The fields at Los Poblanos are always in flux, changing and evolving with the seasons. Although we can plan as much as we want, ultimately the plants, the rain, and the sun will do just as they please. It is the job of our farmers to work with the whims of nature, adapting the plan as they go, in order to keep the farm alive, well, and productive. Each new season we like to check in with the farm team and see how they’re doing.
These are the field notes from Farmer Travis and his team about what is changing, happening, and growing out there on the farm this summer:
Welcome to summer I hope everyone enjoyed the solstice! Here at Los Poblanos we have been trying to stay cool while harvesting garlic, radish, turnips, herbs, and greens for the kitchens. Coming soon to those kitchens will be onions, fava beans, carrots, kohlrabi, rutabaga, blue corn, and four types of tomatoes. Watermelon, cucumber, okra, and four types of winter squash have just been planted for late summer and fall harvest. Additionally, we have started an herb bed in the greenhouse and look forward to harvesting them all year round.
Monsoon season is just around the corner and the rains may bring some solace from the heat but they will also bring weeds. Oh well, we will just have to add some time to our weeding schedule. We still wont be as busy as our bees though. For Los Poblanos, and our bees, July is lavender season. The plants are flowering and the bees are buzzing around them. They better work fast because we will be harvesting later in the month and after a short drying session, into the distiller they go.
An important part of operations on the farm are the wonderful people who volunteer with us. Our volunteers have been instrumental in expanding our lavender fields by helping to plant new starts as well as installing emitters throughout the field. They have also been busy planting new trees, pulling weeds, and harvesting vegetables for use at the restaurant and events kitchens.
This season we’ve had the pleasure of meeting new faces and welcoming back volunteers from years past. The knowledge and experience that the volunteers and the farmers share is indispensable, and cultivating these relationships helps perpetuate Los Poblanos’ tradition of community involvement. The lavender harvest is coming up and we’ll need plenty of helping hands. We look forward to seeing you in our fields!
Each year, during our lavender harvest, we host the community for volunteer days in our lavender fields. It takes a lot of helping hands to harvest the thousands of plants we care for all year in anticipation for harvest day. By hosting volunteers, community members get to see and experience our lavender fields hands-on. Last year we had two days of over 40 volunteers helping us harvest. The fields were full of laughter and the intoxicating smell of lavender all day. To participate in any of the volunteer days, please sign up through our events calendar. We also invite you to come to a demonstration of the distillation process, we will be holding demos of the process on July 29th, and 31st. Come by and see first hand how we use steam to extract that precious essential oil from our lavender.
As always, we would love to see all of your lovely faces down at the farm! Come for a visit when you get the chance!