I don't know about you but I have been enjoying a break from the physical labor of the main season! We're just a few weeks away from getting seedlings started and it seems like a good time for a few farm updates. This year we are going to expand our annual field by about 800 square feet. It doesn't sound like much, but when you grow as intensively as we do it makes a big difference. That being said, due to some changes in our family, we're going to offer a limited variety

First of all, 2018 has been the biggest season of learning since we started farming three years ago. I know I've mentioned it before but as we've grown our operation I've had to spend a good amount of time educating myself on the business end of things. More specifically for cut flowers, I've also had to figure out how to keep things fresh and looking their best while we don't have a proper cold room, plus how to calculate the number of plants needed. I love that I will ne

Farmers don't typically get to travel during the summer but we enjoyed time with Chris's side of the family in the Adirondacks. The cool nights we experienced made me crave fall weather, but I don't want to rush the time away so I'm going to enjoy the remainder of August. We had our best couple-friends in town for a quick visit today. Chris's best friend's mother works at a vineyard and brought us nine beautiful additions to the berry patch - 2 Duke blueberries, 2 aronia be

This year I have fallen even more in love with cut flowers. I have only a month and a half to go before I design my first ever wedding floral, and I'm so excited and nervous! I'm looking forward to the bride's selection of casual bouquets with sunflowers, zinnias, and Queen Anne's Lace. Extras will be available at roadside. In the meantime, I'm swimming in these absolutely stunning everlasting peas; they begin at this hot pink and fade slowly to periwinkle, then to a mix o

Today is still quite warm but it is such a relief after that stretch of 95 degree days we are just coming out of. We had some wild thunderstorms yesterday afternoon and evening, and with them lots of warm rainwater that has made the garden explode overnight. We grabbed the last of the garlic scapes over the past two weeks, much of which we've enjoyed in pesto and green goddess dressing. We've had such an abundance of these gorgeous purple snap peas (and will probably contin

We'd like to take a moment to wish everyone a beautiful first day of summer, hopefully with at least a little bit of time outside! The solstice has been one of my favorite holidays for a long time. Today is Chris's last full day of school until September, which means that our whole family can partake in the joy of farming together. Farming is full of uncertainty, and it is a learning experience for both our customers and us. The pole soup beans, which have been a reliable

The nights are still cool, hovering around 50 degrees, but all of the beautiful spring rain over the weekend has done good things. The first watermelon seedlings have come up, so that means it is only a matter of time for the rest of the cucurbits to show themselves. Corn is starting to really germinate and emerge now. The pepper and eggplant transplants that went in on Friday night are looking good for the most part, although five or so took some slug damage. That's the

And when I say love, I mean more than love! We had a forecast change that gave us a mild day of consistent spring rain on Tuesday instead of the dry sun that was originally called for. Ask anyone who has ever had a garden and they'll tell you that the morning after a rain there is a boom in growth. That certainly happened, as yesterday we had the first pole and bush beans, cucumbers, and corn pop out of the soil. Today, the first pumpkin emerged as well. Rain. Is. Good.

During our first spring on the farm, in 2016, I remember marveling at the huge lilac bush behind our house. It had the classic lavender-purple blooms, but that year it only had a few flower heads. The lilac was at least 10 feet tall and so overgrown. As the season went on I noticed a much older, more scraggly burgundy lilac close to the creek as well as what I assumed was more young lilacs as a hedge along the south side of the house. Last year, before the lilacs came out

Hello there! Who else is overjoyed about the weather we've had recently? This weekend was absolutely beautiful. My sister came up from Pennsylvania to help me prepare the new permanent beds. I can't believe how much we were able to accomplish. Three days, hundreds of seeds, and countless tan lines later, I am basically caught up with our planting schedule. I can't even express how much of a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Produce will be rolling in fast through

Hello there! This rainy morning seems like a great time to send out some updates on the 2018 growing season. It seems that in the past week we have finally made our way out of an endless and bitter winter. The beauty of seasonal food is that your diet changes as the weather does; however, this can start to feel a bit daunting when all you want to do is get some fresh produce after a winter of rich roasts and stews and storage crops. Mother Nature sometimes has plans of her

We hope everyone had a beautiful Independence Day! Our family was happy to enjoy the true summer weather. We're nearing the end of the sugar snap peas and strawberries. It was a perfect spring and early summer for peas. Because they're so inexpensive in the grocery store freezer, I don't think most people realize just how labor intensive pea harvests are for the small farmer who works by hand. Sugar snaps are worthwhile to us because our customers can eat the whole pod.

It's that time of year where we start to get more than leafy greens! Those early salads are such a welcome change after the heavy, stick-to-your-ribs meals of winter, but there is something to be said for the addition of more colors, textures, and flavors in late spring and early summer. This is the beauty of seasonal cooking and eating! We're finishing up harvest of the second to last wave of radishes right now, and in another week or two we'll be done with the last one.

Every day, rain or shine, as long as the baby has an easy time going down for her first nap (between 8 and 9am) I head out with the baby monitor clipped to my pocket and do a walk of the farm. Today I noticed that we have our first few strawberries beginning to grow! This is so exciting because it is a reminder that summer is right around the corner. The rhubarb has been growing and filling in really nicely but a small amount of the stalks have unfortunately suffered some s

Some updates from the last two weeks, delayed thanks to my beautiful teething baby girl. I'll be waiting about another week before I harvest any more rhubarb. We got a good amount taken care of this past weekend which will give lots of the young growth a chance to have the plants' energy. I've noticed with the week of chilly rain that the slugs and snails are out in full force. They've mostly taken to the rhubarb leaves without much damage to any stalks (knock on wood!) bu

Happy roadside stand opening weekend! I love this time of year. We had some nicely mild weather last week followed by an awful lot of rain this week, and the good news is that it has really pushed the garden forward. It seems that we've caught up with last year's schedule! I love this time of year; suddenly everything is bright green and I sense my body craving chlorophyll-rich veggies instead of the rich cream-based pastas and low and slow roasts of winter. It's amazing

I feel like the farm has suddenly come alive in the past week! The grass is lush and green, the daffodils are in bloom, the lilacs have buds coming in, and the fruit trees are all branching. It is so welcome after the winters we get up this way. Our fruit tree supplier had some delays this spring, so we were only able to get one plum and one peach in the orchard. The other two peaches will be here in September and the other plum and all the pears will be here next March or