May 17

Wow. Has it really been that long since I posted? Have you all forgotten about me?!?! Ha ha ha!

So, what has been going on here? "Let me explain... No, there is too much. Let me sum up."

Wednesday the 12th: Still cold out, but a little less of the rain. We made raspberry jam from some of last years' raspberries that she froze. We did the math and I realized that even if she sells them to the co-op to re-sell, there's a decent profit margin on homemade jam. Obviously, it's even better if she can sell it direct, like at Pizza Night. A second group of preschoolers came. We looked in the hoop house at all the things growing and talked about how it stayed so warm, etc. We looked at some of the chickens, and the kids got to pet a couple of them. They wanted to HOLD the chickens themselves, but everyone over the age of 6 agreed that probably wasn't a good idea. Then, the kids had a snack of mint tea (they loved it because it was warm) and rhubarb muffins.

Thursday, the 13th: My birthday, and Pizza Night! The weather was still cold and rainy during the day. We moved all the outdoor chickens to new grassy areas then got ready for pizza. I think the weather scared most people away, but it kind of worked out nice for me. With so few people there, I was able to visit with A&K, and even J and E, who made the trip down, too! It was a GREAT birthday! And, the "kids" gave me some greenery for my room.

Friday, the 14th: After giving hubby the grand tour and the morning animal chores, we checked the asparagus, but there was nothing ready. In the hoop house, we tilled a big section and planted the rest of the peppers that had been started from seeds earlier this spring in the house. After lunch, we made strawberry-rhubarb jam. Yum.

I went home for the weekend and came back late Sunday night.

Today, the 17th: Marty joined us. He is from this area, but currently going to college in Florida. He is interested in learning about organic/natural farming, and will be helping us out a few days a week throughout the summer. We worked on weeding today, the garlic garden, and also several rows each of beets and a salad mix. We also planted some more cauliflower and Brussels sprout seeds. We got about 8 lbs of asparagus today, and could see that there will be a lot more ready soon.

The little chickens had trouble over the weekend. She thinks we forgot to turn the electric fence back on after trying to pick asparagus on Friday, and the evidence suggests that a weasel got into the birds' area. She lost almost 1/2 of them. Most of them were not really even eaten, so I guess weasels kill for sport. Yuck.

The weather was amazingly beautiful today. Sunny and warm! And, it's supposed to continue all week. Very glad for that!

May 11

Ugh. Half a sick day today. Must have caught some kind of bug over the weekend.

Managed to help get ready for a preschool field trip to the farm this afternoon, and planted 600 broccoli seeds before I had to crash and burn. Feeling a little better after a couple naps in between reading, but there's still a pesky cough. Maybe some hot tea with a little honey and lemon while I'm watching Lost tonight, then, off to bed!

May 10

Pooped out today! I was up pretty early to drive in after spending the night in Winona. Thanks, A&K! The Prestige was a GREAT movie!

There is rain predicted for this week, so we wanted to get some (!) seedlings into the ground. We planted broccoli (3 flats--each flat holds about 100 seedlings), bok choy (3 flats), napa cabbage (3), green cabbage (3), cauliflower(3), kohlrabi (4) and 2 kinds of kale (4 flats total).

In my world, that qualifies as a lot of seedlings!

Of course, I did the usual animal chores, food and water for all the chickens, collect the eggs, and feed the baby calves.

All in all, I think we had a very productive day. Now, it's time for a hot bath, then to bed early!

May 6 & 7

Two days to catch up on.

Thursday was our first Pizza Night! It went really well. (Not just my opinion, either!) We sold 43 pizzas in about 3 hours. The actual hours are 4:30 - 9:00, but it started to rain about 7:00 or so. Luckily, those that had arrived by then were pretty much done eating. But, there is space in the barn this year, for people to congregate if the weather isn't cooperative. I had a lot of fun, and got to see my son and daughter-in-law, from nearby Winona!

Today was rain, rain and more rain. And chilly. Except when we were harvesting asparagus. Then, it was downright cold. Picked about 18-1/2 lbs. Most of the rest of the day was spent in the hoop house pulling up old spinach, in the relative 50º warmth, and getting the rest of the boxes ready for the CSA members.

One of the benefits of this internship is the additional workshop opportunities I can participate in. Tomorrow, I'll be at Garden of Eagan in Farmington for a workshop on soil fertility. Sounds strange, I know, but how can you have good, healthy food come from the ground if you don't have good, healthy soil to grow it in???

May 5

T-minus 23 hours and counting until Pizza Night! All energies were focused on that today. Finishing the outhouse building, finishing the directional signs to go out on the road, cleaning out the fire pit area, moving picnic tables around, trying to set up the sound system, cleaning up the yard, creating and concealing off-limits areas, trying to kid-proof as best we can, etc., etc., etc.

Yesterday we did most of the food prep work and had a "trial run" with her folks for dinner. We wanted to make sure we had all the equipment at the ready, tried to get a feel for the work flow, and so on. And, the pizza was DELICIOUS!

She's not expecting a huge crowd for the first night, but I think she's been doing more advertising. (Oh, and the local HeadStart program is having their family picnic night here tomorrow, so that's a guarantee of 15-20 pizzas!)

Should be fun. I'm really excited!

Day #?? May, 3, 2010

OK. I think I'm all messed up on my days on the farm! That didn't take long, huh? I think the weekend screwed me up. I'm here, but technically "off-duty". So does that count?!? Who knows. And, really, does it matter? :)

Today, we build a shelter for the baby chicks to have outside. Yay! They finally have most of their "real" feathers and get to peck at grass and weeds, breathe some fresh air, and have some room to run around. The shelter is 9' x 9', and 6' tall inside. The bottom is open, just four 2x4's screwed together. Then, a  large metal fencing piece is attached on each side, creating a bowed top. The top is covered with a tarp to keep the worst of the sun and the rain out. The back is more tarp-covered fencing, and the front is fencing, but no tarp, to make sure there is fresh air. The shelter will be enclosed in a portable fence.

The whole contraption will be chained to the tractor and can be dragged from one grassy area to another, as they peck around. Some of the fencing pieces were already the right size, etc. but other than that, we put the whole thing together in just a few hours.

One of the little chicks developed "Curly Toe" and had to be... well, put down, but that's not exactly the right phrase. The tendons in his feet tore and he couldn't walk. There really is no treatment for it, and a vet visit is a minimum $75 charge, so....Yikes. More circle-of-life, huh?

We also had our first CSA members show up for work shifts. When they sign up for their shares, members are given the chance to work 4-hour shifts for a credit on the cost of their membership. The members that came today worked from 1-5, and will do another shift next Monday. We weeded one garden and planted more onions.

Most other tasks are getting us ready for Pizza Nights to start on Thursday. I believe the current plan is to have our trial run tomorrow.

All three of the "baby calvies" have names now. Dandy (was the first to try eating dandelions), Cupid (has a perfect heart-shaped white spot on his forehead) and Oslo (not sure where THAT came from, other than the mind of a 5-year-old!). Hope that doesn't make it more difficult when the time comes for them to fulfill their destiny.

Days 15 and 16

Friday was a big shopping day. In preparation for the first Pizza Night on the 6th, we took a road trip to Eau Claire. We picked up parts for the tractor she bought at an auction, picked up a new prep table for the pizza kitchen, and stocked up on beer, pop and juice boxes. When it's a minimum 1/2 hour or hour to the big stores, you gotta combine your errands!

In the past, pizza customers have brought in their own beverages, but this year, she got a beer license and will be selling a couple different Leines and pop brands. A good way to make some add-on sales.

We cleaned the barn out some, then later headed into Winona to hit the Menards there. We got a lot of miscellaneous bits and pieces for a bunch of half-finished projects.

The bed for my new room was brought down the other night, and today, I spent most of my time organizing in there: putting up hooks to hang stuff on, setting up shelves, etc. That was fun! It feels nice to be a little more settled. I've got a place for everything, and for the time being, everything in its place. I brought my sewing machine down here with me and I'm working on some curtains for the windows.

Also got most of the area in the barn that will be accessible to the public straightened, organized and power washed.

Oh, and new baby lambs came today!!! Three momma ewes, and their five little ones! They are very cute, but still pretty shy.

Tomorrow morning I have a date for coffee with my honey in Red Wing! Can't wait!