So Many Weeds! And When Will There be SUNFLOWERS?

John Deere Dilly Beans - What Summer Means to a Wisconsin Farmer

I love the questions we hear from the tourists. "What's growing in that field along the road?" Ha! Well, let me tell you! That's an old-school farmer's nightmare! That's a field of organically grown sunflowers CHOCK FULL of wild mustard! I've told you in past blog posts how farmers used to have their kids to pull mustard from the fields. When a farmer wants oats or barley or sunflowers, they do not want mustard! Farmers pride themselves on the look of their fields, and this year, William's been feeling the pinch.

To make matters worse, most other fields out there "conventionally" grown look like our Swedish grandma visited for the week and cleaned house! Fields of corn and soybeans, sprayed with herbicides are immaculately tidy, organized and make us organic farmers feel like Messy Marvins! Of course, there are an increasing number of conventional fields riddled with herbicide resistant GIANT RAGWEED, so I know we are not alone grumbling about weed pressure.

At least our mustard can be turned into a culinary treat for sandwiches, and it's never been in contact with any toxic chemicals!

This summer has been the most beautiful on record out here. The landscape is LUSH and green. The wildflowers are abundant, and everything is growing faster than we can keep up...weeds and harvestable crops alike.

The sunflower fields are looking quite scrappy yet with some plants a foot taller than others. They are forming green buds, and William suspects we may begin to see a few yellow petals by Friday, August 1st. Once they begin to open, they are quite stunning for 10 to 14 days. I imagine they will be peak the weekend of August 8-10th. We will have u-pick stems for a dollar apiece again this year, and you are welcome to come out for a photo session any time. The field is north of the Lake View buildings on 200th...the same road that takes you to the blueberry farm (Rush River Produce will have blueberries for a few more weeks - remember to always call them for a picker's forecast). To view the sunflowers or cut stems, you'll be able to park on the road right next to the sunflower field. Look for our signs and nippers for cutting. I'll repeat this information in more detail once we confirm the sunflowers are in full bloom.

Right now, I'm off to harvest carrots and beans!

As always, sending love from the farm,

Sarah