These guys are t-r-o-u-b-l-e.

Awwww!

Ummm...Bad Bob Beltman threatens local farmgirl with fish emulsion solution. Yuck!

Here are some strawberry-picking picures. This is a different day than the last set of pics.

"This one looks perfect...I guess I'll have to eat it!"

Smile, Jacob!"

G

"I'd like to buy a hamburger!"

"Trish-A ANN" :P

Two.

Lovely Miss M, whose finger was still intact when this picture was taken.

Cable from Coble with patented hat staple

Soil

Chief soil block maker extraordinaire

Greenhouse Update

The greenhouse has been working out wonderfully! It stayed warm nicely during the cold weather, but on the warmer days, it began to get too hot in there. So, we put some shade-cloth over it, and started rolling up the plastic on the back, and now the temperature is staying in the proper range. This is how it looks this week...pretty full!

-Tricia Ann

Our New Logo

It sure took a while, but we finally decided on this logo for our farm. We like the earthy colors and the fact that the design can be stenciled. We hope to paint it on our market crates and on our veggie-hauling trailer. We're also having a farm banner made for our booth at the farmer's market.

Stay tuned for a sneak-peek at the T-shirt that Tricia Ann is designing featuring our new logo. The shirts should be really cool! Everyone will want one!

~Trish

It's CSA Basket Time!

Mark your calendars because it's time to start receiving your basket of fresh veggies! Here are the dates and times:

Beaverdam Creek Farm Pickup: Mondays, starting on May 11, 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Leiper's Fork Farmers Market Delivery: Wednesdays, starting May 13, 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Asurion Delivery: Wednesdays, starting May 13, 4:00 p.m.

Riverwalk Delivery: Wednesdays, starting May 13, 5:00 until 6:30 p.m.

Franklin Farmers Market Delivery: Saturdays, starting May 16, 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

CSA Shares Sold Out: Get on Our Waiting List!

Don't you wish you could have one of these every week this summer?
You can't get this quality at a corporate chain store.
And it's all Certified Naturally Grown!

Well, all our CSA shares are currently sold. However, we are hoping to have enough produce in a few weeks to fill some more shares. In that case, we will contact the people on our waiting list, and the price will be pro-rated depending on the time of registration.

If you would like to be added to our waiting list, please email us at trish@beaverdamcreekfarm.com.

Flood

On Friday night, meteorologists forecasted heavy rain during the night, and warned of possible flash floods in our area. As predicted, it stormed all night. But somehow, the words "flash flood" don't seem sufficient to describe the deluge we met the next morning. It was amazing! If I hadn't seen it, I would've never believed how high the water could get! 

This is the view across the road from our barn. You can't usually see the creek from here.

This is the edge of our pasture...uhhhh...lake. Somewhere under all that water is the fence Jacob has been working  so hard on. The current through our pasture took out a few posts and mangled some wire. 

With the help of some wonderful neighbors, we managed to get the sheep and the cow to higher ground before the water overtook them. This picture was taken pretty early on...the water rose much higher before the day was over.I just realized that we hadn't posted a picture of Jacob's cow, yet. Here she is. She is a Red Devon heifer named Ingrid (No, she was already named when he bought her...but it sounds like a name he'd come up with :).

Well, we don't usually have a river in the middle of the driveway, but it does add a classic touch to the out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere atmosphere.

Believe it or not, this is the road. It was somewhere between four and six feet deep in the middle. A boat would definitely be better than a car in this instance. Thankfully, our driveway was not covered like this.

Since our garden is on top of the hill, it was spared. The worst of it was that a few lettuce seeds may have washed away in the downpour. We are very thankful that it was no worse. 

Water is very powerful. Two days worth of rain produced an enormous amount of excess water and plenty of destruction. Just imagine the rain pouring down for forty days and nights, as it did in Noah's day! This flood was a good reminder of God's covenant with Noah:

And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set my rainbow in the cloud and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. It shall be be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between me  and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh."

Genesis 9:12-15

-Tricia Ann

Peek-A-Boo!

Start a New Spring Habit: Buy Local!

Beaverdam Creek is excited to be a part of the new Leiper's Fork Farmers Market. The market, located on the grounds of Neena's Primitive Antiques (4158 Old Hillsboro Road), will be open on Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. beginning next week, April 1st. You will find organically grown produce, farm fresh eggs, natural and organic meats, raw honey, cheeses, herbs, freshly ground cornmeal, baked goods, preserves, jams, jellies and salsas.

Leiper's Fork is a charming town with a number of unique shops including the famous Puckett's Grocery. You will be able to browse while walking on the cool green lawn shaded by the beautiful historic oak trees surrounding Neena's. And there's plenty of convenient parking around back. So, start a new habit this spring that will not only be good for your health and good for your spirit, but will also be good for your local economy. Mark your calendar and do your mid-week shopping at Leiper's Fork Farmers Market.

~Beaverdam Creek Farm: Fresh. Natural. Local

Now Delivering...

our weekly CSA baskets of fresh veggies, culinary herbs, and flowers to the following locations beginning in May!

1. Franklin Farmers Market, Saturdays 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
2. Leiper's Fork Farmers Market, Wednesdays, 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Or, you can pick up here at our Farm, Mondays, 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Would you like to buy a share into our farm and receive a weekly basket? Email us at info@beaverdamcreekfarm.com for details.

Feile Franklin

This past Saturday, we set up a booth at Feile (pronounced Fay-La) Franklin, a local Celtic festival. It overlapped the Farmer's Market a little bit, so Jacob and I ran the booth at the festival while Mom and Dad worked the one at the Farmer's Market. It was rainy and so cold that we almost froze. A lot of the vendors bailed out due to the inclement weather, and there weren't a whole lot of people there. We did hand out quite a few CSA flyers, which was the reason we were there in the first place. We were across the street from the dance stage, so we were able to watch the Celtic dancers. Much to Jacob's delight, they performed the Highland Fling. We also got to talk to the man who sold wooden swords, axes, spears, and shields. He is a jousting knight at Renaissance festival tournaments, with his own squire and everything! I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few.

-Tricia Ann

I love these draught horses!

Jacob was wearing his kilt, but he got so cold that he changed back into his jeans. :)

Snow Pictures

A couple of weeks ago, Gimli bounced me out of bed on the Lord's Day morning, just as he does every morning. I looked out my window and was surprised to see that there was about an inch of snow on the ground. Since everyone else wanted to stay in their cozy beds, Gimli and I went out to play all by ourselves. We were joined by Daisy and a lone rooster. Daisy didn't like the snow at all, but Gimli LOVED it! It was so funny watching him bounce around and bite the snow. 

-Tricia Ann

LOL! Isn't he cute?!? Gimli, I mean...not the rooster

What We Did Today...

Some of our friends/neighbors came over today and helped us with some farm work. We moved the compost pile and spread 4 tons of limestone, 700 pounds of greensand, and 700 pounds of rock phosphate! We covered almost an acre, then Jacob tilled it with our brand-new six-foot tiller. Needless to say, it was much faster than tilling with our old faithful walk-behind tiller. 

Thanks for your help, y'all! Here are the pictures Mom took.

-Tricia Ann

These guys moved the compost pile across the pasture with pitchforks and a mule. No easy task, considering that the pile was about 6' x 70'!

Our Rock-Phosphate-spreading lady.

Looks like someone green-sanded Jacob :) 

(I'm not sure why this looks like a hyperlink, Blogger apparently has some issues)

I spread lots of greensand...a mineral supplement derived from the ocean.

Taking a break, drinking sweet tea

Inspired to Weed the Strawberries

Mawmaw got busy weeding our strawberry patch on her last visit which prompted us all to pitch in and get the whole bed taken care of. We tilled between the rows, and we pulled up the grass and weeds around the plants. Then we mulched the bed with straw. We'll be purchasing some row covers soon so that when the plants put on their delicate blooms they'll have some protection from late frosts. Lord willing, our CSA customers will have some delicious all-natural, chemical-free strawberries in their baskets come June.

Visit Us at the Franklin Farmer's Market

Did you know that there's a winter farmer's market in Franklin, TN? It's every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. So, grab your jacket and head on over to visit us there. We'll have fresh turnips along with easy-to-make recipes for you to try. We'll also have Beaverdam Creek Homemade Soap and Tricia Ann's adorable and trendy aprons for sale. We'll be taking reservations for our 2009 CSA, too! 

~Trish

Greenhouse Construction

We've been taking advantage of the warmer weather to work on some of our outdoor projects. The most urgent project right now is the greenhouse. Jacob keeps reminding me that it is not technically a "greenhouse" because it will not be heated. It is actually a "hoop-house". But, since I will be growing my transplants in it, I'm going to call it a greenhouse anyway. We might have other hoop-houses out in the field later for season extension. And besides, "greenhouse" just sounds better.

Jacob has done most of the work by himself and has done a great job, I might add. He learned all about building hoop-houses at the SSAWG conference in Chattanooga. So far, he has gotten all the hoops up and has framed in one side. When it is finished, it will have a double layer of plastic on top.

Hopefully, we will get it completed in time for me to start planting transplants in about 2 weeks.

Tricia Ann

Looks Like Daddy's Been Squirrel Huntin' Again

or In Which Daddy Learns that Jacob Has a Very Hard Head

The Seeds are Coming!

Our seeds are starting to come in! I got the first of several shipments yesterday. The box weighed 16 pounds! I've never seen so many seeds in my life! I can't wait till the greenhouse is finished so I can begin planting.

During the last month or two, I've spent a lot of time looking at seed catalogues (I have at least 10 different ones), and deciding what to grow for our upcoming CSA season. Johnny's Select Seeds is my new favorite catalogue, so I ordered most of my seeds from it. Take a look. It contains lots of helpful information, and is geared toward small-scale commercial growers.

I went kind of crazy and ended up with about 130 varieties to grow. I selected them according to their flavor, appearance, and adaptability to our region; not according to their long shelf-life, durability during shipping, etc. I decided to grow some tried and true varieties, as well as some new and specialty ones. Here are just a few:

• Super Sugar Snap Peas
• Honey Bear Acorn Squash: delicious mini squash, *All America Selections winner
• Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
• Encore Lettuce Mix: great all-organic baby lettuce mix
• Specialty potatoes such as Cranberry Red, Butte, Russian Banana Fingerling, and Caribe
• Wrangler Cantaloupe
  
• Specialty Greens such as Tatsoi, Bok Choi, Arugula, etc.

Lord willing, we'll have lots of delicious vegetables at harvest time!

-Tricia Ann

Top 10 Excuses

I know...It's been a really, really, really, really, really long time since we've posted. We hope our faithful readers will forgive our negligence, as we've been exceptionally busy and have had a series of technical difficulties.  Here are our top 10 excuses for not blogging. "For the sake of consistency, we will start with the 2nd one first."

 2. Our whole family got sick with the flu the first week in January. Nobody felt like blogging. :(
 10. Thanksgiving, Jacob's birthday, and Christmas came in quick succession at the end of 2008. So we were out of town a lot, and besides, we were too busy celebrating to blog. ;)
 9. I got a paper cut on my left index finger.
 8. The camera cord disappeared. :/
 7. Due to an office remodeling project, the Mac had to be temporarily unplugged and relocated, making it almost impossible to upload pictures (even though the camera cord had been found).
 6. Jacob started wondering if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about.
 5. We went to a farming conference in Chattanooga. (Stay tuned for a post about it)
 4. Mr. Bimbo had writer's-block. ;)
 3. Lately, the computers have been in great demand for farm planning and research.
 1. Mom forgot her purse.

I also haven't taken very many pictures, but here are a few from the past couple of months. 

More posts coming soon!
Tricia Ann (with various helpful insertions from Jacob)