May Farm Tour Photos / Farm Work Day Info

Mini Quail

Last week I was investigation our last planting of heirloom tomatoes. This planting is located on a new piece of property that we are leasing which is nestled between the Cache Creek and blue brush coated hills. I was walking down the rows of tomato plants, which are now about two feet tall, looking at the flowering of the plants trying to get an idea of what this crop's yield will be.

At the end of one of the rows I noticed a rush of movement from a little creature. I jogged to the end of the row and then down the side of the field to try to catch a glimpse of what it was. Running through the tomato field were a mama and papa quail with their babies from the spring – about a dozen of them.

The parents were in the lead with their babies following behind like a dozen of tin cans bouncing behind a car they were tied to labeled “Just Married.” Eventually the parents led their big family out of the tomato planting into the open where the babies could finally line up single file behind the parents before taking off into a furry of little stubby wings beating franticly to fly over the fence and into the protection of the 18-inch dry grass in the neighbor’s field.

Quail are in the top three of my favorite animals on the farm. Running into them is always fun but seeing their whole family is what I really like. Baby quail are so cute because their proportions are exactly the same as the proportions of an adult quail so they look like a mini version of their parents and they are generally scrambling as fast as they can to stay with their parents in an organized, single-file, line. Most of the other animals on the farm (including the humans) don’t have nearly the same proportions as their parents when they are little, it is not until they are full grown that the legs, wings or head match the body.

In addition to enjoying the wildlife on the farm we are busy preparing the fields that will be the home of our chards and kale. This week we are transplanting leeks, fennel and radicchio. The seed for our famous carrots have been ordered and my focus this week is getting our new seeder set up to plant carrots – by the end of the week.

Enjoy your boxes this week. - Thaddeus

June 27,2007
Already Thinking of Fall-Thaddeus

June 20, 2007
A Week of Benchmarks -Thaddeus

Jun 6, 2007
Goslings in the Creek -Thaddeus

May 30, 2007
Tomatoes -Thaddeus

May 23, 2007
Summer Smells -Thaddeus

May 9, 2007
Muddy in May -Thaddeus

May 2, 2007
What a Busy Week-Thaddeus

April 4, 2007
Gopher Food - Thaddeus

March 28, 2007
Spring Silence - Thaddeus

March 21,2007
Spring Buds and Worm Food - Thaddeus

March 12, 2007
Spring Gobbles - Thaddeus

March 7, 2007
Spring Time - Thaddeus

February 26, 2007
Summer Food Please - Thaddeus

February 19, 2007
Peach Blossoms and Arundo Burning - Thaddeus

February 12, 2007
Chris Leaves - Thaddeus

January 31, 2007
Heart Attack- Thaddeus

January 24, 2007
Turkeys Can Fly- Thaddeus

January 10, 2007
Live the Seasons- Freeman

January 1, 2007
Happy New Year Thaddeus

Nov 29, 2006
Organic? - Thaddeus

Nov 15, 2006
Winter Preparation - Thaddeus

Nov 1, 2006
Canal Dries Up - Thaddeus

Oct 25, 2006
Beets - Thaddeus

Oct 18,2006
New Database - Thaddeus

Oct 11,2006
Rain, Sweet Rain - Thaddeus

Oct 4, 2006
Organic Fertilizers- Thaddeus

Sept 27, 2006
Windy Days - Thaddeus

Sept 20, 2006
Clean Produce - Thaddeus

Sept. 13, 2006
Cools Coming - Thaddeus

December 12, 2005
Wrapping Things Up For Winter - Thaddeus

December 5, 2005
Au Revoir, Automnal - Noah