it's all worth it
Well, we made it through all 172 days of July. Decoupling from this temporal variation we have arrived more or less intact in August, a month that mercifully spans a meager 124 days, a real cakewalk compared to July. We spent the past month adjusting to most of the major changes that occur to our routine in the height of summer. Our bodies have strengthened to withstand carrying heavy crates of squash, cucumbers and melon. Our Friday nights have switched from bagging greens to making flower bouquets. Rotating the irrigation is now a daily concern, fall behind and something dies. Even though the new routine is starting to feel manageable, it’s still encumbered by the remnants of July’s task list. The team has been working extra hard the past couple weeks to help us get caught up with daily pressures of cultivating, planting, bed prep, irrigation, and as a result we’re starting to tackle some of the projects that July kept sliding down last month’s priority list.
This week we began construction of our new dual zone walk-in cooler. A couple years ago Helen and I purchased a 40 ft long insulted shipping container when we still lived in NJ with the intention of converting it into a produce cooler. With our westward move looming we decided to hold off on the project, it did at least get utilized for its intended purpose when we packed up our NJ farm (Whistling Wolf Farm). During that eventful maneuver, it acquired the nickname “Farm-in-a-box”. It fit our greenhouses, 8x10 walk-in cooler, wash station, field supplies etc. It’s got some history and some literal mileage. Let’s get back to cooler talk: The container actually has a refrigerator unit built into it, but it requires a business-crippling amount of electricity, so we’re using our own instead. We purchased a 24,000 btu window AC unit which will receive an override chip called a coolbot. The window AC unit will be permanently mounted on the sidewall of the container and with the overdrive chip it will be more than enough to keep our produce and cut flowers happy. This week we took the first step in the project by cutting the hole in the container wall to receive the AC unit… IT WAS FUN! As soon as we finished this, the farm promptly took us off the job so we could tend some time sensitive flame weeding and direct seeding. Through the week we’ll keep pushing this boulder up the hill with whatever time the farm will let us have.
Back in the field, the team has been planting out the rest of the ginger and the new cabbage. We’ve almost emptied the greenhouse at this point! Weeding is… being appropriated dispensed, but as far as weeding goes, that’s a pretty positive statement. Harvesting and market prep is becoming a larger production with each passing week. It’s been hot long days for a while now, and we’re all feeling it, but it’s working. This whole crazy farm plan is working. Great job team! Hey all, I better cut it off there. Exie the dog just started staring out the window, which typically means Helen is about to return from market… and she’s here. Hope to see you all at the markets this week.
P.S. My folks are visiting from NJ this week (which of course means that they’ve been working all week, it’s a farm after all), and I want to send them a special thank you for all their hard work. A lot of tasks that I had to give up on are now completed. Thank you.
Fresh from the field
Beans
Beet Greens
Beets by the pound
Flowers
Personal Cabbage (pint sized and delicious)
New Potatoes
New Fingerling Potatoes (new lower price)
Cucumbers
Swiss Chard
Kale
Salad Mix
Kohlrabi- Like a juicy vegetable apple. Try it raw with a little salt
Summer squash
Garlic-fresh
Cilantro!
Whipper Radishes
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Melon!
*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.
This week we began construction of our new dual zone walk-in cooler. A couple years ago Helen and I purchased a 40 ft long insulted shipping container when we still lived in NJ with the intention of converting it into a produce cooler. With our westward move looming we decided to hold off on the project, it did at least get utilized for its intended purpose when we packed up our NJ farm (Whistling Wolf Farm). During that eventful maneuver, it acquired the nickname “Farm-in-a-box”. It fit our greenhouses, 8x10 walk-in cooler, wash station, field supplies etc. It’s got some history and some literal mileage. Let’s get back to cooler talk: The container actually has a refrigerator unit built into it, but it requires a business-crippling amount of electricity, so we’re using our own instead. We purchased a 24,000 btu window AC unit which will receive an override chip called a coolbot. The window AC unit will be permanently mounted on the sidewall of the container and with the overdrive chip it will be more than enough to keep our produce and cut flowers happy. This week we took the first step in the project by cutting the hole in the container wall to receive the AC unit… IT WAS FUN! As soon as we finished this, the farm promptly took us off the job so we could tend some time sensitive flame weeding and direct seeding. Through the week we’ll keep pushing this boulder up the hill with whatever time the farm will let us have.
Back in the field, the team has been planting out the rest of the ginger and the new cabbage. We’ve almost emptied the greenhouse at this point! Weeding is… being appropriated dispensed, but as far as weeding goes, that’s a pretty positive statement. Harvesting and market prep is becoming a larger production with each passing week. It’s been hot long days for a while now, and we’re all feeling it, but it’s working. This whole crazy farm plan is working. Great job team! Hey all, I better cut it off there. Exie the dog just started staring out the window, which typically means Helen is about to return from market… and she’s here. Hope to see you all at the markets this week.
P.S. My folks are visiting from NJ this week (which of course means that they’ve been working all week, it’s a farm after all), and I want to send them a special thank you for all their hard work. A lot of tasks that I had to give up on are now completed. Thank you.
Fresh from the field
Beans
Beet Greens
Beets by the pound
Flowers
Personal Cabbage (pint sized and delicious)
New Potatoes
New Fingerling Potatoes (new lower price)
Cucumbers
Swiss Chard
Kale
Salad Mix
Kohlrabi- Like a juicy vegetable apple. Try it raw with a little salt
Summer squash
Garlic-fresh
Cilantro!
Whipper Radishes
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Melon!
*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.
Shipping container conversion
Ac unit is in
Working late isnt so bad, the scenery really cushions the lack of sleep
Helen: NO! I want to do it! Jim: Great!
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