I was planning on saying something like, this year, we have had a few wrenches in the works, but I think that is regular too. So instead I will say, also in a regular year at a vegetable farm, a piece of machinery breaks when you need it, people continue to be human with varying needs and skills, and the weather continues to be tantalizingly just beyond predictability.
Over the past week, our mainstay tractor has been struggling. Being the amateur mechanics that we are, we methodically went through step by step diagnostics until we narrowed it down. This, of course took place between bouts of falsely thinking we had "fixed" the problem and moments of panic when fearing the worst like a cracked engine block or leaky head gasket. Eventually it became clear that the problem was a hole in the fuel line somewhere along the lengthy pipe that starts on the bottom of the fuel tanks and snakes its way around and under the cab and other various lines to the filters. One little hole, not enough to cause fuel to leak, oh no, that would make it too obvious. One little gap is all that is needed to introduce air into the fuel line when the fuel pump was running. We were on the verge of cutting into the line in a spot that we thought may have had a hole, when we noticed that there was a gasping sound coming from the hand primer next to the filters as we were trying to bleed the air out. Hmmm, maybe that was why the hand primer was taking so long to bleed the air, so long that we were using an oil suction device instead! Maybe it wasn't just slow, it was broken! In the end, we just bypassed the primer completely and solved the problem. Machine repair really is one of the clearest manifestations of the phrase hindsight is 20/20. This repair took us almost one full week. We started working on it last Tuesday and finished yesterday.
We are also, once again on the market for farm workers. Unfortunately, one of our workers had to quit for understandable, personal reasons. Now everyone here is working extra hard, putting their shoulders into, and keeping us afloat, and doing a great job. We may lose a few crops, however it won't be a massacre. I mention the labor shortage for two reasons:
(1) I won't be doing my job unless I find someone to fill the shoes. If you know someone that may want a few hours in the countryside working alongside a chipper crew, send them our way.
(2) I really want to shout out to Beverly, Brandon, Emily O., and Emily L. for hanging in there, putting in extra hours, understanding my stress, and getting the job done. I am really grateful to have all of you working here.
That information is the perfect lead in to mention that we are happy to have volunteers out to the farm pretty much and day of the week. If volunteering is something that you have been thinking about doing, this is the perfect time to do it. There is lots of weeding to be done if we want our fall crops to come in crisp. If interested, just give us a shout!
TOMATO SALE CONTINUES!
- "Seconds" (less than perfect but still perfectly delicious) are $2 per pound or a full tray for $20
- 5+ pounds of tomatoes of your choice $2.50 per pound
- 10+ pounds of tomatoes of your choice $2.00 per pound
- 3 pints of Cherry Tomatoes for only $8
Fresh from the field
Arugula!
Beet bunches
Beets by the pound
Bok Choi!
Carrot bunches!
Cabbage!
Eggplant!
Flowers
Mizuna!
Kale!
Potatoes
Fingerling Potatoes
Peppers
Shishito peppers
Hot Peppers!
Ground Cherries
Summer squash
Sweet Salad Turnips!
Radishes!
Garlic
Tomatoes- lots of heirlooms
Cherry Tomatoes
Tatsoi!
Yukina Savoy! delicious new green!
*We send this email out before harvest, and although we do our very best to make accurate predictions, crops and quantities found at market may vary.
All the best!
Helen, Jim, Exie the dog, and the Lake Divide Farm Crew!
Markets, always rain or shine!
(we begin attending on dates listed above)
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December from 7 am to 3 pm.
Friday: Stockbridge
The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm to 7 pm
Saturday: Ann Arbor and Dexter
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
The Dexter Farmers' Market is located in lovely downtown Dexter, at 3233 Alpine St, Dexter, MI. The market runs May thru October from 8 am to 1 pm.
Sunday: Howell
The Howell Farmers' market can be found in the heart of Howell at State st and Clinton st, adjacent to the historic Livingston County Courthouse. It runs May thru October, 9 am to 2 pm.