Category Archives: chickens

In the Share: Week 5 extended

chickens, high tunnel, spinach

SPINACH   The leaves are large and in charge.

SWEET PEPPERS  The weather has forgotten that it is November and so we still have sweet peppers ripening in the fields.

HAKUREI TURNIPS  The leafy growth and warm weather has attracted some aphids in the high tunnel.  You might want to wash your greens extra carefully if you don’t want extra protein.

LETTUCE  We continue to try to make the lettuce last.  Huge heads of red leaf had to be picked on Friday.  A salad a day keeps the doctor away.

LETTUCE OR ARUGULA  A choice of a second head of lettuce or arugula.

BROCCOLI/GAI LAN  We are down to side shoots of broccoli which are much like the gai lan.

SWEET POTATOES  Orange type this week.

RADISHES  red globes from the fields and high tunnel.

HERB CHOICE  Cilantro, parsley or dill.

NEXT WEEK:  Greens, turnips, garlic, bok choy, lettuce, sweet potatoes, kale, bulb fennel.

FARM REPORT:
With us now in November a killing frost is surely not too far away although there is no sign of it in the 10-day forecast.  It has happened that it waits until practically December.  It has been very dry as well as warm and so we have fired up the irrigation pump to keep the peppers and the field greens going.  We gave the strawberry patch a good drink as well so that they will be healthy and strong while they are dormant.  The high tunnel is the opposite of dormant right now.  We continue to struggle to keep up with it’s leafy growth.

Pretty fantastic looking, really!  Makes a farmer proud.  All this leafy-ness is not all fabulous, however.  We plant beneficial alyssum to draw in predators like brachnid wasps, but we still have aphids especially on the radish tops.  Which if you have to pick a leaf for an aphid to go after, it could be worse.

On Saturday we completed the tomato teardown and expanded the chicken yard into it.  They really enjoyed the old hay that we use to mulch the tomatoes and quickly put their heads down into it hunting bugs and seeds.

In the Share: Week 16

chickens, chicks, cucumbers

CUCUMBERS F/P  The second planting is coming in now and contains the same varieties as the last round, including the picklers shown above that make great pickles but are also great to eat any way you like.

TOMATOES F/P  Just one or two this week mostly from our hybrid reds.

SWEET PEPPERS F  The cool weather has slowed their ripening.  Partial shares will get them next week.

FINGERLING POTATOES F/P  Austrian Crescent fingerlings are waxy and delicious roasted with some…

GARLIC F/P  artichoke softneck variety.

SUMMER SQUASH F/P  Zucchini or yellow squash

RED ONIONS F

BASIL, HOT PEPPERS OR CUTTING CELERY F/P

NEXT WEEK:  Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, carrots and onions.

FARM REPORT:

On Thursday, 60 freshly-hatched chicks arrived.   We immediately got them to food and water and warmth in the brooder.

If all goes well, these little fluff balls will be laying eggs by February.  Half of the flock are Golden Comets, that are supposed to lay lots of brown eggs. The other half are our favorite breed, what the hatchery calls ‘Easter Eggers’, since they lay colorful eggs (blue, green and kind of a buff color).  We tend to call them Ameraucanas.  Either term describes chickens that are descended from the blue egg laying chickens from the Araucana region of South America.

The first few weeks are critical times for these newborns.  We check on them regularly to make sure they are happy.  They are just about a week old now and already seem to have doubled in size.

Meanwhile we moved the older flock to fresh grass just in time for their first birthday.  We’ve seen an uptick in their egg production since the weather has turned so nice.

In the Share: Week 14

chickens, tomatoes, wildlife

TOMATOES F/P  The paste (aka roma, aka sauce-making types) are producing well.  The first round of red tomatoes is on its way out, with another planting about ready to kick in.  The heirlooms keep coming in all their rainbow of colors.  We’ve had a nice flush of green-when-ripe heirlooms and I’m separating them for you so that you know that you can eat them even though they are green.

EGGPLANT F  Tom has several suggestions for enjoying your eggplant. 

RED POTATOES F/P

GARLIC F/P

SWEET PEPPERS F  Just one or two this week.  We are waiting to pick them until they are ripe, so expect one or two for the next month or so.

SUMMER SQUASH P  A choice of yellow squash or zucchini varieties.

SALSA PACK P

RED ONIONS F

HERB CHOICE F  Basil, dried herbs or hot peppers.

NEXT WEEK:  Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, summer squash, red onions and carrots.

FARM REPORT:

A couple of cooler days and a bit of rain made good conditions for transplanting more broccoli and cabbage.

If you saw my post from two weeks ago (week 12 blog) then you know their is a little nest in one of our tomato plants.  Well, the eggs have hatched.

On Monday momma (or daddy?) bird was annoyed at our presence as we picked the tomatoes.  She could be seen flitting around the patch with a bug in her mouth impatiently waiting for us to go away so that she could feed her new babies.  I still am not completely sure what species of bird, but the babies (I count two but there may be more under all the downy fluff.)

They aren’t the only birds on the farm that appreciate tomato plants.  Our hens have been happily snacking on a few spoiled tomatoes.  On this particular day it looked like the chickens like salsa as much as we humans.

In the Share – Week 1

Allis Chalmers G, chickens, kale, transplanter

RED RUSSIAN KALE F/P

GREEN BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE F/P

RED BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE F

RED LEAF LETTUCE F/P

GREEN ONIONS F/P

SPINACH F

CHIVES AND CHIVE FLOWERS F/P  The chive flowers are a pretty salad topping!

MINT AND TARRAGON F

PEA SHOOTS F/P  Read Tom’s post for more info. on this succulent Spring treat.

NEXT WEEK:  More salad greens and herbs, Swiss chard, green garlic, bok choy

FARM REPORT:
Welcome to Week One of the 24-week CSA Season!  We are happy to welcome both those of you who have been with us through the years and those who are brand new to our CSA and farm.

For the newbies, thank you for taking the plunge!  The first season is often a period of adjustment as you learn how to eat seasonally in our region.  We grow crops that thrive in our climate and in our organic soil which is pretty opposite of the American diet where we can eat everything any time we please.  So, to assist in the dietary shift you are about to make, each week Farmer Tom will cover some of the less usual crops and how to enjoy them.  Every week I (Rebecca) list what is in the share for the week and give a quick farm report. And, that’s my cue…

The field harvest for the CSA began today when we brought in a few hundred lettuce heads for the shares tomorrow.  The lettuce crop is plentiful.  Two plantings have ripened concurrently so we have double what we need.  Blame the warm Spring for the fact that you will eat lots of salad for the next month or so.

We had five inches of rain in ten days, so there was a period of time when we couldn’t do much in the fields.  We have made up for lost time since, with all the Spring crops getting a nice weeding with the tractor.

We then shifted gears to the Summer crops of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant and were able to get several hundred of each of those crops planted thanks to our transplanter and the crew putting in extra hours last weekend.

Right before the rain on Sunday we also managed to do something we had never done before:  put the chickens in the high tunnel.  The CSA members helped us glean the last of the worthwhile crops out of the structure ahead of the move.  We made sure to leave them plenty of less-than-desirable plants to pick at.  They appear to be enjoying their new environment.  It is staying dry for them for now until we remove the plastic cover when we find the time.  We are hoping that their stay will lead to a healthier, more fertile high tunnel going forward.  Thank you, chickens!  And thank you to all of our CSA families for your support!  This family farm is feeling grateful!

In the Share – Week 1 (extended season)

Allis Chalmers G, broccoli, chicken coop, chickens, cultivating, irrigation, leeks

EGGS  This week only, we have enough eggs to add to the shares.  Our hens have been busy fertilizing, weeding and eating bugs for us, when they aren’t sitting in the coop laying their healthy and colorful eggs. (eggs will be offered on the bulk list for the next two weeks.  Egg shares start the first week of the regular season in three weeks.)

LETTUCE  From the high tunnel, butterhead or red leaf varieties.

FRISEE ENDIVE  Add to your lettuce for a frilly salad.

SPINACH  We may be out of spinach after this week, it had a long run from its original seeding in September 2015.

GAILAN  Also planted back in September, broccoli’s more slender cousin.

ARUGULA OR SWISS CHARD  More greens from the high tunnel.

CARROTS  From cold storage of the fall 2015 crop.

POTATOES  Ditto on these.

HERB CHOICE  garlic chives and/or tarragon

NEXT WEEK:  Lettuce, green onions, hakurei turnips, radishes, and bok choy

FARM REPORT:

Welcome to the first week of the CSA! The harvest has begun just in time for Earth Day.  Organic farming and community participation is what sustainability is all about.  Thank you for caring about your Mother Earth!

The planting of the Spring crops is all but complete.  The fields are full of peas, potatoes, onions, broccoli, cabbage, kale, chard, carrots, beets, spinach, leeks and loads of lettuce.  Here we are last week putting the finishing touches on the leek planting.

 The rain has given us a temporary break from planting work.  Instead we filled our time giving the packing room and wash area a good Spring cleaning.  We adhere to and train our crew in good food safety practices.  This includes cleaning and sanitizing all of the crates and tools that we use for harvest.  It is a big task, but well worth the effort.

Up until two days ago, the fields were very dry.  Dry weather has its pros and cons.  Last year during the torrential rains I told more than one person that it is much easier to bring water to the plants than to take it away.

Other pros of dry weather: it was dry enough to kill lots of weeds!  Here’s me and the cultivating tractor, our Allis Chalmers G, getting things tidy.

However, there is a big con of dry weather:  it was necessary to walk out irrigation tape in April, which is not always necessary but was very necessary two weeks ago.  This takes time, but was totally worth it.  All of our transplants look amazing after a nice drink from the pond followed by a good bath from the sky.

So, I’m sticking to my assertion that a dry year is better than a way-too-wet one.  Although this week’s rain was tremendous and impossible to duplicate.  Thank your Mother Earth!

In the Share – Week 20

chicken coop, chickens, chicks, gai lan

GAI LAN AND BOK CHOY F/P  Bunches for stir-fry

TOMATOES F/P  The last good week of tomatoes is upon us.

ROMA BEANS F/P  Tom has a recipe for green beans and tomatoes in his post.

SWEET PEPPERS F/P  More sweet bells and horn-shaped sweeties.

EGGPLANT F

KOHLRABI F  The first of the fall crop.  Peel well and enjoy raw or lightly cooked.

CILANTRO, DILL OR ARUGULA F/P

NEXT WEEK:  Peppers, greens, eggplant, sweet potatoes, lettuce and kohlrabi. 

FARM REPORT:
First, an update from week 16 regarding our flock of 60 chicks.  They are over a month old now and have moved to a coop in the fields.  They are very energetic and healthy little girls.  They stay in a protected run when they are outside to keep them safe from hawks, etc.  Every few days we pull the coop down the bed so that they get fresh grass.  The love to eat anything green that we can throw at them.  Today they got some bok choy leaves that didn’t make the cut for the CSA. 

Meanwhile the 2-yr. old flock got a new patch of weeds to work on today.  They are happily stripping off the seeds of the annual grasses that are such a nuisance for us. 

In the Share – Week 16

beans, chickens, chicks

 

BEANS  ?  We will pick the patch tomorrow for the first time and we may only have enough for either full or partial.  Whoever misses this week will get some next week.  We planted beans four times this summer and are happy to get some finally to grow and fruit!

TOMATOES F/P  Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and heirloom and hybrid slicers make up the mix.

DESIREE POTATOES F  Creamy yellow inside and blushing pink outside.  All delicious.

SWEET PEPPERS F/P  The peppers are ripening now.  Their are Carmen horn-shaped red ones, yellow and purple bells.

EGGPLANT P

RED ONIONS F/P  An assortment of three types including the Tropea onion, from the Ruggieris ancestral homeland.

SALSA PACK OR EGGPLANT F

HERBS OR HOT PEPPERS F/P  We are sending in dried herbs, dried cayenne peppers and fresh hot peppers.  The basil may be gone for the season.

NEXT WEEK:  Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans, salsa packs and garlic

FARM REPORT:
Thursday morning we welcomed 62 new residents to the farm.

 Day-old chicks were shipped overnight in a cardboard box from Cackle hatchery in Lebanon, MO to the post office in Kearney where we picked them up and quickly got them to their new home.  For now they live in the brooder, a large box in the barn where we can keep them safe and warm.  Their first food from us goes on paper towels to get them started eating.

The chicks are Americaunas which lay blue, green or pink eggs, Dominiques that lay brown eggs, and Brown Leghorns that lay white eggs but don’t expect any eggs from these little girls until sometime in February.  For now we check on them several times a day and make sure they are staying warm and well-fed and to get some free entertainment.  Kitten videos are okay, but these little girls (and 2 boys) are pretty darn cute.

Since they have arrived their downy coats have gained the first feathers on their wings.  Once they have all of their feathers we can begin to let them out for short runs in the grass.  By the Harvest dinner (Sept. 13!) they should be out in our little coop with a yard to explore.

And we saw this in the field – mating monarchs! 

Welcome 2015

chickens, rocky, soil

Hello 2015 farming season. We are back on-line here at the farm, enjoying the ever lengthening days and warm January temperatures. This year should prove to be exciting, if nothing else, as we continue our plans to venture into the fermented foods business.

As always, our CSA comes first, and we have begun accepting deposits for the coming year. Act quick to sign up, as the enthusiasm for local farm products and CSA membership continues to grow in the KC area.
 

Chickens enjoying fresh straw in a cleaned-out coop

Sunrise is finding us feeding the chickens, ordering seeds and equipment, managing memberships, planning for our certified kitchen construction, interviewing apprentices and waiting for the sun to warm the farm. Afternoons have been a delight lately, with sunshine and warmth providing assistance to what could be frigid winter work.

Taking soil samples today to evaluate our progress and needs

As the sun sets we get to enjoy a walk around the farm with Rocky while waiting for the chickens to roost for the night. A good start to the year, and dreams of a one-of-a-kind season.

That good boy, Rocky

In the Share – Week 18

broccoli, cauliflower, chickens, onions

YELLOW ONIONS F/P  We are very proud of our onion crop this year.  This week we begin to share with you these big beautiful yellow ones, which are also our best keepers.

CARROTS F/P

GREENS F  Turnip greens, kale or maybe some rapini (broccoli raab) by Saturday. 

SWEET PEPPER F/P

EGGPLANT, SALSA PACK OR GROUND CHERRIES F

TOMATOES F/P Just one or two or some cherry tomatoes

HOT PEPPERS F/P  See Tom’s post on roasting the Anaheims

HERB CHOICE F  Chives, parsley or a dried herb

NEXT WEEK:  A few more summer fruits:  peppers, tomatoes, eggplant along with potatoes, garlic, bok choy, kohlrabi and lettuce.

FARM REPORT:
The summer harvest is dwindling and the fall crops are just starting to produce.  During the transition from one season to the next, the shares will be lighter.  Less time harvesting means more time to tend to the crops.  Today we tackled the broccoli and cauliflower beds. 

On Monday we pulled the chicken coop down the row a pace to some fresh crabgrass.  Unfortunately, we are really good at growing crabgrass.  Lucky for us the chickens love it and it is fun to see them stripping the stems of those pesky seeds.  You can see in the photo that they did a fabulous job of cleaning up their old spot in just three short weeks. 

In the Share – Week 2

broccoli, carrots, chickens, cover crops, freeze, potatoes, tomatoes

ASPARAGUS OR BROCCOLI F/P  The freeze slowed the asparagus harvest to a non-event, luckily the broccoli is starting to mature.

RED LEAF LETTUCE F/P  We love these red ruffley lettuces.  Half green & half red they make a beautiful salad all by themselves.

BUTTERHEAD OR ROMAINE HEIRLOOM LETTUCES Full shares get one of each.  Partial shares get a choice.  The heat is kicking in and we have a lot of lettuce in the field, so we are picking extra this week to keep ahead. 

ARUGULA  Full shares get both an herb choice and arugula, partial shares choose.   Add to your salad for a nice kick.

HERB CHOICE  Cilantro, dill, tarragon

BOK CHOY/TAT SOI  Add to some fried rice with farm eggs and you have yourself a meal!

GREENS CHOICE  Kale, Gail lan, Swiss Chard.  Partial shares can also choose the bok choy

GREEN GARLIC  the same concept as green onions, the young plants.  Use it fresh in salads.

NEXT WEEK:  More lettuce, broccoli, greens and herbs. 

FARM REPORT:  All hell broke loose after we last reported.  Two nights of freezing temperatures threatened to stop the harvest when we had barely begun.  In preparation, we covered the fields including the strawberries with their flowers and young fruit and the newly transplanted tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cukes and tender herbs. 

We thought we were prepared for the forecasted 36 degrees F Friday morning.  Unfortunately, it was much colder than that.  We registered 32 on our temperature gauge behind the greenhouse.  Out in the far field it must have been even colder.  Under the row cover the tomatoes were hit hard. 

Surprisingly, the plants without mulch fared better, including the peppers, eggplant, squash and cucumbers.  The potatoes lost much of their foliage but were better by yesterday.  After some time to evaluate, it looks like the damage is temporary and many of the plants will grow back with good health.  We have replaced the worst of the tomatoes with extra plants from the greenhouse.  We also send much appreciation to the fine folks at Gibbs Road Farm (KC,KS) for giving us extra plants. 

Meanwhile, the chickens were oblivious to all the plant drama this week.  Instead they are happily exploring their new home in the spring-planted cover crop of oats and peas.