Delaney returns to the blog

Hi folks! This is Leigh, your friendly blog writer, or as someone called me recently "that man obsessed with taking pictures of Ana".

Well, since I don't want to be remembered as someone obsessed with Ana (not to suggest that Ana isn't worthy of obsession), I decided I better take some pictures of Delaney! Plus, I know that people who read the blog have been wanting to see her. So, I made a special trip to the farm stand last Saturday to get a glimpse of the studious Delaney who has been in class every Thursday when I'm normally there taking pictures.

Here are the pictures we've been waiting for!!!

Delaney told me she is going to be in a play at Ulster County Community College. She will post some details at the farm stand and I'll mention it in the blog. So, keep an eye out for that and plan to check Delaney out and support the actors at UCCC.

Delaney was worried about her hair, but reader will agree it looks amazing!
So blonde and curly and long!

Gotta love those boots!

Three Sensational Sisters

While I was there on Saturday, these 3 sisters were having fun on the swingset and helping their Mom gather herbs.

They are Anna-Grace, Rory, and Alana. Three swings and three happy girls!

Say hello if you see them at the farm stand!

Tractors

Well, besides my on-going obsession with Ana and Delaney (ooops, did I say that out loud), I also enjoy looking at the tractors. This one was all geared up to till some soil in preparation for winter.

Well, that's all for this mid-week post. I hope everyone enjoys the pictures of Delaney and also the happy Gerber sisters. Pete and Robin will have details about next year's shares and farm cards on the website soon. I'll write about it here too.

 

Cold Start

Wow, I left my house and walked to the farm stand and was waaay under-dressed. I was so chilly when I arrived that I didn't want to take my hands out of my pocket to take photos. But the show must go on! Here are a few fun pictures...

The big door was closed today and the thermostat explains why.

Luckily, when I got inside there was lots o'food to choose from. Lettuce, arugula, beets, broccoli raab, garlic, scallions, acorn squash, Romano beans, butternut squash, potatoes, tons of eggplants, and tons of green peppers, and tons of apples. So, I didn't have to worry about not having enough choice. This may be the last of the eggplants and green peppers though, so get them while you can.


The kale was really beautiful so I got 2 more bunches this week. This lovely basket belongs to a member and she also seems to like kale!

The mushrooms arrived while I was there this morning. If you have never gotten any of these super-fresh mushrooms you have to try them.

I noticed there were no poblano peppers this week, which made me sad. Last week I decided to try them for the first time -- I've eaten them once or twice in restaurants, but never cooked with them myself. I stuffed them with goat cheese and mushrooms and a little cheddar cheese and baked them in the oven. Fabulous! I wanted to make more, but alas, I missed my chance. They've been around all summer, but I waited until the last week to try them. There's always next year. I'm glad I expanded my personal recipe repertoire.

There are many vendor items to try out. I try something new every week or two. Last week I couldn't resist the fudge made with goat's milk. It was incredibly rich and smooth. Next week I will try the ruby sauerkraut.  Ana tells me that Sarah's chicken is very tasty and is a great choice if you eat chicken.

I wandered down to the greenhouse to see what was happening. There are actually little sprouts there. I wonder what these will become?

I went by the chickens and took some photos. I am amassing quite a collection of chicken pictures and will put them on the blog when the season ends. While I was in that direction, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the flowers were still happily blooming. The zinnias were looking a little rough from the cold, but there were still some to cut, and the orange flowers (I don't know the name) were still going strong.

Ana is laying on a large size bench made by Ian. If you are looking to spice up the seating around your backyard fire pit or give your kids a place to wait for the bus, maybe this bench would be just the thing you're looking for.

Tractors Need Love Too

The John Deere 5320N was having some problems, so Pete called Tractor Dave at Agricultural Machinery Services (845-389-7553) to give her (Are tractors referred to as 'she' the same way we call boats and cars 'she' -- even tractors named 'John Deere'?) some attention. Pete tells me Dave's a genius with tractors and that he fixes all the equipment that Pete cannot fix himself.

Dave, Pete, and even the tractor were happy after the repair was completed. If you have a piece of farm machinery that needs help, give Dave a call.

Fun With Ana

As usual, Ana gracefully puts up with my photo-taking. I hope to have some pictures of Delaney soon -- she's always at school when I'm at the farm but I'm going to try to make a special trip to visit her Saturday. She's been away from the blog for too long.

Enjoy these pictures of Ana! I couldn't choose just one...

Notice the halo?

Wearing very warm overalls!

The Real Week 19

Hi Folks,
Apparently I incorrectly marked last week as Week 19, but this week is actually Week 19. You'd think I can count but apparently not! Of course, no one commented to tell me I was wrong...so no one else seems to be counting either. So, I don't feel so bad.

Full Moon Farm is having an Open House on Saturday! It looks like a lot of fun. They are very passionate about raising their animals humanely. Please check them out!

The weather was really wonderful today and to my surprise there were still a ton of choices for my units. Here's what I saw today, but please remember that availability is dependent on what is actually harvested and can change from day to day.

• scallions, garlic, hot peppers
• lettuce, radish
• poblano peppers, red and yellow bell peppers
• beets, carrots
• broccoli raab
• Siberian Kale & Red Russian Kale
• Romano beans
• eggplant
• butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash
• sweet potatoes, white potatoes

Please remember to sign up for a Thanksgiving Turkey if you haven't yet. I don't have the prices with me, but I think they are listed on the sign up sheet. Ana has the sheet where you check out at the Farm Stand.

And if turkey isn't your meal of choice on Thanksgiving, consider stocking up on some of Sarah's Chicken. According to Ana, "You've never tasted chicken until you've tasted Sarah's chicken."

There is a new item for sale in the cooler this week -- Hawthorn Valley Sauerkraut. There is even Ruby Sauerkraut that is made with red cabbage.

This week there is also Real Pickles brand Garlic Dill Pickles and Kimchi.

Don't forget about the other regular items for sale -- bread, apple butter, local syrup, local honey, milk, yogurt, cheese, mushrooms, goat milk fudge, chevre goat cheese, and Full Moon Farm meats.

People at the Farm Stand

I met Brooke and her mother Jen today at the Farm. Brooke wore her favorite dress to the farm. She really enjoyed helping her Mom pick out some apples. Of course, I had to take some photos and Brooke was happy to pose for me.

Don't forget the flowers that come with your farm membership. Brooke is a pretty flower, but since we can't take her home with us, try these flowers instead. There are clippers in the bucket next to the flower garden.

Tractor Obsession

I couldn't help but to take a picture of this tractor as I saw it moving around getting ready to go out in the field. It had this attachment on the back that looked pretty scary. I would not recommend being under the business end of the tractor as it's in motion.

Ana Obsession

Besides the tractors, I'm also obsessed with taking pictures of Ana. Can you blame me?

That's all for this week! I can't wait to cook my kale...

Week 19, Can you believe it?

We're at week 19 of the season. I can't believe I've been coming to the farm every week for the entire summer. Now it's moving quickly into Fall, as the cool weather today reminded me. Nevertheless, there were still many wonderful things to eat. I've got some great pictures at the bottom of the blog of the sweet potatoes being harvested, so be sure to check them out.

I saw bins of broccoli raab, beets, arugula, lettuce, garlic, scallions, spinach, kale, radishes, romano beans, carrots, eggplants, poblano peppers, acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, apples, and even watermelons. Of course, the available items may be more or fewer depending on what's exactly available when you arrive at the farm stand. 

I got a chance to ask Pete about the pumpkins. He told me that they had less than one large bin of sugar pumpkins because the deer devastated them. Apparently the deer thought the pumpkin field was their personal fast food restaurant. Alas, it seems we won't have pumpkins this year.

Some wonderful mushrooms arrived when I was there and I also noticed a new offering of Apple Butter from much Mor bread for purchase.

~Sights on the Farm~

One of Pete's dogs.

A gaggle of geese heading north, flying low and loud.

A greenhouse ready for a winter crop.

 ~Herbs and Flowers~

There are still plenty of herbs and flowers for your pleasure. There is still a ton of cilantro and the sage looked lovely too.

The sunflowers are a bit droopy and many have been cut by people taking advantage of their beauty. However, the zinnias and even the snapdragons look good.

This bee looked very cold and was warming itself on this flower.

A new crop of some kind of flower is ready. I don't know the name of these flowers. Feel free to suggest the name in the comments.

Look carefully for the little bug camouflaging itself.

~People~

Now to one of the most important parts of the farm -- the people. I had an opportunity to get a close look at the harvesting of the sweet potatoes. Claudette and Neville were proud to show me how easy it was to harvest the potatoes. Well, they thought it was easy...I think it looks like hard dirty work, especially in this cool weather. I mentioned last week about Claudette being featured in Edible Hudson Valley's Fall 2013 magazine. If you didn't see it last week, check out her spread.

Neville and Claudette harvesting sweet potatoes

Neville shows his technique

I saw Paul today and he told me his experience harvesting sweet potatoes. He said that when the vines come away from the potatoes they leak a milky white fluid. This fluid is notoriously difficult to remove from your hands. Apparently it is almost pure sugar! He said his hands were sticky for days afterwards.

Ian was working with the forklift to carefully move apple crates around. He put one crate on top of another with wild precision.

Ian stacks with precision

Susan and her friend Lynnette were shopping today. My apologies for this poor picture! They were much better looking in person.

Susan and her friend Lynnette

Now you know I can't end a blog without a photo of Ana. She worked so hard today. When I arrived there was a technical problem with the card reader. She was on the phone for 31:29 minutes getting it fixed. Meanwhile, an extremely patient member, Lenny, calmly waited for Ana to resolve the issue so he could pay. Ana really needed Delaney to help her today. Between the technical difficulties and the many empty bins, she was running ragged to keep things running smooth. Through it all she kept her winning smile.