foxlinecityfarm

Here comes Summer from the garden!  Another fantastic week filled with “Holy Cow!!!” surprises.  We spent our days with weed control as top priority and filling in the empty spaces in the garden that are slowly opening up as the early Spring crops leave us.  Another HUGE! late carrot bed went in, long long rows of beets, 450 summer broccoli, 3 rotations of lettuces, and seeds started in the greenhouse to ensure a steady flow of produce all season long.  We had to laugh out loud a few times this week at the amazing surprises we found.  The wind blew strong one afternoon and I glanced at the beans and was astonished “there are beans under there!”  Much earlier than expected.  Same with the eggplant….I wandered over and the plants were loaded with beauties.  A treat!  And then walking the wheelbarrow of weeds to the compost a shot of color caught my eye….cherry tomatoes!!! What is going on we kept repeating…We are moving on to summer.  Our pea harvest is done.  Next week we will clear the vines, prep the area and replant with beans.

We have a great harvest this week and looking forward to an amazing season.

A peek at all the coolness happening in the gardens…..

BEANS!

Cherry tomatoes on the vine.

And MORE!

Beautiful!

Lettuce transplants.

Scott prepped the soil….

And I followed with late carrot planting and beet transplants.

All in a day’s work.

Here’s another amazing thing that blows us away…..look what is around the corner!  Maybe next week!

SUMMER SHARE #5

We are beyond thrilled with the treats that fill the shares this week.  Lots of early bird harvests that we have never harvested in June.  Enjoy it all.  309 pounds fresh from the gardens.

Thank you to all that brought in stored up totes from home we are past the worry of running short.  

SNACK PACK

Head Lettuce, Mini cabbage head, Beta Mix (baby swiss chards and beet tops), Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Zucchini, Turnips, Garlic Scapes, and Cucumbers!

Head Lettuce-A sweet summer crunch.  Crisp and delicious.

Lettuce ready to harvest.

Mini Cabbage Head-The perfect size to add to salads, slaw or stir fry.

Cleaning the outer leaves off the cabbage in the shade.

Beta Mix-A beautiful mix of baby swiss chard and beet tops. Wonderful flavor.

Beta Mix at dawn ready to harvest.

Broccoli-More of that fantastic sweet early broccoli.  This is the last of the early season harvest.

Broccoli just about ready to be picked.

Broccoli just cut from the field.

Kohlrabi-This is the last of the early kohlrabi harvest too.  3 more rotations are in the field now AND we plant those monster huge ones too for Fall harvest.

End of the early Kohlrabi harvest.

Zucchini-The Zucchini patch is just starting to really produce.  We pick daily so they are small and tender.

This beauty sure was in a hurry.

Salad Turnips-We LOVE! these and they are VERY difficult to grow outside of the greenhouse as an early summer crop.  This year we did it!  Enjoy fresh.

Just picked Salad Turnips in the garden.  We sneak a patch in between the tomato rows before the tomato harvest begins.

All washed up and ready for the shares.

Garlic Scapes-This is the end of this early season treat.  Use as you would garlic cloves in your meal preparation.

Cucumbers!!!  The vines are just starting to produce and a taste is added to the snack pack shares only this week.

Another garden surprise this week.

1st cucumber harvest of the season.

FULL SHARE

Head Lettuce, Mini Cabbage head, Beta Mix (colorful blend of baby swiss chard and beet tops, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Turnips, Garlic Scapes, Eggplant, Beans!, and Beets.

Head Lettuce-A tasty summer crunch.

Summer Crunch Lettuce at harvest.

Mini Cabbage Head-Another mini head for fresh eating or saute, or slaw.

All cleaned up and ready for a dip in the wash tank.

Beta Mix-A pretty blend of mini swiss chards and beet tops.  This is the end of this crop for the season as it does not grow as well in heat.

Beta Mix just harvested and ready to be washed.

Broccoli-We are thrilled with our early broccoli harvest this year.  Enjoy!  This is the end of the early season broccoli.  More to come later in the season.

Broccoli just cut in the field.

Cauliflower-We did it!  This is a difficult crop for us for some reason in the Spring.  The flavor is amazing.  We had it roasted for supper last night and it was delicious.

Cauliflower in the field.

Zucchini-The summer staple.  A few patty pans too!

A morning harvest.

Salad Turnips-A difficult crop for us to grow outside the hoop house.  We had to compost most of the first harvest and succeeded with the 2nd bed we snuck in between the tomato rows.  Enjoy fresh.  A rare early summer treat!

Look at those love birds!

Garlic Scapes-The last of the scapes from the garlic plants.  Use as you would garlic cloves.

Eggplant-Not sure how that happened but here they are!  Enjoy this early season wonder.

Beans!-Another surprise this week.  We planted this crop right before that last late hard frost of the Spring.  We were unsure what would happen.

1st pick of the season.

Beets-A harvest of baby beets for dinner this week.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-head lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, kale, potatoes???, carrots??? (we are still waiting for these slow pokes), and more….

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Another happy week in the gardens. If you asked me what I did all week I would have to say “pick peas and water stuff”….Hours were spent in the pea patch and we have an amazing harvest this year of sugar snap, snow and shelling peas.  Scott’s daughter Amy crawled down the pea rows one day to help with a huge harvest and I am grateful for the help and companionship.  Watering the hoop house and greenhouse was a constant this week too with all the heat, sunshine and wind.   We also focused on weeding and bed preparations for mid season crops.  The greenhouse is filling up again with little transplants for the 2nd wave of plantings and we have even started some Fall transplants that have a longer growing time.

Space opening up in the garden for mid season crops.

We are officially “descaped” in the garlic patch.  FINALLY!  Scott and I made our way down the rows and cut the tops off all those gorgeous garlic plants.  Fresh garlic is around the corner!  This looks to be the best crop we have ever grown and we are looking forward to the first harvest.

Scott in the garlic patch.

Cutting the low garlic scapes.

Our crops look strong and healthy and about 2 weeks earlier if not more than last year which is a huge surprise given the late frost and cool temperatures this Spring.  The tomato plants grew 10-12 inches this week and are loaded with blossoms and baby tomatoes are forming.

Beans in our near future….FINALLY!

Here is a surprise in the garden….

Itty Bitty cucumbers….

And another early bird wonder….  What is going on!

The only crops that are taking their own sweet time are the beets and carrots.  These 2 both seem to have a mind of their own and hanging out some before they are ready to harvest.  They both look strong and several harvests are in the future but we wait and check on them daily.

SUMMER SHARE #4

324 pounds of garden delights are going home tonight.

A great harvest this week.  And Scott is always thrilled when we start morphing into the “hard goods” of the garden produce.  Enjoy your dinner this week.

Another reminder…..we need those totes back!  Dig around at home and in your car and please get them back to us.  150 green ones are out there floating around somewhere….

SNACK PACK

mini cabbage head, chinese cabbage, head lettuce, kohlrabi, radish medley, snow peas, sugar snap peas, tokyo bekana (lime green asian green), garlic scapes

Mini cabbage head-We planted tons of these little guys.  We love the size.  Perfect for a few salads, or added to stir fry.

Mini Cabbage heads ready to harvest.

Chinese Cabbage-Delicious mini heads of sweet greens.  LONG storage life in the refrigerator.

Chinese Cabbage soaking in wash tank #1.

Head Lettuce-A sweet summer crunch called Muir.

Muir Head lettuce at harvest.

Kohlrabi-A snappy head for added crunch in the salads. Peel the outer skin and eat the crunchy and flavorful inside.

An early kohlrabi called winner.

Radish Medley-We try to squeeze in a late Spring/Early Summer radish harvest before it gets too hot.  A combination of pretty reds and pinks.

Radishes at harvest.

Snow Peas-A treat. Those flat little beauties.  Eat them raw added to salads or lightly stir fry.

Sugar Snap Peas-Eat pods and all.

Loaded Sugar Snap vines.

This is how I spent my WHOLE week!  Pea Picking.

Tokyo Bekana-A delicious lime green asian green.  Fresh or sauteed.

Tokyo Bekana ready to be picked.

Garlic Scapes-A nice big bundle.  Enough for a batch of garlic scape pesto.

Garlic scapes bundled and ready for the shares.

FULL SHARE

Mini cabbage, chinese cabbage, head lettuce, kohlrabi, radish medley, shelling peas, sugar snap peas, tokyo bekina, garlic scapes and zucchini!

Mini cabbage head-a sweet little guy to add to salads and stir fry this week.

Chinese Cabbage-a medium head in the shares this week.  Fresh or sauteed.  VERY long storage life.

Chinese Cabbage drying after their double dunk in the wash tanks.

Head Lettuce-This summer crunch variety is called Muir.  A sweet summer head lettuce.

Double rinsed and ready to be bagged for the shares.

Kohlrabi-2 heads for snacking this week.

Radish Medley-The last radish harvest until Fall.  A combination of pretty pinks and reds.

Radish harvest.  A thick radish patch nestled in between the zucchini rows before the plants grow too big.

Radishes drying in the sunshine.

Shelling Peas-A huge box of these sweet gems.  The 1st picking of the season.

1st shelling peas of the season.

Sugar Snap Peas-Eat pods and all.

Just picked Sugar Snap Peas.

Scott making his way down the pea rows….

Tokyo Bekana-Tasty lime green asian green for salads or stir fry.

Harvesting the Tokyo Bekana first thing in the morning before the heat sets in.

Garlic Scapes-A HUGE! bunch enough for a batch of pesto and then some….

Zucchini-Early Birds!  We just started picking 2 days ago.  We pick them daily small and tender.

Here they come….

Zucchini washed and ready for the Full Shares.

Busy bees in the zucchini patch.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-zucchini, head lettuce, broccoli, beets (full only) kale,  flat leaf parsley, cabbage and more.

Belated Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads in our CSA Family.  We take this picture every year in the same spot on Father’s Day.

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All good news!  Another perfect week of hard work, ample rain and heat.  We finished the last big “have to do” job of our early season. The melon patch is planted-all 380 transplants went in before noon and settled in with 2 perfect soaking rain storms the following days.  We are pleased.

Finishing up the last of the watermelon transplanting.

Scott has been trellising up the beautiful tomato plants that are growing tall and giving them a little extra pampering along the way.  Organic nutrients are added at each plant to ensure robust growth.

Scott tending to the tomato patch.

More beans, kohlrabi, and sunflowers went into the garden this week. Seeds were started in the greenhouse for late broccoli, beets and the weekly lettuce rotation in the hoop house.  The onions were weeded and we made our way down the cabbage rows for a quick primp.  The potatoes are flowering with a beautiful full canopy and peppers and zucchini forming too.  Cucumbers are flowering and we see itty bitty cucumbers forming.  The garden looks really strong with exciting crops right around the corner.

Tiny cucumber forming on the vine.

Peppers!

SUMMER SHARE #3

Please remember to return your reusable totes.  We are running low on our rotation.  

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

A great week of garden produce in the shares this week.  212 pounds of garden delights filled our shares this week. Delicious treats for dinner.  Enjoy!

SNACK PACK

Broccoli, baby arugula, swiss chard, baby asian greens mix, garlic scapes, and sugar snap peas.

Broccoli-A great early season broccoli harvest with 1 more row to harvest out in the field.  We ate some for dinner and Maeve said it was sweet!

Broccoli in the field

Baby Arugula-A peppery baby green that has a snap to it.  Great added to fresh salad, a pasta garnish, lightly sautéed or as a fancy pizza topper.

Baby arugula at harvest.

Swiss Chard-A pretty mix.  Our favorite colors.  Harvested Small and tender.

Bunching the Swiss Chard for the Shares.

Baby Asian Greens Mix-Another pretty combination of mild mustards, mazuna and kales.

Asian Greens ready to be cut.

Garlic Scapes-Those funny curly tops of the garlic plants.  We cut the tops to prevent flowering and promote garlic head development.  Tastes just like garlic.  Use as you would garlic cloves.  Fresh and tender stalks add wonderful flavor to your meals.

Garlic Scapes forming.

Sugar Snap Peas!-The start of the pea season.  The vines are LOADED!

Your pea picker this week.

Proud of her harvest.

And your pea packer this week.

FULL SHARE

Broccoli, Baby Arugula, Asian Greens Mix, Garlic Scapes. Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Snow Peas, Sugar Snap Peas.

Broccoli-Another early broccoli harvest.  Blue Wind and Green Magic came in from the field this week.  Flavorful and sweet.  More broccoli to come!

Next rotation of broccoli forming.

Baby Arugula-We planted long long rows of this peppery treat in the hoop house.  Enjoy fresh, lightly sautéed or added to pizza.  Delicious!

Arugula at harvest.

Arugula after harvest.

Swiss Chard-A colorful mix of tender stalk.

Maeve took this picture because she thought it looked pretty.  We agree.

Baby Asian Greens Mix-A mix of mild mustards, mazuna and kale.  Fresh eating or sauté.

Garlic Scapes-Tastes just like garlic.  Use as you would use garlic cloves.  These are the developing flower stalks we cut to promote head development of the garlic.  

Garlic Scapes cleaned and bundled ready for the shares.

Mini Cabbage Head-The perfect size.  We planted long rows of these sweet treats.  Small tender heads.

Mini Cabbage head in the field.

Sitting in the shade cleaning the cabbage before it goes to the washing station.

Kohlrabi-A few crunchy heads in each share. Remove the pretty lime green exterior and add to slaw, salads or cut in spears for dipping.

Kohlrabi in the garden.

Snow Peas!  The pea season has begun.  The first picking of snow peas.  Tender.  Snap the top and pull the thread and enjoy fresh or in stir fry.

Snow Peas on the vine.

Beautiful!

Sugar Snap Peas!-A huge first harvest of a favorite early crop.  They are HUGE! this year-sweet and tender too.

Sugar Snap on the vine.

Look at the size of those monsters!

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-Kale, head lettuce, peas glorious peas-snow and sugar snap, cabbage, garlic scapes, radishes and maybe…..

Zucchini!

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Our start of the summer season and things could not be better.

Life is good around here.  A big push to get many of the main crops in between the rain showers and we did it!  We are a bit tired but so happy the jobs are done.  We have moved past our life with potted tomato plants.  I am so glad.  Tomatoes are a big focus of our Spring.  We plant Mid February in the greenhouse, upgrade their containers early March and then water and lug them around all over the place for 2 months and worry if they are too hot, too cold, in too much wind, too much sun, not enough sun, getting enough to drink or too much.  A constant “always” on our mind.  Last week our tomato plants went in the patch in 2 long days of work.  Scott got all the trellises up and I hustled behind him planting all 408 tomato plants in the rows.  We expanded our patch this year and added an additional row of ALL red slicers (a full row is still dedicated to the amazing heirloom slicers) and another row of multi-colored cherry tomatoes for a bountiful supply come tomato season.  We can’t wait!

Scott with the tomato trellis panels.

This is what you look like after you plant 408 tomato plants! Very pretty I know.  Phew!!! The job is done.  You can also see turnips emerging next to the drip tape for an early harvest before the tomatoes are ready.

The Tomato Patch.

We are also thrilled the cucumbers are all in and trellis is up, a super long row of assorted sweet peppers all nestled in their row, two big zucchini patches planted, the eggplant is in, monster rows of brussels sprouts go on forever, potatoes look great and the peas and beans are flowering!  A “holy cow” 2 weeks of work but a relief to see the garden taking shape and all the transplants getting ample rain and warm weather.  Our sweet potato slips have finally shipped and we will plant them early next week and our sweet melon patch will be planted with watermelon and cantaloupe. These are last gigantic job of our Spring duties.  Weeding will now take top priority.  They too have flourished with all this rain and heat.

Sweet Peppers all in a nice neat row with a very weedy walkway (we like to call them “living walkways”) that will be tended to this coming week.

The broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage patch.

And look what might be just around the corner…..

Purple Potatoes!

Flowers on the pea vines.

Cabbage heading up.

Cucumber vines growing tall.

Things are shaping up to be a fantastic season and we are excited to share the bounty in our gardens.

After 2 late hard frosts we were amazed with the warm weather and rain that the outdoor gardens produced so quickly.  The outdoor spinach crop is beautiful and shouted to us to “start early!”.  We quickly assessed the other early crops and jumped in to start 1 week earlier than projected.  A bit of a hustle but a good problem to have.  Thanks to all members for making this happy adjustment.

Let the season begin…..

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

It’s a bounty this week….316 pounds of garden goodness is going out the door today.

Summer Share #1

All shares are packed in reusable totes.  Snack Pack is green and Full Share is orange.  Please return your totes for reuse with the following week’s pick up.

Snack Pack

Radish medley, beta mix, sweet “Bambi” head lettuce, lime green “Panisse” head lettuce, pac choi, spinach and rhubarb

Radish-A mix of long french breakfast, and red round beauties.  Radishes will last weeks in a sealed bag in your refrigerator.

Radishes snipped and ready to be washed.

Beta Mix-My favorite loose leafy green crop we grow.  A mix of beet tops and swiss chard.  Enjoy fresh or sautéed.

Bringing up the beta mix from the hoop house.

Bambi Lettuce-Mini dark green sweet heads.

Bambi in the hoop house.

Panisse Head lettuce-A wonderful “floppy” lime green head lettuce.

Pac choi-A juicy mini variety called White Flash.  Best grown in Spring.

Pac Choi at harvest.

Spinach!!!-A great outside crop for us and it may be short lived with all this heat.  Enjoy!  2 varieties a large green called Space and pretty Red Kitten.

Scott washing Spinach.

Spinach air drying before we pack it in tubs.

Rhubarb-Several different varieties and I always like to mention some from my grandfather’s plant that we moved from his garden after he passed away.  It is very special to me and it’s leaves are heart shaped.  Enough for a pie or crisp.

Scott cutting the leaves off the rhubarb stalks.

FULL SHARE #1

Radish medley, beta mix, sweet “Bambi” head lettuce, lime green “Panisse” head lettuce, pac choi, spinach, rhubarb and Asian Green “carlton”

Radish Medley-A big bag of assorted long french breakfast and little red round rollos.  Radishes will last weeks in a sealed bag in your refrigerator.

Harvesting radishes.

Beta Mix-A favorite.  A blend of mixed beet tops and swish chards.  Enjoy fresh or sautéed.  We planted another crop of this mix for later in the season.

Baby Beta Mix.

Bambi Lettuce-Mini dark green sweet heads.  Several of these sweet little gems are in your share this week.

Panisse Head lettuce-A wonderful “floppy” lime green head lettuce.

Ready to harvest.

Pac Choi-A larger pac choi with thick juicy ribs to enjoy fresh or sautéed.

Spinach!!!-A nice big bag….A great outside crop for us and it may be short lived with all this heat.  Enjoy!  2 varieties a large green called Space and pretty Red Kitten.

Spinach at harvest.

Red Kitten with it’s 3rd and final rinse.

Spinach triple rinsed and ready to bag for the shares.

Rhubarb-Several different varieties and I always like to mention some from my grandfather’s plant that we moved from his garden after he passed away.  It is very special to me and it’s leafs are heart shaped.  Enough for a pie or crisp.

The end of the rhubarb stalks after bundling.  It just looks pretty.

Carlton Asian Green-Traditionally used in Japan in stir fries and soups, it also is excellent braised or, at the baby leaf stage, used in salads.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-2 different leafy blends, head lettuce, pac choi, pea shoots, swiss chard, spinach and more…..

Happy end of the school year to all the kids in our CSA family.

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