Farm Update
 |
| This Swiss chard is looking bright and lovely in the field! |
Hi everyone! Man, it got hot again in a hurry! Last week, we were breathing a sigh of relief that we had gotten some rain and we could take a break from irrigating. All of the moisture that made its way into the soil last week is now long gone, and now we're back to irrigating like crazy to keep all of the veggies from wilting in this heat!
You know when you're in rush mode trying to get out the door on time, or you're pushing against a major deadline and you can't think about anything else until you finish your project? That was pretty much us every day last week. We have a pretty good crew that consists of me and Fred, two full-time employees, and two part-time guys who each come in one or two days a week. Well, one of our full-time employees was out for three days last week with what we think is the stomach bug that's been going around. (He took a Covid test that came back negative, so probably no worries there, but he was feeling pretty awful.) So the rest of us were in major hurry mode to get everything harvested, washed, packed up, and on the truck in time to leave for the drop-offs. Fortunately, we got it all done, and we didn't fall down on any of our commitments, but it was intense. I was definitely glad to return to the farm after the Midland drop-off on Thursday, put the remaining veggies in our big walk-in cooler, and know that we were done with the harvests and drop-offs for the week.
And on Friday morning, we got an unusual treat! We had the school-age students from our local nonprofit childcare center, the Children's Discovery Academy in St. Louis, come out to the farm for a field trip! I got to give them a lesson on ecosystems and all that goes into making a farm work, and it was super fun! The kids enjoyed walking around the fields and identifying the various plants growing, talking about which parts we eat from each plant, and seeing how we weed and water everything. They also got to see our wash/pack area in the barn and get an idea of how our system works on harvest days. Then I brought the veggies that we had leftover after our Thursday drop-off out of our walk-in cooler, and the kids got to choose some veggies to take home to their families. Their favorite part, though, was the little machine we have to close up the bags of veggies that go to the stores we sell to. It's just a little machine that quickly applies tape to our plastic bags, and we call it the kachunker, because it makes a ka-chunk sound when it does the tape. The kids got to use the kachunker to close up their bags of veggies, and that that was their favorite part by far! Who knew? :-)
In other news, the tomatoes are ripening! We're going to have our early variety of Gold Nugget cherry tomatoes in the shares this week, and we've harvested the first few ripe romas for our own kitchen, so it's only a matter of time before we have enough to bring to you! Like the blueberries, tomatoes are one of the sure signs that it's the height of summer! And speaking of blueberries, we'll have them in the shares again this week, but it's not looking like we'll have a lot for bulk orders. I'll keep you posted, but if you have the opportunity to get bulk blueberries from another farm in the meantime, I'd take advantage of that. Each season, we win some and we lose some, and it looks like the blueberries will be a little less profuse than in many other years. But showing the kids around the farm this morning, I was struck again by just how much life is happening out there. The end of July is my favorite time of year, and I am relishing all of the sun, the abundance of produce from the farm, and the vibrant outdoor world around us!
So that's it for this week! See you all at the drop-off!
If you've never eaten or worked with fennel before, you're in for a treat! It looks like a pale green bulb with long, darker green fronds on top, and you can actually use both parts of the plant! There are a bunch of great things you can do with the bulb, from shaving it in thin slices and eating it raw, to roasting fennel wedges (here are some fabulous fennel tips, tricks, and recipes from Love and Lemons). The fronds are totally delicious on top of fish, and they actually also make a lovely and satisfying tea that has traditionally been used to sooth an upset stomach. Whatever you decide to do with your fennel, I bet it will be a new favorite!
What to Expect in the Shares this Week
If you pick up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-off, here are the options for your shares! If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item from each choice category, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two. And if there is something you don’t like or can’t eat, you can bring it to the trading station at the end and trade it for something you like better.
- Yellow cherry tomatoes or blueberries
- Carrots or cauliflower
- Potatoes or beets
- Romaine lettuce or spring mix
- Basil, microgreens, parsley, or garlic
- Zucchini or cucumbers
- Fennel, chard, kale, or onion bunches
If you pick up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, Midland hospital, or Alma hospital drop-off, or if you have home or workplace delivery, here are your options! We have three different prepacked shares, and you can let me know which one you want by filling out this quick form by lunchtime the day before your drop-off. If you have a half share, you can choose one of these options, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.
Share A:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Spring mix
- Basil
- Zucchini
- Kale
Share B:
- Blueberries
- Cauliflower
- Potatoes
- Romaine
- Microgreens
- Zucchini
- Fennel
Share C:
- Blueberries
- Carrots
- Beets
- Spring mix
- Garlic
- Cucumber
- Onion bunch
Recipes
No comments:
Post a Comment