Prairie Coteau Farm

Veggies galore!

Hello folks,

Sorry there hasn’t been an update for a while.  The summer is flying by and I haven’t had a moment for blogging!  Here’s a glimpse of what has been going on at Prarie Coteau Farm in the last month:

Garlic Harvest

At the beginning of August we did our big garlic harvest.  Garlic is the main crop at the farm and we have half an acre planted with seven different garlic varieties.  The garlic harvest is usually a very time consuming and labor-intsensive process as each plant must be hand-dug from the ground.  This year Kristianna invested in a garlic harvester which made the process much easier.  The machine cuts under the soil and gently lifts and loosens the plants.  A crew of helpers then gather the garlic from the field and clean and bunch the plants on a flatbed.  The garlic is hung from the rafters of the barn to cure for a period of time before being sold.  With a little help from some friends, the garlic harvest was completed over just two weekends!  Our garlic will be available for sale.  We offer garlic for eating as well as seed for planting.  Let us know if you’re interested!

garlic hanging from the barn rafters to cure

Farm Helpers

It takes a village to run a farm, and we’ve had some great helpers lately.  Kristianna’s friend Heather (a previous intern) flew in from New York to visit for ten days in the middle of August.  She pitched right in and always offered to help with the farm work.  She pulled several long days helping with the garlic harvest and didn’t shy away from the major weeding that’s been going on at the farm.  Thanks so much Heather!

Heather and Kristianna harvesting beans

Some other helpers include my sisters Phoebe and Ivy, who have both attended the Farmers Market with me.  They’re both quite professional and excellent with customers.  They do a great job keeping the displays up and restocking vegetables as well.  They have to get up at 5am in order to go to market with me and they still told me afterwards that it was fun and they wanted to go again!

Ivy (9 years old) manning the booth

My husband Wyatt also assisted with the harvest one week.  It was good for him to spend some time at the farm and see the work I do.  His favorite part of the harvest was digging purple potatoes.  : )

Wyatt digging "Purple Majesty" potatoes

Wyatt picks beans while Kristianna harvests herbs in the background

Days grow shorter

We’ve started our Friday harvests at 7am now instead of 6am because its getting light later in the morning.  Can it really be the end of the August?  Luckily, the garden is just hitting its stride, and we’re starting to get buckets of delicious tomatoes and our peppers are on the cusp of ripeness.  Melons are coming along, and leeks and onions are ready for harvest.  The days may be growing shorter, but the wonderful bounty of fall is still ahead. 

Here’s a parting shot for you to enjoy.  I took this picture one morning when I arrived at the farm at sunrise to begin harvesting.  It was a peaceful and beautiful sight.

Sunrise at the farm