THE PARENT TRAP

I made Josh watch this movie this weekend - I caught him at a weak moment, when the artsy video store was for some mysterious reason closed - (a crowd had formed around the entrance - people were calling their friends who knew friends who worked there) - and we made our way to ye olde Blockbuster and signed up and took out The Parent Trap - really, kind of a bad role model for women - Maureen O'Hara kind of seamlessly goes along with the "parent trap" and sabotages her ex-husband's wedding

we enjoyed it alot**

*"Alot is not a word. A lot is a two-word phrase meaning many. Also,
only Dan Quayle spells potatos with an "e". Finally, I hope everyone
buys Rachel and Josh's produce because the supermarket stuff tastes like
ass and smells like feet."

-- quote by Bryan Daley, me brother

FLOOD 3

well yes, it's here - and we can't speak of consequences until they've made themselves known - yet, I will say we have had many ups and downs today and I am falling back on an old yogic proverb - well, let's wait and see

in other news, Josh and I watched some of Sarah Silverman's movie Jesus is Magic last night and laughed our assed off - almost as much as Eddie Izzard - ah, so bittersweet

I'm eating lovely Napa Cabbage from today's emergency harvest - so all you who haven't had it yet - come and get it (And pay fire sale prices)

Not to be dramatic -

potatos and blogs

a few people asked me at the last pick up whether we will have potatoes, and the answer is happily yes! the potaotoes are growing, into big bushes. we have two types of potatoes this year: red gold, which is an early favorite. and a later variety called carolla. a denser yellow. Rachel and I took care of a few acres of potatoes each year at Quail hill, usually planting about 15 or more varieties, and it was based on the taste testing there that we chose this years varieties.

on a different note, blogs: a friend of mine (from way way back let's just say) has a very interesting blog, one that for me really shows the power of blogs to provide a perspective, to provide it to you the reader, it's really like entering a different world. Amardeep Singh's blog focuses alot on religion and secularism especially with regards to Indian life and politics and the Indian diaspora, but certainly not limited to that. So here's the link to that world: http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/blog.htm

Visiting the Farm

For all you members, and even non-members that read the blog, I wanted to extend the offer now, as we move from super-hectic towards super-super-hectic, to come visit us At the OHF fields. I know early on some expressed interest in seeing how everything is grown and some even wanted to do a little gardening.

I will give you an example of the range of things going on currently: the chamomile is out of control, Rachel and I spend twenty minutes picking it and still there is more, and that will just multiply again tomorrow. It seems like we will certainly have enough for tea, and the smell of the plants is amazing.

Well, the rest of the range is hand-weeding and hoeing and mulching tomatoes and such, but some people like that. If anyone's interested just give us a call.

Below is a pic of our market display. For those that don't know we are at the Shelburne and New North End Markets.

Summer: T minus 3 days

Rachel and I were out working on the tomatoes (I hoeing, rachel pruning) today, it was actually quite nice, with the breeze, after we rewarded ourselves with strawberries from adams berries which is right next to our farm. He has twenty varieties of strawberries, we were picking two of the early ones. We at Open heart don't have berries (maybe a few of our first raspberries will be available), but we encourage you to visit adams pick your own if you have time, and then stop by and see where we produce your veggies, rachels and my schedule is erratic, but there is definitely a decent chance we will be there.

Everything has really started growing in the past few days: Rachel and I had our first pesto, something I might have mentioned is an addiction. Don't be jealous, there must be some perks to farming, and one of them is that when you pinch the tops of our hundred or so little basils, you get pesto. Pinching was done so as to make the plant bushier, ie more basil for all. We have a great vegan basil recipe we will hand out when the time comes, good for any lactose-intolerant among us.

We also finally biked beyond our farm, post berry gorge. It was quite a fun ride, really relaxing. Adam, I should mention, gives a ten percent discount to those who arrive on alternative transportation.

Sheri

Sheri worked with us today, for about six hours, and will work with us again every tuesday for a while, in return for some veggies and learning alot, we hope. I know Sheri is a reader of our blog so I'll also say Rachel and I have a pretty good library to augment everything you learn out on the field, which can be alot. Some people integrate it more that way.

But the main point would have to be that we got so much done today: like laying the rest of the black plastic, putting out the rest of the melons on the black plastic (which if it hasn't been mentioned already isn't plastic at all but a biodegradable mulch that heats the ground a few degrees so as we can have vermont melons peppers and eggplant), hoed the parsley, trellissed the cherry tomatoes and so much more.

1st pick up

We have had the first pick up, and Rachel and I thought it went really well. It was invigorating to meet the people whom we are growing for. Perhaps next week Rachel and I will switch and each meet the other half, tho there are some logistic issues with our tent. Let me personally thank Kristin and Jeff for making their home so welcoming to me and the other members.

If you have any comments on how YOU thought it went, please feel free to make them on the blog, or write rachel and I at openheartfarm@yahoo.com -

We saw the first sugar ann peas, so we are hopeful that we'll have enough for this week, though there is now no doubt that they will be ready in two weeks.

Can I say enough rain already? I know I talked with some people friday, and then it continued to rain, really quite a bit all saturday, to the point where we have seen a few cukes go under. But I have alot of faith in the compost tea that rachel is spraying, and think it likely that they can be revived, and that we can seed more cukes.

Today I staked the tomatos, while rachel was seeding some more greens and then together we thinned carrots, weeded some scallions, and Rachel planted some mullen, a plant often used as a poultice, and also supposed to be good for the compost tea (which if you don't know is a tub filled with mostly water, then a little compost, nettles, and anything else good around the field. Two weeks later, when it has brewed, we put it in the backpack sprayer, and away we go!

FIRST CSA PICK-UP JUNE 9

DETAILS For the 1st CSA pick-up for this year are as follows:

Friday, June 9
4-7pm

North End: Dewey Park, in front of the H.O. Wheeler School

South End: porch 126 Ferguson, home of Kristin and Jeff, who are hosting the south-end pick-up this year

REMEMBER TO BRING A BAG OR TWO FOR YOUR GROCERIES! Josh and I are committed to NOT BUYING PLASTIC BAGS EVER - this is a lifestyle choice and goal of ours - we do understand the necessity to make things reasonable and convenient for our members and customers, though, so we will have bags on hand that we've recycled from local grocery stores - BUT we like to also encourage folks whenever possible to recycle and even use cloth bags

of course we've found that IN VERMONT, MOST FOLKS ARE HIP TO THIS SENTIMENT! and are ahead of us on the cloth-bag-train

SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!

here is skippy (whom if you don't know, is our cat), adoring my hreb dehydrator. In this pic it has catnip and a little chamomile in it, and he has already gone crazy for an hour or so. I'm hoping to make some herbal teas which will be available to members and maybe others, depends how it goes, other herbs that will be used: horehound, echinacea, and mint, probably one or two i'm forgetting



Rotate your head for next two: they are the lettuce you will soon be eating and me hoeing the potatoes, which you will much later be eating. I'm not done hoeing them tho, as this was the day severe thunderstorms broke out. But later today I hope to make some more progress, - before our first farmer happy hour, there may be gossip if we don't all fall asleep by nine.