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 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!

Bean Bonanza

(Hrs: Th 8a-7p, F 9a-6p, S 9a-3p)

First off, let me say tomatoes are still coming in...patience, my children. There weren't enough ripe tomatoes for a whole unit for each member, so instead Pete decided to give each member a free tomato. I know it's not enough to cook with, but you can have a nice tomato salad or sandwich. The weather just isn't quite hot enough for them to ripen as quickly as we would all like. Patience...

There are green bell peppers this week!

bell and jalapeno peppers , and tomato

Also new this week is sorrel. I think the best way to use it is in soups or small amounts in salads. But you may have your own personal ideas! Feel free to share them in the comments.

Sorrel

Bean Bonanza

Yes, there are THREE, 3, three different types of beans offered today. Be sure to take some home!

Haricot, Romano, and Green beans

So, there were lots and lots of items to choose from at the Farm Stand. Here is the full list of what I saw Thursday:

• Cucumbers, Lettuce Mix
• Carrots, Celery
• Potatoes 
• Leeks
• Dried Onions and Garlic
• Sorrel
• Kale and large Cabbage
• Beets
• Zucchini and Squash
• Green Bell Peppers
• Beans -- Green, Haricot, and Romano

Beautiful squash

There were also a few free items. These are not seconds, but Pete's way to give us more choice while some crops are still coming in: tomato, jalapeno pepper, parsley. Amounts are currently limited for these items.

Vendor Items

New this week is Bluefield Farms Maple Syrup. It's in Mason jars and is (in my opinion) the most awesome maple syrup I've ever had. It's super-local from right here in New Paltz. Be sure to get some today. Store it in the refrigerator or freezer for longer term storage.

The quiche and butter have been restocked.

Major Weed Wacker

Major Weed Wacker...

Ian was mowing down some serious weeds between two fields with this major weed wacker. (Yes, I'm referring to the tractor, not Ian.)

Flowers Sneaking a Peek

Members can cut their own flower bouquet. Be sure to stop on your way out and cut a nice bunch. The zinnias are now starting to show their faces, so please cut them to help them flower more and more. I'll end here with two flower photos. See you at the farm!

Week 8 Brings Potatoes and Leeks

(Reminder: Stand Open Thurs 8a-7p, Fri 9a-6p, Sat 9a-3p)

So many things to choose from this week. Here's what I saw on Thursday:

• Carola Potatoes
• Leeks, Spring Onions
• Garlic, Basil
• Green Beans
• Carrots, Beets
• Lettuce Mix, Cucumbers
• Zucchini, Squash, Ronde de Nice
• Lacinato Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage

Here's a photo of the Carola potatoes. They are a nice small size which makes them super-fast to cook. No need to peel them, eat the whole thing.

Carola Potatoes

 These are the garlic that I showed drying last week.

Freshly dried garlic

Last week I mentioned that tomatoes were almost ready. Well, they are still almost ready! It is likely to be another week or two before they are ripe enough. But, peppers are expected next week. Here's a nifty photo from the field:

Bell Peppers almost ready!

Another scrumptious item we can expect soon are sweet potatoes. I don't have an underground camera, so I can only imagine what they look like right now, but here's what the leaves look like. I didn't realize that sweet potatoes have such pointy leaves...with a little bit of purple tinge. Pete laughed at me when I told him I thought they were eggplants (because of the purple tinge to the leaf edges). It's a good thing I leave the food growing to him!

Sweet potatoes almost ready!

Rows and rows of sweet potatoes

 Herb Garden Peaking

Please check out the herb garden -- it's behind the swing sets. Herbs are free to cut for members. John or Robin will have scissors at the farm stand. The area has been weeded and everything is peaking right now. I like to cut herbs and dry them for winter use.

Vendor Offerings

Chickens: Pete told me the fresh chicken I mentioned last week "flew out of here". The chicken that is still left has been moved to the freezer so look for it there.

Mushrooms: I love these super-fresh, tasty, mushrooms, and the containers are generous. Great for mushroom lovers and the less enthusiastic.

Dairy: When I was there Thursday, dairy was out of stock. But John said he was expecting it to be re-stocked by the end of the day.

Goat Cheese:  The goat cheese is back in stock. I guess someone said just the right things to the goats.

Fence Installation

I have reported before that deer have caused increasing damage on the farm and so Pete had no choice but to begin fencing them out.

At least this deer print is outside the fence.

 The fencing project is basically complete now. Looking west we see the fence is farther than my camera can see.

Looking West along fencing project.

Here is a photo of the same corner brace that Rich was working on before.

Same corner brace that Rich was working on.

The area is not 100% contained by the fence. There are some large openings for trucks and equipment to get through that do not have gates. So, the deer can still get into the area. However, now they have to work a little bit harder. It should help to control the trampling and excessive snacking by the deer.

See you next week!

I will leave you with this photo I took of a chicken during Week 8 of the 2013 season. Everything is wet and I think it was raining. This chicken may be all wet, but I wouldn't want to cross him -- look at his formidable legs!

Week 14 (already?!)

(I was finally able to edit the photo sizes.)

Well, it was hot today (Thursday). I'm hoping it's cooler for you tomorrow.

I was supposed to post some chicken pictures last week while I was away on a trip, but things got complicated and I didn't have as much internet as I hoped. So, my chicken pictures will have to wait. Here's a preview...

Food today

I was gone last week and really missed my fresh food. I was so happy to get there today and see all the great items available today. The lettuce was beautiful, as was the spinach, beets, eggplant, and squash. There were apples, watermelons, and tomatoes. The poblano peppers looked really wonderful, but I wasn't able to get a good photograph.

There were some seconds there today. I don't know if they will still be there tomorrow, but here is one of the eggplant seconds. They were so big!

Flowers

The flowers are starting to come in. Some are already here. I cut myself a bouquet today. Cut your own bouquet as part of your share if you're a member, or cut for a small fee.

People

It was pretty busy when I was there around 11am today. Delaney was away at school -- I guess I better come at another time so I can get a photo of her. But Ana was working hard and here's a great photo.

I'll be back next week with a new blog. What should I write about? What do people want to know about?