July and August weeks were fast and furious at Pistil Farm. The good weather is keeping the flowers healthy and yields strong. The biggest problem continues to be disease spread by the lovely leafhoppers, but we’re controlling that with some success. If nothing else, we have strategies to fend them off next year!

On Friday, Pistil Farm also debuted at the Clermont Farmers Market. It was nice to spend the afternoon with a group of local growers at this up and coming market on Rt. 9.

Here’s some photos of the last few weeks of shares:

[View with PicLens]

123456►

After two months of drought, it finally rained and the flowers–and the farmer–are happy.

This week’s share featured a new cultivar of asclepias or “blood flower” that’s a beautiful orangy-yellow, and monarda or “bee balm.” The bee balm is one of  my favorites and only blooms for a few weeks in July.  The bees really love it, which is a good reason to pick it on a cloudy day when they’re not swarming around.

This was an exciting harvest development:

Baby birds!! A nest full of eggs in the rudbekia is now full of baby birds.

Here’s the full set of photos from this week’s harvest:

[View with PicLens]

12►

Pistil Farm’s sunflowers are in full bloom!

Three varieties of sunflowers were included in this week’s Bay Ride and Williamsburg CSA flower shares: Firecracker, Zebulon and Pro-Cut yellow lite. They’re all hybrid sunflowers, meaning that they’re the first generation of the cross breeding of two different varieties. The advantage of hybrid sunflowers is that they’re more vigorous, highly productive and uniform. That might be boring for a home gardener, but for a flower farmer it’s ideal.

The Greenwood Heights members received mixed bouquets featuring scabiosa, one of my favorite flowers.

Next Saturday we’re planning to make our debut at the Brooklyn Flea! Hope you’ll come to visit?

Here’s some photos of our harvest and the bouquets.

[View with PicLens]

1234►

The Pistil Farm Flower share has begun! The first shares traveled down to Brooklyn on Saturday, July 11th. All CSA members received mixes of larkspur, peonies, ammi green mist. There were also a few Chantilly yellow snaps in the mix.

The first photo is of a GIANT snapping turtle that was sitting on the farm road on my way back to work in the fields! This week’s harvest started at 6am because of the scorching heat. It was over 100 degrees.

[View with PicLens]

12►

Larkspur is native to the Western United States and grows wild along stream beds. Larkspurs thrive in cold weather and will often begin blooming as soon as the snow melts. At Pistil Farm, the larkspur were germinated outdoors in March.

Despite their beauty, all parts of the larkspur are poisonous. Tinctures of the plant are reportedly good for head lice and asthma, lessening the sting of scorpions and keeping witches out of horse stables!

The larkspur will be ready in August. Some will be dried for fall bouquets and others will be delivered fresh to you.