Wave of Autumnal Colors: Delivery #12

Full Spectrum Wave of Dahlias

 Hello Moon Bears,

This is your Final Official Delivery for 2015.
There will be one more Bonus Delivery on September 17th. We'll trade the last ice chests in for the season then.

Thank You for a beautiful season. 

We so loved connecting with you and sharing the joys and challenges of the garden with you.

We have a grab-bag of goodness on this, our final week. Check out the photos of all plants showing off for the rain clouds:

Concord

Dahlia

The End of an Old Compressor Tank

At the Cleaning Station

 On Your Full Share Menu This Week
Rainbow Carrots
Gold and Purple Tomatillos
Beautiful Heirloom Tomatoes
Concord Grapes
Heirloom Apples
Lemon Cucumbers
Sea Kale
Rainbow Chard
Garlic
Various Items from the Cabbage Family like
Kohlrabi
Savoy Cabbage
Brussel Sprouts 

Tomatillo

Baby Zucchini
Winter Squash, Spaghetti and Carnival
Sweet Mini Bell Peppers

kohlrabi

Pictures Below: Notice the Doe on her way to much on the kale bed. When she saw me coming she went and hid behind the greenhouse. I just let her be, figuring that Autumn was a time to share the wealth.

See you on Thursday.
Rick

Sliding into the Fall Harvest: Delivery #11

Hello Moon Bears,

This is your second to last official delivery. A bonus delivery will occur, however, on September 17th.

On You Full Share Menu This Week

• Concord Grapes
• Honey Crisp Apples
• Super Sweet Corn
• A Dozen Varieties of Tomatoes
• Small Detroit Beets
• Wax Beans
• Viking Potatoes
• Last of the Summer Salad
• Purple Hawaiian Sweet Bell Peppers 
• Rainbow Carrots
• Garlic

Did you notice a theme here in the flavors: Sweet and Savory.

Blessing to you this last week of August.
Thank you for believing in this small farm.

Rick



(c) Copyright Rick Sievers, Moon Bear Produce, August 2015

Rainbow of Roots: Delivery #9

Many Carrots Are Not Naturally Orange

 Hello Moon Bears,

Only 2 1/2 weeks left of August. Looks like the tomatoes have finally arrived. And we're seeing the final root crops coming in this week and next.

We had a funny frustrating occurrence this week. We've been discovering the pepper plants in the greenhouse eaten down to the ground. I thought of two possible culprits:  rabbits. But we'd installed a 500 foot rabbit proof fence around the perimeter of the north garden and greenhouse this year. Should be no rabbits, right? Well, I just saw a rabbit scampering around in the kale bed outside the window. The funny thing about armoring up is that it not only keeps the warm fuzzy creatures out. It keeps them in. Looks like I trapped a lonesome bunny in paradise this year. Now, if we could only trap him and drop him off at the neighbor's farm... only kidding.

Here's the Menu for a Full Share this Week:

• Green, Purple and Yellow Beans
• Barbecue Perfect Onions
• Tomatoes of Many Stripes and Colours
• Small Pumpkins... hey they're ready. Why Not?
• Spaghetti Squash
• Fresh Basil
• Lemon, Armenian and Tender Green Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Maybe some Concord Grapes... We'll see
• Golden and Cylindra Red Beets (The last)
• Purple, yellow and White Carrots 
• Beira Kale
• Yukon Gold Potatoes

Coming Your Way

Thanks for Eating Local and Fresh.
See You in the Garden

Rick


(c) Copyright Moon Bear Produce, Rick Sievers, August 2015

How to Bee Happy: Delivery #4

Honey Bee on a Wild Onion Bloom

Turnips Fresh From Their Beds

 Hello Moon Bears,

I had a moment in the squash patch when I Knew that This is what the Earth is Truly like underneath all the fierce challenges happening right now in our environment. The Summer Squash were bursting out of the plant bases. Their flowers waving lazily in the gentle breeze. All around me were honey bees and the big fuzzy native bees. They spiraled in and out of the flower forest. Some spun around my head. The buzzing was ecstatic. I felt the brush of their wings on my neck and arms as I reached in to harvest the bounty. And I brought back a smile along with the squash. This is what the Earth offers us in the garden: Joy, especially when we treat her with reverence and integrity.

FYI: If you want to make the bees happy, let some of your garden crops go wild and flower. Bees love radishes, kale and onions when they bloom. In fact, a single radish plant will stand about four feet tall, with a thousand blooms, if you let it bee.

Check Out Our Golden Beets

On Your Menu This Week:

• Rainbow Chard
• A Trinity of Kale
• The Last of the Ruby Turnips
• Tender Green and Armenian Cukes
• Golden and Detroit Beets
• The Best Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes
• Dutch Yellow Onions
• The Last of the Pre-Heat Wave Lettuce
• Small Summer Garlic

Tender Green and Lemon Cucumbers

Thanks,
See You in the Garden

Rick





(c) Copyright, Words and Images, Moon Bear Produce, Rick Sievers, July 2015

4th of July: Red White and Blue Potatoes. Delivery 3

Red White and Blue Potatoes Coming Your Way

Hello Moon Bears,

The potatoes we planted on March 24th are finally here. Three months in the ground. Pulling them is Always such an amazing process, like hunting Easter eggs. For any of you that have planted your own potatoes here are a few tips I've learned along the way. They generally take around three months to get to dinner size portions. Though you can reach your hand under the plant well before and snatch a few new potatoes for breakfast, kind of like collecting eggs from beneath a hen. When the plants flop over and begin to look less vibrant (maybe with some yellowing leaves) then the harvest is near. Remember, the actual potato tubers generally do not ever grow deeper than you originally planted them. That's why you hill them up over the length of the season.

When you come to the harvest time spare yourself potato puncture wounds by observing the following tips: 

• Use a spade well past the drip line and dig Deeper than the original seed potato.
• Keep the spade always deeper than the original seed and work your way into the heart of the root system, levering up softly.
• Take your time and try not to get too excited by digging willy-nilly in a fast pace. Meditative, if possible.
• Eat the ones you accidentally slice first.
• Grub around with your hands in the loose dirt you will always find a few outliers.
• When you clean the Fresh spuds don't use a hard spray or course brush. The skins are pretty delicate at this stage. I usually just put them in a bath of fresh clean water and swirl them around. then brush them in the water bath.
• I use a very soft veggie brush bought at Fred Meyer.
• Remember the miracle provided from the deep mystery of the Earth.

On Your Menu This Week for a Full Share:

• The fore mentioned potatoes. Purple, Russet and Rose Finn Fingerling. Mmmm We have a lot more coming this year too.
• The last of the Oregon Giant Snap Peas
• Maybe some Broccoli. We'll see if the second wave is ready.
• Butter Head Salad with delicate and sweet Purslane.
• Detroit Beets
• Rainbow Swiss Chard
• The last of the Walla Walla Onions. Get ready for more onion varieties next week.
• Yellow and striped Zucchini
• Purple Top Turnips
• And the beginning of the Cucumbers. Armenian, Burpless and Lemon. Yay!

Thanks for thinking and eating locally. Thanks for choosing organic. The Earth and Your Body thank You.

Rick

(c) Copyright Rick Sievers, Moon Bear Produce, June 2015

Fecundity: First Delivery of 2015

Hello Moon Bears,

Your 2015 Season Starts on Thursday June 18th. So get ready for so yummy freshness. 

The word for this season is Fecundity.

This is a wonderful word meaning fruitfulness and fertility, the ability to produce abundant healthy growth or offspring. It also refers to a powerful personal productivity, often in terms of natural growth. Some use the word to describe rich  mental ability and fluidic creativity.

And all of these descriptors reflect what is happening in the garden this year. All of these photos were taken last night in the stillness of the sunset. On Thursday these beautiful plants will offer themselves to be included in your CSA boxes. Our earth is fecund  with bounty and grace. We're grateful to be co-participants with you in the harvests. 

A few items from your menu this week:

• Rainbow Chard
• Star Shine Salad Mix
• Sweet Snap Peas
• Broccoli
• Yellow Zucchini
• Walla Walla Onions
• Baby Beets, with delicious greens
• Siberian and Russian Kale

Magnificent Market Cabbage

Delivery Takes Place Between 2PM and 4PM on Thursday.

Farm Pick Up is available from 2PM Thursday until Noon on Friday.

See you in the Garden.

Rick

Walla Walla

Red Lettuce

Our Ice Chests Ready for Filling

Yellow Summer Squash

Barley by the West Gate

Can you Find the Grasshopper on This Rock?

(c) Copyright Words and Images, Moon Bear Produce, Richard Sievers, June 2015

2015 Moon Bear Veggie Subscriptions Available, CSA

The Art Farm in Bloom

Hello Future Moon Bears,

It's not too early to put your New Year's intentions into action.  How about Subscribing to the 2015 Moon Bear Veggie Subscription Service? Secure your spot in the CSA that is Fun, Fresh and Flavorful... We always consider it a sacred duty to be Good stewards of our particular piece of earth. And we really care about our csa community. It's a great deal, with home delivery possible.

Moon Bear Produce

Grown with Integrity and Love

In Battle Ground, WA

Weekly Veggie Subscription

for Summer Season 2015

Only $400 for 12 to 14 Weeks

Delivered Right to your Door 

(West and Central Vancouver, Clark Co and North Portland)

Or $340 for Farm Pick Up

 Some Moon Bear Member Benefits:                        

-        Sustainably grown, local, heirloom produce from Battle Ground, WA

-        Living, Organic, Sacred Soil

-        Lots of hearty basic varieties as well as fun and tasty specialty veggies

-        Never any artificial fertilizers, pesticides or dark attitudes

-        Weekly recipes and garden newsletter at moonbearproduce.blogspot.com

-        Farm or Home Delivery  * Ask for details

-        All aspects of growth & harvest infused with Integrity, Gratitude & Love.

-        Delivered in Full Sized Ice Chests                                             

-        All produced washed, tied and cooled                                     

-        Discounts, potlucks, farm visits

Here are a few photos of last season's bounty. 

We still have 14 spots available.

Thanks,
Rick Sievers
Email Me at
ricksfarm yahoo

or call
(three six 0)  Nine Zero Four-4321

(C) Copyright, Words and Images, Moon Bear Produce, Rick Sievers, January 2015