You dear customers and the wide-world in general sure know how to make us happy. After sending such a grumpy email last Thursday, we have had a great week of things that make us smile. In no particular order…

:: Cool weather – this is an amazing July! We are soaking up morning time that requires long sleeves and involves chilly fingers.
:: Sweet messages from customers about how much they love our produce. We even got an email with a photo of a lovely dish that one of you prepared with our veggies!
:: Finding a children’s book that portrays a female farmer. This is no easy task. Kids’ books overwhelmingly have a male farmer character, and a supporting female farmer’s-wife character, who almost invariably is shown only cleaning or baking. These are important tasks, for sure, but a farmer’s wife (and a farmer’s husband) has a lot more nuance than we usually see, and this multi-functioning, female farmer in a kids book was refreshing. 
:: This “Urbanite to Farmer in Ten Steps” article in a recent Food & Wine edition cracked us up. We won’t elaborate.

:: This Barn! It’s just beautiful, and we are starting to prepare to move activities into one section (electrical permit is in process!). We will be finishing off the inside areas in phases, according to priorities. Accordingly, we are in search of a few things. See our list of needed materials below.

:: Visiting with farmer friends. We are participating in a tomato grafting research project, along with Origins Farm, through the Virginia Association for Biological Farming. Last night there was a field walk at Origins to look at results there thus far. It was wonderful to get to be on another farm, meet new friends, and talk tomato grafting. (Photo credit: the amazing Alistar Harris.)

Certified Naturally Grown Farm in search of:
:: Kitchen sink and/or faucet (one or two basin) ::Low-boy (small) electric hot water heater/tank ::Hot plate ::Large, metal shelving

This Week’s Harvest:
Our Farm Share Bag (consisting of a farmers’ choice medley of produce, in one easy to order option), Carrots, Chard, Cucumbers, Eggplant (a very few), Green Beans, Kale, Okra, Onions, Peppers (green bell, jalapeno, Sweet Lunchbox, sweet yellow, sweet red, padron), Scallions, Summer Squash, Tomatoes (slicing and cherry) …plus our Pepper Jelly, and our Naturally Leavened, Hearth Baked Bread.
AND – we have added Broadfork t-shirts and hoodies to the online ordering page. Limited quantities and sizes, but see if there is something there that works for you!
 (this guy set up this Farm Food Truck this week, serving mud-pie versions of burgers, Brunswick stew, and blueberry pie.)

Enjoy ~

Janet, Dan, and the rest of the Broadfork Crew

Recipe Suggestions: (always cataloged on our Recipe Page)
Cheese Stuffed Peppers
Grilled Bread Salad with Sweet Peppers & Onions
Curried Chickpea and Carrot Salad
Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Carrot & Cucumber
Cucumber & Carrot Thai “Noodle” Salad (this involves making the veggies into “noodles” using a spiral slicer or a mandolin)

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We continue at two farmers’ markets this Saturday: South of the James in Forest Hill Park, from 8am – 12pm, and the Brandermill Green Market in Market Square from 9am – 12pm. You may also purchase our produce and bread through Richmond’s online farmers’ market: Fall Line Farms or stop by our Self Serve Farm Stand. Details here.

2014 Market Share CSA Members: Choose your selection through our Online Ordering to order for pick up on Saturday at our farm, at the Brandermill Green Market , or at the South of the James Market in Forest Hill Park.

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VABF Richmond Farm Tour
Richmond Biological Farm Tour Weekend: September 20 & 21, 2014

Shake the Hands that Feed You!
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21, 1 PM to 6 PM

We will be participating in this inaugural weekend of farm tours in the greater metro Richmond area. Load up your car with friends and family (one ticket covers everyone!) and head out for a day — or two — of meeting farmers and seeing where and how your food is grown. Learn more here and stay tuned for the complete list of farms on tour.