Planting Out the North Farm & Our First Saffron Harvest

Village Farm Team,

In case you weren’t able to make it out, we had a great turnout for Harvest Fest this past weekend! There was a little something for everyone from food trucks to bouncy houses to our farmers’ market vendors. Our chickens were able to show off their chicken tractor and our goats happily received lots of love and treats of leafy greens.

Did you know our goats have to get their hooves trimmed every couple of months? Goats’ hooves are like fingernails that will keep growing unless they are regularly worn down. Since the ground in their pen is rather soft and doesn’t provide a rough enough surface to wear down their hooves, the team takes them in for regular pedicures. This week Farm Educator Adam built a stand in order to be able to take care of our girls on the farm without having to transport them offsite. With the new stand, Farm Educator Bonnie will be able to trim their hooves without the added stress of having to transport them elsewhere.

Since our greenhouse is bursting with a plethora of growing transplants, it’s time to focus on planting! The beds on the North Farm that are covered with black permanent ground cover will be planted out in the coming days. For each transplant, an X is cut into the material at either one or two foot intervals depending on what is being planted and how much room it typically needs to grow. Before planting the team will lay out irrigation lines in order to soak the field. This ensures there is enough water present in the soil to allow for the healthy growth of our various transplants.

Remember our saffron experiment in the planter boxes on the North Farm? The crocus flowers bloomed a short time ago and this past weekend, the team was able to carefully harvest the stigma of each flower! The stigma of the saffron crocus makes up one of the most precious and expensive spices in the world. Though the team hasn’t made any definite plans for the harvested saffron, there’s most certainly visions of paella, bouillabaisse, and risotto dancing through everyone’s heads.