foxlinecityfarm

We had a great week!  All the tomatoes are in and happy. We are very happy to have this big job done..  Scott got the trellis up and I quickly followed behind with the plants.  We blasted through the job and got it completed in short order.

Scott putting the trellis up for the tomatoes.

Planting the slicer tomatoes.

We have added another row of slicing tomatoes this year looking forward to a jumbo harvest later in Summer.

Long rows of peppers went in and eggplant too.  We planted another round of beans and got all the celery in close to dark one evening.   A heavy week of planting but nice to see the garden filling up.  We are on top of the weeding or at least more on top of it than in years past.  We still are working our way through the long fussy carrot rows but hopefully this week we will have hit the end.  Our friend Barbara came for a few hours and made her way down the rows with me and we appreciated the help.

The shade cloth is on the hoop house and it has dramatically lowered the temperature in there.  Protection for all the delicious leafy greens as the hoophouse fully transitions to our “salad house” for the summer.

The big theme around here this summer is carrots and more carrots…..and more.  We are going to be carrot maniacs all summer long.  So our first carrot harvest of the season of many has begun.

We thought we would try something new…..Enjoy!

A HUGE thank you to Amy for the help in getting this into the blog.

SUMMER SHARE #2

A fantastic harvest this week from the gardens.  265 pounds of produce packed this week.  Enjoy!

SNACK PACK #2

Spinach-Another juicy bag of our hoop house spinach harvest.  This crop has been a powerhouse this Spring but may be coming to an end with the projected hot weather this week.

Head Lettuce-A pretty bronze head called Outrageous.

Head lettuce at harvest.

Asian Greens Mix-A  spicy mix that can be added to a mix greens salad or sauted.  Beautiful color and texture.

Radish-A big bag of red gems named Sora.

Radish harvesting.

Turnips!!-We LOVE these tasty treats….great flavor and texture.

Harvesting the turnips.

Carrots-We planted these mini TRUE baby carrots (4 varieties) in March for an early jump on the season.  They are delicious and what a change from grocery store carrots. Maeve calls store bought carrots “fake carrots”.  Enjoy the garden just picked flavor.  A treat!

Scott harvesting the baby carrots.

Maeve “helping” with the carrot harvest.

FULL SUMMER SHARE #2

Spinach-Another jumbo harvest from the hoophouse.  This may be the last week due to expected high temperatures.

Head Lettuce-A beautiful lime green head named Panisse.

Asian Green Mix-A  spicy mix that can be added to a mixed salad or sauted.  Beautiful color and texture.

Scott washing the spicy Asian Greens.

Asian Greens Mix 2-A mild mix of light colored greens.  Combine with the spicy for a great fresh salad or saute.

Radish-A big bag of red gems named Sora.

Turnips!!-We LOVE these tasty treats….great flavor and texture.

Carrots-We planted these mini TRUE baby carrots (4 varieties) in March for an early jump on the season.  They are delicious and what a change from grocery store carrots.  Enjoy!

Loading the carrots into the washing machine.

Wash.

Beautiful!

Carlton-An Asian Green.  Very dark green leaves.  Traditionally used in Japan in stir fries and soups.  Can be eaten raw in salads to add a bit of crunch.  Long storage life in the refrigerator sealed in a plastic bag.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-leaf lettuce, swiss chard, baby kale, pac choi, carrots, rhubarb and….maybe….

Look what is happening in the garden!  PEAS!

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A beautiful day!  Ample rain and sunshine and the garden is growing lush and strong.  The pea vines are blooming and beans are up.  Sure signs that summer is rolling in.  We are transplanting the peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and summer squash out in the garden and all the melons soon to follow.  We have increased our watermelon/cantalope area this year and planting 3 new varieties in addition to those planted in the past.  Our first radish crop has been harvested from the outside gardens and Scott will prep the space for more carrots.  Rmember we have a powerhouse carrot goal this year!   The seeds for the second round of broccoli and cabbage will be started as soon as all the peppers clear from the greenhouse.    Our hoop house will soon be fully transitioned to summer crops and  the shade cloth up.  Seems we are in full garden mode around here.

We have to water the hoop house 2 times a day on sunny days…..here I am watering the spinach the day before harvest.

SUMMER SHARE #1

We are excited to start the Summer Season and looking forward to weeks of wonderful fresh produce.  Thank you to all for sharing the season and welcome all new members to FoxLine.  We are thrilled to be sharing our gardens with all of you.

Paper receipts for your 2015 share purchase will be at all pick up sites in green envelopes with member’s name on the front.  Check with your health insurance provider as discounts or credits may apply.

SNACK PACK

Snack pack produce is packed in a green bag.  Please return your bag and any reusable packaging material the following week with your pick up.

Spinach-Beautiful hoop house grown big “donkey ear” leaves.  This variety is called Space and we love it.  Next week we will start spinach harvest from the outside garden.

Scott harvesting the spinach in the hoop house.

Head lettuce-Juicy lime green heads from the hoop house.  This variety is called Bambi and only grows well in Spring and Fall cool temperatures.

Lettuce cooling in the wash tank.

Beets!-A great early harvest from the hoop house.  Seeds were planted in early March and they grew slow and sweet.  Enjoy!  2 early varieties were planted.  Oven roasted beets are delicious!  But, we do enjoy a beet hummus (which is really pretty).  Remember the beet greens can be eaten too. Tasty with citrus.  Beet greens can be sauted, eaten raw in salads, baked to make “crisps” like kale chips or added to smoothies.

Harvesting beets.

Pac choi-A mini variety from the hoop house.  Enjoy fresh added to salad or on it’s own or saute with garlic, onion and soy sauce.

Radishes-French Breakfast harvested from the outside garden.  Mild flavor and crisp.

FULL SHARE

Full Share produce is packed in a orange bag.  Please return your bag and any reusable packaging material the following week with your pick up.

Spinach- A  jumbo bag of beautiful hoop house grown big “donkey ear” leaves.  This variety is called Space and we love it.  Next week we will start spinach harvesting from the outside garden.

Head lettuce-Juicy lime green heads from the hoop house.  This variety is called Bambi and only grows well in Spring and Fall cool temperatures.

Lettuce set out to dry a bit before packing.

Beets!-A great early harvest from the hoop house.  Seeds were planted in early March and they grew slow and sweet.  Enjoy!  2 early varieties were planted.  Oven roasted beets are delicious!  But we do enjoy a beet hummus (which is really pretty).  Remember the beet greens can be eaten too. Tasty with citrus.  Beet greens can be sauted, eaten raw in salads, baked to make “crisps” like kale chips or added to smoothies.

Another view of the beet harvest.

Pac choi-A mid-size beauty from the hoop house.  Best fresh in salads but can also be sauted with garlic, onion and soy sauce.

Radishes-French breakfast.  Also know as d’avaginion.  Long skinny radishes with a mild flavor.  These were harvested from the outside garden.

Radish harvest.

Fennel-A nice addition added to salads.  Shaved thin for a delicate anise flavor. The bulb can be roasted with to add a mild licorice flavor to a dish.  Taste great with chicken.  The stalks and fronds can also be chopped and added to a fresh salad or as a garnish to soup or pasta.

Best guess for next week-  leaf lettuce salad mix,  mixed green saute mix, carrots!!!!, lettuce, spinach, canton (asian green), rhubarb, and more.

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The usual theme of another power house week!  The big deal-just over 2800 leeks went in.  Not a typo-really 2800…. Scott and I planted all in just under 3 hours. Scott created a perfect row marker and a fancy “hole driller” and I followed behind and planted our pencil thick leek starts.  3 different varieties.  Early, mid and late season wonders.  We’re excited to start harvesting this crop around mid September.  Obviously we love leeks and we’re excited to share with members (and others) starting late summer.   We did things a little differently this year and started the seeds in late Feburary in deeper containers and let them grow larger than past years.  MUCH!! easier to plant and a stronger start to the season.

Scott prepping the leeks for planting.

We started another round of brassicas and finished the melon and cucumber seed starting.  Our greenhouse is full-over FULL as the tomatoes are huge and taking up way too much space but with the projected cold temperatures the next 2 evenings we are keeping them warm, tucked in the comfort of the greenhouse and dance around all the flats of vegetables waiting to go in the ground. Our plant sale will be the last weekend of the month and then space will free up again.  Challenging but a happy challenge.

Our greenhouse.

View from outside the greenhouse.

This is the last week of Spring Share and Summer Main Season projected to start Monday June 1st.  The crops look strong and we hope to have a bumper pea crop this year.  The next round of leafy greens are are plumping up in the hoop house and baby carrots forming.  Our garlic crop looks great and I think the scapes are about to form.  An early surprise.

Rows and rows of garlic.

SPRING #4-FINAL SHARE

Rhubarb-Our pretty Canadian Red.   I always like to mention that I have my grandpa’s rhubarb plant from his garden so a few of you too will be enjoying grandpa’s rhubarb.  Special to me.  Grandma always made a custard rhubarb pie.  My favorite.

Harvesting rhubarb at dusk.

Scott washing and weighing out the Rhubarb.

Spinach-Another big bag of hoop house grown spinach.

Fennel-A tasty treat started early.  Great shaved in a salad or roasted.

Head Lettuce-An assorted mix this week in the shares.  A combo of a dark upright variety called Outrageous or fluffy butterhead named Nancy.

Leaf lettuce-A Spring mix.

Beta Mix-Our new favorite mix!  A pretty combination of baby beet and swiss chard tops.

Mizuna-Spicy Asian green that can be eaten raw in salads or delicious braised.

Arugula-A nice bundle of this peppery green.

Radish-Our first outside harvest of the season.  French Breakfast.

Your radish harvester this week.

Swiss Chard-A tender and colorful mix from the hoop house.  This is the time of year that chard is the best!

Cutting the chard.

Cilantro-Greenhouse grown as a nice fresh addition to dinner this week.

Honey!-A Sweet Treat as a happy “thank you” for sharing the Spring Season with us.  Enjoy!

Scott and Maeve extruding the honey.

Our hives.

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Hope everyone had a Happy Mother’s Day yesterday!

Another powerhouse week of crawling around on our knees.  We were transplanting fools out in the gardens and it felt great!  The early broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, collard greens, kohlrabi and brussels sprouts went in.

Cauliflower transplanting.

A super long row of 9 varieties of kale transplanted out right as a rainstorm rolled in.  I wanted to get it done so a bit muddy as the downpour hit but job completed.

Just finished the kale transplants and the rain stops.  No comment on my styling “roomy” size large rain pants.

We are pleased with the rain this past week and all the seeded in crops are germinating strong…..along with a healthy crop of weeds!  This week’s duty is to stay in front of those ever present weeds.  Lots of hand weeding and hoeing ahead.

Greenery is poking up in the potato patch and the garlic looks strong and prolific.  The peas are loving all this rain and Scott will get the trellis up this week as they are ready to climb.

Peas!

We have had a strong Spring and staying in front of all the “to do’s” in our days. The hoop house is transforming again-now to  Summer mode with additional Summer share crops going in this week.  Our grenhouse duties will continue with the next round of seed starting-finish up the cucumbers, melons and squash and the next wave of brassicas and somehow find room for everything with the tomatoes and peppers taking up space as they grow wait for the warm weather of early June to transplant out.

SPRING #3

Spinach-A huge harvest this week picking off 3 plantings.  A big 1 pound bag!  This is the last of the beautiful red kitten spinach.  Scott will pull the crop as it is slowing down.  Enjoy.

Spinach ready to pick.

Hauling up the spinach harvest from the hoop house.

Spinach in the wash tank.

Scott spinning the spinach.

Asian Greens Saute Mix-A nice mix to add a bit of zip to fresh salads or my favorite braise with garlic and a bit of soy sauce and eat with eggs.

Leaf Lettuce Mix-Tender baby leaves for fresh eating.

Harvesting the leaf lettuce. Next week’s fennel in the forground.

Carlton (Asian Green)-A brassica.  Traditionally used in Japan in stir fries and soups.  Excellent braised and can be eaten raw in salads.

Head Lettuce-Either a fluffy lime green beauty called Panisse or a dark juicy head named Nancy.

Turnips!-We love LOVE! this Spring treat.  A nice big bundle for everyone out of the hoop house.  Remember the greens can be braised and eaten too.

Chives-A flavorful bundle.

Shallots-Held over in the root cellar.  Sweet!  Wonderful with Spinach either raw or sauted.

Maeve and I harvesting the onions and shallots last season.

Hauling the empty harvest crates back to the garden.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, fennel, baby beets (fingers crossed-they are almost ready!), arugula, rhubarb and a special garden treat!

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A wonderful and needed rain last night.  A nice soaking 1/2 inch for the garden.  Perfect timing for all the planting that went in the fields last week. We had loftly planting goals for our week and hit them….I spent a good portion of my days hunched over getting seeds in the ground.

Planting the carrots.

Starting the 2nd bed of carrots. I teased Scott and told him that I decided to go with ALL purple carrots here because I thought it would be “pretty” in the boxes later in the season. You should have seen his face. Just Kidding! But, there are 2 different varieties of purple planted as well as yellow and red beauties in this bed.

We are going gang busters on the carrots this year.  750 feet went in this week with dedicated irrigation.  Another long bed planned too for next week.  Carrot madness is the plan.

Our other HUGE! goal this week was to get those onions in.  A long fussy duty which we finally finished on Saturday afternoon. We tripled our plantings from last year.  Lots of sweet summer onions, storage and a few interesting grilling ones too.  Scott likes firm numbers in our planning I tend to think in terms of “a lot” or “really long”.  For those of you that think like Scott 1600 feet of onions went in by hand 1 hole at a time….those that think like me….the rows are MILES long.  The job is done and we are pleased.

Onion Bed #1 all sweet summer onions!

That’s Scott way down there getting the job done!

A close up of onion planting.

We start our onions by seed in flats in the garage in Feburary and then to the greenhouse and then outside for a few weeks before transplant.

The focus this week is fill the garden with our transplants….broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, tons! and tons! of kale, collard greens and more are all on the list to be be planted.  In the greenhouse the cucumbers will be started along with zucchini, and all the melons. More lettuces and leafy greens are going into the ever changing hoop house…. It’s hustle time.

Beets and radicchio companion planted in the hoop house for future harvest….so pretty.

SPRING SHARE #2

It is a beauty this week.

Spinach-The springtime candy from the garden. A nice big bag.  3 plantings are in the mix this week.  And as expected we started our first harvest on the Spring planted crop planted in Feburary.  Thick, dark green juicy leaves.  Enjoy!

1st picking of the Spring planted Spinach.

Another bed of Spring planted spinach with pretty Swiss Chard in the background.

Head Lettuce-2 varieties to make a beautul salad this week.

Your lettuce in the hoop right before harvest.

Beta Mix-I think this is going to be our new favorite salad mix.  It is stunning and sweet and delicious.  Beautiful baby greens.  A combination of beet tops, kales and swiss chard.  Enjoy sauted or fresh eating in salad.

Beta Mix. In the wash tank. Beautiful!

Scott washing the Beta Mix.

Radishes-Pretty little round ones this week.  Crunchy Royale is the variety.  Pleasantly mild flavor.

Radish harvest for this week.

Pea Shots-Trim as a garnish for salads, soups or sandwiches.  Tastes just like fresh peas.  Keep in a bright window in the kitchen on a plate.  Water as needed and trim with a scissors to eat.

Pea shoots.

Arugula- A nice spicy bunch.  2 early cold tolerant varieties are in this mix.

Maeve helped bundle the arugula this week.

Mizuna-Another delicious Asian Green.  In the mustard family with a slight peppery flavor.  3 different varieties in this mix.  A Purple, a lime frilly green and a solid dark green.  Great addition to a fresh salad or sauted in a stir fry.

Spring Turnips!!-I thought there would be a “few” for us this week as an early sample of what’s to come…. and when I went to harvest last night-Holy Cow! They are ready.  Enjoy one of our favorite Spring Treats.  Maeve cannot get enough of these things….She eats them like apples.  Smooth buttery texture with a sweet flavor to these gems.

Maeve with the turnips.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK

more turnips!, salad mix, baby asian greens mix, head lettuce, spinach, asian greens, chives and a few other surprise treats.  We can’t wait!

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Spring Share #1

Happy 1st Spring Share!  We are thrilled to be starting a week earlier than expected this season and pleased with the delicious produce going home with members tonight.  It is a Spring bounty of treats.

Pac Choi-A juicy Spring Variety called Shiro.  My favorite of all Pac Choi and only grows well in the cool temperatures of Spring and late Fall.

Salad Leaf Lettuce Assortment-Hoop house grown and double rinsed.  A colorful mix of leafy greens.

Leaf Lettuce crop ready to be harvested.

Leaf Lettuce after harvest. It will regrow for a 2nd and maybe 3rd harvest.  There’s those green onions in the foreground too that we will be eating this week.

Leaf lettuce harvest ready to be transported to the washing station.  Future tomato garden in the background.

Mild Asian Greens Mix- This assortment can be enjoyed fresh or braised.  Eat as a fresh salad mix or combine with other fresh green offerings this week for a fancy deluxe and beautiful salad.  This Asia Greens mix contains an assortment of mild mustards, kales, assorted brassicas, and mizuna.

Scott double rinsing the Asian Greens at the washing station.

Spinach-Beautiful Spinach.  A mix of 2 varieties.  Space and Red Kitten.  The Spinach selections this week were planted last Fall in the hoop house and wintered over for early Spring Harvest. And it is a bounty!  Wintered over Spinach has wonderful flavor and juicy thick leaves as it grows slowly in the cool temperatures of Spring.  Next week we will start harvesting off our 1st early Spring seeding  in the hoop house.  Enjoy the Spinach harvest raw for fresh eating or saute/braise and add to sauces, eggs and other warm dishes.

Spinach in the first rinse tub.

Spinning out the Spinach and then laying it out to air dry before packaging.

Maeve with the Spinach bounty.

Radishes-A early wonder called D’Avignon-know as French Breakfast.  A mild traditional radish from the south of France.

The radish patch.

Tokyo Bekana-That lime green beauty in your share this week.  An Asian Green.  Tastes like a fluffy Chinese Cabbage.  This too can be enjoyed fresh in salads or sauted.

Green Onions-A nice bunch with mild flavor.  Use the white base and green stalks.  We planted these late Fall in the hoop house as an experiment to see how they would winter over for Spring Share.  A success!

Maeve helped harvest the Onions.

And felt pretty cool about it…..

Cilantro-Grown in the warmth of the greenhouse as a Spring Treat.

Daffodils-A flower bouquet to celebrate the start of our season…..enjoy on your table this evening with your delicious dinner of fresh produce.

Arranging the daffodils.

All shares are packed this week in our FoxLine green totes……Please return next week with 2nd pick up for reuse with future shares.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK.

head lettuce, round radishes, mizuna mix, arugula, pea shoots, a different variety pac choi, fingers crossed our favorite!!! japanese white salad turnips (they are almost ready), more spinach, a cool baby beet top/swiss chard salad mix that is beautiful, chives

Our life in the garden has been fun and busy….

Scott is thrilled that he has all the plastic mulch set and irrigation down.  This is the earliest in Spring he has been able to get into our clay soil gardens.

Scott’s 1st pass in tilling the garden.

Maeve of course had to help.

Scott and I  planted all 300 pounds of seed potatoes by hand in just under 4 hours last week AND could walk the next day standing up right.  I was worried as we have not had time to ease into the physical side of gardening after our restful winter…..

I was able to have a bit of fun too this last week and put my other cap on for a few hours….  I was asked to do the florals for a beautiful wedding.

Working on a pretty bridal bouquet

Fun succulent boutonniere.

All the onions, shallots and leeks will go in this week.  Another crunched over fussy job but well worth it.  It will take us a few days to get this big job completed.

Another huge carrot bed is going in.  This is the year of the carrot at FoxLine!  We are going to dedicate ourselves to carrots and carrots and more carrots….

For those of you waiting for Maeve’s Cards the 2nd run is here. Maeve will have her cards for sale with Spring Share Pick up this afternoon. $4 each/4 styles are available.

Enjoy the week!

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