Brooklyn Recap

Now that the dust has settled from our marathon Brooklyn or Bust trip yesterday, I wanted to give you a recap of the amazing amount of support we received from the One Acre Farm Community. Keep in mind this all started only Tuesday afternoon while I was watching Seinfeld and Amelia was sleeping. Reading a post of an old friend on Facebook re-posting a request for vegetables from a group called Occupy Sandy, based in Sunset Park Brooklyn. I called him to find out more info. After a few feeler calls to farms in the area, I quickly realized there was plenty of food to donate and the plan was in place.

Robert Lewis from Lewis Orchards donated 30 boxes of apples;

Sharon from East Rivendell Farm donated 40 dozen fresh eggs;

Cava Mezze Foods donated 4 cases of dips;

Mayorga Coffee donated 40 bags of freshly roasted/ground coffee;

Larry's Cookies (when I was picking up the dip from Cava I noticed a cookie shop next door and just went up and asked them) donated 5 trays of bars and cookies, I guess I look trustworthy!!!

Joan Norman from One Straw Farm, the farm I apprenticed on outside Baltimore, gave 15 cases of an assortment of vegetables: cabbages, collards, kale, spinach and more;

We, One Acre Farm, donated 2 boxes of red cabbage;

Kervitsky Family Apiaries donated 3 lbs of Honey;

Butlers Orchard donated one box of apples; and

Red Wiggler Farm donated 370 pounds of sweet potatoes and 30 pounds of Winter Squash.

To give you an idea about the kitchen where we brought the food, it was the basement of a church with tables and tables of people prepping vegetables, peeling potatoes, chopping carrots, then in the actual kitchen where I did not venture into was a dozen or 2 cooks cooking tons of food. Then was the packaging area when it got wrapped up, labeled with location and sent on its way by a driver. The best way to describe it is organized chaos. Not to mention they had received a shipment from The Daily Show of 11000 apple pies. I still am not sure if they meant 11000 pies or 11000 pieces of pie since each slice was individually wrapped.

That was the food portion of our donation.

We also received monetary donationsy, which at the moment is up to over $1,500!!! Not bad considering we mobilized efforts in a two day period!

When I noticed that we were raising more then we needed, I asked a few of you if I could spend your money buying items that were needed, with that money we bought a great supply of wool socks (54 pairs of socks), thermal underwear (22 sets), diapers and 80 flashlights. My original plan was to take the extra monetary donations and send it to the Red Cross. After going to Brooklyn and seeing that there are areas that need help but are not getting a lot of attention and support from Red Cross and FEMA because they are not considered the hardest hit (but trust me, they are still devastated), I decided that I would get in touch with a few of the organizations up there that are in need and get a list of items and directly ship those items to them.

Then came clothes, bags and bags of winter clothes (about 20 bags and 6 boxes of warm winter clothes). Unfortunately when we got to the drop off in Brooklyn, they were inundated with clothes and suggested we take them elsewhere, which we did. The Salvation Army was down the street taking clothes donations and so we dropped half the clothes there.

We then brainstormed for the final location to drop off the thermal underwear, flashlights, socks, and diapers. Red Hook, a community on the water that still doesn't have power (not to mention it holds a special place in my heart since my sister lived there, I used to hang out by the water when we were living there...) Driving around we found a public library who, unlike the Occupy Sandy location that was full to the ceiling with clothes, had basically nothing. They were grateful and took everything we had left. As soon as we started unloading, people were lining up to get these items!

With that, we were done. Up at 4, loaded by 7, on the highway by 8 (a little snafu with the generator which wouldn't start delayed us until the auto parts store opened, a minor detail) Brooklyn by 12:45 unloaded and gone by 2, home by 7:30.

A major thank you to all who donated time, money or food! It is amazing how a small community can pull so many resources together so quickly and still be home for dinner!!!

A great way to end the season here on the farm.

With Much Love and Gratitude,

Michael and Kristin

Lots to Be Thankful For!

I know, I know. It is only October. Halloween hasn't even come and gone! Our holiday cards arrived in the mail today (the only reason why I am super early this year is because of Groupon. Seriously, last year, I think our cards went out after Christmas!) and I have the urge to get our Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving (ed. note, we have never ever in all of our years living together had a Christmas tree!). So, what gives?

I don't know. Maybe it is because we have our first real house and we can decorate and entertain. Maybe it is because we know have a little person that solidifies our family unit. Maybe it is because after a long year of treatments for my dad, things are starting to look up! Maybe it is because Michael and I are heading (at the end of the season, thank you very much!) to our first real vacation in several years!! Do you really need a reason? Sometimes you do...

Or, maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the delicious fall vegetables that have been miraculously appearing in my fridge! How can you not get excited for the holidays when you have something like this to make for dinner:

Buttercup squash, red-flesh potatoes, yukon potatoes, sweet potatoes and turnips! One measly clove of garlic (someone, who shall not be named raided our house of garlic unbeknownst to me) made it into the concoction, but I am thinking that the natural, fresh flavors of these root vegetables will eliminate the need for more (any??) garlic!

As the season winds down (just a few more weeks left...and then we have a vacation...did I mention that? Oh, yes, I am sorry; I did just mention that!), I think back to all that I have eaten from the farm this year. As we like to say in our family, it was gooooood eatins!  I am thankful for all of Michael's hard work and dedication to this humble endeavor and hope that you all enjoying eating the fruits of his labor as much as I do!

This week's share: arugula, escarole, rutabagas, winter squash, brussels sprouts/broccoli/cabbage (your choice!), and greens.

Insert Clever Title Here

Based on the title alone, you should have guessed that I decided to give Kristin the night off and write the post myself. For those of you who don't know Kristin and I personally, you might not know how incredibly supportive she has been about the farm since its inception as One Acre Farm, but it goes further back then that.

It is coming up on our 6th wedding anniversary and I thought that this was a perfect time to go to the highest mountain top, or in this case, the oneacrefarmgirl blog, and express my deepest love and appreciation for the truly great farmer of the family. "Farmer" you say? Let me explain: My definition of a farmer is someone who takes care of his/her herd. In her case the herd is her family; in my case it is the crops I sow. Although I am getting better at farming all the time, she seems to just have the je no sais quoi for it. There is no way the farm would exist without her, but that dwarfs the fact that there is no way I would be me without her.

To understand that point, lets go back to the beginning of our relationship, or on second thought, lets skip that and just give you some facts.

-We met as infants at pool parties only to learn years later, and at least months into our dating in high school, that we met as infants at pool parties. (her parents and my parents have mutual friends with, you guessed it, a pool!)

-We went to different colleges and after our four years moved in together in Brooklyn; she for law school, me for film.

-After two years I said, "enough!" and moved from my urban chic Brooklyn apartment to a cinder block migrant work house on a farm way outside Baltimore as the only English-speaking person to work manual farm labor. If anybody wants to option that story for a movie or book, make me an offer!

As a side note, most reasonable women in her shoes probably would have told me to get lost, but she saw the passion in my heart for farming (I had worked on a farm in PA during and after college that I didn't mention earlier in the section but I digress).

-After she moved home to Maryland, we were married...had a beautiful baby...and I still have the farm. (the details are important, but seriously, how much of this do you really want to read?)

Where was I? Basically the point is she has been standing beside me encouraging me the whole time for truly selfless reasons. I am sure she would be happier having me be home on weekends, (I am not sure why, I am not that pleasant of a person to be around) and take a week off in the summer to go to the beach as opposed to the one nighters that I barely allow myself to go on now...("I wonder how the tomatoes are doing?" I ask aloud when we finally start relaxing near the water under a shady umbrella. Like I said, I am kind of a pain in the ass.)

The farm would truly not exist on any level if it wasn't for the incredible devotion she has given me at every step of the way. If I were to have gone it alone, I know I wouldn't have passed step one, much less made the march I have to get where I am today. "Who knew Farmer Mike had to march to get here?" Her selfless encouragement and patience has made One Acre Farm possible, and in turn, hopefully created a few loyal followers who can see the sacrifices she has made to make my dream a reality. To be clear, I am not trying to compare her to Ghandi, I mean she is completely incapable of tightening a lid on any jar, so if you go to shake salad dressing and haven't confirmed for yourself the tightness of the lid, forget about the mess you will have on your hands!

In short, when you see the t-shirt that says, "Have you hugged your farmer today?" Perhaps it should say, "Have you hugged the truly excellent farmer that makes the decent farmer that grows your food today?" But I guess that doesn't have the same ring. And if you needed any more convincing about just how great she is, she will have edited this before I send it to you. Just so you know, that should be the most important point to you dear reader. If you had any idea how much I lack in basic grammar skills, punctuation, spelling, basically anything relating to written communication, you would wonder how the hell I went to an accredited four year institution of higher learning. We only hope that our daughter has her mother's terrific writing skills or god help her.

This weeks share has Potatoes, Beets, Radishes, Turnips, Winter Squash, Greens, Garlic and Broccoli.

Ed. note: I only moderately edited this blog. Any grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors were intentionally left in so that you could hear Michael "speaking." Well, that and I  have a contract to review tonight :)  

The Eggsperiment

People are getting ready to watch the first presidential debate tonight (not exactly sure what that entails, but I have seen multiple references online to various debate-related drinking games; I digress).  While the candidates espouse their proposals to make our country better (reduce taxes! balance the budget! end the war! etc.), I have my own "proposal" for you to consider. I know, sorry, so much to think about and on a Wednesday, no less.

I am trying to figure out how to offer more than just vegetables to my members. I've tried this in the past -- trying to create partnerships with other farmers or vendors and while the interest is there in the beginning, when push comes to shove, the interest wanes and I'm left with no choice but to stop offering different types of products.  In the past, I've offered (for separate purchase), eggs, peaches, sweet corn, and coffee.  I've asked whether any one would be interested in purchasing locally caught (although frozen) fish. I've had someone inquire as to whether I'd be interested in selling their granola to my members. You get the idea.

Ideally, what I'd like to be able to figure out is a way to offer these items for purchase online -- where you could simply pre-order (with enough time for me to pick-up the offered items you've selected) what you want for that week (imagine, you could even set up a recurring order!) and either pay online or pay when you pick up your goodies.

There are a lot of logistics to work out, the first being are you even interested?  If you are, then the next step is figuring out...what is the best way to go about this?  Offer a significantly more sophisticated website which would track online orders and convey the information to me (calling all web designers who'd help for a pittance...or a barter!).  Or, would you prefer an option to add a fruit share, a meat share, and/or a misc. items share (e.g., coffee, granola, breads, flowers, etc.) for an additional upfront cost. 

Obviously, I haven't figured out the details yet...I'd also have to establish relationships with vendors that would be of interest to my members and be able to get you the best deals possible while still figuring out a way to cover my additional expenses and make a small profit (again, I emphasize the word "pittance").  Did I mention that I'd have to have enough interest??

So, before I embark upon this journey of figuring out how to bring specialty items to my members, I need to hear from you, The People.  What would you be interested in purchasing if I could get it? How much would you be willing to pay for the particular items that you'd like (a range would be good, i.e., I'd pay 4-5 dollars for a dozen eggs or, there is no way I'd pay more than 10 bucks for a pound of coffee).  You get the gist.  The more specific you are, the better.

If you are interested in seeing something like this, please let me know.  Hopefully you won't mind participating in a few additional conversations/Q&A periods so that we can figure out (a) whether this is even worth everyone's time and (b), if it is, how is best to go about it.

We Want (to hear from) You! [insert copyright image of Uncle Sam here]

This week's share includes: broccoli, sweet potatoes, greens mix, amazing turnips, winter squash, & tat soi.

One Po-tay-toh, Two Po-tay-toh, Three Po-tay-toh, Four!

Tonight, I was making dinner (baked pork chops, sauteed Asian Greens with leeks and sweet potato circles) and noticed as I was cutting the sweet potatoes that some white dots appeared on the newly sliced potatoes. At first, I was wondering...did I forget to wipe the knife off before I used it?!? But, wait, I didn't cut anything that had a milky white texture. This was so weird.

I posed a question to the resident farmer. He looked at the potato. Hmmm, he remembered looking into this last year, but couldn't exactly recall why it was there. So, he sniffed it. Rubbed it. Turns out I even perplexed the farmer. What do we do when we are stumped? We google it of course! Google says that sweet potatoes that dribble a milky white substance when cut means that they are sweet and fresh. Score! Of course, I already knew that...they were harvested Monday! Also, of course, we spot checked a few more websites to make sure that what we found was correct, so that my post this evening would be accurate. Phew!

The sweet potatoes that we had night were delicious! Perfectly sweet with a great, smooth texture. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. I scrubbed the skins clean (but left them on) and sliced the potatoes in thin circles (as thin as possible given how big these taters are!). I threw them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. In the past, I have also sprinkled them with some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (sounds weird but the spiciness is a nice contrast to the sweetness of the potato). I cooked them for about 30 minutes (turning half way through) until they were nice and crispy. (Note, the thicker your slices, the longer you need to cook them to get them crispy).  A nice, easy way to make baked sweet potato "fries". 

This week's share includes: Tat Soi (it looks AMAZING and tastes great, too!), greens mix, radishes (mind you, these are the best looking radishes I've ever seen...I swear!), winter squash, sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and hot peppers...

Tell us what you are making with your share this week!!

The NFC East Showdown...

Nope, it is not what you think. Not even close. Most males in the 18-35 demographic (to our dear friend Jill -- who works at Nielsen -- please do not be offended if I have misrepresented the demographic range) are gearing up tonight for the start of the NFL season. Most males in the 18-35 demographic in the D.C. area are getting ready for tonight's NFC East showdown...the Cowboys and Giants.  Prior to this week, too, most males in said demographic have also been calculating, researching, strategizing their draft picks for their fantasy football teams  (I, myself, am in two leagues this year and completely forgot that tonight was a draft...we'll see how that turns out for me this year).

Not Michael. Nope. Instead of compiling football stats, over the course of the last week and a half or so,  Michael has been strategizing, researching and calculating all sorts of different formulas for fertilizer for the farm.  Here's the long and short of the situation:

Before our plants go in the ground, Michael spreads aged compost and then spreads fertilizer (from the country's oldest organic fertilizer company, thank you very much) on top.  Michael selects the appropriate fertilizer based on the results of his soil tests; for instance, if the soil is lacking in nitrogen but is high in potassium, then he will select a fertilizer (that is, organic fertilizer...I swear they need to come up with a different name than fertilizer especially since it is organic...the word fertilizer has such a bad connotation) that is high in nitrogen and low in potassium. Simple enough, right?  For a lot of crops, this methodology seems to work. As a matter of fact, all of this season's bounty has taken root because of this combo.

After visiting another farm, Michael realized how underfed certain of our crops were (such as peppers and eggplants, which is why these crops were not as bountiful (and thus, not as successful) as other crops we've had this year). Cut to this past weekend, Michael's "vacation" from the farm and he is nose-deep in some farm book, calculator in hand, scratching his head and talking through his formulas.  In this house, the NFC East showdown we've been preparing this week has nothing to do with football...the D.C.-area team, Michael has a fierce competitor in the nationally-recognized (well, at least amongst 7th grade math students) villian...Alegbra! I cannot tell you how many times we had to turn percentages into fractions and cross-multiply. 

Spoiler alert...Michael (with plays being called from the offensive coordinator, i.e., me (!), Michael narrowly defeats Algebra!!!  Okay, so maybe the football analogy isn't working here, but you've gotta give a girl a point (two point conversion?!?!) for trying!!

After we mastered the formula, we were able to identify the proper levels of different nutrients that we can funnel to the plants through our irrigation system. Michael just described as the difference between an all-you-can-eat buffet (current system) and a hot dog eating contest...with the buffet on the side.  The current fertilizing system provides a stable, consistent amount of "food" to the plants from the second they hit the ground until they are ready to be harvested.  The "new" system (the benefits of which we probably won't see until next year) maintains that same consistent food source and adds the volume of a hot dog eating contest (a targeted amount of fertilizer being fed through the drip tape irrigation system). I am getting queasy thinking about it! Hopefully our plants don't feel the same way!

This week's share you can expect: sweet potatoes (or regular potatoes), carrots, tomatoes, paste tomatoes, leeks, garlic and peppers.

Woah Oh We're Halfway There!

Tomorrow's distribution marks the halfway point of the season (24 week season with 2 one-week breaks). It is our 12th week, although we have already taken one of our week breaks. We expect that the next week break will be at some point when the summer vegetables begin to taper off and the fall vegetables come in. We will keep you posted when we expect that break to be.

How have you thought the season has gone thus far? For me, now that we are back to our own home and kitchen (you may remember that we were shacking up with my parents last summer, awaiting Amelia's arrival and didn't have an easy time using all of our veggies), we are savoring the fruits of Michael's labor. The other night we grilled a variety of our vegetables (leeks, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers) coated with olive oil, salt and pepper in a grill basket over charcoal. It made a simple, and delicious, side dish.

I am looking forward to see what next week's harvest includes (hopefully lots of tomatoes) so we can highlight Michael's delicious work at Amelia's first birthday party! I know that we will have plenty of melons to offer our guests for a refreshing dessert (don't worry, there will be cake, too!).

Speaking of melons, Michael tried to explain to me some complicated something-or-other about the storage of the melons harvested on Monday. In essence (I am going to give you the Cliff's Notes version because it's been one heckuva week (although it is only Wednesday) and I am exhausted), heirloom varieties are extremely more sensitive than conventional varieties, whether they be fruits or vegetables. This sensitivity is often why you only see heirloom offerings at farmer's markets and other specialty markets. They do not ship well and do not store well (for instance, heirloom tomatoes have a much thinner skin and are, therefore, more prone to bruise, split and early rot). On the flip side, heirloom varieties are SO MUCH tastier. In fact, my dad boldly proclaimed that our prudens purple heirloom tomatoes are the "best tomatoes I've ever had!" We try to select heirloom seeds when given the opportunity and when it is not cost prohibitive. We hope that you've enjoyed what we've produced to date!

This week's share will include: tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, leeks, garlic, potatoes, asian greens, beets, eggplant (hopefully), peppers, and squash.

I Get By With a Little Help from my Friends...

I want to take this time to acknowledge all of the different people who make One Acre Farm what it is.

First of all, I'd like to acknowledge myself (ha!).  Without me, you wouldn't have this amazing blog, a lot of the Facebook pictures that are uploaded (Michael takes a picture and then texts it to me...I then surreptitiously (perhaps not so surreptitious now that I am outing myself) log on to Facebook at work to upload the photos, so that our friends have contemporaneous pictures of the Farm) and perhaps a grumpier Farmer Mike, who I have to talk off the ledge every once in awhile!

Okay, so enough about me.  Let's turn to our good friend, Rob.  He is trying to figure out his next gig and, as a result, we are the lucky recipients of his time and energy at the Farm. He and Michael work really well together, banter back and forth and are generally good at getting sh** done! Without his help, it is virtually impossible that Michael gets done all that it takes to run the Farm, produce a great product and still has time to spend time with our new family.  It is our luck that Rob's hiatus has coincided with our summer season! We are tremendously thankful for his hard work.

We'd be remiss if we didn't give a shout out to Cyrus, who is a friendly Farm neighbor...who comes out to the Farm when he can to do whatever needs to be done..including the awesomely and amazingly task of weeding! Equally as important, Cyrus has kindly donated the use of his garage for Monday distributions, while we are waiting for the permission to allow pickup at the Farm. So, without Cyrus, I am not sure what we would've done to accommodate our new "Farm" pick-up location on Mondays! On a related note, Michael's parents provide their garage (and lunch for Michael) every Thursday for the Potomac pick-up location.

There are also many people who have come out to volunteer...including Sarah and her farmer-in-his-prior-life dad (who both work diligently and with great conversation), Michael's mom (garlic-cleaning and onion-weeding extraordinaire), Kevin (hand weeding...seriously, do you see a theme here?!?! Farmer Mike must really loathe weeding!), and Sarah, Patrick and Jocelyn (without who you wouldn't have onions in your share).  [Note to our reaaders, there are always volunteer opportunities at the Farm. We won't turn any one away!]

Finally, we have a network of "professional" friends who Michael calls on all the time for advice, answers, and general venting.  We have our local "fix-it" man, Carl, who fixes just about anything and everything that needs fixing (take it from me, Michael breaks A LOT of things!).  We have Michael's mentors, Joan and Drew (who just so happen run Maryland's largest organic CSA north of Baltimore), who we have called upon for transplant seedlings (when ours didn't pan out), to purchase vegetables (if we've had a crop failure), and who Michael calls just about any time he has a problem that he cannot figure out a solution to.  There is Lewis Orchards, who we have also bought extra crops from (corn, peaches, apples and pumpkins -- things that we cannot/do not grow but want to offer to our Members for purchase) and who recently supported us by purchasing some garlic!  There is also Neal, the Farm's plumber, who got the well and irrigation up and running and who we've called a bunch of times to troubleshoot water issues.

I am sure that I've left out some people. Trust me, it was not on purpose.  The point of this post was really just to give some shout-outs and let you all know that there are a lot of people that (knowingly...or in other instances, unknowingly) support our humble little venture.  We appreciate the efforts of everyone, including each and every member.  Just be being members you are a bigger part of One Acre Farm than you ever could know!

This week's share includes: tomatoes, eggplant, onions, leek, beets, carrots, potatoes, garlic, bell peppers, hot peppers and squash.

Optimism is (not) my middle name

Although I have never really worked in the corporate world, I do know there are some terms that you aren't supposed to use. For example, you don't say something is "bad," instead, you might say it's "not as good as it could be." Or you don't have "problems", you have "challenges".
I like to be less optimistic and call this week's share "bad" and that there are a few "problems" that I want to inform you about so we are all on the same page.

In years past, a share around this time of year, right before the tomatoes came in, would be tons of squash, zucchini and cucumbers. My first planting of these three items did terriblly. Why? Some plants love being covered with 'row cover,' (an "industry" term for a woven fabric used to protect baby plants from the nasty bugs that love to eat them. Some plants that need row cover as new plants are eggplant and all plants in the brassica family (broccoli, cabbage, asian greens etc)).

I have never covered the squash, cucumbers or zucchini before, but a few weeks after I seeded it, I noticed lots of damage. I figured the plants would bounce back, which didn't happen. Squash is usully very easy to grow; in fact, I remember one member telling me that this was the time of year in her hometown that people locked their cars, not for fear of theft, but that people would leave extra squash they didn't want! I was always planning to have a second planting a month later, which I did plant and of couse covered. They look amazing and should be ready soon.

I know the shares have been great so far, with an avergae of almost 9 different items a week, but this week will be different. Hopefully I have built in some goodwill with you and a bad week every now and then is ok. You can expect:

Potatoes, Garlic, Leeks, a choice between (turnips, eggplant and squash) Basil, green peppers, hot peppers, and greens.

See you tomorrow!

The Great Garlic Harvest of 2012!

Last Fall Michael found a local farmer friend who was selling a bunch of garlic seed (which, by the way, is actually the individual cloves of garlic) at a very low price ($3/lb vs the usual $11/lb).  Being the bargain shopper that he is, he couldn't resist a good deal, even if it meant that we would have garlic coming out of our ears this season.

We had to endure the smell of the garlic as it dried out, in preparation for planting, in my parents' basement.  I am not sure how we avoided eviction -- I think it's because I can count on one hand the number of times my parents actually entered their basement in the six or so years that they've lived there.

When Amelia was brand new, we had to find the time to separate every single garlic clove from the 100 pounds of garlic.  It was surprisingly tedious and it hurt! After a short time of separating the cloves, my hands were aching and getting calloused.  I think I checked on Amelia sleeping more in those hours than I did during her first few weeks of life -- anything (maybe even pinching her to wake her up) to get out of the garlic torture chamber!

Then, we rallied troops to plant the garlic in October.  Amelia and I treked out to the Farm to check on the troops...we put her in the Bjorn and she "helped" plant, too! In total, the "deal of the century" resulted in the planting of an entire field of garlic -- 17 rows of garlic at approximately 175 feet per row.  Which means (based on some calculations that I did not do, mathmatician that I am) that Michael and his crew just harvested -- wait for it -- almost six thousand individual garlic bulbs!!

Which means, members, buckle up! I have just invested copious amounts of money in Orbit, the gum company.

Let Me Tell You 'Bout the Birds and the Bees...

Well, not so much emphasis on the birds, but definitely a lot of emphasis on the bees!  As most of you probably know (don't feel bad if you don't), bees are very critical to the growth of our food.  Their hard work pollinates the flowers which ultimately become the fruit (or vegetable) of the plant.  I don't think I realized that most vegetables grow out of the plant's flower (squash blossoms turn into hearty zucchini, tomato flowers turn into juicy, ripe tomatoes, and so on and so forth).  I obviously remember something about pollination that we were taught in elementary school science, but I honestly thought bees were nothing more than a nuisance...one that you aren't supposed to swat away but that your natural instinct is to swat like hell until they get out of your face.

This year, Michael sought out local beekeepers who were in need of a place to keep their hive.  It'd be beneficial for the farm and could also be a potential source of fresh, raw honey for our members. After listening to Michael "interview" several beekeepers (the conversations were somewhat interesting), I thought he was going to lean towards the beekeeper who had an already-established operation and needed more land for his hives.  Shortsightedly, I thought this because it seemed like the best chance for access to significant amounts of honey...which our members in the past have loved.  In retrospect (and maybe if I was listening a little closer rather than playing Scramble with Friends (can I even say that or is it trademarked? I should probably know...), his choice was obvious: the beekeeper who was interested in learning about bees but didn't have any because he didn't have any land.  It was meant to be: a struggling farmer without access to land finally has a large plot of land (that he obtained access to through a very thoughtful and amazing friend) and is able to "pay it forward" to the struggling beekeeper who needs land in order to start his desired craft.  And, so, this is how One Acre Farm came to have bees.  (Michael also just informed me that there are actually two beekeepers (one that is more experienced) that have hives on our property, but, for the poetic license of my story, let's just pretend I didn't know that).  (Ed. note: I need to give credit where credit is due and the more experienced beekeeper is not as random as I am making him out to be. He is actually very legitimate, uses novel methods and is an all around "hard core dude".  Michael's words, not mine).

The other day, Michael called me excitedly to tell me that he and the more experienced beekeeper (again, for poetic license, let's just say it was the new beekeeper) had pulled a fresh, hot honeycomb from the hive. It sounded incredible. I can only picture the two of them like my favorite childhood character Winnie-the-Pooh (trademarked, copyrighted, patent pending I am sure -- see above), hands cupping the honey and dripping -- no, running -- down their fingers.  Hopefully this mutually beneficial relationship will also mean that we'll have fresh honey to offer at some point in the future.  Stay tuned...

Your share this week will consist of: garlic, (the last of the) garlic scapes, bok choy, lettuce, turnips, cabbage, fennel, and mustard greens.  Until next time...

Season's Greetings!

Nope, I am not confused.  Nope, it is not Christmas in June.  It is the start of that other season...the CSA season!  It is upon us and underway...we started our first distribution last Thursday (Capitol Hill and Potomac) and had our first pick-up at the farm (well, sorta...we are temporarily using a member's garage near the farm until our landowner can make the farm's entrance somewhat safer due to the hidden driveway) on Monday.  I can speak from personal (non-biased, of course) experience that this week's share was by far the best first share that Michael has ever had!  The greens are delicious -- I used the lettuce and radishes in my lunch salads, I made my first batch of kale chips (mighty fine, by the way, but a little salty...I will have to cut back on the sea salt next time around.  Another digression -- any suggestions on how to store them? However I stored them last night turned them into a soggy mess by the morning), creamed chard pasta with chicken and garlic scapes, and bok choy with hot sausage and barley.  We have been eating well this past week! Please feel free to share your recipes in the comments or on our Facebook page.  Everyone loves to hear suggestions of what others are making with their veggies.

A lot of hard work has gone into making the very first share so successful.  A lot of planning (field rotations, crop rotations, seed selection, natural fertilizer selection (I swear, there were mathematical equations in a very complex Excel spreadsheet), plowing, planting, weeding, etc.) happened during the "off-season" all while Michael was playing the very important role of a stay-at-home Dad!  The most rigorous of these tasks will continue throughout the season.  I doubt anyone out there believes that farming is easy work.  For those of you who were able to come to the first Farm tour, you now should have a greater sense for the scale of work that Michael does -- for the most part -- on his own.  I know that his vegetables are so delicious not only because they are locally grown and extremely fresh but because I know how much he literally toils (and stresses) day in and day out to churn out the best "product" that he can.  I am insanely proud of him and hope that you all appreciate the fruits of his labor as much as I do!

You can expect some of the following in this week's share: broccoli, collards, lettuce, red bok choy, radishes, garlic scapes, swiss chard, and arugula.

2012 Enrollment is Now Open!!!

We are excited to announce that enrollment is now open for the 2012 season!  Check out our website, http://www.oneacrefarm.com/ (the Membership Info page) for our 2012 Enrollment Form.

We are currently planning on having a distribution at Capitol Hill only this season.  If any returning members have interested friends, neighbors or co-workers who may be interested in joining, please spread the word that we are now accepting members.  We are also canvassing whether there is any interest in a pick-up location at the farm.  If you are interested (or know others who are) in picking up at the Farm, please email Mike at michael@oneacrefarm.com.

Finally, we have established a Facebook page!  Search for us "One Acre Farm" and like our page! We are hoping that the Facebook page will be a forum for members to interact with each other as well as with us.

Here's to a bountiful 2012!  Until next time...

Random Ruminations!

Today, Amelia and I went to visit Farmer Mike (aka Daddy) and to see what is going on with the Farm.  We got a (in-truck) tour of the fields...the Fall vegetables look incredible!  We also learned which fields were plowed under and reseeded with cover crop.  The cover crop will help keep the soil nutrient-rich in the off-season so that they can be nice and fertile come spring planting season.  We also saw the field that the garlic will be planted in and the beds are ready and a-waiting your helping hands!

As most of you know, this coming Saturday we are having a garlic planting marathon!  We ordered 4x more garlic seeds than we planted two season ago and will need all the help we can get.  Farmer Mike wants to make sure that I mention that we ordered so much garlic because we got a great deal on it...it would normally cost over $1,000 for the 100 lbs we purchased.  Bargain-hunter Mike purchased 100 lbs for around $300.  It was purchased from a local farmer friend who grew too much and was being farmer-friendly by giving us such a great deal!  (There, is that better, Farmer Mike?!? If the peanut gallery wants to suggest blog content, maybe the peanut gallery should write it, don't cha think?!?!).  The weather is supposed to be perfect for garlic planting (I heard Doug Kammerer say it with my very own ears!), so if you are looking for some outdoor activity that will undoubtedly be more gratifying than sitting at home and watching Bravo's latest reality show!  So, we hope to see you at 9am on Saturday...with your garlic-planting gloves on!

Finally, we are coming to the end of our season.  I believe we have about 5 weeks of deliveries left.  In the coming weeks, we will be preparing our annual survey.  While we know that everyone gets inundated with "junk" email and requests for surveys or other input on a daily basis, we promise that our survey won't take more than 5 minutes to complete and is vital to the success of our operation.  We generally ask what types of vegetables you liked, didn't like, what you'd like more of (or less of), so please start thinking about it and keep your eyes peeled for our survey!


This week, you will receive in your share: sweet potatoes, greens, lettuce, cauliflower, beans, and winter squash.


Until next time...


Oh, and PS, if you need extra incentive to come out on Saturday, Amelia and I will be coming out for a bit on Saturday morning!

Punkin Chunkin

This week, with all the baby things going on, I decided to give the usual blog writer a break and have you hear from me, Farmer Mike. When I was thinking about what to write, I first thought about talking about all the rain we had in that last storm. As a matter of fact, I had someone from Soil Conservation come out and look at the farm today and he said that the storm was a 1 in a 1000 year storm. How they come up with these figures, I don't know. But I do know that we had sh*^ load of rain. (that's probably not the scientific term for those keeping track at home).
But as the topic suggests, I did want to talk about Pumpkins and other winter squash. As the name rather confusingly suggests, Winter Squash is not something grown in the winter, it actually gets planted in late spring and matures now, but something that can last all winter keeping you fed. It is not as easy to grow as other types of squash for one very good reason. Unlike summer squash that can be seeded, grown and harvested relatively quickly, winter squash basically takes forever. Which is fine, if it wasn't for a disease that comes looking around for any and all squash plants and does a great job of killing them rather quickly. The disease is called Powdery Mildew, and for those of you who have ever grown cucumbers, melons and squash, you might have noticed your plants looking great one day, and terrible the next. There are organic controls for it, but it usually just delays the inevitable.
All this to say that I did harvest pumpkins this week. I planted them to be ready by the middle of October but only as mother nature can do, she made them speed up before they were really ready. What that means for you is, don't hold your breath that these pumpkins will last till Halloween. (They might not last till Tuesday!) You could use them as a practice run for the real pumpkin you get, or you could just stare at them as they remind you of Fall.

This week you will receive, Winter Squash, Beans, Pumpkin (of course), Greens, Lettuce, Onions, Radishes and Potatoes.

Tomato-Palooza!

This past weekend, Farmer Mike opened up the Farm for a rare occurrence...a pick-your-own day!  Thanks to the hurricane's (who we have been thanking profusely every day since she allegedly brought the early arrival of our precious (sorry, we are biased and IN LOVE) baby girl) wet weather and Farmer Mike's absence from the Farm (see last parenthesis), our tomatoes were ready to be harvested or go to spoil.  Rather than waste the gorgeous, delicious remnants of our successful tomato crop, Farmer Mike invited one and all to come and harvest all they could take from the tomato plants.

The weather was less than cooperative, with the skies opening up right around the time that everyone had their picking hands ready.  Thankfully, patience won out and it stopped raining for a bit so that people could harvest away.

Here is the Farm "Chariot" that escorted the pickers to the fields...unfortunately, the "Chariot" was not fully detailed before Saturday's fun:

Here are some close-ups of the tomatoes, dripping with rain.  Thanks, Robert, for really capturing the essence of the tomatoes and the weather in these great photos!

And, the members are hard at work in the fields:

And because I can't resist also sharing with you a few photos of the Farm's newest addition, here is our baby girl, Amelia Taylor Protas, at the hospital with proud Mom and Dad:

She had a little bit of jaundice, so check out her "radioactive" blanket and her cool shades!!

My favorite picture of all time! They hadn't yet removed the little heart-shaped sticker from her jaundice shades, but I think the heart is poetic!

This week you can expect to receive in your share: watermelons, potatoes, red onions, lettuce, winter squash, collards and kale.

Until next time...

Introducing Our Newest Members...

Mr. and Mrs. Stinkbug!! (Sorry for those of you who thought the subject line was an introduction of our baby girl).  We have the GREATEST new members you could ever ask for.  They are a husband and wife couple, origin unknown and they spawn like crazy.  Better than their ever-expanding brood is the fact that they refuse to pay for their share despite the fact that they go crazy for our vegetables! You would think that such satisfied customers would at least leave a small donation in Farmer Mike's tip jar.  But, no such luck.

These "members" are pervasive.  There is no known solution for getting rid of them (calling all inventors!) except smooshing them, which is a) disgusting and b) a never-ending task.  All the more frustrating, Farmer Mike's mom actually thinks they are her friends and "rescues" them by taking them out of the house and sending them outside...where they, no doubt, fly on away up to One Acre Farm.

Why do you care about Mr. and Mrs. Stinkbug?  Well, other than the fact that they are chomping on the leaves of our plants, which retard the growth of your veggies, there are some steps that we are taking to make sure that they don't annhilate all of our crops.  You may be wondering why the tomatoes we are delivering are only slightly pink (or even green).  Farmer Mike has picked these tomatoes "early" so that Mr. and Mrs. Stinkbug do not get to enjoy your delicious heirloom tomatoes (and, seriously, how good have the tomatoes been this year...unbelievable!).  So, we all have to "suffer" with putting our tomatoes in a window sill (remember, you should never refrigerate your tomatoes...it takes all of the good, sweet flavor out of them) for a few days in order to deprive Mr. and Mrs. S from the fruits of Farmer Mike's labor.  We hope that you understand!  And, if you happen to see Mr. and Mrs. S flying around, try to talk some sense into them -- convince them to go visit some other farm...or, at least, pay for what they take!!

This week, your share should consist of: tomatoes, potatoes, cantalope, collards, kale, leeks and spaghetti squash.

Until next time...

One Acre Farm in the Press

Well, sorta!  The article is about a county alliance that seeks to put owners of rural landowners who want their land put to productive use (i.e. farming!) in contact with farmers in need of land (and vice versa).  Our very own Farmer Mike was photographed for the article and there is a brief blurb about him and the Farm towards the end of the article.

The link can be accessed here: http://www.gazette.net/article/20110817/NEWS/708179617&template=gazette

This is the second time that Farmer Mike has been photographed by the Gazette for agricultural articles.

When you see him tonight at distribution, maybe he'll give you his autograph ;)

Until next time...

T Minus (or Plus) Thirty Days!!!

For those of you who don't know, Farmer Mike and I are expecting our first child!  We are expecting a little girl on September 16th (give or take, as we know how these things don't always go as planned) and could not be more excited!!!

While Farmer Mike is praying that his daughter makes her debut on a Friday (preferably followed by two days of rain), I am just hoping that she doesn't wait too long to meet us.  Why a Friday you ask?  Well, he is that devoted to delivering his vegetables to you that he understands that a Friday arrival will be the least disruptive to his duties at the Farm and his ability to get those delicious vegetables to your table.

However, we all know that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray!  In the coming weeks, we ask for your patience as we try to plan for the unexpected.  You may receive a last minute email from Farmer Mike canceling distribution because I may be in labor.  Or, he could be moving slower or slightly grumpy because he is getting significantly less sleep than he is accustomed to.  We will try to keep you as informed as we possibly can but appreciate your (forced) willingness to go with the flow!

In this week's share, you should expect to receive:

Tomatoes, Watermelon, Cantaloupe (I've previewed it, it is succulent!), Squash, Potatoes, Leeks, Turnip Greens, Cucumbers

Until next time...

Farm Tour Redux Part Deux (and Zucchini Recipes GALORE)!!!

Since Michael sabotaged the blog this week and I failed in my duties last week...you get an extra post this week!!  As promised, here are some photos from the Farm Tour...

First, here is a picture of the hay wagon we borrowed to transport the "tour"ists from the Farm's entrance to the fields:

Farmer Mike beginning the introductions and his goals for the day:

The Motley Crew...a good turnout!

Here is Farmer Mike explaining how the compost spreader works and what it is used for:

Loading up the hay wagon:

And, Farmer Mike's most beloved farm flower...the okra flower (who knew?!?)



All in all, it was a great morning and I am looking forward to more farm tours in the future...hopefully in the Fall!

Now, here are some belated Zucchini recipes that you'll be able to make good use of in the coming weeks:

Zucchini Bread (that I made for the tour and found on allrecipes.com):

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini

Directions:
1.Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).


2.Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

3.Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

4.Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Zucchini "Pizza"
You can use either the round (aka 8-ball) zucchini or regular zucchini, cut in thick slices.
Brush with olive oil and grill or broil until grill marks appear on the zucchini.
Brush on a thin layer of pizza sauce (I like Don Pepino's)
Top with Mozzarella Cheese (and any other pizza toppings you like, think turkey sausage)
Grill or broil until cheese is warm and bubbly and the zucchini is cooked.

I also made eggplant and zucchini parmesan tonight and it was was DELISH! We forgot to peel the zucchini and eggplant, but it came out just fine!

Zucchini and Eggplant Parm
Ingredients:
We used 2 white eggplants and 1 round (8-ball) zucchini
Egg
Bread crumbs
Marinara Pasta Sauce (about 6 cups)
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (1 bag, which I think is 2 cups)
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or cover in foil
2. Cut the zucchini and eggplant into thin circles (or strips, either way should be fine).
3. Beat the egg (it is used for dredging) in a small bowl.
4. Shake bread crumbs on a plate or bowl.
5. Dredge the zucchini and eggplant in the egg and then the bread crumbs.  Place in single layer on cookie sheet.
6. Bake in oven for 5 minutes on each side.
7. Use a 9x13 shallow dish to compile your Eggplant Parm.  Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on bottom of dish.
8.  Layer the zucchini and eggplant circles (or strips).  Feel free to overlap the veggies.
9.  Sprinkle cheeses on top of veggies.
10. Cover with marinara sauce.
11. Continue layering until you have no more veggies (ending with a cheese layer).
12.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  We broiled the last three minutes to get it nice and brown and bubbly on the top but watch it carefully!
13. Serve with pasta and salad...and ENJOY!!

Finally, our member, Louise sent us in her instructions for how to conquer our giant zukes!  Here is what she does and we hope you find her tips helpful!!

How to Conquer a Giant Zucchini
by Louise C.

These giant Zucchinis are really awesome vegetables. The entire squash is tender and good to eat, but cutting into one feels more like butchering something than making veg for dinner! A good way to avoid getting overwhelmed is to think of it in three sections:

Section 1: The Fat Blossom End
Use to make: SHAKE-AND-BAKE ZUCCINNI STEAKS

- Cut ½ inch off at the rounded blossom end and discard it.

– Slice ½ inch “steaks” off the cut end. Cut about 2 per person for the meal

– Set the slices aside and place ¼ cup flour and ½ teaspoon seasoned salt in a food storage size plastic bag.

– Dip the squash slices in water and place individually in the flour bag. Shake each piece to coat well, tap off the extra flour, and place on a greased baking sheet.

– When all the slices are done, spray the tops of the slices with a spray oil like Pam.

– Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the outer edge is soft when poked with a fork.

– Serve with lots of Ketchup!

Now, just leave the big zucchini on the counter over night. The cut end will seal itself off. Put it in the fridge if you are leaving it longer than one day.

Section 2: The Middle
Use to Make: ZUCCHINI BREAD

– Cut a thin slice off the cut end of the zucchini and discard. This gets rid of the dry, sealed off edge from yesterday.

– Cut a section about 8 inches long from the squash. Cut this in half lengthwise and into whatever size chunks can be shredded in a food processor. Or grate the halves on a square cheese grater. It actually grates very easily by hand.

– When you have 2 cups of shredded squash, you are ready to make zucchini bread. At this point, you can freeze the shreds in 2 cup packages for next month when the boring insects eat those beautiful plants and we all wish we had more zucchini!

Mix together:

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup sugar

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup water or 1 egg

Mix together and add to the zucchini:

2 and ½ cups flour

¾ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Add a little extra water is needed to make a nice thick batter.

The water needed can vary because sometimes the squash is more or less watery.

Grease 2 small size loaf pans or a 12 cup muffin pan. ( I use spray oil because it is fast!)

Divide the batter into the 2 half size loaf pans. Or use an ice cream scoop to fill the 12 muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees. Bake the loaf pans for 60 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. Tip the bread out of the pans onto a rack. Let cool and place in plastic bags in the refrigerator. The bread slices much better the next day when it is cold.

Bake the muffins for 20 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve warm.

I always make this bread without the egg because my children are allergic to eggs. It is very good flavored but that is why I have to chill it before slicing. The eggless muffins don't have that problem and are wonderfully tender.


Section 3: The Stem End
Use to Make: STIR FRY OR SALAD SLICES

The last part of the Giant Zucchini is the stem end. It is very fine textured and low in seeds. It is perfect for thin slices from the food processor to cook or mix in salads.

Simple Zucchini Stir Fry

– Cut a thin slice off the cut end of the zucchini if it has hardened up over night. Cut ½ inch off at the stem end and discard.

– Cut the remaining zucchini in half lengthwise and then in half again, lengthwise so you have four sticks of vegetable.

– Slice these in thin slices by hand or with the food processor. I like a number 2 blade so they are really thin.

– Peel and chop 1 clove garlic and chop about 4 inches of basil, the lemon basil is good!

– Place a saute pan (or any covered frying pan) on the heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

– Put the garlic into the oil first. Stir it around to get the flavor into the oil.

– Then immediately put all the zucchini into the pan.

– Put the chopped basil on top and sprinkle with salt.

– Stir around until the squash starts to get warm.

– Cover the pan, turn the heat down, and steam for 5 to 10 minutes.

– Stir and serve!

And that is the end of the Giant Zucchini!!!

As you can see, the possibilities with zucchini are endless! Don't get stuck in a rut and simply saute it or boil it...use it as a substitute for meat one night, make a delicious bread or muffin for dessert or breakfast, scoop out the middle and stuff it with other vegetables and cheeses, make it a pizza!  Let us know if you try any of these recipes...or come across others that you'd like to share.

This week's share will consist of: potatoes, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, squash, onions, cucumbers and beans or tomatillos.

Until next time...