>Spring Week 4: Radishes, Milk, and Meats

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THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
Clockwise from Left:
• Collard Greens
• Chives
• Sorrel
• Kale or Cabbage Rapini
• Pea Shoots
• “White Icicle” Radishes

COMING SOON
• Salad Greens
• Mint
• Stinging Nettles

After what has seemed like an eternal winter, we feel like we’re experiencing spring. Mike and I were able to get a lot of ground worked up last week, and Sunday we planted all day–peas, fava beans, salad greens, spinach, arugula, etc. All the things that are safe to plant now. What a relief. With all those seeds safe in the ground, we hoped for rain, and got it Monday. It was almost as if we planned it.

And, as crazy as it feels (because our chronological clocks are still back in March, with the weather) we are starting farmers markets this week. Wednesday is opening day for Columbia City, and we return to West Seattle on Sunday. We don’t have much to sell, but we will be there consistently now, rain or shine, or snow.

I wanted to add a few notes about meats and milk. Our friends the Sillimans have been working hard all winter on building a microdairy and have obtained their Grade A Dairy license, and all the permits necessary to legally sell raw milk. We will have it available for all of our CSA members to pick up at the farm, in the farm stand fridge. They are charging $10 per gallon, plus a $3 jar refundable jar deposit. This luscious raw milk is from their grass-based Jersey mini-dairy. The cream is golden, and the milk is sweet. I highly recommend it. There is a sign-up list on the fridge, and once sales get going, Tom and Darlene will need to know how many gallons to bring each week, so please feel free to sign up. If you’re not signed up, please check with us before taking a gallon, so we have enough for everyone.

We are currently taking orders for purebred Berkshire PORK that will be ready in August. We have four halves remaining for purchase. Please ask for details if you’re interested. We also have three sides of honest-to-goodness, natural VEAL available. Our big cow makes SO much milk, that she can feed two calves, plus give us 2 gallons of milk every day, so she gets to feed extras. We get the Jersey bull calves from an organic dairy in Enumclaw, and convince big Skunky to feed them as her own until they get too pushy to have around. They get all the milk they want from her, and whatever grass or other plants they feel like nibbling on throughout the day. Can’t get much more natural than that. No dark boxes for confinement, no antibiotics. Lots of sunshine and mama attention–a much better life than they’d otherwise have, even if it’s a short one.

We had to put an old sow down a few weeks ago because her arthritis was making her very uncomfortable, and we chose to make a big batch of SAUSAGE. We have Sweet Italian and Bratwurst links available at the farm, vacuum packed and frozen.

And, finally, we are still taking orders for juicy fryer/roaster CHICKENS. We will be butchering every week, starting the first week of June. Some dates are filling up, but many are still available. Pick up an order form in the farm stand, or email me for a pdf.