Happy Solstice!

Happy Solstice! The darkest night of the year has come and gone... and the days will oh so slowly become longer and longer and seeding the first of the 2017 crops is only a few weeks away (mmm hmmm, I'm talking about you alliums). 

We need to set aside time in the coming weeks, with coffee... a lot of coffee, to reflect on the season and prepare for the coming year. Order seeds, meet with accounts, launch the 2017 CSA signup, etc... Only after we spend the holidays with family of course and enjoy a few ski days. Come on SNOW!

We have set several plans and goals for 2017... and to help streamline and simplify things, Mike and I are combining forces this year and will be running Mountain Roots Produce together. We have created a new website that will be updated regularly with photos and weekly blog posts. You can also stay in touch by signing up for our monthly newsletter. Check it out Mountain Roots Produce

Thank you everyone for supporting Early Bird Gardens over the years... I have learned so much from our wonderful CSA Members, the lovely market customers we used to see weekly at the Ridgway Farmer's Market as well as the chefs we sell to in Telluride. We look forward to growing high quality vegetables for you all for many years to come!

Happy Holidays! xoxo

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #10

Good morning,

Today marks the final Fall CSA pick up of 2016! Wahoo! I just scanned through photos of the season and am amazed at how much we accomplished this year. I have never worked so hard in my life... but something about all that hard work, harvesting such beautiful produce, and seeing your wonderful faces every week has me oh so excited for next season. The first seeds will be planted in mid to late January... which is right around the corner?!

I must say, I nervous going into the Spring... nervous about farming in this new spot and about farming with my partner. There are so many unknowns and challenges that come with growing in a new location... but I think we can say 2016 was a success! In so many ways. 

I learned so much from Mike this year... and am excited to be growing with him on this beautiful piece of land. We are obviously ready for the slow down that winter will bring, but also ready to plan for 2017. We're planning several improvements for the farm next year... I'm purchasing a tractor and a set of forks so it can help us with the heavy lifting! My back was not to happy with me this Fall and made me realize I can only ask my body to do so much... so more tractor power here we come. We're designing and planning to build a new wash/pack house as well as a few small hoophouses so we have more covered space for growing hot crops in the summer and extending the season in the Fall. 

A new website is in the works... stay tuned. We'll let you know as soon as it's up and running! 

THANK YOU for supporting us and our farm this season! And for supporting local agriculture. I hope you enjoyed the produce this year. I hope our CSA kept you and your family nourished and inspired in the kitchen! I am excited to continue to grow the CSA Community and hope you will join us again next year! 

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #10:
Salad greens
Baby Kale
Spicy Mustard Mix
Carrots
Beets
Parsnips
Rutabagas
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Hubbard Squash

I look forward to seeing you all later today! 

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #9

Good morning, 

We are settling into late Fall here. The nights continue to grow longer and colder and it feels wonderful to have snow on the ground. I always become anxious as the days and weeks in the Fall go by with warm temps and no snow... but it always comes. 

We woke up to a Winter Wonderland here last week, with a foot of fresh snow on the ground. We were not expecting it and there are definitely a few hoses and tools that are now hidden. Whoops. Reminder to self -- do not procrastinate. Wrap up those hoses and put all the tools away :). 

I'm happy to report the greens in the high tunnel are handling the cold nights just fine. We pull the row cover off during the day for the greens to enjoy the sunshine and for the soil to warm up. And then late afternoon we cover them back up before the temps begin to drop. We have baby kale, salad greens and a spicy mustard mix for your shares this week!

We are wearing more layers and adjusting to the colder temps that December brings and finding the few hours on the sunny days when we can harvest and wash produce for your CSA Shares. 

The winter solstice is only two and half weeks away and we only have 1 Fall CSA Harvest left for the 2016 season! Wow. Winter here we come... I'm ready and excited for the slower days and some down time. To dream and plan and build... 


Fall CSA Harvest - Week #9:
Baby Kale
Salad Greens
Spicy Mustard Mix
Purple Carrots
Beets
Rutabaga
Pink Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Hubbard Squash

Have a beautiful day! 

Happy Thanksgiving! Fall CSA - Weeks 7 & 8

Hello Everyone! 

I hope you're having a wonderful week and enjoying the change in weather. It suddenly looks a feels a bit more seasonal around here. We had an early morning snow storm last Thursday... and then the temps dropped down to 14 degrees the following morning. Brrr!

It was pretty warm and sunny all weekend and another storm blew in on Sunday evening. We received tons of rain, and a lightening and thunderstorm rolled through on Monday afternoon as I was bunching collards and chard in the barn. With rain hitting the roof, and thunder rumbling outside it sounded like August... and then 30 minutes later the raindrops switched to snowflakes. 

Our neighbor plowed field number 2 for us on Wednesday afternoon while I was at CSA pickup. I got home right before dark and squealed when I pulled into the property to seed the new field had been plowed... it looks bigger now that it's open. The grass and weeds should die back this winter and the plan is to plant half of this field with veggies and half with cover crops next season. Woohoo! Oh the possibilities. 

We are done harvesting from the field for 2017. Happy dance! We'll move into the hoophouse to harvest greens for the last couple CSA shares in December... 

We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! And we want to say how thankful we are for all of YOU. Thank you for supporting our farm, for committing to eat locally grown produce and for showing up to CSA pickup each week with enthusiasm, recipe ideas, hugs, and even muffins and tea. We are so lucky to grow food for this community, Happy Holidays! 


Fall CSA Harvests - Weeks 7 & 8:
Spinach
2 Kale Bunches
Chard
Collards
Baby Bok Choy 
Carrots
Beets
Parsnips
Rutabaga
Potaotes
Garlic
Leeks
Onions
Delicata Squash
Hubbard Squash

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #6

Hello Everyone, 

It's mid-November and looks like we may get our first winter blast of the year starting tonight. Seems a little bit overdue if you ask me... but that doesn't mean we are ready for it. Sure, a cold, windy, snowy day will give me the opportunity to spend a cozy day inside, build a fire, catch up on emails, and whip up some deliciousness in the kitchen... but it's also making me realize how many things are still unfinished! So that last few days have been pretty busy trying to wrap up loose ends around here.

We finally planted garlic on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, better late than never ;).  The beds were a little tough for planting and needed a quick run though with the S-tines to make planting easier on our hands. But we came to find out the tractor battery was dead... so after a quick charging the sweet Farmall was up and running and had the beds ready in no time and planting was a breeze. I love planting garlic. It's the moment in the Fall when you officially commit to growing again next season and now, the first crop for 2017 is planted. 

I weeded all the greens and removed the last of the T-posts and trellis from the hoophouse over the weekend, it feels so open and big now! We're going to cover crop the last couple beds and mulch heavy with leaves from our neighbors to feed the soil. 

The mild Fall weather has made the greens in the field grow like crazy. This week's share is loaded with some of the tender greens that I think we'll lose in the winter storm headed our way. They're calling for temps to drop down to 15 degrees on Thursday night, and I'm pretty sure we'll lose the arugula and salad mix at the minimum. So, savor those tender greens! I'm planning to double cover the kale and some other things with row cover in the hopes that they'll pull through.

Here are the details for Fall CSA Harvest - Week #6:
Salad Greens
Arugula
Spicy Mustard Mix
Kale
Tokoyo Bekana
4 Baby Bok Choy
Carrots
Beets
Purple Top Turnips
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic

I look forward to seeing you all this afternoon! 

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #5

Hello Everyone, 

Mother Nature showered the farm with beauty this week. So many incredible sunrises and sunsets... and the constant rain on Friday and Saturday has your farmers and the soil feeling pretty good. We should be able to finish putting the farm to rest in the coming week or so. Then bring on the snow and cold temps.

Taking a deep breathe here this morning. Lets focus on putting kindness and love into the world on a daily basis. 

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #5:
Salad Greens
Arugula
Kale
Collard Greens
2 Baby Bok Choy
Carrots
Turnips
Rutabaga
Delicata Squash
Garlic
Onions
Leeks?

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #4

Hello hello, 

It's November already and today marks the 4th Fall CSA pickup of the season. Wahoo! 

I have exciting news, we finished harvesting the roots this week! The last of the carrots, parsnip and rutabaga are now out of the ground in storage and once we get a little moisture we'll finish cover cropping the field. Things around here are incredibly dry at the moment. Come on rain, and snow in those mountains!

Fall harvests are my favorite. Spring harvests are exciting... Summer is nonstop but Fall harvests are just satisfying. Most of the fall crops are planted early in the Spring or sometime mid Summer, and tended to all season. So once it's time to harvest, its very gratifying. Not to mention the incredible colors and flavors the we're pulling out of the ground this time of the year... and their endless possibilities in the kitchen. 

It looks like a storm is headed our way later this week, keep your fingers crossed! I think we could all use some moisture... and a rainy day would give me a chance to finally weed the greenhouse. I'll be honest, for the last few weeks I've been worried that I seeded the greenhouse greens too late and with how slow things were growing I was getting worried they wouldn't size up before Thanksgiving. I seeded these beds on September 25th... now I know a few weeks earlier would have been more ideal and had your farmer less concerned. BUT, I'm happy to report that over the last few days they have really sized up and should be ready to harvest in a few weeks. 


Harvest details for Fall Week #4:
Salad Greens
Arugula
Kale
Napa Cabbage
Baby Bok Choy
Purple Carrots
Forono Beets
Hakurei Turnips
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Parsley