Hi all – short and sweet post here.  We’re back to the hustle after a relaxing and much-needed vacation.  This Pisces needed the ocean to reset my core.  Paul tried his hardest to visit some Georgia blueberry farms while we were there but their season had already ended.  The kids had their minds blown by the ocean and all of its beauty (and the swimming pool of course).

Thank you again to everyone for helping us out and being understanding with the shortened hours last week.  This week we’re back to normal and will have some more good food for your pleasure: potatoes, cucumbers, herbs, greens, onions, squash, zucchini, carrots, and more.

If you’re interesting in purchasing a FFF t-shirt for our expansion fundraiser here is the link: Custom Ink Farm Expansion Page.

Holy crap it’s August already!!!

We are constantly amazed at the generous, kind, and passionate people that surround us.  This is such an understatement.  To paint a picture… we had volunteers show up early on a Saturday morning, in the snow, eager to get to work with smiling faces.  You guys really showed up.  You brought food (shout out to Patricia ad CJ).  You shared laughs.  You corralled the kids. You worked hard!  We got sooooo much accomplished; we are thrilled and eternally grateful.  Jay-baby got some really great shots – you may have seem a bunch on FB already.  We’ll try to get some more up for your viewing pleasure.

Volunteer day round 2 is coming up this Saturday – we have another fine group of people coming to help that we are very excited about.  GreenPeace is representing!

This week’s update is short and sweet.  Sorry guys.  As many of you know it’s the middle of health fair season at work #1, and it’s the middle of planting and land procurement season at work #2 and we feel tired.

Whoooooo’s excited for volunteer day next week?  This is our biggest one yet and Paul is so wound up about it that he just paces in the evenings, mumbling to himself about the potential amount of awesomeness that will be completed in just one day.  In all honesty, we truly are grateful for the support we are already receiving this year from established and new faithful followers.  Volunteers are excited and bringing their friends with them, bringing food along, and so generously even offering to watch the Fleischer kids while the work gets done.  Each piece that we put into this place is held together by the volunteers and customers.  Thank you forever and ever.

In other news…. a whole bunch of yummy went into the ground this weekend: radishes, spinach, carrots, peas, beets, turnips, cilantro, parsley, nasturtium flowers, zinnia flowers, bak choy, swiss chard, and lettuce.  Just to name a few.  Monroe also decided it was best to plant her peanut butter and jelly sand which in the blue planter on the patio.  It really gets the best sun – nice choice Mo.  #whyiseverythingsticky

Paul also worked the hive on Saturday and was pleased to report plenty of growth.  We got some cool shots of the babies popping out and some workers flying in with substantial pollen patties on their legs.

And lastly- big shout out to Atlas Cat for killing and displaying another rat.  One less alive trying to steal all of the chicken eggs.  RIP poor rat.

See ya soon!

Another whirlwind of a week… This Saturday’s chicken keeping class was our largest yet at 15 registrants!  And as far as we could tell it was another success.  There were a lot of great questions and positive feedback.  If we missed you this time, keep checking back in the coming months as we might have another one in the works depending on how busy the beginning of the season goes.

We love seeing fellow community members becoming more involved in where their food comes from.  This will never ever be a bad thing.  A range of folks are reaching out to us to learn about farming and chicken keeping and it feeds our own momentum.  Seeing the excitement in others’ faces when they realize that they can raise chickens on their own or that they can grow their own beautiful tomatoes makes it all worth while.  Certainly, at times, having two full-time jobs is overwhelming on top of keeping the family in line.  Because of the way the world works, this is unfortunately quite common for families.  We all have to maintain the hustle just to float.  But this farm is more than that, and Paul and I sometimes need to remind ourselves just what is at stake.  We’re young parents and business owners in an increasingly terrifying world.  But with every planting lesson and chicken wellness check that we do with our children, we are arming them for life.  As they see us put work into making sure we know where our food comes from, their little sponge brains absorb it all up.  They will understand recycling and composting as a necessity.  They will see water for the precious and valuable life-source that it is.  They will feel the wonder of watching tiny seedlings morph into towering squash blossoms, and become mystified by the hums and rhythms of the honeybees coming and going from the hive.  All this, Paul reminded me, is our way of arming our kids for the complications of life.  It’s giving them an early and thorough understanding of food, nutrition, hard work, and the sometimes tragic circle of life.  This is what we have to offer them, if nothing else.  And it’s also our way of f*cking sticking it to the man 🙂