Weather–ugh!

I promise the next post I write will be more positive but for right now allow me to share a bit more about reality.

What a crazy crazy year we are having. It was the winter that would never end, hello snow on May 2nd! then more cold until beginning of June then sort of a summer for a bit, then the end of July feels like fall has arrived, now we are finally starting to warm up again. But I have been hearing rumors. Rumors I don’t like of frost in August. Ugh, say it ain’t so. Years like this remind me that whether you have been farming for 5 years or 50 you are not likely to catch a break from mother nature and the only thing for certain is change.
 
Years like this make me so thankful for the CSA model, especially members that understand that this is about great food, but also a bit about learning to adjust, live closer to nature for everyone and support of a way of life and hence a community and hence a state, country, world, you name it. It is also about working with the environment and what it throws at us versus against it and learning to love it all.
 
While we certainly set goals in what we grow it is not about giving mother nature a shopping list (as if that would work anyway). It is not about saying “OK I planted this on such and such a date, the seed package says it will reach maturity on this date so I want it ready to eat here.” Point at the calendar, smile and nod and convince yourself that just might happen. My experience is that it won’t but that is OK. Maybe you’ll be surprised by something even better maybe you won’t but you know that the unpredictability is really what makes life worth living and tasting.

I am constantly surprised by the goods and bads of farm life. The amazing taste of a cucumber that has my father-in-law reminiscing about picking wild cucumbers with his parents near a creek on a mountain in Cambodia. Or the sudden sadness of coming across your favorite barn cat dead for no apparent reason. Yes farm life is about growing, not only food but our experience of the world. It isn’t always comfortable. It means so so much to be able to share this journey with you and to gain your support over the years maybe not only for us but for another farm family that doesn’t want this way of life to die.

Signed, L-R Proeun, Avril, Proeun II, Mavis, Effie, Amy and Pray Doeun

Grasshoppers!!!!!

The comment I get often when saying that I farm organically (we are transitioning to certified organic) goes something like this, “it’s amazing they can charge so much more for putting less into it.” Sometimes I try to correct this misconception sometimes I just shrug and walk away. What most people don’t see is the hours of work and love that go into wanting to do something the healthiest way possible. We are connected to our land, and our animals and unfortunately the animals that find us. We know that we can’t dissect the natural world and take some parts out to make our life easier though sometimes we really wish we could.

This year our plague has been grasshoppers. Allow me to set the scene. We have 21 tillable acres. Before we purchased our farm they were in corn and soybeans. Wanting to build up soil quality and not contribute to erosion we planted the majority of our field in a clover and grass mix leaving just 3 acres for vegetable and fruit production.

Last year we never harvested these grasses mostly because we didn’t have the equipment to do it ourselves or the funds to pay someone. But after having to buy hay for our goats we decided we needed to try. So we arranged with a local farmer to harvest for us and we would split the hay. So we will get enough hay for our goats and our field will be maintained. What we were not counting on is the countless number of grasshoppers living in our hay field that have now moved to our vegetables.

When Proeun was telling me about the problem and asking me to write about it I said I would try to get some pictures. I thought they would be elusive. Obviously they are not, and they are not afraid of me either even when I point a big camera at them. So we are weeding like mad, trying to keep the excessive vegetation down so hopefully they will move on, we do have woods you could have boys.
 

 
Proeun showing me some of the damage. Not only do they eat the plant but the stress causes them to grow slower. Our kale is struggling and after only giving it once will need a break to recover.

 Our chard trying to recover. We haven’t even been able to use it once.

Oh well I guess they have to eat to. I just wish it wasn’t at our place. Laura Ingall’s writes in her books about great clouds of them that devour everything in their path, at least it is not that bad.

Busyness and Goodness–Preserving

The comment that I get most often is “wow you are busy!” Often this comment comes with a tinge of pity, like why would you have so many children? Why would you farm? Why would you raise animals? Why would you cook from scratch, sew, knit, preserve your own food, etc, etc. But I am finding there is a satisfaction that comes from living a full, blessed life and it is nourishing in a way I never would have thought.

This week started a week ago when we defrosted our freezer. Then there was a trip to Ferndale Market to stock up on ground turkey for the winter. Then I picked up my 1/4 beef from a local meat processor. Then our annual large order of blueberries was in, so add that to the freezer. And yes I am still farming, and raising children but I also want to make sure we have good food. In addition to all the other things I do I think good food is one of the most important. It is literally a building block to health and hence life.

So I do try to cook and preserve as much as possible. But working that in a full life can be really hard. Over the years I have found some things that make it easier, for example don’t preserve the stuff your family won’t eat and focus on the things they really like. So here’s my wish list.

36 pints blueberries frozen–done
20 quarts strawberries–not quite but season is over.
50 pints salsa–I don’t can tomatoes because it is easy to find good quality canned tomatoes but a good salsa-pricelss!
50 quarts freezer tomato sauce–ditto on the above comment but we’ll see if I have room in the freezer
10 quarts sauerkraut
20 quarts nectarines frozen for smoothies

So yah it is pretty pared down. Each year I like to try some new things I am thinking I might make some dilly beans or try freezing some zucchini, we’ll see.

If you need help planning your pantry here is a post I found really helpful. Happy living.

New Year: 4th of July R and R

I hope all of you had a great 4th. As part of our goals to live a healthier life I am realizing how important it is to take time to rest, relax and celebrate. So even though our CSA deliveries have just started the work began pretty heavily back in March so we are actually about mid-way through our heavy work season. So for the 4th we decided it was time to celebrate.

We had family and friends over for a 4th of July cookout, then on the 5th we headed up North to some of our favorite spots. I have always loved Duluth and the North Shore and last year I was so focused on work we didn’t take time to go. But this year we made it a priority.
 

A smoked fish and cheese curd picnic at our favorite beach just a little north of Two Harbors. Yes there are some extra children in the picture family and friends came with us.

Gooseberry Falls, another family favorite.

The first time we went to the falls we came in our normal street clothes and just expected a nice hike. Little did we know that Gooseberry is one of the few places I know to get up close and personal with a waterfall. All these people were swimming and splashing in the water and we felt pretty out of place. Since then we have come planning on joining them. Yes this hike involves swimsuits and towels now.

Two on Nature’s water slide.

Avril with some of our family and friends enjoying the spray.

And how did Pray like his first trip to Gooseberry. As you can see it was just like home.

About Farm: CSA season begins

This week has been a very fulfilling week on the farm. We made the decision to delay the start of our CSA season one week and it has really paid off. With the warm weather, rain and sun our plants and family are really thriving. It is always a wonderful feeling when we are able to start eating out of our field again. So For today’s post I thought I would let you know some of the good things happening around here.
 

So proud of this field and my wonderful  husband who picked out the seeds, planted and tends it daily.
 

While we loved free ranging our chickens the fox problem was getting out of hand. We simply cannot afford to lose 1 or 2 chickens a day. So we decided to compromise and fence them. They are not quite so happy but at least they are not getting eaten and they are a lot easier to manage.

Had a surprise little bonus in the goat barn. I thought this little guy’s mother hadn’t been bred but then one day I noticed her utter just starting to get big and that night this little guy was here.
 

Our little garden outside the cooler. The previous owners had planted it and I am still learning what they all are. Plans are underway to expand to an herb and cutting flower garden next year.

Looking back over the first half of the year I am so happy with how things are going. Each year we have less and less large set up projects and it is easier to jump right in to the farming. Next week we begin CSA deliveries. So excited. And we almost sold out, just 2 shares left if you know anyone.

Strawberries!

It seems like with farming it’s a lot of “hurry up and wait.” So we have been hurrying, hurrying, hurrying to get things planted, mulch laid and weeds out. Now we are waiting. We have had to delay the start of our CSA for one week due to weather.

Then last night there was a storm. One of those storms that make even us adults nervous. You sit in darkness and think how deep it is and they all of a sudden the sky lights up and you see the trees waving furiously and you worry about the animals and the greenhouse and then finally you sleep. Then this morning

Strawberries! They had been green all last week but the heat and humidity and I am guessing something in the storm signaled growth. Makes me think about storms a bit different.
 

Finally the first taste of summer.

t-shirts

We had a great time at the open house yesterday. Of course our family was sporting our Crazy Boy Farm shirts. We had them made earlier this year for some of our festivals. They are great for corralling children in crowded halls! I wasn’t expecting though that there would be so much interest in them. Now we have gotten lots of requests for shirts and are putting together an order. We have them printed right here in Rush City and Proeun did the design.

So if you are interested in your own shirt for $15, email or message us the sizes you would like. We hope to get the order together in the next week or so. Thank-you for all your support and interest!

Open House and Goats

I just love this picture and thought it fitted well with the announcement of our 2013 open house on Sunday June, 2.

When: June 2, 2013 2:00-6:00pm

Where: Crazy Boy Farm

53100 Fairfield Ave.

Rush City, MN 55069

What: We would love to share our farm with you. Come visit where your food comes from. Bring a snack to share, tour the farm, visit the animals, visit with like minded folks, participate in a special scavenger hunt and enjoy a day in the country.

Also pass this on to anyone you think might be interested in attending or joining our CSA. We do still have some CSA shares left.

I have also launched our goat page. We are selling some of this year’s babies so if you are interested or just like cute pictures of goats stop by.

Green!

After what has literally been a 6 month winter it is so great to get out there and see green. Even better that soon some awesome food will be coming from our fields, (luckily we already have eggs which are awesome with the green added to our chickens diet). We did have some asparagus come up but it got frosted out, hopefully more will be coming.

Anyway here are some pictures of the green just bursting with life.

Strawberries–probably shouldn’t have led with this but I am so excited! They survived. Maybe we will have strawberries the first week. I hope so. So tired of frozen berries.

Trays and trays of goodness waiting to go the field. We have started planting finally. Can’t wait for these greens and onions. We had a storm yesterday and it was amazing how all that energy in the atmosphere translated to plant growth.

In addition to awesome weather we are blessed with awesome neighbors and friends. This aged manure is from our neighbors donkeys. It is so old it is basically dirt again and will do wonders for our field. We are so excited to see lots of earth worms in the soil again. Last year believe it or not we had hardly any. But with a winter in cover crop and the addition of organic matter and a big ole welcome sign saying “Welcome earthworms!” (not really) they have made themselves right at home. Translates to more green.

Some great new friends who have owned their land since 1944 just gave us this disk since they didn’t need it anymore. We have 2 tractors so this will really help. We plan to go no till but there are still instances where we need to break the soil. Just more help. Things are coming together nicely.

Pictures from Up Cafe

Well the warm weather came a few days too late for the grand opening of Up Cafe. But still we had a great event.

See what you missed? Great great food. I ate way to much and know where my Monday lunches will be coming from during the CSA delivery season.

It was more then just food though.

Flamenco dancer.

Up Cafe uses Joel’s pottery for their service. All are also available for purchase. At the opening Joel demonstrated his craft.

Woodshop, a great local band, just happens to be made up entirely of employees of Upper Midwest Gourmet.

I spoke with David Chall, owner of Upper Midwest Gourmet and Up Cafe. He is passionate about his work. He has owned Upper Midwest Gourmet for 20 years and started right out of college. He opened the Fine Grind in St. Paul and later 128 Cafe. He shared that he actually wanted to be a jeweler but his budget allowed him to open a coffee shop. “For our final project [in school] we had to write a business plan. One of the girls wanted to do a coffee shop so I had a business plan for a coffee shop and $17,000.

He recalled when Chai Tea hit the U.S. market in 1996 and no one knew what it was or how to pronouce it. He said that the cafe was a great testing ground for new products. And so his new offering, Up Cafe is continuing the tradition. In the back warehouse coffee roasters roast amazing fair trade coffees. Allen one of the roasters told me, fair trade is about making sure that the appropriate people get paid a liveable wage. “we pay a premium. . .we pay more to make sure they get paid.” While fair trade is an idea it is also a brand, that requires the farms to pay for certification.  “We care more about closeness,” Allen said, “when we are close to the farm and know what they do we know that some small farms may not be able to afford it [certification].”

So now Up Cafe is a great way to promote an idea of great food and sustainability. It is also an opportunity for other small cafes and coffee shops to learn how to make great sustainable food for their customers to enjoy.