FARM WEEK # 4 - Wednesday, June 16, 2010 and Friday, June 18, 2010

June 14, 2010

FULL SHARES:
garlic scapes
mesclun
pea shoots (I never ate mine. Here is another chance.)
head lettuce
greens - 1 or 2 of these, let me know if you have a preference: kale, collards, mustard, spinach, lamb's quarters
thinnings - 1 or 2 of these: chard, beets, kale, collards
turnips
parsley
radishes
broccoli? I have just a few of these from plants given to me by a gardening friend.
bouquet

HALF SHARES:
Similar to Full Shares but lesser amounts. Probably no radishes, maybe no turnips, definitely no broccoli.

MINI SHARE CHOICES:
some kind of green or thinning (see above)
mesclun
garlic scapes
radishes

FARM NEWS:
Bugs! Weeds! Woodchucks! Yikes!

Well, I am eating as many of the weeds as I can. And remembering that they also attract pollinators and hide the vegetables from predators. But I do see a bunch of weeding and mulching time in my future. The woodchucks are the biggest challenge at the moment. Last night I covered up all the beautiful kale and collard plants. I do not want to share with the woodchuck(s)! I also transplanted 126 kale and collard plants to the field. I find that having each vegetable planted in more than one location is good insurance. Keep your fingers crossed. If you are visiting the farm and want to bring your dog, on a lease, please do! The smell of a dog is another good deterrent.

The plants are looking pretty lush. There is chickweed growing in some of the paths and when I walk on it I can actually hear a watery, squishy sound. Lots of rain lately! The lettuce is especially tender and delicate. I transplanted some head lettuce seedlings to the bed nearest the screen house. So when you are picking up your share, you can observe their growth. So far, so good.

Most of the seedlings are now in the ground. The rest (basil and flowers) should be out in the next two days. Soybeans, shell beans and storage potatoes are planted. The hop vine is now a foot above my head and the young kolrabis are about the size of a golf ball. Strange as it may sound, it's time to plant for the fall - rutabagas, broccoli, cauliflower, daikon radishes, carrots, beets, etc.

WORKING AT THE FARM
There is no work requirement at our little farm but I do welcome visitors. Mostly I am here gardening on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with picking happening on Wed. and Fri. mornings. You are welcome to visit or help with picking, weeding, mulching, planting, etc. There are plenty of choices. This coming weekend I am actually taking the weekend off to spend time with both my sons and Dan's girlfriend, who will all be visiting at the same time.

But ask me another time, I will probably say "yes, thank you!"


COOKING:

We have a lot of lamb's quarters popping up all over the place. I look on this as free food and find it to be just as delicious as spinach. I won't be inundating the shares with "weeds" but if you like them, let me know and I'll bear that in mind. I checked online to make sure that the flower buds are edible, and they are. In fact there are recipes that feature the buds. ( http://www.examiner.com/x-4059-Chicago-Mexican-Food-Examiner~y2009m3d30-Huazontles-capeados-fried-lambs-quarters-in-preparation-for-Holy-Week)

Some lambs quarters information and recipes for the leaves:
http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/2006/05/lambs_quarters.html
http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/surprising-lambs-quarters/

Interesting Egg Video:
http://www.hertzmann.com/techniques/index.php?Egg-cetera

I will be posting pictures of last week's shares and the garden at our csa blog later today.

Thanks for your support,
Laura


Laura Timmerman
910 Greenfield Rd
Leyden, MA 01337
413-773-8325
laurat@crocker.com
http://lasting-impressions-on-the-farm.blogspot.com/