"Fickle weather! Most of the rain passed us by this week, falling just to our north and south. We did get about half an inch – more of a sip than the deep cool drink the plants are craving. We expect slow growth, late or limited second cut hay, and limited pasture this summer, … [Read more...] about Essex Farm: Keep Our Fingers Crossed
CSA
Full and By Farm: We Need a Drink
The scant quarter inchof rain we finally collected this week was not enough to make much of a dent in the dry soil. The vegetables and pastures are hurting badly for it with stunted vegetative growth and poor yields. Many of the crops that are starting to come in are coming with … [Read more...] about Full and By Farm: We Need a Drink
Essex Farm: Toils & Troubles
"It’s been a stressful week around here. Mark is still wrestling with his injury, trying to find a balance between the rest that his body needs and the work that needs to get done. All the plants want rain, and there is nothing we can do about that. Cash flow is tight – the … [Read more...] about Essex Farm: Toils & Troubles
Full and By Farm: Adages to Live By
In the early days—before the arrival of the horses—lifting, pulling, dragging, and cultivating were all done by hand, and shoulder, back, and leg. James coined our first farm motto then "putting the arm back in farming." Lightning and Thunder arrived just in time, as … [Read more...] about Full and By Farm: Adages to Live By
Essex Farm: Beware the Swarm
Draft horses are stoic beasts. They can work through heat, dust, discomfort and fatigue. But, like Gulliver, they are tormented beyond their limits by hordes of little things. The face flies that mass around their eyes and nose, the green-headed flies that bite the belly, neck … [Read more...] about Essex Farm: Beware the Swarm