Welcome to Mary Margaret's Blog

The busy summer can have you constantly running from this to that, right?  And it is hard to find time to slow down and do something spontaneous. I understand. I’m a farmer and full-time mama.   But, who doesn’t love slowing down to enjoy the beauty of nature and picking some gorgeous flowers along the way? I know that I always find joy in picking flowers. Even just a small handful. Something about being outside and seeing all of the pretty blooms gently blowing in the breeze persuades me to be an authentic part of it. And cutting flowers does that for me. It centers me and brings me back to a peace. And it seems to do the same thing for kids!  I can't tell you how many times my two girls have already begged me to go pick flowers this year (and they are juuuuust starting!)   No… Read More

Do you ever have a fridge full of veggies and no idea what to do with all of them? Well, that happens to me at least a couple of times a week! I'm incredibly blessed to live on a farm that produces year round organic veggies and because of that there are always veggies (mostly seconds that can't be sold) flowing into my fridge. It's my job to make something that everyone will eat out of whatever I have in abundance. If you have a CSA share or a garden, you might have the same job as me for your family, right? And what an important job it is: to nourish your spouse, kids, grandkids, and other family and friends. I have many go-to's that I've developed over the years to help me do this job easily and quickly. Many of which I've shared with you on my blog over… Read More

Eat more veggies that's what it's all about, right? Or grow more flowers for yourself and the bees? But what about when the deer haven't gotten that memo? What about when they come in and take big bites out of everything you've worked hard to plant including your tomato plants, your lettuce, and sunflowers? That's what I'm here for today. To help you outwit the deer. Because believe me do we have experience in doing just that.     Whether you're going for veggies and flowers for your family or flowers for the wildlife, the deer are liable to mess up your plans, if you live in a high deer area. To me there are two ways to approach avoiding the damage deer can do to your garden: Planting deer resistant plants that they won't eat. Excluding the deer.   What are deer resistant plants for your garden? A common… Read More

Do you know what plant I'm talking about? Or are you skeptical? Yes, I guarantee you that this spring green can be found in your yard. In fact, they can be found on every continent in the world, except for Antarctica. Traditionally they have been valued for their edible and medicinal properties. But today they are often widely disparaged as incorrigible, tenacious, stubborn. Some even curse them because they invade lawns, fields, and even between cracks in pavement despite human's efforts to poison, pull them up, mow them away, and stifle them with all sorts of mulch. Did you guess it? They are dandelions! (Taraxacum officinale)     But, they're so bitter? Why, oh, why would you eat them?   Friend or foe? Reasons to eat dandelions Reason #1:  Because they are nutritious! Did you know that every part of the plant, leaves, flowers and root, is edible, raw or… Read More

Some of the most common questions we get are: How do you deal with pests on your organic farm? How to deal with the cucumber beetles that come every year and destroy my plants before they can make fruits at all or very many? Why do my radish leaves always have so many holes in them that they don't do much on the root part? I don't like getting worms in my cauliflower/broccoli/cabbage. What do I do? Well, the easy answer is: spray them with the latest and greatest chemical big ag is offering, right? Wrong! Not for you, am-I-right? You'd like to do it as organically as possible. You're concerned about chemical use on farms and consequently on the food that you choose to eat and feed your children and grandchildren. And, why not? Chemicals are known to kill bees, cause cancer, and a whole host of other things.… Read More

Do you have eggs coming out of your ears this time of year? Or do your neighbors? What about the the farm down the (muddy) road? Yep, it's that time of year! The sunlight has come back and backyard chickens are in full production. Our 5 year old daughter is in charge of getting the chicken eggs every day and counting them. She reports up to 17 eggs some days now! Which is awesome! Because guess what? Combining eggs with your veggies is a healthy way to get more veggies into your family's diet AND make easy one-pot meals that everyone loves. As a neighbor recently said to me, “I feel good when I eat eggs and veggies.” Try it for yourself and see!     10 favorite ways to use veggies and eggs As you can imagine at our house we eat a lot of eggs. And the best… Read More

As a CSA member, we know you like to try new things and expand your horizons with vegetables. So do we. Heck, one of our very favorite things to do as farmers is PICK what we're going to grow in the coming season.   Yep, the farm crew spent many of the cold, wintry days in early March holed up inside the farmhouse, noses in seed catalogs debating the merits of this variety or that variety. If you're like us, you've probably poked your nose into a seed catalog this winter... or five! You know how fun it is to dream, plot and scheme about your upcoming garden. And that's just what we do, too!  Just on a bigger scale... after weeks of planning we end up with a multi-page spreadsheet full of tiny numbers and crop varieties that outlines our entire CSA growing season.  The what, when, where, and how of growing… Read More

Hi!  It's Mary Margaret here.  I'm so excited to bring you this special guest post by Ripley Farm's Assistant Farmer Hannah Johnson!  She's our "garden anywhere" girl, and she's about to show you how easy it is to grow the fresh organic veggies and flowers of your dreams even if you don't have garden space.  Read on and let her personal experience, tips, and success growing in containers guide you to your own...   Have you ever wanted to grow your own food or flowers, but felt overwhelmed by the thought of putting in a large garden? Or do you live in an apartment with little outdoor space to grow? If this sounds like you, or if you like the idea of having some plants closer to your house, or even indoors, container gardening might be a good option for you.   Gardens make good memories, no matter the size  … Read More

Update: We have a winner!  Susan H. won out of 155 entries!  Congratulations!   Thanksgiving is just around the corner...  And this year, I'm ready for it.  In fact, eating healthy while relaxing with family is on my mind.  And yours, too, I bet! We can help with that! Enter to win our farm fresh Thanksgiving Veggie Basket PLUS 6 recipes to go with it and you’ll be well on your way to simple, easy holiday eating that includes farm fresh organic vegetables! Interested? Why not?? Here are the details of the giveaway...   What is the official giveaway prize? In one word... THIS:        A Thanksgiving Veggie Basket full of veggies grown on our farm! Organic, fresh and delicious tasting! PLUS this free recipe booklet with simple holiday recipes using all of the veggies in the basket making it easy for you to put them on your table.… Read More

What do I do with leeks? That is a question I get often. And I'm not surprised.  I didn't grow up with leeks.  Why not just use onions, right? Well..... first off, not to get off topic, but don’t they look amazingly appetizing? The long, slender, sleek look is in, right? And their attractive blue-green and white contrast and palm-like fans at the top make leeks unarguably one of the most gorgeous specimens of the vegetable world. Their nutty taste is equally intriguing! You will likely admire their beauty, but when it comes to knowing what to do with them, quite possibly, you might be stumped.       What are leeks? Let’s start at the beginning and answer the question, “What are leeks?” Because they are likely as unfamiliar to you as they were to me when I started eating locally grown farm fresh food. I wasn’t sure I’d… Read More