Farm Report 8/8/22- Jammin'

Yes, this was the weekend for our once a year Farmyard Jam. But before we get to that there is a lot of other news to report.

We are still planting! The Rimel greenhouse is now full of Swiss chard, cucumbers, so many marigolds and this crazy summer squash called tromboncino that I think looks like a cobra snake! Our friend Kathie gave us these plants to try out . She said that they are almost seedless so they are really good for making squash noodles. Look at this photo she shared of them after grilling! Not sure I can get past that visual!

Thanks to Hannah, Sorrel and Silvo, all the rest of the swiss chard is in. Lee, B.J., and Lee Ann prepped the beds and put in another planting of green beans. We are not finished yet!

After the Wednesday gleaning Annie headed down to Portland with vegetables to a sharing table set up outside the Greater Portland Health Clinic. She took a variety of vegetables and herbs, including some of our culturally preferred foods, to see first hand how the foods were received. Annie has taken her summer of experience with us, the gleaning network, MCHPP, and our recipients as a possible subject for her senior thesis. As Annie educates herself about food justice here in Maine, she shares that knowledge, and we learn more about our important role in filling that gap.

Grace came to volunteer this week. She spent most of last summer with us as a Bowdoin intern. Most of her mornings on the farm started out with the not so favorite past-time of BAD BUG PATROL. Here is a photo of Grace happily holding open an insect free squash blossom! Maybe she will want to volunteer more often with that job no longer an option? So glad to see you Grace, we miss you!

Fridays seem to be our busiest mornings at the farm. First, we have Vera multi-tasking,(Vera loves projects!), then there are the three lovely ladies arranging flowers. As that was in progress, our interns and Liliana, were busy directing the gleaners, weighing and boxing up the vegetables and loading them into vehicles. I made them stop with their heavy loads for a photo op. Sharon came for the first time to glean, it was a hot humid morning but she jumped right in and was helping to fill bags with herbs.

We also had 5 members of the fabulous Fix-it-Team come to add their skills on a couple of projects. Bob attacked getting some of the earth anchors in place for our grow tunnels. Diana, Scott and Burnham got our new bagger attachment out of the box and onto our electric mower. I had to include 2 photos of this because one photo looks like Burnham is doing all the work! Tom was doing “Tom” stuff. 🙂

Sophia, Claire and Genevieve planted 2 rows of marigolds alongside our newest cucumber planting as a bug deterrent. Genevieve was working on trailing that climbing “snake” squash to grow up into the rafters. Great, snake squash hanging down from the rafters. Sounds like a version of Where the Wild Things Are!

I want to end this part of our weekly update with some lovely photos from walking around the farm. Dina took me up on my invitation to go observe all the activity in the hedgerow and shared some of her photos. I have a hard time resisting trying to get the perfect butterfly action shot.

Friday was our last day with all our college interns as a group. These remarkable young women added so much to the farm this summer. I keep telling them it would not be as bountiful or beautiful if they had not shared their precious summer with us. I think they understand when they look out on the fields and in the greenhouses and see their work in a steady progress of growth and beauty. Annie and Claire, enjoy your break. We are already making plans to see each other again soon. Sophia is stuck with me another week and I am very grateful to have her energy around. Carrie, Zoey and Genevieve have been off the farm a bit so Sophia and I will keep up with what needs to be accomplished and look forward to their return.

Now for the Jam news. The afternoon was hot and humid but that afternoon sea breeze kicked in and helped a lot. The food trucks arrived, the musicians tuned up, the art auction opened up and the cars parking in the fields began to fill up with our arriving guests.

There was Face Painting, kids games, mini horse cart rides, farm tours, raffles, t-shirts and the now famous Wheel of Fortune! Old friends were hugged and new friends made. The farm was a beautiful showcase on Saturday for Growing to Give and our mission to feed neighbors in need. It was also a beautiful way to celebrate all the hard work that happens behind the scenes. Patty and John work tirelessly to make this a special event for people to enjoy. All of our Board members had special roles that took months of planning. Suzanne, you never stopped smiling (even when you were taking deep breaths) and kept everyone on track and motivated. Carrie and Julia were supporting us from afar. Judy worked the art auction, Brigetta created beautiful flower arrangements, Sorrel with her 14 different face painting designs!. There were so many volunteers, some new to me, people coming to set-up, volunteers helping with parking, running errands, making signs. It just goes on and on. I hope everyone who came enjoyed their evening and maybe learned something new about G2G.

I took special pride in G2G Saturday night. I think we put on a celebration for our community, on a lovely summer evening, in our beautiful state of Maine.