Getting Ready the 2011 Season

We're meeting to start getting things organized for 2011. We hope to see you the market.

Confections by Connie...
17 pounds of vegetables cleaned & scrubbed. 4 1/2 hours of grinding. 2 hours of cooking & i have a new product! dill relish. come sample it & tell me if you like it.

What's happening at:

Lone Oak Farms...
Up today at 5am. Ran the wild black raspberries that Tyler and I picked on Tuesday through the Squeezo this morning. The juice is in the freezer for making jam at a later time. We managed enough in two picking for two batches. Yum! It's our favorite. Spent an hour catching up on some farmers' market loose ends and will head out to feed and water the chickens and open the coops. Yesterday's heavy rain and the threat of storms again today will probably keep me out of the gardens. I plan to start some lettuce, basils, and curcurbits in flats and put them in the greenhouse. The rain washed off the organic spray I used yesterday to try to fight off the tomato blight which is already showing its ugly head. As soon as the threat of rain is over, I'll be spraying again. Also have to run to Wheeling to deliver my eggs to the market then head to Jacobsburg to pick up our weekly share of raw milk. If it's not too wet, we hope to mow a few rows in the blueberry patch and hope we find some berries the birds missed so we can freeze a few and take some to market.

Confections by Connie...
Having trouble with crows going in the hen house and stealing our eggs! Any suggestions?

What's happening on Blue Ridge.

The first set of shiitake logs are pinning and should have some for the Saturday market. Pulled another set out that we were soaking. We'll see where it goes from there.

What's going on with:

Pam - Fine as Frog's Hair
Sunday, June 13, 2010
It was one of those days......10 hours at the animal ER then home to replant several dozen dahlia tubers that were dug out of the ground by raccoons (they were after the bone meal that I put in the holes with the tubers) I replanted and poured cayenne pepper on top.....let 'em get a nose full of that!!!

Joey and Cindy -Sat and Sun. Soaked mushroom logs. Still picking cherries and berries.

Pam from "Fine as Frog's Hair"

Finally! Good weather to plant! I've dug 60 holes for dahlia tubers and when I got out my stored tubers I have more than that. Ok - must find more space to plant them!I've weed eated the banks, mowed the yard so I could have grass for mulch, transplanted butterfly bushes and lavender, planted new butterfly, hydrandea and nine bark bushes, seeded 3 rows of cosmos, 6 rows of snapdragons, and am still waiting for tilling to be done so I can seed my sunflowers and zinnias, (darn I wish I was strong enough to handle the tiller) this weather has put us way behind schedule. I'll have enough flowers for a few bouquets for this week at the market.The potatoes look great, the beans are up and there are 60 tomato plants in the ground. I put in a row of sweet potatoes that I started from potatoes that I saved from the Farmer's Market last season (thanks Susan and Connie!)Oh, yeh, soap. I have soap for the market tomorrow. And more soap that will be ready in a few weeks. And more soap to make. I have Lavender, Euphoria, Oakmoss, Lemon/Calendula, Sweet Earth, Peppermint/Coco, Olive Oil, and Lilac. See everyone at the Market!!!

Susan's plan for the day... At Lone Oak Farms, I'll be headed outside to tend to the chickens. Coops need opened to allow chickens access to outdoors. They'll be waiting at the door to come running outside! Feed and water at three buildings...older Buckeye hens, Golden Comet hens and the replacement chicks that are now about 2 months old. Buying Buckeye hens (at least from that hatchery) turned out to be a very bad decision. Lucky to get 10 eggs a day from 34 hens. As a comparison, my Comets are giving me 19/20. Need to get tomato plants in the ground and hopefully, transplant the cucs and zucchini that are outgrowing their pots! We'll see how it goes.