Just a quick little update on things around the Farm and what is going on with the site(s) and products.
First off, what has taken most of my time lately has been finishing off the garden and getting everything ready in terms of the outside property for this growing season. Any moment there is not rain falling from the sky, toddlers needing minding or evening relaxation/actual SLEEP happening means I’m outdoors breaking a sweat and getting dirty. If the weather is not with me and the other things aren’t happening, you can usually find me …….in the kitchen. BIG surprise, I am sure. 🙂
In the last week and a half:
- finished off the enclosures
- planted and transplanted the first round of crops
- uppotted the tomatoes and peppers
- transplanted the roses and worked out trellising for the climbers
- strung the coir rope for the hops trellises and planted our last rhizome (Sorachi Ace Hops… so excited for THAT brew once it matures)
- finished off all of the indoor starts and hardened them off
- dug out and back filled the dahlia drop log bed on the hill
- finished off the test run macarons… 4 flavors, 10 testers
- organized the mac test (shipping, packaging, survey feedback form, Etsy shop restructure)
- researched all local laws for food sales, permitting needed, etc to go live
- had the in-law out for a few days for a visit with the little munchkin
- scheduled a collaboration meeting with a fellow blogger for a few future projects and cross-content opportunities
- watched the family of red foxes (YES, we have a momma/dadda and 5 kits who have made a few dens on our lower field border… unfortunately about 10 feet from our chicken yard, but we have electric fencing and pretty decent predator proofing… no issues yet *crosses fingers*)
I am sure I am missing a bunch, like caring for the two batches of baby chicks we have in the workshop and basic ‘mommin’ stuff like laundry and whatnot…
And while I’ve been reposting some of my previous recipe posts it’s because, well, I am making those things in the house right now so they are completely relevant (even though content from a while ago…)
The most exciting thing is that I am LIVE with my product test run for selling my macarons to the public! I will be handling individual orders through my Etsy shop and monthly subscription services through the WP site. My hope is that it will make it easier to manage the two separate sales channels, but we shall see. As with any new business, I am sure many lessons will be learned within the first month or so!
Big news, exciting news… kind of terrifying on a few levels but more exciting than scary LOL
This week I am shipping 10 orders to a select group of people to make sure all things are running smooth: the sale system, the shipping times, the packaging and most of all … the flavor and quality of the product.
With their feedback and guidance, I hope to be able to go LIVE with sales to the public by early June.
!!!
YAY!
Here are a few images of what has been happening around our place.
I hope to be back on the recipe and gardening content within a few days (expect the next 2 installments in our ‘DBF Top 5 Grows’ by the weekend) and I have some homemade Shrimp & Veggie dumplings coming out this week too…
I’m planning an homage to a favorite NYC food this week too… Something that a favorite haunt of my hubby and I used to have on their menu but is now gone: Neapolitan style Clam Pizza… trust me, if you are a fan of clams, this one is a KILLER recipe to have in your arsenal…
Happy May and here’s to striking out on bold new adventures, whatever they may be! Whether it’s adding chickens to take back some food supply ownership, gardening (or gardening MORE), challenging yourself in the kitchen or simply looking inward at being more mindful in your daily routines… be bold. You just might find exactly what you’ve needed 🙂
Dragon Brook Farm 