A Day in March:

-

What DO we do all day long?
Every day is different—it’s one reason we like what we do! But here is one day in March, with the help of a lot of people: Saturday, March 10, 2018.

I always check the weather first: Clear and sunny, low of 29, going up to 44 today, still plenty of snow on the ground from the March 7 nor’easter (winter storm Quinn—did I know before that storms are named as well as hurricanes?), but starting to melt.

5:30 am - Bring market truck to barn loading area. Prepare market aprons and Fitler share list.
5:45 - Roll carts with produce out of storage and start loading truck
6:25 - Finish loading. Double check that everything is on the truck: donuts (very important! Especially since we’ve forgotten them once or twice….), supply boxes, flowers, non-refrigerated produce, meat shares…check! Off they go to Philadelphia
6:30 - Bake and prep pies, bread, muffins, and donuts for the farm market.
8:00 - Start bringing carts out from cold storage. Set up produce displays. Bring baked goods, salads, and soups from bakery kitchen and fill the display.
- Set up produce shares ready for pick up. Set up meat shares ready for pick up.
- Deliver shares to Brandywine Y.
- Check what needs to be harvested from greenhouses—thyme, cilantro, lettuce, chard, snap peas, etc.
- Check melting snow falling off the barn roof to make sure customers are not in the line of free fall. Check parking lot for icy spots.
9:00 - We are officially open. Serve our customers! Continue filling the displays.
- Feed the animals. With the snow melt, muck boots are essential.
- Answer customer questions.
- Re-fill the displays. Check donuts and bread. Work on special order that will be delivered Monday morning. Check the weather forecast (next winter storm—slight chance on Monday; downgraded, cheers!).
10:30  - Get the extension ladder out to clean out one section of the barn gutters so the snow melting off the roof has a clear run.
11:00 - Work on plans for the summer plantings.
11:20 -Try to explain seasonality to someone who wants apricots. Heated greenhouses are pretty awesome but not that awesome. (Not available anywhere in the world right now, sorry.)
11:30 - In the greenhouse, planting ferns, dicentra, tomatoes, spinach, and kale. 
11:45 - Need more donuts. Into the bakery!
12:00 - Start taking turns for lunch.
1:00 - In the greenhouse, prepping pansies and primroses for next week’s store display.
2:00 - Take inventory of all produce. Make lists of what needs to be harvested, what will go in shares next week, and what special orders have been placed.
3:15  - Need more donuts—get to it!
3:30 - Truck back from Fitler Square. Unload empty crates, put away any items that were not sold, evaluate any changes for next week.
4:00 - Feed and water the animals. Check bedding and make sure shelters are weather proof.
5:00  - Close the store. Check lists for who did not pick up shares, who is picking up on Monday. Meat shares not picked up go into meat freezer. Everything back on carts and rolled into the cold storage. Discuss any problems and best resolution.
5:30 pm - Done. Is someone else fixing dinner?

 ~ Ruth

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

About edible flowers:

-
Image
Herb flowers are from herbs like lavender, basil, mint, and thyme that can be eaten just like the rest of the plant. Ornamental flowers usually follow the petal-only rule : most come from plants where the colorful petals are the only edible part of the plant. Some plants are exceptions. Be absolutely certain before trying other parts of the plant. 5 Important Things: 1. Always know what flowers are edible before you eat them- be absolutely sure of the plant. If you’re unsure, steer clear! Safety comes first! Some flowers are not edible and can make people very sick. 2. Know the plant’s surroundings. A beautiful stand of edible flowers growing by the roadside may look delicious, but plants are very good at taking up toxins from the soil, rain, and air and storing them in their roots, stems, leaves, and flowers.  They clean the environment but may become harmful for people to eat. 3.  Similarly make sure you know that the place where you pick edible flowers was not sprayed wit
Read more

Our Love Affair with Farmers Markets

-
Image
We have a long history of going to Farmers Markets, primarily the King Street Farmers Market in Wilmington, Delaware. Generations of Websters, Connells, Talleys, and Rotthouses have loaded produce into wagons or trucks to take to the market 2 or more times each week. John Webster took truckloads of produce in season. A truckload of cabbage: in the Depression, everyone made soup. A load of lilacs in May—and those sold, also. Peaches in the summer, apples in the fall. Rachel Webster made sausage and cottage cheese, as she had learned from her mother. Because farmers believe in utilizing available labor, their own children, the Webster girls went to market with their parents. Just as John had gone to market with his father, John Sr.   And John Sr. remembered going to market with his father, Isaac. And John Sr. told stories of Isaac falling asleep in the back of the wagon in the early morning hours as he went to market with his father, Clark (1786-1871) in the 1820s. It took a lot long
Read more

5 More Tips & Strategies for Winter Growing, Part II

-
Image
 Alright, dedicated grower, here are some more tips on growing for winter. Remember, patience is key! As you already know, every growing area has its own micro-climate and ecosystem, so what works in one place may not grow in another. We struggle with our clay soil, and add compost on a regular basis. You may have a different kind of soil with different needs. Swiss Chard 1)    What grows best in the winter : cold hardy plants! Many of the herbs, leafy greens, root crops, some of the brassicas. Here is a partial list; depending on your particular circumstances, you will add or subtract from the list:  Parsley, cilantro, sorrel, romaine, green or red leaf lettuce, kale, chard, collards, mizuna, mustard greens, sprouting broccoli and cauliflower, spinach, beets, carrots, radishes, daikon, turnips, rutabagas, scallions, brussel sprouts, cabbage. 2)      Growing times —even with heat, everything takes a little longer. About 25-40% longer. Without heat, it takes about 3x longer. If you ar
Read more