Corn is Ready for Pickin'!

Good morning all……..

Not sure, but it feels like a little bit of FALL in our mornings? Well at least Monday and Tuesday morning… for sure the sleeping has been a bit easier. Our TENTRR site is hopping with campers from “away” who have all come to Maine enjoy our fabulous state. If TENTRR is of interest to you, , you can go to their site and look at what this company offers and my site (Hill Top Camp at Valley View Farm).

We have had delivered another 100 foot long high tunnel to help extend our gardens and our undercover growing options! Delivered in pieces, it will go up like a giant erector set (remember those from our childhood?), and will be another great addition to our farm and food offerings!

Order can be placed now for the 10 pound boxes of native Maine blueberries. $30.00 per box, these tiny berries are full of flavor, and I put them directly into the freezer and scoop handfuls all winter long. They are very clean (always a few greenies and some stems) and come from unsprayed fields. Please let me know if you’d like a box or two or more, we will only have availability on them for the next 10-14 days . Our high bush cultivated blueberries are still producing, I expect we will have our last picking of them this week.

AND , drum roll please………. Corn! Now being picked, this is the pinnacle of our season, the high point, the penultimate crop that everyone waits for. Sugar and gold is the variety, sweet and delicious.

Finally, farmers’ markets are in full swing, we have been trying to work steadily towards opening our own little farm store, and while hoping to open for this week, looks like we will hold off until next week. The shop hours will be Thursday and Friday 2-5 AND Saturday 10-2. Come take a drive and visit, all our meats and vegetables will be available and we’d love to have you !

We appreciate your support of local foods, our excellent small Maine farms and farmers’ markets ( of course). And I look forward to hearing from you!

Gratefully,

Kath

Boy Scouts Enjoy the Farm!

Boy Scouts of America

Good morning all!

And yet ANOTHER busy week and weekend here at the farm! Between the downfall of rain and pea sized hail that we received on Friday, our farm ponds are full to the brim and the ducks and geese are so very, very happy! Produce is coming in in abundance, and daily I receive calls from other farmer friends asking if I will add onto my list with their extra offerings… We have a great supply of high bush blueberries, the small “wild “ ones will be arriving soon. Radicchio, green beans, French green beans, and yellow beans are very plentiful. Sadly, the shell and sugar snap peas have finished up. Eggplant (a slim purple variety and a Rosa Blanca) and purple peppers are on the list this week. Cukes! Yippee! Slicing and picklers are in , we all wait for those don’t we? We had a visiting Boy Scout troop here over the weekend. 20 adventuresome scouts and their leaders stayed here at the farm, I love to see all the tents set up in one of our fields. This group visits us every other year and they spend the weekend canoeing the Androscoggin and doing a bit of trail clearing on the farm. The scouts visited with all the farm animals and asked lots and lots of great questions…. Most were very intrigued by my mini horse Ted.. and the reason? Well, Ted only has one eye, he had to have it removed years and years ago but watching him run and cavort around the fields you would never know. He is a friendly guy and loves lots of attention which he got in abundance. My wonderful family also arrived for a working visit. So, we visit, we work, we play and eat wonderful yummy local foods. The very best of all worlds……. Grateful for all of your ongoing support of our local farms, local foods and small businesses. I am seeing so many of you at our farmers’ markets. We really appreciate you!!!! I hope your summer is going well, I am really not sure where July went, but it rapidly is coming to a close … as always, please let me know if there is anything that we can supply.. canning and pickling needs we can accommodate as our season progresses…. Kath

Glamping at the Farm

Good morning all!

So after whining about the lack of rain, Mother Nature sure fixed our problems didn’t she?

We have a TENTRR site on the farm (glamour camping for folks that don’t want to haul gear but do want to enjoy the great outdoors), and for the past 3 weekends, rain, rain, rain! Not much they can do to go outside, and while the tent is large and very comfy, a confined space gets real old after awhile…. And damp too…

The vegetable bounty is in full swing!

This week we add radishes, sugar snap peas, green beans(yay!), bunches of onions, slicing cukes, and grape tomatoes…… the high bush blueberries are full and plump.. this rain does them a very good turn BUT we have to get to get to them before the birdies!I am told the “wild “ Maine blueberries, (the teeny tiny ones that are soooooo extra delicious) will be arriving in the next 10 days. I offer them up by the pint and for winter keeping in the freezer by the 10 pound box. If you are interested in reserving your box(es), please let me know ! I will freeze many myself for winter sales, but they do go fast. And THAT season can be just as brief as strawberry season.

Our turkeys continue on in their rapid weight gain, Our meat chickens thrive too. I will be shipping lambs out in the next few weeks for lamb chops, and ground lamb for all of you that enjoy that tender pasture raised meat. And while I may sound cavalier about my lambs and their eminent demise, please know that ALL of our farm animals are raised in big open moveable pens or pastures, they are never ever fed antibiotics or hormones. They never see the confines of dark barns or small cramped cages. They are never abused or mismanaged, they live healthy happy lives. BUT it is one of the realities of farm life. And honestly even veggies have feelings too.

Please know how much I appreciate your continuing support for our excellent small Maine farms and glorious local foods. It is my pride and privilege to offer up our good for you . I look forward to hearing from you!

And finally to close my missive this week…… I have a very dear friend that offers up personal cooking . If you visit our web page (valleyviewfarm.me) we will have a heading for you to click on to peruse her current menu. Please contact Diana if this would be of interest to you, her flavors, colors and lovely cooking skills are truly amazing!

Grateful to do what I do for all of you,

Kath