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.

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?

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!

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.