Jan 1
2012

 

2011 at Fairy-Tale Farm was hard.  In Spring, I had to take some time off of hosting events in order to tend to my health.  Here I contemplate what to plant next.

Spring Diva

Months later, the fava beans behind the rocking chair grow into 6 foot towers.  The triple compost system that Karsten built out of old wood pallets against the back fence slowly rots.  Sweet peas bloom on the left next to the chicken coop.  Giant red mustard continues to grow, and red lettuces snuggle in with baby carrots.

The migrating birds don't eat the red lettuces and they look pretty with the slowly growing carrots.

By early summer, sweet peas blossom on the left while red mustards bolt and shoot up yellow flowers in the background. Poppies line the path. The garden is glorious.

I grew some exotic poppies this year.    I call the red and white one “poppy from outerspace”.  The pink peony-like one was a volunteer.  Red pom-pom type from Annie’s Annuals.  Can’t wait to see what combo I get wildly this year.

I had so many sweet peas and fava beans I sold them at the Corralitos Farmer’s Market:

Fava beans and sweet pea flowers. The scent of the sweet peas is so delicious.

We also sold edible flowers. Nasturtium, borage, calendula, pansies, oxalis.

Then, I unfortunately ended up in the hospital with my sweet peas.

Trying to make the best of it at UCSF as I am here for 3 long weeks.

But in the summer I am free, and I spend hours sleeping on the porch as the garden slowly grows around me.

Fairy-Tale Farm is quiet with only the cat for company.

We get a farm dog named “Kia”.  The purple, yellow, and red potatoes are dug up.  Rainbow tomatoes are harvested. Pears.

 

The winter comes to a close and we harvest pumpkins and peas.  I slowly mend, and contemplate what to do for 2012.  Happy gardening, all. Stay tuned for upcoming events.

Sometimes you have to get out of the urban farm and visit cornfields up the coast for inspiration.

 



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Nov 29
2010

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel article found at: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_16109132

Living a Fairy-Tale: Santa Cruz family ‘grows’ community at their downtown area farm

By Justine DaCosta
Posted: 09/18/2010 01:30:39 AM PDT
Saskia Wade will help set the tables at her family’s Harvest Festival. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

Nestled among multiplexes not far from downtown Santa Cruz is a garden where 10-foot-high sunflowers overlook the winding vines of pumpkins and the soft ferns of overgrown asparagus. A few chickens wander through the aisles full of tomatoes and tomatillos, part of the 50-by-50-foot garden, which is shaped like a star, a red, circular wooden platform positioned in the center.

“It’s a magical garden,” said owner Debora Wade, pointing to a giant sunflower whose head has begun splitting into two sections. “It grows weird things.” Click to read more …



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Sep 18
2010

For our Harvest Festival and Dancing we are celebrating the harvest season in the Monterey Bay, focusing on the fruits, vegetables, and cooking styles that have influenced this region for 500 years.   This menu honors the flavors and cooking styles of Italy, Spain, and Latin America as we like to do it here in the West.  After all, the Monterey region is cowfolk country as well as sardine factories.  (Menu is vegan unless noted.)

Appetizer

Just picked grapes – regional and Fairy-Tale Farm

Mystery Golden Delicious apples and Fresh walnuts - local harvest
Homemade compagnon bread – w/ Scarborough Fair herb butter or olive oil

Soup

Cioppino – hearty Italian stew with local harvest vegetables (please RSVP if you’d like with fish or without)
Homemade compagnon bread

Salad

Micro greens and heirloom lettuces – w/ heirloom tomatoes, flowers, and surprises, in a creamy basil vinaigrette
Multi-color potato salad – w/ fresh roasted peppers and Fairy-Tale Farm green bean pickles in an herb vinaigrette

Main

Molti Strati alla Griglia – Italian-style casserole w/ pan grilled eggplant, zucchini,  onions, and cheese in a mild tomato-chili sauce (vegetarian, vegan option: please specify when RSVP’ing)
Cowfolk Beans – sprouted pinto beans w/ mild Monterey chili spices (vegan)
Monterey Romance rice – light Spantalian heavily fused with the New World (vegan)

Dessert

Pie selection: apple pie, pear pie, Arana Gulch blackberry pie, rhubarb apple pie, the neighbor’s peaches pie, gluten-free pie (please request on RSVP)
Coffee
Tea

The food sourced for this menu is, as always, as local as we can make it.  We start in our own garden, then the gardens and farms of our friends, then we go to farmer’s markets, and the final ingredients at a local store, with a clear bias toward regionally sourced.

In particular, the food is supplied by our friends at City Blooms (micro greens), at least three other farms we’ll name at the dinner, Azalyne Skye Olson, Ellen Baker, and a few others we’ll discover this week.

Come dine with us and share in the Santa Cruz urban bounty!

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Sep 15
2010

We’re building a dance floor for our Harvest Festival this 26 September.  I had a discussion with a musician during one of our Summertime Salons about a simple idea, and so far I like it better than anything I’ve read.  Refer to the diagram when reviewing these steps:

  1. Lay a full sized half-inch plywood sheet so the side you want to dance on is facing down.
  2. Use a table saw to rip a single 10-foot 2×4 along the length in to half-inch shims.  Each board should yield six half-inch by 10 foot shims, since you’ll lose a half-inch in saw kerf across all the rips.
  3. Use a chop saw to cross cut the stack of shims so that you get one stack of 7 foot and one stack of 3 foot shims. Click to read more …

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Sep 12
2010

Sunday, September 26th at 5 PM we will have our next formal dinner event.  Come dine on freshly picked organic produce…among the produce!  Tables will be set up all over the garden.  “Monterey  Spantalian” menu now available.  Please bring your own wine.

Come through the roses and have some appetizers.

Dinner is from 5-7 PM followed by a community dance!

Dance Around Molly a live Irish band, will be playing from 7-9 PM and we will have Linda Preston, our caller teaching us all how to line up and swirl to the music!  No experience necessary, just come prepared to dance the night away.

Dinner and dancing: $40 suggested donation.  If you’d like to just come for the dance and desert, only $10 suggested donation.  Come at 7 PM for dancing and desert.

As always, one free slot for dishwasher, but you will work for your supper!  If you’d like free dancing and desert, we could use two dishwashers, so contact us.

Children are welcome for the dancing and desert.  Well behaved children are welcome for the dinner.  We will have intimate tables for 4 as well as larger community tables for 8 +.  Seating is first come first served, so arrive on time and grab a seat in your favorite part of the garden.

Reservations are required and must be made by September 24th.  Let me know how many people are coming:

reservations@fairy-talefarm.com

Come join your host for some magic.



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Aug 24
2010

We now have our Fall schedule!  We’re returning to monthly dinners, with live music and the opportunity to buy the ingredients at our farm stand afterwards. You can make your reservations any time, but seating is first come first serve, so don’t wait too long!

Come to the Inner Circle. Special seating for 8 on pink pillows. Sans bucket.

To reserve, contact us at: reservations@fairy-talefarm.com Let us know the date you’re coming, and how many people you are.  There are 50 seats available per dinner.  Pie party is unlimited! If you have free fruit, contact me and I will trade for dinner or pie.

Sunday September 26th Fall feast!  5 PM – 9 PM Harvest party and live Irish music with Dance Around Molly!  Linda Preston, our caller, will teach you all you need to know.  Children welcome for the dance.  Menu to follow shortly, but it will be a multi-course meal, with vegetables plucked from the garden.  $40 suggested donation.  Bring your own wine or beer to share.  If you’d like to come just for dessert and dancing, arrive at 7 PM and donate $10.  Coffee and tea included.

Azalyne's breads and pies are sublime!

And while you are salivating looking at these beautiful raw chocolate strawberry cheesecakes and gluten free loaves, you must come to:

Sunday October 17th Gluten free extravaganza!  5 PM Azalyne Sky-Olson of “The Culture of Change” food share will be preparing a cultured, organic, Italian feast!  If you haven’t been able to eat bread or pasta, have celiac or food challenges, or are just wheat intolerant, this is the dinner for you.  $75 suggested donation. (This price reflects the high cost of ingredients, and the labor intensity of sprouting and culturing that Azalyne does to make her goods maximally digestible.)  Menu to follow. Please bring wine to share.

Sunday November 7th  Pie Party! (Update 10/28/10  Pie Party is Canceled!) Who’s down for pie?  Blackberry, peach, pecan, blueberry, apple, shoefly, if it’s a pie, we’ve got it!  Live music, and lots of coffee, tea and pie!  $10 suggested donation for all you can eat.  (But don’t be too greedy, unless you bring me fruit!) Whole pies for sale for $10 or trade, place your orders ahead of time.  If you’re vegan or gluten free, contact me and I can make you a special pie.  10 AM – 3 PM

Pies, pies, and more pies.

Sunday December 5th  Tapas and music! (Update 10/28/10 Tapas Party Canceled!) Join us for South American music, and a Spanish feast!  $40 suggested donation.  Bring wine to share.  This event will be inside.  But if the weather is accommodating, we’ll string lights in the trees and gather besides the fire to eat desert.  6 PM

One free slot for a dishwasher every dinner.  But you will work for your supper.  We need music for the pie party!  Free pie for musicians.

The dinners are for adults or well behaved children.  The pie party is for all ages.  Let us know if you have any food restrictions, or if we can get something special for you.  And lastly, tell your friends and come support our little piece of magic!

From dirt to fricassee!



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Aug 24
2010

summertime salon at Fairy-Tale Farm

Bucket Head 2

Last Thursday, Fairy-Tale Farm had a sheep and a goat! The goat needed to be milked, so children were invited to join in, and pet the sheep.

Of course, there are always chickens to cuddle… Madeline is the chicken whisperer. Seriously.

And crafts to behold! a new pink friend!

You must not miss the last Farm Market. sunflowers and strawberries and lettuce

Last week, we had a Bluegrass Band! Page Brownton and Sidetrack !
Paul Clark, Page Brownton and Jessica Evans

And as always, figure drawing…bring your own supplies.

So come on down and eat delicious food in a delectable setting…and buy your produce and goodies for the week. 5-9 PM Drop in any time.

Figure Drawing is from 6 – 7 PM. Contact us for our address. We hope to see you here.



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Jul 2
2010

"jams and produce" by kthread, used under CC BY 2.0 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kthread/4754107102/

"jams and produce" by kthread (CC BY 2.0)

We tried another new idea, a distilled idea.  We’ve done pop-up restaurants, pie parties, figure drawing, and workshops.  We’ve long dreamed of house concerts, dance parties.  We want to be a venue where people bring their goods, extra produce, music, art, and especially sense of community.

So was born the Summer Salons and Urban Farm Market. Click to read more …

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Jun 17
2010

This Summer, beginning July 1st, we have our Summertime Salon!  Every Thursday evening, from 5-9 PM, we have a wonderful dinner from the garden,  figure drawing with a live model, Music jams, a nap corner, and various kid-friendly activities!   You can figure draw for an hour, then join in with the musicians and sing a few songs.  Or just eat pie.

 

  • Music over here  (bring your instrument, and just play with whoever shows up)
  • Art/figure drawing over there (to make this free, I need free models! Sign up now for summer.  You don’t have to be nude, come in costume if you’d like.  I have a few easels, but bring your own art supplies and extra easel if you have one.)
  • Collage on that table (bring your own supplies, especially magazines to cut!)
  • Games on this table (bring a game you want to play)
  • Kids craft table (anything from feather hair clips to nosegays.  Craft from the garden.)
  • Or just chase the chickens

We have coffee, tea, a delicious vegetarian dish from the garden, and pie for sale.   Menu is dependent on what’s fresh from the garden.  Pie is seasonal fruit.  Sometimes we have biscuits and fresh jam.

Urban Farm Market: Now every Thursday of the month bring your excess produce, flowers, honey, homemade cheese, art, jewelry, sweet treats, etc. to our Urban Farm Market tables to sell or trade with the other vendors.  Our intention is to grow a farmer’s market for the DIY community who don’t make enough to sell at the Farmer’s Market.  This could also be a great time to barter.  Just bring your goods and a fair price for them, and we can begin the underground market! If this is popular, we could do it every week, and into the Fall. It’s proving popular, so we’re extending the Urban Farm Market to every week.

You don’t have to RSVP to come play.  Please let us know if you’d like to sell at the market, though, or if you’re interested in becoming a figure model.  Tell all your friends, and come hang out into the night with us and dust off your talents!  May your community, artistic, and creative dreams come true.

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Jun 16
2010

Recently we had the great pleasure of supplying flowers for India Joze’ flower festival. Pictures of these flowers are below.

Held 16 May at Joze’ new restaurant location, the scene I saw at the Flower Festival was the evolved artistic food expression I’ve come to know from Master Chef Jozseph Schultz.  You can look at their pictures (Facebook pictures and event page) via the India Joze Facebook page.  What I captured here are shots of our flower delivery.  (These pictures are available under a Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0 Unported.)

Flower Harvest

Nasturtiums, rose petals, borage, lemon petals, and edible pea flowers.

Click to read more …



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