Harvest week 14

Hey Everyone!

It's official, we have started the long slow slide from high summer to fall.  Nights are now dipping into the high forties and the air has that crisp pungency to it. Swims in the river are quicker , lying in the sun has never felt so good. What a summer it has been, back torquing, mind bending, hand cracking river swimming, fruit harvesting.  Literally thousands of pounds of fruits have been plucked by our fingers,  f eeling for ripeness, twisting the stubborn stem until you hear the satisfying snap of fruit released from vine. Our hands are connected to your bellies in quite a visceral way.  Priorities and color schemes change now, I find myself dreaming of lush greens and zesty root crops.  Can't really say I would turn my nose up at a roated lipstick pepper though. The farm seems almost barren, the lush bushyness of squash, beans and tomatoes all but gone.A nimals are shifting in their attitudes, less needy, more calm. Lambs and hogs put the pounds on and I can detect a faint thickening to the cows coat. Still recovering from team Knife and Fork's win in the WNC Chef's Challenge. I was a team member under the genuis guidance of my friend, culinary mentor and brilliant chef Nathan Allen. We went through four rounds of competition to get to the final, matched up against the Biltmore. There is something so poetic about real food turning people's palates and hearts ,showing folks, that through the food we grow and then cook, we can create a revolution,or revelation. Maybe both. I cherish my relationships and my quasi membership in that exalted world of cookery. Honored to call someone like Nate my friend.

Anywho, you should expect a shift in veggies,tomatoes fazing out, potatoes in .Here's the list for this week.

taters

tomatoes

cherry toms

peppers

garlic

basil

eggplant

celery

Enjoy the season's change!

peace

gaelan

Harvest week 13

Howdy All!!

Sorry for not being in touch last week, but we were at the beach, leaving the farm in the capable hands of Nick and Grace for the week. They greeted us on our return with dazed looks on their faces and wild eyes, the farm it seems almost driving them over the edge. What would we do without them !  The farm has started to shift again, as cukes and squash fall away and you can almost hear the rustle of fall in the air and see it in the leaves, changing hues ever so gently.  Nights are cool and the air is crystalline,l  eaving every spruce tree on the ridge in clear view. Hasn't rained in a good while,but that good ole south toe river keeps the plants roots happy and wet. Winter squash lie naked outside, their lush vines dead and gone, the yellow squash gradually turning that smooth butternut color. Tomato vines are slowly dying, but the fruit cascades , leaving all of us in tomato bliss-land.  Eggplant and peppers are filling up our boxes, almost leaping in of their own accord.  It's time to think and imagine, whereas in June and July there was no time for daydreaming, imagining what next season will bring.  Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, chard and many other fall greenage are growing well and looking good. So wonderful to merely tip the potatoes into the baskets, no more painful days of spud harvesting. The summer has seemed so full, bountiful, the way I dream of in the deep of winter,when all these wonderful veggies are mere figments of my fevered imagination.  Hope you all are busy grilling, boiling, chopping and slicing,' cause I know I am! Here are the hitters for this weeks line up.

tomatoes

peppers

eggplant

garlic

cherry toms

basil

carrots

celery

Be well

peace

gaelan

Harvest week 11:the midpoint!

Whew!!! There is so much dirt stuffed up underneath my nails as I write this, that it hurts.Just finished the mad potato dash,three hours of sunbaked madness,as tuber upon tuber emerged gold and purple from the crumbly earth.Some people employ all manner of gadgetry to harvest their solanum tuberosum,but I like to take it back to their Andean heritage,using the fork and the biceps in solidarity with the old ones.Also, I just do'nt like to spend money.Carmella staunchly refused to go swim with Asha,saying she had to finish working,after two hours of full sun and dirt,she finally relented.The yield so far has been fantastic,about 1.5 pounds per foot,that translates to about 900 lbs.harvested and about 1000 more to go.Needless to say,I can barely recall ripping my shirt off and sliding under the river,staying on the bottom 'til my lungs were screaming.Days now are heat induced hallucinations, polka dotted with melons and tomatoes.The pigs do what we all secretly wish we could do, lie blissfully in a soupy cool mud morass,grunting ecstatically whenever we approach.I love the heat,because the mornings and evenings are so cool and gentle,giving me time to make myself ready for the blast furnace.I am sorry I did'nt get to this before the Ashevegas folks received their bounty,but there are now 900 lbs. of Satina and Purple Vikings, neatly packed in boxes,waiting for your bellies.On that note!!!!! tomatoes cherry toms. celery lettuce melon cukes squash carrots beans garlic basil eggplant If that does'nt say MID-SUMMER I do'nt know what would.Anyway,enjoy it all!!! peace gaelan Nicole DelCogliano Gaelan Corozine Green Toe Ground Farm, Celo, NC www.greentoegroundnc.

harvest week ten!!!

Hello Folks,

Been a wild and wooly one here on the farm,seesawing from cloud cover and high 60's, to blast furnace.This past week, we tilled under all the spring greens and cabbage, sowing summer oats to hold the soil down and to add some organic matter later on. Full, brazen summer is here, tomatoes blush, not out of modesty though, melons turn red on the inside and the beans are starting their annual pain parade, from back to belly and other B words you can imagine. Squash and cukes keep up the fusillade,accruing by the 100lbs. in the walk in. Winter squash inflate irrepressably on the vine and at the end of every day I open my eyes under the cool of the river and thank the Big One for my life, my hand glued to a cold beer.

As always though, there was something a little bit special about the week. Namely that I caught a bee swarm .Have'nt done that in maybe eight years. I wondered as I was improvising pants out of Nicole's raincoat, whether I still had the magic. My philosophy in farming is to leave parts of the day free in my mind, for those random occurances that make what we do worthwhile. Catching an early morning swarm was one such occurance. Maybe 20 thousand bees,clustered on a flower stalk, as I donned the veil and gloves, warning Nick and Grace to a safe distance. I wondered if it would be a teachable moment, or a disaster with me running for my life. Back in my cowboy years, when it seemed I was untouchable I used to handle bees half naked and barefoot all the time. Many stings later, I like the veil just fine. After a half our of wetting their wings and slowly scooping and shaking, those beautiful winged geniuses were ensconced in a closed hive body. As I was marvelling at the sound of thousands of beating wings, I realized that all the fruits you enjoy every week are due to our friends the bees.So thank a farmer, but treasure our bees.

Your bounty for the week.
 squash

cukes

beets

carrots

eggplant

cabbage

garlic

beans

cherry tomatoes

Man ,that's some happy bellies!Enjoy!!!!!!!

peace

gaelan

Nicole DelCogliano
Gaelan Corozine
Green Toe Ground Farm, Celo, NC
www.greentoegroundnc.com
www.greentoeground.blogspot.com

harvest week nine

Hi All!!!

Whoee!!It's been hot, wet, in short, summer is hitting us with its best shot. I can tell how hard I work, by how early my eyelids rebel against gravity or obey it. Afternoons are a series of sweat soaked hours,cooled by frequent riverine submersions.Yesterday I cut open the first watermelon, one I had been keeping an eye on. It was'nt all the way ripe, but I could of sworn I was transported to some farmers nirvana, as the sweet juice rolled down my chin and under my shirt, soaking my shorts.And it wasn't even ripe yet!!!

The beans are beginning their green cascade, I  got a good case of Bean Belly yesterday, as we picked the first 60 lbs. Sweet taters are spreading out, battling the creeping winter squash, which if current trends hold, will bury us in delicate butternuts and zesty delicata's.My mind is like a calculator stuck on the multiplication button, constantly reviewing , planning and fretting as the farm is threatening to bury me with its bounty .We've had moments of panic recently when packing the truck for market. Stuff literally will not all  fit! It's like a geometric jigsaw puzzle. Last Wednesday when I left for market and looked out the window en route, my table was hanging out the window! Luckily we fixed it before it fell out.

 Last week we got rained on so much I was freaking out over the possibility of late blight on the tomatoes.So far so good though, as they remain startlingly green and the fruit set looks superb.The sheep love the cooler wet weather, not greeting me with a cacophony of baaing when I see them, but contentedly munching on the lush grass.Gerda our cow is producing enough milk for an army,a full three gallons a day.Such a great way to start your day, leaning against her warm flank, listening to the milk streams hiss into the bucket, getting whipped in the face with her wet poopy tail....

.Hope you all are enjoying this years bounty, we feel it has been a great one so far. On that note.

lettuce

cukes

squash

eggplant

cabbage

beans

carrots

Enjoy this while it lasts, fall will be here before you know it!With a bit of melon and tomato thrown in isoon enough .Happy eating!

peace

gaelan and nicole

harvest week seven: garlic harvest

Hey all!

Not sure if Nicole already let you in on this weeks secrets, but if so, here's a double dose.If not,hallelujah!Pulled the garlic out of the ground yesterday,thinking about it's central asian origins,connecting ourselves through the millenia with farmers the globe over.Sometimes that happens to me, when pulling carrots,staring into the mists of history,when the carrot was an unknown root born in Afghanistan.Maybe Alexander the Great, munched on one as he drove his Macedonians over the Hindu Kush and here we are in Appalachia,enjoying a similar treat.Mindblowing!The bulbs of garlic were covered in beneficial micro fungi, a testament to the health and vitality of that particular field, which we have been struggling with these last years.So great to pull the roots from the ground and then in no time to see them hanging jauntily in the barn.Carmella loved it, meticulously cleaning the fat bulbs.Now, garlic will once again cloak us in its smells and tastes,its health giving qualities and its culinary prowess.We have officially reached the mad dash stage, where weeds and plants grow tremendously.Harvesting, weeding,planting are all a blur and the only thing keeping you on your feet is the need to do just ONE more thing before collapsing in to the swift river water.I'm gonna keep this a short epistle,since Nicole is headed up to NY and we must pack for market.Here's the hoodlums!

cukes

squash

greens

lettuce

onions

broccoli

cabbage

fennel

maybe taters if I feel generous.

Anywho, enjoy the onslaught.Keep your bellies happy!

peace

gaelan

Harvest week eight:squash deluge

Hello All!

Another week of farm madness has passed, leaving us all feeling giddily chastened.In the fields, we are currently dodging the deluge of squash and cukes thundering into our harvest boxes,while looking at the beans and tomatoes. Bean Back and Bean Belly  are almost here and guess what? I really want to share the pain!I have been trying to harvest the squash at smaller and smaller size, thusly cutting down on the bulk of the larger fruit. As with all things though, good ideas are great on paper,but out there on the front rows, it's pick or be picked.We had our annual 4 of July party, a day for us to celebrate all that we are thankful for. Food, music , poetry, good friends , beer and of course pyrotechnics.Our good friend Nathan Allen again roasted one of our swine over a nice fire,as the party revellers worked up an appetite competing in the farm olympics.For me, this celebration represents my goals, bringing people together around farming and food.Looking at each other across the fire and sharing tales of daring doo.Nick and Grace constructed a giant papier mache eagle ,which was the grand finale of the fireworks show, bursting into flight while Jimi Hendrix sang about kissing the sky.

We are doing other things than partying here, watching the green tomatoes emerge from their flower buds, clustering in abundance on the vine.We have head sized watermelon and cantaloupe out there, fattening like a suckling pig, sweeter and fat free though. Somehow, our soil is doing something as yet unseen, showing its intense vitality through the color of green the plants are.I am amazed and thrilled. Must be doing something right. Hope you al are enjoying the summer, until next week, if I don't drown in the squash ocean!

Here's the hit list.

carrots

beets

cukes

squash

lettuce

broccoli

greens

fennel

cabbage

Hope you can eat it all.If not, there are numerous freezing and canning options,very simple.Have a fabulous week.

peace

gaelan

harvest week six

Hello Everyone,

It's been a great week.Watching those monumental thunder heads roll in, leaving us wetter and better,causing things in the fields to get even more abundant.Of course there are times when ,astride the tractor ,lightening creasing the black clouds hanging seemingly right over my head,that I wonder what good I would be to anyone as a farmer chip.But that's what it's all about right, risking life and limb for head lettuce and bok choi!You can really tell summer is here, by the varying shades of fruit that Carmella has been ingesting.One day, a black raspberry purple, the next,an orange tint from the sungolds .Her small mouth a great indicator of what's good eating at the moment.Yesterday we herded Gerda our cow in, she perched happy on my shoulders.Once down at the farm, we HAD to go see the baby watermelons.Halfway down the bed I looked back and Carmella was painstakingly smushing every squash bug she could find.It was all I could do to coax her away from the carnage.I think she even told me to hold on, she would be there when she was done.

We also began seeding the fall round of broccoli, cauliflower and greens,parsnips and other fall staples.Strange to do when the summer bounty hasn't even hit us full on yet.Seems the days race by,each a blur of soil, fruit, greens and cool deep water.I have enjoyed this spring and early summer immensely,watching the plants rocket forward towards your bellies,so generous in their giving.I will sing the melons a lullaby for all out there,it makes them sweeter!

Here's the goods!

lettuce

onions

broccoli

cabbage

greens

squash

fennel

new taters

Have fun in the kitchen!

peace

gaelan

harvest week cinco

Hey Folks!

Happy to announce the arrival of bright red new potatoes to your kitchens! Always an exciting time, where last week they were merely marbles, but with this great moisture we have had , they have puffed themselves up to truly delectable dimensions.As with the arrival of cherry tomatoes, they are the harbingers of our shift into the high gear of summer.These Andean tubers,which have played such an incredibly well travelled role in world history.Most notably of course the Irish potato famine.I love to imagine their spread slowly around the world,until now when they have become a much vaunted staple of many cultural diets.Looking down the bushy rows,I like to think I can hear the tubers expanding.

The farm is going great guns,as from day to day plants flower and fruit clusters appear.Broccoli, such a space hog, is here now for a couple weeks,but soon we will be gone,just in time for the arrival of full summer croppage.Moisture has remained well balanced so far this seasom, I only spent one week turning the irrigation on,fixing geysers and ignoring pesky mere leaks.Over the years I have received a PhD. in farm irrigation and invention.After endless cutting,splicing and knuckle skinning,our farm water system works almost like I want it to.Some people cunsult techno wizards, spending entire lunch breaks hyperventilating on the phone.I prefer to hyperventilate inb the field, plus I can cuss and kick the offending pieces .Sometimes I think I could diversify into farm therapy.I hope you all take the time to make a cold new tater salad,with plenty of green onion, salt ,pepper and dill.Here are the hoodlums for the week.

NEW TATERS

squash

broccoli

cabbage

head lettuce

onions

kale/collards

Enjoy!!!!!!!

peace

gaelan

harvest week four

Howdy All!

Been a hot one this past week, days, where the sweat trickles down your body in tiny rivulets,your mind struggling to keep the torpor at bay.Yet how could I possibly complain,when things are growing a mile a minute and the river,oh the river is what keeps it all in perspective.Planted out sweet potatoes this week,trying to imagine three months from now,digging those orange clusters from the sandy soil.Enough to make you run through the garden naked.For me it's always fascinating when the heaT bears down,yet the leafy greens hold their own with remarkable grit.I wander the fields aimlessly in the early morning, poking and prodding, feeling like some strange earth doctor,checking on my patients.This past week was also the celebrated first cherry tomato from the high tunnel.At first I thought I was seeing things,maybe someone had droped an orange golf ball, then remembered that noone plays golf in my field.Suddenly it hit me.Sungold!!!!As the trickle of hot , sweet -tart juice flowed over my taste buds,my body went to automatic,running itself out of the tunnel, whooping and screaming.Somehow,as we all know,taste can trigger such a whirlwind of memory and emotion.The taste of the first tomato, however small seems to me to say that everything, no matter how tough the going will be fine in the end.Maybe politicians should eat fresh, sun ripened sungolds.Perhaps then we would have happy down to earth people in office.Carrots are elongating,beets are rounding out,cukes are nascent on the vine and the melons spread stealthily over their beds,like good eats sliding down your gullet.I hope all and sundry are enjoying their food,I really think instead of carpe diem, it should of been seize the food.Here is your playlist for the week.

squash

onions

kale

lettuce

peas

choi

Tallyho!!!

peace

gaelan

Harvest week three: HOT!

Man, time is flying by.Today was a double dip day in the river, felt good to sweat some, really feeling like summer is here to stay.When it's so hot out, I relish the early mornings even more, the lush colors before the sun turns everything a blinding yellow.Today we worked on building an outdoor shower at the apprentice cabin. Nick and Grace are this year's crop of young folks, who give us their sweat and tears, minimal on the blood part. My personal ethic when accoplishing a project on the farm  is to find as much of the materials on site as possible.Saving cash, but also a creative challenge to see what one can create with random parts.We are using an old pressure tank for the water storage, set on a seven foot high platform,connected to the already existing water catchment system.

I've been in a pickle of late, at the end of the day, turning my hands over, wondering at the lack of engrained dirt this year. It's almost as if I have to intentionally rub my hands with schmutz to feel that I really am a farmer. I take pride in my farmer hands.Have to keep up with my peers the world over,whose hands I always admired,coursed with veins ,fingers like vise grips. I swear I'm working hard........really.

All vegetable matter is continuing its rapid expansion, lettuce heads ballooning like they're sucking helium. Melons are starting their slow spread over the black fabric . Peas are fattening on the vine and the tomatoes are putting out buds. This evening at dusk the girls and I were down at the farm, me fixing some last minute wrinkles with the irrigation, the girls, dancing through the fine spray of the sprinklers, yelling and singing.What a great way to end the day. Here's a who's who for this weeks eating!

kale/chard/collards

radish

peas

lettuce

onions

garlic scapes

Choi

Enjoy the Hot weather! Peace, Gaelan

Don't postpone Choy!

Don’t Postpone Choi !This great vegetable loves the cool and grows so well in our mountains. Last year we had some major Choi and we are having a similar time now. Our intern Joe from last season liked to play with words and made up the "Don't postpone Choi" from a local shop whose slogan is "Don't postpone Joy!". They liked his ideas so much they made it into a T- shirt! At market , folks are sometimes afraid of veggies they don't recognize. Bok Choi is so versatile, so don't be intimidated. Here is an idea of how to prepare it.
Bok choy has been cultivated in China for centuries and is now more common in the U.S. It is a member of the cabbage family .
Choi is like two vegetables- the leaves are like spinach and the stems more like celery or asparagus.
Common uses: Stems and leaves can be cooked separately. Add stems first as they take longer to cook than the leaves. Chop off end and rinse thoroughly as dirt likes to hide between the stalks.
Choi can be used raw in salads, steam and toss with sesame oil, butter, salt or a vinaigrette or add to stir fries- add stems first then leaves.
Choi with Gingery butter
2 medium choi sliced into inch strips
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 clove garlic (or use garlic scapes)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1. Bring pot of water to boil and add choi. Cook until tender but still crisp. Drain and rinse under cool water.
2. Melt butter , add soy, ginger, garlic and choi.
3. Cook, remove and stir in cilantro and salt/pep to taste. - Great over rice and served with chicken. Add sausage as a treat too!

Harvest week dos!!!

Ahhhhh the sun.Suddenly things are growing at an incredible clip.Hard to remember last week, feeling like a cold wet fish.Things are growing so fast,I'm wondering what the hell I put in the soil.Maybe it's just farmer paranoia , but I sometimes seem to hear the veggies sniggering behind my back.There are times when nobody else is out in the field, the morning mist dissapating from the nascent sunlight,the greens, purples and reds of early summer croppage make me have to sit and watch as another appalachian day dawns.That is my favorite time,the animals getting their grazing in before the heat and the flies drive them under the cover of the russian olive trees.All the summer crops that we planted out have begun their greening process and the beans planted not five days ago have emerged for another round of Bean Belly.Taters need hilling , their foliage is thick and bright healthy green,as they suck off the cover crop we incorporated this spring.We had a surprise lamb this week.Cocoa,one of our oldest ewes we had held back from breeding seemed quite fat when I went to shear her, but then I forgot all about it.Well,two days ago, she gave birth to a jumpy white male(are'nt all white males a little jumpy?).Eustace as the girls christened him.The sheep have been great this year,no lamb losses.Shearing went great, the last being Sonny our 300 lb. ram.Always somewhat magical to slowly peel his incredible fleeceoff,the grass waving all around,he somewhat perplexed at being hog tied on the ground.

Things are shaping up nicely, you should be looking for broccoli,fennel,beets ,peas and other goodies in the weeks to come.Here's a list of goodies for this week.

arugula

choi

greens

head lettuce

green onions

garlic 'scapes

turnips

radish

Now is the time to get Asian in the kitchen, some Choi,thinly sliced turnip,garlic scapes ,ginger,soy,fish sauce(or not)chili pepper and a touch of citrus.Rice noodle or rice.Also kale loves the same treatment.Go all out.Eat well!!!!!

peace

gaelan

Harvest week uno.......brrrrrrrr!

Hey Everyone!
You would never know it was May 16 outside.My hands are just regaining their dexterity after feeling like two useless lumps on the end of my arm.I do'nt think the mornings temperature rose much above forty five.Not to mention it rained and I was'nt wearing any raingear.Apparently I need to suffer in order to feel fully alive.Who would have thought us post modern farmers had such a masochistic streak!It has been an interesting spring,the polar opposite of last spring , when swims in the river started in early April and did'nt stop until nearly halloween.With the weather being so much more wet and colder, things veggie wise have grown slower,yet, with our silica rich sandy riverbottom,we have managed not to fall behind .It is truely amazing to see the rate of growth from our sandy lower fields, to our heavier soiled upland fields.Things germinate and grow much quicker in the sandier soils, yet the heavier soils hold moisture and grow crops with more vibrant color.Always a balance,kind of like our kids,whose personalities seem at times irreconcilable.
Last week and this week we have managed to plant out all the hot weather crops.Unfortunately they are sitting in the cold rain,like tropical refugees,waiting for the good ole sun.As am I ,I might add.The tomatoes in the hoop house are powering forward and the summer squash we planted out in April is fruiting oh so marginally.Our pastures are awash in lush grass,Gerda our milk cow and our flock of sheep are barely visible at times,rejoicing in the green succulence.In the last few days, hundreds of mushrooms have sprouted underneath our crops,confirming our wish to have highly living microbially active soils.I of course never satisfied wish they were Morels.I hope everyone is as excited as we are,launching out into the unknown,or quasi known.To be a farmer requires almost endless reserves of positivity balanced with a healthy dose of pragmatic cynism.Humor is key as well, keeping manic depression (not Jimi's version)away.For those who are eating with us for real , here is your first hit list. For the others, read it and weep!!!
choi
spring onions
turnips
radish
head lettuce
bunched kale/chard/collards
green garlic
A good start, so enjoy.Happy eating!
peace gaelan

the ins and outs of a farm girl (Asha and Carmella)

The In’s and Out’s of being a farm girl- by Asha Corozine DelCogliano
age 11
Growing up on a farm is fun! My day starts like this- I wake up at 8 a.m , if my mom and dad are not here, I feed the dogs, the cats, the pigs and last but not least, feed the chickens. I might go down to the field to help my mom and dad.
The hard thing about being a farm girl is that sometimes you feel other kids are lucky because they get to go on trips more often. We have so many animals to tend that going away is difficult.
My job at the farm is to help with my little sister. In the evening I get our cow Gerda from the field and bring her to the barn. Then I give my horse Star sweet feed and hay and give our injured sheep hay and water.
There are many advantages to living on a farm. I get to eat food from our own farm. I have organic and healthy food to eat every day. I also have awesome animals. My dad is also teaching me to drive the tractor by myself which is really fun.
I like living on a farm because you have tons of fun and you get to swim in the nice cool river on a hot summer day.
That’s the in’s and out’s of being a farm girl.
Farm girl by Carmella Corozine DelCogliano age 6
My life of being a farm girl is fun. I like visiting with Dawn , our injured sheep and visiting with the lambs all the time. I like the friendly pigs- they nibble on your boots all the time. I help my dad herding our cow Gerda . Sometimes I am scared when I am behind her because she is so big! Sometimes I help wash the vegetables. I really like to spin the salad in the spinner. When I got hay with my dad and sister, we saw a big black snake in the middle of the road. I helped plant the tomatoes. I really like to ride in the bucket of the tractor. I also help my dad drive the truck home. I like all my animals very much.

loony lambs

We have finally got all our animals out on grass . We pushed ourselves through the eye of the needle so to speak last week. All the ewes are sheared and mamas and babies out of the barn. Usually it goes quite smoothly when we lead them out of the barn to grass. This year however, well....
We got some grain to lead the mamas. They  came out easily . The babies however did not follow. The ewes took off after Gaelan up the road while the lambs ran wildly around baaing and looking confused!
Usually they do not want to leave the mom.
So we had to lead the ewes back to the barn and get the lambs back inside. We loaded the lambs into the truck and Gaelan led the ewes on foot, the truck following kind of herding them from behind.
Once at the field the ewes went into the pasture pretty well. 
The lambs however got wild. Unfortunately with the girls trying to help, Carmella  lost John and he ran off. Then a couple of white lambs jumped out of the back of the truck. I managed to recapture them twice and put them in the pasture, but they were so freaked they just ran back out through the wire which was unelectrifiied!! It all ended up with Gaelan and Asha chasing one through the woods, me diving numerous times after one white one and then when we thought we had them all, we realized one more was missing.
We heard a distant baaing and realized one was up by the cabin. Gaelan and I sprinted up there and chased it all about all the while cussing and wishing we were real shepherds with a crook . Now I remember why they are so handy! You can get to within an arm' s length and think you have the lamb, but then it books off. If only we had a crook!!
It was a little crazy but all ended well.  I certainly was sore the next day. I use my body a lot for farming, but sprinting uphill is rarely one of my activities!

WNC Chefs Challenge 2011, Week 7 | WNC Magazine

WNC Chefs Challenge 2011, Week 7 WNC Magazine

pig story by Asha

A pig story by Asha age 11
Today I walked down to the farm and went to visit our new pigs. There are five of them. I was hanging out with them in their stall and the biggest  one, Buff, opened the door.  It escaped. I said, " oh no, what am I supposed to do!?". Our cow, Gerda, started running around and mooing because the pig was squealing cause it was scared. The pig went under our barn. I was thinking, "Don't let it into the woods, don't let it get out." Then, I ran around the back side of the barn and started shooing it out from behind. Then I got out into the paddock again where Gerda was and I caught it by it's back legs and starting pulling it towards the door. I was holding it by one hand and with the other trying to open the door! Finally, I opened the door and the pig started squealing. I was laying down with the pig on top of me! I let it go and it ran around in the stall and was squealing. I said "phew, that's over!" by Asha

from Nicole
What a farm girl! Gaelan and I were planting the last of the potatoes and heard a distant squealing. Little did we know!

farming and cooking

So, here is my first blog entry! Gaelan is participating in the WNC Chef's challenge tomorrow night! I think I am more nervous than him! I keep having anxiety dreams about it, like we're late or that I can't get in to attend, etc. He seems surreally calm. Nate from Knife and Fork invited him in the late winter when he got notified he would be invited to compete. He and Gaelan have formed a nice bond. Gaelan learned a lot from him last winter when he worked there. He has really developed these last years into a fine cook. Doing the dinners on our farm I think have given him a lot of confidence and he really likes to use his creativity. He is also so confident when he  cooks now! And he bosses me around a lot more now in the kitchen too- one downside to every upside!
So..one the farm. We don't have any help yet which is starting to seem like a poor move. I am still homeschooling each morning and Gaelan is at the farm. So this week mini "spring break " from schooling to put the hands in the dirt and get a bunch of delayed projects done! I am looking forward to it. I get cranky when I am not active enough. I've done lots of seeding and helped with all the planting out, etc, but I'm feeling the need to "get into the groove" again.
We had our first market on Saturday. It rained like hell the first 2 hours and felt like it would be miserable. But customers still came and then  the sun shone and it felt like another world. I sold everything and wished I had more to sell! Carmella ate a ton and teased our neighbor farmer a lot.
Today she and I walked down to the farm and had some fun chats. We saw some ladybugs along with some bumblebees on some iliagnus plants. She said , "They're probably eating the aphids! " She went on to explain how the ladybugs were good bugs and it was good to eat the bad aphids. I guess she was listening last year when we roamed the tomatoes! She also loves to chase and wrangle the lambs in the barn. She loves to open their mouth and look at their teeth. She said they are smiling when she does that. We hung out with the piglets and they were more "friendly, now that they're settled in" she said. THey did in fact nibble and sniff her hands and clothes today. She picked some parsnips and radishes and fed it to them.
We also said goodbye to Gerda's calf yesterday. Gerda mooed and bellowed for him after he left. We didn't feel we could eat him. Somehow cows are so different seeming to us than the other animals we raise. Maybe it's the eyes. Carmella was sad and said "he loved me" about Gadjo. She is such a sensitive little farm girl!