Farmer John Writes . . .                                                                                   

Greetings from Angelic Organics

Extended Season Shares are Available

We have splendid fall crops, so we are again offering Extended Season Shares for 2012. Send a check for $120 for the 4 box extended season, or $60 for the 2 box extended season, along with your name, physical address and email address to: Extended Season, Angelic Organics, 1547 Rockton Rd, Caledonia, IL 61011.

A Shareholder Writes

We’ve really enjoyed your veggies and the weekly newsletter – it was our first time doing a farm share and we liked the fun of expanding our comfort zone with new vegetables. Thanks for doing such a great job in this drought season! Fingers crossed for more rain next summer. Best, Katie

Time to Straighten Up

This past week, we used our big tractor to push the packing barn straight; it was leaning to the south, four inches out of true. A few years back the wind shifted it. Here’s a video of the project. Primo, Pollo and I endured the barn’s creaks and groans as we were inching it straight. Then we stabilized it with lots of nails and wind bracing. The whole project took about 4 hrs. I thought it would take a day; it’s hard to predict how much a big barn is going to resist a big tractor.

About 10 years ago, the barn’s loft floor was sagging in ominous curves, especially when people were dancing in the loft. Primo reinforced the floor to endure the most raucous of raves.

In the late 90’s, the barn had leaked so much that the rain coming through the roof had rotted out the thick wooden plates that sat on the concrete foundation. The barn had once rested on these plates, but eventually the studs of the sidewalls were sitting directly on the foundation. Primo jacked the whole barn up off the foundation and replaced the plates.

In 1976, due to a bad windstorm, the side walls of the barn leaned 14 inches to the east. I thought for sure it would collapse, but I winched it back to true, and stabilized it that fall, a tremendous project requiring numerous earth anchors, guy wires and turnbuckles.

In the early 60’s, the barn was on a nearby farm, where the farmer Fred Samp and his daughter Evelyn had built it. My parents bought the Samp farmland, which included the barn. They had the barn moved to its current location. The milkman came down our long driveway to pick up our milk. He saw the barn moving across the field, but some trees obscured the large trucks that were winching the barn forward with long cables, so he only saw the moving barn. The milkman thought he had died when he saw this barn rolling across the field. When he realized he hadn’t died, he decided it was time to quit drinking, which he allegedly did for the next 6 months.

We’ll keep the barn straight and true. It’s important to be able to pack vegetables and dance.

Overheard

I get the same feeling from seeing a barn fallen over that I get from seeing a cute little animal lying dead in the road.

Vegetable of the week: Garlic

Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.

 Fruiting Crops – tomatoes, hot peppers, Delicata squash, pie pumpkin, & maybe sweet peppers or eggplant
Brassicas – kohlrabi, broccoli
Cooking Greens –spinach, bagged chard
Root crops – carrots
Allium– garlic
Herbs – basil & parsley