Farm Box: January 22, 2026
The sunny and 75-degree weather we’ve enjoyed the last couple of weeks helped dry the ground out faster than we expected, which changed the pace of this week in our favor. After waiting for conditions to improve, it felt good to build momentum. The tractor had free range in the garden, and we made the most of it. We turned over a large number of beds, worked compost back into the soil, mulched walkways, and planted a solid mix of leafy greens, brassicas, and root crops. It’s good to see empty space become fruitful again.
The WWOOF team is fully in sync now. Everyone knows the rhythm, and the days move more smoothly because of it. We’ll be saying goodbye to Jess next week as she heads back to college. The goodbyes always come with a mix of appreciation and adjustment. At the same time, we’re interviewing new WWOOFers to step into her place. Jack and Preston have been right there with us, practicing interview skills, listening closely, and learning what it means to think about people as part of a working system—not just extra hands.
Speaking of extra hands, Waylon jumped in to help us plant starts, bringing excitement to the monotony of putting start after start into soft earth. Many hands make light work, and little hands bring happy work.
At the end of last week, we got a surprise visit that slowed us down in the best way. Doreen, who worked with us for years as our (beloved) Customer Service and Office Manager, flew in from Texas and showed up unannounced. We spent a Saturday afternoon soaking in her company. Seeing her here again was a reminder of how many wonderful people have helped to shape this farm. A lot of care and commitment live in its history. Doreen was the other half of my brain for a long time, and our favorite joke was having “pocket chickens.”
Pocket Chickens (noun)
/ˈpäkət ˈCHikənz/
1. A fictional flock customers humorously believe we stash in our pockets—the “best of the best” chickens supposedly tucked into our pockets instead of being offered for sale.
The pigs have also been keeping us on our toes. We’ve been training them on new high-visibility electric fence and preparing for a move, hopefully today! Once that’s complete, we’ll be able to get into the paddock, till up the soggy ground, and plant a cover crop to amend the soil. The dream is to have the high-visibility wire run through the oaks so they can take advantage of the falling acorns without any additional work from us. For now, the Acorn Woodpeckers have been enjoying the flush of acorns from the oaks this year, and we even got a visit at the bird bath!
This Week’s Farm Box
Produce this week from Dare 2 Dream Farms is packed alongside fresh goods from Sunrise Organics, Tutti Frutti, and Rocking Chair Farms.
What’s Cooking?
This recipe uses four of this week’s farm box ingredients to make one hearty meal. Tetsu, short for Tetsukabuto, is also referred to as Japanese pumpkin. The flesh is a beautiful, deep orange color. The skin is hard to peel, so roast with the skin on. For this recipe, you don’t need to peel it after it’s roasted — just serve it as a boat and eat it like a twice-baked potato.
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