front page farm

Amidst floods and tornadoes, somehow our little farm made the front page of the Exeter Newsletter today! Actually it was taken two Fridays ago, right before things got really insane weatherwise in New Hampshire. When foul weather strikes, farmers in particular are hit with the stark reality that there just isn't one umbrella big enough to cover the field when the torrents and pea-sized hail come down. Fortunately our crops survived the rain and high winds. Though many were completely submerged on Mother's Day, it looks as though things are going to dry out. Hopefully.

look ma, it's chard!

Here's a peek at what is to come! Yay, we finally have FOOD!

Eat Local or Die? Thoughts on local eating New Hampshire style

There's a lot of buzz out there about the eat local challenge the whole month of May.) While. It's up and running nationwide (for that's great for those living out in California, here in the northeast the folkfood plan is to do the "ELC" in August when there's more than eggs and frozen meats to be had for staples. While that's admittedly taking some of the "challenge" out of it, the point is to set reasonable goals, and to get in touch with local farmers, who in New England spend most of May (a.k.a. mid/late mud season) planting, not harvesting. However, there are a few things that are just getting ready in the field. Lettuce, chard, and lovely radishes! I am debating whether or not we will have enough to bring to market this Saturday.
I must admit that as a grower, I feel a bit disloyal not stepping up to the plate with the eat local thing. However given the current state of the fields (mostly unplanted) and my back (somewhat achey) there are only so many things a girl can do with a bunch of radishes. I am proud of all those die-hard locavores out there. I have a lot of homework to do before August!

garlic

The garlic is looking pretty good. We had a bit of a time during a warm spell back in February- some of our varieties began popping up through the hay mulch thinking it was springtime! Unfortunately the blustery 20 degree days that followed were none too kind on their tender young leaves. The good news is that we didn't loose many, although those varieties suffered a bit of a setback. Garlic never ceases to amaze me, though.

I have been told that a few weeks (not to even mention a month) is like a century or two in blog-time. This first picture was actually taken the same day as the 'pea-mergence' shot. The picture below is how the garlic looked this evening.



But I digress... I would like to keep my posts more current with the images. After all, plants do tend to grow and change from one day to the next.


All I can say is that I will do my best. Now that we are getting into the full swing of things season-wise, it is hard to find the time to reflect, let alone publish anything. The weeks have already begun to fly by.