2016 Membership Open! With new and improved levels.

     It might be February (and below zero) but that doesn't stop me from planning out the next growing season. This one should be even better and more productive than the last one. The perennials I planted last season will start showing their true colors, I'm especially looking forward to seeing the yarrow bloom.  All the other perennials will be bigger and stronger this year as their roots have grown deeper into the soil.  As for the annuals, everything I learned last season will certainly come in handy. Now I have a better idea of what the soil needs, where gets the most sun, and what pests to look out for. Plus more brush has been cleared, so that means more space for plants!

seeds for sorting, and soon - Planting!

     As for the membership levels, a few things have changed.  First I'm excited to offer a Saturday afternoon pickup at our home for those who find that more convinient than Thursdays. And I've removed the distiction between fresh and mail order. Now whether you choose, full, mini, patron, or art, you can either pick it up or have it mailed. The mailed ones won't contain flower arrangements though.  You did read that right though: there is an Art only share now! It's just perfect for those who don't cook or use herbs themselves but still want to be conected to the seasons through my artwork and Thomm's stories. And finally herb shares will now include a recipe or information card! I can't wait to see what I do with that.

     In other news, I've been slowly compiling more and more information and resources on each of the herbs we grow and all their different magical, medicinal, and culinary uses and soon I'll be ready to share all that with you with pages dedicated to each herb.

So thinking of joining? sign-up here!

Stay warm,
Amber Haqu

This week 7/19

The farm is slowing down a bit as the summer gets on its way - just some weeding catch up as all the wonderful plants ripen their fruits and grow more leaves - but we'll be drowning in tomatoes any minute now.  I did have some time to work on getting the studio together, painting all the furniture and setting it all up. I still have more to do (like actually hanging some paintings) but it's now open for business!

Working on ledge shelves, they're waiting to be hammered and glued.  One is 8 feet, the other just over 6 foot.

The shelves now are all hung up and filled with prints and originals.

This table was pretty simple to make with just two 10 inch by 6 foot pine boards, scrap wood from the ledge shelves, and legs from an old bar-stool.  I might have to secure the legs a bit better - as the whole thing fell apart while I was trying to move speaker cables around.

The desk is just an old one I had that I painted white. It fits in perfectly though! As for the board hanging the earrings and ornaments, I made that years ago for my craft fair display - but it looks like I'll have to paint it white again as it's a bit dingy compared to all the newly painted things.  You can also see some herbs hiding in the corner, partially as a test to see how well they last. It does get hot in the studio though, so I think most would do better at a cooler temperature.

And I can't forget my husband Thomm's books. They need to have a little space of their own. Hopefully, more will come out soon to add in. Maybe even a collaboration with some of my artwork  - although I did do the design a bit for his two smaller collections, I'm loving what he's been writing to put in the shares and how well it goes with the illustrations.  

Like I said, the paintings still need to be hung though. I'm going to have to search around my apartment for all the pieces I've squirreled away so I can show them  the light of day, or at least know where they've been hidden so I can find them again sometime.

The address is: 7516 N. BROADWAY, RED HOOK, NY 12571. My studio is all the way in the back.  I do intend to have a grand opening come August, once I figure out a good date. Tell me in the comments when works for you!  Also the gallery is open Friday and Saturday 12-7 and Sundays 12-4 or you can always make an appointment with me and I'll open it up for you. Also right now another of the artists is holding a special exhibition with extended hours.

Hope to see you there sometime!
Amber

This Week 6/7

The week started out rainy, but it's gorgeous out today!  I hope you're getting a chance to enjoy it.  Personally, I'm sitting outside typing this up and ignoring all the other things I should be doing instead.

I do have some big news for you, though!  As of the beginning of this month, I started renting a studio space in the back of the Red Hook Community Arts Network gallery.  So I spent much of this week painting it the perfect shade of blue, but I still have a long way to go until it's perfect.  Well, maybe not too long. I just need to paint the white parts, touch up the floor, put up shelving, a work table, and other storage and then actually put in the artwork.  One of the best part of all this, other than my ability to permanently display my work rather than just having it sitting in boxes around my apartment, is that I may be using it as a secondary pickup location in case the winter pickups turn out to be too cold or snowy to keep doing an outdoor tent.

This week at the farm, though, has been pretty laid back because of the rain, but it was perfect weather on Thursday to prepare more ground for squash transplants.  I've also begun my weeding process, as some plants had been completely engulfed by them (although most of them didn't seem to mind).  I find it interesting how useful weeds can be. Many having been planted intentionally at some point but I just can't have mint and lamb's quarters smothering the flowers - even if they are delicious.  So everything is growing up strong but all at their own pace.  Tiny tomatoes are even starting to form. I can't wait to taste them.

Back in art world - I worked out the details of the next pickups artwork and now it's ready to be inked and colored.  I guess my studio isn't quite ready for me to do all the work on it there, but hopefully for the next one, it will be.

                   

I hope you all have a lovely week!
Amber

This week and last 5/29

What a busy month!  It's almost over though, but I'm sure June will prove to be pretty full as well.  Last blog post, I mentioned Thomm being a guest at the Pine Bush UFO festival, which we went to and had some fun. The NY Post even recorded his talk and gave him an interview!  I haven't seen any of the footage yet but I can't wait - I never get to see his talks as I always have to be minding the table while he's gone.  

Last weekend was also eventful as we went all the way to Lancaster, PA to celebrate a friend's marriage. It was lovely and the rest of the trip was great too.  On our way to the B&B, we even got to see some teams of draft horses plowing large fields - each team had at least 5 or 6 horses so it was quite impressive to see.

Around the farm these past couple weeks, buds and flowers have started popping up and almost all of the first round of transplants are finally in the ground.  I have a ton of extras though, so I'm hoping to bring some to the Tivoli Library's plant sale on Saturday. Hopefully, they won't mind that the leftovers have gotten all mixed up so I'm not certain of the varieties yet - except for the Tiny-Tim tomatoes. Those are easy to figure out as they're so tiny! 

I've also come across a few herbal surprises on the farm near my plot (or in it), as someone used to grow some herbs there as well - specifically lemon balm was growing happily where I wanted to plant squash, yarrow under the apple tree, comfrey by the fence, and some chamomile growing in a nearby field like a weed!  

On top of all that, I got a first sketch for the next pickup's artwork. It may have rambled a bit from my original idea, but I love how it's turning out.  The pickup is less then a month away, so be sure to sign-up soon so you don't miss out on a print of this finished piece and a ton of other great gifts.  

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great week!  Oh, and did you know the wild strawberries are ripe?  I had never seen any before this season, so I may have taken a bit too much time collecting them from around the farm this evening, but they are really tasty so it's worth it.

Enjoy!

Amber

this week 4/14

This week, the weather has been perfect for working outside!  I however caught a cold (I blame my nephew who was a bit sick on Easter).  But don't worry, I didn't let that hold me back and I got a ton of work done.

You might have seen the seasonal artwork I finished as I posted it to Facebook, but I thought I'd share a bit more information about it here.  First off, it is about 11x17 inches on hot-press watercolor paper using ink and watercolors and titled "March to May" hope you like it!  Thomm has also started his writing contribution, but I haven't read any of it yet so I can't comment - although I'm sure it will be great.

Back on the farm, I've started the process of hardening off some of the seedlings by taking them out of the greenhouse for increasingly longer amounts of time to get them ready to start transplanting once I get their beds ready. It's still a bit early to be putting them out but there aren't any frosts coming up yet so, as long as I keep an eye on the weather, everyone should be happy.

In the field I prepared last year, I planted some peas that will grow up one side of the fence, and I noticed our first flower blossoming!  Still no sign of the daffodils and tulips putting out bulbs, but I think they will before the pickup.

I've also started clearing the second field I'm using and have about 25x13 feet ready for planting soon.  It was a bit of an ordeal as I'm trying to fight back brambles and small trees on one side, but so far I'm winning - although I did come out of it with a sunburn and some poison sumac so they are putting up a good fight too.  This field was used for medicinal herbs before, and either because of that or just it's what happens when you leave a tilled field alone long enough, there were a ton of dandelions with some really large roots.  Just from that one patch I cleared, I filled up my bucket so there will be plenty of dry roots for you all, and some for me too. I can't wait to try some tea/coffee made from them.  I dug up some echinacea  roots as well so, between those and the dandelions, I have an awful lot of chopping and drying to do, but at least that will give my sunburn some time to heal.

Enjoy!
Amber Haqu

This Week 2/8

This Week:

     More seeds started and a sketch for the May Day pickup!  Seeds include Kale (all of which which sprouted merely days after planting), Kohlrabi, Goldstick flowers, Lavender, Cayenne  peppers, Yarrow, Pansy, Collards, and more onions.

     Don't forget to sign-up to become a CSA member to get the products of these wonderful plants once they've grown up, and to support their development up until then!

     Have a great week.