Hello from Pitchfork & Crow~
We’re preparing for the Salem Saturday Market tomorrow! Here’s what we plan to bring to market:
- Basil
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Bunching Onions
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Chard
- Cilantro
- Collards
- Cooking Greens Mix (Kale, Chard, Collards, Parsley)
- Cucumbers (pickling, slicing, & some lemon)
- Green Beans
- Kale (Red Russian & Lacinato)
- Lettuce (Romaine, Butter, & Crispleaf)
- Parsley
- Peppers
- Salad Mix (a mix of lettuces)
- Summer Squash (yellow straightneck, zucchini, & pattypan)
- Tomatillos
It’s August and we’re busy. I guess we were busy in July too, but now it’s August and we’re looking forward to a little fall relief soon, but not quite yet. The weeds are really taking over in some beds and we have a few flats of broccoli and beets that didn’t quite make the short windows of planting time we allotted this week.
After quickly planting some kohlrabi and fennel and moving irrigation pipe we headed out to Lyons on Monday evening to look at some farmland that could be a potential leasing opportunity for us in the future. It was very hard not to fall in love with the amazing meadows situated alongside the North Fork of the Santiam River, tucked away down a very long dirt road but with water rights and good Newburg soil. It was difficult not to want to learn from the owner, a man in his 80s who’s family has farmed the land in one capacity or another for several generations. It could be easy to overlook the commute for a while, sell our house eventually and move closer, for the opportunity to farm that property. But the reality is that the land is located at an elevation of around 560 ft, which would offer many cold nights and cooler days too, and leasing the land for our type of farming could mean setting ourselves up for future failure.
We know that our current situation won’t work forever. We’re also eager to find a long-term lease, or better yet, buy our own farm one day. So, the search continues for a more permanent home for our farm, though I think we now have a place in our hearts for the meadows on the Santiam. We’re enjoying Grand Island for the meantime though, and we know the growth of the weeds is just a testament to the fantastic growing conditions found here.
As usual, we’ve got organic vegetables straight from Grand Island! We hope you’ll make it down to the Saturday Market between 9am and 3pm. The Salem Saturday Market is located at the intersection of Summer and Marion streets NE in downtown Salem.
Thanks!
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett
