Seasons Changing

The inevitable is happening. The growing season of summer is coming to an end. Tomatoes and peppers are running out and making way for all that green stuff that is so healthy for us. In my cooking, basil gets replaced by parsley and garlic and salads of fresh, tender, flavorful lettuces and greens become a staple.

Even though it's sad to say goodbye to the sweet flavors of summer that I love, fall is a time of year to which I look forward. Shorter days end in cooler nights. The air is crisp and fragrant and everything seems to have a golden glow. I start to long for the comforting smell of wood smoke and feel myself craving the companionship of my favorite sweaters. On the farm, the fall is especially magical. We pick the last of the tomatoes, peppers, and figs wistfully, knowing that the flavors will be all the more special because soon they will be gone until next summer. Green is everywhere - chard, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, arugula - the color being so predominant that the neon colors of the chard stems, the brilliant purple of the cauliflower heads, and the reds and yellows of the beets stand out like Vegas lights. And then there's the turkeys. They run and eat and gobble as though each day is an adventure, which it no doubt is.

This weekend was a bit of a lull for us at the farmer's market. The gradual transition from summer to fall is a subtle pause, a chance for Jeff and I to catch our breaths, find our bearings, and plan for the last month or so of the season. We are by no means finished for the year. You can look forward to the piles of summer produce being replaced by equally magnificent piles of greens, a bounty of winter squash, beets of all colors and shapes, lettuces, arugula, and a few different varieties of broccoli and cauliflower. You'll still be able to find us at the farmer's market in Santa Rosa on Saturday mornings and in Sebastopol on Sundays, although we'll probably be bundled up a bit more and struggling to stay caffeinated enough.

I am so thankful for everyone who I have met through the farmer's markets since I began helping with the farm. Every person has a personality all their own and has shared something unique with me. I'm so happy to know you all and look forward to the rest of the year.

Sold out until Spring

All I can say is wow. We have sold out of chickens in an unprecedented amount of time. The response to our chicken venture has been incredible and we are so thankful. It makes such a difference to have happy, nice, appreciative customers who value what we're doing. Unfortunately we've had to turn people away, but it has shown us that we really need to revise our method so we can do more chickens at a time. We are planning on expanding to two movable pens in the spring, that way we can have either twice as many chickens each cycle or chickens twice as often.

And in case you didn't make it to the market this weekend, pepper season has arrived and the tomatoes are still awesome. We've also been planting our fall greens, so your bodies don't have to wait too much longer for delicious and nutritious chard, kale, arugula, and spring mix.

That's it for now. Keep it local and keep it healthy. Go outside and enjoy the day!

Chicken Time

It's that time again! Our baby chickens are almost grown and ready to meet their maker. They will be available September 24th, 25th, 27th, and 28th. That is Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Saturday's chickens will be available for pick-up at the Santa Rosa Farmer's Market. The birds should be between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 pounds and the price is still $6.00 per pound.

You should also note that this is the LAST BATCH OF CHICKENS FOR THE YEAR. We have 80 birds available, so we highly suggest that you stock up for Winter and buy multiple birds. Chickens freeze really well and we have been told that freezing does nothing to compromise the quality or flavor of these birds. We recommend using a vacuum sealer if you can, but it isn't necessary.

We will be taking orders at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, but I suggest that you email us at Redwoodempirefarm@live.com to place your order TODAY!

Tomatoes, Chickens, and Turkeys...oh my!

Welcome to our first official "blog"! My hope is to use this as a means of keeping in touch with all the friends of the farm and to let everyone know what we're doing. So what are we doing? Well, right now, when I walk into the barn, I get a little confused about what kind of farmers we are. We have two brooders, side by side, that are home to 25 baby turkeys and 100 chicks. These little guys receive more TLC and attention than you can imagine. Jeff is constantly checking on them and is trying to find the absolute best, most revolutionary way of poultry farming. For example, certain that they benefit from the vitamins and nutrients, he's turned the turkeys into tomato lovers. Hopefully he doesn't live to regret this when they're free ranging in the field and trying to get to the heirloom tomato plants. The turkeys will be raised until Thanksgiving, at which point they will become the centerpieces of some very lucky households. The chickens, on the other hand, will become dinner in about 6 weeks. You wouldn't believe how fast they grow. One day they're babies, the next they're monsters. Amazing!

In addition to the birds, we're still in the middle of the summer crops. Actually, we feel like we haven't really been able to capitalize on summer yet because of this bazarre weather. In case you haven't noticed, it's been mild during the day, cool at night, and foggy - weather that is more characteristic of spring and fall and not summer. We've been harvesting tomatoes, which have tasted great, but there are so many more still on the plants waiting for some heat in order to ripen. We're also anticipating our peppers. We planted about 12 different varieties of sweet and spicy peppers, which we should be able to start harvesting within the next few weeks. And in the midst of all this summer stuff, we're also starting to think about fall. That means that I have been seeding up a storm. Chard, kale, lettuce, beets, and all the other cool weather veggies are starting their lives as we speak.

So that's the farm update for now. I'll keep you informed about the birds and the veggies and I hope to see you all at the farmer's market. Right now we're selling at the Santa Rosa market on Saturday morning at the vet's building and at Petaluma's Wednesday Night market. See you there!