Author Archives: The Cloverleaf Farm

We get asked frequently on tours of the farm about how climate change is affecting us as farmers. While we haven’t seen a lot of big changes yet, there are many small changes that add up. This year, the late rains led to much more brown rot and a much larger compost pile than weContinue reading “Climate change at the Cloverleaf”

Peaches are like people. They are born by their aging tree mothers arranged in clusters of commingling shapes and sizes. They grow and swell to maturity against the odds of climate change, disease, and an onslaught of ravenous wildlife and insects. The result of all these environmental pressures is an immense and amazing spectrum ofContinue reading “Ode to the Ugly Fruit”

Well, everybody, here I am again.  Wait.  Am I?  Where is here?  Tuesday.  Yes. One month of harvest season to go, and this is often where I find my mind these days.  It’s just… somewhere.  You all know the summer is hot.  That has a lot to do with it.  You also probably guessed thatContinue reading “Tuesday.”

The days are long, hot and itchy. The summers are relentless and unforgiving. The fruit-laden branches demand your watchful attention lest they drop their fruit before you get your $2.85/pound. Regardless of how much you could use a hearty meal, a solid eight hours of sleep, or even just a few pages of a favoriteContinue reading “Nooks and crannies”

A while back, we met with our business advisor, Thomas (Kitchen Table Advisors), and he said something that has been rolling around in my brain a lot over the past few weeks. Memory is a funny thing, so I paraphrase, but here it is: “A farm is basically made up of the people that workContinue reading “Portrait”

I don’t know if it’s my Japanese heritage manifesting itself or if food is just my primary love language, but I have always loved eating, feeding and convening over food. Wanna get together? I’ll make you dinner. What’s my favorite part of any camping trip? Cooking over the campfire. It’s your birthday? Let’s go toContinue reading “I Love Feeding You”

Fall is the time for getting things ready for the next year. I love the feeling of putting the farm to bed, covering the garlic with straw, planting cover crop and peas, and bringing  the final harvest in. We are so glad that the rains have finally come, putting out the Camp Fire, and germinatingContinue reading “Soil health at the Cloverleaf”

The Cloverleaf is hosting our second U-pick of the season this Saturday (July 16th) from 8 AM to 3 PM. We will have peaches, apricots and nectarines for sale – peaches at $1/lb and apricots/nectarines for $1.50/lb. No U-pick on the blackberries. Please bring your own container if possible, we will have some boxes thereContinue reading “U-pick this Saturday (July 16th)”

We are having a U-pick at the Cloverleaf orchard this coming Saturday, June 25th from 8 AM – 3 PM. We have a lot of peaches (Red Haven and June Pride varieties) which will be $1/lb per pound for the U-pick as well as Independence nectarines and Brittany Gold apricots for $1.50/lb. If you canContinue reading “U-pick this coming Saturday!”

We decided to try a new CSA funding system this year – CSA by donation! Our prospective CSA members were asked to donate for their CSA box anywhere in the range of $210-420. The idea is that we could have members who might not be able to afford the CSA box otherwise, while members whoContinue reading “The price of a peach”