October 13 2010 Week 19

I have often thought to take a photo of the weekly spread and finally did it. These food items are truly beautiful to me and add to my enjoyment of Autumn. The colors and textures fit perfectly in the season.

This week CSA will be enjoying summer squash and winter squash. The Patty Pans and zukes are familiar. The Delicata may be new to some as it is to me. We have yet to eat one. Sweet tasting is the word on the street.

The greens look awesome with Swiss Chard just bursting with bright orange,pink and red. I realize this picture does not capture that statement, but it's true. Green and red Bell peppers, potatoes(some got the Gold, others the Red) and two kinds of tomatoes finish of this weeks installment of Farm Fresh Produce.

We are proud of the quality of food we have grown this year. I have been pleased every week at harvest time and delighted when doing the devy for the Shareholders. This marks the second to last CSA I will contribute to for the Twenty-ten season. Next week will be very exciting as a dear friend will be visiting and helping us for a day or two. Then that means the end of my involvement, for my family and I have travel plans and then CSA will conclude.

Eat up! Enjoy! And Thank You!

P S- I keep getting a thrill looking at the photo. I am saying,"look what I did! I grew that!" Not by my self, of course. I assisted Farmer Drew to my great delight. Thank You DREW!!!

Two weeks notice

I have given notice, folks. My employment at the farm will subside soon. Farming is meaningful, important, and fulfilling. It is also a hard way to make a living. And, a Farmer has to pay the Note before he can pay staff. In These times, in this place, payroll is going to have to cease. And since I am 'payroll', I will be laid-off.

No huge deal. Saw it coming, I expect. Kind of liked the whole arrangement more when it was 'under the table'. It had a renegade feel about it. A sense of it aint nobody's business how I am compensated for the farming I was doing. A secret agent of sorts. Whether taxed or not, I was feeding people. I was helping the farm go round. That was my reward. That and the eggs and produce, of course.

Winter comes again and I wont be collecting from Crooked Furrow this time. No, of course the Work is not all done. Just the money is gone and tis nigh impossible to cash in when the fields are brown and soggy.

Long Live The Farm!!

Menu

Oh, looky. I forgot to do the minimum. Well, better late than never is the case in many situations, isnt it?

For the CSA produce boxes this week we have:
Half pound salad mix, of course.
2 pints cherry toms, and a slicer.
Minessota Midget cantaulope(oh yummy sweetness).
Green Beans.
Garlic.
Spagghettie Squash.
Large bunch of Carrots.
Cilantro.
I think that was it. Good stuff: the boxes looked deliciously beautiful.

BOMBUS I MISS THEE

Last summer I saw fifteen thousand Bumble Bees everyday. I think this year all combined I have seen 20 Bumble Bees.

Such hard workers these bees. I loved harvesting among them.

I miss them this summer. I have only recently begun to see more of them. And it is only one variety: smallish with yellow bands real low on the abdomen and high on the thorax(like above image). What happened to all others I have no idea. The December Deep Freeze could be the cause. It is troubling to lose such a devout pollinator.

Thistle Galore

I think I have harvested more seed heads and flowers from Sow Thistle and Canada Thistle than Tomatoes and Summer Squash combined.

Both the weeds are a menace and are everywhere. The best I can do is realize we can never get it all one hundred percent. I also am joyed knowing that every seed and flower head I "harvest" reduces the population of potential weeds by 87, 349. We have made some Terrific Progress in manual weed control over the last few weeks.

We shall overcome!

It is a good feeling to have in August when Weeding loses its urgency. I can barely believe it myself.

Week 12?

If it is The Twelevth of CSA shares for Twenty-ten, then we are over half way through the Season, already. I think it's a 22 Week season. Maybe thats why the notion hit me today. That Notion being that the minimal amount of posting at this site should be A List of Each Week's CSA share. And why not?

2 pounds Potatoes-not sure of the varity.

1 pound Cherry Tomatoes-Sun Gold

2 large cuccumbers-Green Slam

Large Egg Plant-Black Beauty

1/2 pound Salad Mix

1+ pound Summer Squash-Patty Pan and others

3 Gypsy Peppers

1 pound Green Beans-Maxibel

No fruit theis week. Hmmmm? Appels can go any time now. First Cider Presssing and Potluck is Sept. 5. Appel juice running out of the press from Appels you just picked and are pressing, is truly the Best Apple Juice there is, anywhere.

The Ride

Up and down. In and out. Peaks and valleys. Ebb and flow.

Yep. It is a ride. Not too often a wild ride, but there are thrills and spills. High and low.

I bring this up because I fear, and feel, the Passion wanning. Maybe because it is hot. Maybe it is because the farm is as close to Autopilot it can fly. We are half way thru the CSA season and feeling tired. I am tired because I have nearly abused myself for three days. Ass was dragin' and I felt wiped, worn out and devoid of energy. Others sure seemed to be in the same boat.

The abuse I am talking about came in the three previous days. See, guilt had creep inside me and the only way I could fight was to put my head down and Work. Work hard and fast. Like a mule in blinders I had narrow vision.

I had to get some energy. Physical speed and power took the place of lackluster, failing passion. Parts and pieces of me are hurting now. Too Much pulling and tearing of weeds. Too Much heavy lifting with my legs, of course, and back and Anger. Bruce Banner was always looking for the Strength. Instead he got the Hulk, and The Hulk, well, HULK SMASH! It was only an old railroad tie and cider block. And, it did relieve some pressure...I smashed it as best I could.

Anyway, as we say down on the Farm,"My neckback shoulder ankletoe wrist hurts".

@#$^@#$*

I forgot what the bleep I was going to post. I was sitting here with an idea, and, poof it is gone. I blame the "Done, but with errors on page" message bottom left on my screen. I dont know what the errors are, how many, or how to get rid of them. Screw it! I'll be back.

Shit In My Life

OK! So things can always be worse. But, just for the sick and twisted fun of it all I am going to make a list. This list is entitled: THE SHIT IN MY LIFE.






Taxes, politics and the economy, shit that they are, do not make this list.


Here goes: SHIT IN MY LIFE

Dog shit. Chicken shit. Sheep shit. Goat shit. Cat shit. Horse shit. Baby shit. And of course my own. Which someday, I expect, will be the ONLY shit in my life. After all babies ain't babies for longer than forever, right? They will handle that kind of business all by themselves someday.

I do not have to have dogs and cats, but I do. They are a part of the family and I am the family pooper scooper, so...

Organic farming is not done without shit. In this case the shit is the good stuff! Fuel for the soil. It's the nutrient cycle; in, out, and around. Chicken, sheep, goat, horse(and Moo-beast, if we had any)poo poo all benefit, add to and in strange ways empower or encourage our farm. Actually the ways are not so strange. They are perfectly natural, sustainable and dynamic. OK, so if they are BIO DYNAMIC then the ways become a little strange to me. If not strange, then, unfamiliar and different.

The above is a list of a lot of shit, but not bad shit, not by any one's measure...

23 dollars? Gold for pennies, I tell you

The CSA boxes this week? Just gorgeous! They have color. They have varitey. They have freshness. They have nutrition.

The aesthetic value alone, if I had to put a dollar amount on it, is worth, like eight bucks. Minimum.

That brings the total Farmer's Market dollar value to 31 bucks!!

They really are that Nice, guys. And gals.

And what can one say about this blog post?

Vague.

I had a heartbreaking experience

It is true: I wanted to cry.

See, sometime between 9 and 11 months ago I planted out Leeks that had been seed starts even longer ago. Big deal you might say. Maybe. But to me it is a big deal. Either Farmer Drew or my self preped the planting tray and sowed the seeds and then both of took an active hands on experience of watering and feeding the seedlings for another of amount time.

Eventually planting day comes. And this was all me. I am not boasting here. Just a fact. I planted out these particular Leek. All five hundred feet of them were under my scrutiny. Alternating between bent back and crawling on my hands and knees I placed each seedling in the row.

Obviously this is not the tear jerking part. That came today when I MOWED the whole mess down with the lawn tractor.

The starts had, well, a good start. Planted out, watered and tended as needed. The tending to tends to become enfrequent, or at the most happens when there is nothing else to do. So one can project from this that they were lost in the weeds. True that. The Leeks were nearly drowned by the competition. However, it seems that the weather played are more significant role in the demise of the Leeks. The cold wet weather through out this spring right into mid-summer did damage that could not be stopped or altered to ensure a profitable crop.

As the wet and chilly days stalled the development of the plants, the sunny, long and warm days boosted and jumped-started the growth of said Leeks straight to flowering, i. e., they all bolted. And, that is no good for eating.

Ruined and lost crop!

Sad.

As we say in the business, "That's Farming".

Can Not Stop It

Grass, that is. The Lawn. It is so very lush and green we may just burn up the mower this season. Because this season has been right for the lawn. And the Weeds. Oy! The weeds have run away with entire rows. We have prevailed and won back a few rows by having productive weeding parties.

If you have not thus far been a particapant at one of these weeding parties, do nothing else until you attend. We get down! There are Yard Butlers. short and long handled hoes, and if you can last, glowing spectacular sunsets. After sunset the tempo changes: out come the disco light and Techno bumps. We might Trance-out in the field and groove out til the wee hours; the weeds dont stop so why should we?

Junuaray El Kiddo

Well here is fine howd'you do: someone posted flyers all over town that include the address for This blog. Which puts me into a sort of panic. I better get some content worth a darn on this thing in case some body actually clicks it up and reads it.



There hasn't been any regular posting here in months. Reckon that's because winter was over for a while. Longer farming days make for weary nights, and anything outside of "no effort" activities is just plain crazy. But, then, I am a whiny baby who tends to complain...



Oh, and those flyers? Total R-O-C-K!! They are promotional materials to bolster much wanted Community Supporters for our Agriculture.



Of course you might be wondering why the New Website isn't highlighted? All is not coming up broccoli in Tech-land. Tis a mirror to Farm-land: transition, slow, uncooperative components, miscommunication, and time and weather.



Nice laundry list of blame, huh?



Muy mucho has been undergoing change on the Farm Business end of things. The kick ass flyers are one example. Another would be Name Change(Laughing Duck to Crooked Furrow). Still another would be accounting and $ tracking and payroll and all the shit that some body smarter than me has to, check that: wants to deal with. It aint easy and it does not get done all by its self. There is the website to build and, at least, transfer info from the old one. Phone numbers to obtain, mailings to collate, applications to design...you know, Paper Work.



Pardon me Business Manager, I know I omitted important details, and it is not on purpose.



Did any one look at a calender today? JUNE 6 2010. That's right, Summer Time! Oh, except for one thing: It is not June after all. No, it is JUNE-U-ARAY. That's right. This is a time- frame spanning approximately late April through a day that could be this week or one relatively soon, I guess. Never heard of it before and frankly it is a bit tiresome and quite the buzz kill.



This really only pertains to Ground Work. As in we can not do any if it is raining and remaining wet for days and weeks in a row. A friend of mine is fond of saying, "Caint dance. Too wet to plow". Which he will say if invited to eat a taco, or go watch baseball. But, by golly, down on the farm it's said in a literal sense. Although, I do have some of the funkiest dance moves in the valley,that I can bust out on the kitchen floor any evening round dinnertime. However, that does nothing for the too wet to plow(or till) part. Cold hard wet reality is the farmer aint getting to turn ground often enough in June-u-aray and the food, she wont grow. And what do you know, here is a TV news article covering the very same.

There really is no time like the present. And, the Present never last. A fleeting sort of time frame, and in most cases filled to overflowing with activity.

Since one toddler is plugged into the TV and contented, currently devoid of needs and the other one, still more baby than toddler (but dont tell him that) is quite in his nappy-time, I figure I have a few minutes in this Now, to blog about farming.

Sooo much has gone down lately it is hard to know where to begin. Time flies super sonic in spring and summer.

What has been planted? Good question. Without looking at our notes I will just list what comes to my tierd brain.

Potatoes: Five rows, each approx. 95 feet, of, I think three differnt varities.

Broccolli, Cauliflower, Kale, Cabbage, a green one and a purple one, Peas, beets, turnips, Mesclun, Lettuce, Spinach, Carrots, ...Well, looks like that is all I can think of presently.

What else has been added to the farm is ten rams. Pasturing at the Crooked Furrow for a few months to help with the mowing. The more they munch the tall grass the less we have to operate the tractor in the pasture.

Like I said; the Present is fleeting...

One of the presents my wife birthed for us is calling. Oh now two of them are in need again.

The moon is always out, errm well, at least part of it

The moon is out whenever Farmer Drew is in the field...


What does that mean? Any takers?

Thars plantings in dim thar furrows

The tractor is running hot and so is the sun on the back of my neck. Yahoo! I applied sun screen yesterday! Next step is to dust off the old straw hat to increase my personal SPF.

Poor old Farmer Drew lost his straw hat to the puppy. Rather, Pie munched and drug and shredded and scattered that old hat to ensure her old man had to get a new one. Reckon I ought to pick one up for the old boy seeing as how it is hard for him to get away these days. And it will only get more difficult and getting a hat on his own will be ever present on the "when I get a round to it" list.

Friday was a haapy day: We preped several beds and planted out the goods we had started as early as January 29! Broccoli is in the field!!

The fields look different this go-round: The rows are tilled and planted to follow the countour of the land. Aint nothing straight at a right angel down at the Crooked Furrow. This adjustment should allow for better irrigation, if not better then, more effective and even.

Also two newcomers have spent time working, helping on the Farm. Both said they would come again on a regular basis. Without jumping to hasty conclusions, we might just have or seasonal Team. That means the 4 of us will be at hand to harvest and cultivate and fill CSA boxes. I can see it now: A well oiled machine. Groovin'. Doin' it!

It's on, now.

Who is keeping track? Spring is sprung all around and sprining a bit more each day. Ground work has begun and Markets are open. Why, I planted peas today! Tomorrow should result in multipul rows of Brassicas planted out. Also many rows of salads and lettuce have been pushed out. There is no stopping it: Food time is nigh time. Set the good food mood, dude; outdoor planting is on, soaking up the sun and lengthing daylight gets the Farm growing.

It's a whole new ballgame

This blog has been very quite lately. Not that hasnt been a rambucious lot going on at the Farm. I mean, there has been A LOT going on in recent weeks. I am going to have to say that the most noteable is the acquisition of the Farm's new Business Manager. From office organization to marketing and sales, Catherine is on board and getting down to it! As she is so fond of saying, "it's handled." She is also fond of saying, "how about now?" Which is shorthand for stop procrastinating and get 'er did.

To our Farming Periodic Table she is a new element.

Thank you for your efforts, caring, and help, Honey. (It's ok. I can call her that. She is also my Wife.)

With an actual real-life "manager" our game is stepped up, taken to a new level...it is a whole new ball game.

What is growing on? PART I

Here is the dish, people. Yummy in the tummy and not only Green.

Leafy salads are truly delicious and nutritious! So much good food grows in the crooked furrows I thought you might want to know what is growing in the cold frame right now.

And, it is ready for eating!

Can you dig it? Some of the salad greens have been harvested since early February! And in this hemisphere February is in the winter...



Arugula: This plant is so cool, in some places, it is called Rocket. The taste, to me, is nutty with a slight spiciness. Love it in a salad, straight from the garden, on a pizza, or cooked with eggs. And for one's health Arugula is rich in vitamin C and Potassium. And who knew it was a good source of Protein? And a very good source of dietary fiber? We all do now. Get Some!
Arugula is commonly combined with the following ingredients: prosciutto, goat cheese, endive, Parmesan cheese, and sun-dried tomato. yummm.
(Go here for way too much nutritional information.)

Mesclun: Literally it means mixture. And that is just what we have. The Mesclun mix is quite a variety of leafy greens and even has red and purple(ish) mustard 'greens'. There is even a speckled lettuce and arugula in it. Since Mesclun Mix originated in France you know it is fancy. A real beauty with different colors, textures and leaf shapes, and a treat for the palate with its robust flavors. After having a Mesclun salad I have heard it exclaimed, "Whoa! Wow. Now that was one delicious salad!"

We are growing several other varieties of leafy greens currently. Please click through the list if you would like to see the descriptions Wikipedia style:

Endive


Mache also known as Corn Salad.

Mustard Greens which has many applications for culinary delictibility if you visit epicurious.

(OK. So it is a short list. I forgot specific names of the others. I will brush up on the names and varieties and post a PART II.)

'Sup Down'n The Farm?

I am currently wondering what is going on down on the farm? What are we, what have we, been doing? After eight straight cloudless days you can bet the lawn mower was dusted off and fired up. There was talk of hooking up the brush hog in order to knock down some of the old corn and sunflowers that are still standing tall. And you can bank on talk of the tiller; let's do some ground work! Alas, tis only talk. The ground is too squishy. And when we said tilling can surely be done in another two days, well, then it rains. And rains.

And, you know, that is all OK. We have been starting seedlings and bumping up some of the more eager sprouts to larger containers or soil blocks. Sowing seeds and/or bumping up seedlings is a daily event this time of the year. Did you know that tomorrow is March? Hit me with the stun-ray too.

With all the warm air and sunshine weeds are on the grow. Which means we farmers are on the pull. Never mind trying to stay ahead of it, swish, just do it.

There has been extensive work in the cold frame: harvesting of radishes and arugula, sowing of 13 rows of various seed such as micro-greens and other lettuce. Two rows of sugar snap peas are in the cold frame already. And, extensive weed control.

Some "business" stuff has been handled. I dont know much about this kind of thing but it all helps us grow. The entire farm is going thru a name change and experiencing some growing pains or rites-of-passage as it were. We will be Crooked Furrow Farm in practice and on paper. And that just tickles me silly.

Where does Your food come from? If it ain't comin' from a Farmer's Market, from a Farm in your community, you don't want to know. Sick and wrong. Damned depressing. Wish I didn't know...
Big, big Companies. Big Big Government.

See what I mean; Start pokin' round here.

Now if one was a CSA member in their community, supporting a farmer in the community, well then, one would Know whence came the Food. And Who grew it, and when, and how. Wow. That's nice.


One would say, "Ahhhh! Now that is lovely. Mmm mmm delicious."


From Farm to Market. Eat!

It would be very difficult for many members of our society to stop shopping the supermarkets. It becomes a total lifestyle change. My family is not weened and I haven't the confidence that will we be loosed from the easy beast any time soon. We are conscious of what we are eating. Vastly increased our consumption of fresh grown veggies and fruits whilst lowing the intake of processed meats. Breaking up with steak is like detox from an addiction. Maybe I'll have just one more, then I'm done.

It truly is a choice for families, and individuals of course, to make in this life, this one life we live. And in this life we must eat! We can decide, choose for our very own, what Food we eat.

There are already Farmers "making" food in your neighborhood. Go for a taste test. Sign up for CSA shares right away and start the good food mood, dude.

whole lotta the four-one-one

This page is LOADED with information! Posting it here right quick and then getting back to reading:
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_csa.html

Sun Shine on a Cloudless Day

I don't know if you can smell the sun shine, but I can. I can breathe soo deep my whole body is energized, warmed and refreshed. The past two days have been near perfect in the amount of sun, slight breeze and temperature. If today wasn't 18 February I would have thought it was mid-spring.

And mid-spring gets the Farmer jumping. Jumping the gun it would appear. See, on a day like today, or yesterday, and if the forecast can be believed, like tomorrow, one can get the itch to start Ground work. But just take a short walk in the field and one can fast see that we are easily fooled or drawn to the Siren's song. I mean it is SQUISHY out there, people. The ground is gurgling and sloshing. Reality lets us know that tilling and driving the tractor into the field is still Weeks away. Oh, well. It is not to wet to start or rather continue sowing seeds indoors.

These glorious sun dipped days will never grow tiring or unwelcome. I never get bored with The Weather. I am ever thankful for variety in the region's climate. No hum-drum boring old Southern California post-card carbon copy days. And, ha, no overly outrageous real estate prices to go along with it!

Good Earth! Good Sun! Good Food!!

It has taken farming to help me see rainbows. Or, maybe a move to Oregon. I see lots of rainbows in Oregon compared to any other place I have spent time outdoors, in the rain.

I like them. Never tire of the sight. I even lost count of how many Double Rainbows I have seen since Farming! Can you imagine, DOUBLE RAINBOWS? Who'd a thunk it? Bah, the long timers, the locals, might say. Bah, common as water in a pond.

I have dug a bunch in two years and each one (two?) still feels like the first.

I aint gunna lie to ya, they cheer me up!!

QUALITY CONTROL

I discovered something today: when washing eggs all ten of my hand digits participate. Standing there at the kitchen sink, looking at the egg in my fingers, watching how the water ran and was splashed on each, I could see clearly that I turned and rubbed each cackle berry using a similar method for each 3 second scrub down. Now I say three seconds and you say yeah right like you timed every one. No, I did not time every one. But a bunch just to make sure it was a scientific test. Three seconds probably isn't an average either, and, it was the most recurring measurement.

When washing eggs I am doing several things at once( all egg washers do these things, I suspect) the grandest of which is ensuring a high mark of quality. LDF egg-purchasers can be assured that their eggs have been thoroughly cleaned and stress tested. Sounds strange, indeed, stress test for eggs. Essentially when the cackle berry is in the hand under the water flow quite a bit of pressure is applied to all sides. I move the things in a random way, spinning and turning to cover all areas of the egg's surface. By applying pressure the dirt comes off and any structural flaws are presented most hastily and squishy. No bad eggs get by me. And this includes less than gorgeous ones, too. Stained or too oddly shaped and they go in the "seconds" tray; some eggs are cracked or otherwise damaged and they go on the "seconds" rack i. e., not good enough for sale but still tasty and useful and good enough for the farmers and their families.

I can assure you that every egg is tested in this way. Every egg is touched! This IS hands on quality control!!

Quality, the highest of quality, extends to field crops as well. This is evident each and every week for CSA members. Also evident twice the week at local Farmer's Markets.

Community Supported Agriculture has the ring of quality, doesn't it? And it should. CSA is just that: Community(a group of people striving & thriving together), Support(sharing risk and burden and Harvest) Farming. In a community there are many responsibilities to be shared. Thankfully, in a community there are no shortage of helping hands, and minds, to handle these responsibilities!

MACSAC says:

CSA is a unique social and economic arrangement between local households and farmers who work together to share the responsibility of producing and delivering fresh food. Households support the farm by paying an annual fee in the winter or spring that entitles them to a "share" of the season's harvest.

Very nice, succinct. They really have a very nice list of things on that page that apply to us and many many other CSAs. I encourage you to click around.

Go HERE and HERE and of course, HERE.

The USDA says CSA," ...provide mutual support and sharing of risks and benefits of food production."

Locally grown! That means the food you(hopefully you and your family) the share holder eat comes from, quite nearly, your very own neighborhood. No trains or airplanes used to deliver this food. No China factories to process it. No tankers, cargo ships or Mack trucks to haul it hundreds or thousands or hundreds-of -thousands of miles. It is on the Farm, grown, harvested, delivered or picked up by you, and then, hold on, eaten!! One might want to add a cold water rinsing, but that's all.

I wanna go on and on, people. I have been writing this one post for over a week now and need to put it to rest, or Post in this case.

More to come...

Is it really 6 to 8 weeks before last frost, already?

HA! Look at that photo: Not crooked enough for me!

We did some sowing today, tobesure. Wonderful to sow seeds, directly into the ground, on 29 January. Right into the soil of the cold frame, hoop house, where the ground temp is 50degrees. We have been starting flats of the earliest stuff too, like broccoli.

This particular flat of broccoli seed was supposed to be put in the house on the heat mat under some grow lamps before the end of the work day. However, at this writing I am remembering that I forgot to put it inside. It must be sitting on the concrete pad near the shop, where I set this afternoon. Oops. Now I can only hope the rain that is falling is not too strong where as it washes the soil and seed from the tray...

A to B to C to F

When down on the farm, we might think we have a plan. We know what it is we are going to do. However, there may be slight delays or tiny problems. For example, not planning each move or contingency, or really, thinking of everything first, before starting.

By no means do we start in the middle of a task. That gets a farmer no where and it takes forever to get there. It's just that when trying to do X, B C D and E must be done first. Only one didn't know that D and E were part of the project. So, if A was the goal, it is by now F. Some of the middle parts are beneficial side effects which is nice. I mean, they were on the List somewhere.

Take Monday:
Big day! We are going to till inside the cold frame! The north end of the cold frame has a removable panel large enough to allow passage for the Kubota, the Farms lovely Orange tractor. Easy-peezee: remove panel. Drive tractor in, and till. Well, in case you haven't been paying attention, It Is January. Which means the tiller is in the back far away from the cold frame. In essence in cold storage. Alright, no big deal. Take a drive to the back and hook 'er up!

We have a thing called the Blade that attaches to the tractor that is used for scrapping coops and barns. It is currently attached to tractor. Well, seeing as how we have not scraped the Goat barn yet and it is on the way to the other implements, we'll just go head and git that did. OK, so Scrapie scrapie. Done. More fuel for the compost pile. Sweet! Also, another thing to move down the List. Now the blade can be unhooked. Speaking of moving, let's go ahead and move the brush-hog to a better storage place so chickens stop laying eggs under it. Hook it up and move it and unhook. And! Lettuce move the goats to new pasture. Which means we have to Hot Up the netting delineating the chicken yard out back in order to discourage the Does from venturing into the that area. Add a couple of gallons of Bio-fuel to the tractor tank at this point.

Now. Now we can attach the tiller! And oh my, what a beautiful site. The freshly tilled earth is dark and odoriferous and fluffy. Ready to receive the seed. Which by the way, we did sow. That's right! Tatsoi, Arugula, Mesclun, Kale, all went in to get the Party started!! Oh what a day!! Like spring it was.

Replace Panel.

Full circle. Can you dig the connectedness?

WISH LIST

Oh man, is it ever easy to come up with Things to wish for:

cultivating tractor.
dump trailer.
bobcat or some other brand of little front loader/skid steerer
forty-eight thousand dollars.

WISH LIST

So here is an idea for a regular, or at least semi-regular, i. e. when I think about, post title or topic called, WISH LIST.

This list will be composed of, that's right, wishes. Wishes for things I would like to have down on the farm. And everyone knows that if wishes were fishes we would all cast nets.

I WISH we had a chipper! Not some tiny twig chomper like from the Homo Depot. But, a great big fucker to eat up whole trees if we want. One of the giant jobies from Vermeer or Morbark. A self feeding monster that is towed behind a truck or a tractor and has a winch to pull huge piles of brush right into the maw.

It's just a wish so I am going for broke. With a piece of equipment like this we can chip up the ten or so brush piles in, frankly, no time at all. Seriously, an entire 25 foot cherry tree can be reduced to wood chips in 5 minutes!

The beauty of having one of these is that all generated material stays on the farm. All nutrients tied up in the tree, for example, goes right back, eventually, into the soil, the land that comprises the Farm. None of it is carried away, or even set afire and burned up in smoke.
And well, that just makes me happy!

I WISH we had a wood chipper!

Clukin' Crazy

Yeah, it's more about chickens. I cant help it, the dirty birds are on my mind.

There are a few loony cluckers that go straight for my eyes every time I reach in to gather eggs. I am not kidding, people. These fowl-ettes scream and crash, blast off flapping for my face. They mean me no good and aim to damage. I have to duck for cover. Or, rather, I would duck for cover if I wasn't afraid the ol' whirling plumage rampagers would escape and run crazy in the barn whilst I danced around, trying to catch them. Instead, I face my fear and block with one hand, hockey style with the waffle, and make the save. I must admit I do not have a 100 percent save rating, but who does really?

And another thing, I have clipped wings. Caught an unruly escapee, grabbed the scissors, spread wing open, and snip snip snip. That is a thing in life I never thought I would do. It's not bad at all. Thank you Farming!!

Production Away!

Away? Heck, it's more like get out of the way. Of the chickens, that is.

Attention! Attention! The Hens have turned the Layers ON! A complete turn around in mere days. December saw nary a dozen eggs laid all week. Now, Bang! A dozen every hour almost!

Each day has more sun light available and the temperature has been pretty steady lately. No freezing or way below freezing nights, and, perhaps a serious reduction in the rooster population contributes to the glorious bounty. A neighbor suggested a fun old-farmers-tale concerning hens and the sudden seasonal egg outburst. She said when the lawn changes color(increases in green a shade), the chickens get to making eggs. Oh, how I love seasonal changes and the obvious connectedness of life, the world, and every thing....

GOT EGGS? click here to get some.

What just happened?? and blah blah blah

Crymini! Let a few days past with out a post, and, blam! What the hell happened?

I cant begin to remember what all has gone down down on the Farm lately...

OK. Try a little free-flow form:
Planning, lots of planning--new ground to prep; trees to fell for over creek bridge; sow seeds for indoor starts; what is the crop rotation? When does what go where? How? Who?? Man, there is serious shit to consider. New cold-frame? What size? Financing? Water pumps for water harvesting tanks? $? I don't feel the "flow"...

Yep. I am pooped. Feel bewildered. Now, I know I moved a huge pile of saw dust today. And built a compartment for plastic pot storage today, and buttoned up the scrap wood mess(a project wholly completed:)), and of course, chased some damn chickens from where they ain't suppose to be back to the coop, and collected eggs every hour. But, most of that was not on my list for today. So that means I will be starting tomorrow behind schedule. And, it is Already Wednesday and the week is nearly over. There is a shortage of time. I want to Farm for far more hours than are available each day. And now maybe I am being a whiny baby.

One thing I can remember from past days is complaining about chickens: Chickens Make work.

The boogers are awesome! I mean, let's do the List: Eggs! Meat! Fertilizer! (get ready, here it comes) BUT, they make work for a body. They are forever getting into places where they are not suppose to be. Chickens have a confined area including coop, yard, roost, and laying boxes. Feed, too. No shortage of yummy-good-for-chickens scratch and pelletized yummyness. And yet those bitches are all over everywhere on the farm. They probably escape and get trapped by accident. However, I have seen them learn and I have seen a single chicken start a trend; others just blindly follow.

And speaking of bitches, the majority down on the farm is female. Dogs, both female. Goats, all six female. Chickens? Well, we count roosters as bitches, too...looks like by now ol' Tim is making the list as well.

Drew is really kicking around CSA ideas these days. Hard to believe we get to start that wonder again already, in five months. Very exciting, really. New gigs wanna get thrown in the mix this year: Work Shares, pot lucks, increased participants. We will be ready and we will have Food!! And forgoodnessakes, it is some good eats.

Speaking of good eats, an egg customer told me that she and her family have tried many area farm fresh eggs and Drew's have the best flavor. Rock on! Laughing Duck Farm chicken eggs can be purchased right down on the farm. Also, during the season look for them and other goodies at the Corvallis Farmers Markets!! That's right, Saturday and Wednesday. And!! Check it out! Very cool indeed: Corvallis Local Foods

Thanks for listening.

Something special?

Guest Post by Ahnonni Moose.

Friends, let me welcome you to the Crooked Furrow kick-off blog entry. I had to do this guest post because otherwise the farmers would never get round to it. They are busy dudes. And right sexy. Oh, yea. You should get down there and see fer yourself. Better call first, just so they know you're comin'. Not that they'll be up to no good or nothin'. It's courteous and that way they know when to expect visitors. Don't have your hopes up about seein' them work shirtless in the summertime though. These guys are professionals. Well, at least sensible; apply and re-apply sunscreen, big hats and oft times long-sleeves.

OK. So the Crooked Furrow? WTF? I know that's what is on your mind. Heck, my mind too. And who the blazes am I, anyway? This aint 'bout me at all, y'all. It is about a Small Farm named Laughing Duck Farm. See, there are ducks and there were ducks, none which is laughin' now. That is two wholly different tales. Worth telling fer sure, but I don't know, not happy ones. Gruesome one of them is, reckon. Tuther is nice in a adopted-a-duck sorta way. These tales might get telled someday.

Looks like I got distracted. That'll happen. What was I goin' on about? Crooked Furrow is what a farmer gets when he doesn't use a string-line to determine the straight and narrow for the crop rows. I side with at least one of the LDF farmers, the Lesser, or assistant farmer: straight aint great and it is all done by hand anyways. No GPS or some shit. Why, my old Gramps use to say,"Anything too perfectly lined up looses something." He was talkin' 'bout a brick patio, I think. So, well, these red hot farmers apply it to the rows of food they grow.

Neither of the middle aged, beefcake, hard working, hunky farmers, are themselves crooked. At least not in a criminal sense, but in a adjective sense.

These guys are family men. Dreamers. Hard workers. Food providers for a few. Eager, ready willin' and able to provide for more, right in the community.

Which, dig the segway, brings me to CSA.

What is CSA? Of course the letters stand for Community Supported Agriculture. But, what is it?
shareholders. trading goods and/or services. local(at least not involving thousands of miles of travel and packaging). many hands. help. support. shared transport. delivery/drop off. markets...purchase a set amount of weekly goods, ahead of time, for a predetermined cost, and enjoy. Take it to the next level and get your hands in the dirt; harvest, pull weeds or otherwise contribute to the Farm! The Farm and its supporters are a community in its self. A'right then. Gettin' a little deep for old Ahnonni...

Tis a thing worth contemplating. Worth being involved in, a part of. Tis sustainable for the farm, the farmers, and for families.

That's it, folks. Get in there and be a part of It!! Farmers need you and y'all need Farmers.

Thank ya.

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Ok, so that was something I had asked for months ago, to get the ball rolling as it were. Better late than never. Thanks heaps, Ahnonni!

At an end,

I found this bit lying round in email folder limbo and thought I would post it now because I didn't then and there is no going back to do so so as to ensure its freshness. Does that make any sense?

Season's End
9 Nov 09

All that is left now is to look back on what has past. It would seem that the longest farming season I have yet to farm has ended, already. Also, I am reminded that of all the "Farmer's tans" I have had in my life, this year's was the first from farming!

Funny how a person can be so busy, in the moment or its groove, that he can't see it happening; if one does not stop to breath deep or look up, one can miss whole days.

And how are we to judge a season of CSA a success or failure? I think we have to wait til the start of the next season. Wait and see what Shareholders return, and how many new ones join and participate. Or, I guess, an accounting of bills, income, receipts and feedback...

I must say the food we grew tasted beautiful. What a treat to eat! The best bean I ever ate was yellow and warm from the sun. Pick and eat. Nothing like eating a veggie in the veggie field seconds after harvesting.

Another treat to farming is noticing the surroundings. We spend a lot of time bent over, on all fours, nose to the furrow. The best idea sometimes is stop, for 10 seconds, stand up, look up and around. Where am I? Ahh. Yes. What delicious air and an enjoyable view in all directions.

I feel somewhat a failure, I cannot recall all the varieties of the fruits and vegetables we produced this year. I will try a general list right now:

cherry tomatoes. tomatoes. purple potatoes. red and russet pots too. onions. leeks. garlic. sweet and bell and baby-bell peppers. Hot ones and Italian ones. ground cherries. watermelon. cantelopes. summer squash and winter. corn. filet beans. purple beans and green. lettuce(s). eggplant. okra. pie pumpkin. purple cabbage. broccoli and cauliflower. beets. carrots. chard. kale. basil. cilantro. sweet cherries and pie cherries. brussel sprouts. apples. strawberries. kohlrabi. radish. cucumber. snap peas and shelling peas. collard. dill.

sumpin' 'bout chickens

I reckon I will always be amazed by the complexity of farming. There are untold relationships down on the farm. I know, I know, I am hitting a pretty big subject here and it is unfair of me to tic off such a short post, but hey, it's Friday. Nigh on the next day(11:49 pm) and I'm tired, so short and sweet and just crooked enough to keep me thinking.

chickens: We have about 165 chickens. They consume a lot of time, and feed. They also provide a lot. Chickens are Food, whether it be eggs or meat or fuel for the soil. Fuel? Yes, fuel. Remember, I said they consume a lot of feed? So that means they generate a lot of...

Anyway, the amazing part is how varied tasks can be concerning these birds. Why, just the other day, Thursday in fact, Farmer Drew and I occupied the same space, a close proximity, doing very different things for the chickens. My duty was to build a roost for the night-time snoozey activities and Farmer Drew was culling the roosters and processing them for meat. Very different things, indeed. All connected.

It all helps and it is all farming!

And, I could go no and on. But not today. Good night.

Make, Making, Made a list, or seven

There is nothing I have encountered as long as a Farmer's TO DO list. Even as tasks are scratched off more are added. Some are completed but never scratched off, they instead, are moved to the bottom only to come back round again. And do they come back round. The very next day even.

Fact is there is a daily to do list; a weekly, monthly, seasonal and annual to do list, too. Never shortening, always lengthening. No fear of running out of things to do...no chance to be bored down on the farm.

Farmer Drew and I whacked out a TO DO list or two just this afternoon. For grins and giggles I'm going to whack one out right now:

Feed the chickens.
Feed the ducks.
Check all livestock water.
Collect eggs.
Count goats.
Feed dogs.
Clean nesting boxes.
Wash eggs.
Build Table-saw bench.
Change filter and oil in tractor.
Build roost.
Repair old roost.
Strengthen/repair fence.
Move section(s) of electric fence.
Till ground.
Start seedlings indoors.
Sell CSA shares.
Sow seed.
Grow food.
Take food to market(s).
Pull weeds.
Pull weeds.
Pull weeds.
Harvest.
Cultivate.
Harvest.
Prune orchard.
Spread compost, mulch.
Clean gutters.
Harvest rainwater.
Sweep barn.
Prune berry shrubs and canes.
Scrape coop and goat barn.
Delivery eggs.
Delivery CSA weekly boxes.
Fell trees.
Buck trees.
Chop firewood.
Cull chickens.

Scratching the surfaces, folks. This is by no means a complete list. A representation only. Trouble is most of the list components are kept in the head and scrolled strobe fashion across closed eye lids at night.

Oh, it's you. Welcome to the show.

Just crooked enough, I like to say. Slanty window covers, wavy lines, and crooked furrows. Perfectly straight is creepy, man. UnNatural. Farming is real, to me(understand this is all about me) when I am down in the dirt doing my level best to get the job done. I am always making a hard, honest go of it. To make it all just crooked enough.

A few other catch phases the Farmer and I throw around regular come to mind presently. Heck, they might be motto's, or mantras, words to live by, and plain old good ideas:

"That's Farming." "Quick and dirty." "Temporary permanence."

Pretty much these three phrases can be said all together as one. Add a little crooked-ness, and well, you got yourself a Farmer, his helper, and Laughing Duck Farm...

Now listen. We are not crooks, lawless swindlers hurting the populace. No. Quite the opposite. We do CSA; Community Supported Agriculture. Which means it is pert near impossible for us to hurt folks. We grow food for people. And there ain't nothing bad or wrong with that! Statistically speaking, the greatest, most helpful low- impact thing a body can do is, Grow Food!! So just to aid in clarification and relieve some snarky tendencies, look here and groove on the likes of curved, bent, and lopsided, and never mind the negative definitions.

(And yes, I made up the whole statistically speaking thing. And no, the photo is not of the darling LDF. Merely the winner of a random pick from google images)