In and Around the Farm

Snow in October?!?

2011-10-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Every good farmer becomes obsessed with the weather. I am constantly fighting over the computer with Andy like school grade siblings. Be thankful that he's the boss and wins the elbow shoving run toward the computer or your share would be quite short this week due to snow! Our biggest harvest of the week is on Friday in preparation for the weekend, but Andy decided to harvest Thursday instead. Good choice considering we woke up to over an inch of snow... heavy, wet snow covering our crops and fields. It's still pretty early in the season for snow to be sticking the ground! Who can really complain when all the weather patterns this year have been so obscure.

This week's harvest includes:

Lettuce, arugula, kale, chard, mustard greens, bok choy, carrots, beets, potatoes, leeks, cabbage, radish, broccoli, winter squash and garlic!

Make sure to check out this month's Saveur Magazine and read the article "The Roots of Flavor"

CSA MEMBERS... can't believe the season is over? Want to extend your share just one more week?? We are offering an extra share next week if you sign up for the 2012 season and pay for your share in full. Enjoyed what we offered this year? Be sure to tell your friends. We hope to see your smiling faces in 2012.

Thanks for all your support!

POUNDS and POUNDS

2011-10-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

We are back on track here at the farm! The days of hurricanes and tropical storms are a distant memory (except for the lack of winter squash, but let's not dwell on it). The last few weeks have seemed like a normal fall. Warm sunny days makes for a happy farm crew. We have been busy bringing in our big fall harvest of beets, carrots, potatoes, leeks, turnips and beautiful greens. When the fields have had enough after the intermittent rains, we have been turning them over and planting winter rye. This protects our bare ground for the long, cold months and gives us some biomass to plow under in the spring.

When we are not busy in the fields, we are cleaning up and organizing our mess from the past season and brainstorming for next year. Our hopes are to create a better, more efficient system in all aspects of our farming methods, from tending to our crops to washing and packing them up for you. We hope you've appreciated our efforts and savored our veggies.

This week's share includes:

Kale, Radishes, Potatoes, Garlic, Winter Squash, Carrots, Beets, Cabbage, Salad Mix, Daikon, Bok Choy, Mustard Greens, Escarole, Brussel Sprouts, Leeks, Swiss Chard, Braising Greens

Next week is the last week of our CSA pick-up! Saturday, October 28th will be our final CSA day of 2011. We can't believe the season is over, especially with this unreal weather we've been having. We're certainly not complaining! Usually we're cursing the cold weather as we're outside harvesting and washing veggies. We are currently signing people up for the 2012 CSA season; hopefully we'll see many of your smiling faces return.

Also a big thanks to all our attendees who made it to our Fall Feast, all of our volunteers, and a BIG Shout Out to the talented Blue Ribbon Boys and our amazing friends Tim, Taryn & their crew from # 9 Restaurant. They kicked ass--make sure to visit #9 in Millerton. Maybe we'll see you there... maybe you'll buy us a drink! Joking.... well, kind of.

Mosquitos are driving us f*#king crazy!!

2011-09-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

We've found a purpose for the copious amounts of rain and we don't like it one bit. Breeding mosquitos. Earmuffs kids... F*#king Mosquitos. We have been harvesting at racetrack speed today. Poor Max's face is swollen from all the little suckers bites. We're even getting bit through our clothes. And yes, we are currently accepting sympathy. Just for a quick moment. We'll get through it! It's been a tough year, but we're tougher!

What we're harvesting....

Leeks! I think it's time for some Potato Leek Soup.

We also have salad greens, potatoes, peppers, onions, kale, chard, escarole, tomatoes, garlic, beets and carrots.

Happy 1st Day of Fall!!!

We love fall, even though it means farming season is winding down. It's a great time to make soup and we've got plenty of ingredients for them! How about White Bean and Escarole Soup or Potato Leek?? Need a recipe? Let us know and please feel free to share with one another.

2011-09-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain.. go away!!!

Looks like more rain folks! Just what we wanted to hear. Calling for another 5 inches and that’s about 4 inches too many. With the river already very full, this rain will for sure send the water rushing over the banks one more time. The good thing is it can’t do any worse than Irene.

Things were nice and dry out there after the beautiful weather we had last week, 6 sunny days to dry us out after the storm. Wow it felt like August! We quickly took advantage and got to cultivate our fall crops knocking out weeds in the lettuce, escarole, Asian greens, carrots and beets. Hayley then jumped on the tractor to disc in what were our summer roots, lettuce and greens to make room for a lush cover crop of oats and clover. (Side note…. we use cover crops after a cash crop to replenish the soil with nutrients, smother out weeds and protect our soil for the winter months. This insures us a rich soil to be planted for many years.) Then when the soil was dry enough we pushed on to seeding spinach, lettuce and arugula to see if we can’t make up for some losses because of Irene. We shall see. It is a little late to be putting seeds in the ground but who knows, we may have a warm fall which would make our growing season last a little longer.

I want to say thank you all for your support in the days after our flood. It has been a trying time here on the farm. We did lose some crops, but it was not as bad as other farms that experienced 100% crop loss. I guess that is how it goes out here on the farm. You win some you lose some. We are very thankful we have some fields that are away from the river in times like these. Who knew that August 2011 was going to be the wettest on record?!

Eat those tomatoes!!!!!

We have been busting our butts harvesting tomatoes before the rain washed the rest of them away too. Not really, but the rain will damage them so we spent our dry days picking the rest of them, even if they are/were a day or two away from ripe perfection. There are no holidays in the farming biz. Labor day really was laborious. (what a terrible word.... laborious)

Speaking tomato talk... this is a 'Last Call' for tomatoes!! One of our favorite summertime veggies is coming to an end. It has been a great tomato season despite the weather. Tomatoes loathe the copious amount of rain we've had, but they've been delicious despite their cracks of pain and weathered appearance. We've greatly enjoyed them and are sad to see 'em go. Until next season tomatoes... farewell.

We hope you are enjoying your late summer harvest.

To the big city.. NYC

Exciting new ventures for us and maybe you too! We are expanding our CSA this fall with two new drop off points to our southern friends in Brooklyn and the West Side. We will start delivering CSA shares Wednesday, September 14th to Crossfit South Brooklyn and at Columbus Tavern in Manhattan. If you or anyone you know is interested, please spread the word and have them contact us. This is a city premiere that will run through November.

Time to kick back with the farmer's

Farmer's Feast tickets will be available as soon as they are in our possession. This will hopefully be this week. Tickets are $40 and for sale in the farm store. I hope you're as excited as we are!! Save the date to party with us.. Sunday, October 9th. Great food, friends and music.

With wet boots we thank you again!

Aftermath of Hurricane Irene August 2011

2011-08-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

What a crazy, devastating day at the farm this Monday, August 29th. We are here, under water assessing our crops after the wrath of Hurricane Irene. There's not much we can do at this point. Are spirits are low, but we're trying to remain hopeful. Many of our crops are under water including our winter squash, celery, leeks, some of our kale, herbs, broccoli and tomatoes. We may be able to salvage some of these crops, but it's too early to report at this time.

I hope many of you are safe and dry. Make sure to check out of Facebook page to see all of our pictures and videos. Be sure to check back for more updates and pictures. Here is a video Andy and Meghan shot around 10am of our back field containing our winter squash, celery and leeks. The Roe Jan stream has turned into a river, engulfing most of our crops and even our deer fence.

Melons! Brooklyn! Party! What?

2011-08-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Field Update:

Melons! Yes folks, we are here…. Late summer! The melon crop has been great! The yellows (Sunshine) have received the highest marks with the pinks (Sugar Babies) coming in close second. We have an abundance again this year so juice them up or enjoy a watermelon salad! We are going to be introducing the cantaloupe this week so get ready for another delicious juicy treat!

The heavy rain this past weekend and the rain from last week left some of our crops begging for sun and a little extra love. The tomatoes, eggplant and peppers did not appreciate the heavy down pours as they are experiencing a fungus that is happy to spread in wet conditions. These little spores climb up the plants, defoliating the leaves which then weakens the plant and rots the fruit. We are not the only ones that are dealing with this fungus, it has been found on other farms all around the area. For the last 3 weeks we have been spraying an organic approved copper fungicide to slow it down, which takes the crew many hours to cover 2,500 tomato plants. The crop has been producing thus far but keep your fingers crossed for sunny days so we can keep slicing those mouth-watering beauties.

While the Solanum’s (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) are suffering from the wet August, the fall Brassica’s (cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower) are enjoying their wet feet. These crops love cool, foggy days and are looking great in the field. You will be seeing more and more of them as the seasons change. Side-note: For you non-early morning risers, the fog has been absolutely gorgeous slowly rising up from the dew filled fields. We highly recommend dragging your butt out of bed one morning to enjoy it. These amazing mornings are part of the beauty of farming.

Carrots and beets are plentiful as we’re sure you CSA members have noticed and the potato dig is well under way. Red Norland is the early variety of red potatoes you’ve been enjoying. We will be harvesting potatoes for the next 2 months, offering 5 different varieties. It is always a surprise to see what has been going on underneath the ground since April when we plant them…. so far so good! GARLIC is cleaned and ready to go. The wet June made for some big heads this year. It looks, tastes and smells amazing, enjoy with your tomato sauce, salsa and everyday cooking!

As for the rest, we are in our August groove here…… harvest, wash, pack and back out to the fields to get those weeds out of the fall crops.

Available this week:

Kale, Chard, Mustard Greens, Tat Soi, Lettuce (Yes, lettuce is back), Tomatoes, Squash/Zucchini, Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Peppers, Cucumbers, Carrots, Beets, Melons

Potential crops to see:

Broccoli and Arugula

We cannot guarantee these two crops this week, but are hoping that they will be ready, willing and able for us to enjoy next week. As with lettuce, arugula is very delicate and this crazy weather has really been taking a toll on some of our crops. Another reason they may not grace us with their presence is that they’re simply not ready! As hard as we try to keep our successions flowing on a regimented schedule, nature decides to take her own time. We seed certain crops like arugula and lettuce every 10 days so that by the time one sequence is done, another should be ready to harvest. There are many factors that filter in to what seems to be simple logic. Weather being the major element! The element of all elements. It’s a love/hate relationship we play with weather and why we talk so much about it.

In order to learn more about the details our growing practices and everything that is Sol Flower, you'll have to stay connected and continue to read our blog. We have plenty more we can’t wait to share and we truly hope that you choose to stay connected with your farmer, your food and our world that surrounds it.

Recipes:

Watermelon Salad

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

One delicious Sol Flower watermelon, balled or chunked

1 ½ cups feta cheese, crumbled

1 1/4 cups pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (optional)

1 small onion, diced

1 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

Looking for other variations of this salad? Try substituting goat cheese for feta and/or basil for mint. Whichever way, it’s delicious and refreshing. Remember you can find local goat cheese and Sol Flower basil in our farm store!

Please feel free to share some of your favorite recipes on our blog for other fellow Sol Flower followers. We are always looking for new ways to enjoy our delectable produce.

Other exciting news:

Sol Flower Farm is looking to expand our CSA southward. As we like to say… Helloooo Brooklyn!!! We are in the process of establishing a CSA drop-off in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Our plan is to start this September and continue through November 7^th. Pick up will be from 4 to 7pm on Wednesdays at Crossfit South Brooklyn. Spread the word! If you know anyone interested in this new venture, please have him or her contact us and we’ll be happy to send along some more information.

Did somebody say Party?

Remember that stellar farm party we threw last year?? Who could forget! Well, it’s almost that time again. We are in the process of planning an even bigger and better party, so this is your formal Save The Date. Our Farmer’s Feast will take place on our beautiful farm here in Ancramdale on Sunday, October 9^th. Festivities begin at 2pm and we’ll rock through the night.

We will have tractor rides and farm tours, local spirits, live music, kids activities, a beautiful bonfire and of course… fabulous farm foods cooked by various local chefs.

Missed it last year?? Now’s your time to redeem yourself and join in the fun!

Again… Sunday, October 9^th Farmer’s Feast

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!

More info to come

Check out who surprised us at the Millbrook Farmer's Market!

2011-08-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

New this week:

Tomatoes, Peppers and (hopefully) Melons

This is such a great time of year. Hope you are enjoying the bounty as much as we are.

We had a surprise visit this past Saturday at the Millbrook Farmer's Market from Tony Bielaczyc of Martha Stewart. Check out what he had to say about us on his blog http://inthegarden.marthastewart.com/.

2011-08-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is a time to remember…… what better way than by preserving the harvest for winter.

We are rolling in it at the farm and are experiencing some bumper crops! We were thinking if you have the time and space, we have the food to preserve. This week’s abundance includes cucumbers and summer squash. Both are great for pickling! CSA members get a special price of $1 per pound. So get those jars ready and pick those dill flowers because the time is now folks and it goes quick!

Field update: The melons are looking really good and we are so excited to bust one open and taste the sweetness but we have to wait just a little bit longer. We will be picking our first peppers this week and you should see how many shapes, colors and sizes will be on the table so get ready for a pepper taste test. Sungold tomatoes are ripening and there should be some for all. That's right, finally some tomatoes available in your share. We are just getting started so this is just a taste before we are in tomato heaven. Another crop to watch out for is the butter beans or edamame. We should have this healthy little bean next week. It feels like we are constantly keeping up around here. Harvest, harvest, harvest; weed, weed, weed; sell, sell, sell. Sleep? Overrated.

The big harvests are about to start here at the farm. The crew have been working out their muscles all season in preparation to bring those melons in. I LOVE August; I think its my favorite!

Enjoy the harvest.

Mid-Summer Field Update

2011-07-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

We are halfway through our season and can’t believe it’s already the end of July!!! This is my favorite time of the farming season for everything seems to be in full bloom or just about ready.

Our ‘Zucs’ and ‘Cucs’ as we call them are raging because of this crazy heat and our ability to keep them irrigated. It has been a battle staying on top of the irrigation. Moving hoses from field to field early in the morning and late in the evening and checking in to make sure they’re still running efficiently in the sweltering hot weather. It makes for a cranky crew, but gorgeous veggies.

The summer lettuce is still holding on, but it’s not the happiest after the heat wave. We have to remember to be gentle with such a fragile crop. I’m just glad we still have fresh lettuce for salads. Who wants to cook in this weather! Weather, weather!!! Ugh! Are we all sick of talking about it yet? Don’t worry; this week’s forecast looks amazing and refreshing after last week.

Our beets and carrots are looking good and we should have them for many weeks ahead. Time to make some Borscht or Beet Salad!

This seems to be one of the best onion crops we’ve grown, but we’re not done so we can’t count our chickens quite yet. Hopefully they will continue on this winning streak. Our leeks are pushing back from a very weedy start. They have some catching up to do, but are doing a good job at it. We harvested our garlic and have them hanging and curing. They look and smell amazing with their big, fat heads. Some of you lucky folks that visited us Saturday got a sneak peak at how lovely they are. It’s extremely hard to wait for the curing process; they look so appealing. Patience.

As you probably know, we start almost all our crops inside our greenhouse before transplanting them in our fields. There are some exceptions where we direct sow, like potatoes. This week we have been transplanting the last of our fall crops with the rest to be transplanted next week. Our greenhouse is quickly dwindling down its supply of goods. All the fall crops have been doing well and we will do our best to keep them watered and fed through the coming months.

Speaking of fall, our fall broccoli and cauliflower are happy and looking great after getting the water they needed through the heat wave. Winter, yes I said it… Winter squash is looking healthy and enjoyed yesterday’s rain. Although you may be knee high in refreshing streams and enjoying all summer has to offer, we still need to plan for our winter harvest. It’s tough to think in such a manner when it’s sunny and 90!

Our potatoes have endured a hard hit by a little bug called the Leafhopper. There should be some tubers under there, but the potatoes definitely took a hit from the little suckers. I’ve heard of many other people having this problem as well. Oh, the joys of sustainable farming! Much better than the latter of using chemicals!!!

We have started to see little watermelons out there and are observing them grow each hot day. Andy thinks they should arrive by mid August. Looking forward to the messy faces full of juicy watermelon goodness, especially with the children! You all know what I’m talking ‘bout! Summer smiles.

Last and certainly not least….. Tomatoes! The question we get almost daily: “when will your tomatoes be ready?” We love them as much as you and are can’t wait to shove them in our mouths! They are looking good and you should see them on the menu in a couple weeks. The same goes for the delicious peppers and eggplant.

We hope you are enjoying the harvest so far. Get ready for more to come!

July 18th already?!?!

2011-07-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

What's available this week....

Eggplant ~ Carrots ~ Cucumbers ~ Cipollini Onions ~ Beets ~ Turnips ~ Radishes ~ Kale ~ Swiss Chard ~ Lettuces ~ Squashes ~ Cabbage ~ Radicchio ~ Arugula ~ Bok Choy ~ Mustard Greens

Hopefully we will have flower bouquets available for purchase this weekend as well.

News Flash.... or should I say Daily News Flash!!!

There was a recent article in the NY Daily News on Friday, July 15th including Sol Flower Farm!!! Be sure to check it out.

Upcoming Events Not to be missed... Friends of the Farmer at Copake Country Club Saturday, July 30th. You know Sol Flower will be there representing!!! More information on this wonderful event celebrating local farmers and what they do best at www.friendsofthefarmer.com

FARM ON!!!

New this week

2011-07-08T04:11:00.000-07:00

What the crew is currently harvesting.....

Beans

Cipollini Onions

French Breakfast Radishes

Red Cabbage

What we've been harvesting and still available....

Arugula Lettuce Scallions

Mustard Greens Radicchio Beets

Turnips Swiss Chard Bok Choi

Tat Soi Summer Squash Cabbage (Napa & Savoy)

Kale (Red Russian & Green Curly) Various Herbs

For our faithful CSA members we also have PYO....

Beans

Peas

Various Herbs (Dill, Cilantro, Basil, etc.)

Hungry Yet??

Don't know what to do with all your veggies? Looking for new ideas?? We've got plenty of recipes we love and are willing to share. Please post some of your favorites. Everyone is always looking for something new to try.

Stay posted for some of our favorite recipes. We will post them soon. It always tastes better with a little anticipation added!

A day in the life of harvesting

2011-06-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

We spent this morning harvesting, which we do throughout the week. It’s a great way to jump start our mornings and awaken our sense of farming. Being out in the fields while the sun is starting to peak and the dew is glistening on the plants is just beautiful. These are the days I love farm life!
This morning we all jumped in the back of Andy’s truck and recapped on what’s going on in everyone’s life. We all live very different lives, but as soon as we step onto the farm, we come together. Between jokes and helping hands, we are our own crazy little Sol Flower Family.
Andy drove us down Wiltsie Bridge Road on the back of his truck, letting the wind act as a caffeine boost. We arrived in the fields and unpacked the truck of our harvesting tools. There is usually one person we designate in charge of numbers prior to harvesting. They let us know how many of each vegetable and variety we need to harvest and tell us when we have cut or picked enough. This morning that person was Andy; he seemed the most awake. He yelled out the numbers and we all started picking, first starting with kale and working our way to rainbow chard. We picked leaf after luscious leaf until we each had gorgeous edible bouquets of veggies in our hands.

We filled our buckets and set them aside in the shade, diligently working toward the next variety. We were done in less than an hour. Once we finished, we packed up the truck, said goodbye to the rest of the crops and tried to find room to sit or squat as we drove back to the farm.
It seems a Sol Flower tradition to sing absurd songs loudly and out of tune while washing and packing our freshly harvested yield. Smiles across every face, our morning of harvesting is coming to an end… until tomorrow.
We harvest almost every day of the week. Mondays for the Berkshire Co-op, Tuesday for the midweek CSA, Wednesday for our restaurant orders and Thursday/Friday for the weekend at the store, CSA and farmer’s markets. As the summer rolls on, harvesting will continue to play a priority role and consume more time in our days. Makes sense, right? More crops and varieties, more harvesting. Literally from farm to table! We try to harvest the same day or only one day prior to when our produce is needed to ensure quality control. We’ve been told how vast our veggies are and how long they last. It’s great to hear that since that’s our goal.

So go enjoy that yield!! You know where we’ll be…

The CSA Bounty for this Week

2011-06-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of you wonderful CSA members,

This week we have some exciting new additions to the amazing bounty of food that we will be sharing with all our CSA members. In addition to the luscious greens and succulent roots we have been providing in your shares in the couple weeks prior, we will introduce:

Mustard Greens

Scallions

Tatsoi

Baby Bok Choy

Summer Squash (If the weather warms and pushes the squash to harvest size)

As the season presses on and the nights get warmer expect us to introduce new items into your shares almost weekly. When you come to our farm to pick up your share of the bounty this week we have the potential to add FIVE new items for you all to choose from! We are working hard to produce and provide our members with the healthiest and freshest vegetables, fruits and flowers every week, so stay tuned and expect many more exciting items to pop up in your shares and at our markets.

Your Farmers at Sol Flower Farm

CSA Share Information for This Week

2011-06-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hello All CSA Members!

This week we are diligently planning and preparing all of your excellent CSA Shares for Saturday pick-up. This week we have some delightful new items from last week that we're sure you will enjoy. As the heat rolls through and the sun keeps shining expect to see even more new and exciting items popping up in your CSA shares every week! This week you can expect to find:

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

Red Russian Kale

Green Curly Kale

Boston Lettuce

Romaine Lettuce

Red Leaf Lettuce

Salad Mix

Spinach

Arugula

Turnip

Radish

Have a great rest of your week and we will see you all on Saturday.

Sol Flower Crew

The sun is shining, the weather is sweet

2011-05-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

We are in full swing here at Sol Flower Farm. We survived the copious amounts of rain and are ecstatic to be back in the fields. The crew is actually out in the fields on this glorious day harvesting our first bounty of 2011!! Lettuces, kale, chard, broccoli raab… yum! We will have our first bounty available today at the Amenia Farmer’s Market between 3 and 7pm. Hopefully you can stop by and say hello to the friendly Sol Flower face of Tracey! She will be our Friday market woman and is looking forward to selling and chatting about our first harvest of the year. We will also be at the Millbrook Farmer's Market on Saturdays throughout the season.

CALLING ALL CSA MEMBERS!!!!

CSA Members and CSA member wanna be’s…. our first pickup will be next Saturday, June 4^th. Tuesday pickup people will start their shares on June 7^th. Anyone who hasn’t paid his or her remaining balance, please do so as soon as possible in order to receive your share. I bet you can’t wait!!! The fields look amazing and plentiful! I know my mouth is watering.

Thanks to all who came out and enjoyed our kick-off season
Plant Sale and BBQ!

The weather cooperated with us right until the last minutes of the day. We did get a little wet cleaning up… well maybe more like drenched, but I think the plants and ourselves needed it! It was great to see some familiar faces again and definitely got our crew excited for this season to begin. And of course a big thanks to Herondale! The burgers and hot dogs from Herondale were delicious, especially when washed down with an iced cold beer and accompanied with a fresh pasta salad with our very own broccoli raab. It was a fabulous, successful day.

We are continuing to sell some plant starts, but they are going fast! If you weren’t able to make it to our kick-ass season opening last Saturday, make sure to stop by this weekend and check out what’s available. Maybe you’ll even want to sign up for a CSA share?! Everybody’s doing it!

Oh Weather, How Mysterious You Are

2011-05-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Farm Friends,

This spring at Sol Flower Farm has certainly been interesting. Battling with wet fields one week and having to irrigate the next made this spring full of surprises and forced the flexible farmer to bend even further. We started off the spring with rain, rain and more rain. As with many farmers across North America we had issues entering our fields to plow, disc and plant. If you weren't aware, working the fields when the soil is to saturated can cause major soil compaction and disturbances in the natural biomechanics of the earth. With that in mind, the moisture in the earth at the beginning of the season caused some issues with timing of plow dates, bed preparation and planting. However, as all farmers must, we overcame these issues with some cooperation from Old Man Weather by taking advantage of every possible opportunity to get into the fields and get down and dirty.

Last week we were graced with sun and dry weather for 7 days in a row. Taking advantage of this glorious weather and the break in the spring dampness we got to planting, and in a hurry! Zinnias, sunflowers, status, asters, salvia and millet all went into our flower field by our lovely greenhouse so we can offer the earliest summer color to brighten up the days and your homes. We were able to plant four beds of onions of all different varieties, as well as, a bed of three varieties of lettuce and beds of fennel, chard, radicchio, beets and carrots.

In addition to planting during the much needed break in rain we had an opportunity to fire up our new plastic mulch layer. Trevor, Jay and Andy were hard at work for a full day inspecting and figuring out the dynamics behind the layer and formatting it perfectly for our specific needs here at Sol Flower. Laying the plastic was a challenge at first but after a few attempts we got it down to a science and laid out 15 rows of plastic! The advantages of planting in plastic are countless but to mention a few are: a reduction in cultivation due to a decreased exposure in growing area and therefore a decrease in the amount of weeds, the ability to trap moisture underneath the plastic to decrease the need for irrigation, and lastly the increase in heat at the root level so that plants can put on a bigger fruit set. Some of the crops that we'll be planting in the plastic layer are cucumbers, watermelon, peppers and eggplants. So be prepared for some big, luscious, healthy vegetables.

This week the weather has turned back to its spring ways and has graced us with a whole lot more rain. Decreasing our need for irrigation (good) but postponing access to our land (bad) we have busied ourselves with greenhouse work and preparation for the busy weekend ahead. Our first market is on Friday in Amenia (3pm-7pm) so we are actively gathering the necessary market supplies and preparing to reacquaint ourselves with our wonderful customers. In addition to our first market of the year we will be holding our annual plant sale on Saturday (May 21st) from 9am-4pm. Andy, Hayley, and Jay are busy creating inventory lists of all the available plants for sale, creating labels and designing and putting up signs all over the area. Stop by and say hello.

The Sol Flower Farm Crew

Season Opening

2011-05-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

What would the season be like without a kick-off BBQ and Plant Sale?? I can't even imagine! Come join us this Saturday, May 21st and see what's going on at Sol Flower and Herondale Farms!

We will have plenty of starter plants for your gardens at home. Tomatoes, Peppers, Kale, Lettuces, Herbs, Eggplant, Cosmos, Zinnias, and more! No time to dig in the dirt? Sign up for our CSA! Reap the delicious benefits of our fields with weekly shares of vegetables and herbs. Sign up now! We will start harvesting in the next couple of weeks and won't stop until late fall.

Check out our website for more information www.solflowerfarm.com We will be happy to answer any questions you may have this Saturday! Did we mention we're excited for our opening Saturday? Hope to see you this Saturday!

SATURDAY!!!

Friday (the day before Saturday) marks the date of our first Amenia Farmer's Market! We will be there May 20th from 3-7pm. Come help support your favorite, local farmers!

These two events are both great opportunities to meet the new crew at Sol Flower. Please be sure to stop and introduce yourselves.

Be sure to check back for more updates... coming soon!

Gearing up for Spring!

2011-02-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well it's been awhile! I certainly have enjoyed a winters nap but I am now feeling a little over it. I have been spending this month getting geared up for our 2011 bounty. We are adding some new varieties to our fields this year and much needed equipment to help us grow more efficiently. Its hard to imagine that we will ever see the brown earth again but I know it will be here soon enough. In fact we will fire up the greenhouse in a couple weeks for our onions.
We are very excited to increase our CSA membership this season so tell any all your friends if you enjoyed your share last year and point them to our website.
So lets just hang tight and enjoy our last cozy nights by the fire, sipping red wine and dreaming of sugar snap peas.... or at least I will.

Wrapping Up 2010

2010-11-10T11:07:00.001-08:00

What a great year we
have had!
Thanks to all of our dear friends, family, members and supporters.

The fields have been put to sleep, with a nice layer of cover crop to nourish them through the winter.

We had an exceptional year, and are grateful.

We are looking forward to next year, and already the spaces are filling for our 2011 CSA.

SIGN UP TODAY!

APPRENTICESHIP
We still have one spot available for an apprentice for next year. We require that this person has a true goal of becoming a vegetable farmer, and has the physical and mental capacity to farm.
We prefer someone with at least 1 year expereince on a farm like ours. Email cover letter and resume if interested.

OCTOBER 10TH PARTY!!!! Invite your Friends and Family!

2010-09-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yield Of The Field~A Farmers Feast

Oct 10 2010 1pm until we are done!

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY to reserve your spot at this Farmers Feast!

#9 chef will be preparing our Sol Flower Farm and Herondale Farm goods, while we wine, dine, enjoy live music, honor the farmers for the hard work, great harvests, participate in a farm blessing, bonfire, and more!
www.solflowerfarm.com
518 329 1004.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Bring in a check, cash or charge it at Herondale Farm Store.
Send a check to Sol Flower Farm, 90 Wiltsie Bridge Rd, Ancramdale, NY 12503
Call in to charge it: 518 329 1004

What To Expect at Your Pick-Up-Week of Sept. 21st

2010-09-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Kale
Chard
Carrots
Beets
Arugula
Tomatoes (Slicers and Heirlooms)
Onions
Potatoes
Garlic
Acorn Squash

NEW - DELICATA

U-Pick
Cherry Tomatoes
Herbs (find the parsley out there.)

May 6th 2010

2010-05-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to be able to track the rain and weather with our trusty computers. We know when it is going to rain, when the sun will come out, and how to judge when and where and how we should transplant, plow, and wait...

I found myself pondering what we would do without the internet here, that we have began to lean on as such a tool. But, I pondered with an appreciation that we have it. It is modern day, to be able to see what the weather station says, and it is ancient to look up to the clouds, pay attention to the wind, and feel the moisture in the air. We live in both. Deeply grateful for both.
And trying to live it - integrated - and balanced.

They are all just more and more tools under our belts.

Planting in the rain today was glorious. The earth smelled rich, the onions especially were fragrant and the earth was moist enough to get those transplants in and well started. It is one of Andy's FAVORITE rows that we planted today. It is always great when the farmer is Happy!

Looking around, it is a blessing to be out here. A sense of real joy to be planting what will soon be in the hands and mouths of our members. friends, family, customers, and OURSELVES~

We need just a little more rain heavens OK?
Do they read blogs in Heaven?
"Let it rain, let it rain....the gods want to feed me"
-Arrested Development

2010-04-22T11:51:00.001-07:00

Our very first blog!

Welcome, everybody~to Sol Flower Farm OFFICAL Blog page.

This is just the beginning so we encourage everyone now to find out the real deal about us by clicking on the flower on top. It will bring you right to our website.

www.solflowerfarm.com

More soon!

Sol Flower Farm and Staff