Hello!  I am back!  I have taken the initiative to sign all current CSA members up to the Happy Farmer Blog (the current post you are reading).  I write each time we have a veggie pick up, giving a more intimate painting of the farm and a sneak peak of the week’s veggie list.  if you cannot take another reality bite, you are welcome to unsubscribe at the bottom.  Although I would not advise : )

For those who have been following me for awhile: 1. thank you!  and 2. sorry I have been absent for a bit.  I suppose i just needed a break?  Not sure what happened, really.  I have been doing this blog for nearly 17 years and this is the first time I missed 4 pick ups (gasp!).  It’s certainly not that I wasn’t thinking about you (I always am).  In fact I took photos specially for the blog, I mentally wrote some while laying in bed at 3am, I even started a couple and they just never made it to publication.  Hmmmmmm.   ok, back on track we go!

Simon and Benny are the farm greeters.  Benny just turned 1 and is still learning to behave, apologies for any ill behavior.  He is quirky and super sweet, a bit of a bird-aholic, a howler at sirens, a roller (sorry if he’s a bit stinky at times), greets you with a “woo woo wooo” when he’s really pleased to see you and his goofy signature move is “head down butt up” to be loved upon.  Simon is semi-retired at age 17.  He mostly hangs out on the cool tile floor of our house or his grandparents, but sometimes saunters down for a visit late afternoon/early evening.  He is now silent and wise, a wee bit blind but still has an amazing sniffer and still LOVES treats and soft pats.

It is challenging for us to accommodate additional dogs in the CSA barn.  If you bring your pup, please leave them in the car if possible.  If your dog is well behaved (all of our dogs are angels, right?), they must be on leash and only up on the ridge away from other customers.  Thank you for understanding.  We want this space to feel safe for all!

And then there’s lePeep (brown) and Caroline (blonde).  They wander the farm gleaning what may seem slimy to us (slugs) but proper treats to them.  They are vocal and social but do not like to be chased by (Benny!!!) and other small two-legged mammals.  Currently Caroline is brooding (trying to hatch eggs) and is not as visible.  I have gently told her many times her eggs are not fertile and her pursuits are futile, but alas she will not listen.  Look for their yummy eggs in the CSA fridge.  They will be the ones labeled “Duck” when the ladies are willing to share.

Our mighty crew has been busy!  While Maine is a lovely state, the frost free days add to merely 110.  This may seem like a lot until we realize most crops take 55 days to mature and tender plants like tomatoes and peppers around 75.  That leaves 2 weeks to get them in the ground!  May and June are FULL of field prep and transplanting.  We are almost done getting the last of the “spring” planted crops in.  Fingers crossed this week.  And then we move on to seeding for winter storage crops (carrots, beets and cabbage).  There’s a lot to remember to do, and loads to actually do in a short amount of time.  Add weather, labor shortage or any other unforeseen event and that window becomes a mere porthole.  That’s what keeps farming exciting : )  Seriously, please KNOW that we are doing are best to get you an amazing diversification of product on your weekly plate.  We WANT our labor to be fruitful and make you all happy because that’s what makes US happy!

WELCOME to Summer 2024!!  We look forward to seeing/meeting all of you —

I will introduce our fab human crew next week in this blog….promise to post : )

This Week’s Bounty: romaine lettuce, red beets with greens, kohl rabi, broccoli, chard, spinach, scallions, celeriac, black radish, garlic scapes, cilantro, strawberries (Tuesday)

The Farmer’s Table:  (a sneak peek at what we ate this week)

Quiche/Irish Egg Pie — I am not a lover of scrambled eggs, so I prefer to drop the eggs on top of the filling like in this recipe:https://www.theflavorbender.com/ultimate-bacon-and-egg-pie-breakfast-pie/

Sautéed Chard, pac choi flowers and Sausage.  Simply good!

Lots and lots and lots of strawberries : )