Members Picnic

Today was the special day -- the day when I know summer is just around the corner -- the day of the Taliaferro Farms member's picnic. It's the day when CSA members flock to the farm to meet each other, see the farm, and eat a great spring bounty provided by Robin, Pete and their big family.

The weather was a bit damp, but it didn't stop anyone from enjoying their farm time. Pete tried to rally a crowd to ride the Kubota tractor for a hay ride, but I think it was still a bit chilly for most.

That didn't stop anyone from riding their bike

or from having hot hamburgers or steak slices from Full Moon Farms.

Full Moon farms has been providing these wonderful meats for all the meat eaters out there for many years now.

First Pickup Coming Soon

Opening day is Thursday June 11th at 9am. The opening times are on the right hand side of this blog so you can refer to it any time you want.

I saw these beautiful strawberry plants today. I hope we can get some strawberries on June 11th...

Not a member yet? 
As far as I know, you can still join the CSA. You can also come to the Farm stand on the open times and purchase directly, but becoming a member has extra benefits such as free flower picking, extra produce items each week, this spring picnic, and the Thanksgiving share (when you sign up for the following season). So come and join us today and enjoy the fruits of Community Supported Agriculture.

Don't forget the Chickens

See you on June 11th!

Everything goes to flower

I'm actually not able to make it to the farm stand today, but I wanted to share the photos I took on Aug 12th when I walked around the farm with Robin. It rained for most of our walk, so I had a small taste of what it feels like to be working in the elements.

Leigh and Robin

Pete and Robin proudly showed me these strawberry plants. They will be ready for next season. You can see how robust they are. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a big crop.

 

The lettuces that we eat are mostly grown in these greenhouses.

Another shelter contained this large batch of onions that will be spread out and dried. This picture is about a third of the stack.

In the fields, we came across an entire section of cilantro. I have never seen cilantro in bloom. It was beautiful. Robin reminded me that "everything goes to flower" eventually.

Smart Weed

Now, the farm is organic but there are still protections that need to be taken to keep the crops as healthy as possible. One thing that Pete is able to use is an extract of the smartweed plant. This picture is not the best, but perhaps you recognize this plant from your own yard. It's basically considered a weed, but Pete says it's high in antioxidants and is effective in battling some diseases that threaten crops.

The other thing Pete can do to help keep the crops safe is to discourage deer.

Deer Deterrent Fence

We went to the part of the farm that is surrounded by this tall fence. It really has helped keep the deer from damaging the crops. There are plenty of other things for them to eat nearby.

Chicks

Here is a new batch of chicks that are being carefully cared for.

People

While we were finishing our rounds, two members came by to pick some herbs. They were enjoying themselves as you can see from this photo.

We also came across Pete and Mira sorting watermelons.

Mira is half of the couple (Mira & Dakota) that is apprenticing at the farm this year.

 And last but not least, I came across Delaney sorting tomatoes.

Well, that was my walk through with Robin. It was really great to see all the activity that happens when we're not there.

Opening Day

Wow, I have so much to write about. Today was the first day of the 2013 Season. I went right to the farm this morning to pick up my share. There are many topics to cover and I can't do them all today, but I'll work them into future posts.

Food at the Pickup

There were strawberries, spinach, spring onions, lettuce, and garlic scapes. Everything looked so wonderful!

Also there herbs you can cut.

And, there are extra items from local vendors which you can purchase separately. For example, bread,

 eggs, yogurt, milk, honey and more. Today, Adair Wines was here giving tastings of their wonderful wines. The grapes are grown in New Paltz and other fruits used are sourced locally. I liked it so much I bought a bottle! Adair Wines is hoping to be back at the farm on Thursdays (I forgot exactly which Thursdays...I'll try to find out and post it here).

People at the Pickup

There were a lot of people at the pickup, but today I want to talk about all the people that make it happen.

Pete!

Delaney and Sarah at the Farm Stand

More hard working folks with the tractor loaded for work.

Ana worked at the Farm Stand last year and says you may see here working some this year. But today, it was all about Glam at the Farm.

Ana, all glam for the opening day.

Ana with her silver shoes...and tractor.

Crops on the Way

Onions - this is the front field from my picture on April 28th but now I can tell what it is.

Same field as in April 28th blog post.

Strawberries

Squash

Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Etc

A nice view of the mountain and greenhouse.

Don't Forget About the Cicadas

I'm told that they have not been eating the crops. I wonder if that comes later though. I have a variety of photos to include for you. The first set shows the holes from which they emerge after their long hibernation, and their skins after they molt.

When they molt, they gain their wings. Here is one I found today that was alive, though it seemed a little stunned, perhaps from being caught in the middle of a lawnmower. You can see the cool red eyes and the approximate size.

I think this one is a little small though so I'll keep looking for bigger, juicier ones to photograph.

Robin had this link in the newsletter -- if you're into cicadas, check it out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/30/cicada-time-lapse-video-by-samuel-orr_n_3361789.html or you can go straight to the video at http://vimeo.com/66688653

Big Family News

Robin wrote in the newsletter that Ian and Mary Kate are getting married! Congratulations!