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July 17th, 2014 This week’s harvest: red onions, kale, chard, collards, salad mix with fresh herbs, kohlrabi, beets, turnips, radish, u-pick strawberries, uncured garlic (hang it in your kitchen for a week to dry or eat now for an even sharper garlic taste).
It’s exciting to watch how quickly the farm grows from week to week and even more fun to share it with you. The 32nd St. plot is really coming together with the staking of the tomatoes, pole beans and cucumbers this week. We’re happy the strawberries are still coming in for another week or two. We’ve learned how important getting straw down will be next season to prevent the rain from splashing dirt on them and the berries from turning brown from the hot soil! At $7 a bale we tried to do without, but now realize how important it is.
Over the course of the last three years we’ve learned a lot and continue to make changes as we experience what works and what doesn’t. Our goal to make sustainable farming financially viable is a challenge, but one we’re committed to achieving. We’ve realized how important having both a CSA and farmers market stand is to the success of our business, the former to cover our costs and the later to provide a salary. We were shocked the first couple of years to find out how much produce we came home with from farmers market in August and September and how important it was to have CSA members who could absorb all of the food at peak season. Ready to harvest beginning mid-August are tomatoes from over 3,000 plants, cucumbers, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beets, pumpkins, peas, parsnips, watermelon, cabbage, herbs, flowers, winter/summer squash plus the usual greens. So be ready to light up the barbeque and enjoy the flavors of summer!
As always, thanks for your support.
Linley, Pete, and Reid
July 10th, 2014 This week’s share: lettuce mix, arugula, spinach, beets, kale, chard, parsley, cilantro, onions, u-pick strawberries!
We’re really feeling into the swing of things now that the farm is planted and a few weeks of CSA are behind us. It’s amazing what a few days completely dedicated to weeding will do. At the beginning of the week we really felt the weeds were going to overtake our crops, but after a few days of dedicating ourselves only to weeding, it feels like we might just catch up. We are so grateful to the work-shares and volunteers for helping us out.
Hopefully the evening thunderstorms will stay away for our u-pick strawberries tomorrow. We debated over whether or not there would be enough to open up the patch again, but if everyone is good about not picking (or eating) more than a half pint, there should be enough for everyone. It was incredible to see how quickly the berries disappeared last week!
Thanks for your support and look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
July 3rd, 2014 This week’s share: radishes, turnips, beets, onions, dill, spinach, lettuce mix, arugula, kale, and u-pick strawberry pints!
Once again, we have a nice harvest for you early in the season. As new as we are to farming, we still have the constant worry: will we have enough to harvest for CSA? Somehow, every week, there’s always a nice share ready! This week, we couldn’t be more excited to offer you strawberries to harvest. We’ll hand you a pint and you can head to the field. It won’t take you long to fill it, (unless you pop more in your mouth than you put in the container). We’ve been sampling the different varieties the last few days and they are all tasty. Some are more tart, others sweet. Regardless, they all put the grocery store strawberries to shame. It is a nice yield so far especially considering it is a first-year patch.
We’ve always wanted to grow strawberries, despite warnings from other farmers when we first moved to town. “Mine always die” or “they just stop producing” or “they’re too high maintenance” are among the warnings we were given. Well, we’ve either been lucky or we’ve figured it out because this year they look great. My favorite variety is ‘sparkle,’ an old heirloom with tremendous flavor traditionally used for jam. I predict very few will be turned into jam and the majority will be eaten right in the field!
As always, you are welcome to harvest additional kale if you go through more than the share we provide. For us, it is a big sigh of relief to have the farm all planted. Now on to the weeds!! Happy 4th.
Linley, Reid, and Peter
June 26th, 2014 The crush of June planting is finally over, the greenhouse is clear of starts, our plants are growing in the ground, the CSA is finally here, and now it’s weed season! The cycles of the farm year, while challenging and exhausting, are what make farming fun. The majority of the share this week is coming off of our Mancos Lane plot, where we make use of the high tunnels, greenhouse and the infrastructure that was set up from last season along with the city water we use for our greens to get an early jump on the season. Crops at 32nd St that are nearing harvest include kale, basil, tomatoes and radishes, while the rest is planted in late summer and fall crops.
When we rented this new plot we envisioned our members becoming more connected to the farm, so whether it be this week or later in the season, we’d like to encourage you all to come out and spend some time with us on the farm. Look around, pull some weeds, harvest some kale, grab some strawberries, or just check out the family of bald eagles nested behind the hoop house. Providing our members with delicious produce, grown without pesticides or insecticides, is important to us and our farm, buts it’s also important to us that you, our members, can share the experience.
Without further ado, your shares this week include: lettuce, arugula, spinach, kale, beets, radishes, chard, onions, and cilantro! With our radishes about a week away from harvest, we decided to go next store to our neighboring organic grower John Essen for his delicious radishes. Also this week, for those who can’t get enough greens, you have the option of picking from one of our kale beds to supplement your share. Welcome (back) to Adobe House Farm and thank you for supporting locally grown produce! We look forward to seeing you from 3-6 at 821 E 32nd St.
Your growers,
Linley, Peter, and Reid
This recipe comes highly recommended from our work/share Leslie Blood.
Recipe of the week “Turns Out I Like Beets!” Hummus
- Four beautiful beets cooked and peeled (cook them wrapped in foil at 375 for about an hour and peel them once they have cooled)
- Two tbsp tahini paste
- Zest from two lemons
- Five tbsp lemon juice
- One clove garlic
- Pinch of salt
- A few grinds of fresh pepper
Throw it into your food processor and let’er rip. I think this would be amazing with chips, in veggie wraps and on salads. I plan on trying all three if I do not eat it all directly from the jar with a spoon.
June 24th, 2014 Welcome (and welcome back) CSA members. Thank you for supporting local and sustainable agriculture. Your shares begin this week and we’re looking forward to meeting/seeing all of you this Thursday. We’ll send out the usual CSA letter later in the week, but here are the logistics:
- CSA pickup starts this Thursday (6/26) and runs from 3pm-6pm.
- We are excited to have the pickup at our new plot, which is located at 821 E. 32nd St, right between Sunshine Gardens and TL Roofing. Look for the Adobe House Farm sign!
- Bring a tote for the produce – we’ll have some on hand just in case you forget.
- If you have the time we will be happy to show you around the new plot and talk about the farm. After all, the whole point of the CSA (aside from the pesticide/insecticide free produce) is the opportunity to know the people who grow your food and how we do it.
- Call us if you have any questions or have trouble finding the plot.
Linley, Reid and Peter
970-317-0309
970-317-0310
May 30th, 2014 Welcome 2014 CSA members! We here at Adobe House Farm (AHF) are happy and grateful to welcome back our returning CSA members as well as the new shares that have signed on for this season. We’d especially like to thank those that have stayed with us from our small thirteen-member beginning: Steve, Lisa, Carol, JM, Sally and Barb. Whether you’re deciding to stick with us in hopes of a bumper strawberry crop, or perhaps you’re holding out for a free t-shirt, either way we’ve been honored to have you along for the ride.
There is a lot to be excited about for the upcoming season and we look forward to sharing news from the farm throughout the summer on our website, through our weekly CSA letter, as well as regular facebookand twitter updates. Firstly we need to get everyone up to speed concerning your AHF CSA share.
- First CSA pickup is Thursday, June 26thbetween 3-6pm and runs for 16 weeks .
- Pickup will take place at our new plot: 821 E. 32nd St. (Right between sunshine gardens and TL Roofing).
- We will have extra U-pick options available at pickup most likely beginning in August for you greens freaks, juicers, flower and strawberry lovers.
- Work/shares begin next week! Let us know what time works with your schedule. Most people choose Thursday mid-morning so they can go home with their CSA share at the end of the 3 hours. If that doesn’t work for you, let us know what time does.
- We are hosting “crop mob” work parties open to anyone in the every Wednesday 3 – 6pm. All are welcome. Work shares are welcome to come then as well.
- Come see us/introduce yourselves at the farmers market!
If we’re forgetting anything or you have questions regarding the share or AHF please let us know. We take pride in our farming practices and love to talk about what we do. Anyone is welcome to come by the farm (provided you pull a few weeds), just let us know when you’re coming since we’ll be bouncing around four different growing spaces throughout the season. Everything is shaping up nicely so far and we’re right on schedule. 5500 new strawberries are established in the ground and our greenhouse is overflowing with starts ready to transition outside. We are really looking forward to the season and as always to providing our members with fresh, pesticide free produce grown in the Animas Valley. Thanks again for joining AHF!
Linley, Peter, Werner, and Reid
Linley 970-317-0309
Peter 970-317-0310
Reid 301-908-7213
As always, thanks for your support,
Linley, Peter, Werner, Reid
April 25th, 2014  Raina helped us spread soy bean meal, an organic form of slow-release nutrients. We’d like to start this email by saying how much we love our customers. Many of you are following us on Facebook and Twitter and encouraging us with your comments and “likes”. You’ve been quick to respond when we’ve had excess greens throughout the winter and willing to come to grandma Jan and grandpa Ken’s garage refrigerator for the goods.
 The Fort Lewis College student “crop mob” transplanting chard, beets and onions. For those of you that have been with us from the beginning, you’ve supported us through three seasons of developing new infrastructure and expansion. Our CSA and growing skills have improved dramatically each year. This year is shaping up to follow in those footsteps. This time last year we were turning an acre of pasture into garden space, getting the plot ready to plant in June. This year, we have half of that acre already planted into cold tolerant crops like beets, carrots, onions, cilantro, parsley, baby kale, arugula, spinach, chard, turnips, and radishes. The seeds have germinated, the transplants have taken root, and they are safe under frost blankets. Tomatoes have been in the ground under three layers of protection and already have blossoms!
 Adobe House Farm’s expansion brought my farmer brother, Reid, from Portland here to help us. This season we are renting 2 new acres off of 32nd street to expand our production and allow our CSA members free access to the farm. Our CSA pick up will be held at 821 32nd St. on Thursdays from 3-6 where you can see it all happen right before your eyes. Throughout the season you’ll have optional free access to extra u-pick items, in addition to your prepared CSA share. In an effort to help with the many tasks ahead, we have doubled our CSA work/share program and Fort Lewis college has organized weekly “crop mobs” Wednesdays from 3-6. It is all vey exciting!
While the majority of you have joined for the 2014 season, in trippling our growing space, we are looking to increase our CSA membership. Please forward this email to anyone you think would enjoy the weekly bounty and becoming part of something bigger than us all: a shift toward a better food system.
As always, thanks for your support,
Linley, Peter, Werner, Reid
October 18th, 2013 Chickpea, Turnip, and Corn Curry
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 Tablespoons curry powder
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans
- (chickpeas), undrained
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 turnip, peeled and diced
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- (optional)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch cracked black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, cumin, and curry powder; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garbanzo beans, red bell pepper, turnip, corn, and tomato sauce. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the curry has thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
October 7th, 2013  This week’s harvest: apples, potatoes, buttercup winter squash, onions, parsley, fennel
It’s hard to believe that it’s early October and we’ve already replanted our tunnels and greenhouse into winter spinach. We are a month ahead of previous years because of the early end to the season. It has been hard for me to accept that it is time to wind down. My mind is already busy adjusting for next season. We are so new to growing and feel like each year we have come so far from the year before. There are still so many things we would like to improve upon. First, we need to increase salad greens production. This will include changing our variety selection for the heat of the summer, adding shade cloth, and fertilizing with soybean meal instead of coffee grounds (which slowed germination and growth). Secondly, we would like to grow bigger and more diverse beets (especially golden)! Roasting root vegetables became a nightly routine in our house and we heard from you that you enjoyed it too. Increasing the organic matter in the soil, planting early in low tunnels, and thinning should do the trick. We’d love to hear more from you if you have suggestions for what you would like us to grow next year.
We continue to grow through the winter mostly because we don’t buy vegetables at the store. I just can’t do it anymore. It’s funny because I never loved farming for the harvests, but rather for the act of growing. But now, after eating only our vegetables for three years, I just can’t go back. And it’s not that the grocery store vegetables taste bad. Rather, it’s because I now know too much. I know that grocery store vegetables are a part of big business, big tractors, big chemical use, big fossil fuel emissions, big soil compaction, big nitrogen run-off and big money for the owner (not the workers). Our vegetables are a part of the health of our community, our soils and waterways, our local food security, our economy, and our bodies.
In fact, while eating a tomato this season I was reminded of Plato’s Allegory of the cave. It was presented in The Republic (520 ad) “to compare the effect of education and the lack of it on our nature.” The story describes a group of people that are chained to the wall of a cave. The entrance to the cave is behind them so that anything that passes in front of the cave door casts a shadow onto the walls that they are facing. The shadows are all they have seen their entire lives, therefore, the shadows are their reality. I have been freed from the cave. I know now what a real tomato tastes like and that the ones in the grocery store are only “shadows” of the real tomato. It is real not only because of the taste, but because of the way it was grown and the gifts that it provided to our community. I have tasted a real tomato, cucumber, sweet onion, carrot, zucchini, spinach leaf and apple and I aint goin back!
I know, it isn’t fair because fresh vegetables are hard to come by in the winter here and not everyone has their own greenhouses! But this is the direction Adobe House Farm is heading. We want you to have access to local food, free of synthetic chemicals year-round. We want to grow enough during the summer so that we can preserve extra for the winter. The “rescued” hailed tomatoes opened our eyes to ways in which we can preserve the extra harvest. And, we want to increase greenhouse space so that you can eat fresh vegetables all winter long. In the next few weeks we will be putting in another high tunnel to add to our winter growing and we continue to explore ways to increase our food production in town.
We intend to make a lifetime out of providing the highest quality vegetables to Durango. Thank you for being part of this journey from the beginning!
Linley, Peter, Werner
October 2nd, 2013 Walnut Basil Pesto
- 2 cups packed Basil
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Process until smooth texture in food processor. Add 2 tbsps pasta cooking water before adding to pasta. Or, freeze in ziplock bag for future use.
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Contact AHF (970) 317-0309
linley@adobehousefarm.com
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