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Dear Friends of the Farm,
It's September, can you believe it?! We are still
harvesting pounds and pounds of tomatoes, but as autumn approaches
(all too quickly) we are seeding and transplanting and weeding cool
season crops. The days of fresh gazpacho are not gone (summer's
sweetest produce will carry us through September),
however we are already looking forward to roasted roots and hot
soups. Lettuces and mesclun greens are
coming along, as are beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, fennel,
scallions and more. And some early cover crops are already
sprouting, preparing to replenish and protect beds during the winter.
Though our bones are a
bit weary as the hot season wanes, we are as excited as ever to share
Queens Farm bounty with you! There are two more very special
community meals -- part of our Dinner on the Farm series -- right
around the corner... Please join us next Wednesday, September
15th for a Feast in the Field, featuring our pork and
produce prepared by Tamara
Reynolds. Tickets
must be purchased in advance. For details, please visit brownpapertickets.com.
As always, we hope to see you on the farm (open every
day) or at Union Square Market (every Friday) or at New Amsterdam
Market (THIS Sunday)!
Kennon Kay
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Sheep Shearing Thanks
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Sheep shearing
demonstration
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This past Sunday,
we were delighted to host dozens of visitors at our end-of-summer
sheep shearing event! Throughout the day, families were able to
observe the full cycle of wool -- from sheep shearing demonstrations
by Tabbethia Haubold
of Long Island Livestock Company to
carting and spinning demonstrations by the fabulous women of Spin City. Thank you
to all the visitors and volunteers who made this event
such a great success. We couldn't have done it without you!
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Woodland Foraging
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New fencing expands acreage
for livestock
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Livestock update from
apprentice Kimberley Hart
This year we were
excited to be awarded a Good Husbandry Grant from Animal Welfare
Approved, which allowed us to install permanent fencing around over
two acres of wooded land for our livestock. With a little
machete work, we've been using solar electric fencing to divide the
acreage into smaller sections, making it possible to rotate nine of
our goats incrementally through the
larger area. Goats are browsers, which means
they eat everything from weeds and brambles to small branches with
leaves that they reach by standing on their hind legs (which is quite
amusing to watch). After they finish nibbling all the greens in
one area, we relocate the fence and move them to a fresh section of
the woods. The goats are happy to be able to eat a variety of
forages, and in return they help control invasive plant species as
well as fertilize the land to improve future pasture.
We moved two of our pigs into areas that goats had cleared; pigs are
rooters, which means they feast on all of the roots left behind by
their grazing friends. This livestock partnership and intensive
rotation ensure that invasive undergrowth will be kept in check.
Throughout the summer, the pigs had a number of favorite shaded
napping areas and wallows; on the hottest days they spent most of
their time lying in their water basin or relaxing in freshly-rooted
dark, cool mud (with the arrival of fall weather, you'd be more
likely to catch them chasing each other around, squealing and having
some kind of wild pig fun!). We raise our pigs for meat, so as hard
as it was to see them go this week we feel happy to have afforded
them a good life (with Brooklyn Brewery mash and heirloom tomatoes in
addition to their wild buffet). It is an opportunity that we are
incredibly grateful for: to raise food locally, sustainably,
and with great care.
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Upcoming
Events
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 This Sunday,
September 12th:
Monday, September 27th at 2pm:
Oktoberfest Dinner on the Farm (tickets will go on sale
mid-September)
Sunday, October 10th & November 14th:
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Thank you for your continued interest and support for
local, sustainable agriculture!
The
Agriculture Department
Queens Farm
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