Farm Update: Spring Has Sprung!

Remember The Farm? I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted about it, but well, things were kinda dormant for a while. I stopped by this past weekend and saw all sorts of signs pointing to SPRING: blossoms, berries, and even baby chicks (well, more like adolescent chicks). Enough talk, let’s get to the photos:

First plants to come up: beets to the left and kale to the right. TC also pointed out some renegade tomato and cilantro plants (not pictured) that must have grown from last year's seeds.

These are shallots. Don't they look just like garlic or green onions?

Spring chickens, literally. These ladies arrived 5-6 weeks ago and were moved outside just last week. They're being kept in a separate cage to protect them from the older hens.

This chick is the most fearless one out of the bunch.

Peach blossoms. I had never seen these or plum blossoms before (see below), but I thought they were beautiful.

Plum blossoms sure are purty.

The four eggs we collected that day.

What’s your favorite sign of spring?

 

The Farm: August Report

Before I begin, a point of business: I started a Facebook page today for this blog, and I would really, really appreciate it if y’all can go to the page and “Like” it. It helps me get an idea of who’s reading and I also hope it will be a forum for feedback, suggestions, and comments. Thanks a bunch! OK, now on to our regularly scheduled program…

As it happens in summer, things are growing like crazy at The Farm. The pumpkins are getting huge, the second plum tree is overflowing with fruit, and the tomatoes and peppers are finally ripening. Without further ado, here’s the latest from the farm.

(I apologize for the quality of the photos, but I forgot my camera and had to shoot with the iPhone. And it was so sunny that most of them came out overexposed. I promise to do better next time!)

The cutest pumpkin you will ever see. Look how tiny it is!

See, I told you the pumpkins were getting big! These look to be 3-5 lbs to me.

More pumpkins, with a green one on the left.

Can't wait to make some plum crisp when these start to ripen.

Unlike everything else, these apples haven't grown much in the past month.

Too bad these pears aren't good, because they sure look tasty.

This fly has a thing for figs.

Giant (overgrown) chard, about 2 feet tall.

The sunflowers are still going strong.

These are bell peppers that TC is growing at his house in a pot. Aren't they adorable (if a bit blurry)?

Tiny tomatoes!

The Farm: July Report

Sunflowers!

Can you believe that we’re already 2/3 through July? In one short month, the Farm is now overflowing with ripening fruit, overgrown zucchini, and baby tomatoes. First up: veggies!

The squash (zucchini, pumpkins) are taking over. Some of the zucchini got too big before they were picked (see below), so the chickens are going get to eat them. There are so many pumpkins, we’re already brainstorming pumpkin recipes. Pass ’em along if you’ve got some good ones.

Next up: fruit! I’m happy to report that the stone fruits (apricots, peaches, and plums) are ripening nicely. In fact, I just made a plum crisp last night with fruit from the Farm. It was amazing! (Post coming soon.) The figs are looking pretty good too, as are the pears. The apples still have a little ways to go. I missed the height of the berries a couple of weeks ago. Apparently there was so much that some were frozen? (Don’t quote me on that.)
Here are some cute fruit trees that we found in the neighborhood near the Farm:

adorable little kiwi fruits

bright cherries

Hope you’re all having a delicious summer!