it's fall!

 It's fall.. and beginning to feel like winter. It's all happening so fast! While it seems that the farming season is coming to a close and rest is on its way, there is quite the flurry of activity happening at Blue House Greenhouse Farm to get ready.

We had our last farm stand of the year this past Tuesday which concluded a great season! I'm super thankful to the great volunteers that help with the harvest: cutting, picking, washing, scrubbing, bunching, bagging, listening to NPR, and wondering if we'll get it all done in time. There is absolutely no way I could get it done without them! I am also thankful to all of you who come to the farm stand- I've really enjoyed getting to know the folks that live and work nearby! It's funny to think back to the start of the farm stand. It began almost as an afterthought: I had more vegetables than I could sell to restaurants so why not try to sell just off the farm? It's grown quite a bit in two years, in fact we sell more through the farm stand than to restaurants! And it's definitely one of my favorite things about the farm! 

In other news, last weekend Blue House Greenhouse Farm participated in its very first bit of catering. A huge thank you to Quinn for helping with the cooking! We harvested, prepared, and served lunch to participants of a the "Joy of Mindful Eating" workshop put on by Caverly Morgan of One House of Peace. I was also able to participate in the all day workshop which was very informative as a person who spends the majority of her day thinking about food! What did we make, you might ask? A roasted tomato and cilantro soup, zucchini corn bread muffins, a chard-onion- lemon squash fritatta, a raw kale salad, a farro-tepary bean-parsley salad, and for dessert- a flourless chocolate cake. We were pretty proud of the outcome! Stay tuned for other catering opportunities that come up for Blue House Greenhouse Farm.

On the farm we are getting the farm ready for winter. Last Thursday Adam, the star volunteer of the farm, and I hand dug five 2.5ft x 70ft beds. It was amazing. I don't think I've ever been so sore. On Friday Jeff and I chopped in amendments and planted a fava bean cover crop. We continue the bed prep this week to plant a crimson clover cover crop and GARLIC! It's always an exciting time.  Check back soon for more updates on the farm, maybe I'll even write more often!