With all the rain the garden is growing well…and so are the weeds! Even so we have limited offerings until the tomatoes and blackberries are ripe. If you aren’t interested in what we have this week, feel free to skip. More plentiful days are coming.

We do have a summer salad mix, not traditional lettuce, but a mix of young leaves of Portuguese kale, red Russian kale, swiss chard, komatsuna, mizuna, radish pods, and onion bulblets. I would recommend serving it with a red raspberry dressing, feta cheese, and maybe a few mandarin oranges.

We still have some cabbages, savoy, pointed head, and regular cabbage. The savoy cabbages could be added to the summer salad. I have one Chinese cabbage left.

We have more large leaf basil, chives, and mints.

The hens have survived the extreme heat but have laid fewer eggs. They don’t get out and forage as much preferring to stay in the shade holding out their wings and panting. They don’t sweat, you know. The turkeys stand in the water pan to cool off. The animals and I are all looking forward to this week of cooler weather!

The weather is forecasted to warm considerably the end of this week so I plan to do the last harvest of lettuce. If you want lettuce will receive a variety of kinds.

We have some nice young (not baby) Asian greens for sauté or stir fry. If you aren’t familiar with the varieties you might like to order a mixture. Or you can order a specific one if you want. We have mizuna (Japanese cabbage which doesn’t look anything like cabbage), ruby streaks mustard (which looks like reddish mizuna), and komatsuna mustard spinach (which is definitely not a spinach but that’s what it’s called). All are mild Asian greens and I like them all sautéed with garlic or onion and maybe some grated carrot.

We have one or two napa type Chinese cabbages, one or two 1 pound size mini cabbages (just the right size for a batch of slaw with no leftovers), one or two pointed cabbages (they taste like regular cabbage but look neat), and one or two savoy cabbages (beautiful crinkle leaved cabbages). We have enough large leaf basil for seasoning but not enough to make a batch of pesto yet. Since I have limited amounts of all these items you might want to list your first and second choices and I’ll fulfill as many requests as possible.

We’re kind of at an in between time in the garden. I will deliver lettuce unless you request not. The lettuce has stayed good since the weather hasn’t turned that hot and the variety available this week is a nice speckled butter crunch type.

We have a few more snow peas, some Portuguese kale, and fresh dill if you request them. Also, I have a little mizuna (Japanese cabbage). It’s used for stir fry.

Eggs continue to be limited so I’ll distribute them as far as they go. Ask for what you’d like and we’ll see how it goes.

Next week we should have napa type Chinese cabbage and regular cabbage, also.

We still have lots of tasty lettuce. If there’s a particular variety that you’ve received from me that you really like, please request it. Otherwise, I’ll just give you an assortment. Feel free to request extra. There is no loose leaf lettuce this week.

You will also receive the golden sweet snow peas.

The following items are new this week and will only be sent if you request them:
Garlic scapes: these are the curly tops pinched off the developing garlic. Chop and sauté them like fresh garlic. I was delighted at the farmer’s market this week that an Italian woman knew just what they were and how to use them.
Kohlrabi: a crisp, mild, slightly cabbagey tasting bulb-like veggie best peeled and eaten raw with dip, salad dressing, or added to salad. I have seen people peel them and eat them just like an apple.
Dill leaf: fresh dill “fronds” great chopped on to potatoes and peas or in dip. If you want enough to dehydrate, let me know.
Portuguese kale: large leaves that resemble flat cabbage leaves but they taste like kale. Sauté with garlic and/or onions or use a large wrappers for stuffing or chop into mashed potatoes.

I love this time of year when the garden looks so green and fresh! We have several veggies this week.

You will still receive a variety of loose head lettuces. If you are tired of salad and don’t want any, tell me. Otherwise, lettuce it is. We also still have loose leaf lettuce if you request.

Broccoli is just starting to come in. Since I’m not really sure how much will be available this week, I’ll just bring it if you request. In another week there should be plenty. I cut the stems rather short so the plants will sprout additional florets, so it’s more like you are getting broccoli crowns rather than long stems of broccoli.

The snow peas are coming in, too. These are called “golden sweet snow peas” and they are yellow rather than the usual green. They are sweet enough to add to salads, although they can be cooked, of course. Again, since this is the first picking, I’m not sure what the quantities will be. So, I will plan to send everyone at least enough to add to salads. Later, we’ll have enough for you to stir fry.

It’s still early for the garden and our offerings will be pretty much the same as last week.

You will receive loose head lettuce again, only it will be a different variety. I’m also including a small head of spoon mustard (tatsoi) that I would recommend adding to your salad. However, it can also be sautéed. It’s just that there is only a small amount.

We still have plenty of loose leaf lettuce if you want it in addition to your head lettuce.

We continue to have available green garlic and herbs (chives, lemon balm, spearmint, apple mint, and oregano.)

See you Wednesday.

This Wednesday, May13, will be our first delivery.

You will receive a bag of colorful loose-leaf head lettuce and a smaller bag of other greens and goodies to add to your salad. I also have the loose-leaf type lettuce commonly used for wilted lettuce. It can also be added to your salads. Although we have plenty, I will only send it if you want it.

We have white icicle radishes if you want.

We have wonderful green garlic. Use it just like regular garlic, only it won’t store.

We have freshly cut herbs if you request: spearmint, apple mint, lemon balm, oregano, chives.

And we have limited quantities of asparagus.

Although it’s not actually the growing season yet I do have some items you might want. This week I dug horseradish and sunchokes. Check the website for recipes. We are beginning to get eggs, too. I’m not ready to make deliveries yet, but if you want any of these items you are welcome to come pick them up. Just give me a call or e-mail me.

Updating other farm activities: We started lambing the last week in December and have 24 lambs, so far, with 2 more ewes yet to lamb. So we’ll have plenty of freezer lamb early this fall. The geese have just started laying. There is already a hint of green in the grass and the chickens are busy taking advantage of it. I’m collecting eggs from the Cuckoo Marans and Delawares for hatching so we’ll soon be starting up the incubator. The first of the seeds are sown in flats for the vegetable garden. We’ll be trying some new varieties of several vegetables this year. The grapes and fruit trees have been pruned. We’re all anticipating a great year.

Our last delivery will be Tuesday, October 28. I’m telling you early what we expect to have so you can reply early. I will be doing the last farmer’s market of the year this coming Saturday, the 25th. I need your orders before Saturday so I can hold back what you want and not take it to the market to sell.

There will still be some tomatoes. I’m finding that, although they look nice, their flavor is not as good as when they were getting warmer days.

We will have scallop squash and another globular summer squash that tastes the same as the scallop ones. If you’d like a larger one for soup, let me know. There should still be plenty of smaller ones, too.

Sweet peppers are maturing to their red, gold, and chocolate colors, so you can order colors as well as regular green peppers. There are still a few jalapeños and anaheims.

I will be digging horseradish and sunchokes. See our website for ways to prepare them. I have read that horseradish can be frozen after it’s prepared but haven’t tried it yet. Sunchokes do not freeze well but they will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several weeks.

There will be green beans. These are a new variety and I haven’t tasted them yet. They are slender and only about 4 inches long. Very gourmet looking!

And we will have ching chiang, a dwarf type bok choi. Also mizuna, a Japanese cabbage I like in salads, stir fry, and soup.

We’ll still have cutting celery and sorrel.

I had hoped to have Brussels sprouts, but they are still only pea sized.

Eggs are scarce as hen’s teeth as the saying goes so, regretfully, you will not be getting eggs.

We have lots of tomatoes. However it’s forecasted to turn cool later in the week so this may be our last abundance of tomatoes. I’m listing what we have in case you want to tell me your preferences: sugar daddy cherry, blushing yellow salad, white currant, yellow pear, orange banana, better boy (red), lemon boy (yellow), and heirloom pinks.

We have red Anaheim peppers. Consider drying one to crush for red pepper flakes.
We have jalapeños and garlic.
We have a few medium sized zucchini and some small scallop squashes.
And we have a few of my first crop of pears! I think they are Bartletts.

Egg production continues to be diminished and probably no one will receive more than a half dozen.