Rain! Finally some well needed rain! What a perfect day, sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon, and rain tonight! The crops are loving it, and so are we! Our trip to the lake was fun, quick, but fun! We hope everyone had a great week and enjoyed the heat. Thank you to everyone that came and supported the farmers markets this week in Wilkesboro, Blowing Rock and Boone! The Wilkesboro market has had a great turn-out, and it's gaining a lot of interest, so if you know someone that hasn't heard about it, please keep spreading the word. We have everything from woodworking to coffee, hand squeezed lemonade, produce, plants, soap, quilts and many other great, locally grown/crafted items! It's the new "cool", so come check it out! I believe this is "buy a chicken week", so if you are in need of a chicken that has been raised humanely, fed organic grain, and moved to fresh grass daily, we have what you need. We also have really good eggs, from happy chickens. Tuesday, we will have a drop-off at Talias Espresso in N. Wilkesboro at 5pm; Blowing Rock Thursday evening from 4-6pm; Wilkesboro on Friday from 4-8pm; and in Boone on Saturday morning from 7-12. If you need any items listed below, please let us know where you would like to pick them up. Have a good week! - Dale, Cory and kids.Eggs - $4.00/dz.
Whole Chicken - $4.00/lb.
Boneless Breast - $10.00/lb.
Legs/Wings/Thighs - $4.50/lb
Kale - $2.50/bunch
New Potatoes - $2.00/lb. (yummy!)
Summer Squash - $2.00/lb.
Cilantro - $1.50/bunch
Parsley - $1.50/bunch
Dill - $1.50/bunch
Oh yeah, you may have heard something about me getting in an accident this week...I did. Everybody involved (Treasure and myself, along with the 2 guys in the other car) are alright! Both vehicles were totalled, including my truck, so sad. It was a head-on, but could have been a lot worse, so we are very thankful for that. We have found a second vehicle, a 15 passenger van, for the family and we are using our white van for markets. It is working out very well, and we are very pleased with the new (new for us) van. The new van has a diesel engine, so we are happy about that! Great mileage!
The dock at Kerr Lake in Boydton Virginia...
Journey jumping in...
Keaton and Treasure...
Glory having fun, first time in a lake...
Jewel soaking in the sun...
Happy girls...
Treasure caught a catfish, but she's not sure what to think...
Well, unfortunately (I think) we had a swarm today. I am not sure why this is so bad, but apparently as a beekeeper I am supposed to avoid this. We actually enjoyed it, at least this time! As I was headed to the potato field at the back of the property, I was passing by the hives and noticed crazy bee activity. About 10 minutes later, the bees had all gathered in a nearby tree. I let them settle down a bit and cut the branch they were on, introduced them to a new box, and went on my way. It was very exciting for the kids to see this! We also harvested about 4 frames worth of honey today, about 1 gallon, and that was very exciting as well! Our first, small, honey harvest!
Today our family attended the yearly Presidential Physical Fitness program hosted by some good friends up near Boone. We had a blast! It was fun seeing all of the familiar faces that we do not get to see very often, as well as meeting some new people that we have only heard about. Part of the event is a 1 mile run, so being the youthful person I am, and also after my incident this winter, I just had to see what I could do. Well, I didn't pass out! Actually I impressed my self and was very pleased with the results! But more importantly, it was fun seeing all of my children participate with their friends and have a good time, and do well! It turned out to be a very restful day, and we left wishing that we could have stayed longer! Things here on the farm are doing well, and we have been getting plenty of rain, which is good for most crops, however the tomatoes and peppers are taking a little beating, but I believe we are still doing fine. We have been tending to the tomato plants trying to rid ourselves of all of the early blight that has been trying to set in due to the wetness. The beans and squash are coming in real good, and our potatoes are doing amazing. The carrots this year have done amazingly well, and we will have plenty more available for this week. Its nice being able to eat a sweet carrot straight out of the ground! Our deliveries for this week will be at Talias on Tuesday, 5 pm, and in Wilkesboro at the market (come and see us there, it has been a great time!) from 4-8pm on Friday. For all of you CSA members that would maybe like something extra in your boxes this week, just email us and let us know. If we were already planning to put what you need in your box, then it will not be extra, and if we need to add more, we can settle up at the drop-off. It looks like we will be processing our next batch of chickens on the 28th, so if you would like a bird before it goes into the freezer, please plan on coming out sometime after 5pm that evening.
