What a week, oversold the greenhouse crops (lettuce mix, arugala, broccoli raab, red choi) and have had an abundance of interest in the CSA. Thanks everyone for your emails and phone calls about the CSA this year. I owe a huge thanks to Dan and Phyllis for getting the word out, as well as some others that have just helped spread the word about our farm and what we are doing.
I think we are officially saying we are doing the CSA this year. We will have enough folks signed up to meet our goal of the equivalent of 10 full shares. It looks like most of the people that are signing up are signing up for half shares, which is great. I am so excited to meet more people this way.
This week has been awesome---great weather. We will be putting some tomato plants in the greenhouse/hightunnel in the next two weeks. We will transition from calling our hightunnel a hightunnel to calling it a greenhouse with the planting of the tomatoes. In the past few years we have not heated the hightunnel at all since the cost of propane is so high. This year we have left over propane in the tank from when we did cut flowers (maybe from 2006) and want to take another stab at extra early tomatoes. We are growing Oregon Spring and Mountain Spring varieties and two others, that I cannot remember right now.
Plants I started this week are: bunching onions, swiss chard, kale. spinach, parsley, cilantro, and dill. Plants already started are: broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. In a week or so we will be putting up a lowtunnel to plant our radishes, beets, more lettuce, spinach and carrots into. I am getting hungry and I just ate. Yum!
I spent the majority of my weekend weeding, as well. The chickweed is taking over in the lettuce beds. Conditions are perfect for this weed. If you get our lettuce mix, you probably are familiar with it. I do my best to keep it out when I am picking, but you know....I am not perfect!
If you signed up for the CSA you will be hearing from me the second week of March. I will call to let you know I will be depositing the checks and to say "hi".
More later!
Carrie
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Lost Shoes
Hi Everyone!
We have been losing our shoes and boots in the mud! The snow has finally melted outside and left behind a never ending trail of boot-sucking mud.
I have been busy picking about 40 pounds of lettuce and arugula each week, ordering seeds, plants, planting more seed. My kids have been very good about staying busy, even with the nasty weather we have had. Now I just let them go crazy in the mud and make them undress before they come inside.
I am getting kind of dismayed that the CSA isn't picking up like I had hoped. I have some families signed up, but we still need at least 5 more to go ahead and do it. I am still planning on growing enough produce to support a small one and if it doesn't come to fruition, then we will sell to The Root Cellar in Columbia and try and pick up some more wholesale accounts. That's the way it works, you need to order your seeds, plants, start your seeds now or sooner, so that is why I am growing enough whether enough members sign up or not. I have local farmers that would like to offer beef and bratwurst through the CSA as well as a honey producer that would like to offer some products through it. I hope that the local food movement catches on in this area!
Our lettuce has become very popular this Winter. It is exciting to think about all the places our produce is sold and served. It is funny to go to a restaurant and recognize the greens on the sandwich, which happend last Fall at Uprise Bakery. Our produce has been served at at least 5 restaurants in Mid-Missouri. The Broadway Brewery, Uprise Bakery, and Sycamore's all in Columbia, The Farmer's Merchant in Owensville, and Meramec Vineyards Winery in St. James.
We are growing all we can for our established accounts and can't wait to see what happens this Spring and Summer.
If you know someone that may be interested in joining the CSA please have them contact me soon, so I know it's a go for this year. I am willing to work with people and make payment plans, because I am well aware that it is a lot of money to pay out upfront. My email address is: readcarrie@hotmail.com
phone: 573-646-3789
Our website is under construction but has an easy to use link for the CSA membership form: http://sweetleaffarm.com/
We have added some wonderful equipment to our arsenal this year, too! I mentioned we bought a tractor, but we also purchased a bed-former and a mulch layer. We are getting serious, folks! I can't see what happens when you move into the 20th Century with equipment. Remember, we had been doing this by hand and with horses and our tough BCS tiller for the past 10 years.
More later! Try and keep your shoes on this Spring!
~Carrie
We have been losing our shoes and boots in the mud! The snow has finally melted outside and left behind a never ending trail of boot-sucking mud.
I have been busy picking about 40 pounds of lettuce and arugula each week, ordering seeds, plants, planting more seed. My kids have been very good about staying busy, even with the nasty weather we have had. Now I just let them go crazy in the mud and make them undress before they come inside.
I am getting kind of dismayed that the CSA isn't picking up like I had hoped. I have some families signed up, but we still need at least 5 more to go ahead and do it. I am still planning on growing enough produce to support a small one and if it doesn't come to fruition, then we will sell to The Root Cellar in Columbia and try and pick up some more wholesale accounts. That's the way it works, you need to order your seeds, plants, start your seeds now or sooner, so that is why I am growing enough whether enough members sign up or not. I have local farmers that would like to offer beef and bratwurst through the CSA as well as a honey producer that would like to offer some products through it. I hope that the local food movement catches on in this area!
Our lettuce has become very popular this Winter. It is exciting to think about all the places our produce is sold and served. It is funny to go to a restaurant and recognize the greens on the sandwich, which happend last Fall at Uprise Bakery. Our produce has been served at at least 5 restaurants in Mid-Missouri. The Broadway Brewery, Uprise Bakery, and Sycamore's all in Columbia, The Farmer's Merchant in Owensville, and Meramec Vineyards Winery in St. James.
We are growing all we can for our established accounts and can't wait to see what happens this Spring and Summer.
If you know someone that may be interested in joining the CSA please have them contact me soon, so I know it's a go for this year. I am willing to work with people and make payment plans, because I am well aware that it is a lot of money to pay out upfront. My email address is: readcarrie@hotmail.com
phone: 573-646-3789
Our website is under construction but has an easy to use link for the CSA membership form: http://sweetleaffarm.com/
We have added some wonderful equipment to our arsenal this year, too! I mentioned we bought a tractor, but we also purchased a bed-former and a mulch layer. We are getting serious, folks! I can't see what happens when you move into the 20th Century with equipment. Remember, we had been doing this by hand and with horses and our tough BCS tiller for the past 10 years.
More later! Try and keep your shoes on this Spring!
~Carrie
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