The news from When Pigs Fly Farm

This vegetable-growing gig, in the immortal words of my father-in-law Robt D, is starting to make my ass tired. Sorry for that. But vegetables are such temperamental little twits.

As I am learning, the universal vegetable response to adversity, no matter how great or how small, is to flop. I almost imagine a flotilla of beady little vegetable eyes squinting up at me, surrepticiously assessing how their pathetic flops are registering on the WPFF Pity Party Meter.


Not enough sun? Flop.

Too cold at night? Flop.

Too windy? Flop.

Flop. Flop. Flop.

Give me perennials any day. When the biological clock says "Grow," they grow. When the biological clock says "Bloom," they bloom.

No drama. No complaints. And no flops.

Take note, my vegetable friends! Your perennial cousins DO NOT FLOP when the going gets a little rough so buck up, would you?

But enough about me.

This week's report from When Pigs Fly Farm is mercifully short:

Romaine: Screw romaine. I'm so over romaine. My second planting made a brief appearance and promptly (once again) disappeared down the gullet of some two-, four- or six-legged varmint *. I'm switching to mesclun, a mix of young salad leaves and herbs.


Arugula: Huzzah! First batch is ready for harvest -- and I believe there's a prosciutto-arugula white pizza in my very near future. Huzzah!

Carrots: What carrots? *

Fennel: Beauty.

Corn: Looking a little tattered these days, thanks to 2-3 consecutive days of gusty wind last week, but I'm thinking there's just a titch of new growth. Just a thought.



Tomatoes: U.n.h.a.p.p.y. but they bear their cold crosses with a stoic, flopping resignation. I can all but hear the sighs. Just what I need -- Catholic tomatoes.

Japanese eggplant: Unlike everyone else roots-down, they seem to be believe "Let's party like it's 1999 even it's 39 degrees tonight."


* And for the Great Romaine/Carrots Mystery: Finally caught one of the little buggers in the act tonight. Can you say "Slugs"? Oh, be afraid, slugs, be so very afraid.

On a brighter note: Farmer Jim has harvested himself a whopping six baby radishes. He and the Missus had 'em for dinner, to boot, and there's more on the way, or so he says.


Aren't they the dearest things you've ever seen?

Farmer Jim videos are now online AND you will never guess what our Genius Engi-Agrarian is cooking up next -- WPFFCam! Yep, a 24/7 live action view, complete with sound, of When Pigs Fly Farm. Which is particularly riveting right at this juncture in time.

Please. Watch us come and grow.

Or not.