CSA Harvest - Week 2

Good morning! 

Summer Solstice is only a few days away... mmmmm! The days are long, warm and beautiful as ever. Everything in the garden is growing like wild now that the soil is warm and the sun is shining. 

We finished planting out the winter squash at Blue Grama Farm yesterday. We spent the day laughing, experimenting, doing tractor work, prepping beds and finally transplanting as the heat of the day had passed. The melons are going in tomorrow! 

Our tomatoes are suddenly ready to be pruned and trellised. They/re setting fruit and look amazing. I'm always a little paranoid about the tomatoes... worried that they could get funky (aka diseased). They're looking great minus a few leaves that flea beetles are chomping on. We loaded the greenhouses with basil over the weekend! Mmmm, pesto dreams. 

Flowers, cucumbers and the next succession of greens are all ready and need to be planted this week. Beans and zucchini are germinating, ground cherries and tomatillos are ready to go in the ground. And and and...

But, today we're harvesting! Focus. This week's share will be green heavy and look something like this:



Salad Greens
Mustard Greens
Head Lettuce
Bok Choy
Braising Greens
Green Garlic
Radishes or Broccoli
Herbs
Edible Flowers

Sourdough Flavor of the Week: Plain

Have a  beautiful Day!! 

May Showers bring...

Wowza. We asked and danced for moisture all Winter and throughout the first few weeks of Spring. And it finally arrived a few weeks ago and has not stopped. Dark clouds.  howling winds, fatty snowflakes, light rains, pounding hail, rumbling thunder. Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain... MUD. Puddles. Oh yes. 

So, it's the end of May and it has been very cool and wet, and surprisingly humid. We've been sloshing around in mud boots for weeks and I must say, I'm so excited to head outside today and work in the sunshine! It looks like a warm up is coming and I'm pumped. Things have been growing, but so so slooooowly. Hopefully everything will pop with a little heat. 

Harvests are scheduled to start next week... stay tuned for details early next week.  

We're waiting for the soil to dry up a bit so we can seed and plant... EVERYTHING. Hopefully all the dark and stormy weather made us rest enough that we're ready for the planting push that's going to happen over the next few weeks.  

We're building a small caterpillar tunnel, wash station and... what would May be without a couple building projects? Hoping to get this house wrapped up and covered with plastic tomorrow! Then filled with more tomatoes, peppers and eggplant over the weekend. Whoop! 

The first of many winter squash are hardening off and will be going into the ground soon. We knocked down a few beds of beautiful cover crop growing at Blue Grama Farm on Wednesday and will be transplanting in the coming days!


Have a lovely day!! 

Rain and Snow!!

Happy to report May has brought quite the line up of spring storms that have delivered a decent amount of rain and snow in the gardens and the beautiful mountains surrounding us. Wahoo!!! Large, fatty flakes are falling from the sky at this very moment. The moisture feels AMAZING and I think the garden is in agreement as so many things have greened up over the past couple weeks.

Planting frenzy is in full swing here! Well, it's actually postponed a bit as this farmer has a cold! Grrr. So it should be in full swing but it's snowing and I'm coughing... so we're getting a little behind schedule. Hopefully we'll be back to transplanting and seeding in the coming days. 

The first round of tomatoes went into the greenhouses about 10 days ago, they're adjusting and starting to grow like wild in their new space. I noticed yesterday that a family of red ants has decided to relocate to one of the tomato beds and I need to find a clever way to help them change their mind and move elsewhere. Any ideas?! The next planting may go in this weekend... 

Leeks, shallots and scallions have all been transplanted outside and are getting snowed in... onions are up next! 

Last fall we planted a couple beds in a rye, vetch and pea mix and they grew beautifully and are ready to be chopped and turned into the soil. Here are some  nitrogen fixing vetch roots! Oooo ooo ooo! Magic. 

We have been busy building new beds and a small caterpillar tunnel, pulling greens out of the hoophouse, repotting peppers and eggplant, transplanting... etc. First CSA Harvest is only 2 1/2 weeks away! Wowza. I'm excited and I hope you are too! 

More updates and photos to follow soon... Stay warm and have a beautiful weekend!! 

Clouds!!

Woo hoo! It was exciting to see clouds, fog and snow last week! The cold air felt good and had me all bundled up in the garden. I was waffling on Saturday afternoon as it snowed.... transplant greens or wait. Transplant or wait? I was anxious to plant and went for it. So the first round of spring kale, bok choy, mustards and more are in the ground! Oooo oooo oooo. Here we go! 

The garden is coming together... spinach and salad greens are up and the carrots, beets and turnips should follow in the coming days. We chopped up the rye and peas that grew in the greenhouse beds all winter and tilled everything in to feed the soil. So those beds are prepped and ready for tomatoes and peppers in a couple weeks.  I may have seeded tomatoes a bit early (per usual), as they're HUGE and ready to go in the ground today. Lets hope they can wait a week or two?!  

The onions, leeks and shallots that we seeded back in February are starting to bulk up and are looking great. They're almost ready to move outside... Almost. 

The sweet honeybees are busy as always and weather depending we plan to open up the hives this week to see what they're up to and harvest some overwintered honey. Hmm, I'm curious to see if they send off a swarm this season... 

More updates and photos coming soon!

Have a lovely week! 

Heat Wave...

Whoa. It's hot out there! And it's freaking me out. What's going on Mother Nature... I'm ready and hoping for a cool Colorado Spring with lots of cold nights and some snowfall. Pretty please. 

Deep breathe. It's going to be fine. Right? Yea. It's going to cool off and get wet soon... Lets all just say that, believe it and and make it happen. Work your witchy magic folks! We're planning to stir and spray another round of biodynamic preparations here in the hopes of encouraging some moisture. Fingers crossed. 

Woo wee. Ramble much? Buzzing on coffee... and should eat breakfast ASAP.

What have you all been up to? We've been focused on repairs and maintenance here this week. Tools are sharpened, wheelbarrow is back in action and the cracks on my thumbs are healing. Mmmmm hmm. 

And... the tomatoes and peppers are being repotted and will be headed into the hoophouses soon. We are transplanting sweet peas today, I can hardly wait for the dreamy aroma to fill the garden in the coming months. Mmmmm, it's the best and such a classic scent. We are also seeding flower trays and a couple beds of bread poppy! Whoop whoop! Poppyseed bread this winter.... oooo. It's my little brother's favorite!


We turned the Montrose field last weekend and it's ready for some cover crop seed, water and .... LOVE. Thinking oats/vetch and a block of favas for good measure. Who's excited for grilled fava beans come July!?

Planning to harvest again later this week as well as bake off a few sourdough loaves. Contact me if you need fresh greens (kale, collards, cilantro) and/or bread!  

Wishing you a lovely day! 

Spring = Wind

Oh my, it sure feels like Spring now! Wind was pumping here yesterday... 

It's calm this morning, but I'm skeptical that it's going to last. Time will tell. 



Seeding! It's on. I have been resisting the urge to seed like a fool, but now I think it's full steam ahead. Peas, garbanzos, and purple favas are in! Next up... bread poppy and roots! I better finalize that garden map ASAP. 

A special St. Patty's Day rainbow popped out last week!! I squealed and jumped around with excitement. Mmmmmmm hmm. 

We attempted to work the soil in Montrose on Sunday morning but the clay is really holding onto the moisture, so that project is on hold. Patience Mindy. Patience. Maybe this weekend??

In the meantime, we are excited to harvest and bake for you all later this week! Greens and sourdough are coming your way. 

Hope everyone has a beautiful day! 

Feeling Giddy!

Hopped up on rhubarb and sunshine this morning! I spent yesterday digging and splitting rhubarb with amazing friends at Circle A Gardens in Montrose. Betsy, Della and Jeanne Austin are the BEST and such an inspiration. We're so lucky to have them close by and I cannot begin to express how much their  wisdom and advice help us throughout the season. 

So we're planting rhubarb here today! I was planning to put them in a shady spot behind the house but an iceberg is slowly melting there at the moment. Hmm... onto Plan B?

Then repotting herbs, cleaning a little seed and trying to wrap up my planting calendar :). Focus! 

The snow is melting, garlic is popping, cover crops are growing fast and the honeybees are busy and already collecting tons of pollen. It's a light creamy yellow pollen, and I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from as there isn't much blooming in our yard. 

We're harvesting kale and spinach out of the hoophouse, holler if you need some fresh greens! 

My nephew is about 17 months old and I am so pumped to get him in the garden this season. He was hanging out with me on the deck a few days ago while I was seeding. I had the deck covered with trays, potting soil, seed packets and popsicle sticks. He was as curious as you can imagine and wanted to get his little hands in the action but I think he could tell it was intricate work. He would get really close then hesitate, look at me and pull his hands back to his belly. SUCH A CUTIE! Excited to have him wondering through the garden this year and I am curious to see which varieties are his favorites (aka toddler approved). He may be my #1 taste tester this Summer.

Have a beautiful day!!! 

Snowy Evening!

Hello there! I hope everyone is warm and cozy inside on this stormy evening. Nestled by the fire here, listening to the wind howl and watching the snow fly. Mmmmmmm. So good.  

Here are a couple snowy photos from last week. The feet of snow that arrived were, and still are, such a wonderful sight!! The warm and dry spell in January and February was... alarming. And gave me some serious anxiety. But for now it's all smiles. Snow induced smiles.

Winter is flying by! Which means... planting season is right around the corner. Whoa. 

We have spent the winter months exploring, planning and dreaming big! Check out the updated CSA page with details about the 2015 season. 

I have so many things to share and discuss here with you. New ideas, winter adventures, future farm experiments, food projects, etc. But I should, and will save those for another day. For now, let us take this moment to appreciate the beautiful snowflakes falling, blowing in the wind. 

Hugs all around!

Sunrise

Good morning! We're up early, baking bread and watching the sunrise. Mmmm.... this is my favorite part of the day, hands down. I was talking with a friend recently about how when I sleep in and miss the sunrise I feel different throughout the day. I move slower, feel a little off and generally distracted. Which isn't necessarily good or bad, but definitely different. Hmmm. 

I will say, regardless of how early I rise the wind makes me feel a wee bit craaaazy. The last couple days have been pretty windy and it made my body tense and mind nervous. Ordinary day to day tasks suddenly felt like a much bigger deal. Maybe the wind is blowing in winter?!!!! Who's anxious and ready to see snowflakes dancing from the sky? I am I am! 

I remember growing up how excited my brothers and I would be for the first 'big' snowstorm. You know what I'm talking about, the one that covered the ground just enough that we could ride sleds down the driveway. The driveway that is barley steep enough to keep a sled moving, even with a running start. Oh yea. We would bundle up after dinner and play outside in the dark until Mom dragged us inside. Then we would keep our fingers crossed that it would snow all night so school would be cancelled, which NEVER happened. We even had a morning where the school bus got stuck in a snow bank a mile or two from our stop. Can you imagine the excitement?! Well... until the snowplow drove by and pulled us out. And off to school we went.

My younger brother is visiting next week... you better believe we will attempt to go sledding if there's enough snow on the ground! Fingers crossed.

Ok, maybe I've had too much coffee this morning... Maybe.

Garden update. The lovely Fall weather has kept things growing, and happily. So we are harvesting today and delivering bountiful shares to Ridgway and Telluride. There are a couple shares left... call me if you're interested. 

Most of the garlic is finally planted! Wahoo. Six varieties are in, and one to go. Hopefully that happens tomorrow morning.

Have a beautiful day!!! 

Fall Projects

Enjoying a beautiful and soothing week in the garden. Friends are in town, the weather is dreamy and hugs are everywhere. 

The garden is slowing down and nothing is too urgent or pressing, so we are slowly tackling projects. One of the hoophouses is now planted with spinach, kale and a variety of other things for the winter. The second and third will be planted in the coming days. Whoop whoop! 

The potato harvest is almost complete. Up next, flipping beds, planting garlic and spraying a round of biodynamic preparations.  

The cover crops we seeded earlier in the season are thick and looking great! I think they have really benefitted from the regular rain this season. 

The garden is still producing so the harvests will as well! Keep a look out for emails and updates here with upcoming harvest details. 

Sending love!