October 13, 2009 by robinhollow
1:28 PM Tue, Oct 13, 2009 | Permalink
By Gail Ciampa
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Here’s some exciting news, the farmers of the Coastal Growers’ Market have decided to make a leap of local culinary faith and open a winter farmers’ market with a target date opening for a Thanksgiving market on Nov. 21.
Citing the success of last winter’s farmers’ market at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, Bevan Linsley, Coastal Growers Market Coordinator, said the market hopes to serve the southern part of the state.
“We have just signed a lease for space in the historic Lafayette Mill building on Ten Rod Road, outside of Wickford,” she said. Pending is town approval which is almost complete.
The Coastal Growers’ Market at Casey Farm in Saunderstown will remain open every Saturday until November 7 (9 a.m. to noon) no matter the weather (sigh) and we will have live music and a cooking demonstration every week until the market closes at its summer location, weather permitting.
The public announcement at last Saturday’s market was met with great enthusiasm from customers and immediate requests for market space, she said.
“We think that this market is going to be another economic and culinary success in addition to a delightful community event,” Linsley added.
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August 24, 2009 by robinhollow
Lisianthus (lizzies for short) are one of our most popular flowers. They are long-lasting, super-pretty, and come in the best colors. And finally, my dears, they have arrived! We’ve had a few here and there at market, but as of this Wednesday we’ll have plenty for all. Colors this week: white, pink and purple, with pale yellow, green, purple picotee, not far behind. Enjoy!

So pretty...
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August 23, 2009 by robinhollow
Nothing like a table full of jarred goods to cheer up a Sunday night. Here’s the 24 pints of pickles we made, with a beautiful Mondriaan lily behind them:

Sweet Chips
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July 24, 2009 by robinhollow
Despite the deluge, bringing little Rhody to an all-time high for July rainfall, we do exist, and we do continue to have flowers! This fact slightly boggles my mind… A few vignettes:
Watching moving water snake it’s way around our raised beds as we harvested dahlias this afternoon, a full six hours after the rain stopped…
Watching Kara throw her hands in the air to balance as her rubber boot was fully half sunk in mud – in the pathway!!! (And this in the “dry” field!)
Looking around the studio at 5 PM – flowers everywhere, in yellows, purples, whites, pinks, oranges and magenta, and thinking “How’d we do this?”
Lots of beauty tomorrow at all three markets. Hope to see you there.

Sun on a stick
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July 10, 2009 by robinhollow
I just found out that our farm was selected for Best Bouquets! Lucky day, and thanks to the Providence Phoenix!!!!
Best Make-Your-Own Bouquets
Robin Hollow Farm
What better gift conveys affection than flowers? And if they can’t be fresh-cut from your garden, they can be hand-picked from the lovely array of ROBIN HOLLOW FARM’s flowers, to be found at farmers’ markets around the state and at the Wintertime Market in Pawtucket during April, May, and December. Polly and Mike Hutchison run a small ecologically-managed farm in Saunderstown, with flowers delivered to Casey Farm and Ledge Ends CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture shares) and to local florists and households. But the bulk of their business is at the markets, where consumers bustle around buckets of seasonal blooms: lilies and larkspur, sunflowers and zinnias, cockscomb and bee balm. Many are native to New England; others are greenhouse-raised. Some are familiar garden flowers; others, like the rose-like lisianthus, are newer floral favorites.
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June 26, 2009 by robinhollow

helping the only way she can...

Hand Weeding leads to madness

flame flame flame
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June 19, 2009 by robinhollow
If only there was sun, we’d be relishing in these longest days of the year. Mike and I were talking this morning about the last spring like this, in the mid 90s, when it was so rainy that we actually made a banner with a picture of a sun and wrote the words “Come back!” and hung it on the barn at Casey Farm. Now just on Wednesday we had a beautiful day, so I am not feeling quite that desperate, but a month with about four sunny days is a challenge!

Zinnias will come again!
Every year is a joy and a challenge. Our new leased field has a beautiful, productive well, but we have yet to get the electricity or a pump to pull the water up, so these regular rains have been helpful up there. On the other hand, down here in the hollow we have had a lot of trouble getting enough dry days to keep up with the hoeing, and we’ll have a time of weeding in the next week or two. The zinnias are sitting there bravely waiting for summer, but the anemones lasted longer than I every expected, right through this week! It is truly as if the big picture requires balance, and we cannot “have it all” our way.
Overall, there are a lot of beautiful flowers growing. We have more perennials every year, and we have lots of the fun June fillers I like: saponaria “White Beauty”, corn cockle (next week), yarrows, love-in-a-mist, and larkspur. Of course the reliable greenhouse continue to crank out dahlias and lilies, and the covered tunnels provide us with bells of Ireland, snaps and sweet peas. We can fool mother nature a little. In the meantime, enjoy the cool weather, for all we know it will in 90s and sunny for the rest of the summer.
Happy summer solstice to you and yours! Photos soon to follow.
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