Signs of Autumn

Today is the first day of fall. 

As we've been saying, autumn is creeping up on us 

with the change of light and cooler mornings and evenings, 

but summer holds on, especially during the day. 

Our neighboring winemakers applaud this two-tiered weather pattern 

saying 2013 will be an especially good year for wine, 

while acknowledging that harvest has come early. 

photo courtesy of Hwy 12 Properties 

And, we just hang in there with Mother Nature at the farm, 

as the summer harvest continues a bit longer, still giving us strawberries, 

tomatoes and cucumbers to inspire the chefs.

strawberries still growing at the farm

inspired a recent dessert finale to plats du jour menu:
cheesecake parfait, fresh berries & vanilla crema

the late morning/afternoon heat has brought us
super-sized heirloom tomatoes

which are still abundant at the farm.

We expect to have harvested 4,000 pounds of tomatoes this summer,

and are amazed that the tomato plants are still flowering for more fruit to grow!

while still relishing the tomatoes we bring them,
the chefs' concession to fall is:
oven-dried tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, frisee,
shaved crostini, fig balsamic & California olive oil

But as we've been saying, we have our eye on autumn.

And in fact, we can now see some of what that will be at the farm 

as the winter squash we planted a few weeks ago has begun to make its appearance.

just a few weeks ago, the squash beds in the upper quad

is now overflowing!

soon this beautiful blossom will be bring us a tasty squash

some are already appearing 

We are looking forward to what our chefs will do with our winter squash.

 honey glazed winter squash photo by Steven Krause for
Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country

a sure sign of fall is the gourds and squash at our farm's neighbor
Oak Hill Farm in Glen Ellen

There are signs of fall all over the area, "including the 18,000 pounds of pumpkins 

Jim Groverman, owner of Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and Amazing Corn Maze, 

just shipped to pumpkin sellers around the Bay Area."

His "Amazing Corn Maze" has been a popular fall attraction 

for 20 years and is about to open.

You seriously can get lost in this corn maze, even the man who created it! Take a peek:

What do you look forward to in the autumn season?

And what are you growing for fall?

For Sonoma locals, here are some tips on what to plant in your garden for fall.

True colors at the farm

Discovered this welcome sight at the farm just this week!

This strawberry is a beautiful burst of color at the farm.  

beds a few weeks ago

This luscious strawberry, harbinger of summer, reminds us 
that soon the palette of the farm beds will be awash 

in other colors–certainly lush greens and then rainbows of yellow, orange, red, purples. 
Yes, it is a very encouraging time at the farm.
A few weeks ago, Matt from Local Landscapers inspected
the raspberry bushes which were beginning to flourish.

The "sticks" are the raspberry canes

See the small cane in the midst of the leaves.
We could take that cutting, dip in a rooting gel (with root hormone)
and transplant to create a brand new raspberry bush.

Did you know, you can use honey as a "rooting gel?"

It's natural for suckers to pop up near the bushes,
and this is how raspberry bushes spread. Not a problem, if that's what you want
but needs controlling if you don't. Here are some tips on pruning raspberries.

Watch this for tips on planting, growing and caring for raspberries.

Now, a few weeks later, our raspberry bushes are full and lush green bushes.

And hopefully, soon, this is where they will be, dotted with these red gems!

Besides how colorful and abundant the farm will look 

as our plants are thriving, it's also a good idea for your plate 

to reflect a varied color wheel of vegetables and fruits. 

Did you know that "different colors indicate different nutrient profiles?" 

Here's a good breakdown of how to think about vegetable color groupings 

Check out this video about benefits of different colored fruits and vegetables. 

 Your home garden can be colorful as well.
No matter how small the space, it's possible to

grow some of your own vegetables and herbs.

Here are some good resources for you:

How much to plant for a family of four

Sunset Magazine steps to create an edible garden
One of our favorite sources for great ideas, Smart Gardener
can help you create a vertical garden!

And for those of you want to be more self-sufficient and
produce more of your own food, even in a small space:

 Here are some great tips for making the most of your own.farm.

While we encourage you to grow your food, create a garden, 

we still hope you will treat yourself to a visit to the girl & the fig or the fig café
 to enjoy some of the bounty from our farm. 

This week's star for Plats du Jour at "the fig:"

risotto, house-made smoked ham, garden peas, st. jorge cheese, charred pea tendrils 

Small "big" things in the garden

Our last post was about the flurry of activity—a planting party 

tansitioning from winter/early spring to a spring/summer garden. 

As the title suggested, a lot happened that day with tractors going 

and many hands furiously working to plant 

150 tomatoes, 100 peppers and 100 eggplants. 

But actually there is always a lot happening at the farm. 

Sometimes it may not be as visible or obvious as when the tractor is rolling. 

But there is always activity at the farm—whether it is a day 

when just one or two of us are weeding and 

tending to the beds, 

or on those days 

when no one is even there.

garlic bed photo by Cece Hugo

At the biodynamic farm on Imagery Estate Winery vineyard, 
our stalwart assistants, the "good bugs," 
are ever present doing their work all the time, 

 when we can see them and often when we cannot.

   

The soldier beettle is aptly named as an important predator of aphids. 

This little guy is" highly desired by gardeners as 

biological control agent of a number of pest insects." 

So we are careful as we do our work 

when we encounter a soldier beetle 

 to allow him to do his.

And we try to remember, and you should too, that while caterpillars 

may be a nuisance for some plants, they do turn into 

butterflies who enjoy the garden as much as we do, and bring us great pleasure.

photo: Matthew Ruff of Butterfly in sage plant at ESTATE

Perhaps the hardest worker at the farm are the bees.

  "Bee pollination of crops, something that most farmers heavily rely on, 

is responsible for as much as 30% of the U.S. food supply." 

Much has been written about this and the current crisis 

of bees dying at unsustainable rates.

Bees are the premier pollinators of the world, and without them, 
farmers worldwide would experience massive crop failures, especially for orchard fruits, 
berries, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers and other bee-pollinated plants.
Bees are truly a farmer's and gardener's friend.
No question about the phrase, "busy bees!"

carefully peering into the lavender where the bees are hard at work

 The lavender bushes in the Insectary which attract the bees,
are close to our planting beds so they can support our work.  

All of the plants in the Insectary surrounding the farm have been designed
to maintain a natural balance attracting the good bugs.

Our owl house ensures we will have a sentry to help control rodents. 

Certainly the owl monitors all the "small moments" at the farm.  

so much going on in these bushes at the Insectary

And, truly every day there are small things happening
at the farm that are really big moments. 

As one brave blossom appears and begins to grow, 

we can feel the energy of the plant or tree as it begins to "breathe" and stretch out.

one of our first figs

the apricot tree begins to bloom

and pear blossoms in the Orchard

strawberries starting to appear

inspire this vanilla ris au lait with port-roasted strawberries 

The small things in the garden matter as much as the big major events.
And small gardens matter too.
 We are proud of the farm and the orchard
but also appreciate how much we can grow around the restaurants.

this lemon tree right outside ESTATE's bar

makes for a very fresh Lemon Drop (photo by Steven Krause) 

And you can grow so much food at home as well.
Check out Verdura for tips on creating an edible garden, even in small spaces and
we really enjoy A Sonoma Garden for insight and inspiration.

Let us know about the progress in your garden 

and please share links that pique your interest in the gardening experience.