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HUMAN COMBINE
FARM NEWS
FROM THE FARMERS
Dry beans are a new crop for the farm. I ordered some seed several years ago, but hadn’t set aside any time to undertake the project until this summer. We certainly aren’t the first farmers around here to undertake the challenge, and a lot of credit should go to Susana Lein at Salamander Springs Farm for pioneering small scale grain production in our local market. Our hope is to find a few staple crops (dry beans and grains) we can grow on the farm to help balance out the contents of our CSA, along with providing some diversity to our crop rotation.
Harvest is the biggest labor requirement for staple crops, but with such a small quantity of beans to harvest this year, we decided to do everything by hand. With the aid of our mechanical bean sheller, which we use to shell our heirloom seed beans, four of us were able to shell and clean about 20 lb. of black turtle beans in an hour. It’s obvious why these harvesting processes began to be mechanized over 100 years ago with reaper binders, threshing machines, and eventually self propelled combine harvesters. Small, worn out, and practically antique harvest equipment can be purchased at scrap metal prices making mechanization an option for even the smallest producers. We purchased a 1969 New Holland 975 combine several years ago from a fellow market vendor, and returning it to service is on our long list of winter projects.
Adding the mechanization of the combine to our farm will also help us transition our livestock operation to certified organic. The cost of organic feed seems like our biggest hurdle towards certifying the livestock, but organic grain production will undoubtably bring it’s own set production and infrastructure challenges.
Bryce
TURKEYS
WE’RE NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR OUR PASTURE RAISED TURKEYS!
SCHEDULED PICK UPS FOR TURKEYS ARE:
- SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23 @ LEXINGTON FARMERS MARKET (8-12 PM)
- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24 @ LAZY EIGHT STOCK FARM (3-5 PM)
- BY APPOINTMENT ANYTIME AFTER NOVEMBER 20th.
RESERVE YOUR TURKEY HERE
WEEK #25 CSA SHARE CONTENTS
ALL OUR PRODUCE IS NOW CERTIFIED ORGANIC!
- BLACK TURTLE DRY BEANS
- SWEET BELL PEPPERS
- BEAUREGARD SWEET POTATOES
- ACORN SQUASH
- SWISS CHARD
REMINDER: Our fall crops are a little slow coming in this year, but we are planning on extending the season beyond our original end date. The last scheduled delivery was originally the third week of November, but we will plan on continuing as long as possible beginning the week after Thanksgiving. If you are interested in a pasture raised turkey this fall, please make sure you reserve your by filling out this form.
FARM NOTES & EVENTS
FARM POTLUCK
NOVEMBER 3rd
JOIN US AT THE FARM – 4 TO CLOSE
POULTRY SALE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27th
SEE YOU AT THE FARM – 3-5 p.m.
STOCK UP YOUR FREEZER FOR THE WINTER & HELP US MAKE ROOM IN OUR FREEZERS FOR ALL THESE TURKEYS!
- TUESDAY – BEREA FARMERS MARKET, 3:30-6:30 PM
- THURSDAY – LFUCG GOVERNMENT CENTER, 3:30-5:00 PM
- SATURDAY – BEREA FARMERS MARKET, 9:00-12:00 PM
- SATURDAY – LEXINGTON FARMERS MARKET, 7:00-12:00 PM
FROM THE KITCHEN
