First Egg!

Holy cats! I finally get to report that we found our first egg in the hen house last night!! Hopefully there is more to come because I would love to send a few with each share this week. Keep your fingers crossed for fresh eggs! Go hens, go!

Week 14 Delivery

In the box this weekend was:
Delicata Squash
Ornamental Mini squash
Pie pumpkin Squash
Watermelon
Cantelope
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Japanese Eggplant
Red Bell Peppers
Mini Yellow (Orange) Bell Peppers
Hot Peppers --Jalepeno, Hungarian Carrot
Various Herb Pack
Rutabaga
and a few things I have forgotten I am sure...
Next week is the last delivery of the season and barring major frost we hope to go out with a bang. We will be delivering lots of winter squash (delicata, butternut, red curi), and even a jack-o-lantern if you let us know you want one. Also on the winter saver list will be parsnip, brussel sprouts, maybe some broccoli, and everything left in the garden that we can fit into the box.
We have really, really enjoyed working for you all this year and hope that we will see you back next year. As the spring season approaches, look for us to update the blog with ordering information for next year.
Our cost will go up (not yet determined) as this was a trial season for us all. Our deliveries will increase from 15 to 17+. We are adding a greenhouse to kickstart spring and hope to offer eggs and maybe farm raised chicken as an add on. We hope to have the same size delivery (1 1/9 bushel boxes), and may be offering half shares as well.
Please let us know what you loved and what you would have liked. We will be ordering seeds in the winter and would love to accomodate peoples preferences as much as possible.
See you next week!

Week 13

Came and went without us having a chance to post. I (molly) had to work on Friday evening, or packing day, so I am unsure what variety we sent although I do know that it closely resembled the week before.
We spoke to one CSA member who mentioned something mold-like on the potatoes. Please let us know if anyone else had this experience, as we are trying to pinpoint what it may be a result of. We harvest everything the day prior to delivery and want to be sure we are not sending anything that is not fresh and good.
It was also a busy weekend because we "harvested" the chickens that we decided to eat. It was a tough process to get through, but as omnivores we felt a desire to be more connected to the process of our food, even the less than fun processes. Thanks to our friend Christina who drove out from Minneapolis to assist.
We will be delivering for two more weeks, through the first weekend in October. We will install our hoop house in late fall and go for 17-20 deliveries next year.
Sorry to say we are still waiting for eggs. I am about ready to do a chicken dance in front of the hen house.
Happy eating!

Week 12

We are late on the post, but for records purposes I like to still have it recorded. Here is what was in the box (to the best of my recollection):
Heirloom Tomatoes
Sweet Corn
Delicata Squash
Green Bell Peppers
Mini Yellow (orange) bell Peppers
Serrano Peppers
Carrot Peppers
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Musk melon
Water Melon
Cucumbers
Japanese Eggplant
Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Yellow Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Dill
Parsley
Sage
Tarragon

More winter squash right around the corner. We are seeing some items drying up as it has been getting chilly at night (frost on my car windows this morning). We wanted to thank Val for her help packing up boxes this week as the first week of school for us and the kids was down-right hectic.
Peace, love, and good eating!

Week 11 Update

Soory folks, no delicata yet. We just got out of the squash patch and are happy to report we have many, many squash on the way...just not this week. Also, we will have gigantic jack-o-pumpkins available if you want one with one of your last deliveries. I will take some photos next week to share the patch and the various squash that are growing on.

More pictures!

Week 11

Hello from Kicking Mule Farm! We are well into the full fall time harvest and you can look forward to the following items this week:

Melon (either water or galia)*
Delicata Winter Squash*

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes

Rutabaga

Daikon Radish

Green Bell Peppers and maybe mini Yellow Bell

Jalapeno Peppers (dark green)

Banana Peppers (yellowish green)

Hungarian Peppers (orange)

Japanese Eggplant

Thai & Sweet Basil

Italian Parsley

Sage

Cucumbers

Yellow Zucchini

Red Russian or Dino Kale

Collards or Green Chard

Some areas of the garden are exploding, such as the tomatoes, melons, squash, and peppers. Other areas are dying back in their foliage, but maintaining a constant and consistent supply of vegetables. We have nearly stopped weeding, as that has slowed down as well. Instead, harvesting has become a daily gig in order to keep up with the tomato situation. We have eight varieties, all of which seem to be coming along well. In our household alone we have put up close to 50 jars of pickles and frozen brocolli and green beans for winter use. Tomorrow in addition to packing your CSAs we will attempt a mass salsa and spagetti sauce canning marathon.

It is a bittersweet time on the farm as we feel the chill in the night air and see the flowers fading back. Fall is nearly here and the kids will both be in school, an end to a very lovely and way-to-fast part of parenting. Steve and I have been busy at our other jobs and I said goodbye to folks I consider family at the co-op I worked at in Minneapolis. Life is oh so good, but sometimes I wish it would just slow down and let me savor it a bit more.

As promised, some recent photos.