Nothing about this season has been on time, and the chickens certainly were not. In fact, they were 6 weeks late…but in this time warped season, their timing was perfect. I think for the first time in my chicken rearing, the chicken coop was done and in position when they arrived. Ok 99% done and finished the morning they arrived! This is my fourth season running the farm, and I managed the chickens the last year Jeff was here. Each year I’ve built a coop that I painstakingly planned out and then poorly executed, so this is my fifth coop I’ve built and the first one I’ve liked after finishing it. In fact, I think coop 5.0 is the one. The one that doesn’t get dismantled or parked in the weeds and forgotten about at the end of the season. The one I don’t have to re-build next season. What a concept! We’ll see if that optimism holds – chickens have a way of humbling me through their utter lack of common sense. Plus there’s a fox family I’ve been seeing constantly around our backyard. But I love hearing the happy chicken chatter, and they’re currently feasting on bolted arugula and lettuce in next season’s garden! Oh, and because they’re so late they’re already laying tiny eggs. Not enough for sale this week but surely by next Monday!
As we continue moving out of the tunnel to the fields, I’ve taken the website limits off the kale, spinach, perpetual spinach, tatsoi and yokatta na. They are abundant and looking fantastic, and so is the lettuce (yes, still). Also back (limited) on the list is just undersized but oh so perfect radishes. PLUS some great looking heirloom tomato plants. Choices in this round are purple, pink or a beefsteak. Ready to go in the ground!
Veggie Ordering and Pickup Procedures: Put your veggie orders in online before 8pm Sunday. The website is a little buggy so if you don’t see a wide variety of items or you see items out of stock, try refreshing your browser. Also confirm on checkout that you have the correct number of each item in your cart. The two pickup windows are working well, so we’ll keep it going. Choose your pickup window while checking out online: 1230-2pm and 4-5pm Monday on the farm at 64 Potter Hill Rd in Grafton. Pickups are in the long white garage on the left across from the beat up tan and red barn at the crest of the hill.
