work it!

If you are interested in seeing the farm in action (and partaking), we are having 

a WORK PARTY this Saturday! July 12th 8-1. 

We will try and beat the heat. We will be prepping beds, harvesting and stringing garlic, weeding, and all sorts of fun stuff. And we'll feed you lunch! Let me know if you can make it!

Let's accumulate some recipes!

The farm stand (every Tuesday 4-7 pm, right at the farm) is in full spring swing! With all this warm weather plants have really taken off. Peas are in full force, but the stories of the week are kale and chard. You probably know how terrific they both are for you, packed with nutrients and fiber. And they are so versatile to eat! raw, steamed, sauteed, as a wrap for your favorite burrito insides.

This is what I am planning on making this week with kale: http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/kale-salad-with-almonds/ Maybe not exactly like that, but something similar. 

And this is what I'm going to make with chard: http://paninigirl.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/erbazzone-what-took-me-so-long/

What about you? 

Share your spring time recipes in the comments below! Then I can come here when I'm at a loss with 5 lbs of red russian kale.

first farm stand of the season! TUESDAY May 6th 4-7 pm.

This TUESDAY 4-7 pm blue house greenhouse farm stand will be open once again! It's pretty exciting. We can't wait to see your faces again or meet you for the first time! It's just the beginning of the season, but we missed the farm stand so much we just wanted to get started.




Let me tell you a little bit about what we have:

salad greens: a variety of lettuces, tatsoi, red komatsuna, ruby streaks- it's beautiful as well as delicious

olympia spinach

astro arugula

pink beauty radishes





mustard greens: a mixture from Wild Garden Seed and tasty South African mustard that a friend brought back from working in Malawai!



AND Kumi Rao with Ruchikala will be selling amazing hand-made breads and all sorts of delectable treats. She will be at the first farm stand and then be out of town for a month- so don't miss this opportunity!





AND EGGS! from our friend, Brandon, with Doodle Do Farm! (If you have egg cartoons we'd be happy to take them)!

AND (yes! there's more) veggie starts! kale, chard, onion and more.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Hope you can make it! If for no other reason then to admire the beautiful sign made by Marci LeBrun!

Another WORK PARTY? okay!

It's that time again- it's time for a blue house greenhouse farm WORK PARTY! that's right. 

Saturday March 15th 9-4. come for an hour or seven- it's up to you.

There is loads to do! we'll be prepping beds, planting, eating a scrumptious lunch, hoeing, little bit of construction, chatting with fun people, and so much more! I'd love your help. Let me know if you can make it so I can be sure to make plenty of food and have plenty of drinks available! 

The weather is supposed to be WAY nicer than in was last month.

In other news, a big thank you to Friends of Trees and their awesome volunteers for these new street trees that they planted on Saturday! They are swamp oaks- (they will be) very big and beautiful!

We also have lots of seedlings coming up in the greenhouse! these are our onions looking springy and bright.

And here is word from our new neighbors that will be in between the farm and New Seasons. I am just counting my blessings that it's north of the farm. Changing times...

Hope to see you this weekend at the WORK PARTY!

rain and snow... oh oh oh

see the snow outside the plastic?!

What precipitation! It's been coming in many form in the past couple weeks-snow, ice, rain- in copious amounts. This past weekend it has rained over two inches which is a lot for soil already saturated with melted snow. Yikes!

a snowy winter evening

But it didn't deter our awesome work crew! Look at this group- Troopers! A huge thank you to Jennifer, Dave, Maya, Erin, Adam, Marci, Becca, and Jeff!

lunch! 

 We painted new signs, seeded trays in the greenhouse, weeded and transplanted lettuces and mustards in the low tunnels, drank coffee and tea, ate chili and kale salad, and tried to stay warm.

Painting signs! 

 If you want to get in on the fun (and lunch), we will have monthly weekend work parties! Mark your calendars with these dates this spring. Saturdays- March 15, April 19, and May 17.  Hope you can make it!

Transplanting lettuces

new year, new beginnings

I think every first blog post of the year I muse about the wonder of beginnings. Starting anew. So to keep with tradition and not start something new: I love beginnings! I love how each year we begin again. Of course I understand that years accumulate and times moves on, but there's a certain beauty to returning back to January, opening a new excel workbook to begin crop planning, perusing the new catalogs, making outlandish to-do lists with every intention of getting it all done. All that hope and promise, I just love it! That's just what I've been doing: ordering seeds, planning new projects, cleaning, organizing, getting ready!

There are a couple of events that I want to share with you:

Last year's February work party. Can't make
any promises, but notice the T-shirt being worn!

Blue House Greenhouse Farm Work Party! Saturday, February 15! 9 am-4 pm.  We'll be building things, planting, moving soil around, painting, chit-chatting, staying warm, and lunch will be provided!! You can come for an hour or 7-it's up to you, just let me know if you can make it. It will be super fun.



and inline with my love for the new year,

Consciously Setting Intentions for the New Year with One House of Peace
Sunday February 1st 10 am-5pm
Blue House Greenhouse Farm will be providing a delicious vegetarian lunch for this workshop!
Here is a description from the website:
"Are you hoping to avoid the trap of setting New Year’s goals that will end up forgotten by March? Perhaps you’ve decided to side-step the problem by not setting goals at all? Join us as we reveal how we habitually set goals from a belief that we need to be improved. We don’t – if self-improvement as a practice worked, it would have worked by now. Join us as we transcend this assumption and learn to set intention from a place of consciousness, balance, and compassion. In this workshop we will spend time honoring what we've created in the past, letting go and wiping the slate clean."  To sign-up and more information go to: http://onehouseofpeace.org/events/consciously-setting-intention-new-year-5

what a year it's been.

Winter is here. No doubt about it.

I wish I was better about taking pictures. Then you all could have seen the snow blanketing the farm this past Friday morning. What a sight! We've had some unusually cold temperatures as has much of the west. If you are interested in a detailed account of the weather events in the Pacific Northwest then look no further then the Fox 12 Weather blog.

The crops at the farm are nice and frozen. I won't be able to harvest anymore this year. I do believe that a lot of the crops that are in the ground will pull through and begin to grow again early next year. That's the hope-and that's the best I can do for now.

It's been an incredible season. How lucky I feel.

First of all the biggest and best news is that Devin is going to be a dad-again! He and his partner, Carrie have a little one on the way. This is exciting news because all of you who have met Abi, their daughter, know that they make great kids. So be sure to congratulate Devin, Carrie, and Abi next time you see them! The sad part of this news is that Devin won't be able to continue with the farm next season. Although I know Devin loved working at the farm, we know that it isn't the most lucrative of professions nor the most easy on one's body. With a baby on the way, he has to save his time, money, and body for the work ahead.

I just want to spend a moment in appreciation for Devin (I'm sorry, Devin, if it sounds like a eulogy, I know you are very much alive). Devin has been awesome to work with. From the start he was super motivated to take on the farm as a partner. He motivated us to look at what our urban farmer friends are doing, what materials could we build to assist our work, what varieties could we grow to increase our diversity, what other kind of delicious pickles could he make. His love for growing things has always been so clear and evident. Mostly Devin is a pleasure to be around. I think anyone who has met Devin can agree that he is just such an incredible person. He's super kind, thoughtful and so funny. Like the time when a woman at the farm stand said that she wasn't a big pickle fan. Devin responds by saying,"well, luckily we have small pickles!" Too funny. Anyway, I will miss working with him. I know that I will still see him a lot, but I will miss the day to day. Thanks Devin, for all time, labor and heart you've put in the farm. You're the best.

If folks are wondering what the farm will do next year, I am still trying to sort that out but check back in January for what's coming next! In other news, I received a copy of the latest magazine that featured the farm. "Elle la Table." A Japanese foodie magazine!