The spring garlic is one of our first crops to emerge. We are pleased to see it doing so well and went through the beds today with a flame weeder to keep annual weeds at bay.

Flowering Acabia! This ornamental vine has the potential to produce an unusual purple-sausage looking fruit. We have yet to see any fruits here, most likely due to a lack of pollination.

April is bringing an explosion of blossoms, including these peach trees in bloom.

Mornings find us in the greenhouse planting seeds and admiring the seedlings that are coming up, like this baby Swiss Chard. We have planted 3,840 seeds in one day this spring, thanks to a new vacuum wand seeder that helps us plant small seed a whole row at a time.

Spring Farm Update

Hello from the farm!

Life is very full and rich here as planting is underway and the greenhouse is almost full of the harvest in miniature. On a day like today the greenhouse is like a tropical retreat from the cold dreary outdoors.

A couple of infrastructure items that we are happy about for this season:
--the online sign up for shares has been working out well
--we piped the wash water from the sinks under the driveway so that the parking area will not be muddied from our vegetable rinsing, although rain will probably still fall.

The crops:

The Pick Your Own field will again have flowers and herbs, and also act as a Demonstration Garden for a few novel crops--this year we will have small plots of flax, quinoa, amaranth and teff. Some great new hot pepper varieties for the Chile heads are started in the greenhouse, and we'll also have a Black Cherry tomato, and a grape tomato in addition to the Gold Standard--Sun Gold cherry tomatoes. In the flower department--look for celosia, cosmos, salvia, snapdragons and zinnias as the favorites, as well as some pedigreed sunflowers that promise to be beautiful.

The main crops which are the heart of what we do will not change that much this year--we'll rely on what has done well and been appreciated by you in the past. Look for yellow and green beans, strawberries, blueberries, white, yellow, red, and blue potatoes, beautiful lettuce heads, tender lettuce mixes, great slicing, paste and a heritage tomato, flavorful Diva cucumbers, the return of Orangeglo orange watermelons, and Desert King yellow watermelons in addition to the lovely Sangria and Crimson Sweet reds. Also great summer squash and a beautiful lineup of fall squash and pumpkins, including jack o' lantern pumpkins and excellent squash for baking--acorns, butternuts, Long Island cheese, and a naked-seed squash called Kakai, whose seeds have no hull to remove when eating. And that's only some of it…

We look forward to the first harvest the first full week of June. If you know of a friend that might be interested the harvest this year, please spread the word Thanks! If you are ready to sign up, it's at: http://goodwillathomefieldsfarm.csasignup.com/members

Looking forward to a bountiful and fun season,

Scott

Corn or Biomass Stove Primer

A few of you expressed interest in my corn stove experiences, so I decided to write a post about it:

We've been using our corn stove for three winters now. It is made by Harman and has proved to be reliable and uses about 400.00 worth of fuel each winter.

Biomass stoves are not pellet stoves. Pellet stove do not have agitators in the burn pot and are not designed to burn things other than pellets. Pellet stove are simpler and cost less.

That said, many pellet stove owners have mixed 10 or 20 percent corn in with good results.

Biomass stoves can burn almost any dry flowable material--oats, pellets, corn, barley wheat, cherry pits, buckwheat etc.

What are the pros and cons of these stoves?

Huge savings over fuel oil, electricity, propane or natural gas

Inexpensive fuel.

Local fuel from your neighboring farmers

Most can ignite and extinguish themselves via thermostat.

Can maintain a set temperature--like 68 degrees; does not overheat like a wood or coal stove

No chimney required--horizontal vent pipe out through the wall instead.

Cons:

Much more expensive initially than a wood or coal stove

Require electricity to operate (or battery backup if electricity goes off)

The fans and blowers make some level of noise--not quite the same charm as a woodstove

Must be fed twice daily, ash removed daily or every other when burning biomass.

Monthly ash removal if burning pellets

Survey Says: What you Like about the Farm

Well, the surveys are all tabulated and we are grateful for your feedback. Here is what you like about your experience at the farm:

How fresh the veggies are and how long they last at home.

Fresh local produce, supporting local farms, and the chickens!

Locally grown produce, being part of a community

Your philosophy about community, healthy living! Many thanks to all. We have had a great time and wonderful experiences for my child!

Just one thing?! The peacefulness and beauty of the farm itself and quiet, glorious experience of picking ones own fruit, vegetables and flowers at the end of a work week.

Thank you for all your work and another great year!

You pick and wash veggies, the beautiful site

Pleasant experience; pick your own flowers, basil, etc

Organic and local

Community and food!

The wonderful kind knowledgeable people!

Pick your own field—especially the flowers. Bradley is a real asset to your farm. He has excellent customer service skills. I also enjoyed his creative floral designs. (9 yr member!)

Wonderful

Great food

Getting out here, pick-your-own, sense of food community

Email is good, hearing ahead

Happiness

Sharing it with my children as a fabulous learning experience, organic food, natural farming technique

Eating locally and making a difference in slow foods.

Local organic produce, getting our for some fresh air

I like everything!

Good food produced by good people.

Trying things that I wouldn’t buy in the store.

Having a few minutes to unwind after work by going to the PYO fields

Fresh local food

Getting out here once a week, having the kids walk around the farm

The whole experience especially for my kids. Thanks for having us!

Spending time at the farm… The kids really enjoy coming out here.

Nice people, picking my own

It’s been a great experience! Thanks for everything. It’s certainly a labor of love!

Meeting new people, trying new foods, it was fun too!

The wide variety of healthy foods, the chance to try new vegetables, benefits a good cause

Everything!

The feeling of community, the joy of seeing these special young men working jobs they enjoy, the quality food, the friendliness of the staff- GREAT JOB!

The food. And pick your own berries.

We simply love the friendly attitude and your passion in your mission statement to help others. Also, we read the blog every week.

Being able to show the farm to my children.

The opportunity to show/ share farm experience with my son! Fresh veggies!

People and produce.

Supporting locally grown produce (without pesticides!) being a part of the Homefields mission and standing among shoulder high zinnias as the sun sets on a warm September evening.

Fun and Healthy!

Picking flowers and pick your own stuff

Fresh food and being on the farm.

Fresh natural food locally grown and helps a charity

Getting out into the fresh air and the growing things, access to healthier and tastier food