March 29, 2005
Non greenhouse news
Waverly has a humungous black eye. She collided with another child who was holding a pen and the pen cap scratched the inside of her lower eyelid. Her eyeball is actually fine, and she is not in pain, I don't think, though I think it wicked hurt when it happened. The eye doctor who saw her turned out to be a huge fan of Old Shaw Farm salad turnips!!
The logging operation is done, at least until summer. Skidders and mud are not good together. The logging roads are still nice for walking.
Lois, Sheri and Geoff came to visit. We went to check on the bees, who we confirmed are alive, but hungry. Lois confirmed that Pooh bear is happily living behind the bees.
March 23, 2005
More greenhouse news
Peter put the cross ties up on Sunday. Those are to trellis the tomatoes. They hold Peter pretty good, so I figure they will hold up a lot of tomatoes.
Dana worked with us this morning to plant out the first tomato seedlings.
March 22, 2005
Springtime!
We have had an awesome string of sunny days with highs in the 40s. Around here, that qualifies as springtime. For those of you blog readers living south of this latitude, spring up here doesn't necessarily mean the flowers are starting to bloom. Instead, it means mud, mud, mud, and that the sap is running. Enjoy!
March 19, 2005
Farm prodigy
Even though Waverly is eighteen months old, and is still learning how to talk, I am constantly amazed at how much she understands what is happening around here. This morning at the breakfast table, Maryellen and I were discussing how we had to go out to the greenhouse today and seed some trays.
When we finally made it out to the greenhouse about a half an hour later, Maryellen and I got distracted by some other project, but Waverly headed right over to the pile of seedling trays and started putting potting soil in the trays.
Not only did she understand what we were talking about at breakfast, but she was the one who remembered what we had to do when we got to the greenhouse, and apparently she remembered how to seed trays from some other time we were out there seeding trays. Too much.
Later, it got so hot and sunny in the greenhouse (up to 85 degrees!) that Wavo went for the hillbilly look. [Note the snow piled up around the outside of the greenhouse. Even though daytime highs have crept into the mid to high 30s, we still have at least a couple feet of snow on the ground up here.]
But the tomato and pepper seedlings love the heat!
And later, when the sun starts going down, it can get kind of foggy, for reasons that I am sure make sense, but that I don't fully understand. Here is Maryellen using a broadfork to aerate the area where the tomatoes will go.
There is lots of other news around here too, including the Catamount's big win, and our first CSA customers, but those topics will have to wait -- the busy season has started and right now I am tired and going to bed.
March 13, 2005
Best cure for the March blues!
Waverly, Peter and I spent a happy hour -- the first of many I hope! -- transplanting seedings in the newly operational greenhouse!! But I get ahead of myself.
Friday the heater got installed. Saturday it snowed, but one of the benefits of the furnace is that the heat helps to shed the snow.
This morning looked like our best chance to move seedlings out there, but it was still pretty cold. So Peter broke out the tractor and plowed a path to the back door wide enough to get the car into. Then Peter loaded the seedlings into the car and drove them up to the greenhouse.
Waverly was very excited to get back into the greenhouse. She'd not been allowed in for a bit, while the heater and other things were in pieces, but she loves it out there. Here we are ready to go in!
Waverly loves the greenhouse. She's got space to run, she plays in the mud, and she fits under the seedling tables beautifully.
Many thanks to Richard and to the many others who made this greenhouse possible!! Woohoo!!
Fox tracks
Fox are said to amble like this, and I've seen a fox a lot who I suspect is living in our barn.
March 10, 2005
Stringy fun
Report from the Old Shaw Farm Bureau of Statistics.
My favorite recent string searches that resulted in hits to our site: "party in vermont" and "old ladies with watermelons".
March 07, 2005
Goodbye off season
Despite the snow, the off season has come to a close around here. Things still aren't too crazy busy for me, yet, that won't really happen till farmer's market season starts, but Peter's in that I have so many things to do I don't know where to start part of the beginning of the season.
Peter got the electricity out to the greenhouse, and he hooked up the blower motor. Which keeps the two layers of plastic on the greenhouse separated, for better insulation. Also having electricity means we can plug in the radio!
March 03, 2005
CSA Flyer
The CSA flyers are done! Yesterday Waverly and I made a bunch of copies. We've only just put a few out at the St. J library, the Peacham School. Marty's, the St. J coop. Maybe this weekend Wavo and I will do a real distribution tour.
Here is the text of the CSA flyer. It's a tri-fold pamphlet on colored paper. On the cover it features a beautiful copy of a Mary Azarian woodcut, used with permission of the artist. (Thank you Mary Azarian!!)
Fresh, organic veggies every week, all summer long!!
Old Shaw Farm is a certified organic farm in South Peacham. Peter, Maryellen, Waverly Griffin and our crew do the growing. For more information about us and our farm, check out our blog at www.oldshawfarm.com
Community Supported Agriculture is a way to build community and to support local agriculture while eating better than ever. Folks buy into the farm at the beginning of the season, and then get a share of the veggies every week during the growing season.
Here are some of the reasons people participate:
Savings - Save 10-20% off retail.
Health - Eat more veggies!
Stewardship - Support local organic farming.
Connection - Know your farmer, know where your food comes from, and meet your neighbors.
Fun - It’s an adventure seeing what’s in the basket and maybe trying something new.
Prices:
Regular basket $475
Smaller (2/3) basket $325
Sizes: The regular basket is good for bigger households, vegetarians, and other vegetable lovers! The smaller basket is about two thirds the size of the regular basket, and perfect for smaller households.
Season: Our season is 18 weeks. The first pickups are Wednesday, June 15 and Saturday, June 18. We run through Wednesday, October 12 and Saturday, October 15.
Pickup times and places:
Saturday pickup at the farm is from 9-1. Our farm is easy to get to in South Peacham, right on the Peacham-Danville Road.
Saturday pickup is also available at our stand at the Mad River Farmer’s Market in Waitsfield, Vermont, from 9-1.
Wednesday pickup is at the Danville Farmer’s Market on the Danville Green, also from 9-1.
Deadline to sign up: May 15, 2005
Part of the fun of CSA is enjoying the seasonality of local produce. Here is an idea of what you might find in your basket each week.
June Luscious lettuce, crunchy broccoli, tender beet greens, crisp salad turnips, sassy radishes.
July Poppable sugar peas, pretty new potatoes, sweet beets, tasty mesclun, spry scallions, fresh garlic, baby carrots.
August Juicy tomatoes, bright sungold cherry tomatoes, colorful sweet peppers, crisp cucumbers, tender baby zucchini, flavorful basil.
September Fresh baby spinach, tender chard, bountiful yellow beans, crunchy carrots, fragrant melons, dark green parsley.
October Rich squash, fluffy baking potatoes, earthy kale, peppery arugula, sweet parsnips, dense brussel sprouts, crunchy cabbage.
Sign me up!
Name ________________________
Address __________________
______________________________
______________________________
Telephone __________________
Email ________________________
Size (check one)
Regular basket _______
Smaller (2/3) basket _______
Pickup time and day (check one)
Wednesdays in Danville _______
Saturdays at the farm _______
Saturdays in Waitsfield _______
Please mail this form with your check to
Old Shaw Farm
P.O. Box 181
Peacham VT 05862
Questions? Call Maryellen at 592-3349 or email maryellen@oldshawfarm.com
This is what folks who were part of the CSA last year said:
“Eating healthier is easier, more convenient, and more cost effective than ever!”
- Arthur Green
“It is so nice that your veggies are so clean and beautiful to look at, not to mention delicious!”
- Zoë Gascon
“The only downside is the prospect of having to face supermarket lettuce again, after having eaten so well all summer!”
- Tom Forster
March 01, 2005
Happy Town Meeting Day!
Waverly and I went to her second Town Meeting today. She had a lot of fun seeing everyone, especially her friends Emmeline and Eliot. They let us put a baby monitor upstairs so we could hear the discussion and know when to run upstairs to vote, even while watching the kids play in the playroom downstairs.
We also talked with several folks interested in the CSA. We've been working hard on the pamphlet. I was shooting to have it done by Town Meeting, and it is basically done, but not copied. Hopefully tomorrow.