Here We Go Again!

This has been the most remarkable spring in Maine! We were able to plant peas in March and they are a  few inches high on this April 25th. Temperatures in April have been warmer than average and up until a couple of days ago it has been very dry. We've been able to beat the black flies in getting some of our crops in. So far we've planted lettuces, arugula, beets, spinach, radishes and carrots outside. Today I will transplant some beautiful broccoli and tuck them in under a row cover.
The hoop house is chock full of babies and the cold frame is filling up. Kate is operating her CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from here and most of the seedlings are hers. Whew! A lot of plants. It is so exciting! The only downside of this early spring is that the lawn needs to be mowed already. Oh yeah, and the weeds are growing, well, like weeds!

Planting Broccoli

We will have the farm stand open this year from 9 to 5 Monday - Saturday, beginning May 25th. Closed on Sunday. In the past we have been able to use the honor system with customers getting what they wanted and leaving money in a cigar box or locked box for large bills. Unfortunately someone has been stealing the money and/or food. This has been happening in many farmstands throughout the area. It's too bad! Besides produce we'll be selling jams, pickles, dilly beans, and some other "value-added" products. Also there will be some crafts - knitted socks, hats and scarves. Felted animals, lavender sachets, balsam pillows, and more. Also we will have seedlings for sale starting in mid-May.
Besides Kate's CSA, she will also be selling at the Stonington Farmer's Market on Deer Isle every Friday morning from 10a.m. to noon. That begins on May 25th.

The chickens wintered well and our one rooster is behaving himself and is a good protector of our 10 hens. We find keeping chickens in so rewarding. They are little trouble and we always have the freshest eggs plus some to sell to a few of our neighbors. Sometimes it is a challenge to find the eggs because the birds have the run of the place and they don't always deposit their eggs in their nice straw-lined nesting boxes. Occasionally we find stashes of eggs under the potting shed or in a leafy nest in some hidden place. Our Aussie girl, Lola, sometimes retrieves them for us. She holds them gently in her mouth and delivers them without a scratch!

Lola with an egg in her mouth.

We are looking forward to a great growing season with a lot of variety in our organic vegetables, strawberries and blueberries. Can't wait for the first asparagus and the rhubarb is just about ready for picking. Grow on! And Happy Spring!

Rooster Brother

Fall

Another growing season winds down.  Everything but Brussel Sprouts and carrots have been harvested.  Beets and lettuces are growing under row covers and next year's garlic is yet to be planted.
 We are cleaning up garden beds, composting and mulching. The last of the CSA shares are being distributed this month. Huge quantities of food have materialized each week all summer and fall, arranged beautifully in the farm stand for members to pick up. It seems a miracle to me that Kate has managed to provide so much food for so many for so long.

We are enjoying the harvest of many root vegetables. One of my favorite ways to eat them is roasted all together: beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes cut into one-inch pieces with shallots, whole garlic cloves and Brussel Sprouts(halved). Toss them together with about a  quarter cup of olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, place in a single layer in a roasting pan, and roast for about 45 minutes at 450 degrees.

All summer long 3 other Surry women and I have been training to walk a marathon (26.2 miles) on Mt. Desert Island (the mountains of which you see in the background of the above photo). We walked many miles in anticipation of this event and October 16th was the big day!  We joined about 150 other walkers at the starting line while it was still dark out for a 7:00 a.m. start. The temperature was 50 degrees, but there was a strong chilly wind which blew through our windbreakers and made us anxious for the gun to signal the beginning of the race. The 850 runners were to start an hour later and my daughter, Darcey, from the Florida Keys, was among them. She has run many marathons, triathalons and in September did a half ironman in Galway, Ireland.  My other daughter, Kelly, from another part of Maine, was there to walk with us. Our families were there to cheer us on and they would pop up along the course to encourage us along the way. Bless them!
 Kelly and I started strong and it felt great to be walking. The sky was overcast, a little rain fell at the beginning and the  wind was gusty. The first runners passed us around mile 6 and Darcey caught up with us about mile  9. An old knee injury was giving her trouble and she decided to walk with us. By that time Kelly was beginning to think that it would have been a good idea to train  for this event. Her energy and spirit were flagging. By mile 17, she had "hit a wall" and Darcey was limping. I didn't think they should go on. Just past mile 17, my husband and grandson were waiting for us with reinforcements - bananas, Gator aid, and Cliff Bars. Bless them! Kelly plopped down on the ground and I was certain she wouldn't get up again. She was experiencing such fatigue - even nausea and dizziness (although she didn't say so at the time). She could have gotten a ride with my husband, but she stood up and trudged on. At mile 20 we decided to stop and rest. Kelly sat down on the curb in front of the Somesville library and laid back in the grass. Darcey and I plunked down and hoped that Kelly would revive. Darcey's ankle had begun to bother her probably because she was compensating for the knee injury. They could have given up at any time. The race support bus drove by us several times but they always gave the driver "thumbs up." They wouldn't quit. Boy, I have stubborn daughters.
We had 6 more miles to go. Kelly did revive after a short rest and we continued on. She seemed recovered and we picked up the pace. As we approached the finish line we linked arms and strode onward. My 3 walking partners were already there at the finish with their husbands and some family cheering us on. Bless them! We'd made it! It had taken nearly 8 hours.  Blue ribbons with medals attached were placed over our heads and shiny silver energy blankets were draped over our shoulders. My daughters showed such grit and determination. I was proud, but concerned for them. I felt great! I was elated that I had done it. But then, I had trained and I wasn't injured. Darcey knows she has to rest her injuries now and Kelly knows that if she ever walks 26.2 miles again, she'd better train for it.

From left, Darcey, Me, Kelly Almost There!

From left, Gina, Mary, Paula finishing STRONG!

 Mary and Gina's husbands are throwing a victory party for us later in the month and the 4 of us plan to do at least  one long walk a week together forever, we hope. We're so grateful for the support of our families. Now we're wondering what our next challenge should be.
 I think I have the post race blues and even went for a four-mile stroll the day after.

So now we settle in for the season of long nights- a restorative time for body and soul and for the earth too. A contemplative time for dreaming, planning and creating. A time for family and friends and a few games of Mah Jongg.

Celebrating the Harvest!

It's happened again. The days are already 2 and a half hours shorter than at Summer Solstice and the nights are cooler. As summer wanes, garden harvest waxes, hurrying to mature before the frost, which in our part of the world  usually occurs in mid-October, but could happen sooner. There is much to do. It's a regular food frenzy. When we are not picking, we are canning or freezing, or weeding, mulching, tilling, or cover cropping. And EATING! Beautiful fresh organic food. Some days it's hard to choose which delectable delight from the garden will grace our table. Breakfast can be blueberries, raspberries and cream or fresh eggs served on a bed of steamed kale with juicy tomatoes on the side. Let's see should we have corn on the cob, corn chowder, or chicken paillards with corn salsa for dinner? Green beans, beets, carrots, potatoes roasted on the grill? Cabbage is made into either cole slaw or sauerkraut. Tomatoes turned into sauce. Green beans become canned dilly beans. Cucumbers are pickled. The freezer is full of berries, beans and peas. Elderberries are bagged and frozen to be turned into wine later. There are baskets of potatoes, onions and garlic in the basement. Pie and soup pumpkins will soon be harvested. Eating this way is such a pleasure and such a reward to know where our food is coming from and knowing that it hasn't been sprayed with poisons. The opportunity is there for anyone. I think everyone should get rid of their lawn and grow food!
Here's an idea: What if, instead of the federal government subsidizing huge farms to grow corn and soybeans (which are used mainly in processed foods that make us fat) they subsidized small local farmers that grow healthy crops. Everyone would eat better and the cost of organic food would decrease.

Because we are a salt water farm, not only do we harvest the land, but we are also able to harvest the sea. At extreme low tides we walk down to the bay with our clam rakes and basket and dig cherry stone clams. We look for a small hole in the sand and usually find what we are looking for. Sometimes as we step, a stream of water shoots straight up in the air, like a baby boy in the middle of a diaper change.

Clams for supper

Growing food is hard work and it consumes much of our time from April to October. But it's not all we do. I did a 50 mile bike ride with my daughter and a 30 mile bike ride with daughter and grandson - both events put on by Maine Bike Coalition. With friends we biked some of the carriage trails in Acadia National Park. Four of us Surry women - all in our 60s- have been training all summer to walk a marathon on Mount Desert Island in October. We've put in a lot of miles and so far are holding up. It's a challenge!
We have visited children and grandchildren. We went to a Bob Dylan concert. He still rocks!


There's a trip planned to Sodus Point, New York - my hometown - to celebrate my father's 90th birthday this month.
As I write, Sandy is vacuuming ashes out of the woodstoves to get ready for winter. There are 4 cords of wood to stack.  The cycle continues round and round. "Turn, Turn, Turn."
The Autumn Equinox is September 23 at 5:05 a.m. Celebrate the harvest!

Summer

Now is probably the peak of Maine's growing season. The gardens are full of lush, beautiful, flowering and edible plants.  It is the time we have been looking forward to since the end of the last growing season.  Everything is happening at once and it's hard to keep up. Suddenly there are peas to pick and shell, cabbages to grate for sauerkraut, garlic scapes to turn into pesto, new potatoes to dig, lavender to harvest and dry along with elderflowers to dry for tea, bugs to kill and weeds to pull. The work is constant and rewarding even if the weeds are maddening.


Kate's CSA members are enjoying the vegetables of her (and their) labor with a cornucopia of fresh food each week. Water from the sky has been in short supply and we are supplementing with hoses.

The chickens find shade and don't seem stressed, enduring these weeks of very hot weather. Ditto the dogs. But no matter how hot it is, they can not resist the call of the crows. When the cawing chorus begins, they run to the raucous sound.  I don't know what they find, but they come back panting to collapse once again in the shade.
We pick and shell peas practically every other day and have a nice supply in the freezer.

Another pea, the sweet pea, is not edible and it's seeds are poisonous, but a more colorful and fragrant flower would be a challenge to find. It is my absolute favorite and I always grow trellis's of them. Unfortunately they don't like heat and if our weather doesn't "break" soon, I fear the vines will die. I am enjoying them for now and keep bunches of them in the house this time of year.

Maine summer's are short and there is the feeling that we must hurry to do all of the things that can be done in Maine in the summer. Walks on the beach with friends and dogs, lobster dinners on Perry's Pier, bike rides, hiking in Acadia National Park, family visits, road trip to Nova Scotia?
So much to do and so glad of it. Happy Summer!

Morgan Bay Farm

Change happens quickly in a New England spring. Suddenly there are leaves on the trees, green, green grass, flowering trees, continuous bird song,  and the first harvests from the garden. Apple blossom petals rain from the sky like snowflakes. The delicious smell of lilacs is everywhere. In the weeks to come miracles will happen daily - new flowers and vegetables, strawberries in June, then raspberries, blueberries, black berries, elderberries. The grass in the field will grow so tall that it will have to be bush-hogged. June bugs will crash into the windows and do their crazy upside-down break dance on the ground. Peepers and wood frogs chirrup day and night and a zillion tadpoles swim in the ponds. Bullfrogs and green frogs lounge at the water's edge, and oh, the fireflies! On the Summer Solstice they fill the field with their flickering lights and we will sleep under the elderberry bushes to see what magic happens then.
As the summer progresses we will have new foods from the garden almost daily - starting with Asparagus and rhubarb, ending with winter squashes, pumpkins and potatoes in the Fall.

Kate, with the help of her CSA members has been preparing ground and planting when weather permits. Our rainy time seems to be through (we hope) and yesterday the team of workers got potatoes in the ground.

                                                                          KATE

 Planting potates

Paula Rocks!

We Mainers always say that one of our best crops is rocks.
Every year as we prepare our ground for planting we get a new crop of rocks. No matter that we got them all out during the last growing season (or so we thought), new ones appear every year.

This is a period of intense hard work, especially since Kate is
tilling new areas, never before planted, and removing clumps of sod and rock, digging new beds, applying lime and other amendments, and all the while planting. I marvel at her energy and spirit. It is a delight to hear the chatter and laughter in the fields while Kate and the CSA members dig, hoe, rake, lug compost and put plants in the ground. It is an example of community cooperation that makes me feel that all is well with our world.

The hens have been generous with their eggs and fresh asparagus has accompanied many of our meals. We combined eggs and asparagus for eggs Benedict to

great success. I fretted over the finickiness of the hollandaise sauce, but as you can see it worked. The yellow yolks from our free range chickens made a brilliant sauce.

Lucky is the light-brown- backed head down hen

The hen that had the mishap with the fox is fully recovered. We named her "Lucky." The flock of 5 is healthy and beautiful. We average 3 eggs a day from them.

Recipe for Rhubarb Pie

 pastry for a 2-crust pie
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
4 cups chopped rhubarb

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Use your favorite pie crust recipe. Roll out the bottom crust and fit it into the pie plate. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt and beat well. Add the rhubarb and stir until well blended. Spoon the mixture into the bottom crust. Add a lattice top. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer. Serves 6 to 8.

This weekend I will take a break from farm chores and travel to Freeport with my oldest daughter, Kelly, to take part in the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's Women's Ride, hosted by L.L. Bean.
Senses and muscles delight in a New England Spring.

Of Chickens, Fox, Pupcakes and Elderberry Jam

Things are pretty soggy here on the farm. We haven't seen sun in over a week. The fog conceals the bay and the lower fields. All is chill and gray. Rain is off and on, soaking at times. We can't get the crops in nor the weeds out. The grasses and weeds are growing rapidly providing cover for the strawberry blond mama fox who stalks the hens, hoping to feed her hungry kits. I feel sorry for her, but I do not want to supply her with chicken dinners. Twice she has been here, not 3 yards from the back door where the chickens congregate under the bird feeder to scavange sunflower seeds. She actually had one of the girls in her jaws and was making off with her while the squawking and feather flapping of the other birds alerted me that something different was happening in the dooryard. I looked out the window to see the fox, fowl in its mouth running past the potting shed. I ran out of the house shouting and clapping my hands as hard as I could. The fox dropped the bird. I couldn't believe it. Even more unbelievable was no physical harm had come to the bird. The fox ran off, stopped down the field to turn and look at me, and then disappeared into the woods. The little flock of 5 birds ran for cover into the elderberry grove and there they spent the rest of the day. I checked on the assaulted bird periodically. She looked stunned with a glazed stare and mouth agape and settled behind a bush while the other hens pecked the ground for worms. Later on I found an egg without a shell in the garden. It was a mess of yolk and albumen; the egg was scared out of her. Poor girl!
Our two Australian Shepherds weren't on the property at the time, but the fox has come back when they were here and he still got pretty close.

Our Aussie, Lola, turned 4 on May 17th and Frankie turned 6 on May 2. To celebrate their birthdays I made them "pupcakes" which were served with vanilla icecream. I'd share the pupcake recipe, but I don't think they much cared for them. They were made from whole wheat, carrots, banana, honey, vanilla, egg, cinnamon. Frankie took his out and buried it. Lola took hers to the woodshed and set it on the ground, looking at it and looking at me as if to say, "would it hurt your feelings if I didn't eat this?" They gobbled the icecream, though.

 The greenhouse is full of seedlings waiting to go in the ground. We have passed our usual last frost date and would normally be planting like crazy, but much of the ground is a swamp. Kate, who is doing a CSA on this land, fortunately planted hundreds of onions, leeks, peas, lettuces, and brassicas before the deluge and they seem to be thriving.  They'll really "pop" when the sun finally shines.

When life give you clouds and rain, make jam. That's what I've done this week, made a couple of batches of elderberry jam from frozen berries, to set out on the farm stand shelves when we open in June. Then there will come the strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and elderberries for eating, jam and freezing.
The fruit trees are in flower, humming birds are humming, we've eaten the season's first fresh asparagus and fiddleheads. The rhubarb is ready for cutting. All around us is nature's bounty and we are grateful!