The Birth of an Egg- Video!

Well, kids, this is where eggs come from. I hope this isn't too gross, but I think it's pretty darn cool! The little miracle was captured by my dear friend, Jen, who was visiting our farm over the past week. She was checking for eggs at just the right time and was ready with smartphone in hand to capture the moment. The details are especially visible because this egg was laid by a chicken that doesn't have a lot of feathers around its nether-regions. Enjoy!

Herb Beds-- Our new addition

This was our latest project on the farm, a series of raised beds for perennial herbs. We constructed the beds out of salvaged wood from an old gazebo that was on our property. They are actually in our backyard, rather than out in the field, a bit of edible landscaping that will hopefully regrow from year to year and keep our CSA members stocked in fresh and dried herbs. So far we have planted oregano, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, lavender, sage, lemon grass, chamomile, and dill. We've left some space to add other herbs, so let us know if you have any suggestions.

Row Covers, We Love You

A forest of green peas.

The spring veggies are off the hook! It's looking like it will shape up to be a big summer season too, though it's still a little too early to tell. We're attributing a lot of our veggies' success this year to the use of row covers. We have three kinds of row covers we use at various times, plastic, floating row cover (aka remay), and shade cloth. In the winter the covers keep the plants and the soil a little warmer, and in the summer the shade cloth keeps things a little cooler. In all seasons, they help keep the bugs off and protect the plants from wind and birds. This year our produce is ready earlier than last. It has less bug damage and is more succulent. It doesn't come without extra work, though. Row covers were especially difficult during windy days when they kept blowing away, and those windy days often coincided with some of our coldest nights of early spring (i.e. when we most needed the covers). We spent a lot of energy weighing down the covers in various ways so they wouldn't blow away. Right now, though it all seems worth it.

It's looking to be a big year for zucchini.

We have about 150 tomato plants in. We just switched out their row covers for trellising last week.