Hey All:
Update as of June 27th:
A note about baby carrots. The easiest way to clean them is by rolling them vigorously between your palms in running water. We also clean "micro" potatoes, radishes, other small root vegetables this way. They usually retain soil stains in the crevises, but I have never had any "grit" in my food after using this method.
My favourite way of consuming them is to steam them for about 5 minutes, then pouring a honey garlic or honey ginger sauce over them (recipe by customer Dick Alta Vista).
As for the Carrot greens - just clip and use the smallest leaves at the top, the larger stems are too fibrous. Can be used wherever you have a need for extra greens that are cooked or steamed - not sure if they can be eaten raw. Now that we have passed the solstice, root vegetables will start to put on some size. The next round of carrots will be larger.
Update as of June 27th:
A note about baby carrots. The easiest way to clean them is by rolling them vigorously between your palms in running water. We also clean "micro" potatoes, radishes, other small root vegetables this way. They usually retain soil stains in the crevises, but I have never had any "grit" in my food after using this method.
My favourite way of consuming them is to steam them for about 5 minutes, then pouring a honey garlic or honey ginger sauce over them (recipe by customer Dick Alta Vista).
As for the Carrot greens - just clip and use the smallest leaves at the top, the larger stems are too fibrous. Can be used wherever you have a need for extra greens that are cooked or steamed - not sure if they can be eaten raw. Now that we have passed the solstice, root vegetables will start to put on some size. The next round of carrots will be larger.
Update as of June 23rd: There is a thief in the house. It appears that a Groundhog has been locked into the field at some point. I have identified the prints, and found some of its damage. A temporary electric fence was set up this afternoon to isolate the growing area from the portion of the field that it appears to be coming from. Now the trick is to flush it out of the field and into the pasture. Should be another interesting week...
A few notes to make up for the lack of regular posts.
A few notes to make up for the lack of regular posts.
Late harvests:
It is humbling to see how little difference all of my
efforts can make. Watering crops during
dry spells, protecting crops in cold weather by applying straw and/or row
covers in cold, applying compost to beds to improve soil fertility, etc. All of
this activity mitigates potential damage from adverse weather, but nature determines
how well the plants grow.
This late start was in part due to the late snow pack
(10 inches still in the field in mid March).
It took time for the snow to melt, more time to allow the ground to
thaw, and more time still for the ground to dry out enough to work. This year, we were trying to warm up the beds
with IRT Mulch in late April – a photograph on the website shows that none of
the beds were yet sown (except for the Garlic).
Our first Lettuces reach full size in about 60 days,
with a 45-day maturity period for mini sized heads. With that in mind, the Lettuces that had their
transplant delayed until the first week of May should be ready by mid June to
early July. At the time of planting, I
had anticipated that we would have to provide mini heads for the first week or
two, and so I planted twice the necessary amount. The mini heads should be ready by now, so I
assume that the weather conditions are playing a factor in the slow rate of
crop growth as well.
Last year, our first Lettuces were delivered by the end
of May.
These wide variations in growing conditions have made
predicting the harvests very difficult.
You will no doubt have noticed that every “This Week’s Menu” post has
differed from the actual delivery. Some
greens have gone to seed quicker than anticipated, while others have grown very
slowly. Every harvest day so far, I have
had to change the predicted harvest based on the conditions of the crops.
It takes an effort not to be frustrated, and to remain
focused on continuing to plant main season and late season crops.
We do seem to have started turning this early season
page. Most shares received Peas this
week (including the half shares), the Carrots – though small – appear to be
ready for next week, and our first Kale of the season should appear soon in full
shares. The Lettuce has started showing
sign of growth, the Potatoes are healthy and relatively Beetle–free, Parsnips
are growing well, and the cold loving Cress had survived the (for it) extreme
heat.
Insects in the produce:
When we rinse our food on harvest day, we sometimes add
a couple of drops of vinegar. This
usually causes insects (and slugs) to release their grip on the produce. It does not guarantee that the veggies will
be free of un-wanted travelers, but seems to be effective most of the
time. Even pesticide does not guarantee
insect free food as I have found Ladybugs, slugs, and spiders in grocery store
produce in the past.
The Pak Choi leaves were badly damaged. I initially thought this was due to Flea
Beetles, which are tiny insects that are too small and hop too quickly to
squash, and prefer Cabbage family crops.
After I began harvesting the Pak Choi, I found that they were being
eaten by slugs. Some of the leaves were
so badly damaged that there was no point in delivering them, so they were
snipped off the stalks and composted.
Produce quantities:
For those of you who have provided some feedback,
thank-you. I am adjusting the amount by
planting more of some crops, and harvesting as much extra as can be spared in
the meantime.
Please note that it takes time for food to grow to
maturity, so I may not be able to fulfil requests for more immediately.
I am so looking forward to having some real Lettuce…
Talk to you soon,
Bob