Week 16: Integration Specialists

Cassie washing vegetables

Cassie washing vegetables

This week’s produce pack will feature salad mix.  People have been asking for it, and it is back.  We will also have Mokum carrots (the really tasty ones); cucumbers; red or savoy cabbages; hot peppers; large purple eggplants; green and red peppers; tomatoes; garlic; leeks; herbs; and eggs.  For the kale lovers, we will have it in the swap box.

Open Farm Day will be Saturday September 14 from 2 pm onward.  Please feel free to check out the farm and have a visit!  Directions are on this page.

Thank God for the rain!  It was getting dry.  For a little while the ground was so dry and hard in the pasture, it was challenging to stick the fencing posts in the ground.  This morning, they sunk right in.  Aaaah…!

We had a number of visitors this week, including a computer integration specialist.  He was telling us how he integrates computer systems.  He really likes the challenging puzzle of getting all the components to work together.  Then I realized, so do we!  Of course, it is a completely different thing, his work and ours.  But a big part of our job every day is integration.  Bringing the right team together for getting work done; integrating livestock, vegetable production, and fruit production; fertility-building; balancing the needs of customers, farmers, and crops; and finally, but in a way most importantly, we have to integrate this farm into our wonderful community.  It feels like we have a lot of balls in the air and it is pretty exciting!

Here are a few photos from last week.  See you all soon!

Jen, David, Bruce, Cassie, and Stephanie

George came out for a day to help out.  He spread compost, made hay, and mowed a cover crop.  Thanks George!!

George came out for a day to help out. He spread compost, made hay, and mowed a cover crop. Thanks George!!

One of the cows had a bull calf.

One of the cows had a bull calf.

The calf has nice big eyelashes.

The calf has nice big eyelashes.

Bunching celery

Bunching celery

The sheep are eating the alders at the bottom of the pasture.  If anyone has alders to get rid of,  I have a team for you!

The sheep are eating the alders at the bottom of the pasture. If anyone has alders to get rid of, I have a team for you!

The laying team have integrated well with the bovine team

The laying team have integrated well with the bovine team

Oliver likes the nice long carrots from last week, but this week we have the smaller, sweeter Mokum carrots

Oliver likes the nice long carrots from last week, but this week we have the smaller, sweeter Mokum carrots

Jen and Cassie in the hay mow.  Bruce, David, and Phil did most of the work though

Jen and Cassie in the hay mow. Bruce, David, and Phil did most of the work though

Anyone interested in hops?  We will offer them as an extra next week

Anyone interested in hops? We will offer them as an extra next week

Cassie and David harvested the onions and they are drying in the greenhouse

Cassie and David harvested the onions and they are drying in the greenhouse

Another step in new field preparation: disking the buckwheat

Another step in new field preparation: disking the buckwheat