August Newsletter 2014
The heat of the SC Lowcountry took a while getting here but once it did, it was and is brutal. August has been a miserable month. I’m not a fan of August. It’s hot. It’s usually dry. It’s a really slow time for sales. It’s the end of summer. Even with all these things, we have to keep working. We have to get fall vegetable crops in the ground. Animals have to be fed and watered. We have to start getting everything ready for the Pumpkin Patch: signs need to be painted, fences need to be repaired and painted, hay wagons repaired.
The good news is that the pumpkin field is looking pretty good. We could use a little more rain but the vines are growing well. Once the pumpkins really start developing, we will need lots of water for them to grow to their full size. Pumpkins are about 90% water. The largest pumpkin ever grown weighted 1,140 lbs. That’s a lot of water to make that pumpkin. We will never be able to grow one that big or even close. Growing pumpkins is always a challenge on the coast because of our humidity. We are always fighting fungus on the vines. There are a lot of new and improved varieties available now but it is still a challenge. The fall vegetables are coming along pretty good. It will have to cool off some before the tomatoes and peppers will set blooms which is what it takes to get fruit. If everything goes as planned, we will start picking again around the 1st of October. CSA vegetable deliveries start about the same time as the Pumpkin Patch opens. October is a crazy time for us.
We have cancelled the Cow Pie Skip 5K run. Just didn’t get enough interest in it. I guess we just need to stick to farming and leave the races to other people. We are still hosting on our property the Mega Mud Run Challenge on September 27th. We may plan something for the future but for now, it’s cancelled.
The Rent A Chick chickens have started to lay eggs now. They are little eggs at first but they will get bigger in time. We sell eggs here at the farm and I have eggs available at the CSA drops when we are doing vegetables. We also provide eggs to Butcher and Bee restaurant and to the Middleton Inn. The Sullivans Island Coop and the Pickled Palate in Mt Pleasant sell our eggs. Our neighbors the Pinkneys sell our eggs at their vegetable stand on the corner of Ft Johnson and Folly Rd. Just so you know where to get them.
As I’ve said, the Pumpkin Patch will be open before we know it. It’s like the calm before the storm at the farm. We will be opening on Saturday October 4th. We will start school field trips on October 7th. (Teachers, you need to call now to book your trip.) We still need long sleeve shirts and long pants for scarecrows. We also need to hire a few more people to help. We need people during the week Tuesday thru Friday from 8:30 till 2:00 to help with the school children. We also need people on Fridays 4:00 till 9:00 pm, Saturdays 9:00 till 3:00 and 3:00 till 9:00 and Sundays 12:00 till 6:00. Give Linda (843-514-1215) a call if you’re interested. We can work teenagers on the weekends so if you have a kid that needs a job, call us.
Calendar
September 20 Thomas’ Campaign Fundraiser Barbeque
September 27 Charleston Mega Mud Run October Pumpkin Patch
November 2 Fall Harvest Dinner
January 23-25, 2015 Battle of Charleston American War Timeline
Fall CSA Vegetables
We are taking new members for the Fall Community Supported Agriculture vegetable program. The Fall program lasts 6 weeks and will probably start deliveries around October 7th. The Fall season is a good time to try out the CSA program because it only last 6 weeks. The CSA program isn’t for everyone. You need to be ready for the vegetables each week and be ready to cook or store them. A full share is about a half bushel basket of vegetables each week. A half share is half as much but you don’t get half a head of cabbage or half a pumpkin, etc. A full share cost $157 and a half share is $115. Go to our website www.legarefarms.com to purchase a share.
Feature of the Month
Don’t forget about our new website www.legarefarms.com. You can purchase any of our jams, pickles, jellies, salsas, syrup, molasses, and honey and we can ship it to you either in town or out of town. You can buy your tickets to the Fall Harvest dinner. You will be able to buy your Haunted House and Maze tickets (October 24th and 25th) on the website. You can buy a Butchers Club membership and a CSA vegetable share on the site. You can donate to Legare Farms Education Foundation or purchase a gift certificate. Even if you don’t want to purchase anything now, there is lots of information about the farm to read about.
Special of the Month
Ground beef is the Special of the Month. Normal price is $6/lb. but is on sale this month for $5/lb. You’re going to need this for the Recipe of the Month.
Recipe of the Month
I love meatloaf. I know most people don’t but it’s one of my favorite meals. My favorite part is the leftovers for a meatloaf sandwich the next day. Here’s a really easy recipe and a good one.
Simple Meatloaf
1 lb. Legare Farms ground beef
1 package Liptons Onion Soup mix 1 egg
2 slices bread crumbled (crackers or corn flakes can be substituted) 4 dashes of ketchup 2 dashes of Worcestire sauce Combine all ingredients mixing well. Put in greased medium size baking dish forming a loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until done.
Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or just want to chat. Can’t wait to see all of you at the farm in October.
Helen Legare-Floyd
Legare Farms
2620 Hanscombe Pt. Rd. Johns Island, SC 29455
info@legarefarms.com 843-559-0788