The garlic is uncovered and growing well, a sure sign that summer is around the corner, we also dug the full bed of parsnips the other day. Parsnips are a unique veggie in that you plant them in late summer, let them grow and then let the snow cover them. This winter in-ground storage serves to turn their starches into sugars insuring a delectable sweet earthy flavor. But hands down the best part about them is that they are available to eat now, in the time when the only other things are salad and wild leeks.

Stay tuned,

-Farmer Brian

Full Swing Spring

Spring is in full swing here at the farm. We have finally swung from snow to rain and sun. The sun for the past two days has done wonders for melting the snow. Hopefully we'll see the ground thaw out soon and be able to plant.

Spring has also been market by another event here on the farm, last night was the official "First Salad of the Year" night. It seems that with the sun out the salad has doubled in size and a bowlful for dinner barley made a dent in a patch that I'm sure will grow out of control before we know it.

 

We have in the last week also added 4 new chicks which we will add to the laying flock. Hopefully we can expect more eggs by the end of summer. The greenhouse is now fully planted for spring with salad, onions and carrots. Within the next 2-3 weeks we will be moving it to the summer position where it will grow tomatoes.

Till next time,

Farmer Brian

Why We Call It Runner Duck Farm

Meet Francesca. 

Francesca is our Indian Runner Duck.  She is also the namesake of our farm.  You could say she "rules the roost" even though she cannot physically get up onto it.  Unlike many other kinds of ducks that waddle, Indian Runner Ducks run, and stand like penguins.  Along with running,   Indian Runner Ducks are best known for their nervous personalities, and they actually lay nearly 200 eggs a year.

Francesca has been a part of our farm family since July 2011, and has been a great asset.  Let us tell you why.  Because of her nervous personality, she is the coop "watch duck" and always alerts the other ladies and gent when there is trouble on the horizon.  Francesca has saved many a chicken from the perilous talons of migrating raptors by herding them to the safety of the coop.  She also has been known to alert Farmer Jess of chickens that have flown the coop so that proper action could be taken to right the situation.   If she is extremely agitated, she bobs her head up and down and makes a terrible racket to make sure everyone else knows how upset she is.  Every evening, she shoos the chickens into the coop for their beauty sleep, and guards the entrance while they get themselves situated for bed.  Like I said, she is a great asset.

Quick Facts About Francesca:
Age- 2 years
Height- 18"
Weight- 3 lbs.
Favorite Color- Orange
Favorite Foods- Pumpkins, Coffee Grounds,
Favorite Activities- Swimming in her pool, being nervous, running around


~Farmer Brian and Farmer Jess

Welcome to the Runner Duck Farm blog. It's the beginning of a new year here on the farm so I thought we would start to write about our year. After surviving two Nor'easters in 4 days we currently have more snow on the ground than we have had all winter. Not a very great start to the farming year, however we put up our first produce of the season yesterday, a half gallon of maple syrup with more on the way. We tried out our new boiling system and it worked great.

We also started our tomato, pepper, eggplant and tomatillo transplants last week and they are growing nicley and we are only a week or two away from fresh greens from the hoophouse!


Stay tuned for updates

-Farmer Brian