So Much Bounty. Week 7 of the Moon Bear CSA

Tomatoes Are Here!

Hello Moon Bears,

Your garden is full this week. We're already planting the second round of potatoes for Fall. The tomatoes have finally started to trickle into the harvest bin. Surprise broccoli was hiding out in the south field. And even a little lettuce was growing in the shade. No huge disasters this year either... at least so far. A vine borer has played the trickster with the squash plants, but the fruit all looks good.  And there's cabbage deluxe, without blemish or bug... which is pretty darned amazing in an organic garden.

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

• Red, Savoy and Personal Sized Cabbage
• Curly Kale for Chips
• Broccoli
• Walla Walla Onions
• Trio of Purple, Wax and Green Beans
• Cosmic Purple and Solar Yellow Carrots
• Baby Carrots for the 1/2 shares
• Golden Zucchini
• Butter and Chef Mix Salad Bag
• Purple and Pontiac Potatoes
• Lemon and Armenian Cucumbers
• Golden and Detroit Beets
• Rhubarb Chard
• Sprigs of Fresh Basil

Check out the photos below from this week on the Art Farm.

See you on Thursday.

Rick

View from the Writing Cabin

Tobacco Plant in Fragrant Bloom

Lemon Cucumbers

After a Long Day

Washin the Potatoes

Creator Sends a Special Delivery of Goodness

The Seed Greenhouse and Meditation Hut

(c) Copyright, Text and Images, Rick Sievers, Moon Bear Produce, 2014

Summer Wonders, Week 6 of the Moon Bear CSA

 Hello Moon Bears,

We're half way through the season this week. And the garden is bursting with lovely vegetables. Take a look at the bounty on this little patch of Earth. What blessings we have to share with you.

On the Menu for a full share this week, a grab bag of goodness:

• Yukon Gold and Red Pontiac Potatoes
• Siberian Kale
• Purple-Wax-Green Bean Trio
• Baseball Butter Lettuce
• Rainbow Deluxe Carrots
• Detroit Red and Yellow Beets
• French and Golden Zucchini
• Fordhook Giant Chard
• Armenian Cucumbers
• Baby Turnips
• Lots of Loving Prayers from Within the Garden

The good news is that tomatoes will be making their grand entry to your boxes next week. We've already been sampling the golden grape tomato. Very sweet. Thank you CSA members! We have 15 families eating from our micro farm.

Check out the pictures below:

Quinoa, Howden Pumpkin, Sweet Corn Buddha, Snapdragons, Washing the potatoes in the ancient stainless sink, plums on the way to ripening and a few friendly chickens watching all the commotion in the garden.

 

As Michael Jackson sings: "Just Beet It..."

Ok, off to weed in the silky summer rain.
See you in Garden,
Rick

(c) Copyright, Images and words, Rick Sievers, Moon Bear Produce, July 2014.

Magical Turnips and a Super Moon, Week 5 of Your CSA

Purple Top Turnip.

Hello Moon Bears,

What a succulent harvest this week on the Art Farm. 

Just look at that turnip. 

Besides the Moon, that root was the most beautiful essence rising out of the clay this week.  
By the way turnips are great mashed with potatoes.

 And beets: gold, white, crimson.

We're also in the midst of expanding our cleaning station for field washing right after harvest. I inherited a 10 foot long  double stainless sink. Thanks mom. So obviously we had to ensconce it within a brand new structure. Just another week long project to wile our time away.

 

 

Heather has also been busy making recipes in the kitchen. 

Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta 

Mmm.

   

Finally carrots have arrived. 

Solar yellow are the first to enter the world. 

Next week we'll have red and purple carrots too.

And here is the picture of The One that watches over y/our garden on these sultry summer nights.
The July Super Moon was incredible, a silent presence gliding through our dreams.

On the Menu This Week for a Full Share:

• Solar Yellow Carrots
• Gold and Crimson Beets
• Sprouting Broccoli
• Rainbow Chard
• Siberian Kale
• Dutch Yellow Onion
• Baby Turnips
• Gold and French Zucchini
• A few Cabbages

See You In the Garden.
Rick and Heather


(c) Rick Sievers, Moon Bear Produce, July 2014

Interdependence Day, Week Four of the Moon Bear CSA

 Hello Moon Bears,

Hope you had a great Interdependence Day. We shared a fire with friends and family. All of us reflecting on how important community is during these challenging times on Earth. Speaking of challenges, the garden has been going through some of its own. Voles ate the base off of five squash plants this week. Ouch. And the heat has squashed the lettuce crop, at least for now. On the bright side, we have a burgeoning crop of cucumbers on the way. And Delicata and Acorn Squash, the ones Not eaten by our wily wild friends.

On the Menu this Week:

• Fordhook Giant and Rhubarb Chard
• Curly Kale, good for chips.
• Siberian Kale, great for smoothies.
• Cress and Nasturtium, as amendments to your salad.
• Beets Deluxe, Golden and Crimson
• New potatoes
• Onions, this time with skin left on for storing.
• Radishes. Try em steamed or stir fried.
• Maybe Carrots, if I can find enough.
• Zucchini, golden, French Collette and green.

Tomatoes are still on the way, within a week or two.

Thanks, Dear Friends.
See You in the Garden,
Rick

(c) Copyright, Rick Sievers, Moon bear produce, July 2014

Green Green Green: Week 3 of Moon Bear CSA

Kale Bed by the Silver Barn

Hello Moon Bears, 

Check out all the farm photos below, after reading the post.

I just returned from a five day trip to see my mom. And what did I find? The garden is overflowing with GREEN!   Many items are very close to ripe, but not quite there. We'll have tomatoes within the next two weeks. And the Carrots look like they're coming soon. Acorn squash looks like about two to three weeks out. Even a few small ears of Corn are popping their heads our into the sunshine. We'll also have more Potatoes soon, including our famous fingerlings.

We have BEETS this week, including Ruby Queen and Detroit varieties. These are sweet and tender. I like them sliced and steamed. We also have greens from the late spring, including perfect Swiss Chard and Siberian Kale. The lettuce was scorched this week by the sun. So we'll see only limited quantities of that until mid July (If the Sun decides to temper itself). 

This week will be a slightly smaller offering than last. That's the ebb and flow nature of gardening. I made a commitment to offer everything they garden is offering. Hang in there. A beautiful new group of veggies is coming soon. I'll give you all we've got throughout our season.

Here's What's on the Menu for a full share:

• Rainbow and Rhubarb Chard
• Ruby Queen Beets
• Triple Onions
• Baseball Butter Lettuce (We only have a few left for a couple of weeks) Update: Oops no lettucve this week. Looks too droopy from the heat. Sorry.
• Garlic
• Baby Broccoli Sprouts
• Siberian Kale
• Yellow and Dark Green Zucchini
• Update: Found the most beautiful little turnips in a forgotten corner of the North Plot. Try mashing with potatoes.

Please remember to leave your cooler out for me to collect

Thanks.

See You in the Garden


Rick

Some of your coolers drying in the sun