foxlinecityfarm

A steamy wet week here but we powered through with a rain suit and outfit changes…  There is nothing like rain water, a good lightning storm or 2 and heat to make your garden grow.  Plants doubled in size and filled out at an almost unbelievable pace.

We transplanted out more baby cabbage, weeded through the brussels sprouts and still walk the cucumber lines daily to guide those vines up. A second loooooong planting of carrots went in the hoop house and the existing outside carrot patch thinned and weeded.  Believe it or not fall crops are being seeded into cells in the greenhouse.  We are chugging along and it feels great.

SUMMER SHARE #3

253 pounds of garden goodness went home with CSA members today.

FULL SHARE

garlic scapes, butterhead lettuce, leaf lettuce, asian greens mix, broccoli, broccoli side shoots, zucchini, fennel, snow peas, swiss chard, african kale

SNACK PACK

Garlic scapes, butterhead lettuce, leaf lettuce, asian greens mix, broccoli, fennel sugar snap peas and swiss chard

Garlic Scapes-A harvest we always look forward to!  Great garlic flavor.  Use as you would garlic cloves.

Cutting the garlic scapes on a hot morning.

Hauling the harvest from the field.

Cleaned garlic scapes ready to bundle for the shares.

The Garlic Scape bundling factory.

Butterhead Lettuce-A tricky lettuce to grow in heat and we did it.  Sweet juicy and perfect.  Enjoy!

Perfect butterhead lettuce….

Butter head lettuce soaking in the dunk tank.

Leaf Lettuce-This is the end of the leaf lettuce until cooler temperatures return.

Leaf Lettuce harvest at 5:30 a.m. before the heat of the day sets in.

Asian greens mix-A slightly spicy mix.  Enjoy fresh or saute.

Also an early morning harvest before the heat sets in for the day.  

Broccoli!!-We are thrilled with the harvest.  AND blown away that it is so early and abundant after the cold late Spring.

Broccoli Harvest.

Another Day of Broccoli harvest in a light rain.

Perfect early Broccoli-a small beaded variety called Blue Wind.

Broccoli Side Shoots-(Full Share ONLY)-The first time we grew this early variety.  Small heads and abundant side shoots and extra early.

Zucchini-(Full Share ONLY)-1st pick of the season and the patch is ready to go….

1st zucchini harvest of the season.

Fennel-A great harvest of this delicious treat- Shave bulb in fresh salads or use the wispy fronds in your fresh salads this week.  The bulbs are fantastic grilled or roasted.  The fronds make a fun pesto for pasta too.

Fennel ready to harvest.

Cut fennel ready to go to the washing station.

Snow Peas-(Full Share ONLY)-The 1st pick of the season and the plants are loaded.  Looks to be a great pea year for us this year.

Snow Peas for the Full Share.

Sugar Snap Peas-(Snack Pack Share ONLY)-1st pick here too and 4 long rows loaded.

Sugar Snap Peas ready for snack Pack shares.

Swiss Chard-A HUGE! Harvest right after the brief hail storm.  Slight Hail damage to leaves.

Swiss Chard Harvest in the rain.

Beautiful!

Even more beautiful!!

African Kale- (Full Share ONLY) A new crop we grew in the hoop house to see what we thought…delicious and a lighter flavor than “normal” kale.  We like it!  AND I forgot to take a picture…darn.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-PEA!!!! BONANZA FOR SURE…SNOW, SUGAR SNAP AND SHELLING, ROMAINE HEAD LETTUCE, BETA MIX (BABY SWISS CHARD AND BEET TOPS), ZUCCHINI, COLLARD GREENS, GARLIC SCAPES AND MORE…..

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Another great week in the gardens.  We finished the final big early season job.  Sweet potatoes ALL in and a month earlier than last year.  We are thrilled.  Our organic supplier had production issues last season and shipped late and we were pleasantly surprised when the slips arrived nice and early this year.  We planted 3 varieties again and look forward to a jumbo harvest at the 1st Frost this Fall.

Sweet Potato Slips planted with my favorite stick.

We focused this week on weeding and staying ahead of the curve.  We went down ALL the long rows and weeded our way along.  The cucumber vines are growing long and we spend  mornings pushing them towards the trellis so they grow up and and are well supported.  A 3rd rotation of cucumbers went in over the weekend too so a nice long harvest window is expected.  Scott tied up the tomato plants that look fantastic and we are even seeing a few tomatoes forming.  Exciting!

Tomatoes forming on the vine.

All crops look really strong.  Pea vines are loaded, zucchini forming, cabbage heading up,  blossoms on the eggplant and little itty bitty beans too.  Summer is around the corner.  Our first harvest from the outside gardens was this week.  Early kohlrabi and it was perfect.  We will replant this area with another rotation of cabbage.

SUMMER SHARE #2

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

FULL

2 basil plants of your choice, pea shoots, beets!, arugula, baby kale, romaine head lettuce, mini head lettuce and 5 kohlrabi

Basil plants 2- We started several varieties and you choose 2.  All pesto Italian varieties.

Beautiful Basil.

Pea shoots-great pea flavor!  Place on a bright windowsill and garnish salads, soups or sandwiches.

Pea Shoots ready for the shares.

Beets-A great harvest from the hoop house for full share only this week.  Tops on too!

Beets at Harvest.

Scott washing the beets.

Look at those gems!

Arugula-A spicy green we love.  Great in fresh salads and delicious wilted as a side or a pizza topper.

Arugula at harvest.

Baby Kale-Mini kale mix.  Add to a salad or great wilted hot or cold.

Romaine head lettuce-2 delicious varieties were picked this week and an assortment went in every share.

Green Romaine at harvest.

Mini head lettuce-These little guys are delicious.  I am on a mini head lettuce kick this season.  We love the size.

Mini Head lettuce glowing in the morning sunshine.

Kohlrabi-1st outside harvest.  We love it raw with a bit of salt.

Scott with morning kohlrabi harvest.

SNACK PACK

Basil plant, pea shoots, arugula, baby kale, romaine head lettuce, mini head lettuce,  3 kohlrabi

1 basil plant of your choice-several Italian pesto varieties to choose from.

Basil plants in the greenhouse ready to go home with CSA members.

Pea shoots-Snappy pea flavor.  Place in a bright windowsill and snip as garnish for salads, sandwiches or soups.

Pea Shoots coming up from the greenhouse.

Arugula-A spicy green that adds a kick to fresh salads.  A great topper to pizza, and lightly wilted as a side.  Delicious.

Scott weighing out the arugula.

Baby Kale-We love it slightly wilted in a cold salad with grains.  Great in a mixed fresh salad or wilted as a warm side.

Baby Kale at harvest.

Romaine Head lettuce-We picked 2 varieties this week and an assortment went in every share.

Dark Romaine in it’s 3rd rinse.  Beautiful.  Our first year growing this variety.

Mini head lettuce- A beauty.  Juicy mini heads.

Kohlrabi-1st outside crop harvest from the gardens….3 in every snack pack share.

Kohlrabi chilling in the dunk tank.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-SWISS CHARD, GARLIC SCAPES, BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE, ASIAN GREEN MIX, PEAS?!, LEAF LETTUCE, AND MORE.

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A happy time around the gardens.  All the big jobs are behind us….Tomatoes went in as a family effort on Memorial day and that was the last of our HUGE jobs that had to be tackled.  Just over 420 plants went in on a HOT! stuffy morning.  The patch looks strong and we are thrilled.  Peas are flowering and we picked our 1st itty bitty pea the other day. Somehow life transformed to Summer in 1 months time after that late April snow.

The jumbo watermelon patch was planted this past week and settling in.

The watermelon patch.

Summer Squash developing.

The second planting of cucumbers went in and a 3rd rotation to follow soon with seedlings waiting in the greenhouse.  The hoop house is strong with seasonal lettuces and leafy greens and FULL to the walls…. We see the garlic scapes forming, broccoli heading up and the mini cabbages growing plump.  Fruit trees are loaded again this year and long rows of sunflowers planted.  We are staying ahead of the weeding duties so far and that always feels good….Schools out and summer has begun.

Looking forward to a great season.

SUMMER #1  

A fantastic 1st Share of the season.  A great harvest and almost unbelievable that 8 weeks ago there was snow on the ground!  All produce is washed and ready to eat.  238 pounds of garden goodness is going home with CSA members today.

FULL SHARE

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

All full shares are packed in orange totes and on the right side in the cooler.

2 lb rhubarb, Tokyo Bekena (asian green-like a fluffy Chinese Cabbage, Head lettuce medley, mini bibb lettuce, radish mix, baby carrots, and pac choi

Rhubarb-A mix of several varieties.  Old fashioned farmyard rhubarb, Canadian red, valentine and a plant that I transplanted from my Grandpa’s garden when he passed away.

Scott with the rhubarb harvest.

Tokyo Bekena-A favorite leafy green around here.  Tastes like fluffy Chinese Cabbage.  Enjoy raw in fresh salads to add a bit of crunch or light saute as a side.

Tokyo Bekena ready to harvest in the hoop house.

Head Lettuce Medley-A great harvest of delicious head lettuces from the hoop house.  A variety in every share….

lettuce at harvest

and a second head lettuce beauty ready to pick.

Mini bicolor bibb lettuce-juicy mini heads in full share only.

Beautiful Baby bibbs in Full Share only.

Radish mix-A nice big bag of 2 varieties.  Long storage life in the crispy drawer of the refrigerator.

Radishes after cutting the tops and washing.  Gumballs!

Carrots!!  Yes, baby carrots…Maeve planted these in crates in the garage in February.  A HUGE! treat-delicious.

Scott and Maeve harvesting the baby carrots.  Maeve conducting a taste test.

Hauling the carrot harvest to the washing station.

Pac choi-A crunchy variety called Joy Choi.  Crunchy ribs and juicy leaves are fantastic raw in a leafy green mix or delicious added to a stir fry.

Morning dew on the pac choi leaves.

SNACK PACK

All snack pack shares are packed in green totes and on the left side in the cooler.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

1.25 pounds rhubarb, tokyo bekena (asian green-like a fluffy Chinese cabbage), head lettuce medley, radish mix carrots!

Rhubarb-A great mix of several varieties.  Enough for a crisp or bars.

Rhubarb in the dunk tank.

Tokyo Bekena-A crunchy leafy asian green that adds loft to fresh salads and tasty as a steamed or warm saute side.

Tokyo bekena at harvest in the hoop house.

Head lettuce medley-We harvested several varieties and a mix is in every share.  Delicious!

Perfect lettuce at harvest in the hoop house.

Radish Mix-2 varieties.  Long storage life in crisper drawer of refrigerator.

Carrots!-Carrots in the 1st share of the season….started early in the garage way back in February.  ENJOY!

Maeve “model posing” with the carrots….

Carrots ready to be weighed out and into this week’s shares.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK

head lettuce, baby kale, arugula, kohlrabi, pea shoots, basil plant, beets (full share only) and more…

Please return your tote with next pick up for reuse…Thanks!

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A fantastic week here! EXCEPT we now work in mosquito city….Our cologne of choice is deep woods off and we power on….. We were planting maniacs again all week long and are just about over the big springtime planting frenzy.  Potatoes are in!  500 pounds of seed potatoes all in and all planted by hand.  We are thrilled….the next day we planted 1400 leeks in an hour and 15 minutes.  We’ve wised up a bit over the years and learned that it is much easier to wait a bit for the leek seedlings started in March to size up.  As Scott says-“it is much easier to plant pencils than try to stuff yarn in a 9 inch deep hole”.  True.  The zucchini patch is in, long rows of eggplant, edamame, cutting celery, and parsley all in too.  The hoop house is completely transitioned to Summer Production after we harvest the last of the greens for the final Spring Share. Crops look great in the field.  The peas are just about ready to grab on the trellis and germination is great after disappointing germination last year.  Hopefully we will have a bounty!  Beans are up, and the early broccoli plants are growing well.  It is a happy start to a great season.

Potatoes done!! Out at Uncle Jim’s just as it started to rain.

Scott making his way down the leek row.

We hope to get the tomatoes in this next week and all the peppers too….watermelon patch and cucumbers hopefully mixed in there and then we are done!  It has been a late, cool wet Spring but summer is on it’s way.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE/FINAL SPRING SHARE

MAIN SUMMER CSA SEASON LAUNCH THURSDAY JUNE 7TH. (NOTE! WE ARE TAKING A 1 WEEK BREAK-TO LET THE OUTSIDE GARDENS CATCH UP) NO SHARE PICK UP NEXT WEEK.

Basil plant, mung bean shoots, mini bibb head lettuce, leaf lettuce, radishes, turnips, spinach, fennel, rhubarb, beta mix OR baby kale.

Basil Plant-A little basil plant for your herb garden.

Mung bean shoots-An experiment this year.  Cut just as you would the pea shoots or sunflower shoots and add to salad or as a garnish.

Mini bibb head lettuce-Gorgeous mini heads that are juicy and sweet!  We love this lettuce variety that only grows well in Spring.

Mini bibb ready to harvest.

Triple rinse after the harvest.

Leaf lettuce-A nice sized bag of this delicious Spring Leaf lettuce.  Bright and flavorful.

Leaf lettuce at morning harvest.

Radishes-Another bed of radishes harvested this week. Snappy!

Looks like gumballs in the sunshine.

Turnips-Our favorite!  Nothing better than Spring turnips.  Enjoy!

Turnip at harvest in the hoop house.

Spinach-The last harvest of our indoor hoop house Spring Spinach.  We picked and then pulled the plants.

The end of Spring hoop house Spinach.

Fennel-Baby fennel is a Springtime favorite.  Shave the bulb and add to salads.  Fronds are delicious too in side salad dishes.

Baby fennel in the hoop house with kale reseeded between the rows.

Rhubarb!! 2 pounds in every share of this Springtime delight.

Rhubarb at harvest….

Scott washing the Rhubarb harvest.

Beta Mix OR Baby Kale-A second harvest off these crops. We split it in 1/2 so each share will have one OR the other.

Maeve and Scott weighing out the beta mix.

Thanks everyone who shared the hoophouse with us this Spring….It was a great start to a great season.

NO SHARE PICK UP NEXT WEEK.

MAIN SUMMER SEASON LAUNCH THURSDAY JUNE 7TH SEE YOU THEN!

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A big week focused on “getting things in the ground”.  We spent most of our days crawling down long rows transplanting seedlings.  The last of the broccoli and cabbage went in, kohlrabi and fennel too. 1/2 the potatoes are in with the remainder scheduled for next week.  A long row of green beans seeded in and the watermelon and cucumbers started in the greenhouse.  Beds were prepared for the zucchini and we had a major harvest of leafy greens from the hoop house for this week’s CSA with the warm weather and sunshine.  Irrigation lines are set and the beds all ready for future sweet potato planting.  We are beginning to feel that we are over that gigantic hump of too much to do…. A whirlwind but a happy whirlwind.

Just finished up transplanting for the day with my favorite shovel.

We continue to replant the hoop house with Main Season Summer crops as the Spring Share winds down.  Long rows of head lettuces, leafy greens and turnips going in every day.

Leafy green transplants going in before supper time.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

An unexpected bounty of greens from the hoop house this week. Several rotations jumped ahead with the warm sunny weather.  A HUGE! fluffy selection…we love it!  Enjoy!

baby arugula, baby kale, asian greens mix, leaf lettuce, pac choi, spinach, pea shoots and HONEY!

Maeve helped pack the shares for the very first time. Here she is with the final spring share for this week.

Baby Arugula-The second cutting off this bed.  A spicy green that is delicious in salads and even better wilted as a warm side dish.

Pretty Baby Arugula.

Baby Kale-A  kale mix of flavorful little leaves.  Fresh or saute they are just perfect.

Baby Kale soaking in it’s 3rd rinse before spinning.

Asian Green Mix-Another Green that can be enjoyed fresh in salads or saute.  Long storage life too in the crisper drawer.

2nd Cutting of the Asian Greens row.

Leaf Lettuce-A huge harvest of the sweet leaf lettuce this week.  Juicy and tender.  Nothing better in early Spring Salads.

Morning leaf lettuce harvest with fennel planted in between the rows.

Pac Choi-Another variety of this crunchy green….A favorite snack around here.  We love it fresh and in a lite stir fry too.

Pac Choi-Maeve’s go to snack while reading….

Pac choi divided up for this week’s share before packaging.

Spinach-A nice sized bag again this week….and nearing the end of Spring Spinach from the hoop house.  We harvested and pulled the big donkey eared variety as it does not like the heat….next week may be the last harvest of other varieties of early spinach from the hoop house.

Hoop House spinach…

Pea Shoots-A favorite Springtime treat! Keep on a sunny windowsill snip and add to salad or as a garnish to soups or main dishes.  Great pea flavor and will continue to grow after snipping.

Pea shoots ready to go home with CSA Members.

Honey!-Fall harvested from our backyard hives.  Deep rich flavor.

Fantastic honey from our backyard hives…

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-mini head lettuce, turnips, baby fennel, radishes, spinach, rhubarb and more……..

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A wet week of garden work but we powered through the raindrops and got the work done in muddy jeans and heavy boots.

Big news is all the onions and shallots are in!  We wait a bit to plant so the seedlings size up.  MUCH easier to plant than itty bitty threads.

Scott with his onion planting invention.  Little tiny poke holes every 6 inches to set the rows.

This is how we spent the better part of 2 days….2 onions per hole down the line….  6000 planted.  AND we could stand upright when it was all over.  Note: Gorgeous garlic in the background!!

Long rows of cabbage, broccoli raab, broccoli and kohlrabi all went out in the garden with a bit more to go.  The summer squash and watermelon seeds started in the greenhouse and some basil upgraded too.  We are transitioning the hoop house for summer share production with more head lettuces and leafy green mixes going into the ground.  A beet trough was planted.  Scott works evening on securing our fence lines to prevent wildlife from visiting and snacking!  We are secure for now.

SPRING SHARE #2

A Bounty!  We are thrilled…Enjoy!

Baby pac choi, chives, turnips with greens, spinach, beta mix (baby beet tops and baby chard mix), tokyo bekina (fluffy chinese cabbage), spinach, mini head lettuces (2 varieties)

Baby Pac choi-This is a juicy mini variety.  LOVE in salad to add crunch, grilled it is delicious, also fantastic in broth.

Pac choi on a dewy morning.

Beautiful!

Chives-big bunch, great with eggs or use as you would onions.

Chives ready for the morning harvest.

Turnips!-A HUGE HUGE! bunch with greens attached.   We are thrilled with the early harvest They are delicious and perfect too.  Sweet as can be.  Eat raw-our preference but can be added to stir fry too for a bit of crunch.

Turnips at harvest.

Turnips soaking in the dunk tank after washing.

Turnips washed and bundled-ready for the shares.

Beta mix-A flavorful mix of baby beet tops and baby swiss chard.  Delicious in salads raw or a light saute.  A favorite.

Spinach-Another great harvest this week and some jumbo donkey ears in the mix.

Huge “donkey ear” spinach leaves….

Spinach triple rinsed and air drying before bagging.

Tokyo Bekina-A crunchy asian green that tastes like fluffy chinese cabbage.  Fresh, saute or steamed it is fantastic.

Tokyo Bekina ready to harvest.

Tokyo Bekina gorgeous in the morning sun.

Mini Head lettuces-2 varieties…butter heads and little bibbs.  Will make perfect salads and the bibbs can be grilled with flavorful results.

mini butterhead.

mini bibb.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK….MORE TURNIPS, LEAF LETTUCE, DIFFERENT KIND OF PAC CHOI, HONEY, ASIAN GREENS MIX AND MORE…..

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An odd Spring, but it seems that comment can be made every Spring for a different reason.  Hard to believe that there was deep snow on the ground 2 weeks ago.  We worked in the hoop and greenhouse when we could not get outside and readied machinery, seed count and seedlings so when it was time to jump we were set to jump. A fast and furious 2 weeks.  Peas went in, brush cleanup around the gardens, beds prepared and planted with long rows of carrots, turnips, beets, radishes and the outdoor spinach transplanted.  And on a perfect 2 days the gardens were tilled and plastic layed.  We still buzzed around the hoop house and greenhouse upgrading the peppers, tomatoes and eggplant, started more seeds for outdoor planting and direct seeded more leafy greens in the hoop.  It’s all good.  We sleep well….  Our Spring Share crops in the hoop house look fabulous and we are looking forward to a happy 2018 CSA season.

April 15th at the Carrot Trough…..we planted it on April 30th.

Scott was able to till an lay plastic in 2 days. Perfect soil conditions.

Many nights the row cover had to go down in the hoop house to protect from the cold. Off again in the morning…..You can see the wall of snow outside the hoophouse in this image….

Spring crops growing in the bright sun. Row cover hanging in the back and snow outside.

Peas went in…snap, shell and snow and they are already sprouting.

SPRING SHARE #1

ALL greens are triple rinsed, bagged and ready to eat!  All other produce is washed and ready to eat as well.

ALL shares are in cloth totes in our walk in cooler ready to go at pick up time. ALL Spring Shares are equal.  Grab your share and check your name of the list on the cooler door.  We will ALWAYS be here at pick up time to assist with pick up routine and walk around the gardens or greenhouses if you wish.

Return your cloth tote with next week’s pick up for reuse.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

radish medley, HUGE! bag of spinach, baby asian greens blend, baby arugula, spring leaf lettuce, and sunflower shoots

radishes-a mix of 3 varieties.  Nice big bag.

French breakfast radishes ready to harvest.

Radishes washed and ready to bag. I always think this looks like peppermint candy.

Spinach!-This has to be the favorite Spring crop.  4 varieties mix.  A huge bag to enjoy.  Flavorful….raw or saute a treat!

Spinach at harvest.

Asian greens mix-A leafy mix of mildly spicy asian greens.  Raw or can be steamed or saute.  I love with eggs.

Asian greens blend in the morning at harvest time.

Arugula-Another Springtime favorite for many…..a great peppery flavor with a kick.  We cannot get enough of this.  Picked small and tender.

Baby arugula glowing in the sun.

Spring Leaf Lettuce-A pretty mix of tender baby leafy greens.  Sweet!

Spring Leafy Lettuce ready to harvest with fennel planted between the rows for later harvest.

Sunflower Shoots-Just for fun!  A nutty addition to a salad or sandwich or delicious on top of creamy soups.

Place shoots on a bright windowsill and water as needed. Snip and eat shoots before 1st true leaves appear for best flavor.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK.

Mini head lettuces, pac choi, tokyo bekina (fluffy chinese cabbage), spinach, japanese salad turnips!!!!! (really!!!!), beta mix (baby beet tops and mini swiss chard) and more…..

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