Saturday, May 30, 2009

Our T-shirts Are Here!


We're really pleased with the way they turned out. Want one? We'll have them for sale starting today at the Franklin Farmers Market as we kick off the new summer season with
Farmapalooza!
Check out www.franklinfarmersmarket.org to find out all about
the day's special events.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Strawberries Available for Delivery or On-Farm Pickup


We have extra strawberries this week! These berries are Certified Naturally Grown. We never spray our strawberries with harmful pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. And we don't use chemical fertilizers. These are the smaller, more flavorful gourmet varieties. So, they don't have that large pithy hole that most conventionally-grown berries have. They are at their peak this week and will be in decline soon. So enjoy them while they last.

Prices: $2.50 per pint ($2.00 for on-farm purchases), $32.00 per flat (16 pints) Call us at 931.623.3732 or email us at trish@BeaverdamCreekFarm.com to place your order.

Delivery: We can deliver them to our Riverwalk and Grassmere locations as well as to the Leiper's Fork and Franklin Farmers Markets. Or if you're in the mood for an outing, you can drive out to our farm and pick them up!

Freezing Instructions: Strawberries are easy to freeze. Simply wash, dry, and remove stems. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze overnight. Then put them in Ziploc baggies, date them, and store them in your freezer. You can take them out at your convenience and use them for smoothies, strawberry shortcake, ice-cream topping, strawberry daiquiris, pies, cobblers, muffins, etc. How about dipping some in chocolate?

Mmmmmm....




Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Get 'er Done!

Lots of work began piling up after the flood. It kept raining every few days and wouldn't dry out enough to till and plant. So last week when it finally dried out, we had our work cut out for us. The to-do list was daunting, and we weren't sure where to begin. Some of our friends volunteered to help, and I'm glad they did! We never could have gotten it all done without them! 

In one day, we planted about 3000 transplants, laid irrigation lines, installed deer fencing, made saw-horses for the greenhouse, mowed the grass, and I don't know what all. It's amazing how much can be accomplished by 14 hard-working teenagers!

Enough typing...on to the pictures. Thanks again y'all! You were a huge blessing to us.

-Tricia Ann





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


Monday, May 11, 2009

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



Friday, May 08, 2009

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

Thursday, May 07, 2009

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.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

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.

Monday, May 04, 2009

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.

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

Thursday, March 26, 2009

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

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

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.

Monday, March 23, 2009

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. :)

Friday, March 06, 2009

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

Monday, March 02, 2009

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.


Friday, February 27, 2009

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