My Fingernails are beginning to need the scrub brush again.

First: The List
What's been planted:
January:

• 3300 yellow onions (copra)
• 3000 red onions
• Lettuces, the dirt list,
  

February:

• 200 Celery
• Lettuces

March: thus far

• 200 Celeriac
• 200 Leeks
• 100 Broccoli
• 100 Cauliflower

March 13:

• 50 Jalapeno
• 50 Cayenne
• 50 Paprika
• 20 Volcano
• 30 Carmen
• 108 Green Pepper
• 50 Basil
• 108 Eggplant

March 15th:

• 50 Rutgers Tomatoes
• 50 Romas
• 30 Amish Paste
• 30 Cherry
• 140 Pac Choi (greenhouse)
• 100 Radish (greenhouse)
• 50 kohlrabi (greenhouse)
• 25 European Cukes (greenhouse)

March 16th
For Butterflies and bees:

• 50 Marigold
• 24 Pansy
• 24 Yellow Guilardia (seedling & greenhouse)
• 24 Calendula
• 24 Elecampane
• 12 Mountain Bluet
• 24 Bachelors Buttons (greenhouse)

Began thinning the carrots in the greenhouse
Lettuce should begin harvest in 2 weeks
1st seeding of radish bulbing up
Tatsoi about 1/2 inch leaf
Spinach on 2nd leaves
Chard is baby size

Last years oregano I thought I killed is all leafing out!

AND, drum roll please, the Meyer Lemon trees are growing new branches everywhere. When I pinch a baby leaf the scent is so strong. I am so excited. I may have lemons!!

The third baby fig started from a branch is budding. Figs are starting to grow on the 2 year old tree and the almost one year old.

I' gonna eat a fresh picked fig in about 4 weeks!!! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM! Heaven.

6 more are in the water tables waiting for roots.
I am so, aw gee, umm...well, I am whistling away, a little bounce in the step. I was dripping sweat in the greenhouse seeding away, while it was woahwickedchilly outside. I had to find the scrub brush for my finger nails. And I love it!! Every day that beautiful sun has been just shining away. The promise, that Spring IS coming, (it really is!) starts my each morning. And I am waking up with a smile on my lips an a prayer of gratefulness in my heart and my mind says, "Oh, Thank you."

I have another opportunity to grow as much food as I can, and it will be more, G-d willing, than the year before. I have another opportunity to store as much food as I can, to can as much as I can, freeze as much as I can, expand the root storage, and of course, help other people learn to do this, and of course, sell as much as I can.

I think next winter is going to be rough. For everyone. And we have another opportunity to prepare.

19 CSA Shares remain. And our intern position is till available. We are also looking for that "special someone (s)" to join us, someone who is passionate about surviving whatever may be coming. So, if anyone reading this is curious, give us a ring. Many hands make lighter work.

January 1 2009

Happy New Year!
Updates and Mental Notes That I Will Forget If Not Written Down:

• 4 CSA Members Signed Up Before The New Year
• 26 More To Go
• Fig Cutting rooted in the water tables in June, is bearing fruit. What's remarkable about that? We knew not how long till fruit would form. It was less than 6 months old since cutting that it is bearing fruit. This may not be remarkable, just very pleasing!! People bought figs. All the figs we harvested for sale, sold. There are 2 more rooted cuttings to be transplanted. The first fig tree branched beautifully and produced in abundance. We presently have room for 4 more, IF we remove the Papaya Trees. We have figs year round on the mature tree, albeit less than in the waxing light.
  
• The Papaya Trees that produced fruit, failed to mature. In October last year, the fruit dropped. In October this year, the fruit that were smaller than 3 inches dropped and the fruit that are larger than 3 inches are still on the trees, but will not mature. The natural light cycle will not support papaya production. We want to install more lights in the greenhouse for lettuces anyway. Considerations are whether we will have the money to do so and how long do we wait till we have the capital for more equipment when we could be growing crops (figs) that produce and sell. hmmmm.... To Remove Papaya Trees for Figs... or not. That is the question.
• 2 weeks to begin seeding onions, new lettuce for the water tables and artichokes. Need to get the first seed order in.
• SATURDAY I TURN 39. Holy Crap. I'm getting old.
  

My father was very kind. He said,"Honey, you have a BIG birthday coming up. Huh."
I said, "It will be big when I hit 40, Pop. I'm only gonna be 39."
He responded, "Every year it just gets bigger."
And we laughed.
Kind fellow, my pop is.

• Oil supply is waning.
  

Restaurant clientele is waning. So oil use is waning. So, we get less oil. Never mind the thievery by everyone and their mother who wants to make bio-diesel. Yes, I said thievery. When we have deals with our suppliers and folks slide in and snag the cubies. That's stealing. And never mind the bigger company that sends in their sewage sucking truck with a heckofadeal that includes maintenance of the restaurants equipment AND paying them for the oil. We just cannot compete with that. Shall we get angry? Naaa. Waste of time. Solution? Grow our own oil. Co-operative enterprise with others on the purchase of harvesters and seed press etc. Grow sunflowers, mustard...Contract with farmers. The mash after mashing the seed, is a way high protein foodstuff for the cows etc. And we continue adapting.

• The actualization of distributed micro fish/produce farms powered by farm made fuel is a "localvore" solution to increased access to food, increased food security, decreased vulnerability. The need was yesterday. The crisis is tomorrow. We're trying, man. Doing everything we can. ANY INVESTORS OUT THERE? We can make good money doing a good thing. Lets do it!

I am certain there is more to update about. Another time. Another time.