foxlinecityfarm

Another Joy FILLED week I am happy to say.  The cooler temperatures make easy work in the gardens.  Pleasurable days spent weeding, watering, planting and harvesting.  We even had a bit of time to do what I like to call “fun weeding”.  We tackled a few areas around the pond and flower gardens.  Areas that are want to’s and not have to’s.

Robin’s nest in the grape arbor….beautiful.

Scott’s days are spent with a hoe, a sickle bar or weed wacker and I am on my knees most of the time pulling weeds from the garden, transplanting new seedlings or harvesting crops.  We rise extra early (sometimes 4am!) to harvest as the vegetable and leafy greens that are cool from overnight.  We get them washed and tucked in the cooler before the mid day heat sets in.

Removing summer pac choi transplants from the cells.

Transplanting Pac choi.

A stretch to reach the far row!

It was a fantastic week for leafy greens.  They loved the cool nights and mild day temeratures.  Our hoop house looks wonderful and filled with delicious lettuces.

Lettuce growing in the hoop house.

The cooler temperatures also mean we wait and wait and check and check for the warm loving crops.  The beans, zucchini, and cucumbers were slow to develop this week.  The plants are loaded with itty bitty produce waiting for some heat.  We picked the first cucumber and I image we will have a bounty harvest next week.

Maeve picked the first cucumber…..

and then ate it!

It looks like we are going to have a great pear harvest this year after a few years of little or no fruit due to past cold Spring temperatures and late frosts.  We are excited! Looks like enough to fill a share for everyone…and “put up” a few jars.  Maeve loves pear sauce better than apple sauce.

Pear tree loaded with fruit.

Another Pear tree heavy with fruit.

SUMMER SHARE #6

226 Pounds of garden goodness harvested this week.

SNACK PACK

Leaf Lettuce-A big bag of perfect leaf lettuce.  A great week for lettuce growing!  Double rinsed.  Sweet and juicy.  Enjoy!

Leaf lettuce at harvest.

Head Lettuce-A beautiful buttercrunch. Thick leaves and delicious.

Skyphos Lettuce in the hoop house.

Carrots-Early summer carrots.  We started harvesting this past week from the patch started in April with more to come.  Remember our theme this summer is Carrots Carrots and more carrots….

The start of the summer carrot harvest.

Broccoli-A nice broccoli harvest this week.  Harvesting from 3 different varieties.

Shelling Peas-Eat peas only.  NOT shell.  Snap end, pull string and remove peas.  Excellent raw in salads, or steamed.  This is the end of the peas for the season.  The patch has been cleared and we will replant this week with Fall crops.

Garlic!-Fresh just dug, uncured garlic and delicious…..We couldn’t help ourselves….we had to dig some and peek.   It is going to be a great garlic year. We almost doubled our plantings last Fall and Scott heavily mulched the crop and it is a bounty.  We are firm believers here that you can never have too much garlic.  Enjoy this first taste.

Raspberries-LERDAHL ONLY THIS WEEK.  We have just started the picking.  All shares will receive a 1/2 pint or more by the end of the harvest.

Raspberries!

FULL SHARE

Leaf Lettuce-A JUMBO bag of perfect leaf lettuce.  A great week for lettuce growing!  Double rinsed.  Sweet and juicy.  Enjoy!

Leaf lettuce ready to be cut.

Head Lettuce-A beautiful buttercrunch. Thick leaves and delicious.

Hauling up the lettuce harvest from the hoop house.

It’s 6 am and job is done….

Carrots-Early summer carrots.  We started harvesting this past week from the patch started in April with more to come.  Remember our theme this summer is Carrots Carrots and more carrots….

Scott field washing the carrots.

Garlic!-Fresh just dug, uncured garlic and delicious…..We couldn’t help ourselves….we had to dig some and peek.   It is going to be a great garlic year. We almost doubled our plantings last Fall and Scott heavily mulched the crop and it is a bounty.  We are firm believers here that you can never have too much garlic.  Enjoy this first taste.

The garlic cleaner this week.

Broccoli/Cauliflower Combo-A bit of both in the full share this week.

Sugar Snap Peas-Eat Pod and all….this is the end of the peas for the seasons after a fantastic run.  Almost 400 pounds of sugar snap were harvested this year.  WOW!

Cucumbers-Kinda funny…only a few in each share.  An early taste of these tasty mini munchers we love so much.

Raspberries-LERDAHL ONLY THIS WEEK.  We have just started the picking.  All shares will receive a 1/2 pint or more by the end of the harvest.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-cucumbers, fennel, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, zucchini and more……

Another happy and productive week in the garden. Ample rain at just the right times and the crops are all responding well.  Lots of changes everyday….and fun!  So much to see.

Peppers forming.

Eggplant flowering.

Cantalope blossoms on the vine.

Early raspberries.

Cucumbers!

The story repeats itself this week of weed, weed and more weeding.  But, it does feel good to be in front of things and it sure does look good. All our onions our now weed free (FINALLY) and glad that job is done as it is fussy and takes forever!  Our sweet summer onions are starting to head up and we are looking forward to the first harvest in a few weeks.

Sweet summer onions.

We quickly weeded our way through all the cauliflower in the back gardens and had a nice surprise.

Caulflower heading up.

Our garlic looks fantastic this year and so do the potatoes.  We have missed both of these items in our dinners for several months.  Maeve asked when we were going to have mashed potatoes again this week and I could finally respond “soon”.

The tomatoes are several inches if not a foot taller than last year at this time when we look at the photos.  The crop looks strong and healthy and loaded with blossoms and baby tomatoes forming.

Tomatoes on the trellis.

Tomatoes forming.

We are seeding in many late crops in the garden….and will start transplanting again this week the crops started in the greenhouse. Crazy that our thoughts are drifting to Autumn already.

All Carrots!

Baby transplants in the greenhouse.

We hope a few members tried Kale Crisps last week as we sure are enjoying this quick summer snack at our house.  Better than potato chips!

Maeve polishing off another bowl of Kale Crisps.

SUMMER SHARE #5

Todays garden bounty…..310 pounds!  Enjoy!!!

A reminder…..please return your share bag and any reusable packaging for future use.  Thanks!

SNACK PACK

Swiss Chard-Hoop house grown and oh so tender.  Much different than field grown chard.  Eat stems and all if you choose.  This is the end of the chard until Fall as we have pulled the crop.  Summer chard is not as tasty.  Slightly bitter and woody.  A new crop is started in the greenhouse now and we will harvest again in the Fall.

Chard washed and ready to be bundled

Collard Greens-A HUGE! favorite of mine.  It maked the best coleslaw ever!! And I like to use it for my “bread” with sandwiches or as a roll up.  Cut the center rib and use as you would loaf bread or wraps.

Collard greens harvest from a wet garden.

Head lettuce-A crispy, deep green summer romaine from the hoop house.

Sugar Snap Peas-Another bounty harvest from the patch!  Enjoy fresh is best or lightly steamed.

Picking the sugarsnaps.

Chinese Cabbage-An early mini head variety.  Great in fresh salads or delicious in stir fries.  LONG storage life in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

Garlic Scapes-Last bundle of these little treats for the season.

Bundling up the last harvest of the garlic scapes.

Broccoli-The start of the harvest from the early broccoli patch.  BARABOO SNACK PACK ONLY THIS WEEK.

FULL SHARE

Swiss Chard-A nice big bunch….Hoop house grown and oh so tender.  Much different than field grown chard.  Eat stems and all if you choose.  This is the end of the chard until Fall as we have pulled the crop.  Summer chard is not as tasty.  Slightly bitter and woody.  A new crop is started in the greenhouse now and we will harvest again in the Fall.

Pretty bundles ready to be tucked in this week’s Full Shares.

Collard Greens-A HUGE! favorite of mine.  It maked the best coleslaw ever!! And I like to use it for my “bread” with sandwiches or as a roll up.  Cut the center rib and use as you would loaf bread or wraps.

Collard greens in the wash tank. The water pools on the leaves and looks like silver.

Head lettuce-A crispy, deep green summer romaine from the hoop house.

Sugar Snap Peas-Another bounty harvest from the patch!  Enjoy fresh is best or lightly steamed.

Sugar snap harvest. AND! that pretty visor again….

Shelling Peas!-A nice big container. A lot of work to shell but delicious.  Eat peas only.  NOT shell.  Enjoy fresh in salads or lightly steamed with salt and butter.

Chinese Cabbage-An early mini head variety.  Great in fresh salads or delicious in stir fries.  LONG storage life in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

Scott double rinsing the chinese cabbage.

Chinese Cabbage soaking in the wash tank.

Garlic Scapes-Last bundle of these little treats for the season.

Kohlrabi-Another snappy treat to add to this weeks salads.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-carrots!, leaf lettuce, sugar snaps, broccoli, mini cabbage heads and more…..

Next week’s carrot harvest.

A perfect rain- a little over an inch!  A great way to start the week.

Another powerhouse week in the garden.  The theme for the week was weeding and more weeding and then weed some more.  We stuck with it every day and it looks great!  It’s cool to have long long rows of carrots but daunting to have long long rows of carrots that need fussy weeding and thinning.  But, I stuck with it for hours and am happy to say we have 10 70 foot rows of weed free carrots that look perfect.

1 of the weed free carrot beds.

Another day was spent going through the summer onion bed and it too is weed free and looking strong.  We increased our plantings this year with hopes of a bounty crop later in the season.  All fussy work and oh so slow but worth it.

When we were not weeding our days away we were prepping another carrot/beet bed to plant this week for a late season harvest.

Maeve “watering in” the new carrot bed with a squirt gun.

The hoop house is just about transformed to summer lettuce now that the last Asian greens were harvested.  Several rotations of lettuce planted and 2 more going in this week.

Transplanted lettuce that went in where we harvested the last of the Asian Greens.

Other fun news around the garden.  We are seeing the shift to summer crops and soon to follow harvest.  The cucumbers and peppers are flowering and setting fruit and I bet we will pick our first zucchini this week!

Cucumber plants are climbing up the trellis and flowering.

1st zucchini!

AND! take a look at this…..

Tomatoes!

The greenhouse is filling up again with flats seeded in for late season plantings….I mentioned to Scott when I finished the seeding that I felt like I started a whole new garden again.  Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, herbs, leafy greens, and more are all germinated and ready for Fall eating.

A summer pac choi that we will harvest in 45 days, Crazy that we will be eating this in early August!

Look what else is happening in the berry patch….

1st raspberry! The patch is finally established and the plants are loaded.

SUMMER SHARE #4

A great share this week AGAIN!  Enjoy…..248 pounds of delicious garden produce!

SNACK PACK

Sugar Snap Pea Bonanza!-A fantastic harvest of this favorite crop.  We planted long rows of 2 varieties.  Sweet and delicious.

Sugar snaps chilled and ready to be portioned for the shares.

Sugar snap on the vine….

Scott picking the shorter variety of sugar snap.

Kale-A favorite in our house.  A big assorted bunch.  We planted many varieties this year.  Try baked Kale Crisps in the oven.  Maeve eats big bowls and thinks they are better than potato chips.  Also, a fresh salad of Kale is delicious.  Remove the center rib, tear apart the leaves, rub with olive oil and let sit a bit.  Then create a delicious salad with your favorite additions.  Also, a kale bean soup is tasty.

Washed Kale ready to be bundled.

Kohlrabi-2 in every share of this snappy treat.  Peel and eat fresh.

Kohlrabi washing.

Asian Green- This pretty, bright lime green variety is called Tokyo Bekana.  It has light ruffled leaves and tastes a bit like a fluffy chinese cabbage.  Add to a mixed salad to add “loft” or all on its own.

Garlic Scapes-Another round of these tasty treats.  We love to saute in olive oil and use as we would garlic.  Long storage life in the crisper drawer in a sealed plastic bag.

Arugula- A snappy bag of this peppery green.  A mildly spicy green that is a nice addition to a fresh salad or fantastic as a pizza topping.

FULL SHARE

Sugar Snap Pea Bonanza!-A fantastic harvest of this favorite crop.  We planted long rows of 2 varieties.  Sweet and delicious.

Harvest from 1/2 row sugar snap…..I know “nice visor” Pretty…..I’m trying this year to keep the sun off my face.

Portioning the Peas for this weeks share.  Hey, look out the window- it’s dark out….we don’t go to bed until everything is portioned and ready for share packing in the morning.  It’s 10:00!

Kale-A favorite in our house.  A big assorted bunch.  We planted 7 varieties this year.  Try baked Kale Crisps in the oven.  Maeve eats big bowls and thinks they are better than potato chips.  Also, a fresh salad of Kale is delicious.  Remove the center rib, tear apart the leaves, rub with olive oil and let sit a bit.  Then create a delicious salad with your favorite additions.  Also, a kale bean soup is tasty.

Kohlrabi-2 in every share of this snappy treat.  Peel and eat fresh.

Asian Green- This pretty, bright lime green variety is called Tokyo Bekana.  It has light ruffled leaves and tastes a bit like a fluffy chinese cabbage.  Add to a mixed salad to add “loft” or all on its own.

Garlic Scapes-Another round of these tasty treats.  We love to saute in olive oil and use as we would garlic.  Long storage life in the crisper drawer in a sealed plastic bag.

Broccoli-Well, this is a surprise….I was harvesting the kohlrabi and looked over and a few earlbird broccoli plants decided to head up.  Enjoy this first little taste of more to come.  3 varieties are planted in the field now and 4 more to go in yet.

Beets-A sweet bundle of these pretty gems from the hoop house.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-lettuce, chinese cabbage, sugar snap peas, shelling peas, and more…..

Belated Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads in the CSA.  Hope you had a wonderful day yesterday with your children.

Maeve and Scott. We take a picture in this  spot on Father’s day every year.

We have crested the hill and the bulk of the garden is now in and the greenhouse cleared out of first wave transplants.  It feels good to see a full garden and an empty greenhouse.  As usual we had our early season “we’ve run out of space!” and Scott had to till up an edge for a few more zucchini I wanted to get in.  All is well.

Carrots are weeded and we are pleased.  Really pleased……  In season’s past we have lost a few beds of carrots as we were not able to stay on top of the early weeding.  This year we were not going to let that happen-no matter what!

Our melon patch is in.  We finished up right before a few days of perfect rain.   3 varieties of cantalope and 6 varieties of watermelon were planted in the patch.  We are looking forward to a bounty this summer.

Finishing up the melon patch.  We plant on landscape fabric with irrigation.  An electric fence surrounds the patch to keep unwanted visitors out.

The job is done!

During the many rainstorms we transplanted lettuce in the hoophouse….

Lettuce transplanting.

Early crops look strong and healthy.  Garlic looks fantastic this year and we started cutting the scapes  (in the shares this week), 3 rotations of beans are in and 1 is starting to flower and the cabbage is starting to look like cabbage.

Cabbage starting to head.

This week’s big deal is weeding through all those onions planted in early Spring.  Our focus for a few days I’m sure.   The organic sweet potato slips will also arrive later this week and we will get those planted for a Autumn treat.  We ordered 250 more slips this year in anticipation of a bounty crop.  We also selected an additional variety that has purple skin and a lighter flesh color as a fun treat.

SUMMER SHARE #3

A full cooler all ready for Scott to pack up Monday morning.

WOW!  396 pounds of garden goodness going home with members today.

SNACK PACK

Carrots-Yes!  More of those sweet baby carrots.  Enjoy.

Carrots drying after they were washed.

Leaf Lettuce-A nice big bag of assorted leafy greens.

Scott weighing out the leaf lettuce.

Swiss Chard-A colorful bunch of hoophouse grown juicy stalks.

Radish Medley-2 variety mix.  Long French Breakfast and pretty red globes.  This is is the END of the radish run until Fall.  Phew!  I am sure we are all about radished out…..  Radishes store well in the crisper drawer in a sealed plastic bag.

Pac Choi-A delicious head called Win Win.

Harvesting Pac Choi from the hoop house.

Garlic Scapes-Those funny green curly things.  These are the tops of the garlic plant cut to promote head developement.  Tastes just like garlic.  Use just like garlic cloves in your meal preparation.

Garlic scapes at harvest.

Sugar Snap Peas!-A sweet pint.  Eat Pod and all.  The season is just starting with many weeks to come.  ENJOY!

The pea picker this week.

Look at that!

Basil Plant-Dark green Italian variety or a sweet cinnamon variety that tastes great with salads or fruit.

FULL SUMMER SHARE

Carrots-Yes!  More of those sweet baby carrots.  Enjoy.

Scott getting ready to weigh out the carrots.

Leaf Lettuce-A nice big bag of assorted leafy greens.

Swiss Chard-A colorful bunch of hoophouse grown juicy stalks.

Radish Medley-2 variety mix.  Long French Breakfast and pretty red globes.  This is is the END of the radish run until Fall. PHEW! I am sure we are all about radished out.  Radishes store well in the crisper drawer in a sealed plastic bag.

Pac Choi-A few delicious heads called Win Win.

Pac Choi cut and ready to be transported to the washing station.

Garlic Scapes-Those funny green curly things.  These are the tops of the garlic plant cut to promote head developement.  Tastes just like garlic.  Use just like garlic cloves in your meal preparation.

The long garlic rows.

Sugar Snap Peas!-A big box to enjoy all week.  Delicious.  Eat pod and all.

Peas!

Spinach-The end of the Spring Spinach. Scott followed behind and pulled the crop as I harvested.  A great season of spinach from the hoophouse.  4 plantings….We started cutting this crop in early April.  Spinach will return in the Fall.

Rhubarb-A nice big bundle for a pie or crisp.

Rhubarb harvest.

Basil Plant-Dark green Italian variety or a sweet cinnamon variety that tastes great with salads or fruit.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-peas, kohlrabi, kale, Tokyo Bekana (asian green), collards, arugula and more….

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

Scott putting the trellis up for the tomatoes.

Planting the slicer tomatoes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUMMER SHARE #2

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

SNACK PACK #2

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

Head Lettuce-A pretty bronze head called Outrageous.

Head lettuce at harvest.

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

Radish-A big bag of red gems named Sora.

Radish harvesting.

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

Harvesting the turnips.

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

Scott harvesting the baby carrots.

Maeve “helping” with the carrot harvest.

FULL SUMMER SHARE #2

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

Head Lettuce-A beautiful lime green head named Panisse.

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

Scott washing the spicy Asian Greens.

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

Radish-A big bag of red gems named Sora.

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

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

Loading the carrots into the washing machine.

Wash.

Beautiful!

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

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

Look what is happening in the garden!  PEAS!

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

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

SUMMER SHARE #1

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

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

SNACK PACK

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

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

Scott harvesting the spinach in the hoop house.

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

Lettuce cooling in the wash tank.

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

Harvesting beets.

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

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

FULL SHARE

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

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

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

Lettuce set out to dry a bit before packing.

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

Another view of the beet harvest.

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

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

Radish harvest.

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

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

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

Scott prepping the leeks for planting.

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

Our greenhouse.

View from outside the greenhouse.

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

Rows and rows of garlic.

SPRING #4-FINAL SHARE

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

Harvesting rhubarb at dusk.

Scott washing and weighing out the Rhubarb.

Spinach-Another big bag of hoop house grown spinach.

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

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

Leaf lettuce-A Spring mix.

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

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

Arugula-A nice bundle of this peppery green.

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

Your radish harvester this week.

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

Cutting the chard.

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

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

Scott and Maeve extruding the honey.

Our hives.

Hope everyone had a Happy Mother’s Day yesterday!

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

Cauliflower transplanting.

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

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

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

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

Peas!

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

SPRING #3

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

Spinach ready to pick.

Hauling up the spinach harvest from the hoop house.

Spinach in the wash tank.

Scott spinning the spinach.

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

Leaf Lettuce Mix-Tender baby leaves for fresh eating.

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

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

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

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

Chives-A flavorful bundle.

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

Maeve and I harvesting the onions and shallots last season.

Hauling the empty harvest crates back to the garden.

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

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

Planting the carrots.

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

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

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

Onion Bed #1 all sweet summer onions!

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

A close up of onion planting.

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

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

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

SPRING SHARE #2

It is a beauty this week.

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

1st picking of the Spring planted Spinach.

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

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

Your lettuce in the hoop right before harvest.

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

Beta Mix. In the wash tank. Beautiful!

Scott washing the Beta Mix.

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

Radish harvest for this week.

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

Pea shoots.

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

Maeve helped bundle the arugula this week.

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

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

Maeve with the turnips.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK

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

Spring Share #1

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

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

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

Leaf Lettuce crop ready to be harvested.

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

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

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

Scott double rinsing the Asian Greens at the washing station.

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

Spinach in the first rinse tub.

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

Maeve with the Spinach bounty.

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

The radish patch.

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

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

Maeve helped harvest the Onions.

And felt pretty cool about it…..

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

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

Arranging the daffodils.

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

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK.

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

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

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

Scott’s 1st pass in tilling the garden.

Maeve of course had to help.

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

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

Working on a pretty bridal bouquet

Fun succulent boutonniere.

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

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

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

Enjoy the week!