2010 Spring CSA News Week 2: May 14, 2010
Hi folks,
Today you will have in your share the following:
- Mesclun lettuce
- Mint
- Green onions
- Oregano/parsley medley
- Rhubarb
- Radish
- Turnips
- Scorzonera/salsify/parsnip medley
The lettuce, radish and turnips are from the hoop houses. The mint and rhubarb are from the field as last week. Green onions are a new item, our first harvest of an annual from 2010 in the field. The parsley is re-growth from last year, the oregano is a perennial and the sconzonera/parsnip/salsify medley is are also biennials (like the parsley) that grow for a short time before setting seed. I would advise you on those roots, but have never served them. Rich is trying out a recipe on us at lunch today. Any rooty recipe ought to work. Good luck with them.
Farmer nail biting
There was a bit of that this week - three nights of frost. We covered, uncovered, brought things in, and did some sprays. On Monday in preparation for Tuesday's am frost, the worst of them this week, Brian and I sprayed the fruit trees and strawberries with Sea Crop, Phytostim and Micro 5000. They seemed to work because the strawberries seem to be fine, as do the trees. You can check out all these marvelous products from the Nutrient Density Supply Company. That is our son Dan's company. We have had marvelous results so far. Check it out.
Work Day
if you show up tomorrow - 9 to 12 with pot luck afterward - you will notice how friable and wonderful to handle our soil is - three years of nutrient density work has really paid off. It should be really fun tomorrow - some relatively easy weeding or peas, picking up hay in the orchard, mulching and then moving on to weeding and mulching brassicas. And last I checked the weather is supposed to be great.
Circle of Song concert
In case you want to spend your entire day in Barre, you can reconvene at the Barre Town Hall at 7 PM for our spring extravaganza including not only Circle of Song, but the Resurrection Brass, the Quabbin Community Orchestra and the Hubbardston Center School Select Singers.
The pigs enjoying their milk treat
Alright, back to the farm. This week we got 155 meat birds from Clearview Hatchery in Gratz, PA (black and white barred rock look alikes) and 100 Freedom Rangers from J and M Hatchery, also of PA. The pigs were delighted to receive a 55 gallon drum of left over certified organic milk from Robinson's Farm. We made 49 cups of lard for Misty Book (from their fat back) and sold it back to them. On Tuesday we planted a few thousand plants of lettuce and parsley in the field and started a few thousand more plants of tomatoes, squash, melons, etc on Wednesday. We got our new bed former and Brian tried it out yesterday - it works perfectly. We can hang up our rakes for good now. We weeded many of our thousands of onions, but there are many to do. Brian and Rich finished up our picnic table and painted it "hoop house yellow". If you come tomorrow you can help us try it out. Jay fixed Blue Lightning, one of our roto-tillers, and Rich was happy to report that our electrical conductivity is right about where it should be in our soil - between 300 - 700, depending on where he took it. Baby Mac is now a regular member of the crew. She resides in her Ergo pack on Clare's chest. We keep thinking Clare has indigestion as we hear the great baby noises of the sleeping infant. That's all for now - back to the kitchen to help finish the Peanut butter balls - the farm favorite snack. Today they have cashew butter, sunflower butter, brazil nuts, raisins, carob, oatmeal, sunflower and sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts and a touch of honey - oh and you will get those for snack tomorrow if you show up.
Julie