A New Plan

So I sit here and think about my future in farming and I decide that I need a solid plan. So I will start off with a 1 year plan. The plan is simple. I keep my current job as its a guaranteed income. To get income, I will start off with 10 CSA customers a week supplying vegetables from the first week of May through October. I will charge $20 a week for a bag of produce that is currently available. Any other produce that is grown will be sold on a roadside stand and through facebook. The crops that I focus on will be popular and will be a higher dollar return. Like corn is very cheap and takes a lot of space to grow. So it is not a good choice. Space is a big consideration when choosing crops. I don't have a bunch of space so I will be limited in what I can grow. I'm going to break the season down into three groups. Early, Regular, and Late season planting periods. In the early season I will focus on the following:

1) Lettuce
2) Radishes
3) Kale
4) Spinach
5) Snap Peas
6) Beets
7) Broccoli
8) Assorted Herbs
9) Cabbage
10) Collards

The regular season will focus on:

1) Tomatoes
2) Cucucmbers
3) Carrots
4) Onions
5) Leeks
6) Garlic
7) Swiss Chard
8) Summer Squash
9) Peppers

The late season will focus on a mix of both early and regular season crops. Now that doesn't mean I won't throw other crops in there. Herbs will be a huge focus and are great in cooking.  These seasons don't reflect when a crop is planted. I understand that you question how I can grow so much in a smaller area. The answer is simple. Planning and more planning. Every square foot has to be planned out and no space can be left to sit idle. At least I have a start in my planning for next year.

Apple Jam

So we spent today peeling apples and making apple pie jam. Its not hard, just add in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to get that apple pie flavor. I used a stick blender to get the consistency that I wanted. Then can and water bath.

My wife's beautiful strawberries.