Hello all!
Seth and I have good news today- Dillwood Farms is here to stay! We are selling 22 acres of the land but we are keeping 38 acres to farm. While the majority of farmable land is on the plot that we are purchasing, our barn housing all of our equipment and three high tunnels are located on the plot that we sold. That means we will be spending a lot of time this spring and summer moving everything over to our land. We have one high tunnel moved already, and will be working on the second and third soon. Then we will be moving all of our tractors, equipment, tools, fertilizers, etc. over here to some sort of barn that we will also be constructing this spring/summer.
This year is going to be very busy for us and quite an adjustment. We are having to make several changes to the CSA as a result.
Here are the main details/changes- I will post the complete information on the website and email it out soon.
- We will be doing a farm pick-up only. We still want to have our presence in Atlanta and the Brookhaven area where we have been for the past two years and so we will be at the Brookhaven Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9am-noon. The first market is March 29th.
- We are dropping the price to $25/week in addition to offering only full shares. We found that $30 worth of produce was sometimes difficult to use in one week, so we are dropping the price and decreasing the amount of produce in each weeks share. Since we are operating on less acreage this season we are offering fewer memberships, and so are only offering full shares. We encourage splitting a share with a neighbor or friend, alternating weeks, if a full share would be too much food for your family.
-Pick-ups will be on Wednesdays afternoons instead of Fridays.
-The program will start in May this year instead of April.
In addition to the Brookhaven Farmers Market, we will be doing the Tucker Farmers Market on Thursdays from 4-8pm. The first market is April 3rd. We will also start the Snellville Farmers Market on Saturdays from 8am-noon in June. The first market is June 1st.
We are grateful for all of your support and hope to see you out at the markets/farm this season.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Farm For Sale + Winter in Review
Hi all!
It has been awhile since I've posted an update about the farm and while it has been our slowest winter yet, there has been a big thing happening...
If you were a CSA member that picked up your share at the farm last year, you might have noticed the For Sale signs on the corners of the property that went up last fall. If not, here is the announcement that the farm is indeed for sale. Seth and I live and operate the farm on the property, however we are not the owners of it. We knew there was a possibility that this would happen, and so it was no surprise.
There are several possible outcomes. Two we believe are most likely are:
Having said that, until the farm officially sells, we are keeping operations running as normal. I have not posted CSA information for 2014 yet because there is in offer on the farm at the moment and we want to see what happens with that before we make any big plans. If the offer does not go through, we will do a monthly CSA program at the farm only starting in May until we have more news. My hope is that we can operate the program similar to previous years, but I cannot really say yet if that will be a possibility.
I hope by early this spring we'll know more about our CSA and farmer's markets. So, stay tuned and bear with us these next few months as we go through this process. I will post another update as soon as we know anything official.
In the mean time, here are some photos from our winter:
This week were are doing a lot of planting- mainly seedlings and filling our high tunnels. We planted carrots Monday and started lettuce, fennel, and kale seedlings. Today, Seth is working on getting another high tunnel ready for planting.
We're staying busy and trying to get things ready for spring as we await the decision on the sale of the farm. Hopefully I will have some good news in the next couple of weeks!
It has been awhile since I've posted an update about the farm and while it has been our slowest winter yet, there has been a big thing happening...
If you were a CSA member that picked up your share at the farm last year, you might have noticed the For Sale signs on the corners of the property that went up last fall. If not, here is the announcement that the farm is indeed for sale. Seth and I live and operate the farm on the property, however we are not the owners of it. We knew there was a possibility that this would happen, and so it was no surprise.
There are several possible outcomes. Two we believe are most likely are:
- Only certain parcels of the property sell, and we stay on the main parcel of land where the house and the majority of the farmable land is located. The farm would then buy that piece of land and we would be here permanently.
- The entire farm sells and we move else where.
Having said that, until the farm officially sells, we are keeping operations running as normal. I have not posted CSA information for 2014 yet because there is in offer on the farm at the moment and we want to see what happens with that before we make any big plans. If the offer does not go through, we will do a monthly CSA program at the farm only starting in May until we have more news. My hope is that we can operate the program similar to previous years, but I cannot really say yet if that will be a possibility.
I hope by early this spring we'll know more about our CSA and farmer's markets. So, stay tuned and bear with us these next few months as we go through this process. I will post another update as soon as we know anything official.
In the mean time, here are some photos from our winter:
Late last fall- we started harvesting the first of our broccoli.
Seth washing carrots in December for market.
We were able to escape for a late honeymoon to Playa del Carmen, Mexico in mid- November. Not sure why we agreed to taking this photo, but it makes for a good memory:)
Our little goats remain as precious as ever. Here Clifton is showing off that he's king of the mountain.
For Christmas we went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to visit family. What a gorgeous place.
January brought us some chilly weather, but some gorgeous sunrises.
Some windy weather blew over a section of the goat's fence- they always love to come on the porch when they get out (after raiding the food bin first, of course).
Our compost was delivered last week. I'm always amazed by the unloading process. I mean, the back wheels of the truck are off the ground!
I did get caught for a few hours in the "Snowpocalypse" in Atlanta while doing some restaurant deliveries last Tuesday, but fortunately made it back safely and enjoyed the snow at the farm.
Vegetables are amazing- here are our collards covered in snow. They survived single digit temperatures and snow! We were able to harvest 45 pounds yesterday.
Fun in the snow- January 29th.
We started a new (for us anyway) technique to seed starting: soil blocks. The perks of soil blocks are that the seedlings don't go through transplant shock when planted in the ground. They also do not get root bound because the air acts as a barrier to the roots and they stop growing until they're planted in more soil.
Little lettuce seeds germinating. They're pelleted-which is the white coating. Makes planting seeds a lot faster and easier. It took me almost double the time to plant non-pelleted lettuce seeds as it did to plant these guys.
This week were are doing a lot of planting- mainly seedlings and filling our high tunnels. We planted carrots Monday and started lettuce, fennel, and kale seedlings. Today, Seth is working on getting another high tunnel ready for planting.
We're staying busy and trying to get things ready for spring as we await the decision on the sale of the farm. Hopefully I will have some good news in the next couple of weeks!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Farm Update 11/6/13
Thirty weeks has come and gone quite quickly. I cannot believe this is the last week of our 2013 CSA program. This is our second year of doing the program and we learn so much each year about what works and what doesn't that we are hoping that the 2014 program is the best year yet.
The CSA program started back in the winter of 2011. I had been at the farm for a few months and was looking for a way to bring in some income in the winter months when markets and restaurant sales slow down. Seth was still finishing school at UGA, but we consulted back and forth and agreed to do a three month winter CSA program. I made flyers to pass out at the farmer's market and after several weeks of campaigning for the program, we had four families (one of which was my parents) who were crazy enough to trust that they would be guaranteed produce every week during the hardest time of year to grow vegetables. Looking back I have no idea what we were thinking starting our first ever CSA in winter, but somehow (mostly thanks to a very mild and warm winter) we pulled it off and thus our CSA program was born.
We went from four to 100 plus members in less than a year and still marvel at the interest and growth in the program. We've had members be with us for going on three years and even one family who's been with the farm longer than Seth and I have. We know a CSA is not for everyone, but hope that if a member finds out that the program isn't ideal for their lifestyle, that they can at least enjoy it for the time they are a part of it. The recipes and newsletter are our attempt to make the program and vegetables be more manageable and familiar- hopefully sparking inspiration for new recipes and family dinners.
As the CSA program breaks for the winter (we will not be doing a winter CSA program this year, but will be at the Grayson Farmer's Market on Wednesdays from 3:30-7:30 pm), we will be brainstorming ideas for next year's program. When the details are set in stone, we will send out the 2014 program information and application.
Thank you to you all for your support of the farm this 2013 season. Check back to the blog throughout the winter for updates and we will hopefully see you all in 2014!
Here are some flash back pictures to the "early years":
The CSA program started back in the winter of 2011. I had been at the farm for a few months and was looking for a way to bring in some income in the winter months when markets and restaurant sales slow down. Seth was still finishing school at UGA, but we consulted back and forth and agreed to do a three month winter CSA program. I made flyers to pass out at the farmer's market and after several weeks of campaigning for the program, we had four families (one of which was my parents) who were crazy enough to trust that they would be guaranteed produce every week during the hardest time of year to grow vegetables. Looking back I have no idea what we were thinking starting our first ever CSA in winter, but somehow (mostly thanks to a very mild and warm winter) we pulled it off and thus our CSA program was born.
We went from four to 100 plus members in less than a year and still marvel at the interest and growth in the program. We've had members be with us for going on three years and even one family who's been with the farm longer than Seth and I have. We know a CSA is not for everyone, but hope that if a member finds out that the program isn't ideal for their lifestyle, that they can at least enjoy it for the time they are a part of it. The recipes and newsletter are our attempt to make the program and vegetables be more manageable and familiar- hopefully sparking inspiration for new recipes and family dinners.
As the CSA program breaks for the winter (we will not be doing a winter CSA program this year, but will be at the Grayson Farmer's Market on Wednesdays from 3:30-7:30 pm), we will be brainstorming ideas for next year's program. When the details are set in stone, we will send out the 2014 program information and application.
Thank you to you all for your support of the farm this 2013 season. Check back to the blog throughout the winter for updates and we will hopefully see you all in 2014!
Here are some flash back pictures to the "early years":
One thing we learned quickly: paper bags for the CSA were a terrible idea. They ripped from water and weight so easily.
This was the content of one of our winter bags in 2011. We had tomatoes in a high tunnel and thanks to the warm weather, the plants survived until December. The tomatoes were not that tasty though- cold makes them mealy (that's why you don't refrigerate tomatoes). We decided after that year to keep tomatoes growing to the hot summer months.
That's me with our old produce scale. We've upgraded to a table-top digital scale since then that is MUCH easier to deal with. And the garage has been closed off and is climate controlled now. No more freezing in winter and burning up in the summer.
We planted this lettuce on New Year's Eve 2011. We were sweating in the high tunnel it was so warm outside.
Broccoli Recipes
- Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto
- Cheesy Quinoa and Broccoli Patties
- Roasted Balsamic Garlic Broccoli
- Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- Broccoli and Feta Pasta Salad
- Broccoli Slaw
- Broccoli and Spaghetti Frittata
- Ginger and Garlic Broccoli
- Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
- Spicy Broccoli Tofu Stir-Fry
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Farm Update 10/23/13
Happy October Morning! It's 48 degrees out here this morning which I fortunately do not have to embrace until later this morning after I post on the blog and send out the CSA newsletter :)
This week will most likely be the last that we harvest any summer crops (peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, etc) as we are expecting a frost tonight. While it's a sad day for the plants of summer, our fall/winter crops will love this cool weather- and taste better for it! When temperatures hit below freezing, cold tolerant crops like hearty greens, salad greens, and root crops turn their starches into sugars to lower their freezing point and thus taste sweeter themselves.
We are crossing are fingers that our broccoli will start to come in next week so it will make it into one of the last CSA bags of the season. Broccoli is a little more high maintenance than most other fall crops. The plants need to be spaced 2-3 feet apart and take up a lot more room than spinach, carrots, arugula etc. They need frequent monitoring to make sure there are no pests (aphids, worms) wreaking havoc on the underside of the leaves. And then we fertilize them more for a nice, healthy plant in hopes of a nice, healthy broccoli crown. Last year, we didn't have so much luck with our fall broccoli planting- we got the seedlings in the ground too late and the frosts stunted and slowed their growth significantly. This year, besides battling with aphids, we seem to have a very good crop. Little florets starting forming over the weekend and so now we just wait for them to grow a little more and we'll begin the harvest!
Seth and I are very excited about making home made broccoli and cheese soup. We haven't had broccoli since last spring and have been dreaming for weeks now of all the ways we can cook it when we finally have it. I think one of the benefits of seasonal eating is that by the time you've eaten a vegetable for several weeks or months in a row and just about ready to ban it from your diet, the vegetable's season is over (thank goodness- one can only eat so much roasted okra) and a new vegetable comes into your kitchen and livens things up. Just like okra or squash or arugula, I'm sure after a few weeks, we will have had our fix of broccoli and then it's onto the next vegetable that we eat constantly for a given period of time.
This week will most likely be the last that we harvest any summer crops (peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, etc) as we are expecting a frost tonight. While it's a sad day for the plants of summer, our fall/winter crops will love this cool weather- and taste better for it! When temperatures hit below freezing, cold tolerant crops like hearty greens, salad greens, and root crops turn their starches into sugars to lower their freezing point and thus taste sweeter themselves.
We are crossing are fingers that our broccoli will start to come in next week so it will make it into one of the last CSA bags of the season. Broccoli is a little more high maintenance than most other fall crops. The plants need to be spaced 2-3 feet apart and take up a lot more room than spinach, carrots, arugula etc. They need frequent monitoring to make sure there are no pests (aphids, worms) wreaking havoc on the underside of the leaves. And then we fertilize them more for a nice, healthy plant in hopes of a nice, healthy broccoli crown. Last year, we didn't have so much luck with our fall broccoli planting- we got the seedlings in the ground too late and the frosts stunted and slowed their growth significantly. This year, besides battling with aphids, we seem to have a very good crop. Little florets starting forming over the weekend and so now we just wait for them to grow a little more and we'll begin the harvest!
Seth and I are very excited about making home made broccoli and cheese soup. We haven't had broccoli since last spring and have been dreaming for weeks now of all the ways we can cook it when we finally have it. I think one of the benefits of seasonal eating is that by the time you've eaten a vegetable for several weeks or months in a row and just about ready to ban it from your diet, the vegetable's season is over (thank goodness- one can only eat so much roasted okra) and a new vegetable comes into your kitchen and livens things up. Just like okra or squash or arugula, I'm sure after a few weeks, we will have had our fix of broccoli and then it's onto the next vegetable that we eat constantly for a given period of time.
Little Broccoli Floret
Nasty little aphids on the underside of a broccoli leaf. These tiny bugs that can do a lot of damage. Fortunately we caught them early and they didn't do nearly the damage they could have.
Enjoying the beauty of the flowers before it gets too cold.
This variety of sunflower is called "Autumn Beauty"- SO gorgeous
A busy bee hard at work
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Farm Update 10/16/13
Cabbage leaves starting to roll into a cabbage
Seth harvesting hakurei turnips
Dino Kale on the left, Rainbow Swiss Chard on the right
One of only a few pomegranates we got off our plants this year
Kale seeds about to be planted in seed trays
Hakurei Turnips just sprouting
This week is a rather busy week. We have three farmer's markets (Grayson on Wednesday, Tucker on Thursday, and Brookhaven on Saturday), two restaurant delivery days, and our large group of CSA pick-ups on Wednesday and Friday. Our focus has shifted from planting and weeding to spending most of our time harvesting, washing, bunching, packing etc.
The harvest dinner on Saturday was amazing. We met some great people and of course indulged in delicious food and wine. There's a chance we might do another in November before it starts getting too cold, so stay tuned.
Well, bunches of collards and baskets of spinach are calling my name- time to get to harvesting!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Farm Update 10/9/13
Here are some progression shots our Broccoli and Collard Field
August 27th-Just laid out rows and fertilizer for broccoli and collard seedlings
September 2nd- Plastic Mulch is laid and seedlings are planted
October 8th- Seth is checking the broccoli for signs of florets
October 8th- Gorgeous fall day
Sunshine and cooler temperatures really make for some beautiful days. This week has been exciting as we are starting to have fall crops come in. We harvested the first of our carrots, Hakurei turnips, escarole, and have more green beans coming in. The green beans are some of the prettiest we've ever grown. They're surprisingly sweet and delicious raw.
We're checking our cabbage and broccoli everyday for signs of heads and florets beginning to form. The plants are big and beautiful and we're expecting a pretty nice harvest from them. Spinach, chard, beets, and lettuce are due to be coming in in the next couple of weeks, too.
One of the best parts about these first few days of October was using our neighbor farmer's Jang Seeder. We direct seed crops like carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, baby lettuce, spinach, arugula and other baby greens. Typically, we've been making beds with the bed-raiser implement behind the tractor and then planting the seeds by hand: digging a small trench with a hoe, dropping in seeds, and then covering them with soil using a rake. And while it has worked well for us, it is very time consuming and does not have the spacing accuracy we desire.
That's where a seeder comes in. It's a little machine that as you roll it along a row, it drops seeds the same distance apart and covers them with soil. There are plates you adjust for the different sizes of seeds (a beet seed is much larger than an arugula seed) and then just fill up the seed compartment and push it along the row. Seeders are awesome, but also quite expensive. Luckily our neighbor was gracious enough to let us borrow his and we planted an acre of crops in an hour that would have usually taken at least a day. Seth and I could kick ourselves for not investing in a seeder a long time ago. Needless to say, that will be one our first spring purchases next year as we approach another season.
Today we're harvesting and getting ready for the Grayson Farmer's Market and the Atlanta CSA drop-off. Tomorrow we will be at the Tucker Farmer's Market, Friday will be the farm CSA pick-up and Saturday we have a farm dinner scheduled at 5:30 put on by graft restaurant. Reservations are still available- check out http://www.graftrestaurant.com/events.html to sign up.
We hope you all are enjoying fall as much as we are- have a great week!
-Haley and Seth
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