I hesitate to use the word ‘army’ for the thousands of honeybees who have been gathering nectar from the farm since May.  They aren’t fighting a war, except perhaps a war against time.  The waning days of summer finds them on the goldenrod and asters, making honey as fast as their little wings will carry them.
I started out with 3 good hives in early May. The weather was cool and wet early in the season so they built up slowly. I lost more swarms then I could count in late …

A Day in the Life of a Farm Dog
Driving up to the Three Roods Farm, the first resider you may be greeted by is a handsome German Shepherd who keeps watch over this home and land.  He may bark to alert his family, but he is very amicable and welcomes kind words and belly rubs from friendly visitors.  His days are spent bounding around the farm, observing the chicken coop while wishing he could chase some of the fowl, and taking a walk or two through town where he finds …

This week will be very similar to last week. Fewer cucumbers, more tomatoes, especially the low-acid yellow striped German.   I’ve made several batches of salsa with them. They’re even ‘meatier’ than the red Roma tomatoes I’ve always used in the past.  No more green beans.  Good kale.  Sweet SunGold cherry tomatoes. Potatoes, peppers, sweet corn.  Zucchini and beets. Garlic and chives.  New this week: scallions and turnips.
Courtney is leaving after nearly 2 weeks.  She’s a good worker, not afraid of a big job.  Strong enough to dig a good …

We said good-bye to interns David Rittenhouse and Verena Eichenberger.  They were with us for a long time and we appreciate their help.  In fact, the farm would not look half as good without the help we get from all our interns.  May their paths be blessed!
We welcome Courtney Kocher from Illinois who started her internship this week.
As for vegetables, we have lots of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers peppers, and beets. We have a small amount of broccoli and pole beans. We’ll cut basil and Swiss Chard again this week.  There’s a …

These pretty vegetables look like Japanese lanterns.  Underneath the thin skin is a green tomato. They are called tomatillos, and are used in Mexican cooking to make Salsa Verde. I have some I froze last year for you to sample.  Let’s see what else you can do with them!
These tiny onions are called shallots. Our Indian friend, Kavita Bekel ji, showed us how to make a tasty pickle from these. Simply peel them and place them whole in a jar. Sprinkle salt and powdered cayenne pepper on them. Shake them …