has been yet another fabulous farm week! This past week we welcomed a new crew member, Jillian. Jillian just moved here from Bend, Oregon where she was working as a ski instructor. She also very recently graduated from Cal Poly Tech, where she studied nutrition and got her hands dirty working at the college’s Organic Farm. Jillian was drawn to Port Townsend because she had heard that it had an exceptional farm community and local food movement. Plus, the opportunity to live “so far North” was really appealing to her. In her two-week residency thus far, Jillian has noted how nice everyone is here, which was a surprise since she figured that with all the clouds and rain people might be more reserved. Aside from farming, Jillian loves juggling and playing cribbage, both skills which the rest of the crew and I intend to benefit from. Welcome Jillian!

Also this week, Maggie (the very loud, little black and white border collie) turned 2 years old! For her birthday, she got her 10-week post accident vet check-up and got a clean bill of health! She once again gets to run around the farm with wild abandon, chasing birds but hopefully no longer cars. It sure felt good to put away the collection of leashes and the dog crate and let dog life resume its normal wild state.

Speaking of farm dogs, a friend recently sent me this great article about a special farm dog. I got a kick out of it: The Life of a Farm Dog

If you haven’t had Hakurei Turnips before, you really should consider eating them raw out of hand, like an apple. They are like no other turnip you have tasted before. They are sweet, crisp and delicious raw. The greens are also delicious raw or cooked, and are loaded with Vitamin C. They are also delicious roasted!