What we're working on right now...

Just wanted to let you all know... all this rain, while a pain in the but for certain things we people like to enjoy doing while dry (hmmm.... basically everything? =) has been great for the thirsty clay soil over here at Coburn Cove Cooperative farmstead! This is good news for what is planted in the ground intentionally by us, but also good news for weed seeds... for example, today I saw a that a patch of the at first very innocent-looking weeds -- Hibiscus trionum aka 'fleur-des-heure' (named 'Flower of an Hour' based on the fact that it only opens its flower for a short period of time in the sunlit morning) -- had grown to nearly full size:

These guys can spread their seed quickly, and will make this (and every subsequent) year that we do the CSA here a nightmare... if we don't try and hack them down the next time the sun is out, and before they go to seed! They are literally the biggest problem weed in our plot... last year they literally ruined at least half, if not more, of our tomato crop (by preventing air circulation and encouraging mold growth). Friday, a day the weather service believes Candler (and neighboring Asheville) will have sunny skies, looks to be the day I will dedicate myself to hoeing thousands of these pretty little devils into oblivion (Project #1)

Look at the milkweed I brought from Chicago, and planted last year -- coming back, despite me tilling that entire row in with the tractor:

If its spread out FROM the clump where it exists now TO dotting throughout the plot, it will best attract pollinators (to increase fruit yields). Eventually, we'll have a perennial bed of them here, and I'll then help you learn how to enjoy the tasty 'wild' vegetable that is milkweed florets! Now, look at the corn, that my kids seeded way too close together about a month ago:

You know how kid help can be (ahem, usually is) not so much actual help, but rather, 'help.' =) These seedlings will now need to get moved to an area where they are at least two rows wide (helps cross-pollination), and spaced out to where they don't have to compete with each other. This way we'll have corn to eat towards the end of the season. Moving these two patches will be Project #2.

Finally, as soon as its thoroughly dry (and promises to be, the following day) I'll mow the grass in the small 'pastures' that we have, and use the clippings to mulch the tops of the row crops. I'd gotten used to Illinois' unbelievably easy-to-use sandy loam when I started gardening for multiple families back in Chicago, but fortunately have learned a lot about Western NC clay of late! When the soil surface here is directly exposed to sun and wind, it can dry into a painfully impermeable surface... so I need to protect it from that! This task, Project #3, will definitely have to wait until we have a longer period of sunshine.

Well, that's the news for this week at CCC. Pay attention (CSA members) to your email inboxes, as I'll be emailing out a survey asking you about BOTH an optimal date for our beginning-of-season party here at the homestead, AS WELL AS which of the downtown farmer's markets you'd prefer our distro be nearby to...

TEST POST

If you're reading this, then you probably already know what its for. Here's a few pics I snapped lately, of Doro and I (and some surroundings -- including some WILDLIFE I spotted):

Did the message (and pictures) of this blog post make it direct to your email inbox? If so, kindly let me know with a reply. Looking forward to our growing season together, y'all! =)

We're offering a (mini)CSA this year

Let me tell you a story that is becoming too familiar, around getting food-growing happening in and around city schools...

Late this past winter, some friends of ours helped us start several hundred vegetable seedlings, my parents down in Georgia started hundreds of heirloom tomato plants, and I prepared to say goodbye to just as many 'runner' strawberry plants in our patch here at the homestead. All of these things were being committed to a 'demonstration food plot' that Joan Pinegar and I were going to put on at Isaac Dickson Elementary School (IDES). We were going to 1) grow seasonal produce, row-crop (aka 'farm') style, for using fresh, cooking, and preserving; 2) do cooking demonstrations for the local community and basically give away much of the produce in the summer; and 3) let the school utilize as much of what we had growing in the spring and fall as possible.

However, (cue scary music, stormy sounds) the powers-that be in the downtown offices of ACS very recently informed us, in a sudden change of stance, that we are not to disturb any sod laid down at IDES this year... stopping our plans dead in its tracks. Geez, this is like what happened at Asheville Middle, all over again (at least this time, a generous ACSF grant was not basically squandered in the process). I am beginning to honestly think there are just one or two sour people at 85 Mountain St that, every year, say "You want to start a huge vegetable plot at a school? And let kids, teachers and parents taste it, learn about it, help with it? And let whole families in the nearby community reconnect with the empowerment that comes with growing, preparing and preserving food? Not while I'm around!"

I do not want to let these seedlings go to waste. And I really don't want to feel ENTIRELY defeated in this second attempt at starting up a community-oriented, food-growing enterprise.

Here's what I'm going to do: I have been mulling around the idea of starting up a micro-CSA out of our homestead in Candler ever since we moved here from Chicago (where I have some experience doing an urban version of the same; if you're the curious sort, I believe our old blog is still accessible here: 37gyouthveggies.blogspot.com). I've resolved to, this 2017 growing season, try my hand at growing food for 7-8 other families -- and to hopefully make some deeper and long-lasting connections with folks in the process. By word-of-mouth with friends and colleagues, we've got five share members already... now we're looking for just a couple more!

Our shares will likely be more akin to a traditional 'half-share' -- meaning, a young (ie, small) family of four will have enough produce to prominently feature in 5-8 meals out of the week. We will grow and harvest for you for 15 weeks, beginning the first week after school lets out (mid-June). We will include a half-dozen of our free-ranging chicken eggs in each share, plus I will strive to offer (as optional) as often as possible some other fun things that I enjoy doing: seasonal foraged foods that are of notable taste and nutriment, carefully gleaned produce from other nearby farms, and the occasional value-added product (like homemade jam, lactic acid ferments, etc.). If I feel that any given week was 'leaner' that I would have liked, we'll extend the growing season an extra week or two (or three) to make up for it.

The distribution site will most likely be coordinated nearby (in time and place) to either the River Arts District or French Broad Food Coop farmers markets (weekday markets). The idea is to be both convenient for people who work or live in the city, while giving you the option to stroll down the street and pick up a few more things (if you are for example trying to eat 100% of your food fresh and local this growing season). The cost would be $250, paid upfront as CSA shares usually are... I struggled for the last week or so with deciding on a price, because I really just want to make up for MOST of the material costs and a fraction (half? hah... if I'm lucky!) of the labor involved -- given that this will be a sort of 'practice' season for me. Methods will not involve synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, though I may move to use organic-approved treatments if I ever need to to save a crop! 

If you are familiar with CSAs, I think you will see that this is an exceptional deal. If you are not familiar with CSAs, you're welcome to comparison shop (https://mountainx.com/food/food-news/021710let_the_csas_begin/... info a little outdated but prices still very realistic) -- OR, you can take my word that this is a unique opportunity to get a 'taste' of one, without a super-long commitment or the fear of too much stuff going to waste! =) In any case, thank you for hearing me out... no matter if this fits with your plans, personal beliefs, wallet, etc. or not, I really look forward to continuing to know you all more and more, as summer emerges in this wonderful little city and at our homestead nearby in Candler!