In the Wilds Lives the Wildlife

There are a lot of farm animals on the farm but even more come in from the wilds to make their home here, find food, or just pass through. While the larger ones usually make people nervous, the small ones are very welcome neighbors (the big ones are too, I just watch them more cautiously).

The farm laborers (my parents) have arrived again and while my Mom has been busy tackling the weeds that have taken over my field plot (she's taken 5 trash bags of lamb's quarters out so far and moving on to the others before they set seed), my Dad has started on insulating my trailer so I can bring plenty of veggies and flowers to market and keep them cool while there.

I've been harvesting, planting, managing the chickens, and trying to keep up with the tomatoes as they reach for the sky in the greenhouse. The heat of summer finally feels like it's here and most outside work is done by early afternoon, beginning again after dinner as the day cools down again. This eats into the amount of work I can get done each day but it is a welcome forced break as it is easy for farmers to burn out as summer burns on.

Follow the yellow brick road, or not, as I mowed the path across the field from the house to the river as the yellow clover flowers were full of happy bees and I didn't want to gobble them all up so I mowed to the side of the yellow brick road instead.

Once at the river, I paused from mowing to jump down and check it out, only to find that I disturbed this little nugget from it's hiding place near the river's edge in the cool shade. After our 10 second stand off, I went one way and it went the other as it crashed/swam to the other side.

Another tiny creature that has a pretty home as it waits for busy pollinators, like bees, to come near so that it can devour them. I left it be and picked the other flowers as there is enough for both of us.

It's busy season for the hummingbirds as the young are fledging and everyone is hungry, hungry, hungry. I often spend a few minutes each evening standing near the feeders getting them to perch on my finger as they eat their dinner (its hard to feel tired or grumpy as you can feel all the breeze from their wings, their tiny feet, and watch their exuberance). It is chaos as they all flit around to each one, chase others off, or startle each other. I have 5 feeders and all will be full of little hummers each night. Trying to walk near them feels like a war zone and I often flinch thinking they are going to collide with me but it hasn't happened yet.

Oh yeah and I grow veggies and flowers too! The Rainbow Radishes have returned. The Dwarf Boc Choy is making a debut (it is great raw as a salad), and the flowers are opening up!

What's available this weekend?

• Eggs! Both chicken and duck eggs. The grass is springing up and the coops are beginning to roam, gobbling up the fresh greens and worms!!!
  • dozen pasture-raised, rainbow chicken eggs $4
  • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs $4
• Flowers!
  • Large & Small Bouquets
• Veggies!
  • Salad Mix
  • Stir Fry Mix
  • Spinach
  • French Breakfast Radishes
  • Rainbow Radishes
  • Purple Boc Choy
  • Dwarf Boc Choy
  • Baby Carrots
  • Romaine Hearts
  • Butterhead Hearts
  • Red Leaf Lettuce
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Petal Power Salad Topper
  • Mizuna
  • Spicy Microgreens Mix
  • Cinnamon Basil Microgreens Mix
  • and more!