I am an early morning girl. No matter how late I go to bed, I am always up by 5 or 6 am. I love the quiet time, watching the sun rise, drinking a cup of coffee and thinking about the day. I feel so productive in the morning.
We had a hard freeze a week ago, and Dave B is sad about his organic soybeans. We got them out late due to rain, then we got some great rainfall when other farmers didn't and they were looking beautiful. Then the freeze got them before Dave was ready. This is the life of a farmer... you gamble and nature is always going to win. He is still holding out making something off them, but it won't be that much due to the freeze. The organic soybeans were a learning curve. The boys cultivated between the rows daily for the first month til the stand was established because of the Johnson grass. Johnson grass is the biggest struggle with all our crops now that we are organic. Mulch, cover crops, mowing - Johnson grass is like the honey badger of weeds! None of those practices really control it. We are continueing to try to learn ways to combat it within organic guidelines.
We are looking forward to this month. We have 2 custom installations, and with the Nobleberry Soda taking off with such success, we know the need to continue bringing farmers online is key. It's also, unfortunately, flu and cold season, and we have seen an earlier uptake on our immune support products. I think it is because people are more aware of supporting their immune system earlier, to minimize the impact of colds and flus later. We are so grateful that we have this team of growers helping propel elderberry awareness and education.
We travelled to Wisconsin for the Fall Perennial Conference and met so many interesting people in the perennial industry, from fruit tree growers, to hazelnut growers. It was a huge exchange of ideas, ideology, and farming methods on smaller scales. I was intrigued by the number of 20-30 year olds that were in attendance and working toward a goal of having a farm that is sustainable, and could support themselves. Growing up the daughter of Arkansas farmers, and the wife of a 4th generation farmer - this warmed my heart. As someone who feels we should be growing our food locally, this also made me VERY happy.
This month Chef Anna and I are cooking up some plans for fun drink mixes with Nobleberry. We are also planning some things to help women plan and cook meals for their families that are nutrient dense, minimal ingredients, flavorful, and not time consuming. We both have autoimmune diseases which affect what we can eat, and how we interact with food. Food is definitely medicine for both of us. Other topics we have thrown around.......teaching and planning raised bed gardens, and canning and preserving food. We have a little mission going, and I am so grateful for this sweet friend, who can relate to what food can do to me at times.
We have a new Quality Assurance Officer! Mrs. Angi Irwin. Angi is actually married to one of Dave's dearest friends and was the city clerk for Monett for 20 plus years. She has come onto the team, and let me tell you - her organization skills and knowledge of supply chain is beyond valuable. She has adapted her knowledge of what it took to run a city, to our growing business and already taught us so much about efficiency and keeping supplies in stock. Her commute to work is our biggest worry, it's a mile and that morning traffic on the farm road is brutal. (LOL)
Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. October went by in a blink of an eye. Seth is an amazing chef and he is our Production Manager. I love planning meals for the team, and he loves being in on the planning and cooking. We are tossing around our Thanksgiving Farm menu. I suggested tri-tip, and he is leaning towards Mexican. We shall see where we land. I do like the idea of non traditional meals for the team, because Thanksgiving is all about eating and connecting. I plan to eat my way thru Thanksgiving week. We have friendsgivings that week, and then travel to Arkansas for family, and then ending the holiday at Columbia at the Arkansas/MIZ game. Thanksgiving is busy!
Stay tuned for a Gluten Free Pumpkin dessert that is delicious and easy to make. Have an amazing month!
Ann