The hardest job you’ll ever love

The farm's market pavilion July

Occasional we all have those moments when someone or thing reminds us why we are doing what we do. This weekend I had one of those moments. Last Sunday morning was an oppressively hot and  humid beginning of a day here on the farm. After Saturday’s market Mark and I were down to a couple of left over tomatoes and a hand full of cucumbers nothing in the way of baked goods and the field picked fairly clean after a full CSA pickup. We decided to once again close the market and just allow any folks visiting the farm to pick flowers and leave their money for the bouquets in an honor box. This year the farm’s Sunday markets have all but been bare and most Sundays we have closed the market with nothing in the way of produce to sell and another hot day in that field just isn’t very appealing for a handful of peppers after days planting, harvesting and weed-eating in that hot sun. But people can still walk around the farm and cut flowers if they like…see the goats and donkeys let the kids run lose for a bit…we don’t mind at all.  Well this Sunday they had re-aired our farm’s TV appearance on the Volunteer Gardener show and low and behold at 11am the cars started pulling in…several cars…Old farmers Mark hid in his office too worn out to even look out the window and down with a little touch of heat exhaustion from harvesting all day in that 100 degree weather on Saturday…he wasn’t about to come out. That left me…hair all scrunched up on top of my head in my Sunday…I ‘m not leaving the house outfit…not a pretty sight I assure you.  Lucca our 8 year old son ran to the door of the farmhouse yelling “Mom …mom  there are people out there…lots of em’ .  I couldn’t just let them wonder aimlessly around and most I could tell having never been to the farm before for they were all standing on the porch of the farmhouse looking for the market thinking the farmhouse was it. I opened the door tiring my best to not look like I just crawled off the couch half dead…I told them that the farm market was closed for we had sold out of everything…but they were welcome to cut flowers, walk around ect… This one lady said to me…I just saw you on TV this morning…then they all started shaking their heads…they too had seen the show and want to see the farm. Which lead to questions about the flowers…then about the farm in general..before I knew what was happening I found myself leading a full on farm tour in my house shoes…out in the field and in my element. Funny how talking about farming, flowers and food just lifts me up and stirs my passion. A heart of a teacher…I so enjoy sharing what I have learned about all the above with …well anyone that seems willing to listen.  I know they were a disappointed with the market being bare…and this hot weather the field looks like its an over grown mess…but this will never be Cheekwood it is a real working farm weeds and all.  During my little in-prove farm tour we headed over to our chicken coop talking about farm eggs and tomato pecking chickens when I open the coop’s back door that leads to our nests where we collect eggs…I hear peep…peep…I reach in and pulled out a freshly hatched baby chick just born…ahhhh…then another…peep…peep …peep…another baby chick just hatched peeking it’s little head out from under its mothers feathers…yep…the baby chicks may have just saved my tail from the market being closed…life on the farm…never boring.

Speaking of growing…the temperature is back on the raise and that my friends is not good news for farmers or the crops. This is the time of year we start those fall crops like broccoli, collards and carrots. ..not to mention the fall flowers which have always been such a staple here on the farm come late September. Seeds won’t germinate in temps over 100 and of course the field temperature being much hotter.  Our fingers are crossed that is for sure.

My friend Dayle visited the farm during out cooking with herbs workshop and she wrote a nice blog about her visit as well as posted our recipes from the workshop. Please click on over and take a look   Dayle Fergusson’s Corner

CSA News & Updates

This weekend will be a weekly shareholder pickup. Okra will be showing up in your baskets this week along with some of this summers peppers and beans.  With this heat wave still in place your basket may be smaller this weekend…but we are still trying to keep the produce coming.

Cooking workshop

This Saturday in the farmhouse Kitchen we will be working with a vegetable that love hot weather…Eggplant.

Eggplant Parmesan with heirloom tomato sauce

You are seeing a lot of eggplant in your baskets and at the market…this is a great workshop to make the most out of your eggplant…and a great recipe to make ahead and freeze.

this is a free workshop in the comfort of the farmhouse kitchen…air conditioning.