Up and “At ’em”

As I prepare to go to the Ligonier Country Market this morning (it’s 03:40 on Saturday morning as I write this), I wonder if folks understand what goes on behind the scenes to get ready for a farmers market.  Well, I’ve been up since 03:00am this morning…coffee first and foremost…checking last minute emails…then, it’s time to get ready (assembling my gear, tables, bushels of produce, etc) and loading it all into the truck.  Most of the harvesting occurred on Thursday and Friday before market day.  Of course, with items that are cured and stored, such as garlic and onions, the harvesting occurred way back in July.  Heck, I’m up even before “Junior”, the rooster.  No big feat there because Junior is a bit of a lazy rooster.  He’ll saunter out of the coop around 06:00 and then think about crowing before he actually does.  Oh well.  Set up at the market occurs from about 06:00 until the first sale can happen at 08:00.  I should make a short film that chronicles a market day from the time the alarm goes off until breakdown of the stand at noon.  Hmmmm…good idea.

I’m hoping to get some squash blossoms this morning before I head out but the amount of useable blossoms was small yesterday when I looked at the plants.  We’ll see.

If you have a chance, come down to the Ligonier Country Market in Ligonier, PA (near Johnstown).  If you don’t know where it is, just google it and find out.  A great bunch of vendors (over 100 each week I think) with everything from wonderful food, to all manner of crafts, music, and of course, vegetables.  Hope to see you there today from 08:00 until noon.

Well, it’s almost 04:00am and I have to get back to work.

Time to play “Catch up”!

Well, well.  Look at the time that’s elapsed since my last entry!  Quite a few things have gone on since then.  A few more rodeos last season with just a few minor injuries.  This year began on a bit of a sour note with winter holding forever this spring.  Had a late start getting things in the ground but playing “catch up” since May.

My friend Todd came by yesterday evening to help till up 6 2ft rows, each 22 ft long to get ready to tunnel.  Tomatoes this season were awful.  I had lots of green ones but by the time they were to get ripe, the late blight got them.

Recently, I got my new ram lamb (picture to come soon).  He’s a cute little bugger (Katahdin/Dorper cross) and very, very feisty.  I suspect he’ll be old enough to breed the ewes come October.  He’s a twin, the ewes are twins, so I’m expecting at least twins from each of the ewes come March 2014.  I’m sure my hands will be full.

Raised various peeps this summer as well.  I currently have a few turkey peeps growing quickly.

Some troubles this summer with my ducks I was raising.  Coons broke into the duck tractor and killed several.  Only one drake left, Ferdinand is his name.

The big successes this summer have been the leeks, the shallots, onions, Yukon gold and red norland taters, and roma and contender green beans.

I’m looking around for a snapshot to post.  Here’s one of me just off a bull ride last July in Colorado with one of my friends/coaches, Char.

Don’t forget the Ligonier Country Market on Saturday!!!

Rodeo Recovery And Market Preparations

Got back from the rodeo in Vegas last night.  Had a time!  Made it back home in one piece.  Just sore and tired.  I’m glad to be back home and the critters were happy to see me.  Special thanks to Todd and his son for taking over the farm chores in my absence!

Time to start getting ready for the new Farmers Market season to begin at the Ligonier Country Market on Saturday, May 26th.  Hope to see y’all out there!  Here’s a shot of me practicing my roping before my events this past weekend.

New Additions To The Farm

After several years of planning and over 30 years of waiting to return to my shepherding roots, I picked up the new additions to the “family” on Sunday April 15th in the nearby town of Derry.  I now have two ewe lambs at the place.  They are twins, 75% Katahdin and 25% Suffolk.  They were born on January 29, 2012 and as of April 14th, weigh 60 and 65 lbs respectively.  The next phase is to obtain a full Katahdin ram lamb.  I’m hoping the twins will be of breeding size by September so, if all goes well, we can have some newborns next February.

Buddy Todd and his son came over from Greensburg to offer much-needed help unloading on Sunday. Both I and the torn ligaments in my shoulder thank you guys!

Moving Right Along

After nearly two weeks of 80 degree highs (or thereabouts), we all knew the bottom was going to fall out.  And, it did.  The other morning I woke up to 18 degrees F here on the farm.  Fortunately, I was prepared and put an extra cover over the more delicate crops in the tunnels (romaine and snow peas).  It’s been my experience that those two crops, once they’re a certain size, seem to lose hardiness…at least for that kind of low.  Everything made it through just fine.  Now, we have more appropriate lettuce-growing temperatures, 50s-60s for highs.  Things are moving right along.

I’ve started bringing some produce to Barb’s Country Store in the little village of Rector, PA.  Barb and Pat have been very supportive and are glad to have local produce…early.  I bring another small batch of produce this Saturday.  I’ll be delivering more as things ramp up a bit here.

Well, let’s see where I’m at in my overall  plans…….caretaker for the animals when I’m away…check.  Life insurance and beneficiaries updated…check. Disability insurance….check.   Accident insurance…check.   Health insurance…still have to do.   Living will….still have to do…ugh.  Can you tell I’m getting ready to have some fun in the arena this summer?!  It’s going to be a good season.  I feel it in my bones….my old, broken bones.

The Joy of Spring

Today (and the next 8 days) will be way above average. Got about 141 red onions in and the new batch of leek seedlings are doing well.  We’re looking at temperatures around 70F for a high and lows around 50 for this 8 day period.  Perfect weather for everything to grow.  Today was about 70F.  The plants are all responding accordingly. Of course, all the tunnel covers are off and the seedlings are enjoying the warm, fresh air.  I have to keep up with the watering though.  The evapo-transpiration has increased tremendously and we haven’t had any rain.

Thebuds on the sweet cherries are greening up and will break in 2 or 3 days, the blackberries and lilacs have already broken bud.  It’s amazing.  Here’s a shot taken just moments ago of my first Hyacinths.  Ah, the fragrance is delightful!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

So much to do, so little time.  Awoke at 04:00 this morning to get a head start on work here on the old homestead.  The thermometer read 16 degrees.  A bit chilly.  As the sun came out, the tunnels warmed up and everything thawed out.  All the new seedlings are just fine.  Had to water the seedlings in several of the tunnels.  As the weather warms up, it’s important to keep check on what’s going on inside the covers.  The increased temperatures and stronger light, coupled with increased water requirements for growth, made the soil under cover a bit on the dry side.  Keeping an eye on the soil moisture is critical when the seedlings are just emerging.

Tilled up another section for onions.  I have red onion sets and leek seedlings to set  out in the open areas tomorrow.  I’ve got about 200 more leek seedlings to put out but they won’t be ready to put out for another month. Like parsnips, leeks are a long crop, about 120 days or thereabouts, so best to plant them where they’ll be out of the way for a while.

Growing Season in Full Swing

I realized some time ago that I hadn’t posted since January!  Shame shame!  Well, it’s now March 8th and there’s plenty to talk about.  First of all, planting season began February 4th and 5th here on the farm.  The weather was right, the phase of the moon was right, and the increasing sun angle was right.  All factors contributed to an earlier-than-usual planting startup.  Normally, I would’ve started around Valentine’s Day.

In addition to the usual shorter, low tunnels over the raised beds, I put up another larger 12’x23′ tunnel for long rows of spinach, beets, radishes, and parsnips.  The lowest temperature we’ve had here since planting season began was 7 degrees F.  Seedlings didn’t mind a bit.

The artichokes are coming up well in their tunnel which, incidentally, houses the asparagus.  While the asparagus is not showing any above ground growth yet, I suspect I should be seeing signs of life from those plants any day now.

Here are some recent photos so you can track the progress.  More carrots and beets will be sown this coming weekend, March 9th-12th.  More above ground crops will be sown next week when the moon will be more favorable to those crops.

Pictures shown are:

Spinach seedlings sown February 4th (picture made March 7, 2012)

Romaine seedlings sown February 4th (picture made March 7, 2012)

Tunnel being planted out.  This tunneland raised bed  houses the artichokes.  Beet seeds are shown in the furrows. (picture made February 24, 2012)

Me in the new long tunnel almost all planted out in beets, radishes and spinach (picture made on March 4, 2012)

The Dead of Winter

Well, here we are going into the second week of January 2012 and no sign of extreme cold.  The coldest it’s gotten here in the valley is 13 degrees…only for one night.  Yesterday’s high was 53 and today is 39.  It sure helps when it comes to heating the house.  My biggest concern is that with the warm temperatures, the bees become more active and, as a result, consume more of their stored honey.  I have to keep an eye on them come February and March, before the blossoms start, to make sure they don’t starve.

I planted 286 more garlics this weekend…mostly to sell as “green” garlic.  The 667 that I had already planted will be reserved mostly for bulbs and will be harvested in July.  The green garlic can be harvested May through June or until they start forming bulbs and the papery tissue that separates the cloves. I can continue planting more garlic cloves for green garlic for another month or so.

Planted 55 sweet white onion sets today in one of the tunnels.  The idea is to have them harvested as bunching onions in April or May.  I’ll continue planting them in batches as the weather permits up until late March.

I made a couple of pictures showing what’s left in the tunnels and how everything is progressing.

The first shot is of Radicchio on the left, baby beet greens on the right inside a tunnel.  The Radicchio is the variety “Early Trevisio” and is beginning to form heads…doing well.  The baby beet greens become more tough with the cold weather but they’re still very, very edible…especially steamed.

 

 

 

 

The second shot shows two lettuce varieties to the left and radishes.

Although small, the radishes are still bright red and tasty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third shot shows the two celery plants that were left…doing well even after 13 degrees.  A row of carrots is to the far left in that tunnel.  That tunnel is about empty now so I’ll be planting it out with spinach come Valentine’s Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Perfect Christmas

Well, it’s been around a month since the last post.  So much to do, so little time!  I decided to go away for Christmas this year.  Up to north central Vermont to visit my best friend.  Caught the redeye out of Pittsburgh at 05:00 and flew into Burlington by 09:00 a few days before Christmas.  It was an enjoyable time.  We laughed and talked and hiked in the snow covered forest outside of Jeffersonville.

Got back the day after Christmas.  The weather’s been relatively mild again throughout December with only a speck of snow here and there.  Today, two days before the new year, it’s up to 47 degrees…go figure.

I’ve made the decision to finally start the hogs this year so I’m looking at how to create the fencing…all manner of ideas floating through my head.  I suppose that for the month of January, I will be pondering that along with which breed of poultry to order this year and what seeds I will be needing.  February 15th (the new planting season) will be here before you know it.  Speaking of plantings, I should get some recent shots of the vegetables under the tunnels so we can see how they’re doing.

Before I forget, I want to wish everyone the best New Year ever!  A year full of health, love, and joy.

While I try to get photos of the veggies under cover to show you, I’ll leave you with a picture of me in Vermont with Hunger Mountain in the background.  A spectacular view!