Week 17, 2023
Mid October on an organic vegetable farm looks very much like a Fall scene.
Archives
Week 16, 2023
If the CSA experience does anything for us, it challenges us. We are challenged by the weekly or bi-weekly boxes of seasonal vegetables that are sometimes familiar and sometimes unfamiliar. The less familiar vegetables aren’t meant to intimidate, disappoint, or dis-courage you. They’re meant to inspire you, foster courage and bravery and challenge you to rise to a new level in your cooking skills that impresses your friends and family and builds confidence in you as a cook!
Week 15, 2023
If the CSA experience does anything for us, it challenges us. We are challenged by the weekly or bi-weekly boxes of seasonal vegetables that are sometimes familiar and sometimes unfamiliar. The less familiar vegetables aren’t meant to intimidate, disappoint, or dis-courage you. They’re meant to inspire you, foster courage and bravery and challenge you to rise to a new level in your cooking skills that impresses your friends and family and builds confidence in you as a cook!
Week 14, 2023
If the CSA experience does anything for us, it challenges us. We are challenged by the weekly or bi-weekly boxes of seasonal vegetables that are sometimes familiar and sometimes unfamiliar. The less familiar vegetables aren’t meant to intimidate, disappoint, or dis-courage you. They’re meant to inspire you, foster courage and bravery and challenge you to rise to a new level in your cooking skills that impresses your friends and family and builds confidence in you as a cook!
Week 13, 2023
If the CSA experience does anything for us, it challenges us. We are challenged by the weekly or bi-weekly boxes of seasonal vegetables that are sometimes familiar and sometimes unfamiliar. The less familiar vegetables aren’t meant to intimidate, disappoint, or dis-courage you. They’re meant to inspire you, foster courage and bravery and challenge you to rise to a new level in your cooking skills that impresses your friends and family and builds confidence in you as a cook!
Week 12, 2023
This week on the farm we brace ourselves to brave the heat wave on the horizon. Temperatures expected to be as high as 100 degrees this week on Wednesday.
Week 11, 2023
A blessed 2.9 inches of rain have fallen on the fields of the farm since last week! It came in a thrilling and exciting storm on Friday night in a blast of wind and rain with lots and lots of lighting. On Monday we had our first actual rainy harvest day where we were harvesting kale in the rain with full rain gear enjoying every moment of it.
Week 10, 2023
The drought on the farm continues to a level deeper than anything we have ever experienced in our 19 years of farming. The 80% chance of rain we were expecting this last weekend dwindled from 80% to 70% to 60% to 40% to none. We’re in severe drought status.
Week 9, 2023
I believe that predictable practices are good for a person, a family and a crew. There is no questioning whether the job or the task set before us is worthy or important, it simply must be done.
Week 8, 2023
I believe that predictable practices are good for a person, a family and a crew. There is no questioning whether the job or the task set before us is worthy or important, it simply must be done.
Week 7, 2023
It’s only week 7 and the season feels like it’s in a teenage stage of development. Many of the plants are looking full sized, healthy, strong, and like they’re approaching the season of setting fruit. The potato, tomato, squash, melon and cuke fields look fantastic to name a few.
Week 6, 2023
With the hot weather the summer squash and zucchini harvest is hitting strong. Cucumber harvest will likely begin next week. Cucumber and zucchini harvest needs to happen every two days to make sure that the fruits don’t get over-mature. We also harvest broccoli and cauliflower every two days to cut the heads that are fully mature and to make sure they don’t over-mature in the fields. Broccoli and Cauliflower are both stored in the cooler and iced until box packing on Tuesdays.
Week 5, 2023
With the hot weather the summer squash and zucchini harvest is hitting strong. Cucumber harvest will likely begin next week. Cucumber and zucchini harvest needs to happen every two days to make sure that the fruits don’t get over-mature. We also harvest broccoli and cauliflower every two days to cut the heads that are fully mature and to make sure they don’t over-mature in the fields. Broccoli and Cauliflower are both stored in the cooler and iced until box packing on Tuesdays.
Week 4, 2023
The farm in in full swing. We are finally caught up on all of our summer plantings and we have a couple week break before we will begin transplanting some of our fall brassicas. We seeded our first succession of Fall carrots before what we thought was going to be rain on Saturday night. Another 3/10 inch of rain fell which was just enough to wet the surface of the ground but not provide anything substantial or satisfactory to the plants or new seedings. Farmer Adam continues to irrigate day after day keeping everything in a rotation now which is a time consuming and a laborious effort
Week 3, 2023
On these long, warm, sunny days on the farm we are enjoying the full length of a summer day. The heat has felt enjoyable thus far although I may feel differently by the end of this week. We’re drinking bottle after bottle of water and I notice sweat on the brows of the crew as we work now even when movement is minimal.
Week 2, 2023
In our second full week of June your farmers have been having a hard time thinking of much else other than the very, very concerning drought conditions we are experiencing. We are in a moderate drought zone here in Southwest Wisconsin.
Week 1, 2023
The Small Family Farm is beginning its 18th growing season as a CSA farm and we’re so thrilled to begin sharing with you the bounty from yet another fruitful growing season on the farm! An impressive 70% of you are returning CSA members who have been with us for several years returning to the table like faithful family members who journey together through another unpredictable Midwest growing season on our little small family farm!
Week 18, 2022
We’re feeling the shift on the farm this week from the summer weather to the cool, fall weather. The crew is coming to work with their long johns, stocking caps and layers of warm clothing. We are excited to be harvesting some of our favorite fall crops these next couple weeks.
Week 17, 2022
September Twenty-First As we officially approach Fall on the farm with the weather transitioning from warm to cool this week I am reminded that we are in a time of transition. Back to school season, tomato sauce canning season, apple-picking and cider pressing season and craving-for-pumpkin-bars season. The colorful harvest, these stunningly beautiful, misty, shadowy […]
Week 16, 2022
September Fourteenth This week on the farm we are feeling the transition into Fall. The cool, misty mornings turn into sunny, warm afternoons and then the temperature drops again into cool, dark, sleepy evenings. I’m dreaming of pumpkin bars, apple cider and tomato soup with fresh baked bread. The darkness in the evenings, the sound […]
