we learn to farmers in Oregon and Washington.

If we can develop workable methods and teach other farmers to use them, we can make significant inroads in the effort to restore salmon fisheries.

And, speaking of next year, I am looking for new and different veggies to grow for you next year.  I am planning to prepare a special planting bed in hopes of successfully growing carrots. I’m planning to grow celery for the first time.  And, I’m going to double fence the beans so that we get to eat them instead of the deer.  I might even try growing edemame.  Are there any other vegetables you’d like me to consider?   If so, please let me know because I am starting the planning process now.

Veggie of the Week

You have received lots of yummy chard in your shares this year so I thought you might be in need of a new recipe.  This recipe appeared in the Dec. 1, 2009 FoodDay section of The Oregonian and includes many of the items in this weeks share.  http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/06/recipe_detail.html?id=7119

If you like it, be sure you write down the recipe.  I have found that the best recipes drop off the FoodDay web site fairly quickly and that they are difficult to find again in the archives.

Welcome to Our Newest Member

On NOvember 28, 2009 we welcomed our newest member to the community.  Jonas Jeremiah was born at home  to Lauren and Jeff, who pick up at the farm.  He is a strapping 8lb boy!

Weekly Abundance, Vol 09-25

This Week’s Share

Acorn Squash

Chard

Acorn Squash

Sweet Dumpling Squash

Leeks

Lettuce

Parlsey

Radishes, Mizuna or Baby Kale

Farm Life

I harvested leeks this week for the first time.  Last year, it took me a full day to harvest enough leeks for 23 shareholders.  Obviously, that wasn’t very efficient.

This year, I prepared the beds differently and spaced the seedlings further apart.  Today, it took about four hours to harvest for 44 shares, a significant improvement.  However, I would like to see a longer white shank.  So, next year, I will make further refinements.  (See below for a recipe suggestion for your leeks.)

Recipes

I included pumpkins in your share last  week so that you could make your Pumpkin Pies in advance.   For those of you that have never made pumpkin pie from scratch before, here is a link to a well documented recipe, complete with step-by-step photos.  (Note: My family started this recipe over the weekend and found that, contrary to the recipe, one six inch diameter pumpkin was not enough for one pie.  However, most “Pumpkin” pie filling is actually made from butternut squash.  Your pie will taste just fine if you mix butternut squash and pumpkin.)

htttp://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php

Last week, I also included fennel in your share so that you could substitute your fennel bulbs for celery in your stuffing recipe.  Emily, from the farm pick up site, sends this recipe for Fennel Cakes to use up the stalks and fronds.  It sounds wonderful.  I can’t wait to try it.  It will be great with omelets for brunch the day after Thanksgiving.

http://www.epicureantable.com/tutwildfennelcakes.htm

Does your family eat Mashed Potatoes with your Thanksgiving dinner?  Here’s an idea that will make them so good you won’t want gravy.  Begin with your German Butterball potatoes.  Most of the nutrients in a potato are in the skin so don’t peel them.  Slice the potatoes in to cubes and steam them.  While the potatoes are steaming, sauté leeks and garlic in butter.  When the potatoes are done, transfer them to an oven proof dish.  Add the garlic/leek mixture and mash.  Add low fat ricotta or cream cheese and blend until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.  Blend in chopped parsley leaves.  Place in a warm oven until serving.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Weekly Abundance Vol. 09-24

This Week’s Vegetables

Bulb Fennel

Fennel

Pea Shoots

Sugar Pie Pumpkins – For your Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Delicata Squash

Radishes, Mizuna,  Kale, or Cabbage

Farm Life

This we week have a fairly small share.  As you know, one of the features of a CSA is that the members  share the risk of farming with the farmer.  As your farmer, I do as much as I can to reduce that risk.  But there are a number of factors I can not control, the weather among them.

During the fall and winter, harvesting your share requires about 16 hours of labor.  I generally spend all day Monday and Tuesday harvesting, washing, and packing.  This week though, I arrived at the farm Monday morning  to howling winds.  The farm stand and the structure covering the cooler were rocking back and forth with each gust, and the tarps covering the hen houses were threatening to blow away.  Clearly something had to be done or we would lose them in the storm.

I spent hours battening down the hatches… tightening guy wires on structures, securing the ropes on the tarps, etc.  I didn’t finish until well after lunch time.  Then, just as I set out to harvest, I looked up to see the plastic covering the Shade House blowing away, exposing all your winter squash to the wind and rain.  If you have ever tried to fasten down a big piece of plastic in a fiercely blowing wind by yourself, you know it is no easy task.  Every time you get one section tied down a big gust of wind comes and blows it off again.  By the time I finished it was nearly 4:00pm and there were still eggs to collect and harvesting to be done, and only one hour of daylight left.

This morning, Tuesday, I arrived at the farm early in hopes of catching up.  I arrived to find the Shade House splayed out flat and one of the hen houses blown into a tree.  The perches and nest boxes were still sitting in their usual places, untouched.  They just had no hen house covering them.    The wind had lifted the house up and over and in to the tree 10 feet away.   The poor birds were all huddled up on their perches in the rain.

I’m sure it was quite a comical sight seeing me try to move the hen house back to its original position.  It is awkward and heavy to move with two people, much less one.  At one point, I even got one of the legs caught in a tear in my rain pants and couldn’t pick it up higher, nor set it down.

I didn’t even try to put the Shade House back to rights.  I just propped it up enough to be able to get to your squash.  At the end of the week, I will move all of the squash elsewhere and take the Shade House apart.  It isn’t designed to withstand the weight of snow so was going to have to come down for the winter any way.

Unfortunately, all of these events left little time for harvesting.  The items in the list you see above are all that I can realistically get accomplished before share pick up begins tomorrow afternoon.

Despite all that effort to reposition the hen house, the hens are leaving us.  The entire flock has been purchased by a young farmer from Dayton eager to start his own livestock operation.  He will begin picking up the birds Wednesday.  That means that this will be your last opportunity to purchase farm fresh eggs.  I am reducing the price to $4.00/dzn to make it more affordable for you to stock up.  If your pick up site is in Portland, please be sure you let me know how many dozen you want so that I have enough available at your site.  If you have been saving egg cartons, please do bring them to me.  The Sunshine Food Pantry is in need of them so I will pass them on.

Veggie of the Week

This is the last time you will receive fennel this season.  Try this simple Orange and Fennel Salad with Dried Cranberries.  Though oranges are not locally grown, they are in season.  The addition of the cranberries makes this dish fit right in with the Thanksgiving holiday.  This salad would be great served on a bed of Pea Shoots.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/orange-and-fennel-salad-recipe/index.html.

Weekly Abundance, Vol. 09-23

This Weeks Harvest

Chard

Red Cabbage or Kale

Dumpling Squash

Butternut Squash

Lettuce

Pea Shoots

 

Farm Life

You have something new in your share this week.  Pea shoots, also known as Pea Tendrils, are the immature growing tip of pea plants.  They are more commonly seen in the early spring, before the CSA season begins.  Rather than deprive you of them for the whole year, I planted them as the cool fall weather approached and prayed that the deer wouldn’t eat them.   My prayers were answered.  We have a lovely crop of them.

Washington State University has an informational brochure on pea shoots if you’d like to learn more about them, including how to prepare them.  The brochure is available at http://agsyst.wsu.edu/peashootbroc.pdf

Those of you that have been members of CSA’s before know that your staple vegetables; onions, garlic and potatoes; are generally doled out each week along with your other vegetables.  This is done so that shareholders receive roughly the same number of items from week to week, even when the growing season is coming to a close.

I chose to do things a bit differently this year by giving you your staple items at the beginning of each month.  The primary reason is to save wear and tear on my back.  Potatoes are heavy, as are winter squashes.  Since I have been having trouble with my back since August, I decided to limit myself to one heavy item per share delivery.   So, while your share may seem small this week in comparison to other CSA’s, it is because you’ve already received the potatoes and onions that would otherwise have been included.

Speaking of winter squash… you are now receiving two kinds of winter squash in your shares each week.  Generally speaking, one type has an edible skin and the other does not.  This week, the Dumpling has the edible skin and does not need to be peeled.

To prepare cut off the top, scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.  Place the squash in a baking pan hollow side up.  Put about 1” of water in the baking pan. Place a dollop of butter, 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon in the center of the squash. Drizzle with real maple syrup.  Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, for 35 or 40 minutes until the squash is soft.

The skin of the Butternut squash is a bit thick.  You will likely want to remove it before eating.  This can be done either before you cook it, or after, depending on how you plan to use it.

Butternut squash is my favorite of the winter squash, partly because there are so many ways to prepare it.  Tonight, I made Butternut and Sage Risotto.  There are many recipes available online for this dish.  You can also substitute Butternut squash in any recipe that calls for pumpkin.

Speaking of pumpkins makes me think of Thanksgiving.  The week before Thanksgiving, you will receive more Sugar Pie Pumpkins so that you can make your pie the weekend before the holiday.

Are you going to be away for Thanksgiving?  If so, please let me know well in advance.  Thanksgiving is the second busiest week of the year for food pantries.  They would much appreciate it if I were to donate your share as early in the week as possible so that they have time to get it distributed.     Remember, if you do not let me know in advance that you are not coming, I am not able to donate your share as the Food Bank is closed by the time pick-up ends.

One final note about Thanksgiving… those of you that usually receive your share on Thursday will receive it on Tuesday, Nov. 24^th instead of the 26th.  Don’t forget to mark your calendar.

Weekly Abundance, Vol 21-09

This Week’s Produce

Sugar Pie Pumpkins – Just in time for Halloween.  These little pumpkins are breed for flavor not for size.  If you’d like, you may decorate it for Halloween.  The best option is to draw a scary face on your pumpkin with a felt tip pen.  If you’d prefer to carve it, you may.  Just carve it immediately before setting it out for Trick-Or-Treaters.  Bring it in and put it in the refrigerator as soon as the festivities are over.  Cook it the next morning.  Better yet, cook it and serve warm Pumpkin soup just before the little Trick-Or-Treater’s head out in to the cold.

Lucinato Kale – Lacinato, black, or Dino kale is very dark green, with remarkably firm, deeply ridged leaves. This kale takes a bit longer to cook than other greens; the upside of which is that the leaves hold their shape even under long cooking times, making it a great addition to soups and stews.  This kale is being harvested fairly young, and the cool weather makes it much sweeter than summer harvested Kale would be.  It combines well with chard and beet greens.  Because the kale takes a little longer to cook, put it in the sauté pan first.

Silverado Chard – I just found this great recipe for Chard with Gnocchi.  I love gnocchi so I can’t wait to try it. http://localfoods.about.com/od/fall/r/ChardGnocchi.htm

Rose Finn Apple Fingerling potatoes – Rose-blushed beige skin and deep yellow flesh, occasional airplanes or second growth distinguish this very fine fingerling.  This potato’s exquisite flavor and cooking qualities set it apart.  Try them roasted.  They are delicious to eat and lovely to look at.

German Butterball Potatoes – These potatoes are similar to the famous Yukon Golds.  They make terrific French Fries.  If you’d rather forgo all that fat, try home made baked Potato chips.  Thinly slice the potatoes  into a bowl.  Drizzle with good quality olive oil.  Add a pinch of sea salt and paprika to taste.  Mix to coat.  Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake them in a hot oven, about 400⁰, checking them frequently to be sure they do not burn.

Jimmy Nordello Sweet Peppers – This is my first season growing these peppers and they quickly became my favorite.  It is difficult to get Bell type peppers to ripen in the Pacific Northwest unless you grow them in a green house type structure.  Not true these peppers.  They ripen up nicely to a beautiful red and are sweet and delicious.  My family particularly enjoys them sautéed with onions and Italian Sausage and served over baked polenta.  To learn about the history of Jimmy Nordello’s, visit http://www.iowasource.com/food/cooks_0807.html

Brandywine Tomatoes - These tomatoes were harvested when they were just beginning to turn colors with the intent that they be used as green tomatoes.  Think Fried Green Tomatoes or Green Tomato Pie.  (See recipe below).  They have continued to ripen since being picked.  Though you may use them like a red tomato, they will not have as much flavor as those harvested at the peak of the season.

Hot Peppers – Alma Paprika, Hungarian Wax, and Aci Sivri Turkish. For those of you that like a bit of heat in you cooking, these peppers are just for you.  The Hungarian Peppers are easy to stuff and to peel after roasting.  Aci Sivri is suitable for Middle Eastern dishes.  Or dry and grind them to make your own Paprika seasoning.  Try them in Hungarian Paprikash with Dumplings.  This recipe also uses our terrific free range, pastured poultry.  http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1839,157162-232204,00.html

Bell Type Sweet Peppers – These thick fleshed yellow peppers are great raw in salads or cooked.  Perhaps a Sweet Pepper Tart with goat cheese.  Follow the package directions to prepare a Puff Pastry Crust.  Sautee onions, garlic, Jimmy Nordello Sweet Peppers and the Bell Peppers until soft.  Spoon over the pre-baked Puff Pastry.  Top with crumbled goat cheese.  Bake in a 375⁰until the cheese begins to turn golden.

California Early White Garlic – This garlic has a semi-rich flavor without the bite of hot garlics.  It combines well with most foods.

Frontier Onions ­– Use these storage onions in any recipe that calls for yellow onions.

Farm Life

Fall is definitely here.  It has rained several times now.  The cover crop is beginning to grow as are the winter weeds.  It is time to plant overwintering onions and garlic.

Speaking of which, the Garlic Planting Party scheduled for November 1 has been canceled.  When I developed the schedule in the fall of 2008, my grandson had yet  to be born.  He arrived on October 31, Halloween   So, I will be in Bellingham, WA celebrating his first birthday this weekend.  The garlic and onions will be planted when I return.

I am now routinely working in cold, wet weather.  Every day, I am grateful for the Muck brand mud boots I received for Christmas two years ago.  They are large enough to accommodate a thick pair of wool socks comfortable and are very durable.  Someday, I’ll have to post a picture here of me in my boots and my bright blue rain gear.

Featured Veggie of the Week

Our featured veggie this week is green tomatoes.  The term green tomato is a bit of a misnomer.  It’s not just any green tomato.  This is an un-ripe tomato, not a variety that has been bread to be green when mature.  But, it can’t just be any un-ripe tomato.  If it is too small or too “un-ripe” it will be too caustic to eat.   In the fall of 2008, The Oregonian ran a great article on choosing and using Green tomatoes.  You can find it at http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/09/we_love_green_tomatoes.html

Those of you that attended our first picnic event at the farm got to sample our neighbor Laura’s Green Tomato Pie recipe.  It was so popular she has given it to us.

Green Tomato Pie

1 Tbls Mild Vinegar

1 tsp Salt

2 Tbls Butter

¼ tsp Cinnamon

2 Tbls Flour

1 ¼ cups Sugar

¼ tsp Ginger OR 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

3 cups Green Tomato’s, diced

1 Unbaked, packaged pie crust

Pre-heat oven to 350⁰.   Mix flour and sugar.  Sprinkle one quarter of mixture on pie crust.  Cover with Green Tomatoes and sprinkle with salt.  Cover with sugar and add either Ginger or Pumpkin Pie spice.  Dot with butter.  Sprinkle vinegar over the pie filling.  Put remaining flour/sugar mixture over the top of the filling. Cover with top crust.  Bake for approximately 50 minutes.  Test with a toothpick inserted in the middle.

Weekly Abundance, Vol 19-09

This Week’s Harvest

Dumpling Winter Squash

Tomatoes – Yellow Taxis, heirloom Brandywines and Silvery Fir Tree

Peppers – Classic Green Bell Peppers and ripe, red Jimmy Nordello’s

Cucumbers – Marketmore green slicing, light green Armenians, and yellow Lemon Cucumbers

Broccoli

Beets

Silverado Chard

Parsley

Lettuce – Cosmo Savoy romaine lettuce.

Upcoming Events

Those of you that have perused the Calendar of Events know that I had planned a Garlic Planting Party on November 1.  I am cancelling this event in order to attend my grandson’s first birthday party in Bellingham, WA.  Not to worry, I will still plant the garlic.  It will just happen on a different day.

Farm Life

As you might imagine, I monitor the weather closely this time of year.  I am particularly watching for a forecast of a hard frost.  Many of our greens are fine in a light frost but must be covered with floating row cover before a freeze.

The plants aren’t the only thing that benefit from the row cover.  It also provides a toasty warm area for snails and slugs.  So, I try to wait as long as I can before covering the greens.  Otherwise, we will lose the plants to the snails instead of the frost.

If you would like to know the current weather at your farm, visit the Weather Underground web site at http://www.wunderground.com/US/OR/Laurel.html.  This “Laurel, OR” weather station is within a mile of the farm so reports pretty accurate conditions.

The forecast this week calls for rain and relatively warm temperatures.  This could mean that the tomatoes continue producing, or, it could mean that they all split and rot.  Before weeks end, I will pick all of the immature Brandywines to be sure we don’t lose them.

Under the proper conditions, the Brandywines will keep for several weeks, allowing me to continue to offer them to you as green tomatoes.  If you have any large shallow boxes to store them in, I could certainly use them.  There are hundreds of pounds of tomatoes in the field.  Boxes about the size of an Under Bed Storage Container would work well.   They do not need lids.  Think Fried Green Tomatoes…  Green Tomato Pie…  Green Tomato Chutney….  Yummm.

Plymouth Barred Rock Laying Hen

As mentioned last week, Artisan Organics has laying hens for sale for only $15 each.  These girls should continue to lay large, brown eggs through the winter.  If you are interested, please let me know via e-mail farmer@ArtisanOrganics.net.

It is time to sign up for the 2010 CSA Season.  Forms are available at the Farm Stand and at CSA pick up sites.  Current CSA shareholders will receive first priority until December 1, 2009.  After that, Registration will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.

Veggie of the Week

Sweet Dumpling Squash

This week we have first of the season Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash.  This small, mildly sweet-tasting squash resembles a miniature pumpkin with its top pushed in. Weighing only about 7 ounces, it has sweet and tender orange flesh and is a great size for stuffing and baking as individual servings.  Sweet dumplings are tiny but great for roasting and presenting whole.  This recipe for Savory Stuffed Sweet Dumplings uses both the squash and our tomatoes.

http://www.foodreference.com/html/savorystuffedsweetd.html

I might find that an ice cream scoop makes it easier to remove the pulp and seeds.

Weekly Abundance, Vol 18-09

This Week’s Harvest

October 7 harvest

Romaine Lettuce

Fennel

Rainbow Chard

Tomatoes – Yellow Taxis and heirloom Silvery Fir Tree.  The Taxis were picked for us by Travis and friend, a CSA shareholder at the North Portland pick up site.  He and a friend came to pick cucumbers and tomatoes for canning and picked the Taxis for us while they were at it.  Thanks Travis!

Lemon Cucumbers

Broccoli

Beets

Delicata Squash

Upcoming Events

For the last several weeks, I have been allowing much of the Basil to go to flower so that the bees will have an ample supply of pollen to build their honey stores for the winter.  The remaining basil is beginning to show the effects of the chilly nights.  But, there is still plenty left.  If you would like to make and freeze a big batch of pesto before the deep winter chill sets in, you are welcome to come out to the farm Sunday afternoon and harvest yourself an armful.

The basil is free for CSA shareholders.  All others will pay a nominal fee.  Please let me know when you might be coming so that I don’t leave the farm for the hardware store just before you arrive.

Saturday from 10:00 until 3:30 is the Open Barn at North Valley Farm in Yamhill.  This is a great opportunity to learn about grass fed lamb and beef.  And… there will be other fun stuff.  I will be there talking about CSA’s and the 2010 waiting list.  There will be an Olive Oil tasting and some great fiber crafts too.  And, if you’d like to make a day of it, the Yamhill County Art Harvest Tour will be happening the same day.

North Valley Farm is located just three miles west of the town of Yamhill at 12775 NW Oak Ridge Rd.  You do not need to make reservations to attend.  If you’d like more information about the Art Tour, please visit www.artharveststudiotour.org.

Farm Life

We have had several light frosts this week.  As mentioned above, it is showing in the basil, and also in the cucumbers.  The leaves of the cucumber plants are dying back.  There are still some flowers and small fruit though so it is possible we may have cucumbers for another week or two, depending on the weather.

As the summer crops wind down, we are going to experience a lull before the cool season crops come in.  This means there will be fewer items to harvest.  It doesn’t help that the chickens love to eat anything in the brassica family, the plant family that performs  best in cool weather.

Plymoth Barred Rock Laying Hen

The chickens have eaten a whole row of kale down to the ground and made major inroads into the cabbage.  Since we are not selling as many eggs as I had hoped, we don’t need so many chickens any way.  So…. if you’ve ever thought about having back yard chickens, now is a good time.  The chickens are on sale for only $15 each.  These girls are proven layers and have had a healthy diet free of genetically modified organisms since their very first meal.  Backyard chickens are legal in many parts of the Portland Metro Area and these hens are young enough that they should continue laying through out the winter.  If you are interested, please let me know and I will reserve you a couple.  (Sorry, for food safety reasons, I can not bring live birds to the Portland CSA pick up sites.  We don’t want chicken poop on our fresh veggies!)

Several times each year, our harvest provides living proof that we use no synthetic pesticides on our farm.  Earlier this year, you saw that in the “Holey Pac Choi”.  This week we see it in aphids in the broccoli.

If you look at the broccoli closely, you will see three different things.  The first and most abundant are the brown to gray tiny aphids.  Next are the slightly bigger green thrips that eat the aphids.  Lastly, you might see some mummified bodies of aphids left after the thrips enjoyed their meal.

The presence of the thrips on the  broccoli is a good sign.  So is the lack of ants.  (Ants and aphids have a symbiotic relationship.  The ants nurse the aphids in exchange for their sweet excrement.)  It indicates that the natural balance is tipping in our favor.  Hopefully, we will have a good hard rain to wash all the aphids off the plants.  Meanwhile we will hasten things along by pulling all of the broccoli plants that have already gone to seed or are not healthy.  The aphids  attack the weakest plants first.  If we pull those and discard them, we eliminate much of the aphid breeding grounds.

Finally, please note that sign up’s for our 2010 CSA begin soon.  Our existing shareholders will be given  first priority.  Any openings still remaining after December 1 will be made available to those on our waiting list.  If you are not a current shareholder and are not on the waiting list, please send an e-mail to farmer@artisanOrganics.net and I will gladly add you.