Category Winter

Desk Time

I’m starting to spend more time on the computer than in the field.  At this point in the season there are less crops to harvest and maintain. I’m spending my hours working on spreadsheets; inputting sales, expenses, and recording harvest…

Pumpkins, Winter Squash, and Gourds Oh My

The weather finally feels like autumn and the pumpkins are out in full force.  My farmers’ market booth has transitioned from boxes of heirloom tomatoes and tons of pints of cherry tomatoes to piles and piles of pumpkins, winter squash,…

Feelings of Fall

The mornings are chilly, the sun sets sooner, and the vineyards are changing color; it is fall.  With fall comes the harvest of fall crops: pumpkins, winter squash, and gourds. But even with these feelings of fall, tomatoes have not…

Colorful Beans

Last week I harvested the first of this year’s dried bean crop.  I am growing four different bean varieties this year Tiger Eye, Jacob’s Cattle, Hutterite, and Calypso.  Each of these varieties has a distinct colorful pattern hidden underneath their…

Rain and Taxes

It is raining again and I couldn’t be happier, this is what a Northern California winter is supposed to be about.  Grey and cloudy, raining when you wake up and then falling  asleep to raindrops tapping on your roof. This…

Willow Loves Water

We had quite the rain storm last week.  Parts of Sonoma county received 10 to 12 inches of rain in a four-day period.  Last Saturday during part of this wonderful rain fall I was taking a workshop on, living willow…

Rain and Crop Planning

Well we are finally getting some precipitation.  It has been so wonderful to have our rainy winter weather back.  I find it thrilling to wake up to rain and the grey cloudy sky, I hope this weather pattern continues for…

Eco Farm

Last week I was away from the farm for a couple of days to attend Eco Farm, the annual Ecological Farming Association’s conference.  Eco Farm is seriously my favorite farming conference, this year was the 6th time I have attended.…

Why I Love January

Reasons why I love January (the farm’s quiet time) Reason #5 : Sleeping in …. zzzzzz   Reason #4 : Having the time to clean & organize the barn! Reason #3 : Flipping through seed catalogs & dreaming up this year’s…

Weekend Away

Not only is January a time for crop planning and cultivating the seed order but it is also a time for vacation.  As a vegetable farmer your days and weeks during the spring, summer, and fall seem never-ending, so much…