9th Annual Bulk Sale--Nov 6, 2010

THE FARM AT MILLER’S CROSSING

9th Annual On Farm Sale Day

MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND EAT LOCAL ALL WINTER LONG

Certified Organic Vegetables & Beef

Saturday November 6th 10 a.m. – 2p.m.

Potatoes—Beets—Carrots—Onions--Winter Squash—Rutabagas


Special pricing on large quantities and selected cuts of Beef


Also Biodynamic/Organic Apples and Cider from Threshold Farm
Turkeys and Chicken from Grey Horse Farm

Bring your family and enjoy our 200-acre farm

For directions and information go to www.farmatmillerscrossing.com
or call Katie or Chris at (518) 851 – 2331

Fall on the Farm

The stream is flowing, the kale is growing, the leaves are changing and the eagle is flying.

2010 Winter CSA Participation Agreement

Sign up now for the 2010 Winter season. Down payment is due as soon as possible to secure your space. Thank you for being a part of the inaugural Miller's Crossing Winter CSA.

To view or print the CSA Participation Agreement go to: http://www.farmatmillerscrossing.com/docs/2010csaparticipation-winter-nyc.pdf

Hide and Go Seek

Week 13

This is my favorite season!
As we approach the end of August, it would appear that the hottest days of the summer are behind us. The days are shortening, nights are cooler, and the vegetables and the farmers are breathing a small sigh of relief.

After two days of steady rain, it looks as though the major irrigating is done, we’ll just water new planting and crops under mulches.

The stress of planting, weeding and irrigating subsides, and for the first time in 6 months it feels like we can take our nose off the grindstone for a moment and think about the next stage in the season.

Cabbage and children enjoying the irrigation

 

Our fall crops are looking good—there are thousands of cauliflower, storage cabbage, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, onions, leeks and potatoes to name a few that we will be picking for you over the second half of the season.

As we enter September, the only seeds left to plant are spinach, lettuces, arugula, tatsoi, and various Asian greens. With shorter days and cooler nights, the weeds do not grow as fast, and neither do the vegetables.

So, inevitably we begin to shift gears here on the farm.

From here on out, all we really do harvest and clean-up the fields for winter.

Before this past rain we seeded about 15 acres of cover crops in preparation for next season.

Oats, wheat, and rye will be emerging after this rain and grow right into December.

Our cows have been bred by our bull, and we will kick him out of the herd and into our neighbor’s herd where he will continue his role as the neighborhood stud.

In preparation of the incoming fall vegetables we have cleared barn space for storage and packing, and we have cleared greenhouse space to cure our winter squash and sweet potatoes.

Both of these crops need a week or so of sitting dry in order to maximize sugar content and shelf life. In addition to our own storage capacity, depending on our yields, we may be renting cooler space from neighboring farms in order to hold what looks to be a bumper crop of squash and potatoes—we’re not counting our chickens yet though!

The newest family on the farm

Speaking of chickens, our lone rooster and hen begun a family together, and we have 6 little chicks running around the barnyard along with our two ponies, one filly, and our thoroughbred.

Hopefully with one more push of cutting hay, we’ll have enough feed in the barn to last through the winter. Despite all of these autumn feelings, there is still quite a bit of work to do! Enjoy the share, Chris

Enjoy the share, Katie & Chris

Canning & Freezing Time!

This is the year for canning, freezing and drying tomatoes!!!

The tomatoes are being harvested daily and they look and taste great...and who can have tomatoes without basil?

Paste Tomatoes (San Marzano): 25 lbs for $20.00

Basil: 12 bunches for $18.00

Send us an e-mail order and let us know when you would like to pick them up. We will have them ready for you (and we can even bill you online payable through paypal if that is more convenient.)

Thanks...and Happy Canning!


E-mail: kasorganic@hotmail.com

Staying Cool--Farm Style

The city has fire hydrants to keep cool in the summer--we have irrigation! The kids were enjoying themselves last night in the cauliflower field next to my house.

Coming Attractions

On our walk this morning with the dogs, we checked out the veggies--Here's a sneak peek of what's coming soon!

Up, Up and Away!

We had some unannounced visitors "drop by" Saturday morning. Actually, they didn't quite land, but they sure came close! It's not unusual to see a few hot air balloons early in the morning--there is a place nearby that runs a business. One of these days, we'll go for a ride ourselves. In the meantime, they are beautiful to watch from the ground!

Old Turtle

There have been quite a few of these large turtles saved around here recently.  They seem to be seen often on roadsides...teetering on the brink of a fatal crossing.  They end up in the back of the truck...and end up near the stream or pond.

This one Chris spotted as he was headed into the field the other morning and so the kids and I went to have a look.  I have told our children many times about the plight of the giant sea turtles.  Chris and I were able to witness them lumbering up the shores of western Costa Rica to lay their eggs 11 years ago on our honeymoon.  They know that the turtles may not make it as they swim the ocean, they understand that many animals including humans relish turtle eggs, and then those tiny little turtles trying to make it back to sea...predators just waiting for those eggs to hatch.

Now...this is not a giant sea turtle, but it is a s close as Lael has ever gotten to one.  The thought of us stressing this mother snapping turtle out as she lays her eggs was very upsetting to Lael.  She would only let us get this close with the camera...we do not have a great zoom lens as you can see.

So here she is (from behind where she could not see us) laying her eggs in the middle of the hay field above the stream.  We hope her little ones make it!!!!

Beef and all that goes with it

It was a beautiful Spring Day and the kids and I went up to Pam's (our neighbor who has our cows on her pasture for parts of the season) to watch Daddy catch cows for market.

We also had to castrate two bull calves before they got too big and unruly to catch.

Connelly has always been a ca;f whisperer, so he had a go with this little guy.

Close, but he never did touch or pet this one.

Everyone else was waiting for the big moment.  Lael has the elasticator and rubber bands in her hands in the photo above.

Christopher John and Pam are watching all the men trying to catch the calves...not an easy job.

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OK Lael hand over the tools.

The elastic bands are tight...I mean really tight,  and as they give the bull calves a pinch, they cut off the blood supply to the animals testicles and they fall off within a few weeks.  Though this is surely unpleasant for the calf, it is better than an unruly testosterone laden 2500 lb bull within the year.  We spend too much time with the herd to want to risk the unpredictable behavior of a bull.

The children all understand this, they have been with these animals from birth, they understand where all their food comes from and that eating meat means taking a life.  Unlike some adults, the kids have no baggage about this issue, they love the cows, and recognize their importance to our farm..

Finally the calves are on their way to castration and the two animals that were going to the butcher were loaded.

Ice Cream's little Sundae

Our pony was really so so so good...she did not mind being dressed up like this, she did not mind a four year old wrapping her from head to toe in purple fleece polo wraps, she came when we called regardless of treats.

But Ice Cream had Sundae...and that changed everything.  I am unsure if you can train hormones, but it would seem that our new Mama needs to go back to school.

Time will tell, but somehow we had envisioned snuggling, petting and working with this lovely filly all day everyday.

That has not happened yet.

Week 3

From the Farmers…


The past week has brought back memories of 2009—rain, rain, and more rain!

While we did need a good soaking, we got a lot more, so we’re hoping the weather pattern changes in the coming week

Into the Rye!!!

This past week we just about finished our big plantings for 2010. Our sweet potato plants finally arrived from Tennessee, and they were immediately planted into the ground. Sweet potato “slips” as they are called are just leaves of the plants that are planted into the ground. Once the stem of the leaf roots, the sweet potato begins to from on the roots

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Sweet Potato Slips planted

Our storage cabbage, cauliflower, fall carrots and beets were all planted as the drops of rain began on Saturday morning.

We hope to finish mulching our peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes this week, and then we’ll just wait for the sun to come out again!

Our tomato crop (knock on wood) looks great, and we will begin the tedious job of staking and trellising this week as well.

While the veggies do need the water, they also need the heat, and so do we. We are hoping that the fields dry up enough so we can cultivate the crops with our tractors, and then get in there with hoes, knives, and hands, and kill those weeds!
Plenty of work to do….Enjoy the veggies, Chris

Beautiful Rows of Potatoes

Mower Breakdowns

Equipment Breaks...that is a fact of life.  Buying new equipment helps defer those breakdowns for a time.  Our beef operation is not our biggest moneymaker and as we slowly capitalize with higher quality balers, barns and fencing, we still have to put up with the used equipment that has not been upgraded yet. 

Slow and steady wins the race...unless you are always breaking down!

But having a little helper in the barnyard makes the breakdowns better....definitely more fun, and a great learning experience for our Little Apprentice!!!

He gets right in there, wrenches and all

Of course it is hard to know if what you are doing is getting you anywhere...even Daddy knows that.

But you keep at it, knowing that when the budget provides a new disc mower will be in order.

Ah...so much to look forward to.

Easy Dinners

Dinner this week seemed so much easier than just a month ago when I

 was still scrounging carrots, beets and celeriac from the root cellar...lets see

Sauteed turnips and their greens

Roasted garlic scapes

Red Leaf lettuce w/blue cheese and a maple vinaigrette

Berkshire Mountain Bakery olive Loaf

A close up of those garlic scapes, it is such a shame they come for such a brief time...we just love to eat them stem to (almost) tip (the tip is a little on the tough side).

Hope you are all eating well!!!