While it may not have been fun, having day after day of rain to deal with, the effect on the foliage almost makes it worth it. The colors, at least at the lower levels on the mountains are really popping this year, especially in comparison to the past couple of blah years. I’m thinking that with the extra moisture, and the warmer weather this week, we may have a longer stretch of colors as well, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

The end of the season is rapidly approaching, so I want to remind everyone that the last day the farm stand will be open is Monday, October 12th (special hours 10 – 4). I also want to mention that after the stand closes, you can still check the What’s Available page to see what you can get by contacting me (texts preferred) and arranging a time to come by and pick up.

In the fields, most of the crops are now done, with the holdouts primarily being the very hardy plants (Broccoli, Cabbage, etc.). I will also have the last of a few other crops, so be sure to check the What’s Available page for more info.

The hens are still clucking away and producing as many eggs as they can in hopes of keeping up with the demand. There will also be both Fresh and Frozen Broiler Chicken available this week.

I was able to get some more locally made Pickles this week. The selection of Honey is getting smaller as we approach the end of the season. Most preserves are still available, though Peach has sold out, and I’m not sure I’ll be making any more this year. Don’t forget to decorate with some of the colorful Mums. And lastly, did I mention there is a pumpkin patch – seems I must have at some point or other.

That’s going to do it for this week’s update. Thank you for your continuing support of the farm. Hope you all have a great week.

Well, the inevitable has happened and a freeze event has taken place at the farm. As noted in the Special Update, the freezing temps lasted approximately 3 hours, with a full, light freeze across the property. While there may be areas of the field that did not suffer full loss, the general assumption is that all non-hardy plants are now finished for the season.

Since I knew the freeze was highly likely, given how far off the normal forecasts are for the farm, I harvested as much extra as I could on Wednesday. Please be sure to check the What’s Available page for current offerings.

There are still some hardy crops, like Broccoli and Cabbage, in the field that I will continue to harvest, and there are also more Yukon Gold Potatoes to dig. I did have time to cut some last Gladiola, as I don’t think many, if any of the flowers have made it through the cold, but we’ll just have to wait and see. The pumpkin patch is getting filled out, and there are mini pumpkins and gourds for fall decorating.

Egg sales strength continues to amaze, and the chickens are not giving up on meeting the demand.

This week will see the return of Fresh Broiler Chicken, and they will remain available both fresh and frozen each week until the end of the season, or until they sell out. This is the last week I will take orders for after the stand closes on Columbus Day, so if you want to lock them in, then don’t wait, as about half of the chickens from this last round are already on order.

I made one last batch of Strawberry-Rhubarb Preserves, and may try to make one Peach also. The difficulty in making more is that I don’t have enough jars, and don’t have the time in my schedule to pick up any more. While I will try to make the one last batch of Peach, I am in no way promising I will be able to do so.

That’ll do it for the update this week. I hope you all have a good one, and that you get some time to enjoy the changing colors of the mountains.

It’ll be a bit of bullets point update this week, as I am both running late, and still have a ton of stuff left to do today.

Biggest news, the Pumpkin Patch is set up, though I have still not been able to get all the different pumpkins and gourds picked.

All 3 types of Winter Squash (Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti) are now available.

Due to the weather, fungal problems, and normal end of season, a few more crops have finished for the year. I’ll still bring in what I can to keep the usual full spread of items.

The supply of Mums has been replenished. If you missed out on your favorite color last week, I should have it available again this week.

There was a moderate, but patchy frost event that occurred on Tuesday morning right around 6am. Thankfully, very few things were affected by it.

Egg sales have slowed a bit, but remain high. The hens are still doing all they can to keep up.

Only Frozen Broiler Chickens will be available this weekend. There will be Fresh Chicken again next weekend, and then each weekend up until I close for the season at Columbus Day.

That’s it for this week’s update. Hope you all have a great week.

Apologies for the slightly delayed update, but it’s been that kind of week, and it’s only halfway over. I know that people are very much looking forward to the Pumpkin Patch again, but I have not had the time to get it put together yet, as the holiday-shortened week and prior commitments conspired against me completing it quickly. Nevertheless, the patch will be ready by next weekend, so hopefully this won’t be too much of an inconvenience.

The weather and plants have definitely moved into fall mode, and though we missed having a frost on Labor Day (9/7), the early morning temperature on the farm was 38.3F. That was close enough to frosting temps that I went and checked a bunch of the gray patches on the ground just after 5am to make sure they were not actually frosty.

The plants in the field have responded to those temps as would be expected. String Beans did not reset new beans until a couple of days later than usual, the remaining Zucchini slowed squash growth to a crawl, the Peppers came close to calling it quits. Still, I’m pushing the plants along, in hopes that the remainder of September will be a bit more forgiving.

There will be Fresh Broiler Chicken again this weekend. After that, it’ll be a week until I have fresh ones again. The plan for third round of Broiler Chickens assumed that even slightly cooler weather would slow their growth, but alas, this has not happened. So as of right now, Fresh Broilers will be available this weekend (the last of the second batch), and the weekends of the 25th – 27th, 2nd – 4th, and finally 9th – 12th. I am taking orders for Broiler Chickens (both whole and half) for pick up from after the stand closes until just before Christmas. This is the last round of Broiler Chickens planned for this season, so please plan accordingly.

Egg demand remained at extreme levels right through last weekend. I have no idea what demand will be like going into mid-September and beyond, but the Laying Hens are producing as fast as they can.

Preserve sales are also very strong, and have been so through most of the summer. Right now the supplies of Strawberry-Rhubarb, Peach, and 8oz Raspberry are quite low. The problem is I do not have enough jars to make more, and it may be a couple of weeks before I can get the time to pick up more from the supplier, but I’ll get to it as quickly as I can.

That’ll do it for this week’s update. I hope you all had a great holiday weekend, and a fantastic summer. Have a great week, and hope to see you at the farm soon.

Well, September is here, Labor Day is fast approaching, and there’s no going back to the full-on summer season, so I guess we all just have to deal with it. As a reminder, the farm stand will be open extra hours this week for the Labor Day holiday.

Special Hours
Monday 9/7 10 – 4

Operations now almost fully shifted into fall mode, though the visible portion at the farm stand is not yet completed. The big thing you will see this weekend is the arrival of Mums. Given the response to having them last year was as positive as it was, I figured we’d try having them again.

In the field, the weather has hit me with a resounding defeat. The fungal spread I had managed to keep restrained until recently rampaged through a number of crops this week. With rain, and the threat of rain I was prevented from applying additional anti-fungal sprays, and there was just a ton of moisture and humidity working against me. Worst hit were the Cucumber, though I was able to harvest some Pickling Cukes, the others were all trashed. The Zucchini are not far behind the Cucumbers, so I’ll do what little I can to keep them going a while longer.

On the positive side, there should still be Sweet Corn through this weekend and, if we’re really lucky, for a bit beyond. The Shishito Peppers finally came ready for harvest. It also looks like the Winter Squash have fared well, and I will pick as soon as I can. I started digging Potatoes, though as those of you who have been asking about them know, only the Yukon Gold Potatoes grew this year. For some reason, neither the Russets nor Reds grew at all.

Egg demand has been off the charts for the last couple of weeks, and I have no idea if that will continue, but the Laying Hens are diligently producing as many eggs as they can to meet that demand.

There will be both Fresh and Frozen Broiler Chicken available this weekend. If you are looking to get some for the freezer, please keep in mind that I will have fresh again next week, as well as the week before and Columbus Day weekend. Orders for the last batch of Broilers are now being taken.

Due to demand I made another batch of Strawberry-Rhubarb Preserves this week, with half the batch being made into 12oz jars as a test. No other Preserves are currently scheduled for production. Reminder for the flower lovers, Mums arrived. Lastly, I picked up a final batch of Honey at the apiary in order to fill out the selection for the fall.

I’d like to thank all of you who were able to come by the farm this year. I greatly appreciate your continued support and encouragement.

Can’t think of anything else right now, so I guess that’ll be it for this week’s update. Hope you all have a great week and enjoy the holiday.

It’s sad to say, but the end of August, and thus the end of summer are close at hand. Don’t worry though, since the farm stand is open through Columbus Day weekend.

On the farm the preparations for the season change have been underway for some time. I’ve been scouting through the Pumpkin (yeah, I know, but I’m talking about them anyway) and Winter Squash sections are fairly promising. The pumpkin patch won’t be set up until after Labor Day weekend. That reminds me; the farm stand will be open special hours for the holiday.

Labor Day Special Hours
Monday 9/7: 10 – 4

The crops in the field are hanging on as of now, however, the effects of those flooding rains in July are still causing issues, and I am slowly losing the battle against the fungal problems. Still, most things are producing well and current crops should be available through at least the next couple of weeks. The last news in regards to the field is that I will attempt digging some Yukon Gold Potatoes later today. With luck there will be a good harvest, as the Russet and Red Potatoes simply did not grow this year.

The Laying Hens are doing a great job. Egg sales have been very high the last couple of weeks, so if you are determined to get eggs please plan accordingly.

The initial batch of Broiler Chickens from the second round of birds is currently being processed. There will be fresh Whole and Half Chicken available for this weekend, Labor Day weekend, and the week after that as well. The third round of Broiler Chickens should be ready for the week before, and also Columbus Day weekend. I have already received orders for chicken for the time after the farm stand closes. If you are going to want some chickens to put in the freezer for the winter, please consider ordering in advance.

Sales of Preserves remain high resulting in me having to make yet another batch this week. The same goes for Preserves as it does for the Broiler Chicken – if you want to be sure to have some for over the winter, don’t wait to get it, as I will only be making a few more batches this fall. After those are gone, and unless you’re ordering a case or more at a time, you’ll have to wait until some time in early to mid-March to get more.

That’ll be it for this update. Enjoy the remaining couple of weeks of summer, and have a great time.

I do hope everyone has been enjoying the nicer, cooler, and generally more stable weather we’ve had of late. Seems like it might, maybe, kinda, could possibly be, a halfway decent second half of summer. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see though.

Things here are moving along pretty well. Lettuce is still giving me no end of problems, but on the other hand, the Sweet Corn is doing well. And yes, I really did just knock on wood after typing that. Residual effects of the flooding rains continue, and are being dealt with as best I can. Some crops, like Slicing Cucumber may have smaller than normal harvests, but are still available.

I will have a special treat this week. My sister, who has a couple of Peach trees had a bumper crop this year – one of the few people who did well with tree fruit. Anyway, I was able to get basically 1 crate worth of Peaches from her for the stand.

Additionally, and somewhat surprising to me, there were some Local Apples at the market. This is a bit earlier than usual, but I’ll take what I can get, given the odd pattern weather we’ve had this year. Anyway, I was able to get my hands on some Honeycrisp and Macintosh apples. The word from the orchards is probably a shorter season and a reduced selection than other years. Still, we’ll see as it comes along and get neither irrationally excited, nor preemptively depressed.

Now, I don’t want to get people all angry and bent out of shape about time passing and what the next season is called, much less discussing a specific crop that I won’t directly name, but it begins with a “P” and ends in “umpkins”. Still, it would be unwise to not look a little ahead. Damage from the rains we had did indeed take quite a toll on that “not to be named until after Labor Day” crop. I will have my own, but also already discussed the issue with other farms to ensure a supply. And yes, the <insert crop name here> patch will be back this year. Joking aside, I will do what I need to in order to have a nice patch again this year.

Sales of Preserves remain quite high, and resulted in me making additional batches again this week. I’m doing what I can to keep up with them given the much higher than average sales, so my apologies if I’m temporarily out of the type or size you may be looking to get.

The second batch of Broiler Chickens is coming along quite nicely. They will be available as fresh starting the 28th. The third round of Tubbies arrived on the farm on Monday evening. With this many chickens to keep, things are a little extra hectic, and I am going through feed like I’m pouring it into a bottomless pit.

The Gladiola are simply ignoring their planted dates and are all now rushing to bloom. They are opening so fast that I can’t keep up with them, but that is leading to quite a lovely display of mixed color in the field.

I suppose that’ll be it for this update. Hope you all have a great week, and thank you for your continued support of the farm.

It’ll be a bit of a quick update, as I am running a couple of hours behind schedule today. The big news is my SWEET CORN is ready. Be aware that given my superstitions about corn growing up here on the mountaintop, any time I mention it I am knocking on wood.

Not too much news this week. The rain we got on Saturday put parts of the field back underwater for a short time, thereby negating all the anti-fungal spraying I’d done. As a result of that, plus the previous flooding, there were non-trivial losses of plants and harvestable items, particularly cucumber and squash. Still, I managed to harvest good amounts of what is ready. From off the farm, I was able to get Italian Prune Plums and Local Garlic this week.

The little tubbies (Broiler Chickens) are plumping up, and should be available fresh on August 28th, plus the two following weekends. The last round of tubbies will be arriving on the farm early next week, that’s why it’s a bit of a madhouse here, as I try to get ready to have a total of 190 chickens to care for. Orders for the last batch of Broiler Chickens, for over the winter, are now being taken. Please ask at the farm stand for more information and expected availability.

Jam sales have been so brisk that I sold through an entire season’s worth of Strawberry-Rhubarb and had to make more this week. Cherry is almost sold out too, but more is planned, maybe even this evening, if I can get my act together.

Anyway, like I said, a quick update, so that’ll be all for now. Be sure to check the What’s Available page. Hope you all have a great week.

The aftermath of the heavy rains last week continues to play out, with both plant and harvest losses. Beyond that though, most things on the farm are proceeding like usual, and honestly it’s weirding me out a little.

In the field I’ve lost at least a couple of hundred plants. Sadly, most of the losses are pumpkin plants, since that was the area that was underwater the longest. Additional losses were found scattered about the field, mostly in the lowest spots, where presumably the plants were also underwater longer than others. Thankfully, I have so far been able to keep the fungus at bay. I am keeping a close eye on the forecast, since we are supposed to be getting a number of days with thunderstorms and rain showers starting today.

Aside from the flooding damage, the same beasties that previously ate the Kale seems to be back, and are doing their best to repeat the job. I am not pleased, since I have been trying to get these critters under control all summer.

There will be more of my own Broccoli this week, along with the first few Green Cabbage. Peppers and Tomatoes are still taking a long time to get ready, as is Cauliflower.

The Laying Hens are laying at full speed, with a good split of eggs between Large and XL, and even some Jumbos.

The Broilers have gotten so big, so fast that they already moved into their permanent coop. These chickens will be ready as Fresh starting on August 28th, and there will be Fresh Chicken for that weekend, Labor Day weekend, and the following one as well. The final round of Broilers will arrive on the farm on August 17th, and will be ready before, and for Columbus Day weekend.

Off the farm, the situation is no better than it has been most of the summer. Availability and pricing are all over the place, with no sign of stabilizing. I just got a notice today that feed prices are increasing again. Please be sure to check the What’s Available page for this week’s offerings.

A quick note on the Cyclospora situation – to the best of my knowledge, and with all the reports on it I’ve read, no US grown crops are implicated as causing the illness. Please be wary of media reports that over-hype and make blanket statements about the suspected sources. There is a lot of fear mongering and misinformation out there, and nobody needs any of that in their life.

That’s it for this week’s update. Hope you all stay well, and have a great week.