A fraction of our transplants that will be set into the ground this month.  Can not really get out of this task, same every year, my back should be primed.

Planting into paper mulch helps control the weeds. It is more difficult and tedious than plasticulture.  It will tear easily which is a blessing and a curse, is permeable to water and air,  and can be tilled in at the close of the season. We are using it in the hoop house under tomatoes.

LOTS of green garlic will be available! German Extra Hardy is a culinary delight, pungent but not too hot. Try it instead of onions or scallions for complex flavor without a harsh aftertaste.

Squirty is looking quite dapper after his second shearing.  His velvety neck folds are just right for morning rubs and hugs. He has grown from a scrawny runt to a goat who can hold his own in the barnyard.

Beauty wants attention.  This is her favorite "Come talk to me" pose, very fetching.

 Don't miss an opportunity for some fabulous vegetables and flowers. This season is off to an excellent start due to perfect weather. It is inspiring us to work even harder at making your shares to be spectacular. 

For those of you who knit, spin or felt......wait till you see the mohair our goats are producing.  It is BEAUTIFUL!!!!  Fiber will be available for purchase at the market stand.

Patrick and his wife Erin came to help get some tilling done.  He also repaired the flaps covering the tines.  They had become bent after I had several mishaps with tomato stakes.  Anyway, the mishapened ends made gouges in the soil, making the bed prep take longer. Look at the difference between the tilled soil surfaces: after on the left and before on the right. Erin and my Aaron are picking rocks and clearing weeds from under the trellis.

Seeding is the main job and Aaron is a big help.  He fills the flats with Fertrells organic potting mix.  This saves me time as we get two jobs done together. Small seeds are not his friend!  Even I use tweezers to seed tomato, eggplant, pepper and other mid-size seeds. for tiny seeds they are a must have.  Yes, I realize there is a can of coke in this picture....HERETIC!!! My weakness is exposed.  I am usually diligent in avoiding the dreaded HFCS, or supporting Monsanto. There are no natural sodas available out this way.  I need to start making Kombucha again, which I much prefer to soda.

A make shift potting bench made from scrap wood saves my back.  This is a better arrangement than the kitchen table or countertop. I love having the sun beaming down on me while working, and no potting soil on the kitchen floor:)

This Quick Hoops, or Caterpiller tunnel is simply hoops with a sheet of Tufflite held down by parachute cord.  It is very quick to set up compared with a Farmtek high tunnel.  It is just what I needed for starting seeds.  The negative with this type of structure is there is only one sheet of plastic and no heat, sooo any tender stuff like the tomatoes and cukes must be schlepped back into the house as soon as the temp drops down to 60 degrees. In the morning as soon as the temp climbs back to 60 we return the flats to their sunshine. Leeks, onions, some of the flowers, broccoli and cabbage are all left out overnight.  I was delighted that onions germinated despite low temps in the 23-32 degree range.  Daytime highs are 75-85.

Our ducks are ready to lay eggs!  I have one duck that lays an egg everyday, soooo we built a duck nest box .  I suspect the nest opening is a bit generous for ducks, but to squeeze 4 nests would have made them too small. The red color was a mistake on my part in reading the label.  I saw barn and fence paint and thought it was white. I hope the ducks will not reject the nests due to the red color. I still need to attach a lip on the front to keep the hay from spilling.

February is gone and I for one am glad. My computer was out of order for over 2 weeks, not a good thing.  True enough it has been an unusually mild winter, with some days bordering on ridiculous 60+ degrees. With last spring still haunting me, (remember the RAIN?) I determined to get the ground prepped at both gardens. The soil dried to perfect tilling consistency and I wasted no time!

Crop planning is 90% finished. I am so pleased that additional space is ready for flowers.  It has been a frustration each year to not have room for beautiful flowers. There are flats of Sweet William, Strawflower, Salvia, Oxeye and others growing. Many more are on the planting schedule. Larkspur will get direct seeded this week, it will not germinate if temps are above 55. Sunflowers of all colors should be stunning additions to the CSA boxes. It is wonderful to have a place to start all these plants where I live. Hope is in the air for a fabulous season.

Last week my daughter and a friend came to help erect a caterpiller tunnel.  It is a small unheated 20x12x7 structure that we will use to start seedlings.  I am excited as this will be the first time I can start seeds where I live.  A lot of transplants have been lost over the years from not being able to monitor soil moisture and temperature.  Even a few hours of  too cold or too hot temperatures can kill plants. Just the thought of being able to water all the seedlings with my Red Head wand is making me giddy.  Yea I know.........I need a life. But seriously, if you are a farmer stuff like that IS exciting.  I still need to put the plastic on and the parachute cord.

Here is Beauty, in a typical sentry pose.  She is curious and must see all that is happening beyond her stable.  The goats do get turned out into the barnyard for exercise and play, usually from morning till late afternoon.

We need winter cash flow to purchase all the necessary supplies to get those seedlings started.  If you are sitting on the fence about joining a CSA for 2012, I encourage you to take that leap of faith.  Even if you don't sign up with us-make that commitment! Supporting a small local farm is the heart and soul of changing our food system.  It is crucial for CSA farms to get early cash flow.  Eaters need to step up to the plate, literally. 

I think folks think we are "off" between the last CSA delivery and April.  Absolutely not the case!  Aaron and I are still doing field work.  Soil samples were pulled last week and the rest of the drip tape was rolled up. Flail mowing left over dead plants and preparing compost piles kept us busy too.  Once the snow flies and the ground is frozen there is a load of paperwork to complete.  Except for illness, there are no days off.  Seeding of celery, herbs, onions, leeks and flowers all start late January or early February.

The farm does have need of some big ticket items: ground cloth $902.00, certified organic potting soil $300.00, 2 cases of 4" pots and trays $240.00, and fertilizer.  I do use handmade soil blocks to avoid plastic pots and flats, however for the larger tomatoes, eggplants etc that get potted up to a larger size it is more efficient to use the plastic pots.  There is a product called Cow Pots which I would prefer to use.  They are made from cow manure, by two brothers from the excess manure from their farm. They cost considerable more than the plastic and are single use.  The plastic ones can be disinfected and reused. If I had the money I would take the Cow Pots!

Bottom line: we need your support and commitment to get through the winter months, in return we grow beautiful nutrient dense produce for your CSA share.

PS.........if anyone knows someone with a used drum carder they would like to donate to me please contact me.

BUTTERMILK PIE

This pie is over the top and super easy to make. The crust is just as important for a good pie. Generally folks either use shortening, lard or butter for the crust. Lard will make the flakiest, butter the richest tasting. Either way, if you don't handle it with care it will be tough. So you can go to Martha of course, or Fine Cooking, or Gourmet, or Cooks websites to get a crust recipe. For the actual filling here it is:

2 TBS all purpose flour
1and1/2 cups sugar
1stick of good quality butter, gently melted
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon first quality real vanilla

Make your crust
heat oven to 350 degrees

Stir flour and sugar in a bowl with a whisk until blended.
Add melted butter blend thoroughly
Whisk in eggs blend thoroughly
Add buttermilk and vanilla

Pour mixture into pie crust and bake 1 hour or until filling is golden brown and a sharp knife comes out clean but slightly oily

I have made this filling in a blender and a mixer, as well as by hand. The blender incorporates more air and maybe the texture is slightly different.
It saves time. Do not walk away from your butter, if you stir it as it is melting you will be ready to take it off the heat just as it is all liquid. This way is is not too hot. Also I pre bake my crust for 10 minutes just so it won't be soggy.

This recipe came from a January 1983 issue of Cuisine, which is just about in tatters. There was an article on Southern pies by Ann Byrd. There were incredible recipes for Pecan, Sweet Potato, Vinegar(similar to buttermilk), Egg Custard, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Butterscotch and fried Apple pies.

My sister gave me a pie cookbook called Sweety Pies-An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, With Pie by Patty Pinner. It is a wonderful book written by an African American woman; and reflects a true understanding of how a woman makes stuff happen with her command of all things pie. It is also a visual delight, I highly recommend it.

On that note, I realize there are multitudes of humans suffering unspeakable cruelty, and even more animals who are subjected to sickening atrocities. It helps to get my petty frustrations into perspective. There are several rescue organizations I get news feeds from that sorely test my faith in humanity. Indeed it begs the question: Is evil triumphing over good? If I did not know better I would think so.

There are a few pictures from the day after Thanksgiving I would like to share. Patrick and his wife came to help us winterize the stables, equipment etc.

Here is Squirt, the buckling runt, who is slowly coming along and gaining a bit of weight.  He is still apart from the other goats as he can't defend himself.  Very sweet.

Snickers is recurling a heavy coat after his October shearing.

One of the Welsh Harlequins injured its leg and could not walk. We offered him some food away from the other ducks. In just 7 weeks look how big it grew from the picture in a previous post.

Beauty on the left, Miridian on the right, both growing out luxurious fleece. They are becoming quite tame since arriving in August.

Patrick and Aaron mucking out the stable. The duck brooder pen was in here before they graduated, and ventured outside.

Making Compost.  In the backround a low tunnel is being set up for early March.

Welsh Harlequins, Blue Swedish and Khaki Campbell ducks at eight weeks old.

For those of you who are returning, I am humbled and filled with gratitude that you have chosen to support our little farm during 2012. Through thick and thin your support has not waivered.  That is the heart and center of a CSA- eaters investing in a farmer to grow some of their nourishment; whether it be meat, produce, dairy, eggs or honey. No question that the eater takes a risk.  If you are not comfortable with risk then the farmer's market or supermarket is where you should shop.

We grow on two parcels of rented land, the 1/2 acre is certified organic, and the 1/4 acre is in its final year of a required 3 year transition. There is absolutely no difference in the soil or crop management between these two locations. Legally until the 2013 season I am not to use the word organic on the 1/4 acre produce.  If you have any concerns regarding growing practices please ask-the farm is very transparent, with nothing to hide!

Our crops are grown with rock dust minerals, sea fertilizers, trace minerals and composted manure from our own chickens, ducks and goats. We also use liquid blends from Lancaster Ag.  Everything applied to the soil or crops is approved by Pennsylvania Certified Organic, our certifier.  For pest control we use row cover, diatomaceous earth, trap crops and beneficial insect predators. It has not been our practice to use organic pesticides.  This past season we sustained heavy losses of our potato crop to Colorado potato beetles.  I may use Spinosad this year to control these destructive critters. Other ubiquitous enemies are the Mexican bean beetle, squash bug, and the striped cucumber beetle.  I know you prefer your broccoli sans squiggly worms too. Management of weeds is with hand hoes, tiller, ground cloth and sometimes a flame weeder. Weeds are the bane of my existence!!!  It seems they are never vanquished! 

Our CSA does not require work hours.  Ideally a CSA should have a group of "core" members who volunteer regularly, with other members filling in as needed.  Due to the hectic pace of work schedules, and the distance to our plots it is not feasible to require members to volunteer.  Some of you have a difficult enough time making it to market to pick up your share:)

Potatoes are already ordered and some of the seeds.  It would be a help to me if I know your preferences. What crops would you like to see in your shares? There will be a much larger assortment of tomatoes for 2012.  It is my goal to have at least four varieties each of all the other vegetables.  Would you like lettuce every week in your share?  These are things as a grower I need to know. Fresh herbs will be more plentiful and varied, with German Winter Thyme, Chocolate Mint, Parcel, and Rosemary Arp returning. There are thousands of vegetable cultivars out there for the choosing.  Some of these are better suited for the home garden.  I would encourage you to try growing a few of your own veggies this summer if you have even a tiny bit of space and 6 hours of sunlight.

This year I will also have handspun mohair yarn from our goats. They were sheared in October. Carding and spinning will keep me plenty busy during winter nights. The Welsh Harlequin, Blue Swedish and Kahki Campbell ducks should start laying eggs by May. I will have to wait and see what kind of numbers they produce. Duck eggs are rich and delicious.

Pick up for your shares will be at the Swarthmore Library parking lot, Park and Lafayette Aves, across from the Swarthmore Co-op. Market opens at 9:30 and closes at 1:30.  It is best if you pick your share up EARLY, especially when it gets hot! Greens do not tolerate the heat and want to wilt.  I need to leave promptly at 1:30.  If you know you will be late please call and let me know.  If you are away,or unable to pick up your share please let me know. It is very wasteful in time and produce to pack an unclaimed share. I understand stuff happens (trust me I get it) just let me know ahead of time if possible. You should have my cell number in your phone:)

If you have any questions please call my cell 610-506-2965

Thank you for your support,

Julie Barrett

WE CAN ALWAYS USE HELP TRANSPLANTING, SEEDING, WEEDING, HARVESTING, WASHING AND PACKING! Consider volunteering a few hours.