Midsummer evenings and gems of the garden

~~~Summer Time and the living is easy~~~

Ah yes the long awaited summer is here, and we now are getting to reap all the benefits form veggies, flowers, to lush gardens, birds galore, camping, outdoor music, on and on. We sit inside all winter with ocassional outings waiting and anticipating the leisure of summer. For some of us that is true-children, some teachers maybe, but most of us are still plugging away. Summertime adds the very needed time for house and yard improvements since the temperatures and elements are right on. For farmers summer is the middle of what is the continual busy season. Sooooo when a farmer has an opportunity to host a dinner on the farm you bet we are all for it. Braise Restaurant (Dave Swanson) asked us to host a Dinner on our Farm in for 2013. The dinner proved delightful and delicious and we were all up to do more in the future. Dinners on the farm not only keep our garden goals in check but allow us to share our home space and work space with others who seemingly appreciate it. This year we were up for as many as Braise wanted to partake in. We settled on two 4 course dinners and a Pig Roast/Potluck in the fall October 8th (http://www.braiselocalfood.com/shop-1/pig-roast-pot-luck-bonfire). The Pig Roast still has tickets available. Braise uses ingredients from our farm we grow, Jacqui of Willoway Farm harvests flowers for the tables, and The Freques this year played music for both 4 course dinners with Braise. The Freques consist of a lady and 3 gentlemen playing so far 13 original homegrown tunes and some familiar folk and darn good covers of artist. The fine Lady Jamie Sue of the Freques has been a long time friend of WIloway Farm and over the years you may have seen her hosting our Farmer Market Stand. 

The Freques perform an original song while we wine and dine

We are about to host another Garden to Table Dinner this weekend on Saturday August 20th (tickets are still available-check our event page). This event is about community: The Fredonia Area Garden Club is putting on this event to raise money for various garden workshops which is free to our local community. This event is for 21 and over due to the amazing local beer being served from THE FERMENTORIUM BREWERY AND TASTING ROOM of Cedarburg, WI. The pig is an organic pig raised by a local organic dairy farm of Kewaskum -Kevin Thull. And the rest of the foods being served are form all these Fredonia Garden Club members gardens and farms form the surrounding area! Starting time is 5:30 pm. For Tickets-  Lisa 262-692-9650 or Nancy 262-692-6070 

Our Week 11 CSA share this week consist of Dill leaf, cilantro, edaname bean, green bean, heirloom tomatoes, heirloom cucumber Edmundson, lemon cucumber, Green finger cucumber and seedless Japanese cucumber, zuchini summer squash and Italian heirloom summer squash, heirloom onions, and garlic, sweet corn, chard, broccoli, beets or carrots and more. This week Thursday also receives sunflower sprouts. CSA members please note the Egg CSA share is ending. Those who receive weekly eggs this is the last week. If you have the half egg share your CSA share (every other week ) will end at the end of the month. 

Dinner in our Garden Setting flowers by and grown by Willoway Farm. (Braise Restaurant of Milwaukee brought all the lovely tables, chairs, linens , glasses and silverware)

While harvesting pulling weeds in the carrot garden bed I view the Cedar Waxwing eating the newly ripened elderberries. So for anyone interested in elderberries fresh picked please contact Jacqui at 262-692-9691 or email us. 

Floral arrangements consists of garden blooms such as: dahlias, forget me nots, elderberries, globe amaranth and other amaranths, zinnias, lisianthus, hops native lobelia, snapdragons, sweet peas , sunflowers, cosmos, and surely many other miscilaneous flowers.

For those partaking in the flower bouquet CSA  you have about 6 more weeks. Dahlias are starting to bloom. Changing water daily will help their vase life. Lemon juice and removal of all leaves can be good for stem life too. But some flowers do not like lemon juice. Zinnias do not like to be stored under 50 degrees. ...little flower notes.

The Freques, our son Sam "standing in", and a moon

Dan and I are ever so grateful to everyone who has attended and plans on attending an event at our farm, we also give thanks to Braise and their staff, our family who helps out alot and The Freques for serenading us this summer in our garden. Having this much talent visiting our farm with kind guest enhances our children's lives immensely and that is priceless, thank you and thank you again. We recently we able to see some of our CSA 2016 members at a dinner and hope to see more in the future. We are fortunate to live at the foothills of The North Kettle Moraine area & the woods of the North Branch Milwaukee River and we would recommend taking advantage of the trails at The North Kettle Moraine Trails and followed by  A Garden TO Table Dinner  with organic PIg Roast by The Fredonia Garden Club August 20th or A Pig Roast Potluck with Braise Restaurant MKE October 8th. Cheers and happy Salsa making.