Good morning from Sweetland
With the hot weather this week we have had a rapid shift in daily farm activity. Just 3 weeks ago we were covering every plant we set in the field to protect it from cold damage, and we still lost a few to frost. Now it’s “off with the row cover!” and keep the irrigation running. Monday night, by the light of headlamps, we put the finishing touches on the irrigation system feeding our new veggie field. I could almost hear the sweet corn’s excitement! And now we are keeping our fingers crossed for a steady, soaking rain.
Our first week of contactless CSA pickups went great, thanks to our amazing farm crew (here they are!) and members readily adjusting to our new system of pre-packed boxes and “drive through service.” We are being extra careful about virus transmission right now, so we are not taking boxes back. We’ve switched from waxed or plastic to “plain” cardboard boxes so that they are recyclable (paper tape is coming!). We will keep you posted as the season unfolds if we are able to start reusing them. In the meantime, they make great recycling containers, weed barrier in your garden, or sleds for sliding down grassy slopes!
Now on to this week’s harvest. Stay cool out there this week, and enjoy your veggies!
Cheers, The Sweetland Crew
Week 2 Harvest, Brimming Basket
- Asparagus, 1 pound (we’ll be alternating between asparagus and rhubarb for the next couple weeks, as neither patch is quite big enough to feed everyone every week!)
- Arugula, large bunch
- Radishes, large bunch
- Hakurei salad turnips, large bunch (the “grown up” version of last week’s braising greens. You can still eat from “top to tail”)
- Wild leeks (aka ramps), bunch of 8
- Spinach, 1/3 pound
Week 2 Harvest, Half Pint
- Rhubarb, 1/2 pound (we’ll be alternating between asparagus and rhubarb for the next couple weeks, as neither patch is quite big enough to feed everyone every week!)
- Arugula, small bunch
- Radishes, small bunch
- Hakurei salad turnips, small bunch (the “grown up” version of last week’s braising greens. You can still eat from “top to tail”)
- Wild leeks (aka ramps), bunch of 5
- Tatsoi, 1/3 pound
Recipes of the Week
- *I’ll be honest, I was never a radish fan until I tried roasting them. Now I can’t get enough! Add your hakurei turnips bulbs for a beautiful bi-colored medley.
- *Rhubarb coffee cake was an early summer staple in my house as a kid
- *Grill baby grill! Grilled asparagus salad is the perfect hot-weather way to eat your asparagus and arugula.
- *And since you’ve already got the grill fired up, top your steaks with Ramp Chimichurri Sauce