Hi, August! The Latest News and Notes from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms
As we head into the dog days of August, the heat-loving crops are starting to ripen more each day, and the animals continue to seek the afternoon shade to stay cool—during the middle of the day the chickens are often burrowed in the cool dirt of their enclosure and the girls can be spotted lounging under the canopy of trees in their pasture.
As much as the sun-ripened peppers and tomatoes are loving the sunshine, other more tender crops, such as the lettuces and greens, are now needing a good drink of water each day so that they continue to thrive. With the nice sunny weather, our fruit crops are proving to be bountiful, from the big, juicy blueberries, raspberries and blackberries to colorful red and yellow plums.
As busy as it is around Bella Luna this time of year—both with tending crops, caring for animals and hosting the special events we hold so dear—we also spend quite a bit of time in other people’s gardens, too, through our landscape design firm, Parterre. We conceptualize and install tranquil, natural gardens and outdoor living spaces all around the Puget Sound, as well as care for them using organic, low-impact gardening techniques. With its long daylight hours, this abundant season keeps us bustling between projects.
During the lingering evenings, we are busy preserving all the gorgeous summer delicacies. In addition to fruit preserves, our “jam sessions” will also include pickling cucumbers and canning beets, as well as making small batches of our Nonna Pat’s famous tomato sauce with vine-ripened tomatoes plucked fresh from the garden, a favorite and versatile accompaniment for many different meals which lasts us until next summer when we start the process all over again!
We hope that your summer has been filled with memorable moments and delicious meals with family and friends as we look forward to the warm days and glorious summer evenings yet to come. Cheers to the continuing summer ahead!
Hi, July! The Latest News and Notes from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms
It’s July and everything is in full summer bloom here at the farm, bursting to life in vibrant color, and keeping us busy watering, weeding and harvesting.
The bold and beautiful tiger lilies that grow near the house have just begun to bloom, and during the warm afternoons, the goats and sheep spend their days resting and ruminating in the shade. (They keep this up until the evening hours when things start to look a little livelier out there after the fresh hay for dinner arrives in the barn.)
Summer chores continue in the gardens, where we marvel at the growth of the beans, peas and cucumbers that climb their trellises by inches each day. Apples, plums and pears are developing on the trees and the Montmorency pie cherries will hopefully be ready to harvest in the coming weeks! We also are eagerly anticipating the first crop of fresh, juicy Tulameen raspberries that are just now starting to ripen. Some of these sweet-tart berries will be destined for a summer fruit crisp or for snacking, but a good portion are always set aside to use in our favorite fresh raspberry jam.
The honey bees are also loving the pleasant afternoons and buzz busily amongst the many varieties of blossoms, working hard collecting pollen and nectar; the blackberry flowers are a special favorite for them, being one of the honeybee’s main food sources here in the Pacific Northwest.
We hope you enjoy a safe and happy 4th of July holiday tomorrow, and that you enjoy all that midsummer has to offer this month.
Hello, June! The Latest News from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms
As we say hello to the month of June, it seems as if the signs are finally beginning to point towards the start of summer, from the baby birds leaving their nests to the abundance of beautiful blooms now seen around the farm.
During the sunny afternoons and evenings, we have spent lots of hours in the garden and now, the summer crops are just about planted and the first of their shoots should soon start popping up out of the soil. The lettuces and other greens are all thriving, in addition to the Romano beans inching their way up the trellises (tempting the pesky rabbits!) and the fragrant herbs growing in the walled garden. Preparations for planting summer cutting flowers are also underway.
Warm weather plants such as tomatoes and peppers are ready to go in the hoophouse, with the eggplant and summer squash starts to follow. We’ve begun checking the strawberries to see if any of the green berries are starting to turn pink, but we will have to be patient as ripe, juicy fruit looks to still be a couple of weeks out. In the meantime, we will enjoy the peonies as they start their vibrant season as well as the first flush of English roses are almost in bloom.
Around the rest of Bella Luna, the animals are about to enjoy a ‘spa day’: The goats are receiving a thorough grooming to brush out the last of their thick winter undercoats and get their hooves trimmed; our friend Marc will be by soon to shear the sheep; and the donkey (a.k.a Stinky!) will also be getting a much needed bath!
Enjoy these first few days of June and we hope you and yours continue to be well as summer approaches!
Hello, May! The Latest News from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms
Though the month of April was quite chilly by our usual standards, it looks as if May will bring a lush beauty to Bella Luna, especially after this past weekend’s glorious doses of sunshine. The longer daylight hours, coupled with those aforementioned sun breaks, have really jump-started our ‘to-do’ list, keeping us busy dawn to dusk trying to get ahead of the weeds that now seem to pop up overnight.
The apple, cherry, plum, and pear trees along with the blueberry bushes are beginning to bloom in both the orchard and the garden. We are harvesting asparagus and herbs galore from the main vegetable plot, and we are also planting peas, carrots, lettuces, beets, leeks and onions. (It seems it’s time to secure the gates to the vegetable gardens so we don’t have any furry guests nibbling these tender, soon-to-be shoots!) Beans, cucumbers, and summer squashes are about to be seeded in the greenhouse to be planted out later in early June when the soil is warmer.
When it is sunny out, the ‘girls’ venture out to enjoy the lush green pasture, where they also like to stretch their heads over the fence to nibble on any brambles they can reach, and then take a break to lie down in the tall grass. The hens can also be spotted pecking around their outdoor enclosure, and as we travel from building to building, and garden to garden, our faithful pooches, Miette, Poppy and Canelle, are almost always at our sides. As dusk approaches, we are also once again treated to the chorus of frogs, so loud at night we can hear them indoors—a most welcome symphony after the long winter months.
To more sunny days hopefully just ahead!
