foxlinecityfarm

We are in full summer garden bounty mode here. HUGE! harvests hauled up from the garden and the tomatoes are kicking in and the peppers too. The days are full and happy. Irrigation is running around the clock as it is dry but we are keeping up. The plants love the heat and bright sunshine. All outside crops are in for the season and we joke we are riding the wave to the end now…..it’s fun to watch the brussels sprouts grow tall and the squash size up.

We placed the heart and square molds on the watermelons this week and excited to see what we get this year. Always a fun experiment.

CSA #8

head lettuce, leaf lettuce (full only), bell peppers, cucumbers, arugula, sweet summer onions, purple filet beans, carrots, kohlrabi, basil, slice tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, sweet mini peppers (full only)

Head Lettuce-Another delicious and crunchy head from hoop 1. It’s called salad bowl.

Leaf lettuce-Delicate leaf lettuce is a treat in the summer heat. Sweet.

Bell Peppers-We planted an assortment of Bells this year-mini to full sized. The plants look great and this is the 1st big harvest of peppers for the season….

Sweet mini Snack Peppers (full only)-These little gems are just starting to color up. They are called picnic and we love them….

Cucumbers-We are thrilled with our selections this year of cucumbers. Great flavor thicker skins and nice storage too.

Arugula-Another variety of this zippy green. We love it added to our fresh salads.

Sweet summer onions-Enjoy! We had a great harvest this season of summer onions….and a great onion cleaner too.

Purple filet beans-These are the beauties that were flattened in that terrible storm. We had a great harvest off the pancaked plants BUT it is a 1 and done……impossible-or near impossible to pick and not break the stem. Enjoy! this is the last of the beans until the next rotation in a few weeks.

Carrots-A great harvest from hoop 2. Crunchy and flavorful.

Kohlrabi-An outside kohlrabi crop. A great addition to fresh salads and shredded in a slaw.

Basil-Basil to kick off the tomato season. Grown in the greenhouse so tender and sweet.

Slice tomatoes-Here they come….over 20 varieties!

Cherry tomatoes-Weekly cherry tomatoes will be here for awhile…

Zucchini-Huge daily harvest from patch 1 and the 2nd patch is kicking in….

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-TOMATOES!!!! CHERRY TOMATOES, HEAD LETTUCE, CUCUMBER, POTATO, ZUCCHINI, GARLIC, KALE AND MORE…..

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Another happy week….Maeve is home and the mornings were cool and crops strong. We were on a good roll. Alllllll the onions came out and processed for drying.

A Great onion year for us….We are thrilled and we planted tons of shallots for late season delight.

2 very long rows of late season Fall broccoli went in and another rotation of cabbage. Transplanting is pretty much over for outside crops. More Fall Spinach was seeded in to fill Hoop 2 when the carrots and beets come out. We still follow our “routine” of daily harvest of cucumber, beans and zucchini. And we hand dug 1/2 a row of potatoes to kick of the season. Next week we will hook up the potato digger and harvest a long row of potatoes for next week’s share. Potato crop and sweet potatoes look to be best ever for us and we are excited.

CSA #7

head Lettuce. zucchini, cucumbers, sweet onions, corola potatoes, green beans, sunflower shoots, bell peppers (full only), cherry tomato (full only), 1 slice tomato (full only), broccoli side shoots (snack pack only)

Head Lettuce-A favorite! Lovelock. Just delicious-crunchy and flavorful.

Zucchini-1st patch is hitting stride and 2nd patch just started producing.

Cucumbers-A seeded in rotations are now producing.

Sweet onions-Maeve was the onion cleaner this week….

Potatoes-Corola is the variety. Great mashed or fried.

Green Beans-The plants were loaded this week….next up the purple beans

Sunflower shoots-Snip and add to fresh salads- or garnish. Nutty flavor.

Bell Peppers-Enough for Full Share…more peppers sweet and hot on extra table.

Cherry tomatoes-the cherry tomato row is just kicking in….enough of these little gems for Full Share.

Slice tomato-1 in full share only this week.

Broccoli Side shoots (snack only)-We are blown away at the side shoot production on these plants that were started in the greenhouse in March! Crazy. We do not need the space so we are leaving the row to see how long this goes.

We harvested a ton of eggplant this week and it will be on the extra table for members this week. Enjoy!

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-TOMATOES!, CARROTS, BEETS, FENNEL, POTATOES, CUCUMBERS, ZUCCHINI, PURPLE BEANS, LETTUCE AND MORE….

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Baraboo experienced a significant weather event yesterday around 5 pm. High winds, hail and over 2 inches of rain. We are fine. No damage here and garden good and loved the big drink. The edamame crop got pushed around a bit but nothing snapped off or damaged. The purple bean rows were flattened but here is the funny thing….this is the 5th!!! year in a row this happens with this crop. I saw it this morning and actually laughed and said to myself “of course it happened again!”. A big storm blasts through right at the wrong time. Makes for difficult harvesting but we are relieved as things could have been much worse.

A week that flew! We planted a sunflower patch for Autumn Splendor. A final “hail Mary” crop of carrots in hoop 2, the Fall Spinach was seeded in, long rows of radishes planted and we stuck to the “routine” of daily harvest of zucchini, beans and cucumbers. We pulled the garlic and prepped it for curing on a really hot day.

A good strong garlic year for us. Fresh just pulled garlic in every share this week.

We noticed that those long rows of beans we seeded in right before the heat wave had lame germination. VERY spotty. This happens sometimes when it gets just too hot. The bean seeds cook and rot. So, we seeded in again and noticed this morning all is well. Full germination down all 4 rows.

The melons are forming and about the size of a baseballs, peppers are forming too and a few jalapenos ready for the “extra table” this week. Tomato plants look fantastic! Won’t be long now.

CSA #6

Head lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, beets (snack only), collard greens, garlic, shallots, cabbage, and eggplant (full only), broccoli side shoots (full only)

Head lettuce-We harvested 2 varieties this week from Hoop 1. A romaine and an oakleaf. We mixed them up and 1 or the other is in every share.

Cucumbers-The long trellised rows are just starting to kick in. We planted larger varieties this season with tougher skin so they hold up in storage a bit longer.

Zucchini-The patch looks strong….Huge morning harvests.

Green beans-We crawled down the bean rows every day and always amazed at the bounty.

Beets-We did a selective harvest of the beets out of hoop 2. Pulled the bigger ones and those that needed to give their neighbor a bit more space. Snack Pack only this week. More to come.

Garlic-Fresh garlic is delicious. Enjoy the flavor.

Collard greens-A huge favorite around here. We use it as our wrap for sandwiches. Cut the center spine and use as you would a wrap or bread. Also, delicious in side salads or stirfry. Chop, saute and add to the mix. Makes a great slaw too.

Shallots-A mild onion flavor. We planted tons of shallots this year and harvested a few early birds for fun.

Cabbage-More of the sweet crisp mini heads.

Eggplant- We tucked some cuties in Full Share again this week.

Broccoli-(Full Only) We cannot believe the side shoot production off these plants. We are pulling the plants this week as we need the space for Fall Broccoli to go in.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-HEAD LETTUCE, SWEET SUMMER ONIONS, CUCUMBERS, ZUCCHINI, CUTTING CELERY, POTATOES! (FINGERS CROSSED) AND MORE….

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Another happy week in the gardens. We transitioned to “summer routine”. Early morning daily harvests, watering and maintenance. The plants loved the heat-us not so much but we powered through… Scott is making his way down the tomato patch securing the plants to the trellis. The vines are loaded with fruit and cherry tomatoes started showing color this week.

Cantaloupe patch is in full bloom, and the 2nd rotation of beans flowering too. All major crops are in and now just seeding in the lettuce rotations, Fall Spinach and radishes. We will start pulling the garlic and shallots next week and of course we weed every free moment available. Over a half inch of rain fell and with the cool temperatures we feel like we are in our own perfect paradise. Such a great start to the summer.

CSA #5

Head Lettuce, Kale, Zucchini, green beans, cucumber sweet onions, and eggplant (Full only)

Head lettuce-A fantastic lettuce harvest this week. 2 pretty varieties. Delicious.

Kale-We decided to only grow lacinato varieties this year as we feel they have the best flavor. A wilted kale cold salad is delicious and we love kale chips too.

Zucchini-The 1st patch is kicking in looking great. 2nd patch is settled in and in flower too. Zucchini will be a staple in the shares for many weeks to come.

Green Beans-Daily morning harvest. We pick them smaller as who wants to eat a pencil? The flavor and texture so much better. Enjoy! A summer of beans for us…..

Cucumbers-3 varieties producing this week.

Sweet onions-We planted 4 varieties this year of sweet onions. This is the 1st.

Eggplant (full only)-HUGE! Surprise that the eggplant had such an abundant harvest this week. The plants are large and strong this year. We are thrilled after a so so eggplant year last year.

Best guess for next week. Head lettuce, collard greens, fresh garlic, shallots, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini and more….

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It rained! And rained! Just perfect. We were getting to the point of being a bit worried after we got a huge dump of 2 inches in a little over 20 minutes but that was the end of it….The sun is shining and crops are loving the warm bright sun and lots and lots of moisture. Tomatoes are taking off and setting fruit.

We crossed the finish line of the weeding maraton and for the 1st time in our gardening history we are 100% weed free. Feels really good. We even had a little extra time and did some “recreational” weeding around the edges and flower beds too.

A final rotation of cucumbers went in and edamame too. Another big row of kohlrabi for the end of the season and 2 long rows of beans. Fun to start picking the cucumbers and summer squash and the green beans are slowly kicking in. Feels like summer.

CSA #4

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE-LEAF LETTUCE, BABY KALE MIX, SWISS CHARD, GARLIC SCAPES, PAC CHOI (FULL ONLY), CUCUMBER, GREEN BEANS (FULL ONLY), ZUCCHINI (FULL ONLY), RADISH (SNACK ONLY), BROCCOLI SIDE SHOOTS (SNACK ONLY)

Leaf Lettuce-A sweet mix of leafy lettuce.

Baby Kale-baby kale is delicious added to fresh salads or we love it quickly wilted with garlic scapes and a bit of olive oil.

Swiss Chard-Fantastic with scrambled eggs. And a tasty (and pretty) addition to fresh salads. Cut the stems into matchsticks-beautiful and crunchy.

Garlic scapes-End off the scapes before we move on to FRESH garlic. Use as you would garlic cloves. Long storage life too in the crisper drawer.

Pac choi (Full only)-Last harvest of this crunchy family favorite until Fall. Funny but our dog LOVES the white stalks.

Cucumber-2 varieties just started to produce this week. More to come.

Green Beans (Full only)-The bean row was a bit slow to produce this week in the overcast weather but full production should kick in this week!

Zucchini (Full only)-Slow to kick in too this week from the overcast days but here they come.

Radishes-(Snack Only) Crunchy Gems from Hoop 2!

Broccoli-(Snack Only) I think this is the end of the fantastic looooooooong broccoli run. Enjoy! 2 other broccoli rotations planted now in the garden for future harvest.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-LETTUCE, SWEET ONIONS, KALE, CUCUMBERS, DILL, BEANS, ZUCCHINI, BABY CABBAGE AND MORE….

Please return your totes WITH the plastic bottom inside. Several are coming back without. We cannot reuse the bag without it. Thanks.

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Another powerhouse week. We continued our weeding marathon all week long and made our way through a 2nd pass in hoop 2 and all the carrots and beets look perfect. 2nd passes in the onions and beans and peppers too. Scott is weed wacking the walkways and edges and in his free time tied up the tomato plants on the trellis as they shot right up in the heat and irrigation. Tomatoes are forming and the plants look strong. Best news is……the potato patch walkways are covered and it is 100% weed free! A huge thank you to Cousin John for cultivating the walkways before we came to lay the landscape fabric. 500 staples and a few hours later it looks fabulous. The plants are just starting to flower and I think this is going to be a best ever year for us with potatoes. Fingers crossed.

We transplanted lettuce into hoop 1 after harvest and got looooong rows of broccoli and cabbage out in the garden for a later harvest. More cucumber transplants went in to extend our rotation just as we saw the 1st cucumbers forming on the 1st plants.

A row of late HUGE! german kohlrabi went in for Fall harvest and we are pondering 1 more rotation of edamame.

The pea tragedy continues…this week’s peas are it. They just could not handle the heatwave. They quit flowering and kinda gave up. So we will pull the vines this weekend and the 2nd zucchini patch goes in. It is disappointing but we are grateful for the harvest we had. They are sweet and delicious.

A few zucchini were harvested this morning and I snuck them into a few full shares….hopefully they will kick in next week….and look what else we hope for next week…..

Such a great start to the summer.

CSA #3

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE-HEAD LETTUCE, ASIAN GREENS MIX, KOHLRABI, TOKYO BEKANA, CABBAGE, BROCCOLI, SUGAR SNAP PEAS, ARUGULA

Head Lettuce-This beauty is called Cherokee. LOVE! the color and the crunch of the sweet ribs.

Asian Greens mix-Spicy. Great in fresh salads or lightly saute with garlic scapes.

Kohlrabi-White and green. These are the last of the huge harvest. They will return in Fall.

Tokyo Bekana-The flavor is great in a fresh salad. Just like a fluffy chinese cabbage

Mini Cabbage-Perfect size. 2 in Full Shares 1 in Snack Pack-Delicious sliced and grilled or maybe another coleslaw week.

Broccoli-Side shoots are coming on strong. It takes forever to pick but so worth it.

Peas-Sugar snaps. Eat pod and all. 2 varieties harvested in every share. And as mentioned…this is it for peas this season.

Arugula-A snappy addition to a fresh salad and wilted with a bit of olive oil and a splash of vinegar is delicious as a side.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK. SWISS CHARD, ZUCCHINI, GREEN BEANS, ROMAINE HEAD LETTUCE, GARLIC SCAPES AND MORE…..

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A wonderful week! The watermelon and cantaloupe patches went in. More beets were planted and lettuce rotations too. We snipped all the garlic scapes and weeded like maniacs! A first for us-we made it alllllll the way through the potato patch. Weeded the entire thing-every hole. And next week we will get the walkways covered after they are tilled.

The irrigation runs around the clock and we look to the sky for rain. It is dry but Scott is on top of it and the garden is thriving.

Cucumbers are flowering and the 1st rotation of beans too. Baby zucchini is forming on the plants and maybe next week we will pick our 1st of the season. Blossoms on the eggplant. Exciting to go on our garden walk about in the mornings.

Hoop 2 is almost fully transitioned to beets and carrots! 1 last lettuce rotation we will be harvesting for next week’s share and then it will be allllllll carrots and beets. We LOVE hoop 2.

1 tragedy….the 1st rotation of early sugar snap peas burned up in the heat. Not sure why but they fried. BUT good news is 2 more rotations of different varieties are just about ready….next week sugar snap peas again.

SUMMER SHARE #2

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE-spinach, head lettuce, garlic scapes, carrots, basil plant, bunching onions, kohlrabi, pac choi and chinese cabbage

Spinach-This is the end of spinach until Fall. We held back some from the last harvest last week. Enjoy! A great Spring spinach season for us. Spinach will return in the Fall.

Head Lettuce-A mini beauty this week-great flavor. Our goal is fresh lettuce every week. Hoop 1 is completely dedicated to lettuce rotations now that the last pac choi is harvested.

Garlic Scapes-Our garlic patch planted in the Fall looks great! Big strong stalks. We snipped the scapes. Tastes just like fresh garlic. Use as you would garlic cloves. Lasts forever in the fridge.

Carrots-1st crop of the season! Enjoy. Great flavor growing slow in the cold.

Basil Plant-Genovese variety. If you were in the Spring share this is a different variety. Great for pesto. Transplant into your garden or a BIG! pot and it will thrive.

Onions-Last of these little bunching guys from the hoop house.

Kohlrabi-What a harvest! Perfect and tender. 2 varieties.

Pac choi-Delicious thick juicy stalks. We love it as an added crunch in our fresh salads. And fantastic in a stir fry.

Chinese Cabbage-A great harvest of this mini variety. This is the perfect week to make a fancy coleslaw-the cabbage, carrots onions kohlrabi and garlic scapes.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-HEAD LETTUCE, LEAFY GREENS MIX, MINI CABBAGE, DILL, SUGAR SNAP PEAS, KALE, TOKYO BEKANA, BROCCOLI SIDE SHOOTS, AND MORE….

REMEMBER TO RETURN YOUR SHARE BAGS EACH WEEK…..THANK YOU.

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A great 2 weeks in the garden. Huge plantings of summer crops. All the potatoes went in the sweet potatoes too! We switched sweet potato growers this year due to some disappointments in the past and are we glad we did. HUGE! strong slips and 5 weeks earlier ship date than last year. We are thrilled. The leeks, the onions, the peppers, the tomatoes, the cucumbers, and the summer squash patch were all planted. More bush beans were seeded in and the edamame too. And then a chilly frost warning….So, we covered with miles of row cover and secured the cloth and everything is just fine. Phew! A few peppers were nipped and summer squash leaves but all survived and you can hardly see any effects of the big scare now at all.

We have transitioned hoop 1 to a full lettuce/leafy green house and hoop 2 is all carrots and beets. Both are full with several rotations. Crops are loving this heat! The early bird broccoli sure was a surprise and the peas are 2 weeks ahead of last year.

SUMMER SHARE #1

FULL SHARE

SNACK PACK

SPINACH, HEAD LETTUCE, PEA SHOOTS, BROCCOLI, BUNCHING ONIONS, FENNEL, RADISHES, MINI KALE MIX (FULL ONLY), SUGAR SNAP PEAS (FULL ONLY).

Spinach-We have harvested the end of the spinach. Big thick leaves right before it got soooooooo hot. These are huge sweet leaves that are great slightly wilted with garlic, onions, and olive oil as a side or in sauces or fresh smoothies.

Last harvest of the spinach in hoop 2. We will replant late summer for Fall harvest and winter over crops.

Head Lettuce-Beautiful sweet butterhead. A delicious lettuce for fresh salads.

This week’s lettuce selection on the drying rack after a triple rinse.

Pea shoots-Keep container on the window sill. Snip shoots and add to fresh salads or garnish. Tastes just like peas. These are a 1 and done. Will not keep growing.

Broccoli-WOW! We had no idea that broccoli would be in our very 1st share of the season. It is perfect and sweet. A great harvest. Enjoy!

Hauling broccoli up to the washing station after a very early morning harvest.

Bunching Onions-These little onions are perfect in fresh salads or saute. “Robust” onion flavor.

Morning Onion Harvest in Hoop 2

After harvest we were able to sit in the cool garage and clean all these beauties.

Fennel-Shaved it is wonderful in fresh salads or slaw. Delicious grilled too.

Look off to the lower right….this weeks lettuce a few days out from harvest.

Fennel chilling in the dunk tank after harvest.

Radish Trio-Snappy beauties….I love taking pictures of radishes for some reason….always have.

Kale mix-(full only)-We love these leaves fresh in salads or light saute.

Early morning Kale with dewdrops

And Peas (full only)-HUGE! surprise…. Sweet and delicious. Snap end off and pull the thread-eat pod and all….

We were shocked these early birds were ready. We picked enough for full share this week. TONS! more to come.

BEST GUESS NEXT WEEK-SPINACH, LETTUCE, KOHLRABI, GARLIC SCAPES, PEAS, PAC CHOI, BASIL PLANT AND MORE…..

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Another week that zoomed right by….big harvests from the hoop houses and seeding in for summer shares. Another round of leafy greens were started in the greenhouse, a row of beans went out in the garden, a second rotation of dill. We hauled our beautiful tomato plants up to the driveway and also to the farmers’ market ready to go to new homes. It was fun to have the plant sale again and return to the farmers’ market after a looooooong year of staying home. We sold out of our excess garden plants and it was really wonderful to see our fellow gardeners again. This year feels filled with so much hopefulness.

SPRING SHARE #4

Basil Plant, Kohlrabi, Pac Choi, Pink Spinach, Tokyo Bekana, and Mini Head Lettuces.

Basil Plant-Sweet Italian Basil. Perfect for Pesto and pasta dishes.

Kohlrabi-We had a bumper crop of this crunchy treat in hoop 2. We love them raw added to salad and also shredded makes a great slaw.

Pac Choi-A HUGE! favorite in our house….Maeve loves to snack on the stems. We add to fresh salads and it is delicious grilled or added to stir fry or broth.

Pink Spinach-A second cutting from the pink spinach patch. Slightly wilted with a bit of olive oil and garlic it makes a great side dish. Fresh with strawberries is beautiful.

Tokyo Bekana (fluffy chinese cabbage)-Pair with the kohlrabi to make a delicious coleslaw. Adds loft and flavor to fresh salads.

Mini head lettuce-Cuties and very flavorful.

THIS IS THE FINAL SPRING SHARE OF THE 2021 SEASON. 1ST SUMMER SHARE THURSDAY JUNE 10TH. A 2 WEEK BREAK. NO SHARE PICK UP FOR 2 WEEKS.

THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL START TO A GREAT SEASON.

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A happy week that zipped right by….those onions went in as soon as it was dry enough to crawl down the rows. We planted tons and tons of sweet onions, storage and a long row of shallots too. We had to cover some of the outside crops with the frosty nights. A challenge in the wind but all made it through. Lots of hoop house transplanting of lettuces and long rows of radish and kale went in for future summer shares. The green house is FULL of the tomatoes, peppers and summer squash ready to get outside and in the garden. The next 2 weeks will be quite the transformation after the nights warm up.

SPRING SHARE #3

SPINACH, HEAD LETTUCE, GREEN PAC CHOI, FENNEL, TURNIPS, RHUBARB

Spinach-Sweet HUGE leaves of delicious spinach. Did you know the stems are the sweetest? They are wonderful lightly roasted. Over a pound in every share.

Head Lettuce-A crunchy head of a beautiful bicolor. We love to grow many different varieties to try out all the unique flavors and textures.

Green mini pac choi-A great variety to grill or add to fresh salads.

Fennel-We started this small variety very early in the hoop house. We love to add the fronds to salads and shave the bulb for a bit of zip.

Turnips-Another week of these springtime delights.

Rhubarb-1.5 pounds in the shares. Enough to make a pie. Several varieties in the bundles. A pretty dark variety called valentine and also we pull from my grandfather’s plant that we transplanted here after he passed away.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-KOHLRABI, MINI HEAD LETTUCES, ANOTHER VARIETY OF PAC CHOI, BASIL PLANT, PINK SPINACH, TOKYO BEKANA AND MORE…..

NEXT WEEK IS THE FINAL SPRING SHARE. WE WILL TAKE A 2 WEEK BREAK TO LET THE OUTSIDE GARDENS CATCH UP AND THEN WE ROLL WITH THE SUMMER SHARE ON JUNE 10TH.

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