Happy National Farmer's Market Week!

United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack proclaimed August 5-11, 2012 as National Farmers Market Week. Since 2000, the number of recorded farmers markets has grown approximately 170%, from 2,863 markets in 2000 to more than 7,800 in 2012. Vilsack says “farmers markets across the country offer consumers affordable, convenient, and healthful products sold directly from the farm in their freshest possible state, increasing consumer access to fresh fruits and vegetables and thus promoting child health and potentially reducing childhood obesity.”

Around here…every week is Farmers’ Market week. Well, at least from April 1st to Thanksgiving.

It’s hard to believe that back in 1994, when the USDA first began tracking Farmers Markets, there were only 1,755 in the entire nation.  As of the latest USDA publication in July 2012, there are 7,864!  

                       

                              7,864...WOW!

Back in 1994, we had given no thought to any farmers’ market.  We filled our produce needs from the local grocery or a small produce stand near our home. I believe there was a local market, but it was somewhat sporadic…and hard to find.  We put in a garden in hopes of finding that elusive “perfect” tomato.

This is NOT a bad photo...
it was just THAT foggy!

As we began the odyssey that eventually led us to the Valley, our focus on growing food became more intense. The garden got bigger and we got the girls involved. We added some livestock.  We learned a lot about growing different crops and preserving the bounty.

When we arrived in the Valley, and what we thought was a well-crafted plan was suddenly NOT “the plan”, we had to revise, rethink and re-invent. Despite some major ups and downs, frustrations and heartaches, we finally landed on our feet. We are eternally grateful to the group of newfound friends who suggested venturing into the Farmers’ Market.

The trials and errors and misadventures of the last 15 years have allowed us to discover many things about many subjects. The Staunton/Augusta Farmers' Market is vital to our survival.  Not only does it provide income, it is enjoyable and educational.  We have found our true calling…and more than a few good friends along the way.

Farmers’ Markets offer a unique opportunity to the small producer.  It is possible for a grower to make a good living from a small plot by marketing his/her products directly to the public.

1st Market ever 

The atmosphere of a farmers’ market serves as a business incubator of sorts and small ventures have a chance to grow into larger, profitable enterprises.

To the customers, the Market offers unparalleled local freshness of all kinds of products.  There is the chance to connect with the actual producers of food products. The eclectic atmosphere of food, music and friendly conversation is unique to a farmers’ market.

Have a great Farmers’ Market week!  

       


              Shop a local market.  

                         



                             Try a new food product.

  Get to know a farmer! (or two)

                                       
                                                    

**market photos courtesy of T. Leighton Womack Photography**

Gimme Three Steps

It’s gonna be a long, hot summer, we should be together
With your feet up on the dashboard now…

Singing along with the radio, it’s such a beautiful sound...

                              -keith urban

As the Boss escorted me from Urgent Care  Thursday evening, I couldn’t help but think THIS was NOT what Keith Urban had in mind when he recorded "Long, Hot Summer".   The song had been the last one I listened to on my MP3 as I harvested and processed vegetables, and it kept playing along in my head. The feet on the dashboard line was giving me the giggles all the way home.

Oh, but…I suppose I should start this story at the beginning!

It started out as an average Thursday here on the hill.  We were actually making a good deal of progress in regaining control over the chaos that had seemed to take over the farm last week.  I was so encouraged and planning to “blog it all” later. 

There has been no break in the heat and humidity, but we were starting to make some real headway in the “to-do” list.  When we worked the sheep and turned Waylon in with the ewes, I knew we were making progress.  Of course, completion of that project was also evident by a glance at my clothing.  I had little black sheep hairs on my shirt, grass-stained knees and sheep wormer on my shorts.  No problem…we work at home!

The next project of the day entailed picking squash for me and digging potatoes for the Boss.  With all the rain of late, we both got pretty (make that VERY) dirty.  Again…not a problem.

I have been trying to get all the seedlings for fall started, and only had a few more flats to fill.  So, off to the greenhouse.  Of course, heat and humidity again mixed with potting soil this time and I was fairly filthy when I finished. But…no prob…

Then it was time for chores.  I think I managed to stay relatively clean this time, but over all I was not a tidy sight as I went in the house to finish supper preparations. 

The house smelled amazingly good.  I was trying a new lamb recipe in the crockpot and it seemed to have real potential. I put on a pot of rice and turned my attention to another new recipe a customer recommended.  I really don’t know what happened next.

Somehow, the newly sharpened butcher knife in my hand, or maybe on the counter, was suddenly falling, falling….slowly…toward the floor…no, toward…onto/ into my foot.  Ow! OW! OWOWOW!

The Boss called out “are you okay?” from the office.  My outbursts are not uncommon, but generally uneventful.

Yes…uh…no….no, I am not okay.

Blood was dripping down my foot onto the floor.  No, I am definitely not okay.  He was instantly in the kitchen.  I had no idea he could move so fast.

Doesn’t look good! That was his instant assessment. Great…

It can’t be that bad…

I looked down again. The wound was fairly large and bleeding profusely.  It certainly wasn’t good.  Okay, direct pressure, elevate it.  I did remember something from that first aid class about a hundred years ago.

While the Boss rummaged around for some butterfly bandages, my thoughts ranged from the pragmatic…well, we can fix this…we’ve vetted sheep and cows with great success.

….to the annoyed…man, supper is looking so good, and this is going to ruin it! (and I am really hungry!)

…to the amused…this will make a funny blog entry. (which explains my taking my camera along while forgetting my wallet)

…to the worried…hmmm, it’s been AGES since I had a tetanus shot. (and I have serious issues with shots)

…to the more than a little concerned…HOW am I gonna work tomorrow?...and if I go to the doc, it is going to cost a fortune!

 Oh hey, I think it stopped bleeding.  

Man, that IS a big hole.  

Butterfly bandages, antibiotic cream and gigantic bandaid applied. Thanks, Boss! …yeah, I’m good to go.

We got this thing!  I’ll just talk the Boss through the rest of supper prep…..then, I stood up.

This isn’t so bad. It only hurts a little.

Oh, wait…I’m leaving a trail of blood across the floor.

This might not be good. 

It was then the Boss pulled rank and decided to haul me off to somewhere because he KNEW I needed stitches AND a tetanus shot.  …and quit your arguing. But, but….oh my…look at my clothes! (my knees…my very dirty feet…) Oh, and dear...you're not so clean yourself!

*sigh*

A consult with EMTdaughter didn’t help much.  “You need to update your tetanus, and you probably need stitches. I’m just trained to treat and transport…” I think she kind of chuckled.

So, off to urgent care.  They took us right away and the nurse was keeping up a steady stream of conversation.  Suddenly, the recall of another Thursday night, in another emergency room rolled over me.  It wasn’t the blood or the situation, the paint color in the exam room was exactly the same.  I started to feel more than a little odd.  “Hey, are you okay?  I think you need to lie back. Lots of people have a problem with blood…”  It wasn’t worth trying to explain the flashback to that awful night in 2010. 

The doctor came in to assess the situation.  “So, stabbed yourself with a knife, huh? “ He didn’t even have to look at the chart.  “Let’s check this out.” I thought I would faint when he wanted to move my toes. 

Apparently, I didn’t do any serious damage to the ligaments. Oh yikes, I hadn’t even thought of THAT!  The four little stitches only took a couple minutes.  The tetanus shot made me feel weird and woozy, but then I was rolling back out the door again.

Now, I just feel stupid…for not wearing my shoes, for not paying attention, for not having quicker reflexes,  for not cleaning up BEFORE supper, for being a “wus” about needles,  for needing the Boss to take over everything I was planning on doing last night, for whining and limping about because of four little stitches…and on and on.

Today’s harvest was difficult because walking hurts.  I drove the lawnmower back and forth, but harvesting/processing/packing requires SO much walking, kneeling, squatting and all those activities affect one’s feet. Who knew?

In the immortal words of Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Won't you give me three steps,
Gimme three steps mister, Gimme three steps towards the door?” 

Three steps toward the door would have put me further from the counter…and I wouldn’t have hit my foot with the knife! and I wouldn't be in this predicament.

Three steps…and urgent care wouldn’t have to “see me no more."

Three steps…?  I think harvest day requires more like 3 million…(okay, an exaggeration…)

Three steps?…I won’t be taking them for granted anymore!

                        So… Won't you (somebody) give me three steps?

                                                                           At this point…I’d settle for even one that didn't hurt!

Anticipation… Is Makin’ Me Wait…

Farming involves a WHOLE lot of waiting.

 A WHOLE LOT.

Some days, you wait for the sun to come up so you can get started with the business of the day.  Some days…no, MOST days, you wait for dark so you can end the business of the day. You wait for rain, sunshine, warmer weather…cooler weather….the mail…

You order seeds…you wait for their delivery.

          You plant seeds…you wait for their germination.

                            …and then fruiting

                                       …then harvest…then FINALLY…the eating (or selling)!

Every aspect of my life involves some degree of waiting.  EVERY.SINGLE. ASPECT.  Sometimes this is frustrating.  It is made especially frustrating when the Boss quotes his dad, saying “your time will come!”  Honestly, old Dad Womack and I would have had words over that one, but we missed each other in this lifetime. L

All that aside, today we got one step closer to something for which I have been WAITING for well over a year now. 

We turned Waylon in with the ewes today.  While you may be tempted to think “big deal!”, I would disagree (and so would Waylon!) 

Part of my job as a shepherd is to understand (to some degree) genetics and growth rates.  I should have the knowledge and confidence to know that X ewe and Y ram will make AWESOME lambs (no matter their sex).  Through a LOT of trial and error, I can honestly say…I’m pretty good at this now.  Make that…WE’RE pretty good at this now.

In February of 2011, we had some beautiful ewe lambs. We watched them grow.  We made our decision.  We kept a number of them for breeders for this year. I bought one more because she was quite possibly the most beautiful ewe lamb I had ever seen.  I cannot tell you how very difficult it was not to “expose” them to the ram last year.  They were big, they were beautiful…but, I learned my lesson in ’11 about THAT one. Read this...

So, as of today, I may be only 150 days from finding out if my gamble, my intuition, my knowledge has any validity.  I have often compared lambing season to “Christmas morning on steroids”.  This year it really will be…Christmas Eve is the first possible lamb date.

I am SO excited, anxious, apprehensive…but….

                 All I can do now is….WAIT!

…and please tell me I am NOT the only one who remembers  THIS!

WEED Something...You'll Feel Better

Weeding may be the single-most important activity in the garden.

You can have the most amazing varieties of plants…astounding soil fertility…the most awesome irrigation system…and a sure-fire marketing strategy…but, if the weeds take over…

                                         …it was all for naught.

Simply stated, weeds are just plants that grow where they are not wanted. 

Sometimes they are noxious, invasive species that are not indigenous and seem to have some superpowers to grow despite drought, flood, hail and any other natural disaster. Since they’ll grow in all sorts of conditions, they provide a perfect environment for insects that can decimate vegetable crops. These types of plants have caused some farmers to embrace drastic measures and were the impetus for widespread herbicide usage.

I suppose in a perfect world, there would be no weeds.  But, just in case you haven’t noticed, this is NOT a perfect world. 

This year we have had the perfect weather for the perfect weed crop.  Warm, wet, early spring followed by a warmer, wetter summer.  The weeds are stupendous!  Unfortunately, we don’t make our living growing weeds. I would like to say that some weeds are quite tasty and very nutritious.  But, it is very hard to sell something for profit that people routinely pull out of their lawns!

A lot of folks figure that in order to grow crops, you must eradicate ALL weeds.  Those same folks figure that farmers spray all kinds of glop to get rid of said weeds. Nothing could be further from the truth here on the hill. While it might not be the perfect solution, we have reached some sort of truce with the weeds and manage to co-exist with a fair number of them.  As a matter of fact, there is a great deal of nutrition, for animal and man alike, in some of the plants that we disparagingly refer to as weeds. Our pastures are a mix of a lot of broad-leafed weeds and various grasses and clover. We have feasted on lambsquarters and dandelions more than once.

As of today, there are no herbicides approved for use in the “Organic” world.  Although, this year was the first year that the NOSB actually considered adding one to the list of approved products.

Personally, I don’t like herbicides….and yes, I have actually applied Roundup over the years.  For the record, never to crop producing areas! (promise)  But, herbicides take a while to take effect, and then you have this dying, brown mess that can’t be fed to the animals, and shouldn’t be put in the compost pile.  It just looks so messy!  YUCK

Weeding is the answer!  Weeding is therapeutic, effective, and provides a much appreciated treat for the chickens. It is one activity that requires no specialized tools…just a basic knowledge of “good plants/bad plants” and a little bit of persistence. Unlike cleaning house (which I admit I don’t really enjoy) there is little chance of the freshly weeded garden being soiled by dirty footprints or inadvertent spillages or other unpredicted disasters.  Generally, you get at least a couple of days before the persistent little weeds start popping up again.  There is something satisfying and attractive about a freshly weeded garden.

It is vitally important to the crop to be at least somewhat weed-free.  Weeds soak up the essential moisture and nutrients from the soil.  The weeds cut down on air circulation for the crop plants, smothering them or holding in too much moisture and allowing disease to flourish.  In some cases, the crucial pollinators cannot reach the blossoms of the crop because of weed pressure, thus limiting or destroying the yield potential.

A few minutes (more like HOURS) of intense effort and the garden is tidy, the crops well-cared for and the chickens’ appetites satisfied.

                                         I feel better already!

Father....Forgive ME....

I have a confession to make…

                      This is a big one…

                                        you may be shocked to learn that…

                                            Sometimes, I HATE summertime!   

Now, I realize that many other producers may understand my statement…but, I dare say no one else will.

How could I dislike, much less HATE, the warm, beautiful summer time when the “living is easy” and gorgeous, delicious food is ever abundant?  What on earth could I be thinking?  Isn’t this the time when I make the majority of my income?  Am I not the one who is always saying how much L-O-V-E what I do for a living? Have I suddenly lost my mind?

                Yeah, yeah, yeah…

But, there are times when it is SO HOT!  The weeds are SO TALL!  There are SO MANY bugs…eating EVERYTHING! There are far too many zucchini, tomatoes, onions, or whatever multiplying on the kitchen table, counter…for that matter…any flat surface all over the house.  I need to can, freeze, and preserve countless things.  There are seeds to sow, seedlings to plant, animals to process, crops to check, vegetables to harvest, and countless meals to prepare. The "to-do" list multiplies exponentially on a daily basis.I can't seem to keep up with the housework, laundry, and farm paperwork. Then, there are the complete and utter crop failures. It either rains TOO much or NOT AT ALL!  There are news reports of dire weather events elsewhere in the world that we know will affect prices, sales or availability in the upcoming months.  I’m tired…oh, so tired. Did I mention it’s HOT?!?  The animals are complaining, panting, or acting “off” due to weather related issues. And due to said weather issues, the power has been out THREE times this week alone. There are familial, community and Market “issues” weighing on my mind and/or heart. Add to that, I need to be thinking ahead and planning for Fall, Winter…and quite honestly…NEXT SPRING!

Gee…and this is when the living is “easy”? Seriously?             
                                                
                                                                                I need a break!

Any farmer/producer must admit that summer is not the “easy livin’ ” time that is often portrayed by Madison Avenue and the movies.  Vacations and farm life just do NOT mix. That old saying “make hay while the sun shines” means that during the warm months of summer, there is oh, so very much work to be done.  Sometimes, the amount of work seems insurmountable and more than a little overwhelming. There is an internal pressure to work harder, faster because there is a limited window of opportunity for accomplishment and success.

Mid-to late-July occasionally finds me wishing I had indeed followed some other line of work.  You know, I really could have done something else.  A little consideration only proves discouraging…if I had followed that opportunity long, long ago…I might be retiring soon…with benefits galore.  Why…I might be cruising the high seas!  The Boss and I might be tooling around the country in some big RV…visiting Farmers’ Markets across the nation…maybe around the world.  (….oh never mind…that actually sounds like some sort of hell on earth...or at the very least purgatory!)

Some years, the summer doldrums hit far harder than others.  This year seems especially bad.  Maybe it was the Derecho.  We are now seeing the far reaching effects of the wind, the heat and the 5 day power outage. (It is not pretty) The continued high temperatures and torrential rains haven’t helped much.  Maybe it is that last year seemed SO incredibly awesome.  (Last year seemed so great because the year before was quite possibly the worst of our lives…take that back…it WAS the worst year of our lives)  I haven’t felt quite so overwhelmed since the first year of living here on the hill. That first year, the learning curve seemed almost insurmountable as we shifted growing zones AND lifestyles. Talk about failures…frustrations…and tears…   That situation was one I hope to NEVER repeat!

 I’ve been hot and tired and the number of crop failures continues to mount.  While it’s not a pretty picture of farming, living, or even coping…there have been a number of times when I have just wanted to cry this year. (and okay,I admit it… I did) The bugs have beaten me on more than one occasion, freakish weather wiped out more than one “sure thing” crop, and we have experienced some things this year that we never have in the past. For the record…there are no “do-overs” in farming.  Often you get ONE shot at a project until next year.  I suppose we should just look at all of it as a learning experience.

As a farmer, it is hard to admit to the fact that sometimes I falter….sometimes I fail…and sometimes, just sometimes…I really want to give up! (Farmers should be tough, resilient and capable) It would be nice to find something easy…something fun…something that pays the BIG bucks.  And, then I find myself feeling slightly ashamed, somewhat apologetic and more than a little embarrassed.  Because, I really love what I do!...despite the frustrations, the hard work, and the small return on investment. I really do.  I love this life and all of its ups and downs. That is when I feel as if a confession is in order.

The truth of the matter is just this…Farming is hard work with absolutely NO guarantees! You can give it your best shot, work to your utmost ability, only to have the weather, a twist of fate or a glitch in the market defy you.  It is only through an enormous amount of faith and fortitude that any farm can continue to survive.  Farmers are said to have the most faith…of any profession…of any group of folks on earth.  I really think that is true. Sometimes, like this year, I can attest to the truth of that statement.

If it wasn’t for farmers…and their faith…and fortitude…we would all be cold, naked and very hungry.  I count myself privileged to number among the farmers/ranchers and other folks who make their living in agriculture in this country. It is an awesome feeling to know that you are an integral part (however small) in the food supply.

                     It’s just the "mid-summer doldrums" talking…

                                           

To-MAY-to….To-MAH-to

T
  O
     M
         A
            T
               O

How do YOU say it?

There are quite possibly as many ways to say T-O-M-A-T-O as there are varieties.  Well, perhaps that is an overstatement…there are entire catalogs/companies devoted to the red/green/yellow/black/striped fruit. Yes, I did say FRUIT! The tomato is botanically classified as a fruit, no matter what you may think, nor how it is used in nearly every cuisine throughout the world.

The tomato is without a doubt the most eagerly anticipated harvest from the garden.  The round, red things in the grocery just cannot compare to a field-raised, vine-ripened, heirloom tomato.  The complex blend of sweet/acidic taste and fruity undertones is hard to describe and even harder to resist. Summer without a tomato sandwich is like…well,...it just wouldn’t be right.

We’ve been growing our own tomatoes for a very long time.  We’ve experimented with all sorts and colors and every year we think we may have found the “ultimate” tomato.  …and then we try a new one…

The Boss likes the BIG pink/red ones with low acidity
and few seeds. 

I am partial to the bi-colors with their
gorgeous colors and fruity taste.

Paste tomatoes are essential for good
sauces and salsa.

A quick word about heirloom tomatoes…these varieties are old, in some cases dating prior to the War Between the States (the Civil War). Unlike hybrids, the heirlooms will grow true to variety if the seeds are saved from year to year.

Growing tomatoes from seed gives us the opportunity to try varieties that are different and somewhat unusual. It also means that we’ve been thinking about tomatoes for MONTHS before we ever get to harvest time. 

We start our tomato seeds in March in the greenhouse.  They are babied along and then put in larger pots sometime in April.  They finally go into the garden about the end of May. (you have heard my stories of COLD and FROSTY Springs here in the Valley).

Once they are in the garden, they are trellised and mulched. (confession time…mulching didn’t happen this year…really don’t know what happened) During the growing season, we tie the plants to the trellis several times.  This allows good air circulation to the plant, thus preventing disease.  It also makes things somewhat tidy and keeps the tomatoes off the ground. The mulch (when it happens) keeps the weed pressure at a minimum and the moisture down at the roots of the plants.

When the weather is warm and humid, (this is summer…so, that means on a near weekly basis) we apply copper to the plants.  This inhibits fungal diseases, allowing the plants to thrive. Pests among tomatoes are relatively few, giving us something for which to be truly grateful.

Sometime in July, we see the first signs of ripening.  Soon, we are inundated with tomatoes.  It’s time to take the most gorgeous specimens to the Market, have a LOT of tomato sandwiches, and make tomato sauce, pizza sauce, salsa and canned tomatoes. If things work out right, there will be frozen tomatoes and dried tomatoes for Winter Sales. For a short while, tomatoes will grace our table at nearly every meal.

All too quickly, about the time of the first frost in September/October, the vine-ripened, heirloom tomatoes disappear from the garden and the menu once more.      …and the anticipation of the next year’s bounty begins.

For those of you wondering how I say T-O-M-A-T-O... take a look at this!

 …and yes, I know, now you are wondering if I really sound  like Larry the Cable Guy…
                                                     ...well, maybe just a little. J

It's Raining...It's Pouring...

This is JULY?

July…

July generally marks the point in the summer where we are desperately…and I do mean DESPERATELY…praying for rain.  When the sheep run down to the feeders, it is in a swirling cloud of blinding dust.  There is absolutely NOTHING green around the henhouse---absolutely nothing! When we look at the gardens, it is with a distinct plan of what is in most dire need of irrigation.  July is generally, DRY….DRY…DRY.

This year is different.  Very different.  While all our friends in surrounding areas are praying for rain and complaining about drought, we have been wondering if we somehow became our generation’s “NOAH”.  We are actually slogging through MUD while many of our “neighbors” are worried, really worried, about the lack of rain. Further afield, the Midwest is in the midst of what could be an historic drought of dire proportion. That could adversely affect the rest of the nation.

Folks at the Market have been asking about rain for quite some time now.  “Guess you’re glad to see this rain, huh?”  That was the gist of the conversation for the past two weeks. At first, I played along, thinking perhaps I had missed something along the way….and knowing that you never, ever complain about rain.

However, as we began to really listen to our friends and “neighbors”, it became evident that we were the only ones getting regular and measurable rainfall.  Since our early days in the Valley, rainfall has been dutifully noted on the calendar.  I realize there are newer ways to keep track of such things. There is probably an app for my phone, but we keep track of precipitation the old-fashioned way. We have pretty accurate rainfall records for the past fifteen years.  I knew we weren’t dry…not by any stretch of the imagination.

In some ways, it is easier to attempt to counter drought than it is to attempt to circumnavigate flooding.  One can always irrigate in the dry stretches, but there is no way to protect from the ill effects of TOO much rainfall. Hard, heavy rain beats the plants into the ground, allows for the spread of disease and damages the growing vegetables.

So, while nearly everyone we know is saying “oh, my…it’s so dry…I just blew the dust off those taters when I dug ‘em!”  or…”it’s so dry…my garden’s not doin’ a thing…just sittin’ there…waitin’ for a rain!”…we’ve been slogging through mud, fighting parasites among the sheep, and trying to keep the mold and mildew from being an issue in our field crops. We haven’t had a July like this in quite some time.

The arrow shows our location...

Today, if it had not been for radar, we would have figured that the entire Valley was being deluged.  We certainly were!  However, a check of the weather page revealed that we were the only area of the county to be getting the rain…complete with lightning and a RAINBOW!  An inch and 5/8’s later, and the storm finally dissipated. The whole thing lasted under an hour. Oddly, it formed almost directly over the farm and dissolved just slightly east of us.  That may have been the most localized storm I have ever witnessed.

The wet weather has certainly put a damper on our plans for the week.  The planting, cultivating, harvesting may all have to be postponed due to wetness.  While that is highly unusual for this time of year, it’s not completely abnormal.  So, we’ll just improvise and move on.

                                   …and never, ever complain about the rain!