Lovely little radishes. We are having them in our salads, but sadly, the tops are too tiny for bunching. They will need another week before we can harvest.
THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Baby Turnip Greens with Tiny Turnips
• Pea Shoots
• Chervil
• Sorrel
• Beet Greens
Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.
COMING SOON: Arugula, Carrots, Spinach
We got an early start with our kale and chard this year, by starting seeds in the greenhouse in March. Isn’t it cool how even their roots are the color of the eventual leaves?
After my depressing post last week, it’s time for the upswing. The sunny weather did, in fact, come to pass. And it has been GLORIOUS! We have been working like crazy people, planting and cultivating, and planting some more. We actually even had to get the irrigation going, since little plants set into the ground on a 80+ degree day needs a wee drink. We planted all of our early kale and chard plants (9,000 and 5,000, respectively), our first planting of lettuces (4,000), green onions (1,500 bunches), and napa cabbage (600). We also seeded carrots, pea shoots, arugula, and spinach. Before the weekend, we will also be putting in second planting of peas, a first planting of snap beans, and the u-pick garden.
Sarah and Cosmo are getting the May batch of meat chickens settled. These little guys will be ready for harvest in July.
If the weather holds, we should be able to get even more planted, but we have run out of prepared ground. Mike will continue to get more ground worked up for the potatoes, and everything else. If it stays warm we could even be planting squashes this week. Over the past several weeks, Teo has also been planting our enormous onion crop—roughly 14,000 Italian Torpedo, 12,000 Walla Walla Sweet (even though we can’t really call them that) and yellow and red storage onions. We have replanted our mint beds, and tarragon (in a cold frame inside a greenhouse, to keep it safe).
This week’s weather forecast: Looking promising for getting all of our new plantings settled—and we’re ready for a wee break again anyway.
At this point, we are definitely looking good for summer harvest!
The garlic and shallots are growing beautifully in this warm spring weather. Just finished rototilling between the beds at dusk.
Please be sure to check the links for our menu items this week. Pea Shoots are new, but they and the other unusual greens have a page dedicated to their preparation.
We still have about 60 pounds (6 ten-pound units) of delicious grass-fed, ground beef available for pre-order. $65 per unit. Let us know if you’re interested—the butcher comes next week.
Whistling Train Farm 