The Last Week!

It's the last regular pick up week for the Farm. Be sure to come this week on Friday 9a-6p or Saturday 9a-3p. Laura may be there, or Stephanie, or Robin. Laura was out today, but Stephanie was working hard.

I didn't make a list of all the items available. You will surely find something you like which is fresh from the field! Don't forget to stock up on vendor items as well.

Robin asked me to pass along a sincere thanks from the Taliaferros for all the support from you wonderful members. She reminds me that they cannot do it without you!

When you come to the farm stand this week you might notice that the tarp awning is missing. Apparently it blew away last week with the high winds. It looks a like the stand is closed without the awning, but it isn't closed just yet.

Not closed. Just missing the tarp.

Two more announcements:

• Turkey Signups: If you wish to purchase a turkey in time for Thanksgiving, the deadline is Friday November 8th.
• Next Season: It is time to sign up for next season. If you sign up by Nov 15th and pay the deposit, you can come back on Tuesday Nov 25th and pick up a bonus Thanksgiving share. I have always been so happy to get that extra fresh organic produce in time to cook for the big meal.

Now I will leave you with some fun photos I took today. The first set is of Ian lubricating a John Deere 7410 tractor. He borrowed it from Paul Colucci of Full Moon Farms.

You can see the cutting blades better now.

I commented to Ian about the size of this tractor. He laughed and told me that it's actually not that big as far as tractors go. It's hard for me to to believe because it seems so much larger than other tractors around the farm.

John Deere 7410

 You can see the size of the tractor in more perspective now as Ian stands next to the front tire!

Pete told me that Ian is using the tractor to prepare the land down by the river for new apple trees. If you've been a member for a while you may recall that the farm used to have it's own apple orchard, but the trees outlived their useful lives and Pete removed them. For the last few seasons Pete has been able to rent orchard space in local small orchards. However, this is not very practical because organic apples require a lot of maintenance to keep the pests at bay. 

Since pesticides and systemic chemicals are not used, it is difficult to keep the apple trees at their peak. Normally, non-toxic surface coatings such a kaolin clay are applied to discourage pests. The disadvantage of this is that these surface coatings have to be re-applied often. When the orchards are far away, Pete has to use a lot of fuel and time to transport people and equipment to the orchards to apply the coatings. Let's not mention how difficult and dangerous it is for everyone when slow-moving farm equipment is on the same road as speedy cars. This season the crop was so small that it was not cost-effective to keep up the treatments and the decision was made to let the crop go. Consequently there is no apple harvest this year at the Taliaferros. 

Pete is a motivated farmer and is thinking of re-planting an orchard on his own local property. So we hope that there will be an apple crop if the new trees are planted and mature. It could be a while since apple trees take some nurturing before they give apples. I do not know if Pete plans to rent more orchard space while his trees are maturing. I guess this is a question to ask Pete next season.

Puppies

The farm has acquired two new puppies. Monty and Huxley are brothers.

Huxley (left) and Monty (right)

Monty (left) and Huxley (right)

Monty is the blonde/brown one and Huxley has the blacker fur markings. They both have the interesting blue eyes. They are already being trained to chase deer...and play with people. I'm sure we'll have fun with them next season too.

It's been a great season! 

Every member has been appreciated by the Taliaferros -- the family that farms. Come back next season! And don't forget to sign up in time to get this year's Thanksgiving share. 

Bock Bock! Eat more Turkey.

Generous Greens

(Hours: Th 8-7, F 9-6, S 9-3)

Hi! We've got rain! Now, of course, it's not exactly the ideal time. Pete tells me that most of the fall crops don't need any more moisture. In the warmth of the summer, when moisture evaporates, crops do need moisture, but the fall crops can get what they need from the air and soil already.

Now don't get me wrong -- we do need the water for other reasons. In terms of ground water and the water table, we are still in low or drought conditions. So the water is a blessing for that purpose.

The other thing you may have noticed at the farm stand are flies. Perhaps it's indelicate to even mention them, but I'm not one to beat around the bush -- there are a lot of flies buzzing around the farm stand. Laura was doing her best to kill some of them today. She has also used some essential oils to repel them. However, the farm animals on the lands nearby, combined with the warm humid weather, has made it a nice day for flies. They will meet their doom soon enough!

Today at the farm stand there many options for greens lovers, such as myself.

Tender Greens

Chard!

Broccoli Raab

New this week:

• Tender Greens (a mild mustard-type green that you can cook or even try in a salad)
• Broccoli Raab
• Butter Ball Potatoes
• Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash

Items I saw today:

• Beets
• Green Cabbage
• Garlic
• Potatoes -- butter ball & sweet potatoes
• Greens --Tender Greens, Red Russian Kale, Spinach, Red Chard, Broccoli Raab 
• Peppers -- Poblano, Red bell, Yellow bell, cayenne, jalapeno
• Winter Squash -- Acorn squash, Butternut squash, Spaghetti squash
• Mtn Fresh Tomatoes
• Japanese Eggplant
• Asian Salad Mix 
• Arugula aka 'Rocket'
• 2nd of various items such as tomatoes and beets (Borscht time anyone?)

There were some Leeks while I was there, then the leeks ran out. But Laura believes that more were on the way -- they are being diligently harvested and they'll be as fresh as fresh can get.

Sign up for 2015 Season

It's that time again -- if you've enjoyed having this super-fresh organic produce each week, if you've enjoyed being part of the farming community, if you've enjoyed picking bouquets of flowers and herbs, sign up for next year! You'll be so glad you did. If you have a friend you think would enjoy the farm, point them in our direction so they can sign up now and become an Early Bird signup.

The sign-up sheets are now available at the farm stand. Or, you can grab one off the main website. If you want to know more about how membership works, you can ask Robin or Laura at the farm stand.

Laura hard at work

It's Fall!

I had some computer problems after getting back from my trip last week so I wasn't able to make an updated post. I think I've fixed things now.


There are so many things to talk about. First, a photo from last week showing how dry the farm was.

Very dry greens -- waiting for water.

Pete had to do some serious irrigating to help keep things growing:

Water irrigation pump

The pump is attached to this siphon line. See how low the river is?

Pete was working hard --

but it seems that even the Wallkill River is dry. The photos above are of the irrigation rig that Pete created; it's sitting on the far west side of the farm. You can see the state of the Wallkill River last week before we got the little bit of rain this week.

Now, it seems that things have improved because we got a bit of rain, but I'm guessing that we could use a bit more.

Now onto the food...

Food

The first notable thing is that there were not any green beans when I was there today. Maybe they are finished? However, the farm has some beautiful poblano peppers (aka ancho chile). I am hoping to stuff some this weekend. Laura tells me that if you want to stuff them it can help to blanch them first so that they will be pliable and easier to stuff. She also tells me that the red ones are hotter.

Other than the absence of green beans, I think all the offerings were the same as last week. There is the addition of red chard this week. Even though it is definitely feeling like Fall, the food still looks wonderful and tastes just as good.

Asian Salad Mix

Spaghetti Squash & Butternut Squash

New Vendor Items

While I was at the farm this morning Laura was stocking a brand new shipment of Wild Hive Farm Beans and Grains.

There are many options to choose from, such as:

• Flours:
• Whole Grain Rye
• Multi-Grain
• All Purpose
• Whole Wheat All Purpose
• Soft Wheat Pastry
• Stone Ground Corn
• Scottish Oats
• Stone Ground Polenta
• Hard Wheat Berries
• Dried Beans:
  
• Red Kidney
• White Navy
• Black Turtle

This made me very happy because I like beans!

Sign Up for 2015 Season Coming Soon

Laura tells me that the sign up sheets will be ready next week.

If you're a Farm Card Member, remember that signing up by Thanksgiving 2014 will get you an "Early Bird" designation for 2015. This means any balance on your card will roll-over to the 2015 season. If you also put a balance of $200 on your card, you will receive the 2015 Thanksgiving share.

I forgot to ask Laura about the details for half or full share members, but as I recall, half-share members will need to pay in full by the 2014 Thanksgiving deadline to be "Early Birds" and full-share members will need to pay a 50% deposit. I'll confirm this next week. Of course, if you can't wait to find out, Laura or Robin can answer questions when you're at the farm stand.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

There's still time to sign up to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving 2014. The deadline is November 14th. The sign up sheet is at the farm stand. Just ask! You can indicate the weight you desire and the turkey will magically be raised just for you. These turkeys are raised locally and not in cages so know that they will be tasty for your table.

Laura and Ruby

Well, this is the end of a very long post. I'll leave you with some fun pictures of Laura and Ruby.

Fall Produce is Here

You've probably noticed the trees starting to turn and the weather getting cooler. If you're at the farm, you'll notice that the produce is changing too. Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes and the like are all coming into season. Here's what I saw at the farm stand today:

• Peppers -- Cayenne, Jalapeno, Red Bell, and Yellow Bell, and seconds
• Tomatoes -- Goldie Boy, Mtn Fresh, and still plenty of seconds
• Beets
• Chinese Eggplant
• Salads -- Arugula, Asian Salad Mix
• Green Beans
• Leeks, Garlic
• Greens -- Summer Spinach, Red Russian Kale
• Potatoes -- Carola, Red, Sweet, and some seconds
• Watermelon (maybe the end?)
• Squash -- Butternut and Spaghetti

When I'm there looking at all the food, it always looks so alive to me. These pictures don't do justice, but here they are:

Red Russian Kale is back!

Chinese Eggplant

Butternut Squash

Sweet Potatoes

This is the first week for sweet potatoes. Here is Laura showing me the latest batch:

You may remember that I posted a photo of the sweet potato plants back on Aug 7th. Here is what they looked like then and then now:

Aug 7th -- full of promise!

Sep 25 -- an empty field!

Those beautiful plants produced an equally beautiful harvest of potatoes. The field looks pretty empty now though. It will get a little break before being put to work for us again.

Vendor Items

Chicken is back! There were plenty of packages of legs, breasts, and wings.

Fresh mushrooms were filling one of the fridges -- oyster & shiitake.

There was a nice supply of various goat milk cheeses and fudge (in which I indulged).  And while I was there, Delaney brought the milk, yogurt, cheese, pickle, and sauerkraut  delivery.

You're sure to find something you'll enjoy.

Laura & Ruby

I got this photo of Laura showing how much she likes the goat milk fudge. Ruby was pretty happy as well, even though she is too young to experience the pleasure of chocolatey fudgey goodness. Ah, the innocence of babes.

Fall is on the way, but the food is still growing

September is flying by and October will be here before you know it. Laura

tells me that there is a lull in the crops at the moment. Carrots and squash will be returning. While we wait for those things to mature, we can still gorge on tomatoes and watermelons!

Here are the items available when I was there on Thursday:

• Peppers -- red, yellow, cayenne, and jalapeno
• Tomatoes -- mountain fresh, goldie boy, and seconds
• Eggplant -- Italian and Japanese
• Arugula, Asian salad green mix, parsley
• Leeks, Scallions, Onions, Garlic
• Potatoes -- red and carola
• Summer spinach
• Squash -- summer and spaghetti
• Green beans
• Beets
• Watermelon

Look at how big these eggplants are -- the fat one is the Italian type and the long skinny one is the Japanese type.

And if you are a fan of the tomato as I am, you must be enjoying the bountiful, tasty tomatoes. Here's how many Goldie Boy tomatoes I got with my share.

Don't forget that you can also have your fill of tomato seconds -- these are especially great if you like to make sauce, soup, or otherwise cook with tomatoes.

I admit that I'm not a big fan of bell peppers, but these are beautiful peppers and I'm sure someone reading here adores them.

Turkeys

Believe it or not, the turkeys have been getting fit and ready. It's not too early to start your Thanksgiving meal planning. You can order your Old Ford Farm turkey through Laura at the farm stand counter. The pasture-raised turkeys are given non-GMO grain and never given hormones or antibiotics of any kind. The price is $6/lb. You tell Laura your size preference and Old Ford Farm pairs you up with a bird. The pickup will be Tues Nov 25th.

Flowers

The flower garden is still very lively. Robin planted the sunflowers in stages so even though one row is peaking out, the next row is just coming into it's peak.

Picking flowers is free for members. If you're not a member, you can clip your own bouquet for $7. Clippers are in the bucket at the end of the rows and you can pay at the farm stand or by honor system in the bucket.

There are lots of these Black-Eyed Susan flowers.

The darker colored ones are my favorite. I'm not sure if they are a different variety of Black-Eyed Susan or something else. If you know, please tell me in the comments below.

You can leave a comment by clicking on the "No Comments" link. That just means no one has commented yet!

Enjoy the farm!

A Farm is like a Baby

(Hrs: Th 8-7, Fr 9-6, Sa 9-3)

Pete mentioned last week that running a farm is like having a baby -- once you have one, it never stops. This week he told me he was in a 2 week crunch -- anything he needs to do before the end of the growing season must be done in the next two weeks or he runs out of time. The change of season is upon us so time grows short.

When I was at the farm stand on Thursday, Laura told me that the cantaloupes are finished for the season. However there are lovely spaghetti squash coming in now. These are an excellent option for people looking for a gluten-free substitute for wheat spaghetti noodles.

Laura also reported that the summer squash plants are finished. Whatever yellow summer squash is at the farm stand now is pretty much the end of the summer squash. But, don't worry -- there are still some other varieties available.

Here are the items that were there Thursday morning. Your selection may be different since, despite best laid plans, availability varies day to day.

• spaghetti squash
• sugar baby watermelons
• tomatoes: heirloom, goldie boy, regular style, chocolate cherry, and also Seconds!
• carrots
• potatoes: carola and red
• leeks
• greens: arugula, Asian salad mix
• eggplant
• scallions / onions / garlic / jalapenos / cayenne peppers / parsley
• bell peppers: green and red
• summer spinach
• beets
• green beans
• squash: summer and green

One other tidbit Laura passed along -- although there were carrots when I was there today, that is the entire supply for now. The plants are in a lull and carrots will be out for 2-3 weeks until the next batch is ready.

Here are some pictures of what I picked up today with my share:

Rain

Well, if you stop to think about the nice sunny temperate weather, you may realize that all those lovely sunny days mean that we haven't had very much rain. Even though we had a few short showers, it's still very dry. Two days ago I was digging some post holes a foot deep and I was shocked that the ground was dry dry dry all the way down. The farm could use some rain, so keep your fingers crossed for a few nice showers.

Vendor Products

Delaney brought the dairy delivery while I was there.

We should have a nice supply of milk, yogurt, and even butter.

If you're looking for goat cheese or feta cheese, there was a good supply when I was there Thursday. However, quark was out of stock.

Speaking of other things out of stock -- there was one lonely package of chicken legs left. Laura told me that a fresh batch of chickens will be available in a week or two. So, hang in there for your chicken fix.

There were plenty of Full Moon Farms pastured and grass fed meats available. And, there was a great selection of Pika's quiches.

If you're a little thirsty while you're at the farm, try Booch -- this is a Kombucha drink made right here in sunny New Paltz. You'll be surprised at how refreshing this unusual flavored drink is.

Well, that's it for this week. Have a great week. Feel free to press the "Post a Comment" button and tell me what you really think!

Peel and Eat

I'm back from my trip and I'm very happy to be back at the farm. I missed being around all the growing food and abundance of scrumptious flavors.

I didn't arrive at the farm until late in the day Thursday, but here are things I saw:

• potatoes -- red and another kind
• onions, garlic, leeks
• arugula, spicy asian mix
• parsley
• spinach
• green bell peppers
• sorrell
• green beans
• jalapeno peppers
• beets
• carrots
• cucumbers
• watermelons -- so sweet you can just peel and eat
• spaghetti squash
• yellow squash and summer squash
• tomatoes -- all kinds (regular, heirloom, yellow, small, cherry)

Cherry tomatoes in a small dish

Yellow gold tomatoes -- these are super sweet

I was so pleased that there were still watermelon left this week. Right before I left town, I ate a watermelon and it was so sweet that I could eat all of the rind down to the green. Maybe I'm a bit over-zealous, but I think that you really could just "peel and eat" the watermelons just like you might peel an apple or peach. Just take off the thin outer green skin leaving the delicate light green rind intact and eat everything (minus the seeds, although they can be chewed pretty easily). OK, I know I'm at the extreme side of watermelon consumption practices, but rumor has it that a lot of nutrients are contained in the rind!

Spaghetti Squash

These spaghetti squash looked wonderful today.

If you've never cooked spaghetti squash, you should give it a try. I tend to cook it one of two ways.

The first way is to split it (preferably tip to tail) with a large sharp knife. Then use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds. I usually discard the seeds. I've never tried roasting them, but perhaps that would work. Take the halves of the squash and place them cut side down in a tray with about a half inch of water in it. You can coat the skins with oil if you want, or not. Then cook it...until it smells like squash.

The other way I cook these are to poke some holes though the skin all over the squash. If my fork doesn't go through easily, I use a knife to poke into the squash instead. Then place the entire squash on a tray and cook it at 350 degrees (or thereabouts) until it smells done. You can coat the skin with olive oil if you'd like, or just leave it au naturel. I estimate it takes maybe 30-45 minutes to cook. Once it's done, let the squash sit for 10 minutes, then split it in half and scoop out the seeds.

In both cases let it sit about 5-10 minutes before you cut it so that it cools off.

Try serving it to someone who doesn't care for squash. They might be surprised at how good this squash tastes when used in place of spaghetti pasta.

Pete's Pickles

Are you a pickle fan? Be sure to get one of Pete's pickles. They are $3/lb this week and they look wonderful.

Laura, the new John House

During the time I was out of town, there was quite the important development at the farm stand. John House received a full time job offer and reluctantly left the farm to accept this exciting position that will advance his career. He loved working at the farm stand and I believe we all enjoyed his service. We all wish John the best in his new job.

Lucky for us, his sister, Laura, is able to take his place. I met her today briefly and got some great photos. Be sure to tell her hello and give her a warm welcome. 

Laura and Pete discussing farming

Welcome to our new Farm Stand manager, Laura.