Hello from Pitchfork & Crow~

We’ll be spending the day harvesting for the Salem Saturday Market!  Here’s what we plan to bring to market:

• Basil
• Beans (Green, Purple, Yellow!)
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Chard
• Collards
• Cooking Greens Mix (Kale, Chard, Collards, Cabbage, Parsley)
• Cucumbers (a few lemon)
• Kale (Red Russian & Lacinato)
• Leeks ( !! )
• Onions (sweet & purple torpedoes)
• Parsley
• Peppers (green peppers & yellow banana)
• Purple Hull Peas
• Summer Squash (yellow straightneck, zucchini, & pattypan)
• Tomatillos
• Tomatoes (cherries & slicers & a few heirlooms too!)

There’s BIG news this week here at Pitchfork & Crow.  We’ve been searching for a more permanent farming situation and this week after a domino effect of decisions we signed a “lease with option to buy” on a 15 acre farm outside of Lebanon.  For folks unfamiliar with small towns in the valley, Lebanon is about 45 minutes south of Salem down I-5 and 20 minutes or so east of Albany.  The farm is located on Hwy 20, just north of Lebanon proper.

A few weeks back we met the landowner and toured the property.  We were instantly smitten with the abundant fruit trees and the overall potential of the place.  There are two types of pear trees, several types of apples, some plums, and pie cherries.  There are also rows of trellised loganberries, marionberries, and raspberries.  Broken up by the orchards and berries are several acre-sized open fields currently cover cropped in alfalfa and timothy hay.  There are two soil types that run through the property, one is rockier than the other but both should be good for growing vegetables, as we do.  We also had a soil test done, looking for persistent pesticides such as DDT, and it came back clean which certainly helped make the decision easier.  Infrastructure on the farm includes a shop for storage, a couple of small greenhouses, and a small farm stand near the highway.

This past growing season on Grand Island has taught us a lot.  We’ve expanded both the amount of ground we planted and the diversity in the crops we grew this year, changes which may be obvious in our market booth if you remember our smaller size last year.  The landowners we currently rent our 1.68 acres from have been generous in allowing us to grow on their land, rent their tractor, and use their space for our work.  The transition from Grand Island is a positive move for all involved and we’re excited to see what the next chapter for Pitchfork & Crow has in store.  Once again, we thank everyone who has supported us these first couple of years.  We’re looking forward to bringing more and more diverse organic vegetables to market in the future.

We hope to see you at 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