Volume XXIII, Number 1 – January
2014
Weather notes: (COLD!)
Precipitation to date this
month: Rain: trace
Snow:
5.6”
What’s up on the farm?
Happy New Year to everyone, just
a bit late. We hope the young 2014 has
been as kind to you as it has to us.
There hasn't been anything
too exciting around the farm so far this year, besides our annual pilgrimage to
the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI)
conference. This is one of our favorite
events of the year and we look forward to learning about new farm-related
skills, opportunities and techniques. The
best part of the conference though is catching up with farming friends, some of
whom we only see “in person” this one time of the year.
The colder-than-average
temperatures have probably been the biggest news on the farm this winter. We
are burning through wood much faster than in the past few years, but the
additional wood-cutting chores help keep us from gaining too much
winter-weight. The animals aren't particularly thrilled with the weather, but
as long as we keep them supplied with feed, shelter and warm water, they are
all just fine.
Blue and Luci have been enjoying
the winter, especially on those sub-zero nights/days when they get to pretend
they are house dogs. They do enjoy playing outside in nearly all weather,
except rain, and are thrilled when we have visitors (especially kids) who will
romp around the farm with them. They continue to take their farm-dog
responsibilities very seriously and always let us know when someone drives up
our lane, even if it is just us.
The chickens are amazingly
hardy and are willing to venture out into all but the coldest temperatures,
though on the snowiest days they have to be coaxed out onto the frozen
whiteness with piles of fresh greens gleaned from the high tunnels. Egg production has been slowly improving throughout
the winter. We will make eggs available for sale as we have them. If you are in
the area and want to stop by the farm for eggs, call and let us know, we will
be happy to sell eggs if we have them available.
The bees are shivering the
winter away, literally. During cold
weather a honey bee colony forms a ball with the queen in the center of the
ball. The worker bees “shiver” their
wing muscles to create heat. A colony
with an ample population can maintain a temperature in the center of the ball
in to the 80s!
The seeds have all been
ordered and the last of them arrived this week. The annual sowing of transplants will begin in
the sunroom in the next couple of weeks. First on the schedule are: onions, leeks,
shallots, green onions, edible flowers and perennial herbs. After that, things
will start to get serious with the sowings of cabbages and broccoli and the
direct sowing will begin in the high tunnels. Before that can happen though, the winter
crops will all be cleared from the tunnels and we will flood each of the beds
to help clear the soils there of excess salts. Then we should be about ready for planting.
We have starting organizing
our farm crew for the upcoming season. We are thrilled that 2 of our 3 crew
members from last year will be back on the farm with us for another season. We
have one opening remaining and are talking to some interested candidates for
that job. The line up is looking good!
2014 CSA Season
So, now that we’ve mentioned
the 2014 crops and crew, let’s get to the 2014 Summer CSA. The sign-up period for the
season has already begun with veteran CSA members. These members will have until January 31st to let us know if
they wish to continue their membership. The following week we will start
contacting names from our waiting list to fill in any remaining slots. If you
are a (recent) veteran CSA member and
didn't receive a subscription email, please let us know ASAP. The 2014 Base CSA Membership is $490 for the 20 week season. Deposits ($50) are due at
the end of February. This year, for the
first time, we are offering an Early Bird discount: any veteran member
submitting their full payment by February 4th can subtract $20 from their
total, otherwise, balance payments will be due on May 1st, and we
will send out invoices for those amounts during April. CSA payments can always be made via check or Dwolla. We anticipate the
first delivery of the 2014 season to be the first week of June, weather-depending.
Is a monthly
newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily
adventures or see pictures of the farm? You
can follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate
Farm
That’s about it
this month, if you have any questions or comments be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and Blue & Luci)
