foxlinecityfarm

The last day of August and we are amazed that the summer has zipped right by.  We had a great week here.   School starts tomorrow and we spent these last few days at a slower pace enjoying our remaining days of summer with Maeve and sleeping late.  A few crops came from the gardens.  A bounty of carrots were pulled from the hoop house and outside beds.  It was a fun 2 days of harvest for us.

Carrots!

The funniest carrot we found below….

Maeve and Scott started the 2nd pear harvest and we plucked the last of the delicious watermelon from the patch.  A fun week.  Next week we tackle some clean up and hook up the new potato digger again and get the next round of potatoes from the field.

SUMMER SHARE #14

Such a great season for us!  Lots of treats this week.  1031 pounds of goodness going home with share members.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

SNACK PACK

romaine head lettuce, spaghetti squash, sweet peppers, pint cherry tomatoes, 2 slice tomatoes, carrots, turnips, pears, shallots, and watermelon

Romaine Head lettuce-Delicious lettuce again from the hoop house.  Nice big crunchy heads.

Romaine ready to harvest.

Spaghetti Squash-A late season treat. And the start of our late season squash harvest.

Maeve with the spaghetti squash she harvested this week.

Sweet Peppers-We harvested an assortment again and several appear in each share.

This week’s pepper harvest.

Cherry Tomatoes-A pint again in every snack pack share.

Cherry tomato harvest after hours of picking.

Carrots!-Delicious….we harvested a bounty in 2 days this week.  4 different varieties.  Enjoy!

Carrots in the hoop house ready to harvest.

Maeve helped harvest all the carrots and did the official taste test too.

Turnips-Surprise!  We thought we would give it a shot and grow a quick crop of early turnips as we love them so much.  It worked thanks to the cool temperatures the last few weeks.

Turnips in the hoop house.

Turnip Surprise!

Shallots-We are thrilled to have shallots this season as honestly we forgot to start them last year.  They have been curing for 3 weeks and are ready to eat.  Enjoy and more to come….

Pears!-These beauties are off the second of 3 varieties of trees we planted 8 years ago.

The pear trees are loaded with fruit.

Watermelon-We pulled the last of the watermelon from the patch.  3 weeks of watermelon this season!  Enjoy the last of this summer treat.

Maeve and Scott pulling the last of the watermelons from the field.

FULL SHARE

Romaine head lettuce, leaf lettuce, spaghetti squash, sweet peppers, shishito sweet peppers, quart cherry tomato, 4 slice tomatoes, carrots, turnips, pears, shallots, yellow beans, watermelon.

Romaine head lettuce-the last romaine from the hoop house this season.

Hoop house romaine at harvest.

Leaf Lettuce-fluffy delicious and sweet….enjoy!

Triple rinsed, chilled and ready to bag leaf lettuce harvest from the hoop house.

Spaghetti squash-Bake and enjoy with a light sauce or even salt and butter.

Maeve helped with the spaghetti squash harvest and felt pretty cool about it all when done….

Sweet peppers-Another bounty from the long pepper row.  We picked and assortment and several are in every share.

Pretty peppers.

Shishito Sweet Peppers-A nice sized bag of these sweet beauties again this week.

Shishito Peppers.

Quart Cherry Tomatoes-Another quart again this week.

Pretty cherry tomatoes after a quick rinse….

Slice tomatoes-Choose 4 beauties this week.  The patch is slowing down with the cool nights and shorter day length. Our slice tomato season is coming to an end…..

Carrots-Tons of carrots came from the garden this week-enjoy! 4 varieties and this is the start.  Nothing better than a garden carrot.

Carrot harvest from the outside trough.

Big carrots from the outdoor carrot trough.

Turnips-We planted a surprise crop of our favorite turnips in the hoop house.  Enjoy!

Maeve picking the turnips…

Harvest complete.

Shallots-The start of our storage shallot/onions.  2 varieties of shallots were planted this year after completely forgetting to start the seeds last year!

Yellow wax beans-We thought the plants were done but they produced enough this week for Full shares.

Pears-The start of a great harvest.  Sweet and delicious.

Watermelon-The last of the watermelons from the patch…a sigh to us as the turn to the season…

Auntie Howdy are the leaves changing by you????

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, edamame???, pears, leeks, lettuce, asian greens mix, carrots and more…

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A happy week here.  The season is transitioning to Autumn with shorter days, we see the maple trees changing colors and wear long sleeve shirts in the mornings.  Our days start a little later and end a little earlier as daylight fades.  I love this time of year.

We peeked at the winter squash patch and were thrilled at what we saw.  A favorite crop is just around the corner and a true sign that Autumn is near.

Winter Squash coloring up.

And pie pumpkins too.

We were glad the clouds parted briefly for Maeve to get a look at the eclipse and experience this amazing event.

Looking at the sun!

We had another huge harvest of tomatoes from the garden this week. So pleased and relieved as the crop is so much better than the last 2 years even with the cool wet Spring and cool nights now….we are grateful.  More watermelons came from the patch this week too.   An amazing season for us and so happy to share the bounty.

SUMMER SHARE #13  

We jumped over 1000 pounds again this week.  1145 pounds rolling out of here! 

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE-It is fun to say yet another great bounty this week!  We held off on the carrot harvest until next week with all the goodness harvested this week.  Carrot bonanza next week!

SNACK PACK

Head lettuce, kale, pint cherry tomatoes, slice tomatoes, sweet summer onions,  mini shishito sweet peppers, sweet peppers, cabbage, beans, watermelon, corn, red norland potatoes

Head lettuce-A new summer favorite variety.  Cherokee head lettuce.  Beautiful and sweet.

Cherokee head lettuce at harvest.

Kale-We have been trying to sneak this in the shares for weeks…this is the week. A favorite of mine.  Fresh in salads slightly wilted, great in soups, and of course kale crisp is a treat!  An assorted bunch in every share.

Kale soaking in the dunk tank.

Cherry Tomatoes-A HUGE! cherry tomato harvest this week and several new varieties ripening up.  A sweet and beautiful on called sunchocola that is a pretty shade of brown.

Sunchocola Cherry tomatoes at harvest.

Slice tomatoes-Delicious and tons to choose from.

This week’s tomato harvest.  Phew!

Sweet summer onions-This is the end of our sweet summer onion harvest.  We will make the transition to storage onions and shallots in the next few weeks.

Last of the sweet summer onions.

Sweet Peppers-We picked an assorted bounty and a few will be in every share.  The peppers are just starting to really ripen.  Looking forward to the delicious Italian fry peppers….

Beautiful!

Shishito sweet peppers-We are thrilled with these little sweet peppers that taste just like thin skinned green bells.

More shishito peppers!  Delicious!

Chinese Cabbage- Mini chinese napa cabbage from the garden…we love this mini variety called Minuet.

Watermelon!  Another bounty from the patch.  Sweet!

Maeve and I doing the watermelon check for this week…

Yellow wax beans-The last of the yellow beans in the field, 2 more rotations of beans are out there yet to finish up the season.

The last harvest of the yellow beans.

Corn-Last Corn pick too….Thank you uncle Jim for this special treat.

Potatoes-AND the last of the red norlands too…..we start harvesting the other 4 varieties next week.

FULL SHARE

Head lettuce, kale, cucumbers, quart of cherry tomatoes, slice tomatoes, sweet summer onions, sweet peppers, mini sweet peppers, cabbage, watermelon, corn, radish, beans, potatoes.

Head lettuce-we are still hitting our goal of lettuce every week this season and this week is another head of pretty Cherokee.  Delicious!

Cherokee Head Lettuce at morning harvest.

Kale-A great mix of beautiful leaves.  Saute, add to soups, fresh in salads or crisps a treat.

Washed and ready to bundle.

Cucumbers-The official end to the cucumber crop.  A variety called olympian from our 2nd planting.

Quart of Cherry Tomatoes-The cherry tomatoes are hitting their peak this week.

Pretty “blueberry” cherry tomatoes at harvest.

Cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine….

The harvest after hours of picking.

Slice tomatoes-A bounty and we are thrilled…such a better crop than the last 2 seasons.

Sweet Summer Onions-The end of the summer onion harvest…next up storage onions and shallots!

Scott onion cleaning.

And packing….

Sweet Peppers-A beautiful harvest and the peppers season is just starting.  Here they come.

Peppers ready for the shares.

Mini Sweet munching peppers-The 1st pick of these beauties.  A favorite.

Portioned out and ready for Full shares this week.

Cabbage-The last of our Caraflex pointy cabbage harvest. Perfect for a meal or 2 or a delicious slaw.

Watermelon-More sweets from the patch.

Maeve doing this week’s taste test.

Corn-The last sweet corn pick for us at Uncle Jim’s.  Thank you Uncle Jim!!!

Radishes-We had a bit of space in the hoop house between crops and snuck a row in for Full Share members as a late summer treat.

Radishes!

Snappy Hoop house radishes at harvest.

Yellow wax beans-The last of the yellow beans. 2 more bean rotations in the garden to finish up the season.

Final yellow bean pick.

Red Norland Potatoes-the last of the red potatoes….4 more varieties in the field.  We start digging next week.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-carrots!!!!, romaine, spaghetti squash, pears?, sweet peppers, turnips, and more……

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The huge harvests from the garden are keeping our days full.  The summer bounty is here and it feels great.  We have beautiful tomatoes everywhere after 2 big harvests from the garden that we had to use the tractor with a pallet to bring up the loads.  Our autumn crops are sizing up and we even planted a nice long row of late late broccoli this week that we usually harvest with the 1st snow if all works out.  It’s iffy but Scott and I feel it’s worth the try as it is always such a treat.  More spinach and lettuces was transplanted into the hoop house and we even got a tiny bit of weeding done and seeding in for late season leafy green crops.  A strong week here with a much needed drenching rain.

Tomatoes everywhere!

Hoop house is chugging along…the carrots we are going to be eating next week are off to the left.

Autumn leafy greens and spinach seeding in this week.

SUMMER SHARE #12

The start of Share packing….

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

1244 pounds!!!  WOW!

Yet another great share this week.  Such a great season for us.  We are thrilled that the sweet watermelon is here and more delicious corn from Uncle Jim.  Both perfect for August meals.

SNACK PACK

Romaine head lettuce, watermelon, cone head cabbage, pint cherry tomato, slice tomatoes, sweet peppers, leeks, garlic, zucchini, cucumbers, BIG! kohlrabi and corn

Romaine head lettuce-A great harvest and a great late summer lettuce from the hoophouse.  Thick flavorful leaves and perfect for BLT’s.

Romaine in the hoop house.

Pointy Head Cabbage-Not the shape we are use to seeing but the same flavor as the “normal” round head.  it is a variety called caraflex and we thought it would be fun.

Pint Cherry tomatoes-The usual washed delicious mix.  So pretty and so flavorful.

Washed cherry tomatoes with that neat one that always has a star at the top.

Slice tomatoes-A bounty this week and many to choose from….enjoy!

Beautiful red slicers ready to go home this week.

Sweet Peppers-We picked an assortment again this week and 2 are in every share.  We NEVER put hot peppers in the shares all sweet.  Hot peppers are on the “extra table” for you to take if you like them.

Leeks-A favorite crop of mine.  We grew 4 varieties this season and this is the earliest variety.  A summer leek called King Richard.

Scott leek washing after a great harvest.

Garlic-We set the goal to have garlic in the shares all season long.  More for you this week….

Our cleaned garlic.

Zucchini-The end of the zucchini season for us.  The zucchini patch did great this year and I am ready to eat something else…

Cucumbers-may be the end of the cucumbers too…..the vines are slowing way way down.

Cucumbers ready to be bagged in Snack Pack Shares.

Kohlrabi-This is the BIG! german variety.  Thick skinned and sweet tender flesh.

Corn-More fantastic corn from Uncle Jim….Delicious!

Watermelon-They are here!  Sweet sweet watermelon.  We grew several varieties this season.  Flesh colors are yellow, orange, red, pink, and white!  A surprise when you cut into it.

field test.

field taste.

Hauling up the harvest.

FULL SHARE

Romaine head lettuce, pointy cabbage, quart of cherry tomatoes, slice tomatoes, sweet peppers, leeks, garlic, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, corn and watermelon

Romaine head lettuce-A favorite summer lettuce.  Thick flavorful long leaves.

Romaine at harvest.

Head Cabbage-A cone shaped head with same sweet cabbage flavor.

Quart of cherry tomatoes-Another washed sweet bounty this week.  Enjoy!

Those pretty blue ones just starting to ripen at the top of the cluster.

Cherry tomato picking an every other day job.

Slice tomatoes-A HUGE! bounty to choose from this week.

Sweet peppers-We picked and assortment and they will appear in your share. 6 in all full shares.  The tasty jimmy nardello’s are just starting to color up and a few sweet italian bull horns too.  NO hot peppers those are on the “extra table” for you.

Leeks-the 1st of 4 varieties.  Summer leeks are a treat.

King Richard leeks drying ready to be bundled for the shares.

Garlic-2 heads in every full share this week.  We had high yield from the garlic patch and garlic will appear all season long.

Auntie Howdy-did you get a new sofa yet?

Zucchini-The end of zucchini.  I’m ready.  Enjoy these last little tasty beauties….

Cucumbers-May be the end of this crop too.

Nearing the end of a great cucumber season.

Beets-A favorite of mine-not Scott’s.  We still struggle with growing a bounty of beets but are pleased they are here in the Full share.

Corn-Thank you Uncle Jim again for terrific corn!

Just picked corn from Uncle Jim’s farm.

Watermelon-I look forward to this crop every season.  We grew several varieties….flesh colors-yellow, orange, pink, red and white.  All sweet and a surprise when you cut into them.

The bounty from the watermelon patch.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-head lettuce, leaf lettuce, radishes, carrots, spaghetti squash, kale (we keep trying to add this every week but we decide no as the shares are too big)-next week for sure, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, slice tomatoes and more….

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Phew!  Another fantastic week out in the gardens heavy with huge harvests.  We spent our days picking “stuff” and our late afternoons washing “stuff”  Long hours crawling down the bean and tomato rows, pulling the beautiful summer onions from the ground, pulling the pretty peppers from the plants, cutting the beautiful sunflowers and harvesting the best broccoli we have ever grown! The volume of produce that comes up each day is amazing.  Our knees are a bit sore but our spirits are high.

Maeve and I did a watermelon check and we are almost there.  A week or so and these sweet summer treats will be in the shares.  A summer favorite.

Maeve cutting the watermelon with a sharp knife!!! for the 1st time.

Taste test……almost ripe.

A bit of fun stepping back to my past profession with a floral event.  I created beautiful floral centerpieces all from product we grew.  It was lots of fun and I enjoyed the time designing.

Hard at work with centerpiece design.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

August summer bounty is here with a huge share of goodness.  796 pounds went home with the CSA members this week!  We were joking that we should offer cooler to car wagon service to get the goodies out the door.

Jalapeno peppers are here!  We do not put any hot peppers in the shares…IF you are a hot pepper lover they will be on the “extra” table with all the other extra goodies for the remainder of the season.  Take all you want.

SNACK PACK

corn, pears, red norland potatoes, beans, cherry tomatoes, slice tomatoes, lettuce, asian greens mix, shishito sweet peppers, sweet pepper, cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, sunflower bouquet, purple basil

Sweet Corn-Delicious just picked sweet corn from Uncle Jim.

Potatoes-We are still making our way through the red norland harvest.  Fried, boiled, broiled or grilled.  Fantastic!

Auntie Howdy we made fried potatoes with our potatoes and Maeve said they were almost as good as your hash browns…

Pears-We just started harvesting off the 1st 2 trees of this early variety.

Scott using the tractor to get to the pears way up there!

I used the ladder….

Beans-A mix of pretty yellow wax and green beans.  Picked every other day thin and snappy.

Starting the yellow bean harvest.

Cherry tomatoes-A washed sweet pint in every snack pack share.

The cherry tomato washer hard at work.

Purple cherry tomatoes on the vine.

These change color to a pumpkin orange.

Slice tomatoes-Here they come and hopefully the stick around for a long long time….the plants are loaded in the field.

This week’s tomato harvest.

Lettuce-A sweet and juicy mini head this week from the hoop house.  We love the varieties this season.

Sweet lettuce harvest this week.

Asian mix-A great mix for fresh salads and fantastic sauted.

Asian Mix in the morning sun at harvest.

Shishito Sweet Mini peppers-A tasty mini sweet pepper that we love.  Tastes like a thin walled green bell peppers.

Japanese Shishito sweet peppers.  A new crop for us this year.

Sweet Pepper-We picked an assortment and 1 in every snack pack share.

Cucumbers-We are nearing the end of our cucumber season.  A mix in every share of this snappy summer treat.

Zucchini-The patch is slowing down….and I am not disappointed.  We have had a great zucchini run but I am ready to eat something else from the garden as we transition to late season crops.

Broccoli-We are thrilled….our best!!!!! broccoli we have every grown! A huge harvest and delicious heads. A bounty in every share.

WOW!

All washed and ready for the shares.

Sunflower bouquets-A summer treat that we try to include in the shares every season. A photo below from years past and this year too…..

A flashback photo of sunflower bouquet making in the past

Sunflower bouquet making this season.

Purple Basil-A pretty and fragrant bunch from the greenhouse.

FULL SHARE

corn, pears, potato, beans, cherry tomato, slice tomato, lettuce, asian mix, shishito sweet peppers, sweet peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, sunflower bouquet, purple basil

Sweet Corn-More fantastic corn thanks to Uncle Jim.  Enjoy!

Pears-A great pear harvest from the early trees.  More to come.

Pears just picked from the trees.

Potatoes-Red Norland beauties in the share again this week.  Best fry potato in my mind.  A great yield this year.

Beans-A mix of yellow and green in the shares this week.

Cherry Tomatoes-A washed mix quart for all Full shares.

Cherry tomatoes ready to be boxed up for the shares.

Slice tomatoes-Here they come…..we just need some warm nights to bring on the jumbo beauties.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine.

Head Lettuce-A sweet dark green head from the hoop house.

Look at these beauties.

Asian Mix- A leafy green mix from the hoop house.  Fresh or saute it is wonderful.

Shishito Sweet Pepper-A nice big bag of this sweet pepper treat.  Great flavor and the perfect size.

Sweet peppers-We picked a mix and 2 are in each Full share this week.

Cucumbers-A mixed bag of this snappy treat….the vines are slowing down and we are ready…we have had a great run of cucumbers this year.

Zucchini-Same here the vines are slowing in the patch and we are about to move on and end the summer zucchini season.  2 in every share.

Broccoli-A bounty!  And it is great-we are so happy with the harvest.

A huge harvest.

Sunflower bouquet-Beautiful sunflowers from the garden.  Enjoy!

Sunflowers ready to be cut.

Bouquets ready to go home with CSA members.

Purple Basil-Perfect with those amazing tomatoes…..

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-corn, leeks, peppers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, kale and more…….

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Feels like a Fall morning out there today.  The season is transitioning.  Another fantastic week for us in the gardens.  Near perfect weather and a huge tomato harvest!  Life is good.  We are rolling along getting the last of the late season crops in the ground.  Fall spinach is going in for early harvests, late radishes, turnips and a little surprise too if all works out…..

The harvest schedule fills our days at this time of year.  Hours of bean picking, cherry tomato picking, pulling the long row of summer onions, harvesting the peppers and walking the zucchini and cucumber rows.  Transitional lettuces need to be transplanted into the hoop house and then we weed!  Scott was able to till all our walking rows over the weekend and things look good.

The pear trees need another week or 2 before harvest with the cooler temps this week and honestly we are relieved as the Share this week is a bounty!

What we get to see everyday at “work”….Beautiful!

A Fall Surprise we planted this week…..

SUMMER SHARE #10

Half way through the season…..

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

It’s an amazing share again this week.  795 pounds of perfect produce going home with members.  Treats!  Enjoy it ALL.

SNACK PACK

head lettuces, beans (green and yellow), sweet peppers, cucumber medley, sweet summer onions, zucchini, pint cherry tomatoes, 3 slice tomatoes, corn!, garlic, basil plant, baby cabbage

Head lettuce-We harvested 3 varieties this week from the hoop house and 2 different heads are in each share….

Beautiful Cherokee Head lettuce at harvest.

Cherokee Lettuce in the morning sun.

Beans-Our 2nd rotation of green beans kicked in this week.  A nice big bag with a few yellow beans too that are just starting to mature…

Green beans at harvest.  1st picking of our 2nd planting.

Sweet Peppers-We picked and assortment this week and 2 in every share.

Cucumber Medley-An assorted bag again this week.  1st patch is slowing down and the 2nd is just starting up.

Sweet Summer onions-A bag of these tasty treats.  We are just starting to harvest our loooooong row of sweet onions.

Harvesting the onions on a HOT! afternoon.

Zucchini-Picked small and tender….several in each share.

This week’s zucchini harvest.

Cherry tomatoes-A pint in all the snack packs-washed and ready to eat.

Picking Cherry Tomatoes…some are so big we are calling them mini slicers….

Washed cherry tomatoes air drying before we box them up.

Slice tomatoes-Here they come!  You choose 3 this week.

This week’s slice tomato harvest.

Corn-4 ears from Scott’s Uncle Jim.  This is conventionally grown corn.  We do not grow our corn.

Garlic-1 head from our bounty harvest.

Basil Plant-We had to include a basil plant to celebrate the kick off to the slice tomato season.  a variety called Dolce Fresca.  Cut and use for a meal OR upgrade to a larger pot and grow for the remainder of the summer.

Mini Cabbage-Our favorite!  Perfectly sized for a meal or 2.  Sweet and crunchy.

FULL SHARE

Head lettuces, green beans, sweet peppers, sunflower bouquet, cucumbers, sweet onions, zucchini, quart cherry tomatoes, 4 slice tomatoes, corn, garlic, basil plant, baby cabbages

Head lettuces-3 varieties came from the hoop house this week-and 2 in every share.  BLT season is here!

Romaine at Harvest.

The romaine ready to be cut.

Green Beans-A Huge harvest of our 2nd rotation and a Huge bag in every full share.

Picking Beans again….

And some serious math to divide up the bounty….

Peppers-We picked an assortment of sweet summer peppers this week and 3 in each share.

Sunflower Bouquet-A pretty summer bouquet of our 1st sunflower harvest of the season

Cucumber Medley-A big snacking bag in the share this week…..the patch is slowing down.

Sweet Onions-A big bag as we start harvesting the long row of summer onions.  Store in the refrigerator.

Zucchini-Picked small and tender.  Several in every share.

Cherry Tomato-A quart of these beauties in every full share.

Just beautiful…

All washed and packed ready for the shares…

Snuck into a Full Share this week…..

Slice Tomatoes-Tomato Season has begun….You choose 4.

Slice tomatoes….hopefully the kick off to a nice long season.

Corn!-It’s here and it is delicious.  Just picked this morning from Scott’s Uncle Jim’s Farm.  Thank you Uncle Jim!

Garlic-2 heads in every full share.

Basil Plant-In celebration for the kick off of the tomato season!  Cut and enjoy for a meal or upgrade to a larger pot and enjoy for the remainder of the summer.

Baby Mini Cabbages-2 of these little gems this week.  Sweet and snappy.

Cute mini cabbages at harvest.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK….beets, broccoli, corn, lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, kale, pears???, sunflower bouquets and more…..

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Another fabulous week in the gardens! We worried-and worried a lot when all the rain came on Friday that it would be the turning point of just too much….2.5 inches came down hard and the good news is we are just fine.  A few kohlrabi transplants failed and that’s it.  Relief again and hopefully we are on the other side.

A big week of transplanting out more Fall cauliflower and getting ALL the garlic out.  We were not able to use the new potato digger as planned due to the moist ground and we felt we needed to get them out quick.  So, Scott hand dug them all and the crop looks wonderful.  We are in the process of cleaning them up and curing them for future shares.

The gardens are thriving with all this moisture.  Fall crops are sizing up and the tomato patch is starting to kick in too.  The plants are loaded with beautiful fruit and the cherry tomatoes are HUGE!

ALL Brussels Sprouts! What were we thinking?!

Early Brussels Sprouts sizing up.

The lush winter squash patch.

Pretty Cherry Tomatoes.

The peach tree finally told us she was ready and we are thrilled with this 1st harvest.  We planted the tree the year Maeve was born and this is the very 1st harvest and what a bounty.  Peaches in every share this week.

Peach tree ready to harvest.

WOW!

After the morning harvest.

We had some spare time and made a big batch of basil pesto to freeze for the winter.  A fun afternoon and Maeve did all the measuring.

Sorting the basil for Pesto.

SUMMER SHARE #9

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

Another great share this week.  550 pounds of garden delights going home with members today.  We are thrilled with the variety and bounty that we are able to harvest week to week this season. Enjoy it all!

The eggplant bounty continues and ALL the eggplant is on the extra table this week.  Take what you want.  Also, great lettuces came from the hoop house this week.  HUGE sweet heads in all shares and more on the extra table too.

SNACK PACK

head lettuce, asian greens mix, dill, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, cherry tomatoes, red norland potatoes, garlic, sweet onion, peaches…..

Head lettuce-perfect heads again this week from the hoop house.  Big fluffy heads.

A huge head of summer crisp.

Asian Greens mix-A snappy mix of asian greens-fresh in salads or fantastic braised.

Asian Greens ready to harvest.

Dill-We had to add nice big bunches with the cucumbers this week.  Also, great with fish.

Dill in the morning sun at harvest.

Cucumbers-A big mixed bag of delicious snackers.

Portioning out the cucumbers for the snack pack share.

Zucchini-A variety of 3 in every share.

Peppers-The pepper season has begun!-We started harvesting 3 varieties of sweet peppers this week and 2 peppers are in each share.

The start of the pepper harvest.

Cherry Tomatoes-A mixed pint in every snack pack share.

Cherry tomatoes all rinsed and ready to eat.

Potatoes-Red Norlands.  With all the moisture they grew huge….

Red norland potatoes rinsed and ready for the shares.

Garlic-A head in each share.

Sweet Summer Onion-We just started harvesting the summer onions.  Sweet and must be stored in the refrigerator.

Peaches- A pint box.  Picked slightly under-ripe. Store on the kitchen counter until ready.

The peach harvest.

FULL SHARE

head lettuce, asian greens mix, dill, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, japanese shishito sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, slice tomatoes, red norland potatoes, garlic onions, peaches

Head Lettuce-BIG! fluffy delicious heads.  Summer crisp is the variety this week.

Summer Crisp ready to harvest.

Triple rinsed and ready to bag for the shares.

Asian Greens Mix-fresh or braised a great addition to a meal.

Asian Greens in it’s 2nd of 3 rinses.

Dill-Of Course!  For the fantastic cucumbers this week.

Dill in the garden.

Cucumbers-A big bag of assorted snackers. Picked daily so snappy and crisp.

Zucchini-5 assorted beauties in every Full Share.  Also, picked daily to harvest small.

Peppers-3 sweet peppers in every Full Share.  We picked a variety this week.

Sweet peppers ready to pick.

Shishito Japanese Sweet Peppers-A new crop for us this year.  We had these in a restaurant this past winter and loved them.  We found the seed and had to give them a try.  The plants are loaded!  Tastes like a thin skinned bell pepper.  Great grilled, roasted, raw or with a light tempura.

Shishito Peppers at harvest.

Slice Tomatoes-2 beauties in each Full Share.

The slice tomato assortment this week.

Cherry Tomatoes-A quart of the colorful mix.

Auntie Howdy I hope we get to see you once before the summer ends…..

Red Norland Potatoes-Great yield this year.  We will work on getting the remaining crop out this week.

Garlic-2 heads in every share.

Sweet Summer Onions-A bag of these sweet beauties.  Store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

Sweet Summer Onions sizing up in the field.

Peaches-Maeve’s Peaches to share with all.  8 years of waiting but so worth it!  Picked slightly under ripe.  Store on kitchen counter until ready to eat.

Peaches ready to harvest.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-Corn!!!!, chinese cabbage, lettuce, beets?, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, kohlrabi, kale, tomatoes and maybe…..

PEARS!

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Well, it rained again last night….1 5/8th of an inch and all is well.  Crops are thriving and we are continually relieved we have avoided the extreme weather conditions that circle around us.  A few zucchini plants snapped in the wind and a few bean plants blew over (but stood right back up the next-we were grateful they did not crack off) and we march along in the wet heat.

We were weeding maniacs this past week and the garden has never looked better.  Our walkways are clear and the beds clean.  We are concerned with airflow with all this rain and want to make sure that we keep disease at bay.  It feels good to see the wide open spaces.

The hoop house is packed full of leafy green rotations and a few carrots too.

We are making the transition to our Fall plantings.  Hard to believe….spinach was seeded in this week, the late season radish beds planted, tons of kohlrabi transplanted out, the late season broccoli that we harvest in the snow was started, and a brand new carrot trough started too for a late September harvest.

Green and purple kohlrabi transplanting.

Summer crops are almost here…we are seeing baby watermelons, winter squash, and baby brussels sprouts forming.  Next week we start harvesting the onions and peppers and bet the tomatoes will be in full swing….  What a great summer!

A new cherry tomato we are growing.  It is called blueberry.  Starts out blue/purple and transitions to a deep orange.

Watermelon!

Tons!!! of Spaghetti Squash on the vines…

SUMMER SHARE #8

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

307 delicious pounds of garden goodness going home with members this week.  AND lots of goodies on the extra table too.  We harvested a bounty of eggplant-again and they will be on the extra table for all who want some.  (We did not put them in the shares this week as we they were packed the last 2 weeks and we did not want to go into eggplant overload!)  We also clear cut ALL the swiss chard to allow for new growth in the Fall.  It is washed and ready to go home too for all those members that LOVE! it.  Extra zucchini, and cucumbers available as well.  A bounty this week that we are happy to share.

WE ARE RUNNING LOW ON THE SHARE BAGS-GREEN AND ORANGE…IF YOU HAVE A PILE STACKING UP PLEASE BRING THEM BACK IN THE NEXT WEEK OR 2-THANKS!

SNACK PACK

head lettuce, leaf lettuce, arugula, tokyo bekana (fluffy asian green), carrots, zucchini, bag of assorted cucumbers, 1 long skinny European slicing cucumber, green onions, beans

Head Lettuce-A beauty this week again!  A great hoop house lettuce season for us.  Triple rinsed, sweet and perfect.

A beauty!

Leaf Lettuce-Sweet and crunchy.  A nice sized bag for everyone.

Early morning leaf lettuce harvest on it’s way to the wash tubs.

Arugula- A flat leaf variety this time.  Adds some zip to salads or we love it sauted.

Arugula ready to harvest in the hoop house.

Tokyo Bekana-1 of my favorite Asian Greens….tastes like a fluffy chinese cabbage.  Raw or in a stir fry it is delicious.

Tokyo Bekana ready to harvest.

Carrots-The final harvest off our 1st carrot trough-5 rotations are still out there to harvest.

Aunty Howdy did you get your peony bed planted?…..

Zucchini-3 in every share.  We pick daily and harvested almost 300 this week.

Cucumbers-Another daily pick for us.  9 snacking varieties are being harvested right now….enjoy!

A morning cucumber pick.

European slicing cucumber-1 long skinny guy in every share except some lucky member is going to find this treat!

Surprise!

Green Bunching Onions-Maeve and I started these from seed late February.

Green Bunching Onions at harvest.

Beans-The last of this rotations….more to come in about 2 weeks…

FULL SHARE

Head lettuce-Lovelock again this week even though it was planted out 2 weeks after last week’s harvest. It caught up in the heat.

This week’s lettuce at harvest.

After harvest….

and triple rinsed ready to be bagged for the shares.

Leaf lettuce-A nice sized bag for all.  Sweet and crunchy.

Fennel-A baby fennel grown in the outside gardens.

Arugula-A broad leafed variety this week.  Cut small and zippy.

Arugula in it’s 2nd of 3 rinses.

Baby Asian Greens mix-Fresh or sauted it is fantastic!  A slightly spicy mix of choi, kales, mustards, and tatsoi.

Baby Asian Greens mix at harvest.

Tokyo Bekana-A lime green asian green that tastes like a fluffy chinese cabbage.  Adds loft to fresh salads, and great added to stir fry.

Carrots-The final harvest from the 1st trough and more to come this summer.

Zucchini-5 assorted beauties in every share.

Cucumber Mix-A big bag again of crunchy snackers.

White cucumbers at harvest.

European Slice Cucumber-2 of these thin skinned beauties in every Full share.

Green Bunching Onion-the start of our “onion season”.

Green onions ready to wash and bunch for the shares.

Beans-The last of the 1st rotation in the garden.  More to come in about 2 weeks.

Cherry Tomatoes-Here they come!  Enjoy the 1st harvest of the season.

TADA!!!! 1st cherry tomatoes of the season.

Slice tomato-1 red beauty for every full share.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-peppers!!!, potatoes, garlic, chinese cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, kale and more…..

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Another powerhouse week in the gardens.  We plugged along between the rainstorms and ignored the heat.  More broccoli was transplanted out and more fall cauliflower too.  It seemed like we were always picking beans.  The pea trellises all came down, cleaned up and hopefully tilled (if it ever dries out). We plan to replant this area this weekend with Autumn delights.

Our primary duties are harvesting and weed control.  With all this rain the crops and weeds are both thriving but we are on top of it all and this feels good.  We are relieved that severe weather has missed us and have not had any issue yet with excessive rain. The garden is lush, green and beautiful.  Life is good.

Summer Squash bloom in the morning.

Winter Squash plants are loaded with blooms too.  The bees are busy.

Looks to be a bounty this year from our mini orchard.  The peach and pear trees are heavy with fruit.  We are looking forward to the harvest.

The peach tree we planted the year Maeve was born.  This year will be the 1st  harvest.

And look at that!  Tomatoes around the corner.  The tomato patch looks wonderful.

The tomatoes have hit the top of the trellis and full of developing fruit!  Cherry tomatoes in the share next week…

A Hot, hazy picture of peppers right around the corner too.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

An amazing share this week and what is even more amazing we were able to harvest, wash and pack all that bounty and still get our garden chores done.  Enjoy the wonderfulness of it all.

We climbed over the 500 pound mark….537 pounds of garden delights this week.

SNACK PACK

head lettuce, baby cabbage, eggplant, zucchini, long skinny european slice cucumbers, mini muncher cucumbers, early red norland potatoes, parsley, green beans, snow peas, garlic

Head Lettuce-perfect lettuce from our hoop house.  Either romaine or a summer crisp called Lovelock.

Lovelock at harvest.

Baby Cabbage Head-The perfect size for a fresh slaw, added to fresh salads or grilled is wonderful too.

Eggplant-Looks to be another bumper crop again this year.  Plants are loaded.

Morning Eggplant harvest.

Zucchini-Here they come….several varieties planted and an assortment in every share.

Zucchini Harvest.

European slice Cucumbers-2 in every snack pack share.  Thin and delicious.  We pick cucumbers everyday.

Making my way down the cucumber trellis in my outfit of choice this past week.

Mini munch cucumbers-This mini thin skinned cucumbers that have appeared in the grocery stores….our 3rd year growing them and we love them.

Red Norland Potatoes!-Nothing beats the flavor of a just dug potato….enjoy!

1st peek at the potatoes.

Parsley-Large flat leafed Italian.  We had to include it in the mix this week.  Parsley and buttered new baby red potatoes-Heaven!

Parsley at harvest.

Green Beans-A bounty!  Picked in and after the rains. We rinsed them off but do rinse again before preparing as there may be some grit remaining.

Scott bagging the beans.

Snow Peas-The end of the pea season for us.  Scott pulled the trellis right behind my picking.

Garlic-A summer staple around here.  We dug a few more early birds to enjoy with the potatoes.

FULL SHARE

head lettuce x2, baby cabbage x2, eggplant, zucchini, BIG! bag mixed cucumbers, early red norlands, large leaf flat italian parsley, green beans, sugar snap peas, garlic x2

Head lettuce-romaine and lovelock summer crisp lettuce in every full share.

Romaine at Harvest.

Lovelock Summer Crisp at harvest.

Baby cabbages-As I mentioned before we love this size of these little guys.  Tender, sweet and wonderful raw in salads or slaw, or fantastic in stir fry dishes or grilled.

We clear cut the mini cabbage crop and another one started a few weeks back for a late season harvest.  

Eggplant-Here we go…we sure can grow eggplant for some reason….enjoy!

Zucchini-We harvest daily and pick them small.  Tender sweet and a nice mix of varieties.

A great zucchini harvest this week.

BIG! bag of cucumbers-An assortment in every Full Share. These too are picked every day.

Morning cucumber harvest from 1 side of the trellis.

Our favorite white cucumbers are just starting to produce.

Red Norland Potatoes-A bumper crop this year and we are just starting to dig the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG row.

Delicious.  We had a meal of just potatoes the night we dug.

Parsley-Large flat leaf Italian-A must for the share this week to go with the potatoes.

Parsley drying after it’s rinse.

Auntie Howdy…if you ever need to take a quick day road trip come on down and visit-we would love to see you.

Green Beans-A HUGE! harvest this week and a HUGE! bag.

BIG! bags of beans…2 pounds in every Full share.

Sugar snap peas-this marks the end of our “pea season”.

Garlic-2 more heads in the Full Share this week.  Fresh garlic is fantastic.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-carrots, mixed leafy greens, head lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, green onions, cherry tomatoes, beans and more……

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A fast week of weeding and transplanting in the garden but with some Holiday fun tossed in too…  Fall broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower all transplanted out and then a nice soaking rain.  The last of the peas have been picked and that area getting cleaned up to make way for new seeding in of shart season fall crops.  Scott cultivated the walkways and we made our way down the pepper row.  Our duties are shifting to “harvest mode” with daily visits to the summer squash and cucumber areas and other crops that must be checked every other day for harvesting.  Maeve and I upgraded the ginger and turmeric that we planted in shallow trays in February to larger crates and upgraded another round of basil to new pots.  We attended the Baraboo Sunday Market with our garden produce and Maeve sold cards in the children’s market area….a fun event for all of us on a beautiful day.  A water balloon fight on an evening when our work was done and the fireworks in the Dells on the 4th.  A great week!

Sunday Market in downtown Baraboo.

Ginger and Turmeric Planting….

And our work is done….Maeve filling balloons for the water balloon fight. 

Happy 4th of July!

A few cherry tomatoes are ripening and peppers developing too.  Both a few weeks behind last year but coming on strong. Our fruit trees are loaded this year after a disappointing harvest last season due to that late frost.  We are going to start pulling the garlic and peek at the potatoes next week.  A fantastic season so far and we are grateful.

Color on the Cherry Tomatoes….

Slicers not too far behind!

I’ll be teaching a wreath workshop this coming Saturday  July 8th at New Life Lavender and Cherry Farm for the Sauk County Lavender Festival.  I’m looking forward to creating wreaths with their beautiful lavender grown at their farm.  A fun workshop.

SUMMER SHARE #6

The best yet!….Such a great season so far.  And a few early bird surprises this week. The cucumber vines are just starting to produce, the summer squash too and the first rotation of beans!  Enjoy the bounty.

282 pounds this week from the garden.

We harvested a beautiful rotation of PERFECT! butterhead lettuce also this week.  It jumped ahead in it’s rotation.  We made the choice to include the pretty and tasty Cherokee in the shares as planned and this delicious butter head is in the “extra” area for members to take if they choose…..we did not want people to be overwhelmed with leafy greens in the shares….

Perfect Butterhead lettuce ready to harvest.

Tons of it….

Sweet, juicy leaves……all extra of you want it….

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

SNACK PACK

head lettuce, pac choi, chinese cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli and beans

Head lettuce-A great summer lettuce-Cherokee.  Beautiful and delicious.

This week’s head lettuce at harvest.

Beautiful Cherokee

Pac Choi-2 varieties ready this week and the last (I promise) of the pac choi until Fall.  We love it fresh in salads but fantastic in soups or stir fry.

Pac Choi ready to be picked.

Chinese Cabbage-We grow the little guys-a variety called minuet.  We like the smaller size as not so overwhelming to eat our way through.  A light saute with garlic and olive makes the perfect side for dinner.

Chinese Cabbage at harvest.

Zucchini-Several in every share this week!  We pick them daily small and tender.  We planted a huge patch this season of 6 different varieties.

Cucumbers!-Here they come!  A mixed bag in all the snack pack this week of perfect snackers.

The 1st cucumbers of the season!

1st white cucumbers of the season too…..

Broccoli-AGAIN!  We can’t believe it!!!  This is the 3rd early season variety we planted and it headed up quickly.  A lighter more compact head than last week’s variety.  Sweet flavor and absolutely delicious.

Broccoli at harvest.

Beans-Here they come and somehow right on time even though we had a cool Spring.

1st green beans of the season.

FULL SHARE

head lettuce, leaf lettuce, pac choi, chinese cabbage, zucchini, long european slicing cucumbers, snow peas, eggplant, broccoli and beans

Head Lettuce-A beautiful heat loving red lettuce-cherokee.  Perfect heads.

Head lettuce soaking in the wash tanks.

Leaf Lettuce-A sweet bag of mixed leaf lettuce.

Leaf Lettuce at harvest in the hoop house.

This week’s leaf lettuce washer (and snacker).

Pac Choi-2 varieties and the last of the pac choi until Fall-I promise….

Last early season Pac choi rotation in the hoop house ready to be cut.

Pac choi ready to be bagged for the shares.  The pac choi bonanza is OVER until Fall.

Chinese Cabbage-The 1st chinese cabbage harvest from the outdoor gardens.  We plant a small variety called Minuet Makes a great slaw, can be sauted, and also enjoyed fresh in mixed salads.

Zucchini-Several in every full share.  A summer staple all season long.  A second summer squash patch is going in this week to extend our season.

Hi Auntie Howdy…..your old barbie bureau that you gave to Maeve saw some action again this weekend….a barbie fashion show!

Counting out the zucchini harvest.

European Slicing Cucumbers-To of these delicious slender beauties in every Full Share.

The cucumber trellis.

Snow Peas-A nice big bag!  A treat!  fresh or saute in stir fry.

Snow Peas on the vine…..

…and after harvest.

Eggplant-Again-I know!  Just crazy! A mini variety that we love and an early producer.

Morning eggplant pick.

Broccoli-AGAIN too!!!!  Isn’t it great!  All 3 early rotations we planted are now out and we are thrilled with the harvest.  This variety Belstar is a lighter head variety than last week’s variety.

Beans-1st rotation of green beans. 3 rotations planted in the garden now…. Enjoy!

1st green bean harvest of the season.

Scott weighing and bagging the bean bounty.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-new baby red potatoes, fresh garlic, flat italian parsley, head lettuce, carrots!, zucchini, beans, cucumber and more!

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A bright sunny morning today after many days of rain and cold.  A week of working in rain gear, long johns!! and a cap but all is well.  Crops are really strong and aside from a few broccoli transplants failing in the muck we dance on into July.  We are relieved and grateful that severe weather has passed us by.

We pulled the early sugar snap peas down and replanted the area with a second rotation of cucumbers, Scott is tying up the peppers that are growing tall, the hoop house was replanted after the bounty harvest of greens last week, we harvested the carrot trough and replanted it that evening, pickled the remaining garlic scapes and made some pesto too, and Maeve and Scott picked our sour cherries from our tree we planted when Maeve was born and froze them for winter. The final planting of squash went in, and we weeded. A fun week for all of us.

pickled garlic scapes.

Cherry Picking on Sunday.

Maeve with her harvest.

Replanting the carrot trough with the gorgeous tomato plants behind.

Tomato Plants are as tall as Maeve!

The big news is we purchased a fancy new potato digger!  Scott has had enough of hand forking our miles of potatoes and we are moving on.  It will save hours and HOURS! of time for us and will also work for garlic harvest and sweet potatoes too.  We are thrilled and cannot wait to give it a spin.

Potatoes look gorgeous this season…..I might just say best ever!

SUMMER SHARE #5

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

Another fantastic share this week!  It’s a bounty again….Enjoy this week’s harvest.

332 delicious pounds of garden produce going home with members today.

SNACK PACK

carrots, broccoli, head lettuce, turnips, garlic, collard greens, cabbage, shelling peas, and zucchini

Carrots-This is the first harvest from the outdoor carrot trough.  Sweet and snappy.

Scott and Maeve pulling carrots.

Perfect!

Broccoli-A second harvest of early broccoli.  Nice big heads and delicious.  A great harvest for us.

Packing up the broccoli for the shares.

Head lettuce-A Summer crisp this week from the hoop house.  Sweet and juicy.

Summer crisp at morning harvest.

Turnips-This is the 2nd and final picking of these beauties from the hoop house.  We will see them again in the Fall.

Turnips soaking in the dunk tank ready to be scrubbed.

Garlic-FRESH! Just dug early garlic.  Our garlic crop looks great this year and we had to take an early peek.  More to come all season long….

Collard Greens-MY favorite,  I just love them. We use them as our bread replacement….or for burritos and tacos too.  Can also make a fantastic slaw, great in broth or wilted down for a delicious side.

Collard Greens at harvest.  We planted 3 varieties this year.

Collard green roll up.  Our “go to” lunch these days.

Cabbage-The first harvest of these little beauties.  Perfectly sized for a coleslaw side or added to salads. And delicious cut in 1/2 and grilled. Sweet and delicious.

Baby Cabbage Harvest.

Shelling Peas-A big box!  Shell and eat raw, add to salads or pasta or quickly steam with salt and butter.  A true summer treat.

Scott Pea picking in the rain….

Zucchini-The plants are just starting to produce.  We planted over 70 plants this season and a second patch is ready to go in as well for a long season of this summer staple.

The daily zucchini harvest.

FULL SHARE

carrots broccoli, head lettuce, turnips, garlic, collard greens, beets, cabbage, shelling peas, arugula, and zucchini

Carrots-A bounty from our outside trough.  Easy harvest and a fun time.  Will pulled them all and completely replanted before dark.

Maeve with her carrot harvest.

The oddball of the day.

Broccoli-We set a goal this year of “TONS! OF BROCCOLI”.  This is the second planting of the early broccoli and it is a great harvest for us…..lots more to come.

This picture was taken 8 days ago.  The broccoli headed up that quickly to a nice sized head to harvest.

Head Lettuce-A snappy summer crisp from the hoop house this week.

Turnips-Final harvest of this sweet treat.  We cut the tops and popped them in the dunk tank and they scrubbed up to look like beautiful eggs.

Turnips ready for the shares.

Garlic-Just dug delicious fresh garlic.  Cannot think of anything better.  A bumper crop for us this year and garlic to enjoy all season long.

Collard Greens-Fresh and raw in a salad or slaw is a treat.  Make a sandwich, taco or burrito.  Steamed or tossed into broth is a favorite too.

Collard Greens harvest.  YUM!

Scott washing the collard greens….in the rain.

Beets-1st outside harvest of these little gems….

Baby Beets at harvest.

All washed up and ready for the shares.

Cabbage-2 of these little lovelies in all Full Shares.  We planted this variety for the 1st time last year and loved them…..many more to come.  Perfectly sized for a meal or 2.  Sweet!

Baby cabbage ready to harvest.

Shelling Peas-A big box for everyone.  So worth the time to shell.  Great as a fresh snack all alone.  We love it added to pasta and nothing better than lightly steamed with salt and butter.

Shelling Peas at harvest.  We planted 3 different shelling pea varieties this year.  Enjoy!

Arugula-A nice sized bag of one of our favorite greens.  Cooked or raw it is delicious.

Washed and spun arugula!

Zucchini-The harvest is kicking in….a little heat this week and we will be picking this summer staple ALL summer long until frost.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-cabbage, red head lettuce, joy choi, garlic, zucchini, cucumbers?, snow peas, eggplant!? (it is almost ready-really!), swiss chard, and more……

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