April 16, 2006

First, many thanks to those of you who have already sent back your subscription forms! I really appreciate it!  For those of you who are still thinking about it, check out all the wonderful varieties that are being offered this season at  http://www.reverencegardens.com/variety.  It took forever, but I finally posted all the produce pictures and descriptions.  Once the season gets underway you can check to see what will be offered each week. 

I suspect you are all as happy as I am that warm weather is finally here!  My daffodils and hyacinths are up, though not blooming and the dandelions are making a come back - somehting our rabbit Cocoa really appreciates.  He's OK with the organic greens we buy from the grocery all winter but he gets picky come spring - only fresh picked grasses, dandelions, and lettuces will do.

Now to get into the fields.  Upcoming field work includes mowing and tilling the asparagus field, planting the cabbage and lettuce seedlings, and seeding beets, carrots, radishes, and direct sow lettuce.  Not to mention planting the covercrops that I hope will cut way back on the weeding this year (hope springs eterenal!)  Also need to get in the onion plants and seed potatoes - all this assuming that things have dried out enough to work the soil...

April 7, 2008

First - don't forget to check out the New Way to Buy under the Photos and Information tab.  It's a way to have the vegetables you want when you want them without having to figure out how to get to a farmer's market.  Please e-mail us at reverencegardens@gmail.com for a sign-up form.  We're also soliciting suggestions on pick-up sites in the Grayslake and Gurnee (Illinois) area.  If you belong to a church, civic organization, fitness club, or other place that can serve as a produce pick-up point, please let us know!

Second, vacation was great!  Got to see friends and family, visit wildlife sanctuaries, and go for runs on the beaches.  And – there is nothing like doing a sun salutation on the beach – fabulous!  The return home was just as wonderful though – especially since most of the snow had finally melted (though the forecast suggests maybe a bit more snow this week!).

In farm news, I finally got up to the farm this weekend to check out the lay of the land.  The overwintered spinach survived and the garlic and shallots are already sprouting!  So that’s the good news.  The ground is still way too wet to plant anything new and quite a bit of rain is forecast for this week so the seeding of carrots, beets, radishes, bunching onions, peas and the planting of potatoes and onions will need to wait a few weeks. 

The cabbage and lettuce seedlings have successfully made the transition from indoors to a cold frame and will be transplanted as soon as the ground is workable.  The tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers have finally been seeded and even made it outdoors for a few hours to take advantage of the early spring warmth and sunshine – they’re back indoors now to ride out the cooler temps for the rest of the week. 

Check the website over the next few weeks as I’ll be posting photos and descriptions of the tomato, eggplant, pepper, bean, zucchini, winter squash, and watermelon varieties that are planned.  I’ll also be putting in some old fashioned sweet corn and making another effort at fall broccoli and cauliflower but my track record on those has been less than stellar – so no guarantees that I’ll have any of those things this season.

I’ll be posting new farm pictures soon, so be sure to check back frequently and Watch Reverence Grow!

March 12, 2008

First - don't forget to check out the New Way to Buy under the Photos and Information tab.  It's a way to have the vegetables you want when you want them without having to figure out how to get to a farmer's market.  Please e-mail us at reverencegardens@gmail.com for a sign-up form.  We're also soliciting suggestions on pick-up sites in the Grayslake and Gurnee (Illinois) area.  If you belong to a church, civic organization, fitness club, or other place that can serve as a produce pick-up point, please let us know!

You may have noticed some changes to the website.  Progress on the site has been slow, but steady.  Check out the new recipes and the listing of seed sources as well as the listing of the inputs used on the farm. 

On the actual growing side, the lettuce and cabbage seedlings are up and reaching for the sun and the summer seeds are arriving on a daily basis.  And, even though snow is still on the ground, the sun is shining more and the birds greet me with their songs whenever I leave the house.  I still haven't been up to the farm yet (the farm is actually about twenty miles from where I live - not optimal but there you go - you work with what you have) but since the ground hasn't thawed yet there isn't much I can do up there.

In fact, I won't be doing much around here either.  My darling husband has agreed to tend the seedlings while I take a too long and too late vacation south to visit friends and family.  I had to stuff vacation in between the two classes (at two separate colleges) that I am taking and the end of my winter job working as a contractor in the corporate world (some really great people at Zebra!).  I keep telling myself it isn't so awful since it's been so cold and snowy that the season is getting off to a late start in any case.  Mostly true, though there is an element of wishful thinking and rationalization in there (one of my classes is a psych course in case you weren't able to tell from the psychobabble...) 

More later - time to go pack!

March 5, 2008

It's been a long, snowy, icy, cold cold winter - and it isn't over quite yet - but - Reverence is farming again!  All of the seeds, seed potatoes, and onion plants have been ordered.  Even better - the cabbage and lettuce seedlings have been started and are poking their heads up!  Five varieties of cabbage are on tap for this year - Red Express, Early Jersey Wakefield, Das Vertus Savoy, Famosa, and Wadenswiler.  Lettuce varieties include Brown Golding, Cracoviensis, Green Deer Tongue, Pirat, Forellenschluss, Sunset, and Tennis Ball.  There are others!  Some are favorites from last year and some are new this year.  But all have been selected for sweetness and flavor.

I've been busy posting pictures and descriptions of the seed I've ordered so far.  I'm not finished yet, it's a big job, but you can check out some of the great varieties that, weather and bugs willing, Reverence will be offering for sale this year.

Please also visit "The Experience" and check out our New Way to Buy - a unique vegetable subscription plan that let's you choose what you want to buy and when you want to buy it.  No more figuring out who to give those veggies you don't really like to and no more figuring out what you're going to do with that box of veggies that will show up when you're on vacation!

And check back in a few days, a new page will go up that details all of the materials we use.  While Reverence is not seeking organic certification, we are proud that we use only all natural inputs and never ever use any synthetic or genetically modified materials.  And don't forget, we never spray with herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides so you can be confident that the food you eat and the food you serve to family and friends is free of toxic chemicals.