O'Rourke Family Farms

09/15/2023

This...

11/23/2021

It was good to see their story in the Pantagraph. And for those who may have hit our farm page while trying to reach Mark & Rita's farm page... here is the link for theirs: https://www.facebook.com/orourkefamilygardens

Locally grown vegetables and fruit located in Holder, IL. We have asparagus in the spring to pumpkin

08/10/2021

If you're looking for sweet corn, beans, etc... or Mark & Rita ORourke, in specific... you can bop on over to their page at: https://www.facebook.com/orourkefamilygardens to contact them or for more current information on what's available

Locally grown vegetables and fruit located in Holder, IL. We have asparagus in the spring to pumpkin

08/17/2020

PSA - anyone looking for beans, sweet corn, eggs, produce... give Mark & Rita a call at https://www.facebook.com/orourkefamilygardens/

Locally grown vegetables and fruit located in Holder, IL. We have asparagus in the spring to pumpkin

07/27/2020

Propagating succulents...reworking old arrangements and designing new ones. Mostly waiting for the fresh cuttings to harden off, and for a couple more to arrive by mail.

07/15/2020

Anyone looking for sweet corn, eggs, etc... give Rita or Mark a jingle at O'Rourke Family Gardens.

06/22/2020

This is what's in season here... and garlic scapes...

02/20/2020

So many ways to manage starting from seed.

01/11/2020

It is the time of year to buy seeds. And there are so many to choose from:

Do you grow winter radishes? Here is our rainbow harvest tonight. These beauties range and flavors from super-sweet and mild, to fiery hot, depending on the variety. Winter radishes have the best flavor of all. Pusa Jamuni, (top left) Pusa Gulabi, (top middle) Chinese Red Meat (right) Shawo Green Fruit radish (bottom middle) Sichuan red beauty (bottom left)

08/27/2019

Crafty produce fun...

08/21/2019

Was able to make a quick stop at the Downs Market just now. Nabbed some wax beans, a giant cabbage, and found some gorgeous [and dead ripe] heirloom tomatoes... one young woman apologized for the tomatoes as she said they had only just started, since they got this planting in late... I reassured her that ours [not planted] were later than hers.

And then we dashed home, so I could avoid breathing more outside air. 🤪 [Stopping briefly to note that the (*&^&( ground squirrel, or whatever it is, continues to burrow around and inside my protected tulip bed. That sucker has just about made the complete drive-by around the entire perimeter, and then got inside and ... pretty sure he's already taken down my hyacinth bulbs. Grrrrrr.... if I could breathe better buster, you'd be toast...]

Still doing my best not to hack up a lung while the anti-histamines get settled in for the long haul through harvest.

08/19/2019

So I've been down and out for the last two weeks, overwhelmed by allergies I didn't know I had. The worst thing about it all is that I'm utterly unable to work outside because of it. Well maybe not THE worst thing, because breathing is one of my favorite things to do, but not being able to be outside is where it hits me. [Sound of head banging against a wall somewhere...] Now that the issue has been identified, we are working to manage it. With no idea how long that will take.

I SO want to be outside and getting things done... there's a mole/vole/critter digging through my main tulip bed, that has been protected for several years but my defenses were breached somehow. =:-| And then there's the massive black wasp that continues to infiltrate the north screened porch. 🤨 [We got her to fly out the door, eventually, yesterday. But she's back.]

So I try to remain in the A/C and to go through old clothes, and sort photos, and remember my PT exercises... all important in their own ways. And knowing me, I'll sneak out to see what I can do anyway... until I can't.

Last week, in prep for some other work that would mess with landscaping near the house, I dug out some smaller hostas that had been languishing... repotted them and set them out to settle for a bit. It took several trips outside to manage it, with inhaling setting off coughing fits. Working in between breaths is a challenge, and yet... needed doing. ;) Earlier I had been lifting new coneflower starts to get them out of established beds, pot them, and move then into new locations. Also had to dig slightly more established coneflower plants, sometimes divide them, and get those setting in water to root [most of them]. Plants do still die around me, sometimes, but not if I can help it.

And then last night our old female dog [this will likely be her last summer] came in smelling quite strongly of skunk. [smh] I'm not surprised that she might take on a skunk, but a little surprised that there was one anywhere near the house. It's not like she doesn't have enough health issues to manage herself, so that seems insult to injury. :(

Stuff to do... stuff to do...