Just as the summer was unusual, so is our winter. On this early February day I look out the window and see the free range chickens enjoying some still-green grass. They have continued to lay better than usual for winter. The ducks are laying very well also. About half the ewes have lambed so far. I was able to save seed from several varieties of veggies and I’ve ordered most of the seed I will need to purchase this year. I’m planning to grow some heat tolerant green beans so, hopefully, we’ll get a crop even if the summer is like last summer. Customers have suggested a few new varieties of veggies for us to grow. Soon, I’ll be starting some seeds so they will be ready to set out when the time comes. I’ve added a number of additional raised beds in the garden because it seems there is never enough space for everything I’d like to grow. I’ve begun pruning the fruit trees in our small orchard in the hopes that we’ll have a harvest soon. Actually, we had apples on the trees last year until the raccoons helped themselves! On days when I don’t want to be out in the weather I’ve been revising my planting calendar: once the season begins, there’s no time to think through what should be planted when. Lastly, we’re now offering custom cut lamb skin boot inserts. Contact me for more info.

Spring was wet with accompanying disease problems in the tomatoes. We had plenty of lettuce and cool season crops though. Summer was extremely hot and dry so there were no beans and the heirloom tomaotes did not fruit. The hybrid “4th of July” tomato did get over the effects of the wet spring and was the best producers all summer. For the first season since I’ve been growing for market, I had nothing to offer for over a month during the summer. Finally the heat broke. I had taken a gamble and sowed fall greens, keeping them watered by hand and it has paid off this fall. It is now past Thanksgiving and I’m still harvesting spinach, pak choi, tatsoi, ching chiang, several varieties of kale, diakon radishes, and turnips. Although we’ve had several frosts, which have killed all the nightshades, the brassicas thrive in the cooler weather. There are cycles in the weather and here in the Midwest I’m having to learn to adjust to the current weather patterns. I can remember years past where we had only a few days of spring and fall. Now it seems that the spring and fall crops are growing the best.

The livestock part of the farm is enjoying the fall also. We had a good hatch of the Ancona ducks and they are now laying. The heirloom chicks I hatched this spring are also laying their pullet sized eggs: Cuckoo Marans, Kraienkoppes, Americaunas, and Delawares. Some of the older hens are still laying their very large eggs, too. The Katahdins gave me 3 summer lambs which have grown well. The sheep are enjoying the daikon radishes and turnips along with their hay.

Our first delivery of the season is Wednesday, May 18. Any newcomers who have questions about how this works feel free to call or e-mail me. Your choices for this delivery are:

lettuce: an order is one head of buttercrunch and one loose head of a red oak leaved lettuce; you may request more than one order.

tatsoi: a beautiful rosette of deep green, spoon shaped leaves with crisp, tender stems. The taste of the leaves is similar to spinach and can be added to your salad or sauteed. The stems can be used raw to add texture to chicken salad or as a dipper for dips (like you would use celery) or sauteed. It is mild and good raw or cooked.

salad greens: a mixture of young greens that will add to your salad or can be sauteed or stir fried.

sorrel: tangy, lemon flavored leaves give zing to salads. You only need a few leaves unless you are making sorrel soup.

red kale: an order should be about 1/2#

swiss chard: an order should be about 1/2#

maybe radishes

herbs: oregano, apple mint, and lemon balm

At this week’s market expect lettuces, kale, radishes, green onions, herbs, flower and veggie plants, geraniums, canna bulbs. 817 9th Street; Highland, IL 8am til noon

At this Saturday’s Farmers’ Market, 817 9th Street, Highland, IL, we expect to have available lettuce, kale, radishes, green onions, herbs, canna bulbs, and veggie and flower plants. Check it out.

The first two market Saturdays this April have gone well and we thank our faithful customers for coming out no matter what the weather! At the April 23rd market we expect to have tender young salad lettuce, green onions, green garlic, and spinach. There will be plenty of bedding plants, both flowers and veggies to choose from. Stop by 817 Ninth Street between 8 am and noon.

The calendar declares that Spring is here. The weather doesn’t always agree. Still the season is changing. Overwintered spinach and carrots are sweet and full of vitamins. Tiny kale seedlings have been set out in the garden and potaoes are planted. Daffodils and apricots are blooming. The seedlings that were started under grow lights inside by the wood stove have been moved out to the unheated greenhouse and the grow light set up has been dismantled. Chicken breeds have been separated and placed in breeding pens. The incubator is turned on so the temperature can stablilize while I collect hatching eggs from the hens in addition to the geese and ducks. In a few days I’ll load the incubator with those fertile eggs and eagerly wait for the first peeps.

The fourth season of the Peacock Farmers’ Market begins April 9, 2011. The market, featuring locally grown produce and agricultural products, is held 8am until noon each Saturday during the growing season at 817 9th Street in Highland, IL.

Each week during the market season, I will be posting expected availability of produce, etc. on this site. At the beginning of the season bedding flowers and vegetables are available, followed by early season greens, lettuces, radishes, and green onions. Soon many vegetables, small fruits, herbs, nuts, and a great variety of flowers are brought to the market. This continues all season as long as we are able to locally produce, often extending into November. As one of the market vendors, I welcome you to stop by.

It seems like this is a good time to update you on how things are going on the farm. We’ve had a good lambing season, finishing before this recent storm. Some lambs were born during previous bad weather but all are fine. Katahdins ae amazing in their ability to handle the weather. The lambs are bounding about in the snow.

Even though it’s very cold and certainly still winter, the chickens are beginning to lay more eggs. It’s the increasing day length that influences egg production more than the actual weather. I expect the ducks to start laying pretty soon, also.

It’s time to start some of the earlier seeds for the garden, particularly onions, leeks, celery, and eggplant. They all take a long time to get ready to set out. I was able to save some seeds for this year’s garden from last year’s harvest, but I still need to order seeds. It’s not practical in the small area that I have to save all my seeds.

I dug carrots today. They are protected by old hay bales so that the ground doesn’t freeze. It’s very satisfyig to be able to harvest a fresh veggie in the middle of the winter. The geese enjoyed the green carrot tops. They are herbivores and appreciate the fresh “greens”.

The sheep are lambing. These Katahdins are remarkably able to tolerate the cold and snow we’ve been having and the new lambs are bounding around playing games of chase when they are little more than a week old. Some ewes have not yet lambed but it apears that we will have a good lambing season.