Some of the crimson clover seeded last fall putting out flowers. This photo was taken a couple weeks ago and the most of the flowers have come and gone, adding crimson clover seeds to our seed bank. Photo by Jenny Smith at Rook's Roost Photography
High noon of the year is fast approaching and all the plants are growing like mad. Summer solstice is when the tables turn and daylight hours decrease. I love the ebb and flow of daylight on the shores of our farm. As the hours increase, I find myself lost in the world of getting things done. And as they withdraw, I am relieved to gather back into myself. I am grateful that it isn't an abrupt change however, because with out there is still so much to do.
All this daylight, and these daily rains, have the plants going wild. New to market in full force we have swiss chard, fennel, kohlrabi, garlic scapes and a slue of herbs. And to top it off, it looks like cucumbers are going to have their first touchdown at the end of the week. I have a mind to chop some peas and mint and toss them together with a little lettuce and lemon juice! Hooray for the season of vegetables!
And if our vegetables are going wild, our weeds are going wilder. It feels like this is the time of year that I always mention weeds. But they are undeniable. The thistle that we are battling now, we will likely battle for years to come. It is now as tall as me and ready to flower. This is the perfect time to mow it down, reducing the strength of its indomitable underground root and rhizome network. Another solid contender for most vicious weed is curly dock. Now this plant, we are leaving standing, watching sadly as it produces a disgusting number of weed seeds to add to the seed bank. Why do we wait? For the nesting birds. I can't and shouldn't help it. I was so worried that when our birds, redwing blackbirds, song sparrows, robins, blue birds, gold finches, and warblers to name a few, came back, they wouldn't like what we had done with the place. After all, they have been carrying out their lives here longer than we. Luckily, they appear not to mind what we have done with the place. Honestly, I would have loved to have turned over curly dock city before all the birds settled in, but it was so wet, the ground was untouchable. We also have a killdeer family again. Three young ones guarded by their never faltering parents. I love seeing them skittering across our cultivated land. And there is certainly pheasant out there. Although not native, they aren't considered invasive, and have a welcome spot on our farm. I love to see them run in a line.
Along with all this farming, we are still learning to farm and have been enjoying visiting other vegetable growers around our area to pick up some tips. Two weeks ago we visited Black Oak Farm. It was extremely informative. Most of their vegetables go to wholesale, in stark contrast with our primarily direct (to you!) market sales. Because of this, our crop lists differ greatly- we grow many crops and many varieties, while they focus on fewer, simplifying management and allowing the potential for more efficient production. The farmer also offered up an insightful way to look at irrigation. He invited us to visualize a crops overall water requirements as a cup with the size of the cup defined by the rooting depth and how much water that crop needs (evapotranspiration rate). Now place a cup under each plant with your mind. For each crop, there is a water level of the cup at which the plant will begin to suffer, so the cup must be kept at least that full for optimal production. Of course, weather, practicality, and soil type all play a role, but this analogy gave me a wonderful visual to go along side my continuing irrigation education.
This week, we went by Titus farm, one of our farm neighbors. They grow diversified vegetables primarily for CSA sale, although they do a few markets as well. We got to see their awesome winter storage, as well as their beautiful, flowing farm. They have buried shipping containers for their winter storage. The temperatures stays around 35 degrees and they don't have to turn on a heater, even in our bitter cold Michigan winters. This really impressed me. They also have a magical mushroom forest that has been going steady and producing amazing mushrooms for eight years now. It really has me thinking...
We have already visited two previous farms this season and will be visiting several more after a hiatus for, you know, the height of the vegetable season, no big deal. One of the biggest lessons of visiting all these farms though, is that every farm is as unique as a fingerprint. We all start out with circumstances, reasons, various resources and goals, and we work within these variables to build our local foodshed together. I am so glad we are getting to know our partners in local food production.
Farmward and farmward ;)
All this daylight, and these daily rains, have the plants going wild. New to market in full force we have swiss chard, fennel, kohlrabi, garlic scapes and a slue of herbs. And to top it off, it looks like cucumbers are going to have their first touchdown at the end of the week. I have a mind to chop some peas and mint and toss them together with a little lettuce and lemon juice! Hooray for the season of vegetables!
And if our vegetables are going wild, our weeds are going wilder. It feels like this is the time of year that I always mention weeds. But they are undeniable. The thistle that we are battling now, we will likely battle for years to come. It is now as tall as me and ready to flower. This is the perfect time to mow it down, reducing the strength of its indomitable underground root and rhizome network. Another solid contender for most vicious weed is curly dock. Now this plant, we are leaving standing, watching sadly as it produces a disgusting number of weed seeds to add to the seed bank. Why do we wait? For the nesting birds. I can't and shouldn't help it. I was so worried that when our birds, redwing blackbirds, song sparrows, robins, blue birds, gold finches, and warblers to name a few, came back, they wouldn't like what we had done with the place. After all, they have been carrying out their lives here longer than we. Luckily, they appear not to mind what we have done with the place. Honestly, I would have loved to have turned over curly dock city before all the birds settled in, but it was so wet, the ground was untouchable. We also have a killdeer family again. Three young ones guarded by their never faltering parents. I love seeing them skittering across our cultivated land. And there is certainly pheasant out there. Although not native, they aren't considered invasive, and have a welcome spot on our farm. I love to see them run in a line.
Along with all this farming, we are still learning to farm and have been enjoying visiting other vegetable growers around our area to pick up some tips. Two weeks ago we visited Black Oak Farm. It was extremely informative. Most of their vegetables go to wholesale, in stark contrast with our primarily direct (to you!) market sales. Because of this, our crop lists differ greatly- we grow many crops and many varieties, while they focus on fewer, simplifying management and allowing the potential for more efficient production. The farmer also offered up an insightful way to look at irrigation. He invited us to visualize a crops overall water requirements as a cup with the size of the cup defined by the rooting depth and how much water that crop needs (evapotranspiration rate). Now place a cup under each plant with your mind. For each crop, there is a water level of the cup at which the plant will begin to suffer, so the cup must be kept at least that full for optimal production. Of course, weather, practicality, and soil type all play a role, but this analogy gave me a wonderful visual to go along side my continuing irrigation education.
This week, we went by Titus farm, one of our farm neighbors. They grow diversified vegetables primarily for CSA sale, although they do a few markets as well. We got to see their awesome winter storage, as well as their beautiful, flowing farm. They have buried shipping containers for their winter storage. The temperatures stays around 35 degrees and they don't have to turn on a heater, even in our bitter cold Michigan winters. This really impressed me. They also have a magical mushroom forest that has been going steady and producing amazing mushrooms for eight years now. It really has me thinking...
We have already visited two previous farms this season and will be visiting several more after a hiatus for, you know, the height of the vegetable season, no big deal. One of the biggest lessons of visiting all these farms though, is that every farm is as unique as a fingerprint. We all start out with circumstances, reasons, various resources and goals, and we work within these variables to build our local foodshed together. I am so glad we are getting to know our partners in local food production.
Farmward and farmward ;)
Our extension agent Marissa Shulman came out and walked our fields with us, taking stock and sharing information. She, along with the other extension agents and university workers, are a big part of our ongoing education. The better we get a growing vegetables, the more accessible we can make the food. This team of folks, established and establishing farmers included, is what is bringing us closer to our goal. Photo by Jenny Smith with Rook's Roost Photography.
See you at market!
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers
Fresh From the Field!
Cut greens:Salad mix!
Greens:
Head lettuce: Butterhead, green leaf, red leaf, summer crisp, and romaine!
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Microgreens: Spicy and mild!
Shoots: Sunflower (bountiful) and Pea (limited)
Swiss Chard
Herbs:
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Parsley-basically good in anything and very nutrient dense
Sage
Thyme
Roots:
Baby carrots by the bunch- I still can't believe how sweet they are.
Radishes
All manner of deliciousness:
Cucumbers- just coming in. Expect them towards the end of the week in limited quantities.
Garlic scapes- just coming in but boy oh boy!
Baby Fennel
Kohlrabi: IT'S BACK! Delicious, juicy, and crispy! The only vegetable apple. Great raw or roasted. These delectable varieties can be eating with the skin on when cooked.
Peas: snow and snap!
Summer squash- yellow, green and striped zucchini, plus patty pan and yellow summer squash
Markets, always rain or shine!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, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
Thursday: Jackson
The Jackson Green Market at Allegiance Health is located at East Michigan Avenue and Waterloo Street. It runs from May through October 9 am to 2 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 Chelsea
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 Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It 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.
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers
Fresh From the Field!
Cut greens:Salad mix!
Greens:
Head lettuce: Butterhead, green leaf, red leaf, summer crisp, and romaine!
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Microgreens: Spicy and mild!
Shoots: Sunflower (bountiful) and Pea (limited)
Swiss Chard
Herbs:
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Parsley-basically good in anything and very nutrient dense
Sage
Thyme
Roots:
Baby carrots by the bunch- I still can't believe how sweet they are.
Radishes
All manner of deliciousness:
Cucumbers- just coming in. Expect them towards the end of the week in limited quantities.
Garlic scapes- just coming in but boy oh boy!
Baby Fennel
Kohlrabi: IT'S BACK! Delicious, juicy, and crispy! The only vegetable apple. Great raw or roasted. These delectable varieties can be eating with the skin on when cooked.
Peas: snow and snap!
Summer squash- yellow, green and striped zucchini, plus patty pan and yellow summer squash
Markets, always rain or shine!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, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
Thursday: Jackson
The Jackson Green Market at Allegiance Health is located at East Michigan Avenue and Waterloo Street. It runs from May through October 9 am to 2 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 Chelsea
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 Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It 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.
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