May 31

May 31, 2011

Hi Everyone,

We hope everyone enjoyed the first burst of summer! Nothing like going from wearing a coat one Sunday to dripping and stripping in the fields the next. Memorial Day is not a holiday that is celebrated when farming. It’s more of a reminder that time is running short to get so many more seeds planted.

The busiest three weeks of the season are from the third week of May until the middle of June. This is the time that all the transplants are ready to go into the fields, i.e. tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs, tomatillos, okra (not that many people like okra but it is a pretty plant with a beautiful flower), the long season crops (pumpkins, winter squash, popcorn, Brussels sprouts and sunflowers) need to get in time to ripen before the first frost (yes, we’re already counting the days until then) and all the early-planted crops need to be tended (the onions need to be weeded, the potatoes need to be hilled, the garlic needs to be hoed and the little sprouts of kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, beets, bok choy, broccoli raab and carrots need to be cultivated (a fancy word for weeding) and cultivated and cultivated. If it happens to rain a lot (like the week before last) and it’s impossible to get in and cultivate with the tractor, then the weeds take root and the only way to get rid of them is getting on your hands and knees.

Then by the middle of June, most of the plants are coming along. They are big enough and sturdy enough to out compete the weeds. As their leaves grow, their shade prevents new weeds from sprouting. Then it’s just a matter of making sure the bug pressure is not too much and no diseases are taking hold. As one farmer told me in the beginning, “If you can get your seeds in the ground and not have too many weeds, bugs or diseases, you’ll be fine.” (It sounded so easy!)

In this week’s share will be:

green garlic
rhubarb
red mustard (small bunch)
sorrel
lettuce
cilantro
radishes
scallions
potatoes (root cellar)
fennel
dill
grape leaves

Enjoy,

Lisa, Lauren & Jacob