May-Take it and Run
Unexpected rows of slender green tips surfaced in the northern field this last month. These plantlings in nearly perfect queues mysteriously arose to redeem themselves. Two falls ago we tucked excessive cloves of garlic in the ground and mulched them, endeavoring to bring garlic back into our rotation on the farm. Garlic seed is cheap when you are already farming it and can save your own seed, keeping the largest, most robust heads from your harvest which you hang to dry, then break into cloves and plant before frost. On the other hand, purchasing garlic seed initially is an investment that you understand will appreciate as you harvest your crop one year after another, saving enough good seed for next year and selling the surplus. Each head of garlic yields about six good seed cloves. And fascinatingly, garlic reproduces asexually, meaning that you are more than likely to grow a clone of the plant your seed originated from, save for the genetic mutants. The magic of growing garlic and eating it, one of the earliest (and most delicious) horticultural crops of civilization, is part of the reason why we had to give growing it in this Ohio Valley, silty clay-loam soil another shot. It was a sort of first love of mine when it comes to crops. And so we bought an excess of seed garlic and gave it another go.
I say another because after growing it gangbusters in New York and then Michigan where we first farmed, we presumed we had a green thumb for garlic and tucked it in the ground our first fall of Foxhole. It went fine enough that year: striated purple Chesnok Red and punchy Inchellium...delicious, beautiful garlic varieties were served up on our market table, demonstrating the depth of flavor heirloom garlic varieties have in comparison to the conventional white garlic found in the supermarket. We hung bundles of that harvest to dry in the barn, bringing life and purpose to its rafters that perhaps it had never had. We had ourselves a garlic barn. Alas, we lost our very next crop unexpectedly to a worm that proliferates in this region. It was a stunning loss that came during a year when too much was on our plates. And we decided to swim with the current, dropping garlic from our roster, to revisit when our life's river slowed.
And so, two falls ago, missing good garlic in the field and on our plates, we invested in a diverse variety to hedge our bets and laid our best plan for a successful crop. We treated that garlic like the special guests of the field and they flourished. Brilliantly emerald, they rose up and outward like hands reaching for the sun. We marveled and celebrated them, we harvested their scapes, the emerging flower heads, picked pre-bloom and enjoyed sauteed or stir fried, so that the energy of the plant does not go into flower production but instead swells the bulb underground, growing it maximally. It would just be a matter of weeks from that point until the bottom-most leaves yellowed and we would begin our mass harvest. The 'special guests' appeared to be thriving for all the catering we had done for them. Prepared for mass harvest, Rich dug a head to assess size and readiness to find a tiny holy in the beautiful, bulky bulb. The tiny hole was a sign of what was to come down the remainder of that row and of all our rows of garlic...that little worm which preys on garlic in southern Ohio once it emerges in summer had destroyed the lot of it. This incredible field of garlic was not saleable.
It is a blessing that summer is so giving that when something is taken, there is an abundance elsewhere. There was hardly enough time to mourn the loss as we had bins of squash that needed harvesting, the first of the cherry tomatoes too, and salad mix to cut, which thrives here in these soils most of the year and which has earned its place as our bread and butter. But we did turn the garlic field under, at least allowing it to feed the ground and to offer the soil life some organic matter, if nothing else...before Rich seeded watermelon radish and beets in that space a month later for the fall set change.
If nothing else...until those green ghosts of garlic past rose this April. Rows of garlic sprouts made us smile to note their resiliency. They were turned under ground in disappointment, to then send new life up in the spring...the season of renewal. They resurrected themselves to remind us to take what we are given and run. Harvest the tender garlic greens before the emergence of the worms and introduce people to a vegetable they never knew they were missing out on.
Take it and run with it.
Last week, we found out that an order we placed for laying hens back in January is not going to be fulfilled after being strung along by a farmer for months. We had banked on this, believing that the girls would be mature and ready to move to our coop by now. I allowed myself a good day or so of discontent, until I realized how much both Jack and I have been yearning for a band of little fluffballs with personalities scuttling around. He hasn't had the chance to raise a group of chicks since he was two when we invited our last group to the farm. And so, after my allotted day or so of frustration, I called up my favorite hatchery and hand picked a fantastical variety of chicks to join our family in a few weeks. They won't be mature enought to lay eggs until the fall. But instead we have grabbed at the opportunity for Jack to spend his summer brooding chicks. Not to mention, we will form relationships with them from their second day of life.
Years ago, a large stump that was dropped off at our farm in a load of firewood began to grow anew and, enchanted, we set it in the middle of our flower garden outside the living room window to take root. The wild world instructs us how to make the most of a dismal situation and rise again. This year in the branches of that little new/old tree, a robin is sitting on her nest. She too has taken what was presented in her environment and run with it, built a nest into it and laid a clutch of eggs. Tis the season for baby birds, domesticated and wild alike.
Tis the season for taking the rain, the shine, the good, the bad, the ups and the downs and running with them. Whatever the set of circumstances, there's something to be gleaned from it all. Every growing season what is gleaned is different from the last. But in this, the time of the year when the earth is growing in our hemisphere, there is abundance, which reconciles the losses. Let it grow, grow, grow until it is cut and brought to the table so that people may grow. Some is lost along the way there. But unexpected gifts like Jack's summer with the chicks and green garlic are gained. And in keeping with our agreement with this land, we will feed it in turn, and never resent it for the losses.
Updates from the Farm:
-Market Season Begins: Saturday May 2nd is the first day of the Oakwood Farmers Market :). May 2nd-October 10th we will be there every Saturday from 9-noon. We can't wait to see you there (and our vendor friends). It'll be a great season.
-Wildlife Habitat Planted: We planted a wildlife habitat buffer along the edge of the farm in partnership with the NRCS. It is sprouting beautifully and we are excited to have a bigger variety of wildflowers growing in that space, feeding the pollinators, housing birds and insects and contributing to the health of the ecosystem here.
-Chicks not Hens: I shared that we would be bringing fully mature layers onto the farm and unfortunately our plan was foiled! Though disappointed, we are excited to be able to welcome baby chicks to the farm for the first time in years and raise them ourselves. We're expanding the chicken run and bringing in a bigger crew! They won't be laying for 4-5 months.
-Deer Fencing for the Win?: I don't want to jinx it, but Rich installed two runs of polywire electric fencing around our growing area. The fencing is turned on when we sleep and remains off during the day while the dogs, Peg and Roux :), and ourselves are out and about. This double run provides a depth perception issue for deer, so that they don't feel confident they can clear both fences. It is quick to install and highly affordable in comparison with a 12-14-foot permanent deer fence. This is the first April that we haven't seen evidence of deer in the field. May will be the real test!
-What's Growing?: Asian greens, arugula, spinach, salad, radishes and carrots are growing in the high tunnels and are currently being harvested or are just a week or two away depending on the crop!! Broccoli, kale, carrots, kohlrabi, onions galore, tons of potatoes, spring peas, fioretto cauliflower, beets, herbs, salad turnips and salad are all growing in the field so far. Collard greens, swiss chard, celery, zucchini, patty pans, tomatoes and peppers (more than ever), and JUST sprouted ginger are on deck to be planted in 10-20 days depending on the frost outlook. And a whole lineup of winter squashes are being seeded this week. It's all happening.
-Also: The kids began a fund for a trampoline. They added to their fund for nearly a year and also took on their school year like champs. And so, we helped them meet their goal and surprised them...2026 has become the year we got the trampoline. Wish us well ;).
Thank you for reading :)
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