We hope you’re enjoying this beautiful month! Come take a walk with us around the farm.
Over the weekend, Angelica tidied up parts of the farm with the flail mower, but she saved this pretty patch of wildflowers. It’s amazing how many wild plants are edible and useful, like wild mustard. So many lovely yellows and purples this time of year. We try to preserve as many wild plants as we can around the gardens.
Here’s what the Big Tunnel looks like in early May. On the far right, is head lettuce. Beside the lettuce, are two rows of peas. Our first pea attempt didn’t germinate well. We replanted the peas, and this time soaked the seeds in water for a few days. The other rows have tomatoes, beets, carrots, and peppers.
This is Cat 1. On the far right, we have red Russian kale. Last night, we sauteed it with minced garlic, butter, and Dijon mustard. We thought it was delicious, although Silas requested that I “never make this again.” Ha ha! Beside the kale is baby Swiss chard. Or, I should say, “was” baby Swiss chard. It was eaten the night this photo was taken. This is the second time our chard planting has been mowed down by a critter. We have chard seeded, and we’ll keep trying. In the third row, we have green curly kale. (My favorite for soups and salads.) Then, there’s broccoli under the row cover.
And here’s Cat 2. In here, we have lettuce, radishes, peppers, and basil.
This is the Little Tunnel.
We spent a day weeding, composting, mulching, and mowing our orchard. We also planted three new fruit trees: pear, nectarine, and peach. Jason and Silas planted 15 pine trees along the border between our farm and a neighboring field. We also added a few American redbuds. Some tiny paw-paw trees will go in the ground when they get a little more size to them.
Another view of the orchard.
Looking good, Little Tree!
Jason worked as a cook at Family Ties, in Townville, from age 16 until his mid 20s. In those years, he learned to cook from some wonderful people. We’ve been craving the farm’s greens. This omelette is filled with PTF spinach, green onions, and chives. The eggs came from Grandma Darlene’s chickens.
Speaking of Jason, here he is leading his flock.
A word about the chickens. We purchased a dozen Barred Rock chicks this spring as a means of bug control on the farm. While I wanted their help with the insects, I wasn’t looking forward to caring for them. In the early weeks in the house, they made a disastrous mess of our basement, with feathers, pine chips, and dust coating everything. However, I found them delightful. They are cute and comical, and I’ll actually be sorry to see them leave the yard and relocate to the farm. While I’ve been a vegetarian for about five years, I fully support those who raise animals for slaughter on farms that treat the land and its creatures with dignity, as well as those who hunt. But being around these ladies makes it pretty much impossible for me to even fathom eating a well-cared for chicken.
*Chased them out of my tulips seconds after finishing this post. Ha!