This week at the farm has been super busy getting our warm weather transplants into the ground; prepping new beds for planting; and getting ready for our premier Strawberry JamFest. Our Earliglow strawberry variety is coming in gangbusters and the plants are loaded with white blossoms and berries. We are hopeful they will turn from green to red by next weekend.
There will be four music groups performing at the festival and I am in two of them. Us musicians have been moonlighting to fine tune our set lists and make any last minute changes. I brought my bandmates each a quart of strawberries at rehearsal this week for inspiration.
As I walk the event space and visualize next week’s festival I start seeing it coming together. Back in January I had the initial idea of hosting a strawberry festival at the farm to ring in the summer. We’ve built the stage to take advantage of a natural amphitheater setting. On the hilltop we will place Waredaca Brewing Co. with there old timey truck and setup a beer garden. We are supplying Waredaca with 150 lbs of our strawberries for their strawberry sour, Cabin 3 which they will start brewing the week after the festival. Down by the barn the Town Grill will operate the BBQ along with kettle corn and fresh lemonade. On the pathway between the two Norman’s Farm Market will sell freshly made gelato and macaroons, by Scoop On the Hill, made with our berries. We will also sell fresh strawberries and ‘smore kits later into the evening. Our beekeeper, Jim Fraser, will bring an observatory hive and former Guitars & Goats host, Linda Phillips of Something Earthy Pottery has made gorgeous berry bowls for sale. Our neighbor, Days End Horse Rescue is helping us out with managing our event parking and educating folks about their mission. This weekend we are building out our hay wagon so we can offer a fun way to get a tour of the farm and see what’s cropping up. It’s going to be a great time so don’t miss out. Tickets may be purchased Online for a discounted rate or at the door. Have a great week everyone.