Rain Damage

California has had a bunch of rain this month. And it’s taken a toll on our fields, especially the artichokes. Wet soil and wind combined to flatten many of the tall, in-full-production, gorgeous plants. I guess the weeds, mud compaction and cold hands are a small price to pay for the groundwater recharge. Onward!

Artichokes blown down

Flowering kale

Hopefully this lettuce will recover when the sun comes out.

Paul’s shop has gotten more attention because of the rain. It shows in the organization here.

Asparagus is coming. Must be spring!

We are rich in cabbage, just in time for St. Patrick’s day!

These brussels sprouts are about done. They look crazy at this stage, like a big Dr. Seuss flower.

Fall is in the air.

Hard to believe but we’re more than half way through 2015. Pumpkins and other winter squash are ripening. The corn is finished, much to the disappointment of our local customers. Tomatoes are ripe and the melons are so aromatic the bees are tumbling around in their flowers. The pictures should speak louder than my words.

August 11, just before the onions began drying down.

August 23, onions drying down

Paul preps the field for planting chicories.

Winter squash is thriving, with Santos planting chicories in the background.

Serrano peppers are loaded!

Two types of lettuce, ready to transplant, with a bed all ready.

Four successions of sunflowers, planted every two weeks.

Eggplant! The first planting was lost. This crop is coming very soon.

Fennel and radicchio dot the field.

Our kales and other greens have had a hard summer.

The next two crops of beans. We’ve been gapping on beans. They should be back at the market next week…

Giant pumpkins are revealing themselves by the Farm Stand.

“Sunshine” kabocha squash

Shallots and red onions dry under the big old oak. Nice place for the bees, huh?

Hello again…

I am amazed I have not posted in such a long time. I am sorry to jump over months of farm activity.

This year, as always, we have much less produce coming out of the fields, than at other times of the year. We’re running into shortages at the market, running out of salad crops within an hour of the start. Beds in the field are damp and cold, not conducive to plant growth. But ground is drying and things are being planted. Our tables will again be full in a month or so. Let me catch you up, visually.

Fava beans are blooming madly.

This crop of artichokes is especially delicious. Hope you can get some at the market while they last, another month or so.

Yesterday’s brassica planting

This crop of Red Butter Lettuce should be on our market stand next week.

Kales

Peas in full flower. We’ll have sugar snaps and English shelling peas this year.

Second planting of peas

Paul is very busy this spring.

Baby lettuces

The greenhouse is wonderful place to work on a blustery day.

Double Header

Fall is coming on strong, as the summer crops peak. What to do? Just work a little harder, longer and stronger, knowing that rain will come, things will slow down. There will be time next to the wood stove, with a book and a cup of tea. But for now, it’s go, go, go. So glad we are up to it. And thanks to everyone that works for us or buys produce from our farm. We couldn’t do it without you.

Today we were presented with a beautiful fall day, lots of big fluffy clouds, lilting through a big sky, over hill and dale, casting moving shadows on the undulations below. With just a hint of moisture, as the clouds misted the fields, dampening the dust, sweetening the soil and doubling the scents. It’s teaming with life out there!

These kabocha winter squash are close to harvest.

Shallots dry under a big oak.

Rhazes, our new red little gem lettuce

Brasiccas ready to go out into the field.

Yellow wax beans

Rosa bianca eggplant

Lots of San Marzano roma tomatoes, perfect for sauce.

We’ve been gapping with our beet crops, but these are almost big enough to harvest.

Celery and fennel, first planting.

Fennel and celery root, next planting

Broccoli

Picchu berries, a new crazy delicious berry, we’re trialling.

Cherry tomatoes are dropping.

Leeks and onions

Carrots in the foreground. It didn’t rain enough to keep the irrigation from happening.

Summertime Hustle

It happens every year. Juggling price changes, seed and box orders, soil samples to send, staff needs, signage plus new accounts, keeps everyone on their toes.

And then there is what’s happening in the fields. Multiple crops are ready to be harvested and sold. 5,000 heads of lettuce are seeded every two weeks, but now every 10 days, as demand increases. More is required of our bodies and our minds. It feels like a miracle that it all comes together each week… the orders are taken, the crops are picked, packed and delivered, the markets happen and we sell.

We are so grateful for our tremendous staff, in the field and at the markets. Our health and ability to make this all happen has much to do with eating our own great products!

Yellow raspberries are really strong right now.

Cherry tomatoes are so decorative.

Flowering potatoes

Irrigation needs patching due to crow damage. Grrr

The culprits …

Kale

I’ll take the sugar baby camouflage.

We’ve been selling sunflowers at our farm stand on Saturdays.

Everyone loves the sweet corn.

Winter squash, melons and cucumbers create such a beautiful blanket.

Lovely delicata!

Acorn is the first of the winter squash to be ready, maybe a month away.

The Rosa Bianca eggplant that won the beauty contest.

 

New Spring Crops

First tomatoes

First and second planting of peppers

Napa cabbage

Potatoes

Harvested carrot bed

Farm tools

Sage

Changes happen fast around here. Our second market of the week opened this week, Tuesday, with much fanfare and commotion. We had a busy and successful night. Thanks to all for coming and supporting us and all the vendors. We look forward to another great season.

We are growing some new varieties this year including a new English pea called Penelope (ahhh). It sports a densely packed pod of small, sweet peas, most picturesque. Also, to fan the kale-craze flames, a broader leafed kale called Rainbow Lacinato kale.

Rainbow lacinato kale

Penelope

The farm stand will open soon. Still haven’t set a date, but the decor has been planted.

Farm stand is planted…

Summer Evenings…in January?

Yes, it’s weird. The days are gorgeous. We are hearing of snow and cold in much of the country and we sit in bliss with the whole day feeling like a warm summer evening. The sun stays low. It doesn’t get too hot.

We know we need rain. And we’d love to see it on the horizon. But we’ll put up with this loveliness as we don’t have much of a choice.

We’ll be back at the local Farmers’ Market this week, after a three week break. And we’ll have plenty!

Brussels sprouts galore

Red cabbages

Young collard and kales

Lacinato kale is crowning up.

These lettuces were planted this morning.

Three different varieties of sprouting broccoli with various maturation dates.

Frosty Farm

This savoy cabbage will be especially sweet!

The weather is much cooler than we are used to here in Sonoma Valley. It’s predicted that we will have more than 10 days in a row of below freezing temps. Everything is compromised with weather like this. We’re trying to keep water running as cold crops fare better when the ground is moist but the pipes are frozen well into the day. Couldn’t get the water on until after 2 on Friday.

The crew is starting later, wearing more layers, working in the greenhouse as much as possible, but no denying it’s no fun harvesting vegetables in this weather.

Recent transplanted Red Russian kale is stalled, but not dead.

The fennel fronds have diamond necklaces.

The lacinato kale is resilient but certainly not growing in this weather.

Some of the most vulnerable beds are hooped and covered with remay.

The spinach should grow out of this freeze

We don’t quite know what to expect with our artichokes.

The cauliflower is nestled down under lots of full, icy leaves.

I think this broccoli wants to be picked!

Transition to Cool

Brassicas and beets

It’s happening again. Shorter daylight, cooler nights,

“Winter Luxury” pie pumpkins

The pie pumpkins are all cut and lined up, as they cure. They will be picked up and brought indoors before it starts raining. We will sell them throughout the winter. Our winter squash crop is small this year. It was planted in new low-fertility ground. Building soil takes time.

Early morning lettuce picking

Today is Thursday, a big pick and pack day for the field crew.

Lacinato kale and red-stemmed dandelion

Rows of cabbage planted about 3 weeks ago

We have some beautiful fields, with fall crops coming in; Lacinato kale, celery, celery root, dandelion greens, savoy cabbage, brussels sprouts,.

Beautiful savoy cabbage, ready in a week or 2

Little baby brussels sprouts

The greenhouse is filled with lettuce starts and greens.

Rainbow chard and collard

Tomatoes cut from their trellises

And the first crops of tomatoes are finished, the drip lines pulled, trellis lines cut. The stakes will be pulled out soon. Then on to the next crop.

End of May

It was premature to think that summer had begun. It’s sprinkling now. The greens are greener when seen under a grey sky. Many summer crops have been in the ground for weeks, and are struggling to stay ahead of the insect pressure. Cucumber beetles are very active and making a mess of the first bean crops, beet greens, cucumbers (natch). Once the heat comes, the plants will outgrow the damage. We believe in history and the power of positive thought.

Here’s a virtual “Walk-Around” of the farm today.

We’ve had beautiful summer squash, though can’t seem to get enough zucchini flowers to fill our chef’s orders.

The rock crusher has been busy pulverizing this field. It’s very time and resource consuming, but the improvement is huge.

Rocky field will get “crushed” very soon.

We’ve been enjoying an abundance of brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage) which are finishing up. Luckily, this next planting should be ready in a couple of weeks.

Celery is coming soon.

This field has not been cover cropped in a long time. It’s been too important. Now that we have some more ground, it’s nice to see it get a rest!

These beans are suffering from cucumber beetle damage.

The first planting of tomatoes is flowering. Planting through plastic helps push it along. It’s already been staked and tied.

So glad to see two beds of Lacinato kale next to one of Red Russian. The RR yields more, but we can’t keep up with demand for the Lacinato.

A bed of Asian greens for the salad mix.

Finally we have fruit on the raspberries, weeks later than in past years.

The first planting of peppers is looking good. The shishitos and padrons are always the first to set fruit.