Sunday, August 30, 2009

September

It's pretty much September, why do I say that when it's still August? Well seeing as there's only one work day left in August in my mind it's pretty much September. Which brings us to a few milestones usually. September can mark the beginning of cool nights, which actually started about 10 days ago and put a kink in our tomato production schedule. The cool nights slow the ripening process and my succession timing is pretty close which can lead to tight spots. Sorry guys.
September also usually marks the beginning of the broccoli starting to head which it is, which means it soon will be at Farmers Market.
September also usually means all the carrots are planted. Which they are.
September also usually means all the brassica's are planted. Which they are.
September usually means cleanup has started. Which it has.
September usually means shorter more manageable days. Which it has.
September usually means some sort of celebration is in order. Which it is.
September usually means a weekend getaway. Which it will.
September usually means projects get started. Which they will.
So in short all hail August, the King of the Months, and all praise September the bringer of the Fall.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Hog Roundup

No we didn't spray the hogs with roundup!
Our hogs tonight decided they wanted to be free range hogs. They bounced the gate open and went to town. Fortunately our dogs were out and are great watch dogs cause Delilah was barking her "hog bark". So Lisa say's to me "hogs are out" so off we dash for the roundup. This was not the first time they got out, nor the first batch to get out. Thank god for experience cause they're pretty easy to get back in if you know how. So if someone hasn't taught you or you haven't learned from experience it can be quite frustrating. But now we know and have the most powerful hog training item known to man, Goats milk. Just get some milk, put it in a bucket let the hogs have a little sip and then they'll follow you just about anywhere. Until you go by the pile of feather meal bags and they get a little smell of that, then you refocus them (give them another whiff) and off you go piggies to market or just back to the pen.I Love it when they make me look like a pro, cause boy a couple of years ago it was a site to see, us chasing hogs round lookin like rubes.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Onions

I seeded onions today. It's at least a week late maybe two but it will be ok. Onions take a while. They test a Farmer's patience. They get seeded in August, go in the ground in November, and get harvested in June. Boy what a long time to see the fruits of my labor.
I plant two varieties Red Torpedo and Red Burger. The Torpedo is shaped like a torpedo, and has some bite raw, but when you cook it it' sweet with a fantastic onion flavor. My chef customers love it. Red burger is a sweet red onion. I used to grow Stockton Red but it is now no more. I found it was gone last year when I tried to order it and found it had been discontinued. It was really sweet. I had some year old seed last year took a gamble and planted it. Onion seed degrades fast. I probably was the only person on the planet with them but there was no farewell fanfare. I don't think my customers will notice and I will probably get more number 1's with the red burger.
So here's to you Stockton Red, farewell it was good knowin ya, hello Red Burger, be good to me.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Food Revolution?

Where is it? Some days I find it in full force, amazing, sometimes surprising , and downright mind blowing. Yesterday at Farmers Market in Grass Valley I found it to be almost completely absent. Where was everybody? It was downright completely dead at Farmers Market. Yes every year after the county fair the market there slows down. But yesterday it just didn't slow down it just about died. My sales numbers were down from the previous years by at least 30%. I do have increased competition at that market but not that much. It was so slow I left my helper to run the stand, and went and checked out the Nevada City Farmers market to see if they were slow. It was really slow there too. Hopefully there might be some promotion of the market cause if not it's going to get really slow and not worth my effort to go up there. I could rant on and on but it's not worth the effort or time or focus on the negative.
But in Chico? It rocked!!! Farmers Market was busy and sales were up from last year. Go figure.Hometown comes out and buys it up. You see, for this Food Revolution to roll it's going to take not only Farmer's but Consumers!! Working together to form up Local and Regional food systems.
You see I have this vision. It's beautiful. Small and large pastoral farms are everywhere, Farmers Market's are attended by most the population. People are truly connected to the land and their food. And that's the simple version.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Arch Nemesis

My Arch Nemesis right now, and they change, is GOPHERS!!! Every time I irrigate the pepper plantings I have to go through the whole planting and repair the drip tape. and it's not just one hole, it was like 8 holes this morning. It's really a pain. It's not a chore that I have a whole lot of extra time for but it has to be done. It's one thing that I will havemore time for when I revamp things next year.
The whole revamp is really the focus of my thinking right now. First will be my CSA promotion all Winter/ Spring. I've already have some really good idea's on how not to get blown off by my regular customers. But I won't share them here cause there might be spies. Then I will engage in a ad campaign, and I'm willing to spend the money it will take. Then I'm going to make some crop reductions/switches to free up some time for the apprentices, so they can do some more of the tasks that I do and that will free me up to patch gopher holes, increase my marketing, and have some more quality of life, ie cook more, eat more.
On Friday when Lisa and I went to Scottys for some food and beer, and we ran into some Farmer friends and that was a nice suprise. They are getting married this Fall and also will be seaching for a place to start their new farm. We really enjoy their company and do wish them the best in their upcoming wedding and Farm enterprise. John right now is working with Massa Organic's Rice getting some really valuable experience. Even if he won't be working specifically in the Rice cultivation field, simply working on a Farm is a priceless experience. Neddless to say our conversation ran the gamut from weddings ( some day Lisa and I will be married) to Local food systems.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Rare Friday

It's one of those rare Friday's in the summer where I was done early. Upside- being done early and getting to goof off. Downside- some sales are off and that will hit me in my bankbook.
There's some serious clinkin' and clankin' goin on in my brain right now. The impetus? yesterday's market in Penn Valley was seriously slow and way off last years number$. And this is the second week in a row. Not a good sign. This market used to be a great little market but it's fizzeld and sputtered the last few years and I exactly have'nt been fast on the gun to change. But after yesterdays market or actually at yesterdays market I was crunching #'s, and I am going to replace it with a CSA. Yes I know I was supposed to launch the CSA this summer but my publicity wasn't exactly happening. I had a Micro CSA like 8 years ago, and then it was like pullin teeth to get people signed up now CSA's are everywhere and I'm the last farmer to join the club. So all winter/spring I will constantly nag my customers to sign up/take an interest. Then I will take a pile of money if I have to, and buy the best advertising campaign money can buy. ( don't start me on publicity or you'll hear quite a rant) Then I will have more people than I want banging on my door beggin to be a Pyramid Farms CSA member.
Well I'm off to go eat crappy fried food by the river ( everybody's got to have a weakness)

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

To Tired To Sleep

How can that be? I don't know it sometimes happens. After dinner I think I'll just relax a bit and go to bed early. Ha!!!! Then what usually happens is that I have to stay awake till 9:00pm to do irrigation chores then I think the walk out amongst the field wakes me up. So then I try and sleep and alas I fail. Then I get up watch a bit of idiot box and goof on the computer. Thank god for the Internet. I can read my favorite Farm blogs, dream of tropical beaches, dream of tropical beaches and scuba diving, or write on my blog which I'm doing right now.
These days I can tell it's August for a few reasons. First when people ask me how am I? I respond with " well it's almost the middle of August and that means August is almost half over so pretty good" The other reason is today I was genuinely fatigued in the field at 3:00. And lastly my 43 year old knee is getting a bit sore. I am hatching some plans somehow involving me crouching a bit less. First it involves a crop audit. I am going to audit a specific crop and see if it's really working for me. If not I may either take a big whack at it and give it up all together or I will reduce the amount I grow and find some freedom there. Don't get me wrong I Love working in the field, it's just getting to the point that I'm really going to do some bad damage to my knees and etc. if I keep it up. It's the picking that gets me. So I either need to free up some time so apprentices can do more of the picking that I do, get more apprentices, or have a robotic expert make me some really pricey jumpy leg shock absorber thingys. I've already designed them but need to have them engineered and manufactured which would probably cost a million bucks. If only the military would lose a pair in my driveway. You see I know they got'em cause if a person can concieve of it they can make it. They don't call it the military INDUSTRIAL complex for nuthin.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Carrots!

Carrots are almost half seeded!! I Love it when that happens. It means that most the planting for the year is done and my biggest crop is in the ground. I used to get nervous until the seed started to sprout they're little arms up to the sky but now I'm pretty confident I won't mess up. Of course I always could mess up but I won't.
This last week we had some downright cool weather. In fact so cool it killed attendance at my Thursday market. Every one stayed home and opened a can of soup for dinner. You see in some peoples minds if you don't need anything for dinner that night there is no reason to go to the Farmers Market. What don't they eat any other evenings? pet peeve.
Speaking of eating last nights dinner was made by me, and consisted of some of the finest spare ribs from Lisa' last batch of hogs. And then I also grilled white eggplant and lite purple eggplant, roasted some red gypsy peppers, roasted some of my buddy Andrews fingerling potatoes, and topped it all off with an heirloom tomato salad. Yum, and Double Yum. I love being a Farmer and I even Love it more when I have the energy to make a spectacular meal, enjoy it with good company, and take pleasure in the simple things.
And P.S. thank you guardian angel who kept me from being crashed into at the accident site on my way to market.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

I could use a nap!

It's now August and we can smell September 'round here. July and August are our biggest months. They are very, very, busy, very hot, and if I can get a nap on any day but Sunday it's a miracle or I just fell over from exhaustion. I cannot remember the last nap I had. You see in June when I'm working 9/10 hour days there is just enough time in the day to get a small nap and not be still working out in the field at dusk. But in July it's usually just to freakin hot to work a 10 and then have to be working in the field at 6:00. so the 2:00 nap goes bye-bye. And then lately I've even missed my Sunday naps. I've been busy processing chickens or having a few beers with friends ( I know whaaa) and missed my Sunday naps. Well I'm thinkin today's the day. Nappy time.
So now that it's August we can see the downhill run from here. Ok maybee not see it but smell it. (Smell is much more intuitive) I definately know it's out there, and right now I'm concentrating on enjoying August for all that it is, celebrating every success, and making sure I don't blow things off and screw up my Fall/Winter.
Speaking of Fall/Winer this week the first Carrot seed will hit the ground. They will find it to be fertile and extremely fluffy. The beds have tilled up like chocolate mousee and will taste like it to the Carrots. I'm planting a few more beds this year than last as insurance to the reduced avg. yeilds of last year plus we always have a growth in sales.
So for now this energized but nap starved Farmer is out of here.