Things are growing here at HappyDirt. I’ve been quite busy getting ready for the season. So busy that I’ve neglected to post to this blog…
The biggest news is that HappyDirt was approved to become a member of the Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters market for this season. We set up our booth for the first time on March 30. Now we plan to be there each Tuesday. This week we will have early season greens– lettuce, chard, turnips,beets, carrots, scallions, cilantro, spinach, leeks, etc. We also have a surprise crop of Jerusalem Artichokes (sunchokes)— I went digging where I had planted four pieces of root last year, to grow out and replant this year. Lo and behold there was a dense patch of roots there, about 150 pounds from about 1 pound that was planted. That’s much more than we need for replanting, so we’ll be selling them at the market Tuesday. They’re quite full and yummy, and great for regulating your blood sugar levels.
If you have purchased HappyBucks, you can now start using them at our stand.
HappyDirt has also joined with other local farms and value added producers in the Ashland-Talent Growers CSA. There is a new blog site atgcsa.wordpress.com which explains all the options that are offered. The Farm Bucks offered by ATGCSA are redeemable starting in May. The CSA box program runs for 20 weeks starting June 4. There are local add-on options available, too, like mushrooms, olive oil, bread, wild wine, chicken, eggs, and prepared meals. There is still time to sign up for a weekly box!
The recent cool weather has slowed down some of the field planting. There was a hard freeze a few nights ago– 21 degrees– which may have damaged our broccoli and cauliflower crops. We won’t know for sure for awhile. The plants look fine, but may prematurely bolt to seed when exposed to cold temperatures while young.
All the other tender crops like tomatoes, basil, and peppers were double covered in the cold frames and greenhouse, and they appear to be fine. We are hoping to have some very early tomatoes again this year. The first planting in the greenhouse is about a foot and a half tall with a few blooms setting already.
This season we are working with RuralCraft to do some of our field work. RuralCraft is an apprenticeship program initiated by Jonathan Ash, which will involve probably 6-10 young folks who want to learn a variety of practical and artisan skills, including farming. They will be providing work crew services to HappyDirt as well as other local farms. Jonathan saved our butt last season when we were overwhelmed with the harvest. We hope to avoid being overwhelmed this year by having a trained crew on hand for whatever abundance Mother Earth dishes out to us.
For now, we are selling produce only at the Growers Market on Tuesdays. We will expand to restaurant sales as more crops come in. Then we will open our on-site stand when we have enough variety to make a good presentation. Best guess is that that will happen late May–early June. We plan to continue doing the Tuesday market through the season, and have our on-site stand be open Thurs-Sat.
One of our best helpers at the farm, Deb Van Poolen, is leaving to go to Ladakh, which is in the Himalayas of northern India. She will be working there for 6 months, helping to preserve the traditional culture that has prospered there for many centuries, at over 10,000 feet elevation, but is now threatened by Western development.
Many blessings to you this season!
Matt
Starting next week- June 18 I would like to pick up my csa box some time on Monday. I understand that it will still be packed on Friday. Sorry if there is any inconvenience.