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

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #3

Hello there, 

The sky is clear and it's frosty and cold outside at the moment. But the sun will rise shortly and warm everything up in no time. 

We enjoyed a cool and cloudy harvest yesterday. A little bit of rain fell during the early hours on Tuesday but it didn't amount to much... I truly love the sunshine and warmth that have been the norm here for the last couple weeks, but something about harvesting on overcast and chilly mornings just feels right. 

The root crops and greens are growing sweeter by the day. I hope they're making your kitchen burst with flavor and inspiration! 

The cover crops Mike seeded earlier in the month are up and glowing green, especially at sunset. Here's the former winter squash patch now filled with triticale and hairy vetch. 

And, the garlic beds are prepped and we're planning to plant this weekend.

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #3:

Arugula

Napa Cabbage

Kale or Collards

Chard

2 Head Lettuce

Hakurei Turnips

Forono Beets

Carrots

Rutabaga

Delicata Squash

Onions

Garlic

I'll see you all this afternoon. Have a great day! 

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #2

Good morning, 

Fall is the best. We have had another week of perfect weather here and we're trying to savor every minute. 

Checking things off the harvest list one by one. This weekend we cleared the beet field, which feels awesome. And  we started on the rutabagas, which are huge and beautiful! I am discovering a love for rutabaga, it's incredibly sweet and versatile in the kitchen. These will be in the CSA shares next week along with a few more recipe ideas.

Tonight is going to be chilly, they're saying mid 20s so I will be leaving Telluride as soon as CSA pickup wraps up at 2pm and head home to cover the greens with row cover before it gets dark.

Please keep your fingers crossed for some moisture. Things are getting pretty dry around here with all this sunshine... and we need some rain before we can disc in any more of the field as well as prep garlic beds. Looks like there's a chance next Monday/Tuesday, come on rain!

Ok, harvest details for Fall CSA - Week #2:

Arugula
2 Head Lettuce
Kale
Napa Cabbage!
Carrots
Turnips
Celery
Leeks
Onions
Garlic
Potatoes
Parsley

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #1

Good morning! 

Thank you for joining the Fall CSA! I'm excited about the variety of produce we'll have to share with you til mid-December! 

The last few weeks have felt like a whirlwind around here... but this week feels different. The weather is perfect. I'm loving the crisp breeze, beautiful sunsets, leaves changing, and not feeling rushed. We're sleeping in a little, moving slower, baking pies... and it feels SO good. Yay Fall!

There are still many things that need to happen around here... Mike and a few friends are going to finish harvesting the potatoes today, and we still have beets, carrots, parsnips and rutabagas to harvest in the coming weeks. The green block that we planted mid-August and early September for the Fall CSA is looking beautiful. I'm surprised at how quickly some things grew, and I'm taking notes for next year of what I could seed earlier, later, or compliment with a second planting. And I'm curious to see how the different varieties of kale, collards, lettuce, etc. handle the cold in a few weeks...

But for now, I'm going to enjoy the lovely weather and slowly tackle projects. 

Fall CSA Harvest - Week #1
Head Lettuce
Red Russian Kale
Chard
Bok Choy
Carrots
Hakurei Turnips
Brussels Sprouts!
Celery
Delicata Squash
Onions
Garlic

Have a  beautiful day!

CSA Harvest - Week #18

Good morning!

Here we are... it's already October 5th and the last CSA pickup of the 2016 'Summer' CSA. Thank you so much for joining us this season! I hope you have enjoyed having freshly harvested produce in your kitchen for the past several months! We have truly loved seeding, growing and harvesting produce for you all, sharing recipes and seeing your excitement each week.

Yesterday morning (Tuesday) was so COLD. It caught me off guard... I knew it might freeze but was not expecting it to dip into the mid twenties. Brrr. I freaked out a little bit, errr a lot,  in the morning once I realized just how cold it had been and when I peaked under the row cover to think about harvesting greens, they were icy. And even though I know most of the greens can thaw out and be just fine later in the day, I was still anxious and paranoid that they might not be OK to harvest for this week's CSA share. But... after a few hours of worry, sunshine and warmer temps everything thawed out just fine and I was harvesting greens for you all (a bit later than expected) in the Mancos wind. Oh my! It looks like another cold snap is scheduled for Thursday night and I'll be a little more prepared and expecting it :). 


Potato harvest has been the main focus around here for the past couple days and with the help of our friends and this beautiful potato digger that Mike is borrowing from a gentlemen up the road, were able to get quite a few beds out, bagged and in a root cellar. Success! 

The original brassica block has been cleared and the remains have been disced in to feed the soil for garlic planting later this month. It was exciting to harvest the last green 
cabbages of the season as well as the Brussels sprouts! I think these beauties will find their way into the Fall CSA next week. 

We finished clearing the last two greenhouse beds on Monday morning. So the plants are out, I just need to take down the trellis and pull the t-posts so we can prep and seed the last green beds tomorrow. I was hoping to get these seeded before 10/1 but it's been a little busy around here and the days just keep getting shorter.

I think we still have a few busy weeks around here and then things will start to slow down. And when they do... this girl is spending a day inside, probably drinking coffee and making cinnamon buns. Mmm hmmm. 

Ok, onto the harvest details for CSA Week #18:

Salad Greens
Kale
Bok Choy or Cabbage
Carrots
Forono Beets
Hakurei Turnips
Rutabaga
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Dill
Green Tomatoes

I will see you all this afternoon. Enjoy the sunshine and crisp Fall air! 

CSA Harvest - Week #17

Good morning! 

Wow. Where did September go? I feel like Labor Day Weekend just happened... Mmmm, savor these last few days of September, the perfect weather and those incredible colors. I'm excited to see how much the trees have changed since I drove up last week... 

It has been nonstop harvest around here. The end of last week was cold and wet and very windy. We received a lot of rain Thursday night and Friday morning, which made everything around here pretty muddy. We had planned a big potato harvest for Sunday but after that storm the soil was too wet so we harvested turnips and carrots instead. 

The soil is still a little damp but we were able to pull more potatoes out of the ground yesterday and they'll be in your CSA Shares today. Woohoo! 

And... I should let you all know that at our farm, tomato season is over. The evenings have been getting cold, the plants were tired and about out of fruit so I decided to pull them over the weekend. Make way for December greens! By Sunday afternoon we had 5 of the 7 beds cleared, tilled and reseeded with greens. Salad, spinach, kale and mustard greens are all seeded and will be up in no time. These should be ready to harvest and be in the Fall CSA Shares by Thanksgiving... 

While we are harvesting we are analyzing and discussing how we can make things more efficient at our farm. Efficiency is key! And taking care of our bodies, as we demand so much from them on a daily basis. So we're discussing adding a new tractor to the mix along with a few smart implements... mostly to help with our weeding game. Work smarter not harder! I love these brainstorm sessions, they get me very excited about the possibilities and next year. Stay tuned! 

OK, onto the harvest details for CSA Week #17:
Salad Greens
Mustard Greens
Carrots
Beets
Potatoes
Parsley
Scallions
Garlic
Onions
Peppers (Sweet and Hot!)
Green Tomatoes

I look forward to seeing you all this afternoon! 

CSA Harvest - Week #16

Good morning,

Well, my prediction last week was right... We have had a few frosts this week, the first one during the early morning hours on Friday. It was a fairly light frost at our place but still took down the zucchini, beans, cucumbers and winter squash plants. But that's ok, it was time! The dahlias sit in a higher part of the farm and are still hanging on but I need to cut them all before the end of the week as it's supposed to get cold on Friday night. 

The evenings cool off so quickly now. As soon as the sunsets the temps drops quick, which feels good but you better have a layer or two closer by to throw on. 

We have been tackling one harvest task after another around here and enjoying the perfect weather. On Saturday we pulled the rest of the Walla Walla onions and then had an evening winter squash harvest. The Hubbards are gorgeous and there were a lot more in the field than I thought. And who doesn't love Delicata. They're all set up outside on pallets and will be curing for the next couple weeks before they find their way into the CSA Shares. 


Potatoes! Mike dug a few more beds on Sunday and with the help of a friend we sifted, sorted and got them bagged right before dark. Woohoo! 

What else... I think we got most of the red and green cabbages out of the field, cleared the collard greens, etc... and now we're (err Mike is) starting to turn the field and will be seeding cover crops in the coming week(s). Mmmm, it feels good to start closing out sections of the farm for the season. 

I'm obsessed with how good the Fall green block is looking! Kale, Collards, Chard, Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage, Head Lettuce, Mustards, Salad, Spinach and Arugula. Grow beauties! They're ready for a good weeding, which I'm hoping to get to this weekend... fingers crossed. Reminder, there are a few Fall CSA Shares remaining, sign up now to enjoy these greens and all of our storage crops til mid-December. 

Harvest details for Week #16:
Salad Greens
Mustard Greens
Kale
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers 
Cucumber
Carrots
Turnips
Bok Choy
Herbs
Walla Walla Onion
Garlic

See you all this afternoon, have a beautiful day!

CSA Harvest - Week #15

Hello there, 

It's cool and windy this morning and I need to layer up before heading outside to finish the harvest. Mmm, the Autumnal Equinox is a week away and there is definitely a feeling of Fall in the air. We're welcoming it around here, the shorter and cooler days feel incredible and my drive to Telluride with your CSA shares is becoming more beautiful each week as the leaves begin to change. 

We harvested a few beds of potatoes this week and you'll find them in the CSA share today! A lovely mix of Yukons, Reds and Purples. And Mike spent Monday mowing the remaining potato beds so the potatoes will cure and be ready to harvest in a couple weeks. So. Many. Potatoes! 

We cleaned and bagged up all the red onions on Saturday and harvested the yellow storage onions, which sized up beautifully! It's a new variety we're trying this season so we'll see how it cures and stores. 

I made a quick trip back to Ridgway over the weekend and spent time with my family and an incredible friend. Aaahhh, so wonderful to play with my nephew, laugh with my brother and just sit, sip coffee and catch up with my parents. Home sweet home. With farming there are always endless to-do lists, which I love, but I need to be better about stopping and spending time with loved ones.

The Summer crops know Fall's a comin' and are slowing down and dying back. This week mark's the last week of beans and zucchini, and maybe cucumbers too. I have a sneaky suspicion that we could see a light frost on Thursday or Friday night... they're calling for temps in the high 30's but with the Full Moon I think it could get a little colder than predicted. We'll see?

I cannot stop checking on the Fall green block... they're growing SO fast and are ready for another weeding. I love Wednesdays and seeing all your sweet faces, but Thursday mornings are the best. I wake up and have a few days to tackle projects before I need to think about harvesting again... and this week weeding all the green beds is what I'm hoping to tackle. Wish me luck!


CSA Harvest - Week #15 includes:

Salad Greens
Kale
Heirloom Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Peppers
Beans
Beets
Potatoes
Walla Walla Onion
Garlic
Herbs

Have a beautiful day!

CSA Harvest - Week #14

Hello there, 

Here we are, it's September and crisp, cool air is beginning to embrace us on a daily basis. Mmm.... and it feels so good. 

We're getting ready to start the heavy lifting around here, and plan to start harvesting potatoes, carrots, beets, winter squash etc... later this week. 

The tomatoes are still ripening like crazy, I thought the cooler weather last week was going to slow them down for a little while but I was wrong, they're going for it and must sense Fall coming. Enjoy the heirlooms while they're here with their amazing flavors, beautiful shapes and colors. 

We enjoyed them with burrata over the weekend, and it has me craving more. I spent the weekend harvesting, weeding and catching up on a few tasks that have been on my list for a while. And even though the days are shorter, something about working sun up til sun down and the cooler air has made me incredibly hungry and I dream up the next meal while I'm completing a task... tomato soup has been on my brain and needs to happen soon! 

The Fall block of greens are rebounding nicely after last week's hail. Wahoo! They're growing right out of it and should be ready to start harvesting from in a few weeks. When I get stressed at the farm I normally buy something to help reduce the worry of whatever has me worked up, so last week I bought more row cover so I could attempt to cover these crops when future hail storms arrive and from the coming cold weather. It still needs cut to size, laid out and set up with hoops and weights... in time.


The Brussels Sprouts are looking happy and starting to fill out. I check on them a few times a week with excitement...  I think Fall is going to taste so so good. We're offering a Fall CSA again this year, and if you're aren't signed up already, check out the Fall CSA tab above and sign up ASAP. We only have a few spots left and would love for you to join us and keep your kitchen filled with fresh, seasonal produce grown on our farm. 

Ok ok, enough about Fall. Lets focus on the current moment, shall we. This week's CSA Harvest includes the following:
Salad Greens
Arugula
Red Cabbage
Carrots
Heirloom Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Bell Pepper
Jalapeños
Beans
Garlic
Walla Walla Onion
Basil

Looking forward to seeing you all this afternoon! Have a wonderful day