Happenings on the Ranch

“I love it when a plan comes together.”  If you don’t get the ‘A-Team’/Hannibal Smith reference, that’s okay; you get my meaning.  If you DO get the reference, don’t worry – I don’t have a cigar in my mouth.

But I do have a smile on my face.  Subscriptions to and inquiries about our 2008 CSA Programs are steadily coming in.  It’s really nice to see how many people are interested in supplying their family with naturally grown produce and meat and are willing to support their local farmers.  But, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if you haven’t sent in your contract and deposit, now’s the time to do it.  I’m anticipating we will run out of shares by the end of February.

That’s not to say we won’t have plenty of produce to sell at market this year.  But, that does mean we need to get started on pre-planting activities.  With it being soooo bitterly cold outside right now and the wind only making it worse, it’s a wonder I’m at all excited about planting.  But I am.  Arcenio has been working on updating our indoor seed-starting area so I can get the first seeds into soil.  This is very important if we want to be able to provide you a wider assortment earlier in the season.  Many seeds will be started over the next several weeks, then the seedlings transplanted into the soil after the final frost (probably late April).  Seeds of those same plants will also be directly sown into the ground later on to provide multiple harvests.  We’re planning a wide assortment this year and want to provide for multiple harvests of each for everyone’s enjoyment.

 Additionally, we’re trying eggplant this year.  Yes, I said “trying” because eggplant is notoriously difficult to start from seed.  They’re very particular about the amount of heat they get until they sprout (which takes about three weeks; most seedlings only take 7 to 10 days) and then are particular about the amount of light.  They are fragile when “hardening off”, which is the process we use to acclimate the seedlings to temperatures before moving them outdoors.  If you can manage to get through all that, AND manage to get them transplanted into the ground without damaging them, then you’re still only halfway there!  Their soil conditions are particular for both warmth and nutrients.  And you have to harvest them without going beyond their peak ripeness and in a specific way to make sure they aren’t damaged.  So, needless to say, if you get an eggplant in one of your shares this year or buy one from us at market, know that a lot of care and effort went into growing that beauty for you!

I’ll try to keep everyone posted as we move forward, but just know that it will become increasingly harder to do the busier we get.  I will begin posting a periodic newsletter and will let you know when that starts.  CSA subscribers will get a weekly newsletter (with recipes!) with their shares when the season starts.

Take care, stay warm and drop me a line when you have time!

-Karin