Spring Week 3: Staying Flexible

Torpedo Onions that didn’t get harvested last year, are the beginning of Spring Bounty.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• Spring Onions
• Turnip Rapini
• Pea Shoots
• Cilantro
• Kale
• Cilantro or Thyme

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

COMING SOON: Radishes, Lettuces, Arugula, Spinach, Carrots

I’m so glad I did extra searching for a bright red variety of Rhubarb! They don’t taste much different from the green stalks, but they’re sure prettier!

It goes without saying that Spring is a big season of change on the farm. What you don’t know is that this post has been hanging in my browser for several weeks, and I have changed the title three times—Spring Week 1, Spring Week 2, and finally Spring Week 3. And I’m finally getting it done.

There is the change in weather, from too darned wet and cold to do anything, or even think about doing any farming. And suddenly it becomes, OMG, it’s been dry for a couple days, we should try planting something! And then, we could try planting more! Or @*%& It’s raining again, I guess we’ll wait some more.

After Easter, my kids were begging for healthy food, “like greens”. So, I mixed up the last bunch of broccolini, the last bunch of curly kale, and a small bundle of asparagus. With garlic and olive oil. Hits the spot!

In our house, there is also a change of lifestyle—from full-time school to on-again, off-again farming. It’s a grey area of chaos. Where the schedule that I make suddenly can be thrown out the window, and I end up stressing out because nothing is getting done. The kids actually enjoy this, because it inevitably leads to extra screen time. Which results in a massive yo-yo effect of me backpedaling and throwing in extra chores, and more chaos, and more school, and more sun—oh no let’s plant more stuff!

So, yes. Spring is chaos here. On many levels.

Like my desk. This is why it is so important that you send in those silly pieces of paper called “application” for CSA and eggs, and poultry. Because on a chaotic day, I may not enter you into the computer before I do the deposit. Please send your silly paperwork. Just so that I can make sense and order on the rainy days, when I tidy up all the papers that I find under the seed receipts, and seed catalogs, and sticky notes, and lesson plans, and books, and dog toys.

The first asparagus of 2015—I sautéed them hot in a skillet with butter. So sweet and tasty!

I’m happy to report that we have a new employee. Jesus. He’s new to farm work, but is eager and hardworking, and chipper. And he and Teo get along well. They have been planting onions—and there are many. 40,000 plants or so. So far 4 beds of 17 have been planted. It’s a major job, but one that will pay off beautifully from June through September, and even next spring. Because those onions you are eating right now were actually planted this time last year!

Every year we dedicate a little more greenhouse space to early carrots. This year they get a WHOLE 30′ wide tunnel to themselves. Lots of carrots coming in May!

Speaking of planting—we got the greenhouses going super early! We are already picking cilantro, and this week we are harvesting the first of the Japanese turnips that were planted in early March. Hopefully next week we’ll have salad greens and radishes, and in a few weeks’ we’ll have the first of the early carrots! NEWS FLASH: We applied again for a hoophouse grant from the NRCS, which means we’ll be able to install two more big greenhouses in the fall. Thank you, USDA, for helping the little guys!