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Trumpeter Swan Farm |
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Welcome To Your Farm This is our 11th season providing fruits, vegetables and eggs to our customers at farmers markets, and our 6th year providing shares to our CSA members. We are happy to be your local farm, growing for you and your family. While every year is an adventure, with various outcomes, we never get tired of those early spring days with the awakening earth and the optimistic promise of summer bounty! |
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CSA Shares Available New! We are now a year-round CSA. Winter season (Nov thru April) is just finishing up. Summer season with weekly pickup/delivery starts in May and runs thru October. Full, Half, and Egg Only CSA Shares are available. Continuous signup - join anytime, pay 3 months at a time. Credit for vacation stops and seasonal holds. See CSA tab for more information and application. Click CSA tab for more info. |
Latest News A Winter Wonderland - April 19 What a beautiful day! Fluffy snow, just sticky enough to cling to the trees, but not too heavy as to break branches. Evergreens look just like postcards. And now the sun peeks out to make it brilliant white! We got 10 inches and no rain. Just an ideal snow storm. The only thing that would make it more wonderful would be if it was early December! That's when we really want such wonderful snow! Anyway, we'll make do. The high tunnels shed the snow well and protected the new planting well. Kathy took some nice photos and put them on facebook. You can find them on our facebook page
We continue to start plants, knowing that when the weather breaks, spring will probably come fast.
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Down On The Farm Ash promoted to Field Manager - Jan 4
Ashley Rickards began working at the farm in 2010. Interested in learning market farming, he started as a part time employee whose
first task was helping plant a new asparagus field. Last year, he was still here, now picking the field that has grown to a mature field. Over the years, he has taken on more responsibility. With the help of our customers, we are able to employ him full time through the winter. He is now going to manage the day to day field operations - planting, cultivating and harvesting. Congratulations Ash!
Maggie Catches a Rabbit - Apr 15
I looked outside and Maggie, our dog, is eating something. A closer look reveals a rabbit. A fresh rabbit. How did a 10 year old dog catch a rabbit? She has still got it, I guess. Helping to protect your lettuce from the critters!
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In The Barnyard 200 Baby Chicks - Nov 16
We got 200 baby chicks today. We need to get them in November so they will be ready to start laying eggs in May, in time for the summer markets. They have a nice insulated room that stays quite warm despite the cold outside. It really helps them grow when they don't have to spend a lot of time huddled around the heat lamps.
Fox In The Henhouse - Apr 26
I was out at the Northwinds High Tunnel when I heard a commotion in the barnyard. I hurried over there, and upon hearing a hen in distress, saw a fox with the hen in its mouth. Upon seeing me, the fox dropped its catch and fled the scene. Maggie, our dog, tracked the scent to a small hole in the fence where it had wriggled under. We fixed the fence and walked the perimeter to find any other defects. Every year we lose a few hens to some varmint or stray dog. We have a fence around the 3 acre area the chickens roam, but nothing is ever perfect. Unfortunately, the injured hen died. We did have a chicken dinner this evening, so all was not lost.
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Out In The Fields CSA Signup Continues - Feb 9 Our produce from our high tunnel and root cellar finally ran out in mid-January. CSA members are now receiving a choice of various canned goods made from our produce like salsa, spaghetti sauce, strawberry jam and pickled beets. Home deliveries every 2 weeks have all gone well with the weather cooperating. The year-round CSA has been a good success and we are already thinking of ways to make it even better! Our CSA program is now "continuous signup". Members may sign up any time, extending their subscription 3 months at a time, with payments based on the expected products each month. Members may change levels from "eggs only" to "half share" to "full share" at anytime to right-size their subscription.
Members may opt to start now with "eggs only" or shares with canned goods, or wait until April or May when new produce starts to arrive.
2013 CSA Signup Begins - Jan 7 After experimenting in 2011, we are doing a year-round CSA trial with some of our existing 2012 members. Its been very promising. We are still picking lettuce and green onions from our high tunnel, even after 11 below outside a few days ago. We have been very pleased with our 2012 success - with radishes, bok choi, arugula and spinach, plus potatoes, squash and turnips from our root cellar. We have modified our CSA program to be "continuous signup". Members may sign up any time, extending their subscription 3 months at a time, with payments based on the expected products each month. We are building another high tunnel which will double our capacity to extend our harvest season on both ends of the summer season.
Happy New Year!
Christmas Miracle - Dec 26
Christmas morning, it was 5° below zero. A good test for the produce in the high tunnel. The next day, we uncovered the rows to pick for the December 26 Buffalo CSA delivery. It was quite impressive. The lettuce and green onions looked just fine. The ground remains unfrozen - holding latent heat from the sunny day before, enough to maintain a zone 6 microclimate 6" above the ground when its zone 4 outside. Its a little piece of southern Missouri in frozen cold Minnesota!
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