the farm stand this spring
new location for 2014
Our farm stand is open again, and as always Harvey and I are excited to get the farm products up there to give away. It's always a bit of a struggle, giving away free vegetables, baked goods, and plants, but we had an exciting success this evening when the gentlemen trying to sell us on upgrading our internet service took a tomato plant.
Of course, we've made some changes for the 2014 season. I moved the stand up on to the porch, hoping to solve the problem of sun-damaged produce; it's a bit better than the roof we built over the stand last spring (visible covering the tomatoes in the right-hand side of the photo above). Of course, balanced against any shade advantages is the fact that having our offerings on the porch might make our shy customers even less willing to take something. I'm combatting any such reluctance with a program of sitting in the rocking chair next to the stand playing music on Harvey's ukelele: who could resist such a draw?!
the farmer
Harvey is a great help as always, and it's exciting to see him take ownership of the operation. As Leah described on facebook the other day, he explained his choice to wear the Drumlin Farm shirt thusly: "Isn't this shirt so pretty? I'll wear it out at the farm stand. Then everyone will know I'm the farmer. Because I pretty much AM the farmer." As such, he's useful in the garden too, when the mood strikes; he pulled all the radishes, for example, (oh how he looked forward to that task, asking me daily if they were ready yet) and he's in charge of the cherry tomato plants for the season.
If you're in the neighborhood you really should stop by for a visit. Besides radishes right now we have garlic scapes, occasional cookies, and lots of plants. Act soon if you want tomato or eggplant starts—they won't be around for much longer! But there'll be something whenever you come by... at least through October.