Now it is definitely summer. Spring lasted a long time and we had an endless supply of spinach and lettuce, but now we have summer clouds, summer storms, and fireflies. Martin was out the other night taking pictures of the fireflies (there should be a few more at the end of his photo album) before taking off on another cross country trip. We'll be glad to see him when he gets back. (Some of his other pictures show off the bugs better, but this one shows off the farm.)

Update
Here's what Nicholas sent out to the list, and i pretty much copied it word for word.

We have started delivering! On Friday we brought boxes to our first 4 members and also the food pantry in Story City, and tomorrow we will be harvesting in the rain to bring food for the rest of our CSA.

Our greenhouse: It’s been a learning experience, and I’m confident that we’ll need to keep making adjustments, but our greenhouse is up and operational. The modest size of 20’X12’ seems hard to fill with seedlings, but should be easy to fill with tomatoes and some fall greens. For now, it also makes a nice picnic area on cold windy days.
here's some pictures of our serious workers, Irene, Steve, and Nate:

Saturday 4/25

We got most of our potatoes in on Good Friday, and the last few on Saturday morning. All in all, with the help of a big Friday crew, and the steadfast work of my mom, Barbara and Nicholas all weekend, we got all the potatoes and onions in the ground.

hello everyone,

The ground is warming up, birds are returning and while we have still only planted things inside, farm life is picking up at the Mustard Seed. I know I have been itching to get into the garden, wondering if I should have planted things already, or if the weather would destroy anything I might plant and I should just be a little more patient. In the meantime, I've thought of something to occupy myself.

The craft retreat was super fun. Thanks everyone for coming and being such fantastic guests. I think we all had a good time, and the folks from Duluth sounded enthused about hosting another craft retreat up there next winter. Here are a few pictures.

The season went well.

Weather: The year started a bit shaky-winter took a long time to end, the spring was cold and wet, and once we got a good amount of the farm plowed and planted, the heavy spring rains came and caused a bit of damage. After that, though, the weather was pretty good for farming. We got rain pretty regularly, even in August, and the soil and plants were usually dry enough when we wanted them to be. Our frost also didn't come until October 15, which was also nice.

Come join us for a CRAFT RETREAT this WINTER!
in the convenient location in the center of the US, AMES, IA. Jan 20-25, 2009
On those chilly short days/long nights, what's better than to hang with a bunch of catholic workers spinning wool and making candles? Come for the whole time, or when you can make it. There will be instruction in pottery (wheel thrown and handbuilt), knitting, candle making, spinning, and possibly more(quilting if requested) . There will be time for rest, prayer, reflection, creativity, and fellowship. Because pottery has so many steps, if you want to take finished pots home with you, plan on coming for the whole time. Housing and food provided, and God willing, all supply expenses will also be covered.