Here we go, another new year. This will mark the start of our 8th season. New seeds will be arriving soon and before you know it we'll be off and running. I'm obviously hoping for a good season. No big changes in store. Just commitment to growing and being the best we can be. To be completly honest, we are not where I was hoping we would be after seven years. We're off of our business plan sales projections quite a bit. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet though. I have too much time and money invested. Despite not hitting the mark, business has been increasing each year but we're still not what I would consider to be a viable and sustainable business. However, I am one of the most determined, head strong persons you will ever encounter. I am so commited to making this work. Bottom line is we're still here and dedicated to farming.
It's looking like we are going to have an economic slow down. That will effect us a little. We do sell a fair amount of produce to tourists and our restaurant sales are effected by the number of visitors on the island. Hopefully we'll pick up the difference in local sales. There's lot of talk about eating local ln the media these days. Well just have to wait and see what happens. CSA membership kits have just gone out and I'm anxious to see what kind of response we get. We rely on those early dollars coming in the door so I'm hoping our community will take the issue to heart.
For now I'm just enjoying the slow pace and thinking about the things we can do to increase sales. Alot of this gets down to producing more and growing the varities that bring in the highest return. We constantly strive to be better each year and this year that may prove to be more important than ever.
Keep well,
Farmer john
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Winter solstice! Love it. Days are getting longer from here. Our winter crops are hibernating now, but soon (six weeks) they'll be off and running again. As will we.
It's nice to have a little break where the pace is not so damn hectic but as always there is a flurry of activity happening on the farm. Finishing up the barn is big on the list. It's coming, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We start working on the doors next week. Soon I'll have a closed in building to do shop work in. Yaahooo!
There's a ton of other projects to do. Fencing is a big one. Having to replace a large section that was damaged last year. Still getting hammered by the deer. They topped off my artichokes and took out a whole bed of parsley last week. Filthy beast's! Look out bambi.
Lot's of planning going on. Seed catalogs are coming every day providing lots of inspiration. Right now just thinking. Thinking about previous years success's and failures, new ideas, experiments and techniques. What's going where, when and how much of this or that to grow. New varities, old favorites, best tomatoes, peppers, what not to grow. How to make it all work better with less work. Just thinking.
Planting too. It's time to plant another round of salad crops. Spinach, tat tsoi, mizuna and arugula. What the hell, might as well sow a flat of tomatoes too. LOL, I'm such a sucker. I try it every year, always without success. The June bearing tomato remains a quest. But you never know. I might get lucky one day:)
Have a great solstice. It's all down hill from here.
Farmer John
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Hey there friends. Just came across a new show coming to the food network by Jamie Oliver AKA The Naked Chef. Jamie is one of my favorite celebrity chefs. His recipies high-light the simplicity of food. His new show is called Jamie At Home. He will be cooking meals that are directly harvested out of his own garden. It should be really cool. You can get more details by going to foodtv.com or to Jamies personal site www.jamieoliver.com. Check it out.
For those of you who don't know. We have a link to foodtv.com through this web site. Go to the harvest section and simply click on any of the high lighted crops we grow. It will take you to a menu page with hundreds of recipies for that item.
We are wrapping it up here for the year and taking a well deserved rest. Still lots of behind the scenes work going on. For those of you on our mailing list, you will be receiving a news letter shortly. Also included will be the new sign up sheet for this years CSA program. Most of you have small carry-over balances from this year but we are hoping that you will up your balances. We count on having this early income so we can purchase our inputs like seed,fertilizer,misc supplies etc. I'll be sending the letters just after new years. Please help us out by sending in your payments ASAP.
Keep well and have a safe and happy holiday season.
Farmer John
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The cold snap has pretty much brought things to a halt here. The lovely salad greens we have been producing have mostly gone away with the repeated nights of temps in the 20's. I have a few greens in the greenhouses but not enough to sustain any kind of regular schedule. I still have a few potatoes in storage and the cabbage and kale in the fields is still going strong and the romanesco cauliflower is holding it's own but in a very limited quanitity. So things have finally come to a halt and it's now time to take a break, reflect and begin planning for next year.
How did we do? I don't have all of the numbers in front of me yet but thanks to a strong late season I think we did alright. Since we had a longer season the pace was a little more sane this year allowing me to take a step back at times. So from a personal standpoint it was very good year.
The subject of why I farm has come up in several conversations recently. It's not the easiest question to answer and being asked makes me re-visit some of the core beliefs that led me to the farming lifestyle. There are a number of reasons here are a few. I enjoy living my life with intent and striving to be more self sufficient. I like to eat and eat well. I enjoy cooking and love having an endless bounty of fresh produce to experiment with. I enjoy the complexities of farming and like being challenged. I like that it is a very diverse way of life, no two days back to back are the same for me. I like growing food for others to enjoy. I like that it nurtures my soul and provides me with a feeling of self worth. I like that is philanthantropic. I like that is tangible and hands on. Farming is my way of making a differnce in the world and especially in my community. I appreciate that others enjoy the benefits of something I have created. I like being entruprunual. I like to watch things grow. Basically I'm captivated by the complexity of the wholeness that farming captures for me.
That's all for today.
Take care,
Farmer John
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Last night we were graciously treated to a wine tasting / dinner pairing at one of our restaurants we work with, The Inn At Ship Bay.
Nice treat, Thank you geddes and Marianna! The wines were from Patricia Green cellars in Yamhill County Oregon. I have to admit I'm in no way a wine afficiando but I do appreciate it and I love how a great chef can pair food with wine. The duck with foi gras, red wine / plum reduction and candied leeks was to die for and the lamb chops paired perfectly with the earthy pinot's I also really enjoyed meeting Patricia and learning a bit about her wines and farming adventures. I don't often think of wine makers as farmers but you can't have wine without grapes and the grapes must be grown and how they are grown is totatlly reflected in the wine. So from a growers standpoint this was a really interesting tasting. We were tasting pinot noirs from three different years all from the same vines. Each were distinctively unique as the growing conditions were different each year. Of course there are many other factors as well I just found it interesting. We also tasted wines of the same vintage grown in different soils. I was not aware that soil types varied in the Willamette valley. Volcanic vs. ocean sedimentary. The tastes were surpisingly unique. The sedimentary soils contain more minerals as the land was once covered by sea producing a more complex flavor. It brings up an intriguing question for me and that is how can different soil types affect the taste of vegetables? We actually amend with trace minerals and I do believe they affect the way plants grow as well as their flavor.(this is a topic worthy of many conversations we may get to at a later time) Since we farm on different sites I can attest to how plants react in diffent soils and growing conditions but I'm not for sure if I could really detect a taste differnce like you could in the wine. We might have to have a beet tasting!
Another thought I had was you gotta have a lot of juice to be a grape grower. (pun not intended) It takes acerage, time, patience, faith, dedication and apparently a whole lot of money. Patricia's vinyard is about 60 acres. Small or large depending on your view. Close to a couple of million dollars just to aquire the land and existing vineyard. I have no idea what equipment cost's are or what type of labor force you need but I know it's alot and you hav'nt even put out a a case of wine yet. That takes guts. So here's to you Patricia! Thank you for coming to Orcas Island and sharing your private library with us. It is good to be alive.
Keep well my friends,
Farmer John
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