Week 2

It rained!  Last June I would look at the weather and see a chance of rain, I would hope and I would be disappointed.  This year I decided to skip the hope thing and just go straight to pessimism, and everything turned out great.  I don't know if that means I should have a better attitude and not get so down or if being pessimistic sets me up for more joy later.

Our first week of the farm share was also our first week of the Chehalis market.  Both went smoothly (I think, correct me if there was a problem with your veggies) and we are off and running.  We are thankful to have one great crew member returning from last year and some new folks who are getting in the swing of things.  We also called in some extra hands this week because we realized that we were getting a little behind.   Ian worked the stand on Wednesdays last year and will again this year but for the most part Kelly and I are the face of the farm and I think it gives people the false impression that we do this all ourselves.  There is no way we could do this without help.  The vegetables in your box were most likely the product of many hands.  Take the bunch of carrots in your box.  Someone did the tractor work to prep that bed which included adding fertilizer, incorporating it into the soil and then making the bed.  That is at least three changes of implements on the back of the tractor and three separate passes through the field to get it ready.  Then the carrots were seeded, covered with the white row cover for a little extra warmth since we seed at the end of February.  The row cover was pulled off in April and they were scuffled (a type of hoe we like to use) and recovered.  A couple weeks later the row cover was removed again and they were hand weeded and thinned on hands and knees and recovered.  They were uncovered one last time and scuffled again.  They were harvested,  and then sorted, sized and bunched.  They were then sprayed down, dunked and packed into a box and put in the walk in.  They were then removed and placed in each of your boxes.  That is a lot of hand labor and we are thankful to have help doing it.  If you would ever like to take a peak at what goes on in our fields you should feel free to walk around when you come to pick up your box.

I think we should have one last round of strawberries for you.  The first planting of peas went by quickly and we will be skipping a week on those but we will be back into plentiful peas next week in the second planting (hopefully).

Carrots
Beets - These beets have gorgeous greens on them.  Don't let them go to waste - they are delicious.  You can cook them however you like to cook spinach, chard or kale.  I like to sauté them with a little onion and garlic and then squeeze a little lemon juice on them at the end.
Broccoli
Summer Turnips - If you aren't familiar with these you are in for a treat.  They are great raw or cooked and you can eat these greens as well.  Sometimes the greens can have a bit of a bite and sometimes they are quite mild.  Don't be afraid to try one raw.  They are nice sliced and added to lettuce in a salad or thrown in soup at the end or you can sautee the turnips and then add the greens at the end. The turnips tend to be mild, juicier than a radish with a little bit of sweetness and just a little sharpness at the end.
Strawberries
Garlic Scapes - The garlic is early this year and we have one last variety that has scapes left on it.  By the time the garlic plant starts to shoot up a scape we are suffering through the end of last years sprouted storage garlic and are so thankful to have them.  They taste just like garlic but with a fresher, greener flavor.  They can be chopped and used like garlic, cut larger and tossed with pasta and other veggies or left whole and grilled or roasted.  The also make a great pesto and are fun to pickle.  They should be stored in a bag in your fridge.  They will keep for at least a couple weeks.
Spinach - Large Only
Scallions - Large Only

See you at the farm stand!