Nearly Halfway through the season

I don't know how many of you have checked in at this blog, but we have gone nearly halfway through the CSA season and the boxes are still overflowing. John and Craig have done an incredible job of seeding and planting produce, and our volunteers on Saturday have made filling the boxes a less time consuming job than we thought.
From my vantage point, we are seeing one significant difference in the CSA this year- more of the members stay and visit, and there are always extra folks here on Saturdays to see what other produce we have for sale. It makes Saturday a productive, busy day.

We know there are lots of folks who are just finding out about the CSA at this time of the year- when produce is bouncing off the vine. All over the world, it seems, people are discovering the health benefits of local and sustainable agriculture. If you know people who are interested in this CSA, you'll have to tell them that we are full for the moment and they'll have to wait till the fall to get on a waiting list for next year. We want to serve the folks who want to do this, but there is a rhythm to the seasons. Many CSAs require that their members pay before the season begins, rather than during the busiest time, and there are always exceptions. It just makes sense for everyone to begin together, like camp or school.

I also want to thank Cathal Woods for his dedication in keeping this site updated and in order.
It took the will of the universe to get the website together- but it took Cathal to move us through the door.
I hope some more folks will get inspired to write...

Basil

We got basil in the share for the first time this year, so I thought I would post this advice on storing basil from the vegetables page of the web site:

Very short term: put a handful of cut basil in a jar of water and keep it fresh inside the house; snip with a pair of clean scissors.

Long term: To freeze: strip the leaves (tops can be left on the smallest stems) and place into a container with just a little force from your hand.


(This advice comes from Todd Ewen at the Heritage Store on 314 Laskin Road, down at the beach.)

if you have any other advice about storing or using basil, please add your comments.

Week 7 - June 30, 2007

This week's veg - basil, beets, bok choy, cucumber, red kale, toscana kale, lamb's quarters parsley, squash (yellow and zucchini), swiss chard. (Sunflower sold separately!)
Tom Ferrebee with Craig Daly.	Leah Ferrebee

Monday's Dinner

Here is the dinner that we made Monday from our most recent haul from the farm. On the left is a salad with the lettuce, beets, carrots, and sauteed radishes. We added some goat cheese and a sort of dijon vinaigrette. The other dish is sauteed kale, endive, and garlic, as well as some white beans, cous cous, and a few other veggies that we threw in. I thought the beets and the endive were the standouts of their respective dishes. Everything tasted great!

First Summer CSA weekend June 23- Week 6

Surprise! Farmer Mark Shean still had beets for the CSA Boxes ! Fabulous Bounty!	Skye Zentz and Tanya Cuffee smile and visit with CSA members and young Jordan Daniel, 5 months old this week.
John and Boone Ferrebee choose some lovely lavender for a special spot in Boone's beach garden.	For the first Summer Weekend, Tanya Banks made several arrangements of our summer flowers, including marigolds and Zinnias and strawflowers.

How it looked on 16 June...

Les and Jager visit the farm with God-Mom, Chris Birdsong. They picked up 9 boxes for our Norfolk members. It's a great way to share the transport and fuel!

Another Saturday on the farm

Hi, y'all,

How about a period of weather in mid-June with low temps in the 60's and highs in the 70's?
It makes for a beautiful morning picking produce, welcoming CSA members and in general,creates the feeling that all is right with the world.
We are still delighted when members bring children and dogs to the farm. Sam, Lee Ellen Knight's son, and his friend Max came today and went right to the young chickens for their visitation and human-orientation class. Ella Earp brought Farmer John a golden dot to put on his head. Scott Van Gilder's Portuguese Water Dog, Fletcher, brought smiles and joy, and Dee Murdoch's dachsund, Sasha, was on alert for larger mammals and walked on the leash, longing for a run. Barbara Gardner's granddaughter , Deja, was introduced to the glory of squash bloosoms. Chris Birdsong brought godson Jager and his dad, Les for a walk around the gardens.

Living on the farm, one can become complacent at times, feeling that this is a place of work for John, Craig, Jonathan and our wonderful volunteers- including New Orleans visitor Aurin , Skye's friend. Yet, on Saturday mornings, when the farm becomes a well loved destination, where children and dogs romp and the wonders of nature become enchantments, I remember that at least one creation story started in a Garden. I realize that the folks who come to visit get to breathe the fresh farm air, walk among the growing things and feel thankful that somebody has a farm where some of their food starts. Thank you all!

Sweet Potatoes Going in the ground/ Blueberry plants arrive!

Hi, all you sweet potato lovers-

Farmer John just got in several varieties of sweet potatoes: Japanese,Beauregard, White Yam, Nancy Hall , Vardeman, Georgia Jet, and Vineless PortoRico which are being planted in the morning. Some folks think they are among the most perfect of foods- and to think, I didn't even like them as a child! I think it was when I worked at the Whole Foods Co-op in Norfolk that I learned to love sweet potatoes. We would heat one up in the microwave, open it up , slather it with fresh, Amish butter and then sprinkle it with cinnamon. Oh, my goodness, I thought- this is what all the hoopla is about!

John also picked up 100 blueberry plants from Finch Nursery in Bailey, NC, near Wild and Wonderful Wilson. They'll be available for sale-however, you may want to know they were not raised with organic methods. Talk to John on Saturday if you'd like to try a few bushes.

That's all for the evening! Enjoy the cool nights and lovely days.

Week 4, plus: Be an author on the blog!

Here are a few pics from week 4. A few more can be found on the web site.





If you want to be an author on this blog (that is, start a new topic) write to me at cathalwoods at gmail dot com . Becoming an author requires registering. If you don't want to be an author, remember that you can still leave a comment on an existing post whenever you want without registering. You can comment anonymously, or, click 'Other' and type your name.

Toad Eggs at the farm

Greetings from the farm in the first week of June! Temperatures are up and we got a great drenching rain on Sunday, courtesy of Tropical Storm Barry. There are little puddles of water around, but no deep gulleys. Thank goodness for the dinosaur footprint sized pools: Kathleen brought a container of toad eggs from Virginia Beach Friends School today and poured them into one such puddle.
After noticing the strand of eggs at school, Kathleen asked Teacher Denise in Middle School if we could have some for the farm. Toads are great bug eaters, you know. Denise gave Kathleen a plastic pretzel barrel to transport the babies home.
We'll be watching to see what transpires. Did the eggs survive the trip in the pretzel jar and the ride in the Prius ? Will the tadpoles be swimming in the next few days?