First CSA Week is now history...

We trust that everyone is enjoying their first CSA box of the summer season! We have been busy around here. We have added four new CSA delivery locations this summer which is keeping us hoppin'--to say the least. We are so happy to meet the many new additions to our CSA community! The first couple of deliveries of the season are always hectic, learning how to get around in new businesses or neighborhoods when dropping off the boxes, starting new routines, taking new routes to get to where we need to be and arriving when we need to be there, and making sure the box counts are correct with no one being left out. Whew--did I say hectic? Luckily the weather cooperated last week and we were so grateful for that. John and I were talking about how just about every delivery made in to Nashville last year on Tuesdays, it rained, or it was really cold and also raining. A beautiful day is a true gift to us!

We have been working diligently trying to mow down all the tall grass that has grown so much during this rainy time of year. It is really hard to mow, very thick and almost too wet. But if we don't get it cut a bit shorter, it will never dry out enough to mow really close like we prefer to keep it. As you know, a farm always has nuisances ---such as ticks (which I hate!), so we try to keep the lawn and pastures really cut short, which seems to help somewhat. Though we still have to check ourselves well at the end of each day for the little buggers. I have been thinking about getting some guinea hens, as ticks are a mainstay of their diet. They are funny too, they like to roost in the trees at night, and I'm told are as good as a watchdog at alerting you to visitors. Evidently you have to get guinea keets, which are young guineas, to keep them from wandering away. The adult ones do wander.

This week when I have been mowing between rain showers, my newest hens (the Delaware breed), followed me around on the riding mower, eating the insects in the grass. I couldn't believe that the noise didn't scare them off. I guess the feast I stirred up with the mower compensated for the noise.

Just down the road, a pair of geese are rearing a small family of six babies near a small pond that is right beside the road that leads to our farm. They look like big fur balls, and are ever so cute! In addition to the pair with the babies, there are about 8 other fully grown geese there also. A year or so ago, another couple of geese reared 6 babies there, and we have always heard that they will come back to their "home place". I can't help but wonder if these adult geese are the babies that were born there last year. Life is never dull here, and that is wonderful!

Today is a very special day! A day to remember all of our Veterans that paid the ultimate price for our many freedoms! When I visited Arlington National Cemetery a few years ago, I was so touched and extremely grateful to those brave soldiers that gave their lives so that I could be free. There were so many. For those that are serving today, let's keep them in our thoughts and prayers also.

Until next time, Peace....

CSA begins this coming week!

The bluebirds are building their nests, the swallows are in the barn, and we begin our CSA next Tuesday with deliveries to the Nashville area. It's definitely Springtime!

Sowing and planting are still going on as they will be all summer, and the farm is alive with activity. We are trying to stay ahead (somewhat) of the weeds which are our nemesis around here!

We are having a dickens of a time getting our carrots to germinate. We have planted twice, with plans for one more try in the works. We don't give up easily.

The hens are enjoying all the freshly cut grass in the pasture and everything has greened up wonderfully here this spring.

We are looking forward to an Afternoon at the Farm on Sunday May 24 to be held from 3 to 7 pm, and we hope that many of our CSA families will be able to come visit! For all the requests we get to come see the farm, here is your opportunity! This event is set aside just for our CSA Shareholders and their families.

'Till next time, have a wonderful weekend!

This Is A Good Day For...

Attending your Church with family in tow.
Curling up with your favorite book, and listening to the soft rain as it falls.
Making cookies with the children.
Fixing something "really" special and soothing for tonight's dinner.
Renting a family movie and watching it with your family.
Getting out the home movies of vacations past and enjoying it with family.
Taking a nap.
Sitting on your front porch and visiting with friends in the neighborhood.
Enjoying every moment!

Farm News:
It's really wet and the ground is truly soaked here. Right now we could use a bit of dry weather, but we are very thankful that our plants in the field are in raised beds right not, or covered by hoophouses. This has been our wettest spring in recent years! A bit of this kind of weather would be appreciated along about late July or August! But you take what nature deals you.

We have another field ready for planting, the mulch is layed down, but it's too wet to get in there to plant, so we wait. One thing about it, you dare not try to work in a wet field, it would take a lot of work to undo the damage you do to the soil if you work the field while it's wet. We learned that early on!

In about two weeks our Summer harvest CSA begins and we are excited about seeing past CSA shareholders and meeting our new shareholders! Our CSA has doubled for this summer, and we are seeing a real interest in folks wanting to know more about the food they put on their tables. We are happy that there is more interest in eating foods grown in the region, rather than buying food that has traveled many miles before reaching our kitchens. I don't know about you, but this makes a lot of sense to me. The longer the food has been off the vine, plant, bush etc,. the more nutrition is lost. You can have flavor, variety, and nutrition if you eat from a farm in your area. Plus, you help support a small farm that grows food for us all to enjoy!

We are looking forward to another CSA season at Doe Run Farm! See you soon!