Garlic Planting

We tackled a few fall garden tasks in the past week, and the most exciting of those was planting garlic! A friend came up on Wednesday and we planted several garlic varieties and about 25 pounds worth, which came to just over 1000 cloves. Woot woot! We made sure to give the plants generous spacing and mulched the freshly planted beds with a think layer of straw. Beautiful! Hopefully each clove planted grows into a gorgeous bulb for harvesting in July. Oh my, the anticipation of next season has already begun! 

We are also spending time putting beds to rest, which basically entails pulling up the crops that are past their prime, adding compost and covering the beds with straw or leaves for the winter. Basically, tucking the soil and all it's goodness in underneath a think blanket, before winter arrives.

There are a few crops still growing (slowly) in the garden and we are harvesting a bit today for a pick-up in the Town of Ridgway tomorrow, Saturday, October 26th. We should have a limited supply of carrots, head lettuce, kale, turnips, bok choy, leeks, potatoes and tomatoes. Yum! 

CSA Harvest - Week 18

Winter made a very real appearance last week. I went to bed Thursday evening thinking there might be a dusting of snow in the morning. Well, I woke up to find 6+ inches! Wow. I was surprised to say the least. 

I may have grumbled for a few minutes while I searched for my snow boots and came up with a game plan. Then, the sky started to light up and I realized just how magical it was outside. I spent about an hour sweeping the snow off my beds covered with hoops and fabric before running off to the Ridgway Farmer's Market. The snow load was so wet and heavy that it bent some of the hoops, and smooshed the crops underneath. Luckily, most of those crops have bounced back after a few days of sunshine. 

Well, here we are. It's October 9th and the last CSA pick-up of the season. The past 18 weeks flew by quickly didn't they? I hope you have all enjoyed the fresh produce and discovered new vegetables and recipes along the way. 

This week's CSA Share includes the following:

Potatoes
Winter Squash
Carrots
Kohlrabi
Head Lettuce
Leeks
Cauliflower
Bok Choy
Green Tomatoes

The harvests are wrapping up but we are busy in the garden putting beds to rest, seeding cover crops and planning for next year. The garlic planting will commence in the next few weeks and come November we should be ready to take a rest ourselves. 

Thank you so much for being a part of the CSA this season! I truly enjoyed growing food for you all and hope to do so again next year. 

I will be sending out a survey in the coming weeks and would love your feedback. 

Have a beautiful day! 

CSA Harvest - Week 17

The sun is just about to rise over the mountains and start warming up the cool air. We are moving a bit slower at the farm these days, the mornings are lazier and I am convinced it's the colder temperatures. 

The wild winds last week brought in our first taste of cold cold weather. On Friday evening the temperatures dropped down to 22 degrees, I knew it was coming but I wasn't prepared to feel temps that low! Brr. Down jackets, long underwear, winter hats and mittens all came out of my closet. 

We had a late evening on Friday harvesting like mad and covering crops up with fabric. We lost the tomatoes and some of the peppers but tis the season. With that in mind, this is the last week of tomatoes, please savor them! The CSA Share is beautiful this week and includes the following:

Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Peppers
Carrots
Winter Squash
Potatoes
Leeks
Salad Greens
Herbs: Cilantro, Sage or Mint

I look forward to seeing everyone this afternoon. 

Have a beautiful day!

CSA Harvest - Week 16

Good morning, 

It is officially Fall and the evening temperatures have been quite cool the last few nights. We had a pretty hard frost on the farm early Tuesday morning, which I will say surprised me a bit. The cabbages and carrot tops were quite icy and the cucumbers and squash have died back. I guess I can no longer ignore the fact that it's almost October... and snow is right around the corner. The freshly snow capped mountains sure are looking gorgeous! 

So, the hot crops are on their way out but we still have a few to harvest and share this week.

This week's CSA Share includes the following:

Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Peppers (sweet and hot)
Carrots
Green Onions
Kale
Salad Greens
Bok Choy
Tomatillos
Melons
Herbs: Cilantro, Parsley or Sage

CSA Harvest - Week 15

Hello Everyone,

An early morning rainbow is shining behind the house as I type. Mmm, what a beautiful surprise from the sky this morning.

The rainy days over the weekend sent me into the kitchen to preserve some of the bounty. Pickles, relish, hot pepper jelly, pasta sauce, hot sauce and dilly beans are all freshly canned and lined up in the pantry. 

This week's CSA Share includes the following:

Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Peppers
Beans (last week of these)
Tomatillos or Ground Cherries
Head Lettuce
Spinach or Kale
Potatoes or Cauliflower
Carrots or Beets
Onions or Green Onions
Herbs: Cilantro, Mint or Parsley

CSA Harvest - Week 14

Good morning,

I hope everyone has been enjoying the rain. Woo wee, the constant rain really has been unbelievable and I cannot recall a September ever being so wet. We received over 2 inches at the farm in the past week and the gardens and forest seem to be enjoying all the moisture.

It did make for a muddy harvest yesterday but I secretly enjoyed it.  

The CSA Shares this week included the following produce:

Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Peppers
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Green Beans
Ground Cherries or Tomatillos
Melon(s)
Head Lettuce
Spinach or Arugula
Beets
Cilantro
Onion


The sun came out yesterday as I was delivering the CSA Shares and it was magical. Oh how I have missed the sunshine!  

Enjoy the bountiful harvests! They should continue until a frost comes and soon the shares will include fall crops. Think potatoes, leeks and winter squash.

CSA Harvest - Week 13

Good morning,

It feels like Summer made a serious return this week and the heat has had me questioning what month it is. Then a slightly cool and crisp breeze will brush my cheek and remind me it's September, mmm September.

September always feels so comforting...  it brings the most bountiful and beautiful harvests of the season but also reminds you a frost is near. We are constantly harvesting in the gardens right now and sometimes it is hard to keep up. I have been reminding myself to smile and savor it as the cold weather could sneak up on us at any moment. Savor it.

On Monday, amidst the harvest madness, we planted the last round of greens in the garden. Head lettuce, bok choy, kale and spinach. Now that the temperatures are cooler and the days are getting shorter the crops begin to grow slower so this is an experimental planting, we'll see if they're ready by the last week of the CSA.

OK, onto the bounty that will be in the CSA Shares this week. Warning, the cherry tomato harvests are getting wild, please be prepared for a lot this week! The following produce will be in this week's share:

Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Sweet Peppers
Head Lettuce
Arugula
Melons (Cantaloupe and Honeydew)
Green Beans
Cilantro or Basil
Mini Onions

I am so grateful to be growing food for you all and we are planning to host a potluck on the farm in the near future. Stay tuned!