Moonstruck Farms

Welcome Sieberts!

2012-02-06T20:48:00.001-08:00

Moonstruck Farms CSA would like to welcome the Siebert Lamb Farm from the Lancaster area to our multi-farm CSA. By working together we are striving towards becoming a CSA to meet all our your local farm fresh product needs. The Sieberts have been in the lamb business for 30 plus years and raise Heritage Southdown and crosses of Suffolk and Hampshire; the combination of two great Heritage breeds. They are currently grass and grain fed, but only say the word and Nancee will put one aside for you to be grass fed only. The Sieberts raise most of their own hay/grass for their animals. At this moment there is one side left of lamb for purchase, and I do have someone who would like to split it with someone if you are interested (too much for this one person). There are more coming up very shortly so just let me know if you are interested....just drop me an email to moonstruckfarms@verizon.net.

Compost Life Cycle on Farm

2012-02-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

This last week was the perfect example of the Compost Life Cycle that we have been working to develop for a few years. When we built the new onion, garlic and shallot bed we emptied the compost near the chicken coop into it. Today a new helper came and emptied both coops completely in three hours....awesome job!! The manure was piled next to the compost pile area. I still had the bags of compostable cups from Navitat (I was waiting for this day). I wanted to put the cups under a nice layer of hot chicken manure so in went the cups first, and then all the chicken manure moved to bury them. The next layer was from the goat pen that was just cleaned consisting of manure/alfalfa/straw mixture. Tucked the pile in by surrounding it with straw bales, and in order to save some water I am waiting for it to rain this week to give it a thorough soaking. For an added measure of heat (something new I am trying) after it rains, I am going to lay recycled sliding glass doors on top; they won't fit perfectly so there should be enough oxygen exchange. Once a month I will run my little tiller through it; keep it moist (doors should help with this too), and hopefully in about 4-6 months we will have another large batch of compost ready!! If I were to till it more often it would happen faster, but I know I won't get to it that often so I have multiple piles on the property. The new pile is being created by Filet and the new heads of beef coming soon. Thus one of the initial goals of being "compost material" independent has been attained and we no longer have to go and get materials or compost; nice money savings!!

Onions, garlic, shallots and leeks!!

2012-01-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

2,500 yellow candy onions in, 250 heads of garlic, a few hundred shallots and the next two beds will contain another 2,500 red candy onions, 1,200 red torpedos, 1,200 leeks and more shallots!! Michael was able to tractor these beds....yahoo!! Frees up so much room in the back fields that are fenced in on either side of the new greenhouse and we tripled our order from last year!! Thanks everyone especially Olivia who came out in the freezing weather and helped prepare the bed on Sunday!!

Leafy Greens

2012-01-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

I received a surprise order of trees (I thought I cancelled it from the Arbor Day Foundation), and so I was busy this week digging holes and moving compost for an assortment of wonderful shade trees for the livestock area and two beautiful forsythias I hope will make it on either side of the front gate (ground is really hard there). Funny thing is I thought I would be hiring a backhoe and putting in 70 fruit trees, but I have tried to reach the nursery that ordered them for three months and no response....I guess we will do that next year. The Lord has funny ways of taking care of things and in this case I guess he knew I had my hands full with the meat operation and that I needed to delay the fruit trees a year. The plans are drawn for the goat and lamb pens, the pigs are set up, the beef corral is up and I have decided to go with small "greenhouses" for the turkeys and chickens and I put trees in today to shade them during the hottest months. I called and did the first orders for the meat chicken chicks and turkey poults to begin in may. We will be raising pork during the late Summer, Winter and Spring, beef year round and chicken and turkey during the summer and our beautiful fall seasons. Whoops...lamb will be in the Spring!! Spinach is planted in about half of the old greenhouse with the other half in lettuce. The new greenhouse has some lettuce and leafy greens, but I am saving the rest to plant this weekend with snow peas, green beans, cilantro, carrots and snap peas. The lacinato is doing beautiful outside so I think it will be a permanent resident outside along with the arugula. Potatoes will go in in April along with the rest of the summer crops following shortly after. The leafy greens picture is for my husband. He was trying to figure out why my HDLs on my cholesterol test are through the roof and his are not....leafy greens is all we could discern as the major difference in our diets...he is not a kale, Swiss chard and mustard green lover and of course I eat them in baby form in my salads and I steam them up or throw them in stir fries on a regular basis. I probably eat more nuts then him too since I use them for a quick snack on the run around here quite often and I love my oatmeal and bran flakes for breakfast so I guess it is always nice to have modern science give you a clue that you are doing the right thing!! Happy New Year Everyone!! I wish you all the best!

Skating and walking away my vacation!

2011-12-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

The vacation has been a good thing for me giving me time to re-energize and it is the best time of year to take a rest. Looking at everything in the greenhouses since the last harvest and realizing they have barely budged reminds me that this is a good time for everything to rest; plants and me, but don't tell that to the piglets they are growing like weeds!! They are emptying their feeder in half the time since before we left for Santa Cruz!! Santa Cruz was wonderful, which included my morning walks along West Cliff, shopping downtown with my husband and watching all the "interesting" events that happen there, and a day in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco at the Academy of Science. Christmas was a nice quiet event at home starting with the children's mass on Christmas Eve, which is always neat to attend. For the first time in almost 20 years we slept in on Christmas day, but maybe that was because my 20 year old was sick, she usually is the one up at 4 am!! Today we went roller skating as a family, and I won't tell you how long it has been since I skated, it will definitely give my age away, and let's just say walking tomorrow may be interesting. My vacation technically ends today with the rest of the week back outside planting!! What beautiful weather for it too!! I am re-energized and of course my brain was going over plans of planting and for the meat operation while I was away, and if things go well I will have some great surprises coming up, but no more until I have some details taken care of!! Merry Christmas everyone....remember to keep the spirit throughout the year!! Moonstruck signing out for the last time in 2011!!

Poor Molly

2011-12-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

Molly finally had to go to the doctor for that magical surgery that stops me from having more work to do...no I do not want puppies!! (BTW she is only two days old in the picture). She also had her dew claws removed. They looked like they were just going to catch on a bush and rip right off. She is completely miserable with a cone that is two times too big so tomorrow I am going to the pet supply to try and find something better. She just drops her head to the floor, but I am terrified she will tear her stitches out. The bandages come off the feet Friday, but no spinning 360s in the driveway on the way to the animals for up to two weeks. We took her to Animal Medical Center in Hesperia and they were very affordable and took great care of Molly and were very nice people. We have a house sitter coming to take care of her while we are gone so she will not be alone. It was weird today not having her here....I caught myself holding the door for her, and turning around to call her and it was really quiet with her nails not tapping across the wood floors. I didn't think I would miss her that much, but she is a major part of my routine around here. The last of the pork is being delivered Thursday and Friday. I will be in Wrightwood Friday morning if anyone wants any turkey. I have one whole turkey, breasts, thighs and legs left. Sorry the spicy sausage and ground turkey is sold out, but I will try and make some more after Christmas. We are working with a local processor that is trying to get set up for processing USDA beef and pork....that means I can sell by the cut!! Wish us luck!! Merry Christmas everyone and thank you as always for all your wonderful support...especially all the email messages and kind thoughts sent my way!! Moonstruck signing out!

Simmering stock and falling snow!

2011-12-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

Turkey and beef stock simmering on the wood stove. Some of my favorite things to do...turn off the outdoor irrigation and use the wood stove to do double duty...heat my home and simmer stock, and boy does it smell good in here!! Fresh bread cooking in the bread maker. Meghan is taking the time to make a Pralines and Cream Pecan Carmel muffin recipe she has been wanting to make since to say the least she is not running today and she was able to bake since we received 3 more eggs today than usual making it a total of 6!! The good news is that it looks like some of them are coming out of moult and between that and the days lengthening after the 22nd we will have eggs for you again....sorry my family goes through 3-4 dozen a week themselves so we have not even had what we need and have been on egg rationing. I checked on the pigs and they were tucked in under a pile of straw with only a stripe of pink or two showing. Filet was outside in the rain and snow all day...she usually is in her shelter...she must love the moisture!! Molly as tiny as she is did not show the slightest hesitation at the cold galloping happily everywhere! One of my favorite things about snow days is the peaceful silence. Most neighbors stay home and so all the noise we are conditioned to disappears and it feels as though the whole world has stopped or at least slowed down. It was not completely silent since as soon as the goats saw me they started bellowing and I could almost understand "make it go away!!!". They don't "do wet". The chickens were running around happy to have the ground wet so they could peck away for bugs....maybe that is why we received a few extra eggs...extra protein!! Back to soup making and turkey cutting. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Wow are the days short!!

2011-12-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Today started with the unfreezing of water lines and water bowls for the animals. I went to pour a tea kettle of boiling water on the metal pipe for the pig's nipple and within 2 seconds one of them figured out what I was trying to do and started sucking as hard as he could on it....the teamwork succeeded and within 30 seconds water was flowing!! I love pigs; they are such awesome animals. Later on I was nervously harvesting as I always am at this time of year due to everythings slow growth pattern, I realized that at about 2:30 pm the sun went behind the mountain enough to shadow the entire new greenhouse, and I asked myself why do I stress...there is nothing I can about the length of day at this time of year!! I tell myself each year I should close the whole month of December, but then the weather was so beautiful right up to mid November that I just could not do it. I even put zucchini on the shopping list this week. Of course I am going to have to short some orders because the 28 degree clear night we had last night finally took the zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and nasturtiums out in the greenhouses! Sorry no nasturtiums in this week's Moonstruck Salad Mix, but I did manage to throw in some pretty yellow broccoli flowers. I am still spinning here from being so behind, and quitting the market as heart breaking as it was to do it was a wise decision and to be honest I should have done it four months before I did. I just keep making note of the goals that we have reached and the fact that I have the "infrastructure" now to grow all that we need and more. We may even have a chance to grow at an alternative site that will become a community garden, but all that produce will be dedicated to the St. Vincent De Paul's Food Pantry. Another exciting project coming up for 2012. In the meantime we will be taking a little vacation from December 16 to December 30th...a little rest and a little work. In case I don't have a chance to write again....Merry Christmas everyone!!

Christmas Turkeys

2011-11-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

Fortunately and unfortunately the Bashaws had quite a few last minute cancellations. The good news is that there are Christmas turkeys available, but only for a limited time. In about a week I am going to start making turkey sausage!! If you want a Christmas turkey please let me know and we will get you taken care of. The first batch of Moonstruck pork goes to butcher early tomorrow morning, and I know I can't wait to get my honey cured bacon back! The next batch goes to butcher in March 2012, and we will have Pork CSA shares available at that time.

It has been so beautiful the green onions, radishes and even lettuce are doing beautifully outside. Moonstruck Salad Mix is available this week, and Asian Greens are next on the list. Savoy cabbages are doing beautifully in the new greenhouse, and the summer vegies are alive!! It takes about 3 weeks to grow a single zucchini so extending the season does not work due to the late days, but it proves that starting early will not be a problem at all especially since I know I was germinating last year during freezing temps!

Phelan may have an opportunity to have a community garden!! If you are interested please let me know so we can keep track of who in the community would like to take advantage of this. Have a great week everyone!! Moonstruck signing out.

Turkey Stock and Brine Recipes

2011-11-20T12:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Basic Vegetable Stock
For Turkey Brine or Soup
(You need a double recipe for the brine)
(You can buy vegetable stock if you want too, but this is really good).

1 tablespoon olive oil 8 sprigs of fresh parsley (3-4 tsp dried)
1 large onion 6 sprigs fresh thyme (1-2 tsp dried)
2 stalks celery, including some leaves 2 bay leaves
2 large carrots 1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch green onions, chopped 8 cups water
8 cloves garlic, minced

Directions
Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Remember the greater the surface area, the more quickly vegetables will yield their flavor.
Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add salt and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain. Discard vegetables.
Other ingredients to consider: mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus (butt ends), corn cobs, fennel (stalks and trimmings), bell peppers, pea pods, chard (stems and leaves), celery root parings, marjoram (stems and leaves), basil, potato parings…Get the idea?

Good Eats Roast Turkey
Recipe Courtesy Alton Brown (My Husbands calls him “my boyfriend”).

For the brine: For the aromatics:
1 cup kosher salt 1 red apple, sliced
1/ cup light brown sugar ½ onion, sliced
1 gallon vegetable stock (double of the 1 cinnamon stick
provided recipe) 1 cup water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns 4 sprigs rosemary
½ tablespoon allspice berries 6 leaves of sage
½ tablespoon candied ginger Canola oil
(I rarely use the ginger)
1 gallon iced water

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from the heat, cool to room temperature, refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (on day like today I just put in the garage). Early on the day of cooking (or late the night before…I always do the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket or ice chest. (You can get food grade buckets from donut shops and bakeries). Place thawed turkey breast side down in a brine, cover and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement or garage) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 ½ hours of roasting. (Remember fresh turkey speeds this up quite a bit, watch your temperature, loose leg and clear juices). Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

What to be thankful for.

2011-11-18T21:03:00.001-08:00

This last year has been a major year of change and a lot of growing pains. I know traditionally you look back at the year at New Years, but this is usually the time I look back and find all the things that I am grateful for. I am so grateful for my time with the Bashaws to have had the opportunity to learn the business under their watchful eye that now I feel 100% confident stepping in. I am grateful for the time at the Wrightwood Market and getting to meet all the customers and get to experience "going to market". Unfortunately I did find out this year that I needed to make some changes in order to have time for my family, which will be grown soon and out the door, and time to continue the growth of the CSA and the farm itself. I am still incredibly behind of where I want to be, but at the same time I have to look at what I have accomplished especially the foundation that has been built. We have two greenhouses that I know from experience have the ability to produce tremendous amounts of food. I have two fields outdoors that need a little bird netting but otherwise are fertile and with the help of a few more bees will be abundant producers of organic farm fresh produce. I have new fields out front that will produce the great onions, garlic, leeks and shallots that we know from experience are fresh, moist and sweet when grown here at the farm. There are 70 fruit trees on their way here in January including all kinds of apples that the current orchards do not grow, Winesap, Granny Smith and more. The egg laying operation is being run by the pros, the hens, and they are doing a fine job with very little supervision. We ran a test run of meat chickens to find out costs, and have been enjoying wonderful farm fresh chicken again (I left the Bashaw chicken for the customers who are not lucky to be able to raise it themselves). The pork operation is in full swing and doing well minus a few incidents with the pigs trying to "root' or dig to China, and trying to bust out to see the new piglets! Filet is filling out beautifully and I don't know if I can ever raise anything but Black Angus....they are so handsome! Michael is forming forms everywhere so that the final concrete can go in for a few retaining walls, a large patio (future event area), and the beds out front will be colored concrete raised beds...time to start making things "pretty" around here. For all of those that have passed through my life...thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.

Turkey Knowledge 101

2011-11-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to working so closely with the Bashaws I have learned a number of things over the last year and a half. I now know that my freezer will hold just around 275 pounds of turkeys!! I now know that my back is very strong thanks to my gardening work, and I can lift a lot of weight in one given day. I know that the legs love to pop out of the bags. I know that when working in the harvesting room to not be anywhere near Ann when she has the spray nozzle in her hands because she will accidentally hit you every time!! I now know to look for the radio cord that Sam stretched across the aisle way because on your first day you will come into the dark from the sun and you and the radio will go crashing across the hallway...quite an entrance for my first day. I now know to never ever let a turkey get over 50 pounds!! I now know not to send Danny on a 5 minute errand because if it is gutting, sorry eviscerating time, he will disappear for at least 30 minutes and I now know that I love the business. I know it must seem strange, but it does bring me closer to nature, to the gifts of protein that the Lord has provided us, and that they should be respected. Once again thank you for your support. The Bashaws have one slot for fresh turkeys for pick up next week, and there are some in the 18-19.5 lb. range in the freezer. Just drop me a line at moonstruckfarms@verizon.net if you still need a turkey...I promise you it will be the best you have ever tried. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Multiple Farm CSA by Rodale Institute

2011-11-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share some of the research that I have read over the years that brought me to where we are at. Moonstruck Farms CSA is a multi-farm CSA bringing the best from your local farmers to our local community thus supporting the farmer, bolstering the economy and bringing the freshest organic produce to you our loyal customers.

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/2010_nf_Multifarm_CSAs_More-farms-are-better

We just found out that a local farm has Berkshire piglets!!! I wish I had not picked up the piglets I did last week, but if orders are filled for those three I am going to go and get some Berkshires. Berkshires are Heritage pigs known for their delicious flavor. If we keep a sow at Moonstruck in the future it will be Berkshires! I am so excited! Until now the nearest breeder was Santa Rosa.

We were able to check one more thing off the "TO DO" list around here at Moonstruck....a piglet nursery. Due to the "big" guys not being "BIG" enough yet and piglets were ready to be picked up for the next batch a nursery was mandated so now we have a new area with a new feeder and new water nipple (down lower to the ground for the little guys). It was a whirlwind weekend, but one less thing to get set up in livestock central now!

A big thank you to Brian Ranch Orchard for donating a large number of sheets of plywood, which will be used to build goat and lamb houses in livestock central, and Michael can't wait to take Thanksgiving week off so he can play with his new welder and build the new gate for the meat harvester truck to go through down in the Northeast corner of the property. The new welder will also create the shelters for the enlarged Nigerian Goat pens and future Dorper sheep pens. We want to be able to lock them up at night to protect them from the coyotes and if they don't remember to go to bed on time...than Molly gets to do her favorite thing...bossing the animals around!! Moonstruck signing out.

More tomatoes????

2011-11-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, the picture is just because I am showing Molly off...she is sitting there patiently waiting for Mike to play with her, but back to business, thank you everyone for your overwhelming support of the Bashaw Farm. They are down to approximately 25 turkeys and I think they will be gone by the end of the week. If you need one for Christmas you should get it now (I get one for every Christmas....the McDermotts love turkey for Christmas...they are not "ham" people and they eat a LOT....all big strapping Irish boys...one is a Triathlete, one Custom Construction Worker and my Black Belt and Farmer Husband, and a sister that is almost as active as them!!). The Bashaws only have only a few pork shares left too so I went ahead and picked up some more piglets so that shares will be available again in April for the CSA customers. There are two sides available for that batch too. We are scrambling to get caught up around here with getting the animals set up in their new pens, designing the poultry business takeover for next year and getting the lettuce going!! It is amazing to watch how the seed knows when to germinate around here. Lettuce is popping up everywhere outside, but inside the greenhouse the ground temps are still high so I am germinating more tomatoes than lettuce!! I guess I need to be a little more generous with the ventilation to get those ground temps down. Automatic vents are on the list for next year and that will make a "no brainer", and save me time. We found out that Edison did not have a lot of success in stopping the Dynocore wind mill appliecation and we are still on the list, but Edison went through the applications with a fine tooth comb and rejected over 80%....hopefully we were not one of them...say a prayer!! We are constantly learning around here....no getting bored in that division, and it is fun playing "scientist" all the time. My next experiment....plastic rain gutter over the rows of Arugula and radishes outside to see if they receive enough sunlight, but shelter from the wind and extreme temperatures. Wish me luck....Moonstruck signing out!!

Freeze coming....fried green tomatoes anybody?

2011-11-02T18:59:00.001-07:00

Yes I did some more weightlifting tonight, 50 pounds worth of green tomatoes!! I did a lousy job on my tomatoes this year due to the rush to get them planted outside in July (way too cold in June) and the new greenhouse still being added to the schedule!! I can't wait to see how well they do next year!! The tomatoes did not do well in the peak season in the new greenhouse so I am going to put babies out in July in the new greenhouse and so they are just producing in October, and hopefully will pull us through until late December next year!! We will see how far we can push it with the new greenhouse. We do have a few plants in the greenhouses, but not a lot. We should pull a few pounds a week, but not much. The old greenhouse tomatoes did well in the center of the greenhouse so that is where they will all go next year twined up to the top purlin. They are all over the place now, but I stretched one up and it would have almost hit the 12 foot peak! The one thing I did discover is the bees would not go in the greenhouses during the peak temps, but now that it has been a nice and cozy 80-85 that is where they all have been! Well hopefully 10 or 20 pounds of these will ripen, but the rest are either for fried green tomatoes or to the chickens and pigs who always greatly appreciate the garden gifts!! Moonstruck signing out.

2011-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving as most of you know is my favorite holiday. Great food, thanking the Lord for our blessings, and no stress over if we bought the right gift?? So as I am preparing for our Thanksgiving Meal at Church this year I thought of my customers and how grateful I am for your support and the other farmers have made similar comments so....THANK YOU from the McDermott family at Moonstruck, Felice at Brian Ranch, Meredith at Valhalla, Andy at Glen Cairn, Steve at Valle View and the Bashaw Family at Bashaw Meats for supporting your local farms. We truly appreciate all that you do taking the extra effort to buy from us. Happy Thanksgiving Season!!

2011-11-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well just when I think I have hit the end of weightlifting season....tomatoes, winter squash, cucumbers, zucchini....here come the turkeys. My first big delivery is this week, and I am doing some extra sit ups to strengthen my back tonight!!!! Well, the light season is not too far away...Moonstruck Salad Mix. I must admit I made a mistake this year that I will have to change next year. I designated the new greenhouse for the cut lettuce and the old for head lettuce, but since the new one is so much hotter it was a mistake and the lettuce is just now starting to do an okay germination. It is amazing how seed knows when it is its time. I had some pots in the shade outside my kitchen filled with dill seed I was trying to trick into summer dill, and of course it did not do a thing until last week, and then every last seed germinated. Still amazes me, and so do my Fall roses. With no wind and just right temps they are beautiful, but soon to leave since the winds are already picking up today with the change in weather this week, but that just means fried green tomatoes and Moonstruck Salad Mix!! I love the change in seasons...Moonstruck signing out!!

November tomatoes!!

2011-10-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have had tomatoes in the greenhouses until December, but never outside in November, and it looks like we might make it!! The temps are providing lush green plants with almost no cracking and they are loaded!! As I sit here I can hear the winds picking up due to the change of weather coming. Forecast says it is going to be close again...nighttime temps of 34!! Might have a green tomato scramble this week...anybody like fried green tomatoes!! Molly is continuing to be one of the best decisions of the year working the livestock with so little training, but she is a bit spoiled. She saw me put my overalls on in the morning and started doing her 360s in the house, and then I was delayed by my eldest and a few dishes calling my name in the sink, and I had to listen to a very VOCAL protest including a variety of whines, low rumbling growls and finally the body being thrown on the floor in complete disgruntlement! I have never had a dog TALK to me so much. Finally we headed outside to plant more turnips, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, rutabagas, green head cabbage, Tatsoi, spinach and Lacinato Kale. Hopefully these will produce before the true dead of winter and/or overwinter well. I want the outside field greens ready to go when the temps get too hot in the greenhouse plus I want room for EARLY tomatoes next year!! BTW the Bashaws had a change in plans and had to take the first batch of turkeys for the smoker today, and so if you want a smoked turkey next Tuesday is the cut off and off I go to the smoker. They are also having quite a few more requests for pick up at the farm turkeys just prior to Thanksgiving and are thinking about adding another batch. Let me know if you are interested. BTW the picture is of my artichoke plant. I goofed up the irrigation and they went to seed, but was rewarded with the beautiful flowers!! Another big day of planting tomorrow...it is cool enough for lettuce in the greenhouses!! Moonstruck signing off.

Plantcation Week!

2011-09-22T20:57:00.001-07:00

Moonstruck took a "Plantcation" week this week and no CSA orders were taken. We are going to be adding these every three months or so to spend a solid week turning over crops or just catching up on projects around the farm. The old greenhouse is closed up and the new one is next. The weeds are gone from the East and West fields. The new greenhouse was begun, but we are holding most of it for cooler days...hopefully tomorrow. If I am lucky after the Tri Community Coop delivery I will be spending the rest of the day in the new greenhouse clearing/planting. The green beans are staying that are now producing again thanks to the "non 100s" weather and new ones have been planted to see how long we can extend into the season. We are also keeping a few of the following to see how long the season can be extended though most of it will end as soon as the bees go to bed for the season...okra, tomatoes, squash and basil. Romaine, Winter Bibb, Dancine (mini butterhead about the size of a baseball) and Sangria (red tinged butterhead) are all started in trays, which will be housed in the old greenhouse with the new being reserved for the Moonstruck Salad Mix. Trays of cabbage have been started...wish us luck they are going outside to see what we can do with a layer of Agribon. Rows of German Giant Radishes and Arugula were completed yesterday along with an addition of Mums to the back of the herb garden. They have been doing so well I decided to make them the tallest row in the back thus establishing color from April to November hopefully along with the yummy herbs. The cellar location has been reserved along with the tree spots and now we just need a good rain and a backhoe rental! Don't forget we are in the final stretch with the Bashaws. There are just a few pork CSA shares left, the last batch of chickens have been harvested and there are turkeys in the freezer and more to be harvested for Thanksgiving....just contact us at moonstruckfarms@verizon.net. Moonstruck signing off.

Summer is in Full Swing!

2011-08-31T20:47:00.001-07:00

August through October are busy months around here at Moonstruck. The onions are being cured. The tomatoes are coming in and being frozen or canned. It is the beginning of apple season and thanks to Brian Ranch Orchard we are canning applesauce already. Peaches from Valle View Ranch were made into peach jam and the jalapenos are being frozen for Jalapeno Burgers or my favorite green salsa recipe!! This is not to mention the root crops are being squeezed in everywhere they can be and the greenhouses are being prepped for lettuce and the doors will be shut soon with the approaching Fall weather. I woke up this morning and it was 62...time to close up the old greenhouse I told Michael. I will vent with the front door and the above head irrigation for the remaining hot days. We need to preserve as much of the ground temperature as we can and if we don't close up at night we will lose tons!! The pigs are feasting on the extra large zucchini, patty pans, cracked tomatoes and lots of eggs...their absolute favorite!! Filet is becoming friendlier each day and her tongue is now licking me every chance she gets...it actually abraised my hand today....maybe she is seeing how I would taste!! The chickens are laying like crazy so eggs are being frozen for winter baking so that more eggs will be available to the customers and eggs are being tucked in the refrigerator for hard boiled...yes they have to get old to be easily peeled!! We also found a great spot for the cellar and just prior to the 50 new fruit trees arriving in January we will dig the 50 holes and the cellar hole...basically we have decided to build another small basement. We know how to do block walls so might as well stick with what we know best. Thanks for all your support...we would not be where we are without everyone's support....customers and fellow farmers!! Moonstruck signing out!

Long week.

2011-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well the changes are coming fast still. This change was a very sad one, and is really knocking me through a loop. The Bashaws are closing their doors effective Thanksgiving. I am sure the chicken will be gone by then too. People are preordering every last batch that is available at this point to try and maintain them as long as they can since it will be a year before Moonstruck can fill in the blank. We have switched pork and beef operations here, and lamb is slated to be filled in in the Spring, but poultry is a huge undertaking with a processing plant and brooder houses required so unfortunately it will just have to wait. We also need to finish prepping the beds out front where all the onion, garlic,shallots are being moved to this next year and the cellar has to be dug this year...I am out of room. The good news is the Chanterais cantaloupe is looking great along with the Raveena eggplant, and the Moons and Stars watermelon sound hollow, but the tendrils are still green. The red Cipollini onions were all pulled in so that more Fall planting could be completed, and the old greenhouse is showing signs that lettuce may be okay to put in as soon as this heat wave passes. Our prayers go to the many facing the hurricane on the East Coast including my best friend Janet in Portland Maine who has not faced a hurricane since she was pregnant with her 20 year old. My heart is heavy but the sweet voice of my 13 year singing the Star Spangled Banner is truly music to the ears. Moonstruck signing off.

Nice longggggggggg green beans!!

2011-08-18T21:40:00.001-07:00

Wow summer has been spinning by so quickly that I cannot remember the last time I blogged. We have been so busy fine tuning irrigation everywhere, adding animal pens, animal watering systems, and planning for the new beds out front and the cellar and harvesting for a growing business that blogging did not even come to mind!! Lemon cucumbers, Red Kuri squash and lots of zucchini and patty pan squash have kept me busy harvesting along with our kales and Swiss chard that have been producing through the summer. The Fortex green beans pictured are the best surprise of all...grown in the high tunnel in the 100 degree summer!! The new rhubarb and asparagus bed (sorry it will be a few years for customers) are producing beautifully. Lemon grass has been a new hit, but the artichokes are not producing...way too cold of a summer I guess. Everyone is waiting for Moonstruck Salad Mix including me!!! We have Sangria, Dancine and Little Gem Romaine lined up for head lettuce. It is so nice now to buy seed by the pound!! No worries about running out and a lot less ordering time. Speaking of time, which is so desperately needed we made the decision to drop the Wrightwood Market from our agenda...hard decision to make, but the right one. Starting tomorrow we will be announcing that we will be servicing our loyal Wrightwood customers with every other week home/business delivery in the Wrightwood downtown area. We will be there to deliver to the Wrightwood Coop baskets at 8 am and then take off from there performing deliveries between 8 and 9 am every other Friday beginning 08/26/2011. Any questions just email us at moonstruckfarms@verizon.net.

2011-07-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Business is great, but the bad news is I am always behind!! Carrots are going fast so I am putting them everywhere I can, but they still take 90 days!! All root crops need to be in by next month so they have a great start for the Winter. Yes, believe it or not around here the race is on already!! I can see the days getting shorter and even tonight there was a coolness to the air that was reminding me that I will blink my eyes and it will be time to batten down the hatches. Rutabagas, carrots, parsnips and turnips all need to be in so that they can grow and store in the ground. I ordered new radish varieties too!! Of course a cellar is preferred and we are working on that especially for future potato and onion storage. We have a site on the property, but we need a backhoe for a day and that will cost a pretty penny so if anyone has one and wants to put some time in on the farm helping or someone owes you a favor who has one and you are willing to cash it in please let me know! Green onions will have to suffice for this year's winter onions, but next year we will not only have all this year's onions, but we are bringing back potatoes, leeks and the fabulous 2" garlic bulbs we had a few years ago!! We have the room now for everything!! Filet has been spending her days romping around the corral with Molly and Molly spends an appropriate amount of time racing around the pig pen and playing with them and giving the proper amounts of kisses. She races Honey (an oxymoron of a name for this goat) around her pen, and the pen is being expanded for their "Hubby" who will be arriving soon!! I can't wait to make cheese!! Just a little update from Moonstruck...thank you everyone for all your support!!

BIG TURKEYS ANYONE?

2011-07-07T20:08:00.001-07:00

All the Moonstruck Farms CSA Farms are working hard, and plants and animals are growing by leaps and bounds including the turkeys!! The toms were 20-24 pounds….missed the mark, but the animals obviously have a mind of their own and beat all records this time around…I guess that is what clean living does!! If anyone would like a 20-24 pound turkey whole, cut in half or quartered please let me know…for cut I need to know by 9 am tomorrow…customers on the preorder list have first dibs and then anyone can order as you like. The hens are being harvested tomorrow and they will be smaller, but there are only 10 or so of those so if everyone on the list chooses for smaller I am afraid you will have to wait for the next batch. For any new customers we can smoke them too at $4.50/pound so please indicate three things:

1. whole, cut in half or quartered.
2. fresh or smoked.
3. delivery location.

By the way….my lemongrass was only 1 inch last week, and it is over a foot tall now!!! Wow humidity does really make things take off in the animal and plant divisions!!

Thank you for supporting your local small farmers!!

Rowena
Moonstruck farms csa

Celery in 100 degree temps!

2011-07-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

We continue to learn as we grow here at Moonstruck. The irrigation is still being tweaked to maximize, but with a little shade cloth we are growing lettuce and spinach in 100 degree temps in the greenhouse...and celery!!! Wow, I would have told you you were crazy if you had told me I could grow celery in a greenhouse in 100 degree temps any given time in the past, but my experience is growing. Cilantro tucked into a corner with nice even watering can be kept too. All these goals are one step closer to supplying our CSA customers with all their needs on a year around basis. The welder is already coming in handy and new panels are being built to build a larger pen for the goats so we can add a buck and babies next Spring hopefully :). I am dreaming of cream cheese, feta and sour cream!! Filet will be kept company too since they are being moved down towards her though Molly has been doing a fine job of keeping her company and Filet rewards her with a kiss. Michael and I walked the property and when you have only 5 acres you have to work it pretty intensively to get a good yield. It took some convincing, but beds will be built across the front of the house which should create somewhere around another 500-700 feet of row space for potatoes, garlic, shallots, onions, leeks and anything else the critters won't eat opening up space in the protected fields in the back. We have a beautiful rolling section in the front and Merlot grapes will be added there. The whole rim will be surrounded by lavender plants and a flag pole surrounded by a rim of three different lavenders is definitely in the future....can't wait to have a beautiful place to hang our nation's flag. Thank you again everyone for your support....I truly would not be here without you. Moonstruck signing off.

Results!

2011-06-28T21:46:00.001-07:00

It is always nice to wake up and see results of months of changes and hard work. The nasturtiums are beautiful and delicious in the salad mix as I had hoped. The spinach is growing like crazy now that I discovered that the issue was not nongerminating seed, but critters eating the seed before it had the chance to germinate!! Cilantro can be grown during the summer in the right setting. Romaine heads can be grown in a greenhouse in 90 degree temps. With the right shade cloth Swiss chard and beet colors are more vibrant than ever! Winter squash can survive three freezes in a row with 4 inches of mulch and be producing before the tomatoes. I should have more confidence in my abilities....my 3 week old tomato transplants (dogs destroyed my initial trays) are out growing the organic commercially raised ones I paid top dollar for. Raised herb gardens even in the desert with constant wind thrive and provide a wonderful array of herbs, medicinal plants and some of those medicinals such as Calendulas are absolutely beautiful and finally if you spend 4 months filling a field with chicken manure and let it sit tilled in for another three months you can grow onions that are sweet like Vidalias and over a pound each....yes...now I will sleep well. Moonstruck signing off.

Little Glimmers

2011-06-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember the story about the man who was drowning and prayed to god to save him, and one by one row boats went by and he continued to pray eventually perishing and going to heaven. In heaven he asked the lord why he had not saved him…..the lord said “I sent the row boats???”. True miracles are not a daily occurrence and most of us will not experience one, but once in a while we receive a glimmer that reminds us he is truly there. The last few months have had many, many trials, and things began to turn around lately, and Paul came into my life supplying the strong back I needed so to work by my side once a week. But still I wondered if I was meant to stay on this crazy roller coaster ride….if the lord was sending messages saying “quit” like “row boats” and I was just looking the other way. Then tonight I decided not….after a father’s day dinner of London broil, cheesy au gratin potatoes and peas I told my husband I was going to plant a final row and come in. I did a final check of the fence area having still found rabbits in the fields just yesterday and perplexed at finding nothing started out the gate, but paused and looked over at the tires piled inside the compost piles 7, 8 and 9, which needed to be prepped for upcoming manure from the Bashaws. Something told me “risk the wrath of your husband….move the tires.” I did, and sure enough in the far corner hidden by the tires the fence had never been buried or rocked over….there were three rabbit holes…they were walking right in under cover of the tires!! I was quickly rocking it in when my husband yelled “come on lady!”, and I said just a minute “I got a message!!”.

Thank you everyone who has supported me by purchasing through thick and thin or working by my side and dealing with all the hard times. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Rowena
Moonstruck farms CSA

Welcome Filet to the farm

2011-06-16T20:26:00.001-07:00

Life on the farm always has bumps and bruises....quite a few lately, but we are starting to see the results of the bruises healing and the changes taking affect. Slowly we are catching up, but the lack of large tomato plants and sprouting broccoli and broccoli raab hit a sore point today, but the good news is I do have some sprouting broccoli and in the new field it is responding beautifully to the chicken compost and the weather. New starts are started and the Fall crop of sprouting broccoli and raab is looking very promising. We will have the opportunity to see how long tomatoes last in the new greenhouse this year, and with the help of Paul maybe we will even do a little hand pollinating if the results are good. Calendula is popping up beautifully in the herb garden....not just beautiful but nice to have around in case of a medicinal emergency. The field on the west side of the greenhouse is almost completed with watermelon, eggplant and cantalope. We already decided to add eight or ten 50 foot long beds in front of the house for the allium family next year...onions, garlic, shallots and leeks and the potato family. We are already missing our leeks and potatoes that we left out of the equation this year due to limited resources, and are looking forward to adding them back in next year. Filet was added this week too...our first beef project. She is a beautiful Angus heifer brought in from the hills of Cherry Valley, and she is not very happy right now, but seems to be settling in fast. Once we have numbers and feel comfortable we will pick up some more calves for our customers this Fall. The greens are really taking off now, which makes me realize that our ground temps were no where where we thought they were....the long winter, not severe, but consistent really did a number on the ground temps and we are just seeing what we normally see by the beginning of May. Big day tomorrow...coop and market...Moonstruck signing off.

Thursday Delivery Rescheduled

2011-06-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

I am sorry but I will have to reschedule Thursday's Phelan delivery. I will be contacting everyone who ordered and arranging to have your order delivered. A family member passed away over the weekend and the funeral is scheduled for Thursday in the Los Angeles area.

Mojave or Diamondback

2011-06-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

Strange year everywhere...we have not seen a Rattler in years. We had to kill off Southern Pacifics for the first few years we lived here, but the good guys eventually took over the property until today. Paul almost stepped on a Mojave Green and then had to kill it with a shovel. I don't want him or anyone to have to get that close again...buying a 22 pistol with snake shot so we can shoot from at least 10 feet away. I have always killed babies so I never did get a good look at an adult to be able to know the difference. I know now...clear menacing diamond head and you could probably hear the rattler going off on the other side of the house. Between that and my distribution list crashing/deleting again I felt like this day lasted 60 hours....and nothing really accomplished but a huge adrenaline rush....I'm calling it a day...Moonstruck Signing off.

Cricket...no frog..no Couchs Spadefoot Toad?

2011-05-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

I picked up Paul again today and he tackled another overgrown row in the new greenhouse while I went and tilled all the compost beds. #1 Compost is ready to go and two more are not far behind so my multiple pile system is working. Before I knew it Paul was telling me he was ready for a new task. I was sorry I could not let him plant the area he cleared the other day so he could enjoy the whole process but in redoing the irrigation and playing with the timing and the cool weather it was way too wet to plant. If you work your soil when it is too wet you can damage its composition. I asked Paul to clear another row while I went and tucked in some dill and cilantro seed in the herb garden...rabbits are not eating it this year so why not?? (Yes, it is unguarded). Before I knew it a whole new area was ready to go, and tomorrow he can plant it. I am hoping he can stay long enough to put the cantaloupe and watermelon out in the West field, but we will see. When he was about half way done he said "I saw a frog". Funny I had commented the other day on how loud that cricket was!! I guess I should be more focused when listening to my animal friends!! Just before closing up for the day I wanted to check the irrigation...there were a few dry spots still so in I went with it running. I found two nonfunctional sprayers, one turned backwards and the main center line was tilting some of the sprayers when the pressure came on...time to secure them. Once done I ran for the showers....it was a nice day but the afternoons winds were picking up and I was soaked to the bone...boy did that shower feel good. Moonstruck signing off.

2011-05-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

The website is up where I can see it. I can see how the reports are set up, but I can't get in and set up the producers! Ugh!! Searching for answers. Not sure if it is a script issue or a problem with the original shareware. Funny, a provider of this same software called offering their services, but they want 8%! I don't want to have to pass that on to my customers. I am in this for the long haul, and I want to do it right from the start. Of course that seems really funny since I have not been doing things right...the irrigation is wrong, the back end of the greenhouse tore open due to leaving it open, and the weeds are growing so quickly I can't keep up, but that just means back to the drawing board, and start over. The employees are a tremendous help and now I just need to get this website up and running and it will take at least a few hours off a week from my load, and make your lives easier in ordering. In the meantime I am planting some Giant Dahlia Zinnias, and more green beans, spinach, lettuce, radishes and the watermelon and cantaloupe are waiting in the wings along with tomatoes and peppers just waiting for this storm to pass. Off to bed...big day tomorrow and a girl needs her beauty rest ya know. Moonstruck Signing Off!

I could get used to this!!

2011-05-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Wow!! Wow!! Three employees coming and going and by next Wednesday I should be all caught up!! What a difference...I should have done this the day the greenhouse was completed!! I could really get used to this. I can think so much clearer now that the the growing area is clear!! Michael rebuilt the back wall of the greenhouse...need a strong window that is easy to open and close, but so much better!! The old greenhouse is going to be constructed the same in the Fall. Our Spring weather has been so volatile that I told Michael that I really needed something easy to open and close on a minute's notice. The remainder of the greenhouse is about 90% clear (old fields from last year still there). I did one tomato in a grow bag experiment and it grew 8 inches in about 10 days...I like it!! Spring Onions are looking beautiful, and green beans inside the new greenhouse look promising for two weeks from now!!! Wow, the possibilities for next year are stupendous. Paul, our fantastic helper, is slated to help Michael build the cross fencing for the property and we are picking out our first beef calf this weekend, and hopefully will be stocked back up on pigs by July 1st. Sheep are definitely in the future, but have to get the cross fencing done, and I have definitely decided the next greenhouse is a "Berry House". The herb garden is coming in beautiful, and I have ordered Broccoli and Alfalfa sprout seeds to start up again (house was too cold to grow sprouts for a while). I love having the employees..I am dreaming of homemade bread and sausage making for me to do!! Moonstruck Signing Out!!

Time to get serious

2011-05-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

I remember going to the Small Farm Conference and talking to a CSA owner who said she had to finally step out of the fields and start managing to keep things growing....well I am kind of at that point. I am far from stepping out of the fields, but I do need to hire in help for some major overhaul work, and I can see having to do that on a somewhat regular basis in order to get new greenhouses and new major projects going. The old greenhouse still needs to be cleared and reamended and I still need to finish the new greenhouse planting and plant the other field...so I am hiring help while money is available. The property needs to be cross-fenced for the livestock and I will hire help for Michael for that...still investing everything we have, but it will pay off with a farm that will be able to meet all of your produce, meat and eggs needs....and breads other value-added products are on the list too for the future. Maybe in the meantime the county will pave one of our roads and fix the road issue coming to the farm...pretty rural here :). Michael also needs a welder which will make keeping up on repairs a lot easier...so he is going shopping online today. I am going tomorrow to pick up the grapes to finish off the fence line, and this weekend we are going to look at a used greenhouse to see if it is movable...we need one for raspberries and strawberries! The one little Buff Orpington rooster we have is crowing (poor guy he sounds awful...needs a lot of practice) and we don't keep roosters around here so he is being moved to Dirt Creek Farm to produce Buff Orpington chicks for their Heritage chicken operation and we are going to make a turnaround trip over the summer to stock Moonstruck with Berkshire piglets for Fall pork, and our first beef calf is being brought to the property this week...more to come soon. Back to work....Moonstruck signing off!!

Dreaming of Braised Red Cipollinis!!

2011-05-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little crazy around here, and just when I thought I could hire some help some things changed and that did not occur, but once again back to the drawing board. I will catch up around here eventually, and things will be where I want them, but it will definitely take a few more years to develop all the plots we need to offer everything we want to for our customers. The positive things that have happened is Glencairn coming on board with great citrus, Valle View has been providing apples and says cherries will be here soon. Of course Brian Ranch cherries will be on board soon too, and hopefully some from Roaring L too to help fill the orders....Moonstruck even has trees that survived the late freezes so I think we are good for cherries. Brian Ranch lost their apricots so we will see if Roaring L can fill in this year. Moonstruck has been watching the herb garden that was moved last Fall come back to life with great pleasure. Rhubarb and asparagus are in the ground and ready to become a future product...in a year or two, and artichokes went in this weekend. We are expanding our grape harvest each year, and I look forward to offering those possibly this year if all goes well. The Moons and Stars Watermelon and Chauteris Cantalope starters are doing well inside, and waiting to be transplanted as soon as the weather settles. Onions are getting huge, Candy, Yellow Granex, Red Torpedo and Red Cippolini. We had some learning curves in the new greenhouse...wind tore off the back end so then the dogs got in and did some damage, and then everything was wilting and I realized the irrigation was not sufficient so the lines were split into two different valves and that seems to have fixed the problem. After all this what did I do to cheer myself up I went shopping and found some more of the speciality herbs to add to the herb garden that I wanted...French Tarragon and more BBQ Rosemary and I painted my daughter's room a bright cheery aquamarine...something I have been wanting to do for a year. Tomorrow...tackling weeds...I am ready!!! Moonstruck Signing off!!

Dreamy day

2011-04-18T22:08:00.001-07:00

What a dreamy day today was. After working most of the day Sunday in the heat today was the perfect rest day. The foothills behind us act as a barrier to the fog of the Cajon Pass until the winds and whatever forces of nature join to bring it over the foothills and it literally rolls over. Usually the winds continue to pick up and within minutes I am literally standing in a cloud bank...with white marshmallow creme rolling by me. It is impossible not to slip for a moment into a dream state dreaming of all your most sought after dreams and wishes. I take a moment and just inhale it all and then force myself to continue on. Today I pulled a row of Arugula that went to seed, and even with the cooler day found myself opening up the back of the greenhouse to bring down the temperature. In went a combination of seed that make up Moonstruck Salad Mix, but I am always trying something new to jazz up the mix a bit, and this time it is pea shoots. They are being used to make a variety of recipes by chefs, and I have put aside a few to share with you when the time comes to harvest these tasty treats. I also had to switch out the "half" sprinkler heads on the sides of the greenhouse to "fulls". The halves were not doing the job right against the wall, and this seems to have fixed the problem. I was so grateful for such a beautiful morning outside since the office was in need of great attention and I spent the rest of the day in there, but it does feel good to have it all cleaned and caught up. Tomorrow, a new row in the greenhouse is to be built...yes I have lots more room to go!! Can't wait to see both greenhouses at 100% production by the middle of this summer. Moonstruck signing off.

Down one MP3 cord....

2011-04-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

I keep saying..."Molly is just a puppy...be consistent". Down a printer cord and now a MP3 cord...things are starting to get ugly...and she can't make up her mind if she wants to eat the chickens or herd them...after she gets in trouble for trying to eat them she herds them very effectively...."see Mom I can do it!!!" Boy is she kissing something....but then again that shows that the bond is there and it will work out. She kept whining on several occasions today and has done it on others...does not have to go potty, has plenty of food and water...and finally it dawned on me. I had not slowed down...like sitting in a row planting or weeding. It was harvest day and I was on the move constantly...she wanted me to sit still so she did not have to try and keep up...it was nap time!! She can't nap peacefully unless I am sitting at the desk or sitting in a row where she can keep half an eye open on me....we are both learning. I made a really simple dinner since it was harvest day and stuck it in the crockpot. Sometimes I feel guilty that I can do a better job with dinner and I am shorting my family, but then as I looked at the meal on the table I realized that we had a farm fresh healthy meal on the table...what more could I ask for. A Moonstruck Salad Mix plate and a bowl of navy beans and ham sweeten with a little molasses and brown sugar, homemade cornbread and a glass of milk. What more could you ask for....now a good night's sleep. Moonstruck signing out.

Improving Productivity

2011-04-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well things are just a little busy around here to say the least, and since growth is continual the learning lessons on how do things better, smarter and faster are always having to be thought through. Last year I bought a "blue" one of these below....mine is drying in pieces upstairs after being sterilized for tomorrow's harvest, but I thought I would show you what it looks like. It is a 5 gallon salad spinner, braising green spinner and future berry spinner!! In addition to this in the near future my husband is going to install quick connect connections along the center of the greenhouse so that I can wash the greens with cool water as I harvest...we stole this idea from the Bashaws. Their "processing" line has a similar set up so that each station has running cold water easy to reach. There is also a large hose with a tricky nozzle on it at the end of the line....don't be on the other side when Ann has it in her hands....my ear did not clear out for two days after receiving a direct hit one day!! The website of course will be the biggest time saver of all, and that I am anxiously awaiting....especially with new farms being added as we speak. Look for Glencairn Citrus, Valle View Apples this next week and Asian Pears the following, and of course the lamb orders are complete, but there is a waiting list and they are bringing in a few extra lambs to see if they make weight. Weeding was done today, but not completed, and is becoming a huge issue in the new greenhouse. Before the weeds were quickly pulled out of the way as I harvested if I missed...unfortunately as great as things are growing...so are the weeds!!! Oh my Lord...do I have weeds!!! Part of the reason is because the field was let go while we were building, than we turned the soil of course bringing them to the surface so hopefully we are cleansing the soil by letting them all germinate....wish me luck. Major growing pains around here...but I see the light at the end of the tunnel...but not right now. Good night. Moonstruck Signing off.

Foggy Greenhouse

2011-04-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

I love working outside in the evening. Everything begins to quiet, the temperature this evening was perfect after what had become quite a warm afternoon. It is the perfect time for transplanting. I am moving all the "cold weather" plants from the Greenhouse #1 outside since soon it will be too hot in there for them and that greenhouse needs a major remodel!! So out went tons of Winterbor kale, Beedys Camden Kale, Rainbow Swiss Chard and my favorite surprise crop this year ....celery!! Never dawned on me to grow celery in the desert, but guess what it is doing beautifully and it does not freeze!! Awesome crop. I ended the day by going into the new greenhouse and doing a little weeding...have to finish the weeding tomorrow in order to find the plants to harvest on Thursday!! I had watered a little previous to weeding and so the greenhouse had turned into a foggy day dream with the mixture of the cold water and the warm soil temperatures from the day. Tomorrow along with the weeding the new zippers are going on the back end of the greenhouse...wish me luck with this experiment, but the end needs to be opened up...going to get way too hot in there in the next few days. Molly let me know it was day's end by curling into my lap as I pulled a few last weeds, and looked into my eyes with sleepy eyes begging me to go inside. We went and closed the chickens up for the night and bade the beautiful evening good night. Moonstruck signing off.

Major snafoo in schedule!!

2011-04-06T21:10:00.001-07:00

Well as we become busier and busier having my husband's karate classes right after drop off on Thursdays was starting to become a little complicated so we are considering a change and will let you know as soon a we finalize our plans to make things easier, but in the meantime we have run into our first big snafoo. Michael has been assigned jury duty at 12:30 pm of course and that means that he may not make it to class by 4:00 pm and I need to get Meghan, our great brown belt, over to teach!! Of course I am supposed to be at Phelan Community Church until 4:00 so if I don't hear from him the deal is that I have to run out at 3:30 to get Meghan to the community center by 3:45. If I am not there and you have an order to pick up please come and see me up the street at the community center (next to the Senior Center across from Lube N Tune and Storage Center) and I will have your order waiting and there supervising karate class!! Thank you for your understanding with our great growing pains!!

New Tiller!!

2011-04-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

I love my new tiller!!! It does the work of a big tiller without swinging me around the world!! It is a Honda 4 stroke and it starts easy and it digs!!! I worked all the compost piles with it, and then completed the new strawberry bed outside. We plan on constructing a cold frame cover for it to show how our customers can create small growing structures for their winter vegetables. It will be a great addition to the tour here at the farm. The goal eventually is to have the farm be a "learning farm" for the local community and visitors coming to our area. I would love to add canning classes and "how to cut up a chicken" classes. The possibilities are endless and we are looking forward to sharing it all with our customers. The strawberry bed is also the beginning of the future CSA beds. Since funds are always limited the strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb beds are being expanded the old fashion way each year....build a bigger bed and break apart the plants!! Molly saw me shooing the chickens out of herb bed that I just added a bunch of seed to, and boy did she follow my suite...she was on that chicken so fast and it was back in the coop before it knew what happened!! Off to bed early...harvesting chickens at the Bashaws tomorrow...only whole this go around unless I can carve out a few hours to cut. Moonstruck signing off!!

How do you tell Daffodils to turn around?

2011-03-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

One of our major projects this year was building a raised bed for all the herbs in front of our above ground pool. I needed to move all the herbs out of the old field and so now they have a new home. I added some Daffodil bulbs for some early Spring beauty. They are doing a beautiful job and blooming with the nice weather, but they are facing away from the house and towards the pool side!! I guess they are attracted to the reflection off the blue side. How do you tell Daffodils to turn around so I can enjoy from the kitchen and the tour people can enjoy along their route??? I made Turkey Pot-Au-Feu and thought "Wow, this recipe perfectly exemplifies what to do with winter produce!!" Turnips, rutabagas, carrots and I threw in some parsnips!! I will post it on the old site www.moonstruckfarms.webs.com. By 1:00 today in the greenhouse I had sweat pouring so bad into my eyes I could not see so I called it a "day", ran a few errands and picked up the girls from school. I came in and made an early dinner so I could go back out...and I was so glad....it was wonderful in there, and I got tons of weeding done!! As I was headed out I closed up the chicken door and let the "big dogs" out. Beau, the leader male, came out carrying a "blankie" with that "don't I look cute look on his face". Wolfie, the black male, then jumped on me like a puppy with the "don't you love me look", and then finally our female, very lazy female, came around the corner with a ball in her mouth. You would have to know these dogs well to know what a "con job" this was!!! They had been breaking through the electric fence almost on a daily basis and running the neighborhood until three days ago when it all stopped??? Obviously the new puppy Molly is having an impact on them!! Moonstruck signing out!!

Wow..what a difference from last year

2011-03-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well we are buying seed by the ounce and by the pound...big difference from last year. 150 feet of snow peas went in today instead of 20 feet like last year....100s of feet of squash, melons and green beans are planned. We have radishes with greens over a foot long!! We have French Breakfast radishes that are over 3 inches long. What a difference the new single layer of polyethylene is making. It is a new product for Conleys too and they said it had improved UV rating. Between that and the increased volume we are seeing incredible differences in production. The test green beans and squash are doing fantastic. Trays are started to go outside as soon as those night temps stay at 40. Meanwhile the onions are growing like crazy though you see a little damage on the initial greens from all the freezes. Dahlia size Zinnias are on their way to go into the ground with sunflowers and lavender will be available again. Basil inside is doing well...putting some outside to harden off to go in with the nice temps coming up. Molly has been working hard herding chickens, and she dug with me in the garden again. As I dug with the hand shovel she dug with her paws and then I started to smooth out the area for planting with my hands so she started using her nose!! It was so cute!! She is so smart!! I can't wait to get the livestock fence up and see her work all the animals!! First row being taken out of production in the old greenhouse this week. We are going to cover crop with barley and Daikon radishes. The Daikons are for a parishioner who is fighting cancer and is having a hard time finding them...our Daikons and prayers are for you Bob. Moonstruck signing out.

Thank you and meet Molly.

2011-03-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

I must admit yesterday was not one of my best days. I found out that there was a typo made on my paperwork for my cost of share of the greenhouse, and that instead of a check I received a corrected paper to sign. It was harvest day and I harvested in the morning, and then decided to go get a little more for Wrightwood the following morning. Well when I came in and checked my email I found out it was cancelled. I was just a little bummed to say the least, but then I went online and announced that the farm would be open today in addition to Saturday, and guess what they came!! What a pleasant surprise it was to see everyone and be able to get them their orders or have them shop. I was able to give tours and actually harvested more radishes for purchase as we walked along. It was a cold windy day and still everyone came!! Molly entertained everyone with her new found skill...herding the chickens. She saw me shooing them out of the garage a couple of days ago and picked up on it right away at 9 weeks of age, and now is having the time of her life chasing them back towards the coop every time they make their way towards the driveway or the garage. Thank the Lord!! They were starting to chase me out the gate when I go to leave, and I was praying for a windfall so that we could put the livestock fencing up sooner. Of course now we have to teach her to herd them away from the fruit trees where the Daffodils and Freesias are coming up...they ate them all!! The property will be cross fenced giving the animals about 3.5 acres to wander and not eat my flowers or poop on my husband's motorcycle!! It will be woven wire so if you know of a great deal let me know. Thanks again to all that came today and I look forward to tomorrow with the rest of you!! Moonstruck Signing off!!

Murphys Law Prevails

2011-03-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

Well Murphy's Law prevailed...I did the largest harvest this winter and sold a fair amount in Phelan so I came home and harvested more...did not check my email and sure enough Wrightwood is cancelled. I will be here in the morning with farm open 8-12 Friday for pick ups of preorders or just for your shopping pleasure...but call to check road conditions. Cell: (760) 412-9746 or Farm: (760) 868-4858. The farm will be open Saturday as usual from 8-12 and this time with lots of vegies for sale!! Weather is suppose to clear Saturday so come and see us, buy some vegies, pick up some eggs and see what we are doing here at Moonstruck!!

Wow, what a week!

2011-03-11T21:33:00.001-08:00

The last few days are a total blur...started Wednesday with a little planting, some bok choy, tatsoi, more spinach and of course a sprinkling of radishes and green onions. A market gardener plants in a completely different pattern than most conventional farmers. With the use of high tunnels or greenhouses we maximize each square foot in order to provide a variety of produce to our markets. We repeat plantings on a continuous basis especially of the "cut and come again" crops...some of which can only be cut three or four times before needing replanting. Of course at the same time we are practicing crop rotation to keep our soil healthy and reamending with compost and other natural amendments on a regular basis. Of course for a beginner like me it is a constant learning experience. The new tunnel due to its larger amount of ground space is wonderfully humid, coupling this with the night time temps hitting 40 the spinach, lettuce and arugula are taking off like crazy!! (Sorry more current pictures next time). What a pleasure to see everything ready to cut at 30 days!! We would even have spinach if the critters had not enjoyed every bite, but the new plantings are taking off like wild fire!! I have so much more area to plant still too!! The old greenhouse is being slowly taken out of production and reamended to give it a fresh new start. Green beans are continuing to do well and I can't wait to plant more. Snow peas are going in this weekend, but with some "armor" around them. The last two batches are still getting eaten...email me at moonstruckfarms@verizon.net if you have any ideas on how to secure these delicate yummy plants until they are of reasonable size...then they are not so yummy!! Red torpedo onions arrived Thursday and are going in this weekend too....can't wait to couple these with my spinach...a little spinach, a sprinkle of my fresh bacon I just picked up from the butcher today, the Torpedo red onion and a homemade French dressing...my favorite salad!! We bought a whole pig from the Bashaws and finish price was just around $3.50/pound...great considering bacon alone can run $3.99/pound, and I love having the ham hocks for soup, the fat for lard making, fresh lunchmeat without all the additives (we always have our hams sliced into lunchmeat). Thursday was a big day...my husband who has been training for over seven years received his black belt in Shotokan Karate..I am shocked he did not wear his gi and belt to work...he was so thrilled and it was so well earned. Friday started with the Wrightwood market and news that it will be going to every week on Fridays Outside, and maybe even a change to afternoons....traditionally a Farmers Market is held in the afternoon so that the farmers can harvest and go straight to market...so much better!! Bashaws are working on some numbers to try and provide a 12 week share of poultry, beef and pork to help those out with limited freezer room...email me if you would like to be included in the email trail. Website should be up and running within a month if all goes well...automatic Sold Out information, ease of online ordering, inventory controlled by each farmer, and reports for me!! How nice will that be!!! Finished the day by picking up our pork....oh yeah, I always OD the first couple days it comes in...sausage for breakfast, Italian sausage for spaghetti sauce tomorrow, and pork chops out for Sunday dinner. I had to pull the last turkey (32 pounds) out of the freezer to make room for everything....good thing the rain is coming...perfect for the onions, shallots and garlic outside, and for a turkey cooking day!! Moonstruck signing out!!

2011-03-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Not sure where the last week went, but it went. Started the week out with NRCS coming out to certify the high tunnel (greenhouse) and signed the paper for the cost of share. I completed all our costs, which will give NRCS a better idea of the true costs of building the high tunnel. Our study begins immediately to provide them with the information on the benefits of the high tunnel here in the High Desert. Irrigation line in the greenhouse blew, fence became undermined by the rabbits, some fencing fell down, butterfly bushes need to be cut down since they are falling out of the ground since all the snow from the greenhouse fell on them and most of this due to the lovely 8 inches of snow we received, but I am not complaining...just completed the repairs and my husband helped me catch up by helping with the repairs and tilling about 70% of what needed to be tilled. Forgot I locked myself out of the greenhouse Thursday and having to climb through and making a bigger hole in the old greenhouse!! I had to finish harvesting my Moonstruck Salad Mix as shown here....it was harvest and delivery day!! Managed to transplant Beedens kale, Lacinato and Barese Swiss chard for the salad mix interplanting spinach and more radishes along the way. Arugula and spinach (now that the rabbits are not in there) are coming in beautifully along with the Royal Oakleaf lettuce. Along the way while we were tilling 300 shallot starts showed up, nice gift from nature and free of charge!! Red torpedo onion starts should arrive next week....a nice market garden variety that should come in quickly like Spring onions and be ready in about 60 days. Asparagus, strawberry and rhubarb "initial" beds are started and doing well, but this will take years to develop into a large permanent bed. With so much to do and a budget that is already stretched I will leave the asparagus, strawberry and rhubarb expansion to Mother Nature and just expand the beds each year. Chervil, Summer Savory, Winter Savory, German Thyme, Marjoram and Basil are all started inside and hopefully will help complete a beautiful herb garden. Medicinals including Calendula and Nasturiums for a nice addition to the salad mix are in the wings waiting to go in as soon as the weather warms a little more. Today the weather was challenging, but seeing the newly tilled rows completed, and the fence all repaired gave me a great sense of peace, and as I kneeled putting the free of charge shallot starts from Mother Nature into the ground I could see the setting sun just out of the corner my eyes, the sounds of nature around me and the chill of the coming storm in the air, and right then I said to myself "this is why I do this, to feel one with nature, and have the chance to show respect for and enjoy all the gifts that we have been granted, and share it with others, how good it feels". More rows to be completed tomorrow...Moonstruck Signing out!

2011-02-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

Well after all the winds and the snow this weekend I am ready for a little rest...but nonetheless things are always hopping around here and there is more snow on the way...time to figure out a better way to pull the snow off. Some market gardeners are using a smooth nylon rope with one person on each side and pull away the snow...have to try this one! NRCS/USDA comes out on Tuesday to certify so it better be standing!! In the meantime I went to check on things and almost every last radish had a bite out of it and a grouping of kale I had just transplanted had all the tops eaten off...critter! I put my electric trap out and got him...criminal apprehended and sentenced to death!! Sorry for those with a heart for all of God's creatures, but these guys are relentless and if I extinguish them I usually get a rest for a few months until another one finds a weak spot in my security. This is the worse time of year because there is not a lot to eat out and everybody is coming out hungry from a winter's rest!! Yes even with snow on the way everything is saying SPRING! The chives are a few inches tall already. The onions are filling out nicely. The trees have buds. The lilacs are ready to bloom and the lettuce planted OUTSIDE is even germinating...proof that ground temps are up!! Boy, it sure did not feel like it today walking in 40 degree weather with windchill, but then I went in the greenhouse and watered and the back end turned into a fog bank from all the steam coming off the beds...yahoo!! I love it....as soon as the night time temps creep up a bit everything will take off!! Off to a good night's sleep...Moonstruck Signing out!!

Humid!!

2011-02-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Today was the first time that the Greenhouse #2 was closed up completely and it was about 40 degrees outside, but not inside. I have not set up a temperature/humidity gauge yet, but I was soaked to the bone and covered in dirt....and a very happy girl to get a few more rows built and planted!! New irrigation goes in tomorrow with the help of my husband and there is one bed built with beams still in there that is going to be moved out for a permanent strawberry bed outside. It will be easy to cover with a mini hoop house!! Herbs are coming up inside including basil, German thyme, Chervil and Lemongrass! Peppers, tomatoes, okra and Golden squash are started. The new greenhouse with its large amount of volume will create more heat increasing ground temperatures for earlier planting, but not sure how much frost protection...will it be the same as the double layer...soon to be answered!! Beets, radishes and green onions are being squeezed in between all the large kale, collards and Swiss Chard plants. Chives are popping up, which is a sure sign that Spring is on its way! Moonstruck signing off...thanks for all the new contacts lately...looking forward to seeing you all at the farm!

Anyone seen Toto!!

2011-02-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well not the greatest picture, but the blurriness represents the scene from last night. I could have sworn I was turning into Dorothy!! We had microbursts at "I don't want to know mph" and I swore I saw a water spout and definitely heard one!! It started as soon as night fall happened, and continued until about midnight. The greenhouse is standing, and the wiggle wire all held!!! Though I am pretty sure it is leaning a little to the North now!! One poor chicken decided to hide when we closed up last night so she spent the night outdoors!! She is still soaked to the bone, but fine. I love those Buff Orpingtons they are great winter birds....don't like it when the temperatures get above 90 or so, but they are so hardy through the worse of weather...as she found out unfortunately last night!! It is freezing outside...my ears still hurt from checking on things and feeding so I am going to start some more trays inside until the "freeze" lifts out of the air and the greenhouses warms up a bit. Hopefully tonight will be a little quieter...sleep would be nice...Moonstruck signing off!

Wind!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

I knew the storm was coming, but it was snow I was worried about...not wind!! The new greenhouse received its first true test and the back end failed....pulled the anchors right out of the ground and with 80 mph gusts there was nothing I could do by myself so I had to call the husband home for an early lunch break and all he said was "are you sure you want to be a farmer?". I just smiled and he proceeded to re-anchor the entire end of the greenhouse with him and me holding the end down with all we had. At some points he had me lean against the plastic to get it out of the way of the sledge hammer, and it bounced me off quite successfully more than once! So far so good...it is holding...of course I do say a prayer every time I head out to check it. The good news is the new Wiggle wire that we were worried about is holding great!! Very cool invention somebody thought of out there...thank you whoever you are! After securing the greenhouse I went ahead and went back inside to finish Spring cleaning the office, garage and basement. The basement is going to have a "Cool Room" added for storage so stuff had to go, and the office, well lets just say I needed to be able to see the top of my desk! The garage has shelving installed for all that was in the greenhouse, and the greenhouses are maximized for growing. Added almost 8 sf to #1 greenhouse at each row equally another 24 sf!! That is a lot of carrots! The carrots are successfully germinating along with some beautiful cherry belle radishes and lots of purple radishes went in! Off I go to finish the taxes and then I am free to play outside all I want....okay Spring and Summer I am ready!! Moonstruck signing off!!

Red Orach

2011-02-16T08:56:00.000-08:00

Seed ordering commenced about a month ago and I had to review my business plan at the same time...what is my goal...meet my "Foodies" needs...yes that is what is actually written in my business plan. I know that most of my customers are true Foodies and love not only great tasting food, but different items and many have a desire to support the Heirloom varieties as I do also; so in went the order for Black From Tula Tomatoes (Russian Heirloom), Sorrell, Red Orach and a variety of Heirloom lettuces, which I have already been using. The Red Orach is a spinach substitute I want to try for its color and Summer survivability. Some hybrids are going in for fun too including Rutgers tomatoes (one of the original Campbells varieties) and Purple Radishes not to mention many more. The farm is new and developing its "identity" is still being created, but the Moonstruck Salad Mixes are on top of the list along with other salad additions of carrots, celery, radishes and beets!! The tricolor cherry tomato mix is definitely another one you will see this summer along with Lemon Cucumbers!! Don't forget while I am hard at work here the Bashaws are working hard to bring enough pork for everyone...coming up soon by the side with you specifying the cuts (or the whole like we are ordering...need my bacon!) or a side cut to your specifications and delivered in four deliveries...just let us know. For now back to the garden or fields I guess I have to say now!! Moonstruck Signing Off!!

CAMEL!

2011-02-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Giddyup Ponies came to market today and brought a full petting zoo..there were baby Nigerian Dwarf Goats (I picked out a little buck...just what I was looking for!!), baby Pot Belly, baby sheep, duck, chicken cockatiel, rabbit and a CAMEL!! It as so much fun!! Everyone come and support us next week and play with a tiny baby goat or pot belly pig!! If you are looking for event entertainment you can find them at giddyupponies.com. Thank you to all the new faces who came to check us out today. I am signing off...after starting more trays of kale, lettuce, first Rutger tomatoes of the season, peppers, mustards, Chinese cabbage and Lemon Grass for the bedroom (yes a little tropical look in my big decorator pots, perfect for a tropical plant), harvesting and market..good night!! Find us at Tri Community Market tomorrow!!

2011-02-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

As you know the Popsicle marker system is not working so I am now charting my planting though as a market gardener and the constant replacement, which I am now catching up on it is very difficult to keep up! I knew that I planted Fun Jen Chinese Cabbage, but Fedco seeds does not always provide pictures and I am always trying new varieties so when this cabbage appeared and a customer questioned "but it is not a head of cabbage" I assumed I had a mix up and it must be a mustard due to its flavor...no I was right the first time this is my Fun Jen Cabbage....loose leaf...I am now planting Michili which is a heading Chinese Cabbage and a Savoy, which will be a head cabbage...always learning around here at Moonstruck Farms!! I guess that is really my favorite part...always something more to learn and keep my interest around the corner...Mother Nature keeps me entertained at all times. I went into the coop to get eggs and the chickens were all excited...they have been on lock down for five days now...we have lost eight chickens due to a hawk discovering an easy hunting ground...so we are hoping by this weekend he will have lost interest....anyways in the craziness I caught one by surprise...she squawked and turned in a hurry and ran right into a pole of lumber and bounced off...probably does not sound really funny but it hit my funny bone and I have been giggling all day every time I picture it in my head....poor chicken....but I thanked her for the giggle!! Busy day starting trays of chervil, winter savory, summer savory, Fordhook Swiss Chard, Savoy and Michili cabbage and tomorrow squash, tomatoes and okra for the first time!! Moonstruck signing off!

Turkey already!!

2011-02-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

I thought there would be this huge break in between turkey times....not so...we just processed the 60 pounders the other day it seems and now the Bashaws called and said "Summer Turkey Time - Start Preorders"...so here I am just dropping a note to everyone in between my flurry of planting in the new greenhouse. The summer turkeys are only raised to approximately 10-12 pounds and will be ready in mid June....fresh or smoked your choice....whole, cut in half or quartered...your choice. Perfect size for the grill or your fryer or your own personalized smoking!! Today I spent time fighting cut worms and small white moths (Soap spray and diacemateous earth should do the job -have not take time to identify just know they have to go)....this is due to the old greenhouse needing a major overhaul...it will be taken out of service a row at a time as soon as the new is up and running and will have 6 inches of compost added to its soil before being planting again along with my home made fertilizer consisting of alfalfa meal, bonemeal, gypsum, dolomitic lime and kelp meal. Lettuce is already germinating in the new greenhouse and soil temps are showing on the border of cool to warm crops...great indication that the new single layer is going to work just great...and the end is not covered yet!! Browsed the seed catalogs looking for more flower seed of the flowers that have succeeded in the greenhouse and will make great cut and dried flowers..and some edibles including nasturtiums and Bachelor buttons! Moonstruck signing off...good night all.

Tiller!!

2011-02-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

To say the least I have had greenhouse fever...I don't even have a picture to post….not to mention Spring Fever since this is the beginning of my planting season. All storage was moved out of the greenhouse (my husband gave up more room in the garage), the garage was reorganized, and more planting was done in the new greenhouse. My tiller died so I went and borrowed a larger tiller from Tom and it did a great job…maybe too great a job!!

My husband warned me to be careful because when it was on smooth ground it would take off…boy did it!! There was all 140 pounds of me with my butt to the ground, and swinging that 140 pounds to one side every time it wanted to take off through the greenhouse wall or through my irrigation that was laid to one side!! I tilled the whole plot I was working on in circles!!! But I won!! Not by much of a margin…but I won!! Tomorrow I get to do another 400 sf!! Let’s hope I keep winning…but boy does it do a nice job on the soil!!! Moonstruck signing off to a really good night's sleep!!!

2011-02-02T22:45:00.000-08:00

Today hit the low 40s, but inside the new greenhouse even with the end open it was in the 60s...it was so nice!! I started at the closed end since the soil temps should be the highest there...80 feet of Tango, Salad Bowl, Oakleaf, Red Romaine lettuces...Arugula, Yellow Swiss Chard, Red Russian Kale, Mizuna, Red Streak Mizuna, Beet greens and more to make a luscious baby mix equating to Moonstruck Salad Mix that is triple washed and ready to throw on the plate to eat!! I covered with Agribon to ensure germination and threw in some Snow Peas for fun!! Added some Parsley at one end of a row and transplanted the Sprouting Broccoli from outside to inside the tunnel. The Sprouting Broccoli has been a wonderful find...I love the sweet little sprouts in salad and the leaves, sprouts and stalks all go into soup, sautees and stir frys. It froze in the snow, but came right back with nice weather so imagine how beautiful it will do in the tunnel. I am also taking the old greenhouse out of commission about 20 sf at a time, digging deep, getting rid of noxious problems that developed during my "crazy" summer, amending and transplanting what was there out to the new greenhouse and replanting. The old greenhouse has been in use consistently for two years now and needs a lot of amending to get it back to top production. Tomorrow is delivery day at Phelan Community Church 2:30-4:00. Moonstruck Signing Off!!

Initiative study to begin...greenhouse covered!

2011-01-29T21:12:00.001-08:00

The greenhouse is covered..one more end needs to be completed, and after that we will be requesting inspection and the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative we were accepted into will begin.

The 3-year, 38-state study will verify if high tunnels are effective in reducing pesticide use (we only use OMRI approved as a last resort), keeping vital nutrients in the soil, extending the growing season, increasing yields, and providing other benefits to growers.

But all I could think as I walked through today was "WOW!". I have a lot of work to do since it has been ignored and tromped on for the last few months, but now seeing it complete and seeing where I need to build the rows...WOWWWWWW!!! I can't wait to get out there and just start digging and planting!! I have nursery beds in the old greenhouse waiting to be transplanted and some starts that should be ready in a week or so in the house! Everything else will go in by seed including snow peas and an Endive experiment!! Moonstruck signing off!

King of the Hill, whoops mean Queen!!

2011-01-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

Little Dipper and Honey were busy playing King, whoops, I mean Queen of the Hill as I went by with the camera. We bought them with the intentions of breeding and having goats milk around to make great cheese and ice cream!! Unfortunately due to the farm taking up so much time I have not been able to get them bred so they are just home entertainment now, but smiles are easy to come by with them around. Though I must admit they do add some headaches when they are running the property and eating all my rose bushes or nibbling on my husband's ear while he is working underneath the car...Honey really likes my husband :). We chose Nigerians because their milk is naturally homogenized thus it has higher butterfat hopefully creating great ice cream!! Nigerians produce approximately 2 quarts of milk a day versus a Nubian who produces approximately 3 quarts a day (popular milking goat), but they are smaller and more manageable. My daughter and I are not big people so Nigerians were a good choice for us not to mention they are just plain cute!! Little Dipper was named by my husband because he said she looks like an Oreo dipped in milk!! Long day today...great day at Tri Community Certified Market in Wrightwood, and then home to work on the greenhouse, and my sixth sense said "Cover it!!". It was not windy and I had a feeling with the weather forecasted for Sunday we were really going to start blowing...so we went for it...just Michael, me and my daughter Sierra to begin with. I picked up Meghan at school and called Ann and her and Tom headed over just in time to help pull it over the hump. The Wiggle Wire is new to us, but so cool!! Hope it holds well....only time will tell. Thanks everyone...it is covered....need to finish the ends. One end will be finished tomorrow and the other will take a little while...going to order a vinyl curtain to finish it....but I can start planting tomorrow so off to bed I go. Thinking of lots more Moonstruck Salad Mix, bok choy, radishes, sprouting broccoli...adding Endive, collards and anything else you think I might have missed...trying to fill in the blanks...let me know what you would like to see. Moonstruck signing off.

What a great community!

2011-01-27T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today was a long, but a very gratifying day. I started the day with checking the emails...there were more orders...late, but I can never deny a customer if there is any way I can meet the order. One of the orders was for Cornish Game Hens and I knew Tom had wanted to come and see the greenhouse frame so i asked him to bring me some Cornish Game Hens from the Bashaws to fill the order. I had just finished processing the orders, and cleaning and sterilzing the kitchen when Tom arrived and I spent a little time showing him the new 20 x 100 frame and talking gardening and animals. He has a lot of experience and I really enjoy his company. I then proceeded to do the harvest, fill the orders and load up for delivery. At our delivery point "News Plus" came by,took pictures, notes for an article and asked if I would write a feature article for him...I said YES...how could i pass up an opportunity to support our agricultural community...I can now let everyone know what is coming up in season...events...etc. If you are from the Tri Community Area and know of anything agricultural-related, 4H events etc. please let us know so we can add it to the feature each month. I then did the appropriate kid drop offs, checked in on karate class and ran off to a Kiwanis meeting. They called last night and asked if I could be the "Speaker" of the night, and I was honored to be asked so off I went. They are a wonderful group of people doing everything they can to make our little neck in the world a better place...thank you Kiwanis and thank you Don Fish from News Plus for making our little community such a great place to live. Off to bed and hopefully will dream about a great feature article...definitely what is in season now...most are out of touch with the seasons...time we leant a hand...kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach,lettuce, Bok Choy, Tatsoi, green onions and even radishes and beets if you have some cover. Moonstruck signing off. P.S. This is the view from my backyard....yes....great community!!!

Imagine!

2011-01-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

I love my job, but every once in a while I need a little boost...so when I saw this yard art I had to buy it...IMAGINE!! I love it...I think I will move it throughout the farm as I create each new greenhouse or retaining wall, etc. Today was a day I never did imagine, but it was a hoot!! A friend at church had an unfortunate accident just before Thanksgiving and was unable to process her turkeys. She finally had a chance to get them to us today and we processed them. She dropped them off and I looked at them and said "Ann those are not going to fit in the cones!!". Sam was at work, and we had some help inside with Tony and Tom, but it was just her and me outside....hmmm...well we processed the hens and that was not bad...I have done 30 plus pounders before...but then the Toms....well without going into detail let's just say it was very interesting and from our perspective absolutely hilarious!! We were laughing so hard that when it came to lifting the approx. 60 pound Toms up into the semi where the processing equipment is located we could barely do it...mainly because we were laughing so hard...Tony said "Stop laughing, you are losing all your strength".... so we laughed harder and 10 minutes later the 1st turkey was up there, and then #2. After that Tom threw the first two in the plucker like normal and stopped it dead!!! After switching the breaker we decided to do only ONE at a time. After it was all done we ended up with four beautiful turkeys....two that will have to go to pits for cooking or be cut in HALF! After such an eventful day I spent a little time with Quickbooks and found that I can send my invoices via Quickbooks email and do the accounting at the same time. These are the dry and boring lessons, but these are important steps in building the farm too...I really need to streamline the "business" part so I can spend more time outside doing what I need to do! Tomorrow is CSA Drop Point alias Phelan Farmers Faire...off to bed I go. Moonstruck Signing off.

Project #19294

2011-01-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

We have a long way to go, but each time a little piece of the puzzle comes together we get to sit back and enjoy. The corral was a surprise from a friend. He said it was ours in exchange for a head of beef...deal done!! Running lengthwise up and down the property next to this corral will be livestock fencing essentially fencing off about 70% of the property for livestock. With the plans of adding an additional three greenhouses over the next year or so this was an excellent time to move the livestock from the upper end of the property (flat land perfect for the greenhouses) to this lower end of the property. Next step....calves and piglets....for now a good nights's sleep!! Moonstruck Signing Off!

Baby Bok Choy!

2011-01-20T20:12:00.001-08:00

A little busy today and did not have time to take the camera out...but here was the hit today at Phelan Farmers Faire...baby bok choy...one of my personal favorites too. I love the greens wilted in a stir fry along with the stalk that stays nice and crispy!! Definitely one of the first things I reach for when thinking stir fry. Moonstruck Salad Mix was a great seller too...more of the mesclun style lately with Mizuna and Broad Leaf Mustards in there along with the Arugula for some pizazz and the MUST BEs of baby Swiss Chard, Bulls Blood Baby Beet leaves, variety of lettuces and maybe some baby kales in for a change...changes every time by some degree depending on what is doing well in the greenhouse that week. Celery is coming up and has been an unexpected sweet surprise. Baby Kale Mix bags are another surprise....many are adding these to their salads for an even bigger punch of nutrients. Another customer said she buys the Salad Mix and then chops in a head of Romaine (going in the hydroponics experiment) to create a wonderful blend of flavors, and just adds tuna, salmon, egg salad...whatever the protein of the day is....this is the way I eat lunch usually so I can certainly appreciate it!! Chicken legs are selling due to the shortage of wings...but they are definitely more meat for your buck...if you think about it the wings are great, but you are paying for mostly bone by the pound even with the Bashaws nice and meaty wings. Pork is put off by a few weeks....Sam is not happy with the weight gain...wants to make sure the customers get plenty of pounds for their money when buying a side...a few beef farm share boxes left...lets us know if you are interested and lamb is on its way for Easter!! Some have asked for a ham for Easter...sorry we cannot sell a ham...only a side of pork via farm share, but you get to pick the cuts and we will divide it into four deliveries if you have no freezer...same with the beef. Well need to make it an early night...have to be at Conleys to pick up the new greenhouse plastic and get home before the shut the 15 down to one lane!! Moonstruck signing off.

Thank you!

2011-01-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

A family came to the farm today from the city....they were lost parked on the corner of my property with me and the chickens waving at them trying to get their attention. I was so self-conscious because my place is more of a construction zone than a farm nowadays....but then I thought about all my experiences with other farmers I have had lately...many desperate to make ends meet that they are stretching the truth about their "organic" feed....and stretching the truth about their abilities. I was self-conscious about my construction zone and mess, but then again I thought....this is me...this is real...and it is such a peaceful feeling knowing that I can say "this is me...this is the real deal...please bear with our growing pains and thank you so much for your support...you are my dreams...only my customers can continue to keep my energy up, my dreams alive in order to help me make all this come true!!!" This is from my heart...many will say I am a sappy dreamer....I say "I am the American Dream...I am a farmer at heart and always will be". Thank you for your loyal support, and with that support you will continue to energize me to do the right thing as I do everyday now thanks to you....300 green onions, a compost pile turned, some tilling, a farm tour, beef box information/orders taken, 200 Daikon radishes, French Breakfast and Cherry Belle Radishes in, chicken feed bins mixed with flax seed and diacematous earth and my favorite end to a day....Mass on a Saturday evening to thank the Lord for all my blessings and of course a prayer for my many wonderful customers!! Moonstruck signing off!!

Boy are chickens funny!!

2011-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, I did not have a chance to catch a photo of what I saw today...I keep forgetting my phone has a camera on it!! I came home from market and pulled in the driveway to see 99 chickens running to a bush where "One" chicken had found something good to eat...not 10 seconds later all 100 were running for the coop....a Jet had flown over and they were running like a coyote was on their tail!! I am sorry but I don't think there is anything funnier in the world than a chicken running!! You have to come and see what I am talking about!! It just makes me giggle every time!! The last two market days were another learning curve..Cornish Game Hens sold out...Baby Kale/Mustard and Baby Mustard Mix sold out....I put them in $1.00 bags to add to salads and some of them were eaten before they left market??? Go figure!! The conversations ranged from homemade prosciutto to chicken stock to feeding a couple for 5 meals on a 5 pound chicken!! You guys are awesome!!! I love our discussions and at the same time we are changing our world for the better...more nutritious meals....no pesticides...less gas consumption to transport our food...more delicious meals...real flavor...Kudos Everybody!!! You really are doing it....I truly believe something good comes out of something bad....and even in the worst of times with this terrible economy awesome changes are occurring!!! Thank you!!! Moonstruck signing off!!

Snow!!

2011-01-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful week it was...white blanket of snow everywhere...about 8 inches here. Look on Facebook tomorrow and I will post a lot more pictures...pretty cool watching the stubborn onions, kales and collards peaking out under their blanket of insulation!! Mother Nature continues to amaze me each time I see her feats!! Sprouts were harvested this week...my first and they were great. I will have just a few for sale this week. One line of hydroponics going in this week..total experiment...wish me luck!! I am hoping this will solve the head lettuce issue soon! I should have been a MAD SCIENTIST!!! Well, maybe I am...at least my husband thinks I have the "MAD" part down well...hehehehehe.. you can imagine I drive him absolutely nuts with all my experiments and projects with cooking, gardening etc. Wait until I tell him we are building the trash can enclosure this weekend...he will be soooo thrilled!!! Must improve the farm for those future school tours!!! Moonstruck signing off...for now!!

Bring on the New Year!

2010-12-31T18:12:00.000-08:00

The last year has been a whirlwind, and I am looking forward to the 2011 roller coaster ride. Today was just a little sign I am sure of what the New Year holds. I started the day off with a few sprout trials...yes sprouts are coming back from Moonstruck, but give us a little while to figure out the details. Then I dove into chicken thigh wrangling...deboning chicken thighs, grinding for ground chicken and the finale being Spicy Chicken Sausage Patties....if I had know how good it was I would have taken pictures of the sandwiches, but I didn't...we were too busy enjoying!! Sourdough, chicken sausage patty, Dijon mustard and lettuce!!! It was a winner!!

I then reminded the girls that all chores had to be complete before they take off for their appointed destinations...yes for the first time in 19 years Michael and I have no kids on New Years, well at least until 10 or so when Amber rolls in from work. In the meantime everyone kept asking what is that humming...so much for the low water bill...the chicken line had busted at the wall of the house and was flooding livestock central...ugh!! I ran to the water meter, and the nice local water agency had put on a new cover...and I could not get it off!!! I yelled for Mike to grab something to pry it off with and we got it turned off. The girls were delayed at their departure, but a few minutes later there was at least a temporary fix on the line so we have water! I then went and posted my Availability for the week, boy was that sad...everything froze outside again last night, and my polyethylene is on back order so no additional crop until outside is covered, but I am finding out what varieties do well and return!! Well I am off to a fine dinner being offered at church...somebody is cooking for me...can't think of a better way to start the New Year off...be safe...Moonstruck signing off.

Storm to gorgeous day!!

2010-12-27T17:32:00.001-08:00

I love living on my land it is so beautiful when the storms blow in and the clouds roll down the foothills I always find myself just standing there for a short while just taking it in...it takes my breath away. Of course the next day when it is absolutely gorgeous at 45 degrees and no wind I am in heaven even more so. This is my time of year, perfect working conditions today...I can pace myself for 7-8 hours easily without the heat knocking the dickens out of me. And the ground....oh my gosh...it moves!!! I can dig and dig to my heart's content!! I built more onion beds, and an asparagus and rhubarb bed, and did some weeding!!! I planted 300 or more onions, transplanted Tango lettuce, Mizuna mustard, more celery and 150 Lacinato, Black or Dinosaur Kale...whichever name you like...it is a great sweet kale and it transports beautifully and it does not care about freezing temps!! Wow, what a great feeling to be outside all day...I am so blessed. Moonstruck signing out for now...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T18:05:00.001-08:00

It was just too beautiful of day (at the beginning) to stay inside Christmas or not. The girls were busy with their new Christmas presents and I wanted to get some more onions in the ground before the next storm hit. I managed to get about 400 more into the ground and the remainder of a row built to put in a few hundred more. I transplanted some Arugula in between and some Tango lettuce, which are both pretty hardy. I have never grown Arugula before and I have noticed that it does not like the broadcast seeding that I can usually get away with the other lettuces so I transplanted and placed a few inches between plants...them seem to like that better. I also transplanted some celery plants from a nursery bed in the greenhouse. The celery outside is at a standstill but has not been freezing so this will enable me to get a head start on the Spring harvest and they will just take off when they deem it is time. Bok choy is another promising crop; doing just beautiful in the greenhouse and alive though stagnant in the outdoor field, but alive...good sign of a sturdy crop. As soon as the onions are done the rest of the shallots and garlic will go in. I have several crops started in the greenhouse as nursery beds also...just a broadcast of the seed in a single row area and then transplant...works great.

As you can see Michael was busy working on part of a new retaining wall system that is being put in in the side yard bordering the back yard. The side yard has all the fruit trees and the backyard has all the herbs. We had our weight room flood again for the second time so it was time to do something about the backyard to stop the standing water that keeps developing near the house and leaking into the basement. The retaining wall is on the East side of the yard and the patio (that will stop the water) will be poured next to it with a planter in between. The multiple tiers have provided another opportunity for planting! I am thinking Boxwood for cut flower arrangements along with another bush that has cut flowers....hmmm...more lavender, Sweet Broom maybe!!

The girls made dinner (with a little guidance) and a beautiful beef roast, twice baked potatoes, homemade rolls and green bean casserole along with a fine bottle of red wine are beckoning my name...Merry Christmas Everyone!! Moonstruck Signing out!

Rain, rain, rain....

2010-12-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, did the markets choose a good time to take a break...rain, rain, rain and because the sun has not shined in five days things are barely growing. Unfortunately a lot of things are delayed around here and that includes the greenhouse. By the time we had time off to go and get the polyethylene they were sold out and it is backordered for three weeks. Well, one thing as you know that I have learned is not only patience, but to look for the reason for the delay...in this case finding a better way to close off the ends. I am been just a little wishy-washy about how to finish the ends. The truth be told I have been going back and forth for weeks. Ask Tim at Conleys I have been driving him nuts! When I realized that we were going to have time to work on the ends I decided to research further and I realized I really needed a door on either end, but the Conleys professional roll ups are just out of our price range so I researched further and found a heavy duty clear vinyl curtain sold by Farm Tek . It is hemmed and ready to go, we just have to build a pulley mechanism...yes!!!! This will vent the greenhouse on both ends, be easy and inexpensive to install and roll completely up out of the way in the event of high winds. Hopefully this new model will work well and the future greenhouses can just duplicate this model and take a lot less time. The bok choy above was grown in the current small (20 x 40) greenhouse and boy is it doing beautifully!! A little bug-bitten, but not bad considering nothing was sprayed on it, not even my usual soap spray!! I am still having problems keeping track of the varieties I am growing and will have to resort to spreadsheets written out...something keeps taking my garden markers!!! There is a pack rat somewhere with the Taj Mahal of Popsicle stick houses out in my yard!! Just as well that I do a better job with my paperwork with the new greenhouse completed I will be required to complete a study for them for the next three years on how things are doing in regards to the greenhouse providing erosion control, wind protection etc. Hope you are all keeping dry and warm at home and not evacuated, and ready to enjoy a very Merry Christmas!! Moonstruck signing off!

Red Cipollini!!

2010-12-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

Wow the weather has been fantastic! 600 onions are planted, new row is built for another 600 and it looks like I probably have a total of 3,000 thanks to the supplier being very generous in the bundles! Rain is coming too, yahoo!! I had to spend a little time on some ornamentals today...pruning my roses for the winter. They provide me with so much joy by adding beauty to my dinner table each year. They were huge and luckily I invested in a nice set of loppers...cut the time in half at least!! I am sure it would have taken me at least 5 hours and it only took two. Of course I decided to take them to the dump...the thorns are huge now that the roses are almost 7 years old...and they were just too dangerous to put in the compost pile!! Speaking of compost, wish me luck...Sam gave me a mulcher to borrow to see if it will pulverize the manure and speed up the compost time around here. With turkey, chicken, beef and pork orders going up there is bound to be plenty of manure...just need to get the "cooking time" down as much as possible. I am supplementing with an organic compost I am purchasing for now, but I really prefer the farm to be self-sustainable.... and looking forward to making this work again now that we have grown so much. My husband brought home one ton of the organic compost and it only covered about 150 sf at 2 maybe 3 inches at most...my goal is to amend with 4-6 inches every three years. Thank goodness the new field was amended in the Spring with compost materials from the Bashaw Farm....though I am sure it could have used a few more inches...I think we only hit 4 inches. Onions are going there for now since it is outside...and the plans are to grade it next year for the new 16 x 100 greenhouse. The pig pen is being move in the next few weeks to what is going to become the permanent location for our livestock...Northeast corner of the property, but the old pig pen area is going to make a great location for pumpkins this next year!! We are moving the livestock area because the Southeast corner of the property is the most flat, and so future greenhouses will be slated for that area. 72 Lacinato plants are going in the ground this week...I would have done it a few months ago if I had known how hardy they are. Most greens will overwinter through freezes, but the Lacinato developed a beautiful frost on them, and then defrosted like nothing happened. Wow!! Of course everything is practically at a standstill now, but once the solstice hits on the 22nd everything will being to take off... including me with longer hours of daylight available! Moonstruck signing out!

Chicken Sausage

2010-12-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

Thinking towards the future and how to make the meat end of the CSA grow (aka Bashaws Premium Meats) we have been thinking about what to do with some of the extra dark meat. Hmmmm....dark meat chicken makes great sausage!!! We are going to do some of our experimentation and see if we want to go into more of a processed product...would take some certification etc., but hmmmm farm fresh apple/cranberry chicken sausage or spicy chicken sausage in links or by the pound for patties for chicken sausage sandwiches...yum!! With Arugula on the sandwich!! What a pairing that would be!! Waiting for the plastic to come in for the greenhouse has given me time to search some recipes we will be trying and so in between hauling compost and starting new seed trays I think I will delve into my other passion...cooking!! In the meantime the seed trays include broccoli raab, brocollini (aka sprouting broccoli), Lacinato, Camden Kale, Winterbor Kale, Swiss Chard (Barese Swiss for the Moonstruck Salad Mix) and as soon as the greenhouse is covered radishes, carrots (full size this year) and turnips will go in. Don't forget Snow Peas after the first of the year! The onion order came in today consisting of 1,740 baby onion plants including Texas Supersweet, Candy and Yellow Granex for the Yellow, Southern Belle Red (slow bolting, wish me luck) and my chef daughter Meghan's special request of Red Marble Cippolini!! To say the least this weekend is onion planting along with the rest of the garlic! These will all go outside, and the kale, swiss, carrots etc will go under cover of the new greenhouse. The old greenhouse has been replanted with the Moonstruck Salad Mix lettuces and germinating beautifully even through the some of the coldest and shortest days of the year. Better get some rest those onions are going to give me a work out!! Moonstruck Signing Off!!

Beef boxes are done!!

2010-12-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Market in Phelan on Thursday, market in Wrightwood on Friday, a little time at home to throw a load of laundry in, do a little check on watering and the animals, off to the grocery store and then off to the Bashaws to do beef boxes. I brought my loyal companion, my youngest Meghan with me, and she and Danny Bashaw made Turkey and Dumplings for everyone while the rest of went through well over 600 pounds of meat cuts and sorted them into boxes for delivery. Looking at the filet mignons I could swear I could smell a dinner liked pictured here along with one of my spinach salads with red onion, bacon and mushrooms drizzled with homemade French dressing....but maybe I was hallucinating...I was really tired after all!! Email me if you want the box descriptions..we weighed everything so that your farm share of beef will be calculated on the total weight of each package since they do differ a little even though they all contain the same cuts. I asked Eddie of Barstow Butchering (who is going to vacuum packaging soon!!!) to throw some different cuts in this time so we have London Broils, all beef chorizo and stew meat for the Winter Season. Even with my busy schedule I still manage to learn something new each week..this week it was about sour oranges!! Did you know that we can grow sour oranges here...in the greenhouse I believe at Brian Ranch...kind of like a lemon, but a tad sweeter!! Great for marmalade! Come and see Brian Ranch and ask Felice all about them!! Moonstruck signing out!!

Turkey Day....days I mean!

2010-12-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, this was not my turkey, but it looked just as nice...I just forgot to take a picture!! After practically living at the Bashaws for three days and then Thanksgiving at church I was so happy just to sit down and eat my turkey taking a picture was the last thing on my mind!! Next year Ann I am just bringing a sleeping bag...it will be easier!! The week started on Sunday with the first processing and the plucker misfunctioning right away...boy were we sweating...one skinned turkey later and a few hand pluckings and things were running smoothly again...how I love that Featherman plucker! After eating a bowl of Chicken Corn Chowder...it was great (have to add the recipe to the website)... phone calls began...come and get your turkey! Then after running back and forth from the house to the processing unit at 7 pm we finished for the day. Back up the next day and processed the second batch...nice smooth morning and another round of phone calls and a ton more deliveries. Did I mention that the deliveries were the best part...some customers were dressed up for the holidays and a joy to see, lots of kids to show baby chicks and piglets to, some interested in "how we did it" and so a tour of the equipment and grounds was done...and so many thank yous!! Wednesday finished up a few final deliveries and off I went to start preparing for church and my family's Thanksgiving. I was so tired, but it was the best kind after such fulfilling fun-filled days. The Bashaws are so great to work with it felt just like a fun day on the farm and the customers were so fantastic I can't thank you enough for your support!! As you know there is no true rest on the farm so keep your eyes open for beef CSA boxes to be advertised soon....boxing is going to be done on Friday...one lamb left and pork is on its way at the Bashaws. Here things are not moving as fast...but patience is a virtue...right? The greenhouse frame is leveled and braced thanks to my husband working in 30 degree plus wind chill weather....I found it warmer closer to the ground digging out the holes of loose dirt :) We could not pour on Sunday...way too cold, but maybe this weekend and then the cover goes on ....on the first nonwindy morning. Old greenhouse (which I was planning to give a break, but not now) is planted. String lines are run for the next two greenhouses too and the livestock area here is cleared....okay can I just have 48 hours in a day now...I am having too much fun to go to sleep either...but my body has other ideas so talk to you all soon. Moonstruck Signing Off.

Working?

2010-11-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

While I helped Michael put the lumber on the greenhouse that is required to hold the rails that hold the plastic I asked the girls to work on repairing the hot wire that keeps our dogs home! Michael and I went in to get some lunch and he went downstairs but something caught my eye and I decided to sit in the dining room and watch my girls "work". In a 20 minute period Sierra managed to use the shovel for a microphone and a guitar and put on quite a dance show. Meghan in her frustration used the shovel to threaten to hit Sierra over the head and Amber while watching and laughing managed to lean on the shovel quite well! They were complaining that it is going to take them three weeks...more like three months or maybe end of Spring at this rate! Finally I noticed that the neighbor came to the fence to see what was happening....he thought one of his dogs were injured or dying...no worries... it was just Sierra doing her rendition of Opera Singing!!! Oh Lord give me strength!!!

In the meantime we are working hard around here to catch up. The new greenhouse is going up. A friend called and said he wants two sides of beef in exchange for a complete set of cattle fences and shelter!! Michael had just completed grading the new livestock area...talk about timing!! The old livestock area is being cleared for next year's greenhouse on that side of the property and the weather is absolutely beautiful. I just wish we were not mowing over most of my plants putting in the new greenhouse!! Farming is teaching me patience...something I was lacking!! I must admit every time I feel a little overwhelmed the Lord sends me a message that it will all get done in due time...like friends offering cattle panels, Danny coming over and doing a lot more work than my girls or my husband creating miracles and putting a greenhouse up over an existing field! Off to drop Sierra at the football game where I am sure she will put on another show! Moonstruck signing off.

Frame Done!

2010-11-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

The picture really does not do it justice because everyone just keeps saying "it is huge!". 2,000 sf of protected growing space....what a difference it makes. I also found an organic source of compost to help me get ahead...my chickens and I just could not keep up and so with a new greenhouse and a semi truck load of compost I would say we should be able to get caught up over the next month. Irrigation lines are trenched to the future greenhouse sites along with the new livestock area and holes dug for another 30 lavender plants. 100 daffodil bulbs in just for "me" and holes dug for another 10 grape plants and this weekend holes for another 10-15 standard fruit trees for my husband who wants more trees! Lambs lettuce is in outdoors just to check and see just how hardy it is, though it has been a very mild season so far. Application complete for two more greenhouses/high tunnels for next year...wish me luck and a scholarship application to the Small Farm Conference in San Jose...can't wait...I learn so much and I get to meet other small farmers just like us...it really is a great conference!! Well off to complete smoked turkey invoices and get as much done around here as possible before "turkey week". Going over to Bashaws for a few days to handle turkey processing and deliveries and then off to church to help out with BJS annual thanksgiving dinner for anyone who needs a place to go....talk to you soon, but if not soon enough Happy Thanksgiving!!

Other Things I Grow Around Here

2010-10-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is my youngest Meghan who is the subject of my logo. I just thought I would put her on here after all her hard work and patience being part of this family. I will focus on the other two later...but being true teenagers there not quite as understanding. This one stands by my side through all my failures and says "Don't worry Mom; it will be okay, you always make it work". She harvests with me, weeds with me, takes care of the chickens faithfully each day and even helps stuff homemade sausage happily. She is just one fantastic kid, and just took 22nd out of 104 at Mt. Sac for Cross Country, has a brown belt in karate and now is playing volleyball for Heritage; yes as you can tell she is like her mother and has a hard time sitting still....and we love to see what we can try next. This week my dear husband unloaded a 20 x 100 greenhouse and is looking at digging 42 holes to set the hoops! Danny Bashaw helped me dig out reeds, yes tropical reeds out of the irrigation area where there has been a slow leak for a while and the roots were an inch in diameter and helped crack an irrigation line, which the Bashaw Family then came out and helped me repair since Mike was at work. Danny then helped me clear a few more rows and planted a few more rows. Meanwhile Meghan was inside starting the sausage. We used the Bashaws fresh pork roasts and created some of the greatest sausage including Bratwurst, Italian and Linguica!! The Bratwurst we had for dinner with fresh red potatoes from the garden!! Dropped Danny off after a long day and talked "turkey" with the Bashaws as I will soon learn how crazy Thanksgiving can get. They are processing the smoked turkeys this Friday and if you want a smaller turkey that you don't mind freezing you need to get it done Friday, otherwise they will be 25 pounds plus for Thanksgiving week most likely. I am going to get a good cup of tea and call it a night... a long day, but a good day knowing you are surrounded by such great family and friends.

Moonstruck Signing Off :)

Brandywines!

2010-10-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

These beautiful pinkish tomatoes are Brandywine heirloom tomatoes. As a lot of you know they are not very productive and are hard to grow, but I always have some out there because they are delicious and have a wonderful texture, but almost always seem to crack. I shaded them and put them next to some snapdragons growing to shade them and they still cracked, but then I discovered a branch that had grown into the snapdragons and here were these perfect beauties. Not really large, but the picture does not do a good job of relaying their color and their flavor is even better. Hmmmm...more shade cloth next year!!!

New field started!!!

2010-10-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Okay thanks to Joyce and Danny and my family the new field is started!! You have no idea what a boost it gives me when I see the beginnings of another phase of growth!! The fence is moved and it seems huge out there now!! The new rows are beginning to be built and the space for the new greenhouse is really apparent!! There is an even a space in the back for a storage shed my husband said!! What will I do when my tools are near at hand and how happy my husband will be to have my growing supplies out of his garage!! Working the soil showed the benefits of the last 4 plus months of amending! The end of the field needs to come up about 2 feet so guess where all the grass clippings and manure are going from the Bashaws!! It is still really rough-looking out there, but I can see things coming together. Even the Texas Umbrella trees I started from seed are 2 feet tall and ready to go in. I am going to tuck some blueberries in barrels under them and see if we can grow some real blueberries this year!! In this case beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder...but I really can see it and Joyce saw beauty that I did not even see. She collected dried wildflowers, Yarrow, sunflower heads and Holly Hock branches from the farm to make wreaths! So between the customers, the compost pile, the chickens and Joyce's wreaths literally everything is being used on the farm!! Nothing to waste...now we are talking sustainable agriculture at its best!! Moonstruck Signing off...I have to go plant!!

Spinach

2010-09-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Okay this is not my spinach, but a girl can dream you know!! Mine our baby little plants going in; about 150 and then rows of seed in the ground. Need lots and lots of succession plantings!! I can't wait for my favorite spinach salad with mushrooms, farm fresh bacon pieces, red onion and a splash of a homemade sweet french dressing - so ying and yang; I love it. I also am here to let anyone watching that the farm is closed tomorrow, 09/25. Meghan made Cross Country Finals and I cannot miss that!! Then I promise to rush home and put the 50 Lacinato (Dinosaur Kale) plants that are due to go in. I put a few in the greenhouse and they were eaten and then today I found a HUGEEEEEEE green/yellow grasshopper in there. The hose made him jump THANK GOD!! As I was trying to hold the hose with one hand and keep him somewhat slowed down I was trying to grab for something to kill him with (sorry nature lovers, he was HUGE he had to go) and then I realized that he had a suit of armor on and that the tomato stick was a joke to try and kill him with. The next closest thing was a block and so I dropped it on him, and then he still was moving so I had to jump up and down on it!! Oh my Lord no wonder those things do some much damage in the Midwest!! The good news is I am seeing more colorful bugs than ever (proof of my environment here), but on the other hand I don't want to see one of him again though I must admit the coloring was amazing!! Say a prayer...I am putting in greens and lettuces like crazy and it is supposed to hit 100 maybe even here!!! Ugh!! I will be armed with the hose for the next week!! Moonstruck signing off for now!!

Evidence of a Healthy Environment

2010-09-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing to watch is the signs of a healthy environment on the property here. As I watch the beautiful colored bugs flying through the air it is a nice reminder that thanks to not using pesticides that nature maintains a balance. Some of the most beautiful colors in nature are in the parasitic wasps and such that I see flying by. Then as I watch out my kitchen window in the morning the quail are busy digging around the herb garden that is freshly watered digging up some yummy bugs for their breakfast. As I wander around the kitchen in the afternoon getting my afternoon snack I notice through the kitchen window a Road Runner checking out the herb garden...I had to take the picture from online because as soon as I started to reach for the camera he was gone!! In the afternoon as I let the chickens out I notice another nice partnership with nature ... the chickens working the compost pile next to the coop. I keep one compost bin that rolls for what I thought was a quicker finished product of compost, but to be honest I think the chickens are faster now. As long as I remember to keep it moist and maybe turn the entire pile with a shovel once a week or so it finishes in just about the same amount of time as the expensive compost bin. I REALLY enjoy watching the chickens do the work for me!! Of course on the other hand we do have a very healthy level of squirrels and rabbits and the Squirrelanator needed to come out to cut down the numbers that were doing more than their fair share of damage on the property and the rabbits undermined the fence again as evidenced by the complete disappearance of every transplant I put out and the loss of all beet and radish seedlings...at least all I have to do with that is find the spot where they broke through and repair it. Well I am off to check the Squirrelanator...Moonstruck signing off!!

Evidence of cooler nights

2010-09-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

I went outside for a few hours this morning and the heat started to come on so I went and hid in the house and did some very much needed cleaning especially of the garage where I store most of my market supplies now. I prepped dinner .... farm fresh ham in the oven from the Bashaws, mashed potatoes, peas and homemade rolls well on their way and used the leftover berry sauce from breakfast to make a pound cake parfait for dessert. So nice when dinner is prepped ahead of time so when I drag myself in at the end of the day I can just sit down to a nice dinner and a relaxing Sunday evening. Days like today are my favorite where I work outside, come in and catch up on the house and get a good dinner on the table... a little of everything to make a perfect day. It was also very nice to be outside in the late afternoon and feel the cool breezes blowing by.... just a little hint of Fall in the air. The sprouting broccoli was proof though today of the changing temperatures... even with the high 80s during the day we are reaching into the 60s at night and the broccoli is growing large, producing more heads and just looking "greener". I put a bunch of swiss and spinach out with this sign in front of me and more to go out tomorrow. The tomatoes are slowing down, but the late summer bunch are coming on to provide us with tomatoes as long as the night time temps hold, but all the summer crops are showing signs of slowing and then the hard part...when to tear out and replace and give up on summer... for the most part that is now. Carrots and beets need to have a good start to continue through winter so more of those will go in tomorrow, but thanks to our Indian summers I am sure I will have great success with getting these started over the next four weeks. Time to call it a great day... Moonstruck signing off.

Time to Plant!!

2010-09-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Long list of things to do is slowly getting done this week... new location is found...Phelan Community Church for pick up until further notice located just North of Phelan Road and Sheep Creek Road. Look for the "The Park" the skate board park and the church sign on your left. We will be there every Thursday 2:30-3:30 for pick up of preorders or shopping on the spot by our CSA members. You are all CSA members creating the direct connection from Farm to Customer ... just like the new business card states ... Farm Fresh from Our Door to You!! Email us at www.moonstruckfarms@verizon.net for more information or go to the website at www.moonstruckfarmscsa.webs.com. Thanks again Janet and Carrie for lending me a hand with the beautiful business cards!! Business cards are done, banner to be completed for next Tri Community Open Air Market in two weeks on 09/24 at the Wrightwood Community Center. Thanks everyone for a great turnout today!! Facebook noted...blog done... Availability posted everywhere I am supposed to.... now I get to go tackle the fields and greenhouse and boy are they out of control with summer weather growth!! But night time temps say it is lettuce and spinach time. Trays in the wings waiting and going in by seed also to get ahead of things. With everyone who shows up on the 25th of September for the Planting Day will help put the shallots, green onions, garlic and more spinach in for the Fall Season. Off to bed and up early to begin the day... don't forget we are open on Saturdays from 8-12 for the working folk now too! Moonstruck Signing Off!!

Whirlwind month and beef!

2010-09-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

This last month was one of those whirlwind months that were full of good times and great accomplishments, but just plain exhausting!! Even the weather threw in its share of craziness going from 60 to 110!! The fields and greenhouse have been producing at their full capacity filling the customer's orders and my freezer!! Today ended the week with another batch of chicken on its way and the beef boxes completed!! Just drop me a line if you would like more information!! The next few days slow a little with the Labor Day weekend, but will still be full with the farm now being open on Saturdays from 8-12 for pick up of preorders, poultry and any purchase of any leftovers from the week's harvest!! Another batch of compost is smelling like sweet garden soil and anxiously awaits to be placed in a row full of spinach seed. Trays and trays of transplants are awaiting the cooling trend to begin hopefully Monday so that they may be set out for the Fall Season!! The date for the new field planting still is to be set, but awaiting hearing from suppliers! In the meantime I spotted a nice clear area near the chicken coop that will provide a great area for a new garlic bed so that we won't run out next year and we can have my 2 inch garlic heads back!! Of course it will need a little protection from the nearby free ranging chickens!! The asparagus bed is going in behind the current greenhouse at the end of the new field!! Now the plans are laid.... time to get back to work. See ya all soon. Moonstruck Signing Out!

Now this is more like it!!

2010-08-18T13:05:00.001-07:00

Squash and green beans in full glory thanks to new foliar inline feeding system!! Thanks everyone for your support. So great to see the results of the changes. This means better yields per sf and more to offer and if yields surpass my numbers ... then prices will drop to you... I will always pass on the success to my great loyal customers! The new field will allow larger spacing for next summer's crops and that should increase yields too. Next years pet project are the bell peppers!! I want more. I have also scouted a spot for a new asparagus bed, needs a permanent deep bed and I think running parallel to the old greenhouse will be just perfect. It will be a quick and sweet crop as you know, but well worth the wait and of course you can always freeze it. Let me know your thoughts on okra and rhubarb. Rhubarb will require a permanent bed too....so need to think this one over, but then again if it doesn't sell we can always plant more asparagus!! Moonstruck signing out :)

New Farms!!

2010-08-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today brought a nice peaceful feeling as I watched two new farmers join us. It is easy to get caught up in the "negative" or just the ugly business sometimes, especially on a very tiring day, but then something happens to bring that peace of mind and the reminder of what this is all about. Spiritt Orchard (Steve) joined us and had the most beautiful plums!!! The excitement in his voice or any farmer for that matter is always contagious and we all do a great job of supporting each other even in the lowest of times. McCormick Farms (Betty) was there and had beautiful sweet grapes straight from the farm!! Betty I don't think will mind me saying, but she is up there in years and is trying to create something for her family in finding crops that she can grow on her farm. Her energy is so inspiring; I hope I have half her energy when I am her age and I will be thrilled!! I also want to put a special thank you out to the Bashaws for doing such a great job in keeping up with demand and providing great new product each week. Everyone was thrilled with the smoked turkey and to say they love the chicken is an understatement.

Thank you for supporting us... especially through my invoicing blunders, order filling blunders, failed crops, long waits in line and all our growing pains as we become what you deserve...great farmers selling great, farm fresh produce and meat to you and you in turn enriching your family's lives!! Thanks again!! Moonstruck signing off for the night!!

Thinking Fall?

2010-08-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Takes time to learn how to always be thinking 90 days ahead, but I am getting the hang of it; now I just need 48 hours in a day and no computer break downs! I have the repetitive plantings of squash going and I need to do one more of green beans. Another row of potatoes went in with hopes of squeezing them in before the cold (they store great in the ground over winter here). Probably have to break down and do pole beans next year; produce a lot better, but more work!! Beets, carrots and green onions need to go in weekly. Swiss chard has to be constantly planted since a lot is going to seed in the heat, but I am keeping ahead (just barely) and the good news is I am still not caught up; there is still plenty of room to plant and the new field! For my loyal customers I put in the lettuce under some Agribon, but I am still worried it will be on the bitter side, just not sweet when grown in the heat, but we will see!! I promise to do plenty of taste testing :) More collards tomorrow and more French Breakfast radishes; they are doing great!! The cherry tomatoes are coming in... Sweet 100s, large red cherries, Yellow and a few Black are appearing!! Winter squash is coming in too... look for Delicata and Acorn. Best of all... looks like I will be making my salsa batches for the freezer this week... orders are slow and lots of tomatoes to be seen!!! Back to the fields....Moonstruck signing off!

Tomato Worm Therapy

2010-08-01T11:43:00.001-07:00

Well the birds are not doing their job so I had to "Step In" and boy did I. No better stress reliever than picking off tomato worms trying to take out your tomato plants and stomping them!!! Of course than I look over at my beautiful sunflowers (sorry no real picture - Meghan has the camera in Oregon), and there they are in all their majesty...only one problem they grew at the end of a row covered with Agribon row cover and busted right through!! Nothing like nature proving to you that no matter how under control you believe you have things.... nature always has the upper hand!! Thanks to the cooler temps I went ahead and planted some more Moonstruck Salad Mix under the "intact' Agribon row cover and with night time temps in the 60s I should have success. I have been underusing the Agribon due to the fact that the greenhouse is supposed to go over this area, but I figured I better get some more lettuce going for my loyal customers!! I tend to not put a emphasis on the lettuce because no matter what the conditions it is not as sweet as Fall/Winter and Spring lettuce, but here goes.... this has been a strange summer we are going to hit the low 80s again today at best :) The pruning of the slicing tomatoes has done a wonderful job and they are loaded down with big lush green tomatoes and thanks to the greenhouse going right over this area the plan is to try and have tomatoes through November!! Bashaws have followed through with their promise and there are plenty of whole, boneless/skinless breasts and leg/thigh chicken and a few turkeys (we are sending a few more to the smoker too!!) for purchase now and the last of the lamb for a while is going fast. Beef CSA boxes coming up for September 1st and their are a few Pork CSA boxes still available. Preorders for Thanksgiving turkeys going out soon too! Only about 100 and some will go to the smoker per your request!! Back to planting on this beautiful day... Moonstruck signing off!!

Tomato worms...maybe not :)

2010-07-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately most gardeners are well-acquainted with the tomato worm. I have been seeing signs of damage and inspecting for the worms and I can't find them?? All I can think of is that those pesky birds that have been poking holes in all the Swiss Chard and Collards are finally earning their keep; they are eating them!! What a relief it is to be going along and not find those ravenous worms!! What a strange season too, I still can feel a coolness in the air today on 07/26/2010 coming off the mountains. The tomatoes are slowly but surely ripening but with well over 100 plants I should be swimming in tomatoes!! The squash is adequate, but not bumper loads like would expect and the greens are doing beautiful still though I have had trouble germinating lettuce and spinach due to the heat spells we did have. The Fall seed order is going in and there will be plenty of greens, beets, carrots and radishes!! Speaking of radishes... I have French Breakfast available this week.. go figure... they are still hotter than the winter radishes, but not bolting. Nice even watering and a raised bed and some milder weather and presto you have radishes!! Anaheim Chiles are coming in too...yum chiles and jalapenos make great burgers!! Check out the website for recipes!! Moonstruck signing off!!

Outlook Address Book

2010-07-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Outlook Address Book is corrupt. Back-up failed for the moment and I need to start recreating address book. Please reply to the most recent email that I sent you that was not bcc. I did forget to do it as a bcc fortunately in the last couple weeks. If you are a brand new client within the last month please definitely email because you may not be on the recent copy I receive. I will not rely on the back up I promise. I will start printing on a daily basis (this is how fast we are growing!!).

Technical Issues

2010-07-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

If you don't hear from me for a day or so stand by; technical issues with Outlook. Repairing the problem! Be back soon!!

Three days!!

2010-07-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Every two weeks is my marathon three days; harvesting with delivery to Natural Elements and the CSA delivery immediately after on Thursday followed by Tri Community Co-Op delivery and now the Open Air Market added and then finally Bountiful Harvest delivery on Saturday morning. (By the way I am always wilted when I arrive, but then everyone's great enthusiasm and wonderful support always perks me right back up! Thank you!). This week an added treat of chicken and turkey processing at the Bashaws Friday; yes, I thought I was going to get out of it due to the Tri Community Coop attendance on Friday morning, but lucky for me the scalder and plucker were acting up so by the time I arrived there was plenty to do still?? Believe it or it is a lot of fun! Working as a group and sharing the ups and downs of the farm life with a great set of people is a great day, and I always walk away with a big smile on face and lots of chicken and turkey to sell!! Half of the batch was cut so there will be boneless/skinless and leg/thighs available. The pricing may be confusing because we went by the pound, but trust me the numbers work well and the meat is as delicious as ever!! We have liver, kidney, neck and gizzard packages available too for those who love the extras or use it for raw dog food. I will post prices by email this week.

As for the garden; boy is it growing; I can barely tell I harvested Thursday/Friday. I am wilting in the heat, but the fields are growing inches in front of my eyes and the yummy summer veggies are ripening quickly including the summer squashes, tomatoes and green beans. The cherry tomatoes are slow in coming, but when they do the goal is a tri-colored bag. We have orange, white, black and Sweet 100s out there; now I am anxiously awaiting them to turn color to see what succeeded!! Do you think if I stare at them long enough it will speed things up!! Green beans are one of my favorites and so are the red potatoes so they were on the plate this week!! One of my biggest learning curves has been timing and I am quickly picking up on what needs to be done; basically always have plants in line ready to go and always be thinking 3 months ahead!! It is amazing how my train of thought has changed, but it is working and the results are showing in the fields and in the trays that are waiting in line to go in the next blank spot!! Fall plans are quickly being set in motion and the Moonstruck Salad Mix will be sweet and delicious once again (not as sweet during the heat) and the carrots planted in September will be the sweetest of the year when touched with a bit of Frost in December!! Talk to you soon, Moonstruck signing out for a good night's rest!!

Boy did we surprise each other!

2010-07-14T20:20:00.001-07:00

I wonder who screamed the loudest; him or me!! Of course then I am sure the neighbors were even more scared as once again I was talking to myself out in the field, but appeared to be really talking to someone this time instead of the plants! I must have been right on top of him digging away! I was so grateful I did not hurt him! He is living proof that my garden is organic; no way he could live with spraying being done!! There he was living happily with the Yukon Golds and I ruined it. Hopefully he will return to a happy home because I sure could use his help around here!

Need that new field!!

2010-07-11T21:25:00.001-07:00

Thank you all in advance who volunteered for the "Planting Day/BBQ" I will be announcing. I am still working on the date; have to decide exactly what is going in and what would be a good time. Right now I wish I had another 50 of these Delicata Squash planted; they are beautiful and a wonderful sweet winter squash and I would love to fill the co-op baskets with them next year in addition to the CSA customers so the new field is badly needed!! Today the family came out and helped me on a few much needed projects and it was so nice to watch the work fly by!! I added more herbs to the herb garden, planted some more lettuce, green beans, radishes, green onions and put in more winter squash, mulched, cleared another row for more green beans and two more rows will be available this week!! Learning the timing is probably the greatest challenge. First lesson I have learned; always have plants in trays waiting to go in the ground!! The website even got a little extra attention too! The thunderstorms cooled the weather slightly and made it overall a wonderful day to be outside. Thank you again for all your support; I am gaining skills by the day and it is wonderful to see the results in the fields!! Almost forgot the new batch of 35 chickens are starting to lay and egg supplies are slowly growing!!! Yeah, they will be in full production by the first of September!

Summer Squash!!

2010-07-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Okay I was freaking out just for a few days or so; squash was not moving; you could see the bright beginnings of the Sunburst patty squash and a little Romanescu zucchini (scalloped edge, cut and ready for display, no work!) but I never knew a zucchini could grow that slow!! The bees were buzzing everywhere, especially in my ear when I was weeding nearby. I kept telling myself you know it is because the nights are so cool. We were still dropping into the 50s at night. Moonstruck Farms is located in a microclimate within Phelan that is about 10 degrees cooler than downtown Phelan so our weather was beautiful during the day and a little nippy still at night, which is great for sleeping but not summer squash. This week the temps jumped into the 60s and guess what you could visibly see the growth of the summer squash overnight. Look for our Sunburst Patty, Green Bennings Patty, Romanescu (Scalloped) zucchini and Yellow Crook Neck in our Summer Squash Mix this week. Don't forget to check out our new website under construction at www.moonstruckfarmscsa.webs.com; recipe page is under construction too!

2010-07-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well this was the girl's idea; first tomatoes on top of first lavender; a little goofy I know. They become this way when leaving for Grandma's. Yep, the husband and girls are all taking off for Grandma's in Santa Cruz and leaving me at home for a break on the farm until Thursday............ break? Then again, no cooking, no yelling, no asking to have chores done 10 times, no fighting, I get to go to bed at 8 pm if I want to wake up at 5:45 naturally with a good night's sleep, no "I was not supposed to do the dishes, Sierra was!!!". On second thought.......... yippeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yukon and Balsamic!!!!!

2010-07-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

The day started off at 5:30 a.m. with further harvest for Wrightwood's first booth sales; I had a lot more than I thought. As I watched my kitchen counters pile up with greens I decided to call up Bountiful Harvest and Braising Greens along with today's leftovers are going to Apple Valley tomorrow. Harvest day is by far my favorite day; nothing better than watching all the bounty pile up though I must admit all the smiling faces as they take their produce and chicken home rivals it!! It is the best win-win situation I can think of; local residents getting the best the area can offer and those same residents rewarding our hard work with smiling faces and wonderful comments. Next in line of great things is finishing the day up with all that great harvest on my dinner table!! Bashaw's Rosemary pork chops are in the oven along with my first Yukon golds of the season with rosemary, bay leaf, shallots, spring onions and balsamic!! Now that is what I call a a great end to a day. Add some steamed greens and I am in heaven!! Moonstruck signing off!!

Planting and BBQ?

2010-06-29T09:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, yes, I am dreaming, but the new field is amended thanks to the Bashaws and I will be tilling it in this weekend. I have been approached by several people to come and help and so here goes ... I am swallowing my pride and asking for help in exchange for a little knowledge, though I would imagine you will teach me just as much back! I want the soil to cook for a few weeks, but then how about "Learn How to Build A Garden Bed Day and BBQ". Let me know if you are interested in say two or three weeks?

Lavender is Here

2010-06-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Last spring I took a trip to tour a few lavender farms to find out more. I brought home about 14 varieties of lavender and set them up on the front drive and on the hillside next to the pool. My dreams are big but they will take time to fruit, and this year I saw one more step come to life. After a whole year 8 varieties of the lavender took off; in just a few short weeks of Spring they went from grapefruit size plants to full size 2 feet in span plants. What a pleasant surprise that was. I will be doing the first lavender harvest this week hopefully. Dreaming of what I will do; a few flower arrangements, some ribboned sachets for closets, a few bundles for everyone to try some yummy recipes. Keep your eyes and your imagination wide open for lavender ideas and I will most likely have it with me this week at my deliveries. All these additions are in the hopes of creating a "tourable" farm for my customers and for the children of our community one day. Wish me luck; so far so good!

2010-06-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

I planted one sour cherry tree for just this occasion!! Cherry Pie!! I have enough for two; I would have six or more, but the birds do not share fairly even with sour cherries! No I am far from being a perfectly healthy eater as some would say, but I do believe in knowing exactly where my food comes from. In this case my cherry tree, butter from a cow and a few other ingredients that I can spell! Yes, easy rule if I cannot read or spell an ingredient most likely it did not come from Mother Nature and that means it was not intended for me to eat; I am far from perfect, but this is a motto I have always tried my best to follow and in this case boy is it good!!!!!!