Harvest Days

I figured that including some background and pictures would be nice to include to show everyone what a morning harvesting looks like. So, this summer season Tyler, Sienna, and I (Molly) pick our veggies every Sunday and Wednesday, for our deliveries on the following day. Mondays we visit the folks at Chuck and Augie's Restaurant (You should check it out...some pretty delicious food located right in the middle of UConn's campus!) and on Thursdays we are part of the "Farm Fresh Market" hosted by dining services each and every week from 11:30-2:00 pm on Fairfield Way. We typically start picking at 6am, and it is always an exciting time to see our labors turn into the final bagged product, washed and ready to go. Check it out...

Here's Kale the Caterpillar, our new pet

Our scale and harvest log that we use to do our thang

Sienna just washing and spinning some leafy greens in our monster spinner

  Just a sidenote on our to-do list white board... :)

Some gorgeous kale flowers we picked the other morning. Tastes juuuust like broccoli and looks so very pretty!

Kale inside the sink, ready to be washed. 

Hey there little guy! Final home for Kale the caterpillar... maybe we'll keep him around for just a bit

More pictures of bigger and more plentiful harvests later in the season soon to come. For now, enjoy.

Just Another Rainy Day

Here at the farm things have been pretty grey and dreary the past week. We have been doing rainy weather activities, which are not nearly as fun as being outside in the sunshine. After working in the hoop house, we found this peaking out from beyond the hill that encases us here in Spring Valley. Instead of a pot of gold at the end, there were our 11 bee hives! Enjoy this pic, and hopefully it sends over a smile from us here at SVF! 

Planting Begins

It's that time... planting! So, we have been putting all sorts of deliciousness down in our plots the past few weeks. Recently just finished harvesting our lettuce, and recently planted some tomatoes and cucumbers. We put in a few different varieties of beans, squashes, beets, corn, onions, and lots of flowers to add a bit of color to the already beautiful landscape we live in. Just about to do some more planting right about now! In a few weeks we'll have much more to harvest and until then we will just have to wait patiently until all of our little seedlings decide to pop up.

For now, check out a few pics showing the things the three new farmers (Tyler, Sienna, and Molly) here have been up to...

Harvesting Rainbow Chard...how pretty!

Julia showing us the proper way to pick our spinach.

Beautiful, bountiful rows of spinach 

Adding some life to our labels with bright colors and funky designs 

Um, so how do we get this rock out of the hoop house guys?

This rock ain't got nothin on us. 

Sienna got a little bit of dirt on her from that feat...

SVF Makes a Trip to Beltane

Last Tuesday some of us farmers went down to Lebanon CT to visit Beltane Farm, to check out what they do and see exactly where and how the farmstead cheese they make comes to be! We saw a variety of Oberhasli, La Mancha, and Saanen goats and was given a tour of their land by the owner and a few interns. 
We got to pet them, hold them, watch them play, watch them chew our hands/shirts/hair, and also got to try their milk, yogurt, and a variety of cheeses. It was a wonderful way to spend the morning, and really informative. Now our fridge is filled with delicious goat milk products, and hopefully another visit will be in order soon! 
For more information, check out their website: http://www.beltanefarm.com/

Even Tyler has a soft spot for the little babies.

Siena put a sleepy spell on this one.

Awe!

Julia has a little furry friend!

Just a few goats doin' their goat thang.

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       Just a curious lil goat checking out what kind of camera I have by giving my lens a nice big lick!

                                                     Molly, Queen of the Goats.