The farm picnic was a blast. The barnyard was abuzz with people greeting, eating and shopping the farmstand. Lawn chairs and picnic blankets flanked the pond. Barefoot kids watched frogs, built sand castles at the tiny beach, chased dragonflies and swam. We welcomed first –time guests and others picked up their 106th farm share and helped lead farm tours. Thanks to all! If you missed it, we’ll do it again soon. Meanwhile check out the photos Rose Wall, Donna Farley and Ian Norstad posted on the farm Facebook page.
After his star appearance at the picnic Gellert departed for a paid vacation. As the trailer left for Amee Farmin Pittsfield we heard him
Gellert on His Bed of Garden Weeds
singing “I’m just a pigalo and everyone I know…” We’ll miss him but we just don’t need him until after Checkers and Madison farrow in mid September. Other changes include 6 empty rows in the garden. Peek in the upper barn and look at the handsome harvest of garlic for the year. It will cure there the next couple of weeks prior to storing. And as we write we are prepping to process the Cornish cross chickens. Preparations include lists, an early start tomorrow and that look inside prompted as we take lives. So often on the farm births and new animals distract us from those departing. Unfortunately for us the turkey chicks who were supposed to arrive last week didn’t hatch and the farmers scrambled this week to find a hatchery who could help us get back on track for Thanksgiving turkeys. Which we did, never fear.
Despite that setback the hope meter also popped up into the green zone. The phone rang saying “my name is Anne and I’m a reporter with the Wall Street Journal, you are probably busy farming but I’m writing a story on cooking classes at farms, do you have a minute to talk with me about the cheese and gelato making classes you guys teach”? We have plenty of minutes to talk with anyone about our food and farm experiences! And if you happen to be with the nation’s top daily newspaper with a print and digital circulation of 2.1 million, well, it adds a touch purpose and hope that we might indeed reach enough folks to make it all work.