Garden Day June 4th and....

Hi Folks,

We will be having a garden day this Saturday June 4th starting at 9am with a potluck
lunch to follow sometime around 12pm. We have a had a very full week of transplanting
and seeding. Most all of the "hot crops" are in and we have started to seed beans and the succession
crops of greens etc... This next week we will focus on the winter squash and related vines. The weather as you know has remained wet and unsettled. Despite all of this we have remained more or less on schedule.
On Saturday we will concentrate our collective energy on weeding and mulching the new transplants.

We had planned a post thanking everyone for the super job on the potato planting and lo and behold our very own Hannah wrote something up for the NCPR Garden Plot Blog. Thanks everyone and thank you Hannah for sharing your thoughts in such an insightful way. Check it out!

http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/gardenplot/2011/05/25/potato-planting-with-a-local-csa/

For those interested we will be in the garden on Memorial Day (Monday) seeding beans etc..
around 10am.

Hope to see you all on Saturday the 4th
Enjoy your long weekend.
bob

Potato Planting On Saturday Morning

hi folks,

we are gearing up for a big push on saturday.

the forecast looks favorable for potato planting.

the rains of this past week have been quite frustrating.

the park flooded once again and we had standing and running

water in the riverside garden.

luckily the only annuals planned for that spot are the onions and they faired

well despite this most recent onslaught of water.

all of the crops on high are doing well.

the early brassicas and lettuce under row cover

are looking especially happy

for those interested we will begin at 9am sharp

on saturday.

be well

bob

We are all in the same boat

Hi Folks,

Listening to the radio yesterday morning i was reminded how even the most celebrated
farming operations are still farms and vulnerable to climactic twists and turns.
Essex Farm, on the southern side of the addies, has made national headlines recently regarding
their operation and their take on "full diet farming".  Their book (The dirty Life) has been all the rage and is certainly worth checking out.
The attached radio story is a humbling account of Essex Farms struggle to deal with the effects of
this record setting wet spring.

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/17639/20110512/as-floods-recede-north-country-farmers-play-catch-up

Like most local and regional growers we have had our struggles this season with all of the rain and cool temps. However, by having multiple plots to work we have been able to plant more or less on schedule.
The problem for us is that things are growing slowly. This past weeks sun certainly did help.
As I write this it is drizzling and the forecast calls for rain til mid week.
Farming for me is like a roller coaster ride, you just need to hang on and see what happens around the next bend.
We will keep you posted as this adventure unfolds.

be well
bob

and the MANURE was bountiful

lew spreading mulch

Morning all:

Well done yesterday.  It's  great to look across that wide expanse, and see the asparagus, blueberry and flower areas ready for success this season.  And 400+ feet of onions weeded.







Glad to share a 100% overwintered salad for the lunch.  The spinach was planted in the fall, and though the tops died off in the cold months, the roots remained alive, and the crowns resprouted as the ground thawed.  The remaining salad ingredients (sorrel, mint, thyme, oregano, borage, bunching onions), are perennials. They provide a mouthful of flavor.

oregano: mulched for winter, growing lively now

Enjoy the parsnips.  And as for the spinach, we're on the fence between a creamy soup and a lasagna. 

 * * * * *

Savory Parsnips Saute 

Often, I roast parsnips.  Here's a simple method on the stove top.  You can choose the seasonings you're in the mood for.  

1 lb parsnips
2 tbs butter
Optional: fresh rosemary or curry powder or clove/nutmeg combo or sage or thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel the parsnips, then cut them into 2" lengths. Cut the sections into strips about 1/2 inch thick. In a heavy 10-inch skillet, melt the butter; then add the parsnips, shaking to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings. Cover tightly and saute on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, until they are just tender. Turn up the heat to medium high and brown the parsnips, stirring to prevent scorching. Serves 3 or 4.

* * * * * *

cheers for now, flip

ps hannah.  i think it was the sorrel.

tim shovelin' away

champion weeders daniel and grace

May garden day

Hi all:
What has this rainfall been like for you?  How has it affected your life and work?

Everyday a new consequence of this rain and (Adirondack) snow melt comes to my realization.  From the grower's standpoint: that's plain for us to understand.  But what about the carpenters, (can't dig a foundation with the water table where it's been for weeks).  Or the migratory birds who'd be nesting along the shorelines (and their habitat is flooded).  Or the fishermen (walleye season opens this weekend and the river's are WAY above good conditions).  

We are relatively fortunate up to this point and thankful we're not on the Raquette.  And we managed to open and disk the new ground in the short windows without precipitation.  We're mostly on schedule. Also, we've got healthy broc, cabbage and brussel sprouts to put in tomorrow.  Cloudy days make for good transplanting and lead to less shock to the seedlings.

Which brings me to Saturday!  The forecast is for mainly clear skies which will make for pleasant mulching.  We'll tend to the new seedlings, as well as the blueberries, asparagus and misc perennials.  It's a relatively low stress task, some folks wheelbarrowing while others spread it around.    

We're starting at 9a IN THE LOWER RIVER GARDEN.  For the potluck, we'll contribute a tangy spring salad (sorrel! spinach!) and misc pickles. 

We may finish it all with a short orientation up at the barn.

Psyched to see you all!
-Flip-

germinal

Downstairs, things are growing.

Down stairs to the cellar

guinea eggs have quickened 

and grapes have turned to wine.

Lye is burning through its tub

near potatoes with pale shoots,

and the molds are dividing

in jellies beneath wax,

that underworld

beneath the house with its bad family,

that world below

drumming

like old women

and blood stirring in the neck,

the older world

with its pale, thin roots of grass

and all things saved and growing.

by Linda Hogan 1988

mcclure