Creekside Gardener No. 5, July 6, 2011

July 6, 2011
At long last the ten day weather report shows no sign of precipitation or nighttime temperatures under 50, and not a moment too soon! The gardens are in full swing, with bees buzzing at each squash blossom and peas hanging heavily on trellised vines. Green tomatoes are appearing everyday and our newest Coffee Creekers have arrived: The Turkeys!

Yes, 23 five day old turkey poults are peeping and bouncing around the brooder in the woodshed, and we are all delighted when they peck at our fingers and hop into our palms. They are very social creatures, with a lot of personality. We were all a little bummed last year when turkey season was through, so we are hoping to keep a couple as a layers throughout the winter to hatch our very own grip next year!

Baby animals develop quickly, but who knew that our very own son, Waylon, would grow up so fast? This weekend we will celebrate his fifth birthday (!) with friends and family here at Coffee Creek, and as we have been preparing for the festivities it has come to my attention that this will be the third birthday party of his here on the land. Three whole seasons have gone by since our landing here at Coffee Creek. Three years of establishing our farm and business, of creating community here on the land and in the surrounding areas, of building gardens and demolishing brambles, of working hard and loving life. Three years of chasing Waylon through this very special forest we call home!

I am so thankful to have this space to raise my son, free range. I am grateful for the dedication to grow food for my family and yours, to have the land to do it on and the willingness to work for our health. I cannot think of a better way to watch my son flourish and grow into the amazing little man that he is today, and I cannot think of a better way to preserve this space and our lifestyle than by growing nutritious veggies, raising delicious chickens and creating wholesome products made of the same. This fall will be our third anniversary here at Coffee Creek and I give thanks to you for your involvement in this blessed process!

It is late, and honestly, I haven't packed your boxes yet :) I am expecting to bring to you the sweetest of snap peas, fresh strawberries, garlic scapes, kale or chard, eggs, kombucha, and dried chamomile. Chamomile is a wonderfully soothing herb that can be infused at a rate of 1 teaspoon to one cup of boiling water. Add a touch of honey and enjoy before bed for a great night's rest.

Hmmm...a cup of chamomile tea sounds just perfect right now! Good night and sweet dreams if you are checking this late, good morning and great day to your early emailers. Blessings to you all!

 

Creekside Gardener No. 4, June 22, 2011

July 6, 2011
Happy Summer and Blessed Solstice!

The sun shone bright and warm for the first day of summer, and oh, what a joy it was! The plants are stretching high to the sky and blossoms are popping up on everything. Buzzing bees are ensuring a great harvest of future fruits and some early season delights are making their way onto our table and into your boxes!

Your kombucha is made with Darjeeling tea and a dark sucanat sugar and is paired with my extra special garden kimchi for a fermented fren...
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Creekside Gardener No. 3, June 1, 2011

June 1, 2011
I am so pleased to bring you some of Coffee Creek's first garden produce this week- a head of Romaine lettuce and some crisp and spicy radishes. Chop them up with the fresh mint and oregano and toss with apple cider vinegar and olive oil for a real taste of spring.

One jar of Pomegranate Kombucha is included for your digestive pleasure, as well as a jar of green beans. These are my favorite addition to a big pot of minestrone soup on a cold and rainy May day (grumble grumble).

You may notice s...
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Creekside Gardener No. 2, May 18, 2011

May 18, 2011
Even the rain stayed at bay for butcher day, and we are happy to bring your first chicken delivery! They arrive on ice and in a cooler, so please be prepared to keep your fresh- not frozen- bird cool.

Here is how to roast your whole, fresh bird:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Chop two tablespoons of fresh herbs (the oregano and chives included in your box work great, as well as rosemary, thyme, sage), and mix with one tablespoon of coarse salt, one teaspoon of pepper, and 3 tablespoons of oil.
Cut ...
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Creekside Gardener No. 1, May 4, 2011

May 4, 2011
Good Morning and Happy Wednesday!

 Today is the day of your first CSA delivery, and I am excited to bring you a small variety of early spring delights to kick off our season together. There is frost on the ground this morning as I write this, so greens are the name of the game, beginning with plants for your own garden. Thanks to all of the excited gardeners who have contacted me about plants already. You have a 6 pack of hardy greens with your box, and they are ready to transplant right into ...
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Creekside Gardener No. 13, November 22, 2010

November 22, 2010
    I am thankful for the last month. The weather has changed so much and so recently that we have found ourselves willing to play a card game after breakfast, read one more book with Waylon and not go back to projects after dinner. I feel rested and mellow, deliberate with my energy. We are settled into a different pace, tying up loose ends while restoring and regaining strength for next year. Enter over-winter mode!

    Coffee Creek has proven to be a place of transition, constant only i...


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Creekside Gardener No. 12, October 27, 2010

October 27, 2010
    Tuesday was the last scheduled day of our local farmers’ market, but the weather had a different plan for the hard-working, food growing folks of Lewis County: the work day was cancelled when the first canopy set sail and word spread about a free bluegrass show in town. A banjo, a guitar, and a room crowded with local farmers. People danced, canned goods were exchanged, and everyone had someone else in the room to blame for playing hooky. There will always be a project to complete, a ...

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Creekside Gardener No. 11, September 22, 2010

September 23, 2010
Blessed Autumn and Happy Harvest!
    As the tomatoes ripen and rain falls, there is a balance one must obtain. Preparations are at hand: the food must be harvested and properly prepared in order to be preserved through the coming weather, the soil must once again be worked and replenished for winter gardens, and any plants that are to remain beyond the first frost must be protected in a hoop or green house. There is also the energetic shift into fall gear. Stoking up the wood stove cre...
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Creekside Gardener No. 9, September 9, 2010

September 9, 2010
    I was prepared for August. When taking full advantage of the harvest season and squeezing in the last celebrations of summer, August will busy any bee, and I thought that keeping up would be an accomplishment. What I did not expect was for Coffee Creek to take that upswing, ride the pendulum for all that it is worth, and land smack into September with a brand new chicken coop, a large fenced ranging area, a greenhouse full of starts, pantry and cold storage full of food, three new ...
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Creekside Gardener No. 8, August 10, 2010

August 11, 2010
Would you believe that my dog ate my computer? No? That I have been lost in the spiral vortex of green tomatoes and cabbage heads, subsisting on nothing but snap peas and dill for weeks? That is a little more like it.

In all honesty, the Coffee Creek gardens mirror the growth and transition that the community has been up against for some time now. As plants mature and the fruits of our labors are enjoyed, a cleansing time is always close at hand. After the harvest, plants are lovingly removed...
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