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!!

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!!

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!

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!

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.

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!!

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.