This week brought our first real rainstorm — almost two and a half inches. The kind that makes everything smell like wet soil and compost. It was early too – we don’t usually expect rain until October, so we had to scramble to prepare for it. The barn roof didn’t love it, but our new tarps held tight. A full reroof will have to wait. Jeremy — who also happens to be a general contractor — ran the numbers, and even doing the work ourselves, it would run over six thousand dollars. And before we even think about that, the barn needs structural reinforcement. For now, the new tarps will do just fine.
The rain pushed us inside for some long-overdue barn work. We blew years of dust out of the rafters, rewired the chicken runs, and — finally — got this year’s laying flock started. It’s been years since we’ve had the space to raise birds for ourselves. For a long time, we’ve focused on growing chickens for others, helping families start their own backyard flocks for egg production. The way we see it, it’s a little like that old saying: teach a man to fish. Selling families chickens instead of eggs helps them feed themselves for years.
Now, we’re building back our own flock — 140 beautiful new layers out in the upper field with an automatic watering system, electrified poultry netting, and a pasture freshly sown with black oil sunflowers and cover crop. The goal is to rebuild a steady supply of eggs for the farm stand, the CSA boxes, and the local markets.
In the garden, the carrot rust fly has been giving us hell. It burrows into the roots and ruins what would otherwise be perfect carrots. We pulled the beds clean this week and gave the rejects to the pigs, who were thrilled about the buffet. The tomatoes had fallen over again. We pruned and tied them up, and they immediately leaned the other way. That’ll be this weekend’s project. Snow peas, fava beans, dill, carrots, and lettuce have been planted. Garlic has to be in the ground by Halloween!
Over at the farm stand, we added new shelving between the refrigerators and ordered more to make the space cleaner and easier to shop. We also repaired the fascia and patched the section of the roof damaged when a tree came down during the January storm. Not glamorous work, but it’s progress.
And for our CSA friends — we’ll be switching to free delivery for Farm Boxes next month. We’ll roll it out to existing customers first, as a small thank-you for sticking with us through every adjustment and experiment along the way.
Reflections from the Field
This week wasn’t romantic. It was wet tarps, dusty rafters, broken tomato stakes, and mud everywhere. But it was also movement — new hens in the pasture, the smell of rain after months of dust, and small fixes that add up.
Farming never really slows down. But sometimes a storm gives us the excuse to stop, look around, and remember what we’re building toward.
Check out what’s inside this week’s box, discover the value of the items and how to keep them fresh, and see our curated recipe using items in this week’s harvest!
What’s Inside?
Essentials Box
Cost: $18 | Retail Value: $24 | You Save: $6.00
- Cabbage (1 head) — $3
- Jalapeños (1/l lb) — $3
- Carrots (1 bunch) — $3
- Watermelon (3–4 lbs) — $5
- Grapes (1 lb) — $5
- Plums (1 lb) — $5
Original Box
Cost: $30 | Retail Value: $40.00 | You Save: $10.00
- Essentials Box, plus:
- Cherry Tomatoes (1 pint) — $4
- Cilantro (1 bunch) — $2
- Onion (1 lb) — $3
- Heirloom Tomatoes (1 lb) — $5
- Arugula (8 oz) — $2
Hearty Box
Cost: $42 | Retail Value: $50.00 | You Save: $8.00
- Original Box, plus:
- Eggplant (1 lb) — $2
- Parsley (1 bunch) — $3
- Kale (1 bunch) — $3
- Chard (1 bunch) — $3
Values are based on farm stand and regional farmers market pricing for comparable produce.
From the Farm Kitchen: Caldo Verde After the Rain
When the rain finally hit this week — along with the cold spell — we decided the crew needed something warm to shake off the chill. So we made a big pot of Caldo Verde, the traditional Portuguese soup we first tasted years ago while visiting old WWOOF-USA friends at their pizzeria in Zambujeira do Mar.
It’s a simple, hearty dish built on what farms do best: onions, garlic, potatoes, and kale — all from our fields and partner farms — finished with linguica medallions and a handful of fresh microgreens. Nothing fancy, just honest food that tastes like comfort after a long, wet day.
You can find the recipe on our blog if you want to make your own batch and bring a little Portuguese warmth to your fall kitchen.
For full details on this week’s harvest list, including a recipe for Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup, storage tips, most popular FAQs, and partner farms, you can view the complete newsletter at the link below.
