A Perfect Moment

I've always said that I would be perfectly happy to be a farmer who grew nothing but cover crops. They really appeal to my Midwestern, soil conservation roots: large swaths of lush green plants waving in the breeze, holding the soil in place against wind and rain erosion, mellowing that soil with their plunging, penetrating roots and -- after all is said and done -- nourishing that soil as they're tilled back into it, adding precious organic matter, returning nutrients they've used and feeding the teeming multitudes of beneficial soil bacteria.

Generally, I have these "what if..." moments about cover crops while I'm on the tractor, mowing or tilling another lush, beautiful stand of something or other. I'm so struck by the simple beauty of it all (aside, of course, from the roaring, diesel-exhaust-belching tractor) that I just get lost in my thoughts. Recently, I had such a moment as I mowed a cover crop of winter rye and hairy vetch. I drove through the field, seeing the vibrant green and purple blossoms of the vetch contrast with the blueish green stalks and bearded tops of the rye; smelling the sweet scent of the freshly mown, succulent vetch; swallows swooping overhead (catching insects which the tractor had disturbed into flight); the sun shining, then not, then shining again; watching Chloe (our dog) lope through the dense stand, thoroughly enjoying herself, her head bobbing as she tried to see where she was going (she stands to mid-thigh on me and the vetch was easily over waist high in much of the field), but knowing that she didn't really care. How could I not get lost in the beauty of it?

But then, as the diesel fumes caught up to me and vibrations of the tractor started to jar my bones, I was happy to be done with it. The rye and vetch were gone (mown and lightly mixed into the soil), the dog had bitten a porcupine (and the porcupine, of course, had bitten back), the tractor needed fuel, and I needed a break from that hot, noisy machine. On my way back to the house, I took a detour for a walk through the other field -- the one full of beautiful, heathly vegetables growing in beautiful, healthy soil -- to remind myself that it's not so bad to be a veggie farmer after all.

Chloe, sitting in the rye and vetch.

Vetch blossoms.

Share Pickup Details for 2008

We're poised to start our 2008 CSA season on Tuesday, July 1st.

Waterville Pickup
For those of you picking up your shares in Waterville: I hereby promise to have the shares to the pickup site by 3pm on Tuesdays. Cross my heart. Shares will be available on Tuesdays from 3 pm until 9 pm at Railroad Square Cinema. The theater closes at 9 and any shares not picked up by then will, like Cinderella's coach at midnight, turn into giant pumpkins. Any that don't turn into pumpkins will be given to the cinema staff and will either be taken home by them or donated to local causes.

The boxes will be tucked under a table, to the left of the door, just as you enter. Shares will be clearly labeled as full shares or half shares.

There will be a clipboard with all of your names on it and the share size for which you signed up. Please check off your name and take the appropriate box. In subsequent weeks, please return the previous week's box.

Please remember that Railroad Square is being very generous in letting us use their space, but they have nothing else to do with CSA. All questions, special arrangements and problems should be directed to us either by email or by phone at 342-2770.

Pickup at the Farm
For those of your picking up at the farm: I hereby promise to have the shares available for pickup no later than when I leave to take the other shares to Waterville. For all intents and purposes, let's call that 3pm. Shares will be available at the farm on Tuesdays from 3 pm until 7 pm. On the rare occasion you can't make it during those hours, please have someone else pickup for you or call to make arrangements.

The boxes will be in our walk-in cooler, which is in our barn. Signs will indicate full and half shares and there will be a clipboard on the outside of the cooler which will have all of your names on it and the share size for which you signed up. Please check off your name and take the appropriate box. In subsequent weeks, please return the previous week's box.

Directions to the Farm
Google Maps does a very good job finding us. You can easily ask them for directions. Once you follow those directions to Rt 220, though, here's a couple more details:

From the North: Keep your eyes peeled for a conspicuous white sign reading "Montville Gravel Pit" on the right side of the road. When you see that sign, our driveway (Berry Rd) is dead ahead. 220 will veer to the right and our driveway continues straight (off the left side of the road).
From the South: When you pass (or turn off of) Center Rd, we will be the very next right, although we're about a mile down the road. If you see a big, white, square sign reading "Montville Gravel Pit", you've gone just a bit too far.

Note that there are two mailboxes at the end of our driveway and that the driveway evenually forks, at which point you should take the right fork to get to our house and to the barn.


Missing a Week
If you will be unable to pick up your share, please make arrangements for someone else to pick it up for you. If that won't work, please let us know by the day before so that we don't pick your share and waste any food.

Weekly Newsletters and Share Info...
... will be posted right here. Tune in for share box manifests, recipes and farm news.

Building a Farm

What does it take to build a farm?

Aside from a supportive community of friends and customers: a lot of wood and screws. Much of the work we've been doing this spring has been on projects without which the farm couldn't operate, or at least couldn't operate as efficiently. So far this year, we've build two hoophouses (one with power and heat for starting seedlings, the other just a simple "fieldhouse" for our tomatoes, eggplants, sweet peppers and basil), a walk-in cooler (to keep all of our veggies fresh after we've picked them) and a packing shed, which we're just putting the finishing touchs on, in which we'll wash all of the produce we pick. Not only did we build these structures, but we had to fill them with stuff to make them useful; I don't think I have enough fingers and toes to count the number of tables I've built this spring. Of course, all of these projects needed wood -- a lot of it -- and it was all cut right here on the farm over the winter and custom milled for us.

It's exciting to have all of these projects finishing up and to think about how they'll fit into the farm. On our previous farm, we were always making due with what we had and this is the first time we've been able to have exactly what we need and to set it up exactly how we want it.

And the best part: now that we're done building all of this stuff, we can start devoting all of our time to farming. Especially since we're about to start picking for farmers market and the CSA!

CSA Update: We're on track to start the CSA on July 1st. (Regardless of when we start, we'll call of our shareholders to personally communicate the details.) As things stand, the first share may contain: fresh garlic, swiss chard, kohlrabi, pac choi, salad turnips and some loose leaf lettuce for salads. You know -- give or take.

(Late) May Showers

You may have noticed that it was unseasonably dry during May. Fortunately, the past few days have helped me forget about how parched we were just last week. The upshot of all that beautiful, sunny weather was that we got a lot done and didn't have many weeds growing. The problem: crops weren't growing so fast either. Not that they were hurting, just that they weren't thriving like they should have been.

Because of this slow growth, we'll probably start our CSA a little later than normal this year. I'm thinking late June or early July, just to be safe. If the stars align and the weather cooperates with us, it's possible that we can start sooner. Regardless of when we actually start, rest assured that I'll contact you all to make sure that you know when the share will start and how it will work. And if we start late, we'll also continue later into the fall.

Now, to whet your appetite, allow me to rattle off a list of what I've planted so far (or will be planting very soon):

• salad greens
• cilantro
• lettuce, endive, escarole and chicory
• beets
• chard
• sweet corn
  
• kale
• collard greens
• broccoli
• peas and fava beans
• parsnips, salsify and scorzonera
  
• cauliflower
• kohlrabi
• napa cabbage
• regular cabbage
• radishes
• rainbow carrots
• sweet turnips
  
• pac choi
• fennel
• potatoes (5 different kinds, including some old, old heirlooms and fingerlings)
• onions and scallions
  
• shallots
• winter squash
• cucumbers
• zuchinnis and summer squashes
• popcorn!
• edamame
• artichokes
• sweet potatoes
• parsley
• basil
  
• celery and celeriac
  
• tomatoes (25 different heirloom slicing and paste tomatoes)
• cherry tomatoes (20 different colors, shapes and sizes)
• sweet and hot peppers
• eggplants
• lots of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, marjoram, lovage, tarragon, chives, sage, oregano)