Potato Planting

All of the seed potatoes are finally in the ground! Hurray! This year, I planted a variety of potatoes supplied from Wood Prairie Organic Farm. Read all about Carola, Caribe, Reddale, and Rose Gold at woodprairie.com. We should be eating new potatoes by early July.

Strawberry Blossoms

Honey in the Making

While we won't get to dine on these salad greens that have gone to seed, the honeybees are certainly relishing them. A neighbor has a hive of bees in the woods just down the hill from our house, and I love watching them gather pollen from whatever happens to be blossoming. On warm spring days like today, there is a bee super-highway straight from the hive to the garden!

Sad Day to be a Pea

I am sorry to report that the past two 20 degree nights have knocked off (or "rubbed out," as they would say in Some Like it Hot, which we watched last night) most of the sugar snap peas. However, the shelling peas, as you can see, made it through with flying colors (mostly green). I was able to protect the strawberries somewhat with a thick layer of straw, but they definitely lost a few blossoms.

Joe at Work

Joe is building a new chicken house for our ladies. Right now, they are living in the broiler house, and I want them to have their own quarters soon so that we can raise another batch of meat birds this spring.

Early Season Lettuce

Good Neighbors

Our neighbor Dean bought a tiller for his tractor this spring. He has saved me days and days of work with my ancient walk-behind tiller by preparing a place for me to plant potatoes. Gotta have good neighbors in the country!

What to do with your Veggies

I hope all of you enjoy your early spring veggies. If you are a less-than-extraordinary cook (like me) or just looking for new ways to cook seasonal produce, I highly recommend getting a copy of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. It is a thick, comprehensive, and completely usable guide to cooking with fresh vegetables. Unlike lots of vegetarian cookbooks, this one doesn't focus on funky, hard to find ingredients or complicated meal preparation. Bon Appetit!

Winfield Farm

Our good friends Rich and Kristy Church raise pastured pork at Winfield Farm in Cole Ridge. They are working on a website, and in the meantime, you can see where your sausage comes from by checking out their Local Harvest listing at

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M15479

Eating Local vs. Eating Imported Organic

A friend emailed this article to me this morning; it is an interesting investigation of the debate between eating locally and eating organic foods that have been transported long distances.

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1595245,00.html

Bed Prep

I took advantage of this beautiful day to prepare a few beds for spring planting. The crop in the foreground is rapini, known to discerning chefs as broccoli rabe. It is a cleansing winter cover crop for the soil, and tastes great, too.

Charley

It's a rough life, guarding all of these vegetables...

The Ladies

Our new chickens are just beginning to lay. We put up an electric fence to keep the garden safe from the chickens, and to keep the chickens safe from foxes, coyotes, opossums, weasels, and stray dogs. They are loving the free-range life!

Springtime

I have been busy preparing beds and planting seeds. Although we have had some very cold nights, everything seems to be coming up well! Right now, I am hoping to have vegetables for our customers by the beginning of April.

Welcome to the Farm

Welcome to my new farm blog! I'll do my best to keep it updated with pictures of what is going on around here. You are always welcome to visit in person, as well!