Its amazing how fast 2016 went by, and here we are already a well into the new year.

As many of you know we scaled back at the farm quite a bit last year.  This has been wonderful as we were able to spend more time with family and even go to the beach a few times.   We love visiting with all of our family, especially these two young men.  It is amazing how fast they grow!

Dean had a triple by-pass just a few weeks ago, and as you can see he is doing well.  He is already walking up the Nisqually Hill, and we are looking forward to another beach trip soon. 

We had an unfortunate and sad event a bit ago as well.  A stray dog came onto the farm while we were away and destroyed our chicken coop and killed all of our chickens.   This was a very sad sight to return home to!   Currently we do not have any animals on the farm and are looking at how we want to house the chickens and other animals going forward.

This upcoming year we are looking at more changes still, but more information on that soon!

Hard to believe we are into August already, the summer is flying by!  The biggest news this past month was the wonderful Farm to Table dinner that the Greater Olympia Slow Food group had at the farm in July.  Absolutely amazing again!  The food and company were fantastic, and the random light showers added a coziness to the event. 

Wonderful and creative appetizers were followed by a tour of the farm lead by Jan.  The tour included the history of the farm as well as visits to the animals, a lesson in composting and raspberry sampling.

After the tour we enjoyed amazing food which led to full bellies and happy faces.  

These events are of course fun for us, but serve to raise funds for the Slow Food Group to do other things in the community.  There is a community ice cream social and pizza bake coming up, and many opportunities to help educate the community about local foods.  You can get more information about their events on their website, or at their info booth (with food sampling) at the Olympia Farmers Market.

Many thanks again to all that helped make this a wonderful event!

Now is the time to come pick delicious perfectly ripe raspberries.  The plants are completely loaded - heaviest set Jan has seen!  They are supper easy to pick and you can load up your flats in record time. 

Our standard hours are 10-5 pm Mon-Fri, 10-6 on Saturday, 1-6 on Sunday.  Check on Facebook to verify we are open (we close periodically to give the fruit time to re-ripen) or call the farm directly at 360-491-3276.

We anticipate Strawberry U-pick being open again later in the summer.

The farm is located at 10633 Steilacoom Rd.


We have been certified organic for over 20 years - although we did not re-certify this year so are not officially organic anymore none of our practices have changed.  You can always be comfortable knowing that there are never any chemicals on any of your fruits or vegetables from our farm!

U-Pick Strawberries are now open!  Availability is very dependent on the weather - please watch  Facebook or call the farm for hours.

Oregano, Mint, Lemon Balm, Comfrey, Plantain, Nettles, Parsley
We have an abundance of Herbs right now!  

So we are offering YOU an unique opportunity -- for just $5 per person* come to the farm this Saturday the 30th at 10am to harvest your own fresh herbs!  

You will even be able to dig your own starts to get plants of your own started at home!

Bring your own tools please! (a pair of clippers or scissors, a trowel if you are getting starts, something to take your treasures home in)

* This event is intended for individuals for personal use.  If you are in need of large quantities or are a resale business we are happy to help you, but please contact us separate from this event.   Thank you.

Apple Blossoms are the herald of spring for me.  If only we had scented pictures so you could enjoy that sweet, subtle fragrance standing in the orchard brings.  . . If you don't have allergies of course!  Yes, well there is a bit of overwhelming pollen about now too,  all part of the rush of spring.   Everything is bursting to life with the fevered need to grow, prepare and produce.  Once the early rush is past the wait for final growth and production will begin,  but spring is like the starting leap of a race.

The cows came to the farm last week in a rush of a different sort of energy.  They have been enjoying the lush grass and dappled shade of the old orchard, and this week will start wandering their way toward the back pastures by the barn.   The waiting with them is a needed patience to win their trust,  a timely process.  They will eventually learn that we are bringers of treats and givers of head scratches, but for now they are wary of us.  The lambs have started to learn though and head scratches are welcome in their pasture!   The chickens are laying abundantly now and if you are interested in purchasing eggs just let us know, there are also still beef and lamb shares available as well,  just call to make arrangements.

This last weekend was opening weekend of the Olympia Farmers market and it was a wonderful weekend.   The planting has begun in earnest on the farm, now that it is dry enough to work the fields, and we look forward to bringing fresh delicious produce to you every week.    Many have asked about signing up for our CSA - YES there is still time!  Sign up now, before April 25th for the early sign up discount.   Pickups will only be at the Farm on Fridays,  but if you are set on pickup at the market stay tuned as we will have a different option available for you soon!


Celeste (For Jan, Dean and Crew)

After last years drought we certainly needed some good winter rains, however we were quickly waterlogged this winter.  Some of our fields have had standing water in them since November!   All of the water you see was rain water - the water table and ground saturation simply couldn't cope with the 'wettest winter on record'.   We are drying out now though and the farm is coming to life with flowers blooming, bees buzzing and birds busy nesting.

The lambs arrived at the farm this week, and the cows will be coming soon.   We are looking forward to the Olympia Farmers market starting this week - we will be bringing lots of kale, chard, nettles and leeks among other items. 

Don't forget that you can still sign up for our CSA now at the 'Early Bird' reduced price and partner with us for a whole season of great healthy vegetables!  Pick up will be at the farm only this year, so you will have even more opportunities to see the animals and watch the changes on the farm. 

Enjoying the sun and looking forward to another abundant season - Jan, Dean and Crew

Are you or someone you know a student interested in hands on farm training?  We are currently seeking SPRING INTERNS to start on April 1st 2016. Internships must be coordinated with the students school so that they receive academic credit for their time.  They also will receive a stipend for each day they are at the farm as well as a wealth of knowledge and hands on learning.  Below is a list of all the different tasks that go on at our farm - interns participate in them all!

Work may include any of the following:

• Weeding using: Wheel hoe, Scuffle hoe, Troy Tiller
• Direct seeding of field crops by hand or with manual seeder
• Potting starts from trays to pots for market
• Hand transplanting starts from trays to field
• Irrigation set-up and maintenance including: Drip tape, Overhead sprinkler system
• Thinning seedlings
• Trellising (mainly tomatoes, beans, peas)
• Flaming for weed control
• Harvesting (variety of fruit and vegetables)
• Wash area work: Washing, Bunching, Packing, Quality control, Clean up and sanitation (including taking scraps to animals at days end)
• Assist in all aspects of field preparation: Raking (all beds raked smooth prior to planting), Marking off rows, Applying fertilizer or soil amendments, Putting down weed block mats, Tilling with walk-behind tiller
• Spreading mulch
• Using backpack sprayer to apply supplements or organic pest control
• Packing bags or boxes for CSA and assisting with setup
• Tree pruning or orchard care
• Specialized tasks: weed whacking, mowing, using tractor, basics of hot-wire setup, basic construction help as needed.
• Assist with preparation for community events, assist public during events as needed
• Other duties as requested

If you are interested please send a copy of your resume with a cover letter explaining your school status and availability to PigmansProduce@gmail.com.  

This year will mark our 27th year of farming here in the Nisqually Valley.  As most of you know we have been looking towards retirement for a few years now, and many of you have wondered if we were going to be back this year.   We are happy to report that although there will be a few changes again this year we will still have a CSA and be growing the same great fruits and vegetables for you!  

This has been a particularly wet winter with many of our fields in standing water which has given us some time to rest and to look forward to the coming season.   We have decided to make a step toward retirement by scaling back how much we are doing. 
This last year we grew on about 6 acres of the farm; we had about 85 people in our CSA with 6 pickup locations; participated 4 days per week at the Olympia Farmers Market; hosted a farm stand once per week (mini market) at a state office building; sold produce to both Olympia Co-ops, the Yelm Co-op, Farm Fresh Produce and several restaurants. 

This upcoming year we will be scaling back to about 2.5 acres; we will only be accepting 30 people into the CSA and pickup will only be at the farm; we will still be sending some produce to the Olympia Co-ops although not as much; we will still be at the Olympia Farmers market; we will continue to have U-pick Strawberries and Raspberries as well as the pumpkin patch in the fall.   (Our CSA is open for signups now - head over to the CSA page for more info and to sign up today as space is limited!)

So, if we are only using half the land to grow produce what happens to the rest?   We anticipate turning a good portion into additional pasture grazing for cows, which may mean additional beef shares will be available in the fall.  We also have leased about a half-acre to a local non-profit group, Faith Harvest Helpers, to help them learn how to grow produce on a larger scale than back yard gardening.  The food that they grow on their half-acre will be distributed via their local food bank.

Another change you may notice is the farm name will be changing from Pigmans Organic Produce Patch to Pigmans Produce.  We assure you this will in no way change the way that we grow your food!   Because of the rules and expense involved with organic certification we have decided (after being Certified Organic for 20 years) to not pursue recertification this year.  Because we will not be going through the recertification process we will not be allowed to use the word Organic in our farm name or label our food as such.  Please note however that we are not changing how we grow your food!  We will still be using all the same methods and healthy amendments that we have used in prior years.  Our food will still be ‘organic’, healthy and safe, we simply will not be paying to use the term. 
If you have any questions about how we grow your food we would be happy to answer them.

We want to thank all of you again for being a part of our extended farm family.  Some of you have only been with us for a year, some since the beginning and we are so very grateful for your continued support.  We love growing nutritious food for our community and are thankful that we are able to keep providing for so many.

Thank you for joining us for another abundant season!  
 
Looking forward to 2016 – Jan and Dean Pigman

Christine started off with the fairly well known plantain and dandelion.  She showed the physical characteristics of broad leaf plantain  and discussed the benefits/uses of both plants . . .and then looked at some of dandelions not-so-wonderful relatives!

Stinging Nettle vs Dead Nettle

Christine explaining about creeping buttercup (eat the roots only!);  The group sampling dock; Christine finding plantain seeds for people to try.

Thistles love to grow in the raspberry field, so we looked for thistle blossoms and raspberries!  We found that the bees love thistles too, and the kids noticed lots of different birds in the field.

Ended the morning with a great lunch of both 'wild' and 'domesticated' veggies and lots more!
Many thanks to Christine for a wonderful morning.

If you are sad to have missed this event let us know - we may have another in September!