Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Compost Delivery
I'm feeling pretty industrial looking at these! As a small farm, it seems you have to do strange things like this...we are too big for a pickup load, and too small for a full semi, so we got half semi. (It's 20 yards, or about 30,000 lbs). Now we just have to figure out how we're going to spread it!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Tractor!
We hired out some tractor work this weekend. Pretty exciting! We tilled up quite a bit more than we are going to plant in veggies, so we can plant some cover crop to put in some nutrients for the future. I sure hope we can get our own tractor soon!
Monday, March 14, 2011
March Update
Bit of a rough week with illness, but still getting some things done. Isaac started work on the hoop greenhouse (for transitioning the seedlings from indoors to out) and made a lot of progress. I planted some more seedlings in the house...they are all looking good! Next we are looking at more fencing for the goats as we expand the veggies out into their huge pasture. We're not going to make our deadline of first planting by March 15, but hopefully it will pretty soon!
We had some friends over to play and feed the goats last week. Then we had 'first tilling' day. I put one photo in sepia to make it look old-timey. Isaac and Lea worked on the indoor growing system. And I added in just an outdoor windy day cutie pie pic. :)
We had some friends over to play and feed the goats last week. Then we had 'first tilling' day. I put one photo in sepia to make it look old-timey. Isaac and Lea worked on the indoor growing system. And I added in just an outdoor windy day cutie pie pic. :)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
First crop is up!
Yep, officially our very first crop as a 'real farm' is up! The lettuce mix germinated in 5 days. Yahoo! Also we had some crazy storms yesterday and it looks like our farm is at the end of this gorgeous rainbow.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
More info, esp. for Skeptics
I had someone who's husband was a 'skeptic' about CSAs ask what I would say, so I thought I'd post what I wrote here...it includes some more information you might be wondering about as a potential or committed customer...
The shares are a bit light in the beginning of the season, and generally get heavier as we go along, with the peak being in Aug. and Sept. It's a fine education in what exactly is *in season* in Idaho each week of the growing season. That said, we'd like to work with folks as much as is reasonably possible...so if there's something in there you really don't like, and we have something else we can replace it with, we'll try to do that, within reason.
CSAs are for those who are a bit adventurous, and don't mind being a little challenged to eat more and different kinds of veggies than they might otherwise. It's also very much about what type of business and agriculture you'd like to support. This is as small, local, and personal as it gets. It's like an investment in a food system that you trust and care about, and where your desires, concerns and feedback will be heard directly by your growers. The returns are not just in food, but in a peace of mind, a unique positive experience, a good feeling about what you are doing and who/what you are supporting. :)
The shares are a bit light in the beginning of the season, and generally get heavier as we go along, with the peak being in Aug. and Sept. It's a fine education in what exactly is *in season* in Idaho each week of the growing season. That said, we'd like to work with folks as much as is reasonably possible...so if there's something in there you really don't like, and we have something else we can replace it with, we'll try to do that, within reason.
CSAs are for those who are a bit adventurous, and don't mind being a little challenged to eat more and different kinds of veggies than they might otherwise. It's also very much about what type of business and agriculture you'd like to support. This is as small, local, and personal as it gets. It's like an investment in a food system that you trust and care about, and where your desires, concerns and feedback will be heard directly by your growers. The returns are not just in food, but in a peace of mind, a unique positive experience, a good feeling about what you are doing and who/what you are supporting. :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Shares officially for sale!
Hello Dear Local Friends!
We are writing to officially announce our CSA farm, our offerings for this year, and to invite you to come and be a part of this venture in Community Supported Agriculture! We are offering an 18-week program, where you will receive fresh, local, naturally-grown produce once a week (with a few breaks here and there) throughout this growing season (grown by yours truly, here in Eagle). We strive to follow the principles of organic and sustainable farming, while forming nourishing relationships with our 'eaters.'
What is a CSA?
A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. In a CSA, full payment is given in the beginning of the season, so that the farmers can pay their expenses at the time they incur most of them. Members have the benefit of knowing exactly where their food comes from and how it is grown. Each week members receive an interesting variety of the freshest possible produce, and are often introduced to vegetables they may have never seen before. They will have the opportunity to visit the farm and even get their own hands dirty in the process.
Our Story
When we moved to Boise 11 years ago, we brought with us our concern for the Earth. Kristin had a career as a wildlife biologist, and we had only begun learning about how our everyday choices affect the Earth and it’s wildlife. We did some research, and came to learn that if you want to have a big positive impact for wildlife on a world-wide scale, eating local and natural is the number one thing you can do. It’s all about our voracious use of fossil fuels and how this is drastically altering the Earth’s habitats. The average piece of food on the American plate has traveled 1200 miles to get there! The other issue is how big agri-business is ruining habitats for not only wildlife, but people too, in countries of the world that can still be exploited due to lack of environmental laws. So, we started gardening for ourselves, and signed right up for the first CSA we could find and found it quite enjoyable for many reasons! Then we had a baby and became even more concerned about what, exactly, we were putting into our bodies and hers. Due to an intensive organic farming class that Kristin took last year, and the acquisition of some land, we grew much more than we could handle ourselves! So, this year we were inspired to share the harvest in the form of a CSA farm.
What You Can Do
We are looking for 10 or so families who would like to join in this adventure. The CSA shares will start in late May/Early June and end in late Sept./Early October. We are offering both full and half shares. Full shares are meant to supply one family of 3-4, and half shares are for couples or folks who don’t want quite so much produce. We are selling a full share for $375, and a half share for $225. This is 25-35% less than established CSAs in the valley, being that we are beginning farmers. Each week’s share will come with a newsletter about farm happenings, the produce of the week, and how to use it. Delivery will be to one or two pick-up points in the valley, locations TBA.
To secure your membership, please send a check (made out to Hasselblads) for $50 to us at 3439 Shadow Hills Dr., Eagle, ID 83616. Our payment deadline is May 1st, and you can make payments as you like up until that time. Memberships will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. As members, you are welcome to come spend time on the farm and see what we do first-hand, which we encourage.
Later in the season, we hope to be able to offer you some ‘extras’ of our orchard fruit (apples & pears), flowers, and chicken eggs, once the baby chicks are old enough to lay. These will be sold as add-ons and we’ll let you know as they become available. In the long-term, we will offer more fruits as they mature over the years…strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and plums. And if the birds don’t get all our cherries this year, we will certainly pass some on to you! ☺
I know many of you are growing your own local food…for you, this is an opportunity for you to pass this info on to others who may be interested. Thank you!!
If you would like more details and are wondering a bit more about what the heck a CSA is, please feel free to message me back or call (333-9637). Please come check out our new facebook page, “Evenstar Farm,” and our blog, http://evenstarfarm.blogspot.com.
Many thanks and happy eating!
Kristin & Isaac Hasselblad
EvenStar Farm
What do we grow?
We will be growing at least one, but usually several different varieties of these items:
Arugula
Basil
Green Beans
Edemame soy beans
Beets
Bok Choy
Tat soi
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Chard
Sweet Corn
Cilantro
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Peppers (hot, sweet, roasting)
Kale
Collards
Lettuce & Lettuce mixes
Melons & Watermelon
Onions: scallions, & yellow and red storage
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes, 7 varieties
Pumpkins
Radishes
Various winter squashes
Summer squashes and zucchinis
Tomato (paste, slicing, cherry)
Tomatillos
Ground Cherries
Celeriac
Cauliflower
Gourds
Sorrel
Turnips, summer and storage
Various flowers
We are writing to officially announce our CSA farm, our offerings for this year, and to invite you to come and be a part of this venture in Community Supported Agriculture! We are offering an 18-week program, where you will receive fresh, local, naturally-grown produce once a week (with a few breaks here and there) throughout this growing season (grown by yours truly, here in Eagle). We strive to follow the principles of organic and sustainable farming, while forming nourishing relationships with our 'eaters.'
What is a CSA?
A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. In a CSA, full payment is given in the beginning of the season, so that the farmers can pay their expenses at the time they incur most of them. Members have the benefit of knowing exactly where their food comes from and how it is grown. Each week members receive an interesting variety of the freshest possible produce, and are often introduced to vegetables they may have never seen before. They will have the opportunity to visit the farm and even get their own hands dirty in the process.
Our Story
When we moved to Boise 11 years ago, we brought with us our concern for the Earth. Kristin had a career as a wildlife biologist, and we had only begun learning about how our everyday choices affect the Earth and it’s wildlife. We did some research, and came to learn that if you want to have a big positive impact for wildlife on a world-wide scale, eating local and natural is the number one thing you can do. It’s all about our voracious use of fossil fuels and how this is drastically altering the Earth’s habitats. The average piece of food on the American plate has traveled 1200 miles to get there! The other issue is how big agri-business is ruining habitats for not only wildlife, but people too, in countries of the world that can still be exploited due to lack of environmental laws. So, we started gardening for ourselves, and signed right up for the first CSA we could find and found it quite enjoyable for many reasons! Then we had a baby and became even more concerned about what, exactly, we were putting into our bodies and hers. Due to an intensive organic farming class that Kristin took last year, and the acquisition of some land, we grew much more than we could handle ourselves! So, this year we were inspired to share the harvest in the form of a CSA farm.
What You Can Do
We are looking for 10 or so families who would like to join in this adventure. The CSA shares will start in late May/Early June and end in late Sept./Early October. We are offering both full and half shares. Full shares are meant to supply one family of 3-4, and half shares are for couples or folks who don’t want quite so much produce. We are selling a full share for $375, and a half share for $225. This is 25-35% less than established CSAs in the valley, being that we are beginning farmers. Each week’s share will come with a newsletter about farm happenings, the produce of the week, and how to use it. Delivery will be to one or two pick-up points in the valley, locations TBA.
To secure your membership, please send a check (made out to Hasselblads) for $50 to us at 3439 Shadow Hills Dr., Eagle, ID 83616. Our payment deadline is May 1st, and you can make payments as you like up until that time. Memberships will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. As members, you are welcome to come spend time on the farm and see what we do first-hand, which we encourage.
Later in the season, we hope to be able to offer you some ‘extras’ of our orchard fruit (apples & pears), flowers, and chicken eggs, once the baby chicks are old enough to lay. These will be sold as add-ons and we’ll let you know as they become available. In the long-term, we will offer more fruits as they mature over the years…strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and plums. And if the birds don’t get all our cherries this year, we will certainly pass some on to you! ☺
I know many of you are growing your own local food…for you, this is an opportunity for you to pass this info on to others who may be interested. Thank you!!
If you would like more details and are wondering a bit more about what the heck a CSA is, please feel free to message me back or call (333-9637). Please come check out our new facebook page, “Evenstar Farm,” and our blog, http://evenstarfarm.blogspot.com.
Many thanks and happy eating!
Kristin & Isaac Hasselblad
EvenStar Farm
What do we grow?
We will be growing at least one, but usually several different varieties of these items:
Arugula
Basil
Green Beans
Edemame soy beans
Beets
Bok Choy
Tat soi
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Chard
Sweet Corn
Cilantro
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Peppers (hot, sweet, roasting)
Kale
Collards
Lettuce & Lettuce mixes
Melons & Watermelon
Onions: scallions, & yellow and red storage
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes, 7 varieties
Pumpkins
Radishes
Various winter squashes
Summer squashes and zucchinis
Tomato (paste, slicing, cherry)
Tomatillos
Ground Cherries
Celeriac
Cauliflower
Gourds
Sorrel
Turnips, summer and storage
Various flowers
Friday, February 25, 2011
Seeds and Chickens ordered!
I think it took a whole week or so...geez! I spent over 700 bucks (not including the seed potatoes!) so I hope that's enough! I tried to pare it down as much as I could, but I didn't want to sacrifice much variety. I love to go through and read all (or as many as I can stand) of the descriptions of varieties...and then try to pick what I need. I can't even tell you how many varieties we have of tomoatoes, peppers, and squash, but it's a lot. I like variety, how about you? Plus I like to experiment and see what will grow best in our conditions. I loved, loved, loved reading the seed catalogs, and learning all kinds of things, like where paprika comes from...it's a ground up pepper!
Anyway, it's DONE and I'm so relieved! Now I hope it gets here soon! We need to start some seeds, and ideally we would started some by 3 weeks ago. Isaac found some materials at a second hand building material store and built some shelves where we can start the seeds. He got some used flourescent lights too. Soon our dining room will be full of this operation, heated by our wood stove.
Isaac went to a local fruit tree workshop put on by U of I today. I think he learned a lot about caring for our sad old orchard trees. He is officially our orchard person now, thank God! I'm not sure the orchard thing is for me...it's pretty crazy what you have to do to grow fruit, especially organically.
I also just ordered our chicks we will grow for meat...50 Red Cornish. They are coming April 5th!
Anyway, it's DONE and I'm so relieved! Now I hope it gets here soon! We need to start some seeds, and ideally we would started some by 3 weeks ago. Isaac found some materials at a second hand building material store and built some shelves where we can start the seeds. He got some used flourescent lights too. Soon our dining room will be full of this operation, heated by our wood stove.
Isaac went to a local fruit tree workshop put on by U of I today. I think he learned a lot about caring for our sad old orchard trees. He is officially our orchard person now, thank God! I'm not sure the orchard thing is for me...it's pretty crazy what you have to do to grow fruit, especially organically.
I also just ordered our chicks we will grow for meat...50 Red Cornish. They are coming April 5th!
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