Season Finale -- Won't You Join Us?

First, a word from the farmer …

We would like to thank all of you for making this a tremendous year for our farm. The season was not without its challenges, but overall it was the best year we have had yet. We could not do this without you and we sincerely appreciate your support. Our sales at the market were way up this year and they held steady right to the end. Our newly re-started CSA has also been a great success. Several factors came together to help us have such a good year. First of all, we had another crop of great interns. Then there’s the electric cultivating tractor, regular rains, moderate temperatures, our boys are getting big enough to actually help, my younger brother visiting for several weeks, and my getting better every year at figuring out the most efficient way to do any given task on the farm. Of course, it still involves a tremendous amount of work and virtually no break from March until November. But I love every aspect of farming and I derive great satisfaction from growing food for people who truly appreciate our vegetables.

I am already really excited for next year. The local food movement seems to be gaining more momentum every year. Have you heard about Will Allen? He is an organic farmer from Milwaukee who works with young inner city kids to teach them how to grow their own food. He just received a $500,000 genius grant from the McArthur Foundation. Also, Michael Pollan wrote a great piece for the New York Times magazine a couple of weeks ago entitled Farmer in Chief. He lays out what it would take to have a sane agricultural policy in this country that relies on sunlight and photosynthesis rather than fossil fuels. When the new president takes office, let’s all hope he appoints Pollan as the new Secretary of Agriculture!

And a note from the farmer’s wife …

I echo Bill’s gratitude. You all are really the best customers a farmer ever had! What Bill does for a living is a passion. But as much as he loves it, he could not keep at such hard work without knowing that people are enjoying his produce so very much. So pat yourselves on the back for supporting the Blue Schoolhouse!

We really, really hope to see you this Saturday. Why? It’s the LAST SATURDAY MARKET of 2008 AND it’s supposed to be rainy and nasty. That’s right … total crapola for the season finale. So don’t let us stand out there in the cold rain by ourselves. Join us! Seriously, we’re planning on going out with a bang. We aren’t going to pick just a little bit of everything, figuring that the customers will all stay home in their nice, dry homes. On the contrary, we know that you know that this is one of your last chances to get the best fresh produce in central Illinois! And you’ll all be out at the market in droves, right? Right!

And don’t forget the very last chance for Blue Schoolhouse veggies at the Thanksgiving Market. On Saturday, Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. the farmers will bring their produce, meat (we’ve heard rumor of a BISON vendor!), and a variety of prepared foods to the Coliseum for a pre-holiday extravaganza. That’s your chance to impress your foodiest friends with the delicacies of fall … salad greens, arugula, root vegetables of all kinds … it will be awesome! The event will also feature fine arts and crafts and a cool jazz ensemble.

This week’s photos …

The picture of the field with the four round bales is the location for next season’s garlic. In fact, Bill needs help planting and mulching garlic over the next few weeks. Are you interested? It is as fun as it sounds. Ha! Ha! It’s not that bad, and you’d be helping to get the 2009 season underway. And of course, we’d send you home with veggies just for helping! Email if you’re interested.

The jack-o-lanterns are Ben and Noah’s first. Uncle Aaron carved them based on the boys’ artistic skills. The one with the googly moogly eyes (as we call them) are a Ben original.

The leaf picture is a “find-the-boy” exercise. The bright, blue eye is Noah’s. Ben helped to cover him in a leaf pile, which inspired quite a bit of fun time together.

Please let your friends know about the blog. Call us at 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks!
Mercy Davison

Loads of Food in the Home Stretch!

Hello Friends!

We’re still going strong. Lots of greens, beans, salad mix, and roots – you don’t want to miss it! Last week’s market was great, although we did notice a slight drop in attendance. What does that mean to you? Less competition for great vegetables! We will have a ton of food for you this week. Don’t miss it.

Bill’s brother Aaron is unexpectedly in town for two weeks. He’s a total work horse. Thank goodness! Right when Bill needs the help! That said, Bill still wants to extend an open invitation to customers to come out and help harvest on any of the remaining three Fridays of the market season. It’s really fun – just ask the 11 people who came out last Friday! The age spread was remarkable, from 18 to 78. There’s something for everyone.

This week we’re including a picture of one of our CSA members, who rides his bike most weeks to the vegetable pickup. He’s got a classic, one-speed bike that he’s rigged up with baskets for the 2-HOUR ride from Morton to Eureka. Can you believe that?! He also came out to harvest last week, which makes him a superhero in our book.

We’re also including pictures of delicious vegetables AND a photo of the new field where Bill will be planting the garlic in late October. (By the way, we’ll need help with the garlic planting!)

Don’t forget we have TWO MORE MARKETS AFTER THIS ONE!

Here’s what we’ll be bringing to the market this week:

Salad Mix
Potatoes
French Filet Beans
Dragon Tongue Beans
Eggplant
Beets (Traditional, Golden, and Chioggia)
Kale
Parsley
Swiss Chard
Cucumbers
Garlic
Leeks
Head Lettuce
Sweet Peppers
Bok Choi
Arugula
Ruby Streaks
Radishes (French Breakfast, Daikon, Rose Heart, and cute little red ones)
Japanese Turnips
Fennel
Apples
Tatsoi
Stir Fry Greens
Celery Root
Parsnips
Carrots
Collard Greens

Bill will continue to deliver to the Garlic Press in Uptown Normal on Thursdays through the end of the season, but we’re done with Common Ground until 2009. So if you need Bill’s veggies prepared into a fabulous meal, Garlic Press is right down the road.

We’ll see you at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – noon. BRING YOUR BAGS!!

Please let your friends know about the blog. Call us at 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks!
Mercy Davison

Farming -- It Takes a Village

Hello Friends!

With the help of modern medicine (big doses of ibuprofen to the rescue!), Bill’s back is feeling quite a bit better. He still can’t really lift anything, and he’s avoiding too much bending, but at least he can now put on his own socks and shoes!

We had a great response to the cry for harvest help! Five people have said they’d come out for a portion of Thursday and Friday. Whoo-hoo! We are so grateful for the help, and we know more of you would have come out if it weren’t for work-week obligations. Of course, with people coming out, I guess I’ll have to clean the bathroom …

This past week has been primo weather for the cool season crops. When you come out to the market on Saturday, you will see a stunning array of fall veggies. Did you see the spread last week? It was our BIGGEST WEEK aside from two tomato weekends in August. We were floored by the amount of people that came out and the amount of vegetables that we sold – THREE TIMES what we sold on the same Saturday last year. Whoa. We plan to bring just as much this week, so please come out!! We have only FOUR MORE WEEKS of the market, and you don’t want to miss a single one. The last market is on Saturday, October 25.

What’s on this week’s menu? I’ll list everything below, but let me highlight some of the most exciting items. First, the salad mix. Ahhh. We’ve been eating it just about every day. Our kids (ages 4 and 5) eat it by the bowl-full, and then ask for seconds! What better testimonial could you have? Second, the head lettuces. The heads are just beautiful right now. Third, the four types of radishes. According to Bill, the French Breakfast radishes are awesome this week. They are in perfect condition and are much milder than usual because of the cool weather.

In addition to all that, we’ll be bringing a few butternut squash. Jackie at the Garlic Press has been very impressed with the flavor of the squash this season. (And it’s the first time we’ve brought them to the market in years – Bill usually isn’t so successful in growing them!) We’ll also have amazingly sweet and tasty carrots and parsnips. It’s root season – time to make roasted vegetables, pot roasts, and soup!

The rest of the greens will also be amazing! The arugula is in perfect condition as are the ruby streaks, collard greens, swiss chard, and kale. The various chois (bok choi, tatsoi) are also crisp and delicious. And if you can’t quite decide, pick up a bag of the mixed stir fry greens.

Bill had an ISU horticulture class come out for a tour this week, and he got to meet the new hort professor (Dr. Kopsell). Dr. Kopsell is a major fan of kale, telling his students that “it’s the healthiest vegetable you never eat.” He also noted that it has more betacarotene than carrots and more calcium than milk!

So we’re just moving into our fall routines out here. Bill and Pete have now ripped out all of the tomato plants, tilled under most of the warm-season crop beds, and planted cover crops (which are coming up already!). Pete got to “top” the brussel sprouts (which makes them mature at the top of the stalk rather than continuing to grow) – he had a great time chopping those heads off with a sharp knife. It was a bit of a samurai experience for him.

We also had our first bat-in-the-house experience. It was last Saturday night. We were sitting in the kitchen drinking beer with the Mitchells (of Mitchell Farm fame), and the kids were out in the living room watching a movie in the dark. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a fluttering shadow near the ceiling. I quickly realized that it was a bat. We were so excited! Fortunately, everyone in the house loves bats, as they are very useful little creatures (eating bugs, esp mosquitoes -- who doesn't love that??!!). We calmly herded the kids into the bathroom, and then Carson Mitchell (age 14) gently scooped the bat into a mason jar after it landed on our bed. He (the bat) was very small, perhaps only 4 inches in length. We let him out after taking pictures, which unfortunately did not turn out. Oh well. It was quite fun!

Here’s what we’ll be bringing to the market this week:

French Filet Beans
Traditional Green Beans
Dragon Tongue Beans
Eggplant
Beets (Traditional, Golden, and Chioggia)
Kale
Parsley
Swiss Chard
Cucumbers
Garlic
Leeks
Head Lettuce
Sweet Peppers
Bok Choi
Arugula
Ruby Streaks
Radishes (French Breakfast, Daikon, Rose Heart, and cute little red ones)
Japanese Turnips
Fennel
Apples
Grapes
Tatsoi
Stir Fry Greens
Celery Root
Parsnips
Carrots
Collard Greens

Bill will continue to deliver to the Garlic Press in Uptown Normal on Thursdays through the end of the season, but we’re done with Common Ground until 2009. So if you need Bill’s veggies prepared into a fabulous meal, Garlic Press is right down the road.

We’ll see you at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – noon. BRING YOUR BAGS!!

Please let your friends know about the blog. Call us at 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks!
Mercy Davison