Summer Week 1

The potatoes are starting to bloom, and that means they are starting to form tubers! This pretty variety is Yukon Rose. Pinkish on the outside, yellow on the inside.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Garlic Scapes
• Pea Shoots
• Baby Carrots
• Pepper Cress
• Salad Mix
• Green Onions

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON:
Spinach
Peas
Beet Greens

Tender pea shoots in the morning sun. Make sure and enjoy them now, because their season is short.

This week we start our summer season, and it’s shaping up to be a great one. As I write this it is the first day of summer (yes, I’m a few days late posting) and it’s grey and rainy. But, the planting continues—all the squashes, cucumbers, and beans are popping up. The warm showers we are getting this week are great for watering in seeds and plants. Our early planting of peas is looking awesome—the plants are covered in blooms, and every flower becomes a pod. It’s looking like we will have many more shelling (also known as English) peas in this round than the sugar snap peas. But don’t worry! The second planting is much bigger and was not eaten by the wild rabbits. Cosmo had taken care of most of the rabbit problem before they were planted.

These are the chance early planting of shelling peas, thrown in the ground during the early warm spell in March. Every one of those flowers is going to be a pod—ready to pick in just another week or two.

We have nearly got the u-pick area complete—just a few transplants left to set out. There is nothing to pick just yet, but the flowers and peas will be along shortly, as well as the herbs. Just a bit more patience is needed. Once things are ready, I will post information everywhere, and there will be signs showing you where to go. In the mean time, feel free to cut blooms from last year’s volunteer cut-flower garden. There is no order, being that they seeded themselves, but they are pretty! Click here for the cutting instructions.

School is out finally, what a relief. No more bedtimes or forcing kids to get up after a short night of sleep. No more worries about having dinner at 10:00pm. And, the kids get to help more—yes, I said they GET to.

There are a bunch of flowers that volunteered from last year’s cut-flower patch. One of our honeybees is enjoying a poppy here—you can see her loaded pollen basket.

We continue to plant, and prime weeding season is here as well. What makes our intentional plantings grow well also encourages the weeds that we do not want. We are all gearing up for Teo’s wedding next week. If you pick up at the farm, look for the tip jar we’ve set up for him, to help with his honeymoon plans.

A few notes about the produce: Check the links for Pea Shoots and Garlic scapes for ideas on how to use them. Peppercress is a spicy member of the mustard family. Use it fresh in a salad or stick some in a sandwich, or add it to soup or other cooked dishes at the very last second. It’s not really a cooking green, better fresh.