foxlinecityfarm

Wonderful warm rain fell this past week and the gardens seem to double in size. We had over 2.5 inches total, and the severe weather skirted around us gratefully. It was a nailbiter the night the city sirens wailed as we had just finished planting the last row of our 400 tomato plants. We worried about hail as the storm clouds rolled in. All good here.

A strong week for us with crops going in the ground. Feels good to have all the tomatoes planted. The eggplant is in, tons of kohlrabi transplanted, parsley transplanted, lettuce rotations transplanted into hoops 1 and 2, a long row of carrots, a long row of beets transplanted-very fussy, 1/2 the cucumbers are transplanted, and the long summer squash patch is in! Fun ornamentals and flowers also added to the gardens. Space opened up in our greenhouse-finally! with all those tomatoes moving on and we seeded in flats of broccoli, lettuce, late basil, asian greens and more. We are transitioning to garden production and summer.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

Basil plant, kohlrabi, rhubarb, head lettuces, Chinese cabbage, french breakfast radishes and fresh dill

Basil Plant-We started several varieties of genovese to choose from.

Kohlrabi-A delicious crunchy addition to fresh salads. Raw is best in our opinion but can be roasted or steamed.

Rhubarb-A wonderful rhubarb harvest. Long tender stalks and gorgeous red color. 1.75+ pounds in each share. Enough for a springtime crisp.

Head Lettuce-2 varieties. A juicy mini green head named Newham and a ruffly green/red variety named Magenta.

Chinese Cabbage-Here is a little garden magic! We took a risk and transplanted Chinese cabbage in late March in hoop 2. Chinese Cabbage is fussy and does not like temperature fluctuations nor temperatures below 55. Springtime temperatures are all over the place and nighttime temps dip low. Chinese Cabbage will often bolt in Spring and never head up. We decided to give it a shot and we harvested delicious perfect heads this week. Enjoy! Makes great coleslaw, we love it wilted and a warm side dish. Also, wonderful in stir fry and fresh in salads.

French Breakfast Radises-Snappy flavor and very cute!

Fresh baby dill-Big! fragrant, tender bunches in each share. We made a yogurt dip to enjoy with our turnips. Great with fish-of course! and always a nice addition to the fresh salad.

This is the final Spring Share of 2024.

Maeve ran in her last track meet of the season this past week. She had a person record in the mile 6.17. A great way to end the season.

As usual, we will take a 2 week break to let the outside gardens catch up. 1st summer share is Thursday June 13th. Looking forward to a wonderful summer.

Read Full Post »

Another week flew right by. The onions are all planted after a few rain delays. It feels great to get this big task done. 1000’s are in and some fun varieties too. A great audiobook kept me company as I made my way down the rows.

We had some weekend helpers get the final details in the garden set. The walkways between the rows covered and the trellis went up for the cucumbers. It’s looking pretty snazzy all around.

Another row of beans seeded in and kohlrabi, dill, and several rotations of lettuce went in the ground. Next week is the big tomato plant. Looking forward to getting these beauties in the ground.

SPRING SHARE #3

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE-head lettuce 2 varieties, turnips, arugula, baby kale mix, spinach, pac choi

Head lettuce-2 varieties. Sweet and flavorful. 1 crunchy full-sized had and a juicy dark mini head. This is the season of colorful and delicious salads.

Arugula-The 1st arugula harvest of the season. Cut small. Snappy and robust flavor. Adds some zip to your salads or saute and enjoy as a warm side at dinner.

Baby kale mix-An assortment of kale varieties in the mix. We like it best wilted down a bit and a shake of soysauce. Also fantastic juiced! OR a great addition to your fresh salads.

Spinach-Spring Spinach is the best. Thick flavorful leaves. We offered some to a friend and they said “What is this-It’s amazing!” When we told them it was spinach they were in disbelief-they only had ever had grocery store spinach. They marveled at the difference.

Pac choi-The Pac Choi harvest is a little crazy! We have a fantastic yield this spring on all varieties. I’m about pac choi’d out! Enjoy this 1 final spring harvest. Raw, saute, charred, or juice the flavor is delicious.

Turnips-The last of these Spring delights. Long storage life in the refrigerator. In our opinion raw is best but they roast up wonderfully in the oven.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-Baby leaf lettuce, kohlrabi!, basil plant, head lettuce, radishes, and more.

Next week will be the Final Spring Share of the season. We will take a 2-week break to let the outside gardens catch up and start up the Summer Season.

Read Full Post »

A fun-filled week of getting crops in the ground and a huge turnip harvest too.

This is the time of year when our days are full and we sleep well at night. Several rotation of leafy greens went in the hoop houses and radishes direct seeded in. The heat and bright sunshine helped a few head lettuce rotations to jump ahead of projected harvest dates so a bounty of delicious lettuce in the shares this week.

The best news is our peas look the best they have looked in years! We have had some disappointing germination and yields the past few years but it is sure looking strong this season. We are looking forward to some great harvests.

The greenhouse is FULL of gorgeous tomato plants. The big garden sale is in the driveway this weekend, and we will transplant our tomatoes out into the fields next week. It will be nice to have a bit of space open up in the very crowded greenhouse.

SPRING SHARE #2

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE-Head lettuce trio (3 fancy varieties), turnips, pac choi medley (4 wonderful varieties), tokyo bekena (a fluffy Chinese cabbage), radish micro sprouts

Head lettuce trio-A big lettuce harvest this week of 3 unique varieties. Great texture and flavor.

Turnips!-2 long sections of turnips came out of hoop 2. We planted this crop in early March and this variety grows best in cool temps. Once the temperature warms up the flavor changes and not as sweet and creamy. Turnips are 1 of our favorite early crops.

Pac choi Medley-4 varieties in this party pack! Grilled and slightly charred they are delicious. Pan fried and slightly wilted-a great side dish and as always they add great flavor and crunch to fresh salads. Oh, juicing is fantastic!

This variety we interplanted with the carrots-it gets a bit tight but now the carrots have room. This is a great way to use space in early Spring.

Tokyo Bekena-Another crop that has the best sweet flavor in cool temperatures. Great spicy cabbage flavor. Adds loft to fresh salads and also great for juicing.

Radish micro green-A snappy garnish to sandwiches, salads. They are a snip 1 and done. Keep in a sunny window and water as needed.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-leaf lettuce, head lettuce, turnips, baby kale mix, radishes, arugula and more!

Read Full Post »

It’s been a great Spring for us. This mild weather sure helps with getting the early crops in the hoop house and the fields ready. Scott has all the plastic down and irrigation about set. Tomato and pea trellis going up next. We set a new personal record for potato planting. We got all 440 pounds of seed potatoes in the ground 3 weeks earlier than our past personal record. Feels good to get that big job done.

It’s fun for us to be out in the gardens and rolling along. Brussels sprouts all in and we thought 6 month from now we will be harvesting these treats. A rainbow appeared when the planting was done.

A few big deals slowed us up…..those high winds ripped the plastic off hoop 1. Something that has never happened to us. We worried about the rain forecast and VERY grateful that freezing temperatures not forecasted and did a quick hillybilly fix and ordered new plastic and we moved on.

The other big deal is the delay planting the onions due to wet conditions……it drained quickly but we needed to pivot and put it off a week. Probably a good thing as the onions will bulk up a bit more. Scott always says it like “putting yarn in a hole” when we plant onions.

Tomato plants are bulking up and look wonderful and the greenhouse is full of tender seedlings waiting to get out in the garden.

More good news is the hoop houses are way ahead of schedule due to the mild temperatures and the first share of the season launch has “hard goods”. Radishes and turnips arrived early and TONS! of leafy greens. It’s a great start to the gardening season.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE-Big bag of leafy salad mix lettuce, mini head lettuce, turnips!, pea shoots, radishes, mini green pac choi, and spinach.

Leafy green mix-We planted long rows of delicious salad mix. It’s wonderful. A treat after a long winter of store-bought greens. Enjoy!

Mini head lettuce-A favorite head lettuce around here. Very juicy and sweet with a nice crunch.

Turnips!-The highlight of Spring for sure! Best enjoyed raw. Sweet and such a smooth texture. The greens are delicious slightly wilted with garlic and a shake of soy sauce.

Pea Shoots-These greens taste just like fresh snap peas. Place in a sunny window, water as needed and snip and eat as a garnish, added to fresh salads, sandwich toppers or added to warm broth. They are a 1 and done. Once you snip they do not regrow.

Radishes-Garden gumballs! They look just like candy. A perfect snack or added to those delicious salads we will all be eating this week.

Mini Green Pac Choi-Another great addition to fresh salads. Chop to add great crunch and flavor to your dish. Pac Choi is also wonderful pan tossed in garlic and oil. Slightly wilted and served warm. A Maeve favorite.

Spinach-Thick juicy leaves and full of flavor. This is the 1st picking of the Spring planted spinach in hoop 2.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-TURNIPS, HEAD LETTUCE, TOKYO BEKINA, PAC CHOI AND MORE….

Read Full Post »