Another happy week around here. We are chugging along. The 1st zucchini patch is planted with 54 assorted zucchini plants. Eggplant is in and we decided to add a few more plants this year. We planted a 1/2 row eggplant and finished the row with tomatillos and call it our novelty row. A new lettuce rotation went in hoop 1 and more lettuce seeded in the greenhouse. We seed in 300 every week to keep our rotation steady. Lots of watering and the irrigation is running somewhere all day as it is dry! All the tomatoes and peppers will go out this weekend and it will be nice to have some space in the greenhouse again.
Spring Share #4
green spinach, head lettuce trio, turnips, kohlrabi, green onions/scallion, basil plant
Green spinach-a HUGE! bag of juicy green spinach. Very flavorful.
Head lettuce trio-3 different heads of lettuce from hoop 1. Unique in texture and flavor.
Turnips-We are thrilled to have these little gems for 3 weeks of the Spring Share. A very good turnip year for us. Enjoy the delicious flavor that can only be found in early Spring.
Turnip polishing…..
Kohlrabi- great flavor with a great crunch. We love kohlrabi. Can be enjoyed raw or roasted.
Basil plant-These are ready to go to new homes. Started from seed about 7 weeks ago. Italian Genovese Variety.
Green onion/Scallions-First onion of the season. Strong flavor. Raw or cooked they add that fresh onion taste after a long winter of storage onions.
A happy productive week around the gardens and the days zipped right by. The biggest news is the potatoes are all in! A bit over 310 pounds went in the ground in a little over 5 hours. Our wonderful helper Jeannie placed them down the rows and we rolled along quickly. Always a relief to have that big job behind us. We are excited as we are trailing a few new potato varieties this year for fun. Pink fleshed beauties I am most excited about this Fall. See what the first few harvests bring.
A very long row of leeks went in….about 3500 in total and 3 different varieties. Scott said a long time ago it is like sticking yarn in a hole. It takes patience but I had a good audiobook and it was a beautiful day. We planted 2 sections of edamame. Fun to dream about eating this crop later in the season.
We reseeded the turnip area in the hoop houses with carrots, transplanted lettuce starts, another row of beans and 2 varieties of kohlrabi. 1 variety of the 3 we planted of sugar Snap peas did not germinate well so we opted to replant with a stronger variety. It’s a hustle this time of year. Over the weekend our good friends and helpers Brian and Al came and all the supports went up for the tomatoes, cucumbers and peas. We are grateful for the help of these wonderful friends. Scott got the shade cloth on hoop 2. A sure sign that summer is coming.
Scott securing the shade cloth on hoop 2 in the background and the tomato trellises in the foreground. All row cover between the rows will be secured and tomatoes go in next week.
Peppers and Tomatoes are our last big deal job and we will start planting the end of next week. The garden is filling up and it feels wonderful.
Spring Share #3
What is in your share-Pink Spinach, mini head lettuces, micro greens, turnips, kohlrabi, pac choi and cilantro.
Pink Spinach-DELICIOUS! So beautiful…makes a very pretty salad. Be sure to eat the stems as they hold the sweetest flavor. There are recipes out there for just spinach stems! Google if interested as there are many.
Mini head lettuces-We love these little gems….great fresh taste and are crunchy.
Turnips-We have the full harvest out of the ground and are thrilled with the yield. This is a Springtime treat. This Japanese variety only grows well in cooler temperatures….the taste turns bitter in the heat.
A favorite “turnip” image from 2 years ago!
Micro greens-We love snipping and adding these baby radish starts to fresh salads. A bit of a snappy kick!
Kohlrabi-1st Kohlrabi harvest out of hoop 2. These were transplanted out in late March for an early treat. Scott likes to comment that all the leafy greens are delicious but nice to have some “hard goods” in the spring shares.
Purple pac choi-A variety called Rosie. Grilled, sauteed, or raw it has great flavor.
Cilantro-We have several trays of cilantro ready to cut for these members that love the flavor of this tasty herb. A nice accent to Mexican dishes and fresh salads.
BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-FINAL SPRING SHARE-GREEN SPINACH, HEAD LETTUCE, GREEN ONIONS, BASIL PLANT AND MORE….
We are having our Tomato Plant/Garden starts sale in the driveway this Friday and Saturday 8-4 both days! Tons of tomatoes-slice including heirloom, paste and cherry. Peppers, basil. broccoli, broccolini, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, leeks, kale, brussels sprouts ground cherry and more….
A fun week around here….long rows of swiss chard went out in the garden and the 1st rotation of green beans seeded in. Cucumbers started in the greenhouse and a whole new rotation of asian greens. Friends came over the weekend and helped lay landscape fabric down our walking rows for a weed barrier and it looks snazzy out there. Scott has the irrigation set and running and we will lay the summer squash tarps this week for zucchini planting. We harvested 4 long sections of turnips from hoops 1 and 2 and they look fantastic. Carrots will be seeded in once the areas prepped. Feels wonderful to be back at it again! A few long days and early mornings but we sure are happy.
SPRING SHARE #2
What is in your share-head lettuce, leaf lettuce, radishes, baby kale, turnips, sweet potatoes and spinach
Head lettuce-A sweet and delicious butterhead variety of lettuce. Only grows well in Spring. A CSA favorite.
Leaf lettuce-Nice big bags of this tasty treat. Scott jokes it is like washing tissue paper! All our lettuces are tripple rinsed and air dried before we bag up for the shares.
Radishes-The garden gem medley from hoop 2. This finishes out this rotation.
Baby kale mix-Harvested small from hoop 1. Delicious in fresh salads or slighty wilted too.
Turnips!-The shining star of the week. We planted tons early this spring in booth hoop houses. They are delicious. Sweet and the texture! smooth as butter. Enjoy this delight.
Spinach-this is the 1st picking of our Spring planted spinach. Great harvest!
BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-Mini head lettuce, PINK SPINACH, pac choi, micro greens, kohlrabi?, turnips and more….
We love this time of year. New beginnings and hopeful. The hoop houses are planted with early-season crops and the outside garden is going in with cold-tolerant plantings. Long rows of broccoli, and broccolini too this year- cabbage, chinese cabbage, brussels sprouts and kale all in. We finished up the onions yesterday and calculated that about 9600 went in those rows! We joke when crops go in…”sure hope we have enough!” Peas are poking up and the garlic is tall. Our heated greenhouse is jammed FULL with all the tomatoes and peppers, squash and melon starts. The next rotation of hoop house crops are ready to be transplanted. Scott had to add two “additions” to the greenhouse this year and it now has wings on either side! A nice strong start to the season.
Spring Share #1
Spinach-A favorite Spring treat. This is the Spinach we transplanted into hoop 2 last August and wintered over. This is the final picking of winter-overed spinach. Next week we will transition to the 1st harvest of Spring planted spinach.
Pea Shoots-Keep these beauties on a bright windowsill on a saucer. Water as needed-Snip and eat the tender shoots with salads, as a garnish or wilt in a broth or stir fry for a delicious Springtime treat. Flavor is just like a fresh pea. This is a 1 and done. Will not regrow. Compost after all the shoots are cut.
Tokyo Bekana-A family favorite. A flavorful Asian Green. Tastes like a fluffy Chinese Cabbage. Add to raw salads or sandwiches for a bit of crunch or loft. Can also be quickly wilted and enjoyed as a warm side dish. We like to add a few shakes of soy sauce after wilted. Enjoy!
Pac Choi-2 varieties. Add to your fresh salads and enjoy raw. Grilled and slightly charred is fantastic. We also oven-bake on a cookie sheet for our veggie side at meals. Long storage life too.
Leafy baby greens mix-This is a fun little mix of assorted baby greens. Enjoy raw.
Radish Medley-We have 4 varieties planted in hoop 2 and will continue to harvest through next week.
BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-HEAD LETTUCE, LEAF LETTUCE, BABY KALE MIX, PAC CHOI, SPINACH AND MORE
foxlinecityfarm 