Heifer part 2

Last weeks Farmers Market was our "Heifer Market" where we give 100% of our sales to Heifer International. A wonderful aid program that gives livestock and training to impoverished families throughout the World. It again was a fantastic success. Our Thanksgiving market has come to be one of our biggest of the year. I was a bit nervous because of possible rain, but the morning came and it was beautiful blue sky above. Our local community showed up to the market in droves and we sold almost every bit of produce we brought. We went home with one basket of garlic and 5# of butternut squash. We set a new record and we're overjoyed that we can help so many people all over the World with our gift to Heifer. Our gift will be 21 flocks of Chickens, 21 flocks of Ducks/Geese, 4 honeybee hives, 4 groups of tree seedlings, 2 pigs, 2 goats, and 2 sheep. All in all it with help 56 families help themselves to rise out of poverty. Then the extra wonderful part is those families are required to give offspring and knowledge to others in their community making the gift eventually reach 112 families. It's Heartwarming to know that in some small way I can help others, with not just one time food aid, but aid that last's lifetimes. Thank you to all our customers who make this possible.

Giving Thanks,
Mathew Martin
Pyramid Farms

Goodbyes

Well, Adam and Erin two of our trusty apprentices just departed. We will of course miss them. And I do believe they will miss the Farm. They came here with virtually no experience nor idea of what was involved with making a small farm run and now they have quite a bit of an idea of what's involved. We enjoyed their time here, as they are such charming and positive people, with gentle hearts, and open minds. Last night we celebrated their departure with a dinner at Annies which we all enjoyed. They are going back home to the Cincinnati area. They're lives will be forever altered after coming here and of course ours also. Every one who comes here takes something when they leave but leave something also. It's always a joyous and sad occasion when apprentices leave, joyous to know that Pyramid Farms is traveling elsewhere in their hearts and minds and sad that our family here shrinks for a bit till others fill that void.

So Bon Voyage',and safe Journy's though all of Life to You, Adam & Erin and Jaffy too.

Heifer Market

It's raining today but I don't care. I was smart and harvested yesterday for tomorrows market. It's usually a huge market being the last before Thanksgiving, and it is also what we call our Heifer Market. Why?

Cause we give 100% of our sales to Heifer International. It's the small part I can do to help reduce poverty around the World. For those that aren't familiar with Heifer they give livestock and training to needy families who also are required to give the first offspring/knowledge to others in their community. So not only does are gift help one family but two. And it's a gift that dosn't just last for a few meals but a lifetime. Many of the recipients are not only able to provide better nutrition for their family's, but are able to sell products and raise their standard of living and send their children to school. And the recipients also use the manure from their farm animals to enrichen their soil in their gardens and get better vegetable yeilds. Heifer also trains the farmers to use organic methods as they understand the downward spiral of pesticide/herbicide use.

So please Mother Earth I don't do this generally ever but please make the sun come out Saturday morning. Not for my benefit but for others.

November

It's November and the weather is beautiful. This last week we had our killing frost. Bye Bye Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant. It's been good to know ya'll and I'll see you again in March when I starts planting your little seeds in preparation for the months to come. In the planting world we're almost done. Half the Onions are in the ground with the other half to be finished this week. Ten rows of 1300 makes 13,000 onion plants, with all the Garlic added, we have more than 20,000 Alliums in the ground. Alliums are a wonderful test of a Farmers patience. Plant them, wait 8 months of tending to them, weeding, watering, watching them grow then swell their bulbs and in a short quick 3 week period they all come out of the ground for sale thru the summer.

This week at Market it was really good; busy and sales going very well, coming home with only a bit of Broccoli. The Orange Cauliflower sold really well along with the Romanesco. These days we don't get as many" how did the Cauliflower get that color" inquiry's. People thinking that we had been up to hijinks or something. My favorite yarn to spin is to tell them that you go out on a full moon night with a can of cheese whizz and inject it into them and voila'! It used to get downright annoying how many times we had to answer that question, and the vendors next to us were probably so tired of hearing the story that they wished I'd stop growing it. On some days I would be tired of answering the question and just point over to my neighbor and they'd tell the yarn.

Carrots? yes we are now on the hook to provide Chico with the World's Sweetest Carrots. This week we told all that asked we'd have Carrots next week, so we got some diggin to do. But it shouldn't be a problem as we have a full crew still on hand and next years apprentices just came on farm and will be here to help as well. Which is a good thing, as I'm really busy with projects such as rebuilding Greenhouse #1 which is now a relic as it's been up since '00. I must say that I did a pretty cattywhompus job putting it up. It functioned well but looked as if somebody was out of wack when they put it up, which I might rightly have been, having just aquired this place and was putting it all together with little help and less experience. Then I 'm putting a cover over the Hog pen as I hate it turning to a mud bog when it rains. They don't seem to mind ( cept' of course standing in cold mud musn't be fun) but I 'm putting up a simple hopefully windproof tunnel cover. Self designed and engineered but many of the principles are well developed from experience. One semi new one so it all could turn out to be a mess. So I've got a very busy week then next I get to take off for my solo getaway. 10 more days and I'll be diving in Cozumel. Yes I know not very "Green" of me jetting off, but if I don't I'll go stark raving bonkers.