Come and get 'em!

Howdy, folks!  Just a quick post to announce that our spring seedling farm stand is up and running.  Our friend and CSA member, Eddie Watt, helped me set everything up last Friday, and so far, we have Sungold cherry tomato, basil, leek, beet, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, and zucchini seedlings available.  We’ll have even more varieties for sale in the weeks to come, and of course, all of our seedlings are certified organic by MOFGA.  Keep us in mind as you plan your gardens.  You can’t miss the stand…it’s right by the road near our little barn.  It’s all self-serve…a money box and change jar are right on the table.  Spread the word, and happy planting!

Our pal, Eddie, and the newly re-erected farm stand.

Also, remember that we’re having a potluck this Friday from 5-9 PM.  Come see us!

Wee basil planted in the hoophouse.

As the spring chugs along, so do the Summit Springs farmers.  We’ve been busy these past few weeks.  The greenhouse is just about full now, loaded with seedlings of all shapes and sizes.  Also, the planting has started up in earnest, and THAT’S exciting!  Crops in the ground so far:  potatoes, peas, beans, beets, parsnips, and assorted brassicas for salad mix have been directly seeded; Chinese cabbage, lettuce, more beets, onions, and leeks have been transplanted; and some cherry and big tomatoes, basil, cukes, and zukes have been planted inside our greenhouse and hoophouse.  Here we go, grow, grow, grow…

A sea of seedlings in the greenhouse (in the back, cherry tomatoes in the ground.)

Cukes and zukes in the hoophouse.

Thank goodness we’ve had some quality help!  In my last blog post, I mentioned our volunteer extraordinaire, Brittany Wallingford, and she deserves a more lengthy shout-out here.  An Auburn resident, massage therapist, and part-timer at Axis Natural Foods, she has been coming here once or twice a week for a month now.  She sought us out because she needed to have a chunk of farm volunteer hours under her belt as she pursues an agricultural stint in the Peace Corps, and boy, are we glad she did.  She’s been a big help thus far, assisting Sonya in the greenhouse with seed sowing and potting up, helping out with transplanting, and much more.  She’s also a lamb good-luck charm; both sets of lambs were born on days that Brittany was working here with us.  Many thanks, B.!  Also, thanks to CSA workshare member Eddie Watt for his help here last Friday.  Eddie helped Farmer John with tomato twine in both greenhouses, laying out row cover, and prepping wholesale orders.

The super-awesome Brittany sowing seeds.

What else?  Sonya has spent time on the tractor, spading beds and prepping them as needed for planting.  John has been schlepping endless loads of wood out to the greenhouse and erecting our perimeter deer fences.  Our happy flock-o-five sheep are now out on pasture full time.  I’ll be moving them around behind Fields 2 and 3 using portable electric fencing for the next few months.  Every 3 or 4 days, the gals (and lone ram, Palmer) will move onto fresh grass.  Yum!  Our friend, Colin, also returned to the farm a few weeks ago to shear Sienna and Savannah, and those mommas seemed pretty happy about losing their winter coats.  The lambs will have wait until fall for their first shearing (though older lambs Palmer and Lake are already amusingly fluffy.)

Colin shearing Savannah.

The shearing peanut gallery: Sheridan, Jake, Lydi, Sonya, and Ez.

Thanks to everyone who came to our April potluck brunch, and looking ahead, the next farm potluck is happening right here on Friday, 5/18 from 5 – 9 PM.  Bring along a dish to share, and if the weather’s warm and inviting, we’ll eat and socialize outside.  Perhaps a fire, perhaps some wiffle ball, perhaps some music and singing??  We shall see.  Come on by and find out!

Last week was quite something, folks.  On Tuesday the 17th, we went to the Androscoggin County Courthouse in Auburn to formally finalize our adoption of Mr. Ezra.  A happy, happy day that we were lucky enough to share with some extended members of our family.  The family theme continued as my sister and her fam rolled in the next day to spend the rest of the week with us.  As for the farm, our usual springy work continued, and we had some more lamb action.  Read on…

Fresh off the arrival of lambs Lake and Palmer back in March, we’d been keeping a close eye on our other pregnant ewe, Savannah, watching her actions, her mood, her belly, her udder, etc. for signs of when she was getting close.  And, as with Sienna, the birth of her lambs caught us completely off guard!  I had moved the sheep out of their winter pen and onto pasture for the day.  They were thrilled by this change and kept busy munching grass.  I hardly paid any attention to them at all.  Sonya and Brittany, who’s been doing some volunteer work with us this past month, were leaving the greenhouse after a day of seed sowing and wandered over to see the sheep…and there were lambs!  No one saw or heard anything.  We all launched into action mode, herding the sheep (and carrying the wee lambs) back to the winter pen, making a quick jug for the momma and lambs, getting hay and water for Savannah, a shot of nutrient gel for the lambs, and watching them carefully to make sure they were nursing.

As with Lake and Palmer, the lambs grew stronger with each passing day, and we let everyone out of the jug after a day and a half to explore.  The little ones were both ewes and were named Emerson (thus completing our bizarre 70s prog-rock homage) and Coco.

Savannah with her lambs, Emerson and Coco.

Flash forward to Friday (the lambs were born on Monday)…  Sonya had to travel up north to pick up our potato seed from The Maine Potato Lady, and rest of us decided to spend the morning at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray.  I had rigged up a section of electric fence netting around the sheeps’ winter area so they could remain close to home yet still be able to graze some.  Lambs and mommas alike seemed happy and calm as we left.

Lil' Coco

Several hours later, we returned to discover that poor Emerson had somehow become tangled up in that fencing.  My brother-in-law freed her and got her into the shade.  When I got to her, she was mewling and unable to stand.  I tried to feed her water from a bottle but eventually just jumped in the van with her in the hope that someone down at the Poland Animal Hospital could help us out.  Alas, little Em died in my arms on the way there.

Emerson

Back at the farm, the kids (Lydia and my nephew and niece, Jake and Sheridan) were hanging out near Lydia’s swingset and they wanted to know how Em was.  I told them she was gone and tried my best to explain the concept of death to little Lydia.  Sonya arrived back home, and we decided we needed to bury the lamb rather than just tossing her into the woods…with coyotes in the area, it seemed wise not to let them get a taste of sheep.  My first instinct was to keep the body out of sight from the kids, but Sonya wisely felt they should be included if they wished.  Jake and Lydia decided to help us bury Emerson.  We picked out a spot at the edge of last season’s pig area near the rock wall.  Sonya and I dug a hole while Jake and Lydi took turns holding Em’s little body.  We all talked through it…about how we would miss Emerson, what a good lamb she was, how she would become part of the earth and make the grass grow for the sheep of the future, etc.  After the burial, we made a heart-shaped marker out of rocks and stood there for some time trying to make sense of it all.  The ritual of burial was good for all of us.  I was furious with myself initially but gradually came to realize that accidents will happen and that it’s all a part of farming, and of life, too.  Accept, and remember, and move on…

A bit later, Lydia asked Sonya if we could go back out and dig Emerson up.  Son explained that she was gone and we couldn’t do that but what if Lydi drew a picture of Emerson to remember her by?  Lydi, Jake, and Sheridan were very excited by this idea and got to work.  Three distinct pictures emerged, and once finished, were taped to the wall near our kitchen table (along with Jake’s sign “Emerson’s Wall”).

Drawings of Em by Lydia, Jake, and Sheridan

Jake's drawing. The caption just kills us: "You wanted to grow up now I drew a picture of u grown up"

So, bon voyage, Emerson!  The Lord, or the Universe, or Mother Nature, or whatever, giveth and also taketh away.  I think we all learned much from you, little lamb, and you will not be forgotten.

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We also want to remind everyone that you can come see our little flock this Saturday and get some excellent grub, too.  Another farm potluck, a brunchy affair, will be happening right here on 4/28 from 10am-1pm.  Bring along a dish to share, catch up with us and your fellow neighbors and CSAers, and check out the farm.  We hope to see you here!

More than just seedlings are growing in the greenhouse these days.  Our fall spinach has bounced back, and we’re harvesting it again.  Visit Square Root Natural Foods right here in Poland to get some for yourself.  And, though technically weeds, it’s still nice to see patches of mint and dandelions thriving here and there in the greenhouse.

Over near our little barn, the rhubarb is beginning to appear…

On to the sheep.  Everyone is doing well, and it’s been amazing to watch Lake and Palmer grow.  They are not even two weeks old yet but seem to be getting bigger and stronger by the day.  Also, we’re amazed by Palmer’s horns…from nubs to inch or two horns, seemingly overnight!  As for Lake, she’s rockin’ the super fluffy white chest.

Sonya got some great shots of Lydia.  I know I’m a biased proud poppa, but what a beautiful gal she is!

Again, the morning’s main job was chicken rangling and moving.  We snagged the birds and temporarily kept them in a couple of cat crates while I rolled their coop out of the greenhouse, across the lawn, across the driveway, and into their new area by the raspberries.  They’re now settled in and venturing further out from the coop, eating weeds and bugs as they go.

Whew!  Enough work for one morning.  And inside, our cute little fella was waiting for us, fresh from a nap…

I feel like I’ve fallen into the habit of starting every blog post with some rambling about the weather.  Variation is a good thing, but how can I resist the urge to comment after waking up to the sight of 2 or 3 fresh inches of snow on the ground yesterday morning?  After a couple of days before that of serious, freezing, mind-numbing, soul-sucking wind?  After last week’s appearance of full-on summer, with temps so warm during the day that we had to open up the sides of the greenhouse and so mild at night that we didn’t need to bother with running either greenhouse furnace (we have a woodstove out there plus a propane unit for back-up)?  Wacky!  March in Maine is always unpredictable, but these weather swings seem really unusual.  And also physically challenging.  We’ve all been battling colds and various bugs for nearly 2 weeks now, and I think the weather extremes have something to do with it.  What will tomorrow bring?  We shall see…

Overall, of course, spring sprang early and the weather has been mild.  A question we’ve been getting a lot these past couple of weeks has been, “So, are you guys getting a jump on the season with this early spring?”  The simple answer is…no!  Sure, no snow and warm weather is great…it’s good for the soul, gets us outside and excited to get going, and allows us to get a jump on farm season prep (outside clean-up, repairs, wood-cutting, etc.)  However, for seed-sowing and, eventually, planting we stick to the script.  We wouldn’t consider bumping up planting dates because the fields still need time to dry out and we don’t want to tempt fate (or frost) by jumping the gun.  Today’s snow is a perfect example of why you have to be patient.  All in due time, folks…

And, yes, the season has definitely begun!  Sonya got the greenhouse up and running 2 or 3 weeks ago, sowing onions, leeks, tomatoes, and peppers, plus some assorted herbs and flowers.  Everything is doing well so far, and she spends a day or two each week out there sowing more seeds, thinning some trays, and even already moving some little seedlings into new trays with larger cells (a process known, at least at Riverbank Farm where we learned much of what we know, as “pricking out”).

Our little flock of laying hens has also seen some changes.  They had been living inside their coop in the front of the greenhouse, warm and cozy under a heat lamp, until we needed the space for seedlings.  They have now moved, coop and all, into the back of the greenhouse, where they are learning to free range, hunt bugs, dig around, and munch down some radishes we planted as a winter cover crop plus assorted weeds.  Very soon, they will make the jump to the outside world, probably over near the Field 1 raspberry patch.

We’ve had plenty of activity around here, as you’ve read, but perhaps nothing so exciting and inspiring as the arrival of spring lambs to Summit Springs Farm on the morning of Tuesday, April 20th.  We had known Sienna was getting close based on a number of physical factors (the firmness of her udder, the obvious large belly, etc.), and I had been busily getting things ready inside the pen, reading through the lambing sections of a few sheep books, and purchasing some supplies in case of trouble (powdered colostrum, powdered milk replacer, rubber gloves, nutrient gel, etc.)  I was ready for a long night, too, when the time came.  But, as it turned out, everything went smoothly and there was no need for human help.  Sienna is a healthy ewe and an experienced momma, and she did it all.  I was up early with the kids, puttering around in the kitchen getting breakfast for Lydia, when I glanced out the window and saw Sienna grazing.  There was something under her…and it had ears!  I rushed out, and spotted two lovely, tiny little lambs, already up and taking their first few steps.  I quickly set up a rudimentary jug for momma and lambs, a little pen inside their shed to keep everyone together while the lambs got established, bonded with their mother, got the mechanics of nursing down, etc.  A very hungry Sienna got fresh hay, some grain, and warm water with some molasses drizzled in as a special treat.  It was obvious that the lambs were strong and healthy, so after a few hours I trimmed their cords and dipped the nubs in iodine.  It was then that I determined we had a boy and a girl, soon christened Palmer and Lake, respectively.

Mr. Palmer

Miss Lake

Savannah, our other ewe and Sienna’s daughter from last spring, seemed a little shell-shocked by all this change…she especially didn’t like being separated from Sienna while the new family were confined in the jug.  She’s pregnant, too, though many weeks behind Sienna, and it was good for her to see all this.  Everyone was soon back together…mother and lambs were out of the jug after a day and a half, with Lake and Palmer exploring and leaping around the winter pen.  They are nearly 2 weeks old now and are growing amazingly fast.  I’ve moved the whole flock back and forth between the winter pen and our hoophouse a few times now to allow the ewes to munch down on the grass and weeds that are vigorously growing out there.

Lambs, day 2 - out of the jug and exploring the pen!

What about Poppa?  Well, Logan didn’t get a chance to meet his kin.  Starting sometime in February, he began getting aggressive with me, giving me a few hard butts to the thighs and making my forays into the pen much more interesting than I wanted them to be.  As a 3 or 4 year old ram, we learned that this aggressive behavior was normal and would probably escalate.  With lambs coming, we reluctantly decided that he had to go.  So, a mere week before Lake and Palmer appeared on the scene, we had the old man picked up and delivered to the Windham Butcher Shop.  He’s back now, in the freezer in the form of 40+ pounds of sausage, but he lives on in the next generation.  Logan, farewell, and we thank you.

A couple of weeks ago, I had another high school speaking gig, this time at Lake Region High with Jason Thornton’s students as part of an Extended Learning Opportunity program.  The kids involved in the program listened well and asked some good questions as I outlined the farm’s history, focus, and philosophy, and I enjoyed checking out their endeavors.  The students had made their own large planters on wheels to start plants indoors and then simply roll them outside.  They had also constructed a basic hydroponic chamber to experiment with growing plants without soil.  It was all very neat and hands-on…good luck, guys, and thanks for having me!

Thanks to everyone who came to our March potluck!  It was a large and festive gathering, and we ate and hung out outside in the summer-like weather.  The lambs had been born just that morning, and it was a treat to show the little critters off to everyone!  We’re going with another brunchy potluck in April.  Come on over to the farm on Saturday, April 28th between 10AM and 1 PM.  Bring along a dish to share, and meet and greet your neighbors and fellow CSA members!  It’s also a great chance to see the farm in full spring swing…a greenhouse full of seedlings, our hens out and about, lambs getting bigger and bolder, etc.  I’ll post another reminder as the date gets closer.

Potluck, March 2012

And, finally…yoga!  Sonya plans to teach right here at the farm in her studio up on the third floor all season long this year, and some special classes are beginning very soon including a 4-week Introduction to Kundalini Yoga session and new Wednesday morning classes for all levels.  Please click on over to the website’s yoga page and/or find and “like” Sonya’s new yoga Facebook page for more information!

Spring is a-comin’, but you’d hardly know it today as the wind howls and the snow flies.  I have the feeling March might be interesting, folks…  Still, I spent some time last week cleaning up the greenhouse, bringing in wood, and generally trying to get the space ready for the start of the season.  Sonya will probably be out there in a week or two sowing the first seeds of 2012.

Speaking of 2012, I’m pleased to announce that we are FULL.  All of the available CSA shares for the upcoming season have been spoken for.  Thanks to everyone who signed up, and if you missed the boat, feel free to contact us anyway.  We can add you to our waiting list, and we’ll get in touch in case anyone drops out this season.  Also, by getting on the waiting list, you’ll be contacted about next season’s CSA before we throw open the doors to the general public.

I also wanted to post a “thank you” to Michelle Smith and her Environmental Studies class at Poland Regional High School for asking me to come in this past Monday and talk to them a bit about organic farming in general and about Summit Springs Farm in particular…our history, why we farm, why we focus on the CSA model, etc.  The students in the class are currently in the midst of a unit about food…they asked some excellent questions, and I hope they learned a thing or two about local food options.  It was good for me, too, to get up in front of them and try to articulate why I do what I do.  The younger generation has to get hip to these ideas if we hope to keep the local food/economies movement going strong!

Stay warm, everyone, and think warm thoughts!  For the rest of the day, this will be my view:

Howdy, folks!  We hope everyone is enjoying the snow now that it’s finally arrived.  The ice we could do without, but at least things are finally feeling typically wintery in these parts.  Farm life slows but never stops, even in the heart of winter.  We have sheep to tend, firewood to schlep and stack, snow to shovel, and plenty of planning for next season.  I’ve been playing around some with this very webpage, updating photos and info. for the coming year, while Sonya has tackled the seed order.  This is a big job…she has to figure out how much of everything we need and then decide which veggie varieties to invest in and where to find the best deals.  The scene below, complete with computer, calculator, cup ‘o tea, notes, and numerous open seed catalogs, is typical:

One thing we’re NOT doing is the farmers’ market.  The Norway Winter Farmer’s Market is still going strong, every first and third Saturday from 10am-2pm, but we’ve decided to stop attending.  We really only have carrots, potatoes, and a bit of garlic left for storage crops, and the greenhouse greens are done, having died back once some consistently cold weather settled in.  It was a great experience, and we want to thank market manager Candi Rousseau, all of our fellow vendors, and the folks in and around Norway who came by to check out the market and who bought some produce from us.  We hope to do the market again next fall/winter!

We’re deep into winter now, but a sure sign of the spring to come is the arrival of the chicks!  Yes, I drove to the post office early this morning to collect a small, chirping box.  Back here, we lifted out the tiny chicks one by one, dipped their wee beaks in water and feed, and set them free in their new enclosure right on our porch.  We went with the “surprise special” package from Ideal Poultry Farm in Texas this time:  25 hen chicks of various breeds (23 made it, and 2 died in transit…sad but not unexpected).  We have no clue what the breeds are yet…as the hens grow up, we may have a better idea…but the mix of yellow, brown, and black chicks is fun to see.  Lydia has been closely watching the chicks and has even held a couple so far.

Finally, after a long holiday lay-off, it’s time for the first Summit Springs Farm potluck of 2012!  Join us right here at the farm for a brunch potluck on Sunday, 1/22 from 10am until 1pm.  We’ll provide plenty of coffee and tea, some food of our own, a roaring woodstove or two, and sheep and baby chicks to check out.  You should bring along a dish to share and be ready for fun and fellowship with your friends, neighbors, and fellow CSAers.  Hope to see you here!

I had hoped to do a post before Christmas, or at the very least before the end of 2011, but alas… We spent almost a week over in Vermont for Christmas, hanging out at my grandparents old house and spending time with my sister and her family, my dad and stepmom, and Cousin Gulliver, up from DC. It was lovely! We hope everyone had a great holiday season and is enjoying the new year so far.

As 2012 begins, we’re finally feeling as though things are slowing down.  It was a busy fall, with twice weekly harvests for CSA member orders, wholesale accounts, and the farmers’ market, plus the usual fall farm clean-up projects.  The colder weather has probably finally put an end to the carrot and potato harvesting as well as the various greens we’ve been tending in the greenhouses.  It’s good timing:  The final installment of the Norway Winter Farmers’ Market market of 2011 happened on 12/17.  The market will resume on 1/7 and happen every first and third Saturday after that until the spring.  We’ve enjoyed participating in the market these past couple of months.  In the new year, we plan to take the market on a week-by-week basis, depending on what we have going on and how our veggie supplies are holding up.  Keep an eye on the farm’s Facebook page for market updates going forward.  Here’s update #1:  We plan to skip the market on 1/7 due to some other plans.  The next market is on 1/21, and at this point, I’m planning to be there.

We also have big market news for next season:  We’ve decided not to attend the Bridgton Farmers’ Market.  This was a tough decision.  We’ve really enjoyed participating in that market over the past four years.  The vendors are great, and the market has grown and diversified significantly during our time there.  Our customers have been great, too, and we did well there.  However, Sonya and I feel we need to streamline things a bit next season.  We have the sense that we’ve been stretching ourselves too thinly, and especially considering how our family has just grown, we felt a change was needed.  This means no markets at all next season…we had already decided to stop coming down to Portland for the market there, too…and a chance to focus all of our efforts on the CSA.  Many thanks to the Bridgton community for their support, and good luck to all of our fellow vendors next season.  We hope it will be a great one for a truly special market!

One final note:  Would you or someone you know want to live here?  Yes, right here at Summit Springs Farm!  The 3rd floor of the the house is a self-contained, 1-bedroom apartment, and it is available to rent right now.  Here are the details:  $700/month is the cost; the apartment has its own entrance and a small bath and kitchen; all utilities are included; wifi is included; no smoking and no pets, please.  We’re seeking a quiet and conscientious tenant!  Spread the word, and please contact the farm for more information:  998-2196.