6 am harvest in the front field, featuring Christine Buechele in the background.  

Lots of news to share this week!  We really enjoyed the energy of the farm party we hosted last Saturday.  Thanks again to chef Matt Jacques, who along with a flock of volunteers, produced a beautiful meal featuring roast lamb from Holdanca Farms (one of our collaborators at the Warehouse Market).  We’ve been eating leftovers from the meal for several days and feeling the bliss a little longer.  It was a surreal experience hosting close to 80 people, enjoying the kids playing together on Compost Mountain, and seeing so many farm share members enjoying the farm.  Then one little girl we’ve known for a while tapped on David and said “Excuse me.  No offence, but your house is a mess!”  Nothing like a little dose of honest reality.  Smile.

After the high of Saturday, we talked with our mechanic, who informed us that after spending several thousand dollars repairing our Sprinter delivery vehicle with the beautiful painting by Hyla on it, the transmission rebuild has gone awry and is messing up the engine.  Those are my (Jen’s) non-technical words for heartbreak in the vehicle department.  The last thing we want to do is buy another vehicle in a hurry.  As I write, David is making calls and researching comments about delivery van options.  I feel for him.

In the human resources department, we are in a hiring phase to get ready for the fall and next year as Hyla, Kathleen, and Naomi leave.  There is no way we can replace them on the team and we will miss them a great deal!  But we’ve had a number of promising applicants.  Dakota returned to the team on Monday, and you might just see her at our market stall again.  She is full of information and experience, so she is a great blessing.  Thanks Dakota!

The new insect net has been deployed!  We hope it foils the carrot rust fly, as well as many other pesky insects, while allowing good air circulation so the crops don’t overheat.  Getting the insect net directly from China was an adventure!  Perhaps a story for another day.

Below are photos from the last 7 days on the farm:

Early morning with insect netting

Sweet turnip harvest

Harvesting celery in the grape field

Kids playing on the Compost Mountain range

Under the oak

Farm tour

Family time

Full-time crew members, Rhi, Erin, and Nicola, with two moms and a dad

Buffet table with Hilary’s flowers

Hilary showing Paula and her girls how to hold a laying hen

All you can eat farm buffet

Kids who are not afraid to get dirty, or get washed off before going home