Monday, March 18, 2024

A Couple More Weeks!

It's a little chilly for these tender blooms, so we tucked them in for the night. The berries are steadily growing. We hope to be open in a couple of weeks!


 




 

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Such a fun morning in Downtown Smithfield at the St. Patrick's Day Parade! SO much love for our small town!



 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Planting Onions

 
Before the rain rolled in this morning, we planted 1,500 red, white, and yellow onions. The planting efficiency was greatly increased by this contraption that we borrowed from our friends, the Millers of Chili Hill Foods & Farm...they're the best spot for local Thai food, located across the street from the Post Office in downtown Smithfield! They grow many of their own vegetables and his dad made this tool that punctures 20 holes at a time, ensuring consistent plant spacing & depth. 
 
We're also including some throwback pics from when we used to grow onions more than a decade ago. Our main focus now is on strawberries, but we always like to dabble in a few other crops too. Shout out to the amazing folks who supported our fledgling farmer's market stand in Smithfield when we were first starting out. Our daughter went from lounging on the onion bags to helping plant this year's crop in the blink of an eye! 
 




 

Friday, March 8, 2024

Blooms!

👀 I spy with my little eye something white & yellow!


 

Chocolate in Ecuador














 Today we'll highlight the last leg of Jake's trip to Ecuador with a focus on chocolate production & the Amazon Rainforest. Chocolate comes from cacao (pictured) which grow on trees. These trees grow best in tropical climates at specific elevations. The multistep process from cacao to coco to chocolate varies based on the goal of the final product, but in general involve fermenting, drying, roasting, separating, and grinding. The chocolate facility Jake toured was an award winner that specialized in many different forms of chocolate with varying levels of darkness and some were paired with infused flavors such as mint, orange, chili peppers, & salt. A few days later, he traveled to the Amazon Rainforest on a boat via a tributary to the Amazon River to an ecolodge where he stayed for several days. The plant and insect diversity and adaptations were incredible! Jake really enjoyed experiencing a night walk in the rainforest with his headlamp since a lot of creatures are nocturnal. Here he also visited an Ecuadorian village where the group enjoyed a huge feast including piranha, which was delicious! Ecuador has utilized its geography and natural resources for a variety of agricultural enterprises, and Jake is grateful to have learned from his experience there!

National Strawberry Day


Today is National Strawberry Day! (Originally posted 2/27/24) Fun Fact: Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside of their skin. Our berries are loving these warmer temps and they've been growing rapidly under the warmth of the frost blankets. It takes about 30 days from bloom to berry. If the weather cooperates, we plan to be open Easter weekend!

Mindo, Ecuador

Mindo, Ecuador is one of the bird capitals of the world. Between Mindo and the Quito Botanical Garden, we saw some really spectacular orchids, birds, butterflies, and other tropical plants. The diversity of the plants and animals there is astounding. Pictured here is a native hummingbird perched on my hand feeding on sugar water.