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

Slowing Down in a Catawampus Season: Delivery 8

Almost Ripe

Baby Bears

This is a season of topsy-turvy surprises. Like how did the pumpkins get ripe before the tomatoes? Or the salad has grown strong almost all summer despite the big heat. What about the clouds of grasshoppers, when we've never even seen a hopper before this year?  There's no doubt about it weather and gardening know how is changing quickly. With this in mind I've been taking the following prescription for my befuddlement:

Just be still. Put down the tools. Stop the worrying about voles and moles. Find a shady patch of garden and simply sit there.

Bees LOVE the Corn Tassels

Sound simple? Well, it's the most difficult behavior in the world for this would be farmer. But I tried it again yesterday. I sat  down in the cool rustle of the corn rows. Silky fronds moved lightly across my neck. And then I heard it; not silence per se', but the bees. A thousand bees swarming and dancing and slinking their way through the tassels of pollen. There was a buzzing symphony of sweet contentment. There are no GMOs or sprays in this garden, so I knew the bees were safe. Then, listening to them I knew I was safe too.

Try the prescription sometime and simply stop, set everything down (and I mean literally empty your hands) and then just  be there the best you can. You may find some otherworldly visitors coming in the form of buzzing bees or the caressing hands of the rustling corn.

On Your Full Share Menu this Week.

• Alas, the tomatoes are still on the green side
• Ruby Queen Beet Greens
• Cylindra Beets
• Nantes Carrots
• Purple and Yellow Beans for 1/3 of the folks. More again next week.
• Venersborg Garlic
• Summer Salad Mix
• Mega Load of Lemon Cucumbers
• Armenian Striped Cucumbers
• Red Pontiac Potatoes
• Siberian and Russian Kale

The Pumpkins go into the root cellar until September.
Looks like just about everything else will come ripe next week including Squash, Tomatoes.

Thanks,
See You In The Garden,
Rick

(c) Copyright Moon Bear Produce, Rick Sievers, including words and all images except the bee, August 2015

Sliding Into the Fun Season in the Garden; Delivery #7

Cone Flower. i.e Echinacea

Finding that the carrots ripened overnight.

Hello Moon Bears,

This is the fun time of the season. The garden becomes so overgrown that hidden groves of veggies are rediscovered. Like finding Walla Walla Onions beneath the edge of the potatoes. Or discovering ripe tomatillos way back in the corner of the greenhouse, and we did not even plant tomatillos this year. Just when I thought farming was mostly work and defending against disease and predators, the Earth explodes with bounty.

Here's You Menu This Week For a Full Share

• A few Ripe Tomatoes. This is the down payment of many hundreds to come in the next month.
• Tomatillos. Also a down payment.
• Baby Carrots
• Lemon, Tender Green and Pickling Cucumbers
• Summer Salad
• Fresh Bunches of Fresh Basil.
• Russet and Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Green and Yellow Zucchini
• Sea Kale
• Siberian Kale
• Rainbow Chard
• Venersborg Garlic

Lemon Cucumbers

Filling the Box today for Our Millennium Friends

The Greenhouse is Overflowing

 Native Bee Sleeping in the Sun Flower

Today I'm just remembering the bounty and grace within the work. Thanks for sharing the garden journey with me.

Rick






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

Watering for Garden Health: Delivery #6

 Hello Moon Bears,

We're half-way through our CSA season. About 35% of the garden is cleared out or replanted with cover crops already. The dry wind has been a tenacious water sump to the soil this year. Lots of care is going into both conserving and applying enough water. I find that hand watering, except for the drip systems on the squash and tomatoes, is best for the plants.


Here are a few tips I've learned over the years on watering:

• Don't splash dirt or water from ground on tomatoes or squash if possible. The splash is often a vector for fungal diseases.
• Be careful about overhead watering pole and bush beans. Make sure the leaves have lots of time to dry out before nightfall. Beans don't like water sitting on their leaves overnight.
• Use drip irrigation if possible on larger plants. It's worth the effort. I generally use 2 gallon per minute nozzles once a week.
• Remember to  check the soil for moisture with a household moisture probe. Poke around the root zone, and go deep if possible.
• Not too wet. Roots suffocate and rot if really wet.
• And Not too skimpy on water either. I give One big dose of water and then let the ground dry out over the week.
• Many plants will naturally have a little leaf droop in hot weather. Just make sure the leaves spring back before the sun comes up again the next day.
• For conservation and minimizing evaporation use landscape fabric under squash and tomatoes. I also leave grass between rows instead of bare dirt.
• Watering is an art. Let the flow be such that there is no run-off. You can see the soil suck in the water. When it is full it will tell you.
• I sometimes run a little furrow with periodic dirt dams between the rows to catch the irrigation.  
• I like to use the battery operated timers. The orbit is my favorite because it's easy to use. Link Orbit Timer

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

• The first of the green beans
• Caraflex Cabbage. Cone shaped deliciousness.
• Fresh Warba Potatoes
• Salad Mix. Still holding its own, despite the heat.
• Detroit Beets
• Small White Onions
• Sea Kale. Think Smoothies.
• Siberian Kale
• Rainbow Chard 
• Garlic

Thanks,
Rick


(c) Copyright 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

Blazing Sun and Blazing Hearts. Moon Bear CSA Delivery #2

Upper Mid Garden on the Art Farm

Hello Moon Bears,

We're getting ready for the second delivery of 2015. Last week we literally cleared every ripe and ready item out of the garden for delivery #1. Which always happens. And like every year before we just prayed that the Earth would be bounteous over the coming week and fill basket #2. Which always happens. We have always had just enough, and the garden has always given a 100% to our members. I'm super grateful.

On the Menu for a Full Share This Week:

• Rainbow Chard
• Rhubarb
• New Potatoes
• Butter Lettuce Salad
• Sweet Snap Peas
• Detroit Beets
• Walla Walla Onions
• Fresh Garlic
• Siberian Kale
• Striped Zucchini



It's Hot Out There!

• Broccoli, if it grows a little more.

Star Shine Salad bagged and Ready for the Cooler

Lettuce and Spinach for 13ish CSA Boxes

Ruby Queen Beets Getting a Bath

Callie, The Supervisor and Security Guard

Thanks for believing in organic and local agriculture on a micro level.

See You For deliveries on Thursday.

Rick


(c) Copyright Words and Images,  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

Star Shine Salad...Two Weeks Until CSA Launch

Our Star-Shine Salad Picked Yesterday

Mailbox for garden tools in Heather's garden

 Hello Moon Bears,

A welcome rain today, finally.  Thought I'd pass along a few photos of our week on the Art Farm. Looks like two weeks until the CSA Summer 2015 launch. Our membership is full now. More than 15 wonderful members signed up. Thank you!!

Today we begin planting the second succession of crops in the south field. When the first garden runs thin in August the second will kick in. Also, the greenhouse has tomatoes already and a few golden zucchini.

See you in a couple of weeks.
Rick

Me and Callie the Farm Cat

Singin in the flowers

The Art Farm Flag

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

First 2014 CSA Delivery Heralded By Gandalf's Messenger

The Art Farm

 Hello Moon Bears,

May brought in a verdance from luxurious weather. Mild and Sunny! We are set for our first CSA deliveries this week.  

Our first full share box will include:

• Tennis Ball Lettuce
• Romaine Head Lettuce
• Small Turnips (Great mashed with carrots)
• Golden Zucchini (Roasted is good)
• Onions
• Potatoes (Purple and Red and Gold)
• Siberian Kale (Super tender and sweet)
• Young Garlic

Next Week we'll have broccoli and maybe baby carrots.

Every year I spend May fretting over the possibility that there will not be enough variety or quantity coming from the garden. Then in June the abundance begins to spill over. Even with the inevitable losses from bugs and fungi, there is enough and More than enough. It's a good lesson about gratitude and the giving nature of the Earth.

This week we had a special visitor in the onion patch: a Polyphemus (IO) Moth. See the photo below. A large male with antennae that work as pheromone detectors... i.e. his nose. I have to admit he was a little intimidating at first with a six inch wingspan.  But he was only interested in one thing: finding a female. He was a magical creature. The same such moth was the messenger animal between Gandalf and Gwaihir in the Lord of the Rings.

A few other photos from the garden:

 See You Soon,
Rick