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

June Bloom - Deliveries Start June 18th

 The North Garden in Mid May

 

Karakovan Style Hive

Hello Moon Bears,

Looks like we will start deliveries on Thursday June 18th. We have a lot of new kale right now if anyone wants to cut some themselves. We also have two spots available for our CSA (See the last entries for details).

You can see how green everything is. This time of the work year is sort of like riding a runaway truck with no brakes. The weeds and the sprouts and the bugs and the soil preparation and the promotion happen all at once. Just hang on and do as much as you can.

Potatoes are nearly two feet tall, with little 1 inch spuds hidden in the pile beneath. Broccoli is growing heads. The bees are swarming around the bolted kale and radishes. And the Caraflex cabbages have the cutest cone heads you've ever seen.

We listened to your feedback from last year. So this year we are planting more salad greens in succession. Also, our  onion crop is twice the size and variety as last year. So far the winter squash looks good too. We'll try to never repeat our 50% loss from vine borers last year. We rotated our squash patch far away from the infected areas. Keep your fingers crossed. Control is not an option in a true organic garden. One can only rely on patience and presence and practice With the Earth as partner.

We also installed our first beehive. This is an old time design made with a hollow cottonwood log. It's primary purpose is home for the bees, a round sanctuary. Its a modified Karakovan hive and it also is akin to many African designs. See these links for more details: Karakovan & Stellar Bees. We also have a nice patch of milkweed for the Monarch Butterflies we saw last year.

We're so looking forward to seeing you this Summer, with coolers full of living, lovely produce.

Rick

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

Green and Hopeful Seedlings

Removing the cover crop before planting.

Onions being planted

 Hello Moon Bears,

Spring has arrived in waves of heat and rain. The land is fertile and endorsing the loveliness of the green and hopeful seedlings. We've planted spinach, onions, kale, chard, lettuce, garlic, brussel sprouts. The seedling greenhouse is full of summer and winter squash, tomatoes, broccoli and a flat of milkweed for the butterflies.

It's not too late to reserve your spot for the Summer Season Veggie Subscription Service. Only $340 for farm pick-up, $400 delivered right to your door and $175 for 1/2 share (farm pick up only). Check out the previous blog entries for more details.

Tools: Hand, Sharpie, trowel, mini-seeder, mallet and big seeder plates.

Tomato Seedlings

Greenhouse tilled, staked and ready for drip irrigation.

 Looks like the Summer deliveries will start about June 18th. Off course the Earth and weather have the final say when the first harvest begins.

Rick and Heather
(three six zero) 904-four three two one

The Upper Garden

Rick with the Earthway Seeder

See you in the garden.

These beds won't be bare for long

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

Let the Planting Begin

 Hello Future Moon Bear CSA Members,

We'll have over 100 varieties of veggies being planted in the next two months. We just planted 780 onion sets this weekend, including Walla Wallas. We'll have some new vegetable varieties, including artisan tomatoes, scarlet turnips and over 10 lettuce types. Plus a returning star, back by popular demand: Sea Kale. This is the best kale for high octane smoothies. 

If you haven't made your reservation yet please contact me. The entire season for a full share delivered to your door in an ice chest is only $400. See the previous blog post for details.

Eight people have signed up so far. Which leaves about 13 spots left. Balances due in May. If you have questions or want to sign up Please contact me soon. Here's a link to my email:
ricksfarm@yahoo.com 

Thanks,
Rick and Heather

(c) Copyright on Words Moon Bear Produce, Rick Sievers, March 2015

Images from Johnnys Seeds