Author: Poplin Farms (Page 9 of 24)

mini cukes, slicers and Asian cukes!

Sorry about the double posting (for those of you who receive this as an email) – I was just starting to copy and paste from last week’s post when it published itself.

I’ll be at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1 with

cauliflower,  tomatoes, 2 kinds of kale, beets,  mini cukes + slicers, lemon and zephyr squash, red cabbage, red thumb fingerling and German Butterball potatoes.

I’ll have our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Ribeye, NY strip, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, brisket, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, liver, quarter pound hot dogs, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

pepper plants!

Aside from the weeding, watering and mowing, tying up the tomatoes and working on the trellises for eggplant and peppers, I put in another crop of cukes and squash, planted winter squash, pumpkins and sunflowers and finished the fall seed order. We got at least an inch of rain – fantastic because we’ve had to run the drip non-stop rotating between all the crops as we haven’t had rain in weeks. I took up the onion crop right before the rain, but it’s too wet right now to dig potatoes and I’m super happy about it!! The pastures were drying up. Shane started feeding hay to the cows already last week.

Next week I’ll be starting flats of seedlings for fall. It always seems so early! And starting seeds in the summer heat + the pest pressure, namely grasshoppers, harlequin bugs, and worms, can be sketchy. I put all my flats on a huge flatbed trailer and cover it with insect barrier netting and shade cloth. In fact, Shane just called to say he went to mow a 40 acre hay field and it was completely demolished by grasshoppers. He said he’d bet there’s 200 grasshoppers on one blade of grass. Not enough left to mow.

Lemon Balm Iced Tea – every morning I say I’m going to brew a batch, and I haven’t yet! I know lots of you got lemon balm plants from me in the spring so maybe someone will try it 🙂 Sounds delicious.

See you tomorrow!! <3

I just picked THREE HUNDRED SIXTY SOMETHING ears of corn. Minus the 5 I ate, on breaks. If you haven’t eaten sweet corn raw I’m telling you! Missing out big-time. Missing out on life! Haha 🙂

I’ll be at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1 with:

Sweet corn! This week only. If you’ve had my sweet corn or other no spray sweet corn in the past, then you know there will probably be earworms on the tips. It’s just the way it is.  I just put on gloves, get a big knife, shuck it in the yard where I can then just whack off the wormy tip into the woods or whatever, and all is well with life.  The corn is delicious.  We put it straight on the grill.

A few heads of cauliflower,  a few tomatoes, 2 kinds of kale, beets,  mini cukes, lemon and zephyr squash, cabbage, red thumb fingerling and German Butterball potatoes,  onion bunches.

Everyone is making pickles! It takes 3-4 mini cukes to fill a pint jar (cut in wedges). Here’s the refrigerator pickle recipe I like: Super Easy Refrigerator Pickles.

I’ll have our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Ribeye, NY strip, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, brisket, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, liver, quarter pound hot dogs, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

I have the perfect recipe for what’s in season right now:  cukes, tomatoes, onions and fresh herbs! My Favorite Greek Salad (no lettuce in this salad!) with a *really delicious homemade dressing. Click the link and when you see how delicious it looks, no amount of exhaustion or disinterest will stop you from making it.

* The use of bottled dressing on this salad is strictly prohibited.

Greetings, Earthlings. We come in peace 🙂 We will accept an offering of carrots.

See you tomorrow!!!

Shane cut the wheat today! I just went along for the ride. And WHAT is that circular spot in the field? It’s not in the any of the other photos I took immediately before or after. Hm.

I’ll be at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1 with:

broccoli and some cauliflower, the 3 kinds of kale, beets,  mini cukes, lemon and zephyr squash, cabbage, red thumb fingerling and German Butterball potatoes,  spring onion bunches.

I’ll have our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Ribeye, NY strip, skirt, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, brisket, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, liver, quarter pound hot dogs, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

I just got the ginger and turmeric planted in the hoop house this week but it was pre-sprouting in flats so I don’t think I lost any growing time. Nice roots and sprouts 🙂

I tried 2 new cucumber recipes and they’re both really good: Cucumber Basil Sparkling Lemonade and Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho (I left out the radishes, not a fan.) I NEED her bowls! But I already have ten thousand bowls. I made the gazpacho three times and it’s even better the second day. Both recipes –  just throw everything in the blender, so easy.

See you tomorrow!

Did anyone see my facebook post about the catface?? I think I’m funny but I guess I’m really not 🙂

I’ll be at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1 with:

lots of broccoli, the 3 kinds of kale, red beets, lots of mini cukes, lemon squash, a few cabbages, red thumb fingerling potatoes, spring onion bunches,  mint & chives bunches.

I’ll have our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Ribeye, NY strip, skirt steak, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, brisket, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, liver, quarter pound hot dogs, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

Potatoes blooming

I could hear the balers running behind the house so the dogs and I rode back there on the Gator, but I saw Shane’s tractor stopped and he was working on the baler. Translation, *DO NOT APPROACH* haha 🙂 So we just did a drive-by and cruised around the field and once my eyeballs filled up with tiny bugs then it was time to go.

Then it was just a minute and he called me to pick them up. When the hay starts getting damp it wads up in the baler or something, and then you have to quit.

It’s the final countdown! I couldn’t stop hearing Europe playing in my head while I was in there working on the tomatoes.

See you tomorrow!!

We got sweet potato slips planted this week! About halfway through, Shane said, “We need a mule.” because when his dad and aunt were young, they had to plant them by hand and his Aunt Pat would sit at the wagon where the mule was hitched and feed them to the mule to get rid of them. Hilarious!

I’ll be at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1 with:

the first few bunches of red beets from the new crop and the first broccoli and green cabbage; mini cukes and the first lemon squash; red thumb fingerling potatoes, spring onion bunches, the last of my garlic crop just dug up this morning; mint & chives bunches, the 3 kinds of kale.

I’ll have our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Filet, Ribeye, NY strip, skirt steak, sirloin steak, flank, flat iron, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, brisket, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, liver, andouille sausage, quarter pound hot dogs, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

Red Thumb Fingerlings

I figured up that I came out in the hole on the Red Norlands but made out ok on the fingerlings, and the fingerlings are much more tender and delicious anyway. I might grow them again.

We made these baby potatoes on the grill for a cookout last weekend. After grilling I took them off the skewers and tossed them in the herb butter again and some parm. And tonight I’m making this crispy potato curry  to go with our fresh cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower 🙂

See you tomorrow!

Look at me go! Well, I had to stop and get off to take the pic. Insert Jill on tractor, cheering to herself, “RAAAAA! AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!”

I spent today digging potatoes and garlic 🙂

I’ll be at the  Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1.

I have tender, red skinned early potatoes and baby Red Thumb Fingerlings. ALSO…freshly dug garlic, uncured, in 4 varieties: Tuscan, Ichelium Red, Thai Purple and Chet’s Italian. There was a big snafu in the fall at garlic planting time, when Pappy Lamb wandered over and dumped out/mixed up all my bags of garlic seed, but I’ve been able to sort them out based on color and whether they are softneck or hardneck, etc. I’m bringing my whole crop besides what I have saved for seed, and except for the Susanville variety (for next week) so bring your garlic money!! Garlic is easy to cure. Just hang it up in a shady spot for 2 weeks.

I also have my first cucumbers + green curly kale, red curly kale and rainbow lacinato.

The Chet’s Italian garlic variety is said to have been discovered by “Chet” in a feral garden in Washington….uhhhh…that sounds to me like it was an organic farmer’s current season garden, upon which he trespassed and stole the garlic then named it after himself. I’m just sayin’, mine and certain other organic farmers that I know have had some pretty feral looking garlic patches 🙂 And if Chet happened upon mine before today, I’m sure he’d abscond with the fruits of my labor while feeling fully righteous about his thievery.

We’re all stocked up on beef cuts for your holiday cookouts! And if you’re not grilling, we have some beautiful briskets for smoking, or roasts for making pulled BBQ beef sandwiches on big fluffy buns (who doesn’t love a bulky hahaaaaaa) I’ll have our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef:

Filet, Ribeye, NY strip, skirt steak, sirloin steak, flank, flat iron, skirt, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, brisket, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, liver, oxtail, andouille sausage, quarter pound hot dogs, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

The wheat is headed out and starting to turn! Won’t be long til we hit the Amber Waves stage. That’s a science term, people. The tall stuff standing up over the wheat is rye, I’ve used it as a cover crop in the past and apparently there is still some seed in the ground. It’s not much, but it happens. Hopefully no one will mind.

I had to test some out to make sure they were amazing or above 🙂

See you tomorrow <3

There was some serious hay baling going on this week.

I’ll be at the  Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1.

I have green onions & baby leeks, the last of the red and gold beets, chard, lots of kale – curly, red and rainbow lacinato, mint bunches.

Our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Ribeyes, NY strip, skirt steak, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, brisket, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, andouille sausage, quarter pound hot dogs, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

There’s a place in Asheboro that makes hot dogs, since we can’t get them from the Radish anymore and if I can print the ingredient list I’ll bring it tomorrow and you guys can let me know if you want them.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

Square bale insanity!!   Thirty acres of this. I didn’t take these pics, and I was able to avoid the madness since I was dealing with my own stuff.  I was bush hogging and tilling and laying plastic and setting out transplants like crazy to beat the rain while Shane and 2 more were baling and trying to get it hauled in before it got wet. They ended up having to stack up in the field what they couldn’t get in the barn and cover it with a tarp. The rest of it got rained on and I think it went to those boys’ cows.

I got drenched finishing the transplants and he came home sopping wet from the hay field, and now I’m just glad it’s over.

Time for a trim!

See you tomorrow 🙂

It won’t be long now!!! (those are fingerling potatoes BTW)

I’ll be at the  Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1.

I have some green onions and baby leeks, kale raab, orange carrots, curly kale, a new red kale that’s mild and delish, chard, red and gold beets.

Garden plants in 4″ pots:  cutting celery

Our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Ribeyes, NY strip, skirt steak, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, and the last of the andouille sausage, hot dogs (skinny and quarter pounder), sliced corned beef, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

The tomato plants look amazing, picture doesn’t do them justice. I had to put out about 4 gallons of diatomaceous earth at the base of the plants and the stem because fire ants were destroying them.

This is an odd thing, I haven’t researched it but I have a few plants that are terminating in a giant flower. I mean, the plant can’t get any taller because the main stem/leader is terminating in a mass of fused blossoms that will make the most humongous tomato ever.

See – several flower branches are fused together to make 1 big blossom > tomato, and this is the top of the plant. I’ve never seen this before and now I have multiple plants doing this. I was going to pull it up but I want to see if we can get a tomato of epic proportions. More epic than the epic ones up to this point 🙂

See you tomorrow!!

I’ll be at the  Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1.

I have some asparagus, kale raab, plenty of curly kale & chard, lots of red and gold beets.

Garden plants in 4″ pots: a variety of heirloom tomato plants & cherry tomatoes, red roselle hibiscus (for tea), cutting celery, edible flowers, chamomile, parsley,  oregano, thyme and 1 sage.

Our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef in these cuts:

Ribeyes, NY strip, skirt steak, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, stew beef, philly steak, cube steak, shoulder roast, sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, boneless chuck roast, soup bones, liver, and the last of the andouille sausage, hot dogs (skinny and quarter pounder), sliced corned beef, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

Since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo AND the Kentucky Derby, will it call for what may be the most beautiful taco salad ever, or these Bourbon Cocktail Meatballs???

See you tomorrow 🙂

I’ll be at the  Charlotte Regional Farmers Market tomorrow ’til 1.

I have lettuce, kale raab, plenty of curly kale & chard, a few bunches of red and gold beets, a little red kale and some carrots.

Garden plants in 4″ pots: a variety of heirloom tomato plants, edible flowers, lots of chamomile and a few lemon balm (for tea), parsley, a few oregano and sage.

Our 100% grass fed & grass finished, Animal Welfare Approved Angus beef – We’re doing 20% off these cuts: stew beef, cube steak, brisket, all roasts, ribeyes and strips.

We also have skirt steak, sirloin steak, osso bucco, short ribs, soup bones, liver, and the last of the andouille sausage, \hot dogs (skinny and quarter pounder), sliced corned beef, and sliced pastrami made from our 100% grass fed Angus beef, no added nitrates or nitrites.

Ground beef special – Buy 5, Get 1 free.

Bulk pricing on our beef: quarters, halves and wholes – $3.50 lb hang weight plus the cost of processing.

This is where I stuck 2 rows of early potatoes, spur of the moment style, back in March when we had enough of a break in rain to be able to till the ground. The plot I had planned for potatoes is red clay, and was not dry enough to till, but this little strip was so we fit about 40 lbs in here. I  took this picture when I was cultivating, the left side is done and weeds turned under, and getting ready to cultivate the right side, and bury the little potato plants that are popping up.

These blades skim right below the surface of the dirt to cut off weeds and there are tines on the front that can be used to hill the potatoes. I use this tractor to cultivate the potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, okra and beans.

Thinking of beans, does anyone want edamame? Some years it sells great and others I wish I hadn’t bothered. I think I’ll plant enough for us because we love it, but I was wondering about a market crop.

Ok, see you tomorrow!!