You can contact us though the following email address: porthudsonorganics@gmail.com

Friday, December 30, 2011

Not Quite Back In The Saddle



...but feeling like a bad bad blogger of late...

There you go - Christmas come and gone again...my dad used to tell me that when he was a little boy Christmas seemed like it came once every 5 years...but when he got old, it seemed like Christmas came every other day...and now we've lived long enough to know what he was talking about...

We made several farm gifts this year; beeswax candles - tapers and votives - and each person got a special candle holder (or two as the case may be) and I learned something about the times we live in and candle holders...taper holders for the dinner table are pretty hard to come by these days (!)

and, as a re-make of a present from long ago - the 'Make Your Own Stuffed Flounder' kit 0 put together after Will had an especially successful flounder fishing trip - this time it was 'Make Your Own Fried Catfish' kit. Here are the fishies from the pond
and then of course in a bowl ready to package and here, the other kit ingredients ready to assemble: special seasoned corn meal and lemons from our Meyer lemon trees..and a crazy little asian platter to put your fried catfish on I don't really have a picture of everything in one place - we wrapped the platters and had little bait-bucket ice chests for carrying the frozen fish home - so I asked everyone to take the empty ice bucket and put it on the drivers seat of their cars - that way, when getting ready to leave, they could just come up and say - 'I need my catfish!'

So - there's a teeny tiny part of what went on during the holidays...lots of family, lots of different celebrations..a good time was had by all.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Babysitting the Broccoli and Romaine

So our friend TJ, after showing up this morning to help plant the winter garden (and she had a miserable cold to boot!), agreed to babysit our Romaine and the remaining broccoli plants over the Thanksgiving Holidays....and she sent this picture to let us know how happy they are!
...She also said she is babysitting all of the Classroom Pets for the Copper Mill School during the break - something about a toad, and some other creatures - but she did say that the classroom Hissing Cockroaches had died, and she was glad of that!


Saturday, October 01, 2011

so yes...the hay-guy came and yes the hay is cut. and with it the wildflowers -


but that's the way it goes.
So now we wait for him to show up again and fluff it up...I just love that fork-like attachment that throws the hay into the air to lay it down to let it dry...
and then he bales it and then we figure out how to get it into the barn -this requires some help- before it rains, of course - that's always the trick. We only missed it once; well, actually, the dude was baling IN THE RAIN! and man did we have moldy hay and man was it noxious...
or should I say most dangerous to those of us who are allergic to mold!
...and a postscript!
Fluffing and Baling

(and Fluffing is just what I call it - I'm sure there's a real name for this!)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Squirrel! It's What's For Dinner!

...just kidding!

I was minding my own business, sitting here trying to post and BLAM! there goes a transformer! That happens a lot around here...no electricity till the DEMCO guys get over here...I wandered to the front of the house and Will says..."It's the transformer by the pond - I saw the squirrel fall out!" This is not a joke.

In other news, we are slowly but surely finishing renovations on the bedroom, and in the meantime the farm has taken a big neglect hit. But I did manage to weed a bed along a fenceline that I so carefully planted with perrenial herbs this spring - not everything made it, but I do have a beautiful row of ox-eyed daisies and a couple of good stands of bergamot and some questionable looking hyssop...but its been so dry (notwithstanding the Tropical Storm Lee) that it was easy to weed.

The moonflowers on the fence behind this bed have been miraculously strong; I don't know why. It's a shame that they always bloom after everything else is over for the season, and I always seem to plant them in a place far away from my daily activities in the early fall-



There's a beautiful wildflower out in the fron t field, and looks like a possibility of many more...if the hay guy continues to not show up to cut the hay! I don't know what it is, but it's huge...I don't think it's from our wildflower planting a couple of years ago, but I've never seen this.



You can see from the picture in the heading of this blog that the satsumas are coming in - it's so hard to leave them on the vine, although if you do, they get sweeter...the bushes are loaded this year, after a no-satsuma year last time around...many meyer lemons also, but those aren't ready until Christmas!...and the cats lay around in the early fall coolness...what a relief for them.

Sunday, September 04, 2011

after the storm...

well, ALMOST after the storm - this tropical system had been here for many days..but the catfish are hungry! We feed them and they fight each other for the food...don't worry - we feed them until they are calm enough.

Monday, August 22, 2011

No Farming of Late

that's how it goes...farming in a very intense way..then a period of OTHER THINGS!here is my renaissance man


and I have been reminded...my renaissance sons as well (and a daughter in law!)

Ian - Jazz drummer extraordinaire and NPR announcer!Aaron - Whole Foods employee and stand-up comic(!)
and his rockin wife Kendall - nurse and awesome dog lover!
what an amazing family we have...Our daughter and son-in-law and fabulous grandchildren would be pictured as well, but they (sob) live too far away...

and the renovations continue!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

It's Banana Spider Time

yes, this spider is as big as it looks...but that's just the female - the males are very tiny. I saw this one while looking out the bathroom window...they're quite frightening! but not very dangerous. I know only a couple of things about this spider, and none of my observations are scientific...They show up in the late summer or fall - their webs look like they are on LSD -psychotic in structure...and very very big. They will build webs from one tree to another so LOOK OUT if you're walking in the woods. You can't see the web very well, but all of a sudden, there's a giant spider right about face-level - yikes! Once, my mother was in the woods on a riding mower and ran smack into one - she leapt off the mower and the mower kept going - that was 'back in the day' when mowers would run with nobody sitting on them - they don't do that anymore.
I read somewhere that people use them as hurricane predictors - a week before a storm they'll pack up and leave (!) Don't know about that. But I still believe that once the pecan trees leaf out, there won't be another frost!


Tuesday, August 02, 2011

First Fishing Experience!

Little Sparrow came to visit with us (her Mimi and Papa) for a few days...she really wanted to catch a fish, although she was worried about the fact that they were also going to be dinner!

First she caught a small perch and gave it to Mousey Tongue, who was VERY appreciative....then she caught this enormous perch...she didn't really want to hold it for the picture...it kept slipping around, and she wasn't keen on grasping it...but Will convinced her to stand with it in her little hands for just long enough!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Geese In The Morning

Just coming over for a visit

Monday, July 18, 2011

Eggplants and Romas On Vacation!

After the long CSA season, we did the unthinkable...and went on an actual vacation! To the beach! Will and I went round and round about whether to take along a watermelon....as fabulous as they are, the last thing I wanted was to haul any part of the farm to the beach. period. In the end, I acquiesed; I said sure, a watermelon would probably be a good thing to have with us - as long as it's not a whole truck full of watermelons that we'll be selling on the side of the road! (we have actually DONE this -long ago on one of our 'family visit' trips to texas...never again!). What I didn't really understand was that Will was actually having much bigger visions about vegetables on vacation. Why not bring a big bag of Roma tomatoes? and hey! Why leave those nice eggplants behind? What could I do? Sure - let's bring tham all! hey - they've never been away from home before...they probably would love the beach!
So here are the two lucky eggplants - winners of the 'go to the beach' lottery. First, they relaxed on the sand and took in the scenery

...then spent some time sunning...although their tans were already fabulous

Here is everyone around their little camp fire - no, they did not sing any songs, but a good time was had by all!


After having been part of the organic farm experience, and then enjoying the 'vegetable vacation of a lifetime', the eggplants met their destiny as a very tasty crabmeat-stuffed eggplant dinner.

The romas made it back to Louisiana, but gave themselves to a tomato-basil-garlic pizza last night...that was ok with them, I think - they did have fond memories of their lives in the garden with their garlic and basil friends.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

One More Time - With Feeling

Well...that's it...we're done. One more CSA season is history. And a good season it was. I think we even have all (or most all) of our baskets back! Flower jars too! And for the first time, we didn't need to supplement baskets with what are called 'value-added items', otherwise known as jars of pickles or jelly or such, or (as we all remember) loaves of bread for everyone! We could even have folks go out and forage for a week or two. But it will be a beautiful thing when Will gets the tractor and just mows it all down. Lets hear it for cover crops. Here are baskets ready to be filled for the weekend (a fraction of the total baskets of course)

And one last table lined with tomatoes. Dont' let those little melons fool you - they are also stacked up under the table, and there are two wheelbarrows full on the carport.


Here's Sarah after she graciously went out into the heat to pick just enough hot peppers for a few members


...and here is the ubiquitous Mousey-Tongue, waiting for little Gwen to arrive with this weeks' issue of The Neighborhood News. I am here to tell you, that between her newspaper and cookies she baked, she now has her $100 (one quarter at a time) with which to buy her American Girl doll. You go, Gwen.


After some sleep and the putting away of all vestiges of this year's garden (hats, gloves, scissors and shears, bags, buckets, bins and baskets....and much more), we will call upon our dedicated and fabulous members to help us rip and tear and put the field to sleep for the fall. And they'll come help...many were actually asking about this (!) - hey - how many CSA's have members who will come months before the veggies come in and after its all over...this is what is meant by 'CSA' It's called COMMUNITY Supported Agriculture for a reason; it's not the dropping off of a box and 'here are your veggies for the week YOU figure it out'...ours is actually a community. wow.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Catnip and Figs and Flowers



Multiple cat pictures...not exactly on purpose, but the cats seem to be keeping close to activities lately. This morning I went out to pick figs; Will seemed anxious about them, but there aren't armloads of them ready to pick. I had bought some netting and Will, with the help of a CSA member, covered the tops of three of the fig trees - then a big bad storm came yesterday and blew the netting right off! Stepping around the trees and getting my boots caught in the net was a little unnerving - mostly because I had visions of bumping a wasp nest up in the darkness of all of those branches - in which case I'd have to run...and you can't do THAT with netting wrapped around your boots, now can you? In the end, I picked what I could reach and what was ready (I did dodge a cardinal at one point). And in my daily hunt for herbs to dry got a basket of catnip...thus the picture of Mousy-Tongue checking out the basket...and zinnias for the kitchen. Got to get in there and trim and stuff the herb dryer with the catnip before it begins to wilt.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Cat In A Basket

...too small of a basket, but he doesn't seem to care.

Well, it's Week 9...

last year, there were only 8 weeks of the CSA - this year, we wanted to pull it through nine weeks,,,and we will. But it will be interesting. Sure, everybody gets watermelons for the second week (yea!) Outside of that - yes, there are tomatoes and of COURSE hot peppers...some eggplants, some cucumbers, some field peas...figs, okra...flowers for all. The herb beds are a crazy mess, but that's always the case late in the game. You just have to go through and find what's there. Oh, it looks fairly organized up front in the herb beds, but I've been drying herbs for the past few days and they're flowering like crazy, so getting to the good stuff takes a little doing. Will has promised to take the weedeater to the top of the basil...this may force it to give us another go-round for the late summer. By Monday of next week, Will is going to be out there cutting most things down and doing some plowing...getting ready to cover crop most of the garden for the fall. Like the insane people that we are, we've already been talking about what we're going to plant for the fall. The greenhouses give us all kinds of opportunities - few of which were realized this sumer, as they were slow in coming together in the spring. But now that they're up and functioning, we can plan for greens and early strawberries...and I'm trying to convince Will that artichokes would be so cool..they need to be over-wintered. It seems to get harder and harder to get excited about going out in the garden in the early morning and working until the sweat is just dripping into the dirt before you give it up and come inside..that's my m.o. anyway - the only time I feel eager to work. This morning I was out working a long fencerow of perrennial herbs. I didn't plant any of that in the garden this time, not even in the herb beds...I didn't want it sacrificed to the tiller. So if I keep at it, I'll have permanent stores of bergamot and ox-eyed daisies and hyssop. I don't know aout the feverfew. It dos NOT like the heat. We'll just have to see. In the meantime, it's only Tuesday, and this weekend we'll see all of our CSA members one last time. Sad in a way, but it's been such a good season...it's tempting to think about doing it all over again in the fall...but in order to do that, we'd need about ten hours of sleep a night for the next month!

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Surprise!

We had no idea the melons were ready...Will has been watching them carefully and had calculated that they would not be ready until next week-we didn't promise anyone a watermelon for the 4th of July. He had been watching one big one in particular and he cut it a couple of days ago...but he figured we'd only have a few that were mature enough to take...not nearly enough for all of our members. The raccoons had not been in there taking a chunk out of a melon and moving on to the next. The critters will let you know when the melons are ready - I remember last year - the raccoons preferred the yellow melons over the red - I don't think we got even ONE yellow watermelon - every single one had a big bite taken out of it. This year, Will put out a trap after the coons got into the corn. He snagged one a couple of weeks ago in the trap (of the Have-A-Heart kind of course); usually he drives down to the river and lets the little beast loose;this time...uh...I'll let Will tell it if he's so inclined... a most unfortunate occurrence. Anyway, since that first coon, we haven't had another visitor. And SO, Will goes out and checks things Friday evening and lo and behold - It's Melon Time! So all of the members got two for the 4th, and will have two next weekend to end the CSA season.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Make it Stop! Make it Stop!

You wouldn't think you'd EVER get tired of a beautiful plump fresh just-picked tomato in the summer. Or, for that matter, a giant mxing bowl of red red strawberries...or a five-gallon glass jar of liquid-gold honey...but you do. We know that about two weeks from now, this summer's tomatoes will be history - but Will picks into the night and I grab and set out tomatoes on every possible surface...and it's late and we haven't had dinner yet and I'm just plain tired. I must work harder on staying in the moment...one moment to the next, it's a pretty nice situation to be in!

Will tells me he keeps a tomato on his desk at work...in order to admire it's many excellent qualities. See? Thats the type of mind-frame I need! But first, let me drive the 80 lbs of tomatoes into Baton Rouge to the natural food store...then I'll think about sitting and admiring a single fruit.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

June in the Deep South

by late afternoon, everybody just gives it up -

too hot to do anything but find the coolest spot

and remain very still until nightfall.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Food Art!

If you have to wipe off the squash and put up the okra anyway, you might as well have a little fun...this does not compare to Will's famous zucchini art from a few years ago (somewhere on this blog in the way-back machine)...

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Somebody's Week 7 Basket

..let's see...rainbow chard, potatoes, tomatoes, yellow squash, bell peppers...summer savory, lemon basil...cucumbers I think...don't know what else they chose, but I DO know that there are jalepenos in there, because we threw them in everybody's basket! Jalepeno overload...

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Photos from Week 7 of the CSA

...curtesy of CSA member Chris Shows...thanks Chris!






Sunday, June 19, 2011

And The Tomatoes

...just keep on coming...


Famer Will Wears The Blow-up Snake

no longer needed in the corn, the snake provides a little humor on Saturday morning...

Mousey Tongue doesn't seem to care...the other cats wouldn't go near it!





Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Ah...but that's farming

You know...most of the time, you can really count on the corn...as a crop. At least, that's been our experience. Ok, well the first go-round of corn didn't germinate very well, but Will figures that's because he missed the crucial last step in planting, which involves getting the riding mower and running over the rows with it. This is because it packs the seeds down really well, and this makes it hard for those pesky birds to yank the seeds out of the ground once they spy the little green shoots. But that's ok. We had some corn from that patch...and we had another planting that DID germinate well...and it was very beautiful...


and then it got bigger and started to tassel and it still looked very beautiful
and then, when the critters started letting us know it was ready,
Will and Warren Dazzio (CSA member) got out there last Saturday morning and put up
3 Owls and a Big Balloon with EYES on it... ...and a Blow-Up Snake!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The raccoons didn't care about any of that, but all we really hoped for was to keep the birds out. And then, after two months of absolutely NO rain at all...we had a big bad violent rain storm that same Saturday afternoon...almost 2 whole inches of rain! yea! kind of. Because it blew the beautiful corn down. Not all the way into the dirt but very close. So the corn is on the ground. Oh well. It can still be picked, and we've been taking care of that (with help of course). So here is a closeup of the coon party - which takes place at night

But, you know, farming is like that. Win some, lose some...lost some corn but not a lot of it. It just didn't stay beautiful till the bitter end.
We're at that moment in the garden when we say

The Earth Laughs.

About Our CSA


We are entering the sixth season of our CSA (Community Support Agriculture). What began as an experiment for the creative marketing of our produce has developed into a fulfilling experience for us and our members, one that we so look forward to each year. What you will find below is an explanation of how we operate the CSA, the cost, length of season, expected commitment, etc. We ask that you read it carefully before responding. We have dedicated members that stay on year after year, but for a number of folks, it is challenging to come out every Saturday for nine weeks running and to have time to participate. For those who love the quality of the vegetables, herbs, and flowers – and who like the experience of planting, harvesting, and interacting with others who have the same likes, it is a very rewarding experience. Please read on…

What is Community Supported Agriculture? (CSA)

Community supported agriculture is a movement that got its start in this country in the mid-1980’s, driven by a desire by neighborhood groups to re-connect with local growers and producers. The CSA movement is enjoying increasing popularity and availability with each passing year. The goal of CSA is to involve the vegetable-eating-public more intimately with “their” farm. Why do I use “their” in that description? Because in CSA, members buy a share of the farm which, in effect, provides them an ownership stake in the vegetables produced. In that respect, the farmer and consumer become partners. There are many benefits from this relationship to the farmer and consumer alike. For the farmer, it provides a guarantee of sales so he can plant to supply his contract. It also minimizes the time required to market the produce, freeing him up for what he does best, which is…farm. For the consumer, it guarantees a steady supply of farm fresh produce for a fixed price, encouraging healthy eating, and promoting a sense of participation and community around the farm that has been long lost in the age of industrial agriculture. For both the farmer and consumer, it promotes a bond based on trust and mutual interest. For those interested in information on CSA and farms that have set up these systems, the web has worlds of information available with a simple word search.

Why did Port Hudson Organics decided to become Port Hudson CSA?

For most of you who have spent any time visiting our farm and talking with us, you are aware that Thais and I both work full time, maintaining our little farm, bee hives, yard, and other farm-related activities in our “spare” time. This means that virtually every waking hour that we are not at work you would find us in the field or manning the produce tent (or carport). As we expanded our farm-related enterprises to areas such as biodiesel, berries and bee hives, the farm demands finally exceeded our available time. So in 2009, in order to continue our farm sustainability effort and reduce our time commitment (primarily the time spent selling), we tried a concept that is becoming increasingly popular across the country in the “Eat fresh, Eat local” movement, that is, the CSA farm. In the spring of 2009, we enrolled (what ended up to be) 25 CSA member families, and were blown-away by the success of the venture. Member enthusiasm, assistance, and clear appreciation for the unsurpassed quality of our produce resulted in an excellent experience for everyone involved. Since then, we have expanded our enrollment to approximately 40 member families, which is a comfortable carrying capacity of our one acre garden. At this point in our lives, with regular jobs and other commitments, we have no plans to expand further.

What kind of vegetables are grown and how are they distributed?

We grow a wide variety of Spring and Summer vegetables (generally about 20 different varieties). At any time during the season, you can expect around 12-15 different offerings, and 6-8 culinary herbs. We also grow cut flowers, usually zinnias and sunflowers. Each week members will receive a selection list by email. Members then make 7 selections of vegetables and 2 selections of herbs from the list. Members can check off their first and second preferences and we will make every effort to supply the members with their selected items. In cases where we are short on a particular item, say, yellow squash, we will substitute another available vegetable (for example, zucchini) from member’s second choice selection if at all possible. Members are free to make notes on their list if there is a particular vegetable they do not want (for example, zucchini) and we will try to honor their request. The amounts (pounds or numbers) of vegetables or herbs per selection were based on an approximation of equal value based on the prices we have charged for these items in the past. And as last year’s members know, the amounts of produce on the list are the minimum amount you will receive. Often, when there is a surplus beyond what has been selected, we will throw in some “lagniappe”. Members should note that there are a couple of exceptions on the selection list: a bouquet of flowers, when available, counts as two selections from the herb list; similarly, watermelon, when available, counts as two selections from the vegetable list. Each week, a basket with all of your produce and herbs will be made up with your list attached. Blank lists will be available for you to fill out for the following week, as the mix of produce and herbs change with the weather.

Can I select more than one of a particular item?

Yes, if you want 6 pounds of tomatoes one week, you can simply put the number “3” next to the selection “2 lbs. tomatoes” on your sheet and pick four other vegetable selections to make a total of seven selections. If we have enough tomatoes to satisfy your request, we will provide that amount. If we are short, we will attempt to at least provide you with one selection of tomatoes and make up the rest of your basket with other choices. We will let members know each week which vegetables we expect to have in abundance. For example, due to space considerations, we have limited plantings of corn and each planting is generally available for only one Saturday, so we will be encouraging members to select as much corn as they can from the list on the weeks that corn becomes available (we try to send out weekly emails on the state of the farm). Of course, members will also be given preference for the purchase of additional vegetables if, for example, you want to freeze a bushel of corn when it comes in and there is surplus available.

How will the CSA Baskets be distributed?

Members choose to come to the farm either Friday evening or Saturday morning each week during the season. Once you arrive, you can choose from a variety of garden activities in progress and lend a hand. This can range from planting and/or picking vegetables; washing, weighing, and bundling produce; cutting and arranging flowers; cutting and separating herbs to order; helping to pack baskets with weekly selections; sitting under a tree with other members and stripping beans off of plants. Occasionally there is a bigger project at hand, such as erecting the cucumber fence or helping to mulch rows with hay. There will be weeks when you are not able to help due to your schedule, but we find that most of our members help out almost every week. The process takes about an hour, and when you leave you bring your weekly basket with you. Many find this outdoor activity in the garden a respite from their work week in an office!

Members are asked to pick up their CSA baskets each Saturday by 10:00 AM. This is probably the biggest commitment you will make as part of the CSA. We understand that it may be difficult to come every Saturday for 9 weeks, but there are a couple of strategies you can employ to make this easier. (1) you can buddy-up with one or more members in your area and go on alternate Saturdays, each delivering or holding the other’s basket for pick up at their house; (2) you can send a family member or close friend; or (3) you can come Friday afternoon to help with the harvest and bring your basket home with you then (we had a lot of members take this option, as we do a lot of harvesting on Friday in advance of the Saturday bedlam).

What if you have a crop failure or natural disaster?

A CSA is a partnership between the farmer and the consumer, and within this partnership is an understanding of shared risk. That said, we do not expect members to bear the full cost of a catastrophic failure, nor have we ever experienced a completely failed season. Should the worst happen, members will be reimbursed a portion of their investment and we will do all in our power to make it right with members through a combination of refunds and discounts on following seasons.

What time commitment is asked as part of the CSA?

CSAs, by definition, include member support. Each week, literally hundreds of pounds of produce must be harvested, hundreds of bunches of herbs must be clipped and tied, and dozens of flower bouquets must be picked. Without member support, this is logistically impossible for part time farmers. Hence, we ask members to commit to help in some fashion (picking, sorting, filling orders, etc) according to their abilities every other weekend or so (we are not rigid on this). We have found that members enjoy becoming involved in the process. Learning about how food is grown and harvested is an uplifting and educational experience. After all, that is why we do it. And it is an integral part of CSA farms across the country. We are assuming that you found us because you appreciate this connection, and we hope that you can find the small amount of time to required to experience that connection.

What is the cost?

Cost of the CSA membership is $350. This covers 9 weeks of farm fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers of your choice. This comes out to about $38 per week, probably more than you would pay at the grocery store for conventionally-grown produce, but less than you would pay for organic produce at Whole Foods. The quality of the produce, however, cannot be approached by any supermarket, and the experience is priceless. Also, membership in the CSA includes a pint of our farm honey when it becomes available.

In Summary

So that about covers it. If you want to experience first hand the pleasures of seeing, smelling, picking and eating truly wholesome food, please respond quickly to this email. We would appreciate some information on you and your family, and why you want to join the CSA. We will let you know within a few days, and will ask for payment at that time. We ask that you understand that we have about twice as many families on the waiting list as we have openings. However, if you do not make in into the CSA this year, we will give you first shot at joining next year if you are still interested.

Thank you so much for your interest in our little farm. We hope to see you this spring.

Will & Thais Perkins

Port Hudson Organics CSA