Corn, Beans, and Parades

Angelina, Lynette, Paula, Hayes, and Laurie on the farm truck, getting ready to wave, wave, wave.

It was a fun and busy week this week in Modoc. The Fair is in town, and that means we're trekking to Cedarville to see everything from rides to the destruction derby to the giant vegetable contest...and of course, the parade just wouldn't be complete without Frank the Farm Truck and the beautiful women of Fort Bidwell sitting on hay bales on back waving and throwing...lettuce? Next year we'll have it more together with a shade, some green beans to throw, a dressed up donkey, and more. This year, we're happy Frank made it to Cedarville and back before his starter died.

On the farm, the corn is jussssssst about ready, and the green beans are coming on strong. The melons aren't quite there yet, but the pumpkins are big and are starting to get nicely orange. A chill is in the air in the mornings. Labor Day weekend is almost upon us, and we're looking forward to welcoming many guests from near and far.

Carlos with the world's longest green bean, and Pinney checking out the corn. It's about ready, right on time!

Summer Winding Down

Pumpkin, squash, and Elsie with a potato. Click on the picture of the squash blossom to see the amazing bees at work up close

The sun is rising a little bit later every morning, it's getting dark a little bit earlier each evening, and the days don't seem so endlessly broiling. The evenings are still warm, and the mornings are cooler and cooler. The pumpkins are starting to get a little color, the sunflowers are blooming, the bees are in the squash, the onions are poking out above the soil, and the potatoes are getting ripe. We're still working hard and hoping for a great corn harvest, meeting new friends and dreaming new dreams but also savoring these last days of the farm's first summer.

High Harvest in the High Desert

Our "grocery bag harvest special" (just $10 for all the produce you can fit into a grocery bag!), ads, and the article in the Modoc Record this week drew record numbers of people to the farm this weekend. We were delighted to welcome individuals and families to enjoy harvesting beautiful green beans, melons, squash, onions, cabbage, lettuce, and in the case of a few lucky souls, vine-ripened tomatoes. Our new friends are travelling from all over Surprise Valley and even from Alturas and beyond to visit and discover our wonderful garden of Eden. Carlos brought our produce to the Farmers' Market in Alturas and sold out right away. Locavore Farms is getting a name, and we hope that that name is synonymous with healthy food, community, and a fantastic experience in nature. We think it seems to be!

A Whole Lotta Pickin' Going On

More and more of our friends and neighbors are discovering the U-Pick, and the green beans are ready right on time. The cabbage is perfect for sauerkraut projects, the cucumbers are perfect for summer salads, and a few of our customers are walking away with beautiful ripe watermelons. The corn is promising to be plump and ready around Labor Day, and the pumpkins are working hard to make the fall harvest. It's wonderful to see people appreciating the gifts of nature on and around the farm.

Carlos and his herbs, crystals, and candles. They make the farmstand an awesome place to hang out!

Carol and her grandchildren from across the lake visited the farm and loaded up on fresh veggies and good times. Even the Ozzy the Iguana got some Bok Choy!

The green beans are coming on strong. Fun for picking, even more fun for eating!

Farm Update

Jerry with bok choy, and a few of the watermelons showing their stuff

Today I thought I would post a copy of the email that goes out to the people on our email list. The weekly missives are getting longer and longer as more and more crops are ready to harvest. It's awfully quiet without any WWOOFers for the moment, so it's nice that people are still coming to and enjoying the farm.

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Happy August Days to you!

Thanks to the friends and neighbors who helped us make the first day of our U-Pick so successful! On Sunday, at every minute there was at least one person in the field gathering delicious veggies. It was wonderful to see, and in case you missed it, don't worry! Every Tuesday and Sunday morning from 8:00 till noon you'll have another chance to explore the farm and take home some of its treasures. This week, we're also delighted to announce a partnership with our neighbor Carlos Agurto, who will make his wonderful wild-harvested herbs and other aromatic and medicinal treats available to our customers at the farm, and will be bringing produce to the Alturas farmers' market on Saturday mornings. As if you need yet another reason to stop by, we're also going to be trying out "U-Drip" coffee - come make your own perfect cup of delicious, organic coffee to enjoy while you are picking or on your way home.

Here's what's in store for you this week. In addition to the farm and the Alturas Farmer's Market, you can also find Jerry at the Friday afternoon or Saturday morning Farmer's Markets in Cedarville. At the Farmer's Markets, among other delights from Jerry's garden and the farm, you'll find:

* Nini's legendary dumplings, always a top seller!
* Carrots, good for your eyesight and your attitude!
* Jerry's top-secret zucchini bread -- shhhh!
* Crookneck and zucchini squash - yummy!
* Cabbage - time for sauerkraut!
* Peas, delicious peas (shelling and sugar snap)!
* Leeks, a big favorite!
* Tender, delicious lettuce!
* Garlic - is it really as good as 10 mothers?
* Chard, good for your body and soul
* Bok choy - pure deliciousness!

This week at the U-Pick (CR 1 to Fort Bidwell, West on North St, then right on CR 165 - follow the signs), we'll have:

* Bok Choy - who doesn't love it?
* Wonderful herbs and information about herbs from Carlos
* Can you find some pole or bush green beans ready? I bet you can!
* Golden Acres cabbage - wow!
* Leafy green, iceberg and romaine lettuce - oh my!
* Leeks - fun to pick, funner to eat!
* Delicious and fun squash from our friends at Strawfly Farm!
* A couple of cucumbers are ready and waiting for you - get 'em quick, or wait till next week!
* ... and a few special delights from Jerry's Little Greenhouse!

For your information and planning, we're posting some of our current prices on our web site, along with produce prices at our local stores. As always, we thank you for your support and enthusiasm, and encourage you to live well, eat locally, and enjoy these warm days - they're getting shorter and sweeter!

U-Pick Officially Open!

The signs are up (see Noah and Micaela standing at the U-Pick sign above), the produce is ready, Jerry is spreading the word at the Farmers' Markets, and people started coming this morning to Locavore Farms to harvest food, meet their neighbors, spend a little time with nature, and to make the farm a vibrant center of growth, learning and community. Thanks to all who have participated - Jerry and his family, our WWOOFers and workers and guests, our well-wishers and observers, and our neighbors and customers.

Our first customer, master gardener Rick Peters of Michigan, was staying with family in Fort Bidwell, and showed up right on time with his own knife to gather the makin's of stuffed cabbage leaves.

Our friends the Klugher family came to gather bok choy, cabbage, and leeks. It was wonderful to see them in the garden and Iris and Cedar, above, really got into the work of excavating and extracting our giant chinese leeks.

It's wonderful to see all the hard work starting to pay off, and to see people enjoying the farm. We're looking forward to a couple of more months of two days a week at the U-Pick and two more days at the Farmers' Market with produce from Jerry's garden.

Harvest Season Begins!

The corn is tasseling (though it is as short as our resident miniature donkey, Frankie), the leeks are long, the lettuce and cabbage are landing on our dinner table more and more, the tomatoes are starting to get a get a blush, the squash plants are loaded with blossoms...it's harvest time! The U-Pick opens on Sunday, August 3, and continues for the next couple of months every Sunday and Tuesday. We're excited! Unfortunately the deer are also excited about our pepper and bean crops, but there's plenty to go around. Come on by!