Blog : October 2005

New greenhouse

by maryellen | Oct 31, 2005

We had a very wet October, and then with the snow we started despairing that we wouldn't get the new greenhouse in before the ground froze. But then sure enough Indian summer started Saturday, and Matt Pettigrew and his excavator were able to come that day do the grading work we needed, and now hope is back. There's still a lot of work ahead, but things are moving forward.

Here's a before shot with one of the big rocks we knew we needed help to move.
before with rock.JPG

Waverly's friend Tommy, plus sister Maggie and mom Tracy came over to watch the big machine at work.
under three.JPG

And while we were still all in our winter coats early in the morning, mid morning the sun broke through, for the first time in ages it seemed, and started warming things up. Here's Matt moving the big rock in the sunshine.
moving rock in sun.JPG

Now the space is all nicely smooth and level.
after 23.JPG

One rock was too huge to even try to move, but it's near the edge of the greenhouse so we will have to just find a way to work around it. The problem is going to be driving the posts in where the rock is -- we'll have to skip a post or something there.
after with rock.JPG

That's a problem for another day though. For now, I'm excited that the new greenhouse is moving forward. Waverly is too. Tomatoes!!

Happy Halloween!!

by maryellen | Oct 28, 2005

frog 1.JPG

First snow

by maryellen | Oct 25, 2005

first snow.JPG
I wrote this long rambling post about what we're up to, and then the power flickered off, and I lost it all. (Shoulda woulda coulda saved earlier!) I'm too tired to rewrite it tonight, but hopefully soon. For now here's a photo of the first snow that's falling as I type. I suspect that's why the power flickered, and I wouldn't be surprised if we lose it for longer later tonight.

Whew

by maryellen | Oct 13, 2005

I was afraid to jinx it by saying this too early, but we got through a whole market season without Waverly running into the road. Yay!! I was so nervous about it all season, but Wavo did great. The Danville market, which Waverly and I do together on Wednesdays, is on the Danville Green, which is a great location, very visible, very beautiful, but it is surrounded on all sides by well travelled roads. And usually during market, there are cars parked all along it, so a 2 year old darting out from between parked cars is really, really dangerous.

Anyway, Waverly did great. On good advice, we got an outdoor play yard, actually two, which we hooked together and used like a portable fence behind our stand. Waverly could easily get around the fence, but it was a good guide for her and me about what areas were safe and which weren't. We also set up a little play area behind the stand but in front of the fence. And lots of friends came by to visit and play, and Waverly made friends with lots of people at market, so little by little she started going around market to visit without me. It's a small market though, so it was easy to keep her in sight. One of my favorite parts of market was to watch Waverly walk over, dollar in hand, to buy a muffin or grapes from her friend Maya's stand. She'd turn back and say to me, firmly, "I do it myself Mama!" And she could!!

We just did our last market on Wednesday, so it's all over till next year. Truth be told, I wasn't that broken up about it, I've been looking forward to the break. But then this morning I was taking a (very short!) break from work, and I thought oh I'll check the NY Times Dining section, see if they have any good recipes I could share with the CSAers. Then doh! no more CSA baskets till next year. Bummer. Guess its not too early though to start gathering recipes for next year!!

Pete's Greens

by maryellen | Oct 6, 2005

The season before we bought our farm, Peter worked for Pete Johnson, the farmer owner of Pete's Greens. Back then, Pete was still on his folks' land in Greensboro, but he's since bought his own farm in Craftsbury, which is about 45 minutes away from us, mostly North. Pete works incredibly hard, and his veggies are beautiful.

Pete's greenhouse 2.JPG

Anyway, last week, Pete hosted a NOFA workshop at his farm:Year Round Vegetable Production and Sales at Pete's Greens. It was great to see his new farm. He has built a HUMUNGOUS greenhouse of his own design out of cedar logs. It is big enough to drive a tractor into. It's huge. He doesn't mess around that Pete!

During the tour, we were all walking through Pete's fields to look at various crops. As we were walking past some baby salad just coming up, Waverly turned to me and said, "Don't walk on the baby plants, Mommy, no. Walk on the grass." I was so proud of her!!

Eating tomatoes

by peter | Oct 5, 2005 | in

Today was another spectacular day, weather wise. Dry, sunny, blue skies, warm - like 80. It was hard to believe it's really our second to last market. Usually the last couple markets are so miserably cold that I am really ready to stop coming, but this was a perfect market day.

There were lots of tourists in for the foliage (which is just starting -- way behind normal). Anyway, one tourist thought Waverly and her friend Elliot were so cute playing hide and go seek behind the sign (they are pretty cute!!) that she was taking pictures of them! And then when the two of them started eating tomatoes like apples, she had to take a picture of that too, in part because it was so cute and in part because, she said, she was so surprised to see kids happily eating veggies. Maybe that's because her her grandkids don't get yummy Old Shaw Farm veggies!

Anyway, you can see the stand in the background and can see that the display is definitely getting smaller.