The cool, damp weather over the past 5-6 weeks in this part of Colorado has mostly passed now, although our stream still flows high and strong.  Hot summer days are here.  Oddly, the hot summer weather seems to have started on the first day of summer.  The British author W. H. Auden once said that the two most beautiful words in the English language are “summer afternoon.”  It is hard to argue with him these days out in the field.

The cool weather slowed down some of our vegetables, but it also extended the growing season for our spring crops (spinach, boc choi, lettuce, arugula).  In this dry Colorado climate, moisture is always good, and we all relished the wettest May and June in 25 years.

In the field at Oxford Gardens, we have gorgeous, tender carrots and sweet, juicy Hakurei turnips. Beets (red, golden and Chioggia) are coming on, but were slowed down considerably by the cool April and May temps (particularly the cold nights).  Our summer lettuce is looking colorful and alive. Chard, kale, collards and broccoli are stunning this year.

Tomatoes, melons, peppers, eggplants, basil, cucumbers and summer squash are all healthy and growing vigorously now. We will begin offering these summer delights in mid-July. Other treats from the field will follow, including Brussels Sprouts and sweet potatoes.

We have ten CSA members this year, and are delighted to have them be part of Oxford Gardens. Our members pick up every Wednesday at the Farmers Market and are enjoying the bounty from our fields. We have a few shares left, so drop us a note if you are interested.

Our first dinner with Meadowlark Farm Dinners took place in the field on June 18th and was a great joy for all. Sage Box, our 13 month-old V.P. for Joy and Cuteness was at the dinner and was the center of attention, where he belongs.  The Meadowlark team did their usual bang up job with the food, wine and good cheer. The next farm dinner at Oxford Gardens is July 23rd. Keep an eye on the Meadowlark web site (www.farmdinners.com) to see when the July dinner reservations open up. Seats go quickly, so keep an eye out.

I almost forgot: the sound of carrots.  Of the many varied sensual pleasures in the field, sounds are sometimes overlooked and under appreciated. One of my favorite sounds is the subtle but distinctive popping sound of carrots coming out of the ground as we pull them. Our sandy, loamy soil is perfect for carrots, and they make the most sublime and lovely music as they leave the earth, and generously offer themselves to us. If you haven’t tasted or heard one of our carrots, please come out to the field and savor them, and the many pleasures to be found there. Just call Peter first, at 303.817.9676.

May the summer afternoons delight your senses.

Peter and the OG Team

When it comes to the weather, April often runs off in several different directions. There has been some “dirty” weather (as they say in Nova Scotia), as well as gorgeous, warm spring days. Due to plentiful precipitation this month, life and vitality has come to the field, as it greens up  more every day. 

This week, Jared Hagood, Oxford Gardens’ farm manager, called me over to check out some beds in our west field. I had walked by these beds a day or two before, but failed to see what was there. Seemingly overnight, the Hakurei turnips had popped, and the germination was perfect. Just like that, we were surprised by a sudden light green sea of young turnips. (Note to our Hakurei turnip cult members: Our first turnips should be at market by Wednesday, May 13th.) 

Today it rained, then hailed a bit and finally snowed as we finished our harvest for Saturday’s Farmers Market.  The mountains might get up to 3 feet from this storm, a welcome and much-needed supplement to the local snow pack. Further April surprises are likely before spring has worked through its many ups and downs.

We have put in our brassica transplants - Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cabbages, planted all of our allium seeds (onions and leeks), and have in three successive plantings of lettuce, spinach and arugula. Our main root crops of carrots, beets and turnips are coming up nicely. In short, we are off to the races…

Check out the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pages on our web site. We still have CSA shares available for 2009 (whole and partial), so please join us for the year and support agriculture in Boulder County.

Here are the dates for our 2009 farm dinners at Oxford Gardens: June 18th, July 23rd, August 30th, and September 13th. We are working with Veronica Volny from Meadlowlark Farm Dinners again this year. Check out their site - www.farmdinners.com.

A special thanks to our 2009 volunteer team. You know who you are. These friends of the farm  have already contributed so much in the field, and are a great joy to work with.  Volunteers are welcome throughout the season. If you are interested, shoot Peter Volz an email: peter.volz@comcast.net. 

See you at the market! Don’t ever wonder if we will be there - wild horses can’t hold us back. Many thanks to our regular (and new) friends and customers at the market. Growing for you is what makes all of it worthwhile, through all of the surprises!

This is the first blog entry for the 2009 growing season. We will be offering our dear friends and readers weekly blog reports from the field and the market, so keep your eyes peeled. There will be news about what is growing now and what’s coming up, the wonders of our local weather, recipes from renowned local chefs and cooks, news about farm dinners and other events, and whatever else arises in our fertile imaginations!

First things first: the Farmers Market opens for the season on Saturday, April 4th. This is always a joyous day for us. It is like Christmas morning for an 8-year old!

For the first market we will have Swiss chard (green, red, yellow, and mixed bunches), baby lettuce mix, arugula, and baby Red Russian kale.

Oxford Gardens has a new (permanent) location at the market - on the main street, directly in front of the Dushanbe Teahouse, just north of the Farmers Market booth (where they sell t-shirts and Market Bucks). Please come visit us, we will be there for every market throughout the season.

I am always surprised at how many regular market folks don’t know when the market opens, and miss the date by several weeks. So spread the word, invite your friends and come feast on our ever-so-fresh, succulent vegetables.

Wednesday Farmers Markets begin this year on Saturday, May 6th, and will run through September. The hours are 4 PM to 8 PM, and there is often music, beer gardens, and a relaxed, less-hurried atmosphere.

Oxford Gardens’ CSA Program – For the first time, Oxford Gardens is offering a limited number of CSA shares for the 2009 season. Please check out the details on our web site, and contact Peter, at 303.817.9676 / peter.volz@comcast.net, for more information.

Volunteers – please join us in the field this year. We have a good core of volunteers lined up for the season, and are looking for a few more committed people who can offer 4-5 hours a week.

January and February were extremely dry, with less than one inch of precipitation total for the two months. Winter wheat (and millet) farmers on the plains, who depend upon winter snow and early spring precip, were hurting badly. Their crop was in critical condition. The much-needed snow of March 26, with up to 18 inches in some places along the Front Range, was a blessing for all farmers, and everyone else, in the area.

This snow came at just the right time – not so late as to damage newly-leafed tree and bushes and early enough to build up the snow pack. Any vegetables planted before the snow should be fine, as the snow acts as insulation from the cold nights we had on March 26th and 27th (near our field, it was 12F on the 26th).

The snow pack in our two local watersheds (Eldora and Niwot) was well below average prior to the storm, but has now increased considerably. We still need more snow and rain, this one event won’t do it. But it’s a good start.

See you soon!

Many thanks to Toby Hemmerling of The Organic Dish (www.theorganicdish.com) and Monika Edgar from Graphika Design (www.monikaedgar.com) for their very generous and creative assistance in getting our website up and running. Great job, friends!