Spring at the farm

 Signs of spring across Sonoma Valley continue to pop up 

and our work at the farm accelerates. 

Still in prep mode but now with an eye towards 

what we will plant where, and even more importantly when. 

Work at the farm at Imagery Estate Winery is in high gear, 

laying new lines for irrigation as we finalize the planting plan. 

We know these beds will be abundant with all the tomatoes 

that are now starting to grow in the greenhouse 

and we already have onions growing. 

Radishes are a staple on the menu at the girl & the fig, 

so we rotate where they will be, but we know we always need to be growing them. 

radishes at the farm

always top of the menu at "the fig:"
heirloom radishes
mixed seasonal radishes, anchovy butter & grey sea salt

onions at the farm

But some things can't wait for the larger plan at the farm. 

Our chefs at "the fig" have diners to please, so we make sure 

there are radishes in the beds behind the restaurant,

as well as parsley and other herbs. 

chives, beans, asparagus, rhubarb and nettle all are growing
in the garden outside the kitchen of" the fig"

And the chard that grows at the fig is always happy, now more so than ever.

"Moms" would be proud–we love our greens! 

We never can get enough of them and are always looking for creative ways 

to use them, whether trying the new idea of "massaging greens when raw" 

to make a sweet salad, or cooking them.

rabbit with greens & vegetables

And our friend, Marcy Smothers shares a great tip from her blog 

about "sleeping with lettuce." 

Who knew?

Do you have any tips about your greens?

And what's up with your spring planting?

Best time for gardeners

This is the best time of year for anyone's farm project, no matter how big or small. 

If you haven't gotten everything you want in the ground, there is still time to plant. 

Or, if all the hard work of prepping, amending soil, tilling, 

and then the actual planting is behind you, 

now you are experiencing the daily surprises 

when a blossom appears one day, becomes fruit the next 

or you see your plantings multiply in size and height from day to day.

beams at ESTATE last week

and now!

For our farm project, which encompasses several different areas in Sonoma Valley, 

our work at the biodynamic farm at Imagery Estate Winery has been ongoing 

since March as we harvested our winter garden and 

transitioned to spring/summer plantings. 

We are looking forward to seeing how much different 

these beds look from the planting party in May. 

Stay tuned and check back here to see our progress.

But,  perhaps like many of you, we are also still in planting mode. 

There is a completely new addition to the girl & the fig farm project—

we've added herb beds on the patio of our brand new culinary event space, Suite D. 

These herb beds are almost arms reach out the door of our catering kitchen 

so the chefs there can have the same convenience as our restaurant chefs. 

That motivated the choice of what we planted, but of course, 

the herbs are also a part of the ornamental design of the patio space. 

We are growing parsley, thyme, oregano, chives, 

rosemary, basil, chocolate mint, amaranth and pineapple sage.

Hummingbirds love pineapple sage for the beautiful red flowers. 

There is some debate as to whether that is really true, 

but one theory about why hummingbirds are attracted to plants with red flowers 

is "that since insects don't see the color red, they avoid the flowers, 

leaving more nectar for the hummingbirds." 

We aren't sure if this is true, but we do know how much we will enjoy the red flowers 

and the hummingbirds when the pineapple sage is blooming at Suite D. 

Here are some recipes using pineapple sage 

Pineapple sage are the tall plants with chives, thyme, rosemary and oregano

in the same bed is parsley and chocolate mint

Amaranth is a striking plant and has been cultivated for centuries.
According to GardenGuides.com:  "Native peoples of both North and South America
once considered amaranth a staple food crop.
First cultivated several thousand years ago, the plant peaked
in agricultural importance during the 1400s when it became a mainstay
of the Aztecs in central Mexico. In the 1970s, American researchers rediscovered
amaranth's potential, particularly as a protein-rich gluten-free grain."

Amaranth plant at Suite D

If the leaves are harvested when they are young, 

they taste like beet greens. You can also use the seeds. 

Wonder what the chefs will do with them?

With the amaranth are chives,basil, chocolate mint, oregano and rosemary in this bed

The other great thing about this time of year 

aside from the simultaneous planting and the harvesting, 

is the simultaneous "picking it fresh from the garden and eating it the same day!" 

Summer is all about these fresh herbs, vegetable and fruits, 

which we pick in the morning, bring to the chefs for them

 to transform for you to enjoy at the table later that day. 

as long as we can, we grow radishes at the farm for one of our signature salads

And of course, you can do the same at home. 

It doesn't matter how big your  farm project is, for you to have this experience. 

Gayla Trail, one of the first gardening bloggers, is called the "garden guru."  

In addition to her inspiring books, here is an interview she did about  

"small space gardening" with emphasis on herbs. 

No backyard or window sill? How about a rooftop garden? 

Check in and let us know if you are still planting or now beginning to harvest.

What are you growing and how are you using it? 

Keeping the farm growing

So much more is going on at the farm than just the land we work, 

seeds we sow and plantings we tend. 

We are not the only hard workers at the farm.
Our partners are the "good bugs," and natural predators 

who populate the Insectary garden.

Insectary planting bed

Insectary plants are those that attract insects, 

but "the good guys." 

Not just caterpillars and ladybugs, but ground beetles, 

hover flies and parasitic wasps are intentionally introduced. 

 Think of it this way: An Insectary garden is meant to be
a kind of companion gardening experience that invites insects to live within,
providing the right kind of food and shelter they need to survive and procreate.
The particular plants you grow to attract them do matter but not as much as having an assortment of plants of different heights, and blossoms of various sizes blooming from early spring through late fall, to provide ideal living conditions for the most effective variety of beneficial insect species.

Did you know that the beneficial insects 

that contribute to the health of what we grow 

are likely to be ten times more abundant in an Insectary?

In addition to the carefully chosen plants in the Insectary beds
that surround the farm, some of our popular vegetables and herbs
also invite the "right" insects to maintain proper balance.
Fennel, carrots, dill, parsley, lemon balm, rosemary and thyme turn out to be good choices for us and the heath of the farm's overall ecosystem.

Standing tall in the Insectary is a bird house

 as a haven for the birds that also participate in the 

natural predatory process that occurs at the Insectary.

So while it may seem as if nothing is going on
at this point in the life of these plants,
 the hard workers at the farm toil
even when we are not there.

Without these insects and other natural residents at the farm,
we would not enjoy the bounty it yields for us.


Next week: John and Colby look ahead to a new season.