2010 CFSA Upstate Farm Tour: It's Almost Here!

Just a reminder: next weekend is the 2010 CFSA Upstate Farm Tour! We're one of the stops this year and we couldn't be more excited (and a little bit freaked out by all the prep still to do!).

We'll have a couple of different areas of interest featured next weekend, and the first, of course, is the garden and greenhouse. You'll be able to purchase plants - we'll have plenty of basil, parsley, and heirloom tomatoes as usual - and produce as you would at the market. I'll also be on hand to explain how we use sustainable and organic production methods in the garden, answer gardening questions, and give a little explanation of our vermicomposting system for those interested. The worm compost we make is one of the two natural+organic fertilizers we use in the garden. I've been using it to top dress the tomatoes at planting and they are loving it. The San Marzanos are more like "Monster Marzanos" because they so insanely stocky this year.

We'll also be conducting hayrides out into the pasture at intervals so you can see our sheep and hear from my dad about the livestock operation. Donkeys, llamas, and cows are also out in the pasture in different areas so you'll see some of them as well!

And it just wouldn't be a party without some food and drinks - under the oak tree at the house, we'll have a spread of goodies for you to sample and learn more about cooking with our Tunis lamb and herbs from the garden. We're planning on having braised lamb shoulder and baked lamb meatballs to showcase two different cuts of lamb, herbed crackers and spreads, and of course some fresh-brewed sweet tea with mint! My mom will be on hand for some handspinning demonstrations and we'll have her wonderful handspun yarn and our Tunis wool blankets available for sale.

So we've got a lot going on, and we hope you'll be able to visit! In the meantime, we've got to get the garlic harvested over the next day or so AND start prep for all that delicious food, so it's going to be a busy week to say the least. But very much worth it in the end.

For more details about the Farm Tour, visit the CFSA website. You can also download the Farm Tour brochure here for the location map and descriptions of each stop on the tour.