Farm & Garden Notes: Hello, June!

 
As we usher in the month of June, we happily welcome the first signs of summer here at the farm: the bees are busy gathering pollen, the vegetables are starting to pop out of the soil and our resident chickens are often spotted sun-bathing outside their coop!

As the last of the rhododendrons and other spring flowers finish their last blossoms, we are cleaning up our gardens to prep for the colorful summer perennials that will soon follow.

In the vegetable gardens, we are now planting of some of our favorite warm-weather annuals, like heirloom Black Plum and Yellow Currant tomatoes, Annellino beans, and Mathilde cucumbers. These early-maturing cucumbers are perfect for pickling. We’ll be harvesting these tiny gherkins daily throughout the summer to make our small-batch, French-style cornichons!

In preparation for summer events, we are also putting the finishing touches on our Mugniani outdoor wood-burning pizza oven. The dome is now complete. Next up, we will enclose and insulate the dome so we can begin the 4-5 day process of curing the oven. Then, we will finish the beautiful, decorative stonework on the exterior. (Want to see the oven in action? Stay in the loop on upcoming events!)

Our beloved goats are also ready for the warmer weather after their spring ‘spa day’—the ‘girls’ are treated to a tip-to-tail grooming, hooves trimmed and coats brushed. After shedding the soft, downy cashmere undercoats they build up over the winter, they are looking sleek once again!