When Things Go Wrong, Take A Picture

Jeff says when things go wrong, you should take a picture to distract yourself from the frustration and hope to find humor in it later.  Last week, our only work truck was in the shop so Jeff was using his personal truck on the farm.  We had a trailer loaded with crops hitched to his red pick-up truck on our way out to a field when....Jeff ran over a brick which resulted in a flat tire.  It was a hot afternoon, we needed to get those seedlings planted, and there we were with  only three working tires.  So, despite our frustration and sense of urgency, I took out my camera and snapped this shot.  I'm not sure it helped and I'm still not finding the humor in the picture.  But it is a practice of dealing with the hand you are dealt.  Taylor drove by on his tractor, which thankfully we can hitch the trailer to, and off we went to plant.  Working on a farm, many things go wrong.  A field gets overtaken by weeds, seeds do not germinate, a deer munches its way along a lettuce bed, a tire goes flat, insects invade a field, farming must go on.  When I was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, our guide kept saying to us "attitude, not altitude."  And that applies to farming as well.  Not so much altitude considering central NJ is essentially at sea level, but attitude goes a long way whether climbing a mountain in Africa or weeding a bed of strawberries with weeds so high you have to search for the strawberry plant.  When the tire went flat, Jeff was not happy about it, but his attitude of accepting the situation and figuring out a solution kept us all going.  We have had several days of working in 90+ degrees, and again, attitude is important.  Do we complain that we are so hot or embrace the heat and appreciate it's warmth?  Thankfully, all of us on the farm are embracers.  Is that a word?  We embrace the situation for what it is and continue working.  I was fortunate enough to have lived outside for the better part of five years and during that time, I endured heat, cold, wind, rain, lava flows, hurricanes, etc.  And each display of Mother Nature's power was a lesson in making the best of any situation.  I carry that with me on the farm each day and am grateful for whatever may come.                      

This to-go food container is full Pediobius foveolatus, 

a tiny parasitic wasp that will help control one of the insect pest which eats our beans.

Dr. Mayer from the State of New Jersey Department of Agriculture released thousands of these parasites in our bean field to help reduce the population of the Mexican bean beetle.  The female parasitic wasp will lay her eggs inside of the Mexican bean beetle larva.  The eggs will hatch and eat their way out of the larva, killing it.  Creepy and cool at the same time!  The two picture below show you the Mexican bean beetle larva with the damage it causes to the bean foliage and a Mexican bean beetle adult.  Their cousin, the ladybug, is a beneficial insect which eats garden pests.

I really do not like killing any living creature but working on the farm, it is something I have had to overcome.  As Jeff says, which is more humane?  Killing individuals with our fingers or spraying a whole field with pesticides killing all of the insects and poisoning the earth?

Happy piggies!  They are getting so big!

We increased the pig pasture.  You can see where the fence stopped them from rooting.  

Now they have more room to roam and root!

Farmer Jeff with our first carrots of the year!

Throwing buckets in the squash field that we will use to harvest  about 800 pounds of zukes and cukes!

Beautiful carrot display.  Carrot greens make an amazing pesto.  Try this recipe for a ridiculous grilled cheese with roasted carrots and carrot pesto.  I do not eat cheese so replaced it with a veggie burger and it was out of this world!

We keep our veggies safe by not using harmful chemicals on them 

and also buckling up, because it's the law!

About 10% of our food is sold wholesale to an amazing organization called Zone 7 whose mission is to "strengthen the local and regional food chain by enabling restaurants, grocers, and institutions to but from and support small and medium-sized sustainable farms.  Zone 7's role is the act as a direct link between farmers and chefs" creating a "new and dependable outlet for farmers and offer a consistent and reliable source of locally grown products to chefs and grocers."

Check out their website and find out where to eat local.

Mid 90's!  Yikes!

Another amazing organization we have the privilege of working with is "Farmers Against Hunger."  They travel throughout the state to pick up farms extra produce 

and drop it off to food banks.  How great is that?!

Planting lettuce in 90 degree heat and yet we are still smiling!

Row-ga: Doing yoga in the rows between crops.  It's the newest trend.  

Ok, well maybe not but it just might catch on one day!

'merica.  Farming on the 4th of July.

We have a lot of zukes and cukes.  Holy moly. 

 Try this recipe to make vegan zucchini "crab" cakes.  They are delicious!