Greg received his new Mechanical Transplanter by freight truck a week and a half ago! After we off loaded it at the fair grounds across the road and hauled it home, we realized there was going to be lots of assembly required! So this past weekend he was able to start un-crating it and looking at all the parts and the instruction book! After realizing that we had a brand new model and it didn't match up with the parts and instruction book we figured out that we were missing several important pieces to finish putting it all together! So now he's waiting on those parts to come so he can finish putting it together!!! But once we get it all put together we'll be able to use it to plant all our plant plugs, like tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, etc. and potatoes. It should make the process much faster and easier! So Greg's reckoning is that we can plant more! I told him as he has yet to find a picker that is easier and faster and as the one he now has is getting old and wearing out (me) he'd better hold off!!!!!!!

I also wanted to ask those of you who read this that participated in our CSA program last year if you would mind going to the local harvest web site and rating our CSA program. I didn't know they had a rating system on there, and ours hasn't any ratings. Thanks!

The pullets are starting to lay! We've had 3 eggs from them so far and one is already an extra large size!

We've got tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and kohlrabi starting to sprout in the green house. I planted some parsley, cilantro, oregano and thyme seed this morning in the green house. So far the things we planted out in the hoop house have not sprouted, just to darn cold and overcast! There are a few radishes sprouted, but that is it so far. One of these days it's got to warm up....

CSA 2010 SIGN UP MEETING!!

Don't forget that tomorrow February 17th at 6:30 p.m. we will have our 2010 CSA membership sign up meeting. We will meet in the Friends Room at the Callaway Public Library. Please feel free to invite anyone you feel may be interested in this opportunity to come to the meeting to get more information! Hope to see you there!

Monday I went down to the Lake for the Agritourism, Small Fruit & Vegetable Conference bus tour. I chose tour B and we went to the Meyer Tree & Berry Farm in Dixon, Ozark Fisheries in Stoutland, Cole's Tree Farm in Lebanon, The Garden Party at Hugo Farms in Camdenton and Seven Springs Winery in Linn Creek. It was a diversified group of farms and fun to see the variety of things available in Missouri and interesting to see and hear how they got into and run things on their operations! I did not know that Missouri had one of the largest hatcheries for Koi and fancy gold fish in the Nation! It was a very cold, snowy and long day, but fun to see and visit with others on the bus! Then Tuesday Greg & I went down together for the conference and attended talks. Greg went to the ones about fruit production and I went to the ones on marketing and business planning! We then drove back from the Lake to Columbia for their Farmers' Market meeting at 6:30! After two days of a lot of driving and very early mornings I decided to fore go the last day of the conference today, and Greg had to go back to work!

WINTER

From our snowy winter wonderland to yours!
Hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner and that in about 4 weeks we will start selling at the Columbia Farmers' Market! Not sure yet what that will be, but hopefully something?! Greg got some tomato seeds planted the other day but they are to be the root stock for the heirloom tomatoes that he wants to graft.

I made raspberry jam Saturday and got my lye soap cut up and packaged. Still have lots of frozen berries and peaches that need to be worked up yet, but I may start painting on gourds today?!

BIG EGG!

I thought you might like to see this egg that I collected yesterday! The small one next to it is considered an extra large egg! Needless to say it won't fit in any size egg carton I have!

PLANTING!!!!!

Well Greg came home early from work yesterday and got one of the little hoop houses planted in all kinds of lettuces, greens, radishes and peas! He even used his new push seeder which can plant 3 rows at a time! Which brings me to our CSA sign up meeting. We will be holding a meeting on Feb. 18th at 6:30p.m. at the Friends room at the Callaway Public library. So if you liked the convenience of picking up a box of pre-paid fresh produce every week and didn't have to worry about getting to market too late to get anything or you didn't have to stand in line in the hot sun to pick out your produce and pay then I hope you sign up to join us again this year! So tell your friends if you thought it was a worth while thing and we hope to see everyone at the meeting!

Over the weekend we finally got the big hoop house that we had tomatoes in last year cleaned out! That was a job! We had to take all the twine and stakes out then pull up all the tomato plants (around 500 plants) and pull up all the plastic and drip tape. Then we hauled in 7 pickup trailer loads of compost and tilled it all in. That took us about 3 days to do. But it is done and now ready to plant when ever we want!