Farm Notes by Tracy

We work hard here at Hearty Roots. Seven days a week, at least one of us is at the farm. Some days just watering, other days planting, weeding, tilling, keeping away the groundhogs, and harvesting. Perhaps the produce itself tells that story: of long days in the field. But our bright, sweet carrots and heavy, round beets also tell another story: Hearty Roots isn't just about hard work. After hours you'll find three of us coming home to the same house, and often most of us find ourselves in the same place. On Tuesdays there's wing night (always better if shared), on Thursdays we show movies, and on the right weekend, some of us dance until wee hours, enjoying our late nights of the week.

I can't speak for the rest of the crew, but farming for me is about the people I work with as much as it is about growing produce. Days aren't filled with laughs, but they keep me going. I think our produce shows the satisfaction we feel at the end of our days, as well as the work we put into them. I love my job because I believe in good food, but also because summer season means many hours of hard work, and spending those hours with the right people makes or breaks the harvest.

Garlic Harvest Party!

The annual Garlic Harvest Party is this weekend at Hearty Roots Community Farm!

Saturday, July 19th, 11am - 5pm

Find us at our Pitcher Lane field, 227 Pitcher Lane, Red Hook, NY 12583

We'll provide water and some snacks, feel free to bring a picnic and stay for as much or as little time as you'd like.

We'll be digging the garlic out of the ground, tying it in bunches, and bringing it to our barn to hang up to cure.

Kids and friends welcome! Rain or shine! We look forward to seeing you there!

Farm Notes

by Danny

This last week on the farm has been a busy one. We have been doing a lot of cultivating. Recently we bought a one row and a two row cultivator for our electric cultivating tractor, an ACG (Allis Chalmers G series tractor). The winter squash has and our backs have been the happiest with the purchase of these oldy ,but goody implements. A few passes per bed and all that is left to weed are the weeds in the row. And in these times of high gas prices it sure is nice plugging the tractor in at the end of the day.

The potatoes and corn both received good attention from us with the water and the weeding. They both are looking healthy with very little insect and weed pressure. It's never too early to start daydreaming about future barbeques.

For the first time in a good while we had to irrigate. We watered in a new planting of carrots, a bed of herbs that included basil and parsley, kale, salad mix and some of the older established plants. The moving of pipe is a dance, from the physical moving of the pipe to the planning of the next placement and one after that. The physical moving of pipe usually involves one or two people. It's always a balancing act, from leaping across the beds with pipe in hand to twisting and turning and setting down of pipe when a couple of us try to synchronize and move them together. Usually every thing goes smoothly, but every so often, like today, you have spend some time running around trying to stop a geyser or unplugging a clogged sprinkler. It's a nice way to cool down and laugh a bit. Hope all of you are doing the same.

Onion Planting Party 2008

Every year to kick off the season, we invite you all to join us transplanting onion seedlings. This year's Onion Planting Party will be held Saturday, May 10th from 11am - 5pm at Hearty Roots Farm in Tivoli, NY (or in case of heavy rain, Sunday, May 11th). Join us for as few or as many hours as you wish. Onion planting is a great opportunity to get to know the members and the crew of Hearty Roots Farm and have fun in the dirt!

We will have water and snacks but please feel free to bring a picnic. No need to RSVP - and you are welcome to bring as many friends and family members as you wish, but we cannot allow dogs on the farm, so please leave your pets at home.

To find directions, look up 227 Pitcher Lane, Red Hook, NY. It's a two hour drive from NYC up the Taconic Parkway.

Looking forward to seeing you in the fields!