This week had a little bit of everything, which is pretty normal around here—if your definition of “normal” includes martial arts, bird surveillance technology, government grant programs, and insect reinforcements.
🎄 Tang Soo Do Takes Over H Street
On Friday, our kids marched in the Lompoc Christmas Parade with their Tang Soo Do classmates. They kicked their way down H Street, handed out invites to a free class, and hopefully convinced at least one excited child to join.
🐦 We Installed a Bird Buddy (Yes, It’s AI. Yes, the Birds Are Judging Us.)
The new AI bird feeder in the garden is officially live. So far, the Bird Buddy has identified only dark-eyed juncos, who seem to be visiting in shifts like they’re clocking in for work. The others could be boycotting, but we’re hoping for introductions soon. Maybe we can get the blue jays to eat the bird seed instead of the strawberries!
🌳 Field Work: The Things That Don’t Make the Instagram Cut
This week’s behind-the-scenes highlights:
- Fertilized and mulched the rest of the fruit trees. They are officially tucked in for the season.
- Artichokes are working on a small fall harvest. A little burnt orange around the edges may indicate more flavor from being “kissed by frost”.
- Carrots are nearly ready. Please suspend judgment – our children have inevitably harvested some prematurely.
- The new laying flock is up to 15–18 eggs a day, which is a slow but steady increase in output, nowhere near the response we thought we’d get from the beautiful sunflower, buckwheat, clover mix we grow for them, but sunny side up eggs bring light to the dark, no matter how few.
🍽️ Route 1 Harvest Celebration
We were invited to speak and mingle at the Route 1 Farmers Market Harvest Celebration Dinner at Eye on I. We shared how the Farms Together grant program has helped us—and nine other local farms—get fresh produce to families who need it most. The program pays farmers full retail price and pays invoices within a week, which is basically the farming equivalent of spotting a unicorn. The coordinated drop-offs serve places such as the senior center, health clinic, food pantry, and Unity Shoppe, as well as stocking the Farmers Market Truck, and it’s all given away for FREE!
These regular orders have allowed us to plan future harvests more than ever before, expand our garden, and invest in a small garden tractor that has drastically reduced the amount of physical labor and wheelbarrow action around the farm, from work such as making beds and fertilizing them all by hand.
When food stamps were delayed during the government shutdown, this program moved 3,000–5,000 pounds of produce into the community right when it mattered. Huge respect to Shelby Wild and the Route 1 staff and board!
🦟 Fly Eliminators Have Entered the Chat
We also received our shipment of parasitic wasps this week. Before anyone panics:
- They do not sting.
- They do not attack you.
- They do not unionize with the juncos (as far as we know).
Their entire job is to target fly larvae around manure and compost so fewer adult flies show up later. They’re tiny, effective, and—unlike your high school lab partner—they actually pull their weight.
🌱 And yes, we’re still weed-whacking and setting gopher traps.
Because Rain + Summer Weather = endless weeds, and the gophers have arrived for the buffet.
This Week’s Farm Box
What’s Inside?
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!
Values are based on farm stand and regional farmers market pricing for comparable produce.
Know Your Veg: Fennel
Fennel is one of those vegetables that looks a little intimidating but becomes a kitchen favorite once you know what to do with it. It has a mild anise flavor when raw — fresher and sweeter than people expect — and it softens into something completely different when cooked: mellow, buttery, and almost sweet. If you slice it thin and eat it raw, it gives salads that clean, crunchy bite. If you roast it, it caramelizes like onions.
It also plays well with a ton of ingredients: citrus, chicken, yogurt, squash, potatoes, beets, herbs, grains — you name it. It’s a “bridge vegetable,” the kind that pulls a dish together without stealing the spotlight.
We don’t grow it ourselves, but we love getting it from partner farms because fresh fennel from small growers is night-and-day compared to what you find at the store. If you’re new to cooking with it, start simple: slice it thin, toss it with lemon and oil, or roast it alongside your squash. It’s way easier to use than it looks.
This Week’s Recipe
