Delivery #5 - Friday, June 27, 2008

COMING THIS WEEK

mesclun - now includes chickweed, purslane, and soon will have nasturium flowers
1- 2 heads of lettuce - Crisp Mint, Reine d'Glaces, Forellenschluss, Four Seasons
snowpeas
shelling peas?
greens: collards/kale/chard mixture
radishes
turnips
bouquet - Yarrow, Sweet Peas, Veronica, Gypsophilia (Baby's Breath), Rubeckia, Dianthus, Shapdragons, Lady's Mantle - all of these are in bud or bloom

BITS OF BUSINESS
Dang, I forgot the receipts last week. I will include them this time for sure as I am home for a farm week so in a way life is less hectic than normal. I forgot to mention in my email last week that the share price is based on an expected 20 deliveries. If things go really well and we get up to 24 or more deliveries and you feel inclined, you may pay more but I will not ask for more.

Since we have done this for a month now, I want to check in with you all to see how things are going. Is there anything that needs to be different for the delivery to run more smoothly? Are your vegetables and flowers arriving in good condition? How do you like the bags? Are there foods you especially like? Are there foods that you don't want in your delivery? How about quantities? Anything else? Since I am new at farming, there is so much that I want and need to learn. Your feedback is really important to me. Since the farm is so small, it's easy to adapt your share to suit your needs. Thanks again, for being part of my tiny fledging farm.

I been having some technical difficulties at the blog so haven't been able to post recently. In general though, you can see what is actually in your delivery and sometimes find some recipe ideas at: lastingimpressionscsa.blogspot.com/ I try to post by Saturday.

GARDEN NEWS
Each Monday before I write this email, I like to wander about the garden taking note of what looks ready or nearly ready or gone by and noting the progress of various plants. Equally important, I like to soak in the general atmosphere of the farm. Today things are very moist and weedy. There is a certain sense of burgeoning lushness that could develop into being wildly out of control but I hope to steer towards an abundance of good eating and fine bouquets. The shell peas are loaded with young pods that are starting to fill out. The Red Milan turnips are finally forming and the white Hakurei turnips look just right for picking on Friday. The head lettuces are lovely and enjoying the cool moist weather. Happily, the carrots are thinned, so I hope they will swell up soon. Inside the greenhouse it's a whole different world, sort of hot and humid and dry. I've got tomatoes, sweet peppers, black eyed peas, basil and okra in there.

Of course the weeds are loving all the rain too and there are woodchucks nearby. Mostly the woodchucks are eating grass and I keep putting up barriers and deterrents around OUR plants. Keep your fingers crossed. I will be dog sitting for a month starting mid July and that may send them on their way, I hope.

Some of the Red Russian Kale from last year came through the winter and is now in full bloom. I plan to harvest and store the seeds. I also noticed that the Seckel pear tree seems to have a good crop this year so if the CSA is going into October, there should be pears for all. Perhaps eggs too as I am expecting a delivery of chicks in a couple of weeks. Busy, fun times here. I am grateful.

Laura