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They* say, 'be careful what you wish for'. (* they being my mom) Whelp, last week I was wishing I could be done harvesting so I could have more time to catch up on making wreaths, flower barrettes, prepping seed packets, and working on the newly designed flower crowns and all the weather goddesses granted that wish. The frost was heavy and long-lasting so only the bravest few flowers survived, like the carnations and pansies. So this may be the last week to get those mixed market bouquets of fresh flowers and salad mix! But it does mean that all those dried flowers and saved seeds can finally get the attention they deserve! Plus, I can get a jump on prepping beds for next year and have a bit more time to get those high tunnels up that have been waiting around all summer! When some things (like a slightly early deep freeze) are out of your hands, you do what you can to prepare and find the silver, frosty lining!  First a derpy cat face to help put a smile on your face!   The good news is the Dragon Dome and heater kept everything cozy inside! The tomatoes and basil are still going, if a little slower, and the microgreens go on!  Being a former geologist who focused on permafrost and glaciers, I have a peculiar love and appreciation for frost and ice crystals in any form at any time! The sunflowers are done and dusted. right: before full defrost. Left: the crispy freeze dried remains.  The nightly draining of hoses is a regular chore, but this frost required a little extra drainage and prep but all hoses survived! Even this one complete with ice flow!  I'm a survivor! The cold (but not too cold) room holds the remaining fresh flowers of the season from this last weeks harvests and a hurried one the night before the forst came.  What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm!
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The march of the seasons continues on as the little sparrows and hummingbirds begin to migrate south and the plants hurry to set seed. My migrant farm laborers, aka my parents, have arrived to finish up some summer projects and escape the smoke-filled air of California and their arrival meant their new travel trailer was delivered! It won't be traveling anymore as we don't have a big enough vehicle to pull it, but it was always meant to be their home away from home that is much nicer than a small space in my attic. Now my early wake up calls in summer won't inhibit their beauty sleep and my space will be once again all mine! Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised last week to find that the ground squirrel didn't eat as many of the golden beets as I thought, so there should be a few bunches for market. They aren't available online yet as I was too slow getting them all uploaded and squared away.  The view from the new trailer means my migrant laborer parents can watch me work while they eat breakfast, they can keep their living space the temperature they like, and I can leave my cabin as messy as I please! A win-win!  The second hatching of barn swallows is almost ready to fly free!  The fall colors continue in the bouquets! Fall also means the season of dried flower wreaths has begun! Expect to see new ones each week!   The squash shows the signs of the frosts that have begun and burn the leaves that touch the protective frost fabric, sacrificing themselves to save the rest of the plant!  The first Farm Tour & Field Dinner was amazing! So many thanks to all the wonderful guests and Mandy from the Gracious Table for such yummy food! If you missed this time, don't despair as there will be more opportunities next summer. Another week and another market. It's this time of year that the weekly harvesting, chores, and schedule begins to feel redundant. All around the trees, animals, and forest are beginning to change as fall approaches and the farm does too, but because humans (and farmers) can use technology to circumvent some of the natural cycles, we can stretch the bounty of summer, and with it the harvest, planting, and weeding that goes with it. But for now there is still lots of tomatoes and lettuce and all those flowers. Plus, there are just a few spots left in the Farm Tour & Field dinner this Saturday evening and it's you're chance to see the remaining summer abundance before the shift to dirt work and construction projects before the relative calm of winter!  A quick morning stretch is important before getting lots of work done!  The big heirloom tomatoes are here and the large Pink Love Apples are the biggest of all. There are also some Purple Russians, Black Vernissage, and German Lunchbox!  The bright flowers of summer are fading away into the deep, moody jewel tones of fall! The Garlic has finally arrived! LEFT: Moroccan Creole - This is an heirloom creole variety with plenty of heat and good keeping ability. This is the variety that came with the Moors to Spain and later migrated to the Americas with the Spanish conquistadors. It has beautiful deep purple cloves inside a tight wrapper. RIGHT: Chesnok Red - This is an heirloom purple stripe variety with a mild flavor and creamy texture. It features easy to peel, long clove that are a beautiful violet. One of the best baking garlics.  Hella, the garlic thieve, spent the afternoon helping me prep it for market and maybe trying to abscond with a few.  The shed gets some twinkly lights to add some sparkle! With just a few spots left in the first Farm Tour & Field Dinner this Saturday, August 29th at 5pm, there are still a few days left to reserve your spot! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! Pulling up garlic. Harvesting seeds. Scything long grass for winter bedding. Just the usual farm chores as fall starts to push out the end of summer. Being outside most of my waking hours and relying on observations and learning of weather helps make you feel the subtle shifts in the angle of the sun, day length, and air quality/feeling/smell just a little more. And with a few back to back nights of hard frosts before the latest heat wave, it all lets me know that sweater weather is just around the corner. The next few weeks will be filled with seed saving and prepping for sale (it is more than just pull it off the plant and stick it in a bag), building and designing more wreaths, barrettes, and willow crowns(!) filled with dried flowers, and planning for 'construction season' on the farm (aka fall/winter) as it's the only season I have the time to repair and build old and new hen huts, organize tool storage, maintain all the equipment, and inventory anything that needs to be replaced. It's also the time I prefer to plan out the plantings for next year as the triumphs and failures of this year are still fresh in my mind and I don't have to worry about the winter days making me wistful for the green of spring and forget that some crops are beyond my reach in my cold, little valley (I'm looking at YOU corn!) So while I save seeds today, I can already imagine the plants they will become tomorrow!  If you need a change of view for an evening, sign up for the first Gracious Dragon Farm Tour & Dinner, Saturday August 29th at 5pm. Your first chance for a guided tour of the farm with a wonderful meal prepared by Gracious Table chock full of produce from just a few feet away. Keep an eye out for another email with full details and feel free to ask me about it at the markets!  The autumn colors are opening up with the Sunflowers and Black Eyed Susans! I can smell the pumpkin spice on the winds   The hens love harvest day, especially if it is a scorcher!, since they get to enjoy the head lettuce trimmings while still cool, crisps, and a little damp from the washing! Scratch. Scratch. Peck!  The friendly neighbors stop by each evening to say hi to the roaming hens ! The seeds are coming along nicely with the Bee's Friend, Calendula, and Bachelor Buttons being some of the fastest to reach the finish line. Now Instead of keeping up with harvesting a rush of blooms, I run around catching seeds before they fall and get lost in the ground!  The garlic has just been pulled and is almost dry! It probably won't make it to market this week but look for it after! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! The impending crunch of fall is in the air with a hefty frost last week. Luckily all my observations over the past years let me know that it was likely and I actually closed all the low tunnels and draped the frost fabric over the squash as best as possible (the warm nights had made me a little complacent the last few weeks). Everything survived just fine and the lettuces especially appreciated the cool down. The field and plots are now teeming with jumping, flying, or crawling insects! Some do a little damage. Some eat others. And some get eaten by the hens or guineas. I wonder if the grasshoppers will eventually learn to stay inside the fences as the hens can't catch them in there. Until then the hens chase the grasshopper chaos with erratic movements in their attempts to catch the tasty morsels. There'll be some new veg (including tomatoes) available at market this week and the flowers keep blooming so I'll keep cutting and bouquet-making until the heavy frosts of fall shut the flowers down.  Some beneficial insects are cute (super cute in the case of Lady Bugs!) and some are less cute, but one side effect of growing many flowers is having many beneficial insects. And the presence of these polka-dotted bright beauties means their young, which kinda have polka dots too and look like a short, flat, hard shell 'caterpillar' eat the most aphids so keep an eye out for them and let them do the work for you! Also I can definitely see why it is considered good luck to have one land on you besides that it might mean they like you and wanna say hi but that they, and their young, are keeping you plants safe! Lucky you!  A new veggie this week is the Dragon Tongue beans! They are used like a green bean and have purple stripes, which fade if they are cooked.  The tomatoes are ripening fast enough to bring some to Libby and will be available online today! Each box can include: Napa Chardonnay, Napa Blush, Yellow Pear, Black Vernissage, Violet Jasper, Sunset Bumblebee, Atomic Grape and/or Purple Russian.   It's been hard, but I've been holding off from picking the Sweet Peas so they can set seeds! I'll have a seed mix available next spring before the markets start so you can get them in the ground as soon as possible. Don't worry, I'll let you know when they are finally available! Nature moves at it's own pace.   Enter Hella, the hella sassy cat. Especially when I interrupt her serious gopher hole watching and she retaliates by showing me just how much of a huntress she can be! (don't worry, no blood was drawn as she also knows whose hands feed her when she doesn't catch the gopher) What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! The squash is growing fast and the early flowers are working on their seeds! All thanks to those birds and bees that pollinate the flowers so we can have yummy fruit (like squash), pretty flowers, and the seeds that those flowers make so we can grow more plants! This fall and winter I'll be adding another project to my tasks. Seeds! Some of those flowers I grow that are so beloved by the bees and hummingbirds will be available next spring either as seeds for you to sprout from the beginning or as seedlings for you to pop in the soil and get a head start on enjoying the blooms in your own garden (and of course for the bees to enjoy them too!) It may seem strange to start planning for that project already, but this is when the seeds start. I mark certain flowers so I don't pick them and so I know for sure what they are. That way they can grow their seeds for me to collect them before they scatter to the ground or on the wind. I've also been busy harvesting flowers for drying so there will be a new batch of wreaths, barrettes, bouquets, and crowns featuring the dried flowers! I'll probably start having some of those available in September. Until then, the chores continue to keep everything, hopefully, running smoothly!  The green in the grass is still holding, but it begins to fade  The Barn Swallows are working on their second hatching of the season! They use the same 2 nests each year that are in the joists of the barn, just adding some fresh chicken feathers to make it fresh and cozy.  The lettuces have really grown fast in the heat but cool nights and a light watering every other day keeps them sweet and juicy!  Just a few of the dried flowers that are quickly taking over all ceiling space in the house. A nice things about old log cabins is that there are random nails everywhere, which makes it easier to find space for everything to hang!   One of the many bees that are enjoying the flowers that I can't keep up with  The guineas are on the hunt for bugz!  And Hella graciously shares her shade with the hens as they all get set free for their evening scratch abouts What's available this week?
The heat has really brought on the flowers! It also hasn't hurt the tomatoes or squash so the fruits won't be so far behind. All the flowers, and well the fruit too since it is what a flower develops into, makes me hopeful for saving some of the seeds and having some available this fall, especially those that you want to sow before winter and let the cold wake them up, with most available next spring! (it may seem odd to already be thinking of next seasons plantings, but it's pretty usual for a farmer. The best time to plan for this time next year is this time this year as everything I wish I did different, and why I should, is fresh in my mind) It's gonna be a hot day for both markets, so it's a great time to pre-order online. That way I can keep your items in a separate chilled cooler so they stay fresher and it's a quick grab-and-go for you to get you back into the shade sipping lemonade or enjoying some air conditioning right away! And remember, masks or shields are required to come in and shop or pick up your order at the market. If you can't wear a mask, at The Farmers Market at Libby there is a special parking space near the Market Manager tent where you can park and a volunteer will pop down to me to get your order so you don't even need to get out of your car!  A little bit of beauty out of the chaos I'm never quite sure what bouquets will end up being like when I start preparing them, how I will combine the colors and shapes. I plant and harvest beautiful individual flowers trusting they will look good together but sometimes the combinations are more captivating than I imagined.   Some of the first tomatoes will be available at the Troy Farmers Market (sorry Libby, Troy can't always get the leftovers :) ) but there's more coming so I should have some available online soon! But until then, if you really want a box, you'll need to pop down to the Troy Market on Friday. Current ones are Napa Chardonnay (pale yellow), Napa Blush, and Atomic Grape (stripy ovals) with a lot more varieties just ripening.  The hens are beating the heat by staying in the shade, drinking plenty of the cool water I bring them, and staring me down to give them chilly leftover greens from the walk-in cooler.  With more goods to bring to market, I need more space. Look for the Dragon Wagon cruising the streets and highways carrying lots of those farm fresh goodies to the markets!  That's one cool cat sitting amongst the flowers at the break of dawn What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! Tis the season of blooms! I was originally scolding myself that this week and the next few will be lighter on veg, except greens, because I forgot a few seedings, but now that the flowers are basically exploding, it turns out I did good. The less veg to tend to right now means I can get all those blooms at just the right moment for harvest for the longest vase life (the stage of harvest varies from flower to flower) and all done before the heat gets too, well, hot since a flower (or veg) harvested in the heat won't last as long as if it was harvested in the cool of dawn and you can plunge a head of lettuce into s bucket of cool water, but not so much with a flower, unless 'drowned rat' is the floral aesthetic you like. That also means most of the field chores are done before the heat sets, except irrigating as that goes for awhile, so I can check on the chickens, ducks, and guineas often to make sure they have plenty of water and haven't spilled it all, fouled it, or just need a cool refill if they are struggling to not overheat. I really appreciate all my customers wearing their masks and other face coverings so we can all stay safe and healthy! And if you can't wear a mask/shield or just don't feel comfortable coming into the Libby market, you can order and pay online or email/message me for a preorder and use the special designated parking space right next to the Market Manager tent to let them know you're there to pick up your order and we will bring it out to you! Of course you can order for the Troy Market too!  The Old Girls don't scratch and peck the ground much anymore (as evidence I give you the jungle that is their run) but they like to eat the grass seed tops and hunt for a few crickets, but mostly they like to be let out during the day and sit on the cool, quiet porch.   The big roosters aren't as easy to keep cool in the heat as their giant bodies hold it in, but Elvis is demonstrating one of the two cool down techniques of holding your wings a bit away from your body to ventilate. The other option is panting, just not as drooly as a dog.  Warm days call for a light lunch of salad with a little spicy microgreens and spicy flowers to top it off! If you wanna enjoy some of the edible flowers and learn a little about them while having a yummy meal, check out the "Vegetables of the Season" class August 3rd at the Gracious Table. I'll be there with the edible flowers for a fun and socially distant class and a great meal! Check it out at GraciousTableMT.com   The only problem with having the tomatoes in the dome reaching for the sky is that there is a limit to that sky! And then they need to be 'lowered and leaned' on their trellis strings which means they like to 'lean' into the middle so moving through means a very intricate dance among and beneath the stems and fruit, who new years of yoga and rock/ice climbing balance work would be a necessary skill for farming?!   It turns out the new shed's shade is not only a great place for the farm tools to take a break, but also for the farmer! No guarantee the hammock will be able to stay in there though. What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! It's the time of year when the chores begin to pile up! And as the weather warms the plants begin to bloom in earnest! And all those blooms mean it takes quite a while longer to get all the daily harvesting done. The tomatoes are beginning to color and the radishes are getting hot! The summer heat is on!  One of the first tomatoes to ripen is the Napa Chardonnay *pinkies out*! This is actually the second, the first one went in my mouth!  The time finally came to shield the hardening seed flats from the marauding deer (and hens), so a few weeks ago I made an annex to the Dragon Dome.   The Ranunculus have begun! They look a little like roses and have a great vase life! Plus they come in many punchy shades!   The hens burst out of their runs every afternoon when I let them out. Then they stand there in surprise and maybe a little anxiety about their release and the world around them. Then they see food and all is well. What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! Birds, Birds, Everywhere. The ducks, the hens, the guineas, the roosters, the ravens, the hummingbirds, the sparrows, the eagles, the robins, the...well, lots of birds. If I spend too much time with the I turn into a bird brain! But we put up with them because they give us yummy eggs, they're pretty, and always keep things fun and interesting. 🍻 To the birds!  The quackers are up first with their excitement about their afternoon water refill. It's an all purpose bathing/drinking waterbowl, they are fowl multitaskers with their water. #everydayispoolday  Of course, there is the working women that make up the bulk of the flock. 25 hens of laying age that now live rooster free! #allthesingleladies  There's the Golden Girls. The last of my original flock that are over 20 years old now. No more laying eggs for them, just laying in the sun, waiting fo their food to be brought to them, and exploring the gravel pile for bugs! #livingongreenpastures   But enough about birds, because the yarrow is blooming and someone's gotta go harvest the beautiful blooms! If I can find them through the grass. #Iwishthisgrasswasntgreener  The roof is done, and my parents are released from their daily toiling until later this fall. And yes, I've already started putting things in their new home, even if it's a little drafty. #raisetheroof The first full-size Rainbow Swiss Chard is ready along with it's monochromatic friend the Dino Kale (aka Black Kale, Lacinato Kale, so little color, so many names) #arosebyanyothername  This maternal pair and their herd had a fun sleepover in the field, but I had to break it up when they tried to eat my tarps for killing the grass #imsuchapartypooper  What's available this week?
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AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
April 2020
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