tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4957142238702058682024-02-18T22:02:17.712-05:00Dancing Hen Farm CSADancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-64006166274246163192022-06-19T14:28:00.000-04:002022-06-19T14:28:03.867-04:00CSA Week 1 News<p>Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm. Welcome to Week 1.5 of our 2022 CSA. Happy
Father's Day!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Week 1 CSA boxes have been delivered and ordering for Week 2
is underway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully everyone is
enjoying their boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 2 is not an
egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CSA members please remember to treat our share boxes gently
and either leave them at or return them to our CSA drop sites. We do reuse these boxes and this year they
have not only double in price, but they are in short supply nationally. We are looking into alternate boxes for
delivery. The wax coated boxes are
certainly not ideal, but they do keep our produce fresher and they fold flat
for easy storage at our delivery sites.
We also reuse clean egg cartons and paper pint and quart
"berry" boxes. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Can you believe the wind and cool temperatures today? Actually feels like fall out there. I am sitting now typing with my sweatshirt on
and my winter slippers! Looks like the
weather is to warm up towards the end of the week. Strange we spend all winter craving the
warmth of summer and all summer craving the coolness of winter! But, right now the farm could use some warm
temperatures to push along our summer crops.
Peppers and tomatoes don't like these cold temperatures! Peppers will even drop their flowers if the
temperature remains in the 50's for too long.
Once the flower has dropped from the plant it, the flower, cannot mature
into a fruit, or pepper in this case.
Plants will make more flowers and hence more peppers, but as farmers
those dropped early blossoms can mean an entire picking of peppers lost.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With that being said, our fields are actually looking pretty
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don is pushing this week to
get as much planted as he can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And our
greens love this cooler weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
looking at the spinach bed last night and decided what he wanted to plant there
next when he realized the spinach he harvest for week 1 is trying to grow
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will give it another week and
see how it does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually in heat spinach
immediately "goes to seed", meaning it diverts all its energy into
making seeds and shoots up a large inedible flower stalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is all up to the spinach at this
point!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be holding off a little
bit on planting our entire crop of cabbage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This means Farmer Don has assigned me the task of "potting on"
the cabbage transplants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Potting on
means removing the small cabbage plants from their flats and repotting them
into bigger pots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal is to keep
the plant from out growing its space and gives the plant another boost of
nutrients from our potting mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>I apologize for the newsletter being a little late. I have had kind of a crazy week. It started by me making a mess of some emails
I was sending out concerning drop sites.
Hopefully everyone was able to find their Week 1 boxes! And again I apologize for any confusion this
caused.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Friday kind of sums up how my week went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friday morning I woke up and got going on
laundry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sky was beautiful blue and
there appeared to be a slight breeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perfect!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for getting some wash
out on the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I proceeded to strip
the bed, complete with the winter comforter, and collect dirty clothes from
their various laundry piles and lugged an overflowing basket of laundry to the
washer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stuffed the washer full and
noticed the water level was on small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Small! That wasn't going to work, reaching for the knob it wouldn't
turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed stuck and stuck
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even tried using the pliers
thinking maybe I needed better leverage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nope, not budging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
meantime, I shut the water off, but most everything had gotten wet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I pulled out wet laundry and gracefully,
well many not gracefully, threw it on the floor and reloaded the washer with
what I hoped was a small load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First
load done and second one loaded and I carried the first out to hang on the
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got about half hung up and I
noticed the wind was a bit more than a breeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At which point, I was close to throwing my hands up in defeat, but
instead I pulled most of the load off the line and threw them in the dryer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My clothes line is a bit temper mental and tends
to blow down with wind, especially when drying something as billowy as
sheets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a positive note, I did get my
laundry done, one small load at a time and I was able to avoid picking clothes
up off the ground and having to have Farmer Don get the ladder out to re-hang
the clothesline.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, it is strawberry season!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have already eaten enough to make myself feel sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I just can never get enough when they
are ripe and local.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We purchase them
from a neighboring farm and I generally freeze quite a few quarts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also need to get busy drying herbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often drying herbs takes a back seat to other
kitchen tasks and before I know it the season is over and I am left with no
stored herbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, let's say in our
kitchen we are already busy with canning and freezing for the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also busy enjoying all the fresh
veggies starting to be harvested!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find
myself really craving those first greens of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow night Farmer Don and I will sit down
and go over meals for next week and I am thinking of adding a massaged kale
salad to one of our meals.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of Farmer Don and supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just walked in the back door to tell me he
is going back up into the field to try and row cover what he just planted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he has to give Dilly a bath, since she
found something dead to roll in and then he will be in for supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing leftovers are on the menu tonight
and they can simply be turned down.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alright, I know, this newsletter is pushing the limit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I will end here with my usual HUGE thank
you for all of your support.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Be safe out there.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-23551141604016658082022-05-18T17:00:00.002-04:002022-05-18T17:00:44.693-04:00Transplants on the Buying Club!<p>Greeting from a windy Dancing Hen Farm!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Ordering is open for this weekend's buying club
deliveries. This our final buying club
before Memorial Day; as we will not be delivering Memorial Day weekend. This is also most likely our final buying
club before our CSA starts up. The items to look for on this week's buying club
include transplants. Farmers Neil and
Krislyn at Seedling Creek, have worked hard to produce some beautiful, healthy
transplants; tomatoes, peppers and flowers.
These are large, healthy plants and are ready to help you get your
garden growing. Kale, braising mix,
spinach and beet greens are ready to help you reach your healthy, local, eating
goals! So happy ordering! Farmers Don and Phil are eager to see everyone
on Saturday.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>We have really had a nice run of beautiful weather. Warm sunshine and little rain. To the point where a day of slow, steady,
rain would be a welcome site. We are
actually quite dry here on farm. We are
lucky to have irrigation on farm, but most crops really need a nice soaking
rain to get them established. We did not
get the promised rains over the weekend or on Monday. We have had some showers, but not nearly
enough moisture. They are saying there
is a possibility of showers tonight, we will see if we get any.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>So this newsletter was going to be about insects,
specifically, the hated flea beetles destroying our arugula. But, Dilly steals the show again. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch doing some computer
updates, ok fine, I was actually taking a little nap! When Dilly about scared me to death. Suddenly she left out a howling bark like I
have never heard from her before. She
was not happy about something or someone.
Dilly had been napping on the porch in the sun, one of her favorite
activities. I waited a bit to get up,
because sometimes when I get up to see what she is barking at, my actions act
like a release, and Dilly goes after whatever she is upset about. So, I sat on the couch for a few more minutes
and listened her run back and forth on the back porch making a huge
racket. Then I saw a large white blur go
by the front window. A huge dog! Afraid someone was walking the dog and Dilly
was about to bite them, I got up and looked out the window. At that moment 2 huge dogs, the white one and
an even larger black one went strolling by the window and started up onto the back
porch. This made Dilly really go
ballistic. Every hair on her back was
standing up and she was crouching low to the ground as she lunged at the two
stray dogs. She proceeded to chase them
back onto the road! Of course, my dog
Mommy instinct kicked in and I rushed out onto the porch just as Dilly was
making her way back. She was still
really upset, barking and running from side to side on the porch looking around
the house for the dogs. I started screaming
for her and did manage to get her into the house. Dill was not happy to be in the house when
she still had two villains to run off.
Eventually Dilly calmed down and I called my sister to come and check
our chickens for me (Thanks Sis).
Luckily the dogs did not seem to have chicken on their minds and I was
told another neighbor had the stray dogs and was going to post their
information on facebook. It seems the
owners have already been found! And
other than being a bit tired, Dilly is no worse for the wear. Another Dilly adventure and luckily another
real disaster avoided.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our kitchen has not been real exciting recently. We are still enjoying spring greens and still
eating out of our stored food from last season.
And of course, we are eating a lot of leftovers. With only two in our family, we seem to have
so many leftovers! Leftovers are nice
this time of year, when Farmer Don is so busy in the fields. It allows for us to get supper together
quickly, without a huge amount of pressure for him to be inside to eat at a
certain time. Life is good here and
anytime we can make things run more smoothly is great.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Despite the fickle spring weather, we are still scheduled to
start CSA deliveries the second week of June. And that day is almost here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do still have a few memberships
available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please remember, unless you
have contacted us, we do need to have your payment in full before the start of
the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact us.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>And don't forget about buying club this weekend. This is your chance to get a jumpstart on
your own garden with some transplants or to enjoy the taste of spring with some
tender spring greens. Again, if you have
questions, please, do not hesitate to contact us.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks again for your continued support and for allowing us
to grow and produce food for you and your family. We are humbled to have such a loyal group of
supporters!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Believe it or not it is looking a bit like rain! I need to wrap this up and get my laundry off
the line before it gets a second rinse.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">be well, my friends</p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-67822870663961545062022-05-11T15:25:00.000-04:002022-05-11T15:25:00.138-04:00Buying Club 5/14 and Farm New<p> Greetings from a sunny and warm Dancing Hen Farm! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The buying club is now open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You have until Thursday at 5 pm to place an order for Saturday pick
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again Seedling Creek (Farmers
Neil and Krislyn) have beautiful greens and transplants available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New this week are tender nutritious beet
greens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have also added pepper
plants and some more flowers to their transplant availability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New this week are Black Krim Tomato
plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Black Krims are one of my
favorite tomatoes, ripening to a beautiful dark maroon and oh so flavorful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After last weekend's heavy rains, it is so nice to finally
have a stretch of sunny weather. And the
weeds are growing like crazy! But, our crops
are also starting to grow. The peas are
looking good and we are starting to see some germination in our other direct
seeded crops. This time of year, the
seed house is a flurry of activity as we scramble to get our summer crops
seeded for transplant into our fields, once the danger of frost is truly behind
us. Our laying hens are looking
good. The pullets have begun to lay, so
we should have eggs for the CSA and for the Back Mountain Farm Market. The first batch of meat birds are looking
healthy; outside enjoying the sunshine and fresh grass. And so far Dilly has not been harassing them
too much. She did dig under their pen
the first day they were on grass, allowing 3 birds to free range, but
thankfully she seems to have lost interest. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However poor Dilly's adventures continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always called Rosie "Calamity
Rose", but I am starting to think Rosie's calamities were nothing compared
to Dilly's.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly is barely 2 and
already has a large list of adventures, she is a true Calamity Dilly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If any of you follow Farmer Don on
Instagram, you already know that Dilly had yet another run in with a
porcupine!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, you read that right
"<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">another</b> run in with a
porcupine".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was her second
adventure with a porcupine in her 2 years of life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other night I was making dinner and was
beginning to worry a bit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don and
Dilly were not in from doing chores yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as I was about to head out on our back porch and ring the bell,
Famer Don appeared at the back door and told me he would be eating dinner
late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly had tangled with a porcupine
and had quills stuck in her snout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ouch,
poor Dilly! Farmer Don got busy collecting the tools for quill removal,
securing Dilly in the workshop, and got to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly screamed, literally screamed, but he
was able to get all the quills but one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was losing her patience and getting a bit grouchy and snappy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don decided both Dilly and he needed a
break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He got Dilly comfortable on her
bed and grabbed a beer for himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
happy to say the final quill has been removed and we are declaring Dilly quill
free once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, less than 24
hours after meeting the porcupine, she was across the road barking wildly at
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucky for her and us, she did
not find the porcupine or skunk again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay
tuned for more updates on the "Adventures of Dilly".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a feeling as the summer moves along
there will be many more Dilly stories to tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let's hope for her sake, happier and less painful stories!\ </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Like the weather, our kitchen is starting to transition from
winter to spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so nice to have
some early spring greens to be cooking with and eating right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Monday, I made a cream sauce featuring
spinach, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ended up putting it in a casserole to finish, as Farmer Don and Dilly
had their date with the porcupine quills!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are also trying to use up preserved food stores before the fresh
veggies start to be harvested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So,
tonight we are having a Pennsylvania Dutch favorite, ham and green beans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A easy meal to make and tasty to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to add a bit of apple cider vinegar to
my ham and green beans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the remaining
days this week we will have leftovers and I am thinking a Dancing Hen Farm
standard of sausage, kale and roasted potatoes another day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a nice meal, as we often have just
enough leftovers to add to eggs either for a hearty breakfast or an easy
supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do love to cook and one of my
goals right now is to move back into the kitchen!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will keep you posted on how this goes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our CSA is scheduled to start in June and we do have a few
spots available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are excited for this
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excited to be partnering with
Neil and Krislyn up at Seedling Creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are already seeing the beautiful vegetables and transplants they can
grow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Krislyn will also be helping out
here on farm, nice to have some new younger energy on farm. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, I really need to wrap up this newsletter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is after 2 and want to get a few things
done before I get started on supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
in Farmer Don's words:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be safe, be well
and enjoy those veggies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don't forget
buying club. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greens are looking
beautiful and I can attest to the fact that it really feels nice to again be
eating locally.</p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-22855146989127955192022-05-03T15:21:00.001-04:002022-05-03T15:21:25.596-04:00News and Buying Club Open May 7<p>Greetings from sunny and warmer Dancing Hen Farm!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Buying Club ordering is now open for deliveries this
Mother's Day weekend. In celebration of
Mother's Day we will be offering <b>one
dollar off</b> all orders for this week's (May 7) delivery only. Note, the discount will not be reflected on
our website, but you will be charged <b>one
dollar less</b> when you pick up. Our
buying club availability is growing thanks to Farmers Neil and Krislyn. This week we have added tomato and flower transplants
to our list. New also have beautiful and
tasty baby bok choy and braising greens to order. Remember all items are on a first serve,
first come basis, so be sure to order early.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are getting busy on farm!
The seed house is filling up quickly and we have started to direct seed
some hardy spring crops. Our peas are
finally germinating. The recent cool
temperatures have kept the soil temperatures down, which had kept our peas from
germinating. Lettuce, arugula, radishes
and spinach should not far behind, these should be ready for harvest for our
first CSA delivery. Farmer Don has also
been busy taking care of our soil. In
years past we have used our small truck to haul multiple loads of compost to
spread on our fields. This year we had a
large amount of compost delivered to the farm.
This has been a huge time saver for Farmer Don, as now he simply has to
go to the barn for compost as opposed to driving 10 or 20 miles down the road,
sometimes multiple times in one day.
Taking care of the soil is so important on the farm and using compost is
one of our main ways doing this. Compost
adds organic matter, tilth and fertility to our soils and keeps them balanced
so we can continue to grow nutrient dense vegetables.</p><p class="MsoNormal">As I have mentioned in another newsletter, this year we are
welcoming Farmer Neil back to Dancing Hen Farm.
Early this spring, Neil contacted us about getting he and his family
involved with the farm again. Neil
worked for us for a number of years in the past and recently he and his partner
Krislyn have been busy raising a family and turning their small property into a
thriving homestead, Seedling Creek. Farmer
Neil and Krislyn have taken what Neil learned from Farmer Don to a whole new
level of intensive vegetable production.
This season they will be growing for us on their property, as well as,
helping us here on farm. The energy and
new ideas this young family is bringing to Dancing Hen Farm is perfect for the
farm right now. So, stay tuned as we
keep you updated not just on the happenings at Dancing Hen Farm, buy also at
Seedling Creek.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dilly is sitting here next to me on the couch, as if to say
"Mom, you are going to mention me in the newsletter, aren't
you?". So yes, Dilly you will get
your paragraph! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think our other two dogs spoiled me. Neither really liked the water. They did not play in puddles, play with the
hose or wade very deeply into the pond.
This is not true of Darling Dilly.
She tromps right through the puddles and loves to sprayed by and play in
the stream from the hose. This means she
is often wet and well, wet dogs smell, but Dilly really smells! Early this spring, actually probably late
winter, Dilly had a conversation with the wrong end of a skunk. Yep, you guessed it. She was a stinky mess! Farmer Don doused her in Skunk Off and diligently
tried to rid her of this new perfume.
Unfortunately, as is often the case with skunk, the smell still lingers.
And the smell is really apparent when
she is wet! There have been a few nights
when she has come in from doing chores with Farmer Don that I have been
convinced she was sprayed again. I have
even gone as far as to chase her outside and told Don she has been sprayed
again, only to realize she is really just wet.
So, I allowed her back in the house, but tried to keep her off my
lap!! As a warning, if you come visit
the farm you will most likely be greeted by Dilly, a very stinky Dilly. I am convinced she will smell like skunk for
the rest of her life. I am thinking we
may need to change her name!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We do still have some memberships available for our summer
CSA. Visit our website or contact the
farm for additional information. It is
hard to believe this will be our CSA's 15th year of existence! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think I will end this here. Newsletters seem to take me all day to
write! And true to form, just as I
started writing, my washer stop and I took a break to hang a load of laundry on
the line. Hard for me to believe that now
that laundry is dry! Yes, it is time for
me to say done, wrap this up and bring my wash in.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, following in Farmer Don's lead of this being a year
dedicated the support we get from you, our community. Thank you for your support, you make it
possible to farm this stony hillside and hopefully leave this section of the
earth a healthy place for the next generation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-25869130513386300452022-04-27T17:14:00.003-04:002022-04-27T17:14:37.180-04:00Happy Birthday Farmer Phil and the Buying Club is open!<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Hi Friends! A couple of quick notes to pass
along.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #231f20; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Number one: Aunt Joan and Uncle Don want to
pass along Happy Birthday wishes to Farmer Phil! Happy Birthday Phil! We're
looking forward to your help around the farm this coming season and getting
back to doing the weekly farmer's markets with you this summer! Aunt Joan and I
can't begin to describe how much your help on the farm means to us, and from me
to you, Phil, you and I running buying clubs, doing farmer markets and all of
our various activities puts a warm feeling in my heart and a smile on my face...may
we have many, many more to come! Happy Birthday PHIL!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #231f20; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, energy levels continue to build around
the farm, despite the roller coaster weather. 6 inches of snow last Tuesday, 80
degrees and sun on Sunday, and now this morning 35 degrees with 15mph winds...just
when I was ready to put the long underwear away, now I'm chopping wood and
burning the wood stove....</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #231f20; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This morning I updated all accounts,
recorded payments received and activated all accounts for summer CSA. Still
shooting for early June to open. The cold temps I can handle....but with all
the rain and wet weather it has been tough to get into the fields to get some
real work done. Spring has always been the toughest season to manage, and this
spring has proven to be just that. We take our opportunities to work when we
have them and move forward. We've been moving forward for 15yrs now with you,
the Dancing Hen Farm's community support, and will continue to do so. Through
thick and thin the farm comes together. Thanks again for all of the support.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Buying club is open again this week. We
will keep adding new items as we can, and are featuring items from Neil's
little farm up by Forksville. Neil and Krislyn have been working hard to be
producers and are now in a position to share their harvest with you. Look for
their items on our website.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #231f20; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Time to start the day's activities, get
Joan another cup of coffee, run Dilly so she and I will sleep well tonight and
enjoy another adventure filled day on the farm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #231f20; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Be well friends, thanks again for your
ongoing support, and when you see Farmer Phil, wish him a Happy Birthday! HAPPY
BIRTHDAY PHIL!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-28118005580817534052022-04-21T16:20:00.008-04:002022-04-21T16:20:53.884-04:00Buying Club April 23<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Farmers Don and Phil will be out and about on Saturday
(April 23) delivering buying club orders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are preorders placed on our website through the winter buying
club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ordering for Saturday's buying
club ends tonight at 5 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have
questions or are having trouble navigating the website, please contact us at
the farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will do what we can to help
you place and order and get some local products to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmers Neil and Krislyn have been busy and
are supplying the buying club with some tender spring greens as well as some
wild harvested ramps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dancing Hen Farm
has a good supply of eggs, pastured pork and some storage crops available </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How about this weather?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Spring in Pennsylvania is always a bit of a roller coaster ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently that ride has been on the wild
side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lows in the low 20's and upper
teens, followed by 7 plus inches of snow, and a couple of days in the upper
70's, has left us all a holding on waiting for the next curve Mother Nature has
up her sleeve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes the ride
continues, we had snow, lots of snow, on Tuesday and 80 and sun is predicted on
Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hard weather to farm in!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time of year we are even more obsessed
with the weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waiting patiently for
fields to dry and overnight temperatures to stay warm enough to sustain our
summer crop transplants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In spite of the weather we have been busy! Farmer Don was able to get peas planted a
couple of weeks ago. Not quite St
Patrick's Day, but we were so happy to get them in before the snow. Now we will wait for the soil to warm just a
bit for germination. We have other
fields worked and ready for planting as soon as things dry out a bit. After peas, we usually plant onions and
potatoes, followed closely by greens, both salad and cooking greens. True summer crops, such as tomatoes, peppers
and squash, will not be planted until after the threat of frost. For our farm we consider the very end of May
or the first of June to be a safe no frost date for planting these more tender
crops. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Just a quick update on our instagram account. Our instagram account is
@Dancing_Hen_Farm. Sorry for any
confusion, Farmer Don had someone help him put instagram on his phone and they
decided to create a new account. Farmer
Don will be using this account throughout the season to keep everyone updated
on farm activities. So go ahead follow
him and enjoy the pictures he has been taking!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>There is still much to tell, including some Dilly stories,
but I will end here for today. As usual,
I have been working on this newsletter all day!
Crazy how I can write all day and get very little written. So my friends, be well, be safe and send us
some warm weather vibes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-70090216147500085722022-03-06T13:52:00.001-05:002022-03-06T13:52:35.120-05:002022 March, Spring is coming<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #231f20;">Hi Friends of Dancing Hen Farm....we've moved into March, cool, now
hopefully we can keep snow and cold weather away, looking to get peas in the
ground , St. Pats day is the traditional planting day...fields are still
defrosting so still too early to get out just yet.....starting some seeds in
the house.......</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #231f20;">so, the message for tonight's newsletter is to ask our community
to follow us on instagram......I'm doing all I can to post the farm experience
for all of you to share....we are planning a farm open house sometime in May,
so everyone can visit the farm and see where the sustainable agriculture you
support is produced.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #231f20;">Message...pictures are on instagram.. look us up .<a href="https://www.instagram.com/Dancing_Hen_Farm/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2e7baf; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.instagram.com/Danc...</span></b></a> .. trying to share
the farm as best I can....you've been with us for over 15 years now, I can
finally show the farm to you... enjoy and feel free to comment...I will do my
best to show you anything on the farm...gonna seed micro greens tomorrow, let's
follow them from seed to your family..........psyched to involve our community
in what you support us to do.......<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #231f20;">Be Well Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #231f20;">Farmer Don<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-5942452753397914352022-02-24T12:08:00.001-05:002022-02-24T12:08:31.553-05:002022 February 24 Newsletter<p> Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The buying club is now open for deliveries this
weekend!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The window to order will remain
open until 8 pm tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this
week, buying club deliveries may become a bit more sporadic as Farmer Don has
some commitments coming up during the months of March and April.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We currently have available proteins,
including eggs, and storage crops for purchase. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In case you haven't guessed it yet, I am back in the
writer's seat, at least for this newsletter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Farmer Don wants to write some newsletters when he has the time, so we
will be switching back and forth a bit, at least until the growing season
really gets busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are trying to get a
newsletter out to you each week and will hopefully continue this through the
summer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is anyone else feeling that we have made the weather turn
towards spring?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I know I am
probably being optimistic, but the weather has been so warm recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you heard the birds starting to sing
more in the mornings? And yesterday I saw a robin!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course today is cool and cloudy with a storm
brewing for tonight and tomorrow morning!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, I am feeling very optimistic that soon I will be sitting on the
porch with Dilly watching the birds!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
may feel differently in March when we are still getting snow, but for now -
spring is just around the corner!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On farm the buzz for the 2022 growing season has begun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are busy ordering seeds and supplies and
getting the seed house nursery cleaned up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the next week or so we will be starting seeds for some of our early
transplants and in several weeks we could be planting peas!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don and I are feeling motivated and
excited to 2022.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very much like the
early days of Dancing Hen Farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have had
a tough couple of years health wise, but we are ready to get growing food for
our community. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The farm doesn't look
quite like we envisioned it when we started, but we have spent time this winter
reflecting on the farm and we are happy with where the farm is, happy with what
our farm has become, and happy, for the most part, with the direction our lives
are taking.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are excited to be going back to the Back Mountain Library
Farmers Market this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmers Don
and Phil are excited to see all their old friends at market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know is quite a long ways off, but if you
go to market please be sure to stop by our table and say hello to the
farmers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are hoping Farmers Neil and
Krislyn will also be joining us at market this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Neil worked for us a number of years
ago and he is eager to get involved in the farm again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and Krislyn have turned their small yard
into a farm and are growing some really beautiful food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look for their items to appear on the market
table and in our CSA share boxes. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please note registration for our 2022 CSA is now open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a limited number of shares
available and your share is reserved in order in which payment is
received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to all for your
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CSA registration is one of my
favorite times of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see the
true sense of our community as we see people signing up who have been with us
since year one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also excited to
see unfamiliar names appear as new members are finding and signing up for our
CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The CSA is the backbone of our
farm.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the kitchen we are still eating lots of soups and
stews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every weekend we usually cook a
chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then eat leftover chicken for
lunch during the week and we make stock out of the bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do love our chickens -- they taste great
and by making stock, we feel we are really stretching the meals from one
chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other week we stewed half a
chicken and made chicken and dumplings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, good!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice rich broth, filled
with chicken, carrots, corn and potatoes and then topped with some fluffy
dumplings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also trying to use up
our canned and preserved foods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last
year we canned salsa verde and this winter we made a really delicious white
chicken chili featuring this salsa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
recipe is a keeper for sure!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/white-chicken-chili-bake/</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ah yes, Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly
is very much the Queen of Dancing Hen Farm (we even have a picture of her in
her Queen clothes!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She loves doing
chores with Farmer Don and loves running deer and other invaders off the property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the invaders no one can see!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes she is a barker!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far we are living with her barking and
trying to give her no attention (positive or negative) for barking in the hopes
that she will outgrow this latest Dillyism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even with all of this barking, she is still a cuddle bug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, if I am sitting on the couch on the
computer, guaranteed she will paw at me and computer until I give up and allow
her to cuddle up next to me and put her head on my lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As much as I hate having her stinky, little,
farm body on the couch it is so nice to have her cuddle up next to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I won't be speaking so sweetly of
her the next time she chews up the newspaper or drinks my coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And by the way, it is coffee she likes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can have a cup of tea and she will not
bother it, but coffee she will lap up any chance she gets!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust me she does not need to have the added caffeine
in the coffee!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, I need to wrap this up and move onto finishing up
organizing and inventorying our seed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
much bigger task then I anticipated!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Look out Farmer Don, your seed tote will never be the same again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks again for your continued support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And thanks for reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We consider all of you our community and
community is very high on Dancing Hen Farm's values list.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Until next week........</p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-60828304403209681292022-02-09T12:46:00.001-05:002022-02-09T12:46:16.370-05:002022 winter buying club number two, open<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px;">Hi Friends,</span></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0.5rem 0px;">just a quick note to let everyone know our buying club is open again for orders with delivery this coming Saturday. We were able to add a few more storage crops to the selection. And stay in tune, as we are close to announcing more fun and exciting developments from the farm. Be well,</div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0.5rem 0px;">farmer Don</div>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-54987142278853548372022-02-09T12:44:00.003-05:002022-02-09T12:44:59.344-05:002022 the farm is now on instagram<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px;">Hi Friends,</span></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0.5rem 0px;">Farmer Phil and I were out and about today, slipping and sliding on the ice delivering buying club orders. Really nice to see friends of the farm who also slid on the ice to come see us and offer support. Love our community; and Karen be sure to tell Herb, Lowell George and I smile each and every day I come in from the farm...So, we now have an instagram account... dancinghenfarmpa ....trying to share more pictures of the farm as they happen...want to involve our community as best we can to share the farm that our community supports so well... we do ask patience as we navigate this new platform for us....but really excited to share the farm....be well..friends...and thanks again for your ongoing support...</div>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-24046981722986970682022-02-09T12:42:00.000-05:002022-02-09T12:42:00.755-05:002022 CSA Ground Hog Day<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px;">Hi Friends! So glad to be back and about. Farmer Phil and Farmer Don were out and about today, visiting and celebrating our market friends and site hosts, in and around the Dancing Hen Farm Community. We were able to say hi to Gary and our friends at the Back Mountain Memorial Library, and let them know after a one year break we will be back to market for the 2022 season. Really happy to see and say hi to our friends at the Library. On to Verve Vertu, just missed Gwen, but enjoyed saying hi to our friends there and dropping off some eggs for all to enjoy. Seeing and saying to hi to Corrine, over at Balance Yoga, is always a feel support visit, and being able to share our harvest in such a healthy, positive energy environment is rewarding. Up in Mountain Top we stopped at the Crestwood Pharmacy to say hi and thank our friends up there for somewhere nearing five years of farm support as our local drop site for our friends up on the mountain. Over to Bloomsburg with a stop at Bloom Naturally, and a thank you there for many, many years of support. What a nice, friendly environment they share with our friend Mike, and the group at RT 11.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0.5rem 0px;">So, a fun day for Farmer Phil and Farmer Don to be out and about. And it doesn't stop there as we are preparing to fire up the buying club again and get out to see everyone prior to CSA and market season. Starting this week the buying club will open early tomorrow morning and stay open thru Thursday nite for orders to be delivered by Phil and I on Saturday. We have some carrots and potatoes to share as well as a few farm proteins. Eggs are the special purchase going forward. The hens are enjoying their passive solar house with the warm up the winter sun provides. And new this year, is a little something, again to celebrate our community will be another email with a "code" word, good for a dollar discount, off your purchase when you see Farmer Phil and I at market. Happy to be back. Ready to fire up the farm for 2022. Be well friends, and thanks so much for your support.</div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.32px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0.5rem 0px;">Farmer Don</div>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-7362656664183961422022-01-24T17:39:00.000-05:002022-01-24T17:39:10.927-05:00First Newsletter of 2022<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold;">2022 Farm update</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px 0px;">Good afternoon family, friends and supporters of Dancing Hen Farm! Really happy to be back to reaching out to all of you with a brief recap of 2021 and some news for the upcoming 2022 season!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px 0px;">Number one : Thank you for your support! Each and every one of you! Joan and I would not have Dancing Hen Farm if it wasn't for the ongoing support you provide. Thanks again!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px 0px;">Wrapping up 2021, another year with covid all around us, a seaming lightening up in mid-summer only to come back in a different form later in the year. As you know Joan and I spent the season in a sort of isolation mode, and you know what, despite many hospitalizations, and such, Joan and I have been covid free and plan to stay that way! As you know, we have many other health issues to worry about, so covid can go pound sand as far as the farmer is concerned. Yup, so 2021, first year in 14 years we didn't go to a farm market. Ouch. Missed seeing all of our friends. I know farmer Phil missed market as much as farmer Don. Ups and downs with crop production, no biggie, same as every year. Fresh herbs were a positive last season, greens were okay, especially late season, root crops and fruit crops were okay, and deer continue to be the single biggest challenge to our farm operations. Even though Dilly is doing her barking best to keep them at bay. Not too many serious weather issues. Eggs were good all year long, and pork and chicken out of the freezer worked well. We also added fresh, sourdough bread to our buying club in 2021. We also welcomed our neighbor, Paul, into the fold, for help all over the farm. Very grateful for his help. And a shout out to Dr. / FarmerJohn, for his assistance with the delivery side of our operations. So thankful for all the help all season long!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px 0px;">Let's move on to 2022! Dancing Hen Farm, Joan and Farmer Don, want to dedicate this season to our members and supporters! Many of you have been with us since the start, 15 years ago! Community does not build spontaneously. It has taken all of us, together, to build the Dancing Hen Farm community. Sharing the nutrient dense harvest, one of our founding values, with all of you has been so satisfying and rewarding, time has come to reward our community. So, for 2022, a few of the thoughts and ideas we have to support this celebration! Let's start with increasing our season to 20 weeks with no price increase, adding two more weeks of harvest for you, our members to enjoy. Extras and surprises included with the weekly shares. Revisiting nutrition information and education on a weekly basis. Offering on farm events. Increasing our web presence, with more farm stories and pictures. Increasing our support towards on farm education, focusing on the younger generation. Farmer Phil and Farmer Don returning to market and continuing our meet and greets. More involvement with off season buying clubs. Welcoming farmer Neil back to the farm, with his friend Krislyn and their family assisting with all aspects of operations. Introducing and nurturing long term crops to the farm, such as trees to include nut trees, fruit crops and berries. Bringing pigs and chickens back to the farm. And, doing all we can, as we enter year 15, to make this a celebration year, celebrate the support you have shown us all these years. You now have two excited and motivated cancer survivors sharing the harvest and running the Dancing Hen farm operations. We couldn't be happier or more motivated for the upcoming season.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px 0px;">We will be opening memberships shortly, as we can always use your early support to purchase supplies and equipment. Details will be very similar to last year, same pick up sites, no home deliveries, but an extra 2 weeks, one on the front and one on the back end. Specifics will follow shortly, stay tuned.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px 0px;">And, Thanks again for your ongoing support! Be well friends.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Quicksand, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px 0px;">Farmer Don</div>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-13505660627311699172021-10-22T18:42:00.000-04:002021-10-22T18:42:02.397-04:002021 Final CSA Delivery<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Greetings from Dancing Hen
Farm!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">CSA members:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boxes you received Wednesday, 10/20/2021,
was our last delivery of the 2021 CSA season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This week was not an egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Farmers Don Phil will be making the rounds to our drop sites in the next
few weeks to pick up share boxes, so please leave (or return) you box to your
drop site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope everyone enjoyed the
2021 CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>THANK YOU to all our CSA
members for trusting us to deliver farm fresh, in season, vegetables to you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The weather, what can we say
about the weather so far this fall.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
feel we have had our share of clouds, but this week we had some beautiful fall
days - lots of sun, a light breeze, lower humidity and not a cloud in the
sky.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We have had few cooler days and
nights, but we still have not had a frost here on farm.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Some areas have seen frost and we were
worried the other night.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This resulted
in Farmer Don out with his headlamp trying to harvest any temperature sensitive
crops.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But no frost here.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That night we bottomed out at 42.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">With this warmer weather, our
fields look pretty good and we still have some harvestable crops to be
picked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our collard greens are probably
the best we have ever grown and our Swiss chard is coming on beautifully
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact all of greens are looking
great and we will be able to harvest and store some other crops, such as
peppers and eggplants, before we do get a frost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a side note, greens tend to get sweeter as
the temperatures get cooler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So fall is
the perfect season to pull out those recipes for kale, collards, Asian greens
or chard.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Since we still have crops to
harvest, we are finalizing plans for a fall and early winter buying club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The details are still being worked out, so
please watch your email for buying club information.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I must say this has been a
good growing season for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We felt the
CSA boxes looked good going out and although we dealt with our usual invasion
by weeds, deer and groundhogs, our crops fared quite well this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don and I, for the most part, are on
the mend, feeling healthier and stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By reducing our CSA numbers and pulling out of markets, we accomplished
one goal for the 2021 season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This goal
was to bring the stress level on farm down and have some time to spend enjoying
life and the farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have had a nice
growing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have both felt more
relaxed and have been able to spend more time together, including time to create
meals from our veggies, enjoying the back porch and reviving our decades old
ongoing Scrabble challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Our kitchen has been quite busy
this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am happy to say as the
summer moved along, my energy has increased and I have been doing more cooking
and canning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don and Farmer
Phil's Mom Joyce are huge cheerleaders for my "take back the kitchen"
campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our pantry is filled to
overflowing with cans of preserved veggies and thanks to Joyce I have green
beans, peppers and corn in the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most recently eggplant has been the chosen ingredient in our kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have made eggplant parmesan, eggplant
lasagna, eggplant gratin, eggplant stew, eggplant soup; I think you get the
idea!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of eggplant to be used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have some in storage and may try to
bread and bake them and then freeze them for later use in parmesan or lasagna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With cooler temperatures coming on we will
shift into greens mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to find a
good recipe for collards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to
confess these are not my favorite greens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With our collards being so beautiful (and healthy!), they are, however,
calling my name and I need to start cooking with them more.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, what would a
newsletter be without an update on Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dilly has had a bit of a rough summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This explains her intermittent limping and
general joint stiffness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is now on
medication and doing much better, although she still seems to have some occasional
stiffness in her back and hind legs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
despite Lyme disease Dilly is still Silly Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She still loves coffee and her bouncy balls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also still enjoys helping us with the
newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other day, while I was on
the phone with the doctor, she decided to be helpful and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fetch the newspaper for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the paper never made it off the
patio, where she made a nice pile of shredded newsprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The front page and some of the ads were
shredded completely, but Farmer Don was happy that the Sport's page remained
mostly intact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I want to again, take this
opportunity to thank everyone for your continued support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I said above, this has been a nice growing
season for Dancing Hen Farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don
and I have been more relaxed and I think this has been evident in the quality
of crops we were able to distribute this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, thanks to our farm family, our community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Thank You for reading my newsletters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Did you know we have a social
media presence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a facebook page
and a blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can always find farm
pictures and information at these sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Farm/Dancing-Hen-Farm-111155465564952/<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">and our blog<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://dancinghenfarmcsa.blogspot.com/</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Please remember to watch your
email for buying club announcements and ongoing farm news.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In closing, the words of
farmer Don, "be safe, be well and enjoy those veggies".</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-27304573059828851582021-09-16T13:48:00.005-04:002021-09-16T13:48:44.360-04:00Thanks to this year's helpers!<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We do hope that all our CSA members have been enjoying their
boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boxes delivered this week are
Week 13 and Week 13 is an egg week.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, first let me apologize for being so lax in getting
newsletters out this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could
come up with some real excuses, like hospitalizations, medication making me
tired, and what not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in reality it
is simply because I am a self proclaimed Procrastination Queen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can say I will try to be better as we draw
the 2021 season to a close, but only the weeks will tell if I continue wearing
my Queen crown or not.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the remains of Hurricane Ida tore through the area,
didn't we had some beautiful weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not to make light of the destruction from rising flood waters and
tornados, but I truly felt like fall had arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clear sunny days and cool nights!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept telling Farmer Don it looked and felt
like fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love fall, so this message
was delivered with a bit smile on my face!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Farmer Don would patiently point out to me that it was not fall yet, as
the trees were still green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would just
as patiently remind him that we usually get our first light frost in September
and look how short the days are becoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I mean the golden rod has been turning fallow fields into blazes of
yellow and today, while running errands, I saw trees turning a brilliant
red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only a few trees, but red none the
less!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course recently it has been a
little hot and sticky, but trust me fall is just around the corner.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So on farm we are getting ready for fall as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winter squash is being harvested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomatoes and summer squash harvests are
coming to an end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have planted some
cooler season fall crops, including arugula, radishes and another rotation of
Asian greens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look for greens to come back
with a flourish soon, as the kale and chard are coming along beautifully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our lettuce has also enjoyed the slightly
cooler temperatures and should be available in both loose leaf heads as well as
some salad mix </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I want to take a bit of written space now for my annual
thank you newsletter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A huge thank you
to all of you, our members, friends and family of the farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without your continued support, we would be
unable to do what we are doing, growing food sustainably here on a rocky
hillside in north central PA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to
specifically thank Farmer Phil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As many
of you know, Farmer Phil has been with us since year one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phil heads up our pack house, keeping busy
weighing and portioning for csa boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also is our delivery assistant, helping our driver know where to go
and helping with carrying boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Speaking of deliveries, another huge thank you to Farmer John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John has his own farm and has been helping us
this year with Wednesday's deliveries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
also want to thank our neighbor Paul for his help during the season making
certain greenhouses stayed watered, seeding schedules were maintained and
entertaining Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also would be
unable to do this without the help of our delivery site hosts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to the staff at Crestwood Pharmacy, Corrine
and the staff at Balance Yoga, the staff at Bloom Naturally and Gwen and all
the artists at Verve Vertu Artist Studio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And last, but not least, a huge thank you to Farmers Joyce and
Mike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joyce and Mike also happen to be Farmer
Phil's parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They help out the farm
in too numerous ways to list, but include harvest, supplementing our
production, helping me with medical appointments and helping to assure Dilly is
getting walks and play time when necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you see any of these folks out and about, please take a moment to say
thank you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The kitchens, ours and Farmers Joyce and Mike's, have been
really busy this year with canning and preserving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early on Joyce and I canned peaches and Joyce
and Mike have been kind enough to freeze beans, corn and peppers for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the mean time they have been busy making
pickles, peach preserves and salsas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This year Farmer Don is making his presence known in the preserving
kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and I have canned tomatoes
and 2 rotations of salsa (a hotter and milder version).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still this season, we have plans for
applesauce and tomato sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to
say it has been a productive preserving season this year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have said before, I love to can and
preserve food in general, so it makes me feel good to be back in the canning
game!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Also in the kitchen, I have been waiting patiently for
cooler weather for soup and stew season to start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do love to cook and eat soups and
stews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am waiting patiently to use one
of remaining stew hens to make a nice pot of chicken corn soup and I am hoping
to use some of our cabbage to make an unstuffed cabbage soup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love stuffed cabbage, but find I don't have
the patience for all the steps involved in stuffed cabbage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several years ago I found a recipe for a
casserole or soup for unstuffed cabbage and I was hooked!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then there was Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What can I say about Dillburger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
is starting to live up to her sister Rosie's title of Calamity Rose. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most recently Dill has come up lame with one
of her back legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have had her to the
vet twice to be checked and of course as soon as she walks into the vet's
office you can't even tell which leg is the problem one!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And nothing has been found that could be
causing the limping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has also had a
slight run in with a skunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow she
seems to have been sprayed on her belly?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are thinking she was not the target of the spray and maybe walked
through some high grass with the skunk spray on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, in all honesty, only Dilly and the skunk
know for sure!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also had a not so slight run in with a
porcupine!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As she nursed a sore muzzle
and nose, I am hoping she learned her lesson with porcupines and will stay
clear of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yeah, and clear of the
skunks, as well!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I will end here with a "be safe, be well and enjoy
those veggies"</p><p class="MsoNormal">Until next week! (well, I guess I should be honest and say
until next newsletter)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-46594783714480936522021-08-13T14:24:00.000-04:002021-08-13T14:24:09.470-04:002021 Most Recent Newsletter<p>Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>CSA Members: I hope
everyone enjoyed their CSA boxes. Thanks
for returning boxes to us.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Can you believe it is August already? What a roller coaster the weather has been
this summer. From cool, almost fall
like, with morning lows in the low 50's and upper 40's. To a brutal heat wave with day time
temperatures pushing 90 plus and overnight lows in the 70's. Personally, I will take the cooler
temperatures. The heat is hard from me
to deal with, as is the need to keep the air conditioning on and the house shut
up. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>In general our fields are looking good. The weeds, of course, are growing
nicely! Our true summer crops are a bit
slow to ripen, but this heat should push them along a bit. Our cooking greens continue to look beautiful. A few years back Farmer Don was all about
nutrient density of certain vegetables and greens are very high on the nutrient
dense list. Meaning they are packed with
vitamins and minerals for a low caloric intake.
We love our greens and add them to stir frys or scrambled with
eggs. We love these green eggs for
either breakfast or a quick summer dinner.
Green eggs are simply scrambled eggs with greens stirred in. Any of the cooking greens do well with eggs. I usually saute the greens a bit first with
some garlic and/or onion and then add the eggs and cook until the eggs are the
consistency you like. A nice salad and
some bread make these eggs a fulfilling supper.
Our bok choy this season has been some of the best we have grown for a
number of years. Bok choy, another nutrient
dense vegetable, and another vegetable that does nicely in stir frys. There are also some really great salads out
there which use bok choy. We used to do
some cooking demonstrations at farmers markets and would often feature a bok
choy salad with a creamy vinaigrette dressing and goat cheese. All parts of bok choy are edible, but for a
milder dish, omit some of the leaves and just use the stems. Salad greens are also coming on strong. Farmer Don is very happy to be starting to
harvest some mixed greens. A few will be
on this week's choice, with hopefully larger numbers available in the coming
weeks. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>In our kitchen, like most of you, we are busy cooking
zucchini! Zucchini on the grill,
zucchini in stir frys, zucchini as a side vegetable, zucchini added to salads
and so on! Yes, it is still zucchini
season. Farmer Don is telling me harvest
is starting to slow down, so if you haven't gotten your fill of zucchini yet,
order some before we run out. Yes, we do
actually run out of zucchini! In fact, I
need to get some in the kitchen, as I haven't made any zucchini bread yet. I am also contemplating making some zucchini
relish, as peppers are ripening. Often
the zucchini ripens too far ahead of the peppers to make relish. On the preservation list this year are
tomatoes, tomato sauce and applesauce for sure, with some extras thrown in if I
have the energy. If you see Farmer Phil
out doing deliveries, you will have to ask him about all the pickling and
preserving his parents have been doing.
They have been busy!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Do any of you remember a number of years ago when I had some
snakes take up residence in my herb bed?
Two to be exact and I was convinced they were going to have some huge
number of babies. At that time we had
two CSA members who were amateur snake charmers. Ok, so they were amateur snake hunters, but
doesn't charmers sound so much better!?
Anyway the snake charmers were unable to capture the snakes and I never
saw any babies. At some point the snakes
left my herb bed and have never returned.
Well this year, earlier in the spring, Farmer Don came down to the house
carrying something. He stood outside the
window holding up a long ribbon of some sort.
This "ribbon" was really long - at least a foot longer than he
is tall and he is about six feet, making the "ribbon" easily 7 feet
long. What in the world? I got up to get a better look to discover he
was holding a snake skin! A 7 foot long snake
skin! Oh my! "Where did you find that?" I asked. He told me laying on top of the bushes along
the edge of the orchard and then he showed me a second one which was only 5 or
6 feet. Only 5 or 6 feet! Ok, so I do not mind snakes, but I have to be
honest and say I do not want to run into either of the snakes which left behind
those skins. I mean what are they
eating? They aren't making too huge of a
dent in our groundhog or fox populations, but I cannot imagine they are getting
that big on field mice and voles? Anyway
I had the great my plan to take a picture of Farmer Don holding both skins and
use the picture as a lead into this "snake newsletter". It was getting dark when he brought them down
to the house, so I told him I would take the picture the next day when the
light was better. Farmer Don hung the
skins on our back porch where he felt they would be safe. Of course he did not account for Dilly Dog's
ability to get at anything we are trying to keep from her, so first thing the
next morning, she ran out the door and snagged a snake skin even before she
pottied! Before I knew it she had the
second one down as well. I decided a
half chewed skin didn't make a great picture, so I had fun watching her play
with them. Shaking them, growling at them
and rolling on them and yes, also chewing on them like snake jerky. Eventually we picked them up and poor Dilly
had to go back to chewing on her toys. I
have yet to see any super large snakes on farm, but I am treading lightly and
keeping my eye out!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Ok, considering this newsletter has been sitting on my
computer for several weeks, I think it is time to simply consider it done and
send it out for everyone to read.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>As always Thanks to all members and friends of our
farm. Without your continued support, we
would not be able to farm and care for this rocky hillside we call Dancing Hen
Farm.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Closing in Farmer Don's words: "be safe, be well and
enjoy those veggies"</p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-88825510704989753922021-07-19T16:56:00.000-04:002021-07-19T16:56:01.876-04:002021 CSA Week 4 Newsletter<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Greetings from Dancing Hen
Farm!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">CSA members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope you are enjoying your Week 4
boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 4 was not an egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 5 is an egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A huge "Thank you" to everyone who
has returned boxes to us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Ah yes, the weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today brings clouds and cooler
temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just checked radar and it
looks as though we may remain dry this evening and night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, that has not been the case recently,
when each day brought high temperatures and evening storms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than Thursday, I cannot remember a day
recently without the storms and rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
farm, we have been easily getting 0.5 to 2.0 inches of rain a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This much rain is almost as challenging as a
drought on farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With these heavy rains,
we are lucky that our fields drain fairly quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However this much rain and days of high
humidity means foliage stays wet and wet plants leads to disease problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weeds also love the rain, so many of our
fields are starting to look a bit like a jungle. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to get out the hoe and even the weed eater
to tackle those pesky weeds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Our fields are filling up and
believe it or not, soon we will be transitioning to planting late summer and
fall crops.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cucumber are setting fruit,
so we should have cucumbers available in the next week or so.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Greens continue to be harvested and look
really good thanks to the rain!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
Chard and Red Russian kale are both looking beautiful right now.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Red Russian is my favorite kale.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I think it less bitter and I am convinced the
red hue is giving me some different, healthy, phyto-chemicals then green curly
kale.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Try a massaged kale salad with
this red kale for those hot days when cooking seems exhausting.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Our Romaine Lettuce continues to be harvested
and we are waiting a new planting of leaf lettuce to size up soon.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A second planting of eggplant went in the
ground today and our next planting of summer squash, cucumbers and lettuce has
also been planted.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The farm is still collecting
pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most recent is a chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This chicken has decided she should live at
the house, not in the coop with her 100 or so sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each night she makes her way to the
porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watch her walking down from
the barn, through the yard, a bit before dusk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She then walks along the railing, cooing and clucking, until she finds
her spot to roost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When chickens roost
they tend to poop a lot, so now Farmer Don has to muck the porch!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A job he is not fond of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have tried several tactics to get her to
go back home, to the coop, at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have shooed her off the porch only to have her clucking and cooing her way back
before we even get a chance to sit back down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Farmer Don has carried her back to the coop and placed her in the far
corner near the roost, but she was not deterred!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope, she followed he and Dilly all the back
to the house and proceeded to once again find her roost on the porch railing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has been doing this long enough that
Dilly now considers her a member of the house pets and rarely even gives her a
second look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to be a bit careful
with the chickens and Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is not
as gentle as Rosie was with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose
would herd the chickens away from the house and back towards the barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sometimes would nip at them to move them
along, but she never grabbed them with her mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly, on the other hand, does not have any
herding instinct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would prefer to
grab the chicken and proceed to carry it back to the barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kind of comical to see Dilly, who as I have
said before, is not that large, carrying a full grown chicken around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as you can imagine, Dilly is not as
gentle with the chickens as we would like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She usually initially grabs them by the neck and unfortunately the
outcome is not always a positive one for the chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since our chickens are free range, Dilly has
fairly constant access to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For that
reason we have spent a good bit of time teaching her not to "carry"
chickens and for the most she has learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only occasionally do we now find her with a chicken in her mouth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It seems our kitchen has been
filled with leftovers recently.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We seem
to only cook one or two dinners a week and eat the leftovers the rest of the
time.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I think we need to learn to cook
smaller quantities!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Farmer Don made a
really good ratatouille which we had for three meals!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As a side dish to chicken the first meal and
over pasta for the next two.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I also made
use of beets to make one of my favorite, pickled beets and eggs.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My sister and I are already starting to plan
for canning.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are hoping to can
peaches this year and of course tomatoes, tomato sauce and hopefully applesauce.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Last year we didn't get much canning done, as
I was not feeling up to it.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This year we
are determined to get some jars on the shelves!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Stay tuned for our canning adventures!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Let's see, I talked about the
weather, the fields and harvest, the adventures of the farm and now the
kitchen.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I am thinking it is time to
wrap this newsletter up.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I am ashamed to
say I started it over a week ago!!!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So, as Farmer Don would
say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"be safe, be well and enjoy
those veggies"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Until next week (hopefully)...<o:p></o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-79051234147500838852021-07-06T17:53:00.000-04:002021-07-06T17:53:31.399-04:002021 CSA Week 1 and 2 Newsletter<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Greetings from Dancing Hen
Farm!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We hope everyone had a safe
and happy July 4th.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a simple
picnic here on farm with Farmer Phil and his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With illness and the pandemic it had been
quite a while since we had people over for a meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt good to plan the meal and cook for
others!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think everyone had a good
time, nothing too exciting, just a relaxing early supper on the back
porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course beware, because next
time we are threatening to get the games out!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Welcome to Week 1 and Week 2
of our CSA.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I apologize for blending 2
weeks newsletters in to one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to
get back into the habit of weekly newsletters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With that being said, I hope our CSA members enjoyed their Week 1 and
week 2 boxes and are ready for their Week 3 Box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My plan is to have a Week 3 Newsletter out to
everyone later this week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">First some CSA notes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Members, please remember we reuse the wax boxes
your shares are packed in. This week we have a lot of brand new boxes being used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are stiff and will require patience to
keep them from tearing when you open them. Farmer Don says please remember to
push not pull to avoid tearing the tops!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thank you, these waxed share boxes are an expense for the farm as they
cost over two dollars each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also
reuse clean egg cartons and berry boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These items can be returned to your pick up site and we will collect
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another reminder:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The window to choose items for your share
opens on Thursdays at 6 pm and closes Sundays at 6pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgot to sign on or finding most items not
available when you do sign on?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please
consider a Farmer's Choice box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
boxes have looked really good going out this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The weather, what would a
Farm newsletter be without me talking about the weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a roller coaster ride the weather in
June provided!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a heat waves early
and late in the month with some chilly weather in between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We actually had an overnight low of 43 in mid
June -- that is very cold for June!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These cool overnight temperatures were good for our lettuce and kales,
but not good for peppers or Asian greens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Peppers will actually drop flowers and fruit at these temperatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Temperatures below 50 cause some Asian greens
(such as napa cabbage) to bolt or set a flower stalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this reason we are in the process of
re-planting our napa cabbage and our peppers may be delayed in harvest this
year.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Speaking of harvest we
continue to bring in some beautiful bok choy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our kales and Swiss chard are also looking really good right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zucchini continues to be harvested and with
any luck we should be able to keep zucchini and other summer squash going for
the majority of our season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
started harvesting romaine lettuce and it is looking really nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our pea harvest is pretty much over as the
heat has taken its toll on the pea plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next week we are hoping to have spring onions and garlic available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year we are again partnering with some
other growers in our community to bring you the best selection of items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these growers has greenhouse space
which is where the early tomatoes and eggplant are coming from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 257.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Dilly
is still ruling the farm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has
outgrown some of her puppyhood and is starting to settle down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never did I think I would say Dilly and
settle down in the same sentence!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
she is suddenly content to hang out with us on the porch or lay on the couch
for an afternoon nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is learning the
workings of the farm, learning what is good and what is bad and learning what
to avoid!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am fairly certain she now
knows porcupines and skunks are bad and she is slowly learning that chickens
and barn cats are good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has most definitely
determined that groundhogs are bad and one of her personal vendettas is to eradicate
the farm of them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly s not a large
dog, so she can handle the smaller groundhogs by herself, but needs help from
Farmer Don for the larger ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
leads me to a classic Dilly story!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 257.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
other afternoon, Farmer Don was off farm, and Dilly was patrolling the
property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was inside and heard a ruckus
outside the garage door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly and
another animal seemed to be in the fight of their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being an overprotective doggy Mom, I decided
Dilly needed help and made the decision, the WRONG decision, to open the garage
door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the garage open barely a few
inches in ran a groundhog with Dilly close behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the groundhog made a run for me and inside
of the house, I screamed and quickly slammed the inside door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, the fight continued, inside the garage now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time I open the door to check things
out the groundhog seemed determined to run for the inside door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I heard Dilly yipe, I opened the door to
find that the groundhog had Dilly on her back!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now all three of us were screaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dilly had recovered and was now on all fours growling and barking at the
groundhog, the groundhog was on its haunches hissing and squealing at Dil and I
was standing in the doorway yelling for Dilly to get inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly did eventually listen and came running
in the house with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At about this time
the back-up calgary (my sister!) arrived to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She helped me back the car out of the garage
and scoot the unhappy hissing groundhog out with the broom!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully Dilly escaped the fight without a
scratch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not sure about the
groundhog, as handling a hissing, angry groundhog is not high on my list of
things to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If nothing else, I think
Dilly convinced it to not hang out by the garage door!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 257.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There
have been some changes here on farm over the last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most notable is that we have downsized quite
a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our CSA membership is less than
half of the members we had last year and we do not anticipate attending farmers
markets this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmers Don and Phil
will miss their friends and customers at market!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are trying to figure out the logistics of
a setting up a pay as you go summer buying club, so our market customers can
still order from us if they like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pre-ordering will most likely be required and you will need to meet us
at a designated place and time to collect and pay for your order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watch up-coming emails for more information
and details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please send us an email if you
think you might be interested!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(dancinghenfarm@epix.net)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 257.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Ok,
ok, I know this is getting really long!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, I will close this saga here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 257.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Thanks
again for your support of our farm and local sustainable agriculture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 257.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And
as Farmer Don would say "be safe, be well and enjoy those veggies".<o:p></o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-72228639757280414592021-03-20T18:18:00.000-04:002021-03-20T18:18:38.315-04:002021 CSA Details and Farm News<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We have
finally made some decisions concerning our 2021 growing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don has been writing this newsletter
for over a week, but his life is quite busy right now, so I thought I would
take over the task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, first
for our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be offering a CSA
to our customers again this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
will continue to be a full choice CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You will again be able to sign into our website and choose the items you
want in your box each week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
hoping to start deliveries sometime in June and end regular deliveries in
October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deliveries will again be on
Wednesdays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be making some
changes to our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be
eliminating our chicken shares from the CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you already purchased a chicken share for this season, we will touch
base with you on an individual basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In an effort to be more sustainable and cut our fuel and delivery costs,
we will not be offering home deliveries this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, if you already sent in payment for
your 2021 CSA to include home delivery, we will contact you individually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don is very optimistic about this
year's growing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is feeling
well and is ready to get growing for us and for our community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to everyone for your continued support
of our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard to believe this
is our 14th season!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have
questions about the 2021 CSA or our farm, please do not hesitate to contact
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The 2021 CSA
is now officially open for registration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like last year, we are limiting number of members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shares will be reserved in order in which
payment is received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this time we
take cash (in person) or check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
not set up to take plastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please visit
our website to register and sign up for a share.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we
celebrate the spring equinox and the first day of spring, I do believe we are
making the turn from winter into spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The sun is getting higher in the sky and we are starting to get some
warmer days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The snow seems to have
finally melted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know we can still get
some snow storms, but it is so nice to feel this rebirth we call Spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here on farm the crocus are blooming and the
other spring bulbs are pushing up from the soil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Animals and birds are slowing returning and
waking from their winter slumber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have seen robins, groundhogs, chipmunks and skunks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you see Farmer Don you will have to ask
him about the skunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other week he
had a minor and very much unwanted encounter with the wrong end of a skunk!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His story gets more and more animated with
each telling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am convinced soon he will
be telling everyone he fought the skunk off with flaming arrows!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dilly,
Dilly, Dilly; yes, Dilly is still ruling the farm and the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a very active pup!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is busy learning what does and doesn't
belong on farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don is convinced
she will be a good varmint dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only
time will tell, she does seem very interested in our farm enemies, but she has
yet to have a one on one encounter with any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shady also was a good varmint dog until she had a run in with a
groundhog and after that she watched things from a safe distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't think Dilly has seen the chipmunk
yet, but she is very interested in the groundhog and the rodents in the
barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, of course, the barn
cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are very thankful Dilly was in
the house when Farmer Don was doing battle with the skunk!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly is also our resident kleptomaniac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is the ultimate counter and table surfer,
stealing whatever she feels is of high value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She chews her finds and then hides them under the couch!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday this was a pen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She brought the rubber finger grip to me in
the bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me awhile to
determine what she had and where she got it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I went looking for my pen, I realized what Dill had and then
panicked that it had exploded and ink was seeping into the rug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily the pen seemed to be fairly Dilly
proof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sustained enough chewing it
became trash, but thankfully no leaking ink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Several
weeks ago Dilly was spayed and needed to wear the collar of shame, only she
didn't seem to mind the collar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any
other dog I have ever owned or been around has tried to remove this big collar
as soon as it is put on, but not Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She even learned how to manipulate it to get into small places and even
was still be able to steal off the table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was so cute to see her jogging around outside with this big plastic
cone on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secretly, I think she may have
actually liked the collar!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vet was
amazed that all her stitches were still intact when we took her back for the
follow up appointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On farm we
are busy planning and planning for this upcoming season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have lined up some help for the
summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don will be working some
off farm, so we have arranged for our neighbor Paul to stop by and water plants
and animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has also agreed to allow
Dilly to run while he is here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure
he will become one of her best friends!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also are welcoming Jason back to help up on Saturdays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rumor has it he will be bringing his boys
around as well to help with chores and projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also planning on our friend John
assisting Farmer Phil with deliveries this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure there will be more people added to
this list as the season moves along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We hope
everyone is weathering the COVID pandemic well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hard to believe it has been over a year now of masks and social distancing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On farm we are thankful toilet paper is
again available at our local grocery store and that for the most past we have
remained untouched by the virus and the pandemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We very much feel getting vaccinated is a
personal choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don decided he
would feel safer, being off farm if he were vaccinated, so he spent a bit of
time this morning at the Benton Fire Hall getting his first of the series of
two COVID vaccines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully his second
shot will be available when he needs to receive it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am waiting to get the vaccine until I can
feel confident it will not aggravate any of my pre-existing health concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please, everyone, stay safe out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ok, this is
getting long!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to print and have
Farmer Don read and review this newsletter before I send it out to
everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-26374892410875629982020-10-21T17:36:00.000-04:002020-10-21T17:36:17.423-04:00<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI376WQ3IoNGRhM8TGDkKS5Sk79JxKY1twb368TuC9eP7MKzmJHPWq46FP-0DsVv_TyNhuvKgq73kD4L9sw-PxhcObX8D5cZNpf2SYPwJjEFnXSok7IIjEZLz3O4NoI4a25EVw9ixJmAU7/s2048/IMG_0142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI376WQ3IoNGRhM8TGDkKS5Sk79JxKY1twb368TuC9eP7MKzmJHPWq46FP-0DsVv_TyNhuvKgq73kD4L9sw-PxhcObX8D5cZNpf2SYPwJjEFnXSok7IIjEZLz3O4NoI4a25EVw9ixJmAU7/w400-h266/IMG_0142.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Helping Mommy with the plants</span>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to
Week 18 of our 2020 CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
final delivery for this year's CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last
week, Week 17 was an egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
week, Week 18, is not an egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A special
note to Chicken Share Members:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will
be in touch with you personally to talk about the final delivery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our last batch of chickens have not sized up
yet, so we were unable to deliver them with this week's final CSA
delivery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned for further
updates.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sorry for
missing last week's newsletter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life got
a bit complicated last week and I honestly did not have the opportunity to sit
down and even scribble out a short newsletter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I have to confess, I was secretly hoping Farmer Don would return as
newsletter author for the end of this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, it seems you are stuck with the Farmer's wife again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After some
cool temperatures over the weekend, it looks like warm weather is returning for
a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We bottomed out at 26 this
weekend, so now our growing season is officially over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today is a beautiful spring/early summer day,
only it is October!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to savor every sunny warm day and save up
this feeling for those long grey winter days still to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Life with
Dilly Bean continues to be a daily adventure here at Dancing Hen Farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week she managed to drink Farmer Don's
coffee!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Farmer Don couldn't
understand why she was a wild woman that morning!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now she knows any mug or glass has a
treat for Dilly and the possibility of a giant Dilly mess to be made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now we know all glassware needs to be
kept well out of Dilly's reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
learning most everything needs to be kept well out of Dilly's reach!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night while Farmer Don was packing boxes
she managed to steal a dozen eggs and smash them all over the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this trick Dilly was rewarded with a
squirt from the hose and a puppy time out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eggs are a precious commodity here on farm, so Dilly's little devilish
deed meant Farmer Don had to head to the chicken house before sunrise and
gather another dozen eggs for pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
of our customer's has Dilly to thank for a really fresh dozen eggs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I have
done in other newsletters this year, I want to again thank everyone for the
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2020 has not been an easy year
for us or the farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been so nice
to know we have such a supportive community rallying around our farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So thanks to each of you for your support,
your understanding and your compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Please watch
your email for the start up of our fall/winter buying club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, Farmers Don and Phil will be at the
Back Mountain Market at the Dallas High School starting at 9 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will have eggs, some veggies and pastured
pork for purchase.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I will
continue to keep everyone updated on farm activities, but not as frequently as
our summer weekly newsletters.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thank you
again and in the words of Farmer Don: "be safe, be well and enjoy those
veggies".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-39410171949457245972020-10-10T19:35:00.001-04:002020-10-10T19:35:31.773-04:002020 CSA Week 16 Newsletter<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to
Week 16 and a half of our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 16
was not an egg week. After last week's delivery there are 2 weeks remaining in
our 2020 CSA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The weather
has been really beautiful lately!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
beautiful in the sense of nice fall days, but the lack of rain is not a good
thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are hoping that Tropical Storm
Delta will bring us some soaking showers on Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need several days of soaking rain to even
start to replenish our deficient water table, but even one day with rain will
be a welcome sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have to
apologize for this newsletter being so late. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been so proud of myself this season and
getting newsletters sent out in a timely fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, that was before a Canine Terrorist moved
to Dancing Hen Farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This little brown
and black terrorist has teeth as sharp as needles and nails sharper than our
barn cats!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, Dilly is settling in and
true to puppy form is ruling the farm right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silly Dilly evokes images of a goofy little
puppy full of puppy cuteness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh she has
plenty of puppy cuteness, but this cuteness is intermixed with a hyper active energy
level which rivals an Irish Setter I grew up with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The other
morning, while I was still upstairs getting dressed for the day, I could hear
Farmer Don having a round with our little devil, err I mean angel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don is one of the most patient people
I know, so if he was raising his voice, something was up. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I made it down the steps, I found
newspapers strewn from one end of the house to the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems Dilly found our wooden box of papers
for recycling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She decided the best game
in town was to grab an entire section and run with it, allowing it to flutter
and flap behind her like angel wings!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
would then stop and chew on the paper a bit, making spitballs any teenage boy
would be jealous of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Farmer Don
cleaned up spitball messes, she would dart back to the box, grab another
section to start the game again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
more Farmer Don said "no", the wider Dilly's grin got and the faster
she ran with her angel wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much
for positive reinforcement training!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
managed to corner her and gave her a time out!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That paper box has been in the same spot for years and neither Rose or
Shady were ever even curious about it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Needless to say Dilly is keeping us busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now Dilly is laying innocently enough
on my foot chewing her kong, only I know from experience, it is only a matter
of minutes before she moves from chewing her kong to chewing my foot!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the
kitchen, Farmer Don has been using up tomatoes to make large batches of pico de
gallo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fresh salsa is a true
seasonal item and always a farm favorite. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just need to watch that he doesn't make it
too hot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have plans to make some
sauerkraut soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I miss having fresh
lacto fermented foods to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don
and I both need to build up our gut health, so the sauerkraut will be a good
start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister and I also still have
plans for some applesauce canning this fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Applesauce is a favorite between our two houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of apples, Farmer Don and I also
need to make some apple crisp!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
favorite!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don likes his crisp
with ice cream, but I like mine with just a bit of milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apple crisp with milk was often how we ate
apple crisp when I was growing up.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Between
chasing a new puppy, we are still finding time to prepare for the upcoming
winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been getting plants ready
to bring inside to overwinter and Farmer Don has been shutting down irrigation
systems and harvesting the last of our fall crops. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are ready for the slower pace of fall and
winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully the slower pace will
allow for some rejuvenation of our energies and also allow some time for puppy
training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, I will
end here with a vow to get this newsletter out before Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be late Saturday night, but it WILL be
before Sunday!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks again
to everyone for their continued support!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Be safe, be
well and enjoy those veggies!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-47559064631783917932020-09-29T16:27:00.000-04:002020-09-29T16:27:01.957-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFY8MlTIWHIPqhGxq4r4vxCfkkvifPKzilDVGDYYB-oTtcXaPg-tCG6Fgfz0F06qhcF9SL7QqkL-rjni7EeASqv-z1Qt2B4VITiL0iDmRelNYE-McqMO0g2bVHuP1Ifydk9HRF4feLKRo/s320/IMG_0132.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_6mRRgxg6usrlmiMrSxlkioan2rJHzaDciv69_vugPufdZRyQKuL1o9BhyphenhyphenhJqjqVZdF-4dV0wXxl4-9KBjoyx7f9W-sdC8sI4gdVpmUJyrihpfSiSmX9T6YUROj-Rn34A5e8Azvaw8ph/s320/IMG_0133.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><br /><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Welcome to
autumn, Welcome October and Welcome new farm member Dilly Bean!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to
Week 15 of our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this week's
delivery there are 3 weeks remaining in our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 15 is an egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week is also a Chicken Delivery week, so
please remember to pick up your chicken at your drop site.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are
finally getting a bit of rain here on farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Saturday's rain was a bit of a surprise. Farmer Don was at the Back
Mountain Market and did not expect and therefore was not prepared for
rain,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but he is not complaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rain is a welcome sight this year! The
forecast is for possible significant rain today and tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This rain is too late for our summer crops
and too late for our neighbors' corn and soybean crops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However any rain will help with replenishing
our water table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Can you
believe we are welcoming October this week?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And have you noticed the trees are starting to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost overnight there are bursts of red and
gold!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don and I like to observe
the local microclimates this time of year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For instance the trees in Bloomsburg and Berwick are not nearly as far
along as those up here in Northern Columbia and I am sure further north the
colors are really getting brilliant!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are hoping to maybe take a little drive this week and do some leaf
peeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, our new farm member,
may keep us closer to home!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So never,
ever did I think this soon after losing both our girls would I be writing about
bringing a new puppy into our family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, that is exactly what I am doing!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We were not
certain we were ready for another dog, but then Silly Dilly Bean stole our
heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was an owner surrender to a
veterinary hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly is a 3 month
old small mixed breed, we are still trying to determine the mix?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing for certain, she is all puppy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have not had a puppy on farm for quite
some time and that puppy was Rosie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Being a Border Collie, Rosie had her own unique way of being a puppy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, Dilly is very much a typical puppy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Full of energy and sass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly is slowly learning her name and to
potty outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She still does not
understand why she can't chew up the afghan on the couch or our shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly loves to steal things and run around
trying to get us to chase her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We try
not to play her game, but sometimes we do not have a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, she stole a bottle of cooking oil off
a shelf in the kitchen and came running through the living room with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I envisioned a large oil spill on the rug and
then a squirmy puppy getting saturated with oil and running throughout the
house!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily Farmer Don was able to
wrestle the bottle from her before she put a hole in the bottle with her razor
sharp puppy teeth and before the lid popped off!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dilly will definitely be keeping us busy and
I am sure I will have many more Dilly stories to share with everyone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to thank Ashley and all the staff at
the Sunbury Animal Hospital for taking such good care of Dilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The care, love and training she received at
this facility is very evident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The slower
pace of fall and winter is starting to take over the farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon, all of our fields will be empty of crops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Animal chores will, of course, continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have one more batch of meat birds
finishing now and we still have our pigs in the orchard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the pigs need for a daily walk around
the neighborhood, they have not gained weight as quickly as we had hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore we don't anticipate them going to
market until sometime in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you are interested in freezer pork meat, please contact us at the farm for
details. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I want to
take a moment to thank everyone for your support over the deaths of Shady and
Rosie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cards and messages we
received made us realize we and the farm, have built a good community of
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Farmer Don always says the
CSA (and the farm in general) is about community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With that I
will end for this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please, be well,
be safe and enjoy those veggies!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-38191684757342767022020-09-22T20:05:00.000-04:002020-09-22T20:05:03.413-04:002020 CSA Week 14 Newsletter<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to
Week 14 or our 2020 CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 14 is not
an egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this week's delivery
there are 4 weeks remaining in our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next week will be a chicken week, so don't forget to bring your cooler
to your pick up site.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And suddenly
it was Fall!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here on farm we have had
temperatures below freezing the past 4 mornings, including 2 mornings with
temperatures in the 20's.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means our
summer growing season has pretty much come to an end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been working very closely with 3
other farms this season and like us they lost most of their summer crops to
these cold temperatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some crops are
protected under row covers and plastic, so we are hoping to continue to bring
in limited harvests of a few select crops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These cold morning temperatures are almost a month earlier than
predicted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week you will see some substitutions
due to crop loss from the freeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most
notably, cherry tomato season has ended for 2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our plants and our cooperative growers'
plants were all killed by the freeze and none of us had the time or man power
to harvest prior to the cold temperatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some tomatoes were harvested prior to the frost and are in cool storage,
so hopefully some of these will continue to be available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we are again asking for your patience as
we continue navigate this challenging growing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have said in the past this has by far
been our most difficult production year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What does this mean to the CSA?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You will see a sharp drop in the variety of crops available as we will
be forced to scramble to fill boxes with cold hardy greens and storage
crops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Farmer Don often says,
"Mother Nature bats last".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for your understanding and patience.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Never ever
did I imagine I would be writing two good bye newsletters on back to back weeks,
but that is the reality of this past week.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is with
great sadness that I have to tell you about the loss of another true keeper of
our farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week our beloved dog,
Shady, followed her sister and crossed over the rainbow bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Rose, we knew Shady was ill, but she had
been doing really well the past month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is almost as if she held on to support us and Rosie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after we moved to this farm, Shady
appeared at our house on one fall day as a stray. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to locate her family, but it soon
became evident she was a member of our family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As my Mom used to say "Shady chose you!".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shady was our happy dog, happy just to be
with us, laying at our feet or with her head resting in our lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shady really loved the farm and the farm
loved Shady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She loved to hunt frogs in
our pond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Shady, hunting frogs
consisted of staring them down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But,
most of all, Shady loved Farmer Don and faithfully followed him around for farm
chores and field work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She soon learned
she could ride on the seat of our buggie and she and Farmer Don could often be
seen enjoying a crop "walk" with Shady safely tucked onto the seat
next to Farmer Don.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with Rose there
are so many Shady stories I could share and many I have shared over the
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I will simply say
"Shady Marie Magillicutty the farm is just not the same without you, you
are missed greatly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please look after
your sister and may it forever be "Shady's din din time".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until we meet again my love."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So on this sad
note, we are trying to move on with our 2020 season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Times have certainly changed this past year
and as I am sure many of you will agree, we are more than ready for a better
2021!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thank you
again for your support and understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of you are a part of our farm family and you are helping us heal and
move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Be safe be
will and enjoy those veggies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-18724054096272395902020-09-16T17:57:00.000-04:002020-09-16T17:57:00.790-04:002020 Week 13 Newsletter<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMppEXtGpZHhQa2PGFjo9CRLJ6H3zdxb2fbA7J0tnvUXWoTv4K5juPn_h0k-49R2zA_yBDrHDgIOzdf2TBHbAIbrRpqjUYa50P_u9RiAuZmoDsWUa7OeDUjN7Jzj3BonObSCE8Wv3U6Z6/s2048/P1010380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMppEXtGpZHhQa2PGFjo9CRLJ6H3zdxb2fbA7J0tnvUXWoTv4K5juPn_h0k-49R2zA_yBDrHDgIOzdf2TBHbAIbrRpqjUYa50P_u9RiAuZmoDsWUa7OeDUjN7Jzj3BonObSCE8Wv3U6Z6/s320/P1010380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to
Week 13 of our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 13 is an egg
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this week's delivery there
are 5 weeks remaining in the 2020 CSA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It seems we
are getting some fall weather and may even see some frost before this week
ends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have had a low of 37 the past
two mornings, with even cooler temperatures predicted over the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you believe we are experiencing cloudy
weather due to the fires out west? That is almost unbelievable to me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course we are counting our blessings that
we are only dealing with some hazy cloudy skies from these devastating
fires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such horrible destruction!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Destruction of nature, property and
unfortunately lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our thoughts and
prayers go out to those dealing with these seemingly never ending fires.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As the
weather cools, you will also see the crops in your CSA boxes change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look for more greens, more winter squash,
beets, hopefully some carrots and fennel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Farmer Don has a nice stand of spinach started, unfortunately it seems
to be a favorite of both the deer and groundhogs on farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With any luck we will get a bit of a harvest
off this bed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is with
great sadness I have to tell everyone of the loss of a true keeper of our
farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our beloved Border Collie,
Rosemary, crossed over the rainbow bridge this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew she was sick, but we did not expect
her to decline so quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rosie lived
life to the fullest and we so loved having her as part of our farm family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She came to live with us, barely 8 weeks old,
a fluffy bundle of black and white with the cutest beauty mark on her nose. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose was determined to rule us and rule the
farm and she did just that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a
sensitive pup, she always knew when you needed a hug and would come to you and
try to crawl into your lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that
point you often forgot why you were sad, as now you were focused on fending off
Rose!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She greeted visitors with a wormy
wiggle and kiss on the face or a bop on the nose if you weren't paying
attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As anyone who visited the
farm knew, Rosie was obsessed with playing fetch and once you threw the first
ball you had a playmate for life, well at least until you snuck into your car
and left!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose loved farm crop walks,
car rides, hunting frogs, her Frisbee and nightly lap time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I write this, so many Rosie stories are
popping into my head, she really was a huge part of this farm and our family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had planned to share these Rosie Stories
with my readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, instead, I just
want to say "Ro Ro you are dearly missed and "Woo Woo" until we
meet again my friend!"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On this sad
note, I want to, as usual, thank everyone for your kind gentle support of us
and our farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Be safe, be
well and enjoy those veggies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-81154495853948303442020-09-09T17:31:00.000-04:002020-09-09T17:31:30.010-04:002020 Week 12 CSA Newsletter<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to
Week 12 of our CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 12 is not an
egg week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this week's delivery
there are 6 weeks remaining in our 2020 CSA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even though
we still are getting some warm temperatures, I can feel the change of seasons
in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Days are shorter, night time
temperatures are getting cooler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hard
to believe how quickly September is slipping away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon I will be mentioning the "F"
word - frost that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We generally get a
light frost towards the end of September and our killing frost usually follows
sometime in October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am anxious to see
how this summer's drought affects the leaf show this fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are seeing some trees already losing their
leaves without ever changing color, but a few trees are already starting to
show some color. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So a
surprise was delivered to me the other day - a new camera!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to one of my sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So does this mean I now have a hobby?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I do have task - learning to use this
new fancy camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have not used any
camera other than a point and shoot for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things are gradually coming back to me, but I
am still as farmer Don would say "busy learning on the learning
curve".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I have been having
fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a zoom lens for it, so
recently I have had the zoom attached and am trying to take some pictures of
birds at our feeders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately I am
finding I may not have the patience for avian photography!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I do have a good pictures of a blue jay, of
Shady, of Shady's paw and of farmer Don walking down from the barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So hopefully I will get some pictures I can
actually post for all to see.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am not
sure if I have touched on Social Media yet this season?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as long as I am posting "for all to
see", this is a good time to let you know about some of our public
pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do have a facebook page where
I post pictures and some farm news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>https://www.facebook.com/Dancing-Hen-Farm-111155465564952/<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also have a blog where I post our
newsletters and also pictures of the farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>http://dancinghenfarmcsa.blogspot.com/<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I did have a pinterest<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>site, but
have not been keeping it updated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
trying to figure out an instagram<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>account without a smart phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have an account, but have posted nothing to it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is about as far as I go with Social Media, so if you are online
check out our sites!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the
fields we have started to harvest winter squash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last week we had butternut squash
available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to use Butternuts to
make a pork, apple and butternut stew from the <u>Simply in Season</u>
cookbook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This recipe was a favorite of
my Mom's when she lived with us, so I am surrounded by good memories whenever I
make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the problem with
butternut squash is peeling, seeding and cooking it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These squash are hard and often hard to
handle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually get Farmer Don to cut
the beast in quarters for me and then I scoop the seeds, peel and cube it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I don't need cubes or diced squash I cheat
and cook the squash whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I poke some
holes in the skin, put it in a shallow pan with a bit of water and roast it in
the oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will take an hour of more
for the squash to soften, but once easily poked with a fork or knife, remove it
from the oven and allow to cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
cool enough to handle, cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, peel off
the skin and add the flesh to your soup pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This week I think Farmer Don will be harvesting Spaghetti Squash, so get
your recipes ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spaghetti Squash is
a winter squash, but not nearly as tough to handle as our friend the
butternut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to use a spaghetti
squash recipe I have made for years, a casserole recipe from one of the older Moosewood
Cookbooks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The canning
kitchen is officially open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I canned
tomatoes the other week and my sister and I froze sweet corn this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also boiled some of the spent cobs to make
some yummy corn stock for use in soups this winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may still try to do some tomato sauce, but
my sister and her family have a small vacation coming up and then with social
distancing following their travels, we may run out of time for canning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, we will do applesauce once they are out
of self imposed quarantine!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The cooking
kitchen is also open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to eat a
lot of eggs - eggs and potatoes, eggs and greens, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eggs are quick nutritious meal for us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we are also starting to move into soup
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night I made a tortellini
soup; a bit of a variation of a green soup we make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically it was a chicken broth and tomato
based soup with garlic, eggplant and tortellini.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don ate two bowls, so I guess it
passed his taste test!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmer Don came
home from market the other week with mushrooms and made a really delicious mushroom
risotto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is good when the kitchen
is producing nutritious and delicious food!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ok, it is
getting late, I still don't have supper started and Shady has started to bark
for her dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to print this
newsletter for Farmer Don to proof and then get it posted and sent out later
tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As always,
thank you to each of your continued support of our farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Be safe, be
well and enjoy those veggies!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-495714223870205868.post-43571080806347163492020-09-02T18:07:00.001-04:002020-09-02T18:07:44.624-04:002020 CSA Week 11 Newsletter<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Greetings
from Dancing Hen Farm!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to
Week 11 of our 2020 CSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Week 11 is an
egg week.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Clouds!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The farm has been in the clouds for the last
few days!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real meteorological
clouds!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been joking with my
family members that we have slipped right from summer into a winter
pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think January or February when
it seems to be cloudy every day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know
we will still have warm sunny days this fall, but it has been a noticeable
change in our weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting last
night and continuing into today we have been getting some really nice
showers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just what our farm and our
neighboring farms need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably too
late for the corn and soybean growers, but we still need the rain to bring up
our water table and to help get us through the winter months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, I need
to start this email with some additional thanks to the behind the scene people
who have made the 2020 CSA season a reality.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">First I want
to thank all the people who volunteered early in Don's treatment to help clean
up the farm, help take care of our chickens and for visiting with Don when he
was in the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I especially want
to thank his sister Gail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I have
thanked her in the past, but she seriously needs to be thanked multiple
times!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gail left a warm and sunny
Florida to visit in the early spring of Pennsylvania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were still getting cold temperatures and
snow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gail helped with transportation,
moral support, our dogs and even did chicken chores for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She basically became an honorary farmer here
at Dancing Hen Farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't know how we
would have made it those first few weeks without her support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you Farmer Gail!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I also need
to thank Lori.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lori has been with us a
number of years and works one evening a week helping to pack your CSA
boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year her time with us was
short, as her other job at Bloomsburg University started early this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks Lori, what can I say other than you
are now part of the family!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The other
day I swore we had a chinchilla on farm!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes you read that right a chinchilla!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rest assured it is not that unbelievable that we would have a chinchilla
show up on farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people do keep them
as pets and unfortunately our farm ( and most farms!) become the target for the
disposal of unwanted pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
acquired multiple animals this way, including a dog, cats, a rooster and even a
cow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you can see why, when I saw this
strange creature hanging out under our birdfeeders I thought chinchilla!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, so maybe you don't see it, but bear with
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got the binoculars out to get a
good view of the animal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, you guessed,
it was not a chinchilla!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I still
could not determine what it could be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was secretly worried it could be a giant rat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But nope -- thankfully!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it
climbed a tree and hung out where I could get a better view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was finally able to determine it was a tailless
squirrel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just to assure you I have not
lost my mind, several other people have reported seeing this squirrel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems to do ok, hopping along in the grass
and climbing trees even without being able to "swish his bushy tail".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our canning
kitchen officially opened the other week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I canned some slicing tomatoes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
can these in quart jars using a hot water bath canner to process them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have to tell you many of these tomatoes
came from Farmer Phil and his family's garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I am proud to say all my jars sealed!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week we will be freezing sweet corn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freezing sweet corn will bring back memories
of growing up when my family and some of my relatives would gather to freeze
hundreds of ears at a time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny,
because I do not remember eating that much corn growing up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later in September we will make some tomato
sauce, hopefully paste tomatoes will still be available and not blighted by
this cool rainy weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomato sauce
will be followed by applesauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
sister and I have been working on perfecting a mix of apple varieties to get a
really good tasting unsweetened apple sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Peeling all the apples is a huge chore - but so worth it when you crack
open a jar for Christmas Dinner!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or just
as a treat in January.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the
fields Farmer Don is finishing up for the 2020 growing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has planted some late season greens and is
planning on pulling the tomatoes from our high tunnel and replanting it with
greens or carrots to overwinter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
should begin harvesting winter squash soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Greens should continue to be available and hopefully tomatoes will hold
on for a few more weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peppers are
looking good and we are close to harvesting some tomatillos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks again for your support and
understanding during this difficult and trying growing season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So this is
proving to be one of my longer newsletters, I should stop here, allow you to
rest your eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Please say a
thanks to the powers that be for providing us with this much needed beautiful
rain!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And always,
we will be forever thankful to each of you for your support of us, our farm and
local agriculture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy Fresh, Buy Local!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And please remember not to drop your pet
chinchillas at the local farm!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Be safe, Be
well and Enjoy those veggies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Dancing Hen Farm CSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11905325009908352281noreply@blogger.com0