Happenings on the Ranch

Well, the rain has finally stopped (for now) and I’m hoping it will be dry enough by this afternoon to actually get something done outside.  We are really behind in planting because it’s been too wet to get anything in the ground.  I’ll be trying to play catch up on weeding and seeding for as long as the rain holds off, since we’re expecting more rain the rest of this week.  Usually farmers love the rain … right now, I’ve had enough.  It’s a good thing I have a good pair of mud boots!

Thankfully Sunday there was a break in the wind, too.  After the greenhouse collapsed during the massive wind storm we had, Arcenio was quick to get the structure back up.  However the wind wouldn’t cooperate and we hadn’t been able to get the plastic back on.  All the seedlings and flowers were relegated to the garage and the sun porch; less than ideal conditions.  But Sunday the wind was nonexistent and the plastic went back on the greenhouse.  I’m now in the process of putting the tables back up and moving all the plants back into their proper home.  Woohoo!

And I’m happy to say the time has come.  This week starts our 2010 CSA season.  The pick up schedule is as follows:

Wednesday:  Lee’s Summit Farmer’s Market, 8am to noon.  We will be located four spots from the end at the southwest corner of the lot.

Thursday: Belton Farmer’s Market, 4pm to 7pm.  The market has not started yet, but we will be in the parking places where the market is normally held on Loop Rd.  If the weather is nice, we will have our table set up.  If it’s nasty, we’ll be sitting in the back of the truck with your share.

Friday:  On the farm, 4pm to 7pm.  We will either be under the farm stand by the greenhouse or have your shares waiting for you on the porch.  Weave your way through the chickens to the door!

Saturday:  Lee’s Summit Farmer’s Market, 8am to noon.  We will be located three spaces from the end in the northeast corner of the lot.

Of course, those of you that aren’t part of the CSA can still come and see us during those times and check out what else we have to offer.  We’ll have chicken and eggs available at all locations.  We’ll also be at the VA Medical Center Farmer’s Market beginning this week.  The market there runs from 7am to noonish.  Of course, they’re predicting rain on Thursday so bring an umbrella.

We’re looking forward to another successful season full of farm fresh goodies.  Leafy greens are coming in nicely along with green onions and radishes.  Cabbage is strong, strawberries are just about ready and I’m excited to start pulling all this good stuff!

Until next time!

~Karin

Wow, has this been a warm spring so far.  This has helped the plants get a real jump on the season … of course, the weeds are enjoying it too.  If our crops grew as quickly as the weeds I’d be one well-fed girl!

The spinach is coming in nicely, along with lettuces, radishes and green onions.  The rhubarb is huge already and some are already starting to turn that beautiful shade of red.  Cabbage is growing strong and it’s almost time to put the tomatoe plants in the ground.  With as nice as the weather has been I’ve been tempted to do it early but don’t want to run the risk of temperatures dropping too low at night.  I’ll probably get them in by the end of the week and have a row cover handy just in case.  The peppers may need to wait another week but I’m hoping to get sweet corn and green bean seeds in the ground in the next day or two.

This season is a stark contrast to the last few years, especially last year which was very cold and wet.  The only thing that delayed planting this year was the excessive amount of rain we had during the first few weeks which made the ground too wet to plant.  The warm sun and cool nights have helped make up for the delay a little bit, though, and we are well on our way to a fantastic season.

The hens are laying beautifully now and we have plenty of eggs available.  We will also be doing our next round of butchering the second week in May and will have around 50 whole chickens ready for your dinner table.  I’ll post when they are ready and you can pick up here on the farm or at farmer’s market.

Speaking of markets, opening day of the Lee’s Summit Farmer’s Market will be this Saturday.  We’re having an opening day celebration starting at 8:00 a.m. with Cowgirl Kate doing balloon animals, singers, the LS Parks & Rec handing out coloring books for the kids and more.  Many vendors will be there with their produce and baked goods.  We will be bringing green onions, radishes, eggs, jams and maybe some baby spinach.  Hope to see you there!

Until next time.  ~Karin

I am happy to announce we have two new baby goats on the farm.  Our youngest doe, Bambi, gave birth to her first kids on Thursday; one boy, one girl.  They are both doing well, although the little girl has needed a little help.  Our older doe, Onyx, is due any day now.  I just love having babies on the farm!  I’ll try to post pictures of the new little ones this week.

The mud I was commenting on last week has now frozen due to the drop in temperature this week.  I would much rather have frozen mud than the boggy mess that was out there before and now the sun is out so some of it should dry up soon (fingers crossed).   And, surprisingly, our chickens decided to start laying again last week so we have several dozen eggs available if anyone is interested.  Which is good for us, since I refuse to eat store bought eggs and was going through a bit of a withdrawal on anything made with eggs!!

Of course, the sun coming out reminds me that spring is just around the corner!  I am so excited and all geared up to start planting.  I have to pace myself, though, so I don’t get seedlings started too early and not have the right weather when they are ready to go outside!  If you haven’t signed up for our 2010 CSA program yet, you still have time.  Get your share of the harvest each week for 24 weeks from May through October.  It really is a good deal and your early payment really helps with our farm budget in the off-season.

Speaking of off-season, I’ve begun freelance writing again for some additional income.  I write articles for clients who need advertising or informational articles for their blogs or websites.  I also edit, update and search engine optimize web content.  I decided to put together a quick website and blog specific to my writing; the site is www.karinvelez.info.  During some of my research time for a recent project, I came across a pretty good article site called TreeHugger.  The authors and articles all focus toward Sustainable Living which we, of course, are a proponent of.  There is a pretty wide variety of subjects on this site, but most of them pertain to green living, sustainable lifestyle and alternative energy and can be a pretty good quick read.

Until next time!  ~ Karin