Bi-Weekly Update: Sept 15-27

Apologies this blog is a week overdue.

This is our very first pumpkin season. Ever since we bought the farm in January, everyone told us that October would be insanely busy. We were told, weather permitting, it would be busier than all the other months combined with folks coming to pick pumpkins and enjoy all the fall farm activities.

I’ve been hoping it would be that busy to help cover so many of the expenses we’ve had this year. But now that it is finally here, I wish we had more time. In addition to all the October-related activities we have to prepare for, there is so much farming that needs to happen for next year. We started planting cover crops, last month, but there are dozens more acres which need to be planted in the next few weeks, garlic and flower bulbs to plant, peonies and rhubarb that need to be split and replanted, etc. But the thing I’ve been eagerly waiting to do for months, I got to do last week: field planning.

Jim and I have each gravitated to the jobs we most enjoy, and luckily we are both drawn to different jobs of the farm. Even our two girls who work with us have each gravitated to different areas that they like to work on. It’s so satisfying to have our own areas that we can really dig into.

My single most favorite thing this past week was working on planning what crops will be in which fields next year. It’s starts with reviewing where certain crops have been over the past few years; taking soil samples; looking at what weed issues we’ve had; how wet certain areas are in the spring, to know which fields can be planted early; certain crops need to be rotated, and not all crops should follow other crops. This is my version of Monster Sudoko — I love it. It’s also bringing some a lot of calmness. Now we can start to order seeds and map out a plan for the entire next planting season. Jim has already begun looking for a better working planter, based on what are needs are.

Speaking of equipment, this was a week for buying new toys. We got our first gator (used). We put it off for this long, because it seemed like a treat and not a necessity. But with the Fall season starting, it will come in very handy for emptying trash and recycle cans and lots of other needs.

We also had our forklift die Friday. While the market is open, a forklift is essential. As much as we grow, we still buy a lot of produce from other farmers. We can’t lift boxes off trucks without one, move bins in and out of the walk-in cooler, etc. So late Friday afternoon, Jim and I went to look at a bunch of used ones. This is a really big expense, and not one we were prepared on making right now. By 7pm we were back on the island with our new-to-us forklift preparing for Saturday morning.

Back to the field planning. Planting strawberries last April was a huge eye opener and expensive lesson. We planted strawberries in five different areas on the farm. You’ve heard me complain how one area (where they grew really well) got decimated by deer. Another area was overrun with thistle, but the worst of them all was the field that was overtaking by horsetail (aka rush).

I learned why no-spray farming is so expensive: hoeing of weeds. We paid far more hoeing the weeds out of these field that we could ever recoup selling strawberries. Even if we sold every pint of strawberries we grew for $20 we would not have come close to covering our expenses. Don’t worry, we are still committed to growing everything no-spray but we are definitely learning why strawberries are the most in-demand organic crop in Oregon. And learning why sometimes you have to cut your losses. We are learning a lot and hope that next season we will do more with our cultivator and reduce the amount of hoeing time. But the strawberries that we planted close to the dike, where all the horsetail is, will be tilled under. We literally can’t afford to hoe them another year. It was tough to make that decision too.

That said, owning the farm continues to be incredibly rewarding and exciting. There is so much to learn. Monday will be our last farm to plate dinner, the Pollinator Dinner! Since we rescheduled it due to the fires, a few guests can’t make it, so there are a couple tables available. If you want to join us, sign up today, the menu sounds incredible (including some sashimi which I haven’t had since the pandemic began).

Also check out our calendar of events, including a DIY pumpkin carving and decorating day, so you don’t need to make a mess at home.

Finally, we are looking for a handful more folks to help us get through October. So if you know of anyone who is okay not making a lot of money, being outside regardless of the weather, and being part of a really great team of folks who have a good time and eat well, please ask them to reach out to info@topazfarm.com.

Here are a few photos from the week. Thanks for reading and all your support.

XO,
Kat

Cinder (the black rooster) and Tuna (the mostly white rooster), have been fighting somewhat regularly to determine dominance in the pecking order. But now that our turkeys have gotten larger, it’s been interesting to see how that has changed things.

Clyde, one of our newest chickens is almost full grown, and has started hanging out on top of Rolo. Rolo doesn’t seem to mind at all. I was curious how everyone was going to get along after the Estacada group of ducks and geese left, so far it’s been very mellow.

A new batch of fawns have been hanging out next to our house every morning and evening.

Andrea making pumpkin vases with our u-pick flowers.

Christian posing while preparing paella for the farm to plate dinner.

Jose loves to weigh all the tomatoes to keep track of how many pounds we grow.

The tomato and tomatillo plants are still bearing so much fruit. It’s so satisfying to see the food we’ve planted doing well.

Some of our edible squash. Below you can see some of our pepper plants which we have just begun harvesting.

There are perks to owning a market. We might be too busy to cook, but one night last week, I grabbed a one of every type of potatoes we had in the market, along with a couple beets and a chicken. Then threw them altogether in the oven, and in less than an hour had some great comfort food with less than 5 minutes of prep.(Gretchen this photo is for you, you’ve inspired me.)

I can’t remember taking this photo. It was probably to remind myself we need to fill the potholes. But I really like how beautiful the morning fog looks.

Devin and Gretchen, hanging out under the rainbow.

More friends and neighbors.