Off to the Market

Long Lane hit it big yesterday with a wildly successful debut at the Middletown Farmers Market (hereafter referred to as the MFM), with a whopping sales total of >$0.

The Whole Smörgåsbord

We got some great foot traffic out in front of ION, owing in part to a wonderful musical collaboration between our very own Laura Cohen and WILDwes compatriot Nathaniel Dolton-Thornton.

We met some former Long Lane CSA members, chatted with a local writer, and straight-chilled with our friend Izzi, who works at the North End Action Team and runs the MFM. Our complementary iced tea (soon to be added to the LLF recipes page) drew crowds of customers to our stand, many of whom gobbled up our (pictured below) braising greens.

Our Patented Mix: Mustards, Kale, Chard and Lamb's Quarters

The Brew

When ION slowed down we migrated to Neon, where we sold out of nearly everything that was left. A very successful day at the market!

The Crew

Farm Standin'

Last Saturday was our third farm stand in front of the Neon Deli where Fran has so graciously welcomed us. We set up our table with peas, raspberries (our best seller), garlic, radishes, lettuce, braising greens, and free juice. There was quite a lot of foot traffic due to the lacrosse tournament, but most spectators did not want to buy produce only to let it sit in the sun for the rest of the day. So we packed up and took our stand to Main Street. We had a bit of luck outside Amatto's Toy and Hobby Shop, and we had a good time marching up and down Main Street with the beautiful market sign from Long Lane years past. What did we do when business slowed in the evening? We went swimming!

Some Farm Photos

A huge tomato flower. Can you imagine what that tomato will taste like?!

WHOA what's that awesome structure? Methinks our cucumbers will have a nice place to lay their leafy bodies

This guy's already trellising and flowering

Doesn't this chard just LOOK healthy?

What's down there? Lotsa veggies

A meeting by the dumpster; the best kind of meeting there is

Hey Everybody!

We're back! The summer is well underway, and us Long Lane farmers are finally getting our blog-game on. We have a big crew this summer, six workers in all.

We've all been busy preparing the land, and our crops have been happily in the ground for a while. We've been harvesting peas for two weeks now, as well as spinach, lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, garlic and herbs. Our raised beds are lookin' nice, if a bit crooked.

Besides the beds we built during the year, we've also cleared around 3,000 square feet of fresh land. All by hand (and scythe, and shovel, and pitchfork (and sweat)). It was "hella hard work."

Here we are looking over the fruits of our labor

In this new land, we first prepared a Three Sisters plot, about 30 X 30 feet. Three Sisters is a Native American companion planting method, where corn is grown along with beans and squash. Each plant helps the others in this ecosystem. Corn grows tall and supports the climbing beans. The beans, in turn, fix nitrogen. The squash is in between, and spreads along the ground to block weed growth. By combining plants you produce food more efficiently and less labor intensively. It's an elegant and functional system that's been used for centuries. Because the plants work together we can plant the three sisters in the same place year after year, and the soil will just get more and more fertile.                               

By now the corn has all come up. Almost time to plant the squash and beans!

We've also planted LOTS of seedlings donated by Tom Goglia at New Image Greenhouse, David Zemelsky at Starlight Gardens in Durham, and other generous folks. Eleven rows of tomatoes, plus lots of peppers, acorn squash, muskmelons, etc. We're super grateful for all the help we've received, and very excited to see these plants mature.

Those Long Lane herbs are the finest

We have a lot of things going on, too many for one post—a slowly-emerging fence, a hoophouse to be installed, nine fine hens (Will and Jon's ladies), an herb garden, our farm stand, money-making schemes galore (a huge pumpkin patch is on the way), and our WWOOF account. We will be back with updates on these escapades in the coming months (we hope).

-The Farm

More pictures on the way soon!