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)

Daddy carving the Thanksgiving turkey

The whole family helped cook Thanksgiving dinner. 

Looking at Scotland in the Atlas 

Smile, Jacob! ;)

Christmas with my not-so-little-anymore cousins

Happy Birthday Tricia Ann!

Today is Tricia Ann's birthday! She is now half-way to 40, though we prefer to think of it as just plain 20. Tricia Ann is the best sister there is bar none. She cooks, cleans, sews, gardens, and I don't know what all, with a smile on her face all the time. She is truly a blessing to the us.

Reformation Day 2008

Our church recently had its annual Reformation Day celebration. It began on Friday night with a barn dance. I couldn't get many good pictures of it because it was so dark, and it's not very easy to take pictures while you're dancing. :) 

We spent Saturday afternoon enjoying each other's fellowship. We sat around on the porch for a while. The guys played a football game. Then we had a skeet-shooting competition. There were about 14 contestants - boys, girls, and some of the dads. Since our theme for this year was the German Reformation, we ate bratwurst, sauerkraut, and German potato salad for supper. When it got dark, we sat around a fire roasting marshmallows and listening to our Pastor give a biographical sketch of Martin Luther.

Without further ado, here are the pictures I took. I hope you enjoy them.

Tricia Ann

All ready to dance

Hey, look! I'm taller than everyone else! ;)

Havin' a good time on the front porch

Shootin' Match

Mmmmmm! IBC root beer

pretty spectators

LOL!

the birthday dude ;)

Chris, 2nd place skeet-shooter

*drumroll* 

The winner of the competition was...Caleb!

Jacob and Chris did not compete, but they had fun watching.

Gotta love the expression!

Jacob, Caleb, and Chris grilled the bratwursts to perfection. Jacob apparently was making sure they were edible. ;)

The Birthday Girl

Hannah and Allen are too cute! They make the best pictures.

Lexi was the only person to wear a German outfit. Her beautiful dress came from Germany. She has a beautiful smile to match!

Are they done yet?

Make sure you don't drop them!

Tagged!

I know, I know, it's been a long time since we've posted. For some reason, I can't upload my pictures on Jacob's laptop (PCs are so frustrating). I have to go to the office and upload on *my* ;) Mac.

Anyway, Kaliste tagged me, so this post requires no pictures. I'm supposed to list 6 random things about myself. Hmmmm.

Well...I've........never plucked a rooster, and I'm not too good at ping-pong, and I've never flung my mashed potatoes up against the wall...I've never gotten headlice, and I don't look good in leggings...Oh! That's not what you wanted? Okay, I'll try again.

1. Hockey is my favorite sport to watch (Jacob Lingo is my favorite Right Wingman).
2. If you're speaking Korean, I can understand you, as long as you're talking about punches and kicks.
3. When I fry bacon, I usually burn it. :)
4. I think the chicken dance is awesome.
5. My hair turns green when I go swimming in a chlorinated pool
6. I HAVE been to Boston in the Fall.

How was that? Random enough?

I tag Katie and Amy.

-Tricia Ann

CSA: End of 2008 Season...Sign up for 2009!

This week ended our 2008 CSA season. We're already gearing up for the 2009 season. We have staked out a 2-acre garden-that's 4 times the size of this year's. We will be implementing some new techniques such as undercropping to improve our soil and using some innovative tools to be more efficient.
*Receive a weekly basket of fresh vegetables, flowers, and herbs from a farmer you know and trust.

Space is limited for our 2009 CSA.
Reserve your spot today.
5% Early Bird Discount Available!
Season runs from May-October (26 weeks)
Full Share $800
Half Share$450
Pick up at our farm
or
Saturdays at the Franklin Farmer's Market

Call or email us for more information.
931.623.3732
sales@beaverdamcreekfarm.com

Belle Meade Fall Fest

Last Saturday, we participated in the Belle Meade Fall Festival as Farmer's Market vendors. Our main objective was to advertise our 2009 CSA program. I made a display board to explain what a CSA is, and to show people pictures of our farm. We gave out samples of our sweet potatoes. We also gave out flyers and business cards. This family was so kind to come and play bluegrass music at our booth. Their beautiful music created a nice atmosphere.

We arrived to set up at 7:00 a.m. and didn't leave until 6:30 p.m., so we were exhausted by the end of the day. Even though it was a long day, and we didn't sell a lot of veggies, it was worth going because of all the good contacts we made.

Set up crewFiddling Claire

Laura, the mandolin expert (She makes it look so easy!)

Kyle switches between the banjo and the guitar.