Saturdays at the Hayward Farmer's Market is something we look forward to every week. Our customers are amazing and really are what make this whole farming journey worth it! A shout out to our customers from Valley Springs who encouraged me to send out our newsletter. We really appreciate the community that owning a farm has made
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As you know, we had a crazy problem with voles last year, and about 50% of our trees were affected. The mild winter and summer we've had has allowed a lot of the trees to recover, although there are still some that have not
come back strong and others have not come back at all. Our Bacon avocado trees have completely recovered, but our GEM and Lamb Hass trees are still struggling. For vole prevention, I have spent hours up in the grove weeding grass around the trees and collapsing burrows with a
screwdriver. Other things we are trying include moving the irrigation line closer to the trunk of the trees and changing our watering schedule. Owls are working in the grove as well. We put up another owl box and this year we had owl families in all three boxes. A few times, we made the walk up to the grove at dusk in order to see the owls
flying around. With the grass cleared around the trees, we hope to help the barn owls see the voles. All of these things combined have helped many of the trees. There is always something to learn or try around here. |
Expanding our citrus collection-- Speaking of trying things, we planted a bergamot orange tree this past year. It was covered in blossoms in April, which means oranges are coming. The Pink Variegated lemon is loaded with fruit and so are our four little Cara Cara trees. We also planted two more Ruby Grapefruit trees. When we moved to the property in
2010, there was a grapefruit tree already happily growing here, so when we had some openings in our small citrus grove, we planted more grapefruits and another Calamondin. We added a Yuzu and five more Finger Limes. It is very fun to try all these types of citrus. A bumblebee hard at work pollinating our citrus grove |
Our Summer Market Schedule-- In August, we will be bringing our delicious Hass and GEM avocados. We will not be at the market for two weeks (August 9th and 16th). The first weekend, we will be visiting Anna's cousin in Alabama, and the following week, we are moving our youngest daughter, Sarah, up to Seattle to live with her sister, Emma. Then on August 23rd, we will be returning to the
market with our Hass and GEM. There is a chance we will be bringing some Reed avocados on August 30th, but we will let you know as that week gets closer. GEM, Reed, and Hass avocados |
Citrus Summer Salad-- Inspired by Ina Garten's avocado grapefruit salad, we used our own summer harvest to put together a fresh and flavorful summer dish. The creamy avocado and tart grapefruit not only marry well in flavor but also in the texture of every bite. Ingredients 2 ripe avocados 2 large grapefruits 1/4 cup freshly squeezed
lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper Mixed greens or arugula (optional for serving) Mint leaves (optional garnish) Instructions Peel the grapefruits, removing all the white pith. Using a sharp knife, cut between the membranes to release the membranes to release the grapefuit segments. Set aside. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and slice them into wedges. Gently remove the peel from each wedge. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Arrange the avocado slices and grapefruit
segments on a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon the dressing over the avocados and grapefruit and garnish with mint leaves. If desired, place a bed of mixed greens or arugula on the plate before arranging the avocado and grapefruit. This salad is best served fresh to maintain its texture and flavor. Enjoy! |
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