foxlinecityfarm

We’re good.  Another heavy week of weeding and managing the crops. The garden has loved the rain and steamy temperatures.  Many crops seem to double in size.  The bean plants are flowering and we see little threads of beans forming. Several rotations are in the garden now and  1 more will go in.  A steady supply of beans all season long and bulk canning boxes will be available for purchase if interested.    Cucumber and tomato plants are loaded and the cauliflower is heading up.  We laugh as Scott always says we are finally heading into “real food”.    This is the point in the season where we often rise with the sun to beat the heat and harvest early in the cooler morning temperatures and then guiltily take a quick nap in the heat of the day and return out at dinner time until dark.  It is a schedule that works for us.  I lost the battle with the “carrot pillow” weeding.  7 hours and Scott helping for an additional 4 with little progress…. to me it was not worth the huge amount of time with perhaps low yield.  I asked Scott to till it in.  3 other carrot rotations are in now and another HUGE one going in this week of the larger Fall/Winter storage carrots so we are not concerned just really disappointed that this area got away from us.  The raspberry patch looks great and this will be a treat to look forward to in the near future.  We are hoping to start are early potato harvest next week.  The test plants we dug (and ate) were delicious and abundant.  AND! the tomatoes are ripening!  REALLY!  Soon cherries in the shares and the others not too far behind.  We get pretty excited about tomato season around here as we plant many different heirloom varieties.

First tomato of the season!

Sungold on the vine.

Cherry tomato plants loaded with blossoms.

We are going to experiment.  We ran out of space early season to plant popcorn.  Something I hope we can get in every year and never do.  A cool heirloom variety called Bear Paw.  Well, space freed up this week and we pondered if we should try it or not.  We are on the cusp of having enough time before frost.  70 days to maturity.  After supper one night we went to the greenhouse and seeded in almost 1000 little cups each with a kernel of corn.  We hope for better germination with me keeping an eye on it and also not worrying about weed pressure early on.  Wish us luck as we are cutting it close!

Prepping popcorn pots.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

314 pounds of produce this week.  WOW!   A great week!  Enjoy……

Scott with all the produce in the cooler washed, weighed and ready to be portioned out.

SNACK PACK

Lettuce-Nice big bag of juicy assorted leaf lettuce.

Salad Turnips-A favorite in our house.  SWEET! and tender.  Maeve eats them like apples. A wonderful addition to salad, greens can be braised too.

1 of the turnip patches before harvest.

Peas- The end of the season.

Snow Peas- The  flat skinny guys.  Eat pod and all.

Sugar Snap Peas-Pull the string and eat pod and all.

Chinese Cabbage-Fluffy heads that hold forever in the refrigerator in air tight storage.  Eat fresh or stir fry.

Garlic Scapes-The top of the garlic plants.  Taste just like garlic.

Garlic scapes in the plant.

Kohlrabi-A few for everyone.  Crunchy and sweet.

Strawberries-REMAINING BARABOO SNACK PACK MEMBERS ONLY.

FULL SHARE

Spinach-The end of the summer season of this fantastic crop.  We noticed it was thinking about bolting and expected it to happen the week.  We harvested 11 pounds and pulled the plants.

Salad Turnips-A favorite in our house.  SWEET! and tender.  Maeve eats them like apples. A wonderful addition to salad, greens can be braised too.

Peas- The end of the season.

Snow Peas- The  flat skinny guys.  Eat pod and all.

Sugar Snap Peas-Pull the string and eat pod and all.

Shelling Peas-Shell and eat peas ONLY.

Chinese Cabbage-Fluffy heads that hold forever in the refrigerator in air tight storage.  Eat fresh or stir fry.

Beautiful Beets!-A big goal of ours this year is to grow primo beets. A struggle in the past for some reason.  We are on our way.  Several crops in the garden.  Enjoy greens too.

BEETS!

Fennel-Perfect! and right on time for a beet fennel salad. Also wonderful with apples, a potato gratin, or grilled.

Fennel in the garden ready to harvest.

Eggplant OR summer squash-An early start to both of these wonders…..either will appear in full share boxes only.

Eggplant in the field.

Summer Squash plants loaded!

Garlic Scapes-The top of the garlic plants.  Taste just like garlic.

Sour Cherries-Surprise!!!!  We cut each and every one of these little beauties off the neighbor’s unsprayed tree with a snippers.  2+cups each.  Enough for a batch of scones, muffins, or a small crisp.

Cherries on the tree.

The harvest.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-baby kale, cabbage, potatoes!!!!, zucchini,  cauliflower?, sweet thai basil,  + more……..

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Another powerhouse week in the garden.  The rain came!!  Just about 5 inches here in a short time and we were starting to worry it would not stop.  Perfect for us and no washout issues or flooding.  We are grateful.  The garden grew in leaps and bounds in response to the moisture and heat.  Tomatoes are growing tall and loaded with blossoms and fruit, the bean plants doubled in size and the watermelon is flowering.  Cucumber vines are inching their way up the trellis,  baby zucchini forming, and  eggplant too which is shocking to us.  The garden is strong and healthy.

Baby Zucchini. Maybe next week a few in the boxes????

Really! This early…. That is eggplant. Tons of them out there.

Cabbage plants heading up nicely.

I was the Weeding Queen all week and my shoulders sure knew it…..we blasted through all the cruciferous crops, fussed with the leeks for hours on end, spent an afternoon hanging out with the rows and rows and rows of potatoes making sure all weed free and perfect.  I have 1 long carrot bed that is calling me yet but the soil was just too wet to tease away the weeds from the thread like baby carrot seedlings.  I am calling that area the “carrot pillow” as there is a nice fluffy canopy of weeds that shouts at me every day when I enter the garden.  A priority this week is the rain hold off.

Taking a break from weeding. Brussels sprouts in front of me and cabbage behind.

We started another row of green beans in the garden. Transplanted another rotation of fennel, kohlrabi, and cabbage out there too.  We direct seeded in a few varieties of Fall Turnips, and anther round of radishes in the hoop house and 2 rotations of lettuce.  AND all our Fall/Winter crops were started in the greenhouse.  Crazy to me that it is time to be thinking about this already.  Busy but it feels good.

Scott had time to add to Maeve’s playground area and got the slide up.  We hope to start the living willow fort this week.  We have had the willow slips rooting in buckets since Spring and excited to get this project started.

Leveling the slide.

Our time and focus now shifts to the daily duties of monitoring harvests along with weed management…..Daily walks around the garden and planning what and when we need to pick.  The major crops are in or started in the greenhouse at this point and now we maintain and enjoy the bounty.

It was another big deal harvest this week!  We are all going to eat really really well.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

256 pounds of produce went out the door today.

SNACK PACK

Baby Spinach-Delicious and tender deep green leaves.  I have mentioned this before (a few times) this is our best Spinach year ever!  What we harvested this week was 2 long rows planted as a hopeful early season extender of this tasty crop.  Not a heat lover.  You never know with the summer heat if it will preform or just give up.  We gave this area lots of attention, lots of water and shade cloth.  It worked!   We are glad.

Spinach before harvest.

Spinach after harvest.

Swiss Chard-So pretty.  Long thin tender stalks and juicy leaves.  A favorite of mine.  This crop does not like heat either so it will be pulled and a new crop is already started in the greenhouse for Fall harvest.

Beautiful Swiss Chard before harvest.

Peas!!!!!-They have started and it is a strong crop.  The vines flowered much shorter than last year’s too huge never ending pea crop.  We had concerns.  All is well.  Enjoy the start of the pea season.

Sugar snap-Pull the string and enjoy pod and all.

Snow-Thin beauties.  Wonderful in stir fries or fresh eating with dips or salad.

The pea vines are loaded and Scott even had to add bracing as we were concerned the weight of the crop would pull from the trellis.

Baby Carrots-Sweet!  Maeve says,  “tastes like candy”.  A fantastic harvest for us and a treat.  Enjoy.  I forgot to take a picture this year of how we wash our carrots.   An old wringer washing machine.  Will add pictures here from the past so new members can take a look.

A peek inside at the carrots.

Scott and Maeve having a quick snack break.

Final rinse.

Pac Choi-A  surprise huge harvest for us.  Will keep for weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Dill-This crop doubled in size in the rain.  Makes a zippy fresh dressing, great on fish or add to salad for flavor.  Lots more coming.  Several rotations in the garden for cucumber time.

Strawberries-MADISON SNACK PACK SHARE MEMBERS ONLY

FULL SHARE

Lettuce-Crisp, pretty lime green leaf.  A variety I wanted to try because of the name.  Frizzy haired lady.  This is the time of year we have to get up and in the garden at 5 to pick the leafy greens.  Nice and cool from the evening temperatures.  Rough some mornings but so important to ensure quality.

Broccoli-Those Spring Broccoli plants are producing abundant tasty side shoots.

Mizuna-A spicy asian green that can be sauted or enjoyed fresh in salads.

Baby Spinach-Delicious and tender deep green leaves.  I have mentioned this before (a few times) this is our best Spinach year ever!  What we harvested this week was 2 long rows planted as a hopeful early season extender of this tasty crop.  Not a heat lover.  You never know with the summer heat if it will preform or just give up.  We gave this area lots of attention, lots of water and shade cloth.  It worked!   We are glad.

Swiss Chard-So pretty.  Long thin tender stalks and juicy leaves.  A favorite of mine.  This crop does not like heat either so it will be pulled and a new crop is already started in the greenhouse for Fall harvest.

Peas!!!!!-They have started and it is a strong crop.  The vines flowered much shorter than last year’s too huge, never ending pea crop.  We had concerns.  All is well.  Enjoy the start of the pea season.

Sugar snap-Pull the string and enjoy pod and all.

Snow-Thin beauties.  Wonderful in stir fresh eating with dips or salad.

Baby Carrots-Sweet!  Maeve says tastes like candy. A fantastic harvest for us and a treat.  Enjoy.

Pac Choi-A  surprise huge harvest for us.  Will keep for weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Dill-This crop doubled in size in the rain.  Makes a zippy fresh dressing, great on fish or add to salad for flavor.  Lots more coming.  Several rotations in the garden for cucumber time.

Strawberries- ALL MADISON MEMBERS THIS WEEK.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-fennel, kale, lettuce, garlic scapes, peas, beets???, turnips and more.

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A fantastic week of garden duties.  We were weeding fools and it feels wonderful to see the nice clean rows of beets and onions.  Our herb area is all spiffed up and the million itty bitty sweet annie shoots pulled out.  I left 2 because I love the way it smells but I bet I will regret this decision next year as it reseeds itself everywhere.

Scott got all the tomatoes tied up on the trellis.  The plants look strong and robust and it seems they are growing several inches overnight. 

Scott trellising the tomatoes. He trims the lower branches off for improved air flow and also dips his tools in a fungicide after each plant.

Another loooooooong row of summer broccoli went in and the hoop house cleared of a huge lettuce bounty.  We have prepped it and will replant several new crops. We feel good to be on top of thing so far and the weeds not overwhelming.  This is the time of year that weeding must take priority in daily tasks or several crops will be quickly choked out and disappear.  Time was spent in the greenhouse seeding in another round of cabbage, dill, fennel, broccoli (again), lettuces, basil and pac choi.

The garden looks good.  Potato plants flowering and peppers beginning to set.  Lots of irrigating day and night and we are wait for rain.

It was an amazing week of harvest and it seemed that every day there was something else saying “pick me!, pick me!” and we were surprised.  We have the big problem of overabundance and it is a good problem to have…..enjoy this weeks maga harvest of garden goodness.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

248 pounds of garden delights went out the door today…..

SNACK PACK

Pac choi-A favorite of mine this year.  Will hold forever in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.  Enjoy braised with garlic (scapes) in olive oil and a bit of soy sauce. Also, delicious raw roughly chopped in a salad with a soy dressing, oranges and almonds.

Tat Soi-  Our “try something new” item this week.  A slightly spicy asian green.  Crunchy stems and green leaves are all edible.  Can be stir fried or eaten raw as an unique addition to the maga lettuce harvest this week.

Arugula- A snappy peppery bunch.  Adds a kick to fresh green salads or amazing on pizza.  A fellow CSA member makes a tasty arugula pesto to be enjoyed over pasta.

Garlic Scapes-The curly tops off the garlic plants.  Tastes just like garlic cloves.  Use as you would garlic cloves in meal preparation.

Garlic scapes in the plant.

Harvesting the scapes.

The long garlic rows.

Sunflower Shoots-Delicious nutty flavor.  Add to amazing salads this week, top off a sandwich or garnish soups.

Sunflower shoots grown in trays in the greenhouse. Before and after “harvest”.

Lettuce Bonanza-We had several lettuce varieties that were ready to pick.  3 unique types that will make a stunning salad.

Kohlrabi-a few of these snappy snackers.

FULL SHARE

Pac choi-A favorite of mine this year.  Will hold forever in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.  Enjoy braised with garlic (scapes) in olive oil and a bit of soy sauce. Also, delicious raw roughly chopped in a salad with a soy  dressing, oranges and almonds.

Tat Soi-  Our “try something new” item this week.  A slightly spicy asian green.  Crunchy stems and green leaves are edible.  Can be stir fried or eaten raw as an unique addition to the maga lettuce harvest this week.

Arugula- A snappy peppery bunch.  Adds a kick to fresh green salads or amazing on pizza.  A fellow CSA member makes a tasty arugula pesto to be enjoyed over pasta.

Garlic Scapes-The curly tops off the garlic plants.  Takes just like garlic cloves.  Use as you would garlic cloves in your meal preparation.

Lettuce Bonanza-We had several lettuce varieties that were ready to pick.  3 unique types that will make a stunning salad.

Baby Spinach-This was 1 of those crops that shouted “pick me!,  pick me!” to us at 6 last night.  So we did in a flurry of harvest and washing and packaging…..we were hoping it could wait a week but with projected high temperatures we worried it could not make it.  ENJOY! the surprise.

Peas!-a pint for everyone. The harvest has just begun.  An early variety called Sugar Ann Snap peas.  Pull the string and eat pod and all.  Delicious.  More to come…….

Saute Mix-A unique blend of many different greens for fresh eating or stir fries.  Delicious over eggs.

Basil plant-Nice big plants to for basil all summer long.

Strawberries-Baraboo Full Share only this week-1 pint. Our patch is not big enough to harvest the quantity needed in 1 picking for all members.  We will rotate groups each week until all members receive a pint.

Belated Happy Father’s Day wishes to all the Dads in our CSA family. We hope you had a wonderful day with your children.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-Swiss chard, peas, carrots, kale, lettuce, mizuna greens, garlic scapes. strawberries, and more…..

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A good week and a busy week of the last BIG duties in the garden.  The huge pepper planting job is done!  We are excited about our pepper selections this year.  Last year we tested out a few of the mini sweet peppers that are so delicious for quick snacking.  Perfect for single serving and oh so sweet and beautiful.   These plants performed well in the garden and we received a lot of positive feedback from members about how much they enjoyed them in the boxes last season.  We dedicated a nice long row to these colorful minis called lunchbox and bangles.  We also expanded our sweet bell plantings and planted more of those beautiful Bull Horns named Carmen.  In our opinion the best for summer grilling.  Hot Pepper choices we winnowed down to the delicious anchos and jalapeños.  We are also testing a new jalapeño being offered for the first time that has the jalapeño flavor and no heat.  We will see what we all think of this……The remaining pepper plants were donated to the Baraboo Food Pantry Garden and the Baraboo Community Garden Space.

A nice long row of the mini sweet Lunch box and Bangles Peppers.

Our assorted Sweet Pepper row. We plant these on reflective plastic mulch to increase yield. Scott covers the mulch with straw after we first plant to prevent “sunburn” with the intense sunlight. We will slowly brush back the straw as the plants settle in.

The trellis went up for our cucumbers and I was right behind with the seedlings going in.  Long thin skinned European beauties, TONS! of mini thin skinned snackers, those delicious white salt and pepper guys that are my favorites.  We shortened the row of  true pickling/eating cucumbers that we had an overabundance of last year and thought it would NEVER end.

The cucumbers. We grow our cucumbers on a trellis for ease of picking and keeps them cleaner off the muddy ground.  A nice long row of carrots are under the cloth row cover to the left in this photo.

Other big duties checked off the list this week……spaghetti squash in, melons in, edamame in, a second planting of celery and celeriac, a 3rd planting of green beans seeded in,  loooooooooooooong rows of beets and carrots seeded in the hoop house less than 24 hours after the green onions and spinach pulled and ground prepped.  Hustle Hustle…..

This week our gears shift to weeding and maintenance duties.  Our first and second plantings of beets and carrots need attention.  It is difficult to weed too early as the little seedlings need time to develop.  Well, the weeds grow right along with them and they need to disappear.  Fussy and time consuming to thin and weed.  Our organic sweet potato slips arrived on Saturday and they are waiting until tomorrow to be planted as we were focused on harvest over the weekend.  500+ slips will go in the ground for early Fall harvest.

The tomato plants have settled in and now require support on the trellis.  We grow our tomatoes on panels in an espalier fashion.  Wide rows and lots of airflow improves production.

This is a picture from last year. Tying up the tomatoes….This tool is a huge time saver.

Tomatoes already developing on the vines….the plants are loaded with blossoms and we wonder if we will have early tomatoes this year.

The garden is beautiful at this point in the season…..a quick tour…..

Eggplant blooms.

Potato blossoms.

Next week’s Swiss Chard harvest. Gorgeous!

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

176 pounds of garden goodness went out the door today!

Harvest this week went smoothly.  We are comfortable with the volume required and the time needed to clean and process the produce.  Very little “freak out” on my part.  The plants matured as expected and the weather cooperated.

Counting out the green onion harvest.

Bundles of Green onions ready to be banded….it looks like I am a huge fan of the “spray tan” this year!

Major flash glare on the chalk board today……sunlight “issues” by the cooler.

SNACK PACK SHARE

Lettuce-A nice juicy head.  Lettuce is perfect at this time in the season.  Cooler temps and slower growth.

Radish Medley-The last of the radishes for awhile.  We have cleared the beds and waiting to reseed a few weeks…They hold well in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Asian Green-This variety is called Tokyo Bekana.  Bright lime green ruffled leaves.  A bit like a loose Chinese cabbage in flavor and texture.  Can be enjoyed raw in salads or sautéed.  Delicious and a favorite in our house.

Green Onions-A nice bunch of mild beauties.  These were started from seed in Feburary and  harvest from the hoop house.

Broccoli-A snack sized bag from our early broccoli trials.  Small head formation due to the quick transition to summer heat but deliciously tender and flavorful.

Mini Basil Bundle-The Basil plants got a haircut.  A sweet treat for a pasta dish or added to fresh salads.

FULL SHARE

Lettuce-A nice juicy head.  Lettuce is perfect at this time in the season.  Cooler temps and slower growth.

Mini Lettuce Heads-Deep green bib lettuce heads.

Radish Medley-The last of the radishes for awhile.  We have cleared the beds and are waiting to reseed a few weeks…They hold well in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Asian Green-This variety is called Tokyo Bekana.  Bright lime green ruffled leaves.  A bit like a loose Chinese cabbage in flavor and texture.  Can be enjoyed raw in salads or sautéed.  Delicious and a favorite in our house.

Green Onions-A nice bunch of mild beauties.  These were started from seed in Feburary and  harvest from the hoop house.

Spinach-A BIG juicy bag and the end of this cool loving Spinach crop until Fall. The plants were thinking about bolting and production goes way down too in the heat so we pulled the plants.  We have 2 long rows of baby spinach planted.  This 2nd variety can withstand the heat a bit more and should be ready in the next week or 2.

Kohlrabi-A few early heads in all full share boxes.  A Maeve favorite and several plantings already in the garden.  These will appear again in future boxes throughout the season.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-lettuce, asian greens, pac choi, sunflower shoots, basil plants, peas?????, swiss chard, and more……

Our entertainment during box prep. Maeve practicing  “flower girl duties” for a fictitious future wedding.

Remember to return your share boxes and bags each week for future reuse.  Thanks!

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We’re Off!  Happy First Pick up of the 2014 Summer CSA Season.  It is a beauty!

The garden is in great shape and we are on schedule with our planting.  Our first Spring with the hoop house has been a joy and we are thrilled with the volume and quality of produce we are able to harvest.

Hoop house crops for future food shares.

Organic Sweet Potato Slips arrive this week and the huge job is getting our 200 pepper plants all in are on the “to do” list.

Pepper plants ready to be translated into the garden.

Last Tuesday we planted 200 tomato plants and they have settled in nicely.  Many of the crops seem to double in size overnight with the warm temperatures.  So different than last year’s long cold Spring.

Cabbage Plants the doubled in size in 2 days.

Remember this picture a few post back…….

Here are the baby birds today………

We look  forward to the season and sharing the garden and all it’s surprises with you this season.  Thanks!

It’s funny.  With every weekly share we worry/wonder if there will be enough.  A constant thought that floats through our minds throughout the week- every week of the season.  Holy Cow!  This week’s harvest is over flowing and we even had to hold off harvest on a few goodies for next week’s share so we were not all overwhelmed. A great first share.  Enjoy dinner tonight!

Scott packing up this week’s produce.  255 pounds of garden goodness.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

SNACK PACK

Lettuce- a delicious juicy variety called little gem.  An early season favorite around here.

Mini Pac Choi- Itty bitty miniatures to eat raw, added to salads, or in a quick sauté.

Baby Carrots-Surprise!  Snappy and nothing better.  Enjoy!  We are thrilled with the harvest.  These carrots were started in large crates in March and April to ensure an early harvest treat!

Harvesting the early carrots.

The bounty!

Radish Medley-2 varieties white icicle and french breakfast.

Scott harvesting the radishes.

Spinach-A Jumbo bag for all shares.  This is the best spinach we have ever grown thanks to the  hoop house.  This crop was started in Mid February.

The official taste tester.

Pink Kitten Spinach-Beautiful.  And such a funny name.  This crop was planted outside last Fall and is one of the reasons we pushed the fist share pick up ahead 1 week.  We were concerned it would decline in the heat and wanted to make sure that the regular season received a portion as the Spring Share Members loved it.

Pea Shoots-We grew these in the hoop house too.  Some of you may even find a developed Pea or 2….use as a garnish on salad or soups or dress up a sandwich.  Eat stems and all if you wish.  Tastes just like fresh peas.

FULL SHARE

Lettuce- a delicious juicy variety called little gem.  An early season favorite around here.

Mini Pac Choi- Itty bitty miniatures to eat raw, added to salads, or in a quick sauté.

Baby Carrots-Surprise!  Snappy and nothing better.  Enjoy!  We are thrilled with the harvest.  These carrots were started in large crates in March and April to ensure an early harvest treat!

Sorting the washed carrots.

Radish Medley-2 varieties white icicle and french breakfast.

Spinach-A Jumbo bag for all shares.  This is the best spinach we have ever grown thanks to the  hoop house.  This crop was started in Mid February.

Bringing in the 37 pound harvest of Spinach.

We FINALLY! invested in a super greens spinner. In the past we used regular little lame kitchen salad spinners and it took FOREVER.
What a time saver.

Greens spinner in action.

Pink Kitten Spinach-Beautiful.  And such a funny name.  This crop was planted outside last Fall and is one of the reasons we pushed the fist share pick up ahead 1 week.  We were concerned it would decline in the heat and wanted to make sure that the regular season received a portion as the Spring Share Members loved it.

Pea Shoots-We grew these in the hoop house too.  Some of you may even find a developed Pea or 2….use as a garnish on salad or soups or dress up a sandwich.  Eat stems and all if you wish.  Tastes just like fresh peas.

Broccoli-REALLY!  We are testing 3 different early Spring/Summer Broccoli varieties….This variety here developed quickly and a bit small for our liking but a nice early unexpected surprise from the garden. More to come.

Rhubarb-A 2 pound bundle for a pie or crisp.  A variety called Canadian Red and my grandfather’s plant that we transplanted here from his garden in Wausau.

The rhubarb harvest.

Please remember to return your bag/box the following week for reuse.

Look what is just around the corner……

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-lettuce, salad turnips, green onions, asian greens, pac choi, and more…..

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