Category Archives: On the Farm

What Keeps Farmers Busy in the Winter

There is a myth that farmers only work during the growing season. That we have nothing to do in the wintertime but vacation, tinker, make crafts and read books. Certainly, on our organic vegetable farm, we are busiest during spring … Continue reading

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Grow a Kiwi Arbor for Shade and Fruit

Before Sarah moved away, she bought the farm a gift: a pair of kiwi plants. Not only did she give us this gift, but she planted it too. She was wise. How often has a potted plant gone unplanted? She made sure … Continue reading

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How do you fill your basket?

This is Tracy. She and I go way back. She was one of our first CSA members twenty years ago. We became friends and raised our kids together when they were quite little. She is volunteering on the farm this … Continue reading

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What’s Growing On: First Crops

It’s mid-May and CSA harvests will begin soon! Let’s take a look at some of the crops we expect to harvest first. Eating seasonally is part of the adventure of participating in a farm share/CSA. Spring crops feature leafy greens, … Continue reading

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COVID Response by the farm

House in the Woods Farm and COVID-19  March 2020 Connect to your food, the land, and community…always, but most importantly, now.  “Know your farmer” has always been our mantra, but it resonates even more during uncertain times. People are going … Continue reading

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Simple Composting: Starting from Scraps, a Trash Bin, and a Hay Bale

Our chickens have eaten our kitchen scraps for so long, I don’t even remember maintaining a compost pile. So when we found ourselves without chickens, I really missed the little rotten vegetable eaters. It was a good system, but now … Continue reading

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The Making of a Vegetable Herding Dog

English Shepherds are herding dogs. They are work dogs and need to be kept busy. We have animals on our farm, and our dogs help herd and protect the farm animals at times, but it’s not a full-time job. And … Continue reading

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Raised Beds for Resiliency

Among all the resilient growing practices at House in the Woods Farm, it is the raised beds that really saved the day in 2018, the rainiest season on Maryland record. Our county of Frederick had flash flooding in May due to … Continue reading

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Spring Vegetables that Scoop and Wrap

A fun way to eat your vegetables is to use them to scoop or wrap a delicious filling or dip. The kids who come to the farm delight in vegetables they can get their hands around. It is like magic … Continue reading

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Quick springtime side dishes

With CSA harvests up and running, dinners are getting easy again. Here are two easy sides I made to go with roasted chicken. Basically, add any protein and grain, and you are set. Steamed or sauteed Asian spinach. I used … Continue reading

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