Farm Blog
2010 Farm News
Greetings:
Well, with the cooler temperatures and shorter days, Fall is on its way! Barn Bash '10, the farm's annual fall harvest celebration, will be on Sunday, September 26 from 1:30-4:00 PM RAIN or SHINE! Arcadia Way (Acoustic Folkgrass musicians) will be entertaining, starting around 2 PM. Family and guests are welcome to attend, but please RSVP to ruthie@greengardensfarm.com by Sept. 20 so we can plan accordingly. Click here for directions if you have not been to the farm before.
This is a big potluck! A farm-inspired dish is required for entry, preferably with a farm ingredient. There will be plenty of good food, music, and fun. No need to bring silverware, plates, cups, chairs, or pets. For those who haven't seen the farm, you will be welcome to walk around to view the crops growing in the field and high tunnel.
A $5-10 donation is encouraged to help the farm cover the costs of the band and putting on the party.
Hope you can make it!
Your Farmers, Trent & Ruthie
Photo from last year's Bash of the band seting up. Good people, music, and food followed.
Tomorrow (WED) the farm will be selling produce at the Battle Creek Farmers' Market from 9-12 PM on the corner of Jackson and McCamley in Downtown Battle Creek (across the street from Kellogg Headquarters). We will have numerous crops including beautiful orange, red and Sun Gold cherry tomatoes from the high tunnel, celery, yellow bush beans, basil, dill, onions, Yukon Gold potatoes, collards, peppers and summer squash. We hope to see you there!
Also, we have decided to have a farm market at the farm on Thursday evenings from 4-7 PM. We will set up a stand with produce. No pre-ordering is necessary. However, for greater selection and faster pick up time, please order through the online farm stand on Wednesdays. Here are directions to the farm.
Once again, thanks to all who have supported the farm this season. It's been a great year and we hope for many more, even better, years ahead.
All the best, Trent & Ruthie
This is a quick note to let you know that we will be opening the Green Market today at the farm until 3:30 PM. Produce offerings include beautiful orange and red tomatoes from the farm's new high tunnel, freshly dug Dark Red Norland potatoes, onions, summer squash and zucchini, peppers, celery, mini red cabbage, green beans, collards, kale, and cucumbers.
No online orders. Please just come on out! If you've never seen the farm, this could be an opportunity for you to take a peek and walk around.
This is probably not going to be a weekly occurrence. I pulled a muscle in my back this past WED and am taking it easy by not doing field work this Sunday.
Also, if anyone is interested in placing weekly orders from the online farm stand, please let us know. We will place you on a weekly e-mail list, so you can be reminded to make your order every WED.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend! It looks to be a beautiful, sunny Sunday!
Trent
It's been a long time since our last communication with you and we apologize for that. The plants out in the field, CSA, and farmers market have kept us incredibly busy over the past couple months.
Fortunately, most crops are thriving. The summer crops are slowly coming in! Tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, and cucumbers are all new additions to the CSA, farmers markets, and online farm stand this week. We will extend the online farm stand hours to noon on Thursday for 4-7 PM pick-up at the farm.
At the Kalamazoo market, we now will be located each week on the SE corner of the market, just outside of the structure (across from Dave of Young Earth Farm and Kalamazoo Granola). Many of our customers have struggled finding us because we bounce around the market each week, so we hope this is helpful.
Canning classes will be available in Battle Creek on July 15. Learn how to preserve the taste of summer by signing up today! $25. Link here.
Thanks again for your continued support of the farm!
Take care, Trent and Ruthie
Photo of tomatoes in high tunnel:
The indeterminate cherry tomatoes are already 8 feet tall!
Green Gardens can be found at the Kalamazoo Farmers' Market SAT with salad mix, garlic whistles, swiss chard, lettuce, green mustard, radishes, salad turnips, cilantro, and purple-top turnips. The hunt to find us will continue for a few more weeks, so keep your eyes open. We'll be there and happy to see you!
This is just a quick notice letting you know that the farm will be at both the Battle Creek (9-12:30) and Richland (3:30-6:30) Farmers Markets today.
The farm will be at the Battle Creek market again on the first WED of the month in July.
Today we'll have radishes, salad turnips, green mustard, salad mix, arugula, lettuce.
Hope to see you there!
CSA Members: The CSA boxes begin next week!
The online farm stand will continue to be open this week, too, for Thursday night pick-up at the farm.
Be well, Trent
Photo below of the farm's artichoke planting. We tripled the planting this year to 200 plants to accomodate more loss to deer and other pests.
With the first harvests and market last week, the season is now officially in full swing. The radishes are sizing up, multiple rotations of salad greens are looking wonderfully tasty, peas are blossoming, carrots emerging, and tomatoes are already forming on the tomato plants in the high tunnel.
This is a very busy time of year for the farm as we have to plant, harvest, and market simultaneously. We never really ever catch up with things. There are always lists and more lists of things that need to get done. Although it can be a bit overwhelming at times, it's all worth it to be doing this fine work, growing great vegetables to satisfy the taste buds of the wonderful community of people that support the farm.
This week the farm's produce will be available at the Richland Farmers Market on WED (this is the first week), the farm on THURS (through the online farm stand), and the Kalamazoo Farmers Market on Bank Street on SAT. In Kalamazoo, the farm now has a permanent location on the NE corner facing the road, next to Maria's Victorian Bakery. We will have salad mix and radishes at both markets and at the farm. Each forthcoming week will likely include the addition of 1-2 new crops.
Finally, there is a new CSA in Battle Creek. Our Little Farm is a small CSA (20 members) geared towards smaller shares. Larry McAuliffe implements sustainable, permaculture techniques to farm his land in Pennfield Township. For more information, see his localharvest listing here.
CSA newsletters and receipts have either been sent out or wil be sent out in the next two days. Thanks for your patience! The CSA begins in three weeks!
Be well, Trent (and Ruthie)
5/18 Photo of tomato plant in high tunnel:
More 5/18 photos here. High tunnel tomatoes still look on schedule for late June harvest.
The tomatoes in the high tunnel look positively amazing. Some even have a few tomatoes on them! I still think we are looking at late June for the first tomato harvests! YUM! The salad mix and radishes also are looking incredible this week for the farmers markets in Richland and Kalamazoo, as well as for the online farm stand on Thursday evening. The farm now has a permanent spot at the Kzoo market on Bank Street. It is on the NE corner on the road side, right next to Maria's Victorian Bakery. We look forward to seeing you soon! Best, Trent
The first produce of the season will be for sale on Thursday at the farm. Order at the online farm stand on WED and pick up at the farm on Thursday night from 4-7 PM. We will have salad mix! Best, Trent
A shot from the scaffolding down onto the tomatoes (yes, they survived the frost thanks to the fabric we used to protect them!). There are approx. 420 tomato plants in the 35 x 96 ft. structure. Plastic will go on this week.
Another shot from the scaffolding looking out onto the West field. This N section of the field is still mostly in cover crops and will be used for potatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillo, sweet corn, popcorn, and tomatoes!
