Wordless Wednesday: Fall Farmers Market

Wordless Wednesday

A Day Off!

photo by  Mike Fallenstein

On Sunday, Squash Blossom Farm  hosted  "Escape From Alcina's Island,"  a Picnic Operetta on the farm, performed by Mixed Precipitation Theater.  I was quite proud of  all the weeding and  mulching I had done to beautify the veggie gardens in preparation for staging the operetta, but as luck would have it, the day turned out to be rainy, gray and stormy, so we held the performance into the  greenhouse instead. A great crowd turned out despite the rain and the performance was a delight. KTTC-TV  featured it in the news- view here.

After the Picnic Operetta, we made wood-fired pizza t while Driven by Rhythm, one of our favorite local  bands, played music. Because of the weather and the holiday, things were a bit discombobulated, and we are indebted to friends (Zoe, Connie, Tushar) who assisted with pizza and to Richard for documenting the event (those photos coming soon.)

Monday was a holiday,  Labor Day.  I believe it was the first time in about 5 months Rog and I took a day off.  Well, we did chores, of course, and finished cleaning the barn kitchen from the previous night's pizza-making,  but we also took a little nap and then took a leisurely walk around the farm. First we admired the unusually well-weeded veggie garden.

The water in the pond has dropped to its lowest level since we dug it last November.

The arrowroot and other natives I planted along the water's edge last spring are currently high and dry, but seem to be surviving  just fine.

Lots of deer tracks around this watering hole!

The creamy bottle gentian, blue bottle gentian, and this cross of  creamy and blue that comes out pink, are at peak bloom in the prairie.

Still plenty of gnomes and fairies to be found in the forgotten fairy garden.

Sumac are looking like fall already.

Lots of both blue and white lobelia (cardinal flower) blooming in the prairie right now.

Not to mention, a sea of goldenrod. There is a small opening in the  woods where the red barn shows through.

Rog inspected the hops growing on the farm store pergola.

Just about ready to harvest.

Rog discovered three nice puffballs growing right in the  backyard - they must have  popped up after Sunday's rain.

We sliced the puffballs and sauteed them in a bit of butter with garlic, onions, tomatoes, sweet red pepper, basil and squash blossoms from the garden, and a bit of parmesan, tossed them with linguine and devoured our concoction under the patio gazebo. A delicious dinner to end to a lovely work holiday.

Weed It and Reap!

While weeding the overgrown squash patch in preparation for the Picnic Operetta, I unearthed 3/4 of a bushel of beautiful volunteer potatoes!

Usually I pull out volunteers because once when I left a patch of volunteer squashes I got a bumper crop of squash bugs. But for some reason I left them and forgot they were there - you didn't really notice the plants once the weeds grew so healthily.  These potatoes are large and perfect and I never saw a potato bug all summer.  There is still half a squash patch to weed, so I may even get a few more potatoes.

Coming Soon to a Farm Near You!!

Rollicking fun on the farm this weekend!!!
For some reason I can't get the entire poster to display, but here are the details:
 Sunday, September 6th, at 4 p.m., a Picnic Operetta in the garden at Squash Blossom Farm!

Escape from Alcina's Island is a guitar-swinging retelling of the 1735 Handel opera, Alcina, performed throughout Minnesota in August and September. The Picnic Operetta marks a seven-year tradition of celebrating the harvest with a unique blend of music,  food, and storytelling and we are thrilled to welcome it to Squash Blossom Farm. Performed by Mixed Precipitation Theater, with complete orchestra and accompanying small bites!
Please make a reservation HERE so we can be well-prepared.

Join us after the performance for wood-fired pizza  and more great music by Driven by Rhythm! Check out the whimsy and vintage stuff in the farm store and keep an eye out for the  newly -hatched keets (baby guinea fowl.)

Wordless Wednesday:Gardening with the Pooches

September Morning

It was foggy again this morning, and when I went outside the air was heavy, warm and still, with the undulating thrum of insects in surround-sound. I flashed-back to when I was a little girl, visiting my grandparents' farm in late summer in southwest Minnesota. I am sure that is where my life-long farm-yearning originated.

Foggy sunrise over the garden, birds on the wires.

Last night I weeded the former garlic bed, hand-tilled it and planted rows of mesclun and beets for fall. So dismaying that it now gets dark at 8:30.  I love gardening in the cool of the evening and could get so much more accomplished if there were a couple more hours of light...

Took a little walk around the farm in the fog before letting out the  demanding poultry from the coop.  They follow me everywhere like the pied piper. I love that, but they are always underfoot. Here is how the front of the barn looks now that the commercial kitchen project is complete. Still have to paint a bunch of doors, put up some window boxes, and install some exterior lights.

The big head planter now covers the well so no cars drive over it. Rog noticed he is facing toward Mecca.

The fairy garden has been totally neglected the past busy month but it still seemed rather magical this morning.

The wild chickens came running down to the fairy garden to fetch me to get them some breakfast and cows were waiting impatiently at the gate, so had to end my walk and tackle chores.