This week is a real transition week, some of the first signs of summer with basil and summer squash in your boxes and the last of the Spring greens. This week’s collards will be the last green greens until the Fall. We will have swiss chard throughout the summer so there will be some “greens” to look forward to. Last week was spent weeding for the most part. We got, not ahead, but even with the weeds last week. This, of course, is our constant struggle. It’s something that ebbs and flows throughout the season, sometimes we’re ahead, but more often than not we’re a little behind. Monday was on e of those days were we brought out the big guns and mowed down many of the Spring beds that were past their prime along with all the weeds that were choking out what might have been left of the crop. There isn’t a whole lot better in improving one’s mental outlook of the farm than seeing lots of weeds gone with a pass of the tractor mower. There’s been some time in the past week to clean up around the greenhouse and the fields, getting row cover up, irrigation lines put away, sorting out old starts that didn’t sell or weren’t planted. We’re looking forward to having many of you out to the farm this weekend. For some of you it will be the first time to see where your food is coming. Getting people out to the farm for that experience is always a little bit of a thrill for us. It’s one of those big picture things that actually happens, connecting people with their food!
Nick’s Intern Perspective…
In other news this past Saturday while many were watching the England and USA Soccer game, a few of us went out to Crooked Creek Farm in Old Fort, NC. It was the monthly meeting of CRAFT. CRAFT is a consortium of regional farmers in western NC who offer a monthly class for farmers and their apprentices at area farms with specific topics as the focus. This months topic was livestock production. Crooked Creek Farm raises beef cattle, pigs, chickens and ducks. They provide meat to local farmer’s markets and to local restaurants. The “main event” of the farm visit was watching two of the recently born calfs being castrated. It was a sight that would make any man cringe. As with anything else on the farm it’s something that has to be done. Just as we must weed, there are things that must be done on animal farms to provide a product. To say the very least I think I’ll stick to vegetables.
This coming week it looks to be filled with some great work to get the farm in shape for our annual CSA party. So we hope to have the farm looking good when you come out. With all of the weeding we’ve done it’d be a shame for the plants to be the only ones to enjoy all of our hard work. Looks like we’ll have some tasty food and of course expect a good time. You can see where all of the food that comes in your wonderful box every week comes from and take a tour around the farm. Bring your swim suits to take a cool dip in the pond. We Look forward to seeing you THIS Sunday, at 3pm.