Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

A bit of a foggy morning here on the farm.  We have gotten a bit of moisture but things are still pretty crispy.  Thank goodness that we have irrigation to keep our crops going. The cooler temps have been welcome this week (and over the Holiday weekend) as well.

Today we are starting the potato harvest!  Unfortunately it seems that we got a bit of blight or something on a couple of more susceptible varieties.  We are using the new potato harvester that we got this winter -- we'll see how it works out!  A few photos...

While many folks were out enjoying a beautiful Independence Day, Ray and Chris pruned the black raspberries.  Let's just say, if bloodletting were still a preferred form of medical treatment, they would both be in great shape!  Ray quipped that a common malady of bramble growers is anemia.  Those are some mighty thorny plants!!  But the rows look so much better now -- and will be healthier going into the fall/winter and for production next year.

We have new residents at the farm -- actually about 30,000+.  Our friend Jen just sold her small farm in Winston-Salem and needed another location for her hive. Our girls are very hospitable so she moved her girls up on Wednesday morning.  Now we have both our top-bar style of hives alongside her Langstroth hive.

Our yummy Triple Crown blackberries continue to come in STRONG!  We will have another Pick-Your-Own this Saturday (7/12) from 9-1.  More than 125 pounds of blackberries went home with folks last Saturday and you can be the lucky pickers this weekend!  Our sugar bomb berries have been delighting diners at Meridian, Mary's Gourmet Diner and Green Valley Grill this week -- along with our great market & PYO customers. Just a reminder of what's out there:

More signs of summer in the fields -- tomatoes, okra, tomatillos, oriental lilies..... Mmmmmm.

Market Update:  Three opportunities to find our goodies at market this week!  On Saturday, we'll be at Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem and we'll have a tent full of our products here at the farm for Pick-Your-Own.  On Wednesday, we'll be at the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA.  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Fresh Garlic and Garlic Lollipops, Blackberries, sugar snap peas (few), baby beets, baby kale, salad mix, tomatillos, potatoes, okra,  Stargazer Oriental Lilies and MORE!  Our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce (featured in the June issue of O'Henry Magazine) is perfect for summer cookouts! And don't forget the jams as tasty ice cream toppings! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Have a super weekend.  Get out and see the Thunder (or Hay) Moon tonight.  It is the first full moon of the summer and is best seen around 1 a.m. in the southern sky.

Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Thursday, Farm Friends!  Welcome to Sultry July!!

As we turned the page of our calendars to July, we celebrated the last day of garlic harvest for 2014!  Yep, it's all out of the field and in various stages of post-harvest.  Some is hanging in the Yam Barn loft, some is curing on the net or in the Tobacco Barn hammocks, and some is still being graded.  And it's been a good harvest. For the plants that didn't get taken out by the cold, they did incredibly well.  We have some of the largest bulbs of the most varieties ever.  A few photos...

We don't have a winner yet for this year's Garlic World Cup.  The officials are still tabulating  results (that would be Cheryl & Ray) but we promise that we'll have them for you next week!!  The Germans made a good showing as did another Italian team -- we'll see!!! We do know there were no penalty cards!

While all of this garlic madness has been going on, the other plants have been doing their thing.  The blackberries have really exploded this week -- our beloved Triple Crowns are now coming in and we will have our 1st Pick-Your-Own of the year this Saturday (7/5) from 9-noon.  It is supposed to be a gorgeous day -- so if you are doing a July 4th staycation, come on up to the farm for some good picking (you can then head on up to Hanging Rock to take a swim!)  Take a peek to see what's out there:

There's lots of progress with the other plants too -- the okra is starting to produce, the basil is gorgeous and the tomatoes are loaded with greenies.  Starting to sound like summer around here!

Market Update:  How better to mark the July 4th holiday than to celebrate your independence from tasteless, trucked-in food?  We'll be at both Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (Saturday) and the King Farmers Market (Wednesday).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Fresh Garlic and Garlic Lollipops, Blackberries, sugar snap peas (few), baby beets, pea shoots, baby kale, salad mix, baby swiss chard,  Stargazer Oriental Lilies and MORE!  Our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce (featured in the June issue of O'Henry Magazine) would make a great grilling sauce for your 4th of July cookouts! And don't forget the jams as tasty ice cream toppings! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Have a wonderful July 4th weekend -- be careful with those fireworks and make sure your pets are in a secure location! 

Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!  Hope your first full week of Summer has been great!

World Cup Fever has hit Plum Granny Farm!  No, we are not all exuberant soccer fans here (although Emma & Elliot have earned their soccer-playing chops but ask Ray & Chris about baseball!).  But we have our own little World Cup going on -- the World Cup of Garlic!

Garlic is a very international vegetable.  More than 2.5 million acres are dedicated to garlic production each year, according to The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers and Serious Cooks.  It's a virtual United Nations of garlic growing countries: China, South Korea, India, Spain, Turkey and Brazil are among the top 10 producers (along with the US).  Many varieties of garlic have their roots in central Asia including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.  Wow!  So who'd a thunk that this common little bulb had such international intrigue?

Here at Plum Granny Farm, our 24 varieties of garlic hail from all parts of the globe as well -- although most are from Italy or parts of the former Soviet Union.  So far this year in the "competition," we have to say that the hardneck from the Republic of Georgia, "Shvelisi" (aka "Chesnok Red") is one of the outstanding players!  "Music," a popular Italian who came to us via Canada, also finished strong!  The other Italians ("Lorz Italian") and some from the U.S. team ("Nootka Rose" and "Lahontan") are looking hopeful!

Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted on the winner of this high energy & tasty match-up!  The World Cup will be announced next week!  GOALLLLLLLLL GARLICCCCCCCCCC!

The beautiful Chesnok Red

The ever-charming Music bulbs on the net in the Yam Barn for curing

Doesn't everyone need a cat in the lap while cleaning garlic?  Wally thinks so!

One of the fun things we did for the Triad Farm Tour was to have a planting area for kids to plant their own flower seeds.  Some of them are coming up now -- and what's really cool is that since they marked their seeds with a tag, now they can come back and see what is happening!  Mason, your sunflower is getting big!

Market Update:  We'll be at both Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (Saturday) and the King Farmers Market (Wednesday).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Fresh Garlic, Black Raspberries(!), Blackberries (!!), sugar snap peas, baby beets (more are coming in now!), pea shoots, baby kale, salad mix (limited amount), baby swiss chard,  Lamb's Quarter Gratin Kit (sounds strange - but a super tasty recipe for a powerhouse green!) and MORE!  Our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce (featured in the June issue of O'Henry Magazine) would make a great grilling sauce for your 4th of July cookouts! And don't forget the jams as tasty ice cream toppings! 

As a reminder, if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Have a wonderful weekend -- and in honor of Camera Day on Sunday, take a walk and snap a few shots of your favorite summer scenes -- you'll enjoy seeing them come winter! 

Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Thursday, Farm Friends!  It's almost officially Summer!

As we move toward the Summer Solstice, the temperatures are starting to rise and we start gearing up for our summer tasks.  Berry season is beginning (we'll even have black raspberries at market!).  And one of the main early summer harvests is garlic.  This year it is a bit earlier than last -- the drought and hot weather we had in late May really accelerated the maturation.  We have harvested a few trial varieties but the bulk of it will be over the next week.  Last year we were blessed with nearly a 3 week harvest period which really gave us a chance to move through it at a more humane pace -- this year we will be more pressed to finish more quickly.

The reason that we must hurry is that if the garlic stays in the ground too long, it starts to break down and lose some of the outer wrappers.  You should harvest once there are about 5 green leaves -- that that point the bulb is mature enough and there is enough of the outer wrapper to cover the cloves.  Once you start losing more leaves, then you are in trouble.  Home gardeners take note -- check your garlic!

Here are a few photos:

A few sample bulbs

Georgia Crystal that will be sold as fresh garlic

In planting news for the week, we got our sweet potatoes, french filet beans and other green beans, and more peppers in.  Expect a good supply of Shishito and Aji Dulce peppers at market later in the summer!

And it won't be too long before tomatillos and potatoes will be on the table!  And the artichokes are looking mighty fine!

Market Update:  We'll be at both Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (Saturday) and the King Farmers Market (Wednesday).  What will you find on our tables?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic garlic scapes (last week!), Black Raspberries(!), sugar snap peas (starting to slow down), baby beets (more are coming in now!), pea shoots, baby kale, salad mix (limited amount) Lamb's Quarter Gratin Kit (sounds strange - but a great recipe for a powerhouse green!), transplants (tomatoes, tomatillos, basil and other herbs), and MORE!  Don't forget that we have new batches of our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce as well as our yummy Baby Ginger-Strawberry-Mint Jam. 

We are happy to save an item for you in advance if you'd like.  Just shoot us an email before the market.

Have a wonderful weekend -- what better way to welcome Summer than to go to the Farmers Market?  Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!  It's Friday the 13th!!

Even though it's Friday, I still think we are recuperating from last weekend's Farm Tour!  Wow  -- what a wonderful and busy weekend!  More than 150 people from across the state -- as well as several out of state visitors -- came to the farm for a tour or a hayride or maybe just a walk around the place.  If you were one of those folks, thank you so much for coming out to learn a bit more about where your food comes from!  According to event organizers, the tour was an overall success.  We hope they do it again next year!  Here are a few photos for your enjoyment -- most of these photos were taken by Bill Talich, one of our terrific volunteers.  Bill & his wife, Jeanne are frequent visitors to the farm and he is an excellent photographer.  We also had great help from other volunteers including Kirsten, Matt, Carol, Barbara and Felicity -- thanks so much to all of you!

Just a quick update on berries:  our black raspberries are starting to come in and the blackberries (Ouachita) should be ripening in about 2 weeks.  The Triple Crowns should be ready by the end of June/early July.  Want to keep you posted on the berries!! 

Market Update:  We'll be at both Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem (Saturday) and the King Farmers Market (Wednesday).  What will you find on our tables tomorrow?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic garlic scapes (and we'll be grilling up scapes for your tasting enjoyment and will have lots of recipes), sugar snap peas (best ever!), baby kale, baby swiss chard, salad mix, baby beets (more are coming in now!), bunching onions (purple and white), Sweet Salad Turnips (a few), pea shoot, Lamb's Quarter Gratin Kit (sounds strange - but a great recipe for a powerhouse green!), transplants (tomatoes, tomatillos, basil and other herbs), and MORE!  We'll have new batches of our delicious Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce (great for Father's Day grilling!) as well as our yummy Baby Ginger-Strawberry-Mint Jam.  And we are heading out to pick black raspberries later this afternoon!

We are happy to save an item for you in advance if you'd like.  Just shoot us an email before the market.

Have a wonderful weekend -- enjoy tonight's Honey Moon (first full moon in June that is amber-colored).  And thanks for the rain dance!  Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!  Welcome June!

You know how it is when you are getting ready for company -- there's a long list of things to do (vacuum, dust, wash windows, etc.)  Imagine expecting company for your whole farm!  Yikes!  So a lot of this week has been spent in trying to get things tidied up around the place for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's 1st Annual Triad Farm Tour.  We finally got the Demo Garden area planted and are working on lots of other cool things for our guests.  Ray & I have mapped out a really nice guided tour that will point out interesting things about the farm and you can get a peek into how we do things here.  We'll have other activities including a hayride, pick-your-own pea patch, and a kids' planting area.  There will be raspberry & blackberry snowcones along with goodies from BeNutty Bakes and Butters.  We'll even have our market tent chock-full of produce, plants and garden supplies.  And the weather is supposed to be great!  The hours are 2-6 on Saturday and Sunday and the cost is $25 in advance, $30 at the door -- the cost covers an entire carload for both days of the tour (this is a fundraiser for CFSA).  We'd love to have you visit us -- and I'll bet the other 16 farms from Stokes, Forsyth, Surry, Yadkin and Guilford Counties would too! 

In other activities this week, we have been trying to take care of some problems before they become disasters.  One was tackling the Colorado Potato Beetles (CPB) on the potatoes.  Last year we were seriously plagued by CPB (and other things) and lost our crop.  This year we have been much more proactive in management by scouting and removing the eggs, larvae and adults by hand.  Despite this intensive effort, on Monday, we realized that we had to resort to more drastic measures -- spraying.  There are several organically approved sprays that we can use so we turned to one that we had in stock -- Entrust, a spray containing spinosad.  The results were amazing -- we went from heavy infestation to lots of dead CPB.  Wow.  We now have hope for a great potato crop (coming in about a month!).  Here's a look at the level of problems we faced -- the shot of the hand is from one plant:

Market Update:  What will you find on our tables this week?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic garlic scapes (and lots of recipes), sugar snap peas (best ever!), baby kale, baby swiss chard, salad mix, baby beets (few), bunching onions (purple and white), broccoli raab (little bit), blackberry & black raspberry plants (LAST week), transplants (tomatoes, tomatillos, basil and other herbs, peppers and eggplant), garlic powder and MORE!  There's a rumor that there may be a few raspberries (shhh!)

We are happy to save an item for you in advance if you'd like.  Just shoot us an email before the market.

Have a wonderful weekend -- get out and enjoy something fun.  And doing a rain dance might not be a bad idea either!  Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

Isn't it interesting that so many sayings in our language are based in agriculture?  For example, "make hay while the sun shines" usually means getting things done while you have a chance to do them.  But like most sayings, this one does have a literal meaning.  The sun has been shining and hay-making equipment and trailers have been buzzing up and down the roads around us over the past week.  The dry, warm weather gave farmers perfect conditions for haying.  And this week, that's what we did!  After a break of a couple years to clean up brush from the land, we made hay on several of our old pastures.  This year we hit the sweet spot in terms of timing -- the seed heads were in perfect condition for a high quality feed. Our fields are mostly fescue and clover with some lespedeza and orchard grass that my brother added to the mix a decade ago.  Nice hay -- and certified organic to boot!  On Monday, we helped a small farmer from Morganton load a 24' Budget truck with hay for his livestock -- in case you are ever on Jeopardy and need to know, 160 bales of hay will fit in one of these trucks!  Here are a few photos from our hay days:

We finally got the tomatoes planted -- over 1/4 acre of future deliciousness!  There are 33 varieties of fruits, slicers and paste tomatoes. The good news is that everything is all set with irrigation and is trellised!  And the field looks really good!

Volunteers still needed!  Thanks to several of you for volunteering to help with the upcoming Triad Farm Tour sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (June 7 & 8).  We still need a few more folks to help.  If you are available to volunteer here at the farm on either Saturday or Sunday (2-6), we would be most appreciative! Please send us an email if you would like to help!  It's going to be lots of fun!

Market Update:  What will you find on our tables this week?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic garlic scapes (and lots of recipes), sugar snap peas (best ever!), baby kale, baby swiss chard, salad mix (new lower price), baby beets (few), pea shoots, bunching onions (purple and white), broccoli raab, blackberry & black raspberry plants, transplants (tomatoes, tomatillos, basil and other herbs, peppers and eggplant), garlic powder and MORE! 

We are happy to save an item for you in advance if you'd like.  Just shoot us an email before the market.

Savor the last days of May -- go outside and see the lightning bugs!  I've been seeing them now for about 3 weeks! Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

The word of the week?  GARLIC!  Around here there's a project that we fondly call Garlic-palooza.  This event is when we harvest, clean and bundle a huge amount of garlic for The Produce Box.  This is our 4th year of this adventure and our biggest production to date.  A total of 3,865 bunches of garlic have/will be delivered to Raleigh for delivery to some of The Produce Box's members.  The Produce Box is what is known as a food hub.  They purchase produce from NC farmers (over 40), package it into one of a variety of box options, and then deliver it to the member's home.  It's a great service that operates in the Triangle, Triad and Wilmington areas of the state.  In case you are wondering how much garlic that is, there are about 6 pieces of garlic per bunch on average, so multiply that by 3,865 and it equals 23,190!! Yowza!

           

We've been getting lots of questions about strawberries.  Sad to say, but our strawberry crop this year is extremely limited.  There will be no pick-your-own and we're not even sure if there will be berries for market.  The good news is that the black raspberries and blackberries look great!  We hope to have black raspberries in about 2-3 weeks.  Here's a preview:

Volunteers still needed!  The upcoming Triad Farm Tour sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is just around the corner (June 7-8).  If you are available to volunteer here at the farm on either Saturday or Sunday, we would welcome your help! We need about 5 volunteers each day.  Some of the tasks include the following:

• snow cone helpers
  
• parking directors
• kids seed planting helper
• general run-around person

Please send us an email if you would like to help!  If you have a particular interest, we can try to match you with it -- we want to find a task that works for you!  Plus we'll make sure you have lots of fun!

Market Update:  This weekend at Old Salem there will be the The Vintage, the annual classic BMW Show.  Main street will be blocked between Academy & West Streets but there should be no parking challenges.  Last week our tent was visited by P. Allen Smith - he even tried our Raspberry-Baby Ginger Jam!  We'll be back at the King Farmers Market on Wednesday.

What will you find on our tables this week?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Spring Garlic (LAST week), garlic scapes, sugar snap peas, baby kale, baby swiss chard, salad mix, baby beets (few), pea shoots, bunching onions (purple and white), broccoli raab, blackberry & black raspberry plants, transplants (tomatoes, tomatillos, basil and other herbs, peppers and eggplant), garlic powder and MORE!  And for your Memorial Day weekend grilling, our Raspberry-Chipotle Molé Sauce is a real crowd pleaser!

We are happy to save an item for you in advance if you'd like.  Just shoot us an email before the market.

Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend and say a word of thanks to those that have served.  And take a few minutes to stop, relax and enjoy the sunset.  Talk to you next week.

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Friday, Farm Friends!

Feeling wonderful after yesterday's rain!  We got about 1 1/2 inches - not the extreme gully-washer that some had predicted.  The plants are already responding -- the garlic is looking more refreshed and perky! The recently planted artichokes, tomatillos and okra seem to be heaving a sigh of relief... "Whew - we really needed it!" (See what I meant last week when I said that weather was all we talk about?)

Things are starting to shape up in the fields -- although we still have lots more planting to do.  The potatoes are emerging nicely and have already been cultivated and hilled once.

New crops are starting to replace older ones -- we are replanting some of the overwintered kale and the asparagus is at its last harvest.  Meanwhile the sugar snap peas are blooming (may have some for market!) and the bunching onions are ready to go.  The garlic is sizing up nicely and the scapes are just beginning to form on the hardnecks.

Our bees have been very active this year.  The Well-Bees hive has thrown off a 2nd swarm. We managed to catch it at the same place we caught the first one - at the house in front of Daddy's Cub tractor.  Here's a picture of them right after they left the hive and were hanging out in the tree. Amazing, isn't it?

Calendar alert!  We are excited to be included in the upcoming Triad Farm Tour sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association June 7-8 .  This is its first year and there are 17 farms on the tour.  If you are available to volunteer here at the farm on either Saturday or Sunday, we could use some help!  We need about 5 volunteers each day.  Please send us an email if you are interested!  We'll make sure you have lots of fun!

Market Update:  It will be a very busy weekend at Old Salem tomorrow.  They are hosting the Pottery Fair on the Square and P. Allen Smith is in the village filming - rumor has it that he may be making a stop by market tomorrow!  At the Wednesday King Farmers Market, we have started a new garden & cookbook lending library!

What will you find on our tables this week?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Spring Garlic, asparagus (LAST week), baby kale, baby swiss chard, salad mix, baby beets (few), pea shoots, bunching onions, broccoli raab, radishes, blackberry & black raspberry plants, transplants (tomatoes, tomatillos, basil and other herbs, peppers and eggplant), garlic powder and MORE!

We are happy to save an item for you in advance if you'd like.  Just shoot us an email before the market.

Talk to you next week. Enjoy the cooler temps this weekend -- even the bees thought it was mighty hot earlier this week!  They were hanging out on the porch waiting for someone to turn on the AC!

Cheryl & Ray

Happy Thursday, Farm Friends!  It's the 69th anniversary of V-E Day!

If you've spent more than 12 seconds with a farmer, you'll figure out that the most important topic on his or her mind is the weather.  Yes, it's true -- that's just about all we talk about!  These days we are talking about how it has gotten so dry.  It seems that we went from deluge to drought.  Our irrigation system has been getting a workout -- something we would have not imagined a month ago.  But that's okay - we are thankful that we are having some nice sunny days!

This week we have been continuing to ready the fields for planting - shaping beds with the Cub, laying drip tape and covering them with plastic mulch, if necessary. Tomorrow will be Solanaceous planting day!  Those yummy nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos) will be filling the beds in Flat Shoals along with okra and artichokes.  Here's Ray shaping the beds:

With the warmer weather the brambles are starting to get bushier and we are seeing some flower buds!  And the Ouachita blackberries are in full bloom! We're not sure if there is enough foliage to support all of this fruit -- definitely some research is needed!

We had a wonderful time reconnecting with so many of you at the grand openings of the markets. Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem was amazingly beautiful last week.   At the King Farmers Market at the Stokes Family YMCA we had a terrific turnout as well!

What will you find on our tables this week?  We'll have lots of Certified Organic Spring Garlic, asparagus (purple & green), baby kale, baby swiss chard, salad mix, mesclun mix, frisse, baby beets (few), pea shoots, baby bok choy, blackberry & black raspberry plants, transplants (tomatoes, tomatillos, basil and other herbs, peppers and eggplant), garlic powder and MORE!

We are extra excited about markets this week because our Allium Adventure Club members will be getting their first boxes!  If you are one of those people who like to wait to the very last second, the time is NOW if you want to join the Club!  Check out the website to download a form and email it back right away!

Don't forget that Mother's Day is Sunday and I'll bet your mom would love a jar of jam or a beautiful blackberry plant - don't you think?

We are happy to save an item for you in advance if you'd like.  Just shoot us an email the evening before the market.

Talk to you next week. Don't forget to celebrate World No Socks Day (that's today!)

Cheryl & Ray