Cat is Lion at Home

ROAR! Bubba loves his Hattie's Garden Grass



Yes, we did get the plastic back on the hoophouse. Thanks to a couple Freemans, and a calm warm day this fall. We planted it up & I'd have to 'check our records' to tell you when we planted, but I tell you it grew so fast & furious, the produce is a little ahead of schedule. Well a lil bit maybe who knows. But I do know it has been a gracious fall as far as temps go. And since it all grew & is near done I think we are going to try some replanting. crazy tawk!


Who you ask is that person in the background? Well, I know its my signature color, but its not me, I'm not that graceful. Its DEB! and next time I will ask her permission and actually put a pic of her face in the blog if she lets me....She is our SUPER VOLUNTEER!

And this is the AMAZING VEG of the week. so sweet & tender. Kinda seems like a cross between Pak/Bok Choi and Broc Raab. You will not be disappointed if you got in under the wire to order this lil guy. Well, what was left after the harvest snacking.....



MERRY HOLIDAY TO YA'LL. HAPPY SOLSTICE....

the secret life

I know you imagine the baskets of fresh produce & us skipping through the rows, plucking a leaf here & there as the birds chirp.... (Queue Edelweiss)

Sometimes it's not very glamorous or romantic, this farming thing.... But it is an honorable way of living. ain it? Today I was weeding the spinach and realize how simple a thing that sounds like and yet, how important it is too. Such a simple task. But it can take all day. Spinach is a testy veg to harvest. Leaf by leaf. tedious some say. Much easier when it's weed-free. So we must. we must. Just try to find the zen.

You can see my fancy new 'tool' there in the foreground, The tines of the rake are adjustable to fit the width of the path between the rows. genius I tell ya! I like me tools I does.

Cheers!

-----THE END

Our bees died.


This most likely happened because someone sprayed a chemical on the lawn or around their house or possibly one of the conventional farms sprayed something creepy. and the bees got it and it killed them. It is really heartbreaking. Dave ( our bee man) said that it was one of the really healthy hives. I'm not sure if he has been back to open it up & take stock, but we hold onto hope that they are raising a queen, and we'll see them again. I really miss them. The garden is not the same.

Please consider all the beneficial insects before you decide to kill one that you don't like or feel you need. thanks.

Frightful Farmer Face Fluctuation

Please read the following graph with your BEST Vinny Price impression/accent:

So with the impending Nor'easter "scheduled" for our final market day at the HLFM , we had a hard time gauging who would come out & how much to harvest. It's the eve before the eve before all hallows eve, so what are we to expect? A stirring of the weather cauldron is what! MWAWHAahahHa...HAH.

you may return to your previously designated Deny Accent:
This being an October Nor'easter, it's bound to be a cold one. Dang arctic bidness. I think we have used all our 'hold until tomorrow' cards. All we needed was one. more. day. Actually we didn't have to use any cards, before now, really because just about every day that we were at market, it was absolutely perfect, sometimes it rained as we drove home. OH YEAH, once it lightnin & thundah'd during the opening bell. We wuz lucky dat time, and so with this sendoff from Mother Nature Her Highness, I'm feeling a bit blessed. kin I git an Amen.

We will layer up & hunker down and be waiting with all of our wunnerful produce. Please c'mon out and pick up enough to last ya. This is it.. of course , unless you are on the special off season delivery list... and if you don't know bout it & live in the Tri-Town Area, please ask...

BRRRR
Yes today was a forewarning of what is to come, seems we forget the chilly feeling after a summer of heat & humidity & temps you can be naked in & not notice.... You better believe I had the longhandles on today as I will in the morrow....

Since the harvest was in flux, so to speak... we had some time to fiddle around ( not really but pretend with me for a moment ) so Hattie & I decided to try on possible Halloween Costumes!
Here we are in our best garden attire... whachutink?

SKERRY SPINACH FACE

Instead of John Travolta and Nick Cage in Face Off..... a less scary (I hope) me & spinach mask... also note the covered rows behind me....

Can you believe we have spinach leaves
as big as our faces!?!
come get some at the HLFM on saturday!!!



This is Hattie as CAP'N SPINACH HOOK.
( captain hook... get it? I probably didn't need to point it out)

Anywho, thanks for a great market season and we are ready to deliver your goods starting next weekend... Costumes negotiable.... ;) wink... nudge...

See you in the mornin!!!!!!

orange you glad?

It's fall and I know this not only because of the temps at night ( and the fuzzy socks on my toes) but because I have been eating winter squash!! how I love them. at first I eat them just roasted, later I will get interesting. This Kabocha from Greenbranch awaits the knife.... how do you eat yours?


As promised and only a month later than promised, here is a shot that doesn't quite get a good angle on all the plantings in the field.

Take our word for it, there is lotsa food in that thar gard'n.
Them's carrots in the lush center row ...

Ya'll come out to the market this weekend. It's a long one & gawjuss too. We'll have lotsa food.

jimmy cheezy cocopoof

I know its hard to believe, after the 8+ inches we had with Irene & family, but I have to tell you that we realized it was dry today! This time instead of the burnin hot sun and what not, ( but I don't have to tell you that the sun is at a crazy angle.) The Wind, had a little to do with sucking the moisture outta ...ever ...livin ....thang ...on tha... earth.

Chapped lips, tumbleweeds, dust bowl.

There was much watering of seedlings today. No I wont complain. Because this summer when it was a hundred thousand degrees I was dreamin of a wind, even a hot dry wind. Blow-dryer-wind is what we called it in the SW.

Yes I have no photos this week. I hope I don't bore you. please write & tell me if i do. actually write & tell me anything. any ol thang.

So... I can tell you that we have a fall garden planted. AND that is why I have been somewhat silent. The heaping spoonfuls of soil and seed I am hauling around the garden, yes, me, alone, all me, solo, sans hands..... Oh HI HATTIE!, Oh I was just joking... ha ha, hee... heee? ha? ho? hello?
I'm of course being silly, that happens I am told. We do everything by hand so the brain starts to get giddy.

Hattie plowed her bootie off, making amazing raised beds for planting. Then we compost & level each bed for seed. And then the seeding, by hand mostly. yadda yadda.water, yadda, Its really amazing.

Its a beautiful thing. I am gonna take a photo for you, this week. I AM! i will! I SWEAR!

This is all for you my winter denizens! Never fear ! The Cornucopia of Nourishment is at your door just for the asking. So easy. I bring you yummyness. just ask.

oh Irene!

Irenie, you caused a lot of hullabaloo, about 8 inches of rain & plenty of wind. And in this neck of the woods we were lying prone all night in fear of tornadoes.

The garden fared pretty well all of our pre-hurricane precautions seemed to have paid off. The naked hoophouse is not an Irene tragedy, it's getting a facelift this fall so we decided the hurricane was a good reason to release the old plastic, rather than wake up to a bent hooper.


Hattie said the row covers barely budged in the gusts.


Since we didn't have the market on saturday we decided to have our own, Post Hurricane Sale
we had lots of wonderful customers come out & shop. THANKs YA'LL!!!!!

volunteers, squatters and earlybirds

Not the truest title but hey, it early, so sue me. or give me a better title.

Around the garden there are amazing things and some just a little inspiring.

Out around the compost bin there are lots of 'volunteers' this one has been out there blooming for a while now. Its eye catching because there is either green or brown out there and a shock of pink is always welcome. She doesn't care that Hattie tried to dispatch 'er. I think she is trying to attract the bee's who live back there...



Another grandstander is the perfect, no disease, lush cherry tomato poppin up by the back door. She's hidin some little gems under those leaves. Dunno if she was dropped as a seed or if a tiny start was tossed. But here is our fall crop! well not so much, can't bear to cut her down, but against all odds I'd say!


About a month ago after all the drama with the bee hives, I discovered the spare & mostly abandoned bee hive shaped like a house ( Dave told me the name of that type of hive, but guess what I forgot it.) had some action! Oh yeah, they are in & outta there all the time and there is a queen bee. imagine that. We aren't even mad that the hive is in the MOST inconvenient spot.

These little fuzzy green pointy hairs on the dirt were expected sometime this week but not as soon as they showed. Do you know what they are? I think they had all the perfect conditions, lots of rain warm temps but not too burnin hot, and of course lots of expectant eaters... Baby carrots comin! We are happy to have you.
cheers! off to cut arugula!!

our parasitic pals

Since the very first time I grew tomatoes I knew about the Tomato Hornworm. ( Actually I called Molly back then & said what the.....) What a crazy creepy GAWjuss critter! They are masters of disguise. Even after you find one, once you move your eyes it is easy to lose it.

First you think, ooo cool, then you see the munching & decimated mater plant. Then you get mad, then you google. Well it turns out that the hornworm turns into a moth, kinda normal except it kinda hovers like a humingbird. Yeah a hummingbird moth. kinda cool. And if you have plenty of maters & you aren't trying to make a living off of them.... you might let it live.

I mean, whats so great about tomatoes? I'm sure there are some delish weeds out there. what up? Git ooouuuuttt. Don't MAKE me kill yo arse... please... I'm a lover not a killer.

Like I said though, they are easy to lose sight of.... UNLESS!

...............tune of underdog...................
..........here I come to save the daaaaaaaaay.....

I confess that this week is the first time I ever heard of, let alone saw with my own eyeballs the hornworm's natural predator. And boy was it excitin! It actually happened just before that latest thunder boomer & I was torn between carrying it out with me to get a photo and running to shelter to save my personal electrical system from potential zappage.I think I made the right decision.

SO here I share with you , in case you ever see this... You should know, it is creepier than the hornworm its own bad self and even more GAWjuss in its own ultimate way...

Ladies & Gentlegardners I give you Cotesia congregata .........


A Braaconid wasp (pupae)... A Beneficial!!!!!
The female wasp lays eggs just under the skin of an unlucky hornworm. As the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the hornworm–literally eating a hornworm alive. Larvae chew their way out through the host’s skin when they mature. Once outside, the future wasps pupate, spinning tiny oval cocoons that look like insect eggs along the external back and sides of the worm. These fellows–and ladies–are not just innocently hitching a ride. When the adult wasps emerge from the cocoons, the already weakened hornworm will soon die, thus preventing any further defoliation on tomato plants. So, if you see a bright green hornworm carrying what looks like a clutch of white-colored insect eggs on its back, leave it there! The hornworm is not only feeding its own destruction, it is also carrying potential destroyers of hornworm brothers, sisters and descendants. The braconids get a meal and a future, and the hornworms get…GONE! ( this information was summarized from Betty Gray - a Galveston Master Gardener)

If you enlarge the photo above, by clicking on it, you can see the little larvae are like little cotton swabs. We found numerous Hornworms with this 'affliction' and they will remain. Think of how many wasps are here on this ONE caterpiller they must live on. No spraying anything that will hurt the waspies, and i guess that means BT cause the worm would no longer be able to survive thus giving the wasp its much needed nutrients.... right hattie?

Now that you know what I know, feel free to fill in any blanks. I'm a novice. Loud & Proud.
oh & come on by the booth Saturday at the historic complex, 'cause damn the worm we got maters.


Eat Local!!

rain dance

So last week I had my post all ready, blabbering on about the drought. How dry it was. Our main task was to keep the garden watered. And since that was not really all that interesting I decided to do a little profile on a curious water feature that is in my neighborhood.
I guess it was the raindance we needed since we got somewhere near 2 inches in just a couple days. Weatherbug says 2.69 for the month. It was sure a nice respite for the week. And the weather has been pretty nice since then. But the dryasabone forecast will be back, it is after all only July.

First I saw one, and thought it must be an ancient artifact. Then they started popping up all around, 2... 3, and then a red and white one showed up. I gotta tell ya, I'm easily amused. especially on my day off. I am much more serious when working....much...


Here in my hood there is an army of little john deere's (and one International Harvester) merrily watering the lawns. They are just so darn sweet. Apparently they follow the hose & wrap it up when done! crazy, the tires have little spikes !

I googled john deere yard sprinkler & found one at Ace Hardware... but of course... Ace is the place!! I was shocked at the cost. I certainly wouldn't leave it out in the yard!!

Here is a little video to take you to commercial break... think the end segment of CBS sunday morning.... with poor lighting.... and no tripod..

Little Shoppe of Horrors

As we approach the July 4th weekend market, where there will be tons of folks scrambling for everything we can possibly load into our booth. People who will want melons ( i think its a little early) and wonder where are the apples? Not that we sell either of those, but other folks at the market do; when they are in season.

Some folks don't know what the difference between conventional and organic produce is, and why organic can be more expensive. There was a time when I didn't know. And when I thought local meant grown in Pop's back yard. And Pop surely wouldn't use chemicals to grow. right?
Farmers Markets are not only a point of sale but also an opportunity for education. Some folks don't know where, when or how. Just FEED ME. Some do. Some already know.

Last week a middle school aged girl was at the market with her grandmother and the girl was amazed "you grow all this stuff yourselves? Everything? Wow, that's cool" .
I realized that she was offering a compliment to us. She really cared that it took a lot of work to do this and was thanking us. I proudly said "thank you very much, it is a tough job and it's people like you that make it worthwhile." and that was mostly it. but I think that she understood it was hard & there were lots of veggies. Maybe she grew a squash for science class and saw the constant care needed.
But I created a happy thought that she would be one of those future grownups who asked where & how it was grown. I was so surprised by her interest that I didn't engage her as much as I wish I did. I would have asked her if she ate beets or if she wanted to try some arugula. Maybe she will be back.

I guess my soapbox moment here is that if you know about organic farming; help those who aren't aware to understand what it takes to be a farmer, and if it's your thing, how organic farming can work. It might have to be administered in small doses.

Some topics to begin talking about food:
• what is seasonal eating
• why eating local is good for our economy
• how to cook a particular item from the farmer
• books that are fun to read about eating locally
• the dirty dozen - fruits and veggies that are best when organic
• and if you are feeling brave, chat about GMOs and CAFOs

And don't forget that it is okay to do your best and not do everything.


The best advice is to KNOW YOUR FARMER.

See you at your local Farmers Market

just a quick howdie

Here is a bee of some sort ( anyone know?) trippin on natures fractals.

market mania and whatnot

Saturday will be our 3rd market of the year. And I have to say the garden is RAWK'n. It's become a little tough to make an entry every week since there is so much I want to share that I get overwhelmed and then get paralyzed by inaction. I will try to be better and pick maybe one thing to blog about.

I have an amazing dinner made from last weeks finds from the HLFM . The first market we were chained to the booth, it was an incredible week. So I made up for it last weekend.

But First The News:
We also have our version of crop circles appearing in the Sunflower patch. I saw a few layin over, and with the heat I figgered, hey heat exhaustion. Upon further inspection it appeared SOMETHING or SOMEONE systematically walked through the patch down the center and took a few spoonfuls at the base of every flower!


EVERY SINGLE FLOWER. so first my mind goes to the weird bugs that always show up for happy hour. No bug is that big. well maybe but still.
So next it's oh no voles? moles? anteater? well possibly, maybe & no.
Then it's decided that there might have been an incredibly interesting critter that the neighbor kitties just couldn't resist. Now I have seen Ol Sammy go in shoulder deep after a vole. So my guess is that he woulda had that foolish critter in no time. His pal LELO tho, poor widdle, he works with no claws so I'm thinking maybe he was intrigued by something and kept at it. I honestly have no idea what happened, only that we lost a few but I was able to sturdy up & redirt what was left and the patch stands. And they will be coming soon to a market near you!!

NOT Enough for a mater pie:
but you can be assured they are coming....


AND now what you have all been drooling for:
here is a broad photo of the dinner:
WHAT WE HAVE HEYAH is achievement of a local meal.


Grilled Roasted Chicken ( pure harvest farm) Sourdough Bread (Koglers Old World Bread) with some Parm (First State Creamery) Grilled Napa Cabbage ( greenbranch farm, thanks Julia Wycall for the recipe) Arugula, Beet Salad (hatties garden) with Chevre (First State Creamery)
And a glass of Namaste from dogfishhead.
To all of you in our dinner ... NAMASTE...
and because the foodie in me has to take detail shots....


Chicken Grillin tastieness. Special brining & roasting by Andy ( our special guest at last weeks market booth)


Roasted Beets, arugula and goat cheese, YUM



Grilled Napa!!



Sourdough with PARM!


This is just a smattering of what you can do with market goodness. Come on down and check out the tasty business we have for you this weekend.

If I am feeling extra rested after tomorrows siesta, I will post what I did with Calliope's Peas and Davidsons mushrooms!!

Oh heck, why wait?
PEAS AND SHROOMS and a spot of dill....



okay so .... SEE YOU AT THE MARKET!!

pretty big stoof

As you can probably tell, we've been busy in the garden and I haven't been blogging.
fo shame fo shame.

There is one more plant sale at the garden this coming weekend before the HLFM opens for the season. We are also selling veggies we've harvested.

I HAVE been taking photographs of the garden. so you can get a little idea of what we have!

the blooms of snow peas on their way:


Out REDgeous lettuce!:
Our lettuce mix:

Swiss chard:

Speckled Trout lettuce: Forellenschluss:

The garden is bursting at the seams and its only May. We've had lovely rain so far, but its never enough. so we hope for an inch a week for the whole summer. And of course pest free would be nice.... well the spring is pleasant anyway... you don't come here to hear about bugs... but stay tuned for some rants later on in the season... you know it has gotta happen.

stop on by saturday for the plant sale!

sitting on pins & stingers

Last week when our beekeeper Dave ( Baues Bee's ) came by last week to do some maintenance on the hive, he gave us the forlorn report: NO BROOD, THE QUEEN WAS DEAD.
Just when we thought we might be able to create a second hive with all overcrowding in the first.

That was very depressing. We wondered if we might be experiencing colony collapse disorder. There was no evidence trail to follow, he thought it could be pesticides, or just about anything. But the ray of hope was that the workers had FULL POLLEN SACS . He couldn't imagine them working this hard for a dead queen. He said they might be grooming a young lady bee for the new position.

We hoped & prayed and for fear of saying it out loud I decided to wait for the real news before reporting this story.

Soooo, Dave stopped by and took a peek, and there she was, in all her glory. at the risk of being premature: We got Brood, We Got Queen!!

Makes you wonder if the old Queen was just too staid in her ways & there was a coup d'etat??
If the 2nd hive starts growing, maybe we can assume that rumor...

You know those Royals...


Subscribe if you wanna now with the FOLLOW BY EMAIL blank at the upper right corner just above the Followers. And thanks for reading & posting comments!!

vintage is everything

Is it any surprise that something built in the 19th & 20th century would be desirable to us now in the 21st. I supose it depends what it is & who you are. As a small farm where we plant by hand, or occasionally the sometimes dreaded darthvader seeder, this particular item is VERY DESIRABLE.

de·sir·a·ble–adjective 1.wworth having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fineorth

having or wanting; pleasing, excellent, or fine having or wanting; pleasing, excel

Look at this fine fella in a tie planting his garden

You better believe I am building this sucker up... these things cost mucho bucko buddy. well not as much as a john deere, but not far off.... depends on your financial perspective I 'spose...
This particular model hails from the 30's ( we think) and has been very well taken care of. The logos are still on it. and there is very little rust. and certainly no rust through.

It is truly a beautiful thing, and by that I mean Ebay. We longed for months for just the right seeder. We considered one that was really rusty, thank goodness we were outbid. We considered a brand new one..... for a hot second. When the time was right we were the winning bid.

And it's a dandy, we wouldn't take twice what it cost to be without it.

It came with some assembly required. Ain't it purdy? I could have a photographic field day. But I'm farming & the point is to get seed in the ground dangit.
It has Pinion Drive Gear this works the drills that lay the seed. ( I think)
I'm not a mechanic but I play one on the farm.


So we called in a Sr. Farmer to help with the assembly, I can attest to his abilities; as I know for a fact he assisted Santa in some midnight construction. Oh, and he used to farm & schtuff.

Allow me to introduce the Triple H, The Harry, The Howeth, The Godfather, The Daddy.
Here he is helping make sense of the parts and lack of an owners manual. In this photo he & hattie discuss the finer points of seed droppin.


I mean look how purdy!!! And she's a big boned gal. If you are weak the day you are planting you might want your assistant to carry her out to the bed you want to plant.... cause we can't guarantee the plate will disengage completely for her to roll out (to) the bed....

The Planet Jr. way.....Planting must be regular, accurate, at the proper depth and in a narrow line, to make after-cultivation easy and to produce a large, even crop.

I'm still not sure where they got the name Planet Jr. and with the logo of a saturn type planet... except that they were ahead of their time in the think globally concept. what say ye?


ANNOUNCEMENT: I discovered the subscribe gadget for the blog! so it is my belief that if you subscribe you will get some kinda notice in your email that there is a new post!! exciting!!

i have a confession

I'm in love. I have been since the very first moment. You can do no wrong. Everything about you exudes perfection. Sustainable? You are the epitome of recycling. Your motto is "Leave it, I'll take care of it". I mean who wouldn't love you?

I can give a million reasons why you are the light of my life and in the process convince others that they need you too. The first time I heard about what you do, I was curious. I mean; I knew you were out there and that you were important to my life, but the speed and enormity of how you do what you do? Well.... that just SENT me.

In the year since I first heard about you, I began my obsession. Before I could approach you I wanted to learn all about YOU and where you like to live and what you like to eat and what you liked to sleep in. People who knew you said how simple your requirements were, and that I could easily have you. But I wouldn't rest until I knew the BEST way to take care of you.

I followed you on youtube, I met you at Monticello, and finally found the confidence to approach you after PASA. But first I wanted to have a home that you would appreciate and stock it with plenty of food for you, and a lovely warm space to sleep. And then, when I was satisfied that you might consider me, I called for you. And you came. EPIC.

I let you settle in this week and I hope that you and your kin are happy. Eisenia foetida, I am so happy you are here. I plan to feed you lotsa garbage and I expect plenty of crap outta YA!


Here are some construction photos of the NEW PLACE. And then some shots of homecoming...






I used 2 standard rubbermaid bin and drilled holes in it. I also added a drain spout in the bottom bin for all the worm tea. they will live in the top bin. The tea can be used to water plants and has many nutrients that feed & ward off disease. I have heard of lawns being fed by compost tea. No chemicals!



Bedding of choice newspaper & cardboard. Yum Yum kitchen waste, more bedding and some dirt. I aged the contents for easier digestion. So much recycling! and it will turn into delish dirt!!!!







you came in a tiny duffel bag and quickly got to work on the new place!
The bag was about a pd of wigglers. and should be enough for one person's waste
I hope you are happy!


Being a 'FARM' we are gonna need a name for this here R BAR .... so let the contest begin....
post your ideas for our worm farm... you will win BIG PRIZES!

If you don't have an outdoor compost try a worm bin, the turnover from refuse to dirt is miraculous & there really is no smell if you keep the wet/dry balance correct and feed them what they like. they don't escape because they don't like light. easy!

Here are some facts!
First I want to say that this type of compost happens much faster than the standard compost. I mean the worms EAT! the stuff! and leave DIRT! fast!! no odor! just amazing. how can you not love that!!?

Plant waste, veggie & fruit waste, cardboard & newspaper are enjoyed!
grain, bread, pasta, tea bags, coffee grounds and manure of vegetarian animals ( not recently wormed! of course) garden debris and grass clippings.
Dairy , meat, fish, citrus are not enjoyed.
remember to keep it balanced. not too wet, not dry, remember the worms in the summer who got caught out in the tarmac? we dont want that!
Tear the cardboard & paper in to small pieces, let the food stuffs get soft. not rotten but like 2 days old. Leaves are food and bedding.
They will multiply their numbers to keep up with the amount of food.
They can't tolerate too high or low temps. 34º-84º are acceptable

Use a zonal application; when you apply more waste, put it in 1/3rd of the bin, when they eat that use the next 1/3rd. The worms will move where the food is & leave the poop behind. wuka wuka....
You will eventually have to get the poop outta there. or move the wigglers to another bin. plan to harvest approx every 3 months. I will let you know how fast the tea is brewed!
this can be a lesson for the next worm installment... stay tuned

NAME THE WORM FARM CONTEST!! enter today!!

the only hive in town

Last summer Hatties Garden agreed to have a Baues Busy Bees beehive come to live here. Wow have they been busy. Apparently it is unusual for a first year hive to make enough honey to share with the humans. but there was so much in the frames that our beemaster, Dave, decided it was best for the bees to remove some. And it was good. I rationed my pint all winter.

I'm here to tell you that if there was sun, they were flying. They gotta have a serious bout with cabin fever. Now, a bee-keeper friend of mine said they go out for a little pee! even if they aren't finding pollen. I didn't know they were so fastidious. I wonder what the queen does! ewww.

Dave's latest visit uncovered a packed hive. So many he was worried they might swarm if action wasn't taken. First he added a couple honey supers. those are the 2 smaller boxes that will be on top of the 2 larger boxes, its where the bees store the honey.

The smoker wasn't cooperating but he's still in there.
I think he is immune to the stings since he only wears a hat. As you can see I am FAR AWAY. I am intrigued by the darling drones but the dive bombing & getting stuck in my ponytail makes me a little unnerved.

Anywho..... the next step is to give the bees an option of starting ANOTHER hive.
"Well we're movin on up, To the east side. To a DEEluxe apartment in the skyayayaay."


At this very moment, the drones are selecting their new queen, you know the type; the virginal, vibrating, type A personality with WIDE hips for birthing baby bees..... well .... do bees have hips?


At least we can hope they will occupy the new hive. I mean look at it! all elevated! It's got that clean hive smell.... come on now......


We have plenty of the purple dead nettle (in the foreground of this photo) for them, AND unlike many other farms, we actually have some turnips and arugula and purple mustard that we let go to seed, so they should be quite happy to dine at the only hive in town.


This is a snap from last summer, Dave is giving us a lesson on propolis.

( a resinous mixture collected from sap & other botanical sources, they use it to seal gaps and a buncha other stuff)


For instance... if something dies in the hive & they can't carry it out, they cover it in propolis!
( Thats what wikipedia said) wild huh??



DATELINE: Spring 2011, the weather is making it difficult to believe, but it is. This is how I know, the purple carpets all over the empty fields. Weeds, naturalized but not native, seem to be harmless; in fact they have a purpose. At the time of year when there is very little in bloom, the bees have pollen to gather. You can thank henbit & purple dead nettle for this display, I'm okay with it. it goes away. don't be dose'in it with chems please. thanks.

NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE : Join us next week to see which Queen gets the rose, and if the new apartment gets renovated!

green is all there is to be

I know its been a little bit longer than I like to leave between blogs. I've been dyin to blog but a girl gotta eat! And feed ya'll who apparently are STARVING for a fresh veg.

I know! Brown & Beige, while friends of mine, were on my last nerve.
But now my fridge is singin it's easy to be Green. true story. I heard it.

Didja notice that on the second day of spring we had a thunder storm? The plants noticed, they are so happy about it they are spurtin right up inch a minute! we can barely keep up! ( Have I mentioned how happy we are that the temps are rising? )

We've taken to companion planting a lot of our spring veggies. There were a few 'late performers' (who can blame them) in the winter veggie category that had some nice prepared soil available for sublet. So we jumped right in and put some transplanties in the space. The baby lettuce get all that companionship from the kale and probably the wheres & whatfors of the garden doings. ( I happen to believe they chat while we aren't listening) That is, until we harvested the Kale... here they are learnin the newbies:








The debris in the path is the pruned part of the curly kale. You have already consumed the kale, so this is a shot from before the harvest.
Lil baby lettuce running down the middle is reaping the benefits of the survivors.

















One of the other things we found a minute to do this pre-spring was getting the blackberry bushes to get back in their bed.
We know how you love them, so we bought more. Now.... its gonna take a little while to get them to the age of fruiting, to last past the 9am market hour, but we're werkin on it!




Lil side car bar:
I attended an edible plants of the seashore talk. It's put on by Delaware seashore state park, and it's neat. So if you get a chance u should attend it. they have handouts & everything.

Also attended: The HLFM spring workshop at the lovely Lavender Fields, where we shared & swapped ideas & impressions from the PASA conference to the challenging climate. It was inspiring to have a whole room full of farmers on the Delmarva ( love that expression) we're a the! tee hee. Don't hold it agin me I will likely start saying that.

half pint

At the risk of sounding like a broken record; the winter snow and unrelenting cold was brutal on our crops. The last few weeks of warmer temps & more daylight have us delighted. Each day there is another discovery of a surprise springing to life. 2 weeks ago we weren't sure anything was gonna survive, and today we planted lettuce! outside! The Kale is coming back bolder than ever. HOORAY! VEGGIES! I love a root veg as much as the next gal, but boy oh boy ! How I have missed my greens. Theys a comin! Theys a comin!

But, there was loss... some winter peas inter planted with barley ( i think?), they got beat down every time they peeked out of the dirt.
'hey, is it safe to sprout yet?' BAM... try again 'hello?' BAM.
Our hearts ache for them because they are pretty and I absolutely LOVE mowing them down when they are done feeding us those tendrils.
SO today the decision was made to stop gazing out the window hopin & wishin, and to get somethin else in the mud.


I think you know by now we do stuff mostly without the help of horsepower. Rolling (and i use the term loosely) the earthway seeder over the lumps & bumps & valleys, I was channeling Charles Ingalls when his horse went lame and they had one episode to get the seed in the ground or they would all starve. I wasn't able to play the fiddle for Half Pint tonight, too wore out. The only thing missing was the little house, the prairie, and well, about 20 acres....





Yeah, I'm being dramatic. but it was my little hell. Don't judge....




Awww Look at that, its just DYIN to be a cole planet jr.
zero horsepower....

shutter me winders

Don't ask me how, but I took a "3-day weekend" and traveled to St. Mary's MD. Which happens to be home to St Mary's college. Which happens to have a Campus Farm. And I happened to have an inside escort to a certain hidden mecca.
(they also have a blog but go there after you read my blog... heh heh heh ...serious dont click yet
http://www.smcm.edu/chancellorspoint/blog/2010/04/21/a-greenhouse-is-born )

As I entered the opening, I saw an incredible flat protected area of about 5 acres. (mmmm I said, perfect for a "few rows" of veg........ NOW whether they decide to add more crops to the surrounding fields I do not know, but what I saw was a very inspired and energetic display of virtuous gumption.



I mean look at this. Cobbled together with recycled materials. (Romantic thoughts of foraging old houses and barns enter here) Im sure it wernt so. Imagine making all that stuff FIT TOGETHER, yeah, nuff said.

Rain barrels providing some H2O but St. Mary MD seems to get less rain than we do, so it might be a pipe dream that.

But daggonit that is some impressive architecture.

Reminds me of an imagined prototype of the Solviva project, maybe that held some inspiration for the creators. maybe.




Inside shows a few more innovations. Shutters used as the platform for flats of seeds. drainage? yes, support? yes, irrigation? yes, coolness? yes!

Now I will rely on my local spies to alert me of any new innovations and expansions of this chancellors point campus farm project and anything new happening in the other college display farm that is down the street from the actual college. They grow historically correct veg & herbs.

My sources gave me a private tour and I was able to gather this image for your pleasure.
It APPEARS that in historic St. Mary's City, they ALSO grew ARUGULA! I have it on good authority that no blonds were harmed in the adornment shown below.