Farm Happenings at Terra Verde Homestead
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Summer Share Week 3

Posted on July 17th, 2020 by Lorraine Blackwell

It is that time of year when lots is happening around the farm and new vegetables are ready all the time! There are many new veggies to enjoy in this week's shares but before I get into that, we have also welcomed 11 new pigs to the farm in the last week! We raise Kune Kune pigs, which are a small, haired breed originally from New Zealand. Kune Kune pigs are particularly good for small farms because they can be raised on pasture alone, unlike conventional pigs which eat large portions of grains. While we do feed our pigs a small amount of grains while farrowing and in the winter, they primarily eat grass (or hay in the winter) along with lots of vegetable scraps. Last Saturday, mom Ginger had 6 healthy babies and on Thursday afternoon mom Coriander had 5 healthy babies (and one stillborn). It's hard to believe how teeny-tiny they are when born but they quickly get their feet under them and are already racing around, wrestling, and eating non-stop. The only odd thing about the births is that both litters were 5 males and 1 female. This isn't the ideal ratio from a breeding perspective but it does mean that in about 18 months we will have some delicious, pastured pork to sell!

On the topic of meat, we are also hoping to partner with a friend of ours locally who raises grassfed beef. Stay tuned for his delicious beef available soon through our Harvie system. 

On the vegetable front, there are lots of new items this week. Carrots, beans, eggplant, cabbage, and more! The cabbage is a green variety called Caraflex that grows in a cone-head shape. These small cabbages are perfect for one to two people and I recommend that if you are a cabbage lover or have a big family, you snag a second one. Caraflex cabbages are tender, mild and perfect raw in slaws or salads and also delicious in stirfries or eggrolls.

I know many people are anxiously awaiting cucumbers and tomatoes. Our first planting of cucumbers (which should have been ready 3 weeks ago) was heavily attacked by cucumber beetles and is just now starting to recover. I have included a few cucumbers as a swap item but our second planting is looking much better and should be producing loads of cucumbers in about 2 weeks time. You will notice the cucumbers have some scaring on the skin - this is from the cucumber beetles. Simply trim off and the cucumber beneath is perfect! The heat has kicked our tomatoes into ripening and I have included the first few as swap items this week. Don't worry, there will be enough for everyone in a couple short weeks!

Greens Add-on: Collards

Lettuce Add-on: Salad Mix