We hope your Thanksgiving was filled with a bounty of delicious foods and time with your favorite people. We are thankful for the time to slow down a bit. Not that a farm ever really rests, but November is usually when the pace on the farm starts to ease. The rush of the main planting and growing season is done, most of the crops are out of the fields and the farm crew is on limited hours.
So what have we been up to in the past month?
Harvesting! This includes carrots, turnips, radishes and daikon. This makes for some very long harvest days as they all have to be washed and topped (greens removed) before going into the cooler. But once that work is done, it is such a delight to have them all ready to be bagged up for orders. Happily, we were able to get most of this done before the bitter cold temps hit so these crops are all tucked into the walk-in cooler for the winter VegEmail season.
Clearing spent crops! Always a big job in the fall. All the plant matter goes to one of our composting piles. Then all the trellises, support posts and fabric mulch have to be cleared and stored. Irrigation system parts are all rolled up, labeled and stored as well. These tend to be messy and sometimes wet tasks that no one particularly enjoys.
Planting Garlic! Usually the single biggest fall task is planting the garlic crop for next year. All of the heads are broken into cloves and each clove is hand planted. This year we planted about 130 pounds of seed garlic, which translates to about 3500 cloves. Then once the cloves are set, they are all covered with soil and the whole plot is mulched with straw. 
This year we were later than usual getting the garlic in and most of our crew was already off for the season. We were SO lucky to have them return for an afternoon (along with their siblings) to help us with the big garlic push ahead of the really cold weather. It is a huge project and we are so very thankful for all their hard work!
Fabric on/Fabric off! The high tunnel crops are growing along nicely and we've just started harvesting those crops. Our plan is to be able to selectively harvest from those plants through next spring. Because our tunnels are unheated, the crops get a nightly "tucking-in" when the temps drop below 20°.
Shelling! The popcorn crop was looking pretty good as we harvested it earlier this fall. It's been drying since we brought it in and just this week we finished shelling the last of it! A bit less than last year's record-breaking yield, but we're still very pleased with the outcome.
And a bit of fiber fun to come! This is also the time of year when we start focusing more on our fiber products. There's lots of fiber and yarn to dye and much spinning to be done, not to mention our new passion in eco-printing silk scarves and other fabrics! Just a reminder that we offer our U-Pick Yarn sales on the first VegEmail delivery each month in Des Moines. So locals can stop in a peruse our full fiber inventory. Folks who have yarn interests but aren't in DM can contact us directly for other options and we are happy to ship any of our fiber products.
VegEmail deliveries have now switched over to our winter schedule of every other Tuesday in Des Moines at SingleSpeed Brewing Co. and in Knoxville at the Grand Theater. Our next delivery is Tuesday, 12/3. Order here before Sunday at 10pm.We will continue to do these sales every two weeks until the first of May. However for the first time in more than 15 years, we are taking a month off of deliveries this winter. Here's the schedule for the coming months:VegEmail Delivery Dates (the order forms will go out 6 days before each delivery.)
If you aren't receiving the VegEmail order form and you would like to, just fill out the form here: VegEmail Sign Up
CSA 2025: BGF Bounty Boxes!
We announced last month that in honor of our 20th Anniversary in 2025, we are rebranding our CSA into the BGF Bounty Box. It will still feature 20 weeks of all the high quality, chemical-free produce that our members expect, just with a fresh new name! We have already started getting questions about sign ups for next season. CSA members from the 2024 season can start signing up in early December (watch your email!) In January we will open any remaining spots to our waiting list. So keep your eyes open for more BGF Bounty Box details to come next month and if you want to get on our waiting list now, shoot us an email to mail@bluegatefarmfresh.com
All the activities and craziness aside, we are thankful for the privilege of living here on this beautiful farm, raising tasty, healthful produce alongside our family and fabulous farm crew. We couldn't do it without our amazing family, customers, members and community supporters. So we are thankful for you!
And a bit of fiber fun to come! This is also the time of year when we start focusing more on our fiber products. There's lots of fiber and yarn to dye and much spinning to be done, not to mention our new passion in eco-printing silk scarves and other fabrics! Just a reminder that we offer our U-Pick Yarn sales on the first VegEmail delivery each month in Des Moines. So locals can stop in a peruse our full fiber inventory. Folks who have yarn interests but aren't in DM can contact us directly for other options and we are happy to ship any of our fiber products.
VegEmail deliveries have now switched over to our winter schedule of every other Tuesday in Des Moines at SingleSpeed Brewing Co. and in Knoxville at the Grand Theater.
If you aren't receiving the VegEmail order form and you would like to, just fill out the form here: VegEmail Sign Up
All the activities and craziness aside, we are thankful for the privilege of living here on this beautiful farm, raising tasty, healthful produce alongside our family and fabulous farm crew. We couldn't do it without our amazing family, customers, members and community supporters. So we are thankful for you!
Is a monthly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
That's about it for now. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.Best from the farm,Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)
That's about it for now. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)
