I hope everyone is doing well! It's been a long time since we've chatted; hard to believe we're just a couple short weeks from Christmas. The holiday season has such a warmth to it. I feel like we just have so much to be thankful for and this time of year really makes us take a deeper dive, taking more time to appreciate how blessed we are.
On a quick personal note:
I feel like I'm coming out of 'hibernation' to share some info with you ;) I'm happy to say that we've collected our thoughts and spent some time reflecting on 2024. Every year we learn something new that we find helpful for the following season!
Ben and I have spent a lot of time in the past couple weeks making decisions about 2025. The actual CSA dates and our harvest schedule, our delivery route and new sites, even how many butcher spots we're making and our plans for our pork sales next season.
Last you heard from me, I was sharing some updates from the high tunnel build and asking for you to help me with our survey so we could see what you thought of 2024. We had over 50 people respond to the survey which I will address more in my coming newsletters. In short, we're reviewing input and continuing to fine-tune our CSA program for the better. Thanks for your help!
HIGH TUNNEL
I do have a few more things for you below- but I'll start my newsletter with the update on the high tunnel. We got the anchors in the ground all along the side wall, which is 95 feet long! Every one of the posts (every 5 ft) was pounded in with a good ol' fashion stake pounder while using a level every few hits to make sure it was straight up & down. Those big pipes along the length are hollow 3-inch pipes.
Then we got all the hoops up & got the end walls built with the 4x4s. We used the post hole auger attachment with the tractor to get the job done- there are a half dozen anchors on each end wall, so we were very happy to have the post hole digger to make the job a little easier.
See the ladder here? I had to climb that ladder to adjust some of the hardware with a drill. It's hard to tell from the angle, but even when I was standing on the second rung of that ladder, I was still reaching to get to the hardware (& I'm 5'10). The piece of plywood was to stabilize the ladder.
Now we need to get the purlins up which are the very long rods that go down the length of the tunnel (all 95 feet). They're stabilizers basically, it's what connects all the hoops at the top. (Right now, none of the hoops are connected at the top.) They're connected at the hip boards, which is the highest point on the sidewalls, but these purlins are going to be what keeps high tunnel stable in the weather.
We are a kind of stuck now. We can't pull the plastic over the top and fasten it down yet because if we do, if will likely loosen in the spring when it warms up and it won't be as tight. The cold temps are going to limit what we can do a little bit, but we're going to keep chugging away on the end walls. I'll keep ya'll updated on this- the hopes is to fill it with tomatoes in the spring!
Ben said tomatoes are going to be the first crop in the high tunnel because that's the obvious choice- our goal is to provide you with more tomatoes & a longer tomato season, so you get them earlier in the season as well.
Eventually we plan to add some other crops in there, possibly rotating in things like bell peppers, green beans, or cucumbers eventually as well. One of the best parts of what we do is the creative freedoms it allows; we want to grow what our community wants to eat. Which is a pretty simple business model ;)
This is the trencher. It's basically a giant chain saw for the ground. Check out the teeth on the cutting bar, just like a chain saw. It peeled rocks away like butter! We had to run electrical for 200 yards from the barn to the new high tunnel. We also ran irrigation tubing so that it would be easier to water out there and we wouldn't be running hoses everywhere. We'll have a spigot set up in the front of the high tunnel for ease, which will be great!
After it's up and running we're going to connect propane and get a big greenhouse heater. So right now, it's a high tunnel. But as soon as we add the propane heater and blower fans, it's a greenhouse! By this time next year, we are hoping to have the greenhouse furnace in there.
I could talk about this for days, but that's enough about the high tunnel.
PROBLEM WITH THEFT
Isn't that great click bait? Sorry, guys.
Unfortunately, it's true. This was the case in Golden Valley this season. We had several boxes taken over a few weeks so we moved the CSA delivery site around the building (3x basically), and then my Mom heard of our troubles and insisted on coming to help. She voluntarily took PTO so she could come sit with the CSA Shares while folks were picking up there. (Thanks, Mom!)
The result of this season was the decision that we aren't going to be able to deliver there anymore. Whoever is stealing knows they're stealing and they're doing it anyways. This is a first for us, guys.
We're moving a CSA Site due to theft. If anyone in the Golden Valley area is interested in hosting for 2025, please reach out to me and I'd be happy to get you more info on hosting. There are a few bonuses to hosting, of course!
I need to take a moment to acknowledge the efforts of the team at Monkey Wrench. They helped us through a difficult time and really went out of their way to provide solutions for us. We have worked with them for years and years, and they have made our job so much easier. We will miss the Money Wrench Crew very much!
PORK SUMMARY
We are still fine-tuning our Heritage Hog operations. We started raising hogs back in 2021 and have learned so much over the last handful of years. 2025 will be our 5th year of raising hogs. How did the time go that fast, do you remember me announcing our new adventure?
We started selling by the cut this season on a regular basis for the Farm Stand. The only 'cuts' we sold before this summer was last fall at our Fall Sale in 2023, and we had 3 hogs butchered. This year, we had 10 hogs butchered for our Fall Sale, in addition to the hogs we had done for the Farm Stand, and then we also sent in about 45 hogs for wholes and halves. That is for our customers who commit to the whole/half hog and get custom butchering and they get to choose their cuts.
We have been trying to fine-tune the amount of hogs we raise because we want enough but not too many. It's a hard balance to find- but we're taking another shot at it in 2025 when we raise about 75 hogs. That will fill all of our butcher date commitments with a handful extra which we usually end up selling to family in the fall, for home butchering.
If you are interested in getting a half/whole hog, we do still have availability. Our butcher date is in about a month from now. We also still have our Pork Packages available as well! You can find more info on our Pork offerings and purchase on the Pork page on our website.
FRIENDLY REMINDER
For those of you who purchased produce at the end of the season, please check on your produce! Remember, you want a well-ventilated area that's away from heat sources or fluctuating temperatures. I even have a little fan going in the basement to keep ours good because there isn't a ton of ventilation in our 1933 farmhouse basement.
If one squash goes bad, it'll soften all of them around it over time as well. Same goes for any variety of produce really, so it's super important to be checking on your veggies and making sure they're still good! If you find a squash with a soft spot, cut it off and cook it. If you see a few going soft, consider cooking a handful and freezing it (just let it cool down, put it in a freezer bag and squish out all the air you can). Good to have on hand for a quick side for supper! We warm up our frozen squash in a sauce pan with warm water on the stove.
WRAPPING IT UP
I mentioned earlier that I had a lot to share, and I really meant it. We have a lot of announcements coming soon.
The most important is that our 2025 CSA registration opens on January 1st. You'll get another email from me before then, because I do have more to share ;) But it's all good news, life is good!!
Thank you for making it this far, I know this is a lot of info at once. We appreciate that you're keeping in touch with the farm & you're reading the updates! Eat Good & Be Well,
~The Farmer's Wife
Comments