foxlinecityfarm

Busy activities in the garden last week.  A “focused hustle” was our mantra every day.  The chilly nights of threatening frost caused us a bit of worry.  Scott covered many of the cold sensitive plants with white protective row cover to keep them safe from a harsh chill.  In the morning sun it all had to come off and then back on again in the night.  I think (hope) we are finally past the threat of frost and this duty can disappear until Autumn.  We finally finished the huge job of planting all the onions.  About 4000 starts all went in by hand.  1 at a time. I’m not going to say it was an easy task,  I needed to take a power nap 1/2 way through, rough to stand upright when the job was done after being scrunched over for hours on end. But it is done!!!  Another duty that was floating around at the top of the “to do” list too long and kept getting pushed back by the rain.

The looooooooong looooong row of onions!

The hoop house has been cleared out and transformed with new seedlings.  It amazes me how the crops change so quickly.  We are readying ourselves for the start of the Summer Share Season.  Warm loving lettuces have been planted, a fresh rotation of Asian greens, an experiment with early beans, more radishes and a few more surprises for the summer all nestled in.

We are going to take a few weeks off before the start of the Summer Share Season…..PROJECTED START DATE IS MONDAY JUNE 9th.  We want to give the outside garden plants a chance to catch up with the hoop house growing.  We will keep you posted.

Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplant growing big and strong in the greenhouse.

Heirloom tomato plants.

Assorted lettuce and celery for the garden.

I gotta say we have a really good feeling about this year!  We are on track and not feeling pulled along or overwhelmed by the work load.  Maeve enjoys her time “helping” in the gardens, hoop house and greenhouse or playing in the sandbox making us imaginary food for our breaks in her “cantina”.  My personal favorite- pretend chocolate cake cooked for 29 minutes at 875 degrees with a dandelion sprinkle garnish.  Life is good.

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

Hard to believe that this is the last box of our 1st Spring Share Season…..Thank You!  We loved the experience and are gratefully amazed with the fantastic bounty we were all able to enjoy these first cold weeks of Spring from the hoop house.  After a long Winter fresh greens sure taste delicious and we were happy to share with you.

It’s pretty amazing this week……A 9.50 pound box of culinary delights!

Loose Leaf Lettuce Mix-A big 1/2 pound bag of mixed lettuces.

Saute Mix-A blend of mildly spicy Asian greens.  Perfect for a light sauté or can be enjoyed raw in salads.

Spinach-An absolutely beautiful variety called Pink Kitten.  Isn’t that a funny name?  Honestly, I wanted to grow it just because the name made me chuckle.  We started this variety last Fall and it is a stunning!  1/2 bag of this gem.

Pretty Pink Kitten Spinach after harvest.

Scott double rinsing the Spinach.

Pink Kitten in it’s final rinse.

Red Spring Turnips-Spicier than the white variety.  Again, remember that the greens are delicious raw or braised.

JUMBO bag of assorted radishes-3 varieties in the mix.  Keep in an air tight bag in the refridgerator and they will last until Summer Share starts up again.

Radishes ready to be picked.

Diakon Radish-A big white early variety that we started in the hoop house in February.

Arugula-A smaller bundle.  A delicious Spring and Autumn treat.

Rhubarb-2.75 pounds in every box.  Rhubarb is a favorite of mine.  I love a crisp or pie.  We have the family heirloom rhubarb plants  from my grandfather’s garden.  These plants are very special to me and bring many memories of my grandfather to me each Spring.

Grandpa’s Rhubarb planted near the pond.

Herbs!

Chives-A nice big bundle.

Sorrel-A delicious Spring herb.  A hint of lemon.  Wonderful accent to a radish salad or with strawberries.  I love it with fish too!

Cilantro-The perfect fresh garnish.

Potted Basil- Several little starts in the pot.  Snip and enjoy or divide up and transplant into larger containers for a full summer of basil.

Mysterious winged woodland fairy visitors appeared while we were harvesting in the garden last night.   They danced with magical pixie dust in the breeze and cast enchanted spells with a plastic wand……

Feel free to return your white food box with the start of the Summer Share Season…..if you prefer to return earlier drop it off in the garage at your convenience.

ENJOY this last Spring Box of Goodness and again we thank all of you for sharing this early season with us!